BACKGROUND

Washrooms in commercial and residential buildings typically include products such as toilet tissue, paper towels, diapers, feminine products, liquid products such as soap, and aerosol products such as air fresheners. These products are housed by a dispenser and are dispensed as needed by the user. In environments with high suicide rates, such as medical facilities, schools, prisons, detention centers, residences and other institutions, product dispensers within the facility may be used as an anchor point in suicide attempts. During suicide attempts, a person can wrap a ligature, such as a belt, rope, or sheet, around a product dispenser in order to attempt suicide. Private rooms, such as restrooms in these types of facilities, cannot be monitored around the clock without enormous staff resources. Therefore, dispensers present in these private rooms, may provide an area of opportunity for suicide attempt.

In view of the above, a need exists for a dispenser design that prevents the dispenser from serving as an anchor point during suicide attempts.

SUMMARY

In general, the present disclosure is directed to a dispenser having anti-ligature functionality. In embodiments, the dispenser includes a back housing adapted to be mounted to the mounting surface. The back housing includes a first side configured to face the surface and a second and opposite side. The dispenser includes a front cover enclosing at least a portion of said back housing. The cover, when in a closed position, forms a housing having an interior volume so as to retain at least one dispensable product. The dispenser includes a mounting bracket including a baseplate having a mounting surface and an outward-facing surface. The baseplate includes one or more fastener apertures configured to receive one or more fasteners for mounting the bracket to the surface. The one or more fastener apertures include a thinned portion extending around at least a portion of a circumference of the fastener aperture. Upon application of a threshold force, the thinned portion is configured to break.

Other features and aspects of the present disclosure are discussed in greater detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present disclosure is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including reference to the accompanying figures, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a dispenser in accordance with the present disclosure with its front cover in an open position;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a dispenser in accordance with the present disclosure with its front cover in a closed position;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a mounting bracket in accordance with the present disclosure;

Figure 4 is a partial cross sectional view of one embodiment of a portion of a mounting bracket in accordance with the present disclosure;

Figure 5 is a partial cross sectional view of one embodiment of a portion of a mounting bracket in accordance with the present disclosure; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a portion of a mounting bracket in accordance with the present disclosure.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure is generally directed to a dispenser for dispensable products, such as sheet materials or liquid product, and/or to a dispenser assembly. The dispenser of the present disclosure includes one or more fastener apertures having a thinned potion around at least a portion of the circumference of the fastener aperture. The thinned portion is configured to break upon application of a threshold force. Upon breakage, the dispenser is displaced from the mounting surface imparting anti-ligature functionality to the dispenser. In certain embodiments, the fastener apertures can be disposed either directly on the back housing of the dispenser or on a mounting bracket.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1-2, various embodiments of a dispenser 10 made according to the present disclosure are illustrated. As shown particularly in FIG. 1 , the dispenser 10 includes a housing 16 that can have any desired overall shape. The housing 16 can include a two-part configuration. For example, the housing can include a back housing 18 and a front cover 22. The front cover 22 can be pivotally mounted to the back housing 18 using any suitable means. For example, in one embodiment, hinges can be used to connect the front cover 22 with the back housing 18. Alternatively, the front cover 22 can be completely separable from the back housing 18. The front cover 22 is moveable from a closed position (shown in FIG. 2) to an open position as shown in FIG. 1 . The front cover 22 defines a front face 23 while the back housing 18 defines side walls 27. In the embodiment illustrated, the side walls are entirely defined by the back housing 18. In other embodiments, however, the front cover 22 may have side walls that cooperate with the side walls of the back housing 18. The back housing 18 can include an inner facing surface 11 generally facing the interior of the dispenser 10 and a surface 13 facing the mounting surface. The housing 16 defines an interior volume for housing the operational components of the dispenser 10, as well as the roll or rolls of sheet material to be dispensed, including a main roll 12 and a stub roll 14. The dispenser 10 can also include any conventional locking mechanism 21 for securing the front cover 22 to the back housing 18. For example, the locking mechanism 21 can include a key-hole to permit the locking mechanism 21 to be locked. Any latch and/or locking mechanism may be used to lock the front cover 22 to the back housing 18 in order to prevent tampering of the internal components of the dispenser 10. The housing 16 further includes an opening 20 through which a sheet material is dispensed.

