The present invention relates to devices suitable for dispensing sheet products and more particularly to such devices which allow the user to select whether the sheets will be wet or dry at the point of use.
Sheet dispensers are well known in the art. Some dispensers allow the user to dispense liquid in conjunction with dispensing sheets from the dispenser. Exemplary art is shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,804,061; 4,436,224; 4,667,846; 4,798,312; 5,671,872; 5,762,710; 5,819,989; 6,138,874; 6,431,405; 7,018,473; 7,318,949; 7,850,041; 8,006,864; 2008/00117882; 2009/0302049; 2010/0032443; 2011/0315715; 2013/0126549; 2013/0206789 and DE 202011105459. But these attempts do not necessarily dispense the liquid directly to the sheet, potentially leading to inconvenience for the user.
Attempts to dispense the liquid directly to the sheet are found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,865,271; 4,106,433; 4,620,502; 4,74,7,365; 5,433,084; 5,672,206; 5,829,278; 5,887,759; 6,059,882; 6,319,318; 6,343,491; 6,431,111; 6,457,434; 6,497,345; 6,547,881; 6,613,144; 6,918,513; 7,185,841; 7,654,412; 7,856,941; 7,784,424; 2007/0272701; 2009/0031952; 2009/0032636; 2011/0088619; WO 200035327; WO 200587068; WO 2007070898; EP 1017303; EP 0744147; CN 2172081; CN 101156755; DE 29610683; DE 3535330; DE 19846375; DE 102010036072; DE 202011105459; DE 20305272; and FR 2238457. As can be seen, some of these attempts rely upon rollers or other means of direct contact of some portion of an apparatus with the sheet. Yet other attempts purportedly spray the liquid onto the sheet.
Yet other attempts provide for pumping of the liquid to an indented top and/or actuator top, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,578,388; 7,740,154; 7,712,633; 7,726,517; 7,871,217; 7,963,425; 7,984,832; 20080273915; 20090001099; 20090101676 and 20140034680.
A dispenser which allows for convenient sheet refill and for wet and dry sheets to be dispensed with contact with the apparatus is needed. But such an apparatus, without more, is not sufficient to meet everyday needs. Convenient refill of the liquid is also needed. And the dispenser must provide for convenient operation and a suitable liquid pattern on the sheet when a wet sheet is desired and prevent premature wetting of sheets not being used.
In one embodiment the invention comprises a refill for use in a sheet dispenser. The refill has a longitudinal axis defining a longitudinal direction. The refill comprises a reservoir having a hollow elongate body and an open neck. A valve is disposed in the neck and in fluid communication with the reservoir, whereby the valve can dispense liquid contained in the reservoir upon demand. A pump is juxtaposed in operable relationship with the valve and operates by compression in a longitudinal direction to dispense liquid from the reservoir to a dispensing cup. The dispensing cup may be disposed above the sheets. The refill fits in a base. The base can hold and selectively dispense sheets upon demand. The base has a fitting juxtaposed with and in operable relationship with the valve. The fitting provides for the refill to be removably disposed in the base.
In another embodiment the invention comprises a dispenser having such a refill installed or installable therein. The refill may be filled with a liquid as presented to the user and/or may be refilled at the point of use without removing from the base.
Referring to
The dispenser (10) accepts a clip of sheets (30), which are later dispensed as needed. The dispenser (10) may further comprise a base (12) which acts as a frame for the remaining components, and may also comprise an external cup (14). The cup (14) disposes a shield (16) in a predetermined position for spraying liquid from the reservoir (22) onto the sheet (30) in a predetermined pattern. The base (12) may optionally comprise a spindle [not shown] or stub for supporting the sheets (30)/refill (20).
The sheets (30) may be core wound as shown. Or the sheets (30) may be interfolded, as shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,762,426, particularly FIGS. 4A-4E, or may be adhesively joined as shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,308, particularly FIGS. 3A-3E. Either such configuration may provide pop up dispensing of the sheets (30). The base (12) may have a tab to help separate successive sheets (30) as shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,200. The base (12) may optionally comprise a clip (not shown). The clip may be cantilvered from the base provide spring force against the sheets (30).
Referring to
A pump (28) is activated by the user, to selectively dispense liquid from the reservoir (22) through the valve in the refill (20) and into the cup (14). The liquid is dispensable upon demand by a user from the shield (16) in the cup (14) to one or more sheets (30).
