GB2510428A

GB2510428A - A glove packet having reinforcement means, for use with a glove dispenser

Info

Publication number: GB2510428A
Application number: GB1302023.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kim Marie Stollery; Jonathan William Stollery
Original assignee: Altevo Ltd
Current assignee: Altevo Ltd
Priority date: 2013-02-05
Filing date: 2013-02-05
Publication date: 2014-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2033-02-05
Also published as: GB201302023D0; GB2510428B

Abstract

The present invention relates particularly to the dispensing of disposable inspection gloves for use in clinical, veterinary or medical environments. A glove packet 2 comprises a stack of gloves 70, a flexible bag 80 that has opposed first and second end walls 81, 82 for the ends of the glove stack, a collapsible side wall 83 extending around a perimeter of the stack and at least one reinforcing member (50, figure 8) between the dispensing end of the glove stack and the first end wall of the bag. The first end wall of the bag has a dispensing passage 85 and the gloves are folded so that movement of the current glove causes the next glove to be pulled into position. The, or each, reinforcing member preferably also has a dispensing passage 90. The glove packet is loaded into a reusable dispenser 1 with a spring-biased plate, in order to move the stack of gloves towards the dispensing passage as gloves are progressively dispensed from the stack.

Description

Glove Dispenser

BACKGROUND

a. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the dispensing of gloves from a dispenser, and particularly the dispensing of disposable inspection gloves for use in clinical, veterinary or medical environments.

b. Related Art The control of infection of patients in hospitals, clinics, and doctors' surgeries has become an ever more pressing concern with the rise of infectious bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics, in particular methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Research has shown that high levels of MRSA and C. difficile are present on everyday items in hospitals. Samples taken from an intensive care unit at a London hospital found MRSA on charts, bins, pens, medical notes, phones and computer keyboards. There was also MRSA present on staff aprons and hands.

The most common route for MRSA infection is between patients or via a doctor or nurse. Hospital staff can spread MRSA by using such items after having contact with patients.

Research has also shown that if someone has MRSA on their hands, the bacteria would be left on the next four surfaces touched by that person. Once MRSA is on an item it will remain there for up to 80 days unless that item is cleaned. C. difficile will remain active on surfaces much longer than that.

Most gloves used in hospitals and clinics are examination gloves. Because inspection gloves are used in large numbers, these are not supplied in individual sterile packages, but instead in relatively inexpensive cardboard dispensing boxes.

Use of these disposable medical gloves can help prevent cross-contamination, but a problem arises if external parts of the glove are touched by a person prior to or during donning of the glove. Such external parts can then become contaminated priorto use.

US 4,844,293 discloses a glove dispensing system where a packet of disposable gloves is placed in an outer container, and gloves are dispensed through registering apertures in the packet and the outer container. An advantage of this arrangement is that gloves can be loaded in a three-sided cardboard sleeve to form a relatively inexpensive packet. The sleeve has opposite front and rear sides which are joined on one side to each other and the gloves are stacked flat within this sleeve and not folded in half or interfolded. The packet is then loaded within a more substantial, reusable, outer dispensing container. As gloves are dispensed from the container, the part of the rear side of the sleeve opposite the dispensing aperture collapses towards the front side under the action of a spring which biases the stack of gloves towards the aperture in the front side of the sleeve. The joined side of the sleeve is at the finger end of the gloves. The spring and the dispensing apertures are aligned with a palm portion of each glove. The biasing spring is therefore on the portion of the cardboard sleeve which can collapse rather than the joined side of the cardboard sleeve which would resist collapse.

A problem with this arrangement is that the cuffs of the gloves are not directly accessible to the user at the dispensing opening. The portion of the glove which is accessible is the palm portion. When pulling gloves out of the dispenser the user will therefore contaminate the external glove surfaces near this portion of the glove, which when donned will be either over the palm or the back of the hand.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a low cost glove dispenser for dispensing gloves cuff first which address these problems of contamination in a medical or clinical environment or in any other environment where the control of hand-borne contamination is important.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a glove packet for use in a glove dispenser, the packet comprising: -a stack of gloves, each glove having a cuff portion and a finger portion and said stack having a pair of opposite ends, namely a first end and a second end, between which said gloves are stacked in interfolded layers and the stack having a perimeter which extends between said ends, the first end being a dispensing end of said stack from which gloves are presented for dispensing cuff first, the gloves being interfolded with each other such that the finger portion of each glove wraps around the cuff portion of the next glove to be dispensed whereby, in use, the cuff of the next glove to be dispensed is pulled into position for cuff first dispensing by movement of the current glove being dispensed; -a flexible bag, the bag having a first wall and a second wall and extending between said walls a side wall, the first and second walls extending over, respectively, the first and second ends of the stack and the side wall extending around the perimeter of said stack, whereby the stack is contained by the bag, the first wall comprising a dispensing portion, and the dispensing portion of the first wall, in use, providing a dispensing passage in the first wall through which said gloves pass during said cuff first dispensing of gloves from the stack and the side wall of the flexible bag being collapsible when the second wall is urged towards the first wall in order to move the stack of gloves towards the dispensing passage as gloves are progressively dispensed from the stack; and -at least one reinforcing member, said member being interposed between the dispensing end of the stack and the first wall and being configured with respect to the stack to allow said gloves to reach said dispensing passage during said cuff first dispensing of gloves from the stack.

