Patent Application
20060208129
Dispensers of products in certain commercial settings may be washed down by spraying the entire area, including walls, ceiling, floor, and any apparatus therein, with a water and/or a liquid cleaning solution to prevent the inadvertent spread of bacteria and/or disease. When dispensers are in such a commercial setting, the water and/or liquid cleaning solution may be sprayed at high pressures and may leak into the dispensers, resulting in products disposed in the dispenser, such as, for example, sheet material, that becomes wet. This results in jamming of wet products in the dispenser and waste of products when such wet products must be removed and disposed of by maintenance personnel. Further, components in the dispenser may become rusted and/or caked with dried cleaning solution which has leaked inside. The dispenser is less likely to operate properly to dispense products after liquid cleaning solution leaks into the dispenser. Water and/or liquid cleaning solution which leaks inside the dispenser may carry bacteria or other pathogens as well.
There is a need for an easy way to provide water or liquid resistance to a standard dispenser. Such resistance would desirably prevent or greatly reduce liquids such as water of liquid cleaning solution from entering the dispenser, thereby eliminating or reducing wet products therein. Further, such resistance would prevent or reduce contamination to the products by agents, such as, for example, bacteria, which enter via the liquid into the dispenser. Moreover, poor dispensing performance of the dispenser due to such leakage would also be reduced or eliminated. Such water or liquid resistance would enhance the ability of maintenance personnel to clean a commercial area thoroughly, as required by some standards, such as HACCP. Such resistance would enhance the ability of the dispenser to provide clean, uncontaminated products therefrom, such as, for example, sheet material.
Definitions
As used herein, the term “exit port” or “dispensing port” is the opening in a housing of a dispenser for the passage of sheet material out of the dispenser.
As used herein, the term “sheet material” means a material that is thin in comparison to its length and breadth. Generally speaking, sheet materials should exhibit a relatively flat planar configuration and be flexible to permit folding, rolling, stacking, and the like. Exemplary sheet materials include, but are not limited to, paper tissue, paper towels, label rolls, or other fibrous, film, polymers, or filamentary products.
As used herein, the term “fasteners” means devices that fasten, join, connect, secure, hold, or clamp components together. Fasteners include, but are not limited to, screws, nuts and bolts, rivets, snap-fits, tacks, nails, loop fasteners, and interlocking male/female connectors, such as fishhook connectors, a fish hook connector includes a male portion with a protrusion on its circumference. Inserting the male portion into the female portion substantially permanently locks the two portions together.
As used herein, the term “hinge” refers to a jointed or flexible device that connects and permits pivoting or turning of a part to a stationary component. Hinges include, but are not limited to, metal pivotable connectors, such as those used to fasten a door to frame, and living hinges. Living hinges may be constructed from plastic and formed integrally between two members. A living hinge permits pivotable movement of one member in relation to another connected member.
As used herein, the term “couple” includes, but is not limited to, joining, connecting, fastening, linking, or associating two things integrally or interstitially together.
As used herein, the term “HACCP” stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, a food safety program adopted by the Food and Drug Administration.
The term “water” as used herein refers to any fluid in liquid form.
These terms may be defined with additional language in the remaining portions of the specification.
In response to the difficulties and problems discussed above, an apparatus adapted for use with a dispenser to render the dispenser water resistant is provided. The apparatus is used with a dispenser which has a housing including a compartment formed therein, an exit port, and a back housing portion including at least one aperture therein. The apparatus comprises a mounting plate configured to be mounted to a vertical surface. The mounting plate includes at least one rotational key extending therefrom. When at least a portion of the back housing portion of the dispenser is positioned against the mounting plate, the key is positioned to extend through the aperture in the back housing portion. The dispenser is releasably coupled against the mounting plate when the key is rotated such that it is not aligned with the aperture through which it extends, thereby holding the housing against the mounting plate.