The dispenser 10 configuration illustrated in the figures is merely exemplary for any number of dispenser configurations known to those skilled in the art that may incorporate the mounting bracket of the present disclosure. As such, a detailed explanation of the structural and control features of the dispenser 10 are not necessary for purposes of explanation of the system and method of the present disclosure, and will only be discussed briefly below. Furthermore, while FIG. 1 illustrates a dispenser for sheet material the disclosure is not so limited and can include dispensing mechanisms for dispensing liquid material products, such as hand soap or hand sanitizer. Suitable operational components for dispensing liquid products are known and may be used in the dispensers provided herein.

The operational components of the dispenser 10 may be mounted directly to the back housing 18 or can be part of a module that is received within the housing 16. For example, the operational components can be part of a module that may be readily removable from the housing for servicing and/or replacing components without the necessity of having to remove the entire dispenser 10 from its support surface.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the operational components can include a pressure roller 46, a transfer mechanism that may include a transfer bar 56, a throat assembly 50 that defines a throat 24, a drive motor and gear assembly that rotates a drive roller 38, and control circuitry 60 which may include a controller or microprocessor.

Left and right main roll holders 30 are attached within the housing and hold the main roll 12 of sheet material. Stub roll holders may be provided for rotatably supporting the stub roll 14 in the position within the housing below the main roll 12. It should be understood that a dispenser according to the present disclosure need not be configured to dispense from a stub roll, and thus would not need a transfer mechanism. The dispenser may be configured for dispensing from a single roll of sheet material.

The pressure roller 46 may be housed within the throat assembly 50 that is, in turn, mounted within the housing. The dispenser 10 may also include a tear bar or cutting bar that is contained within the throat assembly 50 and disposed along the dispensing path of the sheet of material upstream from the dispensing opening 20 and downstream of the nip between the drive roller 38 and the pressure roller 46. To separate a sheet of material that has been dispensed from the dispenser 10, the cutting bar can automatically cut the material or, alternatively, a user can grasp a sheet hanging from beneath a bottom portion of the housing and pulls the sheet against the cutting or tear bar such that the sheet tears and separates along a line defined by the tear or cutting bar.

The pressure roller 46 is spring biased against the drive roller 38 such that the sheet of material passing between the nip of the rollers is advanced along the dispensing path upon rotation of the drive roller 38. The throat assembly 50 defines a portion of the dispensing path and the forward portion of the dispensing throat 24. The dispenser 10 may further include an automatic transfer mechanism to transfer dispensing of the sheet of material from the stub roll 14 to a main roll 12 when the sheet of material on the stub roll 14 is nearly depleted. Any suitable transfer mechanism may be used. For example, the transfer mechanism may include a transfer bar 56 with arms pivotally mounted. The transfer bar 56 includes a roller section that may be defined by a central curved rib section. The rib section includes a securing mechanism, such as a barb, so that the leading end of the sheet of material from the main roll 12 passes over the rib section and is held by the barb while material is fed from the stub roll 14. The dispenser 10 can also include a stub roll sensing device, such as a sensing bar that is biased towards the axis of the stub roll holders so as to track the decreasing diameter of the stub roll as it is depleted. Alternatively, an electronic sensor can also be used to monitor the stub roll.

The dispenser 10 can also include a spring biased bar 40 that is pivotally mounted within the housing 16 and biased towards the center of the main roll 12 such that tracks a decreasing diameter of the main roll 12 as the sheet of material is depleted. Again, instead of a spring biased bar 40, any suitable electronic sensor may also be used. When the main roll 12 reaches a diameter suitable for moving the roll to the stub roll position, the dispenser 10 can include suitable mechanical elements for moving the main roll 12 into place for dispensing the sheet of material.

The drive roller 38 can be placed in communication with a drive motor and gear assembly. The motor can include a drive shaft and a drive gear attached thereto that engages the shaft of the drive roller 38. Thus, upon energizing the motor, the drive roller 38 is caused to rotate, which results in conveyance of the sheet of material disposed in the nip between the pressure roller 36 and the drive roller 38 along the conveying path and out of the dispensing throat 24 through opening 20.

The dispensing mechanism may be powered by batteries contained in a battery compartment or can be powered by an AC to DC distribution system. If the dispenser 10 includes batteries, a sensor can also be included for determining the power level of the batteries.

