Patent Application
20250213078
The present disclosure relates to a product dispenser and more particularly to a product dispenser for use in a cleanroom.
A cleanroom is an environmentally controlled space, engineered to maintain a very low concentration of airborne particulates within the space. Such cleanrooms are particularly suited in a number of industries including industrial manufacturing facilities as well as laboratories used for scientific research or pharmaceutical production. In particular, industrial manufacturing facilities for electronic assembly, including semiconductor manufacturing, rely on cleanrooms to substantially reduce the amount of airborne particulates, such as dust, as well as vaporized particles that can and do affect the devices being manufactured. In addition, cleanroom are also designed to prevent the escape of harmful matter.
Individuals working in cleanrooms wear cleanroom apparel that is meant to be lint-free and no-shedding to reduce the amount of airborne particles introduced in the cleanroom. Such apparel includes, but is not limited to, head coverings, masks, shoe covers, gowns, and gloves. In addition, cleaning materials are also supplied within the cleanroom to cleanup accidents, such as spills of chemicals, solvents, or other liquids. To ensure that such accidents can be resolved relatively quickly, cleaning materials are provided in the cleanroom at one or more locations for ready access by the individual(s) located in the clean room. These cleaning materials can include wipes or towels that are dispensed from a stack that includes a large number of the wipes or towels. While some dispensers are currently in use, they often lack the sophistication needed to address cross-contamination concerns, wastage prevention, stacking costs, and user-friendliness.
In controlled environments, like cleanrooms, conventional practices involve accessing the wipes from stacks within bags, which is a labor-intensive and potentially contamination-prone. These wipes are typically interleaved, stacked, and placed in a disposable container. The disposable container, once all the wipes have been dispensed, is then thrown away. In other situations, individual wipes are stacked by hand and taken from the stack by an individual. Such stacking, however, is prone to misalignment which makes retrieval of the wipes problematic, especially for individuals wearing gloves. Additionally, some dispensers currently in use, lack the sophistication needed to address cross-contamination concerns, wastage prevention, stacking costs, and user-friendliness.
What is needed therefore is a wipe dispenser that addresses a critical need for efficient, contamination-reducing, and cost-effective cleanroom wipe dispensing and clean room wipe dispensers. In cleanroom environments, where the hygiene and precision are essential, the present disclosure provides a solution to the deficiencies inherent in currently known dispensing of wipes. This present disclosure mitigates known conventional practice by offering an efficient, cost-effective, and contamination-resistant wipe dispensing solutions.
The present disclosure provides unique cleanroom wipe dispenser designed to safeguard cleanroom wipes from environmental contaminants while enabling users to access individual wipes conveniently without the need for repeated bag or container manipulation. A critical need for efficient, contamination-reducing, and cost-effective cleanroom wipe dispensing is described. In cleanroom environments, where the utmost hygiene and precision are essential, the disclosed dispenser and method of dispensing cleanroom wipe provide a wipe control plate or “floating cover” mechanism for dispensing cleanroom wipes.
The “floating cover” is a square-shaped, stainless-steel sheet, strategically designed with a meticulously tested and size-prescribed opening at its center. This opening enables one cleanroom wipe to be dispensed at a time. Crucially, the size of the opening is customizable, tailored to the dimensions, shape, and texture of the specific cleanroom wipe. This customization ensures that users handle only the wipe the user intend to use, minimizing the risk of cross-contamination and optimizing wipe usage, thus reducing waste.
Notably, the floating cover's outer dimensions are slightly smaller than the interior dimensions of the dispenser, enabling it to remain level with the topmost layer of wipes. Hence, the term “floating cover” accurately describes this feature. As the level of wipes within the dispenser decreases, the cover seamlessly adjusts its position, maintaining its functionality throughout. The dispenser also resolves existing challenges related to the cumbersome stacking of cleanroom wipes by manufacturers. Instead of individual stacking, the present disclosure provides for efficient bulk packing of wipes into specially designed bags configured to fit the appropriate dispenser. This streamlines the manufacturing process, significantly reducing labor costs associated with stacking individual wipes.
