Compressed stack formation of folded gloves

Abstract

A method for forming a compressed stack of folded gloves comprises the step of folding gloves to form a stack within a glove stacking sleeve, wherein the stack is placed on a support surface. A retaining band is positioned across an opening of the glove stacking sleeve, and the support surface is moved toward the opening to bring the stack into contact with the retaining band. A compression member is moved toward the retaining band to compress the stack of folded gloves between a first part of the retaining band and the compression member. A second part of the retaining band wraps around at least a portion of the perimeter of the stack of folded gloves and the compression member. The ends of the retaining band are fixed together so that the retaining band extends completely around the four lateral perimeters of the stack of folded gloves to maintain a compressive force on the stack of folded gloves, and the compression member is withdrawn from the retaining band.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to methods for preparing compressed stacks of folded gloves, particularly interfolded gloves, and methods for packing the compressed stacks of folded gloves into a glove dispensing box. The present disclosure also relates to a glove dispensing box comprising at least one stack of folded gloves prepared according to these methods. Background Technology

[0002] Infection control for patients in hospitals, clinics, and doctors' offices has become a more urgent concern with the rise of infectious bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics, particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile). In the UK alone, it is estimated that hospital-acquired infections cause about 5,000 deaths annually, but some experts believe that the number could reach 20,000.

[0003] Disposable medical gloves can help prevent cross-contamination, but problems arise when the external parts of the gloves come into contact with the same areas of a discharge container that were previously touched by hands contaminated with harmful microorganisms. Such external parts of the gloves can become contaminated before contact with the patient, and if these external parts are the fingers or palm areas of the gloves, the likelihood of the patient becoming contaminated increases dramatically. Therefore, to control contamination, the glove cuffs must be presented to the user from a glove dispenser, thereby allowing the user to wear one glove at a time while avoiding skin contact with the external glove surfaces on the finger parts, and even the palm parts of each glove.

[0004] In this specification, the term “finger portion” includes a portion of the glove having both the glove fingers and the glove thumb, and the term “cuff portion” includes a portion of the glove extending from the finger portion to the open cuff end of the glove. A transverse fold within a disposable medical examination glove will be adjacent to the point where the base of the thumb meets the base of the second (i.e., index) finger; thus, the base portion of the glove thumb may be on either side of this transverse fold line depending on the exact length of the glove and the proportions of the molded thumb and other fingers. The transverse fold will generally cross the palm portion of the glove. Since examination gloves are most commonly ambidextrous, the “palm portion” may likewise be referred to as the “back of the hand portion” or the “palm and back of the hand portion” of the glove. Accordingly, the terms “finger part” and “cuff part” as used in this specification should be interpreted for the purposes of the purpose, for example, as the part of the glove closest to the tips of the five fingers and the part of the glove closest to the end of the cuff, respectively, and neither term excludes the palm and back of the hand parts, nor excludes the possibility that the base part of the finger may be located on the side of the cuff of the transverse bend line.

[0005] Therefore, due to the need to improve infection control, a preferred method for discharging these gloves is by cuff, thereby allowing the user to remove the gloves from the container only by the cuffs, rather than by the glove fingers. An example of a cuff-first glove discharging system is disclosed in WO 2009063188 A1, which shows a cuff-first system in which gloves are individually folded in half along a transverse axis approximately midway along the length of each glove, so that the finger portion of each glove is folded under the cuff portion of the same glove. The gloves are discharged from the edge of a stack held inside a box container having a discharge opening on one side. One advantage of this glove discharging system is that the gloves are packed in an inexpensive box made of cardstock and having a removable cover over the opening, with each glove folded over itself so that the box can have an approximately cubic shape. One disadvantage of this arrangement is that all cuffs are on one side of the stack, and since the cuffs of the inspection gloves typically have rolled ends and are therefore thicker, this side of the stack becomes thicker, which limits how many gloves can fit inside a dispenser of any given size. Therefore, it is desirable for the cuffs to be arranged alternately on opposite sides of the stack. In this case, for only one discharge hole to exist, the hole must extend across the top of the stack of gloves rather than across one side wall, and preferably, the stack of gloves will be angled toward the discharge hole so that the user does not need to reach into the discharge hole to grasp the cuff of the next glove to be discharged.

[0006] These problems are addressed by a glove ejection system of the type disclosed in GB 2510428 A, in which gloves are interfolded within a stack of gloves for cuff-first ejection from an ejection hole. Since each glove is folded approximately in half, the glove stack has a cross-section that is substantially square in a plane taken perpendicular to the glove stacking axis.

[0007] In this specification, the term “interfolded” refers to this type of glove folding arrangement in which the gloves are folded transversely near a midpoint along the length of the glove. The cuff portion of the next glove to be ejected is accessible at one end of the stack, and the finger portion of the same glove wraps around the rear of the cuff portion of the subsequent glove to be ejected, thereby pulling each cuff portion out of the ejection hole and, consequently, the finger portion of the glove being ejected pulls the next cuff portion partially out of the stack so that the next cuff portion preferably protrudes from the ejection hole for easier manual access when the subsequent glove is ejected. In this arrangement, within the stack (i.e., excluding the top and bottom gloves of the stack), each glove is folded around the portions of two adjacent gloves, and each cuff portion is sandwiched between the finger portions of two adjacent gloves. Likewise, each finger portion is sandwiched between the cuff portions of two adjacent gloves.

[0008] There are two ways in which gloves can be interfolded after being added to a stack. In one way, the finger portion of each glove is deposited in the glove stacking area and the cuff portion is deposited over the fold flap, and the gloves can be ejected from the top of the stack with the cuff first. In the other way, this orientation is reversed, and the gloves can be ejected from the bottom of the stack.

[0009] Most gloves used in hospitals and clinics are examination gloves, and they are used in large quantities. Such gloves are not supplied in individual sterile packages but in relatively inexpensive cardboard discharge boxes. The size of the box-packaged gloves becomes an issue due to the need to minimize the space required to store the gloves or the size of the discharge device that holds the box-packaged gloves. Therefore, it is desirable to pack as many gloves as possible into a stack of gloves held within the glove dispenser. Since there is a limit to reducing material thickness, the necessity is therefore to stack the gloves as uniformly as possible to minimize the air trapped within the stack of gloves.

[0010] While it is possible to fold and stack manually, using automated glove folding and stacking equipment to perform this is much faster and more economical. Examples of equipment suitable for forming stacks of folded gloves, whether interfolded or not, are disclosed in patent documents WO 2010 / 020782 A2, WO 2011 / 048414 A1, WO 2014 / 037701 A1, and WO 2017109753 A1. Gloves are folded transversely and held within a glove stacking recess of a glove stacking bin having a bottom that is movable relative to an opening or entrance to the recess. The bottom provides a support surface that is movable relative to the entrance of the glove stacking recess so that as the stack of gloves inside the recess rises, the top of the stack is maintained substantially at the same level as the top of the recess. Thus, the top of the stack presents a glove stacking area where subsequent folded gloves can be added to the stack.

[0011] To automate the process, glove folding flaps are provided on opposing sides of the glove stacking area. Optionally, a compression plate may be provided between the bottom of the recess and the bottom of the rising stack. Optionally, a sheet-shaped packaging insert may be provided on the top of the compression plate and may be folded upward by a short distance where the compression plate meets the recess wall surfaces to prevent parts of the gloves from falling into the clearance gap between the compression plate or the bottom of the recess and the adjacent recess wall surfaces. The compression plate is useful for removing the finished stack from the recess while maintaining the compression of the glove stack. The finished stack is compressed along the height direction of the stack, i.e., along the stacking axis drive, by positioning the open opening of an inverted rigid packaging box over the glove stacking area at the top of the recess and then driving the bottom of the recess upward to compress the stack between the compression plate and the opposing downward-facing inner base surface of the inverted box until the compression plate contacts the open opening of the box when all the gloves are compressed into the packaging box. The compression plate and / or packaging box are provided with magnets or magnetizable material so that the compression plate and the packaging box are held together when they meet along a flat interface, thereby maintaining the compression of the glove stack, while allowing the compressed stack to be easily released from each other by relative sliding along the flat interface after being removed from the packaging recess. When the compression plate is separated from the packaging box, the final packaging of the stack of gloves into a discharge container can be achieved.

[0012] The discharge container may be a card material dispenser extending around all sides of the glove stack, or a bag dispenser wrapping the glove stack. The material for such dispensers is first inserted into the open sides of the packing box so that they conform to and line the five inner sides of the packing box. In the case of card material, the five sides of the box—the glove discharge side and four adjacent side sides—are first bonded together by adhesive or otherwise fixed together. Once inserted, the open sixth side of the dispenser card material sides lies substantially in the same plane as the opening of the packing box. When assembled together in this manner, the packing box, with the partially assembled outer glove discharge section firmly seated inside, can be inverted over the opening of the glove stack recess. The bottom of the glove stack bin is used to discharge the finished glove stack from the recess into the open opening of the partially assembled discharge container. The compression plate can be removed from the opening of the packaging box, and the open side of the discharge container can be closed (e.g., by folding one or more flaps of the card material) where it is left open to allow insertion of the glove stack into the lined packaging box.

[0013] Generally, it is desirable to include as many gloves as possible within the glove stack in the dispenser, and for a given glove material thickness, this is accomplished by removing as many gloves as possible from the stack by maintaining the initial compression of the glove stack before discharging any gloves. Glove materials are often elastic, and the carding material used in glove dispensing boxes needs to be as inexpensive as possible. Therefore, the glove dispensing box may not have sufficient strength to prevent deformation caused by the tendency of the glove stack inside the box to expand. A deformed box may allow the stack of gloves to slip around the inner perimeter of the box and may no longer fit easily inside a rigid holder, such as a wall-mounted holder made of a relatively rigid plastic material.

[0014] Additionally, a problem arises when a new glove discharge box is not available when the last glove is discharged from the glove discharge box. Therefore, it is often desirable to use a twin glove discharge box, that is, a glove discharge box that holds two separate stacks of gloves inside, with each stack aligned with a corresponding discharge hole within the glove discharge box. When one stack runs out, it is highly likely that gloves will still be available in the other stack. A replacement glove discharge box may become available before the second stack of gloves is depleted.

[0015] While twin glove ejection boxes are convenient, such boxes will be more susceptible to deformation caused by the expansion of interfolded glove stacks initially compressed inside, due to their rectangular shape (i.e., having a rectangular cross-section with unequal adjacent sides in a plane perpendicular to the glove ejection direction). Because each glove is essentially folded in half by interfolding, an interfolded glove stack requires more pressure to expel air than a stack of gloves lying flat on top of each other, and will have a greater tendency to spring back to its original state.

[0016] The aforementioned GB 2510428 A addresses these issues regarding interfolded glove stacks within a twin-stack dispenser by pre-packaging each stack in a substantially cubic thin-film plastic bag, which is loaded by the end user into a rectangular, reusable box-shaped external dispenser formed from a plastic material that has its own discharge hole. The external plastic bag maintains compression before use. Two of the stacks contained in such bags are loaded into the external dispenser. The external dispenser has two separate compartments to keep each of the two discharge holes of such bags aligned with the corresponding external discharge hole of the external dispenser. Each compartment of the external dispenser has an internal spring plate to keep the bag pressed against the corresponding external discharge hole as the bag is depleted and loosens. The rigid external dispenser maintains its shape as it is not affected by any pressure applied by the glove stacks. However, this adds complexity and cost to the external container.

[0017] GB 2489326 A addresses these issues related to interfolded glove stacks within a twin-stack dispenser by using a rectangular outer container formed from folded card material. The dispenser has a pair of discharge holes on one of the broad rectangular faces of the container. The container holds two stacks of gloves, one for each hole. Each stack has a discharge side and a base side opposite thereto. The outer container holds a pair of parallel glove stack compression and positioning sub-assemblies within its internal volume. The sub-assemblies compress and position the stacks relative to the corresponding discharge holes. Each sub-assembly has a movable compression plate and a U-shaped folded card material cradle having an internal discharge hole aligned with the external discharge hole within the outer container in its central portion. The opposing ends of the glove stacks are held compressed between the compression plate and the central portion of the cradle by a pair of elastic bands. This arrangement is effective in isolating the relatively weak card material container from the compression of the glove stacks, but at the cost of the complexity associated with assembling two glove stack compression and positioning sub-assemblies, each having four separate components. Furthermore, each sub-assembly must be loaded into the internal volume of the outer container through the wide rectangular side of the container facing the discharge side, which is the last side to be closed on the outer container. This will become the base side of the container in use and must therefore be securely joined to three sides of the container simultaneously, which is inconvenient.

[0018] Therefore, the approaches described above are mechanically complex and inconvenient. Other methods of providing two glove dispensers at the same location, such as disclosed in US 5,816,440 or WO 2011017496 A2, avoid mechanical complexity but do not provide true twin glove dispensers. The former example simply places two separate dispensers side by side, and the latter example provides two separate dispensers held loosely together within an outer sleeve, with gloves being discharged through a discharge hole aligned with one of the two openings within the sleeve. This is essentially no different from having two separate dispensers at the glove discharge location, because there is no guarantee that such a pair of separate dispensers will be available when one dispenser runs out and the other is nearly depleted. The problem to be solved

[0019] Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing compressed stacks of folded gloves that can be inserted into a glove dispenser, which overcomes at least some of the disadvantages of glove packaging methods and glove dispensers of the prior art, whether or not mentioned herein. means of solving the problem

[0020] A first aspect of the present invention provides a method for forming a compressed stack of folded gloves, the method comprising:

[0021] A step of folding gloves to form a stack of folded gloves within a glove stacking sleeve, wherein the stack is placed on a support surface and the stack extends between the support surface and the opening of the glove stacking sleeve;

[0022] A step of positioning a first part of a retaining band across the opening of a glove laminated sleeve;

[0023] A step of moving a support surface toward the opening of a glove stacking sleeve to bring a stack of folded gloves into contact with a first part of a retaining band;

[0024] A step of moving a compression member toward the first part of a retaining band to compress a stack of gloves folded between the first part of a retaining band and the compression member;

[0025] A step of wrapping a second part of a retaining band around the perimeter of a stack of folded gloves so that the retaining band extends around at least a portion of the perimeter of the stack of folded gloves and the compression member;

[0026] A step of securing the ends of the retaining band together so that the retaining band extends completely around the four sides of the stack of folded gloves to maintain compressive force on the stack of folded gloves, and two sides of the stack of folded gloves are exposed within openings defined and enclosed by the side edges of the retaining band; and

[0027] It includes the step of withdrawing a compression member from the above-mentioned retaining band.

[0028] The retaining band is preferably made from a strip of rigid material having opposing first and second side edges and opposing first and second end edges. Rigid material is defined as a material capable of supporting its own weight when in the form of a strip or sheet. The retaining band is preferably made from a sheet of cardstock, paperboard, or plastic. The retaining band is preferably elongated such that the first and second side edges are longer than the first and second end edges. The retaining band is preferably generally rectangular.

