Abstract
A dispenser has a container and a mounting structure for mounting the container on a wall surface for dispensing a fluid. The container includes a block extending outwardly from a rear surface. The mounting structure has a back surface that is adapted for mounting on the wall surface, and a female receiver that is sized and shaped to receive the block into the female receiver. At least one locking post is movably mounted in the female receiver to move between a locked position wherein the at least one locking post extends outwardly into the female receiver and interlocks with at least one bore of the block, and an unlocked position wherein the at least one locking post are retracted from the locked position to that the block is released. A biasing mechanism biases the at least one locking post towards the locked position.
Claims
1. A dispenser that is adapted for mounting on a wall surface and for dispensing a fluid, the dispenser comprising: a container for holding and dispensing the fluid, the container having a rear surface; a block extending outwardly from the rear surface of the container, the block having at least one bore extending into a side surface of the block; a mounting structure having a front surface and a back surface, opposed side surfaces defining a width, and upper and lower portions defining a height; wherein the back surface of the mounting structure is adapted for mounting on the wall surface; a female receiver formed in the mounting structure, the female receiver being sized and shaped to receive the block into the female receiver; and at least one locking post movably mounted in the female receiver to move between a locked positioned wherein the at least one locking post extends outwardly into the female receiver and interlocks with the at least one bore of the block, and an unlocked position wherein the at least one locking post are retracted from the locked position so that the block is released; and a biasing mechanism for biasing the at least one locking post towards the locked position.
2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the biasing mechanism is in the form of a spring.
3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the at least one locking post includes a smaller diameter inner end for engagement with the at least one bore, and a larger diameter outer end to prevent the at least one locking post from passing entirely into the ate least one bore.
4. The dispenser of claim 1, further having an unlocking tool comprising at least one downwardly extending arm that includes at least one magnet for retracting the at least one locking post of the mounting structure so that the block is released and the container may be removed from the mounting structure.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 1 is an exploded rear perspective view of a for mounting on a wall surface for dispensing fluid according to one embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a mounting structure, a container for dispensing the fluid, and an unlocking tool;
[0016] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view thereof, illustrating a front view of the mounting structure mounted upon a wall, and a rear view of the container about to be mounted upon the mounting structure;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the container mounted upon the mounting structure;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a sectional view thereof taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3, showing a plurality of locking pins of the mounting structure engaged with a mounting block of the container, for locking the container on the mounting structure; and
[0019] FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4, wherein the unlocking tool is positioned around the mounting structure so that magnets of the unlocking tool retract the plurality of locking pins so that the container may be removed from the mounting structure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] The above-described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a wall mounted dispenser for dispensing liquids such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, oils, lotion, etc., and any other such liquids that a user might want to dispense.
[0021] FIG. 1 is an exploded rear perspective view of a dispenser 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, and showing a container 20 for dispensing the fluid, a mounting structure 30, and an unlocking tool 40, each component being discussed in-depth below. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the dispenser 10, illustrating a front view of the mounting structure 30 mounted upon a wall surface 12, and a rear view of the container 20 about to be mounted upon the mounting structure 30.
[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the container 20 comprises a rear surface 22 having a block 24 extending outwardly therefrom. The block 24 is a three dimensional structure having side surfaces 28 that are orthogonal to the rear surface 22, so that the block 24 may be readily inserted directly back into the mounting structure 30, as discussed in more detail below. The block 24 in this embodiment is a rectangular cuboid structure, although other shapes (e.g., round, triangular cross-sections, etc.) may be used, so long as the block 24 has orthogonal side surfaces 28 that enable insertion directly backwardly into the mounting structure 30, as illustrated.
[0023] The block 24 has at least one bore 26 extending into a side surface 28 of the block 24. In this embodiment, the at least one bore 26 is in the form of two pairs of bores 26, but any suitable number of bores may be included, so long as a suitably strong locking connection is made between the container 20 and the mounting structure 30.
[0024] As shown in FIGS. 1-2, the container 20 includes a dispenser mechanism 29 for dispensing the fluid, which may be in the form of a wide range of dispenser mechanisms known in the art, e.g., a pump dispenser as illustrated, or alternatively a spray nozzle, squeeze-outlet, faucet, etc., or any other dispenser head known in the art. The dispenser mechanism 29 may be any size, shape, type, and location suitable for dispensing the fluid, and the invention includes any type of dispenser known in the art.
[0025] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-2, the mounting structure 30 has a front surface 32a and a back surface 32b, wherein the back surface 32b is adapted for mounting on the wall surface 12. The mounting structure 30 also includes opposed side surfaces 33 defining a width W1, and upper and lower portions 34a and 34b defining a height H1.
