Patent Publication Number: US-2023148729-A1

Title: Devices and methods for mounting an article to a surface

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/536,510, filed Nov. 29, 2021, entitled “Devices and Methods for Mounting an Article to a Surface,” which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/121,440, filed Dec. 4, 2020, and entitled “Devices and Methods for Mounting an Article to a Surface,” each of the disclosures of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The embodiments described herein relate to devices and methods for mounting an article to a surface. More specifically, embodiments described herein relate to a holder that can be used to removably mount an article to a surface, such as a wall. 
     There are many known mounting devices such as, for example, brackets, shelves, hooks, supports, etc., that can be used to removably hold or secure an item or article to a surface, such as a wall (e.g., any wall such as a shower wall, a bathroom wall, a garage wall, a kitchen wall, etc.), a refrigerator, a tool box, or any of a variety of other surfaces. Various types of fastening techniques can be used to secure such mounting devices to the surface such as threaded fasteners, nails, suction cups, adhesive, and the like. In addition, various mechanisms are provided in such devices for holding an item or article to the device, such as, for example, hooks and magnets. 
     Although there are many known mounting devices, such devices may have a design that limits the particular type of item or article that can be held or secured with the device. Some known devices may also have shortfalls as to how easy the device is to mount to the surface and/or how easy it is to attach and remove an item or article to the device. For example, some devices may require threaded fasteners and tools to secure the device to a mounting surface such as a wall. Some devices may have features to secure an item or article that make it difficult to remove the item once it has been attached to the device. Some devices may have limited access to grasp the item or article after it has been secured to the device. 
     Thus, a need exists for improvements in organizing items and articles and providing a holder for removably mounting items or articles to a surface, such as a wall, while providing easy access to the item or article for removal when needed. 
     SUMMARY 
     This summary introduces certain aspects of the embodiments described herein to provide a basic understanding. This summary is not an extensive overview of the inventive subject matter, and it is not intended to identify key or critical elements or to delineate the scope of the inventive subject matter. 
     In some embodiments, a holder for removably holding an article includes a body, a rear portion coupled to the body and having a first surface, a front portion coupled to the body and having a second surface, and a magnet disposed within the body. The first surface is configured to be coupled to a mounting surface. The second surface is opposite the first surface. The magnet is positioned within the body such that a portion of the second surface is magnetically attractable to a first portion of the article. At least one of the body or the front portion form a protrusion configured to engage a second portion of the article. The article is removably coupled to the holder when the first portion of the article is magnetically coupled against the portion of the second surface and the second portion of the article is engaged with the protrusion. 
     In some embodiments, the article is a razor having a razor head and a handle. The handle includes the first portion couplable to the second surface of the holder. The razor head is the second portion and is configured to be engaged with the protrusion. In some embodiments, the first portion of the handle couplable to the second surface of the holder is flat and the portion of the second surface is flat. In some embodiments, the portion of the second surface is a planar flat surface. In some embodiments, the second surface of the holder has a surface area greater than a surface area of the first portion of the handle couplable to the second surface of the holder. This arrangement allows a portion of the second surface to be uncovered when the razor is coupled to the holder. 
     In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a holder including a first surface, a second surface, a body portion in between the first surface and the second surface, and a protrusion. The first surface is configured to be coupled to a mounting surface. A magnet is disposed within the body portion such that a portion of the second surface is magnetically attractable to a first portion of an article. The protrusion is configured to engage a second portion of the article. The article is removably coupled to the holder when the first portion of the article is magnetically coupled against the portion of the second surface and the second portion of the article is engaged with the protrusion. 
     In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a holder including a first surface, a second surface, a body portion in between the first surface and the second surface, and a protrusion. The first surface is configured to be coupled to a mounting surface. The protrusion is configured to engage a portion of an article to removably couple the article to the holder. The second surface is a planar flat surface and is angled relative to the first surface such that when the article is coupled to the holder a portion of the article that extends below the holder is spaced a distance from the mounting surface. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1 A  is a side view of a razor coupled to a holder, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  1 B  is a front view of the razor and holder of  FIG.  1 A . 
         FIG.  1 C  is a back view of the razor and holder of  FIG.  1 A . 
         FIG.  2 A  is a side view of the holder of FIG. lA showing an angle between a back surface and a front surface of the holder. 
         FIG.  2 B  is a side view of the holder of  FIG.  2 A  showing width dimensions of the holder. 
         FIG.  3    is a front view of the holder of  FIG.  2 A . 