Referring to
While a core wound plurality of sheets (30) is shown, one of skill will recognize the invention is not so limited. The sheets (30) may be horizontally stacked or disposed in an inverted U-shape, as are known in the art. The sheets (30) may be vertically stacked as shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,762,426, FIG. 2 and column 7, lines 18-30. The sheets (30) may be interleaved/separably joined, e.g. with adhesive, as shown therein at FIGS. 4A-5E and columns 7, lines 31-65. The sheets (30) may be joined together with perforations. All such forms of sheet (30) dispensing are known, usable with, and not critical to the claimed invention. One of skill will recognize that the refill (20) may be sold with or without the liquid and/or with or without the sheets (30).
The sheets (30) may be dry or may be pre-wetted with a first liquid. Another liquid may be dispensed onto the dry or pre-wetted sheet (30) at the point of use. The liquid usable with the present invention may be aqueous, contain alcohol, solvents, surfactant, perfumes, disinfectants, etc. The liquid may be usable as a hard/soft surface cleanser, particularly a dish cleanser, fabric cleanser, disinfectant, germicide, bactericide, insect repellant, etc. Optionally, the sheets (30) may contain a dry chemistry which is activated when the liquid is dispensed onto the sheet (30). This arrangement provides the benefit that efficacy is not depleted and remains available at the point of use. Optionally, the reservoir (22) may contain two or more liquids which are kept separate until intermixed at the point of use.
Referring to
The portable refill (20) may be shipped and sold with the actuator (36) locked in the dispensed position. This arrangement prevents the pump (28) from inadvertently dispensing liquid during transport, storage and while on display for sale. The dispenser (10) may optionally be locked when not in use, to provide for child resistance and minimize spilling when the dispenser (10) is moved between rooms. One form of lock is a rotatable lock, as are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,445,299 and 6,543,649.
The refill (20) of the present invention need not be freestanding. This arrangement avoids the problems of the art, where the refill requires sufficient geometry, and associated cost, to prevent the refill (20) from falling over on the counter and during use. Instead, the refill (20) of the invention may be permanently or removably attached to a base (12). The base (12) can be re-used, minimizing cost.
An optional check valve, such as a ball valve, silicon disc, etc., may minimize or prevent liquid from prematurely flowing back into the reservoir (22). This arrangement keeps the liquid in the cup (14) so that the user can blot it with the sheet (30) or otherwise dispense the liquid onto the sheet (30) as needed at the point of use. A return spring may bias the actuator (36) from the actuated position back to the standby position.
If desired, the user may tip the portable dispenser (10), to pour or drip the liquid directly onto the countertop or other target surface to be cleaned or otherwise treated. In such an embodiment the cup (14) may have an optional spout, to facilitate pouring.
An optional return spring brings the pump (28) back to a starting position when the user applied force is released. The pump (28) may provide a constant dose of liquid each time it is activated. Alternatively, the pump (28) may be adjustable as is known in the art to provide a larger or smaller dose as desired.
The pump (28) may have an axial displacement, manifested as a stroke of 0.3 cm to 10 cm, and particularly 0.5 to 5 cm, under user applied manual actuation force. The pump (28) may dispense at least 0.1, 0.5, 1 or more cc of liquid upon each actuation and may dispense not more than 10, 5 or 4 cc with each dose. The actuation force may range from 5 to 40 N, particularly in the downward vertical direction. The pump (28) may have a discharge force of 10 to 40 N. The liquid may have a viscosity of at 10 s−1 of 1 to 100, 500 or 1000 cps, or 100-200 cps to accommodate typical dish washing liquids. A pump (28) providing these performance properties with such a liquid has been found advantageous for dispensing, e.g. dish washing liquids, so that the present invention may be advantageously and conveniently used in the kitchen.
Viscosity is determined by conventional methods, e.g. using an AR 1000 rheometer from TA Instruments of New Castle, Del. using a standard-size aluminum DIN or double wall concentric cylinder. The high shear viscosity at 10 s−1 is obtained from a logarithmic shear rate sweep at 20° C. The procedure consists of two steps including a pre-conditioning and a flow ramp up step. The pre-conditioning step is a pre-shear at 10 s−1 and 20° C. for 30 sec. The flow ramp up follows immediately and consists in shearing the sample at increasing shear rates in steady state flow mode from 0.1 to 1000 s−1, for 5 points per decade on a logarithmic scale, allowing measurements to stabilize for a period of from 5 s for up to 1 min with a tolerance of 5 percent. The logarithmic plot of the viscosity vs. shear rate of the flow ramp down experiment is used to determine the high shear viscosity at 10 s−1.
