SOAP STRIP DISPENSER

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a National Stage application of PCT/EP2023/054227, filed Feb. 20, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to dispensers for soap, in particular for soap in the form of strips, wafers, sheets or the like. The disclosure further relates to a method of refilling a soap strip dispenser and a soap strip refill.

BACKGROUND

Soap dispensers of various types are known. In particular, in public spaces such as restaurants, offices and travel terminals it is common to find dispensers for liquid soap. Examples of such dispensers are known from WO2009/104992. Although such dispensers generally function most adequately, they can only be refilled by replacing the complete container. Service personnel may choose to replace a partially empty container by a full container if their next service visit is expected to occur after the container would otherwise be emptied. Clearly service personnel cannot accurately predict expected usage in a public place and there is a tendency to err on the side of caution—leading to wastage of unused soap.

It would be desirable to provide a dispenser for soap that could alleviate at least some of the drawbacks of the known dispensers. In particular, it would be desirable to provide a soap dispenser that permitted refilling, even prior to the dispenser being fully empty.

SUMMARY

The invention relates to a dispenser and to a method of refilling such a dispenser. Embodiments are set forth in the following description and in the drawings.

Thus, there is disclosed a dispenser for dispensing soap strips provided in a stack. The stack may include a plurality of soap strips including an uppermost strip and a lowermost strip. The stack may further include a leading edge and a trailing edge. The dispenser includes a housing, having a compartment for receiving the stack and having a dispensing opening through which an individual strip can be dispensed to a user and a bias element for biasing the stack towards the dispensing opening.

The use of soap strips as opposed to liquid soap facilitates refilling of the dispenser. Additional soap strips can be provided to the dispenser, depending on its state of filling. The additional soap strips can be inserted into the compartment, which preferably aligns and retains them for correct dispensing. A complete stack of strips may be added on top of the existing uppermost strip. Alternatively, the service personnel may merely add a partial stack in order to ensure the dispenser is full.

In addition to the ease of refilling, soap strips made of solid soap are far more concentrated. It will be understood that liquid soap includes considerable volumes of water to be transported and stored. In fact, liquid soap is typically about 85% water. This high water content also makes them prone to becoming contaminated with bacteria. Additionally, the refill container may be far larger than an equivalent solid soap strip package. Furthermore, a stack of soap strips can be packaged in a more environmentally friendly manner than the plastic bottles typically required for liquid soap. This can include paper or card-based wrappers but may also use thin plastic films, which may or may not be from bio-degradable materials.

Soap strips have already gained considerable acceptance in certain markets, in particular in outdoor and camping contexts. Such soap strips are generally very thin and are fully dissolved during washing of the hands. It will be understood that the size of an individual strip may be adapted for the intended purpose and a strip for a single hand wash may be smaller than one intended for a body wash or shower.

The soap strips referenced in the present disclosure may be any soap strips or sheets suitable to be dispensed from the referenced dispenser. Typical strips are based on soap combined with a water soluble carrier or binder such as water-soluble paper or water soluble polymer such as polyvinyl alcohol. The carrier or binder should be able to dissolve quickly in water. Preferably, this dissolving should be complete within 60 seconds or less even in cold water. Examples of soap sheets having a polymer carrier are available as e.g. Coleman Camp Soap Sheets. In this context, reference to soap is intended to include all forms of soap including natural soaps, surfactants and their combinations. Natural soaps are typically made by combining a strong alkaline (e.g. sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide) with oils and fats (e.g. lauric acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid). Surfactants such as synthetic surfactants may typically be used in handwash, shampoo and soap formulations. Such surfactants can include anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, non-ionic surfactant or combinations thereof.

The sheets and strips presently available may typically have a size of approximately 6 cm×4 cm and a thickness of between 50 and 100 microns. The present disclosure is nevertheless intended to cover all suitable sizes of strip that may be adapted for use in the dispenser. Such strips may have a thickness of less than 50 microns or up to as much as 500 microns or even 1000 microns. They may have any suitable shape although rectangular is preferable.

Dispensers have been proposed for soap strips or sheets such as shown in US20210289995. Although that disclosure recognizes the possibility of filling and refilling the dispenser cartridge, it requires service personnel to insert additional sheets through a window of the dispenser cartridge to top up the cartridge. An option to insert additional sheets from a top of the cartridge is also discussed but the disclosure fails to provide for a convenient manner in which service personnel can easily refill the cartridge. Additionally, dispensing requires the sheets to include multiple panels folded over each other defining a series of interwoven adjacent sheets. Adding additional sheets requires an interwoven connection to be made for dispensing to continue undisturbed.

In the above and hereinafter, reference to lowermost, uppermost, up and down are with respect to a dispenser that is positioned with the stack oriented vertically with the lowermost strip and the dispensing opening located at or near the bottom of the housing. It will however be understood that other alternative orientations are possible and that this nomenclature is not intended to be limiting on the construction of the dispenser.

