The object of the invention is a foot-operated liquid dispenser holder.

Technical problem

The technical problem is to configure a foot-operated liquid dispenser holder that has a simple design with few components, is simple to manufacture and economically justifiable, wherein the holder must be configured to be either stand-alone or wall mountable.

Prior art

Effective hand disinfection is an important factor in preventing and spreading bacterial and viral infections. Hand disinfection is used both for medical purposes and in everyday life. Liquid disinfectants are often used for this purpose and are applied to hands by means of a container having a dosing element, said container being called a dispenser. When using dispensers, the user must press the dosing element by hand to dispense a predetermined adequate amount of a disinfecting liquid. Touching the actuating element by hand may result in the user’s skin getting additionally infected by bacteria and viruses. To prevent the user from coming into contact with the dispenser, dispenser holders have been developed that are foot-operated, usually via a pedal.

CN202161246 (U) discloses a wall-mounted dispenser holder consisting of two parts, i.e. an upper support part and a lower pedal part. The upper part comprises a support element, on which there are arranged a liquid dispenser, a holding element which encloses the dispenser and prevents it from falling out of the support element, and, in a vertical distance from both said parts, an triggering element in the form of a handle, which is pivotally mounted in the upper part in a way that it swivels in the direction of the ground due to the force acting on it, thus pressing the dosing element of the dispenser which dispenses a certain amount of liquid. The upper part acts as a holder and trigger of the dispenser. The lower part is basically a pedal that is connected via a wire rope to the triggering element of the upper part. When the user steps on the pedal, the force acts on the triggering element via a wire rope, which swivels towards the ground, thus pushing the dosing element of the dispenser. A disadvantage of the described solution is the wire rope which gets stretched with repeated use, which causes a decrease in the amplitude of swivelling of the triggering element. As a result, the stroke of the dosing element is smaller, resulting in a smaller amount of the dispensed liquid. An additional disadvantage of the described solution is that the holder consists of two pieces, which requires very precise mounting. If both parts of the holder are not mounted in a line, the wire rope gets stretched at the beginning of use and consequently the dispensed liquid is inadequate, i. e. insufficient.

A similar solution is described in CN201515990 (U), in which case the holder that is substantially a bracket, is separated from the upper triggering part. The triggering part is connected via a wire rope to a pedal that is arranged on the ground. A disadvantage of this solution also lies in the wire rope and its deformation. In order to reduce the stretching of the wire rope during use, the wire rope can be replaced by a Bowden cable, which in turn significantly increases the manufacturing cost.

The wire rope in the holder can be replaced by a rigid element such as a metal rod. In this case, the pedal is connected to a rod that converts the pedal's rotation into vertical motion and transfers it to a hinged triggering element which swivels in the direction of the ground, compressing the dosing pump of the dispenser. As a result, a predetermined amount of liquid flows out of the container’s dispenser. Due to the rigid rod, deformation in the form of stretching is excluded, which would lead to a reduced amount of the liquid being dispensed.

All the solutions described share a common weakness, namely the triggering element which is hinged to the upper part and acts on the basis of a lever. As stands of this type are intended for public use, i. e. for a large number of different users, the holder and thus the hinge must have a reliable configuration. In the above solutions, this is achieved by installing a hinge that can withstand high loads, namely a larger or higher quality hinge, which increases the manufacturing cost of the holder.

A further disadvantage lies in the fact that a precise placement of the dispenser into the holder is required so that the triggering element which is usually configured as an arm is aligned with the dispenser, particularly its dosing element. The triggering element acts on the dosing element with a force in a direction which does not coincide with the axis of the dosing element and creates certain torque acting on the dosing element. Due to the action of the pressure force on the dosing element outside its centre of gravity, the dosing element can also be damaged or even broken.

A further disadvantage in the case of using a wire rope is its guidance when it is deformed. Due to the increased length, the wire rope can fall out of the guides or get tangled with other elements.

Solution to the technical problem

The technical problem is solved by a foot-operated liquid dispenser holder, the main characteristics of which are given in the independent patent claim.

