Patent Abstract:
A dispenser and disposal system comprising: a cup, the cup comprising and interior volume, and an exterior surface; a lid removably attachable to the cup, the lid having a top side and an underside; a first pouch in communication with the lid, located in the interior volume, and in communication with the first slot, the first pouch comprising a first end that is generally adjacent to the lid, and a second end distal to the lid, and wherein the first end generally comprises an opening to the first pouch; and a second pouch in communication with the lid, located in the interior volume; and in communication with the second slot, the second pouch comprising a first end that is generally adjacent to the lid, and a second end distal to the lid, and wherein the first end generally comprises an opening to the second pouch.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/347,155 filed on May 21, 2010 by Patrick B. Harris, the entire contents of which are fully incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to an apparatus that can both dispense items, and dispose of the items, and more specifically relates to an apparatus that can both dispense and dispose of paper items, such as tissues. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Disposable products, such as tissue papers, papers towels, napkins, moist wipes, etc., are often stored in some type of package. For example, unused tissue papers may be stored in a cardboard box containing a perforated cover. A user typically tears open the perforated cover to access the unused tissue papers. After using the tissue paper, a user may dispose the tissue paper in a waste basket. 
         [0004]    In many situations, there may not be a waste basket or other container available in which to dispose the used tissue paper or other disposable product. In such situation, a user may place the used tissue paper in an undesirable location, such as on top of a table, on a chair, on the floor, or in one&#39;s pocket. Such undesirable disposal of the used tissue paper may lead to non-environmentally friendly disposal and may also lead to unsanitary conditions, which may result in illness in people who come in contact, directly or indirectly, with the used tissue paper. 
         [0005]    Often times, a person may need to use a tissue when in a vehicle, and often times there is not an adequate place to hold a tissue container, and there may also be no adequate place to dispose of the used tissue. 
         [0006]    Thus, there is a need for an apparatus that overcomes the above and other disadvantages. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The disclosed invention relates to a dispenser and disposal system comprising: a cup, the cup comprising and interior volume, and an exterior surface; a lid removably attachable to the cup, the lid having a top side and an underside; a first pouch in communication with the lid, located in the interior volume, and in communication with the first slot, the first pouch comprising a first end that is generally adjacent to the lid, and a second end distal to the lid, and wherein the first end generally comprises an opening to the first pouch; and a second pouch in communication with the lid, located in the interior volume; and in communication with the second slot, the second pouch comprising a first end that is generally adjacent to the lid, and a second end distal to the lid, and wherein the first end generally comprises an opening to the second pouch. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The present disclosure will be better understood by those skilled in the pertinent art by referencing the accompanying drawings, where like elements are numbered alike in the figures, in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a side exploded view of the disclosed apparatus; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the disclosed apparatus; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a top view of a lid; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view of the lid; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the bottom mounting ring; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a side cross-sectional view of the bottom mounting ring; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the top mounting ring; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a side cross-sectional view of the top mounting ring; 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is a top view of a wire mounting ring; 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the wire mounting ring attached to various components of the apparatus; 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a top view of the winged mounting ring before being folded closed; 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is a side view of the device with a wire used on the bags; 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the bag after the wire is installed and the bag it is sealed; 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  shows several views of the device being assembled; 
           [0023]      FIG. 15  is a side view of the disclosed up and a holder; 
           [0024]      FIG. 16  is a top view of the disclosed holder; 
           [0025]      FIG. 17  is a top view of the disclosed lid: 
           [0026]      FIG. 18  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the disclosed apparatus; 
           [0027]      FIG. 19  is a bottom perspective view of the apparatus from  FIG. 18 , with the cup removed; 
           [0028]      FIG. 20  is an exploded view of the apparatus from  FIGS. 18 and 19 ; and 
           [0029]      FIG. 21  is an exploded view of another embodiment of the disclosed apparatus. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0030]      FIG. 1  shows a front exploded view one embodiment of the disclosed apparatus  10 . The apparatus comprises a cup  14 . The cup  14  may be tapered as shown, or may be shaped more cylindrically (with generally parallel sides). The cup may have an opened bottom  16 . In other embodiments, the bottom  16  may closed, or have a removable bottom. Located within container is a dual-pouched bag  18 , shown in dashed line when in the cup  14 . The bag  18  has a first pouch  22  and a second pouch  26 . In one alternative embodiment, the second pouch  26  may have a sealable opening  30  at or near its bottom. The sealable opening  30  may be any suitable type of closeable opening including but limited to Ziploc style openings, zippered opening, and adhesive openings. The apparatus  10  also comprises a bottom mounting ring  34 , a layer of material  38 , such as but not limited to cellophane, a top mounting ring  42 , and a lid  46 . The lid  46  attaches to the cup  14 , and when attached to the cup  14 , the dual pouched bag  18  is held between the bottom mounting ring  34 , and the layer of material  38  and the top mounting ring  42 . The first pouch  22  is configured to hold a plurality of tissues arranged such that one tissue at a time may be dispensed from the apparatus  10 . Although this disclosure discusses tissues, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that polishing wipes, car tire protectant wipes, metal polishing wipes, window polishing wipes, disinfectant wipes, anti-bacterial wipes and the like may all be used in the disclosed cups instead of tissues. The second pouch  26  is configured to accept used tissues and other small refuse. If the second pouch  26  is filled up before the first pouch  22  is empty, one can empty the second pouch  26  by opening the sealable opening  30 , and emptying out the second pouch  26 . In another embodiment a single ring may be used and the bags mounted directly to the single ring. The apparatus may also comprise a sleeve configured to slide over the cup  14 . The sleeve may have artistic designs, kids games, kids puzzles, areas for coloring, lined areas for list writing and memos, and calendars. The sleeve may be made out of any suitable material including but not limited to paper, cardboard, and plastic. 
