GB2343359A

GB2343359A - Method and apparatus for encapsulating the hand

Info

Publication number: GB2343359A
Application number: GB9823793A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Cyril Edward Winter
Original assignee: JENNAWAY JOHN FRANK
Current assignee: JENNAWAY JOHN FRANK
Priority date: 1998-10-31
Filing date: 1998-10-31
Publication date: 2000-05-10
Anticipated expiration: 2018-10-31
Also published as: GB9823793D0; GB2343359B

Abstract

Apparatus for encapsulating the hand comprises a dispenser (E) for a double strip of plastics sheet material such as self-adherent film, guide means (F,G) to separate the two layers of the strip as it is drawn from the dispenser and closure means (H,M) to re-unite the layers after passage around the guide means, the guide means permitting movement of the hand therethrough together with the strip such that the layers are re-united on opposite sides of the hand. The two layers may be provided by folding the strip about a longitudinal line. The closure means may comprise a pair of closely adjacent rollers (H,M) whose peripheries are soft enough, for example made of rubber, to permit passage between them of the hand but resilient enough to place the layers in contact on opposite sides of the hand. The dispenser (E) may be a roller on which the strip is wound. The apparatus may include sealing and severance means for the layers of the strip, for example by using heat.

Description

"METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENCAPSULATING THE HAND" This invention relates to a method and apparatus for encapsulating the hand for purposes of hygiene or to avoid soiling the hand.

Gloves are used for purposes of hygiene in hospitals and in establishments where food is handled, or to prevent soiling the hands, for example when changing a wheel or checking the oil of a car. Gloves of this kind do not have to be warm or durable but their provision does involve some cost because of their relatively complex shape. Particularly when used for purposes of hygiene there should be no disincentive to changing the gloves as frequently as is desirable. A disincentive is not only cost but the time and trouble involved in locating a supply of gloves, separating a pair r and drawing the gloves over the fingers. Busy workers either in a hospital or in a food shop may be deterred by the time and trouble involved in changing gloves although failure to do so may risk cross-contamination.

The present invention proceeds from the realisation that for at least most of the aforementioned purposes it is unnecessary to provide a glove shaped to have fingers and a thumb. A hand encapsulated in a plastics film will have sufficient freedom of movement the fingers and materials costs will be relatively very small. If a dispenser is conveniently located, for example on a shop conter, and if the encapsulating operation can be performed quickly and simply there is nothing to deter hospital staff or shop assistants changing their"gloves"whenever this is desirable, for example before handling different foodstuffs.

Therefore in accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided apparatus for encapsulating the hand comprising dispenser means for a double strip of plastics sheet material, guide means located to separate the two layers of the strip as it is drawn from the dispenser means and closure means located to re-unite the layers after passage around the guide means, the guide means permitting the insertion of said hand between the layers and the closure means permitting movement of the hand therethrough together with the strip such that the layers are re-united on opposite sides of the hand.

The plastics sheet material is a self-adherent film.

The two layers are preferably provided by folding the strip about a longitudinal line such that the layers remain united at an end of the guide means remote from an end thereof through which the hand is inserted.

The closure means preferably comprises a pair of closely adjacent rollers the peripheries of which are soft enough to permit passage between them of the hand and resilient enough to place the layers in contact on opposite sides of the hand. The peripheries of said rollers may be of sponge rubber or synthetic rubber.

The dispenser means may be a roller on which the strip is wound folded longitudinally and the guide means may be of inverted V-shape and located with its apex generally tangential to said dispenser roller so that the two layers drawn from the dispenser roller may be separated by passing around said guide means.

The guide means may have an opening at one end through which a hand may be inserted and may be closed at its opposite end, the fold of the strip passing said opposite end. The guide means may be generally V-shaped in cross-section as well as in sectional elevation.

Sealing and severance means is preferably associated with said closure means and adapted to seal the layers together at the trailing side of a hand passing through the closure means and to sever from the strip the film which encapsulates the hand.

The said rollers of the closure means are preferably interconnected to maintain a constant angular relationship and said sealing and severance means preferably comprises elongated elements having circumferential positions on the respective rollers of the closure means such that they will pinch the layers between them after a hand has passed through the closure means, means being provided to apply heat between said elements when mutually opposed so as to seal and sever the strip.

