TISSUE DISPENSER

Description

PRIORITY

This application claims the priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/734,177, filed on Dec. 15, 2024, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to tissue dispensers and, more particularly, to devices, methods and systems for dispensing tissue from toilet paper rolls.

BACKGROUND

Facial tissues for persons to blow or wipe their nose are conventionally packaged in square or rectangular containers formed mostly of carboard. An opening in the top side of the container is provided so that a tissue can partially protrude to allow the user to grab the tissue with their hand. It is also known to place a decorative cover over the carboard container to enhance and/or customize the visual appearance of the tissue container.

Facial tissues in such square or rectangular boxes are not particularly compact and the tissue contents of a box may be consumed fairly quickly. Sometimes people will place a roll of toilet paper inside of the decorative cover for the box rather than replacing the box of tissues. Toilet paper tissue is typically much less expensive per square inch than standard tissues in a square or rectangular box. In addition, toilet tissue may be disposed of by flushing, whereas standard fascial tissue, and the empty tissue boxes, must be disposed of as solid waste.

Presently, consumers using the toilet paper alternative place a roll of toilet paper inside the outer decorative cover by laying the roll of toilet paper on its side directly. The tissue is dispensed by pulling it through the top of the decorative box. Alternatively, some will remove the cardboard center of the toilet paper roll and pull tissue up from the center of the roll. Both methods work fairly well except, as most decorative boxes are open at the bottom, the roll of toilet paper then rests on whatever surface it is placed on, such as countertops which may become wet and/or dirty. In addition, the toilet paper roll may not remain centered in place inside the box as the tissue is being pulled out for use. Therefore, there is a need for an improved device, system and method for dispensing toilet paper tissue for use as facial tissue.

SUMMARY

The present invention addresses the above-noted concerns regarding conventional usage of toilet paper rolls as facial tissue by providing a cradle for receiving the toilet paper roll. The cradle is configured to raise the roll above the base surface and facilitate dispensing of the roll from within a decorative cover.

In certain examples, the cradle defines an arcuate or cylindrical cradle surface segment with supporting legs located along opposing sides of the cradle surface segment. The toilet paper roll can be set on its side on top of the cradle surface segment and the free end of the roll dispensed upward through the top opening of a conventional decorative cover placed over the roll and cradle.

Disclosed is a toilet paper dispenser device comprising a cradle. The cradle comprises a curved surface portion spanning between a pair of opposed lateral edges. The curved surface extends longitudinally forwards and rearwards between a front side and a rear side. A first support leg extends from a first of the pair of opposed lateral edges. A second support leg extends from a second of the pair of opposed lateral edges. Each of the first and second support legs extends vertically downwardly to a sufficient extent that the curved surface is suspended above a planar surface when the cradle is set atop and contacting the planar surface.

The curved surface portion can have has a constant radius when viewed from both of the front side and the rear side. The curved surface portion can define a vertically lowest point to the planar surface at a midpoint between the pair of opposed lateral edges. The first and second legs can extend vertically downwards at an oblique angle to the surface on which the cradle is set. The top surface of the curved surface portion can be smooth. The cradle can be a single unitary piece. The cradle can be formed of a plastic material.

Also disclosed is a toilet paper dispensing system. The system comprises a cradle as disclosed herein and a cover that is configured to fit completely over the cradle and rest atop the planar surface while a roll of toilet paper sits atop the curved surface portion of the cradle. The cover comprises a top opening for dispensing toilet paper tissue from the roll of toilet paper sitting atop the curved surface portion of the cradle.

Further disclosed is a method of dispensing tissue from a toilet paper roll. The method includes setting a cradle atop a support surface, setting a roll of toilet paper atop the curved surface portion of the cradle such that a center rotational axis of the roll of toilet paper is aligned along a horizontal axis and longitudinally forwards and rearwards between the front side and the rear side of the cradle, and placing a cover completely over the cradle and contacting the support surface while the roll of toilet paper is located atop the curved surface portion of the cradle. The cradle can be configured as disclosed herein. A free end of tissue can extend from the roll of toilet paper vertically upwards through a top opening in the cover.