         FIG.  4    is a rear view of the holder of  FIG.  2 A . 
         FIG.  5    is a cross-sectional view showing portions of the interior of the holder of  FIG.  2 A . 
         FIG.  6    is an enlarged view of the circled portion C of the razor and holder of  FIG.  1 B . 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional view of a razor coupled to a holder, according to another embodiment. 
         FIG.  8    is a perspective view of a holder, according to an embodiment. 
         FIG.  9    is a side view of the holder of  FIG.  8    with a razor coupled thereto. 
         FIG.  10    is a perspective view of the razor and holder of  FIG.  9   . 
         FIG.  11    is a perspective view of a razor and holder according to an embodiment, shown uncoupled to each other. 
         FIG.  12    is a perspective view of the razor and holder of  FIG.  11    shown with the razor coupled to the holder. 
         FIG.  13    is a side view illustrating a portion of a handle of the razor of  FIG.  11    coupled to the holder of  FIG.  12    and illustrating magnets within the handle and holder. 
         FIG.  14    is a schematic illustration of a kit, according to an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The apparatus described herein can be used to removably hold an article or item to a mounting surface. More specifically, embodiments of a holder are described herein that can be used to removably hold a variety of different types of articles or items to a mounting surface. For example, the holders described herein can be mounted to a wall (e.g., a bathroom, wall, shower wall, kitchen wall, garage wall, etc.), to a refrigerator, a tool box, within an office system, etc. The holders can be used to hold a razor or other bathroom articles such as a loofa, brush, nail clippers, etc. to the mounting surface. The holders can also be used to removably hold other types or articles or items, such as kitchen items, or various tools (e.g., screw drivers, etc.), office supplies, etc. 
     The holders described herein provide for easy access to removably couple an article to the holder and to easily remove the article from the holder for use. For example, an article can be coupled to a holder with unobstructed access to grasp the article or a portion of the article (e.g., a handle) for removal. The holders described herein can include one or more coupling portions to removably couple an article to the holder. For example, the holders described herein can include a protrusion that functions similar to a hook to allow for a portion of an article to be easily coupled and decoupled from the holder. The holders can optionally include a magnet that can be used to provide a second coupling portion to couple an article to the holder. In this manner, the holder can produce two distinct coupling points to which the article can be coupled, which can improve the attachment strength, limit undesired movement of the article (e.g., rotation of the article relative to the holder), and still allow for easy access for removal of the article. 
     As used herein, the term “about” when used in connection with a referenced numeric indication means the referenced numeric indication plus or minus up to 10 percent of that referenced numeric indication. For example, the language “about  50 ” covers the range of 45 to 55. Similarly, the language “about  5 ” covers the range of 4.5 to 5.5. 
     Similarly, geometric terms, such as “parallel”, “perpendicular”, “round”, or “square”, are not intended to require absolute mathematical precision, unless the context indicates otherwise. Instead, such geometric terms allow for variations due to manufacturing or equivalent functions. For example, if an element is described as “round” or “generally round,” a component that is not precisely circular (e.g., one that is slightly oblong or is a many-sided polygon) is still encompassed by this description. 
     In addition, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “includes”, “has”, and the like specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, components, etc. but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, or groups. 
       FIGS.  1 A- 1 C  illustrate a holder  120  according to an embodiment, shown holding a razor  130  to a mounting surface S.  FIG.  1 A  is a side view,  FIG.  1 B  is a front view, and  FIG.  1 C  is a rear view (as seen from a mounting surface S) of the holder  120  and razor  130 . The holder  120  can be used to removably hold a variety of different types of articles, such as the razor  130 , to a mounting surface S. For example, the holder  120  can be used to hold a razor (such as razor  130 ) or other bathroom articles such as a loofa, brush, nail clippers, etc.. The holder  120  can also be used to removably hold other types or articles or items, such as kitchen items, or various tools (e.g., screw drivers, etc.). For example, the holder  120  can be mounted to a wall (e.g., a bathroom, wall, shower wall, kitchen wall, garage wall, etc.), to a refrigerator, a tool box, within an office system, etc. 