A foot-operated liquid dispenser holder comprises a wide U-shaped support which is open at the front side and has a triggering element arranged at the upper end; a rod arranged lengthwise in the support; a pedal arranged in the region of the lower end of the support, on which the rod rests; wherein the rod has a receiving element arranged at the upper end for receiving the dispenser, which together with the rod performs a vertical translational movement, and the triggering element is formed as a flap which forms a rigid materially bonded connection with the support. The receiving element is formed as a prism or a cylinder with a central hole, into which the rod fits, and is fixed to the rod by means of a screw in a known manner.

The holder has two partial cut-outs arranged along the height of the holder, which form flaps and the free ends of the flaps extend into the interior of the holder. Each flap comprises a cut-out that forms a guide for the rod.

A helical spring is arranged on the rod, which returns the rod to its initial position.

In case the holder is used as a stand-alone holder, balance legs are attached to the support of the holder.

The triggering element can also be made as a stand-alone element forming a rigid connection with the support by means of a screw - longitudinal notch pair.

The advantage of the holder according to the invention is its simplicity both in the process of manufacture and use. The holder consists of few components. The components are easy to manufacture, resulting in low manufacturing costs of the holder according to the invention, so they are suitable for any use. The entire support is made of a single element.

A specialty, particularly an advantage of the holder of the invention is the active operation of the dispenser. The dispenser is not fixed in a certain place, it is lifted upon each use towards the triggering element that is rigidly connected and/or materially bonded to the support. The direction of action of the triggering element coincides with the direction of action of the dosing element and thus with its longitudinal axis. As a result, it does not create a torque that would have a negative effect on the dosing element and thus damage it. The life of the dosing element is thus longer, so the same dosing element can be used for several fillings of the dispenser. A foot-operated liquid dispenser holder of the invention will be described in more detail below by way of an embodiment and drawings representing in

Fig. 1 a foot-operated liquid dispenser holder, without a housing, in projection Fig. 2 a foot-operated liquid dispenser holder, with a housing, in cross-section Fig. 3 a foot-operated liquid dispenser holder as a stand-alone holder, in projection.

The relative expressions like front, rear, upper, lower etc. are defined herein from the perspective of the user of the liquid dispenser holder when the latter is in its functional state.

A foot-operated liquid dispenser holder 100, preferably for a disinfectant, comprises a U-shaped support 10 open from the front side, a bar 20 arranged within the support along its height, a pedal 30 arranged in the region of a lower end of the support 10 and on which the bar 20 abuts.

The support 10 is configured as a wide U-profile with lateral sides 101, 101’, the height of which is smaller than the width of a base side 102 of the profile. The support 10 occupies a vertical position in relation to the floor in a room. In the base side 102 of the profile, two partial cut-outs 12, 12’ are arranged along the height, one partial cut-out 12 being arranged closer to a lower end 11 of the support 10 located close to the floor, the other partial cut-out 12’ being arranged closer to an upper end 18 of the support 10. Each partial cut-out 12, 12’ forms a flap 13, 13’, the free end 14, 14’ of which extends into the interior of the support 10.

The upper end 18 of the support 10 is formed as a flap 15 of a width identical to or smaller than the width of the base side 102 of the support 10 and extends into the interior of the support 10, preferably over the entire height of the support 10, and acts as a triggering element 15 for the liquid dispenser when the latter rests on it. The triggering element 15 forms a stiff material-locking connection with the support 10. The bar 20 is arranged within the support 10 along its height. The rod 20 is arranged in the support 10 so as to engage cut-outs 16, 16’ formed in each flap 13, 13' and corresponding in shape to the cross-section of the rod 20. The flaps 13, 13’ with their cut-outs 16, 16’ form guides for the rod 20. The rod 20 is usually formed with a round cross-section but is not limited only to that shape. The cross-section of the rod 20 can be formed with any standard cross-section. The shapes of the cut-outs 16, 16’ correspond to the shape of the cross-section of the rod 20.

