Patent Publication Number: US-2007095999-A1

Title: Removable soap caddy for water cooler

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      n/a  
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      n/a  
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates to an attachment apparatus for a fluid container.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      There are often situations when someone would like to wash their hands. Outdoorsmen may find themselves in remote locations and would like to wash-up after a day of activities. Agricultural workers may want to wash-up after a day&#39;s work. At sporting events, athletes may want to wash-up after a competition. While there are water-less hand sanitizers and such available, there&#39;s really no substitute for having an available water supply and hand soap for washing purposes.  
      Typically, water reservoirs are provided in the form of large drums, jugs, or coolers, and may be provided where there is no access to a flowing water supply. For example, large water jugs are commonplace at construction sites, in agricultural fields, at sporting events, etc. Such water jugs may be mounted to the side of a truck or other type of motor vehicle, and transported to and from wherever needed.  
      However, these water supplies often have a single chamber for water, and lack the ability to house or include a portion where cleansing products, such as liquid soap or detergent, may be stored and dispensed. Furthermore, even if a water jug were secured to a vehicle or otherwise, any soap container would likely be loosely placed in the vehicle. As such, a soap container may be lost, damaged, or begin to leak as it is moved about. Moreover, the soap container may be neglected from use, whereby water alone is used to wash up, resulting in unsanitary conditions.  
      It would be desirable to provide a soap caddy which could be removably attached to an existing water cooler, allowing a soap container to be secured to the water cooler and easily dispensed without the risk of losing or damaging the soap container when the water cooler is transported from place to place.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention advantageously provides a soap caddy which can be removably attached to an existing water cooler, allowing a soap container to be secured to the water cooler and easily dispensed without the risk of losing or damaging the soap container when the water cooler is transported from place to place. In an exemplary embodiment, the soap caddy includes a body defining a mating structure. The mating structure may define two projecting portions extending at an angle from the body, and the two projecting portions may each include an end cap extending from the projecting portion at a substantially perpendicular angle. The mating structure is suitable for slideably engaging a mounting bracket on a water cooler.  
      In addition, the body of the soap caddy can define a base extending from the body, thereby providing a surface for receiving a soap container, and the base may further define an aperture. Moreover, the soap caddy can provide a securing element in the form of securing arms coupled to the planar body, as well as a knob coupled to the body or securing arms, which can be used to hang additional items from the soap caddy.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:  
       FIG. 1  shows a water cooler known in the prior art;  
       FIG. 2  illustrates a front perspective view of an embodiment of a soap caddy in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  shows a rear perspective view of an embodiment of a soap caddy in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  shows a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a soap caddy in accordance with the present invention; and  
       FIG. 5  shows a rear perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a soap caddy in accordance with the present invention.  
       FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary use of a soap caddy in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention advantageously provides a removable soap caddy for a water cooler. As shown in  FIG. 1 , a water cooler  10  is generally known in the prior art and typically includes a large container having a reservoir for housing water or other fluid. The water cooler  10  includes a removable lid  12  for filling the cooler, as well as a spigot or valve  14  for dispensing the contents of the water cooler  10 . In addition, the water cooler  10  may contain a mounting bracket  16  on a side surface of the cooler. The mounting bracket  16  may typically be provided for supporting the attachment of an accompanying device, most often being a cup holder and/or a cup dispenser (not shown). A conventional mounting bracket  16  includes two non-parallel, protruding surfaces  18 ,  18 ′ converging at an angle toward each other, with the spacing between the protruding surfaces  18 ,  18 ′ being largest at a top end of the bracket, and a smaller spacing at a lower end of the bracket. The mounting bracket  16  thus forms a converging track which can slideably receive an accompanying device.  
      Now referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , an embodiment of the present invention provides a soap caddy  20  including a body  22  that defines a mating structure  24  adapted to be received by the mounting bracket  16  of the water cooler  10 . The soap caddy  20  is slideably engageable with the mounting bracket  16  through the use of the mating structure  24 , and provides support and the ability to secure the soap caddy  20  to the water cooler  10 . In one embodiment, the mating structure  24  includes two projecting portions  26 ,  26 ′ positionable into the tracks formed by the protruding surfaces  18 ,  18 ′ of the mounting bracket  16 . The projecting portions  26 ,  26 ′ may be oriented at a converging angle as to substantially match the angular orientation of the mounting bracket  16  in order to provide a secure fit between the mating structure  24  and the mounting bracket  16 . Although shown as two projecting portions  26 ,  26 ′, the mating structure  24  can have numerous suitable shapes and orientations, including a singular wedge-shaped body, a square shaped body, or the like, which can also provide for the slidable engagement of the soap caddy  20  to the water cooler  10 . In addition, the body  22  may include one or more mounting apertures  27  which allow the soap caddy to be more securely fastened or mounted to a surface by nails, screws, or the like. As such, in addition to the ability to being coupled to a water cooler, the soap caddy could further be mounted on virtually any surface.  
