A glove dispenser

Abstract

A glove dispenser 1 comprising a sealable chamber 71 and a cartridge for a stack of gloves, the stack of gloves being disposed on the cartridge. The dispenser further comprises a cartridge holster wit

Description

Field of the Invention The invention relates to a glove dispenser. In particular, the invention relates to a glove dispenser that dispenses a glove in a manner that enables it to be donned without touching the exterior surface of the glove. Background Disposable gloves are widely used in many industries throughout the world. In many industries, the glove must be clean or indeed sterile to be suitable for use. The act of placing a glove on a hand is often referred to as “donning”. When donning gloves for use in most procedures it is crucial that the exterior surface is not contacted either by a bare hand or by a surface to avoid contamination. Gloves can be donned cleanly by carefully holding a folded cuff of a glove with one hand, whilst sliding the other hand into the glove. With this method, the hand can get stuck during insertion, and the glove will also be moved about and may abut off adjacent surfaces. The method is therefore frustrating for the person donning the glove, and may result in contamination as a result of contacting numerous unclean surfaces. The known method can also be time-consuming, especially if a contaminated glove must be replaced. Contamination of gloves is problematic in working environments such as cleanrooms in semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries, where disposable gloves are worn to prevent contamination of sensitive equipment and products. Scientists and technicians in laboratories, such as those working with cell cultures or in microbiology, also wear disposable gloves to prevent contamination of experiments and samples. Workers in biotech manufacturing facilities wear disposable gloves to prevent contamination of biologies and other products. And workers in food processing facilities wear disposable gloves to prevent contamination of food products and maintain food safety. The present invention seeks to mitigate the problem of contamination of gloves during donning. Specifically, the present invention provides a glove dispenser that enables donning of a glove without touching the exterior of the glove. Further, the present invention provides a glove dispenser that enables rapid donning of a glove. Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a glove dispenser comprising: a sealable chamber; a cartridge for a stack of gloves, the stack of gloves being disposed on the cartridge; a cartridge holster within the chamber, the cartridge holster being configured to hold the cartridge; a glove gripping means for gripping a rim of a glove disposed on the cartridge; wherein the glove gripping means and cartridge holster are configured to move relative to one another, and wherein the glove gripping means can grip a rim of a glove and the cartridge holster can be moved thereafter to remove a glove from the cartridge; wherein the sealable chamber comprises a mouth rim configured to engage with the rim of a glove to form an airtight seal; wherein the glove gripping means is configured to release a glove. Ideally, when the glove is released the glove forms an airtight seal with the mouth rim of the chamber. Advantageously, the glove dispenser can be operated to grip a glove from the glove cartridge, stretch the glove over the mouth rim, release the glove from the glove cartridge, ready for a user to insert their hand and don the glove, without having to touch the exterior of the glove. Preferably, the glove dispenser further comprises means for reducing the air pressure in the chamber after the glove has been dispensed on the mouth rim. Advantageously, the dispenser can also expand a glove making it easier for a user to insert their hand into the glove. Preferably, the glove gripping means are located outside the chamber. Ideally, the glove gripping means can extend inwardly relative to the chamber to grip a glove on the glove cartridge. Preferably, the cartridge is configured to retain a stack of gloves, wherein the innermost glove is placed over the cartridge, and subsequent gloves are in turn placed over one another to form a stack, with the rim of each glove extending around the cartridge forming a stack of glove rims, with the highest glove rim corresponding to the outermost glove. Preferably, the glove gripping means comprises a frame that extends around the cartridge holster, and a plurality of spaced apart jaw fingers hingedly connected to the frame. Ideally, the jaw fingers are configured to extend inwardly from the frame. Ideally, the jaw fingers each comprise a jaw tip configured to slip underneath a glove rim on the cartridge to grip a glove. Preferably, the jaw tip has a rear face that faces the mouth rim, and wherein the rear face comprises a non-slip feature, such that the rear face can be pressed against a glove on the