The present invention relates to a dispenser and particularly, but not exclusively, to a dispenser for dispensing an article to a lower position without requiring an operator to bend. When preparing a meal for a pet such as a cat or a dog, it is common to first place the pet food within a pet bowl and subsequently place the bowl on the floor so that the pet can access the meal. However, this can be a difficult task for the elderly and people with back problems, since it is necessary for the person to bend to suitably position the pet bowl upon the floor.

I have now devised a dispenser which alleviates the above mentioned problem.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a dispenser for enabling an operator to position an article to a lower position without requiring the operator to bend, the dispenser comprising a handle and a support plate for supporting the article, the support plate being arranged to pivot with respect to the handle,

the dispenser further comprising an actuator for pivoting the support plate with respect to the handle to cause the article to move off the support plate. The dispenser thus enables an operator to position an article on the floor whilst remaining in any seated or standing position without any requirement to bend.

Preferably, the dispenser further comprises a support arm which is rigidly coupled at a first end to the handle and hingedly coupled at a second end to the support plate.

The actuator is preferably arranged to reconfigure the support plate with respect to the handle between a first configuration, in which the support plate extends in a substantially horizontal orientation and a second configuration, in which the support plate extends in a tilted orientation such that the article can slide off the support plate. Preferably, the support plate is biased to the first configuration.

The actuator is preferably coupled to the support plate at one end and slidably coupled to the handle at the other end, such that upon moving the actuator with respect to the handle, the support plate is caused to pivot with respect to the handle. Preferably the actuator comprises a cable and in particular a Bowden-type cable. Alternatively, the actuator may comprise an arm, which extends between the support plate and the handle. The support plate preferably comprises a barrier which extends around at least a portion of the periphery thereof which prevents the article from inadvertently slipping off the plate. Preferably the barrier comprises a flange which extends out of the plane of the support plate. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the dispenser according to the embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Figure 1 arranged in a first configuration, during use;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Figure 1 arranged in a second configuration, during use; and,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the dispenser of Figure 1 arranged in a storage configuration. Referring to the drawings and initially Figure 1 , there is illustrated a dispenser 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The dispenser 10 is arranged to enable a person 1 1 to position an article such as a pet bowl 12 comprising pet food, upon the floor, without having to bend. The dispenser 10 comprises a handle 13, a support plate 14 for supporting an article and first and second support arms 15, 16 which extend between the handle 13 and the support plate 14, and which are arranged to couple the support plate 14 to the handle 13. The handle 13 comprises a substantially cylindrical, hollow body, comprising a first longitudinal end 13a and a second longitudinal end 13b. The first and second support arms 15, 16 are rigidly coupled at a proximal end 15a, 16a thereof to the second end 13b of the handle 13 and diverge away from the handle 13 toward the support plate 14. The support arms 15, 16 separately extend to opposite sides of the support plate 14 and are hingedly coupled at their respective distal end 15b, 16b to the support plate 14. The distal end 15b, 16b of each arm 15, 16 is turned to extend substantially parallel to the plane of the plate 14 and is arranged to extend through an aperture 17 formed in a bracket 18 disposed at the respective position upon the plate 14. The distal end 15b, 16b of each arm 15, 16 is further arranged to extend substantially collinearly, such that the distal end 15b, 16b of each arm 15, 16 cooperatively define an axis about which the support plate 14 can rotate. The support arms 15, 16 are coupled to the support plate 14 at a position such that the rotational axis defined therebetween is displaced from the centre of mass of the plate 14.

The actuator 19 comprises a cable, such as a Bowden-type cable and is rigidly coupled at a distal end 19b thereof to the support plate 14 at a position which is disposed to one side of the rotational axis. The cable 19 is arranged to extend from the support plate 14 and passes through a guide element 20 which extends between the first and second support arm 15, 16 at the position intermediate the proximal and distal end 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b thereof. The cable 19 further extends into the handle 13 at the second end 13b thereof and is arranged to pass out from the first end 13a of the handle 13a. The proximal end 19a of the cable 19 is coupled to a stopper which may be in the form of a ring 21 and which serves to subsequently prevent the cable 19 from passing back along the handle 13. The distal end 19b of the cable 19 is coupled to the plate 14 at a position thereon such that the centre of mass of the plate 14 is disposed between the rotational axis and the coupling position of the cable 19 upon the plate 14. Accordingly, when the stopper 21 is released the torque created by the centre of the mass of the plate 14 about the rotational axis causes the plate 14 to rotate about the rotational axis until the cable 19 becomes taught. In this respect, the length of the cable 19 is chosen such that in this first configuration, the support plate 14 is arranged to extend in a substantially horizontal orientation.

The support plate 14 comprises a first and second flange 14a, 14b which extend around a portion of the periphery of the plate 14 between the coupling position of each support arm 15, 16 upon the plate 14 and the coupling position of the cable 19 upon the plate 14. The flanges 14a, 14b extend out of the plane of the plate 14 to form a barrier and thus prevent the pet bowl 12 from inadvertently slipping off the plate 14.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings which illustrate the dispenser 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention during use, a user 1 1 grips the handle 13 and lifts the dispenser 10 to cause the support plate 14 to extend in a substantially horizontal orientation. The user 1 1 subsequently places a pet bowl 12, for example comprising pet food, upon the support plate 14 and lowers the dispenser 10 until the support plate 14 extends in close proximity with the floor. The user 1 1 then pulls on the stopper 21 to cause the cable 19 to move with respect to the handle 13 and thus the support plate 14 to pivot about the rotational axis into a substantially tilted configuration, in which the support plate 14 extends at an angle to the floor. During this motion, the pet bowl 12 slides off the support plate 14 between the arms 15, 16 and onto the floor so that a pet (not shown) can access the food in the bowl 12. This therefore clearly obviates the requirement for the user 1 1 to bend and thus provides for a user 1 1 having a back problem for example to suitably position a pet bowl 12 upon the floor.

Referring to Figure 4 of the drawings, the ability of the support plate 14 to rotate with respect to the handle 13 enables the support plate 14 to be further reconfigured to a storage configuration in which the support plate 14 extends in a substantially vertical plane. This is achieved by pulling on the stopper 21 to cause the cable 19 to move along the handle 13 and thus rotate the plate 14 about the rotational axis until the plate 14 extends in a plane substantially parallel with the plane defined by the support arms 15, 16. This storage configuration provides for a substantially flattened configuration such that the dispenser 10 can be stored neatly in a drawer (not shown) for example, until it is required.

From the foregoing therefore, it is evident that the dispenser provides for a simple yet effective means of positioning and dispensing an article such as a pet bowl, to a lower position, without requiring an operator to bend.