PORTABLE PERSONAL TOILETRY ARTICLE HOLDER

Abstract

A portable personal toiletry article holder in the form of a one-piece flexible card includes one or more openings, where each of the one or more openings are designed for temporary support of a personal toiletry article. The one-piece flexible card includes space for displaying at least one of instructions for use of the portable personal toiletry article holder or marketing information for a business. The portable personal toiletry article holder can have multi-purpose uses such as use as an electronic key, as personal identification card, as a credit or bank card, and as a business card.

Claims

1. A portable personal toiletry article holder comprising: a one-piece flexible card, having one or more openings, each of the one or more openings designed for temporary support of a personal toiletry article, wherein: the one-piece flexible card includes space for displaying at least one of instructions for use of the portable personal toiletry article holder or marketing information for a business, and the one-piece flexible card has a size within a range of 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches to 4 inches and 0.02 inches to 0.04 inches in thickness.

2. The portable personal toiletry article holder of claim 1, wherein the one-piece flexible card is rectangular in shape.

3. The portable personal toiletry article holder of claim 1, wherein the one-piece flexible card includes two or more openings, at least one of the openings being of a different size than another one of the two or more openings.

4. The portable personal toiletry article holder of claim 1, wherein the one-piece flexible card is also an electronic room key.

5. The portable personal toiletry article holder of claim 1, wherein the one-piece flexible card is also a business card.

6. The portable personal toiletry article holder of claim 1, wherein the one-piece flexible card includes at least one a magnetic strip or an electronic chip to enable the use of a card as a personal identification card.

7. The portable personal toiletry article holder of claim 6, wherein the personal identification card is a credit card or a bank card.

8. The portable personal toiletry article holder of claim 1, further comprising a film layer covering at least one side of the one-piece flexible card for sanitation purposes.

9. The portable personal toiletry article holder of claim 1, further comprising a removable packing material that covers the one-piece flexible card before a first use of the portable personal toiletry article holder.

10. The portable personal toiletry article holder of claim 1, wherein the one or more openings are perforated but not removed to enable a user to remove the perforations before a first use of the portable personal toiletry article holder.

11. The portable personal toiletry article holder of claim 1, wherein the one-piece flexible card includes two openings and each of the two openings is connected to an aperture on an edge of the one-piece flexible card to enable use of the one-piece flexible card with personal toiletry articles having a variety of sizes and shapes.

12. A method for manufacturing a portable personal toiletry article holder, the method comprising: providing a sheet of material used for manufacturing a durable card; cutting the sheet into a desired shape for a portable personal toiletry article holder via a computer-aided manufacturing machine, the desired shape corresponding to a one-piece card, the portable personal toiletry article holder configured for temporary support of one or more personal toiletry articles; and cutting one or more openings into the portable personal toiletry article holder at one or more locations on the one-piece card, each of the one or more openings being of a size suitable for insertion of a personal toiletry article.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the computer-aided manufacturing machine includes at least one of a laser computer-aided manufacturing machine, a plasma computer-aided manufacturing machine, a waterjet computer-aided manufacturing machine or a router computer-aided manufacturing machine.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the desired shape corresponds to a shape of a standard sized card.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising printing marketing information for a business on at least one side of the portable personal toiletry article holder.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising performing at least one of adding a magnetic strip to the one-piece card or inserting an electronic chip inside the one-piece card to enable multi-purpose use of the one-piece card.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the multi-purpose use includes using the one-piece card as a personal toiletry article holder and at least one of using the one-piece card as a personal identification card, using the one-piece card as an electronic key card, and using the one-piece card as a credit or bank card.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the one-piece flexible card includes two openings and each of the two openings is connected to an aperture on an edge of the one-piece flexible card to enable use of the one-piece flexible card as a cord organizer or with personal toiletry articles having a variety of sizes and shapes.

19. A wall mount bracket system for temporary support of a portable personal toiletry article holder, the wall mount bracket system comprising: a wall mount bracket configured for permanent attachment to a wall, the wall mount bracket including a slit, the slit being oriented horizontally and designed for insertion of a portable toiletry article holder, wherein upon insertion, the portable toiletry article holder is extended horizontally outward from the wall mount bracket, wherein the portable personal toiletry article holder comprises a one-piece card having one or more openings, each of the one or more openings designed for temporary support of a personal toiletry article.

