The present invention relates to dispensing package holders, and, more particularly to a device for holding one or more boxes or packages that are designed for dispensing articles.
Devices for holding packages are particularly common in the medical services industry, for instance, for holding one or more boxes or containers containing medical accessories. One specific example found in many hospital rooms is a device for holding multiple boxes of latex examination gloves, such as a box of small size gloves, a box of medium size gloves and a box of large size gloves. A common configuration of such a glove box holder includes a C-shaped receptacle with an opening at the upper end. Multiple boxes can be inserted through the opening so they are stacked on top of each other within the receptacle. The boxes are oriented within the receptacle such that the openings in the boxes face the gap in the C-shaped receptacle to allow users to remove gloves from the boxes through the gap.
Difficulties arise in the common glove box configuration when attempting to replace an empty glove box. All of the boxes in the receptacle above the empty box must be removed in order to access and remove the empty box. If the bottom box is empty, the top two boxes must therefore unnecessarily be removed in order to remove and replace the empty box. This often creates extra work for already overworked hospital staff members. Difficulties may also arise when limited space is available for the glove boxes.
Further difficulties arise when the holder extends significantly beyond the container it is supporting. For example, a holder that extends beyond the container it is supporting creates an undesirable appearance, could trap dirt and debris in the unoccupied portion of the holder and may be more at risk for contacting hospital personnel or other objects moving close to the holder. Further, a holder that extends beyond the container it is supporting may place undesirable stress on the mounting surface for the holder or on the structure supporting the mounting surface. For example, if a holder is mounted to a relatively small pole for holding intravenous fluids or another mobile device, using a holder that extends farther outward from the pole than the size of the container moves the holder farther away from the center of gravity of the pole than is desired. This could place undesirable stress on the pole itself, or on a base supporting the pole.
Even further difficulties arise in designing holders for dispensing packages having shapes other than the common glove box. For example, it can be difficult to create holders for canister-style dispensers, such as cloth wipe dispensers that dispense wipes from the top or bottom surfaces of the container. These canisters are typically rigid near the top and bottom edges making it difficult to hold the container in such a manner that the wipes are accessible and can be removed with one hand without causing the container to slide with respect to the holder.
The present invention provides a front loading device for holding one or more dispensing packages, such that the packages may be independently removed and replaced, and the contents of the packages may be removed from the package without undue movement of the package with respect to the device.
In one embodiment, the holding device includes a rear wall and a pair of sidewalls extending at an angle from said rear wall. The sidewalls each include a one or more of retaining elements, with each retaining element on one of said sidewalls being uniquely associated with a retaining element on the other sidewall. The rear wall may be selectively adjusted to vary the distance between the retaining elements on opposing sides of the sidewall. Various sizes of dispensing packages can be front loaded into the holder between the retaining elements and held in place by the retaining elements. The dispensing packages can also be independently removed from the holder by pulling the packages from between the retaining elements.
In one embodiment wherein the sidewalls include multiple retaining elements, each retaining element is separated from adjacent retaining elements so that each retaining element is independently flexible. For example, the sidewalls may include notches that separate the retaining elements from one another. Each retaining element may include a retention hook that angles from the retaining element to form a surface that can hold a box behind the hook. The hook may additionally include a ramped surface extending from the hook that facilitates flexing of the retaining elements as the boxes are inserted into the holder.
The holder may include a pair of bracket members that connect in a way that provides selective adjustability between the retaining elements. In one embodiment, both bracket members include a rear wall and a plurality of the retaining elements extending from the rear wall. The rear walls of the respective bracket members connect together to form the rear wall of the holder. The rear wall of one of the bracket members may include a slot, and the rear wall of the other bracket member may include a fastener hole that aligns with the slot so that a fastener can be inserted through the hole and tightened at various positions along the slot.