      In addition, the mating structure  24  can include components to secure the mating structure  24  to the mounting bracket  16 . Although the converging angles of the mounting bracket  16  and mating structure  24  may provide sufficient friction to prevent the mating structure  24  from passing completely through the mounting bracket  16 , the projecting portions  26 ,  26 ′ may include end caps  28 ,  28 ′ affixed substantially perpendicular to the projecting portions  26 ,  26 ′ as to extend outward from an end of the projecting portions  26 ,  26 ′. The end caps  28 ,  28 ′ prevent the soap caddy  20  from passing completely through the mounting bracket  16 , instead providing a surface that can be supported by the mounting bracket  16  in a stationary position. As a result, the mating structure  24  of the soap caddy  20  may be slideably positioned along the protruding surfaces  18 ,  18 ′ of the mounting bracket  16  of the water cooler  10  to a position where the end caps  28 ,  28 ′ of the soap caddy  20  abut the protruding surfaces  18 ,  18 ′ of the mounting bracket  16 . At this position, the soap caddy  20  is removeably secured to the mounting bracket  16 , and thus, the water cooler  10 .  
      The soap caddy  20  also provides a surface to support a soap container. Such a support element may include a flat surface having a lip to minimize movement of a soap container, a concave bowl-like surface adapted to receive and hold a soap container, a bar of soap, or the like. Further, in one embodiment, the support element is in the form of a base  30  having a lip  31 , where the base  30  extends from the body  22  of the soap caddy  20  to form a substantially horizontal surface capable of supporting a soap container. The support base  30  may further include a dispensing aperture  32 , thereby allowing a soap container to be inverted, with a portion of a soap container extending through the dispensing aperture  32 . With a soap container being inverted and positioned in the soap caddy  20 , the soap in the soap container is easily dispensed and is not hindered by being affixed to the water cooler  10 . In addition, if the base  30  is used to support a bar of soap, the dispensing aperture can allow excess fluid on the soap to drain, helping to keep the bar of soap dry when not in use.  
      In addition, the soap caddy  20  can include securing elements which further secure a soap container to the soap caddy  20  as to prevent the soap container from moving around, falling out of the soap caddy  20 , etc. In one embodiment, the securing element includes two flexible arms  34 ,  34 ′ which can wrap around a portion of the soap container in order to further secure the soap container to the soap caddy  20 , and thus the water cooler  10 . The securing arms  34 ,  34 ′ project from the body  22  of the soap caddy  20 , and may be removeably attachable to each other through the use of an attachment means  35 , which may include Velcro®, adhesive, hooks, or the like. In addition, the securing element may include a snap-lock mechanism, a plurality of straps, a contoured tab extending across a portion of the soap container, or other known retention mechanisms.  
      The soap caddy  20  also may provide for the attachment and support of additional items, such as a towel, a chuck for keeping the spigot of the water cooler  10  open, or a scrub brush. In one embodiment, a knob  36  is provided affixed to a portion of the soap caddy  20 , allowing an attachment point for additional items. Furthermore, an attachment aperture  38  may be included on the body  22  of the soap caddy  20  for hanging a towel, brush, etc.  
      Now referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the present invention provides a soap caddy  42  having a mating structure  44  generally defining a protrusion on a back surface of the soap caddy. The mating structure  44  extends out of the body of the soap caddy, wherein a top portion  46  of the mating structure has a length larger than that of a bottom portion  48  of the mating structure as to form a generally trapezoidal shape. As such, the soap caddy can be positioned in a mounting bracket of a water cooler and securely held in place due to the complementary shape of the mating structure. As described above, the soap caddy can further include mounting apertures  50 , an attachment aperture  52 , and a securing element  54  in order to hold a soap container or the like.  
      Now referring to  FIG. 6 , in an exemplary use, the soap caddy  20  is removably attached to the mounting bracket  16  of the water cooler  10 . A soap container  40  is positioned on the base  30  of the soap caddy  20 , either upright or inverted, and is secured in place by the securing element, here being the flexible arms  34 ,  34 ′. As such, the soap container is easily accessible and may be transported with the water cooler  10  without any risk of loss or damage to the soap container. The soap caddy  20 , when combined with a water cooler  10  and soap container, provide an easily accessible, secure, and portable wash station.  
      While many materials are available and suitable for the construction of the soap caddy  20 , in an exemplary embodiment, the soap caddy  20  is formed from a single piece of material or is molded as a singular piece from an appropriate plastic as to negate any required assembly or the possibility of loosing parts or components of the soap caddy  20 .  
      It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.