     The holder  120  includes a rear plate  122  (also referred to as “rear portion”) having a first surface  123  (also referred to herein as a “rear surface”), a front plate  124  (also referred to as a “front portion”) having a second surface  125  (also referred to herein as a “front surface”), and a base portion  126 . In some embodiment, the front plate  124 , the base  126  and the rear plate  122  are each separate components coupled together with, for example, an adhesive or welding. In some embodiments, the rear plate  122  can be formed integrally or monolithically with the base  126  and coupled to the front plate  124 , or the front plate  124  can be formed integrally or monolithically with the base  126  and be coupled to the rear plate  122 . In yet other embodiments, the rear plate  122 , the front plate  124 , and the base  126  can be monolithically formed. 
     The holder  120  can be mounted to the mounting surface S by any suitable means. For example, in some embodiments the holder includes an adhesive member  128  disposed on the rear surface  123 . The adhesive member  128  can be, for example, a two-sided adhesive tape that has a first side that is adhesively attached to the rear surface  123  and a second opposite side that includes an adhesive to affix the holder  120  to the mounting surface S. The second side of the adhesive member  128  can include an adhesive cover that is removable by a user to expose the adhesive and mount the holder  120  to a mounting surface. This arrangement allows for mounting the holder to a variety of different materials, such as plastic, shower tiles, glass, stone, metal, wood, or any other surface to which the adhesive will stick. In other embodiments, the holder  120  can include a magnetically attractable rear surface to allow the holder  120  to be mounted to a magnetic material (e.g., a ferromagnetic material, such as steel). 
     The holder  120  includes a protrusion  140  that extends from a top surface  121  of the holder  120 . The protrusion  140  functions similar to a hook to allow for a portion of an article to be easily coupled and decoupled from the holder  120  as described in more detail below. The protrusion  140  can be formed by the base  126  or the base portion and /or the front plate  124 . The protrusion  140  is configured to engage a portion of an article to be removably coupled to the holder  120  such as the contact portion  137  of the razor  130 . The protrusion  140  can maintain the article (e.g., razor  130 ) on the holder  120  while providing for easy removal of the article when desired by a user. As shown in the front view of the holder  120  in  FIG.  3   , the front surface  125  of the holder  120  has a circular shape and is disposed in front of the protrusion  140 . The front surface  125  provides an area against which a second portion of the article can contact when the contact portion  137  is removably coupled to the protrusion  140 . In this embodiment, the front surface is also a planar flat surface across a width W and length L (or diameter) of the front plate  124  (see, e.g.,  FIG.  3   ). The flat surface and size of the front surface  125  can accommodate a variety of different articles to be coupled to the holder  120  as described in more detail below. In addition, the holder  120  can accommodate holding more than one article as described below. 
     In addition to the protrusion  140 , the holder  120  can optionally include a magnet  142  (see  FIG.  5   ) disposed within the base  126  that can be used to provide a further point of attachment for an article to the holder  120 . The magnet can be of any suitable size and strength to produce the desired magnetic field from the front surface  125 . For example, in some embodiments, the front surface can be a nonmagnetic material (e.g., plastic) or can be coated with a nonmagnetic material (e.g., for durability) and the magnet  142  can be located at a desired distance below the front surface  125  such that the front surface remains magnetically attractable. In other embodiments, the front plate  124  can be formed at least in part with a magnetic material rather than providing a magnet  142  within the base  126  such that the front plate  124  can provide a magnetic coupling to an article. In some cases, an article to be coupled to the holder  120  can include a portion formed of a ferromagnetic material such that the portion will be magnetically attracted to the magnet  142  of the holder  120  (or to the front plate  124 ). The combination of the protrusion  140  and the magnet  142  can provide for better fixation of the article to the holder  120  by providing two coupling points for an article with the holder  120 . In some cases, an article to be coupled to the holder  120  can include a magnet that can be magnetically coupled to the magnet  142  of the holder  120 . Such an embodiment is described below with respect to  FIG.  7   . In addition, in some situations, the holder  120  can accommodate holding more than one article. For example, a first article can be coupled to the protrusion  140  and a second article can be magnetically coupled to the holder  120 . In some cases, more than one article can be coupled to the holder  120  via the protrusion  140 . For example, an article, such as a razor, can be coupled to the holder  120  (via the protrusion  140  and the magnet  142 ) and a second article, such as a loofa, can hang from the protrusion  140 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  2 A , the front plate  124  (and front surface  125 ) of the holder  120  forms an angle A relative to the back plate  122  such that when an article is removably coupled to the holder  120 , at least a portion of the