20. The wall mount bracket system of claim 19, wherein the slit has a width that corresponds to one dimension of the once-piece card.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord with the present teachings, by way of example only, not by way of limitation. In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. Furthermore, it should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale.

[0008] FIGS. 1A-1C depict an example implementation of a portable personal toiletry article holder upon which aspects of this disclosure may be implemented.

[0009] FIGS. 2A-2G depict alternative implementations of a portable personal toiletry article holder upon which aspects of this disclosure may be implemented.

[0010] FIGS. 3A-3B depict an example implementation of a personal toiletry article holder that can be used for storage of personal toiletry items having handles that do not fit into standard sized openings.

[0011] FIGS. 3C-3D depict an example implementation of a personal toiletry article holder that can also be used for storage of electronic cables.

[0012] FIG. 4 depicts an example use of a portable personal toiletry article holder upon which aspects of this disclosure may be implemented.

[0013] FIG. 5 depicts an example use of an alternative portable personal toiletry article holder upon which aspects of this disclosure may be implemented.

[0014] FIG. 6 depicts a wall mount bracket system for holding a portable personal toiletry article holder,

[0015] FIG. 7 depicts an alternative wall mount bracket system for holding a portable personal toiletry article holder.

[0016] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram depicting an exemplary method for manufacturing a portable personal toiletry article holder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Most people stay at hotels or other rental facilities while traveling and many such places do not offer easy to use articles such as holders or stands for sanitary storage of personal toiletry articles. That is because currently available holders and stands are often too expensive and/or difficult to clean and as such not feasible to use in a hospitality setting. For example, most currently available holders and stands are three dimensional and/or require support collars to use. In example, some holders require support collars to keep the holder at a 90-degree angle with respect to the handle of the personal toiletry article. The need for the support collar results in increased manufacturing costs, leading to more expensive products, which are often not appropriate or financially feasible for hospitality facilities to use. The use of a support collar or a guard may also make the use of the product more challenging as a guard remains on the toiletry item while it is being used thus complicating the use of the product. As a result, most travelers are left with less-than-ideal solutions for sanitary storage of their personal toiletry articles while they are away from home. Thus, there exists a problem of lack of adequate mechanisms for efficient, convenient and safe temporary storage of personal toiletry articles.

[0018] Hotels and other hospitality facilities have an interest in providing not only a positive and comfortable experience for their guests, but also some degree of marketing for their own product to those guests. This is often provided through the use of hotel branded pens, notepads, sewing kits and/or printing of the hotel logo, often with attractive design or imagery, on the room key card. In some cases, the room key also displays the hotel website information and/or a QR code which provides more information about amenities offered and the like. However, hotel pens generally do not carry enough ink to last very long, and the room key, serving no purpose after the guest checks out, is either returned at checkout or discarded. Thus, there exists another problem of lack of a branded item which improves the quality of the guests' stay while on premises and remains in their possession for some duration after their stay, and functions as a marketing tool which reminds the guests of their positive experience with the hospitality provider. Other businesses such as dental or orthodontic clinics can also benefit from simultaneously providing a positive reach back and contact information for the business, while providing an easy to use inexpensive and durable product that enables sanitary storage of personal toiletry items while away from home. For example, a business card for a dentist's office which is also a durable, useful tool for the patients' travel toiletries, solves a marketing and promotional problem for a dental practice.

[0019] Moreover, most manufacturing businesses face a significant obstacle, in particular with low price point products, in overcoming the costs of individual packaging, distribution, product marketing, and/or retail sales, while maintaining a retail price point appropriate to the product. Most currently available personal toiletry holders/stands (e.g., toothbrush holders), suffer from this problem in that even if these items are inexpensive to produce, the combined costs of production, and then packaging each product individually, in addition to marketing, distribution, and retail sales necessitate a final price point that is too high for the holders to remain commercially viable in a retail setting. As such, there exists another problem of current personal toiletry holders/stands being too expensive to use on a mass scale for the hospitality industry and/or as marketing materials.

