METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING OR REMOVING GLOVES

• US 3,695,493 A
• Filed: 08/31/1970
• Issued: 10/03/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Robert J. Karr
• Original Assignee: Robert J. Karr
• Inventors: Karr, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, James C.
• Application Number:
  US05/068,173
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 312/1 223/111 2/159,162,165 141/65 92/34 251/61
• US Class Current: 223/111
• CPC Class Codes: A47G 25/904 for gloves glove hooks A47G25/92

Abstract

This invention relates to a mechanism for and method of applying and removing fluid impermeable gloves without the necessity of manually contacting the exterior of the gloves. The mechanism employed comprises a means for suspending and sealing a glove within a vacuum chamber and means for evacuating the chamber to outwardly distend the glove to a size greater than that of the user'"'"''"'"'s hand. After the insertion of the hand into the distended glove, the chamber is restored to atmospheric pressure and the glove fits the hand due to the inherent resiliency of the previously distended glove. The hand, with the glove applied thereto, is simply removed from the chamber. A reversal of this procedure, i.e., inserting the gloved hand into the chamber evacuating the chamber, and removing the hand, leaves the glove suspended in the chamber. The present disclosure provides a novel, inexpensive, pedal-operated device for carrying out these functions simultaneously on both hands of a user.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the sterile manipulation of gloves to attach and remove a pair of gloves from the hands of a wearer, comprising:

a frame having a first longitudinal housing section and a second similar longitudinal housing section spaced therefrom, each of said housings being tubular and defining upper and lower superimposed chambers in communication with one another, said lower chamber being a vacuum chamber, said upper chamber being open at the top and each of said upper chambers containing a hollow open topped form of substantially egg-shape in plan and further shaped to substantially resemble a truncated lower arm portion of the human anatomy, with its lower end connected to and in sealed communication with said lower chamber, said truncated form being at least as long as the glove fingers, there being one chamber for all the fingers and a single chamber for the glove thumb, means for evacuating said lower chamber, the pair of gloves, each having a reinforced sealing rim of substantial egg-shape at the wrist portion thereof, a hollow upright pilot extension at the upper end of the form and of substantial egg-shape with its walls oriented with the form open end, each of said gloves adapted for insertion into one of said forms oriented and guided by said pilot extension with said reinforced sealing rim extending circumferentially over the upper edge of said form opening to seal said form and said upper chamber opening and to assure the proper location of the glove thumb and glove fingers within the corresponding form openings, so that when said lower chamber is evacuated, said forms in said upper chambers will be evacuated, causing said gloves in said forms to expand outwardly against the internal surface of said forms permitting the wearer to easily move his hands relative to the gloves positioned in said forms.

2. An apparatus for the sterile manipulation of gloves to attach and remove a pair of gloves from the hands of a wearer, comprising:

a frame having a first longitudinal housing section and a second similar longitudinal housing section spaced therefrom, each of said housings being tubular and defining upper and lower superimposed chambers in communication with one another, said lower chamber being a vacuum chamber, said upper chamber being open at the top and each of said upper chambers containing a hollow open-topped form shaped to substantially resemble a truncated lower arm portion of the human anatomy, with its lower end connected to and in sealed communication with said lower chamBer, means for evacuating said lower chamber, the pair of gloves each having a reinforced sealing rim at the wrist portion thereof, each of said gloves adapted for insertion into one of said forms with said reinforced sealing ring rim extending circumferentially over the upper edge of said form opening to seal said form and said upper chamber opening, so that when said lower chamber is evacuated said forms in said upper chambers will be evacuated causing said gloves in said forms to expand outwardly against the internal surfaces of said forms permitting the wearer to easily move his hands relative to the gloves positioned in said forms, each of said forms being supported on a cup-like member disposed in the bottom of said upper chamber;

said form at its lower end having an extended finger portion and a thumb portion separated therefrom;

said finger and thumb portions being open at their lower ends and extending into said cup-like member;

a plate attached to the lower end of said form adjoining said finger and thumb portions and adapted to support said form on said cup-like member along the upper rim thereof;

said means providing communication between said vacuum chamber and the interior of said form comprising a tube in said cup-like member in communication with said vacuum chamber for selective passage into or evacuation of air from said form through the open ends of said finger and thumb portions within said cup; and

sealing means circumferentially disposed between the rim of said cup-like member and said support plate of said form.

3. In the apparatus as defined in claim 2, said communication tube extending upwardly through said cup and said finger and thumb portions of said form extending into said cup a distance below the upper open end of said tube;

whereby said cup provides a trap to catch fluids or solid contaminants dripping from the gloves suspended within said form to prevent entering of the contaminants into said vacuum chamber below said cup.