article is disposed non-parallel to the mounting surface S. This arrangement helps maintain the article coupled to the holder  120  by providing an additional point of contact (or attachment via the optional magnet  142 ). The angled front surface  125  can also maintain the position of a lower portion of the article disposed away from the mounting surface S. Said another way, a bottom portion of the holder  120  is disposed at a greater distance from the mounting surface S than a top portion of the holder  120 . For example, as shown in  FIG.  2 B , a bottom of the front surface  125  of the holder  120  is disposed at a distance D 1  from a bottom of the rear surface  123 , and a top of the front surface  125  is disposed at a distance D 2  from a top of the rear surface  123 . The distance D 1  is greater than the distance D 2  and corresponds to a width of the holder  120  at the top of the holder  120 , and the distance D 2  corresponds to a width of the holder  120  at a bottom of the holder  120 . As also shown in  FIG.  2 B , a contact edge  141  of the protrusion  140  is disposed at a distance D 3  from the rear surface  123 . The contact edge  141  is where an article can engage the protrusion  140  to be held on the holder  120 . The contact edge  141  can provide a surface for engagement with the article (the article can engage protrusion  140  at any other suitable surface). In some embodiments, the contact edge  141  has a portion that includes a substantially flat surface for engagement with the article. In some cases, the distance D 3  is selected such that when an article is disposed on the holder  120 , the engaging portion of the article is spaced a distance from the mounting surface S (e.g., does not contact the mounting surface). Spacing the article slightly apart from the mounting surface can prevent scratching or damage to the mounting surface S (e.g., from a razor blade as discussed below), can allow for ample paths to drain water (e.g., shower water) away from the article (e.g., the razor head  132  discuss below), and can allow sufficient clearance to allow the user to easily remove the article from the protrusion  140 . Moreover, the angled front surface  125  can also accommodate an article (e.g., razor) that has an angled (or bent design), and can keep the lower portion of the article (e.g., the bottom portion  136  of the handle  135  discussed below) spaced apart from the mounting surface S and at least a portion of the bottom portion  136  of the handle  135  is disposed outside of an envelope defined by the holder  120 . For example, a portion of the bottom portion  136  of the handle  135  can be disposed below or beside the holder  120 . The angle A can be, for example, between about 5 and 30 degrees to accommodate an article (e.g., razor) that has an angled (or bent design). For example in some embodiments, the article has an article coupling (or handle) angle of about 5 and 30 degrees. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  1 A- 1 C and  6   , the razor  130  includes a handle  135  and a razor head  132 . The handle  135  includes a top portion  134  (also referred to herein as “first portion) and a bottom portion  136  (also referred to herein as “second portion”). The razor  130  also includes a release button  133  that can be used to release the razor head  130  from the handle  135 . In this embodiment, the top portion  134  is formed with a ferromagnetic material and is disposed at an angle (referred to as the coupling angle or handle angle) relative to the bottom portion  136  to provide for better ergonomics when using the razor  130 . The top portion  134  of the handle  135  includes a contact surface  131  that can engage the front surface  125  of the holder  120 . In some embodiments, the contact surface  131  is angled (via the handle angle) to correspond to the angle of the front surface of the holder  120 . As shown, for example, in  FIG.  1 A , the razor  130  can be coupled to the holder  120  with the razor head  132  disposed over the protrusion  140  with a contact portion  137  of the razor head  132  engaged with the contact edge  141  of the protrusion  140  to prevent the razor  130  from falling downward. As described above, the contact edge  141  provides a surface such that the razor head  132  sits upwards against the contact edge  141  (does not angle downwards), which can help prevent accumulation of water, humidity and rust on the razor head  132  (see e.g.,  FIG.  1 B ). In addition, the contact surface  131  of the top portion  134  of the handle  135  is engaged with the front surface  125  of the holder  120  such that top portion  134  of the handle  135  is magnetically coupled to the holder  120  via the magnet  140 . In some embodiments, the contact surface  131  is a substantially flat, planar surface to provide contact with an area of the front surface  125  (as opposed to just a point or line of contact). The razor  130  can be removed from the holder  120  by grasping the handle  135  and lifting the razor head  132  off of the protrusion  140 . Thus, the razor  130  cannot be removed by pulling downward on the razor  130 . Moreover, because in the embodiment, the front surface  125  does not surround the upper portion  134  of the handle, the razor  130  can be removed by pulling upward but in any lateral direction (e.g., upward at a  45  degree angle to a longitudinal axis of the handle  135 ). The lower portion  136  of the handle  135  is unobstructed in all directions to provide for easy access to grasp the handle  135  to remove the razor  130  from the holder  120 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  6   , when the razor  130  is coupled to the holder  120 , a portion of the