The bias element may take any suitable form of device that can apply a force to the stack. In a simple form, the bias element may include one or more springs, including helical springs, leaf springs, tension springs or ribbon springs. The bias element may alternatively be other than a mechanical spring, including an electromechanical actuator, motor, gas spring or the like. In an embodiment, the bias element includes a pressure plate for engaging the uppermost strip. The pressure plate may have a flat lower surface corresponding approximately to the size of the stack. More preferably, it has a contoured lower surface that urges a leading edge of the stack towards the dispensing opening. In an embodiment, the pressure plate may extend to the trailing edge of the stack and may include a hole through which a post or the like can pass, as discussed further below. In this context, hole may include both a complete hole or a slot, e.g. open towards the rear. For a vertically oriented stack, the bias element may act to bias the stack downwards and may include a weight acting under the force of gravity. It is not however excluded that the stack may have a different orientation

In an embodiment, the bias element can be retracted for refilling of the dispenser. In this context, retraction of the bias element is intended to denote that the bias element no longer biases the stack downwards and that a space is created above the stack such that a further stack or further strips may be inserted. Retraction may take place manually by a user lifting the bias element away from the stack. A detent may be provided to lock the bias element in the raised position. Alternatively, this may take place automatically e.g. by an actuator that acts against the bias element or part of the bias element such as the pressure plate in order to raise it.

The retracted bias element can be manually released on completion of the refill operation and may involve manually release of a detent mechanism or otherwise manually actuation of the bias element.

In one embodiment, the bias element can be retracted for refilling of the dispenser and automatically released on completion of the refill operation. Automatic release may involve release of a detent mechanism or otherwise actuation of the bias element. This can take automatically e.g. on closing the cover to the housing or be an appropriate switch that may e.g. be interlocked with the cover. Once released, the bias element may descend and the pressure plate may engage the uppermost strip.

In normal use, it is expected that the dispenser can be refilled by placing a fresh stack of soap strips into the compartment. This can preferably be carried out even before the last i.e. the uppermost strip has been dispensed. Preferably, the compartment has sufficient height that a new stack can be introduced above the existing stack and that the bias element can be raised sufficiently. The compartment may be a closed space within the housing or may merely be a designated region defined between guides, plates or leaves in which a stack is consigned to move e.g. like a lift in a lift-shaft.

In certain embodiments, the compartment may be movable with respect to the remainder of the housing. In a further embodiment, the compartment can be inclined forwards from an operational position to a filling position for refilling of the dispenser. The compartment may be pivotably mounted within the compartment. This can provide greater clearance for service personnel to insert a new stack. It may also ensure that the bias element and/or pressure plate does not need to retract so far. The compartment may be inclined forward automatically e.g. on commencing the refill operation or on opening the cover.

In an embodiment, the dispenser includes a retaining element positioned within the housing, sized and arranged to engage a portion of the stack to retain the remaining strips and prevent them from exiting together with the lowermost strip. Various forms of retaining element may be contemplated that act on one or more of the remaining strips in the stack. The retaining element may include a form-fit provision, whereby the stack has a cross-sectional shape that is retained by a corresponding shape of the housing. It will be understood that with such a retaining element, insertion of a new stack into the compartment may need to take place in a vertical direction or in an axial direction of the compartment. In such situations adequate raising of the bias element and/or pivoting of the compartment away from the bias element can facilitate such access.

In one embodiment, the retaining element is a post, positioned within the housing and onto which a fresh stack of soap strips can be placed, wherein the post can be received within an aperture passing through the stack from the lowermost strip to the uppermost strip. The post ensures that the stack is aligned with the existing stack and with the engagement element. Additionally the post ensures that only the lowermost strip is dispensed outwards through the dispensing opening. During dispensing, the lowermost strip may be removed from the post and moved to dispensing opening. The immediately adjacent strip is retained by the post and, after completion of the dispensing operation, becomes the next lowermost strip.

Prior to movement of the lowermost strip, it should be removed or disengaged from the post. In a preferred embodiment, this is achieved by ripping of the aperture at the trailing edge of the strip. The post and the aperture may be adapted to ensure ease of separation. There may be a line of weakness provided in the strip or the aperture and/or post may be shaped accordingly. In an embodiment, the engagement element is arranged to exert a force on the strip in a direction parallel to a plane of the strip sufficient to rupture the trailing edge of the strip and remove it from the post. In the present context, reference to aperture is intended to refer to closed apertures and also to open apertures that communicate with an edge of the soap strip.

Preferably, the post has a length that is greater than the height of a single stack, preferably greater than the height of two stacks. This ensures that service personnel will always be able to insert a new stack onto the post, even if only a few strips have been used. Once the lowermost strip or strips of the new stack are inserted onto the post, the new stack may be adequately guided to descend further by action of the bias element as strips are dispensed. Irrespective of the size of each stack, the post may have a length that is greater than 4 cm, greater than 6 cm, greater than10 cm or even greater than 15 cm, depending on, for example, the height of each stack.

The strips may be removed from the dispenser in any suitable manner. A user may directly engage a strip by hand and withdraw it through the dispensing opening. In a preferred embodiment, the dispenser may include an engagement element, movably mounted with respect to the housing and arranged to engage a strip and move the strip to and through the dispensing opening. This avoids a user having wet hands from needing to contact the soap strip during the dispensing operation.

Various alternatives may be provided for the engagement element, including the use of suction, adhesive and electrostatic forces to engage the strip and move it to the dispensing opening. In an embodiment, the engagement element includes a frictional surface for frictionally engaging and moving the strip. The precise nature of the frictional surface will depend on the chosen soap strip. This may be a hard surface, such as a knurled or serrated metal surface that deforms the soap strip in order to apply a lateral force. Alternatively, it may be a soft or resilient material such as a rubber or elastomer. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) have been found particularly convenient as they can be easily applied to functional components in injection moulding processes.

