U.S. patent application number 11/100979 was filed with the patent office on 2005-11-24 for trash bag holder or dispenser for attaching to a trash receptacle and a trash receptacle comprising same.
Invention is credited to Woodson, Antonio.
Application Number | 20050258177 11/100979 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35374212 |
Filed Date | 2005-11-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050258177 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Woodson, Antonio |
November 24, 2005 |
Trash bag holder or dispenser for attaching to a trash receptacle
and a trash receptacle comprising same
Abstract
A storage unit or dispenser for trash can liners comprises a
receiving member having a generally rectangular cross section. In
one embodiment designed for mounting to an outside wall of a trash
receptacle, the receiving member includes a slot though which trash
can liners may be dispensed from a box or roll then through the
dispenser wall. In another embodiment, the storage unit serves as a
base for a trash receptacle, and is sized to receive and store one
or more consumer retail size boxes or rolls of trash bags. The
storage unit or dispenser provides a ready supply of trash can
liners near at hand and eliminates the need to search for
liners.
Inventors: |
Woodson, Antonio; (Newark,
NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Antonio Woodson
655 Absecon Blvd. # 1407
Atlantic City
NJ
08401
US
|
Family ID: |
35374212 |
Appl. No.: |
11/100979 |
Filed: |
April 7, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60561682 |
Apr 13, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
220/495.07 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65F 1/062 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/495.07 |
International
Class: |
B65D 025/14 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A dispenser for trash bags, which comprises: an elongated
tubular trash bag receiving member having a generally rectangular
cross section and two ends, the receiving member comprising: a back
wall; and another wall having at least one slot there-through, the
slot sized and positioned to permit dispensing of trash bags
through the slot, the slot generally aligned to an elongation axis
of the receiving member; a means of removably attaching the
receiving member back wall to an exterior wall of a trash
receptacle.
2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein at least one end of the
receiving member is closed by an end cap.
3. The dispenser of claim 2 wherein at least one end cap is
hingeably attached to the trash bag receiving member so as to
provide a closeable access to the trash bag dispenser for
replenishing trash bags.
4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the means of removably
attaching comprises one or more sets of mating adhesively backed
fabric strips, one strip of a set adhesively mounting to a trash
can outer wall, and the other strip of the set adhesively mounting
to the back wall of the receiving member, the strips in each set
aligned and positioned to demountably engage and supportively mount
the receiving member to the trash can using a conventional fabric
hook and loop attachment method.
5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the elongated tubular
receiving member has a major axis aligned through an elongated
center of the tubular member; and wherein the dispenser is
removably attached to the trash receptacle such that the major axis
is in a horizontal position; and wherein the wall having the slot
is opposite the back wall of the receiving member.
6. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the elongated tubular
receiving member has a major axis aligned through an elongated
center of the tubular member; and wherein the dispenser is
removably attached to the trash receptacle such that the major axis
is in a vertical position; and wherein the wall having the slot is
opposite the back wall of the receiving member.
7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispenser comprises a
plastic material selected from the set of PVC, ABS, polycarbonate,
polyurethane plastic.
8. A storage unit base for a trash can, the storage unit sized to
store one or more rolls of trash bags, the storage unit comprising:
a rectangular housing having: a bottom wall; a top wall sized to
conform with and support a trash receptacle base; and a front wall
having one or more sliding doors, the sliding doors retractable
into the housing to allow bags to be removed for use.
9. The storage base unit of claim 8, further comprising: a means to
secure the top wall of the storage unit to the base of the trash
receptacle.
10. The storage unit of claim 8, wherein the storage unit top wall
is permanently fixed to the trash receptacle base, the storage unit
and trash receptacle provided as a single unit.
