Abstract:
A dispenser for small items has a side wall integral with a bottom panel. A top cover joins the side wall and is rotated between a closed position in contact with the side wall and an open position providing access to the interior. A pair of elongate arms are hinged to the side wall and are rotatable over a range of angles. The arms are configured with a cam segment having a sequence of spurs selectively engagable with the side wall so as to set the arms at a desired angle relative to hold the dispenser in a tilted position to better expose the interior. The arms are hooked so as to grip a roll rod for hanging the dispenser below it.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
       [0003]    Not applicable. 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0004]    Not applicable. 
       REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX” 
       [0005]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Present Disclosure 
       [0006]    This disclosure relates generally to dispensers for personal products and more particularly to a dispenser adapted for hanging from a rod wherein the dispenser may be held in a tilted position for convenience in inserting and withdrawing items. Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
         [0007]    Jones, U.S. Des 263354, discloses an ornamental design for a tampon dispenser. 
         [0008]    Haddad et al., U.S. 2005/0035141, discloses a dual arm caddy to be attached to the spindle of a wall mounted toilet paper holder for carrying disposable wet wipes. The upper portion of each arm is attached by hooking the spindle, and the lower, utility portion is attached to a container inclined from front to rear. A lid is rear-hinged. The hooking means can be a U-shaped slot open in the rear of the arm&#39;s upper portion, and inclined upward and elongated to assure the caddy makes wall contact before the engaged spindle reaches the slot&#39;s upper end. Embodiments include caddies suspendable from crossbars such as towel racks to provide consistently horizontal and stable utility platforms throughout a range of crossbar-to-wall distances. 
         [0009]    Boone, U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,595, discloses a compact auxiliary device that provides wetted or self-wetting sheets for releasable proximate mounting in conjunction with a conventional toilet-tissue dispenser of dry sheets. It comprises an inexpensive container or magazine component pre-loaded with the supplemental sheets. The magazine can be snapped into functional position rapidly. It serves an improved health care and cleanliness function. 
         [0010]    Boone, U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,859, discloses a compact shelf-like device which is readily attachable to a standard toilet-tissue dispenser without need of special tools. The device is adapted to hold one or more toilet accessories conveniently. 
         [0011]    Boone, U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,617, discloses a unitary multipurpose bathroom fixture of improved function and appearance for making available both conventional dry sheets of toilet-tissue from a roll carried by a spindle component and supplemental premoistened sheets from a container component. A first fastening means, exclusively serving an engaging purpose, is integral with portions supporting the spindle component. A second fastening means, also exclusively serving an engaging function, is integral with the container component. The two fastening means are adapted to effect a firm engagement with one another and thus to provide the unitary fixture. Also included are means for determining the direction of withdrawal of the premoistened sheets to insure their individual availability and to prevent dislodgement of the container. Other means relate to convenience and economy in supplying the premoistened sheets. 
         [0012]    Boone, U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,333, discloses a bathroom fixture of improved construction, function and appearance for making available both conventional toilet-tissue and a supplemental material, for example a moistening material for application to the human body such as premoistened sheets manually withdrawable from a container or housing component. 
         [0013]    Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,974, discloses an invention for the discreet storage and dispensing of tampons. The device is characterized by including a storage container having a dispensing apparatus which will dispense one tampon at a time without display except when actually dispensed and wherein it is dispensed by means of an elongated member having a suitable pocket therein for said purpose. It is further characterized by being suitable to accommodate different sizes of commonly used tampons. 
         [0014]    Horowitz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,898, discloses a feminine hygiene cabinet which includes a plurality of compartments which are to contain a quantity of different types of feminine hygiene products. This cabinet is designed to be located within a conventional toilet facility and is designed to connect with a conventional toilet paper dispenser so that the cabinet will always be abuttingly located against a wall within the toilet facility regardless of variances in the installation of the toilet paper dispenser within the toilet facility. 
         [0015]    DeLorean, U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,316, discloses an auxiliary bathroom tissue dispenser incorporating structural provisions for a deodorizer and a wet tissue dispenser. A pair of support brackets hook over a conventional pre-existing primary bathroom tissue roll trunnion. A container having a plurality of air passable openings connects with the support brackets for holding replaceable deodorant tablets. A platform located at the top of the container is structured for holding a conventional wet tissue dispenser. A pair of resilient dispenser brackets depend below the container for holding an auxiliary bathroom tissue roll via a nib on each dispenser bracket, the nibs mating with the center tube of the auxiliary bathroom tissue roll. 