The skilled person will be aware of various mechanisms that can provide for such movement of the strip towards the dispensing opening. These can include translation mechanisms, rack and pinion arrangements, cams, drive belts, actuators and the like. In an embodiment, the engagement element includes one or more rollers, rotatably mounted with respect to the housing. In an embodiment, a single roller may be provided. The roller may have the above mentioned frictional surface at its outer circumference. The roller may engage the stack at any position between the leading edge and the aperture. In an embodiment, the roller engages the stack approximately midway between the leading edge and the aperture. The roller may also have a diameter that is adapted to the size of the strip. In an embodiment, the circumference of the roller is equal to or greater than the length of a strip. The roller may be a right circular cylinder but may also be a concave or convex cylinder. The curvature of the cylinder may be used to assist in directing the lowermost strip after leaving the roller.

The engagement element may also be arranged to move the strip over predetermined distance during a dispensing stroke. For an engagement element moved in a linear manner, the stroke may correspond to the distance moved. For a roller, it will be understood that the roller merely rotates but the outer surface may rotate a distance representing the stroke. The stroke should be sufficient to move the strip to the dispensing opening. The strip may then continue, either with its own inertia or by force of gravity. In an embodiment, the stroke may correspond to e.g. at least one quarter of the length of the strip or at least one half of the length of the strip.

Operation of the dispenser may be either manual or automated. In an embodiment, the dispenser includes a manual actuator, which may be engageable by a user's hand to cause movement of the engagement element to dispense a soap strip. Preferably, the actuator includes a button or lever that is pushed by a user over an actuator stroke sufficient to complete a dispensing stroke of the engagement element. Gearing may be provided such that the dispensing stroke is different to the actuator stroke A single actuation stroke may dispense a single strip. Alternatively, a number of actuations may be required to dispense a single strip or a number of strips may be dispensed in a single actuation stroke. In an embodiment, manual actuation is by the heel of the hand. Users are familiar with this action and can exert a significant force on the actuator to move it a short distance that creates a greater dispensing stroke.

Alternatively, the dispenser includes an automatic actuator, operational to cause movement of the engagement element to dispense one or more strips in response to an actuation signal. The automatic actuator may include a motor or solenoid or other form of actuator to move the engagement element. The actuation signal may be provided from a sensor, switch or button. The skilled person is very familiar with the possible sensors that may be used to this purpose and preferably, automatic actuation is caused in a similar way to that of existing liquid soap dispensers.

The dispensing opening may be located at any suitable position for a user to receive a strip of soap in their hand. It is however most desirable that this is received in a palm of the hand in response to one-handed operation of a manual or automatic actuator. The strip may be dispensed forwards from a dispensing opening in a front side of the housing. In one embodiment, the dispensing opening is located at a lower side of the housing beneath the stack and the strip is dispensed downwards. In this embodiment, the lowermost strip is initially horizontal and may drop downwards in its horizontal state. Alternatively, the strip may be moved around a curved path that changes the orientation of the strip from horizontal to vertical and dispenses the strip vertically downwards into a user's hand.

For a manual actuator, the dispensing opening may be placed behind the actuator, which is pushed by the heel of the hand. In this case, the strip may fall onto the fingers. Alternatively, the dispensing opening may be place in front of an actuator that is pulled by the fingers. In this case, the strip may fall into the palm.

The cover may be opened by sliding or pivoting or the like. Preferably, it is hinged to an open position and can be locked in a closed position by a suitable lock. In the closed position, access to the stack should be precluded except for the dispensing of strips through the dispensing opening. Movement of the cover between the open and closed positions can also perform other functions. These may include the release or engagement of the bias element or movement of the compartment for facilitating refilling. In an embodiment, the cover is pivotably connected to the housing, preferably about a transversally extending horizontal axis. The pivot axis is preferably located in a lower section of the housing and may be located below the dispensing opening. This allows the cover to pivot well clear of the housing during refill and maintenance operations. The cover, the compartment and the actuator may all be mounted to pivot or rotate about mutually parallel, transverse axes.

The present disclosure also provides for a method of refilling a soap strip dispenser, including a housing having a compartment for receiving a stack of soap strips and a cover that can be opened to provide access to the compartment. The method may include: opening the cover to provide access to the compartment; moving a bias element to a detent position; inserting a stack of soap strips into the compartment; releasing the bias element from the detent position to bias the stack towards a dispensing opening; and closing the cover.

The method may be carried out by allowing release of the bias element to takes place by closing of the cover. This may be achieved by the provision of suitable interlocks, thereby ensuring that the bias element is released automatically.

The method may also be facilitated by inclining the compartment forwards to a filling position. The compartment may be inclined sufficiently to clear the bias element such that the stack can be inserted axially into the compartment.

In a particular embodiment the compartment includes a post and the stack includes an aperture passing through all of the soap strips in the stack. The method may then includes inserting the post into the aperture and sliding the stack downwards over the post. The post or compartment may be sufficiently long that two stacks can be inserted together.

Because of the slightly slippery nature of soap strips, it is desirable that they are kept together securely in a wrapper prior to and during refilling of the dispenser. The wrapper is preferably extracted only after inserting the stack of soap strips into the compartment. The wrapper may be partially opened prior to inserting the stack into the dispenser. Alternatively, it may be opened as it is inserted e.g. by interaction with part of the housing or the compartment.

According to the disclosure, there is also provided a refill for a soap strip dispenser including a stack of soap strips. The stack may have a height extending in a direction from a lowermost strip to an uppermost strip and a length defined between a leading edge and a trailing edge of the stack. If the dispenser has a retaining element in the form of a post, the stack may include an aperture passing through each of the strips in the stack, from the lowermost strip to the uppermost strip. The aperture may be located adjacent to the trailing edge at a distance such that when a post is inserted through the aperture, a strip can easily be removed from the post by ripping at the aperture.

