Patent ID: 7614477

Claim:
A cover for a stethoscope having a generally annular head, a pair of ear tubes, and a central tube interconnecting the ear tubes and the head therebelow, the cover comprising: an elongated sleeve of polymeric material having a thin sheet construction and being acoustically transmissive and generally impermeable to microorganisms; a closed bottom portion including a bottom side edge of the sleeve; an upper mouth opening of the sleeve; a single piece upper clasp member of resilient material fixed to the sleeve so that the single piece clasp member extends about the upper mouth opening thereof with the elongated thin sheet sleeve extending loosely downward therefrom; opposite, parallel lateral side edges of the sleeve having upper ends at the upper mouth opening and lower ends at the bottom side edge with the lateral side edges extending parallel to each other down from the upper ends to the lower ends thereof with the bottom side edge extending in a substantially straight line therebetween, the lateral side edges having a lateral spacing therebetween that is larger than a lateral dimension across the stethoscope head; and gripping side portions of the single piece upper clasp member extending between the upper ends of the sleeve side edges and configured to allow a user to use one-hand to resiliently shift the side portions away from each other for enlarging the upper mouth opening sufficiently to permit the stethoscope head and central tube to be inserted through the mouth opening and down into the elongated sleeve between the opposite, parallel lateral side edges thereof with the head positioned adjacent to the straight bottom side edge and to allow the user with the same hand to release the side portions so that the side portions resiliently shift back toward each other to grip onto the ear tubes or central tube to keep the sleeve on the stethoscope in a hands-free assembly thereon.