In one aspect of the invention, the holding device includes sidewalls that are configured to retain a canister-style container. For example, the sidewalls may each include a curved section that corresponds to a curved outer wall shape of the canister dispenser. The sidewalls may have a height that is less than the overall height of the canister, such that the sidewalls contact the canister in the central, more flexible portions of the sidewalls for increased retention and compression of the canister. The curved section of the sidewalls may be spaced from the rear wall to provide clearance for one or more fasteners formed integrally with the rear wall. In addition, the upper edge of at least one of the sidewalls may include a support ledge that aids in restricting movement of the canister with respect to the holding device.
In one embodiment, the retaining elements may be moved in two dimensions to accommodate different sized containers. The movement of the two retaining elements may be coordinated, such that they maintain a consistent orientation with regard to one another. The movement of the two retaining elements may tightly hold containers having different dimensions. This may allow the retaining elements to be placed close to a mounting surface of the holding device, which may reduce the stress on the mounting surface.
The present invention enables easy insertion and removal of individual dispensing packages from a single holder, without the need to remove or adjust any other packages in the holder. The invention may further enable retention of various sizes and shapes of containers, while preventing unwanted movement of the container as products are dispensed from the container.
I. Overview
A dispensing package holder according to one embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in
As shown, the holder 10 generally includes two bracket elements 14, 16 that each include a base portion 18, 20 and a plurality of retaining elements 22a-f extending outwardly from the base portions 18, 20 for retaining the boxes 12 within the holder. The holder 10 is designed such that each of the retaining elements 22 are independently flexible to enable a user to insert and remove one of the boxes 12 through the front of the holder 10 without interference from the other boxes 12. The bracket elements 14, 16 are connected in a way that enables the distance between the retaining elements 22 on one bracket 14 to be selectively adjusted with respect to the retaining elements 22 on the other bracket 16. This adjustability enables the holder 10 to be adjusted to accommodate boxes 12 and other packages of various widths.
II. Structure
As noted above, the glove boxes 12 are one of many different types of packages that may be held in the holder of the present invention. For purposes of illustration, the present invention will be shown and described in connection with the glove boxes 12. As shown, the glove boxes 12 are generally rectangular, with an oval shaped opening 24 on one side. The opening 24 may be initially covered, for instance, by a perforated cover, and removed when the contents of the box 12 need to be accessed. The contents, such as latex examination gloves, may be removed from the box 12 by pulling them through the opening 24.
The package holder 10 includes two bracket elements 14, 16. In one embodiment, the front bracket element 14 includes a base portion 18 having an upper edge 30, a lower edge 32, first and second side edges 34, 36, a front surface 38 and a rear surface 40. As shown, a sidewall 42 extends outwardly from the front surface 38 at the first side edge 34. In the illustrated embodiment, the sidewall 42 extends generally perpendicular to the base portion 18. The angle, as well as the position of the sidewall 42 on the base portion 18, could be varied from application to application. The sidewall 42 includes a base 44 adjacent the base portion 18 and a distal end 46 opposite the base 44. As shown, the sidewall 42 includes two notches 48, 50 extending into the sidewall 42 from the distal end 46, forming three separate retaining elements 22a, 22b and 22c. The notches 48, 50 enable each of the retaining elements 22a-c to flex independently of the other retaining elements. The degree of flexibility can be controlled by changing the depth and width of the notches. In the illustrated embodiment, the notches 48, 50 extend from the distal end 46 thorough substantially all of the sidewall 42, and they taper from an initial width near the distal end 46 of the sidewall 18 to a narrower width approaching the base 44. Although the illustrated embodiment includes two notches and three retaining elements 22, other embodiments may have only two retaining elements or more than three retaining elements.
In one embodiment, the rear bracket element 16 includes a base portion 20 having an upper edge 60, a lower edge 62, first and second side edges 64, 66, a front surface 68 and a rear surface 70. A sidewall 72 extends outwardly from the front surface 68. The retaining elements 22d-f extending from the rear bracket element 16 are essentially a mirror image of the retaining elements 22a-c extending from the front bracket element 14, and therefore will not be described again in detail. When the front 14 and rear 16 bracket elements are connected, each retaining element 22a-c on the front bracket element 14 is uniquely associated with one of the retaining elements 22d-f on the rear bracket element 16, such that they form coupled pairs of retaining elements 22. For example, retaining elements 22a and 22d form a first coupled pair of retaining elements, retaining elements 22b and 22e form a second coupled pair and retaining elements 22c and 22f form a third coupled pair. In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining elements of each coupled pair are generally aligned with each other when the front 14 and rear 16 bracket elements are connected. In another embodiment, the retaining elements may be offset from each other, or of different sizes such that a retaining element on one bracket element may have a different size or shape as its coupled pair. In yet another embodiment, only one of the two retaining elements in a coupled may be flexible. For instance, in one embodiment, only one of the two sidewalls 42, 72 may include notches 48, 50.