The refill may include any number of strips, preferably between 200 and 1000 strips or between 300 and 600 strips. The height of the stack may vary accordingly but it will be understood that for refilling a dispenser, it may be desirable to include as many strips as possible in a single refill. In some embodiments, the height of the stack may be greater than the width. In other words, for typical strips of 50 to 100 micron thickness, a considerable quantity of strips may be present in the stack. In some embodiment, the height of the stack may be greater than 3 cm or greater than 4 cm.

The refill may include a wrapper for protecting the soap strips prior to use and for assisting insertion of the stack into the dispenser. The wrapper may be of any suitable material, including (biodegradable) polymer foils and paper and card-based materials. It may take any form including the form of a sleeve, wrap, banderol, box or envelope. In a preferred embodiment, the wrapper fully seals the stack for hygienic purposes.

In an embodiment, the wrapper has a lower web that at least partially covers the lowermost strip and an upper web that at least partially covers the uppermost strip. For stacks having an aperture for co-operating with a post, each web may have a penetrating location aligned with the aperture, whereby the refill can be placed over the post. The penetrating location may be itself an aperture or a designated region that is intended to be ruptured or penetrated by the post. Thus, the refill may be placed over the post with the wrapper still at least partially in place. It will be understood that this is important if it is to be avoided that the individual strips in the stack become misaligned or misplaced during or prior to refilling.

Once the refill has been placed onto the post, the wrapper can be removed. To this end, the wrapper may be provided with a tab that can be grasped by a user to remove the wrapper. The wrapper may thus be extracted from the dispenser. The wrapper may also be provided with one or more lines of weakness for facilitating its separation and removal from the stack. These lines off weakness may extend from the penetrating locations to a rear of the stack for facilitating ripping of the upper and lower webs from the post. Additionally, a rear side of the wrapper may have a line of weakness extending in the height direction of the stack. In the alternative, a rear side of the wrapper may be at least partially opened prior to placing it in the compartment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present disclosure will be appreciated upon reference to the following drawings of a number of exemplary embodiments, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of stack of soap strips;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a soap strip dispenser;

FIG. 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the housing of the dispenser of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the chassis of the dispenser of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the compartment of the dispenser of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the pressure plate of the dispenser of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the actuator of the dispenser of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 shows an exploded perspective view of the roller of the dispenser of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 10A to 10C show perspective views from different directions of the chassis of FIG. 5 assembled with the actuator of FIG. 8 and the roller of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11A is a front view of the assembly of FIG. 10 together with the compartment of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11B is a section taken along the line XI-XI of FIG. 11A;

FIG. 11C is a section corresponding to FIG. 11B with the compartment tilted;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are perspective views of the compartment and pressure plate of FIG. 3;

FIG. 12C is a front view of the compartment and pressure plate in the position of FIG. 12B, together with the chassis;

FIG. 12D illustrates a front view of the dispenser with the cover closed;

FIGS. 13A to 13F are cross-sectional views taken in the direction XIII-XIII of FIG. 12D;

FIG. 13G is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 13F showing the roller and scraper;

FIG. 13H is a schematic front view of the roller and scraper of FIG. 13G;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction XIV-XIV of FIG. 12D,

FIGS. 15A and B show schematically the operation of a second embodiment of the dispenser;

FIG. 16 shows schematically a second embodiment of a retaining element and stack;

FIG. 17 shows schematically a third embodiment of a retaining element and stack

FIG. 18 shows a fourth embodiment of a dispenser with horizonal orientation;

FIG. 19 shows a fifth embodiment of a dispenser having a pair of rollers;

FIGS. 20A and 20B are views of a sixth embodiment corresponding to the views of FIGS. 13G and 13H; and

FIG. 21 illustrates alternative soap strips and their apertures.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a stack 1 of soap strips 2. The stack 1 includes an uppermost strip 2z and a lowermost strip 2a that has been removed from the stack 1. The stack 1 has a leading edge 4 and a trailing edge 6 and includes an aperture 8 that passes through the stack 1 from the uppermost strip 2z to the lowermost strip 2a. The illustrated aperture 8 is round but alternative shapes, including a tear-drop shape may be preferred. In the following, reference to the leading edge 4, the trailing edge 6 and the aperture 8 will apply both to the stack 1 and the relevant parts of an individual strip 2. The stack 1 has a height h, a length l and a width w. The individual strips also have the same length and width but are considerably thinner. In the illustrated embodiment, the width w is 4 cm, the length l is 6 cm and the thickness of each strip 2 is around 100 microns. The stack 1 has a height h of 4 cm and there are approximately 400 strips in a stack 1 prior to first use.

The lowermost strip 2a has been removed from the stack 1 by a user as will be described further below. The aperture 8 has been ripped through to the trailing edge 6 at a tear 9. The stack 1 is shown complete with a wrapper 7, that keeps the strips 2 together prior to use. The illustrated wrapper 7 simply surrounds the stack on four sides but it will be understood that alternative or additional wrappers may be provided e.g. that fully enclose the stack prior to use.

FIG. 2 shows a dispenser 10 in perspective view, for dispensing soap strips. The dispenser 10 includes a housing 12 having a cover 13 that can be closed and secured with a lock 14.

