Distributor and folding glove system and method

Abstract

A method comprising: opening a first cuff portion of a first glove, the first cuff portion of the first glove connected to a first palm portion, the first palm portion connected to a first finger portion; and placing a second finger portion of a second glove in the first cuff portion of the first glove, the second glove comprising a second finger portion connected to a second palm portion, the second palm portion connected to a second cuff portion. The gloves are contained in a dispenser, the finger connection to the cuff allowing individual gloves to be sequentially removed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention generally relates to glove dispensing systems and methods, and more specifically, to gloves and dispenser assemblies that utilize a particular method of interlacing the gloves together to improve dispensing performance. Background Technology

[0002] Gloves made of materials such as nitrile rubber, latex, vinyl, neoprene, rubber, and similar components, including examination gloves, are widely used in medical, laboratory, hospital, law enforcement, electronics, pharmaceutical, pesticide, chemical, handicraft, and other practices and activities. Wearing gloves to isolate body-to-body contact can prevent the spread of diseases such as bacteria and viruses. Furthermore, gloves aid in cleaning by separating the wearer from chemicals, dirt, paint, microorganisms, blood, fluids, etc.

[0003] In particular, the widespread use of disposable gloves has spawned a huge glove supply industry. Various traditional glove dispensers and glove arrangements are available. Typically, a glove user needs one pair of gloves. However, traditional dispensers and their internal glove arrangements make it difficult to dispense a single glove or glove pair in a single operation.

[0004] Others have attempted to provide gloves in dispensers where they are folded or inserted in a specific arrangement. However, these arrangements are insufficient to remove individual gloves and glove pairs from a single dispenser. Often, multiple gloves fall out of the dispenser while searching for each individual glove. Furthermore, the gloves in the dispenser may become embedded and difficult to remove individually.

[0005] Therefore, if the provided gloves and dispenser components could provide an amount of gloves that are easier to remove, it would be a significant improvement in the field and in the technology. A further improvement would be if the provided conventional gloves were folded in the dispenser in a way that allowed the wearer to easily remove them whenever needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] One embodiment of the present invention is a system comprising a first glove having a first finger portion, a first palm portion and a first cuff portion, and a second glove having a second finger portion, a second palm portion and a second cuff portion located in the first cuff portion of the first glove.

[0007] Another embodiment of the present invention is a method comprising: opening a first cuff portion of a first glove, the first cuff portion of the first glove being connected to a first palm portion, the first palm portion being connected to a first finger portion; placing a second finger portion of a second glove into the first cuff portion of the first glove, the second finger portion of the second glove being connected to a second palm portion, the second palm portion being connected to a second cuff portion.

[0008] Another embodiment of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a glove and a dispenser assembly. The manufacturing method includes: forming a series of gloves, each glove being oriented such that a corresponding finger portion of a next glove is placed in the cuff portion of a previous glove in the series of gloves; and folding each glove in the series of gloves such that a corresponding palm portion of a next glove points toward a corresponding finger portion of the next glove. Attached Figure Description

[0009] The invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings by way of example rather than limitation, wherein the same reference numerals denote similar elements, and wherein:

[0010] Figure 1 A front perspective view of a glove comprising finger portions, palm portions, and cuff portions according to certain embodiments of the present invention is shown;

[0011] Figure 2 A front perspective view of a first glove and a second glove according to certain embodiments of the present invention is shown, wherein the first glove and the second glove are positioned such that the fingers of the second glove are inserted into the cuff of the first glove;

[0012] Figure 3 A front perspective view is shown of the fingers of a second glove inserted into the cuff of a first glove according to certain embodiments of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 4 Some embodiments of the present invention are shown. Figure 3 A front perspective view of the second glove and the first glove, wherein the fingers of the first glove are folded back toward the palm portion of the first glove, and the palm portion of the second glove is folded back toward the fingers of the second glove;

[0014] Figure 5 Some embodiments of the present invention are shown. Figure 4 A front perspective view of a first glove, a second glove, and a third glove, wherein the fingers of the second glove are inserted into the cuff portion of the third glove, and the finger portion of the third glove is folded back toward the palm portion of the third glove;

[0015] Figure 6A series of gloves according to certain embodiments of the present invention is shown, wherein the fingers of each subsequent glove are inserted into the cuff of the previous glove;

[0016] Figure 7 A dispenser comprising a series of gloves is shown according to certain embodiments of the invention, wherein the fingers of each subsequent glove are inserted into the cuff of the previous glove.

[0017] Figure 8 A dispenser comprising a series of gloves is shown according to certain embodiments of the invention, wherein, in a manner that allows gloves to be removed one at a time in sequence, the fingers of each subsequent glove in the series are inserted into the cuff of the previous glove.

