Method and apparatus for putting on gloves and gloves

Abstract

A glove retained by retaining enabled to be donned onto a hand by: providing gloves GR in which a cuff edge 8D of a glove palm side part is formed to be offset closer to the glove fingers compared with a cuff edge 8U of a glove back side part; hanging the gloves GR by engaging an upper portion of the glove back side part located in the vicinity of the upper cuff edge 8U and above the lower cuff edge 8D, with the glove cuff being directed upward and the palm side part with a lower cuff edge 8D being placed in front; opening the cuff of the foremost one of the gloves to an extent sufficient to enable the hand to be inserted therethrough; and applying a force to the glove to disengage the glove after inserting the hand through the opened cuff from above.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a glove donning method, a system for carrying out the method, and a glove used therewith. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and system for donning a thin glove especially suitable for use in a food processing plant and the like and fabricated from a substantially unstretchable material, such as polyethylene, and relates to such a glove used therewith. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Heretofore, there have been proposed various methods and systems for enabling a person to don a glove by merely inserting his or her hand through the cuff or opening of the glove. [0003] For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10(1998)-108870 discloses a method and apparatus for donning a glove, made from an elastically expandable material, to encase a wearer's hand. This method comprises mounting the glove cuff on a retaining means in a manner such that the glove cuff faces upward by expanding the opposed surfaces o...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023] The engagement portion may be a hole which enables the holding rod to be inserted therethrough, and it is preferable that a frangible portion is provided between this hole and the cuff edge in the vicinity of the hole, thereby facilitating communication therebetween. This frangible portion may be, for example, a perforated line extending between the aforementioned hole and the cuff edge in the vicinity of the hole.

[0030] According to the glove donning method of the invention, gloves are hung in a state such that they are arranged one behind the other by engaging the upper portion of the gloves with the cuff of each glove being directed upward, and the cuff of the foremost one of the hanging gloves is opened to the extent sufficient to enable a hand to be inserted therethrough. Thus, it is possible to don the glove onto a hand in a moment merely by inserting the hand through the cuff of the forefront glove, without loss of hygiene of the glove Further, a glove used for this method is a glove wherein one of two cuff edges respectively corresponding to the back-side and palm-side parts of the glove, for example, the cuff edge of the palm side part of the glove, is provided to be offset closer to the glove fingers compared with the other cuff edge, i.e., the cuff edge of the back side part of the glove, and an engagement portion, which enables the glove to be hung with the glove cuff being directed upward, is formed at a portion, located in the vicinity of the other cuff edge, i.e., the cuff edge of the back side part and above the lower cuff edge, i.e., the cuff edge of the palm side part, of the glove part having the other cuff edge. Consequently, despite the fact that a substantially unstretchable glove is used, engagement of the gloves in a hanging state with the glove cuff of each glove being directed upward and the palm side part of the glove being placed in front, insertion of a hand through the cuff, and disengagement of the glove after inserting therein a hand are greatly facilitated. Especially, when a frangible portion such as a perforated line is formed between an engagement portion and the cuff edge in the vicinity of the engagement portion, disengagement of the glove is advantageously further facilitated.

[0031] The glove donning system of the present invention comprises: hanging means for hanging the gloves designed as described above, wherein the gloves are hung with the gloves being arranged one behind the other in the state that the cuff of each glove is directed upward, the glove part, whose cuff edge is positioned below the other, is placed in front, and the gloves are engaged at a portion, located in the vicinity of this upper cuff edge and above the other lower cuff edge, of the glove part whose cuff edge is positioned above the other; and an opening mechanism for opening the cuff of the foremost one of the hanging gloves to the extent sufficient to enable a hand to be inserted therethrough. Accordingly, it is possible to don gloves onto hands in a moment merely by inserting the hands through the cuffs of the forefront gloves, without loss of hygiene of the gloves.

[0032] Further, the foregoing glove opening mechanism may comprise a pair of glove-inter-surface separation plates, which is inserted from above into the glove through the front lower cuff edge such that the plates are held in a position substantially parallel to the cuff edge, and then rotated about 90° respectively around vertically extending shafts, thus opening the cuff of the glove. Accordingly, opening the glove cuff to the extent sufficient to enable the hand to be inserted therethrough would be significantly facilitated. Also here, the opening mechanism further may comprise pressing means for resiliently pressing forward a portion, located in the vicinity of the cuff edge positioned below the other, of the rearmost one of the hanging gloves from behind. This causes the respective hanging gloves to be bulged frontward at a region near the lower cuff edge, whereby the lower cuff edge facing forward of each forefront glove opens toward the front. Accordingly, inserting the pair of glove-inter-surface separation plates into the glove through the lower cuff edge would be facilitated.

[0033] Further, in the present invention, glove housing magazines are used as hanging means for hanging a plurality of gloves having the features mentioned above with the gloves being arranged one behind the other, whereby, advantageously, the mounting and replenishing of gloves to the glove donning system is greatly facilitated.

Problems solved by technology

However, the foregoing glove donning method is disadvantageous in that: (1) this method is not applicable to a substantially unstretchable glove fabricated from a material such as polyethylene, since the method requires expansion of the glove cuff against its elastic restoring force while retaining the glove cuff; (2) since the user has to mount gloves one by one onto the glove retaining means prior to donning, some amount of labor and time therefor is necessary; (3) as the user's hand touches the fingers of the glove during mounting the gloves one by one on the glove retaining means, hygiene of the glove is lost and a dedicated mounting unit is necessary.

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