FIG. 3 shows the dispenser 10 of FIG. 2 in exploded view illustrating the individual components forming the dispenser 10. Within the housing 12, the dispenser 10 includes a chassis 20, a compartment 30, a pressure plate 40, an actuator 50 and a roller 60 interconnected together by additional components to be further detailed below, including torsion springs 39A, B and tape spring 48. Also shown in FIG. 3 are the directions that will further be used to describe the dispenser 10 and its operation, namely the longitudinal direction X, the transverse direction Y and the sagittal direction Z.

FIG. 4 shows the housing 12 and cover 13 pivotably connected together at hinge 16. The hinge 16 is located on housing shield portion 74 and cover shield portion 75. The hinge 16 is aligned with the transverse direction Y and allows the cover 13 to pivot well clear of the housing 12 to expose an access opening 11 providing access to an interior of the housing 12. The housing 12 and the cover 13 close together in the manner of a clam-shell forming an overlapping joint 17 extending in the X-Y plane. In the closed position of the cover 13 as shown in FIG. 2, the cover 13 and housing 12 engage together around most of their periphery preventing access to the interior of the housing 12. Only at the lower side, a dispensing opening 15 is provided between the cover 13 and the housing 12. Also at the lower side, within the housing 12 there is located an attachment point 19 located centrally between guide flanges 72, which extend over the full height of the housing 12.

Also shown in FIG. 4 are a pair of release flanges 18, within the cover 13, the function of which will be explained further below. The illustrated housing 12 and cover 13 are injection moulded from ABS plastic material. It will nevertheless be understood that other materials such as polycarbonate and other manufacturing procedures may be applied. In particular, the cover 13 may be made partially or completely of transparent material allowing the interior of the housing 12 to be viewed.

FIG. 5 shows the chassis 20 in perspective view. In the illustrated embodiment, the chassis 20 is formed of matching left and right chassis sections 20A and 20B. The skilled person will recognise that the chassis 20 may also be formed in a single piece. It is also possible to integrate the functions of the chassis 20 into the housing 12 and form both components as a single unitary element. This is however generally less preferred for reasons of production and assembly as will become clear below. The illustrated chassis 20 is also an injection moulded plastic component although it will be understood that other materials, such as sintered metal may also be used.

The elements and functions of the right chassis section 20B will further be described although it will be appreciated that the left chassis section 20A is otherwise identical. In the following, references to elements of the dispenser followed by the letter A, will generally refer to the left side element of a matching pair, while the same reference numeral followed by B will refer to the right side element. The same reference numeral without designation (A or B), will refer generically to either or both elements.

The right chassis section 20B includes a hollow right wall 21B that extends generally parallel to the X-Z plane. The right wall 21B has an inner surface 22B, provided with an open slot 23B and a closed slot 24B. Both the open slot 23B and the closed slot 24B extend in an arcuate direction with respect to a pivot opening 25B at a lower front corner of the right wall 21B. At an upper front corner of the right wall 21B there is located a detent 26B. Further there is provided a right pinion mount 27B at the lowermost edge of the right wall 21B having a bearing opening 28B.

FIG. 6 shows in perspective view the compartment 30. The compartment 30 has left and right guide plates 31A, B and a rear plate 32, that together define a generally rectangular space for receiving the stack 1 of FIG. 1. Within the compartment 30 is a post 34, extending generally vertically in the longitudinal direction X upwards from a base plate 35. Behind the post 34, a guide slot 33 in the rear plate 32 also extends vertically in the longitudinal direction X from the base plate 35.

With reference to the left guide plate 31A, there is a pivot pin 36A located at a lower front corner and an outwardly slanted guide ear 37A located at the uppermost edge. Furthermore, a lug 38A extends in the transverse direction Y from a position midway between the base plate 35 and the guide ear 37A. The right guide plate 31B is otherwise generally identical to the left guide plate 31A and will not further be described. The compartment 30 may also be made of injection moulded plastic material although the guide plates 31A,B may alternatively be of metal sheet. The post 34 in the disclosed embodiment is of metal.

FIG. 7 shows the pressure plate 40 in perspective view from the rear quarter. The pressure plate 40 has a body 41 with a slider 42 at a rear side and a grip 43 at a front side. A lower surface of the body 41 is contoured with a downwardly curved nose 44. On respective left and right sides of the body 41 are located resiliently mounted latches 46A, B. A cylindrical hole 47 passes through the body 41.

There is further shown a bias element in the form of a tape spring 48 attached at the rear of the slider 42. The tape spring 48 is a conventional constant force device of the type found in tape measures and the like. It will be understood that other forms of spring and other attachment locations can provide the same functionality as will be further detailed below. The illustrated pressure plate 40 is of injection moulded plastic material although it will be understood that other materials, including metal may also be applied.

FIG. 8 shows the actuator 50 in a perspective view. The illustrated actuator 50 is an injection moulded component including a push plate 52, integrally formed with left and right wings 54A,B that extend rearwardly from the push plate 52. The push plate 52 and the left and right wings 54A,B also serve as drip shields as will be described further below. With reference to the right wing 54B, at an uppermost corner is located an outwardly protruding trunnion pin 55B. Along a lower edge of the right wing 54B is formed a toothed rack 56B. The rack 56B is curved in an arc, centred on the trunnion pin 55B. The left wing 54A is otherwise identical. Also shown in FIG. 8, are respective left and right actuator springs 58A,B mounted about the trunnion pins 55 A,B respectively.

