Patent Application
20230172404
The present disclosure relates to a protective device for paper towel and, more particularly, to a protective disk for placement on top of a paper towel roll.
The top of a paper towel roll is generally unprotected. Users with dirty and/or wet hands often touch the top of the roll while removing sheets of paper towel, leaving the top of the roll soiled and/or wet, which is unsanitary.
There is currently no commercially available product to keep paper towel rolls clean and to limit the number of towels needed.
As can be seen, there is a need for a device to protect the top of a paper towel roll from contamination from wet and/or dirty hands and, in some cases, enables a user to more easily limit the number of towel sheets removed from the roll.
In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a disk that covers the top of a paper towel roll, eliminating the need to touch the top of the paper roll directly. The inventive disk may be touched instead of the towel roll, preventing paper towel rolls from becoming soiled during general use e.g., cooking, cleaning, and wiping hands). The inventive disk may also be referred to as the “Keep Clean” paper towel guard.
In an embodiment, the Keep Clean paper towel guard may be coated with an anti-microbial agent to reduce the spread of germs from repeated touching of the surface of the disk. The Keep Clean paper towel guard is made of a material that may be cleaned and reused.
In an embodiment, a protective paper towel device, includes a disk having a diameter sized to cover at least a portion of a radial end of a roll of paper towels. The disk has a central slot configured for receiving a paper towel holding rod.
In an embodiment, the central slot of the disk is substantially circular or elliptical.
In an embodiment the central slot of the disk is substantially rectangular.
In an embodiment, the disk is constructed of an anti-microbial plastic.
In an embodiment, the disk is coated with an anti-microbial material.
In an embodiment, the disk includes a cylindrical extension from a lower surface configured to fit in a spool of a paper towel roll.
In an embodiment, the disk includes a handle arranged on an upper surface.
In an embodiment, the disk has a diameter of about 5 inches to 6.5 inches.
In an embodiment, the central slot in the disk is substantially circular and has a diameter of about ⅞ inch.
In an embodiment, the central slot in the disk is about 0.5 inches wide and 15/8 inches long.
In an embodiment, s protective paper towel holder includes a base, and a paper towel holding rod extending from the base. A disk has a diameter sized to cover at least a portion of a radial end of a roll of paper towel. The disk has a central slot configured for receiving a paper towel holding rod.
In an embodiment, a nub is arranged near an end of the paper towel holding rod that receives the disk. A guide is attached at an edge of the base to prevent the roll of paper towels from shifting while being unrolled.
In an embodiment, the paper towel holding rod received by the disk is constructed of dual bars that extend from the base.
In an embodiment, the disk is constructed of an anti-microbial polymer.
In an embodiment, the disk includes a cylindrical extension configured to fit in a spool of a paper towel roll.
These and other features will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
The drawings are of illustrative embodiments. They do not illustrate all embodiments. Other embodiments may be used in addition to or instead. Details that may be apparent or unnecessary may be omitted to save space or for more effective illustration. Some embodiments may be practiced with additional components or steps and/or without all the components or operations that are illustrated. When the same numeral appears in different drawings, it refers to the same or like components or operations.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present teachings have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
As used herein, directional terms such as upper, lower, upward, downwardly, top, left, right and the like are used in relation to the illustrative embodiments as they are depicted in the figures, such that the upward direction (or upper) being toward the top of the corresponding figures and the downward direction being toward the bottom of the corresponding figures.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a disk-shaped device placed on top of the paper towel roll positioned on a standalone paper towel holder. The disk generally has a hole in the center. The hole allows the stem of the paper towel holder to pass through the device, causing the device to rest directly on top of the paper towel.
The stem end of a paper towel holder may be passed through a center hole of the device, allowing the device to rest directly on top of the paper towel roll. Once the device is in place, the paper towel is ready to be used while cooking, cleaning, drying hands, etc. While one hand removes the desired number of paper towel sheets, the user's other hand may be placed on top of the device. The top of towel roll is generally protected from a user's touch and user touch of the body is minimized, increasing sanitation.
The material of manufacture is not particularly limited. The device may be, for example, a plastic material, such as polyvinyl acetate or another polyvinyl material. Preferably, the material is flexible. The material is generally non-adhesive.
The inventive device may have a range of sizes. For example, the disk may have a diameter of about 5 inches to about 6¼ inches and a central slot having a diameter of about ⅞ inch or having dimensions of about ½ inch by about 1⅝ inch. The disk may be soft and flexible, hard and rigid, or a range therebetween.
The method of manufacture is not particularly limited. The device may be made by cutting or punching a sheet of polymer material or using a three-dimensional (3D) printer.
Referring now to
In use, one may push down, or simply touch the disk with one hand while pulling a leading sheet of the paper towel with another hand.
The components, operations, steps, features, objects, benefits, and advantages that have been discussed herein are merely illustrative. None of them, nor the discussions relating to them, are intended to limit the scope of protection. While various advantages have been discussed herein, it will be understood that not all embodiments necessarily include all advantages. Unless otherwise stated, all measurements, values, ratings, positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are set forth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, are approximate, not exact. They are intended to have a reasonable range that is consistent with the functions to which they relate and with what is customary in the art to which they pertain.
Numerous other embodiments are also contemplated. These include embodiments that have fewer, additional, and/or different components, steps, features, objects, benefits and advantages. These also include embodiments in which the components and/or steps are arranged and/or ordered differently.
It will be understood that the tennis and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein. Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any such actual relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “a” or “an” does not, without further constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
Applicant claims all the benefits of priority from U.S. provisional application 63/199,098 filed Dec. 7, 2020, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
