Patent Abstract:
Described are systems, devices, and methods for stripping a formed thin film elastomeric article such as a latex or synthetic polymer medical or surgical glove from a mold, inverting the article, and transferring and securing the inverted article to a mandrel for further on-line processing, integrating dip forming and off-line surface treatment processes into a single, continuous on-line process. The system can include a stripping apparatus including an actuation device for peeling the article from the mold and inverting the article, and a donning device to receive the inverted article. The system may position the article about a mandrel of the donning device. The mandrel may expand or separate to engage the interior of the inverted article to securely hold the article on the mandrel. The donning device may be coupled to a continuous loop conveyor chain to carry the donning device and the mounted article through on-line secondary processing.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    At present, the manufacture of certain elastomeric and polymer latex articles (such as surgical or examination gloves used in hospitals and other medical facilities, work gloves, prophylactics, catheters, balloons, etc.) typically involves two major processes, namely the on-line glove dipping or forming platform process (also known as the primary manufacturing process) and off-line processing (also known as the secondary manufacturing process). 
         [0002]    In the dipping or forming platform process, for example, surgical gloves may be formed by one of two methods. One such method is a batch dip process, in which one or more molds (also referred to as formers) are dipped into one or more tanks containing liquid molding material (such as natural latex or synthetic polymers such as polyisoprene, nitrile rubber, vinyl, polyvinylchloride, polychloroprene, or polyurethane) or various other chemicals (such as coagulant). The second method is a continuous dip method, which is the most common, economical, and efficient method for high-volume glove manufacturing. 
         [0003]    In a typical continuous dip process, such as that used in the manufacture of surgical gloves, a continuous loop conveyor chain carries the glove molds through the necessary cleaning, dipping, curing, and stripping processes. After a formed glove is stripped from a mold, the conveyor chain carries the mold back to the beginning of the cleaning process to begin a new cycle. Thus, the molds are utilized in a continuous cyclic manner. To increase efficiency, the conveyor chain moves continuously and at a constant speed throughout the continuous dipping process. Specialized equipment is required to conduct the various processes on the gloves as they are constantly traveling through the manufacturing facility. The initial stage of the dipping platform process typically includes the cleaning of the molds, as a clean mold surface is important for forming a quality glove. These clean molds are then carried by the conveyor chain through the coagulant dip process. As the molds continue to traverse laterally along with the conveyor chain, the molds are lowered into, and subsequently raised out of, a coagulant solution contained in an elongated dip tank. After the coagulant dip, the conveyor chain carries the coagulant-coated molds through a second tank containing the liquid molding material, such as latex. The coagulant coatings typically include salts that neutralize the surfactants in the liquid molding material emulsions, and which locally destabilize the liquid molding material, thus causing it to gel (or coalesce) and adhere as a film on the surface of the mold. The molds may be dipped in liquid molding material one or more times to achieve the desired glove thickness. The glove may then be dipped into a leaching tank containing circulating hot water to remove the water-soluble components, such as salts used in the coagulant solution or certain proteins present in the natural latex. 
         [0004]    After the glove is formed, it undergoes a drying process in a drying oven to dry the thin gel layer prior to a high-temperature curing process to set and vulcanize the thin gelatinized film onto the mold surface. One or more additional layers, coatings or treatments may be formed or applied to the external surface of the formed glove, either before, after, or between drying and curing. For example, the external layer of the thin film, which typically becomes the user side (also known as the interior or donning side), may be coated with a donning composition or otherwise treated to make donning of the glove easier. 
         [0005]    Typically, the final stage of the continuous dipping platform process is the stripping (i.e., removal) of the glove from its mold prior to the mold looping back to the mold cleaning process. Conventionally, the glove removal process is performed by a human operator manually stripping the gloves (with or without the aid of machines) or, in certain cases, using an automated stripping machine to strip the gloves from the molds. This process can result in significant waste if the gloves are not stripped properly. Molded gloves tend to adhere to the surface of the mold, such that the gloves must be gently peeled off of the mold. If they are pulled from the mold too quickly, with too much force, or if they are gripped such that too much stress is concentrated at the gripped points, the gloves can be punctured, torn, or otherwise compromised. Typically, because the cuff edge of the glove is peeled from the mold first, and because the palm and finger areas of the glove adhere to the mold until they are peeled off, the glove becomes inverted or reversed as it is stripped from the mold such that the external surface of the glove after forming (i.e., the donning side) becomes the internal surface after stripping. However, as described below, the donning side typically requires off-line surface treatment alter stripping, so the stripped gloves must be reversed or inverted after stripping to revert the donning side to the exterior surface. Manual and automated inverting processes typically employ suction or bursts of air to assist with fully inverting the glove. 