[0020] To address these technical problems and more, in an example, this description provides technical solutions for an easily produced, relatively inexpensive, portable and durable personal toiletry article holder that can also display marketing information. The personal toiletry article holder can be a light, portable and easily storable item. In an example, the personal toiletry article holder is a stiff but flexible one-piece card that includes one or more openings that allow the handle of a personal toiletry item such as a toothbrush (or similarly shaped implement) to pass through. The shape and configuration of the personal toiletry holder enables the personal toiletry item(s) to lie on a counter with the posterior end of the item(s) on the counter and the top end (e.g., brush head) raised off the counter and supported by the holder such that the top end does not touch any surfaces. The personal toiletry article holder is a two-dimensional item that does not require the use of support collars, thus simplifying the manufacturing processes and reducing costs. In an example, the personal toiletry article holder is designed to display the logo, name and/or desired imagery of a service provider such as a hotel, dental practice, and the like. Thus, the card may have a surface on which to present the marketing information of the service provider (e.g. hotel). The marketing information of the service provider is clearly displayed on the front side (or both sides) of the card. Brief instructions for use in the form of simple line drawings may also be provided on one or two sides of the card. In some implementations, one or more of the openings on the personal toiletry article holder are connected to an aperture on an edge of the personal toiletry article holder to enable the use of the personal toiletry article holder with articles that have thick handles but narrower sections (e.g., narrow necks). The apertures enable an article having a thick handle but a narrower upper portion to be passed through the aperture and into the opening where the opening can hold and provide support for the entirety of the handle. In some implementations, the personal toiletry article holder can also be used for organizing/storage of cords (e.g., earphone cords, cell phone charger cables, etc.). To provide for easier use of the personal toiletry article holder as a cord organizer, the card may include two openings, and each opening may be connected to an aperture that enables the cord to pass through the openings. In an example, one or more of the apertures may be connected to an indentation designed for holding back the slightly larger plug end of the cord. The cord can be wrapped around the personal toiletry article holder with the distal end of the cord tucked into the same openings as would hold the toothbrush or other personal toiletry article. In this manner, the same device can be used for multiple purposes. This encourages the end user (e.g., hotel guest) to hold onto more marketing material for the hospitality provider. This provides an easy to use, inexpensive and sanitary means for temporary storage of personal toiletry items, while providing an inexpensive marketing material for a business.

[0021] As will be understood by persons of skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, benefits and advantages provided by such implementations can include, but are not limited to, a solution to the problems of lack of mechanisms and inexpensive devices for hygienic temporary storage of personal toiletry articles. The solutions disclosed herein provide an easy to use, easy to carry and easy to store, hygienic, and inexpensive device for temporarily supporting a personal toiletry item while not in use, which keeps one end of the personal toiletry item (e.g., toothbrush head) off the counter and allows the top end to dry when needed. This holder enables hospitality providers such as hotels to improve the experience of their guests during their stay, while providing a physical, durable, and useful item that carries their marketing material (e.g., hotel logo) once guests leave the premises. This personal toiletry item holder can also be used by other types of businesses and service providers instead of a regular business card, thus rendering the business card not only informational, but also useful, thus more likely to be used and remembered. The personal toiletry item holder further solves issues with manufacturing expenses, as it is easy and inexpensive to manufacture using already available manufacturing mechanisms. Moreover, when provided wholesale to the hospitality industry, the solution eliminates or dramatically reduces the costs of retail packaging, product marketing, distribution, and/or retail sales that would be faced by a manufacturer trying to sell the product in a retail setting to the end user. Instead, the disclosed personal toiletry item holder creates a product which provides an advantage to the hospitality market that can buy the product on a mass scale in order to make their customers (i.e., travelers) feel better about their stay.

[0022] The terms personal toiletry article, personal toiletry item or toiletry item as used herein refer to any personal objects used for toiletry purposes and having a handle that can fit through an opening. Examples of personal toiletry articles include but are not limited to a toothbrush, razor, makeup brush and the like.