The package holder 10 may include ledges for supporting the boxes 12 at different heights and preventing the boxes 12 from interfering with each other as they are inserted or removed from the holder 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the front bracket element 14 includes three ledges 74, 76 and 78 for supporting boxes 12 at three different heights, with each height corresponding to the location of one of the coupled pairs of retaining elements 22. The upper ledge 74 is punched from the center of one of the retaining elements 22a, and bent inwardly from the retaining element 22a approximately perpendicular to the retaining element 22a. The ledge 74 is triangular in shape, having a width that increases towards the base 44 of the sidewall 42. The center ledge 76 is formed from a piece of material that extends from the lower edge 80 of the retaining element 22b. Like the ledge 74, the ledge 76 extends approximately perpendicular to the sidewall 42 and is triangular in shape. The bottom ledge 78 is a flange that extends outwardly from the lower edge 32 of the base portion 18 of the front bracket element 14. The ledge 78 is generally rectangular, and it extends from the base portion 18 approximately perpendicular to the base portion 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the ledge 78 extends the entire width of the base portion 18. In an alternative embodiment, any of the ledges 74, 76, and 78 may extend from either the sidewall 42 or from the base portion 18, and the size and shape of the ledges may vary from application to application. The ledges 74, 76 may also act as a barb contacting the container side, which may increase the friction to keep the container from sliding vertically. The rear bracket element 16 may also include three ledges 82, 84, and 86. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper ledge 82 and center ledge 84 on the rear bracket 16 extend outwardly from the lower edges 88, 90 of the retaining elements 22d and 22e respectively. As shown, the heights of the ledges 82 and 84 are offset from the corresponding ledges 74 and 76 on the front bracket element 14 to enable an upper box 12 to be seated on either ledge 74 or 82 and a central box 12 to be seated on ledge 76 or 84. This allows the holder 10 to accommodate boxes of varying heights. The lower ledge 86 on the rear bracket 16 extends from the lower edge 62 of the base portion 20 in the same manner as the lower ledge 78 on the front bracket 14.
As shown in
The front 14 and rear 16 bracket elements are connected together in a way that allows the distance between the coupled pairs of retaining elements 22a-f to be selectively adjusted to accommodate for boxes of varying widths. In the illustrated embodiment, the front bracket member 14 includes an elongated slot 106 extending across the base portion 18 and a fastener hole 108 on the lower ledge 78, and the rear bracket member 16 includes a fastener boss 110 extending from the base portion 20 and an elongated slot 112 extending across the lower ledge 86. As shown in
In addition, the front 14 or rear 16 brackets may include structure for mounting the holder 10 to a support structure, such as a wall or a rail mounting system. As illustrated, the rear bracket portion 16 includes three mounting holes 130, 132, 134 that receive fasteners for mounting the rear bracket portion 16, and thus the holder 10, to a wall. In another embodiment, the holes may be repositioned to attach to a particular rail structure. Other methods for mounting the holder 10 to a support structure, such as hooks on the rear surface 70 of the rear bracket 16.