[0018] Figure 9 A method for connecting a series of gloves for single glove distribution and a method for manufacturing such gloves for a dispenser are shown according to certain embodiments of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] See Figure 1 The glove 100 includes a finger portion A, a palm portion B, and a cuff portion C. Finger portion A includes an index finger 108, a middle finger 110, a ring finger 112, and a little finger 114. A thumb 106 is also included in the glove; in some embodiments, it may or may not be considered included in finger portion A or as an aspect of finger portion A. In fact, finger portion A may include any one or more fingers and / or the thumb, as is applicable in various embodiments. Palm portion B includes a generally cylindrical extension 102 extending from finger portion A. The extension 102 opposite to finger portion A forms cuff portion C. Cuff portion C is sized to accommodate insertion of a hand, palm portion B is sized to accommodate the palm and back of the inserted hand, and finger portion A is sized to accommodate the corresponding little finger, ring finger, middle finger, and index finger of the inserted hand in little finger 114, ring finger 112, middle finger 110, and index finger 108, respectively, and to accommodate the thumb of the inserted hand in thumb 106.

[0020] Glove 100 can be any material and / or a combination of materials. For non-exclusive examples, the glove can be nitrile rubber, latex, vinyl, neoprene, rubber, synthetic materials, fabrics, composite materials, natural materials, or other materials. Glove 100 can be stretchable, torsion-resistant, collapsible, semi-rigid, rigid, or other properties, or combinations thereof. For non-exclusive examples, the same or different materials can form different or varying parts or portions of glove 100. Additionally, glove 100 may, but does not necessarily, include ribs, rolls, beads, or other embellishments or structures. The sizing of glove 100 may depend on the construction material; for non-exclusive examples, glove 100 may have different sizes, standard sizes, or combinations thereof. If glove 100 is intended for healthcare, law enforcement, industrial, or laboratory applications, or other uses, the glove can have a standard or fixed length and width, and depending on the application, can be stretchable to fit the hand snugly or more loosely. Although many variations of glove 100 are possible in the many embodiments, a particular non-exclusive type of glove is a nitrile rubber, latex, vinyl, neoprene, or rubber glove that is stretched to accommodate the wearer's hand.

[0021] Combination Figure 1 See Figure 2 A pair of gloves 200, including gloves 202 and 204, are arranged sequentially aligned. The finger portion A of one glove 202 (which may include any one or more fingers and / or a thumb, all applicable to this embodiment) is positioned away from the second glove 204, while the cuff portion C of the first glove 202 is close to the finger portion A of the second glove 204. The second glove 204 is positioned sequentially aligned with the first glove 204, such that the finger portion A of the second glove 204 points toward the cuff portion C of the first glove 202, while the cuff portion C of the second glove 204 points away from the first glove 202.

[0022] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 See Figure 3Glove pair 300 includes gloves 302 and 304. Gloves 302 and 304 are manipulated such that the little finger 324, ring finger 322, middle finger 320, index finger 318, and thumb 316 of glove 302 extend from the palm portion B of glove 302, and the palm portion B similarly extends to the cuff portion C of glove 302. Glove 304 is positioned such that its little finger 314, ring finger 312, middle finger 310, and index finger 308 face the cuff 326 of glove 302. These fingers 314, 312, 310, and 308 of glove 304 are inserted into the cuff 326 of glove 302. The thumb 306 of glove 304 may extend along the extension of glove 302 outside the cuff 326, or, according to some embodiments, the thumb 306 may be inserted into or not inserted into the cuff 326. When inserted, the palm portion B of glove 304 extends away from the cuff 326 of glove 302, forming the cuff portion C of glove 304. The cuff 328 is opened to receive the fingers of another glove, as described further below.

[0023] Combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 See Figure 4 The packaged glove 400 includes glove 302 and glove 304. Glove 302 is positioned such that the little finger 324, ring finger 322, middle finger 320, and index finger 318 are folded on a first side of the palm portion B of glove 302. (The thumb 316 may be inserted or not, both are applicable in the embodiments). The inserted little finger 214, ring finger 312, middle finger 310, and index finger 308 (not shown) of glove 304 are held within the cuff 326 of glove 302. The palm portion B of glove 304 is folded back against a second side of the palm portion B of glove 302, the second side being opposite to the first side. The thumb 316 of glove 302 is arranged along the palm portion B of glove 302. The thumb 306 of glove 304 is arranged in the opposite direction along the palm portion B of glove 302.

[0024] Combination Figure 4 See Figure 5 Another glove set 500 includes a packaged glove 400 and an additional glove 502. Little finger 324, ring finger 322, middle finger 320, and index finger 318 (… Figure 5 Not shown in the image, but Figure 4(As shown in the figure) is inserted into the cuff 526 of glove 502. Glove 502 is folded so that the little finger 524, ring finger 522, middle finger 520, and index finger 518 rest on the palm portion B of glove 502. In some embodiments, the thumb 516 of glove 502 is positioned to extend in the same direction as the thumb 306 of glove 304, next to the palm portion B of glove 502; however, according to other embodiments, the thumb 516 may also be inserted into the cuff 526, or alternatively. As shown, a string of gloves is positioned such that the fingers (excluding the thumb) of one glove are inside the cuff of another glove, from one glove to another.