cartridge and can enable movement of one glove relative to another glove in the stack. Advantageously, the non-slip feature can thereby separate the top glove in the stack, readying it for subsequent gripping by the jaw fingers and removal from the cartridge. Preferably, the jaw fingers are configured to move towards and away from the cartridge. Ideally, the cartridge comprises an exterior surface with spacings or flutes to accommodate the jaw fingers so they can slide underneath a glove rim. Ideally, the mouth rim of the chamber is movable relative to the frame. Advantageously, movement of the mouth rim relative to the frame can move the jaw fingers towards or away from the cartridge holster, thereby controlling operation of the glove gripping means. Ideally, the chamber further has a raised seat for each of the jaw fingers, the raised seats being disposed spaced apart around the mouth rim, and wherein the jaw tip moves towards or away from the cartridge as the jaw finger rides over the raised seat by movement of the mouth rim relative to the frame. Preferably, the jaw fingers comprise cam surfaces that engage with the raised seat. Preferably, the jaw finger comprises a main body, wherein the main body is wider than the jaw tip, and wherein the raised seat comprises a release well, the release well being sized to accommodate the jaw tip, but not the jaw finger main body, such that when the mouth rim is raised sufficiently relative to the frame, the jaw tip slides into the release well, thereby releasing a glove from the glove gripping means. Advantageously, this provides a release mechanism to release the glove from the glove gripping means. Ideally, the raised seat comprises bearings or low friction surfaces to reduce friction between the raised seat and the jaw finger when the jaw finger rides over the surface of the raised seat. This enables smooth operation of the glove dispenser. Ideally, the cam surfaces engage with the bearings or low friction surfaces during operation. Preferably, the glove gripping means comprises a means to determine the location of a glove rim relative to the glove gripping means, optionally, said means being an accelerometer disposed on one or more of the jaw fingers. Advantageously, these data can be used to correctly align the cartridge holster and thereby the cartridge with the glove gripping means to ready the glove dispenser for a dispensing operation. Ideally, the cartridge holster is configured to releasably retain the cartridge thereto. Advantageously, the cartridge is retained on the holster but can also be removed to replace with a new cartridge. Preferably, the glove dispenser comprises a control means for controlling operation of the glove dispenser. Preferably, the means for determining the location of a glove rim relative to the glove gripping means is configured to provide data regarding the location of a glove rim relative to the glove gripping means to the control means. Ideally, the glove dispenser comprises a sensor to detect the presence of a hand in the vicinity of the glove dispenser, and wherein the sensor is configured to provide data to the control means regarding the presence of a hand. Advantageously, the glove dispenser can be configured to begin operation upon the detection of a hand in the vicinity of the dispenser. Preferably, the glove dispenser comprises one or more actuators configured to move the cartridge holster, chamber, or glove gripping means, or combinations thereof. Preferably, the control means can control operation of the one or more actuators. Ideally, the means for reducing the air pressure in the chamber comprises bellows. Additionally or alternatively, the means for reducing air pressure comprises a pump. Preferably, the glove dispenser comprises a pressure sensor for determining the pressure in the chamber, and wherein the pressure sensor can provide pressure data to the control means. Ideally, the control means is configured to either: prevent further operation of the means for reducing the air pressure in the chamber in response to pressure data from the pressure sensor, or operate a pressure relief valve on the chamber in response to pressure data from the pressure sensor, or both. Advantageously, this prevents a glove from being expanded beyond a safe or useful level. Ideally, the glove dispenser comprises an indicator for indicating whether the pressure in the chamber has remained stable after glove expansion, thereby indicating if a glove is punctured. Advantageously, this provides a safety check for the user. If the pressure in the chamber drops after expansion then the glove is punctured. The glove can be disposed of and the dispensing operation can be conducted again to produce a new glove. In one embodiment, the indicator can illuminate the glove, for example, if a drop in pressure in the chamber after expansion has been detected. Preferably, the glove dispenser comprises a glove release means for releasing a glove from the mouth rim. Advantageously, the