III. Operation
Operation of the illustrated embodiment generally includes mounting the rear bracket member 16 to a support structure using the fastener holes 130, 132, 134 by extending conventional fasteners (not shown) through the holes and into the support structure, or into a clip that attaches to the support structure. Of course, in an embodiment with mounting structure on the front bracket 14, the front bracket may be mounted to the support structure in addition to or instead of the rear bracket. The front bracket member 14 is attached to the rear bracket member 16 by extending the fastener 120 through the slot 106 and the fastener boss 110 and the fastener 122 through the slot 112 and the fastener hole 108. At that point, a box 12 that is intended to be held in the holder 10 is positioned between one of the coupled pairs of retaining members 22a-f and the distance between the retaining members 22 in the coupled pair is adjusted by sliding the front 14 and rear 16 brackets with respect to each other via the slots 106 and 112 until the retaining members of the coupled pair contact, or nearly contact, the box 12 and the retainer hooks 100 are positioned in front of a portion of the box 12 to retain the box 12 behind the hooks 100. The fasteners 120, 122 are then secured by tightening the screws 120, 122 to keep the brackets 14, 16 in the desired position.
When the brackets 14, 16 are in the desired position, the holder 10 is ready for use. Boxes 12 may be inserted between coupled pairs of the retaining elements 22a-f until they are retained behind the retainer hooks 100 and supported by one or more ledges 74, 76, 78 or 82, 84, or 86. In the illustrated embodiment, as a box 12 is brought into contact with the flex portion 104 of a retainer hook 100, the ramped surface of the flex portion 104 is forced outwardly, causing the retaining element 22a-f corresponding to that retainer hook 100 to flex outwardly, independent from the other retaining elements 22a-f, until the box 12 has been inserted past the retention portion 102 of the retainer hook 100. Also in the illustrated embodiment, with ledges on opposing sidewalls 42, 72 that are offset in height from each other, each box 12 may be vertically supported by only one ledge. The particular ledge is selected by the user based on the height of the box 12. If a ledge on the opposing side of the holder 10 interferes with the box 12, the triangle shape of the ledge may help to deform the box 12 or even puncture the box 12 to allow the box 12 to fit in the selected position. Boxes 12 can be individually removed from the holder 10 by flexing one or both of the retaining elements in a corresponding pair outwardly to enable the box 12 to be pulled from behind the retention hook 100.
IV. Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the invention is shown in
As shown in
Referring to
The sidewall 242 may further include a retaining element, or retainer, 221 extending outwardly from the extension section 243. As shown, the retaining element 221 extends from the outer edge 246 of the extension section 243 to a distal edge 245, and may include an upper edge 248 and a lower edge 250. The retaining element 221 may be shaped to correspond to the shape of the external surface of a package to be inserted into the holder 200. For example, as shown in
The retaining element 221 may include a ramp portion 254 extending outwardly from the distal edge 245 and extending at an angle from the retaining element 221. As shown, the ramp portion 254 extends from the element 221 such that it is angled outwardly (i.e. away from the opposing sidewall). In this way, the ramp portion 254 forms a ramped surface that, when engaged by a container, will flex the retaining element 221 outwardly to allow the container to pass beyond the ramp portion 254 and into contact with the curved retaining element 221.
In one embodiment, the retaining element 221 may also include a support ledge 256. As shown in
Referring to
The sidewall 247 may further include a retaining element 222 extending outwardly from the extension section 283. As shown, the retaining element 222 extends from the outer edge 286 of the extension section 283 to a distal edge 285, and may include an upper edge 290 and a lower edge 288. The retaining element 222 may be shaped to mirror the shape of the opposing retaining element 221, such that its shape corresponds to the shape of the external surface of a package 300 to be inserted into the holder 200. For example, as shown in
Like the retaining element 221, the retaining element 222 may include a ramp portion 291 extending outwardly from the distal edge 285 and extending at an angle from the retaining element 222. As shown, the ramp portion 291 is essentially a mirror-image of the ramp portion 254. The ramp portions 291 and 254 combine to form ramped surfaces that, when engaged by a container, will flex the retaining elements 221, 222 apart from each other to allow the container to pass beyond the ramp portions 254, 291 and into contact with the retaining elements 221, 222.
