Method for producing thin film gloves using the cutting and sealing process and glove produced therefrom

Abstract

A single use disposable glove having two or more layers with a thickness which can range from 0.02 mm to 0.04 mmm for food handling with satisfactory formfitting and durability, all the way up to about 0.10 mm and above for heavy duty applications while still maintaining comfort like that of natural and synthetic rubbers. Materials such as styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene (SEBS) or styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) may be used to produce single use disposable gloves employing the cutting and sealing method. The use of these compositions could have a thickness between about 0.02 mm and about 0.1 mm or above. More importantly, the use of these compositions in the cutting and sealing process would yield a glove having better elasticity. The film quality using the various extrusion techniques would outperform a glove produced by the dipping process, not only in integrity (pinhole rate) but also in a thickness profile (uniformity).

Description

RELATED APPLICATION DATA[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. Continuation-in-Part patent application Ser. No. 14 / 039,702, filed Sep. 27, 2013, and claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 12 / 923,198, filed Sep. 8, 2010, which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention is directed to a method of producing a single use disposable glove using the cutting and sealing process.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]The most widely used element to protect an individual's hand during work or other endeavors would be a glove. Historically, gloves were produced utilizing a large number of different processes as well as various sorts of materials depending on the variety of applications.[0004]For example, gloves used in gardening and in sports which would require the use of a heavy duty material would be made by sewing pieces of these materials together. These materials would include...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014]The deficiencies of the prior art are addressed by the present invention which describes a process of producing a single use disposable glove using the cutting and sealing process. In a first embodiment, this process would produce a glove having two or more layers with a thickness in the range of 0.02 mm to 0.06 mm. A second embodiment would produce a glove having two or more layers with a thickness which can range from 0.02 mm to 0.04 mmm for food handling with satisfactory formfitting and durability, all the way up to about 0.10 mm and above for heavy duty applications while still maintaining comfort like that of natural and synthetic rubbers.

[0016]In the second embodiment, materials such as styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene (SEBS) or styrene-isoprene-styrene (SIS) may be used in place of the prior art use of polyethylene to produce single use disposable gloves employing the cutting and sealing method. The use of these compositions would could have a thickness between about 0.02 mm to about 0.1 mm or above, and would have a much improved durability than the 0.02 mm polyethylene film produced by the prior art. More importantly, the use of these compositions in the cutting and sealing process would yield a glove having better elasticity than plastic polyethylene. This deformation would be between 5% and 30%, and more preferably between 5% and 15%, comparable to that of the rubbery articles produced by the dipping method. The film quality using the various extrusion techniques would outperform a glove produced by the dipping process, not only in integrity (pinhole rate) but also in a thickness profile (uniformity).

[0018]This invention can produce gloves 1 that have much more complicated structures than a dipping process. First of all, it is easy to create multiple layered structured films using coextrusion. For a thin film, it is common to have triple layers or more, not to mention only two layers. Secondly, since the glove seals two separate films, 10 and 15, upon each other with one side 15 being the palm and the other side 10 being the back, one can produce a glove with the palm and back made from different materials. Furthermore, due to the fact that two separate films, 10 and 15, could be produced in different machines, one can easily produce a glove 1 having the palm of one thickness and the back of another thickness. Therefore, one can increase the palm thickness for durability improvement whereas lower the thickness of the back for cost reduction. Consistent with the fact that the thicknesses of the two separate films are different, the weight of each of the films could also be different. For example, one of the layers could account for 50%˜70% of the total glove weight, whereas the second layer would encompass 30%˜50% of the total glove weight.

Problems solved by technology

While in theory a dipping process could also yield multiple layered structures via multiple dipping steps, in reality in the marketplace, it is rare to find a commercially viable glove that is made of two layers of different materials, or use different formulations.

Since the dipped article forms one piece, there is no way to have such a case that the palm and the back are made from different formulations or materials.

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