Referring to
The body of the refill (20) may be made of plastic, such as PET, or metal, etc. The refill (20) may have a total length of at least 10, 15 or 20 cm, and not more than 50, 40 or 30 cm, and comprise any suitable cross section as measured from the top of the base (12) to the bottom of the actuator (36), cup (14) or shield (16). The cross section may be constant, stepped, variable, concentric and/or eccentric about the longitudinal axis. If a round cross section is selected, it may have a nominal outside diameter of about 2 to about 6 cm, and particularly about 3 to about 5 cm. It is prophetically believed found that a refill (20) having a nominal outside diameter of about 3 to about 5 cm, particularly about 4 cm and a length of about 20 to about 35 cm and particularly about 28 to about 30 cm is particularly well suited for the vast majority of commercially available core wound paper toweling. It is understood that a round cup (14) includes geometries which approximate a circle, but have irregular, scalloped or toothed and crenulated edges.
If a non-round cross section is selected, it may have a major dimension corresponding to the diameters set forth above. As used herein, the major dimension is the greatest dimension of that cross section, for example, the major axis of an ellipse, the diagonal of a square/rectangle, etc. It is understood that the major dimension of the cross section will generally, but not exclusively, control the size and shape of a core of sheets (30) which may be installed on the refill (10). It is further understood most cores of core-wound sheets (30) are round and a complementary refill (10) cross section would likewise be round and complementary to provide for easy and convenient installation and removal of the roll of sheets (30) onto the refill (10).
The base (12) and refill (20) may fit together through a lock and key system as is known in the art. This arrangement minimizes the likelihood of an improper refill (20) being used, potentially reducing damage and/or leakage. The refill (20) may have a separate lock and key system to prevent replenishing liquid therein from an improper or undesirable supply. This arrangement provides the benefit that the user does not inadvertently use the wrong cleanser. For example, the refill (20) may have a lock and key system which is common to both the base (12) and to replenishment from an external supply. A particular complementary thread system, such as illustrated cap (37) or a bayonet fitting may be utilized, as are known in the art.
The refill (20) may be filled with the liquid as presented to the user. When the refill (20) is depleted, it may be discarded and replaced with a refill (20) having a fresh supply of liquid. Alternatively, the refill (20) may be replenished with liquid from a separate supply by the user. The body may further comprise a vent (32), as known, to prevent drawing a vacuum upon dispensing. A headspace may be disposed above the liquid if an embodiment utilizing a dip tube (33) is selected.
Referring back to
Alternatively the cup (14) may be generally elliptical, to conform to the shape of the hand/fingertips as a sheet (30) is applied to the cup (14) to receive liquid therefrom or may be any other shape as desired. A elliptically shaped cup (14) may have an aspect ratio of major axis to minor axis ranging from 2:1 or 3:1 up to 6:1 and even 10:1. The major axis may range from 4 to 10 cm, with a minor axis ranging from 2 to 8 cm
If desired, the cup (14) may have plural nozzles. Prophetically this arrangement provides for greater distribution of the liquid onto the sheet (30) at the point of use. If desired, the cup (14) may have one or more liquid permeable membranes in addition to or in place of the nozzle at the bottom of the cup (14). This arrangement allows the user to touch the sheet (30) to the permeable membrane, thereby wetting the sheet (30). If desired, the cup (14) may have a mesh or other aerating element, to provide for foaming of the liquid.
While a cup (14) having a generally horizontal orientation is shown, the invention is not so limited. The cup (14) may be canted off of the vertical axis, so that liquid preferentially puddles on one side of the cup (14) without spilling beyond the edge. This arrangement prophetically provides the benefit of concentrating the liquid for easier dispensing onto the sheet (30).
The refill (20) have one or more shields (16), to provide for capture of the liquid spilled from the cup (14) and/or the sheet (30). This arrangement advantageously prevents spilled liquid from damaging the clip of remaining sheets (30), making a mess on a countertop, etc. The shield (16) may be disposed intermediate the cup (14) and reservoir (22). The shield (16) may be part of the actuator (36) or may be mounted independently thereof, as shown.