         [0006]    Upon the completion of the on-line dipping process in the dipping platform, the thin film surgical gloves are typically still not finished products. After stripping from the molds, the gloves may undergo several steps of an off-line glove surface treatment process. For example, the gloves may be subjected to an off-line chlorination process, which may involve chlorination, lubrication, and tumble drying prior to inverting the glove such that the donning side becomes the interior surface before the gloves are packaged. These off-line processes often require several pieces of equipment (namely, chemical treatment equipment such as a chlorinator, etc.), an extractor, a tumbling machine, a dryer machine, and/or miscellaneous supporting equipment. Additionally, the off-line equipment is configured to process the gloves in batches, which requires that the formed gloves coming off of the dipping process line be temporarily stored in a queue, which consumes time and physical storage space, to wait for the batch processing equipment to become available. processes are substantial manual operation may also be necessary to operate these pieces of equipment, load and unload the gloves, transfer the gloves and complete these off-line processes prior to packaging the surgical gloves as finished products. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    Certain aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward systems, devices, and methods for stripping a formed thin film elastomeric article from a mold, inverting the article, transferring the article to a mandrel, and securing the inverted article to the mandrel for further on-line processing, thus integrating the dip forming process and the existing off-line surface treatment process into a single, continuous on-line manufacturing process (i.e., on-line dip forming, primary surface treatment, inverting, and secondary surface treatment process). This integration will greatly reduce the dependency on human operators to perform the above-noted tasks, reduce the process cycle time, eliminate the dependency of the off-line equipment/process, lead to space reduction and eliminate miscellaneous equipment handling and maintenance tasks. In certain aspects, the systems, devices, and methods of the present disclosure are suitable for manufacturing elastomeric gloves, such as latex or synthetic polymer medical exam gloves and surgical gloves. It will be appreciated that adaptation of the systems, devices, and methods to provide similar advantages in the manufacture of various other thin film elastomeric articles, such as prophylactics, catheters, balloons, work gloves etc., is well within the capabilities of ordinarily skilled artisans. 
         [0008]    In certain aspects, the system can include a stripping apparatus for removing formed gloves from the molds or formers on which they are formed. The stripping apparatus can include a cuff rolling device for rolling the cuff of the glove down (i.e., distally away from the mold base and toward the finger and palm areas of the glove) to expose a portion of the cuff-forming surface of the mold. The stripping apparatus can include a gripping device having one or more gripping members configured to engage the exposed portion of the cuff-forming surface of the mold. The stripping apparatus can include a roll-back device for unrolling the previously rolled portion of the glove cuff proximally toward the mold base and away from the glove finger and palm areas. The roll-back device can be configured to unroll the rolled cuff over and onto a portion of the gripping members such that the gripping members are interposed between the mold surface and at least a portion of the unrolled glove cuff. The stripping apparatus can include a lifting device for lifting the gripping members away from the surface of the mold, thereby separating a portion of the glove cuff area from the mold surface. The stripping apparatus can include an actuation device for moving the gripping members distally away from the mold base to pull or peel the glove away from the mold surface. The actuation device may move the gripping members to a position distal of the finger area to fully remove the glove from the mold, and thereby at least partially invert the glove. 
         [0009]    In certain aspects, the system can include a glove donning device configured to receive the glove after it has been stripped from the mold. The system may be configured to move the gripping members of the stripping apparatus over or around a mandrel of the glove donning device to position the glove about one or more holding members of the mandrel, which holding members are configured to expand or separate to engage the interior surface of the inverted glove (i.e., the surface of the glove that was formed adjacent to the mold surface) to securely hold the glove on the mandrel of the glove donning device. The gripping members can be configured to release the gripped portion of the glove when the glove is positioned about the glove donning device. The glove donning device can be coupled to a continuous looped conveyor chain to carry the glove donning device (and the glove disposed thereon) through one or more on-line secondary processes. Accordingly, the system can strip the formed glove from the mold, invert the glove, and position and hold (i.e., mount) the glove on the glove donning device for subsequent on-line processing. 