In the region of the lower end 11 of the support 10, a pedal 30 is rotatably mounted on an axle 31 so that the pedal rotates about the axle 31 when an external force is applied. The rod 20 which is arranged vertically in the support 10 and guided in the cut-outs 16, 16’ of the flaps 13, 13’, rests on the pedal 30 with its lower end 21. When the user activates the pedal 30 with a foot and said pedal rotates by a certain angle, the rod 20 inside the support 10 moves upwards in translation. At the same time, a receiving element 23 mounted at the upper end 22 of the rod 20, also moves upwards. The receiving element 23 is formed as a prism or a cylinder with a central hole 24, into which the rod 20 fits. The hole 24 is a blind hole or a through hole. The receiving element 23 is attached to the rod 20 by means of a tightening screw 25 in a transverse borehole 26. Such a receiving element 23 makes it possible to adjust the distance between said receiving element 23 and the pressing element 15 in case of different heights of the dosing element of the dispenser.

The receiving element 23 can also be formed in a simplified shape as a receiving plate attached to the rod 20.

Due to the translational vertical movement of the rod 20 the dispenser (not the subject of the invention) - which is freely mounted on the receiving element 23 - moves in a vertical direction together with the receiving element 23 towards the flap 15 and rests on it. Due to the rigid connection between the flap 15 and the support 10, the flap 15 acts as a triggering element for the dispenser which then dispenses a certain amount of liquid.

The distance between the receiving element 23 and the actuating element 15 in the inactivated state corresponds to the height of a conventional liquid container provided with a dosing element. The configuration of the receiving element 23 makes it possible to adjust the distance between said receiving element 23 and the pressing element 15 in case of different heights of the dosing element of the dispenser.

The return stroke of the rod 20 to the initial position after the activation of the dispenser has been completed is performed by a helical spring 40 which is freely arranged on the rod 20 to be limited in upward direction by the upper flap 13 and in downward direction by a stop 24 which is, in said embodiment, in the form of a clamp arranged on the rod 20.

A guard 50 in the form of a cut clamp is mounted on the support 10 at a distance from the receiving element 23, which prevents the dispenser from falling out of the receiving element 23, while not preventing the vertical movement of the dispenser. The holder 100 comprises a locking assembly 80 comprising lugs arranged on the guard 50 and the support 10 for mounting a lock, respectively. The locking assembly 80 prevents an unauthorized person from removing the dispenser from the holder.

The support 10 is closed at the front by a protective housing 60 that prevents the user from reaching into the area inside the support 10.

The described embodiment is a basic embodiment of a holder intended for mounting on a wall by means of screws. The material of the support 10 can be selected from any known construction material having suitable mechanical properties, the support is preferably made of a metal material, which is not a limitation.

In the event of a need for a stand-alone dispenser holder, balance legs 70, at least three legs, preferably four legs, are attached to the support 10 from the outside to ensure the stability of the holder 100.

Liquid containers provided with a dosing element, i. e. dispensers, may be of different shapes and dimensions, particularly in cases where they are not used for medical purposes. To make the holder usable for as many different dispensers as possible, the holder 100 is provided with a height-adjustable triggering element. The adjustability of the triggering element along the height of the support 10 is achieved by a connection with a screw/longitudinal notch pair. The adjustable triggering element is stiffly connected with the support 10.

The user, who approaches the dispenser and thus the dispenser holder 100 in order to apply the liquid from the dispenser to his hands, steps on the pedal 30 with his foot and presses it. The rod 20 resting on the pedal 30 is lifted, thus lifting the receiving element 23 and the dispenser with a movable dosing element arranged thereon. While the rod 20 and the receiving element 23 are lifting, the dispenser hits the triggering element 15 in the form of a flap, which pushes the dosing element of the dispenser downwards, thereby actuating it. A predetermined amount of the liquid is dispensed from the dispenser. When the user releases the pedal 30, the spring 40 pushes the rod 20 with the receiving element 23 downwards to the initial position. At the same time, the dispenser also moves downwards.