In a manner similar to the first embodiment, the front 214 and rear 216 bracket elements may be connected together in a way that allows the distance between the retaining elements 221, 222 to be selectively adjusted to accommodate for containers of varying diameters. As shown in the figures, the base portion 218 of the front bracket member 214 may at least partially overlap the base portion 220 of the rear bracket member 216. In the illustrated embodiment, the front bracket member 214 includes a pair of elongated slots 207, 209 extending across the base portion 218, and the rear bracket member 216 includes fastener bosses 211, 213 extending from the base portion 220. As shown in
In one embodiment, the canister holder 200 includes integral structure for attaching the holder 200 to a support structure, such as a wall or upright support. Referring to
V. Third Embodiment
A third embodiment of the invention is shown in
As shown in
Referring to
As shown in
Referring to
Like the retaining element 421, the retaining element 422 may include a ramp portion 491 extending outwardly from the distal edge 485 and extending at an angle from the retaining element 422. As shown, the ramp portion 491 is essentially a mirror-image of the ramp portion 454. The ramp portions 491 and 454 combine to form ramped surfaces that, when engaged by a container, will flex the retaining elements 421, 422 apart from each other to allow the container to pass beyond the ramp portions 454, 491 and into contact with the retaining elements 421, 422. Similar to the retaining element 421, the lower edge 488 of retaining element 422 may have a portion that forms an open edge 447 in the sense that open edge 447 may not be attached to base portion 420. Open edge 447 allows for additional flexing of ramp portion 491 when a container engages the ramp portion 491.
The bracket elements 414, 416 may be connected together in a way that allows the distance between each of the retaining elements 421, 422 and the distance between the distal edges 445, 485 and the upright portion 406 of base element 402 to be selectively adjusted to accommodate for containers of varying lengths, widths and sizes. As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The fastener 451 may be repositioned within the slots 407, 409 to selectively adjust the position of the front bracket 414 with respect to the rear bracket 416 and the distance between opposing retaining elements 421, 422. Repositioning the fastener 451 within the slots 407, 409 also selectively adjusts the position of the distal edges 445, 485 with respect to the upright portion 406 of the base element 402. In this manner, the holder 400 is adjustable in two dimensions to receive containers of various sizes. This may provide more adjustability and may assist in positioning the retaining elements 421, 422 closely adjacent the sidewalls of the container. Further, this configuration may allow the distal edges 445, 485 to be positioned closely adjacent the edges of the container.
The fastener 451 may tighten onto the boss 412 to easily adjust the distance between the retaining elements 421, 422 and the distance between the distal edges 445, 485 and the upright portion 406. For example, the fastener 451 may be loosened from the boss 412, the top and bottom brackets 414, 416 may be moved to a desired position, and the fastener 451 may be tightened onto the boss 412 to secure the brackets 414, 416 and the base element 402 relative to one another. In the illustrated embodiment, the bosses 411, 412, 413 maintain the alignment of top bracket 414 and bottom bracket 416 so that each distal edge 445, 485 is positioned at substantially the same distance from the upright portion 406 and so that each retaining element 421, 422 is positioned at substantially the same distance from boss 412. In the illustrated embodiment, the bosses 411, 412, 413 also maintain the retaining elements 421, 422 substantially parallel to one another as the top bracket 414 and bottom bracket 416 are moved. In another embodiment, the bosses may be positioned to maintain another desired configuration for receiving a container having a particular range of sizes and shapes. The respective second edges 436, 476 of each base portion 418, 420 may be shaped to substantially correspond to the shape of the slots 407, 409. For example, the second edges 436, 476 may be shaped to avoid any undesirable contact between the bosses 411, 413 and the second edges 436, 476 during movement of the top bracket 414 and rear bracket 416. As shown in the figures, the second edges 436, 476 of the illustrated embodiment are substantially straight and are oriented substantially at a 45 degree angle to match the configuration of the slots 407, 409.
A washer 415 may be positioned between the fastener 451 and the base 420. A variety of alternative embodiments may be used to enable the selective adjustability of the front and rear brackets 414, 416. For example, the slots 407, 409 may be replaced with a series of holes.
In one embodiment, the holder 400 includes integral structure for attaching the holder 400 to a support structure, such as a wall or upright support. Referring to
The above description is that of the current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular. Further, any features of each of the embodiments may be used in any of the other embodiments.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12649676 | Dec 2009 | US |
Child | 13305160 | US |