user can insert their hand into the expanded glove and operate the glove release means to release a glove from the mouth rim thereby donning the glove. Ideally, the glove release means involves the mouth rim being movable relative to a main body of the chamber, and wherein the mouth rim sits on the main body rim, wherein the main body rim has a perimeter that is smaller than the mouth rim, and wherein a glove rim extends around the mouth rim and sits in an undercut below the mouth rim and around the main body rim, wherein the mouth rim can be moved such that the main body rim abuts and urges the glove rim outwards where it slips off the mouth rim thereby dislodging the glove from the mouth rim. Preferably, the glove dispenser is configured to be operable to count the gloves on a cartridge and to be able to indicate the number of gloves on the cartridge, or to determine the relative distance between gloves on the cartridge and to indicate when there is an inconsistency in spacing, or both. The glove dispenser can thereby indicate when a cartridge needs to be replaced. Further, by indicating the relative distance between gloves, the glove dispenser can determine if there has been a “glove jam”. The user can then take action to remedy the fault. Preferably, the glove dispenser comprises a means, most preferably an electrical or optical means, for identifying a cartridge type, glove type or glove size, or combinations thereof. The optical means may be a QR code reader, for example. List of Figures Specific implementations of the present disclosure will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a glove dispenser according to the invention; Figure 2 is the glove dispenser with the covers and supports removed; Figure 3 is a sectional view of the glove dispenser; Figure 4 shows the empty glove cartridge sliding onto the cartridge holster; Figure 5 shows the glove cartridge loaded onto the cartridge holster; Figure 6 shows the glove cartridge loaded with 50 gloves; Figure 7 is a sectional view of the glove cartridge loaded with two gloves; Figure 8 is a sectional view of the glove cartridge loaded with many gloves; Figure 9 shows the jaw fingers with respect to the cartridge and one glove; Figure 10 shows the glove gripping means, jaw fingers and the accelerometer; Figure 11 shows the jaw fingers resting on the glove rims; Figure 12 shows the jaw fingers retracted from the gloves; Figure 13 shows the stacked gloves with the uppermost glove separated from the second glove in the stack; Figure 14 highlights the non-slip features of the jaw fingers; Figure 15 shows the jaw fingers resting on the second glove in the stack; Figure 16 shows the jaw fingers sliding under the uppermost glove; Figure 17 shows the raised seat bearings interfacing with the jaw finger cam surfaces; Figure 18 shows the glove expansion in progress; Figure 19 shows the glove stack retracting as the glove is being stretched; Figure 20 shows the glove stack fully retracted, and the glove ready to be armed; Figure 21 shows the jaw fingers sliding into the release wells; Figure 22 shows the mouth rim and release wells; Figure 23 is a top view of the mouth rim and the chamber; Figure 24 is a sectional view of figure 23 showing the glove release means; Figure 25 shows an armed glove in figure 24, highlighting the glove release means; Figure 26 shows an armed glove in figure 24, about to be released; Figure 27 shows the glove stack in the first step of a glove counting sequence; Figure 28 shows the glove stack in the second step of a glove counting sequence; Figure 29 shows the glove stack in the third step of a glove counting sequence; Figure 30 shows the glove stack in the fourth step of a glove counting sequence; Figure 31 shows the RGB LED array and the PIR proximity detector lens; Figure 32 shows the pressure sensing electronics and the cartridge holster limit switch; Figure 33 shows the chamber relief valve and solenoid. Detailed Description In the figures there is shown a glove dispenser according to the invention indicated generally by reference numeral 1. The glove dispenser 1 has a cover 2, which is removable to enable maintenance. The glove dispenser 1 has a sealable chamber 71. The dispenser 1 further has a cartridge 30 for a stack of gloves 20. The stack of gloves 20 are disposed on the cartridge 30. The dispenser 1 further has a cartridge holster 40, located within the chamber. The cartridge holster 40 is configured to hold the cartridge 30. The glove dispenser 1 further has a glove gripping means 50 for gripping a rim of a glove disposed on the cartridge 30. The glove gripping means 50 and cartridge holster 40 are configured to move relative to one another. The glove gripping means 50 can grip a rim of a glove, and the cartridge holster 40 can be moved thereafter to remove a glove from the cartridge 30. The glove gripping means 50 are located outside the chamber 71. The glove gripping means 50 can extend inwardly relative to the chamber 