         [0010]    In certain aspects, the system is configured to move continuously and synchronize with the existing continuous dipping line speed to continuously strip, invert, and mount gloves formed by the dip forming process onto glove donning devices for subsequent on-line processing. In certain aspects, the gripping members are coupled to mechanical arms that are guided through translation, expansion, and contraction by one or more cam follower bearings. In certain aspects the glove donning device is expanded and contracted (i.e., opened and closed) by mechanical arms controlled by a cam follower bearing guided by a cam track to move the mechanical arms toward and away from each other. 
         [0011]    Certain aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward a method of manufacturing elastomeric articles using the systems and devices of the present disclosure. In certain aspects, the method can include forming an elastomeric glove on the surface of a glove mold, stripping the formed glove from the surface of the mold, inverting the glove, mounting the glove on a glove donning device, and subjecting the glove to one or more secondary processes while the glove is mounted on the glove donning device. 
         [0012]    In certain aspects, the method can include rolling down a portion of the cuff of a glove formed on a mold, positioning a gripping member on the exposed portion of the cuff-forming surface of the mold, and unrolling the rolled portion of the glove cuff onto the gripping member such that the gripping member is interposed between the mold surface and at least a portion of the unrolled glove cuff. The method can include lifting the gripping member away from the mold surface to separate a portion of the glove cuff from the mold surface, and moving the gripping member distally away from the mold base and beyond the finger area of the glove, thereby peeling the glove away from the mold surface and at least partially inverting the formed glove. 
         [0013]    In certain aspects, the method can include positioning the inverted glove about mandrel of the glove donning device one or more glove holding members of a glove donning device such that the surface of the glove that was formed adjacent to the mold surface becomes the exterior surface of the glove when it is positioned about the glove donning device. The method can include expanding the mandrel to engage the interior surface of the glove, thereby holding the glove securely on the glove donning device. The method can include releasing the gripped portion of the glove when the glove is positioned about the glove donning device such that the glove is fully mounted on the glove donning device. The method can include subjecting the glove to one or more secondary processes while the glove is mounted on the glove donning device. 
         [0014]    Any feature, structure, or step disclosed herein can be replaced with or combined with any other feature, structure, or step disclosed herein, or omitted. Further, for purposes of summarizing the disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and features of the systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily any or all such advantages are achieved in accordance with any particular embodiments disclosed herein. No individual aspects of this disclosure are essential or indispensable. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0015]    Embodiments of the present disclosure are described by way of following drawings pointing out various details of the systems, devices and methods of the present disclosure. The main features and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood with the following descriptions, claims, and drawings, where: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1  illustrates a front partial cross-sectional view of elastomeric glove molds and mold holding fixtures coupled to a conveyor chain in a continuous dip forming process loop. 
           [0017]      FIG. 2  illustrates a top view of the continuous dip forming process loop of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0018]      FIGS. 3A-3I  illustrate various stages of the transfer process according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
           [0019]      FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the transfer system according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  illustrates a front partial cross-sectional view of the transfer system of  FIG. 4 . 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  illustrates a front view of a glove stripping device according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  illustrates a side view of the glove stripping device of  FIG. 6 . 
           [0023]      FIGS. 8A and 8B  illustrate front and side views, respectively, of a glove stripping device according to certain other aspects of the present disclosure. 
           [0024]      FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate top and side views, respectively, of the transfer system along the transfer path according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
           [0025]      FIGS. 11A-11D  illustrate a glove donning device in expanded and retracted states according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
           [0026]      FIGS. 12-15  illustrate various glove donning devices according to certain other aspects of the present disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. 
         [0028]    Various aspects of the systems and devices disclosed herein may be illustrated by describing components that are connected, coupled, attached, bonded and/or joined together. As used herein, the terms “connected”, “coupled”, “attached”, “bonded” and/or “joined” are used interchangeably to indicate either a direct connection between two components or, where appropriate, an indirect connection to one another through intervening or intermediate components. Additionally, unless otherwise specified, these terms are used interchangeably to indicate a connection in which one or more degrees of freedom are not rigidly constrained between two components (e.g., a pivoting connection, a translating connection, a pivoting and translating connection, an elastic connection, a flexible connection, etc.), or a rigid or substantially rigid connection in which all degrees of freedom are constrained or substantially constrained between the two components. 
