Abstract:
A glove donning and removal apparatus has a housing defining glove dispensing and glove removal openings. For donning, a glove having a cuff defining a hand opening is sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower feed sheets which are advanced towards the glove dispensing opening. A pair of grabbers, each having a base and an arm affixed to the base, are positioned one on each side of the feed sheets. A grabber drive moves the grabber arms into engagement with the glove cuff, rotates the grabber arms to secure the gloves and moves the grabber arms apart to expand the glove hand opening to enable a user to easily insert a hand into the hand opening. Thereafter, the grabber arms are withdrawn from the glove to release the glove after a user&#39;s hand has been inserted therein. For removal, secondary top and bottom feed rolls having adhesively coated top and bottom feed sheets are moved towards the glove removal opening. Guides cause the top and bottom feed sheets to converge in the glove removal opening such that the adhesive-coated top and bottom feed sheets cooperate to strip a glove from a user&#39;s hand when the hand is placed on the feed sheet on the glove removal surface in the glove removal opening. Thereafter, the glove is encased between the top and bottom feed sheets subsequent to being removed from the hand of a user.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES  
       [0001]     None.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to a glove donning and removal apparatus.  
         [0003]     Disposable gloves have been utilized in the health care industry, food handling industry and elsewhere for many years. In many instances, disposable gloves are preferred over the current standard practice of washing hands for at least two minutes with an appropriate disinfectant which can ultimately compromise skin integrity and lead to skin infection and/or abrasion. In health care, the use of gloves by a heath care provider protects a patient from any contaminants that may reside on the health care provider. Of course, they also protect the heath care provider from possible contamination resulting from handling a patient.  
         [0004]     While disposable gloves are preferred and utilized by most health care providers, special precautions must be taken to insure that the gloves are not contaminated by the user as they are being donned and that other stored gloves are not contaminated or touched by the user. Additionally, precautions must be taken during the glove removal process to ensure that the hands of a user do not contact the outer surface of the glove and become exposed to any contamination thereon and that removal of the glove does not splatter or aerosolize contaminated matter. Lastly, used disposable gloves must be disposed of safely.  
         [0005]     It is desirable to provide a glove donning and removal apparatus that maintains the cleanliness of the gloves until they are utilized, assists a user in donning and removing a glove, prevents contamination of a glove during the donning process, prevents a user&#39;s hand from contacting the outer or working surface of a glove during the removal process, and immediately encases or seals a used glove for disposal after the glove has been removed.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     A glove donning and removal apparatus has a housing with a glove dispensing opening and a glove removal opening, a primary feed roll having a spaced pair of upper and lower feed sheets at least partially received within the housing, and a glove having a cuff defining a hand opening sandwiched between the upper and lower feed sheets. A feed sheet drive advances the upper and lower feed sheets and the glove toward the glove dispensing opening. A pair of grabbers, each having a base and an arm affixed to the base, are positioned one on each side of the feed roll. A grabber drive connected to the grabbers moves the grabber arms into engagement with the glove cuff, moves the grabber arms apart to cause the glove hand opening to expand, and rotates to secure the glove to enable the user to easily insert a hand into the glove opening. Thereafter, the grabber drive rotates in the opposite direction to release the glove after the user&#39;s hand has been inserted into the glove.  
