Patent Publication Number: US-2017354984-A1

Title: Toilet tissue mister

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the priority of provisional U.S. Application Ser. No. 62/347,739 filed on Jun. 9, 2016 and whose contents are incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention herein resides in the art of devices for moistening toilet tissue. More particularly, the invention relates to devices for controlled or regulated moistening of toilet tissue. More specifically, the invention relates to devices for controlled or regulated moistening of toilet tissue through the emission of a spray burst of water alone or water in combination with scented and/or medicated additives. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Paper-based toilet tissue is typically used for personal cleansing after using the toilet for elimination of bodily waste. Such toilet tissue is typically dry and often “scratchy,” such that repetitive use can irritate the perianal area and cause discomfort. This is particularly true if hemorrhoids, sores, or the like already irritates the area. Moreover, the dry nature of toilet tissue fails to ensure the user that the perianal area has been fully cleaned of waste material. 
     It is important to most individuals that the perianal area feels clean, fresh and cool after the customary “wiping” following elimination. Presently, such cleansing can be achieved by using “wet wipes” or medicated wipes, but those items are typically costly and environmentally unfriendly, being of such a fibrous nature that they do not readily dissolve over time and are prone to clogging toilets as well as sewer and septic systems. Such problems are aggravated in high-usage areas such as hospitals, nursing homes and the like, where the use of “wet wipes” is extensive. In contradistinction, toilet tissue is readily dissolvable following extended exposure to water, while being very strong and maintaining structural integrity during even moistened usage. 
     It has been found that slightly moistened toilet tissue maintains its structural integrity and viability for typical wiping procedures, while assisting in cleaning, cooling and refreshing the perianal area of the user. 
     It has been previously known to mist or otherwise dampen toilet tissue and, indeed, toilet tissue misters have been used in the past. However, known toilet tissue misters have been prone to over-spraying, causing the spray to impinge upon adjacent walls, objects, and the floor. Known toilet tissue misters have not been of an adjustable or variable nature, but rather have been of a fixed nature, emitting a mist of fixed volume and character. Moreover, known misters have typically been cumbersome in use, lacking automated actuation, and often plumbed to the water system of the house or other facility, making installation and maintenance difficult, frustrating and often expensive. 
     There is a need in the art for a toilet tissue mister that prevents over-spraying against adjacent objects, walls and floors. 
     There is a further need for toilet tissue misters that are adjustable or variable as to the amount of water or solution emitted. 
     Moreover, there is a need for toilet tissue misters that are not cumbersome in use, but rather are given to single-handed use with associated automatic actuation. 
     Yet further, there is a need in the art for a toilet tissue mister that is self-contained, does not require interconnection to central plumbing, and is easily serviced. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In light of the foregoing, it is a principle aspect of the invention to provide a toilet tissue mister that overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by possessing and employing the desired features discussed directly above. These various aspects are achieved by a toilet tissue mister, comprising a cabinet having an open lower front section; a liquid-containing container within said cabinet above said open lower front section; a spray head positioned at a top portion of said open lower front section; a pump interposed between said container and said spray head; and a control circuit interposed between said open lower front section and said pump, said control circuit sensing a presence of a user&#39;s hand and activating said pump for a duration of time sufficient to coat toilet tissue in said user&#39;s hand with a spray mist. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a complete understanding of the various aspects and features of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the toilet tissue mister assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side-elevational view of the assembly of  FIG. 1  with a side removed to show the interior thereof; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the toilet tissue mister assembly according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a side-elevational view of an embodiment of the toilet tissue mister according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a circuit schematic of the control circuitry of the toilet tissue mister assembly according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly  FIGS. 1-4 , it can be seen that a toilet tissue mister made in accordance with the invention is designated generally by the numeral  10 . The mister  10  includes a cabinet  12  formed from a pair of opposed side panels  14  interconnected at opposite ends to top and bottom panels  16 , all of which are interconnected by a back panel  18 . 