DISPOSABLE GLOVE DISPENSING SYSTEM

Abstract

A disposable glove dispensing system is provided. The disposable glove dispensing system embodies a mountable filter dimensioned and adapted to circumscribe a dispensing opening of an existing glove box, improving the reliability of dispensing only a single disposable glove there through. The mountable filter forms a filtered opening, wherein the mountable filter is mounted to an existing glove box so that the dispensing opening of the glove box is circumscribed and/or overlapped by the filtered opening, thereby preventing the dispensing of more than a single disposable glove from passing through the filtered opening.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 62/208,864, filed 24 Aug. 2015, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to dispensing systems and, more particularly, a disposable glove dispensing system providing a mountable filter dimensioned and adapted to engage an existing glove box so as to improve the reliability of dispensing a single disposable glove from its opening.

In the medical and technological fields, disposable “medical gloves” are a necessity for maintaining a sterile environment and not spreading contaminants. Such disposable gloves may be latex or non-latex and are typically dispensed from cardboard boxes much in the nature of tissue containers. However, many more disposable gloves are dispensed than needed because of the current state of such cardboard boxes and other enclosures known in the art. Such existing enclosures hold 100 or more gloves but result in a tremendous number of gloves being dropped on the floor, the sinks, and elsewhere, especially in light that the professionals dispensing said disposable gloves are regularly doing so in an urgent manner. And because of the necessity for maintaining a sterile environment and not spreading contaminants such dropped gloves need to be discarded unused. As a result, millions of disposable gloves are lost every year, probably because the industry likes to sell gloves.

The existing distribution systems are not designed or constructed well enough to be adaptable for use with the different openings of the variety of glove boxes/enclosures, and so the current distribution systems and devices they embody do not allow a single glove to be dispensed with any predictable and quick success.

As can be seen, there is a need for a disposable glove dispensing system providing a mountable filter dimensioned and adapted to engage an existing glove box so as to improve the reliability of dispensing a single disposable glove from its opening.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a mountable dispensing filter includes a sheet of durable material forming a filtered opening; the filtered opening providing: a first portion communicating with an elongated perforated portion, wherein the first portion is dimensioned and adapted to accommodate only a portion of a human hand; and a plurality of spaced apart cuttings provided along opposing lengths of the elongated perforated portion, wherein each cutting extends into the void defined by the perforated portion.

In another aspect of the present invention, the mountable dispensing filter includes a sheet of durable material forming a filtered opening; the filtered opening providing: a first portion communicating with an elongated perforated portion, wherein the first portion is dimensioned and adapted to accommodate only a portion of a human hand; and a plurality of spaced apart cuttings provided along opposing lengths of the elongated perforated portion, wherein each cutting extends into the void defined by the perforated portion, wherein each of the plurality of spaced apart cuttings are approximately half an inch apart, wherein the trough and the wave portions of each of the plurality of spaced apart cuttings are each approximately an eighth of an inch in radius, wherein the trough and the wave portions are mirror images of each other, wherein the first portion is defined by a radius of approximately one inch, and wherein a distance from the midpoint of the first portion to a distal end of the perforated portion is approximately five inches.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a disposable glove dispensing system providing a mountable filter dimensioned and adapted to circumscribe and/or overlap a dispensing opening of an existing glove box, improving the reliability of dispensing only a single disposable glove there through. The mountable filter forms a filtered opening, wherein the mountable filter is mounted to an existing glove box so that the dispensing opening of the glove box is circumscribed or overlapped by the filtered opening, thereby preventing the dispensing of more than a single disposable glove from passing through the filtered opening.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 6, the present invention may include a dispensing filter 50. The dispensing filter 50 may be made of a durable material that is amendable to sufficient molding, folding, polishing and precise cutting without fracturing so as to function in accordance with the present invention as described herein, including but not limited to acrylic, various plasticized materials, various metallic materials and the like.

The dispensing filter 50 may provide a planar sheet 12 of durable material that forms a filtered opening 20 generally centrally disposed therein. The filtered opening 20 may be generally key-shaped, as illustrated in the Figures. The filtered opening 20 may define a first portion 22 communicating to a perforated portion 24. The first portion 22 may be dimensioned and adapted to enable a human hand or portion thereof, such as at least one finger, to access the underlying dispensing opening of the compatible glove container 60. The perforated portion 24 may be dimensioned and adapted to improve the reliability of dispensing a single disposable glove. The perforated portion 24 may provide two facing rows of cuttings 26 adapted to urge sufficient resistance to all disposable gloves sliding between the two rows so that all such disposable gloves not under direct force of a user will be “hung up” between said two rows of cuttings 26. In other words, if a user through the filtered opening 20 pulls a first glove adjacent the dispensing opening, a subsequent glove 62 abutting/entangled with the first glove will get hung up on the two facing rows of cuttings 26, as illustrated in FIG. 6. As a result, all such disposable gloves not under direct force will remain caught along the two rows of cuttings 26 for subsequent direct-force withdrawal.