In one embodiment, there is provided a cleanroom wipe dispenser for dispensing a cleanroom wipe. The cleanroom wipe dispenser includes an enclosure having four sidewalls, one of which includes a slot for viewing product wipes. A floating control plate includes an aperture, wherein the aperture is configured to dispense product wipes located within the enclosure and beneath the floating control plate.
In another embodiment there is provided a product dispenser for dispensing a disposable protective product from a plurality of disposable protective products contained within a product carrier having a thickness. the product dispenser includes a container having a base, and at least one sidewall having an exterior surface and an interior surface defining an interior of the container, wherein the at least one sidewall includes a sidewall aperture configured to expose the interior of the container. A floating control plate is configured to fit within the container, the floating control plate includes a plate aperture, wherein the plate aperture is configured to enable removal of one of the plurality of disposable protective products contained within the product carrier.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the container includes one of cylinder having an open end or a polyhedron having an open end.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the container includes an interior perimeter defined by the interior surface and the floating control plate includes a plate perimeter, wherein the plate perimeter is less than the interior perimeter.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the interior perimeter is identified by a plane substantially perpendicular to the base.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the plate perimeter is less than the interior perimeter to enable the floating control plate to move substantially parallel to the base as one or more of the plurality of disposable protective products are pulled from the plurality of disposable protective products and through the plate aperture.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the plate perimeter being less than the interior perimeter defines a perimetral gap located between the plate perimeter and the interior perimeter.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the perimetral gap is greater than the thickness of the product carrier.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the floating control plate includes a weight configured to enable dispensing of the disposable protective products arranged as bulked packed wipes.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the plate aperture defines a closed curve.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the closed curve includes one of an oval or a circle.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the floating control plate includes an aperture and a weight configured to enable dispensing of the disposable protective products arranged as interleaved dry wipes.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the closed curve includes a central aperture defining a first curved side and a second curved side, a first closed end extending from the first curved side and the second curved side, and a second closed end extending from the first curved side and the second curved side.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the first closed end includes a first three sided end with right angles and a second three sided end with right angles.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the container includes a first part and a second part operatively connected to the first part wherein the first part defines with the second part the sidewall aperture.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the first part includes a first part base and the second part includes a second part base.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the first part and the second part each include an inside surface comprising a smooth or polished surface.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the first part and the second part each include an outside surface which includes a gripping surface.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the gripping surface includes a grain pattern.
In some embodiments the product dispenser includes wherein the container includes one or more supports extending from that at least one sidewall and configured to secure the product carrier to the at least one sidewall.
The above-mentioned aspects of the present disclosure and the manner of obtaining them will become more apparent and the disclosure itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of the embodiments of the disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The embodiments of the present disclosure described below are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiments are chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may appreciate and understand the principles and practices of the present disclosure.
A perimeter of the control plate is less than an interior perimeter of the enclosure 12 to enable the floating control plate to move substantially parallel to a base of the enclosure 12 as one or more of the plurality of disposable protective products are pulled from the plurality of disposable protective products and through the plate aperture. A gap is defined between perimeter of the control plate and the interior of the enclosure having a sufficient width to enable a product carrier of protective products to be located within the gap. The product carrier, such as the bag, includes a thickness and the gap is larger than the thickness to enable the product carrier to be disposed with the gap.
In one or more embodiments, the wipe control plate 22 is formed of 316 grade stainless steel. The wipe control plate 22 includes a predetermined weight selected to “float” yet heavy enough to allow only one wipe to be pulled from the collection of wipes located below the wipe control plate 22. If the plate is too heavy, it would be difficult to retrieve a single wipe and if too light, the wipe being pulled would lift wipe control plate 22, which may prevent a single wipe from being dispensed.
While the present disclosure discusses an exemplary embodiment of dispensing cleanroom wipes to a user, the present disclosure is not limited to dispensing wipes and includes dispensing other types of disposable protective products. For instance, other embodiments include dispensing gloves used in a clean room environment. Also, the present disclosure is not limited to uses in a clean room, but other uses are contemplated, such as using the dispenser in a manufacturing setting where wipe or gloves are used. Wipes and gloves may be formed of materials such as cotton, polyester, or cotton-polyester blends. Other materials are contemplated.
