Patent Application
20070284387
The particular design and arrangement, it is believed, can provide better protection to a user, in the situation for example of a healthcare worker, such as a nurse or physician, and enhance the overall health or safety to a patient he or she contacts from contamination or infection.
The present invention involves a multi-product dispenser 10, such as illustrated generally in
As shown in
Each of the respective chambers 14 has an opening 16 that has a middle section 16a and two terminal sections 16b, 16c. Generally, the opening for dispensing the protective articles of clothing may be in the form of a slot A4, in which the middle section has a relatively wider dimension than either terminal section. The slot desirably has a substantially horizontal orientation. In contrast, the opening for the chamber C6 adapted to hold a face mask can have either: a) a middle section 17a that has a narrower dimension relative to either of the terminal sections 17b, 17c, or b) a middle section 17a′ that has a wider dimension relative to either of the terminal sections 17b′, 17c′. Alternatively, the chamber adapted to hold a face mask according to the configuration of b) has a T-like form, oriented substantially either vertically, horizontally, upside-down, or right-side up.
The opening for a chamber adapted to hold a glove has a middle section and two terminal sections, in which the middle section 18a has a narrower dimension relative to either of the terminal sections 18b, 18c, wherein the terminal section are either of substantially the same shape, size, or dimension as each other, or one of the terminal sections can be larger and has a different shape relative to the other. The glove chamber opening in certain desired embodiments can have a shape that has a narrowing or tapering along part of the opening, to create a form that is reminiscent of an hourglass-like, tear-drop-like, paddle-like form, or dog-bone-like shape. The middle and two terminal portions of the openings to ether the face mask chamber according to the embodiment described in a), above, or the glove chamber has general width or size dimensions that relate to each other according to a ratio in a within a range (t:m:t) of about 1.01:1:1.01 to 20:1:20, inclusive of all ratio combinations in between, or alternatively, a ratio of about 1.1 or 1.2:1:1.1 or 1.2 to about 15:1:15, inclusive. Some examples of particular ratios may include: 1.25:1:1.25; 1.5:1:1.5; 3:1:2; 3:1:3; 3:2:3; 3:2:1; 4:1:2; 5:1:3; 5:2:3; 5:3:1; 7:2:3; or 9:3:5.
The container opening and the dispenser housing access port 16 correspond with each other and have a similar shape and dimensions. The container opening and the housing access port each can have a middle section and two terminal sections, in which the middle section has a narrower dimension relative to either of the terminal sections, wherein the terminal section are either of substantially the same shape, size, or dimensions as each other, or one of the terminal sections is larger and has a different shape relative to the other terminal section. So as to be compatible with the dispenser openings in the housing, the container openings and the housing access port each has either an hourglass-like shape, a paddle-like shape, or a dog-bone-like shape, such as shown when comparing housing access ports of
For the chambers that hold gloves, the opening preferably is oriented substantially vertically with the two terminal portions above and below the middle section. When the terminal portions are dissimilar in size of shape, according to certain designs when the cuff region of each glove is positioned upward, preferably the terminal portion that is larger is situated above the smaller portion, which permits for easier access to the gloves.
As shown the dispenser has a plurality of glove dispensing chambers, which in certain desirable embodiments number three—one each for large, medium or small sized gloves to suit any sized hand. Other configurations can also be employed. Depending on the requirements or preferences of users and what sizes they may wish to fill each chamber, all three dispensing chambers may contain a different size or the same sized glove, or a combination of the three sizes.
The housing may constitute part of a cart, as in
The overall dispenser housing may include an enclosed storage space 28 for keeping surplus containers 28′a of the products until they are ready to be use, such as shown in
Products such as face masks or examination-style gloves used in medical, clinical, or laboratory settings are typically bulk-packed or loosely stacked in a paper-folding or cardboard housing (i.e., carton box or package). For example, gloves may be positioned to dispense in a vertical position. When the gloves are presented vertically, one or more portions of gloves often protrude through the opening when the dispenser is nearly or completely filled with a plurality of gloves. When the dispenser is completely or nearly full, it can be difficult for a user to grasp one glove without causing inadvertent dispensing of additional gloves, resulting in waste. Once the first 10 to 20 percent of the gloves are dispensed, problems continue to exist. At this point, a space between the opening and the plurality of gloves is created. This space requires a user to place a portion of his/her hand into the opening to grasp a glove. As this space increases when 30 percent of more of the gloves are dispensed from the dispenser, the gloves have a tendency to collapse from their dispensing position and to clump together at the bottom of the dispenser. This results in a user having to place his/her hand deep into the dispenser to obtain a single glove. Similar problems exist in horizontal dispensing.
Conventionally, in a dispenser that dispenses gloves from a horizontal position (i.e., with the main opening or access aperture oriented towards an upper or top surface of the carton and largely parallel to a surface against which the box rests, such that the product within the box is largely in a horizontal position), the same problems occur when the dispenser is nearly or completely full of gloves. Again, once the first 10-20 percent of gloves are dispensed, the user is required to place his/her hand into the opening of the dispenser to retrieve a glove. While clumping may not occur, the continued admittance of user hands into a dispenser opening may result in contamination of one or more gloves, or the entire internal compartment of the dispenser and most or all of the plurality of gloves. In addition, in either horizontal or vertical dispensing, the space which occurs between the dispensing opening and the gloves permits contaminants to enter the dispenser.
