Abstract:
A holder for a pump-type bottle dispenser includes a base section and an adjustable section capable of moving with respect to each other to adapt to dispenser size and/or shape. The adjustable section suitably includes a neck or other extension that supports the neck of the dispenser, and the bottom of the dispenser rests upon the base member as appropriate. The adjustable section is held in place with respect to the base section by a locking mechanism that may include teeth or other extensions on one of the sections that interface with indentations in the other section to provide a lock against further movement. A post or other support may also be provided to secure the holder against a sink, countertop or other support. Such a holder is particularly useful for soap dispensers and the like which may be provided in public facilities such as vehicle lavatories.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention generally relates to holders for pump-type bottles, and more particularly to a bottle holder for use on a moving vehicle such as an aircraft.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Recently, liquid hand soaps have become increasingly popular as consumers recognize the convenience, comfort and effectiveness of-liquid soaps as compared to bar soaps. Liquid soaps are especially desirable in public facilities, where dispensed liquid soaps are generally more sanitary than shared bar soaps. Liquid soaps are typically dispensed using a pump-type or other suitable dispenser, as may be readily found in public and private restrooms throughout the country. One common type of soap dispenser includes a bottle portion that acts as a reservoir for soap that is provided via a pump-type dispenser. Liquid hand soaps and pump-type dispensers are provided by the Dial Corporation of Scottsdale, Ariz., and by other vendors.  
           [0003]    Hand soaps have also become widely-used in lavatories for certain vehicles, including aircraft, buses, watercraft and the like. Frequently, the confined space of a vehicle lavatory restricts the use of large, commercial-type soap dispensers. It is not generally practical to re-design the lavatory to accommodate a large integrated dispenser, since aircraft design changes typically require airworthiness certification by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) or another governing body. Accordingly, conventional pump-type soap dispensers are commonly used in many aircraft lavatories. Although such dispensers are compact and readily available, conventional bottle-type dispensers are typically relatively difficult to anchor to the surrounding facilities. Accordingly, the dispenser may easily become misplaced or stolen.  
           [0004]    Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a holder to maintain the dispenser in a desired position. Such a holder should be easy to fabricate and install in the aircraft, should be readily implemented in existing lavatories and should be adjustable to accommodate bottles and/or dispensers of various sizes.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    In accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a holder for a pump-type bottle dispenser includes a base section and an adjustable section capable of moving with respect to each other to adapt to dispenser size and/or shape. The adjustable section suitably includes a neck or other extension that supports the neck of the dispenser, and the bottom of the dispenser rests upon the base member as appropriate. The adjustable section is held in place with respect to the base section by a locking mechanism that may include teeth or other extensions on one of the sections that interface with indentations in the other section to provide a lock against further movement. A post or other support may also be provided to secure the holder against a sink, countertop or other support.  
           [0006]    These and other aspects of the invention shall become more apparent when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures and the attached detailed description of exemplary embodiments. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES  
       [0007]    The features and advantages of the present invention are hereinafter described in the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals are used to identify the same or similar parts in the similar views, and:  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an exemplary holder for a bottle-type dispenser;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a back perspective view of an exemplary holder for a bottle-type dispenser;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of an exemplary holder for a bottle-type dispenser;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is an exploded view of an exemplary holder for a bottle-type dispenser; and  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an exemplary holder that includes a display placard. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]    The following description is of exemplary embodiments of the invention only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description is intended to provide a convenient illustration for implementing various embodiments of the invention. As will become apparent, various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described in these embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth herein.  
         [0014]    For example, in the context of the present invention, the method and apparatus hereof may find particular use in connection with liquid hand soap dispensers. However, generally speaking, various other products and dispensers (such as soap, hand sanitizer, lotion, shampoo, toothpaste, mouthwash, beverages, and/or other fluids capable of being dispensed by pump, aerosol, spray-type or other dispensers) are suitable for use in accordance with the present invention. Accordingly, the terms “bottle” and “dispenser” as used herein are intended to interchangeably refer to any holding device, reservoir or other retaining vessel capable of holding and/or dispensing any fluid such as those previously recited. Moreover, the exemplary embodiments may be described herein using relative spatial descriptors such as “vertical”, “horizontal”, “above”, “below” and the like. These terms are used solely to allow ease of understanding, and are not meant to limit the invention to any particular spatial orientation or layout. In this context, various embodiments of the present invention may be described herein in conjunction with specific devices or products and it should be appreciated that the scope of the present invention should not be considered limited to those specifically mentioned herein.  
