Abstract:
Aspects of the invention provide a dispenser-package for storing protective eyewear glasses comprising an exterior box having a top, a bottom and four sidewalls along a first length, and an interior retention mechanism for holding a plurality of protective eyewear glasses along a second length. The exterior box completely receives the interior retention mechanism and securely holds the plurality of protective eyewear glasses in place. The exterior box includes a detachable area in proximity to the bottom to allow accessing one or more of the protective eyewear glasses held in place. As a result, a more convenient and efficient way to store and distribute protective eyewear glasses encourages healthcare professionals and patients to wear them and maintain personal safety.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE(S) TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
       [0001]    This application claims a benefit of priority under 35 USC §119 based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/792,371, filed Mar. 15, 2013, the entire contents of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to the field of medical supply packaging. In particular, the invention is related to packaging and dispensing for protective eyewear glasses. 
         [0003]    Manufacturers of protective eyewear glasses oftentimes package and ship products in conventional boxes. Once boxes arrive at a healthcare facility, they are typically opened and groups of protective eyewear glasses are stored in drawers or on shelves. When a pair of protective eyewear glasses is needed, a healthcare professional will typically look through the various drawers and/or shelves to retrieve them. 
         [0004]    In some instances, once boxes arrive at a healthcare facility, protective eyewear glasses may remain permanently in the boxes until a pair of protective eyewear glasses is needed. Boxes may be placed on a shelf or in a closet, and when needed, a box is located by the healthcare professional and a pair of protective eyewear glasses is retrieved from the box individually. Each time a pair of protective eyewear glasses is retrieved, the entire box is opened and closed, thereby compromising the integrity of the box and potentially disheveling the contents of the box with retrieval. 
         [0005]    These approaches often lead to inconvenience to the healthcare professional. In particular, locating a pair of protective eyewear glasses and/or a box containing protective eyewear glasses may be inconvenient and highly time consuming. As a result, in some instances healthcare professionals and/or patients may become inclined to avoid wearing protective eyewear glasses in some instances, thereby compromising personal safety. What is needed is a convenient and efficient way to store and distribute protective eyewear glasses in a healthcare environment. 
       SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    In accordance with an aspect of the invention, methods and apparatuses are provided for packaging protective eyewear glasses in a manner allowing ease of distribution and use. Once a package in accordance with the invention arrives at a healthcare facility, the package may be inserted in a permanent wall-mounted location and a lower end of the package may be detached. As such, protective eyewear glasses may be singly retrieved until the package is empty, at which point, the package may be discarded with a replacement package being inserted in its place in the permanent wall-mounted location. As a result, a more convenient and efficient way to store and distribute protective eyewear glasses encourages healthcare professionals and patients to wear them and maintain personal safety. 
         [0007]    Specifically, one aspect of the present invention includes a dispenser-package for storing protective eyewear glasses comprising an exterior box having a top, a bottom and four sidewalls along a first length, and an interior retention mechanism for holding a plurality of protective eyewear glasses along a second length. The exterior box completely receives the interior retention mechanism and securely holds the plurality of protective eyewear glasses in place. The exterior box includes a detachable area in proximity to the bottom to allow accessing one or more of the protective eyewear glasses held in place. 
         [0008]    The interior retention mechanism may be substantially triangular in shape along the second length thereby allowing protective eyewear glasses to securely wrap around the interior retention mechanism. The protective eyewear glasses may be loaded and presented to a user upside down, with the protruding frame element of the glasses providing a convenient place to grasp and remove the glasses without depositing fingerprints or contamination on the glasses or lenses. 
         [0009]    It is a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a design for easily and securely holding protective eyewear glasses in a queue, and presenting the protective eyewear glasses to a user in a manner to reduce fingerprints or contamination when retrieved. 
         [0010]    Removal of a pair of protective eyewear glasses allows remaining protective eyewear glasses along the interior retention mechanism to slide downward to the bottom with gravity when the exterior box is positioned upright. 
         [0011]    It is a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a mechanism for easy distribution of protective eyewear glasses without compromising the integrity of the package and potentially disheveling the contents of the box. 
         [0012]    A spacer may be held within the exterior box between the end of the second length of the interior retention mechanism and the remaining portion of the first length of the exterior box for securely holding the interior retention mechanism in the exterior box. 
         [0013]    It is a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to securely hold the interior retention mechanism in place with respect to the exterior box. 
         [0014]    The spacer held within the exterior box may be in proximity to the bottom. The spacer may also serve to position the protective eyewear glasses in such a way as to allow only one pair to be dispensed at time, thereby preventing the remaining protective eyewear glasses from falling out of the box and becoming contaminated or dirtied on the floor. 
