Device for holding and dispensing thermometers

Claim 2

A pAckage for disposable type thermometers comprising in combination with an elongated carrier tape and at least one thermometer disposed along said carrier tape and removably attached thereto, said disposable type thermometer including at least two superimposed, co-extensive strips joined in adhesive face-to-face contact along corresponding first portions of the length of each strip, the remaining portions of the lengths of said strips carrying components having an operative association when said remaining portions are pressed into face-to-face contact for detecting and indicating temperature values, said remaining portions normally being intervened by a shield peelably removably secured to the remaining portion of at least one of said strips for preventing face-to-face contact of said remaining portions and the components carried on each of said remaining portions, said shield embodying pull tab means for initiating peeling removal of said shield, a housing having an opening therein, said carrier tape and said thermometer being received in said housing with one end of said carrier tape extending through said opening, anchorage means in said housing, the shield pull tab means of said thermometer being fixed to said anchorage means, said thermometer being dispensable from said housing through said opening in unison with a certain length of said carrier tape by means of pulling force applied to said one end of said carrier tape, said shield peeling from the remaining length portion of the strip to which it is attached upon application of said pulling force, and pressing means carried in said housing and disposed therein along the course of travel of said certain length of carrier tape and said thermometer within said housing for applying a pressing force against said thermometer to press said remaining portion of the strips thereof into face-to-face contact following removal of the shield from the thermometer.

Claim 3

The package of claim 1 wherein said housing is elongated and includes opposed top and bottom wall structure and opposed end walls extending between said top and bottom wall structure, said opening being in one of said end walls, said anchorage means being located adjacent the other of said end walls.

Claim 4

The package of claim 2 wherein said anchorage means comprises at least one post, the shield pull tab means of said thermometer being fixed to said post.

Claim 5

The package of claim 1 wherein said pressing means comprises at least one pair rollers arranged in opposed disposition to provide a nip therebetween, the certain length of said carrier tape and said thermometer passing through the nip of said roller pair during dispensing to effect application of said pressing force.

Claim 6

The package of claim 4 wherein at least one roller in said pair of rollers is provided with a resilient surface layer thereon.

Claim 7

The package of claim 1 wherein said carrier tape is of readily severable material to facilitate severance of said certain length of said carrier tape from any carrier tape remaining in said housing following dispensing of said thermometer therefrom.

Claim 8

The package of claim 6 wherein said housing is provided with cutting edge means thereon exteriorly adjacent said opening against which said certain length of said carrier tape can be drawn for severance thereof from any carrier tape remaining in said housing following dispensing of said thermometer therefrom.

Claim 9

The package of claim 1 wherein said thermometer is removably attached to said carrier tape with a bonded connection therebetween.

Claim 10

The package of claim 8 wherein said thermometer is attached to said carrier tape by means of an adhesive.

Claim 11

The package of claim 8 wherein said carrier tape and the strips of said thermometer are of materials amenable to heat sealing and the bonded connection of said thermometer to said carrier tape is a heat seal connection.

Claim 12

The package of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of thermometers disposed longitudinally spaced along anD removably attached to one face of said carrier tape, said thermometers being received in said housing in a superposed stack arrangement thereof with the shield pull tab means of each thermometer fixed to said anchorage means in corresponding stacked arrangement, said carrier tape being folded in a series of accordion pleat-like folds, with each accordion pleat-like fold thereof interleaved between adjacent ones of the thermometers in said stack, each thermometer being removably attached to one of said folds.

Claim 13

The package of claim 11 wherein each accordion pleat-like fold in said carrier tape comprises the portion of such tape underlying each thermometer and the tape length extending between each said thermometer and that next succeeding in said stack of thermometers.

Claim 14

The package of claim 11 wherein indicia means are carried on said carrier tape denoting the quantity of thermometers which have been dispensed from said housing.

Claim 15

The package of claim 13 wherein said indicia means comprises printed numbers on said tape disposed such as to appear at said opening during dispensing in advance of thermometer associated with a respective number.

Claim 16

The package of claim 11 wherein said housing is elongated and includes opposed top and bottom wall structure and opposed end walls extending between said top and bottom wall structure, said opening being in one of said end walls, and biasing means in said housing and engageable with said stack of thermometers for maintaining said stack in compacted positioning and positioned longitudinally of said housing and disposed substantially symmetrically on either side of a longitudinal plane extending through said housing and opening.

Claim 17

The package of claim 15 wherein said biasing means comprises a pair of springs disposed one each at opposite sides of said stack of thermometers and engageable therewith and with said top and bottom wall structure respectively.

Claim 18

The package of claim 16 wherein said pair of springs each comprise a flat plate part engageable substantially conformably against said stack of thermometers, and at least one resilient spring finger extending from said flat plate part into engagement with the respective top and bottom wall structure.

Claim 19

The package of claim 17 wherein the plate part of said spring is fixed to said anchorage means.