         [0015]    In accordance with the present invention, a holder is capable of securely maintaining a dispenser in a desired position, and may be further capable of adapting to dispensers of varying sizes and dimensions. As used herein “adaptable” refers to the ability to adjust to fit differently sized or shaped bottles, and as such, shall be synonymous with “adjustable” and other like-meaning terms.  
         [0016]    With reference now to FIG. 1, an exemplary holder  100  for a dispenser  102  suitably includes an adjustable section  110  that adapts with respect to a base section  104  to accommodate dispensers  102  of varying sizes. The entire holder assembly  100  may be bolted, welded or otherwise fixed to a countertop or other appropriate structure using an optional support post  114 , which suitably interfaces with an opening or other recession in the countertop. Each of the components of holder  100  may be readily fashioned from plastic, metal, ceramic, glass and/or the like using any conventional technique, such as injection molding or thermoforming.  
         [0017]    Base section  104  suitably includes a base surface  116  that supports the bottom surface or other base portion of dispenser  102 . Various embodiments of base section  104  also include a vertical portion  118  that projects substantially perpendicular to base surface  116  to support adjustable section  110  as appropriate. By “substantially”, it is intended that the actual direction of projection may not be exactly perpendicular, but may vary by as much as 30 degrees or more in any direction to accommodate defects, design choices, ergonomic concerns and the like. In various embodiments, vertical portion  118  includes any number of posts, guide rails or other supports to guide the vertical movement of adjustable section  110 . Vertical portion  118  may also include one or more teeth, outcroppings or other portions of a locking mechanism as described more fully below.  
         [0018]    Adjustable section  110  suitably includes a substantially vertical support section  120  and a neck  106  or other receiving end capable of receiving and supporting the neck or pump head portion  112  of dispenser  102 . In an exemplary embodiment, neck  106  laterally projects from vertical support section  120  to form a circular, elliptical or other support circumscribing the neck portion  112  of dispenser  102 .  
         [0019]    To place dispenser  102  in holder  100 , a user inserts nozzle  112  of dispenser  102  through an opening in neck  106 . The user then positions the bottom of dispenser  102  against base  116  to prevent further movement. Accordingly, dispenser  102  is restrained from movement in the vertical direction by base  116 , and is restrained in the horizontal directions by neck  106 . In a further embodiment, adjustable section  110  is configured to move in the vertical direction with respect to base  116  through any sort of slide, lock and/or hinge mechanism to adapt to dispensers  102  of varying shapes and sizes, as described more fully below. In an alternate embodiment, however, adjustable portion  110  may be omitted entirely, combined with base portion  104  in any manner, or may be rigidly fixed with respect to base portion  104 . In yet another embodiment, the vertical portions  118  and  120  of base section  104  and adjustable section  110  (respectively) may be combined into a single structure. Accordingly, adaptive movement of holder  100  is an optional feature that is not required in all embodiments.  
         [0020]    With reference to FIG. 2, an exemplary holder  100  with an adaptable locking mechanism  202  is shown. Locking mechanism  202  suitably allows adjustable section  110  to move relative to base section  104  as appropriate, while retaining adjustable section  110  in a desired position to accommodate dispensers  102  of various shape and size. In an exemplary embodiment, locking mechanism  202  is implemented by placing divots, openings, recessions or other receiving elements in one of the sections  104  or  110 , and by placing corresponding teeth or outcroppings that on the other section such that the teeth mate with the receiving portions to hold the two members  104 / 110  in place with respect to each other. In the exemplary holder  100  shown in FIG. 2, a tooth or other outcropping attached to base section  104  is received in any of the openings  204  formed in adjustable portion  110 . By sliding the tooth between the various openings  204 , the height of holder  100  can be readily adapted to accommodate dispensers  102  of various sizes. Additional detail about locking mechanism  202  is described in conjunction with FIG. 4 below. In an alternate embodiment, the locking teeth could be placed on base section  104  and recessions could be placed in adjustable portion  110 , or a portion of both teeth and recessions could be placed on each of the two sections. In still other embodiments, recessions may be eliminated and various outcroppings or teeth on either or both sections could provide enough friction to maintain the two sections relatively stationary with respect to each other. Additionally, any type of key-based locking mechanism may be provided such that a key is required to separate and/or move adjustable section  110  with respect to base section  104 .  