         [0029]    Relative terms such as “lower” or “bottom”, “upper” or “top”, and “vertical” or “horizontal” may be used herein to describe one element&#39;s relationship to another element illustrated in the drawings. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the systems and devices in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. By way of example, if aspects of a glove stripping, reversing, donning, and holding system as shown in the drawings are turned over, elements described as being on the “bottom” side of the other element would then be oriented on the “top” side of the other elements as shown in the relevant drawing. The term “bottom” can therefore encompass both an orientation of “bottom” and “top” depending on the particular orientation of the drawing. 
         [0030]    Reference will now be made to figures wherein like structures are provided with like reference designations. It should be understood that the figures are diagrammatic and schematic representations of exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods of the present disclosure, and are neither limiting nor necessarily drawn to scale. 
         [0031]    One exemplary embodiment of the glove stripping, reversing and wearing system of the present disclosure is implemented in conjunction with a continuous dip forming platform that includes a looped conveyor chain  11 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-2 . The conveyor chain  11  is supported by roller bearings that run along a channeled bearing surface  14 . One or more drive units, such as an electric motor and appropriate gearing, are coupled to one or more chain sprockets to drive the conveyor chain  11  through the continuous dipping process loop. Opposing pairs of mounting shafts  15  are coupled to the conveyor chain  11  at regular intervals and extend horizontally outwardly from the conveyor chain. A mold holding fixture  18  is coupled to the distal end of each shaft  15 . Each mold holding fixture  18  includes a rotatable mold mount  19  for holding the molds  20  such that each mold may be selectively rotated about its longitudinal axis. As shown in  FIG. 1 , each mounting shaft  15  includes a pivot  16  so that the molds may be oriented horizontally or vertically (i.e., hung down from the mounting shaft), as desired, for example, to facilitate dipping. The mold mount  19  includes one or more bearing surfaces  17   a ,  17   b  (which may be rolling, sliding, etc.) and/or rotational guide surfaces, such as a “D” shaped collar (not shown), for guiding and maneuvering the mold  20  through the various processes along the dip forming line. 
         [0032]    The conveyor chain  11  typically carries the molds  20  at a constant linear speed throughout the various stages of the dipping process. However, the preferred linear speed may be varied, for example, to adjust dipping or cure times, or otherwise process the gloves differently to accommodate various types of gloves, different forming materials, or varying thicknesses, or to achieve certain physical characteristics, etc. Suitable conveyor chain speeds typically may range from about 40 linear feet per minute to about 60 linear feet per minute. 
         [0033]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3A , a thin film elastomeric glove  30  includes a cuff area  32 , a wrist area  34 , a thumb area  35 , a palm area  36 , and a finger area  38 . Prior to the beginning of the glove stripping, reversing, and wearing process (which is also referred to as the transfer process) described in detail below, the glove  30  has been formed on the surface  22  of the mold  20  (which is also referred to as a former) by a suitable forming process, such as a continuous dipping line process, and the glove rests on the mold surface  22 . The glove  30  may also have been subjected to one or more post-forming processes along the continuous dipping line. It should be understood that any process may be used to coat or treat the external layer of the thin film to form the donning layer, such as dipping, spraying, immersion, vapor deposition, printing, or any other suitable technique. Alternatively, the donning layer can be formed off-line by similar techniques apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. 
         [0034]    The following description is intended to provide an overview of the transfer process, however, one exemplary embodiment of the transfer process will be described with greater detail in conjunction with the below description of the exemplary embodiments of the systems and devices provided to accomplish the transfer process. Referring to  FIGS. 3-4 , the transfer process generally involves gripping the cuff portion of the glove and pulling or peeling the glove away from the mold surface by pulling the cuff portion toward, and then distally of, the finger area. Adhesion of the glove to the mold surface causes the glove to invert (i.e., turn inside-out) as the glove is peeled from the mold. The gripped cuff area is pulled over a cantilevered end of a donning device mandrel positioned distally of the mold such that the inverted glove surrounds a portion of the mandrel (i.e., the donning device mandrel “wears” the glove). When the glove has been fully released from the mold surface and is positioned about the mandrel, the device expands or separates to engage the interior surface of the inverted glove and securely hold the glove in place on the donning device mandrel. The gripped cuff area is then forced away from the grippers by an external force (such as a burst of air or jet of water) or otherwise released from the grippers so that the inverted glove is fully held or worn on the donning device mandrel. The donning device is coupled to a second conveyor chain that carries the glove through secondary processes as it is securely held on the donning device. 