[0029] The retaining band is preferably wrapped around the perimeter of a stack of gloves that are folded so that the retaining band covers the lateral edges of the gloves (i.e., the edges of the gloves that extend laterally along the outermost finger portions of the gloves (i.e., the finger portions for the first finger or thumb, and the fifth finger or little finger). The folds of the gloves are preferably exposed within openings defined by the lateral edges of the retaining band.

[0030] In some embodiments, the ends of the retaining band overlap. In these embodiments, the ends may be secured together along one of the sides of the stack of folded gloves. In other embodiments, the ends of the retaining band do not overlap. In these embodiments, the ends may be secured together along the corner edge of the stack of folded gloves defined between two adjacent sides of the stack of folded gloves. The ends of the retaining band may be secured by an adhesive, adhesive tape, or similar material.

[0031] In some embodiments, the compression member comprises a plurality of spaced-apart support features. The spaced-apart support features may be in the form of others having gaps between them. The others may have curved surfaces positioned to contact a stack of folded gloves.

[0032] In these embodiments, the support surface may be provided by a movable bottom having a plurality of slots for receiving support features of the compression member. The slots may extend partially or fully through the thickness or depth of the bottom. The method may further include the step of moving the support surface in a direction toward the opening of the glove stacking sleeve to bring the stack of folded gloves into contact with a first part of the retaining band, and then moving the compression member relative to the bottom to bring the support features of the compression member into contact with the stack of folded gloves. The method may further include the step of moving the compression member in a direction toward the first part of the retaining band to compress the stack of folded gloves, and then moving the bottom in a direction away from the first part of the retaining band so that the stack of folded gloves is retained between the first part of the retaining band and the compression member.

[0033] In some embodiments, the compression member is in the form of a plate. In these embodiments, the support surface is preferably provided by the surface of the compression member. The compression member may be seated on a movable floor. In these embodiments, the method preferably further comprises the steps of moving the floor toward the opening of the glove stacking sleeve to move the support surface toward the opening of the glove stacking sleeve, and moving the compression member toward the first part of the retaining band to compress the stack of folded gloves, and then moving the floor away from the first part of the retaining band so that the stack of folded gloves is retained between the first part of the retaining band and the compression member.

[0034] The compression member is preferably drawn out from the fixed retaining band through one of the openings defined by the side edges of the retaining band in a direction orthogonal to the side edges of the retaining band.

[0035] In some embodiments, the method is,

[0036] A step of holding the first part of the retaining band with a vacuum lifting plate;

[0037] A step of moving the vacuum lifting plate and the glove lamination sleeve relative to each other to position the first part of the retaining band across the opening of the glove lamination sleeve; and

[0038] It further includes the step of moving the compression member toward the vacuum lifting plate to compress a stack of gloves folded between the first part of the retaining band and the compression member.

[0039] In some of these embodiments, the method is preferably,

[0040] A step of bending the first section of the second part of the retaining band so as to extend along the first outer side of the glove laminated sleeve;

[0041] A step of bending the second section of the second part of the retaining band so as to extend along the opposing second outer side of the glove laminated sleeve;

[0042] A step of moving a vacuum lifting plate and a compression member in the same direction to discharge a stack of folded gloves from a glove stacking sleeve; and

[0043] After discharging a stack of folded gloves from a glove stacking sleeve, the method further includes the step of folding at least a third section of a second part of a retaining band around a compression member and a stack of folded gloves.

[0044] In some embodiments, the method may further include the step of operating a pair of folding flaps to wrap at least a portion of a second part of a retaining band around a stack of folded gloves.

[0045] In other embodiments, the method is,

[0046] A step of supporting a first part of a retaining band with a former having a rectangular cavity in general;

[0047] A step of moving the former and the glove lamination sleeve relative to each other to position the first part of the retaining band across the opening of the glove lamination sleeve; and

[0048] The method further includes the step of moving the compression member toward the former to compress a stack of folded gloves between the first part of the retaining band and the compression member within the former's cavity.

[0049] In some of these embodiments, the step of supporting a first part of a retaining band with a former preferably includes the step of conforming a part of the retaining band to the shape of the cavity such that the first part of the retaining band rests on the base of the cavity and the first and second sections of a second part of the retaining band extend over the opposing side surfaces of the cavity.

[0050] In addition, in some of these embodiments, the method may further include the step of moving a compression member toward a first part of a retaining band to compress a stack of folded gloves, and then joining the complementary coupling features of the compression member and the former to secure the compression member to the former and maintain a compressive force on the stack of folded gloves.

[0051] The coupling features of the compression member and the former may include magnets. In other embodiments, the coupling features may include clips or hooks.

[0052] In preferred embodiments, the retaining band comprises at least three predefined fold lines, such that when the retaining band is completely wrapped around a stack of folded gloves, the fold lines form the corner edges of the wrapped stack of folded gloves. A first part of the retaining band is preferably positioned between two adjacent fold lines of at least three predefined fold lines. The first part of the retaining band may include a hole or a removable panel for forming a hole within the retaining band through which gloves are discharged when in use.

[0053] The gloves are preferably disposable gloves made of nitrile, latex, vinyl, or polyethylene. Compression of the stack of folded gloves by a compression member preferably expels air placed between the gloves within the stack of folded gloves.

[0054] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for packaging stacks of at least two folded gloves into a container, and the method comprises:

[0055] A step of forming a first compressed stack of folded gloves using a method according to the first aspect of the present invention;

[0056] A step of forming a second compressed stack of folded gloves using a method according to the first aspect of the present invention;

[0057] A step of inserting a first compressed stack of folded gloves into an outer container such that a portion of the retaining band of the first compressed stack of folded gloves contacts the first end wall of the outer container or is positioned directly adjacent to the first end wall of the outer container; and

[0058] The method includes the step of inserting a second compressed stack of folded gloves into an outer container such that a portion of the retaining band of the second compressed stack of folded gloves contacts or is positioned directly adjacent to the second end wall of the outer container facing the first end wall of the container.

[0059] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a glove box is provided comprising an elongated outer container having two packs of gloves within the container, wherein,

[0060] - The outer container has a substantially rectangular shape having six outer walls, each including a pair of opposing end walls at opposing ends of the major axis of the container and four side walls extending substantially parallel to the major axis of the container, one of the side walls being a glove discharge wall having two discharge holes penetrating it, one for each of the packs of gloves;

[0061] - Each pack of gloves comprises a plurality of gloves, each glove having a finger portion and a cuff portion and being substantially folded in half between said portions and stacked in layers along a glove stacking axis to form a stack of folded gloves, the glove stacking axis extending between the upper side of the stack and the lower side of the stack configured to discharge the folded gloves, and said stack having four lateral sides between said upper and lower sides, namely, opposing first and second lateral sides and opposing third and fourth lateral sides;

[0062] - Each pack of gloves comprises a band having four sides that wrap around the corresponding four sides of the stack and conform thereto, wherein the upper side of the band conforms to the upper side of the stack, the lower side of the band conforms to the lower side of the stack, the first and second lateral sides of the band conform to the first and second lateral sides of the stack, respectively, the band is open on the third and fourth sides of the stack, and the upper side of the band includes a glove ejection opening;

[0063] - The above packs of gloves are held between the end walls of the container in a configuration parallel along the long axis of the container, with the glove discharge opening of each band aligned with a corresponding one of the discharge holes; and

[0064] - Each band has one of the lateral sides in contact with one of the end walls of the container, and both bands have the other of the lateral sides in contact with each other, and thereby,

[0065] i) Each band is constrained to movement along the major axis of the vessel;

[0066] ii) Both bands provide a barrier to separate each stack of gloves from another stack of gloves so that the orientation of each stack of gloves toward the corresponding discharge hole is not affected by the depletion of another stack of gloves during the discharge of gloves; and

[0067] iii) Each band has a joint joined at the edge between adjacent non-overlapping sides of the band.

[0068] The material of the outer container is preferably formed from a single folded blank having a plurality of segments that are foldable, at least one segment forming each wall of the container, and the joints between non-overlapping sides are joined (i.e., bonded) together, for example, by a bead of adhesive tape or contact adhesive applied externally across adjacent non-overlapping sides of a band.

[0069] The outer container is also preferably made of card material. The card material can provide the outer walls of the container. The band is also preferably made of a bendable material. Additionally, the band may be a card material band. The discharge holes may be covered by a removable panel that opens the discharge holes for the discharge of gloves when removed.

[0070] Each band preferably has opposing lateral edges along the third and fourth sides of the stack of gloves. Each of the lateral edges may be in contact with the corresponding side walls of the container, thereby constraining each band from movement along the minor axis of the container perpendicular to both the major axis of the container and the glove stacking axis. Preferably, the opposing lateral sides of the band are substantially parallel to each other. It is preferable that the band be oriented so as to wrap around the perimeter of the stack of gloves such that the folds of the gloves within the stack are oriented substantially perpendicular to the lateral sides of the band, that is, the folds are exposed at one or both open ends of the band.

[0071] Accordingly, the glove folds preferably extend between the lateral sides of the band. In this way, the lateral outermost finger portions of the gloves (i.e., finger portions for the first finger or thumb, and finger portions for the fifth finger or little finger) are protected from the container walls by the band. Preferably, these finger portions on the sides of the stack are completely contained within the band. Thus, these laterally extended finger portions for the first and fifth fingers are securely contained within the stack by the band and are prevented from falling laterally outside the stack, which could obstruct reliable glove ejection from the container.

[0072] Furthermore, since most types of gloves, particularly disposable medical examination gloves, have a length more than twice as long when measured from the cuff end to the finger tip furthest from the cuff end compared to the width of the glove across its widest range (typically the cuff portion or the beaded cuff end itself), the narrowest cross-sectional dimension of a stack of folded gloves will most commonly be in the width direction across the cuff portion, especially when interfolded. Therefore, when they are packed such that the lateral sides of the bands are in contact with the inner surface of one of the end walls of the container and the other lateral sides of the bands are in contact with each other, the width of the banded pack or bundle of folded gloves is minimized when the stack and bands of the folded gloves are oriented in this way rather than being oriented perpendicular to this orientation. When twin packs of gloves are packed in a container in this manner, this has the effect of minimizing the internal length of the container required to accommodate two banded packs of gloves. Minimizing the required length dimensions inside the discharge container is often an important consideration, as in actual applications, the discharge container may need to be inserted into a rigid holder at the intended place of use, and such rigid holders have internal dimensions with limited lengths.

[0073] The lateral sides of each band are most preferably substantially flat. This configuration is most efficient in terms of packaging volume and also helps provide additional lateral stability within the container along the major axis. In contrast, if the lateral sides of each band are curved or bent, there is a possibility of some lateral springiness within the container due to the fact that many types of gloves are made from elastomer materials. For the same reasons, it is most desirable that all four sides of the band be substantially flat. In a preferred example, the angle between adjacent flat sides of the band is preferably a right angle. The band may also have a bend between each of the four substantially flat sides.

[0074] The specific folding arrangement of the gloves is not an essential feature of the present invention. The gloves may be folded individually or interfolded with one another. This arrangement is sometimes referred to as over-folding of the gloves.

[0075] Each band can be formed from a single slender strip of material.

[0076] In one example, each band has a bonded joint on the bottom side of the band. The bonded joint may be a joint where the two ends of the band are held together by contact adhesive, by overlapping strips of adhesive tape, or by any other suitable type of bonding. In another example, each band has a bonded joint between the bottom side of the band and the adjacent lateral side of the band. The bonded joint may be a joint where the two ends of the band are held together by a bead of contact adhesive between two edges of a strip of material used to form the band, by a strip of adhesive tape spanning these two edges, or by any other suitable type of bonding to hold the two non-overlapping sides of the band together.

[0077] Once formed, the upper and lower sides of the band can form a sliding fit with the corresponding inner surfaces of the container.

[0078] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided for forming a pack of folded gloves for insertion into an external container using a glove stacking sleeve and a glove pack former, wherein the glove stacking sleeve comprises at least two external side surfaces, including a recess opening defining a glove stacking axis and a recess having a bottom movable relative to the recess opening, and a pair of external side surfaces on opposing sides of the recess opening, said external side surfaces extend substantially parallel to the glove stacking axis, and the glove pack former comprises a box-shaped receiving cavity, the receiving cavity has at least three internal faces defining an insertion axis, said side faces including an end face at the base end of the receiving cavity and a pair of side faces on opposing sides of the receiving cavity, said side faces extend substantially parallel to the insertion axis, and the method comprises

[0079] i) a step of substantially folding each glove in half between the finger portion of the glove and the cuff portion of the glove, and stacking the gloves in layers within the recess along the glove stacking axis while moving the bottom relative away from the recess opening, thereby such that the stack of gloves is contained within the recess with the bottom layer of the gloves supported by the bottom and the top layer of the gloves close to the opening of the recess;

[0080] ii) a step of positioning an elongated strip of material between the receiving opening and the recess opening such that the receiving opening and the recess opening are oriented toward each other with the glove stacking axis aligned with the insertion axis, the middle portion of the elongated strip is placed on the upper layer of the gloves, and the opposing end portions of the elongated strip extend laterally away from each of the pair of outer surfaces on the opposing sides of the recess;

[0081] iii) a step of moving the glove stacking sleeve and the glove pack former together relative to each other while maintaining the orientation of the receiving opening and the recess opening and the position of the elongated strip of material, and while the pair of outer side surfaces on the opposing sides of the recess opening are aligned to be received within the pair of side surfaces on the opposing sides of the receiving cavity, wherein the side surfaces of the receiving cavity have a clearance for the outer side surfaces of the glove stacking sleeve to allow insertion of the glove stacking sleeve into the receiving cavity, and said clearance is also sufficient to allow the passage of opposing end portions of the elongated strip between the pair of outer side surfaces on the opposing sides of the recess opening and the pair of side surfaces on the opposing sides of the receiving cavity during said insertion, so that the end portions of the elongated strip are bent to be substantially parallel to the pair of outer side surfaces on the opposing sides of the recess opening. Step;

[0082] iv) a step of moving a movable bottom toward a recess opening to pressurize the stack of gloves along the glove stacking axis so that, with the glove stacking sleeve inserted into the receiving cavity, the upper layer of the stack of gloves rests against the middle portion of the elongated strip and the middle portion of the elongated strip rests against the base of the receiving cavity, thereby compressing the glove stack along the glove stacking axis as excess air is expelled from the stack of gloves;

[0083] v) a step of withdrawing a stacked sleeve from a receiving cavity by moving the sleeve relatively away from the base end of the receiving cavity while maintaining the compression of the stack of gloves using the bottom, until the stacked sleeve is withdrawn from the receiving cavity and the stack of gloves is moved out of the recess;

[0084] vi) a step of moving the floor away from the stack of gloves and transferring the support of the stack of gloves from the floor to a compression member, wherein the compression is maintained by the compression member being placed against and settled on the lower layer of the stack of gloves;

[0085] vii) wrapping one or both of the end portions over the compression member while maintaining the compression of the stack of gloves by the compression member, and securing the end portions together to completely wrap around the four sides of the stack of gloves and form an open band on two opposing lateral sides of the stack; and

[0086] viii) includes the step of removing a compression member from the pack of folded gloves through one of the open lateral sides of the stack.