FIG. 9 shows in exploded perspective view the roller 60. The illustrated roller 60 has a generally cylindrical body 62 of injection moulded plastic with a frictional surface 64 of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) and left and right stub axles 65A,B extending respectively at either side in the transverse direction Y. The frictional surface 64 has a profiled shape, with circumferential grooves 68. The left and right stub axles 65A,B carry left and right pinions 66 A,B mounted around left and right ratchet bearings 67 A,B. The ratchet bearings 67 A,B allow the roller 60 to rotate in one direction with respect to the pinions 66 A,B but not in the opposite direction. Although two ratchet bearings 67 A,B are shown, it will be understood that the dispenser will operate with just a single ratchet bearing and a conventional bearing.

The interaction and assembly of the components forming the dispenser 10 will further be described on the basis of FIGS. 10 to 14 with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9.

FIGS. 10A-C show the chassis 20, with the actuator 50 and the roller 60 assembled together from different angles in perspective view. FIG. 10B reveals an underside of the chassis 20, whereby an interior of the hollow left wall 21A can be seen. The left wing 54A of the actuator 50 is inserted into the left wall 21A from below, whereby the left trunnion pin 55A is engaged with a trunnion mount 29A (see FIG. 11B). The toothed rack 56B on the right wing 54B can also be seen to engage with the right pinion 66B of the roller 60.

FIG. 10C is a partially cut-away view of the chassis 20 from the rear. In this view, the left pinion 66A can be seen within the left pinion mount 27A. The left stub axle 65A passes through a left bearing opening 28A (not shown), whereby the roller 60 is captured between the left and right pinion mounts 27 A,B and supported in rotation by the bearing openings 28 A,B (see FIG. 5).

FIGS. 11A-C show how the compartment 30 is mounted with respect to the chassis 20.

FIG. 11A is a front view of the chassis 20 and compartment 30. It will be understood that the chassis 20 will be mounted within the housing 12 but this is omitted for the sake of clarity. The left and right chassis sections 20A and 20B are spaced apart by a distance corresponding to the compartment 30 such that the inner surfaces 22 A,B of the left and right walls 21 A,B are adjacent to the left and right guide plates 31A, B. The compartment 30 is pivotally engaged with the chassis 20 by virtue of the pivot pins 36A, B locating within the respective pivot openings 25 A,B.

In this view, the open slots 23 A, B can also be seen, in which the guide ears 37A,B of the compartment 30 locate. Also visible are the lugs 38A,B which extend outwardly from the left and right guide plates 31A, B and insert within the respective closed slots 24 A,B.

FIG. 11B is a section in the X-Z plane in the direction XIB-XIB in FIG. 11A. It shows the interior of the hollow left wall 21A, including left torsion spring 39A. In this position, the compartment 30 is in the position of use with the post 34 essentially vertical. The compartment 30 is pivoted fully clockwise about the pivot pin 36A, with the lug 38A located at the right hand extremity of the closed slot 24A. The guide ear 37A is also located at the right hand end of the open slot 23A. The torsion spring 39A is held between the left chassis section 20A and the lug 38A and exerts a force F on the lug 38A towards the left. Also visible in this sectional view is the trunnion mount 29A, in which the previously mentioned trunnion pin 55A locates.

FIG. 11C shows an identical section to that of FIG. 11B, with the compartment 30 in the filling position as will be explained further below. In this position, the compartment 30 is rotated anticlockwise about the pivot pin 36A. The lug 38A travels around the arcuate closed slot 24A until it reaches and abuts the left hand extremity. This movement is facilitated by the torsion spring 39A acting against the lug 38A. In this position, the guide ear 37A has rotated out of the open slot 23A and the post 34 and also the rear plate 32 have rotated clear of the side walls 21A,B of the chassis 20.

FIGS. 12A-C illustrate how the pressure plate 40 is arranged with respect to the compartment 30 and chassis 20.

In FIG. 12A, the pressure plate 40 is in a position of use, where it is located at an intermediate position with respect to the compartment 30. The slider 42 is engaged within the guide slot 33 and the body 41 of the pressure plate 40 is located between the left and right guide plates 31A, B. As can be seen, the post 34 extends through the cylindrical hole 47. The pressure plate 40 is biased downwards by the tape spring 48, which is attached to the attachment point 19 of the housing 12. The remainder of the housing 12 is omitted for reasons of clarity.

FIG. 12B shows the arrangement of the pressure plate 40 and compartment 30 of FIG. 12A, with the pressure plate 40 lifted to a refill position. A user can engage the grip 43 at the front side of the pressure plate 40 and lift the pressure plate 40 upwards with respect to the compartment 30. The slider 42 slides in the guide slot 33 against the force of the tape spring 48, which is extended. Upwards movement can continue until the slider 42 exits the guide slot 33 and the body 41 is clear of the compartment 30. Although not shown in this view, the slider 42 is also partially guided by the guide flanges 72, within the housing 12 as shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 12C shows a front view of the compartment 30 within the chassis 20, corresponding to FIG. 11A but including the pressure plate 40 in the refill position of FIG. 12B. As can be seen in this view, once the pressure plate 40 is lifted clear of the compartment 30, it is no longer guided by the guide slot 33, the left and right guide plates 31A, B or the post 34. It is however still guided by the guide flanges 72 of the housing 12 (not shown) and constrained by the inner surfaces 22 A,B of the left and right walls 21 A,B of the chassis 20. At this point, the resiliently mounted latches 46A, B on the body 41 of the pressure plate 40 engage with the left and right detents 26 A,B of the chassis 20. The pressure plate 40 is thus retained in this refill position against the force of the tape spring 48.

FIG. 12D illustrates a front view of the dispenser 10, ready for use with the cover 13 closed.