         [0035]      FIG. 143  illustrate exemplary embodiments of the various devices that may be implemented to accomplish the transfer process described above. These devices include a cuff roll-down device  40  as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a gripping, lifting, and pulling apparatus (i.e., a glove stripping device  40 ), as illustrated in  FIGS. 6-7 , and a glove receiving and holding device (i.e., a glove donning device  100 ), as illustrated in  FIG. 11 . 
         [0036]    To initiate the transfer process, the cuff edge  31 , which is typically beaded, is rolled down toward the wrist area  34  by a cuff roll down device  40 , such as the one illustrated in  FIG. 4 . In this embodiment, the cuff roll-down device  40  includes a cylindrical brush  42  coupled to a rotary shaft  43 , which is supported at opposite ends by rotary bearings  44   a ,  44   b . A drive shaft  46  of an electric motor  47  is coupled to the rotary shaft  43  by a drive belt  49  to rotate the brush  42 . The motor  47  drives the cylindrical brush  42  to rotate about an axis parallel to the direction of travel of the conveyor chain  11 . As each mold  30  traverses down the length of the brush  42 , it is rotated about its longitudinal axis such that each portion of the glove cuff edge  31  engages with the brush bristles  41 , which cause the cuff edge  42  to roll down toward the wrist area  34  of the glove  30 . As the cuff area  32  is rolled down, a portion  37  of the cuff area of the mold surface  22  is exposed. Although a cylindrical brush is illustrated in this embodiment, it will be appreciated by ordinarily skilled artisans that the cuff area  32  may be rolled, folded, lifted, or otherwise forced away from the mold surface by any suitable mechanism, such as by forced air or water, or by a solid or foam surface roller. In certain embodiments, separate cuff rolling devices may be configured to roll the cuff down while the cuff rolling devices move along a separate continuous loop (in a similar manner as described below with respect to the glove stripping devices), to synchronize with the motion of the glove molds as the device rolls down the cuff edge. 
         [0037]    After the cuff edge  31  is rolled down, the mold  20  and glove  30  enter a transfer path  14  of the transfer system  10 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the transfer system  10  includes a plurality of glove stripping devices  50  each of which is slidably coupled to a pair of linear guide rails  52  that are connected at opposite ends to a pair of transfer system conveyor chains  51   a ,  51   b . Additionally, an actuation device  140  is coupled to each pair of linear guide rails  52  and serves to compress the glove donning device mandrel arms  72 ,  73  prior to receiving the inverted glove  30 . The transfer system conveyor chains  51   a ,  51   b  are synchronized with gears and/or sprockets  55  and chains  56  to move the glove stripping devices  50  along the transfer path  14  in synchronization with the molds  20  travelling along a portion of the main dipping line path  64 . After the glove stripping devices  50  have passed through the transfer path  14 , the transfer system conveyor chains  51   a ,  51   b  carry them along a return path  62  and back to the beginning of the transfer path  14 . 
         [0038]    Upon entering the transfer path  14 , the glove mold  20  is lowered between a pair of opposing mechanical arms  57 ,  58  of the glove stripping device  50 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The glove stripping device  50  includes a carriage body  80  to which the lower ends of the mechanical arms  57 ,  58  are pivotably coupled. Links  82 ,  83  are pivotably coupled to central portions of the arms  57 ,  58 , and to an upper end of a push rod  84 . The push rod  84  is slidably coupled to the carriage body  80  such that the push rod  84  may translate vertically up and down. As the push rod is raised from a lower to an upper position, the links  82 ,  83  pivot and push the mechanical arms away from each other to an open state as shown in  FIG. 6 . Tension springs  85  are coupled to the push rod  84  and the carriage body  80  so as to bias the push rod  84  downward. An additional tension spring  87  is coupled to central portions of the mechanical arms  57 ,  58  so as to bias the arms toward each other (i.e., toward a closed position) to form a better grip with the bare mold and to accommodate different sizes of molds (such as different molds that are used to used to form different sized gloves). 