The rollers of the closure means are preferably rotated by the hand passing between the same and the starting angular relationship of said rollers may be adjustable to vary the length of strip which will encapsulate a hand.

Means is preferably provided for temporarily separating the rollers of the closure means and for rotating the same, said separating and rotating means being operable to determine a starting position to which the rollers of the closure means are rotated and to prevent movement of the strip by said rollers while being so driven.

Similar dispensing, guide and closure means may be located side-by-side in a common housing whereby both hands may be encapsulated simultaneously.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of encapsulating the hand comprising folding a strip of plastics material sheet longitudinally, passing the strip over guide means which will separate the two layers of the strip, passing the strip between closure means which will re-unite the layers and sealing and severing the strip so that a hand passed between said layers at said guide means and then passed through said closure means will be encapsulated.

Preferably the strip is wound onto a freely rotatable roller from which it is dispensed to said guide means.

Following severance of the strip rollers constituting said closure means may be rotated to a start position the angular orientation of which determines the length of said strip which will next encapsulate a hand.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of non-limitative example with reference to the accompanying Drawing, which is a perspective view with parts broken away of a hand-encapsulating or dispensing device in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to the Drawing, plastics sheet material in strip form is wound onto rolls E. The plastics material is preferably a self-adherent plastics film of the kind known as"cling film". The rolls E are provided as replacement items and in use are located in bearings in a housing A so as to be freely rotatable about parallel, horizontal axes in an upper part of the housing. From each roll E the film is drawn down through respective pairs of guide rollers F and then over a respective guide G which is of inverted V-shape. As wound on the rolls E the strip of film is folded about a longitudinal centreline, and the rolls E are mounted in the housing A so that the fold of each strip of film is at the end of roll E nearer the back B of the housing. Each guide G provides an opening in the front C of the housing or cabinet A which tapers toward the back B of the cabinet, the guide being of V-shape both in cross section and in sectional elevation, and the fold of each strip passes down the closed end of the respective guide G.

After passing round the respective guide G each strip passes between a respective pair of oontiguous rollers H and M which re-unite the two layers of each strip. At least peripheral regions of these rollers H and M are of a soft, resilient material such as sponge rubber which will allow a hand to pass between them without difficulty or discomfort but which will reunite the layers of film behind the hand after it has passed downwardly between them.

Supporte on radial elements I and J are elongated sealing and severance elements, not visible in the Drawing, which extend along the peripheries of the rollers H and M parallel with their axes. Means (not shown) is provided whereby the rollers H and M of each pair are interconnected to rotate together while maintaining the same angular relationship, and this is such that after a hand has passed between a pair of rollers H and M the two elongated elements will confront each other at the three o'clock position of a roller H and the nine o'clock position of a roller M. One of the elongated elements is a pressure pad and the other a source of heat, such as a hot wire or a halogen lamp. When the two layers of film are pinched between a pair of rollers H and M and heat is applied the film will be both sealed and severed, so that the film encapsulating a hand which has passed downward between a pair of rollers H and M will be sealed along the trailing side of the hand as well as separated from the strip. The severed end K of the strip now depending between a pair of rollers H and M is sealed to provide the leading edge of the next"glove"to be dispensed.

It will be understood that the fold of the strip seals the finger end of the"glove"and that the rollers H and M press the film about the wrist so that the hand is fully enclosed.

Each roller H is mounted on bearings N which are capable of limited sliding movement toward and away from the associated roller M. It may be springloaded to the operative position shown, in which the peripheries of the rollers H and M are contiguous, and may be withdrawn to an inoperative position, separated from the associated roller M, by energising a solenoid (not shown). The rollers H and M are separated when it is not desired that the film should be fed downward between them.

Additionally the rollers H and M are rotatable by a motor drive means (not shown). This automatically rotates the rollers until the radial elements I and J are in the six o'clock position after a hand has passed between the rollers, ready for a new cycle.

A mechanism is also provided (not shown) whereby the rollers H and M may first be separated, rotated through a predetermined angle by the motor drive and then brought back into contact at a different start position when it is desired to dispense a smaller envelope, for example to encapsulate a smaller hand. Preferably this mechanism functions only once so that the machine defaults to the production of an envelope of standard size unless a smaller size is deliberately selected.

