Patent Abstract:
A dispenser includes a container having an opening; and a cover coupled to the container and configured to cover the opening, the cover including a base coupled to the container, the base having side walls defining an interior opening; a first tab and a second extending outwardly in a first direction from a first one of the side walls, wherein the second tab is spaced from and substantially parallel to the first tab, a third tab and a fourth tab extending outwardly in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction from a second one of the side walls, wherein the fourth tab is spaced from and substantially parallel to the third tab; and a lid tray rotatably coupled to the base and configured to cover the interior opening.

Full Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to dispensers for articles, and particularly to a cover for such dispensers. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Dispensers for articles such as tissues and wet wipes are well known in the art. Such articles may be provided as moistened, but also dry or with lotion, and are often generally rectangular in shape and supplied interleaved, as discrete sheets, or separably connected. Dispensers for such articles are typically in box form, i.e., in the shape of a parallelepiped, wherein the box has an opening through which the articles can be removed. The opening of the dispenser can be covered by a lid that may be opened by, for example, being cut along a perforated edge, having an adhesive that may be sealed and unsealed repeatedly, or by having a hinged cover that can be opened and closed repeatedly. 
         [0003]    Although the container and cover may be used together without being coupled to any other structure, often is it desirable for the container to be attached to another assembly, such as a wall or table mount, a warmer, or a disposal, among others. Although the container may be coupled directly to such assembly, such as by being accommodated within a space of the assembly, because the container may comprise a flexible material and be subjected to forces applied by a user removing wipes from the container, the container may become dislodged or otherwise separated from the assembly if attached directly, particularly as the number of wipes within the container is reduced. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    A dispenser includes a container having an opening; and a cover coupled to the container and configured to cover the opening, the cover having a base coupled to the container and a lid tray rotatably coupled to the base and configured to cover the interior opening. In one embodiment, the base includes side walls defining an interior opening; a first tab extending outwardly in a first direction from a first one of the side walls, a second tab extending outwardly in the first direction from the first one of the side walls, wherein the second tab is spaced from and substantially parallel to the first tab, a third tab extending outwardly in a second direction substantially opposite to the first direction from a second one of the side walls, and a fourth tab extending outwardly in the second direction from the second one of the side walls, wherein the fourth tab is spaced from and substantially parallel to the third tab. 
         [0005]    In one embodiment, the first tab and the third tab have a notch and the second tab and the fourth tab are generally aligned with the notch of the first tab and the third tab, respectively. Further, the first tab and the third tab may extend from an upper edge of the first side wall and the second side wall, respectively, and the second tab and the fourth tab may extend from a lower edge of the first side wall and the second side wall, respectively. Additionally, the lid tray may have an interior wall at least partially spaced from an edge of the lid tray and which is configured to contact an interior of the side walls of the base. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a cover for a dispenser according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the cover of  FIG. 1  coupled to a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0008]    In general, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a dispenser having a cover intended to be used with a container containing articles stacked together, the articles configured to be individually removed from the container through the cover. Specifically, the following description focuses on one of the many possible applications for use of the dispenser, namely, for holding and dispensing moist tissue wipes. However, it will be appreciated that the cover and container are not limited to the described applications, but rather could be used for a variety of applications. 
         [0009]    According to embodiments of the dispenser of the present invention, the cover is configured to be coupled to another assembly, for example, a wall or table mount, a warmer, or a disposal, among others, to allow the dispenser to be securely and removably coupled to such assembly such that all of the articles within the dispenser can be easily removed therefrom without dislodging the dispenser from the assembly. According to embodiments of the present invention, by attaching the cover of the dispenser to the assembly, rather than merely accommodating the container in the assembly, the dispenser can remain coupled to the assembly even when a significant force is applied to the dispenser as wipes are removed from the container, even if only a few wipes remain in the container. 
         [0010]    With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a dispenser  100  includes a cover  10  configured to be attached to a container  12  housing articles, such as moist wipes. The cover  10  can be coupled to the container  12  by being, for example, hot-melted onto the container along a bottom surface as is well-known. However, it will be appreciated that the cover  10  could also be attached to the container  12  by any number of other ways to establish a permanent or temporary connection between the cover and the container, or the cover and the container may be integral as a single piece. 