Operation of the dispenser 10 to dispense soap strips 2 from a stack 1 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 13A to 13F and 14.

In FIG. 13A, a partially filled soap dispenser 10 is illustrated in cross-section along the line XIII-XIII of FIG. 12D. The cover 13 is closed and a stack 1 is present in the compartment 30 beneath the pressure plate 40. The stack 1 rests on the roller 60 with the post 34 extending through the aperture 8. The soap strips 2 are generally flexible and the downwardly curved nose 44 of the contoured lower surface of the pressure plate 40 causes the leading edge 4 of the stack 1 to bend downwards. The tape spring 48 maintains a constant pressure on the stack 1. The lowermost strip 2a is unsupported at the leading edge 4 and drapes over the roller 60.

FIG. 13A also shows how the housing shield portion 74, cover shield portion 75, push plate 52 and the wings 54 together form a generally tubular shield 76 that surrounds the dispensing opening 15. Shield 76 extends downwards below the roller 60 by around 4 cm and helps avoid splashes of water from entering the dispensing opening 15 and wetting the soap strips 2 or the frictional surface 64 of the roller 60. The shield 76 also obscures the roller 60 from sight and discourages users from inserting their fingers into the dispensing opening 15 to retrieve soap strips 2.

In FIG. 13B a user operates the dispenser 10 to dispense the soap strip 2a by exerting a pressure P on the push plate 52. The pressure P causes the actuator 50 to rotate anticlockwise about the trunnion pins 55, whereby the racks 56 engaged with the pinions 66 also rotate together in the anticlockwise sense. The pinions 66 drive the roller 60 to rotate R. The frictional surface 64 of the roller 60 engages the lowermost strip 2a and causes it to be withdrawn from the post 34 by ripping the trailing edge 6 at a tear 9.

In FIG. 13C, movement of the push plate 52 is completed and rotation R of the roller 60 has caused the lowermost strip 2a to move through the dispensing opening 15. At this point, the roller 60 enters into contact with the penultimate strip 2b, while the lowermost strip 2a remains momentarily engaged with the frictional surface 64.

In FIG. 13D, the user has released pressure on the push plate 52. The dispenser 10 and the push plate 52 are designed for operation by the heel of a user's hand H. It will be understood that other ways of moving the push plate 52 will lead to the same movement but operation with the heel of the hand H will allow the fingers and palm to be positioned beneath the dispensing opening 15. After releasing the push plate 52, the hand H can remain beneath the dispensing opening 15, allowing the lowermost strip 2a to fall onto the palm of the hand H. The actuator 50 now rotates in a clockwise direction under the bias of the left and right actuator springs 58A,B. Operation of the ratchet bearings 67 A,B ensures that as the racks 56 rotate the pinions 66 in the clockwise direction the roller 60 does not rotate.

When a user or service personnel wishes to service the dispenser 10, the cover 13 can be opened by releasing the lock 14. FIG. 13E shows a cross-sectional view of the dispenser 10 as in FIGS. 13A to 13D with the cover 13 opened. If it is determined that additional soap strips should be added to the compartment 30, the pressure plate 40 can be manually raised by lifting it with the grip 43 against the action of the tape spring 48. In FIG. 13F, the pressure plate 40 has been lifted to the position shown in 12C, whereby the latches 46A,B on the pressure plate 40 engage with the left and right detents 26 A,B of the chassis 20.

Once the pressure plate 40 is lifted clear of the compartment 30 and the post 34, the compartment 30 can tilt forwards to the position shown in FIG. 13F under action of the torsion springs 39 A,B. In this position, access to the compartment is not obstructed by the pressure plate 40 or the housing 12. A new stack 1 can be placed over the post 34, with the left and right guide ears 37A,B assisting in guiding the stack 1 into the space between the left and right guide plates 31A,B. It will be understood that a new stack 1 can be introduced even if there are still soap strips remaining in the compartment. In the illustrated embodiment, the compartment 30 is 18 cm in height and three complete stacks 1 can be inserted.

As can be seen in FIG. 13F, the new stack 1 is inserted into the compartment 30 with the wrapper 7 still intact and surrounding the stack to ensure that the strips 2 remain together and aligned. Once the new stack 1 is within the compartment 30 and retained by the post 34, the wrapper 7 can be removed. A tear strip, line of weakness or perforations can be provided to ensure that the wrapper 7 opens at an intended location.

When refilling is complete, the cover 13 is closed. Closing of the cover serves to push the compartment 30 back upright into the housing 12 against the force of the torsion springs 39 A,B to its initial position between the left and right chassis sections 20A,B. FIG. 14 is a plan view of a section in the direction XIV-XIV of FIG. 12D, including the housing 12 and cover 13. In this view, operation of the release flanges 18 can be seen. As the cover 13 is closed, the release flanges 18 extend inwards between the side walls 21A,B of the left and right chassis sections 20A,B and on either side of the pressure plate 40. In doing so, they engage and flex the latches 46A,B inwards. The latches 46A,B move out of engagement with the left and right detents 26 A,B of the chassis 20 and the pressure plate 40 is free to move downwards under the force of the tape spring 48. As can also be seen in this view, the slider 42 is guided by the guide flanges 72 of the housing towards the guide slot 33.

