Dispenser with suction cups

Abstract

A dispenser for hygienic articles such as wipes, towels, toilet paper or soap, includes a dispenser housing for containing the articles, and a fastener for fastening the dispenser to a fastening surface. The fastener includes a suction unit disposed on the outside of the dispenser facing the fastening surface. The fastener further comprise operating device by which the suction unit is operable so as to establish or release a sub-atmospheric pressure between the suction unit and the fastening surface. Access to the operating device is provided from inside the dispenser.

Claims

1. A dispenser for disposable hygienic articles, comprising: a dispenser housing for containing said articles, a fastener for fastening the dispenser to a fastening surface, the fastener including a suction unit disposed on an outside of the dispenser facing the fastening surface, and comprising operating means by which the suction unit is operable so as to establish or release a sub-atmospheric pressure between the suction unit and the fastening surface, a mounting bracket to which the dispenser housing is attachable, the fastener being provided for fastening the mounting bracket to the fastening surface, and means for releasing the dispenser housing from the mounting bracket, wherein the means for releasing are accessible from inside the housing, and the operating means are only accessible after having the dispenser housing released from the mounting bracket.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the suction unit includes a suction cup having a suction face on a side facing the fastening surface.

3. The dispenser of claim 2, wherein the suction unit further comprises an operable element on a side of the suction cup opposite the suction face, for engagement with the operating means.

4. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the operable element is provided in the form of a stem projecting from the side of the suction cup opposite the suction face, and the operating means is provided in the form of an actuating nut engaging with the stem.

5. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the operable element of the suction unit extends through an opening in a wall of the dispenser.

6. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the operating means is provided in a recess formed in the dispenser.

7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the fastener is arranged and constructed for fastening the dispenser to a vertical fastening surface.

8. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising an additional support structure arranged between the suction unit and the outside of the dispenser, wherein the support structure is in the form of a support ring.

9. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein the suction unit, when operated, adapts to the shape of the additional support structure.

10. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising support means provided on a wall of the dispenser facing the fastening surface, for adjusting a distance between the dispenser wall and the fastening surface.

11. The dispenser of claim 1, comprising at least two suction units.

12. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the means for releasing is concealed from view when the dispenser is seen from a top view looking down onto the dispenser.

13. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispenser housing is attachable to the mounting bracket via an interconnection in which a portion of a rear wall of the dispenser housing contacts a first surface of a protruding wall of the mounting bracket and another portion of the rear wall of the dispenser housing contacts a second surface of the protruding wall of the mounting bracket, wherein the first surface of the protruding wall faces the dispenser housing and the second surface of the protruding wall faces in an opposite direction than the first surface.

14. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the means for releasing comprises a screw-less interconnection between a lip of the dispenser housing and a wall of the mounting bracket.

15. A dispenser for disposable hygienic articles, comprising: a dispenser housing for containing said articles, a mounting bracket to which the dispenser housing is attachable via an interconnection in which a portion of a rear wall of the dispenser housing contacts a first surface of a protruding wall of the mounting bracket and another portion of the rear wall of the dispenser housing contacts a second surface of the protruding wall of the mounting bracket, wherein the first surface of the protruding wall faces the dispenser housing and the second surface of the protruding wall faces in an opposite direction than the first surface, a fastener for fastening the dispenser to a fastening surface, the fastener including a suction unit disposed on an outside of the dispenser facing the fastening surface, and comprising operating means by which the suction unit is operable so as to establish or release a sub-atmospheric pressure between the suction unit and the fastening surface, wherein access to the operating means is provided from inside the housing of the dispenser, the housing further comprises a cover which is opened in order to provide access to an interior of the housing, the cover being lockable, and access to the operating means is only provided after opening the cover.

16. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein the suction unit includes a suction cup having a suction face on a side facing the fastening surface.

17. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein the operating means is provided in a recess formed in the dispenser.

18. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein the fastener is arranged and constructed for fastening the dispenser to a vertical fastening surface.

19. The dispenser of claim 15, further comprising an additional support structure arranged between the suction unit and the outside of the dispenser, wherein the support structure is in the form of a support ring.

20. The dispenser of claim 15, further comprising support means provided on a wall of the dispenser facing the fastening surface, for adjusting a distance between the dispenser wall and the fastening surface.

21. The dispenser of claim 15, comprising at least two suction units.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) The various aspects of the present disclosure, including its particular features and advantages, will be readily understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a dispenser according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure,

(3) FIG. 2 shows fastening means of the dispenser of FIG. 1, including a suction unit and operating means,

(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fastening means of FIG. 2,

(5) FIG. 4 is a front view of a dispenser similar to the one of FIG. 1, with the cover being removed,

(6) FIG. 5 is a rear view of the dispenser of FIG. 4,

(7) FIG. 6 illustrates a section through a dispenser according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, including a mounting bracket, and

(8) FIG. 7 illustrates a suction unit during operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(9) FIG. 1 illustrates a dispenser 2 according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure. The dispenser 2 is adapted to contain a stack of flat hygienic articles such as towels. The dispenser 2 comprises a housing 4, which is constituted by at least side walls, a rear wall and a bottom wall. The rear wall of the housing 4 is to be fastened to a fastening surface such as a tiled wall or mirror.

(10) The bottom wall of the housing 4 is provided with a dispensing aperture 6, from which the hygienic articles are grasped by a user. A cover 8 is arranged on a front side of the housing 4. The cover 8 may be pivoted about an essentially horizontal axis 10 from the illustrated closed position to an open position, in which an access opening provides access to an interior of the housing 4. At its upper end the cover 8 is provided with a locking mechanism 12. The locking mechanism 12 may comprise a removable key 14. The cover 8 may thus be locked to the housing 4 to prevent access to the access opening 11.

(11) FIG. 2 shows means for fastening the dispenser of FIG. 1 to a fastening surface such as a vertical tiled wall or mirror. The fastening means are generally comprised of a suction unit 50 disposed on the outside of the rear wall of the dispenser housing 4, which is designated 20 in FIG. 2. The suction unit 50 is, in this preferred embodiment, constituted by a suction cup 52 having a suction face 58 on the side facing the fastening surface (not shown) to which the dispenser is to be fastened. The suction unit 50 further comprises a stem 54 extending on the side opposite the suction face 58.

(12) The suction cup 52 is essentially disk-shaped. It is made from a flexible, resilient and air-tight material such as a vinyl compound, e.g. an injection moldable PVC-P compound. The suction cup 52 could as well be made from blue vinyl, PUR (polyurethane rubber), CR (chloroprene rubber (neoprene)), SIT (silicone), NBR (nitrile rubber), or HNBR (hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber), to mention some examples. The stem 54, in contrast, is made from a more rigid material, e.g. metal or plastic such as PA, ABS, PP, PE, PC, or the like. The stem 54 protrudes in a direction essentially perpendicular to the suction face 58. The stem 54 is arranged so as to extend through an opening formed in the rear wall 20 of the dispenser housing 4.

(13) The fastening means further include an operating means disposed inside the housing 4, which in this embodiment is provided in the form of an actuating nut 60. The nut 60 is provided with a female thread engaging with a male thread formed on at least part of the stem 54 of the suction unit 50. In other words, the nut 60 engages with a part of the stem 54 extending into the inside of the dispenser housing.

(14) The operating means, i.e. the actuating nut 60 is provided for acting upon the suction unit 50 so as to establish a sub-atmospheric pressure or underpressure between the suction face 58 of the suction cup 52 and the fastening surface to which the dispenser is to be attached. In its reverse action, the operating means is used to release the sub-atmospheric pressure, so that the suction cup 52 can be loosened from the fastening surface.