[0087] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an elongated and substantially rectangular strip of material is provided for wrapping as a band around four sides of a stack of interfolded gloves, wherein the strip has a substantially rectangular contour having a length extending along the major axis of the contour between opposing first and second end edges of the strip and a width extending along the minor axis of the contour between opposing first and second lateral side edges of the strip, and the strip comprises three weak lines within the material extending parallel to the minor axis to provide fold lines extending between the lateral sides of the strip, wherein the strip is divided into four parts along its length by the three weak lines, i.e.,

[0088] - Between the first and second weakening lines among the above weakening lines, as a first part, the first part of the strip includes a glove discharge opening;

[0089] - Adjacent to the first part of the strip and the first end of the strip, a second part;

[0090] - Between the first part of the strip and the third weakening line among the above weakening lines, a third part; and

[0091] - Between the third part of the strip and the second end of the strip, the fourth part,

[0092] And here, each part has a length extending along the major axis, and the lengths of the first and fourth parts of the strip are substantially equal to each other, and the lengths of the second and third parts of the strip are substantially equal to each other, so that the four parts of the strip are each wrapped around the four different sides of the stack of interfolded gloves when folded along the fold lines.

[0093] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided for wrapping an elongated strip around a stack of folded gloves to form a pack of folded gloves for insertion into an external glove discharge container, and the method comprises:

[0094] - A step of forming a stack of finished folded gloves inside a glove stacking sleeve, wherein the stack of gloves extends along a glove stacking axis, and the glove stacking sleeve comprises a glove stacking recess having an upwardly facing recess opening to accommodate gloves as they are added to the upper side of the stack of gloves, and at least two outer side surfaces including a first outer side surface and a second outer side surface on opposite sides of the recess opening, said outer side surfaces extending substantially parallel to the glove stacking axis;

[0095] - A step of relatively moving the bottom of the glove stacking recess away from the recess opening along the glove stacking axis as gloves are added to the glove stacking stack during the formation of the glove stacking stack, thereby supporting the bottom side of the glove stacking stack by the support surface of the bottom and holding the glove stacking stack within the glove stacking recess;

[0096] - A step of lifting an elongated strip using a vacuum holddown of the strip lifting surface and positioning the elongated strip over the top side of a finished stack of gloves contained by a glove stacking recess, such that the glove discharge section of the elongated strip crosses the recess opening and the first and second lateral extension sections of the elongated strip on the opposing sides of the glove discharge section extend laterally away from the recess opening toward the opposing first and second edges of the elongated strip on the respective first and second outer side surfaces of the glove stacking sleeve;

[0097] - A step of moving the bottom upward toward the recess opening while using the strip lifting surface as a backing plate for the upper side of the glove discharge section of the slender strip and pressing the upper stack of gloves against the lower side of the glove discharge section of the slender strip, thereby compressing the stack of gloves along the glove stacking axis between the support surface of the bottom and the lower side of the glove discharge section of the slender strip;

[0098] - A step of using a strip lifting surface to maintain the position of the slender strip so that the glove discharge section of the slender strip continues to cross the recess opening while forming first and second bend lines within the slender strip between the glove discharge section of the slender strip and the first and second lateral extension sections of the slender strip, respectively, and bending the first and second lateral extension sections of the slender strip downward against the first and second outer side surfaces of the glove stacking sleeve;

[0099] - A step of transferring the support of the bottom side of the stack of gloves from the bottom to the compression member by laterally inserting at least two spaced support features of a compression member, each having a glove support surface for supporting the bottom side of the stack of gloves, while the completed stack of gloves is maintained in a compressed state between the support surface of the bottom and the lower surface of the glove discharge section of the elongated strip, and moving the support features of the compression member upward relative to the bottom, wherein the glove support surfaces of the support features come into contact with and rest on the bottom side of the stack of gloves as the support surface of the bottom is separated from the bottom side of the stack of gloves;

[0100] - A step of moving the stack of gloves out of and away from the glove stacking recess until, either before or after the support from the bottom to the compression member, both of the folded first and second lateral extension sections of the elongated strip are moved away from the first and second outer side surfaces of the glove stacking sleeve and the first edge of the elongated strip is adjacent to the bottom side of the glove stack and the second edge of the elongated strip, and the stack of gloves is extended downward on each of the first and second opposing lateral sides of the stack of gloves.

[0101] Here, the first lateral extension section has a first length between the first bend line and the first edge, and the second lateral extension section has a second length between the second bend line and the second edge, the first length is shorter than the second length, and the method is,

[0102] - A step of positioning a first lateral extension section against the first lateral side of a stack of gloves so that the first edge of the slender strip approaches the bottom side of the stack of gloves;

[0103] - A step of positioning the proximal portion of the second lateral extension section against the second lateral side of the stack of gloves so that the distal portion of the second lateral extension section extends beyond the lower side of the stack of gloves;

[0104] - A step of bending the distal portion of the second lateral extension section toward the lower side of the stack of gloves so that the second edge of the slender strip is brought to a state close to the first edge of the slender strip, so that the distal portion of the second lateral extension section extends over the supporting features of the compression member;

[0105] - A step of maintaining the second edge of the slender strip in close proximity to the first edge of the slender strip while applying an adhesive tape between the first and second lateral extension sections so that the first and second edges of the slender strip are held together within the band; and

[0106] - Further includes the step of laterally drawing out supporting features of a compression member from between the lower side of the stack and the distal portion of the second lateral extension section so that the stack of gloves is maintained within the band to form the pack of folded gloves.

[0107] The separated support features are each separated from adjacent such features by a gap. Preferably, the support features are elongated support features.

[0108] The compression member may be a compression plate, and the compression plate is located between the bottom and the bottom layer of the stack of gloves.

[0109] Preferably, the outer side surfaces of the laminated sleeve are substantially flat and parallel to each other.

[0110] The method may include an initial step of first moving a support surface of the bottom to a level close to the level of the glove stacking area in the opening of the glove stacking recess prior to the deposition of the first glove when forming a stack of gloves. The bottom of the recess may be lowered relatively as required to maintain the top of the stack of gloves within the recess at substantially the same level as the level of the desired glove stacking area.

[0111] The compression member may be a fork shape in which at least two elongated supporting features are each provided by a corresponding tine of the fork. The tines preferably extend substantially parallel to each other. In this case, at least two recesses in the bottom may each be provided by a slot in the supporting surface of the bottom extending to the free edge of the bottom to accommodate a corresponding tine along the length of each slot.

[0112] The method may include the step of inserting tines into slots from the side edge of the bottom as the stack of gloves is moved out of the recess. Subsequently, support of the stack of gloves is transferred from the bottom to the compression member by moving the tines out of the slots toward the stack of gloves so as to be seated against the bottom layer or side of the stack of gloves. Thus, the slots are preferably parallel to a pair of outer side surfaces on the opposing sides of the recess opening.

[0113] Elongated support features separated by gaps, such as tines, provide the advantage of reduced friction with the bottom layer or sides of the stack of gloves when withdrawn, compared to flatter or wider compression members such as compression plates. Preferably, the tines have a circular or elliptical cross-section, for example, in a cross-sectional plane parallel to the glove stacking axis.

[0114] This further reduces sliding friction, and the removal of others from the bottom of the glove stack results in minimal disturbance to the bottom layers of the glove stack, that is, minimizing the lateral pulling of these layers relative to the glove stack axis.

[0115] Preferably, the gloves are folded substantially in half along the fold between the finger and cuff portions of the gloves. Each glove is preferably folded along a fold line substantially parallel to the length of the slender strip to be applied around the stack of finished gloves.

[0116] The method may include the step of forming a discharge opening within the glove discharge portion of the elongated strip before or after the formation of the band, and then centering the discharge opening on the top layer or side of the stack of gloves.

[0117] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for packing two packs of gloves into an elongated outer container is provided, and the method comprises:

[0118] - A step of partially forming an outer container having outer walls of a substantially rectangular shape formed from planar segments of a bendable material that are folded and joined together, by first forming five of six walls defining six substantially rectangular faces of said shape, wherein the five walls consist of four side walls each having a rectangular face extending substantially parallel to the major axis of the container and one end wall having a rectangular or square end face extending substantially perpendicular to the major axis between the side walls, and a sixth wall left unformed so as to keep the end or side of the outer container open;

[0119] - A step of forming two discharge holes, one for each of the packs of gloves, within the material for one of the side walls before or after the partial formation of the outer container, wherein the side wall is a glove discharge wall;

[0120] - A step of forming two packs of folded gloves according to a method of one aspect of the present disclosure;

[0121] - A step of inserting the above packs one by one into the open end or side of the outer container, and sliding each of the above packs along the long axis of the container until the discharge holes of each band are aligned with the discharge holes of the outer container; and

[0122] - Includes the step of joining the remaining segments of the material together to close the open end of the outer container.

[0123] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a glove box is provided comprising an elongated outer container for holding at least one pack of folded gloves within the container, wherein,

[0124] - The outer container has a parallelepiped shape having six outer walls, including a pair of opposing walls at opposing ends of the glove discharge axis of the container, and four lateral side walls extending substantially parallel to the discharge axis of the container and between the pair of walls, wherein one of the pair of walls is a glove discharge wall having a discharge hole penetrating it for each of the packs of gloves held in the container; and

[0125] - The above pack of folded gloves comprises a substantially rectangular stack of folded and stacked gloves along the glove stacking axis, said stack is wrapped around four sides by a strip of material that is elongated and substantially rectangular, said stack, said two sides of said stack remain open from a band, said band has a glove discharge side having a glove discharge opening for discharging gloves along the glove stacking axis;

[0126] Here,

[0127] - The strip of material is according to the second aspect of the present invention, and the four sides of the stack are each wrapped by one of the first, second, third, and fourth parts of the strip differently;

[0128] - The glove discharge side of the band is provided by the first part of the strip and is aligned with the discharge hole of the glove discharge wall; and

[0129] - The end edges of the second and fourth parts of the strip are joined together at the end edges of the rectangular stack of the gloves.

[0130] In preferred examples, the device includes a glove stacking recess, the recess having an opening through which folded gloves must pass as the stack rises, and thus the opening defines the glove stacking area. Preferably, the recess helps to include and define the external shape of the stack of gloves as the stack is formed. The recess may simply be a frame extending around the glove stacking area. Preferably, the recess has side rails or side walls that extend downward from the glove stacking area and help to align the stack and define a substantially rectangular cross-section with respect to the stacking axis of the rising stack, so that the stacking axis may be the same as the axis of the recess. At least some of the walls may be continuous and optionally tapered outward from the stacking axis in a downward direction away from the glove stacking area to minimize friction and snagging with the outer parts of the stacked folded gloves when the support surface moves away from the glove stacking area while the folded gloves are added to the stack, or when excess air is compressed and discharged from the finished stack by driving the support surface upward relative to the glove stacking area before the stack is removed from the recess and packed into a bag, box, or other container to be discharged when used in a subsequent glove packing stage.

[0131] A support surface for the stack of gloves can ultimately be provided by a floor that is relatively movable from the glove stacking area. In this packing process, it is preferable that the bottom glove within the stack of gloves rests directly on either a compression plate or the upper surface of the floor itself. A compression plate is an example of a compression member that can be used to compress the stack after completion and to expel excess air from within the stack of gloves.

[0132] The recess preferably has side walls or rails for aligning gloves stacked upwards on top of each other within the recess, and a movable support surface that can be lowered as the stack of gloves rises, such that the top edge of the recess and the top glove in the stack of gloves are substantially at the same level, which can be set between two glove folding flaps on opposite sides of the recess.

[0133] An actuator may be provided to move the support surface downward so that the stack of gloves is continuously retained within the recess as gloves are added to the stack.

[0134] The glove stack support surface is movable relative to the glove stacking area along the glove stacking axis (normally the vertical axis), and the glove stacking area will be at the top of the stack of gloves being formed during use, thereby allowing the flaps to be used to alternately fold inward toward the glove stacking area the portions that overlap with one or another of the flaps among the stacked gloves. This relative movement can be most conveniently provided if the support surface is movable away from the level of the glove stacking area. However, this relative movement may also be achieved alternatively by repositioning the flaps away from the fixed support surface, or by a combination of movement of the support surface and the flaps.

