The present invention relates to personal hygiene. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus, method, and system for improving sanitary conditions and reducing the spread of germs.
Influenza or “the flu” as it is commonly named includes various symptoms such as coughing. Flu germs spread from person to person by ways of coughing or sneezing. Similarly, other germs may be spread in the same way.
To prevent the spread of germs, one's mouth and nose should be covered with a tissue. Of course, tissues are not always readily available when one needs to cough or sneeze. Another approach which may be used when tissue is not available to cough or sneeze into one's upper arm, elbow, or shoulder and not the hands. Doing so avoids coughing directly into the hands, but any pathogens may still be later transferred to the hands, or otherwise conveyed to others. In addition doing so may allow more germs to spread in the air to others.
The problems relating to spreading germs through coughing or sneezing is further amplified in the case of children who may be less likely to use tissue and less likely to cough or sneeze into their upper arm. Children may be inclined to cough or sneeze into their hands. Once the germs on their hands, this promotes the spread of germs unless the hands are immediately cleaned which does not necessarily happen. Thus, the spread of germs or other disease can occur quickly between children at school, at day care, or in other settings. Similar issues can occur in other settings as well, such as nursing homes, where elderly are susceptible to germs or in confined areas with large numbers of people, such as airplanes.
What is needed is an improved way of capturing coughs and neutralizing germs or other antigens.
Therefore, it is a primary object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to improve over the state of the art.
It is a further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to reduce the spread of germs.
It is a still further object, feature, or advantage of the present invention to provide for reducing the spread of germs from children in a safe and non-toxic way.
One or more of these and/or other objects, features, or advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification and claims that follow. No single embodiment need meet each or every object, feature, or advantage as different embodiments may have different objects, features, or advantages.
According to one aspect, an apparatus for cough catching is provided. The apparatus includes a body for securing to a hand of an individual, the body having an outer surface, an area on the outer surface having a material thereon, and a disinfectant infused into the material. The body may be a glove body. The glove body may have an opening for inserting a hand into the glove body and a plurality of finger openings. The area may be a palm area, a top of hand area, or may include both a palm area and a top of hand area.
According to another aspect, a method for catching a cough is provided. The method includes providing an apparatus for cough catching, the apparatus having (a) a body for securing to a hand of an individual, the body having an outer surface, (b) an area on the outer surface having a material thereon, and (c) a disinfectant infused into the material. The method further includes placing the apparatus on the hand of the individual, and lifting the apparatus to the mouth of the individual to catch the cough such that the material is positioned at the mouth of the individual. The method may further include removing the apparatus from the hand of the individual after the cough, and disposing of the apparatus after removing.
The present invention provides for a device to capture germs or other material associated with coughing and/or sneezing. As shown in
The device 10 has a front side 16 with an opening 14 at the wrist of the individual.
As shown in
After each use, the glove may be removed and disposed of and replaced with another glove. The glove may be particularly beneficial with children as they would not need to find a tissue and use it.
Although particular embodiments are shown, the present invention contemplates numerous variations, options, and alternatives. For example, although shown with finger openings, such openings need not be present. The glove could be fitted on fewer than a thumb and five fingers. For example, the glove could fit over only the thumb and the fore finger. Instead of a glove, the apparatus could take the form of a strap placed around the hand.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to provisional applications U.S. Ser. No. 61/818,646 filed May 2, 2013, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20140325738 A1 | Nov 2014 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61818646 | May 2013 | US |