No-contact cover for stethoscopes and other articles

Abstract

A system for dispensing sterile covers for a stethoscope or other medical device, including a container including elongated members positioned in the container, terminating at tips proximate one end of the container; one or more collapsed pouches positioned inside the container, each pouch having open and closed ends and retainers, each retainer adapted to receive a corresponding elongated member, the collapsed pouches being supported on the elongated members; each pouch comprising a tab positioned proximate the open end for being grasped and pulled in a direction away and downwards from the elongated members, the open end forming an open position defined by the retainers and the tab for receiving a head of the stethoscope inside the pouch while the retainers remain engaged with the elongated members; after use, the pouch is removable from the stethoscope without a user contacting a patient contacting region of the cover.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sterile cover for a medical device, comprising:
 a hollow body having an opening for surroundingly receiving a portion of the medical device therein; and   a protrusion positioned opposite the opening, the protrusion extending outwardly from a surface of the body for permitting the protrusion to be grasped by a user,   wherein in response to the protrusion being grasped by the user and an application of a separation force to the protrusion, the separation force separates the body from the portion of the medical device without the user contacting the portion of the medical device.   
     
     
         2 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is disposed in a lengthwise direction of the body. 
     
     
         3 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is configured to be folded or collapsed against the body prior to use. 
     
     
         4 . The cover of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of adjacent portions opposite the opening. 
     
     
         5 . The cover of  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of adjacent portions extends beyond the body. 
     
     
         6 . The cover of  claim 4 , wherein a spacing is formed between each of the plurality of adjacent portions. 
     
     
         7 . The cover of  claim 4 , wherein the protrusion is configured to be folded or collapsed against one of the adjacent portions prior to use. 
     
     
         8 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is made from a same material as the body. 
     
     
         9 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is made from a different material as the body. 
     
     
         10 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is made from a rigid material. 
     
     
         11 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusion includes a coating layer for stiffness. 
     
     
         12 . The cover of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is made from a material that is configured to extend outwardly from the body when the cover is in an expanded condition permitting the protrusion to be grasped by a user without contacting the medical device. 
     
     
         13 . The cover of  claim 1 , further comprising an elastic member surrounding the opening to permit the opening to be temporarily enlarged to insert the medical device. 
     
     
         14 . The cover of  claim 2 , wherein the elastic member is an elastic band. 
     
     
         15 . A sterile cover for a medical device, comprising:
 a hollow body having an opening for surroundingly receiving a portion of the medical device therein; and   a protrusion positioned opposite the opening and extending outwardly from one end of the body, wherein:   in a folded position, the protrusion rests against a portion of the body, and   in an extended position, the protrusion extends outwardly from the portion of the body such that a user grasps the protrusion.   
     
     
         16 . The cover of  claim 15 , wherein the body is composed of a flexible material to actuate the protrusion from the folded position to the extended position. 
     
     
         17 . The cover of  claim 15 , wherein upon insertion of the medical device into the body of the cover, the protrusion is configured to actuate from the folded position to the extended position without a user applying a retention force. 
     
     
         18 . The cover of  claim 15 , wherein the protrusion is made from a rigid material that is configured to extend outwardly from the body. 
     
     
         19 . The cover of  claim 15 , wherein the body is made from a first material and the protrusion is made from a second material, the second material being different than the first material. 
     
     
         20 . The cover of  claim 15 , wherein the protrusion, when folded, is on an opposite side of a patient contact region of the cover so as to prevent the protrusion from contacting a patient, and permit the patient to remove the cover by grasping the protrusion without making any physical contact with the patient contact region that had contacted the patient.