         [0016]    Cooker, U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,105, discloses a toilet paper appliance for keeping printed materials and other articles off the floor. The appliance has a horizontal shelf and a newspaper rack, both joined to a vertical support member. The vertical support member can be placed between a pair of forwardly extending arm members of a toilet paper dispenser to combine the appliance with a dispenser. To mount the appliance to a wall, the vertical member has holes therein for screws to pass through. The appliance can include vertical hangers to support a roll of toilet paper and eliminate the need for a separate paper dispenser. 
         [0017]    Abell, U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,622, discloses a light weight vertically disposed plastic storage dispenser which can store and dispense both toilet paper and feminine protection articles such as tampons or napkins. Both dispensers are in the same housing which is mounted to a vertically supported base. Flexible support arms rotatably mount the toilet paper roll above the feminine article dispenser. Upper and lower openings in the feminine article dispenser allow articles to be placed in it in the upper opening and dispensed one at a time by gravity feed from the lower opening. 
         [0018]    Gardner, U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,499, discloses a small portable apparatus to dispense various sized stored articles, such as tampons, from a container. The container&#39;s hollow interior mounts a rotatable flexible deformable roller which can both obstruct the movement of the contained articles against the force of gravity and, when rotated, permit their dispensing when engaged by the roller. Larger diameter articles cause more deformation of the roller&#39;s, surface when compressed between the roller and the container&#39;s near adjacent side walls. Two external control knobs mounted on the same central shaft with the roller are used to manually rotate the roller into engagement with the articles. 
         [0019]    Breitinger, U.S. Pat. No. 6,959,890, discloses a combination holder to be used by a person when the person is using a toilet. The preferred embodiment includes an openable container to retain objects such as premoistened wipes. Beneath the openable container is an openable ring for retaining a roll of toilet paper from which sheets of toilet paper may be dispensed as needed. Beneath the openable ring is a tray for retaining objects such as an air freshener or any other toiletries which are useful for the person while the person is using the toilet. The tray is on an adjustable wall so that the distance between the tray and the openable ring can be increased to facilitate providing more vertical room above the tray. The preferred adjustable means is a ratchet mechanism so that any multiplicity of adjustable distances can be achieved between the openable ring and the tray. 
         [0020]    Mitchell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,997,345, discloses a dispenser which is adapted for dispensing from a table top and is convertible to dispensing from a conventional rolled product fixture. The dispenser includes a housing having a compartment configured to hold sheets. The housing also has a dispensing opening. The housing is configured to be positioned on a table top for dispensing sheets therefrom, and the housing includes a sling which permits the housing to be coupled to a conventional rolled product fixture. The sling is masked when the dispenser is positioned for dispensing from a table top. The sling is readily releasable to permit the housing to be coupled to a fixture in a bathroom. 
         [0021]    The related art described above discloses a variety of toilet fixture accessory dispensers including several mounted in conjunction with a toilet paper roll. However, the prior art fails to disclose such a dispenser having mounting arms that may be positioned at selected angles so as to tilt the dispenser toward a user for more convenient access to objects contained within the dispenser. The present disclosure distinguishes over the prior art providing heretofore unknown advantages as described in the following summary. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    This disclosure teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below. 
         [0023]    The toilet area of both public and private rest rooms usually does not have facility for storing the items that woman often need with respect to vaginal discharges, i.e., sanitary pads, tampons, panty liners, and similar items. Even if these items are convenient to the rest room proper, such as being stored within a medicine cabinet or in a space below a lavatory, once a women&#39;s clothes have been rearranged and she is seated on a toilet, the woman may, just then, discover that she needs a feminine item and it becomes most inconvenient and sometimes messy to somehow retrieve such an item at that moment when it is not immediately handy, that is, within reach from the toilet. The obvious solution is to provide a dispenser holding such feminine items in storage within reach of a person seated on the toilet. However, the toilet area is usually a small cubical without a shelf to support a dispenser. 
