Patent Abstract:
A bathroom storage device that effectively stores a plunger, toilet bowl brush, and other bathroom accessories in a space saving, decorative, and easily accessible manner while preserving the hygienic and sanitary qualities needed in such an environment by totally isolating the plunger in its own compartment.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not Applicable 
       FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
       [0002]    Not Applicable 
       SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM 
       [0003]    Not Applicable 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0004]    1. Field of Invention 
         [0005]    Functional, and more importantly, sanitary storage for a toilet plunger poses a difficult problem for nearly every household. This invention, the sanitary bathroom item storage unit provides a manner to store these common and necessary items in a sanitary manner and in a practical, condensed and easily accessible location. Furthermore the design of the proposed invention would allow storage of other bathroom cleansing items, such as cleansers and gloves, in its space saving, organized, and aesthetically pleasing manner. This unit would also store and provide convenient access to additional toilet tissue when needed. As a result, it would eliminate those embarrassing moments of being caught without toilet tissue nearby. With the sanitary bathroom item storage unit, a plunger, toilet bowl brush, bathroom cleansing agents, etc., would be readily available and easily accessible when needed. This decorative storage unit would be easy to use, clean and hygienic. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0006]    2. Prior Art 
         [0007]    Examples of prior art patents include U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,993, U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,100, U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,059, U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,542, U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,474, U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,818, U.S. Pat. Des. 403,906, and U.S. Patent Application 2002/0125168. Evidently, there have been a number of patents and applications that suggest similar bathroom storage devices, but they all lack one very important characteristic that this invention, the sanitary bathroom item storage unit, embodies. That common characteristic and disadvantage that all of the aforementioned prior art shares is that they don&#39;t provide the toilet plunger a unique encapsulated space to preserve the sanitary and hygienic integrity that would be so desired in a bathroom environment. 
         [0008]    In conclusion, insofar as I am aware, no bathroom storage device effectively stores a plunger, toilet bowl brush, and other bathroom items/accessories in a space saving, decorative, and easily accessible manner while preserving the hygienic and sanitary qualities needed in such an environment by totally isolating the toilet plunger in its own sealed cavity. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    The invention, sanitary bathroom item storage unit, is comprised of a cylindrical plunger canister with an inner central tube, a base, and a lid. The plunger canister, the base, and the lid all attach via a mechanical means (friction-fit, latches, screw-on, etc.) to form the assembled storage unit. Despite prior inventions that are similar to the sanitary bathroom item storage unit, there remains a need for an improved storage unit that will fulfill the following needs:
       1. provide for the sanitary storage of a toilet plunger   2. provide for the convenient storage of additional bathroom items/accessories   3. provide for the storage of multiple rolls of toilet tissue   4. provide for an aesthetically pleasing container that totally conceals a toilet plunger and stores a toilet bowl brush and additional bathroom accessories in a self-contained, free-standing, and portable/moveable storage device       
 
         [0014]    The sanitary bathroom item storage unit and its features and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       Figures 
         [0015]      FIG. 1  is a perspective exploded view of the invention, showing the components and their relationship. 
           [0016]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the assembled invention, but showing the top not installed. 
           [0017]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the assembled completely assembled invention. 
       
    
    
     DRAWINGS 
     Reference Numerals 
       [0000]    
       
         
           
               10  Sanitary bathroom item storage unit 
               11  lid 
               12  toilet tissue 
               13  inner centralized tube 
               14  toilet plunger canister 
               15  base 
               16  toilet plunger 
               30  plunger cavity 
           
         
       
     
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    As shown in the detailed drawings, the sanitary bathroom item storage unit  10  shows a concept for sanitarily storing a toilet plunger and toilet tissue rolls  12  in a centralized and organized manner. Sanitary integrity in the unit is maintained by the use of the plunger canister  14  with the inner centralized tube  13  in conjunction with the base  15 . As shown in  FIG. 1  the inner centralized tube  13  has one open end positioned at the bottom of the plunger canister  14 , and oppositely has one closed end. The plunger canister  14  has a convex-curved baseplate located at the bottom of the assembly. The baseplate permits clearance to fit the profile of any commercially available toilet plunger. As shown in  FIG. 1-3 , a toilet plunger  16  is placed inside the bowl-bottomed base  15 , and the plunger canister  14  on top of the toilet plunger  16  with the toilet plunger handle inserted into the opening on the bottom of the inner centralized tube  13 . As shown in the cross-sectional drawing of  FIG. 3 , when the plunger canister  14  is secured to the base  15 , the plunger  16  is isolated in its own cavity  30  inside the unit. This feature maintains the hygienic and sanitary qualities of the sanitary bathroom item storage unit. The bowl-bottomed base  15  provides for the collection of any water from the use of the toilet plunger in its normal operation. The end of the plunger canister  14  opposite the base is open except for the closed end of the inner centralized tube  13 . The inner centralized tube  13  is located inside the plunger canister at the vertex to allow toilet tissue rolls  12  to be place about it as shown in  FIG. 2-3 . 
         [0027]    The plunger canister  14 , the lid  11 , and the base  15  of this invention can be made out of metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel, a molded plastic, ceramic, or any material deemed well-suiting by anyone skilled in the art. 
         [0028]    In the preferred embodiment, the sanitary bathroom item storage unit is used as a toilet plunger, toilet brush, bathroom accessory, and toilet tissue roll storage device. The toilet plunger canister employs two pockets to store cleansing gloves and a can of a commercially available cleansing solution. The plunger canister and removable base also employs a mechanical latching mechanism to secure the two pieces in a rigid manner. This latching feature would maintain the isolation of the plunger inside the unit and also facilitate moving the entire unit from location to location. The plunger canister would employ two handles on the opposite end of the base, which would pass through two corresponding openings in the lid. When the lid is placed on the canister these handles would also facilitate moving the assembled unit from location to location. 
         [0029]    In another embodiment of the proposed invention, the top of the storage unit would provide a means to dispense a toilet roll. 
         [0030]    In another embodiment of the proposed invention, the toilet tissue storage compartment would employ a spring loaded base to automatically advance the next roll of toilet tissue in storage to the top of the compartment. 
         [0031]    In another embodiment of the proposed invention, unit would employ pockets on the exterior of the plunger canister to provide additional storage locations for bathroom items/accessories. 
         [0032]    The above description(s) has described specific details in the embodiment of the invention. However, one having skill in the art can make modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept of the sanitary bathroom item storage unit. 
         [0033]    To use the sanitary bathroom item storage unit  10 , one would first place the base  15  on a floor and then place any commercially available plunger  16  on the base  15 . Next, the toilet plunger canister  14  would be placed on top of the base and plunger with the plunger&#39;s handle inserted into the inner centralized tube  13 . Any commercially available toilet tissue rolls would then be inserted into the top of the toilet plunger canister with the inner centralized tube inserted into the center hole of each roll. To access the plunger at a time when its use is needed the toilet plunger canister would simply be lifted vertically to uncover the plunger and its handle. It would be set aside so the plunger could be accessed. Normal cleaning and disinfecting of the base would be routine maintenance of the invention.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0