Personal protection equipment dispensers

Abstract

The present invention is a dispenser that is secured to a structure wall. Back walls of the dispenser are fixed relative to each other such that a first spring mechanism applies a first outward force on at least one wall of the dispenser, a second spring mechanism applies a second outward force on at least one wall of the dispenser, and the first and second outward forces are transmitted to the structure wall through one or both of first and second walls and the back walls. An aperture in the front wall is configured to inhibit flexing of the dispenser when the first and second outward forces are applied to the walls of the dispenser.

Claims

1. A dispenser adapted to be mounted to a structure wall and to allow consumables to be dispensed from a consumables box, the dispenser comprising: a front wall defining an aperture, where the front wall extends completely around the aperture; a plurality of back walls, where at least one of the back walls supports at least one first spring mechanism; first and second walls each extending between the front wall and one of the back walls, where at least one of the first and second walls supports at least one second spring mechanism; and at least one support wall extending from at least one of the front wall, the back walls, and the first and second walls; whereby the aperture in the front wall is configured to allow the consumables to be extracted from the consumables box; prior to attachment of the dispenser to the structure wall, the back walls are spaced from each other such that the back walls are capable of moving relative to each other; the dispenser is attached to the structure wall by securing the back walls to the structure wall, where, after attachment of the dispenser to the structure wall, the back walls are fixed relative to each other; and the consumables box is supported by the at least one support wall such that the first spring mechanism applies a first outward force on at least one wall of the dispenser, the at least one second spring mechanism applies a second outward force on at least one wall of the dispenser, and the first and second outward forces on the at least one wall of the dispenser are transmitted to the structure wall through at least one of the first and second walls and the back walls; and the aperture in the front wall is configured to inhibit flexing of the dispenser when the first and second outward forces are applied to the dispenser.

2. A dispenser as recited in claim 1, in which the front wall, the plurality of back walls, first and second walls, and at least one support wall are formed from a single sheet of material.

3. A dispenser as recited in claim 2, in which the single sheet of material is folded to define the front wall, the plurality of back walls, first and second walls, and at least one support wall.

4. A dispenser as recited in claim 1, in which the at least one first spring mechanism is integrally formed with at least one of the back walls.

5. A dispenser as recited in claim 4, in which the first outward force is applied on the front wall of the dispenser.

6. A dispenser as recited in claim 1, in which the at least one second spring mechanism is integrally formed with at least one of the first and second walls.

7. A dispenser as recited in claim 6, in which the second outward force is applied on at least one of the first and second walls of the dispenser.

8. A dispenser as recited in claim 1, in which: the at least one first spring mechanism is integrally formed with at least one of the back walls; and the at least one second spring mechanism is integrally formed with at least one of the first and second walls.

9. A dispenser as recited in claim 1, in which: the at least one first spring mechanism is integrally formed with one of the plurality of back walls; and the at least one second spring mechanism is integrally formed with each of the first and second walls.

10. A dispenser as recited in claim 1, in which at least one mounting aperture is formed in each of the back walls.

11. A dispenser as recited in claim 1, in which the at least one support wall extends from each of the front wall, the back walls, and the first and second walls.

12. A method of allowing consumables to be dispensed from a consumables box, the method comprising the steps of: providing a dispenser having a front wall, a plurality of back walls, first and second walls extending between the front wall and each of the back walls, and at least one support wall extending from at least one of the front wall, the back walls, and the first and second walls; defining an aperture in the front wall to allow the consumables to be extracted from the consumables box, where the front wall extends completely around the aperture; supporting at least one first spring mechanism from at least one of the back walls; supporting at least one second spring mechanism from at least one of the first and second walls; and spacing the back walls from each other such that the back walls are capable of moving relative to each other prior to attachment of the dispenser to the structure wall; securing the back walls to the structure wall to secure the dispenser to the structure wall such that, after attachment of the dispenser to the structure wall, the back walls are fixed relative to each other; and supporting the consumables box on the at least one support wall such that the first spring mechanism applies a first outward force on at least one wall of the dispenser, and the at least one second spring mechanism applies a second outward force on at least one wall of the dispenser, and the first and second outward forces on the at least one wall of the dispenser are transmitted to the structure wall through at least one of the first and second walls and the back walls; and configuring the aperture in the front wall to inhibit flexing of the dispenser when the first and second outward forces are applied to the dispenser.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, in which the step of providing the dispenser comprises the step of forming the front wall, the plurality of back walls, first and second walls, and at least one support wall from a single sheet of material.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, in which the step of providing the dispenser comprises the step of folding the single sheet of material to define the front wall, the plurality of back walls, first and second walls, and at least one support wall.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, in which the step of supporting the at least one first spring mechanism from at least one of the back walls comprises the step of integrally forming the at least one first spring mechanism with at least one of the back walls.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, in which the step of supporting the at least one first spring mechanism from at least one of the back walls comprises the step of integrally forming the at least one second spring mechanism with at least one of the first and second walls.