The flexible bag can be made from a relatively inexpensive and non-bulky material, for example a flexible polymeric material having a thickness in the range of 25 pm to 200 pm. The glove packet can then be loaded into a reusable housing to form the glove dispenser. As the housing is reusable, this can be made from durable materials, for example an injection moulded plastics materials and include features to tacilitate easy loading and secure retention of the glove packet within the housing. The glove packet is therefore a relatively inexpensive cartridge for loading into a reusable housing to form a glove dispenser.

Once all the gloves have been dispensed from a glove packet, the dispenser housing may be opened up, for example by means of a removable cover portion of the housing, and the depleted packet removed and a full packet inserted in its place.

The at least one reinforcing member may have an aperture to allow gloves to reach the dispensing passage during cuff first dispensing of gloves from the stack.

The reinforcing member may be one or more plates. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing member is a plate that has an aperture extending through the plate which allows the gloves to reach the dispensing passage in the flexible bag as cuffs are dispensed cuff first from the stack.

A problem can arise if the gloves being dispensed rub against the edges of the dispensing passage in the bag. Initially, the bag is preferably taut around the enclosed glove and reinforcing member or members. However, the bag will collapse as the remaining gloves in the stack are proved progressively moved towards the dispensing passage, and so the bag will become slack. As will be described below in greater detail, inside the dispenser the first wall of the bag is preferably compressed or pinched between the reinforcing member(s) and an adjacent inner surface of a housing into which the glove packet has been loaded, and this does tend to stabilise the first wall of the bag from being pulled or dragged outwards together with the glove being dispensed. It is, however, particularly advantageous if the dispensing passage is at least the same size as, and preferably larger in at least one respect, as compared with the size of any aperture provided by the reinforcing member(s) as this will help to minimise or eliminate any tendency of the collapsed, slack bag to be dragged out in the direction of movement of the gloves being dispensed.

Therefore, the dispensing passage in the first wall may be larger in at least one dimension than the aperture in the reinforcing member(s).

The dispensing passage in the first wall is preferably outside the bounds of the aperture in the reinforcing member(s).

The dispensing passage in the first wall has an edge and the aperture in the reinforcing member(s) has an edge, and the edge of the dispensing passage is set back from the edge of the aperture in the reinforcing member(s).

All of these arrangements provide the benefit that when a glove is pulled from the glove packet during dispensing, the glove being dispensed does not drag on the sides of the dispensing passage in the first wall of the flexible bag.

The dispensing passage in the first wall may be elongate, having a length that extends along a long axis and a width that extends along a short axis, and the aperture in the reinforcing member(s) is also elongate having a length that extends along a long axis and a width that extends along a short axis.

The width of the dispensing passage in the first wall may then be greater than the width of the aperture in the reinforcing member(s).

Additionally, or alternatively, the length of the dispensing passage in the first wall may be greater than the length of the aperture in the reinforcing member(s).

Preferably, the, or each, reinforcing member is of card material, for example folded cardboard, stiff paper, plastic sheet material or any other suitable type of folded sheet material. All such suitable sheet-like material will be referred to herein as "card material".

When the, or each, reinforcing member is a plate, such a plate will have an outer periphery, and this outer periphery is preferably substantially square or substantially rectangular. The reinforcing plate may have rounded corners, which will help prevent perforation of the flexible bag by sharp corners of the plate.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the flexible bag, when initially full of gloves, is preferably stretched over the outer periphery of the plate where the first wall of the bag meets the side wall of the bag. This helps to keep the gloves held tightly within the bag so that the stack retains its shape and also helps to keep the gloves properly interfolded prior to loading the packet into the glove dispenser.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a glove dispenser, comprising at least one glove packet and a housing, said glove packet being according to the first aspect of the invention and the housing comprising: -at least one compartment within the housing for holding a corresponding glove packet; -at least one removable cover for gaining access to said compartment in order to load said glove packet into said compartment; -at least one dispensing aperture in the housing, said aperture providing access to the dispensing passage of said glove packet when the glove packet is loaded into said compartment with the first wall of said loaded glove packet facing the dispensing aperture such that gloves are available for cuff first dispensing at said dispensing aperture; and -a biasing means, the biasing means being located between the housing and the second wall of said loaded glove packet whereby the second wall is urged towards the first wall in order to move the stack of gloves towards the dispensing passage as gloves are progressively dispensed from the stack.