front surface  125  of the holder  120  is unobstructed. Said another way, the front surface  125  of the holder  120  has a surface area greater than a surface area of the contact surface  131  of the top portion  134  of the handle  135  such that a portion of the front surface  125  is uncovered when the razor  130  is coupled to the holder  120 . More specifically, as shown in  FIG.  6    a right side portion R and a left side portion L of the front surface  125  are not covered by the razor  130 . This allows for the razor  130  to be easily placed on the holder  120 . In other words, the size and shape of the front surface  125  of the holder  120  is not limited to the size and shape of the razor  130 . Thus, the holder  120  can be used to hold razors with different sizes and shapes and/or various types of different articles. In addition, the unobstructed space on the front surface  125  can allow for a second article to be coupled to the holder  120  in some cases. For example, a user may couple a razor to the holder  120  and also a small item such as nail clippers or the like that can be magnetically coupled to the front surface  125 . Moreover, although the razor handle  135  is shown as being centered on the front surface  125  (i.e., the exposed right side portion R and left side portion L are substantially equal), because the front surface  125  does not surround the upper portion  134  of the handle  135 , the razor  130  can be coupled to the holder  120  asymmetrically. Similarly stated, the design of the front surface  125  allows the razor  130  to slide to the left or right (as shown in  FIG.  6   ) while remaining mounted to the holder  120 . This can allow for a larger exposed surface area of the front surface area. 
       FIG.  7    illustrates an alternative embodiment of a razor  230  couplable to the holder  120 . In this embodiment, the razor  230  includes a razor head  232 , a handle  235  and a release button  233 . The handle  235  includes a top portion  234  (also referred to herein as “first portion”) and a lower portion  236  (also referred to herein as “second portion”) disposed at an angle relative to the top portion  234  as described above for razor  130 . The razor head  232  can be coupled to the protrusion  140  of the holder  120  in the same manner as described above for razor  130 . In this embodiment, the razor  230  includes a magnet  244  disposed within or coupled to the top portion  234  of the handle  230 . The magnet  244  can have an opposite polarity as the magnet  142  within the holder  120  such that the magnet  244  can be magnetically coupled to the magnet  142  to couple the razor  230  to the holder  120 . 
     Although the front surface  125  of the holder is shown as being circular, in other embodiments, the front surface can have any desired shape (elliptical, square, rectangular, oval, or the like). For example,  FIGS.  8 - 10    illustrate another embodiment of a holder that can be used to removable couple an article to a mounting surface in the same or similar manner as described above for holder  120 . The holder  320  includes a rear plate (not shown) (also referred to as “rear portion”) having a first surface (not shown) (also referred to herein as a “rear surface”), a front plate  324  (also referred to as “front portion”) having a second surface  325  (also referred to herein as front surface), and a base portion  326 . In some embodiment, the front plate  324 , the base  326  and the rear plate are each separate components coupled together with, for example, an adhesive or welding. In some embodiments, the rear plate can be formed integrally or monolithically with the base  326  and coupled to the front plate  324 , or the front plate  324  can be formed integrally or monolithically with the base  326  and be coupled to the rear plate. In yet other embodiments, the rear plate, the front plate  324 , and the base  326  can be monolithically formed. 
     The holder  320  can be mounted to the mounting surface S in any suitable manner described herein. In some embodiments, the holder  320  can be mounted with an adhesive member (not shown) disposed on the rear surface of the rear plate. The adhesive member can be for example, a two-sided adhesive tape that has a first side that is adhesively attached to the rear surface and a second opposite side that includes an adhesive to affix the holder  320  to the mounting surface S. The second side of the adhesive member can include an adhesive cover that is removable by a user to expose the adhesive and mount the holder  320  to a mounting surface. In other embodiments, the holder  320  can include a magnetically attractable rear surface to allow the holder  320  to be mounted to a magnetic material (e.g., a ferromagnetic material, such as steel). 
     Similar to the holder  120 , the holder  320  includes a protrusion  340  that extends from a top surface  321  of the holder  320 . The protrusion  340  can be formed by the base  326  or the base portion and /or the front plate  324 . The protrusion  340  is configured to engage a portion of an article to be removably coupled to the holder  320  such as the contact portion  337  of the razor  330 . The protrusion  340  can maintain the article (e.g., razor  330 ) on the holder  320  while providing for easy removal of the article when desired by a user. As shown in  FIG.  8   , in this embodiment, the front surface  325  of the holder  320  has a square shape. The front surface  325  is also a planar flat surface across a width and length of the front plate  324 . The flat surface and size of the front surface  325  can accommodate a variety of different articles to be coupled to the holder  320  as described above for holder  120 . 