Referring to FIG. 4, in certain embodiments, the filtered opening may extend for approximately five inches from a distal end of the perforated portion to the center of the first portion 22, dimension Q, while the radius of the first portion 22 may be approximately one inch, dimension W. The “wave length”—from trough to trough—of the spaced apart cuttings 26 may be approximately one half inch, dimension T. A neck portion may interconnect the void of the first portion 22 to the void of the perforated portion 24, wherein a distance from the center of the first portion 22 to the midpoint of the neck portion may be approximately one and one-sixth of an inch while the distance from said neck portion midpoint to the adjacent trough is approximately 0.45 inches, dimensions R and S, respectively. The radius of each trough (and thus, in certain embodiment, its symmetrically, mirror image associated ‘wave’ cuttings 26) may be approximately one-eighth of an inch, dimension U. The distance between two facing/opposing troughs may be approximately one inch, dimension V.

The elongated length and the width of the planar sheet 12, dimensions P and A, respectively, may vary depending on the application, i.e., to what glove box/enclosure 60 is to be adapted to. The planar sheet may have a first surface 64 and an opposing second surface 66. The second surface 66 may provide at least one adhesive 70 for attached along the periphery of the dispensing opening of the pre-existing glove box/enclosure 60.

Referring to FIG. 2, in other embodiments, the planar sheet 12 may be perpendicular joined to a base leg 16 that extends to a generally perpendicular second leg 14, forming a U-shaped sleeve 10. The U-shaped sleeve 10 may be dimensioned and adapted to be compatible with most disposable glove containers 60, so that the planar sheet 12 and the opposing second leg 12 (of the U-shape) securely sandwich the (most likely slidably received) box/enclosure 60, wherein the filtered opening 20 aligns with the dispensing opening of said box/enclosure 60. In some embodiments, the base leg 16 may be approximately two and three-quarters inches, dimension C, the second leg 14 approximately three inches, dimension B, with an approximately 85-degree grasping angle there between, dimension E, defining an approximately one-fifth of an inch radius, dimension F. The grasping angle E may be biased so that the associated second leg 14 and opposing planar sheet 12 ‘clamp’ down on the sandwiched box/enclosure 60. It being understood that dimension C (as well as the other dimensions) may be varied to effectuate a secure, operable mounting/engagement of the present invention to a pre-existing box/enclosure 60.

A method of using the present invention may include the following. The dispensing filter 50 disclosed above may be provided. A user may mount the dispensing filter 50 to a pre-existing box/enclosure 60 so that the filtered opening 20 generally aligns/overlaps with the dispensing opening of said box/enclosure 60. Then the user may use the first portion 22 to quickly access the filtered opening 20, via a portion of their hand, to grasp at least one disposable glove accessible via the dispensing opening, and pull the at least one disposable glove through the perforated portion 24 so that only a single disposable glove clears the two facing rows of cuttings 26.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a sheet of durable material forming a filtered opening;

the filtered opening comprising: a first portion communicating with an elongated perforated portion, wherein the first portion is dimensioned and adapted to accommodate only a portion of a human hand; and a plurality of spaced apart cuttings provided along opposing lengths of the elongated perforated portion, wherein each cutting extends into the void defined by the perforated portion.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the sheet has a first surface and an opposing second surface, and further comprising an adhesive along the second surface.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a base leg generally perpendicularly joined to the sheet; and

a second leg transversely joined to the base leg, forming a generally U-shape defined by the sheet, the base leg and the second leg.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein a grasping angle of less than 90 degrees defines the relationship of the base and second leg.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the grasping angle is approximately 85 degrees.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of spaced apart cuttings are approximately half an inch apart.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the trough and the wave portions of each of the plurality of spaced apart cuttings are each approximately an eighth of an inch in radius.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the trough and the wave portions are mirror images of each other.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the first portion is defined by a radius of approximately one inch.

10. The device of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of spaced apart cuttings are approximately half an inch apart.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the trough and the wave portions of each of the plurality of spaced apart cuttings are each approximately an eighth of an inch in radius.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the trough and the wave portions are mirror images of each other.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the first portion is defined by a radius of approximately one inch.

14. A device, comprising:

a sheet of durable material forming a filtered opening;

the filtered opening comprising: a first portion communicating with an elongated perforated portion, wherein the first portion is dimensioned and adapted to accommodate only a portion of a human hand; and a plurality of spaced apart cuttings provided along opposing lengths of the elongated perforated portion, wherein each cutting extends into the void defined by the perforated portion, wherein each of the plurality of spaced apart cuttings are approximately half an inch apart, wherein the trough and the wave portions of each of the plurality of spaced apart cuttings are each approximately an eighth of an inch in radius, wherein the trough and the wave portions are mirror images of each other, wherein the first portion is defined by a radius of approximately one inch, and wherein a distance from the midpoint of the first portion to a distal end of the perforated portion is approximately five inches.

15. The device of claim 4, wherein the base and second leg are biased in the grasping angle.