Wet/dry sheet dispenser with dispensing cup

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9801506-B2
Application number	US-201615143684-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2016
Priority date	Jun 20, 2014
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A wet/dry sheet dispenser. The dispenser has an elongate refill which holds a liquid and fits into a complementary base. Liquid is selectively dispensed from the refill by longitudinal activation of a pump. The pump may be disposed on either the refill or base. Liquid flows from the refill, upwardly to a dispensing cup. The user may then, optionally, take a sheet and wet it with liquid from the cup at the point of use. This arrangement allows for convenient and selective one hand pump operation, so the other hand is free to grasp the sheet. The sheet may be used wet or dry as desired at the point of use.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refill for use as a core of a core wound sheet dispenser, said refill having a longitudinal axis defining a longitudinal direction, said refill comprising:
a reservoir, said reservoir comprising a hollow elongate body suitable for containing a liquid therein and an open neck, at least a portion of said reservoir having a cross section with a major cross sectional dimension of about 2 to about 6 cm and having a length of about 10 to about 50 CM;
a generally upwardly facing cup in fluid communication with said reservoir, whereby said liquid in said reservoir can be dispensed to said cup, wherein said cup acts as an actuator in response to user applied compressive force manually applied to said cup;
a pump operable to dispense said liquid from said reservoir to said cup upon selective operation of said pump, for later application of said liquid onto a sheet and
a drain for returning a liquid from said cup to said reservoir, said drain opening and closing in response to operation of said pump.

2. A refill according to claim 1 wherein said reservoir has a bottom which fits into a complementary base and a top longitudinally remote therefrom, said upwardly facing cup being removably attachable to said top of said reservoir.

3. A refill according to claim 1 further comprising a shield congruent to said upwardly facing cup.

4. A refill according to claim 3 wherein said refill further comprises a normally closed check valve, said check valve being openable in said longitudinal direction upon operation of said pump, thereby preventing re-entry of said liquid from said cup to said reservoir.

5. A refill according to claim 1 having a longitudinal dimension of 10 to 50 cm and wherein said pump has a longitudinal stroke of 0.5 to 5 cm and/or wherein said pump has a net discharge force of 10 to 40 N.

6. A refill according to claim 1 wherein said reservoir further comprises said liquid therein.

7. A dispenser for selective wet/dry dispensing of sheet products, said dispenser having a longitudinal axis and comprising:
a base for receiving a plurality of rolled sheets thereon, said sheets being selectively dispensible by a user;
an elongate reservoir having a top and a bottom remote therefrom, said reservoir being joined to said base at the bottom of said reservoir, said reservoir comprising a hollow elongate body suitable for containing a liquid therein and an open neck, at least a portion of said reservoir having a diameter of 2 to 6 cm and a length of 20 to 35 cm to be insertable in a core of said rolled sheets;
a generally upwardly facing cup in fluid communication with said reservoir and juxtaposed with the top of said reservoir, whereby said liquid in said reservoir can be dispensed to said cup;
a drain leading from said cup to said reservoir, and
a pump operable to dispense said liquid from said reservoir to said cup upon selective operation of an actuator, for later application of said liquid onto said sheets, wherein said pump reciprocates between a standby position and an actuated position, said drain being open in one of said actuated position and said standby position whereby a residual liquid therein can gravity drain back into said reservoir and being closed in the other of said actuated position and said standby position whereby said residual said liquid cannot gravity drain back into said reservoir.

8. A dispenser according to claim 7 wherein said base has a center, and said reservoir comprises a longitudinally oriented spindle, said spindle being juxtaposed with the center of said base to receive a roll of sheet products thereon.

9. A dispenser according to claim 8 further comprising a roll of sheets wound about a core, said core being installed onto said reservoir.

10. A dispenser according to claim 9 wherein said reservoir has a bottom juxtaposed with said base and a top longitudinally remote therefrom, and wherein said sheets wound about said core have a width defined between first and second opposed edges, said first edge being in contact with said base and said second edge being remote therefrom and juxtaposed with said top of said reservoir, and further comprising a shield having a periphery and a bottom, said bottom of said shield being disposed 1 to 5 cm above said second edge of said sheet.

11. A dispenser according to claim 10 further comprising a lock and key system complimentary to said refill and said base, whereby said lock and key system prevents said refill from being used with a base not complementary thereto and/or prevents said base from accepting a refill not complementary thereto.

12. A dispenser according to claim 11 wherein said refill further comprises a reclosable opening for replenishment of said liquid from a supply to said reservoir, said refill further comprising a second lock and key system whereby said second lock and key system prevents said refill from being replenished with said liquid from a supply not complementary thereto.

13. A dispenser according to claim 7 wherein said reservoir further comprises said liquid therein.

14. A refill for use as a core of a core wound sheet dispenser, said refill having a longitudinal axis defining a longitudinal direction, said refill comprising:
a reservoir, said reservoir comprising a hollow elongate body suitable for containing a liquid therein and an open neck, at least a portion of said reservoir having a diameter of 2 to 6 cm and a length of 20 to 40 cm to be insertable in a core of core wound sheets;
a generally upwardly facing cup in fluid communication with said reservoir, whereby said liquid in said reservoir can be dispensed to said cup said cup having a depth of 1 to 20 mm;
a pump operable to dispense said liquid from said reservoir to said cup upon selective operation of said pump, for later application of said liquid onto a sheet,
a shield intermediate said actuator and said reservoir adapted to catch drips spilling from said upwardly facing cup, and
a drain, said drain leading from at least one of said cup or said shield to said reservoir, wherein said pump reciprocates between a standby position and an actuated position, said drain being open to said reservoir in said standby position whereby said liquid can gravity drain back into said reservoir and closed in said actuated position whereby said liquid therein cannot gravity drain back into said reservoir.

15. A refill according to claim 14 wherein said cup is round and has a diameter of 4 to 12 cm and said shield is round as has a diameter 5 mm to 20 mm.

16. A refill according to claim 14 wherein said cup is elliptical in footprint, with a major axis and minor axis, said major axis having a length of 4 to 10 cm, said minor axis having a length of 2 to 8 mm.

17. A refill according to claim 14 wherein said footprint of said cup has an orientation which is not horizontal when said base is disposed on a horizontal surface.

18. A refill according to claim 1 having a round cross section with a nominal outside diameter of 3 to 5 cm and a length of 28 to 30 cm to be insertable in a core of rolled sheets.

19. A refill according to claim 14 wherein said reservoir further comprises said liquid therein.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Hoefte Paulus Antonius Augustinus
• Adriaenssens Kris
• Coenen Annick Hilda Rose
• De Coninck An Jozefien

Classifications

• B05B12/12

  responsive to conditions of ambient medium or target, e.g. humidity, temperature {position or movement of the target relative to the spray apparatus (B05B12/082, B05B12/084 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B05B11/0056

  with an additional opening for filling or refilling · CPC title

• B05B11/0054

  Cartridges, i.e. containers specially designed for easy attachment to or easy removal from the rest of the sprayer (attachment arrangements between pump and container B05B11/1043) · CPC title

• B05B9/0403

  with pumps for liquids or other fluent material (B05B9/043 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05B1/14

  with multiple outlet openings (B05B1/02, B05B1/26 take precedence); with strainers in or outside the outlet opening · CPC title