         [0021]    Referring now to FIG. 3, base section  104  of holder  100  may be fashioned with an exterior ridge  304  supporting base  116  above the counter or other surrounding surface. Any number of wing supports  302  may also be provided, as shown in the figure. Ridge  304  and supports  302  may be integrally formed with base section  104  during injection molding, for example, or may be formed as separate components that are affixed to base section  104  with an epoxy or other adhesive, with a plastic weld, or through any other appropriate technique. Alternatively, ridge  304  and/or supports  302  may be eliminated, or base section  104  may be formed as a solid body through molding or any other technique.  
         [0022]    An optional support post  114  may be similarly formed on or otherwise affixed to base  116  though plastic welding, molding, adhesives, or the like. Post  114  may be rigidly affixed to holder  100  to assist in securing holder  100  to a sink, counter or other support surface as appropriate. In alternate embodiments, portions of post  114  may be threaded to accept a bolt, nut and/or washer assembly, or with a hole for accepting a lock pin, toggle or the like.  
         [0023]    Referring now to FIG. 4, an optional further embodiment of a holder  400  suitably includes a guide-and-post structure to assist vertical movement of the adjustable section  110  with respect to base section  104 . In the embodiment shown in the Figure, two guide rails  406  are formed on base section  104  that are sized to slideably mate with guide channels  404  formed in adjustable section  110 . As adjustable section  110  moves vertically with respect to base section  104 , rails  404  suitably remain within channels  404  to prevent undesired lateral movement, thereby improving the overall stability of holder  100 . Of course, many variations of the guide-and-post concept could be implemented in other embodiments. Rails  406  could be alternately formed as posts, for example, or the relative positions of rails  406  and channels  404  could be reversed.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 also shows an optional locking mechanism  202  that includes a post  410  interfacing with any of several openings  204  provided on base section  104 . As adjustable section  110  slides within guides  404 , post  410  suitably mates with one of the openings  204  to provide enough friction to maintain adjustable section  110  in a desired position. When locking mechanism  202  is disengaged, for example, through the pressing of a button, the retention force provided by post  410  against openings  204  may be readily overcome by applying vertical force in either direction to slide adjustable section  110  as desired. Adjustable section  110  may also be formed with a lip or overhang  408  that contacts the uppermost face of base section  104  to prevent over-sliding. Adjustable section  110  is further formed with neck  106  and opening  402  for retaining the neck of bottle  102  (FIG. 1) as appropriate.  
         [0025]    With reference now to FIG. 5, the holder  500  may be further fitted with a placard or other advertising space  508  in any shape or style. Because many people may come into contact with holder  500  in a vehicle lavatory throughout the course of the day, space  508  provides a convenient and effective location for providing an advertising message, particularly a message that is affiliated with a high-quality product being provided by dispenser  102 . Of course the shape, style and size of advertising space  508  may vary widely from embodiment to embodiment. For example, in various embodiments, different shaped advertisements may be placed on various portions of holder  100  and dispenser  102 , such as base  104  and/or neck  106 . Various equivalent structures that could be provided include a cartoon or other ornamental display, a reminder that employees must wash their hands before returning to work, a digital display of any sort (such as a liquid crystal or flat panel display that may be coupled to a digital computer) or the like.  
         [0026]    For the sake of brevity, conventional mechanical and industrial design techniques used in developing various devices (and the various components thereof) are not described in detail herein. Accordingly, devices disclosed herein may be readily modified to create equivalent embodiments through application of general mechanical, industrial and/or manufacturing principles. For example, neck portion  106  could be readily modified to include a separate member coupled to adjustable section  110  by a hinge or other mechanism such that the separate member is movable to accommodate the neck of dispenser  102 . In such embodiments, neck portion  106  may be configured to “wrap around” the neck of dispenser  102  instead of simply retaining the dispenser in a hole in neck portion  106 . Alternatively, neck portion  106  could be implemented with a cloth, rubber, plastic or other extraneous member that “wraps around” the neck of dispenser  102 .  
         [0027]    The particular implementations shown and described herein are examples of the invention and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the invention in any way. In this context, the corresponding structures, materials, acts and equivalents of all elements described herein, are intended to include any structure, material or acts for performing the functions described herein and include those now known or hereafter devised.