[0135] The first and second flaps and the support surface are part of a glove folding and stacking station where gloves are deposited. Gloves can be moved toward a glove stacking area by a conveyor, the position and orientation of each glove are determined by a machine vision system, and the gloves are individually lifted from the conveyor and deposited partially onto one or the other of the flaps and partially onto a rising stack within the glove stacking area. Details of the conveyor and glove depositing device, and specific techniques for folding the gloves, are not the essence of the invention; the invention is essentially about a method in which gloves are packed into bundles contained by an outer wrap prior to the longitudinal insertion of glove packs into the open end of an elongated glove discharge box. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0136] Now, the present invention will be explained in more detail through examples with reference to the attached drawings, which are as follows. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glove stacking device for forming a stack of folded gloves according to an example of the present disclosure, comprising a glove folding and stacking station having a pair of flaps on opposite sides of the opening of a glove stacking recess of a glove stacking sleeve, wherein the flaps alternately fold the gloves inward toward the opening to form a stack of interfolded gloves. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the glove folding and stacking station of FIG. 1 before the folded glove is stacked in the recess, showing that each flap has a plurality of fingers extending substantially vertically from a pivot shaft, and the fingers are laterally offset from each other so that when two flaps are folded simultaneously over the glove stacking recess, the fingers interlock with each other, and also showing that an adjacent pair of first and second support platforms each have a series of slots penetrating the platform, and the slots are aligned and sized so that the fingers can pass through the platform. FIG. 3 is a side view of a part of a glove stacking device along line III-III of FIG. 2, showing that the glove stacking recess has a bottom movable to move toward or away from the glove folding area inside the glove stacking sleeve, and the glove folding area is located between the support platforms and the folding flaps. FIG. 4 is a side view of a glove laminated sleeve along line IV-IV of FIG. 3, showing a movable bottom having a glove support surface in which a series of slots parallel to each other are formed. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view in a vertical section passing through the VV line of FIG. 2, illustrating that the cuff portion of the first glove is placed on the first support platform and the finger portion of the same glove is placed on the glove stacking area, then the cuff portion of the second glove is placed on the second support platform and the finger portion of the same glove is placed on the finger portion of the first glove in the glove stacking area, and then the cuff portion of the first glove is folded over the finger portion of the second glove by the first folding flap. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view following FIG. 5, illustrating that the cuff portion of the third glove is placed on the first support platform and the finger portion of the same glove is placed on the fingers of the first folding flap that continues to press the previously folded gloves, and then the cuff portion of the second glove is folded over the finger portion of the third glove by the second folding flap. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of FIG. 6, illustrating a state in which the fingers of the two folding flaps simultaneously rise and press a stack of folded gloves after folding by the second folding flap, and subsequently, the fingers of the first folding flap are laterally drawn out from the glove stacking area. FIG. 8 is a drawing following FIG. 7, illustrating that the first bending flap returns to its original position by a combination of lateral movement and rotational movement to prepare for the next bending operation. FIG. 9 is a drawing following FIG. 8, illustrating that the cuff portion of the fourth glove is placed on the second support platform and the finger portion of the same glove is placed on the fingers of the second folding flap that continues to press the previously folded glove, and then the cuff portion of the third glove is folded over the finger portion of the fourth glove by the first folding flap. FIG. 10 is a drawing following FIG. 9, illustrating that the second bending flap returns to its original position by a combination of lateral and rotational movements to prepare for the next bending operation. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view similar to FIG. 5, illustrating the state after a completed stack of interfolded gloves is formed within a glove stacking recess, and showing that as the bottom moves away from the entrance of the glove stacking recess, the top of the stack of gloves remains substantially horizontal with the glove folding area. FIG. 12 is a plan, side, and cross-sectional view of an elongated strip to be used to wrap around a compressed stack of gloves to form a bundle or pack of folded gloves in an example of the present disclosure, wherein the strip has a glove discharge portion having a pair of pre-formed weakening lines around a glove discharge opening, the glove discharge portion is bounded by pre-folded lines, and there are a pair of opposing lateral extension sections, wherein the first section extends sufficiently far from the glove discharge portion to cover only the first lateral side of the stack of gloves, and the second section extends sufficiently far from the glove discharge portion to wrap around the opposing second lateral side and extend over the bottom side of the stack of folded gloves. FIG. 13 illustrates a drawing of a finished stack of gloves interfolded within a glove stacking recess, similar to FIG. 11, but is for a second example of a glove stacking station, which differs from the first example mainly by having a compression member in the form of a compression plate between the bottom of the glove stack and a movable bottom, in which case it is not necessary to have the bottom slots shown in FIG. 4; FIG. 13 also illustrates that in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the elongated strip of FIG. 12 is placed on the top layer of the finished stack and over the rim of the glove stacking sleeve around the recess opening. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 13, showing that the length of the slender strip is parallel to the bending direction of the glove in the stack. FIG. 15 is a drawing following FIG. 14, illustrating that in one example of the present disclosure, a glove pack former having an inverted box-shaped receiving cavity is positioned directly above a glove stacking sleeve, and that the receiving cavity is moved downward toward and in contact with the glove stacking sleeve, after which a stack of finished gloves is pressed upward into the receiving cavity. FIG. 16 is a drawing following FIG. 15, illustrating that as the stack of gloves is fully inserted into the receiving cavity and then compressed against the base of the receiving cavity, the middle portion of the elongated strip is in close contact with the base, and the end portions of the elongated strip are bent downward within the gaps between the inner side surfaces of the receiving cavity and the corresponding outer surfaces of the glove stacking sleeve. FIG. 17 is a drawing following FIG. 16, illustrating that as the movable bottom continues to push the glove stack out of the sleeve recess, the glove stack and the compression plate move out of the glove stacking recess and combine with the glove pack former, and the bottom moves downward. FIG. 18 is a drawing illustrating the steps of a glove packaging process similar to FIG. 17, but according to the first example illustrated in FIG. 3 to FIG. 11, each slot in the bottom accommodates the tines of the fork, and the fork acts as a compression member when it moves upward to contact the bottom layer of the stack of gloves within the slots. FIG. 19 is a plan view of the bottom and fork within the glove laminated sleeve along the line XIX-XIX of FIG. 18, illustrating that when the bottom and slots are above the rim height of the glove laminated sleeve, the tines are fully inserted along the length of the slots. FIG. 20 is a drawing following FIG. 17, illustrating that when a compression plate made of a magnetizable material moves to engage with magnets on a glove pack former, the compression of the stack is transferred to the compression plate, thereby securing the compressed stack of gloves within the receiving cavity, and the bottom is left free to move downward to a starting position for the next stack of gloves that is substantially horizontal with the glove stacking area. FIG. 21 is a drawing following FIG. 19, illustrating that when two opposing side bars of a compression member containing magnets move to engage with magnets on a glove pack former, the compression of the stack is transferred to the fork, thereby securing the compressed stack of gloves within the receiving cavity, and the bottom is left free to move downward to a starting position substantially horizontal with the glove stacking area. FIGS. 22 and FIGS. 23 are drawings following FIGS. 20, which are cross-sectional and side views, respectively, and illustrate that as the compression plate continues to maintain the compression of the compressed stack of gloves, two extension segments of the end portions of the elongated strip are folded over the compression plate, and the extension segments are joined together to form a band from the elongated strip that extends completely around the perimeter of the compressed stack of gloves. FIG. 24 is a plan view along the line XXIV-XXIV of FIG. 23. FIG. 25 is a plan view along the XXV-XXV line of FIG. 24. FIG. 26 is a drawing following FIG. 25, illustrating that even after the compression plate slides laterally from the open side of the band, the compression state of the stack of gloves is maintained by the band. FIG. 27 is a drawing illustrating the same process steps as FIG. 26, but for the first example shown in FIG. 21, it shows that even after the fork slides laterally from the open side of the band, the compressed state of the stack of gloves is continuously maintained by the band. FIGS. 28 and 29 are schematic plan views illustrating a part of the glove folding and stacking station of FIG. 1, wherein a glove stacking sleeve is mounted on a linear actuator, and the linear actuator moves the glove stacking sleeve between a glove stack forming position below a support platform and a glove stack discharge position spaced apart from the glove stack forming position. FIG. 30 is a schematic plan view illustrating the main components of a glove packaging device according to an additional example of the present disclosure, wherein the glove packaging device comprises a glove stack compression station, an elongated strip discharge station, and a glove stack banding station located opposite the glove stack discharge position, and further illustrates that the glove packaging device comprises a glove stack handling device mounted on an actuator that moves the device between the three stations of the glove packaging device. FIGS. 31 and 32 are schematic cross-sectional views of a glove stack handling device moved to an elongated strip discharge station, illustrating that the glove stack handling device has a vacuum lifting plate movably mounted on a frame, and that the vacuum lifting plate descends onto the upper side of a stack of elongated strips to lift one of the strips, after which the strip is held by suction on the vacuum lifting surface of the vacuum lifting plate. FIG. 33 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a glove stack handling device moved to a glove stack compression station, showing that a vacuum lifting plate is raised over a glove stack sleeve and that a glove discharge portion of an elongated strip is aligned with the opposing side walls of the glove stack sleeve. FIG. 34 is a drawing following FIG. 33, illustrating that a vacuum lifting plate descends and moves until the slender strip is directly above or in contact with the upper side of a stack of folded gloves, and as a result, the slender strip crosses the opening of the glove stacking recess. FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view of a glove stack handling device along the line XXXV-XXXV of FIG. 34, illustrating that the frame of the glove stack handling device supports a compression member, and the compression member has elongated support features that move horizontally toward and away from the glove stack handling device at a height just above the edge of the glove stack sleeve. FIG. 36 is a drawing following FIG. 34, illustrating that while a movable bottom moves upward to press the upper side of the glove stack against the lower side of the elongated strip, a vacuum lifting plate is pressed downward to provide a restoring force so that the stack of gloves is compressed along the glove stacking axis, and also illustrates that two bending flaps on the opposing sides of the recess opening move as they bend the lateral extension sections of the elongated strip downward against the outer sides of the glove stacking sleeve. FIG. 37 is a continuation of FIG. 36, illustrating lateral extension sections bent downward and showing both the movable bottom and the vacuum lifting plate moving upward to push the glove stack out of the sleeve recess. FIG. 38 is a drawing following FIG. 37, illustrating a state in which a glove stack is completely compressed and discharged from a sleeve recess, wherein parallel slots on the bottom support surface accommodate elongated support features at a height below the bottom side of the glove stack. FIG. 39 is a drawing following FIG. 38, illustrating that both the vacuum plate and the bottom are lowered so that the bottom side of the stack is supported on the upper sides of the elongated support features, and that the bottom continues to move downward until the support of the compressed glove stack is transferred from the bottom to the elongated support features. FIG. 40 is a drawing following FIG. 39, illustrating that while a glove stack handling device moves a compressed stack of gloves from a glove stack compression station to a glove stack banding station, a second lateral extension part approaches a rounded edge of a flat platform, and the edge is set at a height lower than the height of the lower side of the elongated support features and is sufficient only for the clearance of the material thickness of the second lateral extension part of the elongated strip. FIG. 41 is a drawing following FIG. 40, illustrating that as the glove stack handling device continues to move the compressed glove stack to the glove stack bending station, the second lateral extension portion is bent in a horizontal orientation by a flat platform, and the first end edge of the first lateral extension section is shown approaching the second end edge of the second lateral extension section in the area of ​​the glove stack edge between the bottom side of the stack of gloves and the first lateral side of the stack of gloves. FIG. 42 is a drawing following FIG. 41, illustrating a method of positioning a compressed glove stack, which is supported on elongated features and wrapped around by a folded elongated strip, on a vertically movable trough in which a semi-automatic tape application device is present, wherein the trough is moved upward to first and second end edges arranged side by side of lateral extension sections of a band tape application device that applies a patch of adhesive tape between end edges, thereby forming a band around the compressed stack of gloves and the elongated supporting features of the compression member. FIG. 43 is a drawing following FIG. 42, illustrating that the trough moves downward and the vacuum lifting device moves upward, so that the glove stack is supported only on the elongated features of the compression member as the band maintains the compression of the glove stack, and then, as the stack of gloves falls onto the output conveyor as shown in FIG. 30, the compression member moves laterally and is pulled out from under the stack of gloves. FIG. 44 is a schematic plan view of a glove packaging device according to an additional example of the present disclosure, similar to the first example, but illustrates that the glove stack handling device is moved by a 6-axis robot between a glove stack compression station, an elongated strip discharge station, and a glove stack banding station. FIG. 45 illustrates, in cross-section, that the stack of finished gloves is removed from the receiving cavity while both the compression and shape of the stack are maintained by the band, and that two glove packs are slid into the open end of the elongated outer container with the discharge openings in the band of each glove pack aligned with the corresponding discharge holes of the container, and that the open end of the container is closed and sealed. FIG. 46 is a cross-sectional view following FIG. 45, illustrating that each band has one of its lateral sides in contact with the end wall of the container and the other lateral side in contact with the corresponding lateral side of the other band, thereby laterally stabilizing both the stacks of gloves and the packs of gloves inside each band even when the stack of gloves is depleted after the gloves are discharged through the corresponding discharge hole. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0137] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate drawings of an automated glove packaging system (1), and FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate some of the main components of the system more clearly. The automated glove packaging system (1) includes a glove folding and stacking station (2) in which gloves are supplied by a glove conveyor (3), and the glove conveyor (3) carries a series of gloves (5), each of which is placed substantially flat on a glove transfer surface (4). In this example, the transfer surface is provided by a conveyor belt (6) moving in the glove transfer direction (7). However, a series of gloves may also be transferred to the glove folding and stacking station (2) using a different type of mechanical conveyor.

[0138] Each glove (5) has a finger section (8) and a cuff section (9). The finger section (8) consists of five fingers corresponding to the user's four fingers and thumb. The cuff section (9) ends at a beaded cuff end (11). Each glove has a length (12) between the beaded cuff end (11) and the outermost tip (14) of the finger section (8). When laid flat, each glove also has a width (13) across the cuff section (9). The length (12) of the glove is typically between about 250 mm and 260 mm. The width (13) is often about 115 mm and generally does not exceed about 120 mm. The actual dimensions may vary depending on whether the glove is large, medium, or small, but in all cases, the width is less than half the length of the glove.

[0139] In this example, the glove (5) is a dip-moulded ambidextrous nitrile inspection glove having a thickness of about 60 μm to 80 μm. However, the present invention is applicable to any other type of glove that must be folded into layers within a stack of gloves before being packaged in a glove discharge container.

[0140] The glove folding and stacking station (2) is equipped with a glove lifting and placement device (10), and in this example, the device is a robot delta device or manipulator. A delta robot is a type of parallel robot consisting of three arms connected to a universal joint at the base. A key design feature is the use of parallelograms within the arms, which in this example maintains the orientation of the vacuum lifting head (15). However, other types of glove lifting and placement devices used for pick and place operations may be used instead, for example, an industrial robot of the SCARA type (not shown) having a robot arm equipped with a suitable vacuum lifting head at the end may be used.

[0141] The delta robot (10) has a vacuum lifting head (15) for lifting gloves (5) from a glove transfer surface (4) and then placing the gloves one at a time in a flat orientation at a desired location and in a desired orientation with respect to the length (12) of the glove. In this example, the gloves are placed one at a time onto a glove stacking sleeve (80).

[0142] As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, each glove is folded approximately in half along the fold line (51) by one of a pair of glove folding flaps (17, 17'). The flaps pivot around a corresponding pivot axis (23, 23') to fold a portion of the placed glove, in this example the cuff portion (9), inward toward the glove stacking area (20).

[0143] The glove stacking area (20) is located directly above the opening (19) of the glove stacking recess (18) inside the outer walls on the four sheets of the sleeve (80). These walls are a pair of opposing front and rear walls (48, 48'), each closest and farthest from the conveyor (3), and right and left side walls (46, 46') when viewed from the direction of the conveyor as in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0144] The first and second pivot axes (23, 23') are parallel to each other, perpendicular to the glove stacking axis (25), and laterally offset. The first and second axes (23, 23') extend horizontally and are positioned on the corresponding opposing first and second sides (16, 16') of the glove stacking area (20) where gloves (5) folded by flaps (17, 17') are added to the stack (90) of folded gloves while being formed as shown in FIGS. 5 through 11. The glove stacking area (20) has a substantially rectangular shape defined by the opening (19) of the glove stacking recess (18).

[0145] A glove stacking sleeve (80) is located below the delta robot (10) and on one side of the glove transfer surface (4). The central vertical axis (99) of the glove lifting and placement device (10) is located approximately midway between the conveyor (3) and the sleeve (80) so that it can reach both.

[0146] The glove stacking sleeve (80) has an upper edge or border (21) defining an opening (19) of a recess (18) into which folded gloves are stacked. The recess (18) extends downward along the glove stacking axis (25) from the recess opening (19) toward a supporting surface (22) of the recess that supports a stack (90) of folded gloves. The supporting surface (22) is the upper surface of the movable bottom (50) of the recess (18) that forms a close sliding fit with the inner surfaces of the four sleeve walls (46, 46', 48, 48'). The supporting surface (22) is movable relative to the glove stacking axis (25). In this example, this is accomplished by moving the bottom (50) away from the glove stacking area (20) as folded gloves (5) are added to the stack (90). When in use, the movable floor supports a stack (90) of folded gloves with the top end or side (91A) of the stack held substantially horizontal with the recess opening (19) by a floor vertical movement system (40) operated via a vertical linear actuator (38).

[0147] The glove stacking axis (25) is substantially vertical, and the transport direction (7) of the gloves is preferably horizontal. Taking these together, as shown in FIG. 1, an orthogonal coordinate system can be defined in which the z-axis is parallel to the glove stacking axis (25), the x-axis is parallel to the transport direction (7), and the y-axis is perpendicular to the x and z axes.

