U.S. patent application number 11/245292 was filed with the patent office on 2006-04-13 for paper products dispenser.
Invention is credited to Connie Gail Braat, Douglas Duncan Metzler.
Application Number | 20060076357 11/245292 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36144242 |
Filed Date | 2006-04-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060076357 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Braat; Connie Gail ; et
al. |
April 13, 2006 |
Paper products dispenser
Abstract
A dry tissue dispenser fits inside a vehicle's cupholder or
other receptacle and may be retained, or seated, therein using a
tension or adhesive retention device. The dispenser is generally a
tapered cylinder with one closed end, the bottom, and one open end,
the top. A lid has an opening in the top end through which tissues
or other paper products are pulled. The roll of dry tissues or
napkins inside is usually perforated or interfolded so that only
one tissue is dispensed at a time and such that the removal of one
tissue causes the next tissue to become available.
Inventors: |
Braat; Connie Gail;
(Bellevue, WA) ; Metzler; Douglas Duncan;
(Bellevue, WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LAW OFFICE OF POLLY L. OLIVER
P.O. BOX 4625
FEDERAL WAY
WA
98063
US
|
Family ID: |
36144242 |
Appl. No.: |
11/245292 |
Filed: |
October 6, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60617541 |
Oct 8, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
221/34 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 10/3818 20130101;
A47K 10/421 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
221/034 |
International
Class: |
B65H 1/00 20060101
B65H001/00 |
Claims
1. A tissue dispenser comprising: a generally cylindrical body
having a first end and a second end, said second end being closed,
and said first end defining an opening; a retention device, said
device mounted on the outside of the body and designed to hold the
body within a cupholder; and a roll of tissues seated within the
body, said roll being generally coaxial with said cylindrical
body.
2. The tissue dispenser of claim 1 wherein said first end of said
cylinder body defines an opening through which tissues will pass
when pulled from the inside of the body, further comprising a
slitted plastic tensioning sheet underlying and adjacent to the
opening also through which tissues will pass when pulled from the
inside of the body.
3. The tissue dispenser of claim 2 wherein said opening comprises a
generally rectangular slot.
4. The tissue dispenser of claim 2 wherein said opening comprises a
generally oval slot.
5. The tissue dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a lid
covering the first end, said lid also defining an opening through
which tissues will pass when pulled from the inside of said
body.
6. The tissue dispenser of claim 1 wherein said retention device
comprises a ring spaced away from the outside of the body having
several tabs extending radially inwardly therefrom such that said
tabs contact the outside of the body.
7. The tissue dispenser of claim 1 wherein said retention device
comprises a ring mounted on the outside of the cylinder body with
tabs extending generally radially outwardly therefrom.
8. The tissue dispenser of claim 6 wherein said tabs are rubberized
and said ring is a spring steel ring and includes adhesive.
9. The tissue dispenser of claim 1 wherein said retention device
comprises an adhesive pad mounted on said second end of said
body.
10. The tissue dispenser of claim 1 wherein said roll of tissues
comprises a continuous sheet of tissue paper having perforations
spaced at intervals along said sheet, said sheet having an outer
tail and an inner tail, with said inner tail being pulled through
the opening of the first end.
11. The tissue dispenser of claim 1 wherein said roll of tissues
comprises a continuous sheet of tissue paper having perforations
spaced at intervals along said sheet, said sheet having an outer
tail and an inner tail, with said outer tail being pulled through
the opening of the first end.
12. The tissue dispenser of claim 1 wherein said roll of tissues
comprises a roll of interfolded napkins.
13. A paper products dispenser comprising: a generally tapered
generally cylindrical body having a first end and a second end,
said second end being at least partially closed, said first end
defining an opening, said body tapering from said first end to said
second end; a lid covering said first end, said lid also defining
an opening; a retention device, said device mounted on the outside
of the body and designed to hold the body within a cupholder; and a
quantity of dry paper products seated within the body and
positioned so as to exit the body through the opening in the first
end and the opening in the lid.
14. The paper products dispenser of claim 13 wherein said opening
of said lid is a large generally round hole with pinch point
feature.
15. The paper products dispenser of claim 13 wherein said retention
device comprises a spring ring with tabs mounted thereon such that
said tabs are positioned between the ring and the body of the
dispenser.
16. The paper products dispenser of claim 13 wherein said quantity
of paper products is a perforated roll of tissues having an inner
tail and an outer tail, and the inner tail is pulled through the
opening in the first end of the body.
17. The paper products dispenser of claim 13 wherein said quantity
of paper products is a perforated roll of tissues having an inner
tail and an outer tail, and the outer tail is pulled through the
opening in the first end of the body.
18. The paper products dispenser of claim 13 wherein said quantity
of paper products is a roll of interfolded tissues having an inner
tail and an outer tail, and the inner tail is pulled through the
opening of the first end of the body.
19. The paper products dispenser of claim 13 wherein said quantity
of paper products is a roll of interfolded tissues having an inner
tail and an outer tail, and the outer tail is pulled through the
opening of the first end of the body.
20. The paper products dispenser of claim 13 wherein said quantity
of paper products is a stack of interfolded tissues having a top
and a bottom, and the top is pulled through the opening of the
first end of the body.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to
U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/617,541, filed on Oct. 8,
2004.
FIELD
[0002] This invention pertains generally to paper products
dispensers and more specifically to a dry tissue dispenser that
fits into a cupholder.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Drivers of cars and other vehicles often need access to
facial tissues or napkins/paper towels while driving, and in most
vehicles today, there are many built-in cupholders within easy
reach of the driver and passengers. There are tissue dispensers
currently on the market; however these tissue dispensers are
typically square (sometimes rectangular) and therefore don't fit
into the provided cupholders, which are typically round. So the
square tissue dispenser sits on the passenger seat, gets bounced
around the vehicle, and ends up on the floor where it gets trampled
or becomes a hazard for the driver to attempt to access while
driving.
