AU656971B2

AU656971B2 - Dispensers for protective gloves

Info

Publication number: AU656971B2
Application number: AU17369/92A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Vincent Anthony Tassoni
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-06-06
Filing date: 1992-06-03
Publication date: 1995-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 2012-06-03
Also published as: CA2145074A1; AU1736992A; WO1994006329A1; NZ260315A

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT 656971 oo o 9 9 Seo oao o a a o a o 6 a al Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: VINCENT ANTHONY TASSONI DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

Dispensers for Protective Gloves Details of Associated Provisional Application No.: PK6513/91 filed 6 June, 1991 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: -1- 2 DISPENSERS FOR PROTECTIVE GLOVES The present invention relates to a dispenser for protective, medical or other protective gloves, and more particularly to the dispenser for dispensing gloves of different size, as well as a dispensing system incorporating the dispenser and at least one package of the gloves.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dispenser for dispensing loose, unpackaged protective gloves, including: a container having at least one compartment with a filling opening at an upper end thereof to permit filling of a bulk quantity of loose, unpackaged protective gloves into the compartment, and a dispensing portion at a lower end of the container and having a dispensing opening into the compartment through which the gloves are dispensed, the dispensing portion being configured so as to present loose gloves within the compartment to the dispensing opening for dispensing therethrough, the dispensing OOo opening being positioned laterally to one side of the D 2 compartment so as to prevent gloves in the compartment from 20 inadvertently passing through the opening but shaped and sized Sto permit the insertion of a user's fingers into the ooo dispensing portion for gripping individual gloves and withdrawing them through the dispensing opening.

According to another aspect of the present invention, 25 there is provided a dispensing system for protective gloves, *000 0 0* a including the above dispenser and at least one package o 0 oo 0 containing a bulk quantity of protective glove for dispensing from the dispenser, the package being openable for supplying loose, unpackaged gloves to the or a respective compartment 3o 30 for subsequent removal therefrom through the dispensing oo° opening.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in xr' ,ch:- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser for protective gloves; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a wall bracket for mounting the dispenser of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment WAL of the dispenser in accordance with the present invention; o 2a Figure 4A is a perspective view of another dispenser for protective gloves; and Figure 4B is a perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of the dispenser in accordance with the present invention.

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Figar 4A and 4B arc perspective views of further embodiments of t -dispenser.

The dispenser shown in Figure 1 is in the form of a rectangular container 2 having an open upper end which is closable by means of a lid 4.

The interior of the container is divided into several compartments by parallel partitions 6 extending vertically between the front and rear walls of the container. In the particular form shown there are three such compartments and each compartment extends vertically along the height of the container 2.

The front wall 8 of the container includes dispensing apertures 10 each opening from a respective one of the compartments, the aperture 10 being at the bottom of the associated compartment. In use, each of the compartments S' is filled with protective gloves (typically made of thin latex) through the upper 'end of the container, the gloves being supplied in a bulk package which can be opened and its contents tipped into the upper end of the compartment. Each compartment contains gloves of a different size. Removal of the gloves is effected through the aperture 10 at the lower end of the compartment. When the gloves have been tipped into the compartment, portions of the lowermost a* gloves will tend to project through the dispensing apertures 10 and can thus be readily grasped and removed when required for use. One or more windows 11 are formed in the front wall of each compartment to permit visual inspection of the amount of product in each compartment to facilitate replenishment when required.

oo a 25 The dispenser may be fabricated in cardboard or plastics sheet material by folding a suitable blank or may be injection moulded in suitable plastics material.

The dispenser may be mounted on the wall by means of a wall bracket 12 shown in Figure 2 in which the dispenser is removably fitted.

920602,rshspe008,dispensers.sipe,3 1 -4- The, pjrrrved emW v;mer drI.sBenar e, dipenser Te ispenser shown in Figure 3 is generally similar to that shown in Figure 2 except that the lower portion of the container including the dispensing apertures 10 is enlarged to provide a deeper base which enables the dispenser to act as a free-standing unit which may be kept on a desk or table.

vFeperre In this embodiment, the enlargement of the base is effected by extending the lower part of the front wall 8 with a portion 8a directed outwardly and apertures 10 are formed in a zone adjacent the junction of the two wall portions in order to permit a hand easily to be inserted into the aperture from above and thereby to facilitate removal of the glove through the dispensing aperture. The bottom of each compartment preferably slopes towards the j front in order to cause the contents to move towards the dispensing apertures.

f !If the configuration of the free-standing unit is such that the unit might topple i over when stood on a desk, this tendency can be counteracted by making the i 15 dispenser of weight such that it will not easily topple over when stood on a desk and this can be achieved by fabricating the dispenser by injection :"oj moulding from a suitable plastics, or by fabricating the dispenser from metal sheet, such as stainless steel sheet. The relative depth of the base and height of the dispenser will also influence the toppling characteristics and these 20 dimensions can be such as to minimise the risk of toppling.

o The dispenser of Figure 3 can be fabricated relatively inexpensively by folding cardboard or plastics sheet material. The exterior of the container can be fabricated from a single blank of the sheet material which is shaped, and folded to form all of the external walls, including the front, rear, and side walls, the lid, and the base formed by wall portions 8a, 8b. The individual compartments are each defined by separately formed tubes of rectangular cross-section mounted within the exterior container. Each tube is itself formed from a separate one-piece blank, folded into tubular shape. The bottom edge of the tube is perpendicular to the axis of the tube so that the tube rests on the bottom wall of the exterior container, and at its lower end portion the tube i'U 920603,rshspe.008,dispensers.spe,4 0 vw 7 ool~.rau~r~ 1 includes an integral ramp formed by a flap, which slopes forwardly and downwardly from a position above the bottom edge of the tube to form the sloping bottom of the compartment in order to direct gloves towards the associated aperture 10 in the external container.

