Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US5175977?dq=6,250,774
Timestamp: 2016-09-24 21:27:12
Document Index: 568770833

Matched Legal Cases: ['arts 12', 'arts 12', 'art 12', 'arts 12', 'arts 12', 'arts 12', 'arts 12', 'arts 12']

Patent US5175977 - Kit and method for packaging gloves - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA kit comprises a tray with a well for a tourniquet, a dressing to use with a medical device inserted into a blood vessel. An antimicrobial treatment in the well disinfects an area of skin through which the medical device punctures the vessel. A pair of juxtaposed gloves with the finger ends, the hand...http://www.google.com/patents/US5175977?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5175977 - Kit and method for packaging glovesAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS5175977 APublication typeGrantApplication numberUS 07/799,223Publication dateJan 5, 1993Filing dateNov 27, 1991Priority dateSep 27, 1988Fee statusPaidPublication number07799223, 799223, US 5175977 A, US 5175977A, US-A-5175977, US5175977 A, US5175977AInventorsMark A. Crawford, T. Andrew Guhl, J. Robert StanleyOriginal AssigneeBecton, Dickinson And CompanyExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (7), Referenced by (28), Classifications (15), Legal Events (5) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetKit and method for packaging gloves
US 5175977 AAbstract
1. A method for rolling a pair of nonporous film gloves into a generally cylindrical package comprising: laying out a pair of gloves in an arrangement on a generally flat and rigid surface, wherein each glove of said pair has a plurality of finger end portions, a hand portion and a cuff portion, said arrangement comprising placing said gloves one on top of the other so that said finger ends are adjacent each other, said hand portions are adjacent and said cuff portions are adjacent, said arrangement having a longitudinal axis from said finger ends to said cuff portion;gathering said finger ends of said pair into a bundle generally aligned with said longitudinal axis; forming a generally cylindrical package from said pair by rolling on said surface said gathered finger ends about an axis generally perpendicular to said longitudinal axis toward said hand portion and thence to said cuff portion, said rolling serving to substantially expel air entrapped by said pair; and holding said generally cylindrical package with a packaging material. 2. The method of the claim 1 wherein said holding step comprises holding the rolled gloves with a binding.
3. The method of claim 2 with the additional step of using an elastic band shaped member for binding.
4. The method of claim 3 with the additional steps of expanding the band shaped member to fit over the rolled gloves and releasing the band shaped member to retain the rolled gloves in the cylindrical roll.
5. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of binding is accomplished by using a piece of pressure sensitive adhesive tape.
6. The method of claim 1 with the additional steps of adding a piece of innerwrap between the gloves of the pair of gloves and creating a sandwich for rolling into the cylindrical package.
7. The method of the claim 6 wherein said holding step comprises holding the rolled gloves with a binding.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of binding is accomplished by using an elastic band shaped member.
9. The method of claim 8 with the additional steps of expanding the band shaped member to fit over the rolled gloves and releasing the band shaped member to retain the rolled gloves in the cylindrical roll.
10. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of binding is accomplished by using a piece of pressure sensitive adhesive tape.
This is a division of application Ser. No. 07/681,213, filed Apr. 5, 1991 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,981, which is a division of Ser. No. 07/249,272 filed Sep. 27, 1988, now abandoned.
Because of the desire to limit transmission of infection to their patients during surgery, doctors have followed a scrub procedure before donning their surgical gloves. The procedures for donning surgical gloves has developed out of a recognized need to maintain the sterility of the exterior surface of the gloves so as to prevent transmission of infection to the patient. Surgeon's gloves are packaged so that they can be donned without contaminating the outside surface. In particular, the aseptic presentation of the pair of surgeon's gloves is part of the way such gloves are packed to aid in donning after the package containing the gloves is opened. The cuffs are folded up toward the hand portion so each glove can be handled by the inside surface while donning. The outside of the glove remains sterile since only the inside is touched with an ungloved hand. After one glove is on the second glove can be entered with the fingers of the ungloved hand and the gloved hand can be used to smooth the outside and to unfolded the cuff downwardly over the the wrist by touching only the outside surface of the glove. The glove package is designed to be opened without touching the outside of the gloves and so that the cuffs are folded as described.
Frequently the health care specialist has to handle dangerous or possibly infectious specimens, contaminated bedding or used medical supplies, equipment or devices. There is no simple way of knowing if there is contamination and so the safest approach is to use gloves as a barrier or infection control. Biohazardous substancces are frequently handled and tested for deadly virus, infection or the like and those substances typically require special care during handling. Consequently, the need and desire for gloves has increased to an extent that those involved in health care use several pairs of gloves each workday.
