Hand Protection Barrier Dispenser

A hand protection barrier dispenser for dispensing hand protection barriers from a stack of such hand protection barriers each having an opening therein near a top end thereof, said hand protection barrier dispenser comprising:

• a housing including a receptacle in which the stack of hand protection barriers may be installed for dispensing, wherein the receptacle has first and second sides and first and second ends and wherein the stack of hand protection barriers is installed in the receptacle with the top ends of the hand protection barriers located adjacent the first end of the receptacle, and wherein the receptacle is arranged and configured to have a V-shaped cross-section with the apex of the “V” extending in a direction essentially parallel to and midway between the first and second sides of the receptacle;
• an electric blower located in the housing which electric blower has an exhaust opening from which the electric blower blows air when the electric blower is provided with electric power;
• a switching mechanism which is located in the housing and is connected to a source of electric power, the switching mechanism being configured to provide electric power to the electric blower when the switching mechanism is actuated and to not provide electric power to the electric blower when the switching mechanism is not actuated;
• at least one nozzle operatively connected to the exhaust opening of the electric blower to receive air blown from the electric blower when the switching mechanism is actuated and to direct the blown air toward the opening in a top one of the hand protection barriers in the stack of hand protection barriers in a manner that opens the top hand protection barrier to facilitate a user inserting the user's hand through the opening in the top hand protection barrier to don the top hand protection barrier;
• a system sensor for detecting the proximity of a user's hand at a location adjacent to the opening of the top hand protection barrier in the stack of hand protection barriers;
• and
• an electronic system for operating the switching mechanism in response to a signal from the system sensor to provide electric power to the electric blower to blow air to the at least one nozzle to open the hand protection barrier;
• wherein the top hand protection barrier donned by a user may be removed from the stack of hand protection barriers by pulling the top hand protection barrier in which the user's hand is located away from the remainder of the stack of hand protection barriers.

A hand protection barrier dispenser for dispensing hand protection barriers from a stack of such hand protection barriers each having an opening therein, said hand protection barrier dispenser comprising:

• a housing including a receptacle in which the stack of hand protection barriers may be installed for dispensing;
• an electric blower located in the housing;
• a switching mechanism which is located in the housing and is connected to a source of electric power and provides electric power to the electric blower when the switching mechanism is actuated;
• and
• a nozzle operatively connected to the electric blower to receive air blown from the electric blower when the switching mechanism is actuated and direct it toward the opening in a top one of the hand protection barriers in the stack of hand protection barriers to open the top hand protection barrier;
• wherein the top hand protection barrier may be removed from the stack of hand protection barriers by pulling it away from the remainder of the stack of hand protection barriers.

A method of dispensing hand protection barriers from a stack of such hand protection barriers with a hand protection barrier dispenser, the hand protection barriers each having an opening therein near a top end thereof, said method comprising:

• installing the stack of hand protection barriers in a receptacle in the hand protection barrier dispenser;
• providing an electric blower located in the housing which has an exhaust opening from air is blown when the electric blower is provided with electric power;
• controlling the operation of the electric blower to blow air with a switching mechanism, the switching mechanism providing electric power to the electric blower when the switching mechanism is actuated and not provide electric power to the electric blower when the switching mechanism is not actuated;
• directing the air blown from the exhaust opening of the electric blower through at least one nozzle receiving air blown from the electric blower when the switching mechanism is actuated toward the opening in a top one of the hand protection barriers in the stack of hand protection barriers in a manner that opens the top hand protection barrier to facilitate a user inserting the user's hand through the opening in the top hand protection barrier to don the top hand protection barrier;
• and
• pulling the top hand protection barrier in which the user's hand is located away from the remainder of the stack of hand protection barriers to remove the hand protection barrier donned by the user from the stack of hand protection barriers.