Glove Dispenser Platform Design to Reduce Contamination During Donning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for donning disposable gloves often result in contamination of the gloves due to direct contact with the user's ungloved hands, leading to potential transmission of bacteria and inefficiencies in the process, contributing to hospital-acquired infections and material waste.
Innovation Solution
A glove dispensing apparatus with a platform featuring lips and indents that secures gloves by folding their cuffs over the lips, allowing users to don them without touching the outer surface, and enabling multiple gloves to be stacked and dispensed efficiently, without requiring special utilities or changes to existing glove designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional box-glove design is used, then gloves can be stored and dispensed, but gloves become contaminated by user contact and material waste occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional glove dispensing method by presenting the inside surface of the glove to the user instead of the outside surface. The glove is oriented with the cuff folded back, allowing the user to don the glove by pulling it over their hand from the inside, thereby preventing contamination of the outer surface that would normally contact the user's skin.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism in the form of a dispensing device with a dispensing surface and guide members. This intermediary structure facilitates glove transfer from packaging to the user's hand without direct user contact with the glove's outer surface, acting as a mediator that maintains glove sanitation while enabling easy donning.
2Productivity
If traditional glove donning method is used, then gloves can be donned, but the process takes up to 30 seconds and contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-orienting and pre-positioning the glove on the dispensing surface with the cuff folded back and the finger portion properly aligned. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for users to manipulate or reposition the glove during donning, reducing the time required and minimizing contamination risk by keeping the glove in a controlled, sanitized state until the moment of use.
3Loss of substance
If traditional box design is used, then gloves can be stored, but multiple gloves may fall out and become waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs nesting by placing multiple gloves within a compact packaging structure where gloves are nested or stacked in an organized manner. The dispensing device allows sequential access to individual gloves without disturbing the nested arrangement of remaining gloves, preventing them from falling out and becoming waste while maintaining efficient use of storage volume.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces the risk of contamination and enhances efficiency in donning gloves, minimizing material waste and exposure to external contaminants, while accommodating various glove sizes and materials, and can be conveniently located for easy access.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing the elastic force of the cuff and/or bead of a glove, allow the bead to be retained in the indents of the glove attachment area
Data Source
AI summary
A glove dispenser is disclosed that permits sanitary donning of gloves by a user without the user touching the exterior of the glove during the donning process. The disclosed apparatus includes a plurality of glove attachment areas configured on a platform that allows disposable and non-disposable gloves to be releasably attached to it by their cuffs, and present the inside of the glove cuffs to a user for easy sanitary donning. As such, a user may open the glove by pulling on the inner portion of the cuff with one hand, inserting the other hand into the opened glove, releasing the pulled cuff, and simply detaching the donned glove from the dispenser. Furthermore, the invention provides a new method for holding and donning gloves of various sizes, materials, construction, etc. while preventing a user from touching the exterior of the gloves, thus preventing contamination of the gloves.