FIG. 13G shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of a lower region of the housing 12 taken from FIG. 13F. It shows an additional shield element of the housing 12 in the form of scraper 77, which extends beneath the roller 60. The roller 60 and scraper 77 are shown in front view in FIG. 13H. The scraper 77 has a profiled edge 78 that includes ridges 79 that align with the grooves 68 in the roller 60. The scraper 77 not only shields the underside of the roller 60 against drips and contact by users but also ensures that soap strips or soap residue will not remain on the roller 60. As the roller 60 is rotated during use, its frictional surface 64 moves past the scraper 77, whereby any residue of soap caked or otherwise attached to the roller 60 can be released by the ridges 79. In this embodiment, the profiled edge 78 is itself spaced from the frictional surface 64 but the skilled person will understand that it may more closely engage the roller 60 to actually scrape the frictional surface 64 should that be desired. It will also be understood that more or less ridges 79 or other form of protrusion may be provided at any position along the profiled edge 78.

The skilled person will understand that the above described embodiment as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 14 is merely exemplary and many variations are possible. FIG. 15A and B illustrate a second embodiment of a dispenser 110 having a housing 112 and cover 113. In this embodiment, the cover 113 is pivotably connected to the housing 112 to rotate about a pivot 116 at an upper side of the cover 113. In this embodiment, the cover 113 also acts as an actuator and carries toothed racks (not shown) as in the first embodiment that engage with a roller 160. Springs (not shown) within the housing 112 bias the cover 113 to the position shown in FIG. 15A.

Operation of the dispenser 110 takes place by applying a force P to a lower portion 152 of the cover 113. This causes the cover 112 to rotate in an anticlockwise direction about the pivot 116 as shown in FIG. 15B. As the cover 112 rotates, the movement is transmitted to the roller 160, which rotates in an anticlockwise direction R to dispense a soap strip 2 through the dispensing opening 115. On releasing the force P on the cover 113, the cover 113 reverts to its initial position. Many other alternative actuator mechanisms can be provided, including actuation levers for two-handed or ‘elbow’ operation. Furthermore, automatic operation can be provided, using e.g. a proximity sensor in combination with a motor to separate a strip from the stack and dispense it through the dispensing opening.

Furthermore, although a post has been illustrated for retaining the soap strips within the stack, various different retaining elements can be contemplated that would also achieve the same function of retaining the stack in position, while an individual soap strip is dispensed. Such retaining elements may be positioned within the housing and sized and arranged to engage a portion of the stack to retain the remaining strips and prevent them from exiting together with the lowermost strip.

In FIG. 16, a second embodiment is disclosed in which a pair of posts 134 A,B are provided within the compartment 130. The stack 101 and each soap strip 102 is provided with a pair of apertures 108A,B that fit over the posts 134A,B. Operation may be otherwise the same although it will be understood that the soap strip 102 may rip at two positions rather than at a single location as was the case for the first embodiment.

In FIG. 17 a third embodiment is disclosed in which the compartment 230 has a pair of retaining elements 234A,B that engage within slots 208A,B at the sides of the stack 201. The retaining elements 234 A,B may have any appropriate shape and may be angled to better retain the stack 201. Removal of a soap strip 202 may in this case without ripping or with limited ripping.

In FIG. 18 a fourth embodiment of a dispenser 310 is schematically disclosed in which a compartment 330 is arranged with a post 334 oriented horizontally. A stack 301 of soap strips 302 hangs downwards from the post 334. A next soap strip 302a to be dispensed is removed from the stack 301 by an engagement element 360 that moves towards the stack 301 and downwards to tear the next soap strip 302a from the post 334. The skilled person will recognise that there are any number of possible engagement elements 360 that can serve to engage the strip 302a to exert a force on it. These may include the use of suction, friction, adhesion, static electricity or mechanical engagement.

FIG. 19 shows schematically a fifth embodiment of a dispenser 410 having a pair of rollers 60A, 60B arranged within a housing 412. A stack 401 is supported on two posts 434 A, B located at opposed ends of the housing 412. A pressure plate 440 is urged downwards by a bias spring 448 to bias the stack 401 downwards towards a centrally located dispensing opening 415 between the rollers 60A, 60B. The rollers 60A, 60B are provided with an actuation device (not shown) causing them to counter rotate in order to dispense a lowermost soap strip 402a from the stack 401. In doing so, the lowermost strip 402a is ripped from both posts 434A and 434B together. In this embodiment, it will be appreciated that the stack and the strips do not have a leading edge and a trailing edge in the sense of the first embodiment because the strip is extracted and dispensed with a central portion of the strip being dispensed first. Nevertheless, to the extent this is relevant, the central fold of the strip 402a may be considered as a leading edge with respect to the user.

FIG. 20 shows a schematic side view of part of a sixth embodiment of a dispenser, in a view corresponding to FIG. 13G. An alternative scraper 577 is provided that extends further around the roller 560 to also cover part of the front side of the roller 560 to provide additional splash protection. In this embodiment, the grooves 568 are provided at the left and right edges of the roller 560. Additionally, the profiled edge 578 and ridges 579 have a chamfered surface facing the roller 560.

In FIG. 21, alternative soap strips are illustrated, having different forms of aperture. In FIG. 21A, soap strip 2′ has a closed teardrop shaped aperture 8′. In FIG. 21B, soap strip 2″ has a closed circular aperture 8″ with a line of weakness 9″ extending to the trailing edge 6″. In FIG. 21C, soap strip 2′″ has an open aperture 8′″ that is joined to the trailing edge 6′″ by a cut 9′″. The skilled person will understand that many other alternative shapes are possible.

It will be recognized that many modifications in addition to those described above may be made to the structures and techniques described herein without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, although specific embodiments have been described, these are examples only and are not limiting upon the scope of the invention