71 to grip a glove on the glove cartridge 30. The sealable chamber 71 further comprises a mouth rim 73 configured to engage with the rim of a glove to form an airtight seal. The glove gripping means 50 is configured to release a glove to form an airtight seal with the mouth rim 73 of the chamber 71. The glove dispenser further comprises means 100 for reducing the air pressure in the chamber 71 after the glove has been dispensed on the mouth rim 73. The cartridge 71 is configured to retain a stack of gloves, wherein the innermost glove is placed over the cartridge, and subsequent gloves are in turn placed over one another to form a stack, with the rim of each glove extending around the cartridge forming a stack of glove rims, with the highest glove rim corresponding to the outermost glove. The cartridge holster 40 is configured to releasably retain the cartridge thereto. The cartridge holster 40 has clips 41 on the tip of the cartridge holster as shown in figure 4. The cartridge 30 is loaded onto the cartridge holster 40 by dropping it into position, and is held captive by the clips 41. The cartridge 30 may be removed for replacement by squeezing the longer ends of the cartridge tip inward, or by squeezing the clips 41 towards one another. The glove gripping means 50 comprises a frame 55 that extends around the cartridge holster 40. The glove gripping means 50 further has a plurality of spaced apart jaw fingers 51 hingedly connected to the frame 55. The jaw fingers 51 are configured to extend inwardly from the frame 55. The jaw fingers each comprise a jaw tip 53 configured to slip underneath a glove rim on the cartridge 30 to grip a glove. The jaw tip 53 has a rear face that faces the mouth rim 73. The rear face comprises a non-slip feature 54, such that the rear face can be pressed against a glove on the cartridge and can enable movement of one glove relative to another glove in the stack. The non-slip feature 54 can thereby separate the top glove in the stack, readying it for subsequent gripping by the jaw fingers 51 and removal from the cartridge. The jaw fingers 51 are configured to move towards and away from the cartridge holster 40. The cartridge 30 comprises an exterior surface with spacings or flutes 32 to accommodate the jaw fingers 51 so they can slide underneath a glove rim. The mouth rim 73 of the chamber 71 is movable relative to the frame 55. The chamber 71 further has a raised seat 79 for each of the jaw fingers 51, the raised seats 79 being disposed spaced apart around the mouth rim 73, and wherein the jaw tip 53 moves towards or away from the cartridge 30 as the jaw finger 51 rides over the raised seat 79 by movement of the mouth rim 73 relative to the frame 55. The jaw finger 51 has main body 56, wherein the main body 56 is wider than the jaw tip 53. The raised seat 79 further has a release well 76, the release well 76 being sized to accommodate the jaw tip 53, but not the jaw finger main body 56, such that when the mouth rim 73 is raised sufficiently relative to the frame 55, the jaw tip 53 slides into the release well 76, thereby releasing a glove from the glove gripping means 50. The raised seat 79 has bearings 75 to reduce friction between the raised seat 79 and the jaw finger 51 when the jaw finger 51 rides over the surface of the raised seat 79. Alternatively, the raised seat may have low friction surfaces. This enables smooth operation of the glove dispenser. The glove gripping means 50 comprises a means 60 to determine the location of a glove rim relative to the glove gripping means 50, wherein said means 60 is an accelerometer 60 disposed on one or more of the jaw fingers 51. These data can be used to correctly align the cartridge holster 40 and thereby the cartridge 30 with the glove gripping means 50 to ready the glove dispenser for a dispensing operation. The glove dispenser 1 comprises a control means 131 for controlling operation of the glove dispenser 1. The accelerometer 60 is configured to provide data regarding the location of a glove rim relative to the glove gripping means 50 to the control means. The control means is located disposed in a compartment 130 at the base of the glove dispenser 1. In the illustrated embodiment, the glove dispenser 1 comprises a limit switch 91 to limit downward movement of the cartridge holster 40. There is further a limit switch 78 to limit downward movement of the chamber 71. The glove dispenser 1 has a sensor 112 to detect the presence of a hand in the vicinity of the glove dispenser 1. The sensor 112 can provide data to the control means 131 regarding the presence of a hand. The sensor 112 may be a passive infrared (PIR) sensor. The glove dispenser 1 has actuators 120 configured to move the cartridge holster 40 and chamber 71. In other embodiments, actuators may function to move the glove gripping means 50. The control means can control operation of the one or more actuators 120. The actuators may be electric, electronic or pneumatic, for example. In the