         [0015]    It is a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a rigid bottom for distribution of the protective eyewear glasses using an additional support. 
         [0016]    An exterior enclosure may be used for rigidly supporting the exterior box. 
         [0017]    It is a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide reinforced support for the package on a reusable basis. 
         [0018]    The exterior enclosure may comprise means for mounting the exterior enclosure to a wall. 
         [0019]    It is a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to provide a centralized location for the package for convenience and encouragement of use. 
         [0020]    The interior retention mechanism can securely hold at least 24 protective eyewear glasses along the second length. 
         [0021]    It is a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to securely hold a bulk of protective eyewear glasses at a time. 
         [0022]    An opening in a sidewall of the exterior box may be used for showing remaining protective eyewear glasses along the interior retention mechanism. 
         [0023]    It is a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to monitor the remaining protective eyewear glasses to facilitate timely reordering. 
         [0024]    The opening may be in proximity to the bottom of the exterior box. 
         [0025]    It is a feature of at least one embodiment of the invention to monitor nearing the end of protective eyewear glasses remaining. 
         [0026]    These and other aspects and objects of the present invention will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, is given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0027]    A clear conception of the advantages and features constituting the present invention, and of the construction and operation of typical mechanisms provided with the present invention, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate the same elements in the several views, and in which: 
           [0028]      FIG. 1  illustrates a front perspective view of an assembled dispenser-package for storing and distributing protective eyewear glasses held in an exterior enclosure according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 2  illustrates a rear perspective view of the assembled dispenser-package as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 3  illustrates a left side perspective view of the assembled dispenser-package as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 4  illustrates a right side perspective view of the assembled dispenser-package as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 5  illustrates a front perspective view of the exterior box of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 6  illustrates a left side perspective view of the exterior box of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0034]      FIG. 7  illustrates a right side perspective view of the exterior box of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0035]      FIG. 8  illustrates a detachable area in proximity to the bottom of the exterior box of  FIG. 1  to allow accessing one or more of the protective eyewear glasses held in place; 
           [0036]      FIG. 9  illustrates an interior retention mechanism for holding the plurality of protective eyewear glasses according to an embodiment of the invention; 
           [0037]      FIG. 10  illustrates the exterior box of  FIG. 1  receiving the interior retention mechanism of  FIG. 9  for securely holding the plurality of protective eyewear glasses in place; 
           [0038]      FIG. 11  illustrates a front perspective view of the exterior enclosure for rigidly supporting the exterior box of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0039]      FIG. 12  illustrates a rear perspective view of the exterior enclosure of  FIG. 11 ; and 
           [0040]      FIG. 13  illustrates a left side perspective view of the exterior enclosure of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0041]      FIG. 14  illustrates a right side perspective view of the exterior enclosure of  FIG. 11 ; 
           [0042]      FIG. 15  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the assembled dispenser-package as shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0043]      FIG. 16  illustrates the bottom perspective view of  FIG. 15  with bottom flaps opened. 
       
    
    
       [0044]    In describing the preferred embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the specific terms so selected and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents, which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose. For example, the words “connected,” “attached,” or terms similar thereto are often used. They are not limited to direct connection but include connection through other elements where such connection is recognized as being equivalent by those skilled in the art. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0045]    The present invention and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments described in detail in the following description. 
         [0046]    A dispenser-package for storing protective eyewear glasses and methods concerning the same are hereby disclosed. Beginning with  FIG. 1 , an assembled dispenser-package  10  for storing protective eyewear glasses comprises an exterior box  12  having a top  14 , a bottom  16  and four sidewalls  18  along a first length from the top  14  to the bottom  16 . The dispenser-package  10  may be manufactured, for example, from conventional cardboard or paper. An interior retention mechanism  20  holds a plurality of protective eyewear glasses  22  along a second length from the top of the interior retention mechanism  20  to the bottom of the interior retention mechanism  20 . The exterior box  12  completely receives the interior retention mechanism  20  and securely holds the plurality of protective eyewear glasses  22  in place. 
         [0047]    The exterior box  12  includes a detachable area  24  in proximity to the bottom  16  of exterior box  12  to allow accessing one or more of the protective eyewear glasses  22  held in place at a time. The detachable area  24  may be formed by perforations in the exterior box  12 , and may include one or more tabs for ease of removal of the detachable area  24 . As a result, the exterior box  12  in a first state, e.g., during shipment, may be fully enclosed without openings, while the exterior box  12  in a second state, e.g., during use in a healthcare facility, has an opening defined by the detachable area  24 . The exterior box  12  may include indentations, impressions, cut-lines and/or any other features facilitating area removal on or in proximity to the detachable area  24  to further facilitate such removal. 