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, the cabinet  12  includes an upper cavity  22   a  and a lower cavity  22   b . In one embodiment of the present invention, such as shown in  FIG. 1 , a door  20  selectively closes the upper cavity  22   a  of the cabinet  12 , door  20  being connected to the cabinet  12  as by hinges  13 , slides or the like to allow easy access to the upper cavity  22   a . With the upper cavity  22   a  being selectively closed with door  20 , the lower cavity  22   b  is always accessible and adapted for receiving a human hand bearing toilet tissue. In one embodiment of the present invention, the upper cavity  22   a  is separated from the lower cavity  22   b  by a dividing means  23 . In one embodiment of the present invention, said dividing means  23  is in the form of a dividing panel containing an aperture. A base lip  24  is interconnected between bottom panel  16  and side panels  14 , sealing the bottom-most portion of the lower cavity  22   b  such that runoff water, spray or mist may be accumulated therein. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a liquid container  26  is maintained within the upper cavity  22   a  and behind the door  20 . The container  26  is placed within the upper cavity  22   a  such that the container  26  is placed on top of the dividing means  23 . The container  26  is preferably removable and replaceable, such that it can be refilled with a liquid such as water, water in combination with scented and/or medicated additives, or other appropriate solutions when depleted. In one embodiment, the liquid container  26  is a bottle. In another embodiment, the liquid container  26  is in the form of a collapsible bag. In one embodiment of the invention, such as shown in  FIG. 3 , door  20  is replaced with a solid front panel  21  and instead, top panel  16  is connected to the cabinet  12  as by hinges  17 , slides or the like, allowing easy access to the top of the liquid container  26  such that water or solution may be replenished in the container  26  without its removal. In another embodiment of the present invention (not shown), the door  20  is replaced with a solid front panel  21  and instead, the top panel  16  contains a removable cap which can be removed so as to allow access to the top of the liquid container  26  such that water or solution may be replenished in the container  26  without its removal. 
     In one embodiment of the present invention, such as shown in  FIG. 4 , it is contemplated that the base lip  24  comprises a front wall portion of a removable tray  25  that sits above bottom panel  16  and that can be removed from the lower cavity  22   b  such that any runoff, water, spray or mist that may be accumulated in the removable tray  25  can be easily discarded by simply pulling out the removable tray  25  and discarding any contents therein. 
     Interconnected with the liquid container  26  is a pump  28  of any suitable type, such as a positive displacement pump. In a preferred embodiment, the pump  28  is controlled to emit a pressurized output of the liquid from the container  26  of a set volume on each stroke of the pump. In one embodiment, the pump  28  is a one-shot pump, which may have a fixed volume or an adjustable volume, allowing the user to adjust the amount of moisture emitted upon activation. Alternative to a one-shot pump would be a pump with a reciprocating piston that operates for a set or adjustable duration of time, emitting liquid from the container  26  on each stroke. 
     The pump  28  forces pressurized liquid to an atomizing spray nozzle  30 , shown in  FIGS. 1-4 , which comprises the mister head. In one embodiment of the present invention, the pump  28  and spray nozzle  30  are situated so as to lie within the aperture of the dividing means  23  such that pump  28  and spray nozzle  30  are located within lower cavity  22   b . The spray pattern of the mister head is preferably such that its fan width covers substantially the cross-sectional area of the lower cavity  22   b  in an area on the order of between about 0.3-1.00 of the distance between the spray nozzle  30  and the bottom of lower cavity  22   b , in other embodiments from about 0.4-0.85 of the distance between the spray nozzle  30  and the bottom of lower cavity  22   b , and in yet other embodiments from about 0.5-0.75 of the distance between the spray nozzle  30  and the bottom of lower cavity  22   b . Since this is the general region in which a hand carrying toilet tissue would normally be inserted, this spray head configuration ensures optimum wetting of the toilet tissue. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , there is also contained in the lower cavity  22   b  an optical transducer switch comprising a sender or transmitter  32   a  and a receiver  32   b.  Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the insertion of a hand carrying toilet tissue will break the path between the sender  32   a  and receiver  32   b , causing the optical transducer switch to effectively close, actuating the mister through the control circuit  34  as shown in  FIG. 5 , which is preferably maintained in a portion of the upper cavity  22   a , appropriately sealed or shielded from moisture or dampness. Here, a low-voltage battery  36  is interconnected with optical transducer switch  32  to the variable switch  38  which, in one embodiment of the present invention, is a momentary switch or a “one-shot” switch of selectable closure period. The period of time is sufficient to cause actuation of the pump  28  to affect a desired volume output of liquid to spray nozzle  30 . The output of the variable switch  38  may be varied by means of an adjustment knob  38   a , which might typically be a rheostat or variable resistor of a resistor-capacitor circuit to vary and control the width of the output pulse from the switch  38 . The adjustment knob  38   a  allows for an ultimate increase or decrease in the volume of water or solution sprayed from the head  30 . 