         [0011]    The container  12  may generally be configured to house a number of articles and may be generally box-shaped. In one embodiment, the container  12  may be made from a relatively flexible resin material, however it will be appreciated that any container configured to house articles may be used in connection with embodiments of the present invention, and the shape, configuration, and materials of the container are not limited to those described herein. 
         [0012]    In one embodiment, the cover  10  is made from a relatively rigid resin material that will allow it to support the dispenser  100  when the dispenser is coupled to another assembly by using the cover, as described below. The cover  10  includes a lid tray  14  connected by a hinge  15  to a base  16  that is fixedly coupled to the container  12 . The lid tray  14  has a top face  18 , a bottom face  20 , and a peripheral side wall  22  extending from the top and bottom faces  18 ,  20 . In one embodiment, the peripheral side wall  22  is integral with and is substantially perpendicular to the top and bottom faces  18 ,  20  of the lid tray  14 . Further, the peripheral side wall  22  defines an inside surface  24  and an outside surface  26 , wherein the outside surface is configured to be substantially flush with a periphery of the base  16  when the lid tray  14  is in a closed position, as described in more detail below. 
         [0013]    The lid tray  14  further includes an interior wall  28  extending from the bottom face  20 . In one embodiment, the interior wall  28  extends to form a loop and is substantially parallel to the peripheral side wall  22 . At least a portion of the interior wall  28  is spaced from the peripheral side wall  22  and, as will be described in more detail below, the interior wall is configured to form an interference fit with the base  16  to maintain the lid tray  14  in the closed position. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment, a latch  30  extends from a portion of the peripheral side wall  22 , the latch being configured to engage a ridge  32  on the base  16 . The latch  30  may be integral with the lid tray  14  and may be configured to bend outwardly to slide over the ridge  32  and be biased to engage the ridge in a locking manner. As such, the lid tray  14  can be locked to the base  16  in the closed position. The latch  30  can be released from the ridge  32  by being bent away from the ridge and then by rotating the lid tray  14  away from the base  16 . As will be appreciated, any type of latch or other locking mechanism can be used in connection with embodiments of the dispenser of the present invention, which is not limited to the latch  30  described herein. 
         [0015]    The lid tray  14  and the base  16  are rotatably connected by the hinge  15 . In one embodiment, the hinge  15  may be a living hinge wherein the hinge in integral with and made from the same material as the cover and the base. The hinge  15  may be continuous along a portion of or along an entirety of an edge of the lid tray  14  and/or the base  16  or the hinge may comprise a plurality of sections spaced from each other to reduce the stress on the hinge when the cover is opened and closed. Alternatively, a conventional hinge using multiple structures as is well-known, such as a barrel hinge, among others, can be used to rotatably couple the lid tray  14  to the base  16 . Although the cover  10  is described as having a lid tray  14  rotatably coupled thereto, it will be appreciated that the lid tray could also be removably coupleable to the base  16 . Further, the lid tray  14  may be omitted entirely such that the “cover” would include the base and leave an opening in the container exposed. In other words, when used without the lid tray  14 , the base  16  would provide a structure to allow the base, and any container or package attached to the base, to be coupled to an outside structure similarly to if the lid tray were attached to the base. 
         [0016]    The base  16  is defined by a front wall  34 , a rear wall  36 , and side walls  38  each having interior and exterior-facing surfaces. An interior flange  40  extends substantially perpendicularly from the interior-facing surface of the walls  34 ,  36 ,  38  and defines an opening  42  configured to allow articles to be removed from the container  12  attached to the cover  10 . As shown, the opening  42  is substantially rectangular and sized to encompass a significant area of the base, but it will be appreciated that the opening could be smaller and also be of a different shape or configuration depending on the application of the cover  10  or that the opening could be entirely omitted. 
         [0017]    Tabs configured to be accommodated on an outside assembly coupled to the dispenser  100  extend outwardly from the opposing side walls  38  of the base  16 . Generally, the tabs provide a support structure that allows the base  16 , and thereby any container or packaging coupled to the base, to be securely coupled to the outside assembly. Specifically, the tabs allow the base  16  to be secured against the outside assembly with respect to forces generally orthogonal to the tabs, i.e., forces that are applied to the base when, for example, inserting to removing articles from a container attached to the base or opening or closing the lid tray  14  of the base. 