The biasing means is preferably a spring biasing means.

The removable cover may be completely removable from the rest of the housing or alternatively be partially removable, for example remaining attached to the housing when opened to gain access to the compartment. Both such arrangements would constitute a "removable" cover within the context of the present invention. Partial removal may be provided, for example, by a hinged connection along an edge of the cover and an adjacent portion of the housing.

The removable cover may then be removed to open up the compartment when a glove packet is fully or partially depleted of gloves so that a fresh or full glove packet can be inserted into the compartment. The cover is then replaced to keep the glove packet retained within the housing. In this way, the glove dispenser is re-usable when the compartment is loaded with a replacement glove packet.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention there are two side-by-side compartments in the housing so that the glove dispenser can dispense gloves from either compartment. This is convenient as then different sized gloves or different type gloves may be loaded into the two compartments.

Alternatively the same size or type of glove may be loaded. Then when one glove packet is deleted, this may be replaced prior to the other glove packet becoming depleted, so that gloves are always available for dispensing from the glove dispenser.

The biasing means is preferably provided between the removable cover and the second wall of said loaded glove packet.

Because the housing is reusable, it is very important to minimise contamination around the dispensing aperture in the housing or, if contamination around the dispensing aperture is present, to minimise the chance of this contamination spreading or being transferred to gloves as these are dispensed by the glove dispenser.

Therefore the dispensing aperture is preferably larger in at least one dimension than the aperture in the reinforcing member(s). The dispensing aperture is also preferably larger than at least one dimension of the dispensing passage in the first wall of theflexible bag.

For the same reason, it is preferable if the dispensing aperture is outside the bounds of the aperture in the reinforcing member(s). The dispensing aperture is also preferably outside the bounds of the dispensing passage in the first wall of the flexible bag.

The dispensing aperture will have an edge and the aperture in the reinforcing member(s) will also have an edge. Also in order to help control spread of contamination, it is preferred if the edge of the dispensing passage is set back from the edge of the aperture in the reinforcing member(s). The edge of the dispensing aperture is also preferably set back from an edge of the dispensing passage in the first wall of the flexible bag.

The dispensing passage in the first wall of the flexible bag may also be separated from the dispensing aperture by a band of the first wall which extends substantially fully around the dispensing passage.

All the above measures will help to prevent contamination being spread to dispensed gloves, particularly the non-cuff portions of the glove.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a glove dispenser according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, having a housing into which have been loaded two side-by-side glove packets for cuff-first dispensing of gloves through a dispensing aperture of the housing; Figure 2 is a perspective of the glove dispenser of Figure 1, showing the side of the housing opposite to the two dispensing apertures, and how this side is provided by two covers which are held to a main portion of the housing by a latch mechanism; Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, showing how the two covers may be removed from the main portion of the housing; Figure 4 is a close up view of the internal side of one of the removable covers, showing how a glove packet compression means in the form of a coil spring and compression plate is affixed to the inside surface of the removable cover; Figure 5 is a cross-section through one of the latch mechanisms used to removably attach each of the covers to the main body of the housing; Figure 6 is an exploded view similar to that of Figure 2, showing how a glove packet is inserted into a compartment inside the housing prior to re-attachment of the removable cover; Figure 7 is a cross-section taken along the plane indicated by VIl-VIl of Figure 1, showing schematically the internal structure of one of the glove packets, specifically an interfolded stack of gloves, at the a dispensing end of the stack of gloves a reinforcing member in the form of a plate that extends parallel to the plane of the glove layers in the stack, and a surrounding bag which initially includes a peel-off strip which when removed from the bag reveals a dispensing passage in the bag and aligned with this an aperture in the reinforcing member which is positioned to allow gloves to reach the dispensing passage during the cuff first dispensing of gloves from the stack; and Figure 8 is a plan view of the reinforcing member, showing how this is a plate with a substantially rectangular in outline, having rounded corers and a central oval aperture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figures 1 to 7 show various views of a glove dispenser 1, comprising at least two glove packets 2, 2' and a housing 4. The housing is has six sides 11-16, being substantially rectangular cuboid in shape. A first or front side 11 is provided by a first, or front side wall 111 which has a pair of dispensing apertures 6, 6', and opposite this first side, a second, or rear side 12 is provided by a second, or rear side wall 112. Extending between these opposite front and rear side walls 111, 112 is a pair of opposite long sides 13, 14, provided by a pair of long side walls 113, 114. The remaining two sides are a pair of opposite end sides 15, 16, provided by a pair of opposite end side walls 115, 116.

The length 3 of the housing 4 is the long dimension of the front, rear and long sides 11-14, and is 258 mm. The widthS of the housing is the short dimension of the front and rear sides 11, 12, or the long dimension of the end sides 15, 16, and is 130 mm. The height 7 of the housing is the short dimension of the long sides and end sides 13-16, and is 83 mm.