         [0031]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the disclosed apparatus  10 . In this view, the lid  46  is visible. The lid  46  has two openings  50 ,  54 . The top mounting ring  42  also has two openings  58 ,  62 . The bottom mounting ring  34  also has two openings  66 ,  70 . These pairs of openings,  50 ,  54 ,  58 ,  62 ,  66 ,  70  allow for access to each of the two pouches  22 ,  26 . The material layer  38  has a first  74  and second slot  78  configured to be generally centrally located within the openings  50 ,  54 ,  58 ,  62 ,  66 ,  70 . Thus one may remove a tissue from a first pouch  22 , and dispose of the tissue, or other refuse, into the second pouch  26 , via the slots  74 ,  78 . Each of the slots may also have a reinforcement strip  82 ,  86  associated with them. The lid  46  may snap or screw onto the cup  14 . The top and bottom mounting rings  34 ,  42  may be glued, stapled or otherwise attached to each other, with the dual-pouched bag  18  and layer of material  38  held between the two attached rings  34 ,  42 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the lid  46 . In this view the openings  50  and  54  are shown alone.  FIG. 4  is a side cross-sectional view of the lid  46 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the bottom mounting ring  34 .  FIG. 6  is a side cross-sectional view of the bottom mounting ring  34 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 7  is a top view of the top mounting ring  42 .  FIG. 8  is a side cross-sectional view of the top mounting ring  42 . 
         [0035]    In another embodiment shown in  FIG. 11 , instead of having two separate mounting rings, the pattern for the mounting ring includes two wings  100 , 101  that when folded inward matches the mounting ring in the center  102 . Additionally in  FIG. 12  we see a small gauge pliable wire  103  is attached to the bag material  105  before the bag sides are sealed.  FIG. 13  shows the wired bag opening  104  supported with wire  103  to give the bag an opened form. The bags  106  are linked together at their midpoints  107 , see  FIG. 14 . The bags  106  are then dropped into the mounting ring through holes  108 ,  109  of the center mounting ring  102 . A cellophane type material  112  may then be placed on top of the center mounting ring  102 . The wings  100 , 101  are then folded inward and plastic welded to the center mounting ring  102 . The holes in the mounting ring wings  100 , 101  are thereby aligned directly over the holes in the center mounting ring  110 , 111  so that the bags openings  104  , 104  may be accessed through the holes. Tabs may be placed on two opposite sides of the mounting ring which would be able to be set into a hole-slot in the cup to secure the mounting ring and bags in the cup. In another embodiment, instead of using mounting rings to couple the bags  106  to the cup  14 , the bags  106  may be coupled to the cup  14 , by other attachment means, including but not limited to adhesives, tape, two-sided tape, Velcro, glue, etc. 
         [0036]    In other embodiments, the apparatus may be square shaped, like a box, or rectangular shaped instead of cup shaped. Instead of a cup  14 , the apparatus may comprise a rectangular box, with two openings at its top, and a dual-pouched bag for tissue and refuse, with one opening in the top of the box for receiving the tissue and one opening in the top of the box for disposing of the tissue and other refuse. 
         [0037]    The cup may have a separate holder  120  for placement of cell phones, Chap Stick or other normal things carried in vehicles and may be attached to the cup using an adjustable clasp system which wraps around the cup and then is anchored by exposing a sticky tape, Velcro. wire, snaps or any other means.  FIG. 15  shows a side view of the cup  14  with the separate holder  120  attached to it. The holder  120  may have a generally tapered and generally curved attachment side  124  that allows it to abut the tapered and rounded cup  14 .  FIG. 16  shows a top view of the holder  120 . One can see a generally crescent moon shape of the holder  120  in this view.  FIG. 17  shows an optional lid  128  that can fit onto the top of the holder  120 . 