In another dispenser shown in Figure 4A, the dispenser 6 formed from a group of plastics pipes secured in side-by-side relation to define respective compartments. The pipes are open at their upper ends to provide filling apertures and dispensing apertures 10 are provided at the lower ends of the pipes. Inspection windows 11 are also provided.

In a further preferred embodiment shown in Figure 4B the dispenser of Figure 4A is modified so that the bottom portion of each pipe is forwardly and downwardly directed to define a dispensing portion including the dispensing aperture.

°In each of the dispensers disclosed, the dispensing apertures 10 each have a concave or arched upper edge. This configuration has been found to prevent tearing of the gloves as they are withdrawn.

Dispensers with three compartments have been described by way of example only. When a particular dispenser is designed for a range of gloves having more than three sizes, the dispenser will have a separate compartment for each size :25 of glove.

The embodiments have been described by way of example only and modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

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Claims

1. A dispenser for dispensing loose, unpackaged protective gloves, including: a container having at least one compartment with a filling opening at an upper end thereof to permit filling of a bulk quantity of loose, unpackaged protective gloves into the compartment, and a dispensing portion at a lower end of the container and having a dispensing opening into the compartment through which the gloves are dispensed, the dispensing portion being configured so as to present loose gloves within the compartment to the dispensing opening for dispensing therethrough, the dispensing opening being positioned laterally to one side of the compartment so as to prevent gloves in the compartment from inadvertently passing through the opening but shaped and sized to permit the insertion of a user's fingers into the dispensing portion for gripping individual gloves and withdrawing them through the dispensing opening.

2. A dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compartment has a filling shaft for the gloves extending 20 downwardly from the filling opening to the dispensing portion, the dispensing portion protruding forwardly from one side of oo the filling shaft so that the dispensing opening is spaced forwardly from one side thereof.

3. A dispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the filling 25 shaft extends vertically from the filling opening to the ,dispensing portion.

4. A dispenser as claimed in claim 3, wherein the filling shaft is of constant cross sectional shape and size throughout its length, the axis of the filling shaft being rectilinear. S 30

5. A dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, 9999 *9oo wherein the filling shaft leads into a dispensing shaft being downwardly inclined from the filling shaft, the dispensing opening being at a lower end of the inclined dispensing shaft.

6. A dispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the dispensing portion has a bottom wall providing a bottom to the dispensing shaft which slopes downwardly and forwardly from the filling shaft toward the dispensing opening.

7. A dispenser as claimed in claim 6, wherein a part of the dispensing opening is formed in a wall of the compartment A facing the sloping bottom. i 7

8. A dispenser as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the dispensing portion has a planar top wall providing a top to the dispensing shaft which slopes downwardly and forwardly from the filling shaft toward the dispensing opening.

9. A dispenser as claimed in claim 8 when appended to claim 6, wherein the dispensing portion has an end wall extending between the top and bottom walls, and the dispensing opening extends within part of each of the end and top walls.

A dispenser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the top, bottom and end walls are planar.

11. A dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing opening has arched upper and lower edges.

12. A dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim, and Q further including at least one window in a wall of the o '15 compartment to permit visual inspection of the glove contents within the compartment. o

13. A dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein S0 the dispenser is formed from folded sheet material. 000600 0 0

14. A dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the container includes an outer carton formed from folded 00 sheet material, and at least one inner tube formed from folded 0000 sheet material and housed within the outer carton to provide o 600 the or a respective compartment.

15. A dispenser as claimed in claim 14 when appended to 00o 025 claim 6, wherein the inner tube has at its lower end an o. inclined wall providing the sloping bottom.

16. A dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein three said compartments are provided, the respective compartments intended to contain a different size of glove.

17. A dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim, and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3 or 4B of the accompanying drawings.

18. A dispensing system for protective gloves, including a dispenser as claimed in any preceding claim and at least one package containing a bulk quantity of protective gloves for dispensing from the dispenser, the package being openable for supplying loose, unpackaged gloves to the or a respective compartment for subsequent removal therefrom through the dispensing opening. KW 7a

19. A dispensing system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the gloves are arranged within the bulk package for tipping from an opened package through the filling opening into the or a respective compartment.

20. A dispensing system as claimed in claim 18 or 19, wherein the gloves are arranged within the bulk package so that, when supplied to a compartment, portions of the lower most gloves will be presented toward the dispensing opening of the compartment for removal.

21. A dispensing system as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 20 when appended to claim 16, wherein bulk packages containing gloves of different sizes are provided for supplying gloves of different sizes to respective compartments DATED: 21 July, 1994 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: .o 8372E a I i. I- -8- ABSTRACr A dispenser for protective gloves comprises three parallel compartments each containing a different size of glove. Each compartment is filled through a filling opening at its upper end and the gloves are withdrawn by insertion of the hand through an opening at the lower end of the compartment. 4' *3' 4 .30 0 .3~ 40 4 "4 94 4 44 0 444~ 0 4 044940 94 0 9 44 4 44 40"' S 4 .4 0 4.0 04 0640 0,0k 4 4 0444 90 94 4 0 0 0400 4 4 920602,rshspe.0O8dispenscrs.spe,8