Article dispensing – Cellular magazine type – Rolled or folded web type magazine
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-27
2001-10-09
Skaggs, H. Grant (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
Cellular magazine type
Rolled or folded web type magazine
C221S185000, C242S597800
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299018
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to bandage dispensing devices, and, more specifically, to a portable push-button device for dispensing bandages.
BACKGROUND
Bandages are one of the most widely utilized first aid supplies available. Bandages are typically used to decrease prolonged loss of body fluids by covering and protecting a multitude of skin transgressions such as open wounds, surgical incisions, venipuncture/IV insertions, post injection punctures, abrasions and burns. As such, in typical medical facilities, especially hospitals, bandages may be applied hundreds of times per day.
Unfortunately, however, the prior art method of applying a bandage to a target area often requires the use of two hands and is relatively time consuming, and thus, inefficient and costly. More specifically, when the need for a bandage arises, a nurse or doctor must first retrieve a bandage from a storage cabinet and/or storage room thereby requiring retrieval time and effort on behalf of the nurse or doctor. Then a bandage covering must be removed to expose the bandage. Next, typically two adhesive coverings must be removed to expose the adhesive portion of the bandage, wherein the bandage can then be secured over the target area. Because these steps are performed numerous times each day at numerous health facility locations by numerous nurses and doctors, many hours in any given day are consumed performing these simple yet necessary tasks.
In an attempt to remedy these inefficiencies, a multitude of bandage dispensers have been proposed. Examples of such devices may be found by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,689 to Frank; U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,740 to Huck et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,140 to Pellegrino; U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,522 to Ko et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,894 to Garland; U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,342 to Goldstein; U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,593 to Behringer; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,189,219 to Holzworth et al. However, in light of the present invention, these devices are disadvantageous. For instance, the patents to Holzworth et al., Huck et al., Pellegrino, Ko et al. and Goldstein all require that each bandage be pulled therefrom by hand and therefore, do not provide a means for advancing to the next bandage without physical contact with the previous bandage. Although the patents to Behringer, Garland and Frank provide a means for advancing to the next bandage without contact with the previous bandage, said means are inefficient. For instance, Frank and Behringer disclose devices that allow the bandages to be advanced via a rotating crank or knob. Not only can these advancement means interfere with other on-going procedures, they can easily be inadvertently rotated. Moreover, none of the above references can be easily attached to a person's clothing to provide an ambulatory bandage dispenser nor do they provide hand gripping means to facilitate one hand operations for larger wounds requiring more than one bandage.
It is therefore readily apparent that a new and improved device for dispensing bandages is needed that can be attached to a person's clothing and provide a simple advancing mechanism to allow push button advancement and thus one-handed operations. It is, therefore, to the provision of such an improvement that the present invention is directed.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, in a preferred embodiment, the present invention both overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages, and meets the recognized needs for such device, by providing a bandage dispensing device having means for attaching the device to a person's clothing such that the device is portable and easily accessible.
The present invention generally comprises a relatively hollow casing formed in a generally 7-shape having a handle portion and a head portion. The handle portion preferably comprises a plurality of finger indentions formed on the exterior front portion of the handle to facilitate the gripping of the device. The head portion, attached at the upper portion of the handle, generally comprises an attachment means such as a clip formed on the rear exterior of the head to removably attach the device to a portion of a person's clothing. Formed at the front exterior of the head are preferably two apertures, an exit aperture and an reentry aperture, wherein a bandage assembly exits the interior of the device through the exit aperture, thereby allowing a bandage carried by the bandage assembly to be removed, and then the remaining bandage carrying strip reenters the interior of the device through the reentry aperture. A second exit aperture is formed on the chin of the head portion, wherein the bandage carrying strip is channeled therethrough such that the strip extends downward away from the front portion of the head to ensure that the strip does not interfere with bandage removal.
To provide a means for incrementally advancing the bandage assembly, the interior of the head portion generally comprises a rotatable spool of a bandage assembly strip, a drive belt, and a means for advancing said drive belt incrementally. The strip of bandage assembly generally comprises spaced apart bandages carried by a nonadhering carrying strip having preferably one throughhole formed between each bandage, wherein pins perpendicularly extending from the drive belt engage within a plurality of the throughholes. A push button extends generally to the exterior of the device at the top of the head portion preferably more toward the rear of the device to allow easy contact with the user's thumb and is in mechanical communication with the drive belt.
The advancing mechanism preferably comprises an extension arm, a linkage arm and a one-direction engaging gear. As the push button is pushed, the extension arm is lowered thereby lowering the attached linkage arm thus rotating the drive belt in the counter-clockwise direction by one increment. Upon release of the button, a spring urges the assembly back to its original position, however, the engaging gear disengages from the drive belt and rotates back to its original position without rotating the drive belt in the clockwise direction.
A removable access door is formed preferably at the top of the head portion to provide a means for accessing the interior thereof to replace the roll of bandages and/or to make repairs to the interior mechanisms.
Thus, a feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable bandage dispensing device that can be easily attached to a person's clothing to provide a readily accessible portable bandage dispenser.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable bandage dispensing device having a push button advancement means to facilitate one-hand advancement without the touching the bandage.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable bandage dispensing device having a plurality of finger indentions for facilitating the gripping of the device.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable bandage dispensing device that is generally 7-shaped to facilitate the application and dispensing of bandages.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable bandage dispensing device that can dispense bandages and apply one to a target area while eliminating or reducing the need for contacting the bandage by the user and therefore, reduces the spread of infections.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable bandage-dispensing device that is lightweight and thus easy to transport.
A feature and advantage of the present invention is to provide a new and improved portable bandage-dispensing device that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to one skilled in the art by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred and alternate embodiments, the appended claim,
Myers Joel D.
Myers & Associates Intellectual Property Law P.C.
Skaggs H. Grant
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