[0025] Combination Figure 5 See Figure 6 The glove chain 600 sequentially adds other gloves 602, 604, and 606, each glove such that the corresponding finger portion A of one glove (which may include any one or more fingers and / or thumb, as is the case in this embodiment) is inserted into the cuff portion C of the next successive glove. The corresponding palm portion B of each glove is folded back over the finger portion of that glove and contacts the corresponding palm portion B of the previous successive glove.

[0026] Combination Figure 6 See Figure 7 The glove dispenser 700 includes a container 702 with a perforation 704. As a non-exclusive example, the container 702 may be formed of paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, or other materials or combinations thereof. The container 702 may initially be presented with the perforation 704 closed, and the perforation 704 may be formed, for example, by tearing a perforation line around the perforation 704 in a non-exclusive example, or otherwise in many embodiments.

[0027] In any case, the glove chain 600 is positioned in the container 702 such that the first glove 606 extends its cuff portion C toward the hole 704. When the hole 704 is open, the cuff portion C of the glove 606 can be pulled out from the hole 704 or otherwise appears outside. Within the container 702, a series of gloves 606, 604, 602, 502, 302, 304, etc., are stored. The finger portion A (which may include any one or more fingers and / or the thumb) of each successive glove (from bottom to top in the figure) is positioned within the cuff portion C of the preceding glove. The gloves can be positioned within the container 702 in any manner; for example, in a non-exclusive example, the gloves can each be folded such that the palm portion B is folded backward toward the finger portion A of the same glove, or other arrangements of the gloves are also possible. In any case, positioning the fingers of one glove inside the cuff of the preceding glove allows each subsequent glove to be removed from the hole 704 without removing the next glove in the series simultaneously.

[0028] Combination Figure 7 See Figure 8 The glove and dispenser assembly 800 includes a container 702 with holes 704. Successively contained gloves (each with at least some fingers inserted into the cuff of the next glove) can be individually removed from the holes 704. Because of this particular interconnection of the fingers of one glove in the cuff of another glove, these gloves are individually removed from the container 702 via the cuff portion.

[0029] See Figure 9 The method 900 for the glove and dispenser assembly includes: opening the cuff 902 of a first glove. The finger portion of a second glove (which may include any one or more fingers and / or a thumb) is inserted into the opened cuff of the first glove (step 904). Although not required in all embodiments, the palm portion of the second glove may be folded back toward the finger portion of the second glove (step 906). For each successive glove of a plurality of gloves in the dispenser container, the method 900 continues by repeating steps 902 and 904 (and, if possible, step 906).

[0030] When the last of a plurality of gloves is encountered, and steps 902 and 904 (and step 906 if applicable) are performed for that glove, the interconnected gloves containing the plurality of gloves are packaged in a dispenser (such as in container 702 for a non-exclusive example).

[0031] The present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications, substitutions, deletions, and additions can be made to the present invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, the specification and drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and all such modifications, substitutions, deletions, and additions are intended to be covered within the scope of the present invention. Any benefits, advantages, or problem solutions described above with reference to specific embodiments, as well as the devices, connections, steps, and elements that may lead to or make more apparent any benefits, advantages, or solutions, should not be construed as critical, essential, or necessary features or elements.

Claims

1. A combined glove dispenser, comprising: Containers for holding bundles of gloves; The glove bundle includes a series of gloves, each of which has a finger portion, a palm portion connected to the finger portion, and a cuff portion connected to the palm portion. The finger portion of the next glove is inserted into the cuff portion of the previous glove, so that each of the series of gloves can be individually removed from the container through the corresponding cuff portion. The corresponding palm portion of each subsequent glove folds back toward the finger portion of the same glove and touches the palm portion of the preceding glove.

2. The combination glove dispenser of claim 1, wherein, The container includes an opening through which the cuff portion of the glove can be easily accessed for removal, and thereby positioning the cuff portion of the previous successive glove for removal from the container next time.

3. A method of manufacturing a modular glove dispenser, wherein gloves are interwoven together to form a glove bundle, each glove in the glove bundle having a finger portion, a palm portion connected to the finger portion, and a cuff portion connected to the palm portion, the method comprising: Open the first cuff of the first glove; Place the second finger portion of the second glove into the first cuff portion of the first glove; Fold the second cuff portion of the second glove toward the second palm portion of the second glove; Repeat the above steps for each successive glove in the glove bundle.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising: The glove bundle is packaged in a container that can be opened so that each glove in the glove bundle can be individually removed from the container.

5. A method for manufacturing a combined glove dispenser, comprising: A series of gloves are formed, each glove being oriented such that the corresponding finger portion of the next glove is positioned within the cuff portion of the preceding glove in the series of gloves. as well as Fold each of the next gloves in the series so that the corresponding palm portion of each next glove folds back toward the corresponding finger portion of the same glove and contacts the palm portion of the previous successive glove.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: The series of gloves, which had been formed and folded, were placed into a container that contained approximately the length and width of each glove in the series.

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