nonwovens and/or wipes

Technical Field

The present application pertains to a dispenser for

dispensing paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes and, in particular, to a mobile dispenser which can be carried along or which can be used in a car, a boat, a plane etc. for dispensing ^A paper, nonwovens, handkerchiefs, wet wipes and dry wipes.

Technological Background

In the field of dispensers for dispensing tissue paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes, which can be used particularly as mobile dispensers, for example to be carried along by the users in their handbags or backpacks, to be used in a car or on a boat, several different dispensers are known. A typical mobile dispenser is, for example, a dispenser on the basis of a cardboard box from which dry wipes can be withdrawn. The disadvantage with a dispenser on the basis of a cardboard box is that the respective dispensing opening remains open after it has been opened for the first time. Accordingly, when carrying an open cardboard box along in a bag, in a backpack, in a car or in a boat, it is almost inevitable that dust and debris enters into the cardboard box, such that the

respective wipes are soiled and degrade. Furthermore, cardboard boxes as such are not suitable for the use with wet wipes .

Containers for dispensing wipes, in particular wet wipes, are disclosed in US 2007/0257052 Al and US 2003/0015543 Al . The lids of the respective containers are relatively difficult to open and to close, in particular when opening and closing is to be done single-handed, for example while driving. US 2008/0142535 Al discloses a personal care product

dispenser which has to be opened by pulling apart two housing halves in order to access a dispensing opening. This

dispenser is also difficult to access single-handed.

Summary of the invention

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for dispensing tissue paper, nonwovens , and/or wipes, which provides an alternative to known

dispensers and which enables improved dispensing properties when being used one-handed.

According to the solution of claim 1, the dispenser includes a housing which defines a receiving volume and which has an access opening through which the receiving volume is

accessible, an insert which is arranged to be inserted into the receiving volume of the housing through the access opening of the housing, the insert being provided with a receiving portion for receiving the paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes to be dispensed, and the insert being provided with a closing portion which is adapted to close the access opening of the housing when the insert is fully inserted into the housing. A dispensing opening is provided in the closing portion of the insert, wherein a cover is attached to the insert for closing the dispensing opening.

The dispenser according to the present disclosure has the advantage that, by means of the insert, the paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes which is to be dispensed and which preferably is provided in the form of a stack, a roll and/or in a bag or package, can be securely and tidily inserted into the

container, such that it is dust-proof and substantially sealed off with respect to the environment. Furthermore, by means of the provision of the actual dispensing opening in the closing portion of the insert, it becomes possible to easily access the dispensing opening from the outside of the dispenser. This is even more so the case because the cover directly covers this dispensing opening which is situated at the outer portion of the dispenser.

Preferably, the housing and the cover are made from a substantially resilient material, in particular a rubber material or silicone, and the insert is made from a

substantially rigid material, in particular from

polyethylene, metal or wood. By means of this specific material choice it becomes possible to provide a dispenser which has a substantially sealed off receiving volume such that wet wipes can be received and dispensed. Furthermore, by means of the resilient material for the housing, it becomes possible to easily hold the dispenser in a car by simply pushing it between the car seats or into a side pocket of a door without the need for applying additional holding means to the car.

Preferably, at least the .material of the cover has a higher friction than the material of the insert, and in particular a higher friction with respect to a finger of a user.

In another preferred embodiment, a biasing means is present to bias the cover towards closing the dispensing opening. Preferably, the biasing means is provided by the elastic material of the cover. By means of the biasing means it can be made sure that the cover is always in its closed condition when it is not deliberately opened by a user. Accordingly, wet wipes do not loose their moisture content and the paper, nonwovens , and/or wipes to be dispensed will not be soiled.

Preferably, the receiving portion of the insert extends fully into the receiving volume of the housing when being fully inserted such that the receiving portion provides some structural integrity to the dispenser. In order to maintain the insert in the fully inserted

position, the insert preferably includes a locking portion which is intended to interact with a complementary portion of the housing to lock the insert in the closed position when being fully inserted. Preferably, the locking means is provided in the form of a convex portion which is intended to fit into a complementary concave portion in the housing.

To further increase the locking of the insert and, at the same time, enhance the optical appearance of the dispenser, the insert includes a friction generating portion which is intended to generate friction between the sidewalls of the housing when the insert is fully inserted into the housing.

For fully closing the access opening of the housing, the closing portion of the insert has a front portion and a top portion to snugly fit into the housing at the access opening.

Furthermore, in order to enable easy access to the receiving volume in the housing, the access opening extends in a front wall and a top wall of the housing. Accordingly, to enable easy dispensing of the paper, nonwovens , and/or wipes from the receiving volume of the housing, the dispensing opening extends in a front face and a top wall of the closing portion of the insert.