     In addition to the protrusion  340 , the holder  320  can optionally include a magnet (not shown) disposed within the base  326  that can be used to provide a further point of attachment for an article to the holder  320 . In some embodiments, the front plate  324  can be formed at least in part with a magnetic material rather than providing a magnet within the base  326  such that the front plate  324  can provide a magnetic coupling to an article. In some cases, an article to be coupled to the holder  320  can include a portion formed of a ferromagnetic material such that the portion will be magnetically attracted to the magnet of the holder  320  (or to the front plate  324 ). The combination of the protrusion  340  and the magnet can provide for better fixation of the article to the holder  320  by providing two coupling points for an article with the holder  320 . In addition, in some situations, the holder  320  can accommodate holding more than one article. For example, a first article can be coupled to the protrusion  340  and a second article can be magnetically coupled to the holder  320 . In some cases, more than one article can be coupled to the holder  320  via the protrusion  340 . For example, an article, such as a razor, can be coupled to the holder  320  (e.g., via the protrusion  340  and the magnet) and a second article, such as a loofa, can hang from the protrusion  340 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  9   , as with the holder  120 , the front plate  324  (and front surface  325 ) of the holder  320  is disposed at angle relative to the back plate such that when an article is removably coupled to the holder  320 , at least a portion of the article is disposed non-parallel to the mounting surface S to help maintain the article coupled to the holder  320 . The angled front surface  325  can also maintain the position of a lower portion of the article disposed away from the mounting surface S. Said another way, a bottom portion of the holder  320  is disposed at a greater distance from the mounting surface S than a top portion of the holder  320 . A contact edge  341  (see  FIG.  9   ) of the protrusion  340  is disposed at a distance from the rear surface of the holder  320  and is where an article can engage the protrusion  340  to be held on the holder  320 . The contact edge  341  can provide a flat surface such that when certain articles are coupled to the holder  320 , the engaging portion of the article can rest against the flat surface. The angle can be, for example, between about 5 and 30 degrees. In some embodiments the angle can correspond to an article coupling angle (or bend angle of a handle), which can also be between about 5 and 30 degrees. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  9  and  10   , the razor  330  includes a handle  335  and a razor head  332 . The handle  335  includes a top portion  334  and a bottom portion  336 . The razor  330  also includes a release button  333  that can be used to release the razor head  330  from the handle  335 . In this embodiment, the top portion  334  is formed with a ferromagnetic material and is disposed at an angle relative to the bottom portion  336  to provide for better ergonomics when using the razor  330 . The top portion  334  of the handle  335  includes a contact surface  331  that can engage the front surface  325  of the holder  320 . In some embodiments, the contact surface  331  has an angle that corresponds to the angle of the front surface of the holder  320 . As shown, for example, in  FIG.  9   , the razor  330  can be coupled to the holder  320  with the razor head  332  disposed over the protrusion  340  with a contact portion  337  of the razor head  332  engaged with the contact edge  341  of the protrusion  340  to prevent the razor  330  from falling downward. As described above, the contact edge  341  provides a flat surface such that the razor head  332  can sit upwards (does not angle downwards), which can help prevent accumulation of humidity and rust on the razor head  332  ( FIG.  9    illustrates the razor head  332  not fully engaged with the contact edge for illustration purposes). In addition, the contact surface  331  of the top portion  334  of the handle  335  is engaged with the front surface  325  of the holder  320  such that top portion  334  of the handle  335  is magnetically coupled to the holder  320  via the magnet within the holder  320 . The razor  330  can be removed from the holder  320  by grasping the handle  335  and lifting the razor head  332  off of the protrusion  340 . The handle  335  is unobstructed in all directions to provide for easy access to grasp the handle  335 . As shown in  FIG.  10   , when the razor  330  is coupled to the holder  320 , a portion of the front surface  325  of the holder  320  is unobstructed. Said another way, the front surface  325  of the holder  320  has a surface area greater than a surface area of the contact surface  331  of the top portion  334  of the handle  335  such that a portion of the front surface  325  is uncovered when the razor  330  is coupled to the holder  320 . As with the holder  120 , this allows for the razor  330  to be easily placed on the holder  320 . In other words, the size and shape of the front surface  325  of the holder  320  is not limited to the size and shape of the razor  330 . Thus, the holder  320  can be used to hold razors with different sizes and shapes and/or various types of different articles. 