The second side wall 112 is provided by two, separate, removable covers 8, 8', shown most clearly in Figures 3 and 4. These covers form part of the housing 4 when joined to the remainder of the housing formed by the front, rear, long and end side walls 111, 113-116. The two covers 8, 8' are identical and interchangeable in the way these can be connected to and removed from the remainder of the housing.

When removed, the covers 8, 8' expose a pair of compartments 18, 18' within the housing for holding a corresponding one of the glove packets 2, 2'. The compartments are separated within the housing 4 by a dividing wall 19 that extends perpendicularly between the opposite long side walls 113, 114 at a longitudinal midpoint of the housing. The internal dimensions of each compartment are 125 mm along the length of the housing and 120 mm along the width of the housing. The housing 4 has a mirror symmetry about the dividing wall 19, and therefore the compartments 18, 18' each have the same size. The two glove packets 2, 2', when full, therefore also have essentially the same shape as each other.

A compartment of this size is suitable for interfolded gloves having one transverse fold line that is approximately mid-way between the finger tips and the end of the glove cuff, as shown in Figure 7. As will be explained in greater detail below, this type of interfolding produces a glove stack in which the finger portion of each glove loops around the cuff portion of the next glove to be dispensed.

The invention is, however, applicable to other type of interfolding, for example the S-fold type interfolding disclosed in WO 2012/085704 Al in which there are two transverse folds at approximately the one-third and two-third points between the finger tips and the end of the glove cuff. This type of interfolding also produces a glove stack in which the finger portion of each glove loops around the cuff portion of the next glove to be dispensed. However, in this case the stack of gloves will be narrower in the direction transverse to the fold lines.

The person skilled in the art will appreciate that the particular dimensions of the compartments will depend on the dimensions of the glove stack, and this will depend on the type of interfolding and also on other factors, for example if the glove is folded in half in a longitudinal direction or if there is any inward folding the glove portions for the little finger or thumb, all of which would have the effect of narrowing the glove stack in a particular direction.

With reference now particularly to Figures 4 and 6, each cover 8, 8' has a main central section 20 which is substantially planar and substantially square in outline.

It is this main central section of the two covers 8, 8' which provides the second, or rear side wall 112 of the housing 4. Along two opposite side edges 21, 22 of the main central section 20 is flanked by a pair of side plates 23, 24, each of which extends perpendicularly away from the plane of the main central section 20. The side plates are separated by a distance greater than the width 5 of the housing so that each cover 8, 8' can be fitted to the adjacent long side walls 113, 114 to secure each cover to the housing. The side plates 23, 24, which extend away from the main central section 20 by a distance less than half the height 7 of the housing therefore overlap part of the long sides 13, 14 of the housing.

Each cover 8, 8' supports a biasing means which in this example is a spring biasing means 10 for biasing the glove packet towards the dispensing aperture 6, 6'. The spring biasing means 10 comprises a coil spring 30 which when expanded has a frustoconical outer shape, and a compression plate 40 which in this example has a circular periphery 31.

It should be noted, however, that other types of biasing means could be used, for example a sponge which when compressed has a tendency to expand, or a sprung blade.

An inner surface 26 of the main central portion 20 of each cover 8, 8' has three clips 28 of [-shape cross-section equidistantly spaced around a circumference centred on the main central portion. Each clip 28 has an inwardly directed channel 29 into one which is seated a first larger diameter end 32 of the coil spring 30. In this way, the coil spring is secured to the removable cover.

The compression plate 40 is disc-shaped, with parallel opposite sides 34, 35 that are substantially planar. An innermost side 34 faces towards the dispensing aperture 6, 6' in the opposite front side wall 111 of the housing 4 and an outermost side 35 faces towards the inner surface 26 of the main central portion 20 of each cover 8, 8'. The outermost side 35 of the compression plate 40 is flat except for three clips 38 of L-shape cross-section equidistantly spaced around a circumference centred on the disc of the compression plate. This circumference is about half the diameter of the compression plate 40 so that these clips are in a central portion of the compression plate. Each clip 38 has an inwardly directed channel 39 into one which is seated a smaller diameter end 36 of the coil spring 30. In this way, the coil spring is secured to the compression plate.

The diameter of the coil spring 30 tapers between the two ends 32, 36 so that when the compression plate 40 is compressed fully towards the main central section 20, the loops of the coil spring are nested in a spiral.

The main central section 20 has a pair of arcuate ridges 41, 42 which extend around most of the circumference of the disc-shaped compression plate.