The above summary is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, or describe each embodiment, aspect, implementation, feature or advantage of the invention. The detailed technology and preferred embodiments for the subject invention are described in the following paragraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in this field to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention. It is understood that the features mentioned hereinbefore and those to be commented on hereinafter may be used not only in the specified combinations, but also in other combinations or in isolation, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toilet paper roll holder according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a first side view of the toilet paper roll holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a second side view of the toilet paper roll holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the toilet paper roll holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the toilet paper roll holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a top view of the toilet paper roll holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the toilet paper roll holder of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the toilet paper roll holder according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a front view of the toilet paper roll holder according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the toilet paper roll holder according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a roll of toilet paper atop a toilet paper roll holder according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a roll of toilet paper atop a toilet paper roll holder with a decorative cover being placed over the toilet paper holder according to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of a roll of toilet paper in the dispensing position through a decorative cover over the toilet paper roll holder according to certain example embodiments.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to the particular example embodiments described. On the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following descriptions, the present invention will be explained with reference to various example embodiments; nevertheless, these embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to any specific example, environment, application, or particular implementation described herein. Therefore, descriptions of these example embodiments are only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit the present invention.

Dimensions and relative proportions of components depicted in the figures are merely example embodiments and can be varied unless specifically limited in a given claim. Thus, the dimensions can be varied without departing from the scope of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-10, a toilet paper roll holder or cradle 100 is shown. The cradle 100 comprises an arcuate or cylindrically curved surface segment 102 and a pair of support legs 104 extending from the opposing side edges of the surface segment. Each leg 104 spans longitudinally from the front side to the rear side of the cradle 100. The legs 104 extend vertically downward sufficient to support the curved surface segment 102 above the surface on which the cradle 100 is set. The curvature of the cradle segment 102 is such that the lowest point to the surface on which the cradle 100 is set is located along the lateral center 103 of the surface. The surface 102 then rises vertically in either direction as it approaches the lateral edges 105. At or adjacent to the lateral edges 105 the legs 104 then extend vertically downwards at an oblique angle to the surface on which the cradle is set.

The legs 104 can be continuous front to back as shown in the figures or they can be provided with holes, slots or channels. Multiple separate legs can be provided in other alternative embodiments.

The upper surface of the curved segment 102 is smooth to provide a low friction interface with the toilet paper roll.

The cradle 100 can be formed as a unitary or single piece item. The cradle 100 can be formed of molded plastic, but can also be metal, fiberglass, carbon fiber or other rigid material(s).

The cradle 100 is sized to fit within the horizontal plane footprint of conventional sized square tissue paper decorative covers that dispense from the top. Because the cradle 100 is not attached to the decorative cover, any such common sized decorative cover can be used with the cradle 100 as long as the toilet paper roll fits under the cover.

Referring to FIGS. 11-13, in use, the cradle 100 is placed on a flat or generally flat surface 101. A toilet paper roll 106 is then placed on its side on top of the cradle 100 so that the rotational axis of the toilet paper roll 106 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cradle 100 and in the horizontal plane. The free end 108 of the tissue on the toilet paper roll 106 is lifted and placed through the top opening 109 of the decorative cover 110 as the cover 110 is lowered over the cradle 100 holding the toilet paper roll 106. The free end 108 of tissue on the toilet paper roll 106 protrudes through the top opening 109 in the cover 110 as shown in FIG. 13 so that the user can grasp the desired amount of tissue paper. When the toilet paper roll 106 is exhausted, the decorative cover 110 can be lifted and a new roll can be placed on the cradle 100 after any center cardboard from the spent roll is removed.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments. It will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, such scope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass all equivalent structures and products. Moreover, features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed and matched (even if such combination is not explicitly described herein) without departing from the scope of the invention.