         [0007]     A glove removal surface resides adjacent the glove removal opening. A secondary top feed roll having a top feed sheet and a secondary bottom feed roll having a bottom feed sheet are at least partially received in the glove removal opening. An adhesive coating is formed on one side of at least one of the top and bottom feed sheets. Guides cause the bottom feed sheet to pass over the glove removal surface. Guides also cause the top feed sheet to pass above the glove removal surface. Lastly, guides cause the top and bottom feed sheets to converge in the glove removal opening such that the top and bottom feed sheets cooperate to strip a glove from a user&#39;s hand when the gloved hand is placed on the glove removal surface in the glove removal opening such that it rests upon the bottom feed sheet. The glove is encased between the top and bottom feed sheets subsequent to being removed from the hand of the user. A storage roll drive for a storage roll winds the top and bottom feed sheets containing the encased gloves onto the storage roll after they have passed through the glove removal opening. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the glove donning apparatus of the instant invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the glove removal apparatus of the instant invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2A  is a perspective view showing the glove donning apparatus and the glove removal apparatus in a common housing;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of the glove removal apparatus shown in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a schematic side view of the travel path of the feed roll sheets in the glove donning apparatus of the instant invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a schematic side view of the feed sheet drive mechanism for the glove donning apparatus of the instant invention;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a partial top sectional view of the grabber mechanism of the glove donning apparatus;  
         [0015]      FIGS. 7A and 7B  are plan views of a glove encased in upper and lower feed sheets as it travels towards a glove dispensing opening;  
         [0016]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  are schematic cross-sectional views of the gloves illustrated in  FIGS. 7A and 7B  respectively;  
         [0017]      FIGS. 9A and 9B  are a schematic illustration of the sequence of movements for one cycle of operation of the grabber arms with respect to a glove cuff during glove donning;  
         [0018]      FIG. 10  is a schematic plan view of the left side grabber arm drive mechanism in the glover donning apparatus;  
         [0019]      FIG. 11A  depicts side, end and plan views of a grabber arm in the glove donning apparatus;  
         [0020]      FIG. 11B  illustrates the chain and sprocket drive for the grabber arm drive mechanisms of the glove donning apparatus;  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  is a schematic plan view of the movement of a glove during glove removal in the glove removal apparatus of the instant invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 13  is a schematic view of the travel path of the top and bottom feed roll sheets in the glove removal apparatus; and  
         [0023]      FIG. 14  is a partial plan view of a glove encased between top and bottom feed roll sheets subsequent to glove removal. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0024]      FIG. 1  illustrates a glove donning apparatus  10  generally contained within a housing  12 . Housing  12  has a glove dispensing opening  14  containing a glove  16  visible through a transparent plastic cover  18 . Glove  16  has a cuff  20  surrounding a user hand opening  22  which will be described in greater detail herein below.  
         [0025]     A glove removal apparatus  200  contained within a housing  202  is disclosed in  FIG. 2 . Although glove donning apparatus housing  12  and glove removal apparatus housing  202  are shown separately, it is envisioned that the glove donning apparatus  10  and the glove removal apparatus  200  would be located in close proximity to each other and may reside adjacent to each other in a common housing  300  as shown in  FIG. 2A . In  FIG. 2A  the common housing  300  is shown with a contamination barrier  302  separating the glove donning apparatus  10  and the glove removal apparatus  200 . Glove removal housing  202  has a glove removal opening  204  at one end thereof. A glove  206  having a cuff  208  defining a user hand opening  210  is shown (without a user&#39;s hand inserted therein) at the glove removal opening  204  for removal from a user&#39;s hand, as will be described in greater detail herein below. Glove removal opening  204  is partially covered by a transparent plastic cover  212 .  
         [0026]     Details of the glove donning apparatus  10  may be seen by referring to  FIGS. 4 through 11 . Prior to being used, gloves  16  are encased and sealed in a carrier  23  comprising upper and lower feed sheets  24  and  26 . Carrier  23  is wound onto a main feed reel  28  supported within in glove donning housing  12 .  