In use of the apparatus illustrated one inserts both hands into the openings at the front of cabinet A aligned with guides G and then draws them downward through the respective pairs of rollers H and M. This rotates the rollers H and M through 270 so that the sealing and severing elements confront one another to separate the envelope now encapsulating each hand and the hands can be moved away. The solenoids controlling the sliding bearings N and the drive motor are now simultaneously energised so that the rollers H and M are rotated until the radial elements I and J are in the six o'clock position, ready for a new cycle, without drawing film further downward between them. If the smaller envelope selector button is now pressed the solenoids and motor are again energised to bring the rollers H and M to a different starting position, again without drawing down further film. Otherwise the rollers H and M rest with elements I and J at six o'clock until passage of a hand between them again rotates them through 270 .

It will be seen that the encapsulation of both hands is an operation which can be performed very swiftly and without having to hold and manipulate a pair of gloves, which as well as being time-consuming and inconvenient can be a cause of contamination when the outside of a new glove is handled.

Washed and/or sterilised hands can be inserted in the machine without touching anything-else en route. The machine may occupy a prominent position to be used by any number of personnel, requiring no separate stocks of gloves which have to be found and put on. Finally the film used for each"glove"will represent a minute cost by comparison with conventional gloves.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. Apparatus for encapsulating the hand comprising dispenser means for a double strip of plastics sheet material, guide means located to separate the two layers of the strip as it is drawn from the dispenser means and closure means located to re-unite the layers after passage around the guide means, the guide means permitting the insertion of said hand between the layers and the closure means permitting movement of the hand therethrough together with the strip such that the layers are re-united on opposite sides of the hand.
2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plastics sheet material is a self-adherent film.
3. Apparatus as claimed in either preceding claim, wherein the two layers are provided by folding the strip about a longitudinal line such that the layers remain united at an end of the guide means remote from an end thereof through which the hand is inserted.
4. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the closure means comprises a pair of closely adjacent rollers the peripheries of which are soft enough to permit passage between them of the hand and resilient enough to place the layers in contact on opposite sides of the hand.
5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the peripheries of said rollers are of sponge rubber or synthetic rubber.
6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dispenser means is a roller on which the strip is wound folded longitudinally and wherein the guide means is of inverted V-shape and is located with its apex generally tangential to said dispenser roller so that the two layers drawn from the dispenser roller may be separated by passing around said guide means.
7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the guide means has an opening at one end through which a hand may be inserted and is closed at its opposite end, the fold of the strip passing said opposite end.
8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the guide means is generally V-shaped in cross-section as well as in sectional elevation.
9. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and comprising sealing and severance means associated with said closure means and adapted to seal the layers together at the trailing side of a hand passing through the closure means and to sever from the strip the film which encapsulates the hand.
10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 as appendant to claim 4, or any of claims 5-8 as appendant to claim 4, wherein said rollers of the closure means are interconnected to maintain a constant angular relationship and said sealing and severance means comprises elongated elements having circumferential positions on the respective rollers of the closure means such that they will pinch the layers between them after a hand has passed through the closure means, means being provided to apply heat between said elements when mutually opposed so as to seal and sever the strip.
11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the rollers of the closure means are rotated by the hand passing between the same and wherein the starting angular relationship of said rollers is ajustable to vary the length of strip which will encapsulate a hand.
12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 and comprising means for temporarily separating the rollers of the closure means and for rotating the same, said separating and rotating means being operable to determine a starting position to which the rollers of the closure means are rotated and to prevent movement of the strip by said rollers while being so driven.
13. Apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein similar dispensing, guide and closure means are located side-by-side in a common housing whereby both hands may be encapsulated simultaneously.
14. Apparatus for encapsulating the hand substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying Drawings.
15. A method of encapsulating the hand comprising folding a strip of plastics sheet material longitudinally, passing the strip over guide means which will separate the two layers of the strip, passing the strip between closure means which will re-unite the layers and sealing and severing the strip so that a hand passed between said layers at said guide means and then passed through said closure means will be encapsulated.
16. A method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the strip is wound onto a freely rotatable roller from which it is dispensed to said guide means.
17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or claim 16, wherein following severance of the strip rollers oonstituting said closure means are rotated to a start position the angular orientation of which determines the length of said strip which will next encapsulate a hand.
18. A method of encapsulating the hand substantially as hereinbefore described.