The arcuate ridges 41, 42 are continued with a pair of parallel reinforcing ridges 43, 44 which meet the opposite side edges 21, 22 of the main central section 20 and flanking side plates 23, 24 at right angles. The reinforcing ridges 43, 44 extend from the inner surface 26 of the main central section 20 to an inner surface 49 of the side plates 23, 24 and therefore provide rigidity against flexing of the removable cover 8, 8' along the opposite side edges 21, 22. These reinforcing ridges 43, 44 also provide side walls to a substantially rectangular aperture 45, 46 in each of the side plates 23, 24. Each aperture 45, 46 is therefore bounded on a first pair of opposite sides or edges 47, 48 by a portion of the reinforcing ridges 43, 44. Each aperture 45, 46 is then bounded on an second pair of opposite sides or edges 51, 52 by a ledge 53 in one of the side plates 23, 24 and by a wall 54 in the main central section 20 which extends away from the inner surface 26 of the main central section 20. The wall 54 extends fully along the aperture edge 52 to join at opposite ends to the pair of the reinforcing ridges 43, 44. The wall 54 therefore also provides some reinforcement to the main central section 20 along this edge 52 to each aperture 45, 46.

The purpose of the substantially rectangular apertures 45, 46 in the side plates 23, 24 is evident from Figures 5 and 6, which show how the removable covers 8, 8' are fitted and secured to the remainder of the housing.

Each of the long side walls 113, 114 of the housing has along an edge 56 nearest the removable cover 8, 8' a tongue 58 defined by a pair of similar slots 57 which extend fully through the long sides in a direction away from the removable cover 8, 8'. Each tongue 58 therefore has a tip 59 which extends towards the removable cover. Each tongue has towards its tip a lip 61 that extends laterally outwardly with respect to the corresponding long side wall 113, 114. The lip 61 has a smoothly tapered top surface 62 and an undercut bottom surface 63. The angle of this bottom surface of the lip matches the angle of the ledge 53 which provides one side of each rectangular aperture 45, 46. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the lip 61 engages with the ledge 53 when the lid is moved towards the remainder of the housing and the side plates 23, 24 slide over the outside of the long side walls 13, 14. During this connection of the cover 8, 8' to the remainder of the housing, the tapered top surface 62 of each lip 61 rides up the inside surface 46 of the side plates causing each tongue 58 to flex inwards. This flexing is made possible by the choice of a resilient material for the housing, which will most commonly be polypropolene. When each lip 61 reaches the corresponding rectangular aperture 45, 46, the tongue 58 flexes outwards as the lip engages within its aperture 45, 46 adjacent the angled ledge 53.

It should be noted that there is sufficient clearance between the tip 59 of each tongue 58 and the wall 54 of each rectangular aperture 45, 46 in the main central section 20 to allow this flexing.

When the spring biasing means 10 acts to press against the glove packet 2, 2' the restoring force from the engaged removable cover is provided by the contact between the angled undercut surface 63 of the lip 61 and the correspondingly angled ledge 53. The compression between these angled surfaces provided by the spring biasing serves to keep the tongue 58 pulled towards the inside surface 49 of the side plates 23, 24, thereby keeping each tongue 58 properly engaged with the corresponding rectangular aperture 45, 46.

When the cover is to be removed from the remainder of the housing, the tip 59 of each tongue 58 is pressed inwards, which can readily be accomplished by hand without the need for any tools. This disengages the removable cover 8, 8' from the rest of the housing, allowing the cover to be removed, so that a depleted glove packet 2, 2' and can be removed and a fresh glove packet inserted, as illustrated in Figure 6.

When a glove packet 2, 2' is to be loaded, as shown in Figure 6, the main portion of the housing consisting of the front wall 111, long side walls 113, 114, end walls 115, 116 and dividing wall 19 is inverted and placed, for example on a suitable work surface such as a clean desk or table. A full glove packet 2, 2' is then inserted into one or both of the compartments 18, 18'. Then the removable cover including the spring biasing means 10 is pressed by hand up against the glove packet 2, 2', thereby compressing the spring 30 until the tongues 58 engage with the corresponding rectangular apertures 45, 46.

The glove packet 2 will now be described with reference now also to Figures 7 and 8 which show respectively a cross-section of the loaded glove dispenser 1 taken along the plane indicated by VIl-VIl of Figure 1, and a plan view of a reinforcing member 50 which is incorporated into the glove packet 2.

The glove packet 2 comprises a stack of gloves 70, each glove 71 having a cuff portion 72 and a finger portion 73. The stack 70 has a pair of opposite ends, namely a first end 74 and a second end 75, between which the gloves are stacked in interfolded layers. The stack has a perimeter 76 which extends between these ends74,75.

The first end is a dispensing end 74 of the stack 70 from which gloves are presented for dispensing cuff first. As shown in Figure 7, the gloves 71 are inter-folded with each other such that the finger portion 73 of each glove wraps around the cuff portion 72 of the next glove to be dispensed whereby, in use, the cuff of the next glove to be dispensed is pulled into position for cuff first dispensing by movement of the current glove being dispensed.