[0004] It should be noted that there are also currently on the
market round wipes dispensers--e.g., for baby wipes or cleaning
wipes--but these wipes are wet, not dry like facial tissues, and
the dispensers are not made to keep seated inside a cupholder or
other receptacle.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem by
providing a simple and effective way for a dry tissue dispenser to
stay seated inside a car or other cupholder and thereby give
continual one-hand access to tissues or napkins to the driver and
passengers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the dry
tissue dispenser as it may sit inside a car's cupholder;
[0007] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tissue dispenser in a
cupholder;
[0008] FIG. 3 is another perspective view showing more detail;
[0009] FIG. 4 is a detail view of a retention device;
[0010] FIG. 5 is a detail view of an alternate retention device;
and
[0011] FIG. 6 is a detail view of an alternate stack of paper
products.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] FIG. 1 is an overview of the invention of the paper products
dispenser as it might be used in a car. The dispenser is fitted
securely in one of the car's cupholders so that the driver has
quick and easy access to tissues or other paper products. FIG. 2
shows the invention of the tissue dispenser 10 as it is sized to
fit within a car's cupholder. The dispenser 10 comprises a
generally cylindrical body 12 that may be slightly tapered from the
first end 14 to the at least partially closed second end 16 (best
shown in FIG. 3) and a snap-on lid 18 (lid may be alternatively
mounted to the body by gluing, crimping, or other method) with
large top opening 20. Ideally, the top opening 20 is in the shape
of a large generally round hole with a pinch point feature 22, so
that the user can pull the tissue or napkin from the roll or stack
through the large hole and tear it off at the pinch point. The
dispenser 10 may also include a clear plastic tensioning sheet
underlying the top opening, but it is probably unnecessary for this
embodiment (so the plastic sheet is not here shown). In alternate
embodiments where the top opening is of a different shape, e.g.,
rectangular or oval, the plastic sheet may be attached with
adhesive to the underside of the lid so as to provide slight
tension and may be slit in the center to aid in holding the tissues
in place.
[0013] FIG. 3 shows how the roll of tissues 24 inside the body 12
pops up out of the top opening 20 in the lid at the first end of
the body when pulled from the inside of the body. In this
embodiment, the opening 20 defines a large generally round hole
with a pinch point 22 (but may also be rectangular, oval, or of any
other appropriate shape and also may be provided without the pinch
point), and the roll of tissues 24 is a continuous sheet with
perforations spaced at intervals defining each individual tissue or
napkin to be pulled, the roll being generally coaxial with the
dispenser body. The roll of tissues 24 has an inner tail 26 and an
outer tail (not shown), and ideally the inner tail 26 is the one
threaded up and out of the opening and pulled therethrough. The
invention will also work if the outer tail is the one threaded up
and out and pulled through the opening. Alternatively, the tissues,
napkins, or other quantity of dry paper products can be rolled,
interfolded, or stacked in such a way and positioned so as to exit
the body through the opening so that removal of one tissue through
the top opening causes the next tissue to become at least partially
available above the top opening (or in alternate embodiments, the
plastic sheet).
[0014] FIG. 3 also shows the preferred embodiment of the retention
device 30 that is mounted on the outside of the body and is used to
seat the body 12 securely within the cupholder or other receptacle.
The retention device 30 comprises a rubberized spring ring 32 that
is installed in the cupholder prior to insertion of the dispenser
10 and therefore spaced away from the outside of the dispenser
body. This spring ring 32 is a one-time semi-permanent installation
and will hold the dispenser firmly in place as well as hold regular
cups such as for coffee or soda pop. As shown in FIG. 4, the spring
ring 32 is typically provided as a generally rectangular, generally
flat flexible element 34 that may be constructed of a semi-rigid
material such as spring steel. The element 34 must be long enough
to cover most of the inner circumference of the cupholder and wide
enough to provide stability to the retention device. The element 34
may be completely covered with rubber or other material, but at
least will have tabs 36 provided on one side (which may be
rubberized, i.e., coated with rubber) and may also have adhesive
provided on the other. Then, when the flexible element 34 is to be
installed into the cupholder, it is curved and installed with the
tabs 36 on the inner diameter extending generally radially inwardly
from the ring. Thus the element 34 will be securely held in place
by tension (and optionally also the adhesive on the outer
diameter). Alternatively, the flexible element could be provided as
a split ring of spring steel with tabs extending from the inner
diameter towards the geometric center of the ring. Then when the
dispenser body is inserted into the cupholder with retention device
installed, the tabs are positioned between the ring and the body
and contact the outside of the dispenser body and hold it firmly
and securely in place. As another alternate design, a tab ring
could be provided on the body of the dispenser itself, with the
tabs extending generally radially outwardly from the body and in
contact with the cupholder.
[0015] FIG. 5 shows an alternate embodiment of the retention device
comprising an adhesive ring or pad 40 disposed on the second end 16
of the dispenser body 12. The adhesive pad 40 may cover the entire
end 16 or any part thereof and may be provided mounted on the end
with a paper covering to be peeled off prior to installation. Such
pad may be used alone or in conjunction with a ring device.
[0016] FIG. 6 shows how the roll of tissues may be replaced with a
stack 42 of interfolded napkins having a top and a bottom. (The
stack 42 may be appropriately shaped so as to fit into the tapered
body of the dispenser.) In this case, the top 44 will be threaded
through the top opening 20 which would likely be provided as an
oval or rectangular slot with underlying plastic sheet.
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