As seen in
At least one of the sides 14, such as side 14B, includes one or more wall supports 36. In one embodiment as illustrated, the wall support 36 includes a hole that extends through the side 14B to accommodate a wall mount, not shown, that extends through the hole to support the dispenser 10 on a wall, for instance. In other embodiments, the wall support 36 is not a hole, but instead includes a support coupled to an outside surface of the side 14B. While two wall supports 36 are illustrated, in other embodiments, one or more wall supports are included and may be located on one or more of the walls 14. In one embodiment, each of the sides 14 include an exterior side having a gripping surface, such as a grain pattern, to reduce or prevent the enclosure from having a slippery surface. In some embodiment, each of the sides 14 include a surface which is smooth or polished to reduce or prevent the plate 22 from being “caught” as it moves within the enclosure during dispensing of product.
As further shown in
The second part 42, when attached to the first part 40, completes the dispenser enclosure 12 and includes the side 14D and a portion 46 of the side 14A. Each of the portions 44 and 46 includes a width of three and one half (3.5) inches in the exemplary embodiment. A weld is made at an edge 48 of first part 40 and an edge 50 of second part 42. First part 40 and second part 42 include holes 52 to receive a threaded stud 53, one of which is shown. In one embodiment, the stud 53 includes a shaft 54 terminated by a head 54. The head 54 may include a dimension larger than the shaft 53. The threaded stud is threaded into the hole 52 flush with an inside surface 56 of each of the first and second part 40 and 42 and are fuse welded at the inside surface. The inside surfaces are generally smooth or polished to receive a container of wipes and the outside surface includes a grain pattern which provides a gripping surface for a user or installer.
These bags are configured to fit within the enclosure 12 to accommodate relatively unencumbered movement of the wipe control plate 22. The bags are not too small, where the wipe control plate won't fit within the bag 60, and not too large where the bag will bunch-up and prevent the floating cover from floating downward on top of the wipes. The bags are also configured so that the bag easily attaches to the package supports 38. In one embodiment, the bags 60 are made of two (2) mil polyethylene gusseted bags. In some embodiments, the bag of wipes are double bagged. An inner bag includes a tie closing and an outer bag, located around the inner bag, includes a heat sealed closure. To dispense wipes, the outer bag is removed prior to placing the bag of wipes in the enclosure 12. In other embodiments, the outer bag is not removed and is located with the inner bag in the enclosure 12.
Top edges 64 of the bag 60 are pulled in an upward direction 66 to exposes the wipes prior to placing the wipe control plate 22 on top of the wipes 62. While the lengths of each of the four sides 24 of the wipe control plate 22 are selected to fit within the space of the enclosure 12, the lengths of the four sides 24 is also determined based on the thickness of the bag 60. The side lengths 24, therefore, are selected to define a sufficient space between the inside surface of the walls 14 and the sides 24 to enable the bag to be pulled in the upward direction 66 without the bag being significantly restricted. Once the top edges 64 of the bag have been pulled sufficiently in the upward direction 66, the wipe control plate 22 is placed on top of wipes as seen in
In one embodiment, the wipe control pate 76 and enclosure 72 are formed of stainless steel. Other materials are contemplated. In one or more embodiments, the wipe control plate 76 is formed of 316 grade stainless steel. The wipe control plate 76 includes a predetermined weight selected to “float” yet heavy enough to allow only one wipe to be pulled from the collection of wipes located below the wipe control plate 76. If the plate is too heavy, it would be difficult to retrieve a single wipe and if too light, the wipe being pulled would lift wipe control plate 76, which may prevent a single wipe from being dispensed.
In one embodiment, the dry wipes 70 are provided within a product carrier. The product carrier extends from a top of the enclosure at a gap located between the wipe control plate 74 and an interior surface of the enclosure 72 such as previously described. Package supports 86 are coupled to and extend from exterior surfaces of sides of the enclosure 72. While four package supports 86 are shown, other numbers or other types of supports are contemplated and may be located at other locations of the enclosure 72.
While exemplary embodiments incorporating the principles of the present disclosure have been disclosed hereinabove, the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Instead, this application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this disclosure pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit and priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 (c) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/616,885, titled “CLEAN ROOM WIPE DISPENSER,” filed Jan. 2, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63616885 | Jan 2024 | US |
