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US 11,679,952 B2Granted
Barrier envelope dispenser
AssigneeFlow Dental Products, LLC
InventorsWilliam Winters, Terrence McLaughlin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dispenser of barrier envelopes is formed of a pair of selectively interlocking open-top box-like structures. When interlocked, the pair of structures forms an interior chamber that is configured to store and protect one or more barrier envelopes inside from external contaminants such as viruses, bacteria and/or fungi. The dispenser of barrier envelopes includes a through opening for the purpose of dispensing the one or more envelopes to a user, and a spring in its interior chamber for directing the one or more envelopes toward the through opening.
Claims20
A barrier envelope dispenser configured for use in dentistry, the barrier envelope dispenser comprising:
- a casing defining an exterior of the barrier envelope dispenser and an interior chamber in the barrier envelope dispenser, the casing including an opening therethrough which connects the interior chamber with the exterior of the barrier envelope dispenser;
- and
- an elastic member removably disposed in the interior chamber and configured to guide one or more barrier envelopes in the interior chamber toward the through opening,
- wherein the elastic member includes:
- a first pusher;
- a second pusher;
- and
- a spring having a first end thereof connected to the first pusher and a second end thereof connected to the second pusher, wherein, when the elastic member is selectively inserted in the interior chamber, the first pusher is movable toward the second pusher and the second pusher is movable toward the first pusher such that a pusher which faces the one or more barrier envelopes, from among the group consisting of the first pusher and the second pusher, can direct the one or more barrier envelopes toward the through opening due to a biasing action of the spring in order to facilitate a process of selectively retrieving the one or more barrier envelopes from the interior chamber via the through opening.
5 more elements
A method for utilizing a dispenser of barrier envelopes in dentistry, the method comprising:
- providing a dispenser of barrier envelopes, the barrier envelope dispenser comprising:
- a casing defining an exterior of the barrier envelope dispenser and an interior chamber in the barrier envelope dispenser, the casing including an opening therethrough which connects the interior chamber with the exterior of the barrier envelope dispenser;
- and
- an elastic member removably disposed in the interior chamber and configured to guide one or more barrier envelopes in the interior chamber toward the through opening,
- wherein the elastic member includes:
- a first pusher;
- a second pusher;
- and
- a spring having a first end thereof connected to the first pusher and a second end thereof connected to the second pusher, wherein, when the elastic member is selectively inserted in the interior chamber, the first pusher is movable toward the second pusher and the second pusher is movable toward the first pusher such that a pusher which faces the one or more barrier envelopes, from among the group consisting of the first pusher and the second pusher, can direct the one or more barrier envelopes toward the through opening due to a biasing action of the spring in order to facilitate a process of selectively retrieving the one or more barrier envelopes from the interior chamber via the through opening;
- and
- inserting at least one barrier envelope in the interior chamber between the elastic member and the through opening of the casing.
8 more elements
A barrier envelope dispenser configured for use in dentistry, the barrier envelope dispenser comprising:
- a casing defining an exterior of the barrier envelope dispenser and an interior chamber in the barrier envelope dispenser, the casing including an opening therethrough which connects the interior chamber with the exterior of the barrier envelope dispenser;
- and
- an elastic member disposed in the interior chamber and configured to guide one or more barrier envelopes in the interior chamber toward the through opening,
- wherein the elastic member includes:
- a first pusher;
- a second pusher;
- and
- a spring having a first end thereof connected to the first pusher and a second end thereof connected to the second pusher, wherein the spring is configured to be in a compressed state such that the first pusher can direct the one or more barrier envelopes toward the through opening in order to facilitate a process of selectively retrieving the one or more barrier envelopes from the interior chamber via the through opening,
- wherein the first pusher includes a first coupling member extending from a side of the first pusher that faces the spring, and the second pusher includes a second coupling member extending from a side of the second pusher that faces the spring,
- wherein the first coupling member is configured to be selectively coupleable with the second coupling member such that the first and second pushers can be selectively coupled to one another with the spring in a compressed state therebetween in order to facilitate a process of inserting the one or more barrier envelopes in the interior chamber.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.