         [0048]    The exterior box  12  may also include a spacer  26  held within the exterior box  12  between the end of the second length of the interior retention mechanism  20  and the remaining portion of the first length of the exterior box  12  for securely holding the interior retention mechanism  20  in the exterior box  12 . As such, the spacer  26  minimizes movement of the interior retention mechanism  20  within the exterior box  12 . In a preferred embodiment, the spacer  26  is in proximity to the bottom of the exterior box  12  to increase rigidity of the bottom  16  after the detachable area  24  is removed. Accordingly, the spacer may serve to position the protective eyewear glasses  22  such that only one pair may be dispensed at time, thereby preventing remaining protective eyewear glasses  22  from falling out of the box and becoming contaminated or dirtied on the floor. In lieu of the spacer  26 , or in addition thereto, folds in the the exterior box  12  and/or the interior retention mechanism  20 , and/or stronger materials thereof, may provide equivalent functionality as desired. For example, as depicted in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , at the bottom  16 , each side may fold in toward the center, and/or one side may include a flap that inserts into a slit on the opposing side, to securely hold the bottom  16  in position and to evenly withstand increased weight from above, with or without inclusion of the spacer  26 . 
         [0049]    An exterior enclosure  28  substantially surrounds the exterior box  12  for rigidly supporting the exterior box  12 . The exterior enclosure  28  may comprise surrounding sides and a bottom for rigidly supporting the exterior box  12 , while leaving the top open and accessible to facilitate ease of insertion and removal of the exterior box  12 . The exterior enclosure  28  may be manufactured from any cost-effective, rigid material, such as plastic, and in a preferred embodiment, is manufactured from a rigid, transparent plastic. 
         [0050]    The exterior enclosure  28  also comprises means for mounting the exterior enclosure  28  to a wall or other sturdy surface. In particular, the exterior enclosure  28  may include holes for positioning onto wall mounted screws, nails, hooks, or other fasteners, or may include hooks or other fasteners, adhesives, hook and loop fabric, angling of the exterior enclosure  28  for hanging over a surface, or any other similar mounting mechanism as known in the art. 
         [0051]    In operation, the exterior box  12  containing the plurality of protective eyewear glasses  22  may arrive at a healthcare facility. The exterior box  12  may be alone or among other exterior boxes  12  in a larger shipping box, or the exterior box  12  may also serve as the shipping box with appropriate shipping labels affixed thereto. At the healthcare facility, the exterior box  12  may be inserted into the (empty) exterior enclosure  28  which is mounted in an appropriate and accessible location in the healthcare facility. Then, the detachable area  24  is removed by tearing away along perforations defining the detachable area  24  from the area in proximity to the bottom  16  of exterior box  12 . 
         [0052]    Next, one or more of the protective eyewear glasses  22  are retrieved through the area now exposed by removal of the detachable area  24 . Removal of a single pair of protective eyewear glasses  22  allows remaining protective eyewear glasses  22  along the interior retention mechanism  20  to slide downward to the bottom with gravity when the exterior box  12  is positioned upright. Finally, once all of the protective eyewear glasses  22  have been removed, the exterior box  12  is removed from exterior enclosure  28  and a replacement exterior box  12  is inserted into the (empty) exterior enclosure  28  and the process is repeated. 
         [0053]    In accordance with an embodiment, a method for storing the protective eyewear glasses  22  may comprise holding the plurality of protective eyewear glasses  22  in place along the length of the interior retention mechanism  20 , and placing the interior retention mechanism  22  completely in the exterior box  18 . The exterior box  18 , again, includes the detachable area  24  in proximity to the bottom to allow accessing one or more of the protective eyewear glasses  22  held in place. 
         [0054]    Turning now to  FIGS. 2-4 , rear, left and right side perspective views of the assembled dispenser-package  10  of  FIG. 1  are shown, respectively. The rear of the exterior enclosure  28  includes a pair of mounting holes with grooves  30  for wall mounting. Similarly, the left side and the right side of the exterior enclosure  28  also include pairs of mounting holes with grooves  32  and  34 , respectively, for wall mounting. 
         [0055]    In addition, the left side and the right side of the exterior box  12  include openings  36  and  38 , respectively, in sidewalls  18  of the exterior box  12 , for showing remaining protective eyewear glasses along the interior retention mechanism  20  to facilitate timely reordering. The openings  36  and  38  in sidewalls  18  are visible through the transparent exterior enclosure  28 . In a preferred embodiment, the opening openings  36  and  38  are in proximity to the bottom of the exterior box to monitor nearing the end of protective eyewear glasses  22  remaining. 
