Feminine protection dispenser

A light weight vertically disposed plastic storage and 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 mounted 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.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Dispensers for many types of personal use articles have long been known. 
Many are specifically designed to dispense specific stored articles based 
upon the article's shape and size. None are known which provide for the 
dispensing of different personal feminine hygiene articles from the same 
dispenser as set forth in this specification. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
Many types of dispenses for stored articles based upon their shape and size 
are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,834,513 to Schupp discloses a 
dispenser for cylindrical objects such as toothpicks, drinking straws, 
pencils or the like cylindrical objects. With some dispensers, i.e., U.S. 
Pat. No. 3,445,037 to Rothbaum, a rotary trap is used to dispense one item 
at a time. Other rotary trap dispensers (U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,974 to Jones) 
used for feminine personal hygiene articles, like tampons, can hold a 
single tampon for dispensing as the drum is turned. Still other rotary 
dispensers (U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,974 to Porter et al.) dispense stored 
cotton balls. None however, provide for the dispensing of different 
personal hygiene articles from a combination unit as set for in the 
description of the present invention. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A single light weight vertically disposed housing used to store and allow 
dispersal of at least two different personal feminine hygiene articles. At 
the housing's upper section there is a toilet paper dispenser and at its 
lower section a loading area for tampons or napkins to be dispensed. 
Provision is made to prevent stored tampons from rolling off the unit. 
After a rear mounted support portion of the housing is installed, the 
front main dispenser can be snapped into place into it by connectors. 
The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved dual 
function storage and dispensing unit for personal hygiene protection 
articles. 
It is also an object of this invention to provide a lightweight easily 
mounted unit which is simple and convenient to operate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the invention's preferred embodiment 
before it is mounted to a vertical surface. A combined dispenser 1 is 
vertical disposed and mounted on the rear rectangular base plastic support 
3. Two protruding side flexible base tabs 5 (only one shown) fixed to and 
extending from base 3 having aperture engaging locking enlarged ends 7. 
Each of these ends are sized and configured to engage the side housing 
apertures 9 to lock the base 3 to the housing 1. At least two mounting 
base holes 11 are used with screws 12, wall anchors, nails or the like to 
vertically support the base against a vertical surface such as a wall or 
cabinet. 
The combined dispenser 1, made of a light weight durable styrene plastic 
material, has an upper cover 13 which extends over a stored manually 
dispensable toilet paper roll 15. Forming part of the housing are two 
flexible identical opposite side arms 17 (only one shown) which hold the 
paper roll. These flexible arms mount the roll by pulling them apart 
outwardly in the direction of the arrow. Once mounted in arms 17, pulling 
on the roll will cause it to rotate in toilet paper hole engaging arm 
mounted extensions which face inwardly (not shown) and permit manual 
dispensing of the stored paper. Further down the housing has the main 
generally closed plastic storage and dispensing section 19. Section 19 
sits below the paper roll dispenser and has two side panels 21 and 23, 
bottom and top panels, and a front panel 25 with two separated openings 27 
and 29. Both openings are shaped and sized to receive tampons. The upper 
larger opening 27 is used to fill section 19 with tampons 31 while the 
lower smaller opening 29 acts as a gravity dispensing outlet for them one 
at a time. A tampon outlet lip stop 33 extending across the lower outlet 
opening prevents the stored tampons from falling while allowing them to be 
manually removed one at a time. 
FIG. 2 is a back perspective view of the invention's FIG. 1 preferred 
embodiment before it is mounted to a vertical surface. 
Section 19's top 35 and bottom 37 panels as well as the previously 
described elements are shown. The housing's curved front opening surface 
39 is larger in diameter than a typical paper toilet roll to allow its 
easy insertion between the two arms 17 and manual dispensing. 
Both the base support 3 and the housing 1, including its upper toilet paper 
holding section and lower tampon storage and dispensing section, would 
best be manufactured using the plastic injection molding process. 
Injection molding is a plastic molding process whereby heat softened 
plastic material is forced under very high pressure into a metal cavity 
mold, usually aluminum or steel, which is relatively cool. The inside 
cavity of the mold is comprised of two or more halves, and is the same 
desired shape as the product to be formed (in this case the feminine 
protection dispenser ). High pressure hydraulics are used to keep the mold 
components together during the actual injection phase of the molding 
process. The injected plastic is allowed to cool and harden in the mold. 
The hydraulics holding the multiple component mold cavity together are 
released, the mold halves are separated and the solid formed plastic item 
is removed. Injection molding can be highly automated process and is 
capable of producing extremely detailed parts at a very cost effective 
price. The process should be invaluable in producing this invention's base 
and housing components cost effectively. After both the base and housing 
have been injection molded, they can be "snapped" together (via base tabs 
5 and housing openings 9) for packaging and shipping purposes. 
Variations are contemplated to the described preferred embodiment. For 
example, the tampons could be dispensed with a rotary trap dispenser 
rather than a gravity feed as shown, the toilet paper roll could be 
mounted below the tampon dispenser, the material used to construct the 
invention could vary. 
Although the Feminine Protection Dispenser and the method of using the same 
according to the present invention has been described in the foregoing 
specification with considerable details, it is to be understood that 
modifications may be made to the invention which do not exceed the scope 
of the appended claims and modified forms of the present invention done by 
others skilled in the art to which the invention pertains will be 
considered infringements of this invention when those modified forms fall 
within the claimed scope of this invention.