Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser

Abstract

A Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser provides a decorative yet elegant and simple means to securely hold paper towels. The device is comprised of a container including a bottom, sides and a center arbor; a lid; a means to hold a paper towel roll; and, a means to dispense a paper towel from the roll as a single sheet.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/134,247 filed Jul. 8, 2008 by Theresa Bond and entitled Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to a Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser. Particularly this new Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser is related to devices and methods to hold paper towels, especially in a home setting or decorative commercial setting. This Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser is a new combination of existing materials configured with unique features that provide an effective, practical and economical way to provide a paper towel holder with unique features that have both functional and decorative impact. The preferred and alternative embodiments are described below.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH

None.

SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM

None.

BACKGROUND—FIELD OF INVENTION and PRIOR ART

A. Introduction of the Problems Addressed

There are many restrictions and disadvantages to the types of paper towel. Some do not enclose the towel making it open to dirt and debris. Likewise, the towel is exposed to sight on the counter which may be aesthetically unpleasing. Also, the towel dispenses may be difficult to change or replace rolls. The towel arbor has helped this but is not in universal designs. Finally, the ability to hold small, medium and large (double) rolls is also a shortfall of current dispensers.

While several such devices have been developed over the years, they have shortcomings in addressing all the fundamentals. The present invention addresses these shortcomings, and provides other benefits as well, which will be readily apparent from the drawings, written description and claims herein.

B. Prior Art

The historical technology focused on devices that only helped on holding or enclosing, or offered complex mechanisms. Early technology is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,413,049 (1968) issued to Smay. It was cited for use with toilet tissue and was a more complex design than the present device by Bond. Another patent was portable holder that included an external spring and no enclosure. It is U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,676 (1977) issued to Bardsley.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,053 (1988) issued to Vance taught a holder for a roll of paper which has a base shaped to prevent tipping over and which is provided with an upstanding pole for holding a roll of paper in place between a cap and the base, upstanding parallel spaced guides guide the sheets of paper for removal and impeding material is placed on the base and pole to impede removal of the sheets. No enclosure or special holding arbor was described or shown. U.S. Design Patent Des 316,789 (1991) issued to McLaughlin showed a lay-down device with a handle. No functionality or arbor design is shown or described.

U.S. Design Patent Des 359,642 (1995) issued to Ahern, Jr. It shows a side and top holder without a center arbor or enclosure. Another U.S. Design Patent Des 389,683 (1998) issued to Herrera shows an enclosure and lid but no “holding arbor” as is in the Bond application. U.S. Design Patent Des 422,170 (2000) issued to Harris, Jr. shows an enclosure and single roll, but no attachment means in the center arbor.

As far as known, there is no other Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser at the present time which fully provide these improvements and functional characteristics as the present Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser. It is believed that this device is made with fewer parts with improved configurations and physical features to provide more functionality when compared to other currently utilized paper towel holding devices for use in the kitchen to hold paper towels.

The particular combinations of materials and features are unique and novel and are not anticipated by prior art. Likewise, use of a Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser provides significant benefits compared to prior art devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser has been developed and designed to provide a unique combination that is specifically related to devices and methods to hold paper towels and the like, especially on counter tops in plain view. The benefits of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser are delineated below. The new device presents a decorative yet elegant and simple means to hold paper towels. The device is made of a variety of high quality, durable materials. Furthermore it can be dishwasher safe.

The preferred embodiment of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser is comprised of a container including a bottom, sides and a center arbor; a lid; a means to hold a paper towel roll; and, a means to dispense a paper towel from the roll as a single sheet.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

There are several objects and advantages of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser. There are currently no known paper towel holding devices that are effective at providing the objects of this invention.

The following TABLE A summarizes various advantages and objects of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser. This list is exemplary and not limiting to the many advantages offered by this new device.

TABLE A
Various Benefits, Advantages and Objects
This device:
ITEM BENEFIT
1    The container is a decorative as well as functional
     piece.
2    The container is enclosed to reduce cross contamination.
3    Expanders are attached to center post to ensure that
     towels do not unravel in container.
4    The container is esthetically pleasing.
5    Container can be made in different colors.
6    Is adaptable to Small, Medium, and Large sized rolls
7    Container can be made in different materials.
8    Container is easy to package
9    Can be sold and distributed retail, wholesale, or
     E-commerce internet sales from a website

Noteworthy is that other advantages and additional features of the present Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the full description of the device. For one skilled in the art of paper towel holders, it is readily understood that the features shown in the examples with this device are readily adapted for improvement to other types of mechanisms and devices for use with paper towels and other like materials.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS—FIGURES

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate a preferred and alternative embodiments for the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser. The drawings together with the summary description given above and a detailed description given below serve to explain the principles of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser. It is understood, however, that the device is not limited to only the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are sketches that depict the general preferred embodiment for the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are sketches that show additional details and features of the preferred embodiment of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are sketches that show alternative embodiments for the device.

FIG. 4A and 4B are additional sketches that show other alternative embodiments for the device.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are sketches that show the lid assembly and alternatives for the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser.

