Sterile biased cot and examination glove dispensers

• US 5,740,943 A
• Filed: 03/05/1997
• Issued: 04/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jack W. Shields, Shields W. Mark
• Original Assignee: Jack W. Shields, Shields W. Mark
• Inventors: Shields, W. Mark, Shields, Jack W.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOLAND, KENNETH W
• Application Number:
  US08/812,963
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 221/33, 221/31, 221/30, 221/26, 206/438, 206/476, 206/822, 206/828, 206/804, 206/812
• US Class Current: 221/33
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/314 Flexible bags or pouches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 42/40 Packages or dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/08 for dispensing thin flat articles in succession towel dispensers intended for re-use A47K10/24; dispensers for surgical scalpel blades A61B17/3215

Abstract

We disclose dispensers for sterile finger cots without rolled bases, but having biased bases; and for sterile conventional examination gloves having short cuffs with beaded rolled bases. The invention enables users to extract each cot and each glove from a sterile sealed envelope without contaminating the leading external portions of any finger cot or any glove; and enables easy removal of each finger cot or glove without the user touching any likely-to-be contaminated external surface by any finger after appropriate use. Such dispensers for finger cots and gloves can supply multiples, each enclosed in a a sealed envelope which manually opens to expose only the biased base of each contained cot or opens on a bias which exposes only the beaded rolled base and proximal part of each short glove cuff. The object is to sustain the highest level of sterility conveniently possible during the use of gloves or finger cots for protecting patients and users from cross-infections.

Claims

1. Sterile finger cots having biased bases with proximal apices thereon and having distal parts for covering the phalanges of a chosen finger, said proximal apices, when grasped by fingers of the opposite hand, enabling users to slip each sterile finger cot onto said chosen finger before intended use, and to invert each cot from said chosen finger after use, without touching the external surfaces of said distal parts with fingers of either hand.

2. Sterile dispensers for sterile finger cots, said sterile dispensers comprising sealed sterile envelopes whose manual opening across both sides of one end exposes only proximal apices of biased bases of said sterile finger cots for grasping by fingers of the hand opposite to the hand having said chosen finger, such that distal parts for covering the phalanges of said chosen finger are not touched by any finger or any external part of said sealed sterile envelopes during withdrawal of said sterile finger cots from said sterile dispensers.

3. Sterile dispensers, as in claim 2, applicable for dispensing sterile gloves having rolled beads on the proximal parts of the cuffs of each glove and having distal means for covering the palm and five fingers of one hand, said sterile dispensers further comprising said sealed sterile envelopes whose manual opening on a bias across both sides of one end exposes only said rolled beads and said proximal parts of the cuffs of each sterile glove for finger grasping, such that said distal means for covering the palm and five fingers of one hand are not touched by any finger or by any external parts of said sealed sterile envelopes during withdrawal of said sterile gloves from said sterile dispensers.

4. Said sterile dispensers, as in claims 2 and 3, further comprising said sealed sterile envelopes packaged in and conveniently separable from rolls.