The shield (16) may be larger than and congruent with the cup (14). A round shield (16) may have a diameter of 4 to 30 cm. The shield (16) may be of any shape and sized to protect the edges of the roll of sheets (30) prior to first use thereof. For example, a shield (16) having a diameter of 22 cm may be used with a 20 cm diameter roll of sheets (30). The shield (16) may be disposed 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 or more cm above the upper edge of the sheets (30) when installed in the dispenser (10).
The bottom of the shield (16) may circumscribe the stem (39) through which liquid is dispensed. The shield (16) may be upwardly concave to hold liquid captured therein.
Optionally the shield (16) and/or the cup (14) may have a return drain. The drain allows liquid captured in the shield (16) to drain back into the reservoir (22). The drain may be closed when the actuator (36) is in the standby position, to minimize evaporation of the liquid. The drain may be open when the actuator (36) is temporarily in the actuated position, to allow liquid to drain, preventing overfill of the shield (16) and/or cup (14). The return drain may comprise a hole in the refill (20), particularly the body of the reservoir (22) which is covered and uncovered as the actuator (36) moved between the standby position and actuated position, respectively. The optional drain may be omitted if one is concerned that returned liquid will contaminate the reservoir (22). xxxx
Referring to
Prophetically, the flare (22F) may be at the top of the refill (20). This arrangement provides the benefit that the sheets (30) may be more securely held in place. Such a flare (22F) may be upwardly convex, so that the flare (22F) provides dual functionality as both a flare (22F) and shield (16) and/or cup (14).
Referring to
The outer wall (30) of the reservoir (22) may be rigid, to provide a frame for holding the other components of the refill (20) in proper position during both standby and dispensing. The outer wall (30O) of the refill (20) may be made of thermoplastic polymers or copolymers such as PET, PP, PE, EVOH and/or mixtures thereof and/or multi-layers thereof and/or engineering plastics such as ABS, polyamides, POM and/or aluminum or other metals.
This arrangement prophetically provides the benefit that the reservoir (22) can be discarded when the contents are depleted, minimizing mess when a new reservoir (22) is installed in the dispenser (10). A vent (32) may be provided between the inner wall (30I) and outer wall (30O), to allow for easier delamination and collapse of the inner wall (30I).
Optionally, the rigid outer of wall (30O) of the reservoir (22) may be retained and reused. The inner wall (30I) may be discarded when depleted, and replaced with a new inner wall (30I) having a fresh supply of liquid.
Referring to
Referring to
The drain (42) may be separate from the stem and/or nozzle[s] which deliver fluid from the pump (28). This arrangement provides the benefit that, for example, the tem (39) may be used to dispense liquid to the cup (14) and the drain (42) may be independently used to remove liquid from the shield (16) or vice versa. Alternatively, the cup (14) and/or shield (16) may have both a dedicated liquid delivery stem (39) and a dedicated drain (42).
Prophetically, if desired, the longitudinal axis may be disposed generally horizontal. This arrangement provides the benefit that the dispenser (10) may be wall mounted or fit into other spaces without requiring a countertop. Prophetically the amount of the dose from a discrete operation of the pump (28) may be varied in known fashion to provide a smaller or larger discrete and predetermined dose.
If desired, the dispenser (10) may have a handle on the side to facilitate carrying. If desired the dispenser (10) may have a spray manifold, in addition to the cup (14). A suitable spray manifold is disclosed in commonly assigned P&G Case 13200, application Ser. No. 14/151,937.
The pump (28) could be powered by an electric motor if desired. The electric motor could be battery powered or powered by an AC outlet. The pump (28) could be triggered by a motion sensor or proximity sensor, as disclosed in 2013/0206789, particularly para. 19. If desired, the refill (20) may contain two, three or more reservoirs (22) of liquid. This arrangement provides flexibility for the user to select a different liquid for different needs, e.g. lotion for application from the sheet (30) to the skin, polish to protect a shoe, anti-bacterial cleanser for a countertop, a different perfume, etc.