[0148] Each folding flap (17, 17') is pivotable around a corresponding pivot axis (23, 23') and is also movable laterally in both a direction toward the stacking axis (25) (28, 28') and a direction away from the stacking axis (25) (29, 29'). The first and second flaps each include a plurality of fingers (30, 30') extending away from corresponding first and second pivot shafts (31, 31') that define the first and second pivot axes (23, 23') of the flaps. The flap fingers are configured to lift the glove cuff portions and then fold during each folding operation.

[0149] The glove folding and stacking station (2) includes first and second glove support platforms (24, 24') respectively disposed on opposing first and second sides (16, 16') of the glove stacking area (20). These platforms provide support to the cuff portion (9) of the disposed glove (5) before the cuff portion (9) is folded toward and over the stack (90) raised in the glove stacking area by the fingers (30, 30') of the corresponding flaps (17, 17'). As can be most clearly seen in FIG. 2, each support platform (24, 24') has a plurality of slots (26, 26') aligned with the fingers (30, 30') of the corresponding flaps (17, 17'). In this example, each slot is a hole penetrating the corresponding platform. Between the slots (26, 26'), each platform has slats or protrusions (42, 42'). The flap fingers (30, 30') are separated by gaps (44, 44'). The platform slats (42, 42') are aligned with the corresponding finger gaps (44, 44'). In practice, sufficient clearance of about 1 mm is provided on each side so that the slots of each platform allow the fingers passing through the corresponding platform to pass through.

[0150] The movement of the glove folding flaps (17, 17') is driven by a flap actuation system (34) comprising first and second rotary actuators (33, 33') for pivoting each of the flaps (17, 17') around a corresponding pivot axis (23, 23'), and first and second translational actuators (35, 35') for laterally moving the corresponding pivot axes (29, 29') in a direction parallel to the flap fingers (30, 30') when they are over the glove stacking area. In this example, the rotary actuators are first and second rotary motors (33, 33') directly coupled to the first and second pivot shafts (31, 31') to rotate the first and second flaps (17, 17'), respectively. The rotary motors (33, 33') directly drive the pivot shafts to rotate them around the pivot axes.

[0151] In this example, the first and second translation actuators are first and second translation motors (35, 35') that drive the corresponding linear translation belts (37, 37'). Each rotary motor (33, 33') is mounted on a laterally movable carriage (36, 36') that is driven laterally by one of the belts (37, 37').

[0152] The operation of the automated glove packaging system (1) will now be briefly described, starting with FIGS. 1 and 2. The glove packaging system is under the control of a controller (97), which may be a microprocessor-based control system. A machine vision system (98) provides the controller (97) with an indication of the position and orientation of each glove (5) on the conveyor surface (4). The controller (97) controls the movement of the delta robot (10), the vacuum lifting plate (15), the flaps (17, 17'), and the floor vertical movement system (40). The controller (97) also receives machine vision input from the machine vision system (98) regarding the position and orientation of each glove (5) on the moving conveyor surface (4). The controller controls the movement of the flaps through a series of periodically repeated actions.

[0153] Initially, before any glove is placed, the support surface (22) of the recess is positioned at a height of a horizontal plane extending between the pivot axes (23, 23'), and ideally located just below it. The flap fingers (30, 30') are all extended horizontally away from the pivot axes initially aligned on the corresponding opposing side walls (46, 46') of the recess (18) adjacent to the opposing sides (16, 16') of the glove stacking area (20).

[0154] The gloves are transported to the glove folding and stacking station (2) by a conveyor belt (6). The speed of the conveyor belt is set by a conveyor belt drive motor controlled by a controller (97). The vacuum lifting plate (15) of the delta actuator (10) is also controlled by the controller (97) to lift the passing gloves (5) from the conveyor belt (6) and, as described above, place them one at a time at the glove folding and stacking station (2) with the cuff portions (9) alternately overlapping the first and second support platforms (24, 24').

[0155] The controller (97) also controls the operation of a vertical linear actuator (38) that sets the height of the recess floor (50). In this example, the vertical linear actuator is an electric motor connected to a driving mechanism (43) of a vertical movement system (40) connected to the floor (50). In this example, the driving mechanism is a worm gear (43), which, when rotated to one side or the other, drives the floor (50) in opposing directions, such as upward (55) or downward (54). Details of this mechanism are not shown in the drawings, but its operation is schematically indicated by arrows (53) in the lower part of FIG. 3. The worm gear (43) is connected to the floor (50) via a pair of side brackets (45, 45') through a pair of opposing side slots (47, 47') within the opposing side walls (46, 46') of the glove stacking sleeve (80).

[0156] FIG. 4 is a side view of a glove laminated sleeve (80) along line IV-IV of FIG. 3, illustrating that the movable bottom (50) has a series of parallel slots (56) below the support surface (22). In this example, there are four such slots, but it would be possible to have fewer, for example, two, or more, up to about 10 slots. As will be described in more detail below, and as illustrated in FIG. 15 and FIG. 20 through 24, each slot accommodates a corresponding elongated support feature (75) of a compression member (70).

[0157] The bottom slots (56) are preferred examples of recesses within the bottom support surface (22), and the elongated support features (75) are preferred examples of separated supports that are initially accommodated within the bottom recesses to support the base of the stack of gloves at regular intervals and then later moved away from the recesses. When the finished stack (90) is lifted from the bottom support surface (22), the support of the stack is transferred from the bottom support surface (22) to the separated glove stack support surfaces (89) of at least two of these supports (75). The choice of the number of bottom recesses or slots is a trade-off between the degree of support provided by the separated supports, such as the elongated support features (the greater the number of these separated supports, the greater the support) and the sliding friction between the separated support surfaces and the lower side (91B) of the stack when the glove stack (90) must be separated from the separated supports (the greater the number of these separated supports, the greater the friction).

[0158] Each slot (56) extends horizontally across the entire width of the bottom between the opposing left and right side walls (46, 46') of the sleeve (80). Each slot also extends vertically between the base (57) of the slot and the supporting surface (22) of the bottom. Preferably, the supporting surface of the bottom is flat. Additionally, preferably, the vertical range of each slot is substantially the same.

[0159] During the operation of the glove folding and stacking station (2), the recess (18) of the sleeve (80) is filled with a stack (90) of interfolded gloves. In this example, the automated glove packaging system (1) folds the gloves in the same manner as described in WO 2017109753 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. However, the present invention is not limited to stacks of interfolded gloves prepared using such an automated process. Instead, stacks of folded gloves may be prepared using a manual folding process, for example, as described in WO 010020782 A2, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0160] Furthermore, while folded gloves do not necessarily need to be interfolded, this does provide known advantages. The advantage of interfolding is that the finger portion (8) of the glove being discharged by the cuff end (11) pulls the cuff end portion (9) of the glove to be discharged next out of the discharge hole, so that when the user wears the glove, only the cuff end portion, not the finger portion, comes into contact. However, the principles of the present invention may be applied to a packaging of stacks of uninterfolded gloves in which the gloves are substantially folded in half along their length (12) to form a stack, preferably in which the cuff ends of adjacent layers are regularly alternated from one side of the stack to the opposite side, but this is also not essential.

[0161] The bottom (50) is moved in opposing directions (54, 55) along the glove stacking axis (25) by the bottom vertical movement system (40). During the stacking of gloves, as folded gloves (5) are added to the stack (90), the bottom (50) moves away from the rectangular recess opening (19) (54). Thus, the glove stacking area (20) remains substantially horizontal with respect to the recess opening. When the stack (90) is completed, the recess bottom (50) moves toward the recess opening (19) to discharge the stack from the recess (18) (55). To facilitate this, the sleeve (80) is first moved laterally or inclined at a certain angle relative to the vertical so that the opening moves away from the conveyor (3) and the glove lifting and placement device (10). This makes the recess opening (19) more freely accessible from above to facilitate access to the stack (90) when the stack (90) is ejected from the recess (18).

[0162] As illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 10, the folding flaps (17, 17') are driven in a periodic manner under the control of a controller (97) as gloves (5) are placed one at a time at the glove folding and stacking station (2) until the stack (90) is completed as illustrated in FIG. 11. Each flap performs a folding operation (27, 27') that alternately pivots 180° around the corresponding pivot axis (23, 23') between a first orientation in which each flap extends away from the glove stacking axis (25) from the corresponding pivot axis (23, 23') and a second orientation in which each flap extends toward the glove stacking axis (25) from the corresponding pivot axis (23, 23'). It is preferable that the flaps be long enough so that the flaps in the second orientation extend beyond the glove stacking axis. Following this, each flap is first withdrawn laterally from the glove stacking area (20) in the withdrawal motion. This is followed by a return motion in which a lateral return to the original position occurs after an additional 180° pivot. These two return movements may occur simultaneously or be separated in time. The return pivots are made in the same direction, so that each flap (17, 17') always pivots in the same direction as schematically illustrated in FIG. 3. Thus, the clockwise / counterclockwise handedness of the pivot movements is always opposite for the two flaps.

[0163] Briefly, the glove stacking and folding operation is as follows. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the cuff portion (9A) of the first glove (5A) is placed on the first support platform (24) (49A), the finger portion (8A) of the same glove is positioned on the glove stacking area (20), the cuff portion (9B) of the second glove (5B) is placed on the second support platform (24') (49B), and the finger portion (8B) of the same glove is positioned on the finger portion (8A) of the first glove (5A) in the glove stacking area. This is followed by folding the first glove cuff portion (9A) over the second glove finger portion (8B) by the first flap (17) (27A).

[0164] As the thickness of the stack of folded gloves increases, the bottom (50) inside the sleeve (80) can be moved downward as needed so that the level of the glove stacking area (20) is maintained just below the level of the flap fingers (30, 30') when in the folded orientation (54A).

[0165] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the first flap remains in continuous contact with the folded glove (5A), the cuff portion (9C) of the third glove (5C) is placed on the first support platform (24) (49C), and the finger portion (8C) of the same glove is placed on the fingers (30) of the first flap (17) as it continues to press down on the previously folded glove. This is followed by the folding of the second glove cuff portion (9B) over the third glove finger portion (8C) by the second flap (17') (27B). The bottom (50) can be moved downward as needed to provide space for each folded layer of the stack of rising gloves (54B).

[0166] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the fingers (30, 30') of the two flaps (17, 17') simultaneously press down on the stack of folded gloves that are rising, and the fingers of the first flap are laterally withdrawn from the glove stacking area (20) (29A). Again, the bottom (50) can be moved downward as needed (54C).

[0167] FIG. 8 illustrates a method of preparing for the next bending operation, in which the first flap (17) returns to its original position by a combination of lateral (28A) and rotational (27C) movements. It is preferable for these two movements to occur simultaneously, as this is the fastest way to return the flap to its original orientation. However, if the length of the slots (26) is longer to accommodate the fingers (30) of the rotated flap (17') in this orientation, it may also be possible to perform the rotational movement (27C) first, followed by the lateral movement (28A). Again, the bottom (50) can move downward as needed (54D).

[0168] FIG. 9 is a drawing following FIG. 8, illustrating that the cuff portion (9D) of the fourth glove (5D) is placed on the second support platform (24') (49C), the finger portion (8D) of the same glove is placed on the fingers (30') of the second flap (17') as it continues to press down on the previously folded glove (5B), and is followed by the folding of the third glove cuff portion (9C) over the fourth glove finger portion (8D) by the first flap (17) (27D). Subsequently, the second flap (17') is withdrawn laterally away from the glove stacking area (20) (29B).

[0169] Again, the floor (50) can be moved downward as needed (54E). It will be understood that the level of the floor can be set based on the desired pressure required to maintain the compression of the stack of rising gloves. Although not illustrated, the floor vertical movement system (40) may include a force sensor that provides a signal from a closed-loop feedback system to maintain the desired compression of the stack.

[0170] The fingers (30, 30') apply downward pressure that provides a reaction force to the upward force applied from the recess floor (50). The rotary motors (33, 33') do not actively control this force but include built-in torque sensors (not shown) connected to the controller (97). The controller uses a vertical linear actuator (38) to adjust the height of the floor (50) up and down to maintain the pressure applied between the flap fingers and the floor within set limits. This also automatically results in the floor lowering as gloves are added to the stack. The desired pressure will vary depending on the glove type, but is typically set between 1 N and 5 N for nitrile gloves when the lateral fold dimensions of the stack of gloves are 118 mm x 125 mm.

[0171] FIG. 10 is a drawing following FIG. 9 and illustrates a method of preparing for the next bending operation and returning the second flap to its original position by a combination of lateral movement (28B) and rotational movement (27C).

[0172] The folding and lamination processes described below are repeated as the gloves are alternately placed on the first and second support platforms (24, 24'). This forms a stack (90) of interfolded gloves as shown in FIG. 11. When such a stack is packed into a box discharge container or a bag-shaped discharge container having a discharge hole, it will discharge the gloves cuff-first from the discharge end of the stack (90). In this example, the discharge end is the top end (91A) of the stack as oriented in FIG. 11 and FIG. 20.

[0173] It will be understood that in the method described above, the controller (97) synchronizes the placement of gloves by the glove placement device and the folding of gloves by the flaps in a manner that reduces the cycle time for folding and stacking each glove as much as possible.

[0174] FIGS. 13 through 17 illustrate the following steps of a method for forming a twin pack of folded gloves in an example of the present disclosure. Features of the present example identical to those described above are indicated using the same reference numerals.

[0175] This example has a movable bottom (150) within a glove packaging sleeve (180) identical to the glove packaging sleeve (80) of the first embodiment, except that the slots (147, 147') within the opposing side walls (146, 146') of the sleeve extend completely to the edge (121) of the glove packaging sleeve (180). This variation in the slot range is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4 using dashed lines (58). The bottom (150) has no slots (56) and only a flat upper surface (122), but even if such slots were present, they would not affect the operation of this example as described below. This example differs primarily in that, although the support of the stack (90) of rising gloves is ultimately provided by the upper surface (122) of the movable bottom (150) within the glove packaging sleeve (180), the support is provided more directly by a plate-shaped compression member (70) interposed between the lower side (91B) of the stack (90) and the bottom (150). In this example, the compression member provides a support surface (71) within the recess (18). The compression member, i.e., the plate (70), can be placed directly on the movable bottom (150). Optionally, a thin paper or plastic packaging sleeve (not shown) may be present on top of the compression plate to prevent the folded gloves from getting stuck between the compression plate or bottom and the adjacent side wall surfaces of the packaging recess (18). The operation and form of such packing recess, compression plate and movable bottom are described in more detail in patent documents WO 2010 / 020782 A2, WO 2011 / 048414 A1 and WO 2014 / 037701 A1. From these documents, those skilled in the art will understand that the recess (18) may take forms other than those depicted. For example, the side walls of the recess do not need to be continuous around the perimeter of the stack (90) as long as they serve to accommodate a stack of rising gloves.

[0176] FIGS. 13 through 27 illustrate examples of a method for forming a bundle or pack (200) of folded gloves for insertion into a rectangular outer glove discharge container (95), preferably formed from a folded card material as shown in FIG. 45. The method uses an elongated strip material (60) as shown in the planar, lateral, and end drawings in FIG. 12. In this example, the strip is a rectangle having four straight edges, a pair of opposing first and second end edges (59A, 59B) and a pair of opposing first and second lateral edges (59C, 59D).