illustrated embodiment, the means for reducing the air pressure in the chamber comprises bellows 100. Additionally or alternatively, the means for reducing air pressure may comprise a pump. The glove dispenser 1 has a pressure sensor 110 for determining the pressure in the chamber 71. The pressure sensor 110 can provide pressure data to the control means. The control means is configured to either: prevent further operation of the means for reducing the air pressure in the chamber in response to pressure data from the pressure sensor 110, or operate a pressure relief valve 77 on the chamber 71 in response to pressure data from the pressure sensor, or both. In the illustrated embodiment, the pressure relief valve 77 is operated by a relief solenoid 113. Advantageously, this prevents a glove from being expanded beyond a safe or useful level. In other embodiments, the pressure relief valve may open when a threshold pressure in the chamber 71 has been reached. The glove dispenser 1 has an indicator for indicating whether the pressure in the chamber has remained stable after glove expansion, thereby indicating if a glove is punctured. The indicator in the illustrated embodiment is provided by an RGB LED array 111. The indicator is configured to illuminate the glove thereby indicating to the user that the glove is punctured. The glove dispenser 1 comprises a glove release means 80 for releasing a glove from the mouth rim 73. The glove release means 80 involves the mouth rim 73 being movable relative to a main body 81 of the chamber 71. The mouth rim 73 sits on the main body rim 82. The main body rim 82 has a perimeter that is smaller than the mouth rim 73. A glove rim extends around the mouth rim 73 and sits in an undercut below the mouth rim 73 and around the main body rim 82. The mouth rim 73 can be moved such that the main body rim 82 abuts and urges the glove rim outwards where it slips off the mouth rim 73 thereby dislodging the glove from the mouth rim 73. The glove dispenser 1 is configured to be operable to count the gloves on a cartridge 30 and to be able to indicate the number of gloves on the cartridge 30, or to determine the relative distance between gloves on the cartridge 30 and to indicate when there is an inconsistency in spacing, or both. The glove dispenser 1 can thereby indicate when a cartridge needs to be replaced. Further, by indicating the relative distance between gloves, the glove dispenser can determine if there has been a “glove jam”. The user can then take action to remedy the fault. In use, once the PIR Sensor 112 shown in figure 31 detects the presence of a hand in the vicinity of the dispenser mouth, an 8-step glove delivery sequence is triggered as described below. STEP 1: Location of Glove 1, the Topmost Glove The cartridge is lowered such that glove 1-rim 22 is aligned with the glove gripping means 50. The accelerometer 60, located on one of the jaw tips 51, detects the presence of the glove rim as it slides over the rim. This allows the topmost glove in the glove stack to precisely align with the jaw tips as shown in figure 11. Note that the errors in subsequent operations of locating glove 1 are not cumulative, as each operation detects the absolute position of glove 1 irrespective of the history. This means that should slippage or inaccuracies occur in one complete 8-step operation, it would not have an impact on future glove delivery cycles. STEP 2: Cartridge Initialisation When a new cartridge is inserted into the dispenser, all the glove rims 21 are vertically spaced apart by an equal amount (e.g. 2 mm) from each other. This includes glove 1 (the outermost glove) with respect to glove 2 (the second glove). A space has to be created between glove 1 and glove 2, so that the glove gripping means 50 can pick up a glove as described below. Once this is done, the cartridge is said to have been initialised. To achieve this, the chamber 71 moves upwards, causing jaw fingers 51 to retract as shown in figure 12. Next, the cartridge holster 40 moves down by a predetermined amount (e.g. 5 mm), followed by the chamber 71 moving down again such that the jaw closes just above the glove rim 21, as shown in figure 12. The chamber 71 and glove stack 20 now move down by a predetermined amount (e.g. 10 mm) in order to create a space between glove 1 and glove 2 by sliding glove 1 over glove 2, as depicted in figure 13. This is achieved by utilising the non-slip features 54 which are located in the back of the jaw tips 51 as shown in figure 14. These features are created by a suitable texture and a rubberised finish. It should be noted that for a cartridge that has already been initialised, this step is not required, as there will always be a gap between glove 1 and glove 2 in subsequent glove dispensing cycles. This is due to the fact that during the glove pickup step which is described in the next step, the top glove is also pulled upwards, and is left with the required gap. This is further detailed in the step