As the dispenser is intended to be used in a car the cover may be snugly placed into a recess which extends around the dispensing opening in order to provide smooth outer contours of the dispenser such that sharp edges are not present which could be a source for injuries.

In order to further improve the closing of the cover, the cover can be held in its closed position by means of a closing tongue which can be inserted into a closing opening and can be preferably locked to the insert by means of a connection between a locking opening in the insert into which a locking protrusion of the cover can be inserted.

To avoid the "drawer effect" when trying to push the insert into the receiving volume of the housing, the receiving portion of the insert is provided with two guide rails which extend along the insertion direction and the guide rails are chamfered in their lower portion.

Should it be desired to fasten the dispenser to a wall of a car or the like, wherein fastening means such as Velcro fasteners, hooks, lashes are preferably provided on the housing in order to enable hanging of the dispenser.

Brief Description of the Figures

The present disclosure will be described in more detail below, with reference to the Figures, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the dispenser in a fully closed state;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Figure 1 with the insert almost inserted into the housing;

Figure 3 is a schematic, perspective view of the housing without the insert;

Figure 4 is a schematic side view of the housing without the insert ;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the housing with the insert fully inserted into the housing but the cover fully removed;

Figure 6 is a schematic, perspective view of the insert alone ,- Figure 7 is a schematic side view of the insert alone;

Figure 8 is a detailed, perspective view of the connection between the insert and the cover;

Figure 9 is a schematic, perspective view of a detail of the cover and the insert; and

Figure 10 is a schematic, perspective view of the closing process of the cover and the insert .

Detailed Description of the preferred Embodiment

In the following, an embodiment of the dispenser of the present disclosure will be described by reference to the attached Figures. Identical or similar features will be denoted by the same reference numerals and repeated

description thereof may be omitted in order to avoid

redundancies

In Figure 1, the dispenser 1 includes a housing 2, an insert 3 and a cover 4. The housing 1 defines, as can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, a receiving volume 20 into which the insert 3 can be fully inserted. The housing 2 furthermore includes an access opening 22 through which the receiving volume 20 of the housing 2 can be accessed and through which the insert 3 can be inserted into the receiving volume 20. In the embodiment shown in the present disclosure, the access opening 2 extends in two walls of the housing 2, namely a front face 23 as well as a top wall 24 of the housing 2.

In the following, because the dispenser 1 includes the three different elements of the housing 2, the insert 3 and the cover 4 , reference will be made to Figures 1 to 6 in order to describe the respective elements of the dispenser in an exemplary manner. In the preferred embodiment, the housing 2 is made from a resilient or flexible material, such as silicone, rubber, thermoplastics, etc.

Preferably, the housing 2 and the cover 4 are made from the same elastic material. The insert 3, however, is made from a relatively rigid material, such as a plastics material, wood or metal. Preferably the resilient material has a higher friction than the relatively rigid material in order to easily enable a user to haptically find the cover and open it with one hand at whatever portion of the cover due to the friction generated between the cover and the user's hand.

The insert 3 includes a receiving portion 30 which is intended to receive the paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes in the form of a stack or package from which the individual wipes are to be dispensed, such that the respective stack, pack and/or package can be received on the receiving portion 30 securely. The receiving portion 30 of the insert 3 has the further advantage that, when using a highly resilient material for the housing 2, it can be made sure that the paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes can be inserted securely and tidily into the inside of the housing 2 through the access opening 22. Furthermore, when the housing 2 is highly resilient, the rigid receiving portion 30 of the insert 3 makes sure that the bag, package and/or stack put onto the receiving portion 30 is not buckled, kinked or in any other form degraded while using the dispenser. The receiving portion 30, furthermore, provides the housing 2 with

additional structural integrity, in particular in a case in which the housing 2 is made from a very elastic material.

The resilience or elasticity of the cover 4 is used in order to bias the cover 4 into its closed position. In other words, as soon as the cover 4 is opened by a user in order to withdraw tissue paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes contained in the receiving volume 20 of the housing 2, the cover 4 will have a tendency to reclose the dispensing opening such that it becomes easily possible to dispense the tissue paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes through the dispensing opening single-handed, for example while driving a car.

In Figure 4, a schematic side view of the housing 2 is shown, from which it becomes apparent that some of the walls of the housing, and in particular the top wail 24, are provided in a slightly curved manner in order to improve the handling of the dispenser. It has to be noted, however, that the bottom wall 26 of the housing 2 is provided in a flat shape such that the housing 2 can be easily placed on a flat surface.