[0177] The strip is used to form a band (61) that wraps around a compressed stack (90) of gloves to form a bundle or pack (200) of folded gloves. The band (61) has four sides, namely an upper side (61A), a lower side (61B) opposite it, and first and second lateral sides (61C, 61D) opposite it. The band (61) wraps around and conforms to the four corresponding sides of the stack, namely the opposing upper and lower sides (91A, 91B) and the first and second lateral sides (91C, 91D) opposite it. The upper side (61A) of the band conforms to the upper side (91A) of the stack, the lower side (61B) of the band conforms to the lower side (91B) of the stack, and the first and second lateral sides (61C, 61D) of the band conform to the first and second lateral sides (91C, 91D) of the stack, respectively. The band is open on the opposing third and fourth lateral sides (91E, 91F) of the stack. The upper side (61A) of the band (61) includes a glove ejection opening (64). Preferably, the opening is a pre-formed hole (63'). Alternatively, the opening may include a removable panel (63) that the user pulls out before ejecting the gloves to form the hole. Both options are indicated by dashed lines labeled "64" in FIG. 12.

[0178] The band (61) is preferably formed using the elongated strip material (60) of FIG. 12. The band (61) is preferably manufactured from a relatively rigid material in the form of a board or sheet. The term "relatively rigid" means that the material of the band (61) can support its own weight so as not to bend or sag. In this example, the strip material is formed from a card material, for example, single-layer cardboard or rigid paper. The material is preferably foldable along defined weakening lines (65, 65') that define the fold lines. Thus, a foldable plastic material is one alternative material that can be used.

[0179] The strip (60) preferably has a first glove discharge part or section (62) that provides both the upper side (61A) of the band (61) and the glove discharge opening (64). If a removable panel (63) is present, the user will remove it before removing the first glove from the upper side (91A) of the stack. In this case, the discharge opening (64) may be defined by a weakening line around the removable panel (63).

[0180] The band has a length along the major axis (67) and a width along the minor axis (68). The minor axis is wide enough so that when the strip wraps around the perimeter of the compressed stack (90), the finger portions (8) (and particularly the first and fifth fingers) of the folded gloves are substantially accommodated within the band between the lateral side edges (59C, 59D) of the strip, thereby forming the opposing first and second lateral sides (91C, 91D) of the stack. Thus, it is preferable that the first and second lateral side edges (59C, 59D) of the strip forming the band are substantially co-plane with the opposing third and fourth lateral sides (91E, 91F) of the stack, which are the open sides of the stack within the glove pack (200). As can be seen from FIG. 13, these open sides (91E, 91F) of the stack (90) are sides having glove folds (51).

[0181] It should be noted that after being wrapped by the band (61) (excluding the shortest gloves on the top and bottom sides (91A, 91B) of the stack), only the glove fold lines (51) are exposed on the open sides (91E, 91F) of the stack of gloves. This is illustrated in the enlarged view on the right side of FIG. 13. Initially, these fold lines (51) are held very firmly in place by the compression maintained by the band (61), so they are essentially unable to move laterally perpendicular to the glove stacking axis (25). After some of the gloves are ejected, the compression will be released, but since the glove folds (51) wrap around the cuff ends (11) and glove finger tips (14) of adjacent gloves in the stack and the folds are in contact with the band (61), the stack layers continue to be stabilized against any lateral movement away from the glove stacking axis (25).

[0182] To aid in the formation of the band (61), the strip glove discharge portion (62) is preferably bordered or defined by a pair of indentation lines (65) to aid in the bending of the band material. In this example, these lines are continuous indentation lines or pre-bent lines (65). Another method of creating the indentation lines is by perforations (not shown). Beyond the lines (65), there are a pair of opposing first and second lateral extension sections (66, 66') that extend sufficiently far from the glove discharge portion (62) along the long axis (67) and completely wrap around the perimeter of the pack of gloves bent together. The first lateral extension section (66) provides the first lateral side (61C), and the second lateral extension section (66') provides both the second lateral side (61D) and the bottom side (61B) of the band (61).

[0183] To help define the first lateral side (61C) while it is being formed, an additional third weakening line (65') is preferably provided. In this example, this third line (65') is formed from continuous indentation lines or pre-bent lines, although perforations (not shown) may also be used.

[0184] A special advantage of providing weakening lines (65, 65') is that it facilitates the formation of sharp, nearly right-angled edges within the band (61) where the upper and lower sides (61A, 61B) meet the two lateral sides (61C, 61D) of the band. This provides additional strength where the bands meet each other along the lateral sides (370) along the length of the container inside the glove discharge container (95).

[0185] Various steps of a first method for providing a glove box (100) by forming a pack (200) of folded gloves and then inserting a pair of such packs into an outer container (95) are illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 27.

[0186] The method uses any one of the glove packaging sleeves (80, 180) described above and a former (300, 400) for forming a band (61). The former (300, 400) includes a box-shaped receiving cavity (301) having at least three inner faces (301A, 301B, 301C) and a receiving opening (302) that defines an insertion axis (25') into which a finished stack of gloves is inserted into a receiving cavity (301). These faces include an end face (301A) at the base end of the receiving cavity and at least two side faces (301B, 301C, 301D, 301E) including a pair of side faces (301B, 301C) on the opposing sides of the receiving cavity (301). The side faces extend substantially parallel to the insertion axis (25').

[0187] After a stack of gloves (90) is formed within the recess (18) of the glove packaging sleeve (80, 180), and the stack of gloves is received within the recess and the lower side (91B) of the stack of gloves is supported by the bottom (50, 150) and the upper side (91A) of the stack of gloves is adjacent to the opening (19) of the recess (18), the former (300, 400) and the glove packaging sleeve (80, 180) are oriented toward each other such that the receiving opening (302) and the recess opening (19) face each other. The orientation is such that the glove stacking axis (25) is aligned with the insertion axis (25').

[0188] Before or after this alignment is made, the middle portion (62) of the elongated strip is placed over the upper layer (91A) of the gloves, and the opposing end portions (66, 66') of the elongated strip are positioned between the receiving opening (302) and the recess opening (19) so that they extend laterally away from the glove stacking axis (25) on the opposing sides of the recess (18). These end portions extend away from the folded sides (91C, 91D) of the stack of gloves and from the corresponding outer surfaces (52, 52') of the two opposing walls of the sleeve (80, 180). In the illustrated example, the front and rear walls (48, 48') provide these outer surfaces (52, 52').

[0189] These outer side surfaces (52, 52') extend substantially parallel to the aligned glove stacking axis (25) and insertion axis (25'), and also extend parallel to a pair of side surfaces (301B, 301C) on the opposing sides of the receiving cavity (301). The inner surfaces of the cavity are all flat, and the outer walls of the sleeve (80, 180) are also flat.

[0190] While maintaining the orientation of the receiving opening (302) and the recess opening (19), and the position of the elongated strip material (60), the receiving cavity (301) and the sleeve (80, 180) are moved together along the aligned axes (25, 25') (310). A pair of outer side surfaces (52, 52') on the opposing side walls of the sleeve are dimensioned to be received within a pair of side surfaces (301B, 301C) inside the receiving cavity (301) with a clearance gap between them sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the strip material (60). In this example, the sleeve (80, 180) is kept stationary during the process, but it may be movable along the aligned axes (25, 25') during the process. The end portions (66, 66') of the elongated strip (60) are bent to be substantially parallel to a pair of outer side surfaces (52, 52') on the opposing sides of the recess opening. This is also substantially parallel to a pair of side surfaces (301B, 301C) inside the receiving cavity (301).

[0191] While or after the glove packaging sleeve (80, 180) is inserted into the receiving cavity (301), the movable bottom (50, 150) is moved toward the recess opening (19) to press the stack of gloves along the glove stacking axis (25) so that the top layer or side (91A) of the glove stack (90) comes into contact with the middle portion (62) of the elongated strip (60), and this comes into contact with the base (301A) of the receiving cavity (301). The result of this is that the glove stack (90) is compressed along the glove stacking axis (25) as excess air is expelled from the stack of gloves (90). Thus, the stack is compressed along the glove stacking axis (25).

[0192] The bottom (50, 150) is used to maintain this compression of the stack of gloves while withdrawing the packing sleeve (80, 180) from the receiving cavity (301) by moving the sleeve (80, 180) and the receiving cavity relatively far apart so that the sleeve moves away from the base end (301A) of the receiving cavity until the packing sleeve is completely withdrawn from the receiving cavity. In this way, the stack of gloves (90) is moved away from the recess (18).

[0193] During or after this occurs, the floor (50, 150) is moved away from the recess opening (19) and the glove stack (90) (316). Support of the compressed glove stack (90) is transferred from the floor to the compression member. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 13 through 17, FIGS. 20, and FIGS. 22 through 26, the compression member is the plate (70) described above. In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 18, FIGS. 19, FIGS. 21, and FIGS. 27, the compression member is a fork (170). These compression members (70, 170) will be described in more detail below.

[0194] In both embodiments, the compression member (70, 170) comes into contact with the bottom side or layer (91B) of the stack of gloves (90) as the stack is fully transferred into the receiving cavity (301). Ideally, the compression of the glove stack is maintained steadily while this occurs.

[0195] Then, while the compression of the stack of gloves is maintained by the compression member (70, 170), the end portions (66, 66') of the strip material (60) are wrapped over the compression member (320) and secured to form a band (61) that completely wraps around the four sides (91A, 91B, 91C, 91D) of the stack of gloves (90). The band (61) is open on two opposing lateral sides (91E, 91F) of the stack. In this example, the end portions (66, 66') are secured together using adhesive tape (69), but any other convenient adhesive or bonding means, such as contact adhesive or staples (not shown), may be used. The bond does not need to face the middle of the bottom side (61B) of the band. If one of the strip end portions (66, 66') is long enough, it may be at the edge between the bottom side (61B) of the band and one of the lateral sides (61C, 61D) of the band.

[0196] The glove pack (200) formed by this is a rectangular cuboid, also called a rectangular parallelepiped. This is a regular shape, which helps when packing the discharge container (95), especially when two packs slide into the open end of the container one after another.

[0197] After this, the compression member (70, 170) is laterally withdrawn from the pack of folded gloves through one of the open lateral sides (91E, 91F) of the stack (330).

[0198] A significant difference between the two compression members is that the plate-shaped compression member (70) must be inserted into the recess (18) and placed on top of the bottom (150) before the stacking of gloves. The plate-shaped compression member (70) has a substantially rectangular main plate (72) having the same lateral dimensions as the bottom. Two similar tabs (73, 73') extend away from the main plate (72). They are dimensioned and oriented to protrude laterally outward from the recess (18) using a pair of opposing lateral slots (147, 147') within the opposing recess side walls (146, 146').

[0199] At least the tabs (73, 73') of the plate-shaped compression member (70) may be made of a magnetizable metal, or they may be magnets. When support of the stack of gloves (90) is transferred to the compression member, these tabs (73, 73') are transferred to a state near two mounts (74, 74') each holding a magnet on the outer side of the former (300). Alternatively, if the tabs (73, 73') are magnets, the two mounts (74, 74') may contain a magnetizable metal, or magnets of opposite polarity may be used for both the tabs (73, 73') and the two mounts (74, 74'). In either case, magnetic attraction pulls the tabs (73, 73') and the two mounts (74, 74') together (318) to hold them in place.

[0200] The fork-shaped compression member (170) is not inserted into the recess (18). The advantage of this is that there is no need for any breakage in the rim (21) to allow the passage of the fork-shaped compression member (170). The fork-shaped compression member is positioned with the bottom (50) after the bottom side and bottom (50) of the stack are raised above the level of the rim (21) of the sleeve (80), as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, and is moved to contact the bottom side (91B) of the stack of gloves. As this occurs, the slots (56) inside the bottom (50) each receive the tines (75) of the fork. When the fork (70) moves upward (322), the tines (75) come into contact with the bottom side (91B) of the stack. At the same time, the fork is secured to the former (400). Preferably, this is self-fastening. In this example, a pair of magnetic members (76, 76') on the opposing side arms (77, 77') of the fork (parallel to the tines (75)) are connected to corresponding magnetic members (78, 78') on the outer side of the former (400). The tines (75) and the side arms (77, 77') are held together at one end by a transverse member or yoke (79).

[0201] Therefore, the fork (170) acts as a compression member when it moves upward (322) in contact with the bottom layer (91B) of the stack of gloves within the slots (56). Subsequently, since the bottom is no longer needed to support the compressed stack of gloves, the bottom (50) is moved back into the recess (18) (316). The former (400), fork (70), and stack of gloves can be moved away from the sleeve (80) for the next step (314).

[0202] FIGS. 28 through 44 illustrate examples of a method for forming a bundle or pack (200) of folded gloves for insertion into a rectangular outer glove discharge container (95), preferably formed from a folded card material as shown in FIG. 46. The method uses an elongated strip material (60) as shown in the planar, side and end drawings in FIG. 12. In this example, the strip is a rectangle having four straight edges, a pair of opposing first and second end edges (59A, 59B) and a pair of opposing first and second lateral side edges (59C, 59D).

[0203] The strip is used to form a band (61) that wraps around a compressed stack (90) of gloves to form a bundle or pack (200) of folded gloves. The band (61) has four sides, namely an upper side (61A), a lower side (61B) opposite it, and first and second lateral sides (61C, 61D) opposite it. The band (61) wraps around and conforms to the four corresponding sides of the stack, namely the opposing upper and lower sides (91A, 91B) and the first and second lateral sides (91C, 91D) opposite it. The upper side (61A) of the band conforms to the upper side (91A) of the stack, the lower side (61B) of the band conforms to the lower side (91B) of the stack, and the first and second lateral sides (61C, 61D) of the band conform to the first and second lateral sides (91C, 91D) of the stack, respectively. The band is open on the opposing third and fourth lateral sides (91E, 91F) of the stack. The upper side (61A) of the band (61) includes a glove discharge opening (64). Preferably, the opening is a pre-formed hole (63'). Alternatively, the opening may be a removable panel (63) that the user pulls out to form a hole before the discharge of gloves, as illustrated. Both options are illustrated in FIG. 30 and are schematically indicated by a dashed line labeled "64" in FIG. 12.

[0204] The band (61) is formed using the elongated strip material (60) of FIG. 12. In this example, the strip material is formed from a card material, for example, single-layer cardboard or rigid paper. The material is preferably foldable along defined weakening lines (65, 65') that define the fold lines. Thus, a foldable plastic material is one alternative material that can be used.

[0205] The strip (60) has a first glove discharge part or section (62) that provides both the upper side (61A) of the band (61) and the glove discharge opening (64). If a removable panel (63) is present, the user will remove it before removing the first glove from the upper side (91A) of the stack. In this case, the discharge opening (64) may be defined by a weakening line around the removable panel (63).

[0206] The band has a length along the major axis (67) and a width along the minor axis (68). The minor axis is wide enough so that when the strip wraps around the perimeter of the compressed stack (90), the finger portions (8) (and particularly the first and fifth fingers) of the folded gloves are substantially accommodated within the band between the lateral side edges (59C, 59D) of the strip, thereby forming the opposing lateral first and second sides (91C, 91D) of the stack. Thus, it is preferable that the lateral first and second side edges (59C, 59D) of the strip forming the band are substantially co-plane with the opposing third and fourth lateral sides (91E, 91F) of the stack, which are the open sides of the stack within the glove pack (200). As can be seen from FIG. 20, these open sides (91E, 91F) of the stack (90) are sides having glove folds (51).