         [0038]    In use, once the tissue containing pouch  22  is emptied, one removes the lid  46 , and simply throw away the dual pouched bag  18 , the two mounting rings  42 ,  34 , and the layer of material  38 , and simply replace with a new dual-pouched bag  18  that is attached to two mounting rings  42 ,  34  along with a layer of material  38 . The cup  14  may have an outer diameter configured to fit cup holders in vehicles, boats, trains, etc. In another embodiment, instead of two mounting rings  34 ,  42 , a single mounting ring made of wire or thin material may be used, with the dual-pouched bag attached to the wire ring, and the layer of material attached to the wire mounting ring. See  FIG. 9  for a top view of the wire mounting ring  90 . The wire mounting ring  90  has two openings  94 ,  98  for each of the pouches  22 ,  26 .  FIG. 10  shows the wire mounting ring  90  with the dual-pouched bag  18  and material layer  38  attached to it. In still another embodiment, Velcro strips may be located on the sides of the cup, so that Velcro material may be attached to the Velcro strips in order to increase the circumference and/or diameter of the cup so that it will fit in larger cup holders. In another embodiment, tacky putty may be removeably attached to the bottom of the cup, to more firmly secure the cup to table tops, desks and other surfaces, and reduce the chances of the cup from being knocked over. 
         [0039]      FIG. 18  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the disclosed dispenser  140 . In this embodiment, the dispenser comprises a cup  14  (shown in dashed line) and a lid  46 . The lid may have a first slot  74  and a second slot  78 . Slot  74  may be a an x-shaped or cross-shaped slot. In this embodiment, a first bag  144  and a second bag  148  are both attached to the underside  152  of the lid  46 . The bags  144 ,  148  may be attached to the underside  152  of the lid  46  via an adhesive, staples, two-sided tape, Velcro, glue or any other suitable attachment means. The first bag  144  will act as a trash receptacle. The first bag  144  may have a resealable opening  156 . The resealable opening  156  may be, but not limited to zippered opening, Ziploc style opening, a zipper lock type resealable opening, either with or without a slider, or an opening that can be resealed with an adhesive. The second bag  148  is configured to hold numerous tissues, wipes, etc. Thus, in use, one may simply pull a tissue or wipe, from the slot  78 . When the user is done with the tissue or wipe, the user can insert the used tissue or wipe into slot  74 , thereby depositing the used tissue or wipe into the first bag  144 . If the first bag becomes full with used tissues and wipes, or other trash, the user may simply remove the lid from the cup, with the first and second bags  144 ,  148  still attached to the lid. The user may then unseal the resealable opening  156  and dispose of the trash in the first bag  144 , close the resealable the opening  156 , and place the lid  46  back on the cup  14 , with the bags  144 , 148  back inside the cup, but now with the first bag  144  generally empty.  FIG. 19  is a bottom perspective view of the lid  56  and the bags  144 ,  148 . In this view, for this embodiment, an adhesive  160  that attaches the bags  144 ,  148  to the underside  152  of the lid  46  is shown as the shaded material. 
         [0040]      FIG. 20  is a exploded view of the device from  FIGS. 18 and 19 . In this view the lid  46  is shown attached to the cup  14 . A lid cap  164  is shown above the lid  46 . A sealing device  168  is shown above the lid cap  164 . The sealing device  168  may be a seal made of a thin plastic material that generally covers the perimeter of the lid  46  and generally an outer circumference of the lid cap  164 , and seals the cap  164  against the lid  46 . The sealing device  168  may have a perforated portion  172  to allow a user to conveniently remove the sealing device  168  from the cup, and remove the cap  164 , to allow the user to pulls tissues or wipes from the slot  78 , and dispose the of the tissues or wipes in the slot  74 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 21  is an exploded view of another embodiment of the disclosed invention  200 . IN this embodiment, the cup  14  has an interior volume which is configured to contain a first bag  178  and a second bag  179 . First bag  178  may be configured to hold a plurality of tissues. Second bag  179  may be configured to be a trash bag to hold refuse, such as used tissues, or other trash. First bag  178  may have a resealable opening  182 . The resealable opening may be, but not limited to zippered opening, Ziploc style opening, a zipper lock type resealable opening, either with or without a slider, or an opening that can be resealed with an adhesive. The bags  178 ,  179  may be attached to the underside  204  of a dust cover  176 . The dust cover may be made out of plastic, or cellophane, or any other suitable material. The bags  178 ,  179  may be attached to the dust cover  176  via an adhesive, staples, two-sided tape, Velcro, glue or any other suitable attachment means. A first slot or cross-slit  177  may be located in the dust cover, and be configured to be in communication with the interior for the first bag  178 . A second slot or cross-slit  208  may be located in the dust cover, and be configured to be in communication with the interior of the second bag  179 . A lid  175  is removably attachable to the cup  14 . The lid may have a first and a second generally crescent shaped opening  173 ,  174 . The openings  173 ,  174  may also be generally semi-circular shaped. The dustcover  176  is attached to the underside of the lid  175 , via an adhesive, staples, two-sided tape, Velcro, glue or any other suitable attachment means. 