below. STEP 3: Glove Pickup The glove gripping means 50 moves to a position such that the jaw tips 51 are positioned just below the rim of glove 1 by expanding and raising the glove stack 20 by a distance of 12.5 mm (i.e. half way between the rim of glove 1 and the rim of glove 2), as shown in figure 15. The glove stack now lowers, such that the jaw tips 53 slide underneath the glove 1 as shown in figure 16. The action of the jaw tips sliding underneath glove 1 simultaneously pulls glove 2 upwards, thereby creating a gap between glove 2 and glove 3. This is due to the fact that the non-slip features 54 located in the back of the jaw tips 51 catch on glove 2 at the same time as the jaw tips 51 slide under glove 1 rim. This created gap then becomes the gap between glove 1 and glove 2 in a subsequent dispensing cycle. STEP 4: Glove Stretching The chamber 71 now moves upwards, and opens up the glove gripping means 50 by pressing the jaw fingers 51 outward as the bearings 75 engage with the cam surfaces 52 of the jaw fingers 51 as shown in figure 17. As the chamber 71 moves further upwards, it stretches the glove rim to a circumference larger than the mouth rim 73 as shown in figures 18 and 19. The cartridge holster 40 now moves downwards towards its lowest (home) position, in order to move the glove stack 20 out of the way as it is no longer needed. The glove now being stretched forms a concave shape as shown in figure 20. STEP 5: Glove Arming As the chamber 71 moves further upwards, the jaw tips slide into the release wells 76 as shown in figures 21 and 22. This causes the glove rim to dislocate from the jaw tips and ‘fall’ on to the mouth rim 73. This action causes the glove to seal the top of the chamber 71. The glove now rests in a stable seat on top of the mouth rim 73, providing an airtight seal for the chamber 71. STEP 6: Glove Expansion As the chamber 71 moves further upwards, due to the fact that the glove has sealed the chamber 71, the expanding bellows 100 causes the pressure inside the chamber 71 to reduce, creating a suction inwards which acts on the armed glove, and inflates the glove inwards into the chamber 71. The amount of glove expansion is controlled and regulated by the pressure sensor 110 and the actuator relief valve 77 shown in figures 32 and 33 respectively. The closed-loop pressure control system utilises the pressure sensor to sense the pressure inside the chamber 71 to sense the instantaneous pressure, and the relief valve to open or close the chamber portal, thereby regulating the amount of glove expansion to the desired level. This combined arrangement described here causes the glove to expand to an optimum size, thereby allowing easy insertion of the hand into the glove without any resistance. STEP 7: Glove Pass / Fail Test The expanded glove sits inside the chamber inflated to the prescribed amount, and if the glove is intact with no pinholes or punctures, it should stay at that inflation level indefinitely, not accounting for the natural diffusion of air through thin membranes. However, the presence of a pinhole will cause the glove to deflate over time. The rate it deflates will indicate the size or extent of the puncture. In a simple arrangement, a steady pressure in the chamber for a period (say 1 second) after glove inflation will indicate a PASS, meaning that there is no breach in the integrity of the glove, represented by a ‘green’ illumination of the glove using the RGB LED Array 111 shown in figure 31. In contrast, if the glove deflates in this same period, a FAIL is indicated by a red illumination of the glove using the RGB LED Array 111. STEP 8: Glove Triggering and Donning Once the hand is inserted into the expanded glove, the user can remove their hand with a donned glove, by pressing the hand sideways against the mouth 71. The glove release means 80 causes the glove to dislodge and release from the mouth rim 73, thereby sliding onto the user’s hand and in effect donning the glove onto one hand. The glove release means 80 will now be described in further detail. Figure 23 shows the top view of the mouth rim 73. The rim is constrained in the Y direction with respect to the mouth 72, but free to move sideways in the X direction. Figures 24 -26 are sectional drawings of figure 23, cut along the line S-S’. Detail A in figure 24 shows the overlap between the mouth rim 73 and the mouth 72 identified by *. This overlap creates an undercut to seat the glove rim 21 when stretched, a condition that is identified by the term “glove arming”. This is shown in Detail B of figure 25. When the hand is pressed against the wall of the mouth rim 73, it causes the rim to move in the X direction, resulting in the asymmetric position of the rim with respect to the mouth 72 as shown in Detail C of figure 26. Here, the clear path indicated by the * and the arrow shows the direction that the glove rim 21 will move, which will result in the glove rim 21 de-seating itself as it abuts the main body rim 82 and coming