Abstract:
A container ( 10 ) to receive products such as an air freshener, disinfectant or deodoriser, or alternatively tape twine or dental floss. The container ( 10 ) has a hollow body ( 13 ) attached to a suction cup ( 25 ) by means of a hollow stem of the body ( 11 ) and a projection ( 26 ) of cup ( 25 ). When the cup ( 25 ) is attached to a supporting surface the skirt ( 18 ) of the body ( 13 ) terminates adjacent the supporting surface and/or cup ( 25 ) to inhibit tilting of the body ( 13 ). The body ( 13 ) cooperates with a wall ( 29 ) of the cup ( 25 ) to enclose a space within which the product is located.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to containers and more particularly but not exclusively to containers which are mountable on a smooth surface to dispense thread or ribbon type products, such as dental floss and adhesive tape, as well as containers to receive air freshener and deodoriser material.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Frequently, use of items such as dental floss and adhesive tape is inhibited by the product not being readily accessible. Still further, frequently, time is lost in trying to locate commonly used items such as dental floss and adhesive tape as they tend to be moved from the location of their intended use or a location at which they are intended to be stored. A still further disadvantage of containers which dispense thread or tape type products is that frequently both hands are required to remove the product from within the container.  
           [0003]    Air fresheners are often required in areas that are tiled, such as bathrooms, laundries and kitchens. Although air fresheners and deodorisers are available, they are generally not suitable for positioning on vertical surfaces, such as tiled surfaces.  
         OBJECT OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    There is disclosed herein a container to receive a product, said container having:  
           [0006]    a hollow body within which the product is to be supported, said body having at least one peripheral skirt generally surrounding a transverse wall;  
           [0007]    a suction cap having a central portion attached to the transverse wall, and a cup flange extending from the central portion generally towards the peripheral skirt; and wherein  
           [0008]    said suction cup is secured to a supporting surface by applying a force to said transverse wall, towards said suction cup to resiliently deform the suction cup against said supporting surface, so that said peripheral skirt terminates adjacent or is abutting said cup flange or supporting surface when said suction cup is secured to said supporting surface to inhibit tilting of said hollow body relative to said suction cup and a disengagement of said suction cup from said supporting surface.  
           [0009]    Preferably, said transverse wall is an end wall and said product is to be located between said transverse wall and cup flange.  
           [0010]    Preferably, said hollow body is relatively stiff with respect to said suction cup.  
           [0011]    Preferably, said peripheral skirt has a recess facing said cup flange, and said cup flange has a cup wall movably received within said recess.  
           [0012]    Preferably said recess is a space between a first skirt flange and a second skirt flange of said peripheral skirt.  
           [0013]    Preferably, said suction cup is provided with a tab projecting outward of the said peripheral skirt which is gripped to deform the suction cup to release the suction cup from said supporting surface.  
           [0014]    Preferably, there is extending from said end wall, a hollow stem to which said suction cup is attached by a projection extending into said stem.  
           [0015]    Preferably said peripheral skirt and said cup skirt each have one of a projection or opening wherein said projections will enter said opening to prevent relative rotation of said hollow body and said suction cup.  
           [0016]    Preferably the product is a dental floss.  
           [0017]    There is further disclosed herein a container to receive a product, said container having:  
           [0018]    a hollowed body within which the product is to be supported, said body having a peripheral skirt generally surrounding a transverse wall, said peripheral skirt having an extremity and a recess extending from the extremity inwardly of the peripheral skirt; and  
           [0019]    a suction cap having a central portion attached to the transverse wall, and a cup flange extending from the central portion generally towards the peripheral skirt, said suction cap further having a suction cup wall extending from the cup flange and into said recess; and wherein  
           [0020]    said suction cup is secured to a supporting surface by applying a force to the body towards said suction cup to resiliently deform the suction cup against said supporting surface and to further cause movement of the suction cup wall into said recess.  
           [0021]    Preferably the suction cup wall includes spaced wall portions adjacent said cup flange, the wall portions being spaced by a recess surrounding said cup flange.  
           [0022]    Preferably the wall portions include an inner and an outer wall portion, with said outer wall portion being engaged by the peripheral skirt when said suction cup is engaged with said supporting surface. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0023]    Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 is a schematic top perspective view of a container to receive a substance to act as an air freshener;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is a schematic top perspective view of the container of FIG. 1;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a schematic bottom perspective view of the container as illustrated in FIG. 1;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 is a schematic bottom perspective view of the container as illustrated in FIG. 2;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 5 is a schematic section side elevation of the container of FIGS.  1  to  3 ;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 is a further schematic section side elevation of the container of FIGS.  2  to  4 ;  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 7 is a schematic top plan view of a container to dispense dental floss;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 8 is a schematic top perspective view of a container of FIG. 7;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 9 is a schematic section side elevation of the container as illustrated in FIG. 7;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 10 is a schematic section side elevation of the container as illustrated in FIG. 8. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0034]    In the following description, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described as containers to receive air fresheners or to dispense products such as dental floss. However, it should be appreciated that containers according to the present invention could be adapted to contain or dispense a wide variety of products such as disinfectants, deodorisers, adhesive tape, twine and other similar products.  
         [0035]    In FIGS.  1  to  6  of the accompanying drawings, there is schematically depicted a container  10  which in this embodiment receives a cylindrical block of air freshener material  11 . More particularly the block  11  is of annular shape so as to have a longitudinally extending cylindrical central wall  12 .  
