The present invention relates generally to the field of wipe dispensing systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved wet wipe dispensing and disposal system for toilets. The system provides users with a bathroom wet wipe dispenser and disposal tool used to dispense individual wet wipes for use and application, and individual waste bags for disposing of the used wet wipes. The system features a replaceable container for dispensing individual wet wipes from the front of the system. and an individual waste bag dispenser allowing users to pull out a bag for sealing away used wet wipes for disposal. The system can be placed on a floor or can be mounted to a wall. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific reference thereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of the present invention are also equally applicable to other like applications, devices, and methods of manufacture.
By way of background, individuals use wet wipes in bathrooms for maintaining personal hygiene. Conventionally, wet wipes are stored in box-like containers that are configured to dispense the wet wipes contained therein. In one hygienic episode or use cycle, individuals may user three to four wet wipes. After using the wet wipes, individuals usually flush the used wet wipes. This is due to their habit of flushing the wipes and also due to the absence of any disposal bag readily available in the bathroom. Individuals sometimes feel embarrassed to openly trash the used wipes and thus are more inclined towards flushing. Therefore, individuals desire a device that readily dispenses wet wipes and also provides for disposal/waste bags for disposing the used wet wipes.
Many of the wet wipes currently available are marketed as flushable, however, they do not disintegrate easily after flushing, and can end up clogging home sewer/septic systems and sewage treatment plants. The aforementioned can lead to serious blockages in the pipes, drains and pumps that can cause sewage back-up in homes and businesses.
Further, the flushed wet wipes can combine with fat, grease and other dirt trapped in the pipes to create an iceberg-like formation also known as fatberg. These formations can create huge clogs in plumbing pipes and drains that are commonly found in houses and other dwellings. Repairing and clearing of such clogs can cost thousands of dollars. Similarly, when wet wipes reach a sewer system they can clog the sewer lines, drains, pumps and septic tanks. The resultant clean-up can cost thousands of dollars, and it is therefore to be avoided by individuals.
All these problems can be eliminated if there exists a device or system that allows/enables individuals to trash the used wet wipes conveniently rather than flushing them.
Therefore, there exists a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that enables individuals to dispose of the used wet wipes in a trash receptacle, rather than flushing them. There is also a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that eliminates flushing of the wet wipes. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that provides waste or disposal bags for sealing and disposing of used wet wipes. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that can be used in association with toilets for maintaining personal hygiene. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that saves extensive amounts of money on maintenance and repair of clogged pipes. Furthermore, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that makes the disposal bags and wet wipes readily available for application in conjunction with toilets. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that easily and safely dispenses wet wipes for application, and also dispenses disposal bags for sealing used wet wipes for throwing in the trash.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a combination bathroom wet wipe dispenser and disposal unit. The unit dispenses individual wet wipes for application and dispenses individual waste bags for hygienic disposal of the used wet wipes in a trash receptacle. The unit features a cuboidal housing that can be placed on a surface or mounted to a wall. The housing includes a cavity formed by a front wall, a pair of side walls, a rear wall, a top lid and a base. The housing can be used for storing a replaceable wet wipe dispensing unit and a replaceable waste bag dispensing unit. The wet wipes are dispensed from the wet wipe dispensing unit, and the waste bags are dispensed from the waste bag dispensing unit.
In this manner, the combination bathroom wet wipe dispenser and disposal unit accomplishes all of the forgoing objectives and provides users with a tool used to dispense individual wet wipes for application and individual waste bags for hygienic disposal of used wet wipes. The replaceable wet wipes dispenser and waste bags dispenser readily provides wet wipes and plastic waste bags. The unit allows individuals to use the wet wipes while in the bathroom, place same in the waste bag and simply throw the waste bag in the trash, rather than flushing the wipes. The unit effectively prevents sewer line clogs, saving extensive amounts of money on maintenance and repairs.
