Bandage Storage and Dispenser Device

A bandage storage and dispenser device usable for dispensing individual bandages when a leading bandage is pulled by a user. The device includes a central wheel for accommodating a roll of sequentially or continuously connected bandages. The roll is unrolled when the leading bandage is pulled by a user and detached from the next bandage along a perforation line disposed therebetween. The perforation line is torn using a cutter positioned at a dispensing opening of the device for releasing the leading bandage. The roll can be replaced by opening a pivoting portion of the device and a spindle supports the unrolled portion of the roll. In some embodiments, a protective covering of the bandage can be removed inside the device by a plate and the covering is released from a separate opening in the device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of bandage dispenser devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel sealed bandage storage and dispenser device that stores bandages in the form of a roll and dispenses individual bandages from an opening when a bandage is pulled by a user. The individual bandages are detachable through perforations positioned between each pair of the consecutive bandages. A cutter at the opening detaches the bandages at perforations and thus releases the leading bandage. The bandage can be released with protective covering thereon or without protective covering depending on the design of the device. The device is portable and can be carried easily in a pocket. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.

BACKGROUND

By way of background, people generally apply bandages over a wound, a cut, a scrape, or any other injury. Bandages are one of the first forms of first aid used on a wound and prevent infection by keeping the wound clean and shielding it from external contaminants. Additionally, bandages help in controlling bleeding and provide support to the injured area during the healing process. Bandages soak up blood and other fluids that might ooze from the wound and serve as a physical barrier between the wound and the external environment.

Commonly, bandages are individually packaged in sachets. However, sachets carry only a single bandage and opening individual sachets one by one and the applying on a wound takes time and is inconvenient.

In clinics, hospitals, and homes, bandages are often stored in boxes. Retrieving bandages from a box can be frustrating due to the need to open the lid, search for the desired size or type of bandage, and then pull a bandage out from the stack. Additionally, the bandages in the box may not remain clean and sterile. Conventional bandage boxes are also a bit bulky and cannot be carried easily during travelling. People desire a more user-friendly storage and dispenser for bandages that overcomes the problems associated with conventional bandage boxes.

Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the art for an improved storage and dispenser device for bandages. There is also a long felt need in the art for a bandage dispenser device that enables users to quickly obtain a bandage therefrom. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a bandage storage and dispenser device that stores the bandages in a clean and sterile manner. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a bandage dispenser device that enables a user to easily pull a bandage from the device without requiring the user to open the device. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for a novel bandage dispenser device that offers a user-friendly solution for quick and efficient wound care. Furthermore, there is a long felt need in the art for a bandage dispenser that is compact, portable, and provides the convenience of a tape dispenser with the sanitary benefits of individually stored bandages. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a bandage storage and dispenser device that saves considerable time and effort while improving sanitary conditions when applying a bandage onto a wound.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a portable bandage dispenser device. The device is designed to store a roll of sequentially or continuously connected bandages and to expedite the retrieval and application of bandages. The device comprises a roller which has a roll of bandages wrapped therearound, a dispensing opening configured to release an individual bandage from the roll of bandages, the dispensing opening includes a cutter, the cutter having a plurality of teeth for detaching a leading bandage from a subsequent or following bandage enabling a user to pull the leading bandage to dispense the bandage. The device can dispense a bandage with a cover thereon or without the cover.

In this manner, the bandage storage and dispensing device of the present invention accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and provides users with a pull dispenser for individual bandages to cover scrapes, cuts, and other injuries. The device enables the user to quickly obtain a bandage and cover a wound. The device is portable, can be carried easily, keeps the bandages clean, and enables users to pull or dispense individual bandages conveniently without much effort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a portable bandage dispenser device. The device is designed to expedite the retrieval and application of bandages. The device comprises of a wheel which has a roll of bandages wrapped therearound, a dispensing opening configured to release an individual bandage from the roll of bandages, the dispensing opening includes a cutter, the cutter having a plurality of teeth for detaching a leading bandage from a subsequent bandage enabling a user to pull the leading bandage. The device dispenses individual bandages with a protective cover covering the bandage which is easy to be peeled off for application on a wound.