         [0036]    The container  10  has a hollow body  13 , including an end (transverse) wall  14 , provided with a variety of apertures  15  so that a vapour to be dispensed from the block  11  may pass to the surrounding atmosphere.  
         [0037]    Depending from the wall  14  is a peripheral skirt  16  generally surrounding the wall  14 . The skirt  16  includes a first skirt flange  17  spaced radially from a second skirt flange  18 . In this respect, it should be appreciated that the container  10  has a longitudinal central axis  19 . As the container  10  is of a generally circular configuration the flanges  17  and  18  are generally cylindrical and have located between them an annular space  20 .  
         [0038]    Also depending from the wall  14  is a hollow stem  21  which is of a cylindrical configuration so as to generally enclose a central passage  22 .  
         [0039]    The skirt flange  17  terminates with a circular extremity  23  while the skirt flange  18  terminates with a circular extremity  24 .  
         [0040]    Secured to the hollow body  13  is a suction cap  25  having a central projection  26  received within the passage  22 . The stem  21  has inwardly extending projections or barbs  27  which engage the projection  26  to captively locate the projection  26  within the passage  22 . As the projections  26  form passages in the stem  21 , the hollow body  13  cannot rotate relative to the cup  25 .  
         [0041]    The cup  25  has an annular flange  28  which tapers in thickness from the projection  26  to a peripheral wall  29 . The wall  29  has a first wall portion  30  from which here extends wall portions  31  and  32 . The wall portions  31  and  32  are separated by an annular groove  33 . The wall portion  30  is annular and is received within the annular space  20 .  
         [0042]    The wall portion  32  diverges from the wall portion  31  so as to have an annular extremity  34  aligned with the extremity  24  of the hollow body  13 .  
         [0043]    The hollow body  13  is preferably a moulding of resilient plastics material. The suction cap  25  is resilient elastomeric material which is resiliently deformed by a user pressing on the body  13  toward a supporting surface  35  (which may be a bathroom tile). In FIG. 5, the container  10  is illustrated in a relaxed configuration while in FIG. 6 it is illustrated as applied to the surface  35  with the cup  25  securing the container  10  to the surface  35 . As best seen in FIG. 6, the cup  25  is resiliently deformed against the surface  35 , with the wall portion  30  substantially filling the space  20  and the wall portions  31  and  32  further resiliently deformed so that the extremity  24  is abutting or is located adjacent the extremity  34 . In this configuration it is difficult for a user to dislodge the container  10  by manipulation of the body  13 . By having the extremity  24  engaged with or located adjacent the extremity  34 , the body  13  is substantially prevented from tilting with respect to the longitudinal axis  13  and therefore the surface  35  and cup  25 . It should also be noted that the lower wall portion  31  deflects radially outwardly to permit the flange  28  to deform and engage the surface  35 .  
         [0044]    In a further embodiment, the skirt flange  18  would abut or be located adjacent the surface  35  rather than the extremity  34  to inhibit tilting of the body  13 .  
         [0045]    To facilitate removal of the container  10  from the supporting surface  35  there is extending from the wall portion  32  a tab  36  which is gripped by the user and manipulated to deform the radial extremities of the flange  28  and therefore break contact between the cup  25  and the surface  35 .  
         [0046]    When applying the container  10  to the surface  35  a user preferably applies a force to the central area  37  so that the force is transmitted to the suction cap  35  by the stem  21 . More particularly the stem  21  engages an annular surface  38  of the cup  25 .  
         [0047]    To facilitate deformation of the flange  28 , it is connected to the lower wall portion  31  by a thin wall section. As mentioned previously the flange  28  tapers in thickness from the projection  26  towards the wall  29 .  
         [0048]    It can be further noted from FIG. 6 that the flange  17 , and more particularly its extremity  23 , also engages the flange  28 . Contact of the extremity  23  with the flange  28  facilitates contact between the cup  25  and the supporting surface  35 .  
         [0049]    In FIGS.  7  to  10  of the accompanying drawings, there is schematically depicted a modification of the container  10  of FIGS.  1  to  6 . In this embodiment the same reference numerals have been employed.  
         [0050]    In the embodiment of FIGS.  7  to  10  the container  10  receives a reel  39  of dental floss  40 . The reel  39  includes an annular inner wall  41  which is slidably received on the stem  21  to the mid-rotation of the reel  39  about the longitudinal axis  19 . The end wall  14  is provided with a slot  42  through which the dental floss  40  passes to a cutting blade  43 . The cutting blade  43  is of a conventional arrangement in that it provides a tapered slot  44  in to which the floss  40  passes to be severed.  
         [0051]    The wall portion  30  together with the wall portion  31  are repositioned to fill portion of the slot  42 .  
         [0052]    In the embodiment of FIGS.  7  to  10 , normal forces applied to the dental floss  40  are not transmitted to the cup  35  in a manner which would remove the cup  25  from the surface  35 .  
         [0053]    In addition to the slot  42  the body  13  is provided with a smooth arcuate surface  45  over which the dental floss  40  is drawn to pull it from within the container  10 .  
         [0054]    With particular reference to the embodiment of FIGS.  7  to  10 , the hollow body  13  and cup  25  co-operate to provide a generally closed space  46  which receives the reel  39 .  
         [0055]    Still further with reference to the embodiment of FIGS.  7  to  10 , the container  10  is adapted to be located against a tiled surface and therefore can be located in areas for convenient use and which make the container  10  visually apparent to remind people to use dental floss.