         [0039]    The carriage body  80  of the glove stripping device  50  is slidably mounted to a pair of the linear guide rails  52  via linear guide rail bearings  53 . A horizontal cam follower bearing  92  is coupled to a rod  81  extending below the carriage body  80  The horizontal cam follower bearing  92  is configured to roll along a horizontal cam track  93  extending along the transfer path  14 . The horizontal cam track  93  is profiled, as illustrated in  FIG. 9 , to cause the glove stripping device  50  to translate along the linear guide rails  52  from a position proximal to the glove mold base  21  to a position distal of the glove mold finger area  38  during the transfer process. The glove stripping device  50  also includes a vertical cam follower bearing  94  coupled to a lower end of the push rod  84 . During the transfer process, the vertical cam follower bearing  94  rolls along a vertical cam track  95  extending along the transfer path  14 . As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the cam track  95  is profiled to raise and lower the cam follower bearing  94  and the push rod  84  thus opening and closing the mechanical arms  57 ,  58  as the glove stripping device  50  travels along the transfer path  14 . 
         [0040]    Before the glove mold  20  is lowered between the mechanical arms  57 ,  58 , the vertical cam track profile causes the push rod  84  to rise upward, which increases tension in the springs  85 ,  87 , and causes the mechanical arms  57 ,  58  to move to an open position as shown in  FIG. 10 . After the glove mold is positioned between the mechanical arms  57 ,  58  at the beginning of the transfer path  14 , the vertical cam track profile is lowered, thus allowing the springs  85 ,  87  to pull the mechanical arms  57 ,  58  together until the gripping members  86 ,  88  rest on the portion of the mold surface that was exposed when the cuff edge  31  was rolled down (i.e., the surface of the mold where the rolled cuff portion of the glove originally rested). Although  FIGS. 6-7  illustrate one gripping member coupled to each of the mechanical arms ordinarily skilled artisans will appreciate that any number of gripping members may be used in any suitable configuration to facilitate gripping, lifting, and removal of the glove from the mold surface. For example,  FIGS. 8A-B . illustrate an embodiment that includes two gripping members coupled to each arm  57 ,  58 . Similarly, although the glove stripping device  50  of the present embodiment is illustrated with two mechanical arms, it will be appreciated that any number of arms may be used in any suitable configuration. The gripping members may be formed of any suitable material known in the art. In an exemplary embodiment, the grippers may be formed of a rubber or plastic material to conform to the surface of the mold and to more easily grip the material of the glove. Ridges or other suitable contours may be formed on the glove engaging surface of the gripping members to assist in preventing the glove from slipping off of the gripping members. 
         [0041]    When the gripping members  86 ,  88  are positioned against the mold  20 , as shown in  FIG. 3C , the rolled portion  32  of the thin film glove is unrolled, pushed or otherwise urged back proximally toward the mold base  21  by a force (for example, by means of one or more pressurized air nozzles  96  or water jets). The force used to unroll the rolled cuff portion  32  causes the cuff  32  to lay over the gripping members  86 ,  88  such that at least a portion of the gripping members  86 ,  88  is interposed between the unrolled cuff portion  32  and the mold surface  22 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3D . 
         [0042]    The air nozzles  96  or water jets may be mounted on stationary equipment above and/or below the transfer path  14  in suitable proximity and orientation to direct a burst of air or jet of water toward the rolled cuff edge  31  as it passes by. The air nozzles or water jets may be connected by tubing or hoses to a source, for example an air compressor and reservoir tank positioned near the transfer system or a central pressurized air supply line system. Air or water may be continuously dispensed, or more preferably is controlled by mechanical or solenoid valves or other suitable fluid control devices to deliver intermittent bursts sufficient to roll back the cuffs. The timing of the bursts may be synchronized or controlled by various known devices and methods. For example, timing may be controlled with the aid of electronic sensors (such as optical, magnetic, or sonic sensors), or by a mechanical switch that is triggered by mechanical contact with a portion of each passing mold (or other moving equipment associated with each glove). In certain embodiments, a brush or solid surface cylindrical roller may also be used in lieu of, or in addition to, an air nozzle, water jet, etc. 