[0207] It should be noted that after being wrapped by the band (61) (excluding the shortest gloves on the top and bottom sides (91A, 91B) of the stack), only the glove fold lines (51) are exposed on the open sides (91E, 91F) of the stack of gloves. This is illustrated in the enlarged view to the right of FIG. 20. Initially, these fold lines (51) are held very firmly in place by the compression maintained by the band (61), so they are substantially unable to move laterally perpendicular to the glove stacking axis (25). After some of the gloves are ejected, the compression will be released, but since the glove folds (51) surround the cuff ends (11) and glove finger tips (14) of adjacent gloves in the stack and the folds are in contact with the band (61), the stack layers remain stabilized against any movement laterally away from the glove stacking axis (25).

[0208] To aid in the formation of the band (61), the strip glove discharge portion (62) is preferably bordered or defined by a pair of weakening lines (65) to aid in the bending of the band material. In this example, these lines are continuous press-fit lines or pre-bent lines (65). Another method of creating the weakening lines is by perforations (not shown). Beyond the lines (65), there is a pair of opposing first and second lateral extension sections (66, 66') that extend sufficiently far from the glove discharge portion (62) along the long axis (67) and wrap around the perimeter of the pack of gloves bent together. The first lateral extension section (66) provides the first lateral side (61C), and the second lateral extension section (66') provides both the second lateral side (61D) and the bottom side (61B) of the band (61).

[0209] To help define the first lateral side (61C) while this is being formed, an additional third weakening line (65') is preferably provided. In this example, this third line (65') is formed from continuous indentation lines or pre-bent lines, although perforations (not shown) may also be used.

[0210] A special advantage of providing weakening lines (65, 65') is that it facilitates the formation of sharp, nearly right-angled edges within the band (61) where the upper and lower sides (61A, 61B) meet the two lateral sides (61C, 61D) of the band. This provides additional strength where the two bands meet in the lateral directions (370) along the length of the container inside the glove discharge container (95).

[0211] Various steps of an additional method for providing a twin pack glove box (100) by forming a pack (200) of folded gloves and then inserting a pair of such packs into an outer container (95) are illustrated in FIGS. 28 to 43.

[0212] The method uses the glove stacking sleeve (80) described above together with a glove packaging device (110) whose operation is also controlled by a controller (97). The glove packaging device includes a glove stack compression station (120), an elongated strip discharge station (130), a glove stack banding station (140), and a glove stack handling device (160) mounted on a linear actuator (83) that moves the glove stack handling device between the three stations (120, 130, 140) of the glove packaging device (110).

[0213] The glove stack handling device (160) includes two main parts: a manipulator (151) for lifting, positioning, and folding an elongated strip around the stack of gloves, and a glove stack compression device (152) for maintaining the compression of the stack of gloves until the compressed stack is wrapped by the elongated strip (60).

[0214] The glove stacking sleeve (80) is mounted on a linear actuator (81). As shown in FIG. 28, the linear actuator (81) moves the glove stacking sleeve from a glove stack forming position (84) under the glove support platforms (24, 24') to a glove stack discharge position (85) (401). As shown in FIG. 29, the linear actuator (81) also moves the glove stacking sleeve back from the glove stack discharge position (85) to the stack forming position (84) (402).

[0215] As illustrated in FIG. 30, the glove stack discharge location (85) is located at the glove stack compression station (120). Thus, the glove stack compression station includes a glove stack sleeve (80) when it holds a finished stack (90) of gloves that are ready to be compressed and removed from the glove stack recess (18).

[0216] The operation of the glove packaging device (110) is preferably started with the collection of one of the elongated strips (60) together with the glove stack handling device (160). This can be conveniently performed while the next glove stack to be packaged is nearing completion. FIGS. 31 and 32 illustrate a method in which the operating device (151) of the glove stack handling device (160) includes a vacuum lifting plate (153) mounted on a vertical actuator (154) that moves the plate downward (303) over the top elongated strip (60') of the stack (86) of elongated strips (60). The strips (60) are stacked flat on top of each other inside a discharge caddy (87) having a bottom (88) that can be moved upward (304) to maintain the top strip (60') of the stack at a level suitable for pickup by the vacuum lifting plate.

[0217] The vacuum lifting plate (153) has a downwardly oriented vacuum lifting surface (155) having an array of suction holes (156) connected to a suction pressure source (158). When suction pressure is applied, a suction lifting force (157) is generated to detach the top strip from the stack and hold it on the vacuum lifting surface (155). A vertical actuator (154) moves the vacuum lifting plate (153) upward to lift the held elongated strip (60) away from the discharge caddy (87).

[0218] Now, referring also to FIGS. 33 through 35, it should be noted that the operating device (151) includes a frame (159) through which a vertical actuator (154) moves up and down. Since the frame (159) is connected to a linear actuator (83) by fixed brackets (161), the frame maintains the same vertical level during the operation of the glove packaging device (110) as the glove stack handling device (160) moves between the three stations (120, 130, 140) of the glove packaging device (110).

[0219] After the collection of the strip (60), the linear actuator (83) preferably moves the glove stack handling device (160) to the glove stack compression station (120) before the arrival of the next filled glove stack sleeve (80). As illustrated in FIG. 33, the vacuum lifting plate (153) is positioned so that the glove discharge portion (62) of the elongated strip is preferably located at this stage on the edge (21) of the glove stack sleeve (80) or directly above the top side (91A) of the stack of gloves at the level immediately below it. The weakening lines (65) within the elongated strip on both sides of the glove discharge portion (62) are located directly above the opposing sides of the edge (21) of the glove stack sleeve (80). The first lateral extension section (66) extends laterally away from the glove stacking axis (25) on the side of the front wall (48) of the glove stacking sleeve (80), and the second lateral extension section (66') extends laterally away from the glove stacking axis (25) on the side of the rear wall (48') of the glove stacking sleeve (80).

[0220] The vertical actuator (154) moves the elongated strip (60) held on the vacuum lifting plate (153) downward over the edge (21) of the glove stacking sleeve (80) (305) and holds it there as shown in FIG. 34. Then, the suction pressure source (158) is no longer needed to hold the strip in place, so the application of suction pressure is stopped. Then, the bottom (50) moves upward to begin compressing the stack of gloves (90) to expel air from the stack and reduce the length of the stack along the glove stacking axis (25) (306).

[0221] The cross-sectional view of FIG. 35 shows more components of the glove stack handling device (160). The brackets (161) of the glove stack handling device support a pair of fixed rails (162) of the glove stack compression device (152). The compression member (70) is slidably mounted between the rails (161) and can move toward and away from the glove stack by the operation of a linear actuator (163) schematically illustrated in the drawings. The vertical levels of the frame (159), brackets (161), and rails (162) are fixed to the glove stacking sleeve (80). Thus, the elongated support features (75) of the compression member (70) are configured to move horizontally toward and away from the operating device (151) of the glove stack handling device at a level just above the edge (21) of the glove stacking sleeve.

[0222] FIG. 36 follows FIG. 34 and shows a method in which the bottom (50) moves upward (306) to press the upper side (91A) of the glove stack against the lower side of the elongated strip while the vacuum plate (153) is pressed downward to provide restoring force. In this way, the stack (90) of gloves is compressed along the glove stacking axis (25). Also, the movement of two bending flaps (164, 164') on opposing sides of the recess opening to bend the lateral extension sections (66, 66') of the elongated strip (60) is shown in dashed outlines. Each flap is rotatable in the opposite direction by a corresponding rotary actuator (165, 165') schematically illustrated in the drawing.

[0223] As illustrated in FIGS. 30 and 36, the vacuum plate (153) is H-shaped and has a central rectangular or square section (167) that extends completely over the glove discharge section (62) of the elongated strip, which extends in opposite directions, and a pair of parallel arms (166, 166') that extend the length of each of the lateral extension sections (66, 66') of the elongated strip 60. Each of the flaps (164, 164') for bending the lateral extension sections (66, 66') is pivotally mounted between the pair of parallel arms (166, 166'). None of the bending flaps (164, 164') are part of the vacuum lifting surface.

[0224] As illustrated in FIGS. 36 and 37, when the flaps (164, 164') are actuated by rotary actuators (165, 165'), they fold the lateral extension sections (66, 66') of the elongated strip (60) downwards against the outer surfaces (52, 52') on the opposing sides of the glove stack sleeve (80). After the lateral extension sections are folded downwards, both the movable bottom (50) and the vacuum lifting plate (153) move upwards to discharge the glove stack (90) out of the sleeve recess (18).

[0225] These outer side surfaces (52, 52') extend substantially parallel to the glove stacking axis (25). The inner surfaces of the recess (18) are all flat, and the outer walls of the sleeve (80) are also flat. In the illustrated example, the front and rear walls (48, 48') provide these outer surfaces (52, 52').

[0226] A pair of outer side surfaces (52, 52') on the opposing side walls (48, 48') of the sleeve are positioned to provide a clearance gap sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the strip material (60) with each of the bend flaps (164, 164'). In this example, the sleeve (80) is kept stationary during the process, but it may be movable along the glove stacking axis (25) during the process. Laterally extended sections (66, 66') of the elongated strip (60) are then bent to be substantially parallel to the pair of outer side surfaces (52, 52') on the opposing sides of the recess opening. This is also substantially parallel to the glove stacking axis (25).

[0227] As can be seen in FIG. 38, there are parallel slots (56) within the support surface of the bottom (50) that accommodate the elongated support features (75) at a level below the bottom side (91B) of the glove stack.

[0228] FIG. 39 shows a method in which both the bottom (50) and the vacuum plate (153) are lowered (412) so that the bottom side (91B) of the stack of gloves comes into contact with the upper side (89) of the elongated support features (75), and then the bottom continues to move downward until the support of the compressed glove stack is transferred from the support surface (22) of the bottom (50) to the upper surface (89) of the elongated support features (75).

[0229] In summary, the fork-shaped compression member (70) is positioned with the bottom (50) after the bottom side and bottom (50) of the stack are raised above the level of the rim (21) of the sleeve (80) as illustrated in FIG. 38, and is moved to a state of contact with the bottom side (91B) of the stack of gloves. As this occurs, the slots (56) inside the bottom (50) each accommodate the elongated support feature (75) of the fork-shaped compression member, also referred to herein as tines. When the vacuum plate (153) is moved downward (412'), the upper support surface (89) of the tines (75) comes into contact with the bottom side (91B) of the stack. The tines (75) are held together at one end by a transverse member or yoke (79).

[0230] As illustrated in FIG. 40, after the glove stack (90) is removed from the glove stacking sleeve (80), the glove stack handling device (160) moves the stack of compressed gloves from the glove stack compression station to the glove stack banding station (140) (414). The elongated strip (60) is folded so that the longer second lateral extension (66') is closest to the glove stack banding station. This prevents the need to lift this longer extension over the glove stacking sleeve or move it around it.

[0231] The glove stack banding station (140) includes a butt section (141) for bending a second lateral extension section (66') of a slender strip (60) over slender support sections (75) below the glove stack (90), an alignment section (142) for holding the first and second lateral extension sections (66, 66') in place with the first and second end edges (59A, 59B) of the strip close to each other, and a semi-automatic tape application device (143) within the alignment section (142) for applying an adhesive tape (69) between the end edges (59A, 59B) when they are pulled up against the tape application device (143).

[0232] In FIG. 40, it can be seen that a second lateral extension (66') bent downward approaches the contact portion (141) of the glove stack banding station (140) (416). The contact portion (141) has a rounded leading edge (144) that blends into a horizontally oriented flat platform (145). The contact portion (141), the alignment feature portion (142), and the tape application device (143) are all part of a single banding unit (149) that is vertically movable under the operation of a linear actuator (148) schematically illustrated in the drawings.

[0233] The height of the leading edge (144) is set below the height of the lower side (41) of the slender support features (75) by a linear actuator (148) for the banding unit, by an amount sufficient only for clearance for the thickness of the material of the second lateral extension portion (66') of the slender strip.

[0234] Accordingly, as the second lateral extension section (66') comes into contact with the contact portion (141), as the operating device (151) continues to move toward the glove stack banding station (140) as shown in FIG. 26 (418), the second lateral extension portion (66') is pushed horizontally and pressed against the lower side (41) of the elongated support features (75).

[0235] While wrapping around the perimeter of the second lateral extension section (66') of the strip material (60), the compression of the stack of gloves is maintained by the compression member (70). The second lateral extension section (66') of the strip (60) is long enough to extend upward both the second lateral side (91D) of the stack and the bottom (91B) of the stack and end at the edge (93) between the bottom side (61B) of the band and the first lateral side (61C) of the band. The first lateral extension section (66) of the strip is short enough to extend upward only the first lateral side (91C) of the stack and end at the same edge (93) between the bottom side (61B) of the band and the first lateral side (61C) of the band.

[0236] The operating device (151) continues to move the stack (90) of compressed gloves until the second lateral extension (66') that is horizontally folded comes over the alignment feature (142), the alignment feature is in the form of a trough having an opening (139) wider than the length of the second lateral extension (66'), a base (137) that is the expected or nominal length of the second lateral extension (66'), and opposing side walls (138, 138') that taper inward.

[0237] When the second lateral extension (66') that is horizontally bent comes over the alignment feature (142), the linear actuator (148) for the bending unit (149) moves the alignment feature upward until the second lateral extension (66') that is horizontally bent is pressed onto the base (137) of the alignment feature (142) (420). The narrowing lateral dimension of the alignment feature helps to position the end edges (59A, 59B) close to each other or in actual contact.

[0238] The tape application device (143) is positioned across the inner corner between one side wall (138) of the alignment feature (142) where end edges meet each other and the base (137), and is actuated by pressure applied to the base (137) by the second lateral extension (66') as the linear actuator (148) presses the banding unit (149) upward against the folded second lateral extension (66') supported by the elongated support features (75) and the compressed glove stack (90).

[0239] During this time, the two folding flaps (164, 164') continue to press inward against the corresponding lateral extension sections (66, 66'), which helps to accurately locate the glove stack (90) and the folded elongated strip (60) relative to the opening (139) and base (137) of the alignment feature (142).

[0240] Once operated, the tape application device (143) applies a strip of adhesive tape (69) across the first and second end edges (59A, 59B) of the elongated strip (60). This forms a band (61) around the stack (90) of compressed gloves and the elongated supporting features (75) of the compression member (70).

[0241] FIG. 43 shows a method in which a linear actuator (148) moves the banding unit (149) downward (323) to release the band (61) from the alignment feature (142). At the same time, a vertical actuator (154) of the operating device (151) moves the vacuum plate (153) upward (324). The band (61) around the glove stack (90) maintains the compression of the glove stack, and the stack is supported only on the elongated features (75) of the compression member (70). As shown in FIG. 30, the compression member (70) is moved laterally away in the transverse direction, preferably horizontally (330). The compression member (70) initially carries the banded stack of gloves until it comes into contact with the contact portion (103). This stops the movement of the banded stack of gloves while the elongated features (75) are continuously drawn out from between the band (61) and the stack (90). When removed from the elongated features (75), a bundle or pack (200) of the folded gloves is formed, and this pack falls down onto the output conveyor as shown in FIG. 30.

