Apparatus and method for donning hygienic gloves

Abstract

An apparatus for donning hygienic gloves comprising a stack of glove sheets, a box and a dispenser. The box contains the stack of glove sheets and the dispenser removably holds the box. Each glove sheet comprises a top and bottom layer sealed together at a hand-shaped seam that defines a glove and a frangibly attached remnant portion, the bottom layer being longer the top layer at a cuff of the glove, the cuff having a hand opening therein. The box has a removable flap, preferably including a hand-shaped portion on a front panel of the box. The dispenser includes an opening preferably including a hand-shaped portion on a front panel of the box. In a preferred embodiment, the hand-shaped seam, hand-shaped flap portion, and hand-shaped dispenser opening are configured to substantially match and align.

1 . An apparatus for donning hygienic gloves comprising:
 a plurality of glove sheets bound together in a stack, each glove sheet comprising a bi-layered glove and a remnant portion, the glove being frangibly connected to the remnant portion;   a box enclosing and containing the stack of glove sheets, the box having front panel with a removable flap having an outline that corresponds to the gloves in the stack, and wherein a portion of the front panel remaining after the removal of the flap substantially covers the remnant portions of the glove sheets; and   a dispenser configured to removably hold the box, the dispenser having an opening having a configuration aligned with the outline of the removable flap when the box is held in the dispenser;   wherein the dispenser opening, the removable flap and the gloves are configured for single-handed donning of the gloves in repeat succession while avoiding contact with an outer surface of the gloves and mitigating risk of contamination.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each glove sheet has a top layer and bottom layer, each glove sheet having a proximal end that includes a cuff of the glove, the cuff including an opening configured to receive a user's hand, and wherein the removable box flap extends to an end panel at the proximal end of the glove sheets in the stack such that removal of the flap exposes the cuffs of the gloves in the stack to aid in single-handed donning of the gloves. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the remnant portions of the glove sheets are enclosed and held within the box, the remnant portion of each glove sheet in the stack is attached to the remnant portion of at least one adjacent glove sheet in the stack, and wherein the glove of each glove sheet is unattached to adjacent gloves in the stack or is only loosely attached at a cuff of the glove. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each glove sheet has a top layer and bottom layer sealed together along a hand-shaped seam, the seam frangibly connecting the glove to the remnant portion of the sheet, wherein the remnant portions in the stack are sealed together at multiple sealing points adjacent to the hand-shaped seam. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of interior posts that extend through and bind together the remnant portions of the stack of glove sheets; wherein the posts are configured to secure the integrity of the stack such that when the gloves are donned, they cleanly separate from the remnant portions, and the remaining glove sheets are not dislodged or twisted. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , further comprising a back template, wherein each of the interior posts are connected to the back template. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the glove is defined by a hand-shaped seam between the layers of each glove sheet, wherein the seam frangibly connects the glove to the remnant portion of the sheet along the entire length of the seam. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the frangible connection between the glove and remnant portion is stronger at a cuff portion than at a finger portion of the glove. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the remnant portions of the stack are at least partially affixed to the box. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein each glove sheet is rectangular and the box has a matching rectangular configuration to securely retain the remnant portions as gloves are donned. 
     
     
         11 . An apparatus for donning hygienic gloves comprising:
 a plurality of glove sheets, each sheet comprising,   a top layer and bottom layer sealed together along a hand-shaped seam, the seam frangibly connecting a glove to a remnant portion of the sheet along the entire perimeter of the glove except on a proximal end of the glove,   a hand opening in the proximal end of the glove;   wherein the plurality of glove sheets are stacked with the gloves being aligned within the stack, and the remnant portions of each sheet being bound together;   a box fully or partially containing the stack of glove sheets, the box having a removable flap on at least a front panel of the box, a portion of the flap being hand-shaped and configured to substantially match and align with the hand-shaped seam on the stack of glove sheets; and   a dispenser configured to removably hold the box, the dispenser having an opening on at least a front face of the dispenser, a portion of the opening on the dispenser front face being hand-shaped and configured to substantially match and align with the hand-shaped portion of the flap on the front panel of the box;   wherein the dispenser opening, the box detachable flap and the gloves are aligned and configured for single-handed donning of the gloves in repeat succession while avoiding contact with the outer surface of the gloves and mitigating risk of contamination.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein each glove sheet is rectangular, the box has a matching rectangular configuration, and the remnant portions in the stack are bound together at multiple sealing points to securely retain the remnant portions as gloves are donned. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the frangible connection between the glove and remnant portion extends along the entire length of the seam and is stronger at the cuff than at a finger portion of the glove. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11  further comprising a back template held within the box, and a plurality of interior posts extending from the back template and though the remnant portions of the stack of glove sheets. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 14  wherein the back template and posts are molded plastic. 
     
     
         16 . A method for a user to single-handedly don hygienic gloves while avoiding contact with the outer surface of the gloves and mitigating risk of contamination, with an apparatus having a plurality of glove sheets arranged in a stack, a box containing the glove sheet stack and having an opening on a box front face, and a dispenser holding the box and having an opening on a dispenser front face, wherein each glove sheet comprises a top and bottom layer sealed together at a hand-shaped seam that defines a glove and a frangibly attached remnant portion, the bottom layer being longer the top layer at a cuff of the glove, the cuff having a hand opening therein, the method comprising the steps of the user,
 inserting a hand into the glove of the first sheet through the hand opening of the cuff by sliding the user's fingers over the bottom layer of the glove, while avoiding contact with the outer surface of the glove, wherein the step of the user inserting a hand into the glove is performed without extracting the glove from the apparatus; and   tearing the glove away from the remnant portion by pulling the hand away from the apparatus through the box opening and dispenser opening.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein each glove sheet is rectangular, the box has a matching rectangular configuration, and the remnant portions of the glove stack are bound together and secured within the box such that the glove cleanly separates from the remnant portion and the glove stack in the tearing step. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the box has a flap on at least the box front face, further comprising the steps of inserting the box into the dispenser, and removing the box flap after inserting the box in the dispenser to form said box opening. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16  further including a step wherein the top layer of the next glove is separated from the bottom portion of the next glove when the first glove is torn away. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising vertically mounting the dispenser in a cuff down orientation, and wherein the inserting step comprises an upward motion of the hand into the glove to fully don the glove and the step of tearing the glove away from the remnant portion comprises pulling the hand towards the user.