During the last twenty five years disposable medical devices have been used for a variety of medical treatment and procedures. Disposable medical devices have contributed largely to preventing the spread of infection by eliminating reuse of needles, blades, containers and the like. Even with sterilization the handling necessary to prepare reusable medical devices creates a risk of infection. To add to the convenience of disposable medical devices manufacturers have for some time packaged the items required for various procedures in a common tray. One such package has included an intravenous catheter, a dressing a tourniquet, a form of disinfectant or antimicrobial treatment and other required paraphernalia needed to effect a catheterization. That is not to suggest that there have not been other trays for other purposes because there have been as many types of assemblies as there are medical procedures.
The purchasers of supplies for the health care needs prefer to order specific trays since the allocation of the cost of individual components to a particular patient is practically impossible. With a specific tray comes all of the items in a neat convenient package and each tray is sterilized and sealed when manufactured. Moreover gloves have been included in trays arranged for numerous surgical procedures, the addition of gloves has typically included the package for aseptic presentation as already explained. The idea of gloves in a package designed to contain merely the pieces used to start an intravenous catheter would suggest that the tray be doubled in size to accommodate such gloves.
The preferred kit has a glove pair of a thin non-porous, flexible resilient material. The gloves have been placed juxtaposed with the finger ends against one another, the hand part against one another and the cuff portions against one another. The juxtaposed gloves are preferably rolled up along their longitudinal elongate dimension as a pair from their fingers to their cuffs to drive out air entrapped within the gloves. The process of rolling from the fingers to the cuffs eliminates the air within the gloves leaving the cuffs of each glove at the periphery of the rolled generally cylindrical glove pair for ease in access to the inside of each glove during donning.
The preferred method for rolling a non-porous glove pair into a relatively cylindrical package, includes placing the glove pair in side by side juxtaposed relation with the finger ends of the respective gloves adjacent to one another, the palm or back hand parts of the respective gloves adjacent to one another, and the wrist or cuff portions of the respective gloves adjacent to one another. Gathering the finger portions of the adjacent gloves into a relatively axial bundle with respect to the elongate longitudinal dimension of the glove pair so the next step of rolling from the finger ends of the juxtaposed gloves toward the palm or back hand part is performed against a relatively flat and rigid surface to exclude air within the gloves by the pressure applied against the surface while rolling. The thumbs of the juxtaposed gloves are incorporated into the rolled bundle, and the glove pair rolling is continued along the elongate longitudinal dimension of the glove pair. By rolling toward the cuff or wrist portions, while bearing against the bundle remaining air is driven from the cuff ends of the gloves. The glove pair is rolled as a unit into a cylindrical package about the width of the gloves.
While this invention is satisfied by embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment and an alternate embodiment of the invention, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as exemplary of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments illustrated. The scope of the invention will be measured by the appended claims and their equivalents.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a glove pair 10 laid in juxtaposed position with a plurality of finger ends 11 adjacent to one another, a pair hand parts 12 adjacent to one another and a pair cuff portions 13 adjacent to one another. The glove pair 10 are positioned in this manner just prior to bring rolled in to a compact cylindrical package 14 or 14a (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The glove pair 10 of the invention may be made of a variety of non-porous materials including latex, vinyl, or other thin flexible material so as to offer protection when worn. Although not individually shown, each glove 15 in the glove pair 10 has five fingers 16 including the thumb 17, a palm or back 18 in its central section 19 and a cuff 20. In FIG. 1 the thumbs 17 of the glove pair 10 are placed up against the hand parts 12 of the glove pair 10 such that the glove pair 10 has an elongate longitudinal dimension from the fingers 16 to the cuff 20 as along line A--A which is approximately the center line of the glove pair 10. On each glove 15 the fingers 16 each include the finger ends 11, the palm or back 18 include a hand part 12 and the cuff 20 includes cuff portion 13.
In FIG. 2 the process of rolling the glove pair 10 is shown at the beginning step wherein the finger ends 11 are first gathered. It may be seen that glove pair 10 are laid against a surface 21 and the finger ends 11 are gathered toward the longitudinal line A--A so that the glove pair 10 may be rolled from the finger ends 11 to the portions 13. During the rolling process, air which is in the glove pair 10 is caused to leave by means of the pressure applied. In particular, the person rolling the glove pair 10 presses the finger ends 11 against the surface 21 to drive any air therewithin toward the hand parts 12 of the glove pair 10. The glove pair 10 are maintained in a narrow assembly as depicted in FIG. 2 such that the width "B" is considerably less than the distance from the finger ends 11 to the cuff portions 13. The dexterity needed to gather and then roll the glove pair 10 is not great and a neat compact package 14 may quickly be made without practice, skill or effort.
