Patent Application
20200163499
The present technology relates to apparatuses and methods for holding and dispensing a roll of material that are useful for a variety of applications, including, for example, holding and dispensing a second roll of toilet paper in a household bathroom.
Rolls of material can quickly run out. This can cause anxiety-filled situations in a household, commercial, or institutional context if the material runs out at an inopportune time. Currently marketed products generally include material dispensers that accommodate multiple rolls of material; however, these have disadvantages. For example, some require complicated installation and cannot be easily installed in a house or apartment. Others provide access to only one roll of material at a time. Others are unwieldy and do not allow the user to easily replace the rolls of material.
Therefore, a need exists for rolled material dispensers that are easy to use and that readily adapt to household, institutional, or commercial fixtures.
In certain embodiments, the present technology is directed to an apparatus configured to dispense a roll of material, the apparatus comprising: an engaging member configured to engage a household fixture; and a supporting member connected to the engaging member, the supporting member comprising a connecting element, wherein the supporting member is configured to hold the roll of material.
In certain embodiments, the present technology is directed to a system configured to engage a household fixture and to dispense a roll of material, the system comprising: a first supporting structure comprising a first engaging member connected to a first supporting member, the first supporting member comprising a first connecting element; and a second supporting structure comprising a second engaging member connected to a second supporting member, the second supporting member comprising a second connecting element, wherein the first connecting element is configured to releasably engage with the second connecting element such that the first supporting member and the second supporting member together support a roll of material.
In certain embodiments, the present technology is directed to a method for dispensing a roll of material comprising a hollow inner tube, the method comprising: engaging a first engaging member of a first supporting structure with a household fixture; engaging a second engaging member of a second supporting structure with the household fixture; and positioning the roll of material between a first supporting member of the first supporting structure and a second supporting member of the second supporting structure such that a first connecting element of the first supporting structure and a second connecting element of the second supporting structure engage within the hollow inner tube.
As used herein, “roll of material” means any material wrapped around a tube that can be rotated about an axis to dispense a desired material. For example, a roll of material can comprise a roll of paper, such as toilet paper or paper towel, or dry or wet wipes, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, thread, ribbon, or any other material that for convenience or ease of use, a user may desire to dispense in such a manner.
As used herein, “household fixture” means any structure suitable for engaging with an apparatus discussed herein. As used herein, “household fixture” is not limited to structures found within a household and may be understood to also include suitable structures found in, or as part of, public spaces, institutions, and commercial settings, including public restrooms, places of business, office buildings, theaters, stadiums, schools, hospitals, and the like. For example, in certain embodiments a “household fixture” can comprise the horizontal cylindrical portion of an ordinary bathroom toilet paper holder. Alternatively, a “household fixture” can comprise the cylindrical portion of an ordinary towel rack or the horizontal or vertical edge of a door or cabinet, or even any portion or the entirety of, a toilet paper holder, a towel rack, a wall, a table, a counter, a desk, a household appliance, a shelf, or a cabinet.
As used herein, “standard toilet paper holder” means any structure available to the general American consumer that supports and allows a user to dispense a roll of toilet paper. In certain embodiments, “standard toilet paper holder” means an apparatus approximately 4-6 inches long by 3-6 inches wide by 4-6 inches high. Alternatively, “standard toilet paper holder” can mean a commercial toilet paper holder such as those found in schools, hospitals, and businesses with dimensions greater than 4-6 inches long by 3-6 inches wide by 4-6 inches high.
In certain embodiments, supporting member 120 is configured to support a roll of material. For example, supporting member 120 can be a horizontal cylindrical rod. In certain embodiments, the rod can be substantially horizontal—that is, it need not be perfectly 0° from horizontal, but can be close enough to horizontal so as to support the roll of material sufficiently for use. In various embodiments, the rod can be configured diagonally or even vertically.
The length of supporting member 120 can be varied to adapt to different lengths of rolls of material. In certain embodiments, supporting member 120 comprises a connecting element 130. In various embodiments, one or both of connecting elements 130, 130′ can comprise a magnet, an interlocking mechanism, a snap, a hook, a hook and loop fastener, an adhesive, or other component to engage the connecting elements. As shown in
In one embodiment, the engaging member comprises a hook, the supporting member comprises a horizontal rod arranged substantially perpendicularly to the engaging member at a junction, and the connecting element comprises a magnet arranged at an end of the supporting member opposite of the junction.
In certain embodiments, a first supporting structure comprises a first engaging member, and the first engaging member comprises a first connecting element. In certain embodiments, a second supporting structure comprises a second engaging member connected to a supporting member. The supporting member comprises a second connecting element, and the first connecting element of the first engaging member is configured to releasably engage with the second connecting element of the supporting member.
In certain embodiments, one or both of the engaging member or supporting member can comprise a cylindrical rod or a substantially cylindrical rod. As used herein, “substantially cylindrical” means any three dimensional object with a length greater than its width that can be inserted into or engage with a tube as described herein and allows the tube to rotate. In other embodiments, one or both of the engaging member or supporting member can comprise a bar in the shape of any three-dimensional prism that can support a tube, for example, a rectangular prism.
In various embodiments, the engaging member can have a length of 1 to 12 inches, 3 to 9 inches, 6 to 8 inches, 1 to 4 inches, or 9 to 12 inches. In various embodiments, the supporting member can have a length of 1 to 12 inches, 3 to 9 inches, 6 to 8 inches, 1 to 4 inches, or 9 to 12 inches. The lengths of the engaging member and the supporting member can vary depending on the size of the roll of material and the desired distance of the supporting member from the household fixture.
In various embodiments, one or both of the engaging member or the supporting member comprise plastic, wood, metal, ceramic, paper, or a combination thereof. The apparatus can comprise any material suitable for supporting and dispensing a roll of material.
In various embodiments, one or both of the engaging member or the supporting member comprise plastic, wood, metal, ceramic, paper, or a combination thereof. The apparatus can comprise any material suitable for supporting and dispensing a roll of material.
In certain embodiments, a first engaging member comprises a hook, a first supporting member comprises a horizontal rod arranged substantially perpendicularly to the first engaging member at a first junction, and a first connecting element comprises a magnet arranged at an end of the first supporting member opposite of the first junction. In certain embodiments, a second engaging member comprises a hook, a second supporting member comprises a horizontal rod arranged substantially perpendicularly to the second engaging member at a second junction, and a second connecting element comprises a magnet arranged at an end of the second supporting member opposite of the second junction, wherein the first connecting element is configured to releasably connect to the second connecting element within a hollow inner tube of the roll of material such that the first supporting member and the second supporting member together support the roll of material.
While
In certain embodiments, the system of
In one embodiment, the step of engaging the first engaging member with the household fixture comprises hooking the first engaging member onto a spindle of a standard toilet paper holder; the step of engaging the second engaging member with the household fixture comprises hooking the second engaging member onto the spindle of the standard toilet paper holder; and the step of positioning the roll of material between the first supporting member and the second supporting member further comprises magnetically engaging the first connecting element and the second connecting element within a hollow inner tube of a roll of toilet paper.
Although the present technology has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, these embodiments and examples are merely exemplary and not intended to be limiting. Many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. The present technology should, therefore, not be limited by the specific disclosure herein, and can be embodied in other forms not explicitly described here, without departing from the spirit thereof.