The insert 3, which is shown, for example, in Figure 6, can be inserted into the receiving volume 20 of the housing 2 through the access opening 22, as is shown in Figure 2. The insert 3 includes a receiving portion 30 which is intended to receive the paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes which is to be dispensed. The insert 3 includes a closing portion 32 which is intended to substantially fit between the boundaries provided by the housing 2 at its access opening 22, such that the closing portion 32 of the insert 3 can be snugly fit into the access opening 22 of the housing 2. Accordingly, the closing portion 32 includes, in the present embodiment, a front wall 32' and a top wall 32' ', the front wall 32' being intended to close the access opening 22 in the front face 23 of the housing 2, and the top wall 32' ' being intended to close the access opening 22 at the top wall 24 of the housing 2.

In order to enable dispensing paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes from the dispenser 1, a dispensing opening 34 is provided in the closing portion 32 of the insert 3. In the present embodiment, the dispensing opening 34 extends likewise in the front wall 32'' and the top wall 32'' of the closing portion 32 of the insert 3, substantially resembling the shape of the access opening, even though at a smaller extension. The dispensing opening 34 is intended to dispense the paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes received by the receiving portion 30 of the insert 3 and which is inserted into the receiving volume 20 of the housing 2 by means of the insert 3. The paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes that is received by the receiving portion 30 can then be dispensed through the dispensing opening 34.

A cover 4 is provided to close the dispensing opening 34 while no paper, nonwovens, and/or wipes is to be dispensed. Due to the specific shape of the dispensing opening 34 of the insert 3 in the present embodiment, cover 4 is likewise shaped to have a front wall part 4' as well as a top wall part 4'' in order to fully close the dispensing opening 34 of the insert 3 of the dispenser 1.

Figure 5 shows the housing 2 with the insert 3 fully inserted through the access opening 22 of the housing 2 into its receiving volume 20. The dispensing opening 34 is clearly visible as well as a recessed part 36 surrounding the dispensing opening 34 in order to provide a seat for the cover 4 shown in Figure 2.

As can be seen in Figures 1 or 2, the cover 4 as well as the insert 3 snugly fit with one another such that no steps, edges or discontinuities are formed when the dispenser 1 is in its fully closed state, as shown in Figure 1. In other words, the outer surfaces of the housing 2 extend smoothly into the outer surfaces of the insert 3 and the outer surfaces of the cover 4, giving the dispenser 1 a smooth outer appearance.

As can be seen in Figure 5 in combination with Figure 8, in the front wall 32' of the closing portion 32 of the insert 3 openings 38 are provided for receiving a conical portion 42 of the cover 4. Preferably, the conical portion 42 is integral with the cover 4 in order to reduce the number of parts. By means of the provision of the conical portions 42, the cover 4 can be easily clicked into its final position by inserting the conical portions 42 of the cover 4 into the openings 38 provided in the recessed portion 36 of the insert 3.

Preferably, the cover 4 is made from a resilient material such that, once the cover 4 has been opened, it is biased towards its closing position again. This elastic biasing means serves to close the cover 4 automatically and without any further action of the user. However, in an alternative embodiment, a biasing means acting on the cover may be provided by a different mechanism such as a spring biasing means .

Figures 6 and 7 show the insert 3 in different views. It becomes apparent that the insert 3 includes, at its bottom portion, guide rails 300 which are intended to guide the insert 3 smoothly inside the receiving volume 20 of the housing 2.

At the bottom portion 310 of the guide rails 300, the guide rails are slightly chamfered in order to avoid the so-called "drawer effect" , namely that the insert 3 cannot be inserted smoothly into the receiving volume 20 of the housing 2 because the insert 3 jams with respect to the housing 2. In particular, it was intended to reduce or avoid this "drawer effect" , namely the effect that is typically experienced when trying to push a drawer into a cupboard which tilts or twists such that the drawer blocks . It has been found by the inventors that this specific shape of the outer walls of the guide rails 300 significantly reduces this drawer effect over an embodiment in which just straight walls are used.

At the front wall 32' of the closing portion 32, this

chamfered portion 310 is, however, not provided. To the contrary, a friction generating portion 39 is present, which is intended to generate a friction between the inner portions of the side walls of the housing 2 when the insert 3 is fully inserted into the receiving volume 20 of the housing 2.

In order to lock the insert 3 securely into the fully inserted position, a tongue 5 is provided extending into the insertion direction from the upper wall 32'' of the closing portion 32, The tongue 5 is intended to fit under the top wall 24 of the housing 2 in the fully inserted state of the insert 3. On the tongue 5, a locking portion 50 in the form of a convex portion 50 is provided. The convex portion 50 is intended to smoothly lock into a complementary convex portion provided on the inside of the top wall _. 24 of the housing 2.