       FIGS.  11 - 13    illustrate yet another embodiment of a holder that can be used to removably couple an article, such as razor  430  shown in  FIGS.  11 - 13   , to a mounting surface in the same or similar manner as described above for holder  120 . The holder  420  can include a rear plate (not shown) (also referred to as “rear portion”) having a first surface (not shown) (also referred to herein as a “rear surface”), a front plate  424  (also referred to as “front portion”) having a second surface  425  (also referred to herein as a first front surface) and a third surface  427  (also referred to herein as a second front surface), and a base portion  426 . In some embodiments, the front plate  424 , the base  426  and the rear plate are each separate components coupled together with, for example, an adhesive or welding. In some embodiments, the rear plate can be formed integrally or monolithically with the base  426  and coupled to the front plate  424 , or the front plate  424  can be formed integrally or monolithically with the base  426  and be coupled to the rear plate. In yet other embodiments, the rear plate, the front plate  424 , and the base  426  can be monolithically formed. 
     The holder  420  can be mounted to a mounting surface S (see  FIG.  12   ) in any suitable manner described herein. In some embodiments, the holder  420  can be mounted with an adhesive member (not shown) disposed on the rear surface of the rear plate. The adhesive member can be for example, a two-sided adhesive tape that has a first side that is adhesively attached to the rear surface and a second opposite side that includes an adhesive to affix the holder  420  to the mounting surface S. The second side of the adhesive member can include an adhesive cover that is removable by a user to expose the adhesive and mount the holder  420  to a mounting surface. In other embodiments, the holder  420  can include a magnetically attractable rear surface to allow the holder  420  to be mounted to a magnetic material (e.g., a ferromagnetic material, such as steel). 
     In this embodiment, the first front surface  425  is a planar flat surface that is angled in a first direction relative to the first surface (i.e., rear surface) of the rear plate and the second front surface  427  is a planar flat surface that is angled in a second, opposite direction relative to the first surface of the rear plate. Said another way, the first front surface  425  and the second front surface  427  come together at an apex Ap and are angled in a direction away from each other. In some embodiments, the first front surface  425  and the second front surface  427  are angled to correspond to an angled contact surface  431  of a top portion  434  (also referred to herein as “first portion) of the handle  435 , and an angled contact surface  429  of a bottom portion  436  (also referred to herein as “second portion”) of the handle  435  of the razor  430 . 
     The holder  420  can also include one or more magnets to magnetically and removably couple an article (e.g., the razor  430 ) to the holder  420 . For example, as shown in  FIG.  13   , the holder  420  can include a first magnet  442  and a second magnet  443  disposed within the base  426  that can be used to provide a point of attachment for an article to the holder  420 . In some embodiments, the front plate  424  can be formed at least in part with a magnetic material rather than providing a magnet within the base  426  such that the front plate  424  can provide a magnetic coupling to an article. In some cases, an article to be coupled to the holder  420  can include a portion formed of a ferromagnetic material such that the portion will be magnetically attracted to one or both of the magnets  442  and  443  of the holder  420  (or to the front plate  424 ). In some embodiments, an article, such as razor  430 , can include one or more magnets that can be magnetically coupled to the one or more magnets of the holder  420 . For example, as shown in  FIG.  13   , a magnet  444  and a magnet  446  are disposed within the handle  435  of the razor  430 . The magnet  444  and the magnet  446  can each have an opposite polarity as the first magnet  442  and second magnet  443  within the holder  420  such that the magnets  444  and  446  can be magnetically coupled to the first magnet  442  and the second magnet  443 , respectively, to removably couple the razor  430  to the holder  420 . In addition, in some situations, the holder  420  can accommodate holding more than one article. For example, a first article can be magnetically coupled to the holder  420  via the first magnet  442  and a second article can be magnetically coupled to the holder  420  via the second magnet  443 . 