         [0027]     Carrier  23  containing gloves  16  is moved or conveyed from main feed reel  28  to glove dispensing opening  14  when a user wishes to don a glove by a mechanism which may be seen best by referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 . It should be noted that when the glove donning apparatus  10  is actuated and the glove carrier  23  is moved toward the glove dispensing opening  14 , upon reaching opening  14  upper feed sheet  24  is separated from lower feed sheet  26  and is wound onto an upper feed sheet take up reel  30  while lower feed sheet  26  is wound onto a lower feed sheet take up reel  32 . In  FIG. 4  it may be seen that glove carrier  23  is pulled or driven past idler roller  34  and idler roller  36  located at the rear end of glove dispensing opening  14 . At idler roller  36 , upper feed sheet  24  separates from lower feed sheet  26  and passes around idler roller  38  and between upper feed sheet drive roller  40  and upper feed sheet pinch roller  42  and onto upper feed sheet take up reel  30 . Lower feed sheet  26  is fed or driven over a support plate  44  accessible through glove dispensing opening  14  around an idler roller  46  mounted at the outer end  48  of glove dispensing opening  14 , around an idler roller  50  between a lower feed sheet drive roller  52  and a lower feed sheet pinch roller  54  and onto lower take up sheet reel  32 . Movement of glove carrier  23  and upper and lower feed sheets  24  and  26 , as depicted in  FIG. 4 , is through a series of drive shafts and gears depicted in  FIG. 5 . In order to move carrier  23  containing gloves  16 , a user activates a prime mover  60 . Prime mover  60  is a gearbox or transmission driven by a foot-operated pedal gear. The output of prime mover  60  drives shaft  62  containing gears  64 ,  66  and  68 . In  FIG. 6 , it may be seen that gear  64  drives a left grabber drive, as will be described herein below. Gear  64  also drives a reverse gear  70  connected to a right grabber drive gear  72  through a drive belt  74 . Turning again to  FIG. 5 , it may be seen that gear  68  is connected to a gear  76  through a drive belt  78  to thereby drive a shaft  80 . Shaft  80  drives lower feed sheet drive roller  52  through a gear reduction unit  82  and drives upper feed sheet drive roller  40  through a gear reduction unit  84 .  
         [0028]     A gear  86  mounted on roller drive shaft  80  is drivingly connected to a gear  88  affixed to take up reel drive shaft  90  through a drive belt  92 . Take up reel drive shaft  90  is connected to lower feed shaft take up reel  32  through a gear reduction unit  94  and a one-way slip clutch  95 . Clutch  95  will slip to prevent over speeding. Take up reel drive shaft  90  is connected to upper feed sheet drive roller  30  through a gear reduction unit  96  and a one-way slip clutch  97 . A friction clutch  98  acts to retard the rotation of main feed reel  28 . This is to prevent the reel from over speeding as the glove carrier  23  is pulled away from it.  
         [0029]     Turning to  FIGS. 7A, 7B ,  8 A and  8 B, it may be seen that an upper and lower adhesive strip  100  and  102  is affixed to the inner surface of the upper and lower feed sheets  24  and  26  such that the strips engage opposite sides of the cuff  20  of an encased glove  16 . Consequently, when the upper and lower feed sheets  24  and  26  separate at the inner end  49  of the glove dispensing opening and move toward their respective upper and lower feed sheet take up reels  30  and  32 , the top of the glove cuff  20  is moved away from the bottom of the glove cuff to provide a larger cuff pocket or opening for insertion of grabber arm tips  116  of grabber arms  104  and  108 . Right grabber arm  104  of a right grabber drive  106  and left grabber arm  108  of a left grabber drive  110  simultaneously engage the inner surface  21  of a cuff  20  to secure the glove  16  to assist the user in donning the glove. Referring to  FIG. 6 , it may be seen that right grabber drive  106  is driven by gear  72  and left grabber drive  110  is driven by gear  64  mounted on grabber drive shaft  62 . See detail in  FIG. 11B . The operation of the right and left grabber arms  104  and  108  may be seen schematically by referring to  FIGS. 9A and 9B  and will be described in detail hereinafter.  FIG. 10  depicts the operation of the left grabber drive  110 . Details of left grabber arm  108  may be seen by referring to  FIG. 11A . Left grabber arm  108  has a base  112  having an upwardly projecting member  114  with an L-shaped grabber arm tip  116  at the outer end thereof. A grabber roller cam follower  118  is mounted on grabber arm base  112  adjacent a spring biased grabber track follower shaft  120 . Grabber track roller shaft  120  is mounted with a grabber arm base bearing  136  to allow the grabber arm base  112  to rotate. A torsion spring  122  acts to bias grabber arm  108  in a counterclockwise direction, as depicted in  FIG. 10 . Grabber track follower shaft  120  has an attached chain segment  135 . Grabber track follower chain segment  135  is attached to grabber drive chain  124 . As mentioned above,  FIG. 10  describes the operation of left grabber drive  110 . Gear  64  of left grabber drive  110  drives chain  124  which pulls grabber arm  108  and causes grabber track follower shaft  120  at the inner end of grabber arm base  112  to be driven within a track  126 . Chain  124  is mounted in track  126 . At the same time, torsion spring  122  causes grabber arm  108  to rotate counterclockwise such that grabber roller cam follower  118  rides on inside and outside cam track  128  and  130 .  