         [0018]    In one embodiment, upper tabs  44  extend from an upper portion of the side walls  38  in a direction substantially perpendicular to the side walls. The upper tabs  44  are dimensioned to have a width wide enough to couple the dispenser  100  onto the outside assembly and to secure it against the force applied by a user closing the lid tray  14 . In other words, the upper tabs  44  brace the base  16  against a wall or other surface of the outside assembly to prevent the base from being dislodged or dislocated when the lid tray  14  is closed. Further, in one embodiment, the upper tabs  44  extending along each side wall  38  are separated from each other by a notch  46 . However, it will be appreciated that the upper tab  44  could extend continuously along the entire side wall  38  or that a plurality of notches could divide the upper tab  44  into more than two tabs. Additionally, as shown the upper tabs  44  are substantially planar and extend substantially orthogonally to a side wall of the base  16 . However, it will be appreciated that the upper tabs  44  could have other non-linear cross-sections, such as an arc, serpentine, or triangular cross-section and that they could extend from the side wall at an angle other than substantially a right angle. 
         [0019]    Lower tabs  48  extend from a lower portion of the side walls  38  such that the lower tabs  48  are spaced from and extend generally parallel to corresponding upper tabs  44  extending from the same side wall. Similarly to the upper tabs  44 , the lower tabs  48  extend substantially perpendicularly to the side wall  38  and are dimensioned to have a width wide enough to couple the dispenser  100  onto the outside assembly and to secure it against the force applied by a user removing articles from the container  12 , even when only a few articles remain in the container  16  or in other cases when the container alone would not support a force applied thereto. In one embodiment, each respective lower tab  48  generally corresponds to the notch  46  between the upper tabs  44  extending from the same side wall  38 , i.e., the lower tab and the upper tab do not overlap. However, it will be appreciated that the lower tab  48  could extend continuously along the entire side wall  38  or that a plurality of notches could divide the lower tab  48  into two or more tabs. Additionally, as shown the lower tabs  48  are substantially planar and extend substantially orthogonally to a side wall of the base  16 . However, it will be appreciated that the lower tabs  48  could have other non-linear cross-sections, such as an arc, serpentine, or triangular cross-section and that they could extend from the side wall at an angle other than substantially a right angle. 
         [0020]    In one embodiment, the cover  10  may be injection molded as is well-known. However, due to the injection molding process, it may not be optimal to form a cover  10  having the upper and lower tabs  44 ,  48  overlapping each other. As such, as described above, the upper tab  44  may have a notch  46  located to generally correspond to the lower tab  48  so that the base  16  may be easily removed from the mold. However, as noted above, the base  16  may also be manufactured so that the upper and lower tabs  44 ,  48  extend continuously along the side walls  38 . 
         [0021]    Operation of the cover will now be described. The cover  10  is configured to cover an opening of the container  12  and also to provide support so that the dispenser  100  can be securely coupled to an outside assembly. As such, the upper and lower tabs  44 ,  48  spaced from each other and extending substantially in parallel from opposite side walls  38  of the base provide a structure configured to accommodate a flange or ridge therebetween. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the cover  10 , and therefore, any container  12  coupled to the cover, can slide on to another outside assembly or apparatus having a structure spaced appropriately to be accommodated within the upper and lower tabs  44 ,  48 . When the cover  10  is coupled by its tabs  44 ,  48  to the flange, a force applied to the cover generally perpendicularly to the tabs in either direction will not dislodge the cover from the flange. However, unless otherwise locked in place, the cover can be easily removed from the flange by sliding it along the flange. 
         [0022]    Additionally, the lid tray  14  can be rotated on the hinge  15  between an open and closed position. In the open position, the opening  42  is exposed to allow articles to be removed from the container  12 . In the closed position, the interior wall  28  abuts an inside of at least one of the side walls  38  of the base  16  to form an interference fit. Additionally, the latch  30  and the ridge  32  can interact to form a lock. Further, the inside surface  24  of the peripheral side wall  22  of the lid tray  14  can abut a periphery of the upper and/or lower tabs  44 ,  48  to further support the cover in the closed position. 
         [0023]    While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, and equivalents thereof

Technology Classification (CPC): 1