     As best shown in  FIG.  13   , and as described above, the front plate  424  (and front surfaces  425  and  427 ) of the holder  420  are disposed at angles relative to the back plate such that when an article is removably coupled to the holder  420 , at least a portion of the article is disposed non-parallel to the mounting surface S to help maintain the article coupled to the holder  420 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  11  and  12   , the razor  430  includes the handle  435  and a razor head  432 . As described above, the handle  435  includes the top portion  434  and the bottom portion  436 . The razor  430  also includes a release button  433  that can be used to release the razor head  430  from the handle  435 . Although  FIG.  13    shows the handle  430  including two magnets  444  and  446 , in alternative embodiments, the top portion  434  of the handle  435  can be formed with a ferromagnetic material to magnetically couple to the holder  420 . The top portion  434  is disposed at an angle relative to the bottom portion  436  to provide for better ergonomics when using the razor  430 . The top portion  434  of the handle  435  includes the contact surface  431  that can engage the first front surface  425  of the holder  420  and the bottom portion  436  includes the contact surface  429  that can engage the second front surface  427  of the holder  420 . As shown, for example, in  FIG.  13   , the contact surface  431  of the top portion  434  of the handle  435  is engaged with the first front surface  425  of the holder  420  such that the top portion  434  of the handle  435  is magnetically coupled to the holder  420  via the magnet  442  within the holder  420  and the magnet  444  within the handle  435 . And the contact surface  429  of the bottom portion  436  of the handle  435  is engaged with the second front surface  427  of the holder  420  such that the bottom portion  436  of the handle  435  is magnetically coupled to the holder  420  via the magnet  443  within the holder  420  and the magnet  446  within the handle  435 . When the razor  430  is coupled to the holder  420 , the handle  435  is unobstructed in all directions to provide for easy access to grasp the handle  435  (see e.g.,  FIG.  12   ). As shown in  FIG.  12   , when the razor  430  is coupled to the holder  420 , a portion of the first front surface  425  of the holder  420  is unobstructed and a portion of the second front surface  427  of the holder is unobstructed. Said another way, the first front surface  425  of the holder  420  has a surface area greater than a surface area of the contact surface  431  of the top portion  434  of the handle  435  such that a portion of the first front surface  425  is uncovered when the razor  430  is coupled to the holder  420 . Similarly, the second front surface  427  of the holder  420  has a surface area greater than a surface area of the contact surface  429  of the bottom portion  436  of the handle  435  such that a portion of the second front surface  427  is uncovered when the razor  430  is coupled to the holder  420 . As with the holder  120 , this allows for the razor  430  to be easily placed on the holder  420 . In other words, the size and shape of the front surface  425  of the holder  420  is not limited to the size and shape of the razor  430 . Thus, the holder  420  can be used to hold razors with different sizes and shapes and/or various types of different articles. 
     The embodiments of a holder described herein can be provided in a kit that can include a holder and an article to be removably mounted on the holder.  FIG.  14    is a schematic illustration of a kit  500  that includes a package  545  with a holder  520  and an article  530  disposed therein. The holder  520  can be any of the holders (e.g.,  120 ,  320 ,  420 ) described herein and the article  530  can be any article that can be coupled to the holder  520 . For example, in some embodiments, the article  530  is a razor such as the razor  130 ,  230 ,  330  or  430  described herein. 
     While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Where methods and/or schematics described above indicate certain events and/or flow patterns occurring in certain order, the ordering of certain events and/or operations may be modified. While the embodiments have been particularly shown and described, it will be understood that various changes in form and details may be made. 
     Although various embodiments have been described as having particular features and/or combinations of components, other embodiments are possible having various combinations or subcombinations of any features and/or components from any of the embodiments described herein. For example, any of the embodiments of a holder (e.g.,  120 ,  320 ,  420 ,  520 ) can include only the protrusion (e.g.,  140 ,  340 ,  440 ) for coupling an article to the holder. Although the various embodiments of a holder are shown only with a razor coupled thereto, as described herein, the holders can be used to removably coupled a variety of different types of articles to a mounting surface. 
     Further, although the articles (e.g., razors  130 ,  230 ,  330 ,  430 ) are shown being coupled to the holders ( 120 ,  320 ,  420 ) in a vertical orientation (i.e., longitudinal axis substantially vertical) by the flat, upper portion of the handle, in other embodiments, the magnetic coupling of the holder can facilitate coupling an article in any suitable orientation. For example, the handle can be coupled to the holder at a bottom portion of the handle, attached in a tilted orientation, attached to different side of the handle, attached with the razor head facing outward, etc. In some embodiments, the bottom portion of the handle can be formed at least in part with a ferromagnetic material and can be magnetically coupled to the front surface of the holder. For example, in some embodiments, the razor handle can have a ferromagnetic core that allows it to be magnetically coupled to the holder at any location along the handle.