[0023] FIGS. 1A-1C depict an example implementation of a portable personal toiletry article holder upon which aspects of this disclosure may be implemented. FIG. 1A illustrates a top view of a personal toiletry article holder 100. The personal toiletry article holder 100 is rectangular in shape and includes two openings 102 and 104 for insertion of personal toiletry articles. The surface area 106 of the personal toiletry article holder 100 is available for printing and displaying marketing information such as a logo, business name, design and the like. Similarly, the area on the reverse side of the personal toiletry article holder 100 is available for printing and displaying marketing materials or instructions for use of the personal toiletry article holder 100. In this and the remaining drawings, the marketing information is not depicted, but can be included, as needed and desired, according to the customized selection of the individual business.

[0024] The size and/or shape of the personal toiletry article holder 100 may vary, as needed and desired depending on the needs and design requirements of each business. For example, while the personal toiletry article holder 100 is rectangular in shape, square, circular or oval shaped personal toiletry article holders are also possible. In an example, the personal toiletry article holder 100 has the shape of a one-piece card having the same form factor as a standard identification card, hotel room key, credit card, or loyalty club card (these sizes are often expressed as CR80 or CR50). In an example, the personal toiletry article holder 100 measures approximately 2.125 inches in height and 3.375 inches in width, which is a standard size for card-sized ID cards. In another example, the size is 1.5 inches by 2.5 inches. In other examples, the size can have a range of 1.5 inches to 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches to 4 inches. Using the same size as a standard identification card enables the personal toiletry article holder to be easily produced in the same manufacturing process and using the same type of manufacturing equipment as other standard cards, thus reducing manufacturing costs and rendering the personal toiletry article holder easy to carry and/or store in a normal wallet or toiletries kit. The personal toiletry article holder may be manufactured from any of the standard materials used for manufacturing standard type flexible cards which may include, but are not limited to plastic, polymers, PVC, PETG, PLA, cellulose, natural materials, and the like. The material may also receive printing (or laser etching, or any other method of producing the desired imagery commonly in practice) of the marketing or promotional messaging.

[0025] In some implementations, the personal toiletry article holder 100 is a multi-purpose item that servers as a personal identification card such as a credit card, bank card, loyalty card, electronic key card and/or business card, while also enabling a user to utilize the device as a personal toiletry article holder. For example, the personal toiletry article holder may include a magnetic strip or electronic chip that enable the use of the card as an electronic key (e.g., hotel room key) or other type of identification card or facility key (e.g., gate key, etc.).

[0026] In some implementations, to provide assurance to end users that a personal toiletry article holder has not been used before and/or to prevent direct contact between the head of the personal toiletry item (e.g., toothbrush head) and the personal toiletry article holder 100, a thin removable film 108 may be placed over the face of the card. Before the first use, the film 108 would be removed, leaving clear evidence that the personal toiletry article holder 100 had been used. This feature would provide more assurance of sanitation and hygienic use of the personal toiletry article holder 100. In another example, the thin film 108 is not removable or is not removed but can be punctured to allow a personal toiletry item to pass through the opening. This provides a clear indication to a user that the product has been used since the film is punctured. In alternative implementations, each personal toiletry article holder 100 is wrapped individually in a plastic or other type of removable packaging, which can be removed before its first use. In yet another alternative implementation, to ensure the openings remain sanitized before the first use, a precision cutting equipment such as a laser cutter may be used to perforate the opening(s) but leave the centers of the opening(s) in place until they are easily removed by the initial user of the personal toiletry article holder. In this manner, assurance is provided to the user that the article holder has been unused and remains sanitized.

[0027] FIG. 1B depicts a side view of the personal toiletry article holder 100 which illustrates the width of the personal toiletry article holder 100 from the side. In an example, the personal toiletry article holder 100 has a thickness that is the same or similar to the thickness of other standard type ID cards (e.g., credit cards, driver's licenses, hotel cards etc.). For example, the thickness may be approximately 0.0299 inches (0.76 millimeters). This enables the user to easily carry and keep the personal toiletry article holder 100 for future use. FIG. 1C depicts a side view of the width of the personal toiletry article holder 100. As depicted, the personal toiletry article holder 100 looks and functions in a similar manner as a standard sized card and is thus easily portable and reusable.