17. A method as recited in claim 12, in which: the step of supporting the at least one first spring mechanism from at least one of the back walls comprises the step of integrally forming the at least one first spring mechanism with at least one of the back walls; and the step of supporting the at least one first spring mechanism from at least one of the back walls comprises the step of integrally forming the at least one second spring mechanism with at least one of the first and second walls.

18. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising the step of forming at least one mounting aperture in each of the back walls.

19. A method as recited in claim 12, in which the step of providing the dispenser comprises the step of arranging at least one support wall to extend from each of the front wall, the back walls, and the first and second walls.

20. A dispenser adapted to be mounted to a structure wall and to allow consumables to be dispensed from a consumables box, the dispenser comprising: a front wall defining an aperture, where the front wall extends completely around the aperture; a plurality of back walls, where at least one first spring mechanism is integrally formed in at least one of the back walls, and at least one mounting aperture is integrally formed in each of the back walls; first and second walls each extending between the front wall and one of the back walls, where at least one second spring mechanism is integrally formed in at least one of the first and second walls supports; and at least one support wall extending from each of the front wall, the back walls, and the first and second walls; whereby the aperture in the front wall is configured to allow the consumables to be extracted from the consumables box; prior to attachment of the dispenser to the structure wall, the back walls are spaced from each other such that the back walls are capable of moving relative to each other; the dispenser is attached to the structure wall by securing the back walls to the structure wall, where, after attachment of the dispenser to the structure wall, the back walls are fixed relative to each other; and the consumables box is supported by the at least one support wall using the at least one mounting aperture such that the first spring mechanism applies a first outward force on the front wall of the dispenser, the at least one second spring mechanism applies a second outward force on at least one of the first and second walls of the dispenser, the first outward force on the front wall of the dispenser is transmitted to the structure wall through the first and second walls and the back walls, and the second outward forces on the first and second walls of the dispenser are transmitted to the structure wall through the back walls; and the aperture in the front wall is configured to inhibit flexing of the dispenser when the first and second outward forces are applied to the dispenser.

21. A dispenser as recited in claim 20, in which a single sheet of material is folded to define the front wall, the plurality of back walls, first and second walls, and at least one support wall.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the drawings, identical reference numbers identify similar elements or acts. The sizes and relative positions of elements in the drawings may not be necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the shapes of various elements and angles may not be drawn to scale, and some of these elements may be arbitrarily enlarged or positioned to improve drawing legibility. Preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is a top, front, right isometric view showing a prior-art dispenser;

(3) FIG. 2 is a top, front, right isometric view showing a dispenser having a continuous front plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 3 is a top, front, right perspective view showing the dispenser of FIG. 2;

(5) FIG. 4 is a bottom, left perspective view showing the dispenser of FIG. 2; and,

(6) FIG. 5 is a top, front, right isometric view showing a dispenser having a woodgrain laminate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) In the following description, certain specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures associated with dispensers and organizers for consumable goods, assemblies and subassemblies of the same, and methods of using, assembling and installing any of the above have not necessarily been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of the embodiments of the invention.

(8) The fully open, front aperture and the rigid back plate concept of the conventional dispenser 10, described above with reference to FIG. 1, leaves the conventional dispenser 10 vulnerable to side load flexing, especially when the conventional dispenser 10 is made from a relatively flexible material such as, but not limited to, a plastic material, a thin, metal material, a thin composite material, etc. As mentioned, the spring mechanism 12 urges the consumables box (not shown) forward, which places an outward force on the front plates 24, 26. In addition, pulling consumable products from the consumables box also places a dynamic, outward force on the front plates 24, 26. Often times, the application of one or both of these forces causes the front plates 24, 26 to displace or bend outward to such an extent that the consumables box falls out of the conventional dispenser 10. If spring mechanisms, such as spring mechanism 12, are added to the side plates 22 then the displacement or bending phenomena of the front plates 24, 26 may be even more pronounced.