         [0024]    An important issue is where to place such a dispenser. The answer presents itself in the prior art disclosed above, and that is to hang the dispenser from the rod that supports the ubiquitous toilet paper roll. Since such a rod is available in virtually every toilet area, a dispenser that is easily engaged with the toilet paper roll rod avoids the problem of where to put it and how to mount it. The prior art teaches this very approach in the Haddad et al, Horowitz and DeLorean references. When a dispenser is positioned below a toilet paper roll in a typical toilet area, it becomes clear that such a dispenser is best accessed from above, since the toilet paper roll rod is usually at knee height on a wall immediately adjacent to one or the other sides of the toilet so that a person&#39;s view of the dispenser comes from above. However, this presents a further problem in that such a view from above may be partially obstructed by the paper roll itself. This situation is nicely illustrated in FIG. 1 of Haddad et al where the dispenser is placed well below the paper roll and is tilted away from the mounting wall to improve the user&#39;s visibility to the interior of the dispenser. In Haddad et al it is also pointed out the cover of the dispenser opens toward the paper roll, another reason that the dispenser must be placed well below the roll. 
         [0025]    Clearly, the prior art teaches the use of arms for hanging dispensers from a toilet paper roll rod. However, the prior art fails to teach such a dispenser and a relationship between the dispenser and its arms and the paper roll that provides maximum compactness and yet maximum convenience. The prior art solutions do not provide for a most compact dispenser that does not protrude away from the mounting wall further than a full paper roll, that may be temporarily tilted away from the wall by a selected amount by taller or shorted users, and that may be mounted vertically close to the paper roll for easy reach and yet may be fully sealed by a cover that rotates for full view of the dispenser&#39;s interior. 
         [0026]    The present invention provides a solution to the above described need. The dispenser of the present invention is inexpensively made by injection molding in a single step process. It has a side wall integral with a bottom panel. An integral top cover joins the side wall and is may be rotated between a closed position in contact with the side wall and an open position providing access to the interior. A pair of elongate arms are hinged to the side wall and are rotatable over a range of angles. The arms are configured with a cam-like segment having a sequence of grooves selectively engagable with the side wall so as to set the dispenser at a desired angle relative to the mounting wall to hold the dispenser in a tilted position to better expose its interior from above. The arms are hooked so as to grip the paper roll spindle for hanging the dispenser below it. 
         [0027]    A primary objective inherent in the above described apparatus and method of use is to provide advantages not taught by the prior art. 
         [0028]    Another objective is to form the present apparatus as a single molded part including a hinged cover. 
         [0029]    A further objective is to provide arms that enable the dispenser to be tilted and held away from the mounting wall at a selected angle. 
         [0030]    A still further objective is to secure the dispenser within a toilet area without the need for a self or any mounting holes. 
         [0031]    A still further objective is to secure the dispenser in such a manner that it is easily removable or replicable. 
         [0032]    A still further objective is to provide a forward rotating dispenser lid so as not to interfere with the paper roll. 
         [0033]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the presently described apparatus and method of its use. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         [0034]    Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention In such drawing(s): 
           [0035]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of the presently described apparatus as mounted on a spindle of a toilet paper roll; 
           [0036]      FIG. 2  is a further front perspective view thereof shown with a cover of the apparatus mounted for rotation into an open attitude toward arms of the apparatus; 
           [0037]      FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view thereof shown with the cover of the apparatus mounted for rotation into an open attitude away from the arms; and 
           [0038]      FIG. 4  is a partial sectional view thereof taken along cutting line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 3  so as to illustrate further detail of the mounting arms and their mounting. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0039]    The above described drawing figures illustrate the described apparatus and its method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications to what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, it must be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as a limitation in the scope of the present apparatus and method of use. 
         [0040]    Described now in detail is a storage dispenser or feminine hygiene cabinet or container apparatus configured to have a plurality of contiguously formed side panels  10  and a bottom panel  20  integral with the side panels  10 . Preferably, the side  10  and bottom  20  panels are made of molded plastic in a single injection operation so that all of the panels make up a fully integrated part. A top cover  30  is hingably engaged with at least one of the side panels  10  using a living hinge  32 , as best seen in  FIG. 3 , so that preferably the top cover  30  and the hinge  32  are molded at the same time as panels  10  and  20 . By molding the entire dispenser in a single injection molding shot, the apparatus is more economically manufactured than it could be if separate parts were made and then assembled. The side panels  10 , bottom panel  20  and top cover  30  define a storage space  40  within the dispenser. The top cover  30  is rotatable between a closed position “A”, shown in  FIG. 1 , where it is in contact with an upper lip  12  of the side panels  10 , and an open position “B”, shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , wherein access to the storage space  40  is gained. A pair of elongate arms  50 , as best seen in  FIG. 3 , are each pivotally joined by a pivot pin  52  ( FIG. 4 ) to a rear one  14  of the side panels  10 , as best seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The arms  50  are therefore rotatable over a range of angles, see arrow “C” in  FIG. 3 , so that the dispenser may be placed upright, as shown in  FIG. 3 , or at an angle tilted away from the arms  50 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , to provide improved visibility into the storage space  40  from above as viewed from a distance, and to provide improved and more convenient finger access into the space  40 . The arms  50  each provide plural detents  54  positioned for engagement with an edge  16  of rear side panel  14  which enables one to position the mounting arms  50  at selected angles relative to the rear side panel  14  as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0041]    The elongate arms  50  each terminate with a gripper  56  enabled for being secured about a paper roll spindle  60  of a conventional toilet paper dispenser (not a part of the present invention) for hanging the dispenser at selected angles, as discussed, below the spindle  60 . The gripper  56  on each of the arms  50  is preferably a hook formation molded as part of the elongate arm  50 . Such a hook formation is clearly shown in the figures, however the gripper  56  may be any other type of attachment element that is able to be engaged with spindle  60  or with standoffs  62 , as for example a flat plate with a hole into which the spindle  60  can be inserted. It is noted that the present apparatus may be also mounted under a paper towel roll in a kitchen for instance, so that the application of the present apparatus to a toilet situation is not limiting as to its potential uses. 
         [0042]    Preferably, the dispenser further has at least one partition  70  within the storage space  40  providing divisions for segregating items  5  (not part of the present invention) placed in the dispenser as shown in  FIG. 2 . Such items  5  might include feminine products often used by women such as tampons and sanitary napkins, etc. Of course partitions  70  are not necessary to the objectives of the present invention and are therefore optional. The dispenser may be used for other purposes such as dispensing wet wipes, towettes, deodorant spray, and related items, and can be used as a backup dispenser in case a toilet paper roll becomes exhausted. 
         [0043]    Preferably, the detents  54  are a series of grooves as shown in  FIG. 4 , the grooves being set close to the edge  15  so that by manual force one may rotate arms  50  to position any one of the grooves over the edge  15  thereby setting an angle of the dispenser that is not vertical. 
         [0044]    Preferably, the top cover  30  is hinged, as described, so that it rotates away from the arms  50  when moved to the open position, as shown in  FIG. 3 . When cover  30  is rotated to a fully open position it is conveniently used as a tray for resting an item taken from the dispenser and for supporting selvage taken from the item when unwrapped. When rotated away from the arms  50 , the cover  30  does not interfere with a toilet paper roll or with the arms  50 , so it can be fully rotated 180 degrees. Alternately, the cover  30  may be mounted so as to rotate toward the arms  50  when moved to the open position, as shown in  FIG. 2 . This embodiment may be less useful but still viable. 
         [0045]    Preferably, the side panels  10  establish a depth dimension “D” ( FIG. 1 ) of the dispenser defined between the rear panel  14  and a front panel  16 , such depth “D” preferably being less then 5 inches, the diameter of a new toilet paper roll so that the dispenser does not extend beyond the paper roll. 
         [0046]    Preferably, the bottom panel  20  and the closed top cover  30  ( FIG. 1 ) establish a height dimension “H” of the dispenser, preferably between 8 and 10 inches so as to be able to enclose most feminine hygiene articles when arranged in an essentially vertical orientation within the dispenser. 
         [0047]    The method of using the storage dispenser described above includes the steps of: engaging the hook-shaped terminations  56  of the mounting arms  50  with the toilet paper roll spindle  60  so that the storage dispenser is hung in a position below the toilet paper roll mounted on the roll spindle  60 ; tilting the storage dispenser so as to engaged corresponding ones of the detents  54  on both of the arms  50  with the edge  15  of the rear panel  14  thereby directing the top cover  30  away from a wall supporting the toilet paper roll spindle  60  mounted on standoff  62 ; rotating the top cover  30  into an open position to provide visual and physical access to the storage space  40  within the storage dispenser; removing or placing items  5  into the storage dispenser; and closing the top cover  30 , then rotating the storage dispenser into a non-tilted attitude. 
         [0048]    The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the apparatus and its method of use and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element. 
         [0049]    The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. 
         [0050]    Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas. 
         [0051]    The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that each named inventor believes that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented.