The present invention relates generally to storage containers, and more particularly to a portable container which is capable of storing hand sanitizing gel or hand sanitizing liquid that can be detachably secured to a smartphone, a water bottle, a bracelet, one's person, one's belt or one's keys, which allows for easy and accessible distribution of the liquid or gel to one's hands or person.
During our everyday life, our hands become dirty and are exposed to germs and viruses due to constant contact with others and surfaces of all types, shapes, forms, and textures. We touch doorknobs, hard surfaces, bathroom sinks, toilets, smart phones, keys, touch screens, etc., which are all a mecca for germs, bacteria, and viruses. Then we constantly shake hands and hug one another. A well, we are constantly close to one another on the bus, plane, or when waiting in line at the bank. In short, because of our daily human habits, our interactions and our close proximity to one another—especially during cold and flu season—the spread of illness, germs and viruses is rampant.
The common solution is to wash one's hands as much as possible, but in reality most do not have immediate access to sinks, soap or bathrooms. Another, often suggested solution, is for people to use hand sanitizer, which are the combination of gel and alcohol, which kills germs, bacteria and viruses. This can help, but in reality, these are not always available and only a small portion of the population carries portable hand sanitizer containers.
Or in a situation where one does have a portable hand sanitizer in their purse or pocket, if they shake someone's hand, and then use the sanitizer, it could be deemed as rude, implying the other person is infectious or has germs.
Further at a party or social gathering where food is present, humans shake many hands and each and drink quite vigorously throughout the duration of the party. To use hand sanitizer every few minutes, implies a negative social connotation toward the user and is therefore avoided, which promotes the passing of germs.
To add, at a fast food restaurant, a person orders food, goes to the bathroom to wash his hands, and then sits down to wait for his food. As he's waiting he takes out his smart phone and uses it. With his recently cleaned hands, he is now touching the dirtiest, most germ ridden item on his person, thus defeating the purpose of having washed his hands.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a small portable container with an opening to hold hand sanitizer liquid or gel. The container attaches to one's smart phone, or wrist to allow for a more accessible use of a hand sanitizer. When the container is filled, it can emit the gel or liquid to one's hand or surface through an opening situated on container.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a case or holding mechanism, which can hold portable and disposable capsules or pods, pre-filled with hand sanitizer gel or liquid, which can be added and removed to the phone case.
It is also an object of the present invention to have a container filled with hand sanitizer to magnetically attach to any smart phone by means of a magnetic charge.
It is also an object of the present invention to have a container wrap around the back of a smart phone or tablet, which emits hand sanitizer liquid or gel.
It is also an object of the present invention to have a pod or container, which has a door that opens via a hinge mechanism, that allows the container to open and be filled with sanitizer and then which allows the hand sanitizer gel or liquid to be dispensed through a pump built into this door.
It is also an object of the present invention to have a promotional wristband that houses a container filled with liquid or gel hand sanitizer.
It is yet another object of the present invention provide a system of interchangeable cases filled with hand sanitizer or any liquid that can easily attach or detach from a variety of accessories including a watch, a band, or a smart phone.
To these ends, the present invention is directed to a container, which holds hand sanitizer gel or liquid, which has an opening to allow for the container to be filled with hand sanitizer and an opening to allow the hand sanitizer to be emitted from the container, all while being separably detached to a smart phone, a smart phone case, or a wristband.
Additional aspects, alternatives and variations as would be apparent to persons of skill in the art are also disclosed herein and are specifically contemplated as included as part of the invention. The invention is set forth only in the claims as allowed by the patent office in this or related applications, and the following summary descriptions of certain examples are not in any way to limit, define or otherwise establish the scope of legal protection.
The invention can be better understood with reference to the following figures. The components within the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed on clearly illustrating example aspects of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views and/or embodiments. Furthermore, various features of different disclosed embodiments can be combined to form additional embodiments, which are part of this disclosure. It will be understood that certain components and details may not appear in the figures to assist in more clearly describing the invention.