[0028] FIGS. 2A-2G depict alternative implementations of a portable personal toiletry article holder upon which aspects of this disclosure may be implemented. FIG. 2A depicts a personal toiletry holder 200 having only one opening 202. The personal toiletry holder 200 may provide a basic design that is inexpensive and can be used by one person for storing one personal toiletry item. The opening 202 may be located in the middle of the personal toiletry holder 200 as depicted in FIG. 2A or it may be moved to one side depending on the needs (e.g., depending on the size of the marketing materials) and desires of the business.

[0029] FIG. 2B depicts a personal toiletry article holder 210 which includes three openings 204, 206, and 208. Such a design may be used to enable concurrent storage of three personal toiletry items. In another example, 4 openings may be provided. When the number of openings is increased, the width and/or height of the personal toiletry article holder may be increased to accommodate the additional openings. While the openings 204, 206 and 208 are located on the top portion of the personal toiletry article holder 210, in other implementations, the openings may be located in the central area of the holder 210 or may not be positioned in a single row but be located in different areas (e.g., two on top and one in the center).

[0030] FIG. 2C depicts an alternative personal toiletry article holder 220 which includes two openings 222 and 224 that are both located on the top portion (height wise) of the personal toiletry article holder 220. In some implementations, the openings 222 and/or 224 are connected to an aperture on a side of the personal toiletry article holder 220 to enable use of the holder with a wide variety of personal toiletry articles having different sizes and shapes, as discussed further below with respect to FIGS. 3A-3B. FIG. 2D depicts a different alternative personal toiletry article holder 230 in which the two openings 232 and 234 are located on diagonally opposite corners of the personal toiletry article holder 230. FIGS. 2E and 2F depict personal toiletry article holder configurations in which the openings have different sizes. These configurations may be used to provide options for different types and sizes of personal toiletry items. For example, the personal toiletry article holder 240 may be provided to offer a holder that can hold an article having a smaller diameter handle via the opening 242 and/or an article having a larger diameter via the opening 244. The personal toiletry item holder 250 offers even more options by including three openings 252, 254 and 256 having three different sizes to accommodate more variation of personal toiletry items. As discussed above, the number, size and location of the openings can vary based on the needs and particular desires of each business. Some businesses may choose to provide personal toiletry article holders that have different numbers of openings to offer a variety of options to customers.

[0031] FIG. 2G depicts a personal toiletry item holder having an alternative shape. The personal toiletry item holder 260 is designed in the shape of a tooth with the openings 262 and 264 positioned in a top portion of the personal toiletry item holder 260. This shape may be selected for a dental practice to customize the product and offer a more personalized marketing option. The size of the personal toiletry item holder 260 may be in a similar range as that of the personal toiletry item holder 100 discussed above and the surface area in the middle portion of the personal toiletry item holder 260 may be used for printing marketing materials such as a name or logo of the business. While FIG. 2G depicts a personal toiletry item holder in the shape of a tooth, other customized shapes are also contemplated.

[0032] FIG. 3A depicts an example implementation of a personal toiletry article holder for use with personal toiletry articles that have thick handles that cannot fit through standard sized openings. The personal toiletry article holder 300 includes two openings 302 and 304. Each of the openings 302 and 304 are connected to an aperture on a side edge of the personal toiletry article holder 300 which provides for a path into the openings 302, 304. The apertures 306 and 308 are cutouts on opposite side edges of the personal toiletry article holder 300 that facilitate use of the personal toiletry article holder 300 with personal toiletry articles that have thick handles. A personal toiletry article having a thick handle and/or head, but a relatively narrower neck can be passed through one of the apertures 306 or 308 to the respective opening 302 or 304 without having to fit the full thick handle through the opening. This makes the disclosed personal toiletry article holder more universally usable with a broader range of hygiene products having different sizes and shapes. The use of this implementation is depicted in FIG. 3B in which two personal toiletry items 312 and 314 having thick handles but narrower necks have fit through and can be supported by the personal toiletry item holder 300.