In another aspect of the invention, a kit adapted for use with a dispenser to render the dispenser water resistant is provided. The kit is used with a dispenser having a housing including a compartment formed therein, an exit port, and a back housing portion including at least one aperture. The kit comprises at least a mounting plate configured to be mounted to a vertical surface. The mounting plate includes at least one rotational key extending therefrom. When the dispenser is aligned and positioned against the mounting plate, the key extends through an aperture in the back housing portion. The dispenser is releasably coupled against the mounting plate when the key is rotated such that it is not aligned with the aperture through which it extends, thereby holding the housing against the mounting plate.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a system adapted to render a dispenser water resistant is provided, and it comprises a mounting plate configured to be mounted to a vertical surface. The mounting plate includes at least one rotational key. The system also includes a dispenser having a housing including a compartment formed therein, an exit port, and a back housing portion including at least one aperture therein configured to receive the rotational key. When the dispenser is positioned against the mounting plate and the aperture is aligned with the key, the key extends therethrough. The dispenser is releasably coupled against the mounting plate when the key is rotated such that it is not aligned with the aperture through which it extends, thereby holding the housing against the mounting plate.
Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention and is not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment or figure can be used on another embodiment or figure to yield yet another embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include such modifications and variations.
Many prior art dispensers have not proven to be sufficiently water resistant when an area is washed down via sprayed water and/or liquid cleaning solution which is sprayed with some pressure via a hose and/or other apparatus on dispensers to clean them. In the present invention, a mounting plate and several accessories are provided with, or for, a dispenser, to greatly reduce or eliminate liquid penetration and/or contamination.
Illustrated in
The mounting plate 10 may include several accessories to be used collectively as a kit. These accessories may include a shield 24 (
The mounting plate 10 and the dispenser 12 may be provided together as a dispensing system as well. There interaction between the mounting plate 10 and the dispenser 12 will be described in detail herein as well. The mounting plate 10 is desirably formed from a resilient material such that the mounting plate 10 seals against the dispenser 12 when the dispenser 12 is positioned against and coupled to the mounting plate 10.
Turning back to the mounting plate 10, as shown in
The front surface also includes a pair of spaced-apart prongs 48 positioned near opposing edges 50 of the perimeter edge 36 near a lower end 52 of the front surface 32 of the mounting plate 10. Each prong 48 desirably includes a tapered end at one end of the prong 48 and a groove (not shown) near an opposite end of the prong 48, adjacent to the mounting plate 10.
A plurality of apertures 54 are provided in the mounting plate 10 to permit it to be coupled to the vertical surface 38 via fasteners 56. Fasteners include, but are not limited to, screws, nails, bolts, and so forth.
Turning back to the dispenser 12 and housing 14, as shown for illustrative purposes in
A perimeter lip 64 may be formed by an edge of the housing defined generally by a back edge of the side walls 58, top wall 66, and/or lower end 68 of the housing 14. A perimeter lip 64 may, alternatively, be formed on the outer surface 60 of the back plate portion 16 near the perimeter. The sidewalls 58, the top wall 66, the lower end 68 and/or the back housing portion 16 may cooperate to provide a base 69 of the housing 14. It will be understood that the location of the perimeter lip 64 is not intended as a limitation. Similarly, the location of the perimeter groove 40 in the mounting plate 10 is not intended as a limitation.
As illustrated in
The dispenser desirably also includes accessories which may assist in reducing or preventing water and/or liquid cleaning solution from entering the dispenser housing 14. Such accessories may include a shield 24 which is positioned on an inner surface 78 of the top wall 66 of the housing 14 (
The accessories may also include a cover closure 26 adapted to provide an alternative button mechanism to replace the existing button member 82 and/or other latch member (not shown) on the dispenser 12 which permits maintenance personnel to obtain entry into the internal compartment 20 of the dispenser 12 (
The accessories may also include a water-resistant seal 28, as shown in
The seal 28 may also desirable state that the indicia 30 may include, but not by way of limitation, information that the dispenser complies with Good Manufacturing Practices. This information designates that the overall dispensing system complies with good manufacturing practices in the manner that is may be cleaned, maintains the product in a clean, non-contaminate state. Further, the dispenser is desirably configured, but not by way of limitation, such that a user does not touch the dispenser itself to obtain the product. It will be appreciated that the indicia may include any number of messages or information.
The kit may include other items, such as, for example, fasteners, and so forth. It will be appreciated that any combination of these accessories may be used in a kit including the mounting plate 10. Further, other and/or additional accessories known to those of skill in the art may be used in the kit.
While certain characteristics are described in specific embodiments, any one or more characteristics, features, and/or elements may be used in any combination in any embodiment, or to create a particular embodiment from the disclosures, teachings, and/or suggestions provided herein. While the present invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