(15) In the unstressed state, the suction face 58 is essentially flat or slightly concave, and it becomes more concave if the suction unit 50 is acted upon by means of the actuating nut 60:

(16) due to the threaded engagement between the nut 60 and the stem 54, if the actuating nut 60 is turned, the stem 54 is moved along its longitudinal axis and pulled further into the dispenser housing 4. This in turn results in the center portion of the suction face 58 becoming drawn further away from the fastening surface while the peripheral portion of the suction face 58 substantially stays in place. A sub-atmospheric pressure is created thereby between the suction face 58 and the fastening surface, which has the effect that the suction unit 50 is attached firmly to the fastening surface.

(17) As an alternative to the actuating nut there may be other types of operating means such as levers, wing nuts, or the like acting upon the operable element of the suction unit. The actuating nut 60 used in this embodiment is, however, advantageous insofar as it consumes relatively little space. This applies all the more if, as in the present embodiment, the nut 60 is disposed in a shallow recess 80 formed in the rear wall 20 of the housing 4. This makes sure that the nut 60 does not interfere with any of the remaining parts accommodated inside the housing or the articles accommodated there within, respectively.

(18) In order to support the fastening of the suction unit 50 to the fastening surface a support structure may additionally be provided. In the present embodiment, such a support structure is present in the form of a support ring 70, which is an additional element attached to the outside of the rear wall 20 of the housing. The support ring 70 is essentially cup-shaped, with the shape thereof corresponding to the shape of the suction cup 52 in the operated position. When operating the suction unit as described above to attach the dispenser to the wall, the suction cup 52 further and further conforms to the shape of the support ring 70. At the same time, a rim 71 of the support ring 70 holds the circumference of the suction cup against the wall when the center thereof is pulled away from the wall by operating the actuating nut 60. In this manner the support ring 70 helps bringing and maintaining the suction unit in shape, respectively.

(19) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the fastening means of FIG. 2, including the suction unit 50, actuating nut 60, and support ring 70. The support ring 70 can advantageously be fastened to the back of the dispenser wall with adhesive stickers 72. As an alternative the support ring 70 could also be fully integrated in the housing, meaning that the support ring is made in the same process step as the housing. For example, by suitably designing the casting mould for injection moulding the back wall, the support ring 70 could be injection moulded as an integrated part of the back wall. In case the dispenser includes a mounting bracket, such as in the embodiment discussed further below with reference to FIG. 6, the support ring 70 could likewise be formed as an integrated part of the bracket.

(20) FIGS. 4 and 5 are a front view and a rear view, respectively, of a dispenser similar to the one of FIG. 1, with the cover being removed. The dispenser is attached to the wall by means of two suction units 50 of the type shown in FIG. 2 and discussed above.

(21) Accordingly, in the front view of FIG. 4, the actuating nuts of the two suction units 50 are visible, whereas in the rear view of FIG. 5, the suction cups 52 and support rings 70 are shown.

(22) Reference numeral 80 in FIG. 5 designates supporting pads which in this embodiment are used for suitably defining the position of the dispenser when attached to the wall. As the suction cups 52 will often stand out a bit from the dispenser rear wall, such supporting pads can be added to adjust the distance between the dispenser rear wall and the fastening surface, so that the dispenser is oriented vertically. The pads 80 are preferably made from a relatively soft material having a high friction coefficient, such as rubber, to keep the dispenser steady. The pads can be integrated already at delivery of the dispenser or provided as add-ons, in which case they may be attached by e.g. glued tape.

(23) Using the fastening means of the present disclosure, the dispenser can be easily but still reliably attached to the wall. Bore holes in the fastening wall can be avoided. In fact, the wall as such is not altered in any manner to attach the dispenser, and after releasing the dispenser it is not noticeable where it has been located. It is therefore also possible to easily relocate the dispenser if needed.