The glove packet 2 also comprises a flexible outer bag 80. The bag, which may be of a shrink wrap plastic sheet material, has a first end wall 81 and a second end wall 82 and extending between these end walls a side wall 83. The first and second walls 81, 82 extend over, respectively, the first and second ends of the stack 74, 75 and the side wall 83 extends around the perimeter 76 of the stack 70.

The stack is therefore contained by the bag.

The first wall 81 of the bag 80 comprises a dispensing portion 84 of the bag which has a dispensing passage 85 through which gloves pass during cuff first glove dispensing. In this example, the dispensing passage is initially covered over by a removable tear-off strip 86 which therefore forms pad of the first wall 81 up until the strip is removed for dispensing of gloves 71.

The tear off strip 86 has an adhesive (not shown) which extends fully along an underside 87 of the strip and which is used not just to temporarily adhere the strip to the rest of the bag first wall 81 but is also used to adhere a cuff portion 72' of the first glove to be dispensed 71' so that the cuff of this fist glove is pulled clear out from the glove packet 2 for easy access by the user. Subsequent cuffs 72 will then be pulled clear of the glove stack 70 by the action of each glove moving out from the dispensing passage 85.

Because the peripheral wall 76 of the bag is flexible in the direction of compression, the compression means 10 is free to squeeze the entire glove packet to move the glove layers evenly towards the dispensing side of the glove packet as gloves are sequentially dispensed.

The glove packet 2, 2' includes the reinforcing member 50 in order to stabilise the dispensing end 74 of the stack 70 as the glove pack becomes depleted. The reinforcing member in this example is a rectangular plate of card material, either of cardboard about 1 mm to 2 mm thick or plastic sheet material about 1 mm thick.

The dimensions of the reinforcing plate 50 help to define the lateral dimensions of the periphery of the glove stack. This is because the bag 80 when full wraps tightly around the reinforcing plate and glove stack 70. The reinforcing member does not compress in a lateral direction, while the glove stack can be squeezed inwards somewhat in the lateral direction, and so the glove stack will tend to conform to the lateral dimensions of the reinforcing member as the material of the bag presses inwards against the glove stack.

Therefore, during dispensing of gloves the reinforcing member 50 maintains the shape of the first end 74 of the stack 70 as gloves 71 are progressively dispensed from the stack.

The reinforcing plate 50 has an elongate, dispensing aperture 90, with a long axis 91 and a short axis 92. This aperture is preferably oval with circularly rounded ends 93, 94 and opposite straight sides 95, 96.

The folds in each glove are parallel with the long axis of the dispensing aperture so that the flattened glove cuffs are also aligned with the long axis of the dispensing aperture.

In this example, the reinforcing member 50 has a long dimension 88 of 123 mm and a short dimension 89 of 118 mm. These dimension provide about 1 mm clearance around the periphery of the reinforcing member 80 and surrounding bag when inserted into one of the compartments 18, 18'. This slight deviation from a square outline also polarises the packet so that this can only be inserted one way into the compartment, with the long axis 91 of the dispensing aperture 90 in the extending perpendicularly to the length 3 of the housing 4.

The dimensions of the dispensing aperture are 70 mm in the direction of the long axis 91 and 15 mm in the direction of the short axis 92.

The dispensing passage 85 in the bag 80 has the same shape and orientation the dispensing aperture, but is about 5 mm longer in each dimension, so as to provide a nominal 2.5 mm set back in the edges of the dispensing passage from the corresponding edges of the dispensing aperture. Allowing for some relative movement between the bag and reinforcing plate, this helps to ensure a minimum 1 mm set back of the dispensing passage. Therefore, both of the edges in the dispensing passage and dispensing aperture are oval, with the oval edge of the dispensing passage being fully separated from the oval edge of the dispensing aperture in the reinforcing member. The advantage of this is that the glove will not drag and pull at the bag, which could cause the bag to be pulled away from the glove stack once the bag becomes compressed and slack by movement of the compression plate towards the dispensing end of the glove stack. Therefore, during dispensing of gloves the reinforcing member 50 shields the first wall 81 of the bag 80 from the movement of the glove 71 being dispensed. The first wall is therefore not pulled out of place or drawn out of the glove dispenser towards the user as gloves are being pulled from the dispenser 1.

In order to prevent transfer of contamination which might be present on the reusable housing 4, each dispensing aperture 6, 6' has also has long and short edges 97, 98 set well back from the reinforcing plate aperture 90. Preferably this set back is at least 5 mm in the direction of the long axis of the plate dispensing aperture and at least 20 mm in the direction of the short axis of the plate dispensing aperture.

One advantage of the arrangement described above is that the biasing means 10 acts to compress the first wall 74 of the flexible bag 80 against an inner surface 99 of the housing surrounding the edge 97, 98 of the housing dispensing aperture 6, 6'. This also helps to prevent unwanted movement of the bag first wall 81.