11. A dispenser for trash bags designed to be secured to a side of
a trash receptacle, the dispenser comprising: an elongated tubular
trash can liner receiving member having two ends, the receiving
member comprising: a back wall, to be secured in a facing
relationship to a side wall of the trash receptacle; and a top wall
having a slot there-through, the slot sized to permit dispensing of
trash bags from interior of the dispenser through the slot, the
slot aligned in a parallel to an elongation axis of the receiving
member; an end cap secured to one end of the elogated receiving
member so as to close the end; and one or more sets of mating
adhesively backed hook and loop fastener strips, one first strip of
each set adhesively secured to the back wall of the receiving
member, the remaining strip of each set adhesively secured to an
outside wall of the trash receptacle, each remaining strip aligned
and positioned to demountably and facingly engage the first strip
of the set wherein the first and remaining strips demountably
engage to supportively mount the dispenser to the trash receptacle.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to co-pending United Stated
Provisional Patent Application having Ser. No. 60/561,682 filed
Apr. 13, 2004 entitled "Trash Mate", having a common applicant
herewith.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The disclosures made herein relate generally to trash bag
holders, storage units and dispensers and, more particularly, to
trash bag holders, storage units and dispensers which are designed
for easy attachment to side of a trash receptacle, or alternately
provided directly integrated with the trash receptacle as one
unit.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Plastic trash receptacle liners or trash bags are commonly
used to line the interior of trash receptacles. Plastic trash bags
find advantageous use as they make it easy and convenient to empty
a full trash receptacle by lifting the bag from the receptacle,
securing the top of the bag closed, and then removing the bag from
the trash receptacle.
[0004] Plastic trash receptacle liners or bags are widely used in
households, especially in the kitchen as their use maintains a
level of cleanliness by containing sticky and moist food residues
in the removable trash liner bag, and thereby keeps the trash
receptacle clean and reduces the presence of odors.
[0005] Conventional household trash bags are provided to consumers
packaged in rolls or boxes, sometimes with an over wrap plastic bag
or in conventional thin wall paper box packaging.
[0006] Conventional trash receptacles are not equipped for storage
of trash bag boxes, hence trash bags are commonly stored in
cupboards, pantries, closets, on shelves, counter tops, bathroom
sink bases, or where ever they are placed, and at some distance
from the trash receptacle. One limitation of the approach to trash
receptacle liner storage is that when a replacement trash bag is
required, one must often expend time to search around shelves and
cupboards to find the trash bag liners, this makes the replacement
of trash receptacle liners more annoying and time consuming than
would otherwise be required.
[0007] Still another limitation is that on occasion trash bags are
overfilled and can tear when removed from a trash receptacle. In
such cases is would be advantageous to have another trash bag
readily at hand on the trash receptacle to double wrap the bag and
catch the tear before the bag breaks.
[0008] Therefore, a trash bag storage unit or dispenser, which is
provided together with or easily mountable to a trash receptacle,
would be useful and novel.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0009] Accordingly, embodiments of the inventive disclosures made
herein comprise a trash bag storage unit or dispenser for use with
and attaching to a trash receptacle or container.
[0010] In one embodiment, a dispenser for trash bags comprises an
elongated trash bag box or roll receiving member, at least one end
wall, and a slot through the front portion of the receiving member.
The trash bag receiving member is configured to be removably
mounted to an outside wall of a trash receptacle. The slot is
provided and positioned along an axis coinciding with the
elongation axis of the receiving member. The dispenser is removably
mounted to the trash receptacle exterior wall to provide easy
access to replacement bags when the occasion occurs. Additionally,
one end of the elongated receiving member may be open so as to
provide access to insert a new trash bag box, roll or individual
trash can liners into the dispenser, a slot provided to allow trash
bags to be dispensed through the slot for use.
[0011] In another embodiment, a storage unit or holder for trash
bag boxes or rolls comprises a base member sized and configured to
insert under and supportably conform to the exterior base wall of a
trash receptacle. The trash bag liner storage unit housing having a
generally rectangular footprint, having a bottom base wall, side
walls, and a top wall to conform to and support the trash
receptacle. The trash bag storage unit can be provided with or
purchased separately for use with and attachment to the trash
receptacle. The trash base storage unit forms a base member which
can be either permanently or removably mounted to the bottom of the
trash receptacle. The trash bag storage unit is provided with
sliding doors on at least one side to allow access to the trash bag
boxes or rolls stored on the interior. The storage unit is sized to
provide storage for multiple trash bag boxes or rolls, as well as
optionally twist ties to secure the tops of full trash bags for
removal from the receptacle. Another embodiment is a modification
of this embodiment, wherein the trash bag storage unit is provided
with and permanently fixed to the base of the trash receptacle,
that is the trash bag storage unit and trash receptacle are
provided as a single unit.