[0033] FIG. 3C depicts an example personal toiletry article holder that can also be used for storage of electronic cables. In addition to the openings 302 and 304 and apertures 306 and 308, the personal article holder 320 of FIG. 3C includes an indentation 310 on the inner edge of the opening 304 to facilitate use of the personal article holder 320 as a cord wrap or cable organizer. The apertures 306 and 308 allow a cord to pass through the openings 302 and 304 while holding back the slightly larger plug end (e.g. of an earphone or charging cable). The indentation 310 can be used to catch the plug end of the cord for easier wrapping. The cord can then be wrapped around the personal toiletry article holder 320 with the distal end of the cord tucked into the same openings as would hold a personal toiletry item. This provides for an additional and separate use for the end user, while providing the same marketing purposes for the hotel or hospitality provider, thus giving the disclosed personal toiletry article holder multiple uses for the end user and encouraging them to hold onto more marketing material for the business. FIG. 3D depicts an example personal toiletry article holder while being used for storage of electronic cables. As shown, the cable 312 is wrapped around the openings 302 and 304 through the apertures, thus providing an easy-to-use mechanism for safe storage and organizing of cables.

[0034] FIG. 4 depicts an example use of a personal toiletry article holder upon which aspects of this disclosure may be implemented. When in use, the personal toiletry article holder 400 is positioned on a surface such as the surface 404 in a tilted position and is balanced by the handle of the personal toiletry article 402. As a result, the personal toiletry article can be held in a tilted position such that the top of the personal toiletry holder (e.g., toothbrush head) does not touch the surface 404, thus providing hygienic support for the personal toiletry item. The surface 404 may be any surface on which an item can be placed (e.g., bathroom counter, table, etc.).

[0035] FIG. 5 depicts an alternative view of a personal toiletry article holder while in use. The personal toiletry article holder 500 is used to support the personal toiletry item 502. This is made possible by passing the handle of the personal toiletry item 502 through the opening 504 such that the head can be positioned away from the surface when the personal toiletry article holder 500 is positioned on a surface. The personal toiletry article holder 500 can be balanced on the surface via the distal end of the personal toiletry item 502.

[0036] FIG. 6 depicts a wall mount bracket system for holding a portable personal toiletry article holder. The wall mount bracket system 600 includes a wall mount bracket 606 which can be attached to a wall via a hanging mechanism such as nails or screws or via alternative known hanging mechanisms that provide stable support to a device attached to a wall. The wall mount bracket 606 includes an opening 608 which functions as a slit into which a portable personal toiletry article holder 602 can be inserted. The slit may include a holding mechanism such that once the portable personal toiletry article holder 602 is fully inserted into the opening 608, it cannot easily fall out. The portable personal toiletry article holder 602 is inserted into the opening 608 such that the openings 604 are exposed and the portable personal toiletry article holder 602 is supported perpendicularly to the wall and parallel to the floor. The personal toiletry item can then be inserted into one of the openings 604 with the handle down such that the personal toiletry item is suspended vertically, thus providing a means by which the portable personal toiletry holder can be kept away from surfaces.

[0037] FIG. 7 depicts an alternative wall mount bracket system for holding a portable personal toiletry article holder. The wall mount bracket system 700 can also be attached to a wall via a hanging mechanism such as nails or screws or via alternative known hanging mechanisms that provide stable support to a device attached to a wall. The wall mount bracket 700 includes an opening 702 which functions as a slit into which a portable personal toiletry article holder 704 can be inserted. The opening 702 may include a holding mechanism such that once the portable personal toiletry article holder 704 is fully inserted into the opening 702 it cannot easily fall out. The portable personal toiletry article holder 704 is inserted into the opening 702 such that the portable personal toiletry article holder 704 is supported in position that is perpendicular to the wall and parallel to the floor, thus enabling placement and holding of the personal toiletry item 708 within one of the openings 706.

[0038] While displayed as a rectangular item in FIG. 7, the wall mount bracket can be of any desired shape with a slit to receive one end of the personal toiletry article holder. In most implementations, the slit in the bracket is oriented horizontally and is wide enough to receive one dimension of the personal toiletry article holder (e.g., the shorter side), and deep enough to hold approximately one half of the personal toiletry article holder within the mount, thus holding the personal toiletry article holder horizontally extended out from the wall mount while it is perpendicular to the wall. Personal toiletry items such as toothbrushes would then be passed through the opening(s) in the personal toiletry article holder and would hang by the head (e.g., bristles, razor, etc.) as in many more conventional toothbrush holders.