FIG. 3 shows the result of the continued rolling of the glove pair 10 and more specifically, the glove pair 10 after they are rolled just past the hand parts 12. As is shown in FIG. 3 the air is driven toward the cuff portions 13 of the glove pair 10 during rolling. There is a slight bulge 22 located in advance of the rolled glove pair 10 which bulge 22 suggests the air within the glove pair 10 that is being forced toward the portions 13. Also illustrated in FIG. 3 is a partially rolled package 23 having the finger ends 11 and hand parts 12 kept tightly rolled and contained behind an area 24 of the advancing pressure whereat air within the glove pair 10 is driven outwardly of the glove pair 10. The width "B" is maintained narrow to keep the size of the resulting package 14 as compact as possible. Because the glove pair 10 are typically of thin non-porous material which is usually very flexible and elastic care is taken during the rolling process not to stretch or tear the glove pair 10.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of a preferred form of a binding 25 used to hold the rolled gloves 15. While the very last step of rolling is not in the drawings it is apparent that the procedure followed and shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 is continued until the glove pair 10 are completely rolled into a tightly contained compact package 14 with a width of "B" and a diameter of about one centimeter. This compact package 14 is attainable because the air within the unrolled glove pair 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is excluded from the rolled package 14. Although the glove pair 10 as rolled into the compact package 14 has no memory such that the glove pair 10 would unroll themselves the binding 25 is applied to hold the compact package 14 in a neat and orderly fashion. That is to say that handling of the rolled compact package 14 of the glove pair 10 is simplified by the binding 25 which holds the package together during the placement of the glove pair 10 in a product 26 (in FIG. 6) as will be explained. The preferred binding 25 is a piece of a pressure sensitive tape 27 used to hold the compact rolled cylindrical package of the present invention. The pressure sensitive tape 27 is wrapped around the compact package 14 at a middle 28 thereof relative to the width dimension "B" so as to circumscribe the roll and hold the package together. A tab 29 is formed by the tape ends 30 where they are brought together. The pressure sensitive qualities of the adhesive is selected to adhere well to adjacent tape 27 as in the tab 29, but so as not to stick to the rolled compact package 14 of the glove pair 10. Consequently, the tape 27 may be easily remove without damage to the glove pair 10.
FIG. 4 illustrates a compact package 14a of a glove pair 10a where an elastic band 31 commonly called a rubber band is applied to hold the compact package 14a together. The elastic band 31 is applied about the middle 28a of the of the compact package 14a at approximately the center of the width "B". Specifically, the elastic band 31 is circumferentially stretched, placed over in the preferred location and orientation and released. The restoring elastic force or memory of the elastic band 31 reduces the circumferential size of the elastic band 31 and thereby holds the compact package 14a. FIG. 4 also shows an alternate embodiment in that there is a innerwrap 32 rolled up into the compact package 14a of the glove pair 10a. The innerwrap 32 is placed between the glove pair 10a in order to separate the individual gloves 15a such that they do not interfere with each other such as by sticking. For example, if the particular gloves are manufactured without a donning powder there is a possibility that they may stick to each other after being rolled together into the compact package 14a. The innerwrap 32 may be a piece of paper, plastic or other suitable separating material which is not very thick, is flexible and has about the same dimensions as the glove pair 10a, i.e. width and length.
The method for rolling a glove pair 10 into a relatively cylindrical package includes laying the glove pair 10 out in side by side juxtaposed relationwherein the finger ends 11 of the respective gloves 15 are adjacent to one another, the palm or back hand parts 12 of the respection gloves 15 are adjacent to one another, and the cuff portions 13 of the respective gloves 15 are juxtaposed to one another. The method includes the step of gathering the finger ends 11 of the adjacent gloves 15 into a relatively axial bundle with respect to the elongate longitudinal dimension of the adjacent glove pair 10. The further step of rolling the glove pair from the finger ends of the juxtaposed gloves 15 to the hand parts 12 against a relatively flat and rigid surface 21 in order to exclude any air within the gloves 15 by the pressure applied against the surface 21 while rolling, incorporating the thumbs 17 of the adjacent juxtaposed gloves 15 into the rolled bundle is accomplished. To complete the compact package 14 the method includes continuing to roll the gloves 15 along their elongate longitudinal dimension toward the cuff portions 13, while bearing against the bundle to continue to drive remaining air from the gloves 15 and out from the cuff portions 13 as the glove pair is rolled into the compact cylindrical package 14 about the width "B" of the gloves 15.
Those skilled in the art understand that changes in materials, dimensions, physical relationships and the like may be made without departing from the scope of the inventions covered by the claims which follow.
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