FIGS. 6A through 6E are sketches that show the alternatives with the arbor to hold the paper towel roll in place for dispensing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS

The following list refers to the drawings:

Ref # Description
30    Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel
      Dispenser
31    Container - side, base and center arbor all integral
32    Means to rotatably hold the towel to the center arbor
32A   Leaf spring device
32B   Rough O-ring device
32C   Tapered configuration
32D   Vertical Ridges
32E   Diagonal means(both directions)
33    Lid and handle - integral
34    Separate handle
35    Separate top plate
36    Securement means such as threaded or stepped/ledge
      configuration
36A   Threaded lid
36B   Flat lid
36C   Labyrinth or step lid
36D   Dimpled lid
37    Side and base integral
37A   Radiused intersection of integral Side and base
38    Integral center arbor
38A   Separate center arbor
39    Means to connect sides and base 37 to arbor 38
40    Open ended cylinder
41    Base
42    Means to secure base 41 to cylinder 40
43    Means such as a Slot along surface of side base
      center 31, side base 37 or side cylinder 40
44    Taper or lead at slot 43
45    Base and Integral Arbor
PT    Paper towel roll

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment

The present invention presented is a Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30. Particularly the preferred embodiment of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 is related to related to devices and methods to hold paper towels, especially in a home setting or decorative commercial setting. This Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 is a new combination of existing materials configured with unique features that provide an effective, practical and economical way to provide a paper towel holder with unique features that have both functional and decorative impact. The preferred and alternative embodiments are described herein. The preferred embodiment of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 is comprised of a container 31 including a bottom, sides and a center arbor; a lid 33; a means 32 to hold a paper towel roll; and, a means to dispense 43 a paper towel PT from the roll as a single sheet.

There is shown in FIGS. 1-6 a complete detail; an operative embodiment; and prior art for the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30. In the drawings and illustrations, one notes well that the FIGS. 1-6 detail the special configuration and FIGS. 1B and 2 show the operative use of this invention.

The advantages for the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser are listed above in the introduction. Succinctly the benefits are the device:

• • is a decorative as well as functional piece.
  • is enclosed to reduce cross contamination.
  • has expanders that are attached to center post to ensure that towels do not unravel in container.
  • is esthetically pleasing.
  • can be made in different colors.
  • is adaptable to Small, Medium, and Large sized rolls
  • can be made of different materials.
  • is easy to package
  • can be sold and distributed retail, wholesale, or E-commerce internet sales from a website

The preferred embodiment of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser is comprised of a container 31 including a bottom, sides and a center arbor 38; a lid 33; a means to hold a paper towel roll 32; and, a means to dispense 43 a paper towel PT from the roll as a single sheet.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30. The drawings together with the summary description given above and a detailed description given below serve to explain the principles of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30. It is understood, however, that the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 is not limited to only the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are sketches that depict the general preferred embodiment for the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30. FIG. 1A is the general embodiment of the device 30. FIG. 1B is the same configuration with the components identified. Here the general lid component 33 is shown comprised of integral or separate top plate 35 and handle 34. The side and integral base 37 and integral arbor 38 (arbor hidden) is shown with the paper towel PT exiting the device 30. As to the materials used to produce the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 there is a plethora of possibilities. As an example and not as a limitation, the device 30 could be manufactured as a ceramic; a metal such as stainless steel, copper, aluminum, or the like; a composite material such as a clear or opaque plastic with or without reinforcement; or glass. Means of connection can be as the integral design, fasteners such as screws or bolts and nuts, or various adhesives. The interior and exterior surfaces could be the actual materials as manufactured or could have various coatings and surface finishes such as paint, powder coat, chrome or the like. If as a ceramic, the surface could be painted or unpainted and then glazed and fired. Finally, the size of the containers may vary to include room for small, medium and large (double) rolls. All these are examples and not limitations to the possible surface finishes

FIGS. 2A and 2B are sketches that show additional details and features of the preferred embodiment of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30. Here the top view in FIG. 2A shows the center arbor 38 as well as the container 31, 37, 40. The container has the slot feature 43 and the radiused intersection of integral Side and base 37A also depicted. FIG. 2B shows the same top view with the paper towel roll PT inserted and the sheet PT exiting the container via the slot 43. In FIG. 2C the sketch shows the slot 43 with a lead or taper 44 that permits a sooth transition of the paper towel PT though the slot 43. The arbor 38 can be stationary or rotatable to aid the unrolling of the towel roll during use.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are sketches that show alternative embodiments for the device. FIG. 3A shows the preferred embodiment of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 which is comprised of a container 31 including an integral bottom, sides and a center arbor 38; a lid 33; and a means to hold a paper towel roll 32. FIG. 3B shows an alternative embodiment of the device 30 comprised of a side and bottom container 37; a lid 33 comprised of a plate 35; a handle 34 with a means to hole them together and includes a securement means 36 to attach the lid 33 to the container 37; a means 32 to rotatably hold a paper towel roll PT; a separate center arbor 38A; and a means to connect the arbor 38 to the bottom 37.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are additional sketches that show other alternative embodiments for the device 30. FIG. 4A shows an integral base and arbor 45 connected by a means 42 to a side cylinder 40. FIG. 4B shows a separate base 41 and arbor 38A connected by a means 39 and the base 41 connected to a side cylinder 40 by a means 42.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are sketches that show the lid assembly 33 and alternative connections for the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30. FIG. 5A shows a generic device 36 that permits the lid 33 to be secured to the container 31, 37,or 40. FIG. 5B shows the various configurations to removably connect the lid 33 to the container 31. These configuration, for example and not as a limitation may be such as a threaded lid 36A; a flat lid 36B; a stepped or labyrinth plate 36C, or a dimpled lid 36D. These configurations are shown in FIG. 5B.