(9) FIGS. 2-4 show a dispenser 100 having a continuous front plate 102 and separable back plates 104 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The dispenser 100 may be produced or otherwise formed from a single piece of material, which may take the form of a flat sheet before being shaped into the dispenser 100. The dispenser 100 also includes continuous side plates 106 and a plurality of bottom shelves 108 for supporting a consumables box (not shown) holding consumable products.

(10) The separable back plate 104 is separable along a cut 110 that extends through a wall thickness of the separable back plates 104 and further extends from a top edge or surface 112 of the dispenser 100 to a bottom edge or surface 114 of the dispenser 100. The cut 110 may take the form of a vertical, straight-line cut or and alternate-shaped cut extending through the dispenser 100 as previously described herein. The cut 110 permits the dispenser 100 to be flexible before mounting to a wall or other structure (not shown).

(11) Further, the separable back plates 104 and one or more of the continuous side plates 106 may include spring mechanisms 116 in the form of integrated, angled flanges for maintaining the consumables box in a centered and forward position. The spring mechanisms 116 allow for easy extraction of the consumable products. Preferably, the spring mechanisms 116 are made of the same material as the dispenser 100. The spring mechanisms 116 may be all be the same size or may be different sizes depending on an amount of force to be applied to the consumables box in a certain direction.

(12) The continuous front plate 102 forms an aperture 118 that permits access to the consumable products held in the consumables box (not shown). When the dispenser is mounted to a wall or other structure (not shown) using one or more mounting apertures 120, the separable back plates 104 may be placed in abutment contact along the cut 110. The mounting process advantageously allows the overall stiffness of the dispenser to be developed. Stated otherwise, an outward force applied to the continuous front plate 102, after the dispenser 100 has been mounted to a wall or other structure, would be transferred from the continuous front plate 102, then into the continuous side plates 106, then into the separable back plates 104, into mounting hardware (not shown) placed in the mounting apertures 102, and finally into the wall or other structure. Consequently, the continuous front plate 102 would not permit the consumables box to displace or bend the continuous front plate 102 to an extent where the consumables box could fall out of the dispenser 100. The mounted dispenser 100 eliminates or sufficiently reduces undesired flexing of the dispenser 100 because of the continuous front plate 102 and eliminates or sufficiently reduces undesired movement of the consumables box held within the dispenser 100.

(13) In another embodiment, FIG. 5 shows a dispenser 200 having an aesthetic, woodgrain surface 202 that may be desirable by a variety of industries that utilize dispensers. By way of example, the healthcare industry has become more focused on comfort care for patients. The healthcare industry has started to place a higher emphasis on developing a warmer environment within patient waiting areas and exam rooms, as contrasted to the cold, metallic environments of the past. Real wood and other open-cell surfaces are generally not used on furniture, cabinetry and equipment where infection or communicable illness may be transmitted. Conventional dispensers, as noted above, are made from materials such as, but not limited to, non-finished plastics, powder coated metals, and stainless steel.

(14) In the illustrated embodiment, the woodgrain surface may take the form of a woodgrain laminate applied onto at least a visible surface of the dispenser 200 before forming. Preferably, the woodgrain laminate would be made from a closed-cell plastic material, but could be made from other materials depending on an end-customer's needs for the dispenser 200. The type, style and color of the woodgrain laminate may be selected by the end-customer (e.g., a cherry wood laminate or a pine wood laminate). In another embodiment, both the visible and non-visible surfaces of the dispenser 200 may include woodgrain surfaces 202 covered with the woodgrain laminate.

(15) The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. All of the above U.S. patents, patent applications and publications referred to in this specification are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects can be modified, if necessary, to employ devices, features, and concepts of the various patents, applications and publications to provide yet further embodiments.

(16) These and other changes can be made in light of the above detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all types of dispensers, organizers and methods of making the same that operate in accordance with the claims. Accordingly, the invention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead its scope is to be determined entirely by the following claims.