Patent Application
20220227568
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure relates to dispenser devices and more particularly pertains to a new dispenser device for automatically dispensing a sanitary glove. The dispenser device includes a plurality of motion sensors and the dispenser device dispenses one single glove at a time. Additionally, the dispenser device stores a variety of sizes of sanitary gloves and the dispenser device can dispense a selected size of sanitary gloves.
The prior art relates to dispenser devices including a plurality of storage devices for storing sanitary gloves in a manner that facilitates a single sanitary glove to be removed. The prior art discloses a variety of dispensing units that include a roller around which a plurality of sanitary gloves are wrapped and which can dispense the sanitary gloves from the roller.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a housing that is mounted to a vertical support surface and the housing has a discharge chute integrated therein. The housing has a plurality of compartments therein to contain a respective box of sanitary gloves. A plurality of dispensing units is included and each of the dispensing units is positioned within the housing. Each of the dispensing units is positioned beneath a respective one of the compartments to engage a glove in the box of sanitary gloves that is positioned in the respective compartment. A plurality of motion sensors is each coupled to the housing wherein each of the motion sensors is configured to sense motion proximate the housing and a respective dispensing unit is turned on when the motion sensor associated with the respective dispensing unit senses motion.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The housing 12 has a front wall 22 and a back wall 24, and the discharge chute 16 extends through the front wall 22 into an interior of the housing 12. Moreover, the discharge 16 chute extends across a full width of the front wall 22. The front wall 22 has an access opening 26 extending into the interior of the housing 12 and the access opening 26 extends across a full width of the front wall 22. The housing 12 has a plurality of dividers 28 therein to define the plurality of compartments 18 within the housing 12. The dividers 28 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed along the front wall 22 such that each of the compartments 18 is accessible through the access opening 26.
A plurality of doors 30 is provided and each of the doors 30 is hingedly coupled to the housing 12. Each of the doors 30 is aligned with a respective one of the compartments 18 and each of the doors 30 covers the respective compartment 18 when the doors 30 are closed. Each of the doors 30 exposes the respective compartment 18 when the doors 30 are opened, and the doors 30 are independently closable or openable. Each of the doors 30 has a lower edge 32, an upper edge 34 and a front surface 36. The lower edge 32 of each of the doors 30 is hingedly coupled to a lower bounding edge 38 of the access opening 26. The front surface 36 of each of the doors 30 has indicia 40 printed thereon, and the indicia 40 on respective ones of the doors 30 comprises the words “small”, “medium” and “large”.
A plurality of locks 42 is provided and each of the locks 42 is coupled to a respective one of the doors 30. Each of the locks 42 is positioned adjacent to the upper edge 34 of the respective door. Additionally, each of the locks 42 engages the front wall 22 of the housing 12 when said locks 42 are in a locked position and the respective door is closed. In this way the doors 30 are locked closed and can only be opened by an authorized person. Each of the locks 42 may comprise a keyed lock, a combination lock or other type of mechanical lock.
A plurality of dispensing units 44 is provided and each of the dispensing units 44 is positioned within the housing 12. Each of the dispensing units 44 is positioned beneath a respective one of the compartments 18. In this way each of the dispensing units 44 can engage a glove 45 in the box of sanitary gloves 20 that is positioned in the respective compartment 18. Each of the dispensing units 44 completes one dispensing cycle each time the dispensing units 44 is turned on to dispense one glove 45 at a time.
Each of the dispensing units 44 comprises a control circuit 46 that is integrated into the housing 12, and the control circuit 46 receives a dispense input. Each of the dispensing units 44 includes a wheel 48 has an outer surface 50. The wheel 48 is rotatably positioned within the housing 12 and the wheel 48 has a rotational axis that is oriented parallel to the front wall 22 of the housing 12. The wheel 48 is positioned at a junction between the discharge chute 16 and a respective one of the compartments 18. In this way the outer surface 50 of the wheel 48 can frictionally engage a glove 45 in the box of sanitary gloves 20 that is positioned in the respective compartment 18. Moreover, the outer surface 50 of the wheel 48 is comprised of a friction enhancing material, including but not being limited to, rubber or silicone, thereby facilitating the outer surface 50 to enhance frictionally engaging the glove 45.
Each of the dispensing units 44 includes a motor 54 that is positioned within the housing 12. The motor 54 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 46 and the motor 54 is rotatably coupled to the wheel 48. The motor 54 rotates in a first direction for a predetermined number of rotations when the motor 54 is turned on such that the wheel 48 is rotated a predetermined number of rotations when the motor 54 is turned on. In this way the wheel 48 urges a single glove from the box of sanitary gloves 20 each time the motor 54 is turned on thereby facilitating the single glove to fall downwardly into the discharge chute 16 for retrieval. Additionally, the motor 54 is turned on when the control circuit 46 receives the dispense input. The motor 54 may comprise an electric motor or the like. Each of the dispensing units 44 includes a power supply 56 that is positioned in the housing 12. The power supply 56 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 46 and the power supply 56 comprises at least one battery.
A plurality of motions sensors 58 is provided and each of the motions sensors 58 is coupled to the housing 12 to sense motion proximate the housing 12. Each of the motions sensors 58 is in communication with a respective one of the dispensing units 44. Moreover, the respective dispensing unit 44 is turned on when the motion sensor 58 associated with the respective dispensing unit 44 senses motion. In this way the dispensing units 44 can dispense a glove 45 of a selected size when a user waves their hand in front of the motion sensor 58 that is associated with the respective dispensing unit 44. Each of the motions sensors 58 is electrically coupled to the control circuit 46 of the respective dispensing unit 44. The control circuit 46 in the respective dispensing unit 44 receives the dispense input when the motion sensor 58 associated with the respective dispensing unit 44 senses motion. Each of the motions sensors 58 may comprise an electronic motion sensor or the like, including but not being limited to, an infra-red motion sensor. Each of the motion sensors 58 is positioned on the front wall 22 of the housing 12 between the plurality of doors 30 and the discharge chute 16.
In an alternative embodiment 60 as is most clearly shown in
In use, the user approaches the housing 12 and the user waves their hand in front of the motion sensor that is associated with the size of glove the user wishes to dispense. Thus, the dispenser unit associated with the motions sensor 58 that senses motion is turned on to dispense a single glove 45. In this way the glove 45 can be dispensed in a touch-less manner, thereby reducing transmission of infectious diseases between users. The glove 45 is dropped downwardly into the discharge chute 16 for retrieval. The user can wave their hand in front of the chosen motion sensor as many times as needed to dispense as many gloves 45 as is desired. A respective door 30 is opened to facilitate the box of gloves 20 in a respective compartment 18 to be replaced when the box of gloves 20 is depleted.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
