GB2291394A

GB2291394A - Pack of gloves

Info

Publication number: GB2291394A
Application number: GB9512955A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Geoffrey Rowe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-06-24
Filing date: 1995-06-26
Publication date: 1996-01-24
Anticipated expiration: 2015-06-26
Also published as: GB2291394B; GB9512955D0

Abstract

A glove pack comprises a first glove 2 and a second glove 3, and a wallet for the gloves. The wallet is of folded flexible sheet material 1 of which both major faces are of thermoplastic material, the sheet material being such that when folded (about fold lines 4, 5, 6), the gloves are arranged on the same major face of the sheet material, with each respective opposed free marginal edge portion of the sheet material folded to form a pocket for the respective glove. <IMAGE>

Description

Pack of Gloves The present invention is concerned with a pack of gloves.

Medical gloves, such as surgeons' sterile gloves and sterile examination gloves, are typically provided to the operative in a flexible paper wallet formed by folding a single sheet of paper. The paper is folded about a median spinal foldline and left and right folds extending substantially parallel to the median folding, so as to ensure that each glove is located in a leaf or pouch provided between the spinal foldline and the respective free edge, with opposed major faces of the glove being in contact with the same major face of the folded paper sheet. The wallet is itself generally provided in a hermetically sealed peelable outer package, which is opened prior to use.A medical operative can then present the wallet for donning of the gloves, such that left and right gloves are in appropriate positions and that, on opening the wallet, the hands of the operative can be readily inserted into respective gloves.

Because such wallets are made of paper, they may give rise to fibrous debris, which is, of course, undesirable in a sterile environment. It is an object of the present invention to alleviate this problem.

According to the present invention, there is provided a pack comprising a first glove and a second glove, and a wallet for said gloves, which wallet is of flexible sheet material of which both major faces are of thermoplastic material, the gloves being arranged on the same major face of the sheet material, with each respective opposed free marginal edge portion of said sheet material forming a pocket for the respective glove.

The gloves in the pack according to the present invention may be coloured, embossed and/or decorated depending on their required area of application. The gloves typically comprise dipped latex rubber, polyurethane or the like.

The flexible sheet material should be thin enough to permit multiple folding on proprietary machinery; an exemplary thickness is about 20 to 40 microns. The sheet material is typically rectangular, with a major dimension of 40 to 60cm, and a minor dimension of 25 to 40cm. The sheet material may be laminated or coated on both surfaces with a heat sealable thermoplastic polymer; alternatively, and preferably, the sheet material is preferably a film (such as an extruded film) of a heat sealable thermoplastic polymer.

Such a heat sealable polymer is typically a polyolefin, which should be sterilisable by gamma radiation or electron beam. Examples of such polyolefins include a polyethylene, a polypropylene, an ethylene copolymer or the like. High density polyethylene is preferred.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the polyolefin of both the major faces of the flexible sheet material is the same; alternatively, the major faces may respectively comprise different polyolefins. For example, a first surface layer may comprise a polyethylene and the opposed surface layer may comprise an ethylene copolymer. The respective surfaces may be provided with any suitable finish, such as a non-slip coating.

The flexible sheet material may be of a printable material, such that printed data, such as product information or the like may be provided thereon or therein. For example, the appropriate marginal edge portions may be printed with respective indications corresponding to left or right hand. It is preferred that the flexible sheet material should be translucent or transparent, which provides a further advantage relative to the use of wallets consisting of paper, in that the gloves (and any marking or coding thereon) can be visible to the operative without the need for opening the wallet.

The present invention will now be further illustrated by the following drawings, which do not limit the invention in any way, in which: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a pack according to the present invention, when laid out flat; and Figure 2 shows the pack of Figure 1, in folded up configuration.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, there is shown a carrier film 1 on which are placed left and right gloves 2, 3.

The film 1 has a median spinal foldline 4 about which the two halves of the film may be folded. Each half of the film has a intermediate foldline 5, 6, respectively, which is parallel both to the transverse edges 7, 8, and to the median foldline 4. All the foldlines described so far are so-called "valley" folds.

Close to (and parallel to) edge 7 is a marginal foldline 9, of "mountain" fold type, which is also parallel to median foldline 4 and further foldline 5, so as to define a marginal flap 10. A corresponding marginal foldline 11 (also of the "mountain" type), is provided parallel to edge 8, median foldline 4 and further foldline 6, thereby defining a marginal flap 12.

Close to each of the longitudinal edges 13, 14 are further marginal foldlines 15, 16 respectively. The portion of foldline 15 on each of marginal flaps 10 and 12 is a "valley" fold, as is the corresponding portion of foldline 16.

The portion of foldline 15 between marginal foldline 9 and intermediate foldline 5 is a mountain fold type, as is the portion between marginal foldline 11 and intermediate foldline 6, and the corresponding portions of foldline 16.

The remaining central portion of foldline 15 (and the corresponding central portion of foldline 16) is a valley fold.

Referring now to Figure 2, the film 1 is folded around the intermediate foidlines 5, 6 so that each glove can lie flat between facing portions of the same major face of the film.

Marginal foldlines 9 and 11 are then folded back so that the surfaces of respective flaps 10 and 12 are substantially parallel to the surface of the remainder of the film. Longitudinal edge portions are then folded inwardly, about foidlines 15 and 16, to arrive at the position illustrated in Figure 2.

Finally, the two halves are folded towards one another, about spinal foldline 4, so as to form a wallet with two pockets, a respective glove being located within each pocket in such a way that contact with the other glove is prevented.

The wallet can then be placed in an outer package (not shown), which can be hermetically sealed on all four sides around the wallet and gloves.

When the gloves are required for use, the outer package is opened, typically by means of a tear strip or the like. The wallet is then opened up about spinal foidline 4, and laid on a convenient flat surface.

A medical operative can then grasp each of the marginal flaps 10 and 12, to open out the wallet and expose the gloves, which remain lying flat on the opened-out film, with the gloves in position ready to be donned.

Various modifications of the embodiment illustrated are possible. For example, one or other of the marginal foldlines may be replaced by a line of spaced spot welds or by an adhesive bonding line, which line is broken when the wallet is opened up for use.

In another modification, a pull tag or the like may be provided on one or other lateral edge, such a pull tag being instead of (or additional to) the respective marginal flap.

Claims

Claims:

1. A pack comprising a first glove and a second glove, and a wallet for said gloves, which wallet is of flexible sheet material of which both major faces are of thermoplastic material, the gloves being arranged on the same major face of the sheet material, with each respective opposed free marginal edge portion of said sheet material forming a pocket for the respective glove.

2. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material is laminated or coated on each face with a respective heat sealable thermoplastic polymer, which may be the same or different.

3. A pack according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material comprises a film of a heat sealable thermoplastic polymer.

4. A pack according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the heat sealable thermoplastic polymer is a polyolefin.

5. A pack according to claim 4, wherein the polyolefin is high density polyethylene.

6. A pack according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sheet material is folded to form said free marginal edge portions.

7. A pack according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sheet material is translucent or transparent.

8. A pack according to any of claims 1 to 7, having printed matter on or in said sheet material.

9. A pack for a pair of gloves, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.