         [0042]    The disclosed invention has many advantages. The cup may be configured to be held any sized cup holder, thus keeping the cup in a secure and known location. Having tissues dispensing and disposal in the same container keeps the location clean of used tissues that typically are placed in ones pocket or the floor, armrest, cup holder or door pocket. The dual-pouched bag and a vertical rolling of the tissues give extra protection to new tissues should the disposal side bag rip or tear due to over exertion during disposal. The tissues in one pouch may be folded into a tube formation. This enables many more tissues to be place in the dispensing end than tissues folded in any other discovered way; gives a third layer of protection from anything placed in the disposal side. This is accomplished by the wrap around effect of the tube using the outer layer of tissues to protect the inner layers of tissues until one gets to the last few tissues. The lid and dual-pouched bag are completely disposable. When all of the tissues are used, the bag system (lid, material layer, mounting rings and attached dual-pouch bags) are removed from the cup and thrown away. The cup is constructed for reuse. A new plastic bag system (with lid and fresh tissues, dispensing and disposal bags) are placed on the same cup used the last time. In another embodiment the cup and lid are reusable and the plastic bag system (with mounting ring and fresh tissues and dispensing and disposal bags) are placed on the same cup as before and covered with the same lid as before. Specially manufactured tissues may be used so as to conform for the size or the cup. One, two or three ply tissues may be used. The disclosed apparatus may be modified for additional benefits. A disposal only plastic bag system may be supplied for installation on the cup. If tissues are not needed at any time period, the disposal only bag system can replace the standard plastic bag system on the cup and the cup can be used for disposal of any materials (size appropriate) in ones travels. The cup itself can be decorated for different seasons, age groups, holidays etc. The cup can be used for the dispensing and disposal of food items such as peanuts and their shells, candy, chocolate, nuts, and other foods. The apparatus may comprise a disposable boxed shaped unit with two chambers. One side is for dispensing preloaded tissues and the other side is for the disposal of used tissues or any size appropriate materials. This embodiment is designed for use in the home, daycare, hospital rooms or doctor&#39;s waiting rooms and offices, for example. The dispensing chamber may be specially made so as to use the same size tissue as the vehicle cup holder version. The disposal side is the same size container as the dispensing side so that only one size box need be manufactured. A separate container can be attached to make room for holding personal items such as reading glasses, pens or cell phones. In another embodiment, the disposable box shaped unit may be smaller and a convenient size for fitting in a purse or for taking in a backpack. One side of the unit is a chamber for dispensing preloaded tissues and the other side of the unit is a chamber for disposal of used tissues. There may be a small chamber on one end for storage of chapstick or something similar in size such as a small antibiotic spray bottle. Another embodiment may comprise a single unit, sized for coffee tables and night stands, which holds replaceable throw away containers (for dispensing and disposal of tissues, napkins, paper towels, moist wipes, food, and the like), personal items (such as glasses, TV controllers and pens) and table coasters. The construction of this boxed shaped unit may be such that the bins are separated by a personal item storage section. The table coaster holder is located directly below the previously mentioned bins and personal storage area, with the opening large enough to slide typical table coasters in for storage. The disclosed apparatus may be constructed of wood, plastic or vinyl covered boxed frames. Cardboard may be used, as well as any other suitable material. In another embodiment, each of the chambers may be covered by a lid hinged at the back of the box such that when the lid is closed the chambers are completely covered. When the lids are flipped open the doors disappear behind the unit. Picture holders may be installed on the inner side of the two chambers lids so the when the lid is opened a favorite picture will be displayed on the backside of the box. A container of tissues may be loaded in one of the bins of the unit and an empty container is loaded into the disposal side. These containers may be made of cardboard. The disposal containers may be folded before use for ease of storage. The containers may throwaway and replaceable and recyclable. The personal storage may be divided and sized for holding two remote controls. The rest of the area may be divided into areas for other items such as reading glasses and pens. Partition dividers are supplied so that the different areas of the storage area can be altered by placing a partitions where needed. A small clock can be mounted in the front of box. An antimicrobial, or antibacterial, or antiviral material may be used for all or portions of this device. The disclosed device is a green device in that prevents littering. 
         [0043]    It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and the like may be used herein to modify elements performing similar and/or analogous functions. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated. 
         [0044]    While the disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0