As the product content in the carton is used up, the stack of products recedes lower into the volume of the carton due to gravity. The shortening stack height requires a user to have to reach into the volume of the carton, and makes access the product progressively more difficult to reach the remaining product items, and increases the likelihood that the remaining product to become contaminated with bacteria or dirt. This awkward situation is compounded with larger package sizes and the desire to place an every increasing product count per box, where a deeper or taller box is needed to contain the initial product stack (e.g., depth of the carton box may be a minor issue for a 10-20 or 30 count stack, but can be problematic for a 100-300 or 400 count stack).
Occasionally, a carton box is placed on it side, with the main opening is oriented perpendicular to the resting surface, in an attempt to make it easier for the user to reach the product. In this kind of orientation, sometimes the face mask or glove tends to fall forward toward the opening as product is consumed, but often the product will tend to slump in the back of the carton and would still require the user to reach deep into the box when the contents are nearly depleted, and avoid a user potentially contaminating the remaining product items.
To overcome this problem, according to another embodiment of the invention, the face mask or glove chambers have, situated in a portion of each respective chamber opposing the chamber opening, a tension-operated member that advances a substrate forward toward the chamber opening and which maintains a product article at or in near proximity to the chamber opening. This tension-operated member can take the form of a spring or a resilient, compressible metal projection or strip 20, such as illustrated in
The spring-like or assisted dispensing member 20 can be configured as a single dispensing system or within a modular system that serves multiple purposes. Having the product constantly advanced toward the opening permits the next available product to be near the box opening for easy access, making it more convenient for users in fast-paced healthcare settings to quickly grab product without contaminating the remaining items. The spring-like member can be configured or constructed in different ways and/or with a plurality of projections under tension. Where multiple members are used, for example, the spring constants could be either the same or different, depending on the amount of counter force and desired outcome. For instance, having similar spring force constants may be more desirable when one wishes to push the product from one end or side of the carton so as to present a preferred point of touch to the user during dispensing.
According an embodiment, the spring-like member works in conjunction with a product container package. The carton box used in conjunction with the spring-assisted dispenser can have at least two openings: a first opening in the box top for product dispensing, and a second in the box bottom to allow access for the spring-like member to push against the product. These openings can be exposed by removing perforations in the box material from the openings. The first opening is adapted to align with the opening of the chamber in the dispenser unit, and preferably also has a shape that substantially matches the configuration of the chamber opening. That is, for example, with a chamber opening having an hourglass-like form, the carton box opening through which product is dispensed has the same shape. The spring-like member applies a constant pressure against the bottom of the stack of product, thereby pushing the stack towards the opening for dispensing, for instance, through an opening in the bottom of the carton. Alternatively, in certain iterations, the carton box can have either a free-floating panel or movable false bottom situated between the product stack, the bottom of the box, and the spring-like member. The panel, which is allowed to move back and forth within the volume defined by the walls of the carton, functions as a platen against which the spring-like member can press and push the product forward. Some products may benefit from using a load spreader to distribute the spring contact point across a larger surface area. The load spreader can be a floating panel, which is constructed from a suitably rigid or stiff material (e.g., cardstock, plastic, metal corrugated materials) to support the product on one side and the pressure points from the spring-like member on the other without warping or buckling. For example, face masks or elastomeric gloves products may use a 24 pt. solid bleached sulfate (SBS) paper board with sufficient stiffness as a panel backing.
Hence, according to an iteration, the dispenser has a housing adapted to accommodate at least one or more containers. The container box having a movable panel and an opening situated opposite or across from the movable panel. The housing has, situated in a portion of the housing opposite an access port, a tension-based member adapted to contact or engage with the movable panel, such that as contents of the container are removed from the container, the tension-based member advances the movable panel toward the container opening and housing access port. The movable panel in the container constitutes a portion of a back-facing or bottom part of a box, and the container opening is a portion of a front-facing or top part of a box.
The present invention also contemplates a graphic-user interface (E or E′). The graphic display can be a valuable aid for teaching others, such as trainees, technicians, etc. how to properly apply personal protective equipment. In some embodiments, this graphical interface is part of the dispenser housing and has an informational schematic or display that instructs a user of the protective products in a proper sequence (i.e., CDC-suggested protocol) for applying, donning, or using the protective articles. The informational display provides instruction on a method for properly donning protective articles, such as products that have antimicrobial or antiviral media coatings. The informational display can include a number of schematic figures, icons, words, other indicia or symbols, or combinations thereof to represent or illustrate each step of the sequence. The informational display provides instruction on a method for properly donning protective products or anti-infectious articles. In the examples shown in
A proper sequence can be expressed in a method that comprises: providing a dispenser device having a housing body with an informational schematic or display that instructs a user on the product articles; either providing to or having the user follow instruction by means of a number of schematic figures, icons, or wording to represent each step of the sequence. The method can further include the steps of: first either cleaning or sanitizing the user's hands or other body part using a cleaning or sanitizing medium, second donning a protective covering over a major portion of the user's body; optionally donning either a facial or head cover; and third donning a glove. Alternatively, the method may merely include donning a protective covering and a glove. The specific method that is described or depicted on the graphical interface can be adapted to comply with either CDC-suggested protocols or a variety of other particular or predetermined user, laboratory, or hospital-designated protocols, depending on the user's needs or industry standards.
The present invention has been described in general and in detail by way of examples in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it will be appreciated that some elements and/or articles may be used with other elements or articles. Persons of skill in the art understand that the invention is not limited necessarily to the embodiments specifically disclosed, but that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims or their equivalents, including other equivalent components presently known, or to be developed, which may be used within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, unless changes otherwise depart from the scope of the invention, the changes should be construed as being included herein.