[0026] A female receiver 36 is formed in the mounting structure 30, the female receiver 36 being sized and shaped to receive the block 24 of the container 20 into the female receiver 36 for mounting on the wall. As shown in FIG. 2, at least one locking post 38 is movably mounted in the female receiver 36 to move between a locked positioned wherein the at least one locking post 38 extends outwardly into the female receiver 36 and interlocks with the at least one bore 26 of the block 24, and an unlocked position wherein the at least one locking post 38 are retracted from the locked position to that the block 24 is released, discussed further below. In this embodiment, the at least one locking post 38 is in the form of four locking posts (two pairs), such that each bore 26 of the block 24 receives a locking post 38 on either side. However, as stated above, any number of locking posts may be included to mount the container 20 on the mounting structure 30.
[0027] As illustrated in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the dispenser 10 includes the unlocking tool 40, which may be in the form of at least one downwardly extending arm 42 that includes at least one magnet 44 for retracting the at least one locking post 38 of the mounting structure 30. In this embodiment, the unlocking tool 40 includes a pair of downwardly extending arms 42 that extend downwardly from an upper cross-bar 46, the arms 42 each having an inner surface 45 spaced a width W2 apart, W2 being approximately equal to or greater than W1 of the mounting structure 30. The inner surface 45 further includes an inner height H2 that is approximately equal to or greater than H1 of the mounting structure 30, such that the pair of arms 42 may be mounted on the opposed side surfaces 33 of the mounting structure 30. In this embodiment, the upper cross-bar 46 is hingeably attached to a tool housing, wherein a finger grip 47 of the upper cross-bar 46 may be gripped to hinge the downwardly extending arms 42 between a closed position wherein the downwardly extending arms 42 are seated within receiving cavities 49 of the tool housing 48, to an unlocking position wherein the arms 42 extend downwardly from the tool housing 48. However, in other embodiments, the unlocking tool 40 may exclude the tool housing 48, or the downwardly extending arms 42 may be alternatively attached to the tool housing 48, e.g., slidably attached, removably attached, etc. Furthermore, the upper cross-bar 46 may exclude the finger grip 47, wherein an alternative hinge mechanism may be used (e.g., a press-release mechanism, a switch, etc.).
[0028] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the container 20 mounted upon the mounting structure 30. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the rear surface 22 (shown in FIG. 1) of the mounting structure 30 is mounted on a shower wall 12 via an adhesive 21 (FIGS. 2-3); however, in alternative embodiments, the mounting structure 30 could be mounted on any other suitable wall or surface, using any mounting means known in the art (e.g., mechanical fasteners such as screws, bolts, hooks, and such, or non-mechanical fasteners such as suction cups, magnets, etc.).
[0029] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the mounting structure 30 taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3, illustrating the locking posts 38 of the mounting structure 30 engaged with the bores 26 of the block 24 of the container 20, for locking the container 20 on the mounting structure 30. As shown in FIG. 4, each locking post 38 includes a biasing mechanism 35 for biasing each of the locking posts 38 towards the locked position. In this embodiment, the biasing mechanism 35 is in the form of a coil spring, but other biasing mechanisms may be used, e.g., other forms of springs, pads/cushions, resilient tabs, etc., or any other form of resilient element. As shown in FIG. 4, each of the locking posts 38 may include a smaller diameter inner end 37, which may be rounded, tapered, or otherwise shaped to facilitate engagement with the block 24. An outer end 39 of the locking post 38 may include a larger diameter to prevent the locking post 38 from passing entirely into the bore 26.
[0030] FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4, wherein the unlocking tool 40 is positioned around the mounting structure 30 so that the at least one magnet 44 of the unlocking tool 40 retracts the at least one locking post 38 so that the block 24 is released and the container 20 may be removed from the mounting structure 30. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, in this embodiment, the at least one magnet 44 is in the form of four magnets 44 that act to retract the biasing element of each locking post 38. Obviously, in other embodiments, the number of magnets may be any number that compliments the number of locking posts 38, as discussed above.
[0031] In some applications of the present invention, the unlocking tool 40 may utilize elements other than the magnets 44 to retract the locking posts 38, e.g., via protrusions that frictionally engage the locking posts 38 and/or biasing elements through the opposed side surfaces 33 of the mounting structure 30, some form of suction mechanism, etc., or any other form of retracting the biasing element.
[0032] The title of the present application, and the claims presented, do not limit what may be claimed in the future, based upon and supported by the present application. Furthermore, any features shown in any of the drawings may be combined with any features from any other drawings to form an invention which may be claimed.
[0033] As used in this application, the words a, an, and one are defined to include one or more of the referenced item unless specifically stated otherwise. The terms approximately and about are defined to mean+/?10%, unless otherwise stated. Also, the terms have, include, contain, and similar terms are defined to mean comprising unless specifically stated otherwise. Furthermore, the terminology used in the specification provided above is hereby defined to include similar and/or equivalent terms, and/or alternative embodiments that would be considered obvious to one skilled in the art given the teachings of the present patent application. While the invention has been described with reference to at least one particular embodiment, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not limited to these embodiments, but rather the scope of the invention is defined by claims made to the invention.