         [0030]     Because the right and left grabber drives  106  and  110  and the right and left grabber arms  104  and  108  operate in exactly the same manner on opposite sides of a glove in the glove donning apparatus  10 , this description will proceed with respect to grabber arm  108  with the understanding that it also applies to grabber arm  104  of right grabber drive  106 .  
         [0031]     Turning to  FIGS. 9A and 9B , in position  1 , grabber arm tip  116  of arm  108  begins to enter the inner surface  121  of cuff  20 . It is just prior to this position that the upper and lower feed sheets  24  and  26  begin to diverge at the inner end  49  of glove dispensing opening  14  and the top surface of cuff  20  is lifted away from the bottom surface of cuff  20  to enable the grabber arm tip  116  to engage the inner surface  21  of the cuff  20 . In position  2 , grabber arm tip  116  is fully engaged in the inner surface  21  of cuff  20 . In position  3 , the grabber arm  108  rotates away from the center of glove  16  to prevent the glove  16  from slipping off grabber arm tip  116 . In position  4 , the grabber arms  108  and  104  move away from the centerline of the glove  16  to maximize the glove opening. Position  5  shows the glove after it has moved near the end of the glove dispensing opening  48  and is now ready for the user to insert a hand into the fully secured and open glove  16 . Position  6  shows the hand inserted into the glove  16  at position  5 . At positions  7  and  8 , grabber arm  108  rotates counterclockwise away from cuff  20  and stops against grabber arm stop  142 . Subsequently, as the grabber arm assembly moves along grabber track  126 , the arm tip  116  slips past grabber arm stop  142  (position  9 ,  FIG. 10 ) and allows cam follower  118  to rest against outer cam track  130 . Note that the cam follower  118  must be above the grabber track  126  to allow the grabber arm assembly to rotate counterclockwise over the grabber track  126 . Subsequent to the user&#39;s hand entering the glove, the grabber arm  108  is rotated counterclockwise (positions  7  and  8 ) to allow the cuff  20  to slip off the grabber tip end  116  and separate the grabber arm from the glove cuff inasmuch as the donning operation has been completed. Note that the grabber arm tip  116  remains at a distance from the inserted hand to prevent contact during the glove release action.  
         [0032]     Thereafter, the left grabber drive  110  moves the left grabber arm  108  back to initial position  1 .  
         [0033]     It should be noted that the upper and lower adhesive strips  100  and  102  are firmly affixed to the inner surface of the upper and lower feed sheets  24  and  26 . This is important because after the glove is removed from the upper and lower feed sheets, the adhesive strips stay on the feed sheets and no adhesive remains on the glove to prevent the glove from picking up unwanted debris. Additionally, the adhesive strip surface on the glove ends up being on the inside of the glove away from outside media, should any residual adhesive be left.  
         [0034]     It should be noted that the adhesive strips  100  and  102  are not being used to open the glove for donning. They are being used to lightly pull the top of the glove cuff up which causes the glove cuff sides to open for presentation to the grabber arms  104  and  108 . Thus, the adhesive can have a very light tack such that it will allow the upper and lower feed sheets  24  and  26  to easily separate from the glove cuff  20 .  
         [0035]     For the right and left grabber drives  106  and  110  to operate properly, the gloves must be positioned properly with respect to the right and left grabber arms  104  and  108  when the grabber arms are at the initial or first position of travel. Once the grabber arms  104  and  108  engage the cuffs  20  of a glove  16  the glove moves independently of the upper and lower feed sheets  26  and  24 . To accomplish this, the upper and lower feed sheet drive rollers  40  and  52  must be synchronized with the right and left grabber drives  106  and  110 . In order to have the right and left grabber drives synchronized with the speed of the upper and lower feed sheet drive rollers  40  and  52 , the grabber drive shaft  62  and the drive roller drive shaft  80  must rotate at a fixed rate with respect to each other. Because the upper and lower feed sheet take up reels  30  and  32  must be driven at ever decreasing speeds as the upper and lower take up sheets  24  and  26  are wound thereon due to their increasing diameters, the speed of carrier  23  cannot be determined by the speed of the take up reels  30  and  32 . For this reason, the take up reels  30  and  32  are driven at a faster speed than the upper and lower feed sheet drive rollers  40  and  52  and the one-way slip clutches  95  and  97  allow the speed of the take up reels  30  and  32  to go at whatever speed is required to maintain the proper tension of the upper and lower feed sheets.  