In yet another embodiment, a bandage storage and dispenser device is disclosed. The device includes a housing having a dispensing opening at the front end thereof, a roller disposed inside the housing across opposing sides of the housing, the roller is configured to roll to dispense one or more bandages through the dispensing opening, the roll includes a plurality of sequentially or continuously connected bandages, wherein a leading bandage is pulled by a user to dispense from the dispensing opening. A spindle and the roller together unroll one or more bandages from the roller when a leading bandage from the dispensing opening is pulled by a user.

In another aspect of the present invention, a bandage dispenser device is disclosed. The dispenser device includes a dispensing opening for dispensing individual bandages, a second opening for dispensing protective shield or cover covering the dispensed bandage, a roller for accommodating a roll of sequentially or continuously connected bandages, a plate for removing the cover, film, or shield from the bandage, and a cutter having a plurality of cutting teeth for detaching a preceding bandage from the next bandage wherein the cutter detaches the bandages along a perforation line disposed between the bandages.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the roll of the bandages included in the dispenser device has a plurality of serially connected bandages and a perforation line is disposed between the two consecutive bandages, wherein the bandages are detached along the perforation line.

The device of the present invention keeps the band aids clean and makes retrieving them much quicker, making the entire bandage application process much more sanitary and less cumbersome. The device saves considerable time and effort while improving sanitary conditions when applying bandages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

As noted above, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved storage and dispenser device for bandages. There is also a long felt need in the art for bandage dispenser device that enables users to quickly obtain a bandage therefrom. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for a bandage storage and dispenser device that stores the bandages in a clean and sterile manner. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for a bandage dispenser device that enables a user to easily pull a bandage from the device without requiring the user to open the device. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for a novel bandage dispenser device that offers a user-friendly solution for quick and efficient wound care. Furthermore, there is a long felt need in the art for a bandage dispenser that is compact, portable, and provides the convenience of a tape dispenser with the sanitary benefits of individually stored bandages. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for a bandage storage and dispenser device that saves considerable time and effort while improving sanitary conditions when applying on a wound.

The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a bandage dispenser device. The dispenser device includes a dispensing opening for dispensing individual bandages, a second opening for dispensing protective cover, film, or shield covering the dispensed bandage, a roller for accommodating a roll of sequentially or continuously connected bandages, a plate for removing the cover from the bandage and a cutter having a plurality of cutting teeth for detaching a preceding bandage from the next bandage wherein the cutter detaches the bandages along a perforation line disposed between the bandages.

Referring initially to the drawings,FIG.1illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of a bandage storage and dispenser device of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. The bandage storage and dispenser device100of the present invention is designed as a compact and portable device for storing a plurality of bandages and dispensing individual bandages therefrom. More specifically, the device100includes a housing102made of durable plastic and is configured for housing a roll of individual bandages therein. A pivotable portion104is configured to enable access to an interior of the housing102and is used for replacing the roll when all the bandages are used, thereby making the device100reusable. The bandage dispenser device100includes a roller/wheel106configured to roll transversely across the opposing sides108,110of the device100for dispensing individual bandages. A plurality of bandages are arranged in the form of a roll128and are wrapped on the wheel106for dispensing individual bandages through an opening112.

The opening112for dispensing individual bandages is disposed at front end114of the device100and the opening112includes a cutter116for cutting or detaching individual bandages across the perforation therebetween as illustrated inFIGS.2and3. The cutter116includes a plurality of teeth118which detach serially connected bandages along the perforated lines.

A separate spindle120is installed inside the device100as illustrated inFIGS.1and2for smooth pull of the bandages from the device100. The spindle120and the inside surface of the pivoting portion104provide a narrow passage including frictional engagement with the dispensing serially connected bandages. Bottom surface122of the device100provides an ergonomic grip when a user holds the device100in hand and mimics the contour of fingers. Further, the device100can be easily placed on any surface with the device100resting on the bottom surface122. Each of the opposing sides108,110have an opening124across which the roller106is supported and rotates clockwise or counterclockwise.