         [0056]    An indicia for facilitating reordering of the protective eyewear glasses  22  may also appear on the exterior box  12 . The indicia may be, for example, a Quick Response (“QR”) Code, a barcode, a reorder number, reorder instructions, an Internet address, and so forth, which may be linked to or otherwise facilitate reordering of the protective eyewear glasses  22 . In a preferred embodiment, the indicia may be in proximity to the opening openings  36  and  38  such that monitoring nearing the end of the protective eyewear glasses  22  may conveniently accompany reordering the protective eyewear glasses  22 . 
         [0057]    Turning now to  FIGS. 5-7 , front, left and right side perspective views of the exterior box  12  of  FIG. 1  are shown, respectively. The top  14  and the bottom  16  of the exterior box  12  may comprise a plurality of flaps for sealing the top  14  together and the bottom  16  together as in conventional boxes. In In addition, the exterior box  12  may collapse flat when the plurality of flaps for sealing the top  14  and the bottom  16  are fully opened, as in conventional boxes. 
         [0058]    Turning now to  FIG. 8 , a closer view of the detachable area  24  of the exterior box  12  of  FIG. 1  is shown. Removal of the detachable area  24  allows accessing one or more of the protective eyewear glasses  22  when present. Impression areas  40  located in proximity to the lower side of the detachable area  24  allow ease of removal of the detachable area  24  by pushing against the impression areas  40  to begin breaking perforations that form the detachable area  24 . Alternative embodiments for the detachable area  24  may provide indentations, cut-lines, removable adhesives and/or other techniques as known in the art. 
         [0059]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , the spacer  26  is lifted upward from the bottom  16  of the exterior box  12  to reveal its additional detail. Accordingly, the spacer  26  may comprise a separate, detachable piece from the exterior box  12  formed of cardboard or paper folded together. An alternative embodiment may provide a spacer that is formed as part of the exterior box. 
         [0060]    Turning now to  FIG. 9 , the interior retention mechanism  20  holds the plurality of protective eyewear glasses  22  according to an embodiment of the invention. The interior retention mechanism  20  may be substantially triangular in shape along its length thereby allowing the arms of the protective eyewear glasses  22  to securely wrap around the interior retention mechanism  20 . As shown in the figures, the interior retention mechanism  20  may in fact appear trapezoidal in shape with respect to the exterior box  12 , although other shapes may be used, so long as they are conducive to retention of the protective eyewear glasses  22  within the exterior box  12 . As a result, the protective eyewear glasses  22  may be loaded and presented to a user upside down, with the protruding frame element of the protective eyewear glasses  22  providing a convenient place to grasp and remove the protective eyewear glasses  22  without depositing fingerprints or contamination on the protective eyewear glasses  22  or their lenses. The interior retention mechanism  20  is sized to substantially secure against the exterior box  12  when the exterior box  12  receives the interior retention mechanism  20 . 
         [0061]    The interior retention mechanism  20  includes folding flaps  42  along its length, and along the apex area of the substantially triangular shape. The folding flaps  42  further allow guiding of the interior retention mechanism  20  into the exterior box  12 , further provide securely holding the protective eyewear glasses  22  inside the exterior box  12 , and further provide rigidity for the exterior box  12  once assembled. 
         [0062]    Turning now to  FIG. 10 , the exterior box  12  completely receives the interior retention mechanism  20  for securely holding the plurality of protective eyewear glasses  22  in place. The interior retention mechanism  20  slides into the exterior box  12  through the top  14  of the exterior box  12 . 
         [0063]    Turning now to  FIGS. 11-14 , front, rear, left and right side perspective views of the exterior enclosure  28  of  FIG. 1  are shown, respectively. The exterior enclosure  28  is a transparent plastic and provides rigid support for the exterior box  12 . The rear of the exterior enclosure  28  includes the pair of mounting holes with grooves  30  for wall mounting. Similarly, the left side and the right side of the exterior box  12  also include the pairs of mounting holes with grooves  32  and  34 , respectively, for wall mounting. 
         [0064]      FIG. 15  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the assembled dispenser-package as shown in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         [0065]      FIG. 15  illustrates the bottom perspective view of  FIG. 15  with bottom flaps opened. 
         [0066]    Additional features of a dispenser-package for storing protective eyewear glasses are shown in the illustrations in Appendix A attached hereto. 
         [0067]    The individual components need not be formed in the disclosed shapes, or assembled in the disclosed configuration, but could be provided in virtually any shape and assembled in virtually any configuration. Further, although various embodiments of eye protection, face shields, head bands, and dispensers are described herein with certain features, any of the features may be combined with or removed from any of the embodiments. Furthermore, all the disclosed features of each dispenser may be combined with, or substituted for, the disclosed features of every other embodiment. 
         [0068]    It is intended that the appended claims cover all such additions, modifications and rearrangements. Expedient embodiments of the present invention are differentiated by the appended claims.