off the mouth rim 73. The glove dispenser mechanism has two utility functions. The first is the Glove Counting function, which is described in a 4-step operation below: STEP 1: The chamber 73 is raised to the position shown in figure 27, such that the jaw fingers are open and clear of the glove rims 21. STEP 2: The glove stack is moved to the position shown in figure 28, which is the lowest position that a glove rim 21 would exist. STEP 3: The chamber 73 is moved down to the position shown in figure 29, thereby causing the jaw fingers to close and the jaw finger 51 with the accelerometer 60 to come into contact with the gloves. STEP 4: The glove stack is swept upwards at a steady speed to the position shown in figure 30, which is the highest position of travel. As the glove rims pass the accelerometer finger, each rim triggers an event in the accelerometer, thereby registering the number of events or the number of rims in the glove stack to be counted. This number is indicated on the optional user display. The system also detects the consistency in the arranged gloves by measuring the time between each rim, and if inconsistency is detected it informs the user by illuminating an amber light on the RGB LED Array 111, and an indication on the optional user display. The second utility feature is the Glove Jam Recovery function. By design, great effort is made to ensure that gloves are delivered trouble-free with no exceptions. However, it is expected that due to the flexible nature of gloves and the unpredictability of imperfections in the glove material or manufacturing processes, there will be a percentage of gloves that will not be delivered correctly, thereby creating a ‘glove jam’ condition. This jam recovery feature is to ensure that in the majority of such cases, the mechanism takes care of the issue and remedies a jammed glove situation so that the user does not need to intervene in this process. The jam recovery process starts with the glove stack being moved with a constant speed to the position shown in figure 29, following the three steps described in the glove counting sequence. As the glove stack is swept upwards at a steady speed to the position shown in figure 30, the accelerometer 60 registers the position of each glove with respect to its adjacent glove, in order to find a glove that is out of place. As the permutations of what position a jammed glove will end up are too numerous and unpredictable, the glove dispenser relies on learned data to make a decision of how best to deal with jammed gloves when an out-of-place glove is detected. It is, however, anticipated that most of the glove jam cases will be indicated by an inconsistency in glove 1 or glove 2 rims. In these cases the issue may be fixed and normal operation resumed by re-initialising glove 1. In some cases, however, if significant inconsistency is detected, the user will be prompted to replace the glove cartridge. In such cases, a flashing amber and red warning on the RGB LED array 111 will inform the user of the remedy, accompanied by a display of information on the optional user display. Once the jam recovery sequence has passed through one or more iterations of recovery attempts, if no inconsistencies in the position of the glove rims are detected, the system will return back to normal and inform the user by a green flashing light on the RGB LED array 111 shown in figure 31. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the presently described subject matter pertains. Where a range of values is provided, for example, concentration ranges, percentage ranges, or ratio ranges, it is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limit of that range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the described subject matter. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges, and such embodiments are also encompassed within the described subject matter, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the described subject matter. It should be understood that the terms "a" and "an" as used above and elsewhere herein refer to "one or more" of the enumerated components. It will be clear to one of ordinary skill in the art that the use of the singular includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise. Therefore, the terms “a,” “an” and “at least one” are used interchangeably in this application. Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as size, weight, reaction conditions and so forth used in the specification and claims are to the understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about”. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present subject matter. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Throughout the application, descriptions of various embodiments use "comprising" language; however, it will be understood by one of skill in the art, that in some instances, an embodiment can alternatively be described using the language "consisting essentially of or "consisting of."