(24) Furthermore, in the dispenser of this embodiment, the actuating nut 60 is only accessible from the inside of the dispenser housing 4. Operating the actuating nut 60 is only possible after having opened the cover 8 of the housing by means of the key 14. Operating the actuating nut 60 to detach the dispenser from the wall is, therefore, only possible for authorized persons. In contrast, without opening the dispenser housing 4, the nut 60 is not accessible so that for unauthorized persons it is very difficult, if not impossible to remove the dispenser from the wall.

(25) FIG. 6 shows an alternative embodiment of a dispenser according to the present disclosure. This dispenser differs from the one shown in FIG. 1 and discussed above in that the housing 4 is not directly attached to the wall, but the dispenser additionally includes a mounting bracket 16 which is mounted to the wall by means of the suction unit and operating means. The dispenser housing is in turn attached to the mounting bracket 16.

(26) Also in this embodiment, the dispenser housing 4 is provided with the dispensing aperture 6 at its lower end and the access opening covered by the cover 8, which may be locked by means of the locking mechanism 12.

(27) In the present embodiment, releasing the dispenser housing 4 from the mounting bracket 16 is only possible after having opened the cover 8. Furthermore, only after the dispenser housing 4 has been removed from the mounting bracket 16, the nut 60 for operating the suction unit 50 is accessible. Consequently, and similar as in the first embodiment, the dispenser 2 can only be detached from the wall after the lockable cover 8 has been opened by an authorized person. In this embodiment, however, an additional step is necessary to completely detach the dispenser: the dispenser housing 4 has to be released from the bracket 16 as described above. Subsequently the bracket 16 has to be dismounted from the wall by operating the nut 60 and releasing the suction unit 50.

(28) The present embodiment uses a particular kind of mounting bracket 16 and a guiding interconnection 42 between the dispenser 2 and the mounting bracket 16. The present disclosure is, however, also applicable to other types of mounting brackets 16, as long as the mounting bracket is arranged and constructed for being mounted to the wall by means of a suction unit and operating means as described above, and the dispenser housing is in turn attached to the mounting bracket. The dispenser housing could also be attached to the mounting bracket by simply using, for example, screws or bolts.

(29) With reference to FIGS. 7a and 7b, it will now be explained how the suction unit 50 is preferably operated in order to achieve the proper suction force for attaching the dispenser to the fastening surface. The suction unit 50 as such is constituted as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Note that, depending on which one of the embodiments discussed above is referred to, the part between the actuating nut 60 and the support ring 70 can be either the dispenser back wall or the bracket wall.

(30) FIG. 7a shows the starting situation in which the suction unit 50 is in the relaxed state. In this state, the suction cup 52 is pressed against the wall to expel as much air as possible. (To this extent it may be favourable to have a suction cup 52 having a flat suction face 58, as it is also shown in FIG. 5a.) By actuating the operating means, the center of the suction cup 52 is then pulled away from the wall, while holding the rim or circumference thereof down. In the present embodiment, this is done by means of the rim 71 of the support ring 70.

(31) The actuating nut 60 is then operated until it has assumed a predetermined, locked position. This final state of the suction unit 50 is shown in FIG. 7b.

(32) Even though the present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, many different alterations, modifications and the like will become apparent for those skilled in the art.

(33) In particular, although the embodiments described above refer to a dispenser for dispensing stacked towels, it goes without saying that the contents of the dispenser is not important for the present disclosure, and the present disclosure can be used for many other types of dispensers for disposable hygienic articles.

(34) Furthermore, although the dispensers discussed above are attached to the wall by means of two suction units 50, it will be appreciated that several suction units 50 will preferably be used in practice. In fact, three suction units 50 distributed across the rear wall 20 of the dispenser housing 4 would create a favourable fastening force, also securing the dispenser housing 4 against rotation or tilting. On the other hand, a single suction unit 50 may suffice in some cases, e.g. if the dispenser to be attached is fairly small and/or lightweight.