[0242] In summary, the first and second end edges (59A, 59B) of the strip may be fixed or bonded together to form a band (61) that completely wraps around the four sides (91A, 91B, 91C, 91D) of the stack (90) of gloves. The band (61) remains open on the two opposing lateral sides (91E, 91F) of the stack. In this example, the lateral extension sections (66, 66') are fixed together across the first and second end edges (59A, 59B) using adhesive tape (69), but any other convenient adhesive or bonding means, such as beads or staples of contact adhesive (not shown), may be used to form an equivalent bond.

[0243] The glove pack (200) formed in this way has a shape called a rectangular cuboid, also known as a rectangular parallelepiped. This is a regular shape and helps to package the discharge container (95) when two packs slide into the open end (82) of the container in turn, as shown in FIG. 30.

[0244] Other types of actuators may be used to move the glove stack handling device (160) between three stations (120, 130, 140). For example, FIG. 44 is a schematic diagram from above of a glove packaging device (210) in which the glove stack handling device (160) is moved between a glove stack compression station, an elongated strip discharge station, and a glove stack banding station by a 6-axis robot (190) for moving the glove stack handling device (160) between three stations (120, 130, 140), similar to the glove packaging device (110) in additional examples of the present disclosure.

[0245] However, compression member supports such as elongated support features (75) may be inserted into bottom recesses or slots (56) before the glove stack (90) comes out completely from the glove stacking recess (18). This is the case where breakage sections or slots (81) extending parallel to the glove stacking axis (25) are provided within the rim (21) to allow passage of the compression member supports (75), as illustrated in the modified example of the glove packaging sleeve (180) of FIG. 40.

[0246] FIG. 45 illustrates a method in which two glove packs (200) are packed into an outer glove discharge container (95). The outer container has a substantially rectangular shape having six outer walls (95A, 95B, 95C, 95D, 95E, 95F). The container walls define six substantially rectangular faces of this shape. The outer walls include four side walls (95A, 95B, 95E, 95F) each having a rectangular face extending substantially parallel to the major axis (92) of the container, and a pair of opposing end walls (95C, 95D) each having a rectangular or square end face extending substantially perpendicular to the major axis (92) between the side walls. One of the side walls (95A) is a glove discharge wall having two discharge holes (96) penetrating it, one for each of the packs (200) of gloves.

[0247] Two such glove packs are successively slid into the open end (82) of the elongated outer container (95) with the discharge openings (64) within the band (61) of each glove pack (200) aligned with the corresponding discharge holes (96) of the container (95), and then the open end (82) of the container (95) is closed (360) and sealed with contact adhesive (94) to provide, for example, a twin pack glove box (100).

[0248] In this example, the box (100) has a length (L) of 240 mm, a width (W) of 128 mm, and a height (H) of 58 mm. Each pack (200) contains 100 gloves (5) when filled.

[0249] FIG. 46 follows FIG. 45 and shows a cross-sectional view of a method in which each band (61) has one of the lateral sides in contact with the end wall of the container (which may be either one of the sides labeled 61C or 61D) and another of the lateral sides in contact with the corresponding lateral side of the other band (again, which may be either one of the sides labeled 61C or 61D), thereby stabilizing the stacks (90', 90) of gloves inside each band laterally in the same direction and stabilizing all packs (200) with respect to lateral movement (370) in the direction of the long axis (92) of the container, even if one of the stacks (90') of gloves inside each band is depleted after the discharge of gloves (5) through the corresponding discharge hole (96) in the outer container (95).

[0250] Typically, the glove stack is oriented so that the glove cuffs hang down from the downward-facing discharge hole during discharge. However, the folding arrangement may be reversed during manufacturing, so that the first part is the finger part and the second part is the cuff part, in which case the discharge end of the formed stack (90) will be located at the bottom end or side (91B) of the stack (90) against the support surface (22). Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is equally applicable to all of these cases, but it is usually more convenient to form the stack as illustrated because the finished stack can be transferred by pressing the stack upward into a discharge container having a pre-formed discharge hole, which lines the five sides of an open rigid packaging box. Prior to this, the last folded glove at the top of the stack can be manually adjusted by an operator to fold the cuff end along the stacking axis so that it is conveniently presented at the discharge hole when first opened. When discharged by the cuff (11), the finger portion (8) of each glove (5) partially pulls the cuff portion (9) of the next glove out of the discharge hole to facilitate the discharge of the next glove, thereby minimizing the possibility of finger-mediated contamination on the finger portions of each glove discharged.

[0251] Various aspects of the present invention satisfy a number of existing needs and provide several advantages. The present invention is well adapted to both manual and automatic packaging of glove stacks into external discharge containers. A finished glove stack in isolation is very fragile. After excess air is expelled from the stack by compression, the stack becomes more rigid; however, due to the elastic properties of the glove material, air will seep back in as soon as the compression is released. Therefore, it is important to maintain compression throughout the packaging process and after the gloves are inserted into the external glove discharge box.

[0252] A compressed stack will also initially contain more gloves than an uncompressed stack, which is more economical for the end user.

[0253] Many medical facilities already have rigid holders for glove discharge boxes, such as wall-mounted holders. Such holders are mostly designed for rectangular boxes in which unfolded gloves are laid flat in a single stack, and the box has a single large discharge opening. Typical dimensions of such boxes are approximately 240 mm to 260 mm in length and 130 mm in width. To be commercially successful, a competing product containing two stacks of interfolded gloves would need to be dimensioned to fit within such existing holders. This establishes constraints on the maximum outer dimensions of the glove discharge box.

[0254] A stack that is initially compressed will tend to expand as the compression is released. Disposable glove discharge boxes are typically manufactured from folded cardstock because they must be inexpensive. Such material will not have sufficient strength to maintain compression in the shape of a rectangular box (unless it is made uneconomically thick), and the initially compressed folded glove stack inside the box will expand, causing the glove discharge box to bulge.

[0255] It is a challenge to maintain the shape of the stacks so that they remain properly aligned with the corresponding discharge holes as the stacks of two folded gloves placed side by side, regardless of whether they are interfolded, are depleted. Although it is always possible to construct fixed compartments, such as a central dividing wall fixed to the outer container, or other semi-rigid structures, this adds costs and complicates the final assembly process of the glove discharge containers and the twin stacks of folded gloves.

[0256] The present invention addresses these issues in an economical and efficient manner. Pre-packaging each of the twin compressed glove stacks within a band formed from a single wrap provides a mechanically robust pack having a relatively smooth outer surface that adapts well to rapidly sliding into the open end of a partially formed outer box container. The outer box container has no internal structure or alignment features and has only six flat inner surfaces that abut the sides or edges of the packs once sealed.

[0257] The bands maintain the mechanical integrity and shape of the stack and cooperate to laterally stabilize the packs along the vessel length (L) as the stacks are depleted.

[0258] Each band has its own discharge hole aligned with other discharge holes. As gloves are pulled out of the container, the greatest stress is applied to the outer container around the discharge holes. Since the bands abut the inner surface of the outer glove discharge container around the outer holes, each band provides reinforcement at the discharge holes. The two bands generally provide reinforcement around the entire perimeter of the outer container. In practical applications, it was found that compared to an outer container without such bands, the thickness of the outer container's carding material can be reduced by 50% when the bands are manufactured from a material of similar thickness. Consequently, the total amount of carding material is reduced, leading to a corresponding reduction in total material costs.

[0259] Although not illustrated, the banded stack of gloves described above may be packed into glove discharge containers holding fewer or more than two stacks of gloves. Banding the compressed stack of gloves around four sides while leaving two sides open helps maintain the rectangular shape of the compressed glove stack, as the glove packs can be formed at a different location or time or in a process separate from the actual insertion of the packs into the external discharge containers, without fear that the layers within the glove stack will be depressurized or shifted before the glove packs are stabilized inside the external discharge containers, which is useful in a production environment. The banding also adds mechanical strength to the finished glove box, which means the outer material of the glove box can be made thinner, thereby reducing the cost of packaging materials.

[0260] Therefore, the present invention provides greater convenience to the end user and higher economic efficiency on the production line. The end user can store more gloves or the same number of gloves in less space, and the glove dispenser will need to be refilled less frequently. In production, operational requirements decrease as the cycle time between replacing finished glove stacking recesses increases. During transport, more gloves can be packed inside a standard 40-foot shipping container.

[0261] Accordingly, the present invention provides a convenient method for forming packs of one or more folded gloves for insertion into an outer container using a glove stacking sleeve. The present invention also provides a rigid twin-pack box of folded gloves comprising an elongated outer container holding packs of one or more folded gloves.

[0262] It should be recognized that various changes, modifications, and / or additions may be introduced to the structure and arrangement of the above-described parts without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

Claim 1 A method for forming a compressed stack of folded gloves, comprising the steps of: folding gloves to form a stack of folded gloves within a glove stacking sleeve, wherein the stack is placed on a support surface and the stack extends between the support surface and the opening of the glove stacking sleeve; positioning a first part of a retaining band across the opening of the glove stacking sleeve; moving the support surface toward the opening of the glove stacking sleeve to bring the stack of folded gloves into contact with the first part of the retaining band; moving the compression member toward the first part of the retaining band to compress the stack of folded gloves between the first part of the retaining band and the compression member; wrapping a second part of the retaining band around the perimeter of the stack of folded gloves such that the retaining band extends around at least a portion of the perimeter of the stack of folded gloves and the compression member; and the retaining band extending completely around four sides of the stack of folded gloves to maintain a compressive force on the stack of folded gloves, and A method comprising the steps of: securing the ends of a retaining band together so that two sides of a stack of folded gloves are exposed to openings defined and enclosed by the side edges of the retaining band; and withdrawing a compression member from the retaining band. Claim 2 A method according to claim 1, wherein the retaining band is formed from a strip of rigid material having opposing first and second side edges and opposing first and second end edges. Claim 3 In paragraph 2, the retaining band is formed from a card, paperboard, or sheet of plastic. Claim 4 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the retaining band wraps around the perimeter of a stack of folded gloves such that the retaining band covers the lateral edges of the gloves and the folds of the gloves are exposed to openings defined by the lateral edges of the retaining band. Claim 5 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ends of the retaining bands overlap and the ends are fixed together along one of the sides of a stack of folded gloves. Claim 6 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ends of the retaining bands do not overlap and the ends are fixed together along the corner edge of the stack of folded gloves defined between two adjacent sides of the stack of folded gloves. Claim 7 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the compression member comprises a plurality of spaced-apart supporting features. Claim 8 In claim 7, the supporting surface is provided by a movable bottom having a plurality of slots for receiving supporting features of a compression member, and the method further comprises the step of moving the supporting surface toward the opening of the glove stacking sleeve to bring a stack of folded gloves into contact with a first part of a retaining band, after which moving the compression member relative to the bottom to bring the supporting features of the compression member into contact with the stack of folded gloves; and further comprising the step of moving the compression member toward the first part of the retaining band to compress the stack of folded gloves, and then moving the bottom away from the first part of the retaining band so that the stack of folded gloves is retained between the first part of the retaining band and the compression member. Claim 9 A method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, wherein the compression member is in the form of a plate. Claim 10 In claim 9, the supporting surface is provided by the surface of the compression member, and the compression member is seated on a movable bottom, and the method further comprises the step of moving the bottom in a direction toward the opening of the glove stacking sleeve to move the supporting surface in a direction toward the opening of the glove stacking sleeve; and the step of moving the compression member in a direction toward the first part of the retaining band to compress a stack of folded gloves, and then moving the bottom in a direction away from the first part of the retaining band so that the stack of folded gloves is maintained between the first part of the retaining band and the compression member. Claim 11 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the compression member is withdrawn from the retaining band fixed in a direction perpendicular to the side edges of the retaining band through one of the openings defined by the side edges of the retaining band. Claim 12 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising: a step of holding a first part of a retaining band with a vacuum lifting plate; a step of moving the vacuum lifting plate and the glove stacking sleeve relative to each other to position the first part of the retaining band across an opening of the glove stacking sleeve; and a step of moving the compression member toward the vacuum lifting plate to compress a stack of gloves folded between the first part of the retaining band and the compression member. Claim 13 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising the step of operating a pair of folding flaps to wrap at least a portion of the second part of the retaining band around the stack of folded gloves. Claim 14 A method according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of: bending a first section of a second part of a retaining band so as to extend along a first outer side of a glove stacking sleeve; bending a second section of a second part of a retaining band so as to extend along an opposing second outer side of a glove stacking sleeve; subsequently, moving a vacuum lifting plate and a compression member in the same direction to discharge a stack of folded gloves from a glove stacking sleeve; and, after discharging the stack of folded gloves from a glove stacking sleeve, bending at least a third section of a second part of a retaining band around a compression member and a stack of folded gloves. Claim 15 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising: supporting a first part of a retaining band with a former having a substantially rectangular cavity; moving the former and the glove stacking sleeve relative to each other to position the first part of the retaining band across the opening of the glove stacking sleeve; and moving the compression member toward the former to compress a stack of gloves folded between the first part of the retaining band and the compression member within the cavity of the former. Claim 16 In claim 15, the step of supporting the first part of the retaining band with a former includes the step of conforming a portion of the retaining band to the shape of the cavity, so that the first part of the retaining band rests on the bottom of the cavity and the first and second sections of the second part of the retaining band extend over the opposing side surfaces of the cavity. Claim 17 A method according to claim 15 or 16, further comprising the step of moving a compression member toward a first part of a retaining band to compress a stack of folded gloves, and then combining the complementary coupling features of the compression member and the former to fix the compression member to the former and maintain the compressive force on the stack of folded gloves. Claim 18 In paragraph 17, the method wherein the coupling features of the compression member and the former include a magnet. Claim 19 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the retaining band comprises at least three predefined bend lines, the first part of the retaining band is positioned between two adjacent bend lines among the at least three predefined bend lines, and when the retaining band is completely wrapped around a stack of folded gloves, the bend lines form corner edges of the wrapped stack of folded gloves. Claim 20 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the first part of the retaining band comprises a hole or a removable panel for forming a hole in the retaining band. Claim 21 A method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the gloves are disposable gloves made of nitrile, latex, vinyl, or polyethylene. Claim 22 A method for packaging a stack of at least two folded gloves within a container, comprising: forming a first compressed stack of folded gloves using the method of any one of claims 1 to 21; forming a second compressed stack of folded gloves using the method of any one of claims 1 to 21; inserting the first compressed stack of folded gloves into an outer container such that a portion of the retaining band of the first compressed stack of folded gloves contacts or is directly adjacent to a first end wall of an outer container; and inserting the second compressed stack of folded gloves into an outer container such that a portion of the retaining band of the second compressed stack of folded gloves contacts or is directly adjacent to a second end wall facing the first end wall of the container.

Images