         [0043]    After the cuff  32  has been rolled back and is laying over the gripping members  86 ,  88 , the gripping members are moved to an open position (by raising the push rod  84  via the vertical cam track profile  95 ) to expand (i.e., separate) the gripping members  86 ,  88  and thereby lift the glove cuff area  32  away from the mold surface  22 . After the gripping members  86 ,  88  are lifted from the mold surface  22 , the horizontal cam track  93  causes the glove stripping device  50  (and thus the gripping members  86 ,  88 ) to translate distally toward the finger area  38  of the glove  30 , thereby pulling or peeling the glove off of, and away from, the mold surface  22  as illustrated in  FIG. 3E . 
         [0044]    One or more bursts of air or water jets may be directed at the glove to help urge the glove film away from the mold surface. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3F , a burst of air is directed into a pocket  97  formed generally between the portion  99  of the glove that has been peeled off of the mold  20  and the portion of the glove that remains on the mold surface  22 . The temporarily increased air pressure inside the pocket  97  causes the peeled off portion  99  to balloon radially outward from the mold surface  22 , thus momentarily increasing the radially outward component of tensile force acting at the peel seam  9  to help release the thumb area  35  and palm area  36  from the mold surface  22 . 
         [0045]    As the gripping members  86 ,  88  move distally beyond the finger area  38  of the mold  20  (as illustrated in  FIG. 3F ), the distal portions of the glove  30  initially remain adhered to the mold surface  22 , thus causing the glove to become inverted as the cuff edge  31  is pulled distally of the finger area  38 . The gripping members  86 ,  88  pull the glove  30  onto a mandrel  110  of the glove donning device  100 , as shown in  FIG. 3G . When the gripping members  86 ,  88  reach a predetermined position, the glove donning device  100  expands or separates portions of the mandrel  110  to tension to the glove to hold it firmly on the mandrel  110 . The glove cuff  32  is then released from the gripping members  86 ,  88 , for example, by a burst of air directed into the pocket  109  generally formed between the gripped portion  39  of the glove cuff  32  and the exterior surface of the portion of the glove held by the mandrel  110 , such that the inverted glove  30  is fully mounted on the glove donning device  100 . Optionally, another burst of air may be directed into the interior of the inverted glove (e.g., through the cuff opening  27  between the mandrel arms  57 ,  58 , or through a channel routed through the interior of the mandrel arms to an exit port positioned at a distal portion of the mandrel arms) to temporarily inflate the inverted glove to ensure that it is fully inverted when mounted on the glove donning device. 
         [0046]    The glove donning device  100  of this exemplary embodiment includes a base  120  having a mounting portion  122  at a proximal end, and a mandrel portion  110  comprising two mandrel arms  112 ,  114  extending distally from the base  120  along a longitudinal axis of the glove donning device  100 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 11A-D . The mandrel arms  112 ,  114  are slidably coupled to the base  120  such that the arms can move toward and away from each other in a horizontal plane. In other words, the mandrel portion  110  can expand and retract in a horizontal direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the mandrel  100  by sliding the mandrel arms  112 ,  114  away from each other and toward each other, respectively. The mandrel arms  112 ,  114  are retained in the base by retention pins  116 ,  118  inserted into bores  117 ,  119  in the proximal surfaces  121 ,  123  of the arms  112 ,  114 . The retention pin heads  116 ,  118  are slidably disposed in pin slots  124 ,  125  provided at the proximal end of the base  120 . Springs  126 ,  127  are disposed between opposing interior-facing surfaces  128 ,  129  of the mandrel arms  112 ,  114  and opposite sides of an interior central wall  115  of the base  120 . The springs  126 ,  127  are normally compressed to bias the mandrel arms  112 ,  114  toward a fully expanded state, as shown in  FIGS. 11C-D . The glove donning device  100  is coupled via a holding device  113  (e.g., a device similar to the mold holders) to a secondary conveyor chain, which carries it (and other glove donning devices  100 ) and the inverted glove  30  received thereon through one or more on-line secondary processes. 
