Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DISPENSERS FOR PROlr~llv~ 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, includinq: 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.
According to another aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a dispensing system for protective gloves,
including the above dispenser 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.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way
of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which:-
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 l;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment
of the dispenser in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 4A is a perspective view of another dispenser for
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protective gloves; and
Figure 4B is a perspective view of a further preferred
embodiment of the dispenser in accordance with the present
invention.
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 thecompartments 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
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.
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.
The preferred embodiment dispenser shown in Figure 3 is
generally similar to the dispenser shown in
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Figure 2 escept 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. In
this preferred embodiment, the enlargement of the base is
effected by estending the lower part of the front wall 8 with
a portion 8a directed outwardly and downwardly and a further
portion estending downwardly 8b. The dispensing 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 front in order to
cause the contents to move towards the dispensing apertures.
If the configuration of the free-standing unit is such that
the unit might topple over when stood on a desk, this tendency
can be counteracted by making the 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
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
dimensions can be such as to minimise the risk of toppling.
The dispenser of Figure 3 can be fabricated relatively
inespensively by folding cardboard or plastics sheet
material. The esterior of the container can be fabricated
from a single blank of the sheet material which is shaped, and
folded to form all of the esternal 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 esterior 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
asis of the tube so that the tube rests on the bottom wall of
the esterior container, and at its lower end portion the tube
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
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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
is 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 esample 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
of glove.
The embodiments have been described by way of esample
only and modifications are possible within the scope of the
invention.
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