[0012] Accordingly, it is a principal object of the inventive
disclosures made herein to provide a novel and useful alternative
to the conventional approach to the storage and replacement of
trash can liners in a trash receptacle. Specifically, trash
receptacle holders or dispensers in accordance with embodiments of
the disclosures made herein provide a convenient placement and
means of storage of new replacement trash bags directly on the
trash receptacle. By placing replacement trash bags where they are
easily and conveniently found and used, time is saved in searching
for trash bags, also commonly called trash can liners, and
sanitation is improved as the trash container is less likely to
remain unlined after a full trash bag is removed.
[0013] It is another object of the inventive disclosures made
herein to provide a trash bag dispenser which can be easily and
removably attached to the side any convention trash receptacle. In
this embodiment, the dispenser receiving member is sized to accept
and dispense trash bags from a conventional consumer retail size
boxes of trash can liners.
[0014] It is another object of the inventive disclosures made
herein to provide a trash bag dispenser or holder which can be
mounted to the side of a trash receptacle is an number of
convenient locations and can be oriented either vertically or
horizontally on the side of the trash receptacle.
[0015] It is another object of the inventive disclosures made
herein to provide a trash bag holder which can be mounted and
support under a conventional trash receptacle, and is sized to hold
a plurality of trash bag boxes or rolls, optimally 3.
[0016] It is another object of the inventive disclosures made
herein to provide a trash bag storage unit or holder which can be
integrated with and provided as one integrated unit with a trash
receptacle.
[0017] It is another object of the inventive disclosures made
herein to provide a trash bag dispenser or holder which reduces the
time wasted to search around cabinets and closets for replacement
trash bags or trash can liners, as the trash bags are held
conveniently and ready for use at the trash receptacle
container.
[0018] It is another object of the inventive disclosures made
herein to provide a trash bag dispenser or holder which can be
easily produced from a moldable polymer or plastic and can be
produced at low cost.
[0019] These and other objects of the inventive disclosures made
herein will become readily apparent upon further review of the
following specification and associated drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The drawings show a form of the invention that is presently
preferred, however the invention is not limited to the precise
arrangement shown in the drawings.
[0021] FIG. 1 is an isometric assembly view depicting a trash
receptacle with an attached trash bag dispenser in accordance with
an embodiment of the inventive disclosures made herein.
[0022] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the trash bag dispenser of
FIG. 1 together with an outline view of a boxed roll of trash bags
(partially inserted into the dispenser).
[0023] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the trash bag dispenser of
FIG. 2, showing the back side of the dispenser with the hook and
loop adhesive fabric tape applied. The back side is the dispenser
side that faces and mounts to a trash receptacle.
[0024] FIG. 4 is an isometric assembly view depicting a trash
receptacle with an attached trash bag dispenser in accordance with
an embodiment of the inventive disclosures made herein wherein the
dispenser is mounted in a vertical orientation and the top end is
open.
[0025] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the trash bag dispenser of
FIG. 4. illustrating a trash bag box or trash bag roll being is
inserted into the dispenser according to the inventive disclosures
herein.
[0026] FIG. 6 depicts a trash receptacle with a trash bag holder or
storage unit in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive
disclosures made herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIGS. 1-FIG. 3 depict a trash bag dispenser in accordance
with the inventive disclosures made herein. The dispenser 1 is
shown attached to the side of a conventional trash receptacle or
trashcan 3. The dispenser 1 includes a slot 2 through a face,
preferably the top face, of the elongated trash can liner box or
roll receiving member of the dispenser 1. The receiving member 11
has an open end 8 through which consumer retail size trash can
liner boxes, rolls or individual trash can liners may be inserted
into the dispenser. The slot is positioned to allow trash bags to
be dispensed from the through the top face of the dispenser
receiving member 11. The trash bag dispenser is removably attached
to the side of the trash receptacle. In one particular embodiment,
the removable means of attaching the dispenser to the trash
receptacle is by means of a conventional and well known hook and
loop fabric tape 5 having an adhesive backing. FIG. 3 illustrates
two strips of adhesively backed hook and loop fabric tape 5 applied
to the backside of the trash bag dispenser. The hook and loop tape
mates with a companion section of tape adhered to the outside of
the trash receptacle to supportively mount the trash bag dispenser
in position on the trash receptacle. While two strips applied as
shown should be sufficient, is it to be understood that the two
strips could be replaced with, for example, one wider strip of
tape, or more than two strips can be applied in a variety of
configurations without deviating from the inventive disclosures
presented herein. Referring to FIG. 3, the receiving member of the
dispenser is provided with an end cap 14. End caps, if provided,
may be provided on one end or on both ends of the receiving member.