4. An apparatus for the sterile manipulation of gloves to attach and remove a pair of gloves from the hands of a wearer, comprising:

a frame having a first longitudinal housing section and a second similar longitudinal housing section spaced therefrom, each of said housings being tubular and defining upper and lower superimposed chambers in communication with one another, said lower chamber being a vacuum chamber, said upper chamber being open at the top and each of said upper chambers containing a hollow open-topped form shaped to substantially resemble a truncated lower arm portion of the human anatomy, with its lower end connected to and in sealed communication with said lower chamber, means for evacuating said lower chamber, the pair of gloves each having a reinforced sealing rim at the wrist portion thereof, each of said gloves adapted for insertion into one of said forms with a said reinforced sealing ring rim extending circumferentially over the upper edge of said form opening to seal said form and said upper chamber opening, so that when said lower chamber is evacuated said forms in said upper chambers will be evacuated causing said gloves in said forms to expand outwardly against the internal surfaces of said forms permitting the wearer to easily move his hands relative to the gloves positioned in said forms, said means for evacuating said lower chamber comprising an expanible bellow assembly having an upper and lower closure plate, means supporting said bellows assembly in said lower chamber adjacent the upper end thereof, an opening in said upper closure plate of said bellows assembly opening onto said form, and actuating means for moving said lower closure plate downwardly to evacuate said form, an equalizing and cut-off valve means carried by one of the closure plates of said bellows assembly;

said one closure plate having an opening;

a valve plunger reciprocably disposed in said opening;

a stem on said valve plunger extending toward the other of said closure plates of said bellows assembly to normally retaIn said valve plunger in an open position when the stem abuts said other closure plate at which the interior of the bellows assembly communicates with the atmosphere;

a disc attached to said valve plunger, said disc closing the one closure plate opening when the bellows is actuated by moving the closure plates away from one another.

5. An apparatus for the sterile manipulation of gloves to attach and remove a pair of gloves from the hands of a wearer, comprising:

a frame having a first longitudinal housing section and a second similar longitudinal housing section spaced therefrom, each of said housings being tubular and defining upper and lower superimposed chambers in communication with one another, said lower chamber being a vacuum chamber, said upper chamber being open at the top and each of said upper chambers containing a hollow open-topped form shaped to substantially resemble a truncated lower arm portion of the human anatomy, with its lower end connected to and in sealed communication with said lower chamber, means for evacuating said lower chamber, the pair of gloves each having a reinforced sealing rim at the wrist portion thereof, each of said gloves adapted for insertion into one of said forms with a said reinforced sealing ring rim extending circumferentially over the upper edge of said form opening to seal said form and said upper chamber opening, so that when said lower chamber is evacuated said forms in said upper chambers will be evacuated causing said gloves in said forms to expand outwardly against the internal surfaces of said forms permitting the wearer to easily move his hands relative to the gloves positioned in said forms, said means for evacuating said lower chamber comprising an expandible bellows assembly having an upper and lower closure plate, means supporting said bellows assembly in said lower chamber adjacent the upper end thereof, an opening in said upper closure plate of said bellows assembly opening onto said form, and actuating means for moving said lower closure plate downwardly to evacuate said form, an equalizing and cut-off valve means having a movable valve plunger reciprocally disposed in an opening in the lower closure plate;

a stem on said valve plunger engaging said upper closure plate normally retaining the valve plunger in an open position when the bellows in inactive and movable to closed position when the lower closure plate is moved downwardly.

6. An apparatus for the sterile manipulation of gloves to attach and remove a pair of gloves from the hands of a wearer, comprising:

housings frame having a first longitudinal housing section and a second similar longitudinal housing section spaced therefrom, each of said hosings being tubular and defining upper and lower superimposed chambers in communication with one another, said lower chamber being a vacuum chamber, said upper chamber being open at the top and each of said upper chambers containing a hollow open-topped form shaped to substantially resemble a truncated lower arm portion of the human anatomy, with its lower end connected to and in sealed communication with said lower chamber, means for evacuating said lower chamber, the pair of gloves each having a reinforced sealing rim at the wrist portion thereof, each of said gloves adapted for insertion into one of said forms with a said reinforced sealing ring rim extending circumferentially over the upper edge of said form opening to seal said form and said upper chamber opening, so that when said lower chamber is evacuated said forms in said upper chambers will be evacuated causing said gloves in said forms to expand outwardly against the internal surfaces of said forms permitting the wearer to easily move his hands relative to the gloves positioned in said forms, said means for evacuating said lower chamber comprising an expandible bellows assembly having an upper and lower closure plate, means supporting said bellows assembly in said lower chamber adjacent the upper end thereof, an opening in said upper closUre plate of said bellows assembly opening onto said form, and actuating means for moving said lower closure plate downwardly to evacuate said form, said actuating means further including an attachment member extending from said lower end plate for operable attachment to a manual actuator to thereby extend said bellows assembly against the force of said resilient member upon actuation of said actuator.

7. In the apparatus as defined in claim 6, said manual actuator comprising a foot treadle operably connected to both said bellows assemblies in said first and second housing sections for simultaneous operation of both.