The material of the housing 2 preferably is a resilient material, such as a rubber material or a silicon material. Accordingly, if the convex portion 50 is slid into the receiving volume 20 of the housing 2 together with the insert 3, the upper wall 24 of the housing 2 slightly bends upwardly until the convex portion 50 is slid into the complementary concave portion on the inside of the top wall 24 of the housing 2. The resilience of the housing material then ensures that the insert 3 is securely fastened in its fully inserted position.

In order to be in a position to remove the insert 3 again from the receiving volume, a finger recess 28 is provided in the top wall 24 of the housing 2 such that an edge is generated between the housing 2 and the insert 3 at which a user can easily push the insert 3 out of its locking

engagement with the housing.

The closing process of the cover 4 onto the insert 3 will be explained in the following by reference to Figures 5, 9 and 10. In particular, a locking mechanism 6 is provided at the connection between the top wall 4'' of the cover 4 and the top wall 32 '' of the insert 3. The locking mechanism 6 includes a closing opening 60 provided in the top wall 32'' of the insert 3, wherein into the closing opening 60 a respective closing tongue 62 of the top wall 4'' of the cover 4 can be inserted. The closing tongue 62 serves not only to lock the cover 4 in the closed position, but serves also to guide the cover 4 into the actual locking position,

A locking opening 64 is likewise provided in the top wall 32'' of the insert 3 below the locking opening 60. The locking opening 64 is intended to receive a complementary locking protrusion 66 provided in the top wall 4' ' of the cover 4. The locking protrusion 66 is preferably shaped such that a friction fit or a form fit can be achieved in the locking opening 64. For example, the locking protrusion 66 may have a dove tail shape which fits into the likewise dove tail -shaped locking opening 64. Because the cover 4 is made from a resilient material, the locking protrusion 66 then clicks into position in the locking opening 64.

Figure 9 shows the process of closing the dispensing opening by the cover 4, wherein the closing tongue 62 approaches the closing opening 60 of the locking mechanism 6. In Figure 10, the closing tongue 62 is already inserted into the closing opening 60, but locking opening 64 is not yet filled with locking protrusion 66.

In order to avoid any inadvertent opening of the cover 4 and also to guide a user haptically to the right portion to open the cover 4, a bump 68 is provided at the top wall 32'' of the insert 3.

As can be seen, again, in Figure 1, the cover 4, the insert 3 and the housing 2 define, in their inside, a volume which is hermetically closed off with respect to the outside. Because the materials used for the housing 2 and the cover 4 are resilient materials which are carefully selected to interact with the material of the insert 3, a relatively tight sealing between the housing 2 and the insert 3, and the cover 4 and the insert 3 can be achieved. Accordingly, the dispenser 1 as disclosed is not only suitable for dispensing dry wipes, which remain dry and tidy inside the dispenser, but is also suitable for dispensing wet wipes, which retain their

moisture inside the dispenser 1.

By means of the resilient material for the housing 2 of the dispenser 1, it also becomes possible to squeeze the

dispenser slightly, such that it can easily slide into a side pocket of a car, between the front seats or in any other position inside a car, such that the dispenser 1 can be securely seated in the car, without the need of gluing fastening means into the car, drilling holes into the car or providing any other fastening mechanisms into the car. In other words, the dispenser according to the present

disclosure can be securely fastened inside a typical car without the need to change or alter anything of the interior of the car.

As can be imagined from the disclosure of Figure 1, it is very easy to withdraw a wipe from the dispenser 1. In particular, due to the higher friction of the material from which the cover 4 is made, a user may open the cover 4 by only using this friction to grip the cover 4. In other words, the user does not need to find a specific handling position for the cover but rather may use the entire top surface of the cover to open it. Furthermore, a user may open the cover 4 by means of one of her/his fingers, holds the cover in its opened state by means of this finger, and grasps a paper or wipe by means of other fingers of the same hand, and pulls the wipe out. After subsequently releasing the cover 4, the cover closes the dispensing opening automatically due to its bias. Accordingly, a one-handed dispensing action can be easily achieved. Besides the possibility of arranging the dispenser 1 in a car or any other vehicle by simply squeezing it between two component parts of the respective vehicle, for example sliding it between the front seats or into a side pocket in a door, it is also contemplated to provide the dispenser 1 with some fastening means, such as a hanger or Velcro fasteners in order to be in a position to securely fasten the dispenser onto a fixed part. Preferably, the Velcro fastener or the hanger is situated on the bottom wall of the dispenser.