As described above, the dispenser 10 can include a controller and control circuitry 60. The controller and control circuitry 60 can control and monitor all the functions of the dispenser 10 including the length of the sheet of material being dispensed, product usage, and any other activities that are occurring within the dispenser. The control circuitry 60 can be configured to communicate information regarding the dispenser 10 to a central control system (e.g., a cloud-based management service) via wired means or through a web-based system as described more particularly herein.

In one embodiment, the dispenser 10 can include a sensor that is designed to detect the presence of a user in a detection zone. Once the presence of a user is detected, the dispenser 10 can be configured to automatically dispense the sheet product.

Referring particularly to FIG. 3-6 various embodiments of the mounting bracket 100 of the present disclosure are illustrated. As shown the mounting bracket includes a baseplate 102 having a generally flat mounting surface 104 and an outward facing surface 106. The baseplate 102 can be any suitable shape for example, square, rectangular, ovular, circular, etc. The baseplate 102 can be formed from any suitable material or materials. However, in certain embodiments, the baseplate 102 and features thereon are formed from a plastic material.

In certain embodiments, the baseplate 102 is rectangular having one or more feet 122 generally located about each of the four corners of the baseplate 102. One or more fastener apertures 124 are disposed on the one or more feet 122. The baseplate 102 includes a surface 125 facing the mounting surface and an outward facing surface 128. As shown, a plurality of feet 122a, 122b, 122c, 122d can be disposed on the baseplate 102. Each of the feet 122a, 122b, 122c, 122d include one or more ramps 127a, 127b, 127c, 127d for engaging the back housing 18 in order to mount the back housing 18 to the mounting bracket 100. For instance, each of the ramps can be configured to frictionally engage a bracket mating surface 140 located on the surface 13 of the back housing 18 facing the mounting surface.

Each of the feet 122a, 122b, 122c, 122d have one or more fastener apertures 124a, 124b, 124c, 124d disposed thereon. Additional fastener apertures can be disposed on other portions of the baseplate 102 as desired. The fastener apertures can be any suitable shape including, but not limited to, circular, ovular, triangular, square, rectangular, etc. As shown, fastener aperture 124b is circular in nature while fastener apertures 124a, 124c, and 124d are more ovular in nature. One or more fasteners 130 can be inserted into the fastener aperture and used to secure the mounting bracket 100 to a mounting surface (e.g., the wall). The fastener apertures 124a, 124b, 124c, 124d have a raised portion 126 extending generally perpendicular from the baseplate 102. The raised portion 126 includes a fastener engaging surface 129 disposed thereon where, optionally, a portion of the fastener 130 engages the fastener engaging surface 129 when the fastener 130 is secured to the mounting surface. For instance, in embodiments where a screw is utilized, the fastener engaging surface 129 would engage the bottom surface of the screw. The raised portion 126 can be thinned to facilitate antiligature functionality. For instance, the raised portion can have a width W1 ranging from about 1 .5 mm to about 4 mm, such as from about 2 mm to about 3.5 mm, such as from about 2.5 mm to about 3 mm, such as about 2.95 mm. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5, the raised portion 126 having the fastener engaging surface 129 thereon does not extend past the plane of the outward facing surface 106 of the baseplate 102.

Each of the fastener apertures 124a, 124b, 124c, 124d includes a thinned portion 170. The thinned portion 170 is disposed within a recess 172 generally extending around the circumference of the fastener aperture. Advantageously, the thinned portion 170 is configured to break upon application of a threshold force. For instance, in embodiments, the baseplate 102 is formed from a durable plastic material. The thinned portions 170 mechanically weaken the baseplate 102 adjacent or about the fastener aperture such that application of a certain amount of threshold force causes the thinned portion 170 to break. Such breakage allows for displacement of the dispenser 10 from the mounting surface (e.g., a wall). Accordingly, should a ligature (e.g., rope, cord, wires, etc.) be tied around the dispenser 10, the dispenser 10 will be displaced from the wall and cannot serve as an anchor point for suicide attempts.