The device100is compact in design and construction and can be kept in a pocket or in a bag. Further, the bottom surface122can have detachable magnetic fastener126for enabling individuals to adhere the device100to any magnetic or metal surface. The bandage dispensing device100as per the present invention can include any suitable number of individual bandages depending upon the desired packaging, bandage sign and end use. For example, the device100can be configured to include at least about 10 bandages and desirably from about 10 to about 250 individual bandages, and more desirably from about 20 to about 50 individual bandages.

FIG.2illustrates a perspective view showing the pivotable portion in a pivoting position for enabling access of the roller106in accordance with the disclosed structure. The pivoting portion104is configured to pivot along the pivoting hinge202which extends across the opposing sides108,110. The pivoting portion104provides access to internal cavity204of the housing102which enables an individual to take out the roller106therefrom for replacing with a new roller covered with a roll of bandages. The pivoting portion104is secured using the receiving portions206,208for a secure attachment during use of the device100for pulling individual bandages.

FIG.3illustrates a perspective view showing a user pulling bandages from the bandage storage and dispensing device of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. The individual bandages are sequentially or continuously (i.e., serially) connected to each other to form a chain of the bandages. The leading bandage302is pulled by a user304such that a protective cover306covering the bandage302(as also illustrated inFIG.4) is torn along the perforation line308by the cutter116. The perforation line308connects the leading bandage302and the subsequent bandage310and when the leading bandage302is pulled out, the subsequent bandage310becomes the leading bandage.

When the leading bandage302is pulled by the user304, the roller106rolls towards the front end114of the device100, thereby unrolling the roll128of the bandages and releasing or dispensing the individual bandages from the opening112. The spindle120supports the unrolled bandages from the roller106and thus prevents the bandages from getting entangled and prevents the bandages from getting damaged.

FIG.4illustrates a planar view of a portion of the bandage roll used in the bandage storage and dispenser device of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. In the present embodiment, the bandages402,404,406are sequentially or serially connected and covered by a common protective cover408. Each bandage is adhered to the underside of the cover408and the cover protects the gauze410of each bandage. The cover408includes a perforation line412between each pair of the bandages and while pulling a bandage as illustrated inFIG.3, the perforation line412between the leading bandage402and the subsequent bandage404is torn for dispensing the leading bandage402. A portion of the cover extends along the length of the bandage402and can be easily peeled off for easy and convenient use of the bandage402.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the ends of the bandage coincide with the perforation lines412. As an example, as illustrated, the ends414,416of the bandage404can coincide with the perforation lines412positioned on both sides of the bandage404.

FIG.5illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of the bandage assembly and dispensing device of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed structure. In the present embodiment, the device500enables a user to pull a bandage therefrom without the protective cover covering the bandage. A dispenser opening502is used for pulling a bandage and a second opening504is disposed which provides the cover protecting the dispensed bandage. In the present embodiment, a user is not required to peel off the protective cover.

FIG.6illustrates an enlarged view of the bandage pulling mechanism of the bandage assembly and dispensing device500ofFIG.5in accordance with the disclosed architecture. In the device500, the cutter602is placed inside the device500and not at the dispenser opening502. When a bandage is pulled, a cutting plate604removes the bandage cover606from the bandage608, thereby separating the cover606and the bandage608. The bandage608is dispensed from the opening502and the cover606is separately dispensed from the second opening504(as shown by arrow A inFIG.5) of the device500.

Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “bandage storage and dispenser device”, “bandage dispensing device”, “bandage assembly and dispensing device”, and “device” are interchangeable and refer to the bandage storage and dispenser device100,500of the present invention.

Notwithstanding the forgoing, the bandage storage and dispenser device100,500of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the bandage storage and dispenser device100,500as shown in theFIGS.1-6are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the bandage storage and dispenser device100,500are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the bandage storage and dispenser device100,500are important design parameters for user convenience, bandage storage and dispenser device100,500may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.