         [0036]      FIGS. 2, 3 ,  12 ,  13  and  14  depict the operation of the glove removal apparatus  200  of the instant invention.  
         [0037]     The function of the glove removal apparatus  200  is to assist a user in removing a disposable glove  206  without touching the external surface of the glove and without creating an aerosol or splatter on removal and thereafter encasing the used glove  206  in a carrier such that it is isolated from the user and the atmosphere until it can safely be disposed.  
         [0038]     To this end, a top feed sheet  214  is wound on a top feed roll  216 , a bottom feed sheet  218  is wound on a bottom feed roll  220  and the two feed rolls  216  and  220  are rotatably mounted within a glove removal housing  202 . The top and bottom feed sheets  214  and  218  have a sticky side adapted to engage a glove  206  as will be described hereinafter. The top and bottom feed sheets  214  and  218  are connected to and driven by a take up reel  222 . A manually operated prime mover  246  such as a treadle-driven gearbox is affixed to and drives take up reel  222 . Top feed sheet  214  passes around idler rollers  224  and  226  under a pair of spring biased side rollers  228 A and  228 B, between a pair of compression rollers  230  and  232 , around a pair of idler rollers  234  and  236  and onto take up reel  222 . Bottom feed sheet  218  passes around idler rolls  238 ,  240  and  242  over a backup plate  244  adjacent glove removal opening  204 , between compression rollers  230  and  232  where it merges with top feed sheet  214  to form a sealed glove carrier  215  and passes around idler rollers  234  and  236  onto take up reel  222 . Friction clutches  248  and  250  are affixed to upper and lower feed sheet rolls  216  and  220  to prevent them from over speeding when they are being driven by the take up reel  222 .  
         [0039]     In order to operate the glove removal apparatus  200 , a user lays a gloved hand on the carrier sheet  218  which passes over back up plate  244  at the glove removal opening  204 . The sticky bottom feed roll sheet  218  engages one surface of the glove and moves it towards the sticky side of the top feed roll sheet  214  and between the side rollers  228 A and  228 B which causes top feed roll  214  to engage the top surface of the glove  206 . When the glove  206  contacts the sticky surfaces of the top and bottom feed roll sheets  214  and  218 , the glove is pulled from the hand of the user. Thereafter, the glove is encased between the upper and lower feed sheets  214  and  218  to form the sealed glove carrier  215  which is wound upon take up reel  222  for subsequent disposal, as illustrated in  FIG. 14 .  
         [0040]     In  FIGS. 2 and 3 , it may be seen that the transparent glove cover  212  enables a user to see the gloved hand at all times during the glove removal procedure. This is advantageous, as people are hesitant to put their hands into a machine if they cannot see what is happening.  
         [0041]     Additionally, the side rollers  228 A and  228 B and the final pinch rollers  230  and  232  are spring loaded and made of soft material that could not cause injury if a hand were trapped therebetween but are stiff enough to exert sufficient force to guide the sticky surface of the top and bottom feed roll sheets  214  and  218  to remove a glove from a hand. It is estimated that the proper spring setting force is between ½ and 1½ pounds.  
         [0042]     From the above, it may be seen that the glove removal apparatus  200  of the instant invention allows removal of the glove without requiring the user to touch the outside of the glove, allows removal of the glove without assistance, and seals the glove in an air-tight, sanitary carrier for the proper disposal.  
         [0043]     Various changes may be made to the size, shape, and relative proportions of the different invention elements disclosed and described herein without departing from the scope, meaning, or intent of the claims which follow.