Advantageously, the dispenser 10 of the present disclosure is able to withstand certain forces that occur during normal use and operation of the dispenser 10. For example, the dispenser 10 is capable of withstanding forces such as those caused when maintenance personnel service the dispenser. The thinned portions 170 are strong enough to allow for opening and closing of the dispenser without breaking. However, upon application of a threshold force, the thinned portions 170 will break thus displacing the dispenser from the mounting surface. The threshold force can range from greater than about 20 kg, such as greater than 30 kg, such as greater than 40 kg, such as greater than 50 kg, such as greater than 60 kg. Indeed, the thinned portion 170 can be adjusted depending on the desired threshold force. The threshold force can be applied directly to the bracket 100, the back housing 18, or other components of the dispenser 10.

In certain other embodiments (not shown herein), the fastener apertures, including thinned portions, can be fabricated directly on the back housing 18 of the dispenser 10. Accordingly, no mounting bracket is necessary for mounting the dispenser 10. Similarly, one or more (such as a plurality) of fastener apertures and thinned portions can be disposed on the back housing 18 in any desired number or pattern. Fasteners can be used to then secure the back housing 18 directly to the mounting surface. In such an embodiment, when a threshold force is applied to the dispenser (e.g., the front cover 22 or the back housing 18) the thinned portions 170 will break, thus displacing the dispenser 10 from the wall.

As noted, one or more fasteners 130 can be used to secure the mounting bracket 100 to a mounting surface, such as a wall. The fastener 130 can include any hardware device that mechanically joins affixes two or more objects together. The fastener(s) 130 can be used to join the mounting bracket 100 to a mounting surface. The fastener(s) 130 can include those that are able to create nonpermanent joints, that is, the joint can be removed or dismantled without damaging the joined components. Thus, the fastener(s) 130 selected can be used to removably join the mounting bracket 100 or the back housing 18 to the mounting surface. Any suitable fastener can be used. Suitable fasteners include, but are not limited to, anchors, bolts, nails, nuts, pins, clips rivets, rods, screws, clamps, washers, and combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the fastener(s) includes a screw.

The mounting bracket 100 can further include a mounting bracket locking component 200 that is adapted to frictionally engage the dispenser 10, such as the back housing 18 of the dispenser 10. The mounting bracket locking component 200 further prevents relative movement of the dispenser 10 with respect to the mounting bracket 100. The mounting bracket locking component 200 may be in a latch-catch relationship with the dispenser 10 to provide the frictional engagement. For example, the mounting bracket locking component 200 can include a flexible tab 201 extending outward from the outward facing surface 128 towards the back housing 18 of the dispenser 10 to frictionally engage an aperture or slot on the back housing 18 of the dispenser 10. For example, the flexible tab 201 can snap-fit into place with a suitable slot or opening on the back housing 18 of the dispenser 10. In such embodiments, the flexible tab can also be depressed to allow for unlocking of the mounting bracket 100 from the dispenser 10. The mounting bracket locking component 200 can also stabilize the mounting bracket 100 to the dispenser 10.

In embodiment, the mounting bracket 100 can include one or more leveling devices 300. For example, in certain embodiments the mounting bracket 100 can include a leveling device 300 for facilitating leveling of the bracket 100 upon mounting. In certain embodiments, the leveling device 300 is generally configured about a longitudinal axis (L) of the mounting bracket 100 for facilitating leveling of the bracket 100. However, in other embodiments, the mounting bracket 100 can include a leveling device 300 generally configured about a transverse axis (T) of the mounting bracket 100 for facilitating leveling of the bracket 100. In still other embodiments, the mounting bracket 100 can include both a leveling device configured about the longitudinal axis and a leveling device configured about the transverse axis. The leveling device 300 can be any optical instrument used to verify points in the same axis such that the bracket 100 can be leveled. Incorporation of two leveling devices as disclosed allows for the bracket 100 to easily be installed in a horizontal or vertical orientation without requiring additional devices for leveling the mounting bracket 100 or the dispenser 10.

Advantageously, utilizing the mounting brackets including the fastener apertures and thinned portions according to the present disclosure provide anti-ligature functionality for the dispenser. Specifically, the dispenser provided herein are capable of withstanding the application of feree during normal use of the dispenser. However, upon application of a threshold force, such as a threshold force applied by a ligature during a suicide attempt, the dispenser will be displaced from the mounting surface, thus thwarting any suicide attempt. Accordingly, the dispenser provided herein can be used in environments where suicide attempt may be likely.

These and other modifications and variations to the present disclosure may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged both in whole or in part. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the disclosure so further described in such appended claims.