     As further shown, the pump  28  may also include an adjustment knob  28   a  that might be employed to control the output volume of the pump. It would typically not be necessary for both the switch  38  and pump  28  to be variable. In one embodiment, the switch  38  may simply actuate the pump  28 , the volume of the output thereof being selectively adjustable by means of the adjustment knob  28   a  by controlling the stroke of the associated piston. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , mounting holes  40  (one being concealed by the door  20  or solid front panel  21 ) are positioned in the back panel  18  for receipt of screws or the like for ease of mounting to a wall surface. Alternatively, and as shown in  FIG. 2 , a double-backed tape  42  may be employed for this purpose. In a further embodiment, yet not shown in the drawings, the mounting holes  40  may be placed inside flanges or the like of the cabinet  12 . 
     It is contemplated that in one embodiment of the present invention the height of the cabinet  12  would be between about 8 and about 20 inches, in another embodiment from between about 10 and about 18 inches, and in yet another embodiment between about 12 and about 16 inches. In one embodiment of the present invention, the height of the cabinet  12  is on the order of 14 inches. It is contemplated that in one embodiment of the present invention the width of the cabinet  12  would be between about 2 and about 12 inches, in another embodiment between about 4 and about 9 inches, and in yet another embodiment between about 5 and about 7 inches. In one embodiment of the present invention, the width of the cabinet  12  is on the order of 6 inches. It is contemplated that in one embodiment of the present invention the depth of the cabinet  12  would be between about 2 and about 6 inches, in another embodiment between about 3 and about 5.5 inches, and in yet another embodiment between about 4 and about 5 inches. In one embodiment of the present invention, the depth of the cabinet  12  is on the order of 4.5 inches. 
     It is contemplated that in one embodiment of the present invention, the height of either the door  20  or the front panel  21  would be between about 5 and about 12 inches, in another embodiment between about 6 and about 10 inches, and in yet another embodiment between about 7 and about 9 inches. In one embodiment of the present invention the height of either the door  20  or the front panel  21  would be on the order of 8 inches. It is contemplated that in one embodiment of the present invention, the height of the open portion of the lower cavity  22   b  would be between about 3 and about 8 inches, in another embodiment between about 3.5 and about 7 inches, and in yet another embodiment between about 4 and about 6 inches. In one embodiment of the present invention, the height of the lower portion of the lower cavity  22   b  would be on the order of about 5 inches. It is contemplated that in one embodiment of the present invention, the width of the open portion of the lower cavity  22   b  would be between about 3 and about 9 inches, in another embodiment between about 4 and about 8 inches, and in yet another embodiment between about 5 and about 7 inches. In one embodiment of the present invention, the width of the lower portion of the lower cavity  22   b  would be on the order of about 6 inches. It is contemplated that in one embodiment of the present invention, the height of the base lip  24  would be between about 0.25 and about 2 inches, in another embodiment between about 0.50 and about 1.75 inches, and in yet another embodiment between about 0.75 and about 1.25 inches. In one embodiment of the present invention, the height of the base lip  24  would be on the order of about 1 inch. 
     The dimensions just given can vary as to the desires of the user, but it is contemplated that a variation of plus or minus 20% and anywhere in between could be employed for a satisfactory unit, taking into account the typical size of a hand, the width of standard toilet tissue, the necessary volume for the liquid container  26 , and the like. The lower cavity  22   b  is appropriately sized to receive the user&#39;s hand and toilet tissue therein such that the toilet tissue receives maximum exposure to the spray or mist from the spray nozzle  30 , while the side panels  14  prevent over-spray onto adjacent objects or surfaces. 
     Thus it can be seen that the device presented and described above has achieved the various aspects of the invention. While in accordance with the patent statutes, only the best-known and preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented and described in detail, it will be appreciated that the invention extends beyond the particular embodiment presented for illustrative purposes herein.