The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summary is not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its sole purpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodiment thereof, comprises a combination bathroom wet wipe dispenser and disposal unit. The unit can be designed to dispense individual wet wipes for application and can also dispense individual waste bags for disposing of the used wet wipes. The unit further comprises a housing that can be placed on a surface or mounted to a wall. The housing is generally cuboidal in shape and includes a cavity formed by a front wall, a pair of side walls, a rear wall, a top lid and a base, wherein the cavity houses a replaceable wet wipe dispensing unit and a replaceable waste bag dispensing unit. The front wall includes a hinged door that can be opened to replace the replaceable wet wipe dispensing unit and the replaceable waste bag dispensing unit. Further, the door includes a flap from which individual wet wipes can be dispensed from the wet wipe dispensing unit. The top lid can be hinged and hingedly-opened for pulling one waste bag to be used for disposing of the used wet wipes.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a wet wipe dispensing and disposing device is disclosed. The device includes a housing comprising of at least a pair of side walls, a rear wall, a front wall, a base surface and a top lid, with the front wall having a hinged door and the top lid pivotally-attached to an edge. The walls, base surface and the lid form a cavity therein to store a wet wipe dispensing unit and a waste bag dispensing unit. The wet wipe dispensing unit stores a set of interfolded wet wipes that are dispensed individually through a slot and flap in the hinged door. The waste bag dispensing unit stores a set of stacked plastic waste bags that are dispensed individually through a top opening accessed by opening the top lid, whereby dispensed waste bags can be used for storing and disposing of the used wet wipe(s) and thereby preventing clogging of sewer lines and related conduits.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a wipe disposal device is disclosed. The wipe disposal device includes a wet wipe dispensing container and a plastic waste bag dispensing container. The wet wipe dispensing container includes a dispensing slit, from which the wet wipes are dispensed; the plastic waste bag dispensing container includes an opening through which an individual waste bag is dispensed. The wet wipe dispensing container and the plastic waste bag dispensing container are placed within a housing of the wipe disposal device, wherein the device can be mounted to a wall using an attaching means such as fasteners or adhesive. The housing can include a partition to separate the wet wipe dispensing container and the plastic waste bag dispensing container.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method for disposing used wet wipes by placing the used wet wipes in one or more plastic waste bags is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: pulling out a wet wipe for use from a front side of a wet wipe dispensing and disposing device, then pulling out a plastic waste bag from a top side of the wet wipe dispensing and disposing device, placing the used wet wipe in the individual waste bag pulled from the top side, and throwing the waste bag with the sealed used wet wipe(s) in a trash receptacle, thereby obviating flushing of the used wet wipes and risking a sewer line clog.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the disposal device is available in the form of a kit, with a pack of wet wipes dispensing containers and waste bag dispensing containers. The wet wipes dispensing containers can hold the wet wipes in an interfolded or a zig-zag manner.
In yet another embodiment, the wet wipes dispensing container can be placed proximal to the front wall, and the waste bag dispensing container can be placed proximal to the rear wall.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the disposal device can be made from a metal, stainless steel, plastic, wood or any other lightweight material. In one embodiment, the wipe dispensing unit can include an integrated slot for storing and dispensing waste bags.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.
The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:
The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.
As noted above, there exists a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that enables individuals to dispose of the used wet wipes in a trash receptacle, rather than flushing them. There is also a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that eliminates the flushing of the wet wipes. Additionally, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that provides waste or disposal bags for sealing and disposing of used wet wipes. Moreover, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that can be used in association with toilets for maintaining personal hygiene. Further, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that saves extensive amounts of money on maintenance and repair of clogged pipes. Furthermore, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that makes the disposal bags and wet wipes readily available for application in conjunction with toilets. Finally, there is a long felt need in the art for an improved wet wipe dispensing system that easily and safely dispenses wet wipes for application and also dispenses disposal bags for sealing used wet wipes for throwing in the trash.
The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a wipe disposal device. The wipe disposal device includes a replaceable wet wipe dispensing container and a replaceable plastic waste bag dispensing container. The wet wipe dispensing container includes a dispensing slit from which the wet wipes are dispensed, the plastic waste bag dispensing container includes an opening through which an individual waste bag can be dispensed, the wet wipe dispensing container and the plastic waste bag dispensing container are placed within a housing of the wipe disposal device, wherein the device can be mounted to a wall using an attaching means such as fasteners or adhesive. The housing can include a partition to separate the wet wipe dispensing container and the plastic waste bag dispensing container.
Referring initially to the drawings,
The top lid 106 is hinged and can be pivotally-opened along the hinged edge 1060 to access the waste bag dispenser for dispensing or pulling a single waste bag. It should be appreciated that the waste bags can alternatively be pulled from any of the side surfaces of the housing 102 as described later in the disclosure. The housing 102 is designed to be kept on a surface or can be mounted to a wall. The housing 102 can be made up of a lightweight yet sturdy material such as metal, plastic, wood or the like. Using the front door 120 and/or the top lid 106, both the wet wipe dispensing unit and the waste bag dispensing unit can be replaced easily.
The wet wipe dispensing container 206 can store the wet wipes in independently stacked or interleaved formation, enabling dispensing of a single wipe at a time. Further, as the wet wipes supply is depleted, subsequent wet wipe dispensing containers can be used or the existing wet wipe dispensing container can be replenished.
For exemplary purposes, it is contemplated that the wipe dispensing container can store anywhere between 50-100 wet wipes and the waste bag dispensing container can store anywhere between 20-80 disposal bags, and such selection is based on calculations including ariables such as the size of the dispensing units, size of the tissues (square, rectangular, pocket size, oversize, etc.), size of the waste bags and other variables that the skilled artisan would consider relevant.
Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein “combined wet wipe and disposal bag dispenser unit”, “wipe disposal device”, “device”, and “integrated wet wipe and disposal bag dispenser unit”, are interchangeable and refer to the integrated wet wipe and disposal bag dispenser unit 100 of the present invention.
Notwithstanding the forgoing, the integrated wet wipe and disposal bag dispenser unit 100 of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the size, configuration and material of the integrated wet wipe and disposal bag dispenser unit 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the integrated wet wipe and disposal bag dispenser unit 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the integrated wet wipe and disposal bag dispenser unit 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, the integrated wet wipe and disposal bag dispenser unit 100 may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.
Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.
What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.
The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/156,650, which was filed on Mar. 4, 2021 and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Number | Date | Country | |
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63156650 | Mar 2021 | US |