Surgical glove donning system

• US 4,002,276 A
• Filed: 08/01/1975
• Issued: 01/11/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: George W. Poncy, Mark P. Poncy, Richard P. Poncy
• Original Assignee: George W. Poncy, Mark P. Poncy, Richard P. Poncy
• Inventors: Poncy, George W., Poncy, Richard P., Poncy, Mark P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Larkin, G. V.
• Application Number:
  US05/600,893
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 223/1, 223/111, 2/270, 2/168, 312/1, 21/2, 21/83, 141/65, 92/34, 92/35, 92/12.1, 92/12.2, 206/278
• US Class Current: 223/111
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 42/40 Packages or dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 42/50 Devices for putting-on or removing

Abstract

The donning of surgical gloves is facilitated by inflating the surgical glove with the cuff open so that the surgeon may insert his hand into the glove while inflated and then deflating the glove around the surgeon'"'"'s hand. The glove is mounted in a glove package with the cuff of the elastomeric surgeon'"'"'s glove stretched around a ring. The ring with the glove so mounted is mounted at the mouth of a tube which telescopes into a larger tube making a sliding air seal with the larger tube. When the smaller tube is withdrawn from the larger tube, the reduced air pressure that results within the chamber defined by the tubes sucks the glove into the chamber and inflates it in the chamber. After the surgeon has inserted his hand into the inflated glove, the inner tube is then reinserted into the outer tube to increase the pressure within the chamber above atmospheric causing the cuff of the glove to explode off the ring on which it is mounted and snap around the surgeon'"'"'s wrist.

Claims

1. A method of donning a glove comprising mounting said glove on a ring by stretching the cuff portion of said glove around the end edge of said ring to open the cuff portion of said glove for entry of the hand, then inflating said glove, inserting the hand into said glove while inflated, then deflating said glove around said hand and releasing the cuff portion of said glove from said ring by exerting air pressure between said cuff portion and said ring to explode said cuff portion off of said ring.

2. A system for facilitating the donning of a glove comprising mounting means for mounting the glove with the cuff portion of said glove open to receive a hand, inflating means for inflating said glove while said glove is mounted on said mounting means, said inflating means comprising means defining a chamber for generating a low pressure within said chamber, said mounting means including means for positioning said glove in an opening to said chamber in such a manner that when the pressure in said chamber is reduced, said glove is sucked into said chamber and inflated within said chamber, said inflating means comprising a pair of telescoping tubes defining said chamber within said tubes with means providing a sliding air seal between said tubes with one end of one of said tubes being closed and the opposite end of the other of said tubes defining said opening to said chamber.

3. A glove donning system as recited in claim 2, wherein said air seal between said tubes is provided by an elastomeric band having one edge thereof fixed in a stretched condition to the outer one of said tubes with the opposite edge thereof engaging the outer surface of the inner one of said tubes.

4. A system for facilitating the donning of a glove comprising mounting means for mounting the glove with the cuff portion of said glove open to receive a hand, inflating means for inflating said glove while said glove is mounted on said mounting means, and means to release said glove from said mounting means after said glove has been inflated and the hand as been inserted into the inflated glove, said releasing means comprising means to increase the air pressure between the cuff portion of said glove and said mounting means to greater than the pressure around said cuff portion to force said glove from said mounting means.

5. A system for facilitating the donning of a glove comprising mounting means for mounting the glove with the cuff portion of said glove open to receive a hand, and inflating means for inflating said glove while said glove is mounted on said mounting means, said mounting means comprising a ring, the cuff portion of said glove being stretched around the edge of said ring to hold the cuff portion of said glove in an open position, said ring comprising packaging means for packaging said glove separate from said inflating means.

6. An inflating apparatus comprising first and second telescoping tubes with a sliding air seal defined therebetween, the end of said first tube being closed and the opposite end of said second tube defining mounting means for mounting and holding an inflatable device in a position such that when said second tube is withdrawn from said first tube, said inflatable device is sucked into the cavity defined by said tubes and inflated within said cavity.

7. An inflating apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein said air seal between said tubes is provided by an elastomeric band having one edge thereof fixed in a stretched condition to the outer one of said tubes with the opposite edge theron engaging the outer surface of the inner one of said tubes.

8. In a system having a sliding air seal between a tube and a cylinder telescoping within said tube, the improvement wherein said air seal comprises an elastomeric band having one edge fixed to said tube in a stretched condition with the opposite edge of said elastomeric band engaging the outer surface of said cylinder.

9. A method of donning a glove by means of a low pressure chamber defined by inflating apparatus comprising mounting said glove on a ring while separate from said inflating apparatus by stretching the cuff portion of said glove around one axial end edge of said ring with the outside surface of said glove in contact with said ring to open the cuff portion of said glove for entry of the hand, placing said ring over an opening to said chamber with the other axial end of said ring in contact with the opening of said chamber, reducing the pressure in said chamber to inflate said glove, inserting the hand into said glove, deflating said glove on said hand, and releasing said cuff portion from said ring after said glove has been deflated on the hand.

10. A system for facilitating the donning of a glove comprising inflating means defining a chamber for generating a low pressure within said chamber and having an opening to said chamber, a ring separate from said inflating means, a glove having the cuff portion thereof stretched around one axial end of said ring with the outside surface of said glove in contact with said ring, the other axial end of said ring being designed to fit with said opening to said chamber to form an air seal therewith, said chamber functioning to inflate said glove in said chamber when the air pressure in said chamber is reduced with the ring positioned on said opening, said inflating means including means to deflate said glove and release said cuff portion from said ring after a hand has been inserted into said glove.