         [0047]    Near the beginning of the transfer path, the glove donning device  100  (in the expanded state) is lowered between a pair of mechanical actuation arms  142 ,  144  of an actuation device  140 . The actuation arms  142 ,  144  are pulled toward each other to push or compress the mandrel arms  112 ,  114  toward each other to a retracted state. When the actuation arms  142 ,  144  are separated, the springs  126 ,  127  of the glove donning device  100  force the mandrel arms  112 ,  114  away from each other, thus returning the mandrel arms to the expanded state. Similar to the glove stripping device  50 , the actuation device  140  includes a carriage body  180  to which the lower ends of the actuation arms  142 ,  144  are pivotably coupled. Links  182 ,  183  are pivotally coupled to central portions of the arms  142 ,  144  and to an upper end of a push rod  184 . The push rod  184  is slidably coupled to the carriage body  180  such that the push rod  184  may translate vertically up and down. As the push rod  184  is lowered from a raised or closed state, the links  182 ,  183  pivot and pull the mechanical arms toward each other to a closed position as shown in  FIG. 10 . The actuation device  140  also includes a vertical cam follower bearing  194  coupled to a lower end of the push rod  184 . During the transfer process, the vertical cam follower bearing  194  rolls along a cam track  195  extending along the transfer path  14 . As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the cam track  195  is profiled so as to raise and lower the cam follower bearing  194  and the push rod  184 , and therefore open and close the actuation arms  142 ,  144 , as the actuation device travels along the transfer path  14 . 
         [0048]    It will be appreciated that the principles and concepts of the present disclosure that are embodied in the foregoing examples may also be implemented in various structural and functional equivalent embodiments, some examples of which are described as follows. An alternative embodiment of the glove donning device is illustrated in  FIG. 12 . In this embodiment, the glove donning device  200  includes a mandrel shaft  210  extending from the holding device  213  to a distal end  219 , a shaft collar  235  is rigidly coupled to a middle portion of the mandrel shaft. Mechanical arms  212 ,  214  are pivotably coupled at one end to the shaft collar  235  and at another end to arcuate cowl segments  236 ,  237 . Links  282 ,  284  are pivotably coupled to middle portions of the arms  212 ,  214  and to a carriage  280  slidably coupled to the shaft  210  proximally of the shaft collar  235 . As the carriage  280  is translated along the shaft  210  toward the shaft collar  235 , the links  282 ,  284  pivot and push the mechanical arms  212 ,  214 ,  216  radially outward from the shaft to an expanded position wherein the cowl segments  236 ,  237  may engage the interior surface of an inverted glove. Conversely, as the carriage  280  is moved proximally, the mechanical arms retract radially inward toward the shaft  210  to a retracted position. A coil spring  285 , retained about the shaft  210  between the carriage  280  and the holding device  213 , is normally compressed so as to urge the carriage  280  distally to the expanded position. A cam follower bearing  294  and cam surface (not shown) serve to control movement of the carriage and thus the mechanical arms between expanded and retracted positions. 
         [0049]    In certain embodiments, as illustrated in  FIG. 13 , the glove donning device  300  includes mechanical plates  312 ,  314  rather than mandrel arms. The mechanical plates  312 ,  314  are generally oriented along horizontal planes, and are controlled by a cam follower bearing  394  and cam surface profile (not shown) to expand away from each other in a vertical direction to engage the palm  336  and back of hand  337  portions of the inverted glove  330 . In certain other embodiments, as illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the glove donning device  400  includes a mandrel member  410  about which the glove  430  is positioned, and includes a scissor-type arrangement of pincher arms  412 ,  414  that may be controlled to engage opposing portions of the exterior surface  422  of the cuff area  432  of the inverted glove  430  to firmly hold the glove between the pincher arms  412 ,  414  and the mandrel  410 . 
         [0050]    In certain other embodiments, As shown in  FIG. 15 , the glove donning device  500  includes an inflatable bladder  520  coupled to a mandrel shaft  510 . Air, water, or other suitable fluid may be supplied to the interior of the bladder through a lumen in the mandrel shaft  510  to inflate and expand the bladder to engage the interior surface of an inverted glove  530  positioned about the bladder  520 . The bladder  520  may be constructed of any suitable material that is flexible, durable, and gas or fluid impervious, such as a flexible polymer, vulcanized rubber, etc. 
         [0051]    The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various example implementations described herein. Various modifications to these variations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various illustrious examples described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1