Claim 20

The package of claim 17 wherein the plate parts of said springs extend substantially coextensively with said remaining portion of the lengths of the strips comprising said thermometers.

Claim 21

The package of claim 4 wherein said pair of rollers are disposed in said housing adjacent said opening and are rotatable about axes extending transversely of said housing and symmetrically of said opening.

Claim 22

A package for disposable type thermometers comprising in combination with an elongated carrier tape and a plurality of thermometers disposed longitudinally spaced along said carrier tape and removably attached thereto, each of said disposable type thermometers including at least two superimposed, coextensive strips joined in adhesive face-to-face contact along corresponding first portions of the length of each strip, the remaining portions of the lengths of said strips carrying components having an operative association when said remaining portions are pressed into face-to-face contact for detecting and indicating temperature values, said remaining portions normally being intervened by a shield peelably removably secured to the remaining portion of at least one of said strips for preventing face-to-face contact of said remaining portions to the components carried on each of said remaining portions, said shield embodying a pull tab for initiating peeling removal of said shield, an elongated housing comprising spaced top and bottom walls and a pair of end walls ending between said top and bottom walls, one of said end walls having an opening therein, said carrier tape and the plurality of thermometers attached thereto being received in said housing witH said thermometers arranged in a superposed stack disposed longitudinally of said housing with the carrier tape folded in a series of accordion pleat-like folds, with each accordion pleat-like fold thereof interleaved between adjacent ones of the thermometers in said stack, and with one end of said carrier tape extending through said opening, an anchorage member disposed in said housing adjacent the other end wall thereof, the pull tabs of the thermometer shields being arranged in stacked disposition and being fixed to said anchorage member, said thermometers being dispensable successively from said stack through said opening in unison with certain successive lengths of said carrier tape by means of pulling force applied to said carrier tape, the shield peeling from the remaining length portion of the thermometer strip to which it is attached upon application of such pulling force, a pair of springs disposed in said housing one above and one below said stack of thermometers and engageable with said stack and respectively said top and bottom walls for compacting said stack and maintaining it positioned longitudinally of said housing and disposed symmetrically of said opening, and a pair of rollers disposed in said housing adjacent said opening and supported in said housing for rotation about axes transversely of said housing and in opposed disposition to provide a nip therebetween, each thermometer and certain length of carrier tape associated therewith passing through the nip of said roller pair during dispensing to apply a pressing force against each thermometer to press the remaining portion of the strips thereof into face-to-face contact following removal of the shield therefrom.

Claim 23

A package for disposable type thermometers comprising in combination with an elongated carrier tape and a plurality of thermometers disposed longitudinally spaced along said carrier tape and removably attached thereto, each of said disposable type thermometers including at least two superimposed, coextensive strips joined in adhesive face-to-face contact along corresponding first portions of the length of each strip, the remaining portions of the lengths of said strips carrying components having an operative association when said remaining portions are pressed into face-to-face contact for detecting and indicating temperature values, said remaining portions normally being intervened by a shield peelably removably secured to the remaining portion of at least one of said strips for preventing face-to-face contact of said remaining portions to the components carried on each of said remaining portions, said shield embodying a pull tab for initiating peeling removal of said shield, an elongated housing comprising spaced top and bottom walls and a pair of end walls ending between said top and bottom walls, one of said end walls having an opening therein, said carrier tape and the plurality of thermometers attached thereto being received in said housing witH said thermometers arranged in a superposed stack disposed longitudinally of said housing with the carrier tape folded in a series of accordion pleat-like folds, with each accordion pleat-like fold thereof interleaved between adjacent ones of the thermometers in said stack, and with one end of said carrier tape extending through said opening, an anchorage member disposed in said housing adjacent the other end wall thereof, the pull tabs of the thermometer shields being arranged in stacked disposition and being fixed to said anchorage member, said thermometers being dispensable successively from said stack through said opening in unison with certain successive lengths of said carrier tape by means of pulling force applied to said carrier tape, the shield peeling from the remaining length portion of the thermometer strip to which it is attached upon application of such pulling force, a pair of springs disposed in said housing one above and one below said stack of thermometers and engageable with said stack and respectively said top and bottom walls for compacting said stack and maintaining it positioned longitudinally of said housing and disposed symmetrically of said opening, and a pair of rollers disposed in said housing adjacent said opening and supported in said housing for rotation about axes transversely of said housing and in opposed disposition to provide a nip therebetween, each thermometer and certain length of carrier tape associated therewith passing through the nip of said roller pair during dispensing to apply a pressing force against each thermometer to press the remaining portion of the strips thereof into face-to-face contact following removal of the shield therefrom.

Claim 24

The package of claim 21 wherein said pair of rollers is provided with a resilient surface layer of a resilient material thereon, said resilient surface layer being compressible to conformably contact said thermometers to apply pressing force uniformly thereto, and a second set of rollers disposed in said housing intermediate said first pair and said opening and parallel with said first pair, the surface layer of said second pair being non-compressible relatively the character of the surface layer of said first pair.