The glove packet described above can holds up to 250 disposable nitrile inspection gloves of 3 g suitable weight for use in clinical, veterinary or medical or food preparation environments. In order to achieve this packing density on a production scale, it is preferable if the glove stacks are formed using automated glove placement and folding machinery, for example of the type described in patent document WO 2011/048414.

The most important part of the glove dispenser to keep free from contamination is in the close vicinity of the glove cuffs where these extend through the dispensing passage of the flexible bag. Although it is always possible for a careless person to packet touch external surfaces of the part of the flexible bag or the reinforcing member nearest the dispensing passage, such that contamination could be transferred to later dispensed gloves, an advantage of the present invention is that the glove packets are intended to be disposable and will therefore not be reused.

After all the gloves have been dispensed from a glove stack, a fresh glove packet will replace the used glove packet, thereby removing any such contamination from the glove dispenser.

The surrounds of the aperture in the reusable housing may of course become contaminated from time to time; however, as this is a reusable component, this can be impregnated with a biocide, for example silver. Furthermore, because the surrounds of the aperture in the reusable housing are well separated from the dispensing passage in the flexible bag and the aperture in the reinforcing member, it is possible to apply a disinfectant to the surfaces around the dispensing aperture in the housing without risk of contaminating gloves. This is particularly the case if a procedure is followed to give the housing a disinfecting clean whenever a new glove packet has been loaded into one of the housing compartments. Most advantageously this can be done after loading and prior to removing the peel-off strip over the dispensing passage.

Although not illustrated, in some circumstances, there may be some advantage to providing a second reinforcing member between the second end 75 of the glove stack 70 and the second wall 112, i.e. on the opposite side of the stack to the reinforcing member 50 described above. This could provide some protection to the last glove in the stack, for example during handling of the packet before loading or from contact with the compression spring after loading of the packet into the housing. However, the disadvantage of the including a second compression plate -20 -in this manner is that this will consume volume within the packet which could otherwise be occupied by about five gloves, and since there is a particular need to maximise the capacity of each packet, in preferred embodiments of the invention there is no interposing member between the second end of the stack and the abutting second wall of the flexible bag. In practice, it has also been found that the compression plate 40 does not damage the bag.

Preferably, the glove packet is made from recyclable materials.

The housing may be made from transparent plastic material so that the approximate quantity of gloves remaining can be seen.

As the flexible walls of the packet are collapsible, and the reinforcing member is preferably made from a card material, the deleted packed can readily be compacted after use, which can make it easier to store depleted glove packets prior to disposal or recycling.

The example described above has two glove packets within a single housing that is rectangular cuboid in shape. The overall outer shape of the housing is not of particular importance to the invention. For example, if the housing had just one compartment for one glove packet, then the housing would have a substantially square cuboid shape.

The invention therefore provides a convenient glove dispenser with one or more relatively low cost replaceable glove packets for loading into the dispenser, and which is particularly useful for controlling contamination in a medical or clinical environment or in any other environment where the control of hand-borne contamination is important.

Claims

-21 -CLAIMS1. A glove packet for use in a glove dispenser, the packet comprising: -a stack of gloves, each glove having a cuff portion and a finger portion and said stack having a pair of opposite ends, namely a first end and a second end, between which said gloves are stacked in interfolded layers and the stack having a perimeter which extends between said ends, the first end being a dispensing end of said stack from which gloves are presented for dispensing cuff first, the gloves being interfolded with each other such that the finger portion of each glove wraps around the cuff portion of the next glove to be dispensed whereby, in use, the cuff of the next glove to be dispensed is pulled into position for cuff first dispensing by movement of the current glove being dispensed; -a flexible bag, the bag having a first wall and a second wall and extending between said walls a side wall, the first and second walls extending over, respectively, the first and second ends of the stack and the side wall extending around the perimeter of said stack, whereby the stack is contained by the bag, the first wall comprising a dispensing portion, and the dispensing portion of the first wall, in use, providing a dispensing passage in the first wall through which said gloves pass during said cuff first dispensing of gloves from the stack and the side wall of the flexible bag being collapsible when the second wall is urged towards the first wall in order to move the stack of gloves towards the dispensing passage as gloves are progressively dispensed from the stack; and -at least one reinforcing member, said member being interposed between the dispensing end of the stack and the first wall and being configured with respect to the stack to allow said gloves to reach said dispensing passage during said cuff first dispensing of gloves from the stack.
2. A glove packet as claimed in Claim 1, in which said at least one reinforcing member has an aperture to allow said gloves to reach said dispensing passage during said cuff first dispensing of gloves from the stack.
3. A glove packet as claimed in Claim 2, in which said at least one reinforcing -22 -member comprises a plate, and said aperture is an aperture in said plate.
4. A glove packet as claimed in Claim 2 or Claim 3, in which the dispensing passage in the first wall is larger in at least one dimension than the aperture in said reinforcing member.
5. A glove packet as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 4, in which the dispensing passage in the first wall is outside the bounds of the aperture in said reinforcing member.
6. A glove packet as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 5, in which the dispensing passage in the first wall has an edge and the aperture in said reinforcing member has an edge, and the edge of the dispensing passage is set back from the edge of the aperture in said reinforcing member.
7. A glove packet as claimed in Claim 5 in which both of said edges are oval in shape.
8. A glove packet as claimed in any one of Claims 2 to 7, in which the dispensing passage in the first wall is elongate having a length that extends along a long axis and a width that extends along a short axis, and the aperture in said reinforcing member is also elongate having a length that extends along a long axis and a width that extends along a short axis.
9. A glove packet as claimed in Claim 8, in which the width of the dispensing passage in the first wall is greater than the width ot the aperture in said reinforcing member.
10. A glove packet as claimed in Claim 8 or Claim 9, in which the length of the dispensing passage in the first wall is greater than the length of the aperture in said reinforcing member.