Claims

1. A glove dispenser comprising:a sealable chamber;a cartridge for a stack of gloves, the stack of gloves being disposed on the cartridge;a cartridge holster within the chamber, the cartridge holster being configured to hold the cartridge;a glove gripping means for gripping a rim of a glove disposed on the cartridge;wherein the glove gripping means and cartridge holster are configured to move relative to one another, and wherein the glove gripping means can grip a rim of a glove and the cartridge holster can be moved thereafter to remove a glove from the cartridge;wherein the sealable chamber comprises a mouth rim configured to engage with the rim of a glove to form an airtight seal; andwherein the glove gripping means is configured to release a glove.

2. The glove dispenser of claim 1 wherein the glove gripping means comprises a frame that extends around the cartridge holster, and a plurality of spaced apart jaw fingers hingedly connected to the frame.

3. The glove dispenser of claim 2 wherein the jaw fingers each comprise a jaw tip configured to slip underneath a glove rim on the cartridge to grip a glove, optionally wherein the jaw tip has a rear face that faces the mouth rim, and wherein the rear face comprises a non-slip feature, such that the rear face can be pressed against a glove on the cartridge and can enable movement of one glove relative to another glove in the stack.

4. The glove dispenser of claim 2 or 3 wherein the jaw fingers are configured to move towards and away from the cartridge.

5. The glove dispenser of claims 2 to 4 wherein the cartridge comprises an exterior surface with spacings or flutes to accommodate the jaw fingers so they can slide underneath a glove rim.

6. The glove dispenser of any one of claims 3 to 5 wherein the mouth rim of the chamber is movable relative to the frame.

7. The glove dispenser of claim 6, further comprising a raised seat for each of the jaw fingers, the raised seats being disposed spaced apart around the mouth rim, wherein the jaw tip moves towards or away from the cartridge as the jaw finger rides over the raised seat by movement of the mouth rim relative to the frame.

8. The glove dispenser of claim 7, wherein the jaw finger comprises a main body, wherein the main body is wider than the jaw tip, and wherein the raised seat comprises a release well, the release well being sized to accommodate the jaw tip, but not the jaw finger main body, such that when the mouth rim is raised sufficiently relative to the frame, the jaw tip slides into the release well, thereby releasing a glove from the glove gripping means.

9. The glove dispenser of claim 7 or claim 8 wherein the raised seat comprises bearings or low friction surfaces to reduce friction between the raised seat and the jaw finger when the jaw finger rides over the surface of the raised seat.

10. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim further comprising means for reducing the air pressure in the chamber after the glove has been dispensed on the mouth rim.

11. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the glove gripping means are located outside the chamber.

12. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim wherein the cartridge is configured to retain a stack of gloves, wherein the innermost glove is placed over the cartridge, and subsequent gloves are in turn placed over one another to form a stack, with the rim of each glove extending around the cartridge forming a stack of glove rims, with the highest glove rim corresponding to the outermost glove.

13. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the glove gripping means comprises a means to determine the location of a glove rim relative to the glove gripping means.

14. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim wherein the cartridge holster is configured to releasably retain the cartridge thereto.

15. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim comprising a control means for controlling operation of the glove dispenser.

16. The glove dispenser of claim 15 further comprising a sensor to detect the presence of a hand in the vicinity of the glove dispenser, and wherein the sensor is configured to provide data to the control means regarding the presence of a hand.

17. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim further comprising one or more actuators configured to move the cartridge holster, chamber, or glove gripping means, or combinations thereof.

18. The glove dispenser of claim 17 when dependent on claim 15, wherein the control means can control operation of the one or more actuators.

19. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the means for reducing the air pressure in the chamber comprises bellows.

20. The glove dispenser of claim 15, wherein the glove dispenser comprises a pressure sensor for determining the pressure in the chamber, and wherein the pressure sensor can provide pressure data to the control means.

21. The glove dispenser of claim 20 wherein the control means is configured to either: prevent further operation of the means for reducing the air pressure in the chamber in response to pressure data from the pressure sensor, or operate a pressure relief valve on the chamber in response to pressure data from the pressure sensor, or both.

22. The glove dispenser of claim 20 or claim 21 further comprising an indicator for indicating whether the pressure in the chamber has remained stable afterglove expansion, thereby indicating if a glove is punctured, optionally wherein the indicator can illuminate the glove.

23. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim further comprising a glove release means for releasing a glove from the mouth rim.

24. The glove dispenser of claim 23 wherein the glove release means involves the mouth rim being movable relative to a main body of the chamber, and wherein the mouth rim sits on the main body rim, wherein the main body rim has a perimeter that is smaller than the mouth rim, and wherein a glove rim extends around the mouth rim and sits in an undercut below the mouth rim and around the main body rim, wherein the mouth rim can be moved such that the main body rim abuts and urges the glove rim outwards where it slips off the mouth rim thereby dislodging the glove from the mouth rim.

25. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim further configured to be operable to count the gloves on a cartridge and to be able to indicate the number of gloves on the cartridge.

26. The glove dispenser of any preceding claim further configured to be operable to count the gloves on a cartridge and to be able to determine the relative distance between gloves on the cartridge and to indicate when there is an inconsistency in spacing.

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