[0039] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram depicting an exemplary method for manufacturing a portable personal toiletry article holder. At least some of the steps of method 800 are performed by a computer-aided manufacturing machine such as a precision laser cutter. Method 800 begins by providing a sheet of a material used for manufacturing durable cards, at 802. The sheet is then cut into a desired shape for a portable personal toiletry article holder via a computer-aided manufacturing machine such as a laser cutting equipment, at 804. The computer-aided manufacturing machine may include a laser computer-aided manufacturing machine, a plasma computer-aided manufacturing machine, a waterjet computer-aided manufacturing machine or a router computer-aided manufacturing machine. In other implementations, cutting is achieved using a bladed rolling cutting device. The device and/or manufacturing process used for cutting the sheet may be the same as the devices and/or manufacturing process used in manufacturing electronic key cards such as hotel key cards. In this manner, the same devices and processes used for manufacturing hotel key cards can be used without significant changes to manufacture the portable personal toiletry article holder of this disclosure.

[0040] After cutting the sheet into the desired shape, one or more openings are cut into the personal toiletry article holder at one or more desired locations, at 806. The openings are cut in a size that allows for passage of a handle of a desired size personal toiletry article through the opening, while maintaining enough space on the portable personal toiletry article holder to be used as a marketing tool. In some implementations, the openings are not cut but perforated to enable removal of the material by the end user. In different implementations, once of the openings are cut or perforated, a removable film layer is positioned on one or both sides of the portable personal toiletry article holder for sanitary purposes. In another example, other types of removable packaging are used to wrap the portable personal toiletry article holder after it has been manufactured. In some examples, cutting the sheet into a desired shape and cutting the openings into the desired shape occur concurrently. In some implementations, in addition to cutting or perforating openings, marketing information for a business and/or instructions for use of the holder is printed on at least one side of the portable personal toiletry article holder, at 808. The marketing material may be printed before of after the sheet is cut into a desired shape.

[0041] While various embodiments have been described, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting, and it is understood that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the embodiments. Although many possible combinations of features are shown in the accompanying figures and discussed in this detailed description, many other combinations of the disclosed features are possible. Any feature of any embodiment may be used in combination with or substituted for any other feature or element in any other embodiment unless specifically restricted. Therefore, it will be understood that any of the features shown and/or discussed in the present disclosure may be implemented together in any suitable combination. Accordingly, the embodiments are not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the attached claims.

[0042] While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the best mode and/or other examples, it is understood that various modifications may be made therein and that the subject matter disclosed herein may be implemented in various forms and examples, and that the teachings may be applied in numerous applications, only some of which have been described herein. It is intended by the following claims to claim any and all applications, modifications and variations that fall within the true scope of the present teachings.

[0043] Unless otherwise stated, all measurements, values, ratings, positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are set forth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, are approximate, not exact. They are intended to have a reasonable range that is consistent with the functions to which they relate and with what is customary in the art to which they pertain.

[0044] The scope of protection is limited solely by the claims that now follow. That scope is intended and should be interpreted to be as broad as is consistent with the ordinary meaning of the language that is used in the claims when interpreted in light of this specification and the prosecution history that follows, and to encompass all structural and functional equivalents. Notwithstanding, none of the claims are intended to embrace subject matter that fails to satisfy the requirement of Sections 101, 102, or 103 of the Patent Act, nor should they be interpreted in such a way. Any unintended embracement of such subject matter is hereby disclaimed.

[0045] Except as stated immediately above, nothing that has been stated or illustrated is intended or should be interpreted to cause a dedication of any component, step, feature, object, benefit, advantage, or equivalent to the public, regardless of whether it is or is not recited in the claims.

[0046] It will be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

[0047] Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms comprises, comprising, and any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by a or an does not, without further constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

[0048] The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly identify the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various examples for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that any claim requires more features than the claim expressly recites. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed example. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.