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11. A glove packet as claimed in any one of Claims 3 to 10, in which said reinforcing member is of card material.
12. A glove packet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which said at least one reinforcing member comprises a plate and the plate has an outer periphery, the outer periphery of the plate being substantially square or substantially rectangular.
13. A glove packet as claimed in Claim 12, in which the flexible bag, when initially full of gloves is stretched over the outer periphery of the plate where the first wall of the bag meets the side wall of the bag.
14. A glove packet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which during said dispensing of gloves said reinforcing member shields the first wall from the movement of the glove being dispensed.
15. A glove packet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which during said dispensing of gloves said reinforcing member maintains the shape of the first end of the stack as gloves are as gloves are progressively dispensed from the stack.
16. A glove packet as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the bag is of a flexible polymeric material having a thickness in the range of 25 pm to 200 pm.
17. A glove dispenser, comprising at least one glove packet and a housing, said glove packet being as claimed in any preceding claim and the housing comprising: -at least one compartment within the housing for holding a corresponding glove packet; -at least one removable cover for gaining access to said compartment in order to load said glove packet into said compartment; -at least one dispensing aperture in the housing, said aperture providing access to the dispensing passage of said glove packet when the glove packet is loaded into said compartment with the first wall of said loaded glove packet facing -24 -the dispensing aperture such that gloves are available for cuff first dispensing at said dispensing aperture; and -a biasing means, the biasing means being located between the housing and the second wall of said loaded glove packet whereby the second wall is urged towards the first wall in order to move the stack of gloves towards the dispensing passage as gloves are progressively dispensed from the stack.
18. A glove dispenser as claimed in Claim 17, in which the biasing means is a spring biasing means.
19. A glove dispenser as claimed in Claim 17 or Claim 18, in which the biasing means is provided between the removable cover and the second wall of said loaded glove packet.
20. A glove dispenser as claimed in Claim 17 or Claim 18, in which the spring biasing means is attached to the removable cover.
21. A glove dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 17 to 20, in which the housing has six sides, being substantially rectangular cuboid in shape or substantially square cuboid in shape.
22. A glove dispenser as claimed in Claim 21, in which said dispensing aperture is in a first side of the housing and the removable cover provides a second side of the housing said first and second sides being opposite sides of the housing.
23. A glove dispenser as claimed in Claim 22, in which the housing has a third side and a fourth side, said third and fourth sides being opposite sides of the housing and extending between said first and second sides of the housing, and the removable cover is removably joined to the housing at said third and fourth sides.

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24. A glove dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 17 to 23, when dependent from Claim 2, in which the dispensing aperture is larger in at least one dimension than the aperture in said reinforcing member.
25. A glove packet as claimed in any one of Claims 17 to 24, when dependent from Claim 2, in which the dispensing aperture is outside the bounds of the aperture in said reinforcing member.
26. A glove dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 17 to 25, when dependent from Claim 2, in which the dispensing aperture has an edge and the aperture in the plate has an edge, and the edge of the dispensing passage is set back from the edge of the aperture in said reinforcing member.
27. A glove dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 17 to 26 in which the dispensing passage in the first wall of the flexible bag is separated from the dispensing aperture by a band of the first wall which extends substantially fully around the dispensing passage.
28. A glove dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 17 to 27 in which the spring biasing means acts to compress the first wall of the flexible bag against an inner surface of the housing surrounding an edge of the dispensing aperture.
29. A glove packet for loading into a re-usable glove dispenser, substantially as herein described, with reference to or as shown in the accompanying drawings.
30. A glove dispenser, comprising at least one glove packet and a housing, substantially as herein described, with reference to or as shown in the accompanying drawings.