Where two end caps are used, it is intended at least one of the end
caps is removably or hingeably attached to the end of the receiving
member, this to provide access to the interior of the receiving
member for replacement of trash bag boxes or trash bag rolls when
necessary
[0028] Referring particularly to FIG. 2, the front face of the
receiving member 11 is provided with a thumb or finger notch 12. A
finger or thumb can be inserted through the notch to engage a trash
bag box in the dispenser to slide the box out for replacement.
[0029] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, a trash bag dispenser or
pouch 1 is removably attached in a vertical position relative to
the side of a trash receptacle 3. The dispenser may optionally
include a slot 2 through the face of the elongated receiving member
11. The slot is positioned to allow trash bags to be dispensed from
a trash bag box or roll, wherein a trash bag end extends through
the slot for easy grasp. The dispenser may also be applied as a
trash bag box or roll pouch, in which case a trash liner box 9 or
roll 15 may be stored in the pouch by inserting and removing though
the open top end 8 of the receiving member. It is conceived that
the dispenser may be removably attached to the trash receptacle
wall by means of a hook and loop fabric tape 5 having an adhesive
backing. Alternately, the dispenser may be more permanently
attached to the trash receptacle wall by use of a double back tape
having adhesive applied to both sides.
[0030] The dispenser 1, as depicted, is configured to for vertical
attachment to the side of a trash receptacle. It is contemplated
herein that at least in one embodiment the trash bag dispenser or
pouch of FIGS. 4 and 5 is sized to hold as many as 3 trash bag
boxes or rolls standing vertically side by side within the pouch.
This is accomplished by widening the widening the mouth of the
pouch or dispenser to accommodate more than one trash bag box or
roll.
[0031] FIG. 6 depicts a storage unit base 13 for a trash
receptacle. The storage unit is installed under a trash receptacle
3 wherein the top wall of the storage unit is sized and configured
to receive and support a standard size trash receptacle, in this
figure a kitchen trash receptacle. The storage base is equipped
with one or more sliding doors 10, the sliding doors being
retractable into the storage base housing to allow trash bag boxes
or rolls to be stored into or removed from the storage unit base.
Additionally, the housing provides ample space for storage of tie
wraps for securing the top of full trash bags during removal and
replacement.
[0032] In one embodiment, the storage unit is provided as a
separate unit, configured to install under a trash receptacle. In
this embodiment, the storage unit top wall is attached to the base
of the trash receptacle wall by means of a hook and loop fabric
tape having an adhesive backing, as discussed earlier. Alternately,
the storage unit may be more permanently attached to the trash
receptacle base by use of a double back tape having adhesive
applied to both sides.
[0033] In another embodiment, the storage unit and the trashcan are
provided to the consumer as a single unit, wherein the top wall of
the storage unit is permanently fixed to the base of the trash
receptacle.
[0034] It is contemplated herein that the dispenser and storage
unit in accordance with the inventive disclosures made herein may
be made from plastic materials, metal or a combination thereof
using known or proprietary manufacturing processes and techniques.
For example, the dispenser receiving member of FIG. 1-4 may be
formed using an injection molding process or by use of a plastic
extrusion, alternately the receiving member may be formed by use of
an aluminum extrusion, or by use of commercially available
preformed plastic or metallic extrused members. It is conceived for
this invention that preferable materials include PVC, ABS,
polycarbonate or polyurethane plastic as these materials are rather
low in cost, durable and easily formed. Other materials, such as
aluminum, cut for example from extruded stock, could be applied
without deviating from the inventive disclosures presented
herein.
[0035] In the preceding detailed description, reference has been
made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in
which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in
which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments and certain
variants thereof, have been described in sufficient detail to
enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to
be understood that other suitable embodiments may be utilized and
that logical, material, mechanical and electrical changes may be
made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
To avoid unnecessary detail, the description omits certain
information known to those skilled in the art. The preceding
detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be limited to
the specific forms set forth herein, but on the contrary, it is
intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and
equivalents, as can be reasonably included within the spirit and
scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *