Abstract:
A swab dispenser comprising a bin adapted to store swabs, a fluid reservoir, and optionally, a cover. The bin may be compartmentalized. The reservoir ceiling has a depression in its outer surface, an aperture at the low point of the depression, and is optionally removable for cleaning and filling. A membrane covers the aperture. The membrane has an opening that is at least two intersecting slits or a circular hole that allows a swab to be inserted into the reservoir by temporarily deforming the membrane. Preferably, the floor of the reservoir is concave with the low point directly below the aperture. Alternatively, the bin and reservoir are separable so one may be replaced without having to discard the other.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to arts and crafts, medical, electronic, and health and beauty products, more particularly, to a device for storing swabs and a wetting fluid. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Cotton swabs are handy tools for applying fluids to small areas, for example, rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, or paint. The swabs are stored in one container and the application fluid is stored in a separate covered container. The user removes a swab from its container, removes the cap from the fluid container, wets the swab by dipping it into the fluid, and then replaces the cap. In most cases, the fluid container is substantially deeper than the length of the swab, so the container must be tilted to wet the swab, requiring two hands. Having to manipulate the swab, cap, and fluid container can be awkward and prone to accidents, particularly when putting the cap back on the fluid container while holding a wet swab. There is also the convenience factor of having to deal with two containers which may or may not be stored together. 
     Several solutions to the problem have been posed. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,146,806, the fluid container is fitted with a stopper through which a swab can be pushed for wetting. Although this device substantially reduces the risk of accidental spillage, it does not alleviate the inconvenience of having two separate containers. 
     A different solution is suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,719. In this patent, the fluid is stored in hollow in the handle of the swab. When wetting is desired, the user pushes the swab onto a pin to prick a hole in the hollow, allowing the fluid to escape and wet the swab. The shortcomings of this device are that it is a one-use-only device that is relatively complicated and expensive to produce. Also, both the swab and the swab container with the pin need to be disposed of after use, no part of the device is reusable. Finally, it is not particularly cost-effective for home use. 
     A third solution is suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,226. In this patent, the swab is stored in a sealed bag with a smaller burst pouch that holds the fluid. The pouch is burst open while the bag is sealed, and the fluid from the pouch wets the swab within the bag. Then the bag is opened and the swab is removed. Like with the &#39;719 patent above, this is a one-use-only device that is relatively complicated and expensive to produce. The &#39;226 patent does disclose that there may be more than one swab in the bag. They are all wetted at the same time and must either be used or disposed of. Also like the &#39;719 patent, all components of the device need to be disposed of after use, no part of the device is reusable. Finally, this device is not particularly convenient or cost-effective for home use. 
     Thus there continues to be a need for a device to safely and conveniently store swabs and wetting fluid. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide a swab dispenser with an integral fluid reservoir for safely and conveniently storing swabs and a wetting fluid. 
     Another object is to provide a swab dispenser that is cost-effective for home, commercial, industrial use. 
     A further object is to provide a swab dispenser that only requires one hand to remove and wet a swab. 
     The present invention is a swab dispenser adapted for use with a swab that has a relatively straight, rigid handle with an absorbent material attached at an end thereof. The dispenser has a storage bin for swabs and a reservoir for a wetting fluid. The storage bin is an open top compartment that is optionally separated into compartments. The swabs stand generally vertically. 
     The reservoir holds a fluid for wetting the swab, so the walls of the reservoir must be impervious to the fluid. The only opening to the reservoir is an aperture in the ceiling at the low point of a depression in the ceiling. The depression causes the fluid to flow down the depression surface to the aperture. The reservoir floor is concave, with the lowest point directly below the aperture so that the fluid flows to where it is most convenient for wetting the swab. Optionally, the reservoir ceiling is removable for cleaning and refilling the reservoir. 
     The aperture is covered by a membrane that minimizes evaporation and spillage of the fluid. The membrane has an opening through which the swab is pushed. The opening may be intersecting slits or a circular hole. Pushing the swab into the opening causes the membrane to deform inwardly and opening a hole for the swab. The membrane is composed of a material that returns the membrane to its original shape when the swab is removed from the opening. 
     Optionally, the swab dispenser of the present invention includes a clear cover for protecting the swabs from contamination, providing some protection against fluid spills, and further retarding evaporation. 
     Alternatively, the storage bin and reservoir are separate units. The storage bin has a receptacle for receiving and holding the reservoir. Optionally, there are means for securing the reservoir into the receptacle. 
     Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a fuller understanding of the nature and object of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the swab dispenser of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the swab dispenser of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a reservoir with a removable ceiling; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the membrane with slits of FIG. 1 with a swab inserted; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the membrane with an approximately conic hole; and 
     FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the swab dispenser of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The swab dispenser  10  of the present invention is shown in the figures. The basic dispenser  10  has a storage bin  12  for swabs and a reservoir  14  for a wetting fluid. The present invention is intended for use with swabs  20  that have a rigid handle  22  with an absorbent material  24 , typically cotton, at one or both ends. 
     The storage bin  12  is preferably an open top compartment where the swabs  20  stand generally vertically. Optionally, the bin  12  is separated into a set of smaller compartments  26  by walls  28 . The compartments  26  provides several functions. If the compartments  26  are relatively small, the swabs remain relatively vertical when there are few swabs in the bin  12  to hold each other up. If there are few swabs in the bin  12 , the swabs tend to fall over. The walls  28  provide a support to hold the swabs up. More than one compartment  26  also makes it easier to separate different types of swabs so that they do not mingle and makes them easier to locate and remove. 
     The reservoir  14  holds a fluid  36  for wetting the swab  20  prior to use. The fluid  36  depends upon the application and may be, for example, rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, antiseptic solutions, detergent solutions, plastic model cement, paint, or any kind of fluid that one may wish to apply with a swab. The reservoir  14  must be composed of a material that is impervious to the fluid  36 . Alternatively, the inner walls of the reservoir  14  are coated with a material that renders the walls impervious to the fluid  36 . 
     The reservoir  14  is nearly fully enclosed, with a ceiling  30 , side walls  32 , and floor  34 . The only opening to the reservoir  14  is an aperture  38  in the ceiling  30  through which the swab  20  is pushed for wetting. The aperture  38  is preferably round, but may have any shape. The aperture  38  is at the low point of a depression  44  in the ceiling  30 . The depression  44  is sloped so that most fluid  36  will flow down the depression surface  46  to the aperture  38 . The preferred range of angles of slope of the depression surface  46  depends upon the intended application of the present invention  10 . The more viscous the fluid  36 , the steeper the angle needs to be in order for the fluid  36  to flow down the slope. 
     Optionally, the ceiling  30  is removable for ease in cleaning and/or refilling the reservoir  14 . In such a case, the edge  54  of the ceiling  30  and the lip  52  of the reservoir  14  should provide a seal to inhibit spillage and evaporation. The seal must be impervious to the liquid held in the reservoir  14 . There are a number of ways well-known in the art to accomplish this, including, but not limited to, using an O-ring between the reservoir lip  52  and ceiling edge  54  to provide a seal, and/or sizing the ceiling  30  such that it fits tightly into the reservoir lip  52 , providing a compression fit seal. 
     The aperture  38  is preferably covered by a membrane  40  that retards evaporation and minimizes spillage of the fluid  36 . The membrane  40  has an opening  70  through which the swab  20  is pushed. In one preferred embodiment, the opening  70  is composed of at least two intersecting slits  42  through which the swab  20  is pushed. When there are two slits  42 , they are preferably at approximately a 90° to each other, forming an X, as in FIG.  1 . 
     As a swab  20  is pushed through the slits  42 , the membrane  40  deforms inwardly, as in FIG. 3, opening a hole for the swab  42 . Preferably, the hole is only large enough to allow the swab  20  to fit through easily. The smaller the hole, the less evaporation and spillage of the fluid  36  there can be. 
     It is also preferred that the slits  42  extend across the entire aperture  38  and the membrane  40 . If the aperture  38  is round, the length of the slits  42  is the same as the diameter of the aperture  38  and membrane  40 . If the slits  42  are shorter than the membrane diameter, the slits  42  may tear with repeated use, increasing the size of the hole. And because the tearing will be irregular, the edges of the tear will not match, and the hole will no longer close. The present invention does contemplate that the membrane  40  may be larger than the slits  42 , provided that the membrane  40  is composed of a material that resists tearing with repeated use. 
     The membrane  40  is composed of a material that is resilient so that it deforms inwardly when pushed by the swab  20 , and is rigid enough so that it returns to its original state to cover the aperture  38  to retard evaporation when the swab  20  is removed. Preferably, the membrane  40  is composed of a rubber or plastic material. 
     In another embodiment, the opening  70  is a small circular hole  72  in the membrane. The size of the hole  72  depends upon the elasticity of the membrane  40 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the membrane  40  may have an approximately conic shape in the vicinity of the hole  72 , that is, the rim  74  extends away from the plane of the membrane  40  as the approximately conic section  76  decreases in diameter toward the rim  74 . This or a similar structure can provide better evaporation and spillage prevention than a simple hole. 
     As indicated above, one use of the membrane  40  is to reduce evaporation and spillage. Another possible use is to wipe excess fluid  36  from the swab  20  as it is pulled from the reservoir  14 . As a swab  20  is pushed through the slits  42 , the membrane sections  48  deform inwardly. As the swab  20  is pulled from the reservoir  14 , the membrane sections  48  tend to deform outwardly. As the absorbent material  24  of the swab  20  passes the membrane sections  48 , pressure from the membrane sections  48  against the absorbent material  24  squeezes off fluid that would most likely drip off the swab  20  prior to use. 
     Preferably, the floor  34  of the reservoir  14  is concave, with the lowest point directly below the aperture  38 . With a flat floor, as the level of the fluid falls, the user typically needs to tilt the reservoir to wet the swab. The concave floor  34  of the present invention eliminates the need to tilt the reservoir  14  by using gravity to cause the remaining fluid  36  to pool at the lowest point under the aperture  38 , where the fluid  36  is easiest to reach. 
     The figures show a circular reservoir  14  in the center of the circular bin  12 . This arrangement is merely illustrative. Any arrangement of the bin  12  and reservoir  14  is contemplated by the present invention. 
     The present invention contemplates that the dispenser  10  may be manufactured and sold with the reservoir  14  already filled with a fluid and/or that the reservoir  14  may be refilled from another container. The reservoir  14  would be refilled through the aperture membrane  40 , or by removing the ceiling  30  and filling the reservoir  14  directly. 
     Optionally, the swab dispenser  10  of the present invention includes a cover  16 . The cover  16  fits in a lip  50  on the outer wall of the storage bin  12 . The cover  16  provides several advantages. It protects the swabs  20  from contamination, provides some protection against fluid spills if the dispenser  10  should be knocked over or dropped, and further retards evaporation of the fluid  36 . Preferably, the cover  16  is clear so that the swabs  20  are visible. 
     An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG.  6 . In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the storage bin  12  and reservoir  14  are a unit, that is, they are not separable. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the storage bin  16  and reservoir  14  are separate units. The storage bin  12  includes a receptacle  60  into which the reservoir  14  is installed, as at  62 . The advantage of this embodiment is that one or the other of the storage bin  12  and reservoir  14  can be discarded when empty and replaced by a filled bin  12  or reservoir  14 , rather than discarding the entire dispenser  10 . Optionally, the storage bin  12  can include a means for securing the reservoir  14  into the receptacle  60 . Such means could include, for example, a snug fit between the outer wall  64  of the reservoir  14  and wall  66  of the receptacle  60 . Other examples include hooks, mating microcatch patches, and mild adhesives. 
     Thus it has been shown and described a swab dispenser with an integral fluid reservoir which satisfies the objects set forth above. 
     Since certain changes may be made in the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present invention, it is intended that all matter described in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.