Reference is made herein to some specific examples of the present invention, including any best modes contemplated by the inventor for carrying out the invention. Examples of these specific embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying figures. While the invention is described in conjunction with these specific embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to the described or illustrated embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Particular example embodiments of the present invention may be implemented without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, process operations well known to persons of skill in the art have not been described in detail in order not to obscure unnecessarily the present invention. Various techniques and mechanisms of the present invention will sometimes be described in singular form for clarity. However, it should be noted that some embodiments include multiple iterations of a technique or multiple mechanisms unless noted otherwise. Similarly, various steps of the methods shown and described herein are not necessarily performed in the order indicated, or performed at all in certain embodiments. Accordingly, some implementations of the methods discussed herein may include more or fewer steps than those shown or described. Further, the techniques and mechanisms of the present invention will sometimes describe a connection, relationship or communication between two or more entities. It should be noted that a connection or relationship between entities does not necessarily mean a direct, unimpeded connection, as a variety of other entities or processes may reside or occur between any two entities. Consequently, an indicated connection does not necessarily mean a direct, unimpeded connection unless otherwise noted.
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in
Layer 13 is situated on the back of container 7 by an adhesive which, when in use, the user peels layer 13 completely off of case 7 exposing the adhesive layer, and sticks case 7 to the back of smart phone 17 as seen in
Rather than having an adhesive side, case 7 may also house a hooking means, a clipping means, a button snap or snaps, a magnet, or a key ring, so that it can hook on to one's belt, waistband of pants, pocket, shirt pocket, or keys.
It is also possible that the adhesive on the back of container 7 may be semi-sticky and reusable so that it can be freely applied to and easily removed from any hard surface. In use, the user could remove it from his smart phone and then attach it to his lap top computer.
Furthermore, it is also possible that case 7 may have material containing a system of hook or loop fasteners secured to the back of it, which would then allow it to be separably attached to the smart phone, but also to any other surface with connecting hook or loop fasteners. In practice, the user could remove it from the smart phone and attach it to their water bottle.
In use, as seen in
Opening 5 may also have a cap or cover or sliding door like mechanism placed over it, so that gel 21a only gets released when this cap, cover, or door is open, exposing opening 5.
Case 25b also has side case 27b, which is meant to, in conjunction with case side 27a, hold case 24 onto smart phone 17a, as seen at the bottom of
Gap 35 shows how rods 33 are now embedded into case portion 25b, again by the built in tension of the spring loaded mechanism within case portion 25b. A similar embodiment would allow case 24 to be wrapped around smart phone 17a in the middle of 17a or at the bottom of 17a. It is also possible that case portion 25b and 25a attached together with no gap separating them, or that they are connected together by any other adjustable means such as a wheel that is tightened or loosened, a screwing mechanism, a magnet, a lever, snap adjustments or the like, with the ultimate goal being to secure a snug fit for case 24 onto smart phone 17a or any sized smart phone. It is also possible that case 24 may be a full sized smart phone case or cover, which fully and completely surrounds the entirety of the smart phone. It is also possible that case 7a can filled with liquid and be released through a spray nozzle on to one's hands as will be seen and explained in
It's typical to have a wallet wrapped around a smart phone or attached to the back of a smart phone, where the user would store his money and credit cards. In
Container 7y houses cap 375 with lid 377. Container 375 may be filled with liquid sanitizer or sanitizing gel. Cap 375 may be substituted for a spraying mechanism or a pump. In use the wearer would wrap band 360 and 362 around his wrist connecting holes 363 with notches 365.
Walls 367 and 368 may act as a canyon or concave encasement to receive container 7y, when 7y is inserted into case 380 via means of directional arrows 372. Cavity 369 is also a canyon, hollow, or concave like area, which will house cap 375 and lid 377, allowing it to protrude slightly upward, as we see in
In use, the user takes container 7y, tucks cap 375 under strip 380a, then presses container 7y into band 380 by gently forcing side walls 367 and 368 to pry apart or to bend open. Then, once the container 7y is firmly in place, walls 367 and 368 will wrap back around container 7y holding it in place. The user would then flip open lid 377 of cap 375 with his hand and then press container 7y so that liquid gel 382 pours out of cap 375 onto his finger or hands. It is also possible that a pumping mechanism to disperse liquid into a mist or into a foam maybe be used here instead of the cap and gel partnership.
Protruding out of the bottom of band extension 431 we see notch 430, which is created by peak 450 and troughs 452. Here the same pattern is repeated twice, but it may be repeated more times on this extension as well as extension 433. These notches allow for the cavity 432 and the entire band to bend comfortably around one's wrist without feeling too bulky. When the user connects notches 444 to holes 446, the notches collapse on to each other, allowing for the band to easily contour to the shape of one's wrist.
We also see metal insert 484, which is embedded into the plastic or rubber of main band 472. Smart phones are sometimes constructed with built-in magnets. In use, the user could leave top layer 488 of 486 intact and attach main band 472 to any magnetic surface, or any smart phone with a built-in magnet, or any smart phone case with a built-in magnet, thus magnetically securing a bond of band 472 to the object. It is also possible that 484 may be a magnet, and that this magnet may attach to any metal surface, metals surface built into a smart phone case, or any metal surface built into a smart phone.
Smart phone 490 depicts a smart phone with a built-in magnetic ring 493, depicted by inner edge 494 and outer edge 492. A magnet of this sort may be any shape or size and it may be positioned anywhere within the smart phone. It is also possible that a magnet of this shape and size may be positioned or stuck by adhesive, to the outer layer of any smart phone, smart phone case, embedded between a smart phone and a smart phone case or built or embedded directly into the smart phone case.
In use, the user takes holding case 502 and places it on smart phone 490, magnetically securing case 502 to phone 490, where metal ring 501 magnetically connects to magnet 493, thus securing case 502 to smart phone 490. Case 502 may also have a peel and stick option or adhesive layer secured to its bottom so that the case may attach to any non-magnetic or non-metal surface. Importantly, the sanitizer container 496 can be swapped from the wristband embodiments described above, creating an interchangeable system. Also, separating the container 496 from the holding case 502 or the wristband described above, permits for the more efficient manufacturing of these products. Specifically, the wristband and holding case described herein may be made of a soft pliable plastic or silicone so as to allow the easy insertion of the container into the designated cavity. Manufacturing a smart phone case or a wrist band to include the sanitizer container within the soft plastic, and pre-loading the container with sanitizer, may cause leakage during shipping—particularly if the item is exposed to pressure changes during transport. Many of these sanitizers are made of alcohol, so leakage would create a hazard. By having a separate container, the embodiments described herein can have the container pre-filled locally or regionally to avoid, or at least diminish the likelihood of leakage.
Smart phone 570 houses an internal magnetic ring 577, similar to magnetic ring 493 as seen in
It is to be noted, that the cases described here, may be attached to any object or surface. It is possible cases shaped like these, or any other shape mentioned in this application may be part of a system as well. In use the user would purchase a batch of these cases along with a batch of refillable bottles of hand sanitizer. The user may choose to peel and stick the cases to his water bottle, steering wheel of his car, his computer, his alarm clock, his belt, his smart phone, smart watch, dog leash, etc. Or rather than peel and stick the container, he may magnetically attach the case to any of the aforementioned as long as there is a magnetic case open to receiving it. This magnetic case may also be built into the structure or surface of the item, or it may be stuck to the surface by means of a peel and stick adhesive. In regards to bottles sold with hand sanitizer, boxes of refills may be sold or distributed to hospitals, schools, places of business, institutions, etc.
It will be understood that although the present invention has been hereinabove described with respect to several embodiments thereof, modifications may be made therein and thereto without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Although exemplary embodiments and applications of the invention have been described herein including as described above and shown in the included example Figures, there is no intention that the invention be limited to these exemplary embodiments and applications or to the manner in which the exemplary embodiments and applications operate or are described herein. Indeed, many variations and modifications to the exemplary embodiments are possible as would be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. The invention may include any device, structure, method, or functionality, as long as the resulting device, system or method falls within the scope of one of the claims that are allowed by the patent office based on this or any related patent application.
This application claims priority as the non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. 62/992,977 filed on Mar. 21, 2020 titled “Portable Mechanism for Storing Hand Sanitizer”, as the non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. 63/036,054 filed on Jun. 8, 2020 titled “Portable Mechanism for Storing Hand Sanitizer Mediums”, as the non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. 63/131,057 filed on Dec. 27, 2020, as the non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. 63/027,298 filed on May 19, 2020 titled “Portable Mechanism for Storing Hand Sanitizer Mediums”, and as a continuation of U.S. Design Application Ser. No. 29/773,170 filed on Mar. 8, 2021 titled “Wristband Sanitizer Dispenser”. The contents of each of these applications are incorporated herein as if fully set forth herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62992977 | Mar 2020 | US | |
63036054 | Jun 2020 | US | |
63131057 | Dec 2020 | US | |
63027298 | May 2020 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 29773170 | Mar 2021 | US |
Child | 17198161 | US |