In use, the user grasps a sheet (30) with one hand and removes it from the supply of sheets (30) disposed on the dispenser (10). The user may grasp a plurality of sheets (30), if desired. The user's other hand is free, if wetting is desired, to activate the pump (28). If pump (28) activation is desired only a single hand is needed to axially activate the pump (28) by compression thereof towards the base (12). The pump (28) action requires action in only a single, longitudinal direction for selective wet/dry dispensing.
The dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited. Instead, unless otherwise specified, each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value. For example, a dimension disclosed as “40 mm” is intended to mean “about 40 mm.”
All documents cited in the Background and in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, in relevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of any document is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior art with respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to the term in this document shall govern.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
3804061 | Cassar et al. | Apr 1974 | A |
3865271 | Gold | Feb 1975 | A |
4106433 | Asokan et al. | Aug 1978 | A |
4436224 | McInerny | Mar 1984 | A |
4620502 | Kimble | Nov 1986 | A |
4667846 | Marceau | May 1987 | A |
4747365 | Tusch | May 1988 | A |
4798312 | Scheiber | Jan 1989 | A |
5433084 | Kaiser et al. | Jul 1995 | A |
5671872 | Daniels, Jr. | Sep 1997 | A |
5672206 | Gorman | Sep 1997 | A |
5762710 | Looman et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
5819989 | Saraceni | Oct 1998 | A |
5829278 | Koo | Nov 1998 | A |
5887759 | Ayigbe | Mar 1999 | A |
6059882 | Steinhardt et al. | May 2000 | A |
6138874 | Audrey | Oct 2000 | A |
6314971 | Heub-Schneider et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6319318 | Pekarek et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6321937 | DeSimone | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6343491 | Jung | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6346153 | Kamps et al. | Feb 2002 | B1 |
6431111 | Zhang | Aug 2002 | B1 |
6431405 | Irwin | Aug 2002 | B2 |
6457434 | Lazar | Oct 2002 | B1 |
6497345 | Wilker et al. | Dec 2002 | B1 |
6547881 | Kloeckner | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6613144 | Loertscher et al. | Sep 2003 | B1 |
6736562 | Whitmore | May 2004 | B2 |
6918513 | Downey | Jul 2005 | B1 |
7018473 | Shadrach | Mar 2006 | B2 |
7185841 | Kaufmann | Mar 2007 | B2 |
7318949 | Shadrach | Jan 2008 | B2 |
7654412 | Amundson et al. | Feb 2010 | B2 |
7740154 | Kennedy | Jun 2010 | B2 |
7743947 | Flasch | Jun 2010 | B2 |
7784424 | Wentworth et al. | Aug 2010 | B2 |
7850041 | Amundson et al. | Dec 2010 | B2 |
7856941 | Nelson et al. | Dec 2010 | B2 |
8006864 | Fryan et al. | Aug 2011 | B2 |
9504363 | Hoefte | Nov 2016 | B2 |
20020079380 | Presson | Jun 2002 | A1 |
20060137106 | Goodman | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20070034650 | Pulch | Feb 2007 | A1 |
20070272701 | Carlsson et al. | Nov 2007 | A1 |
20080011782 | Sidman | Jan 2008 | A1 |
20080314925 | Kennedy | Dec 2008 | A1 |
20090031952 | Lazar | Feb 2009 | A1 |
20090032636 | Orlandi et al. | Feb 2009 | A1 |
20090302049 | Cornell | Dec 2009 | A1 |
20100032443 | Mueller et al. | Feb 2010 | A1 |
20100301136 | Scott | Dec 2010 | A1 |
20110088619 | Duerrstein et al. | Apr 2011 | A1 |
20110315715 | Ophardt | Dec 2011 | A1 |
20130126549 | Ader | May 2013 | A1 |
20130206789 | Van Diepen et al. | Aug 2013 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
2172081 | Jul 1994 | CN |
101156755 | Apr 2008 | CN |
3535330 | Apr 1987 | DE |
29610683 | Jun 1996 | DE |
19846375 | Apr 2000 | DE |
20305272 | Sep 2003 | DE |
102010036072 | Mar 2012 | DE |
202011105459 | Mar 2012 | DE |
0744147 | May 2003 | EP |
2238457 | Feb 1975 | FR |
2000070774 | Mar 2000 | JP |
WO 2007070898 | Jun 2007 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20160242604 A1 | Aug 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 14310023 | Jun 2014 | US |
Child | 15143684 | US |