FIGS. 6A through 6E are sketches that show the alternatives with the arbor 38 to hold the paper towel roll PT in place for dispensing. Note that these may be stationary and work with the space between the towel roll PT and surface of the arbor 38. Likewise these could be a press fit between the arbor 38 and the interior surface of the roll of the paper towel PT. This results in the arbor 38 having a rotating means 39 connecting to the bottom of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30. FIG. 6A shows a spring leaf like device 32A; FIG. 6B shows a series of O-rings 32B; FIG. 6C shows a tapered arbor 32C; FIG. 6D shows a vertical ridge 36D device and FIG. 6E shows an arbor 38 with a diagonal means 36E to engage the arbor 38 and the paper tow inner surface of the roll PT

All of the details mentioned here are exemplary and not limiting. Other components specific to describing a Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 may be added as a person having ordinary skill in the field of paper towel dispensing and related devices well appreciates.

Operation of the Preferred Embodiment

The preferred embodiment for the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 has been described in the above paragraphs. The manner of how the device operates is described below. One skilled in the art of paper towel dispensing and related devices will note that the description above and the operation described here must be taken together to fully illustrate the concept of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30.

The preferred embodiment of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser is comprised of a container 31 including a bottom, sides and a center arbor; a lid 33; a means to hold 32 a paper towel roll PT; and, a means to dispense 43 a paper towel from the roll as a single sheet. These features and details of the device 30 are described above.

FIGS. 1B and 2 are examples of how to use the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30.

FIG. 1B is an example of use for the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30. This depicts the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 comprised of a container 31 including a bottom, sides and a center arbor; a lid 33; a means to hold a paper towel roll 32; and, a means to dispense 43 a paper towel PT from the roll as a single sheet. FIG. 1B show how, after a paper towel has been placed inside the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30, the towel PT is surrounded by the device 30 and exits through the slot 43. Note that the device contains, protects and hides the paper towel PT from view. This permits the attractive device 30 to be placed in plain view on a counter top for easy use and functionality yet removes the unsightly roll PT from view.

FIGS. 2A through C are examples of use for the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30. In operation, one removes the lid 33 from the container 31,40,37. Then one places a paper towel roll PT around the arbor 38. Then the exterior sheet is fished through the slot 43. A tapered top area 44 permits easy placement of the towel PT in the slot without tearing or snagging the towel PT. One also may note that the arbor 38 permits the towel roll to rotate as the towel PT is pulled. When the towel PT is through the slot 43, the lid 33 is replaced. The full roll is used and then the process is repeated as necessary.

With the above description it is to be understood that the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 is not to be limited to only the disclosed embodiment. The features of the Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 are intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the description.

Claims

1. A Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 comprised of wherein the special device 30 may be used to secure a paper towel roll in a aesthetically pleasing manner while functionally providing access to the paper towel roll.

(a) a container 31 that is made of durable material and includes an integral bottom, sides and a center arbor 38;

(b) a lid 33;

(c) a means 32 to hold a paper towel roll PT onto the arbor 38; and

(d) a means 43 to dispense a paper towel PT from the roll as a single sheet

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein the means 32 to hold a paper towel roll PT onto the arbor 38 is at least one leaf spring 32A.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the means 32 to hold a paper towel roll PT onto the arbor 38 is at a series of flexible “O” rings 32B.

4. The device according to claim 1 wherein the means 32 to hold a paper towel roll PT onto the arbor 38 is a tapered configuration 32C of the arbor 38.

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein the means 32 to hold a paper towel roll PT onto the arbor 38 is a series of two or more vertical ridges 32D on the arbor 38.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the means 32 to hold a paper towel roll PT onto the arbor 38 is a diagonal ridge means 32E.

7. The device according to claim 1 wherein the lid is a threaded lid 36A.

8. The device according to claim 1 wherein the lid is a flat lid 36B.

9. The device according to claim 1 wherein the lid 33 is a labyrinth plate 36C.

10. The device according to claim 1 wherein the lid 33 is a dimpled lid 36D.

11. The device according to claim 1 wherein the container durable material is a ceramic.

12. The device according to claim 1 wherein the container durable material is a metal.

13. The device according to claim 12 wherein the metal is stainless steel.

14. The device according to claim 12 wherein the metal is aluminum.

15. The device according to claim 12 wherein the metal is copper.

16. The device according to claim 1 wherein the container durable material is a composite material.

17. The device according to claim 16 wherein the composite material is a plastic.

18. A Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 comprised of wherein the special device 30 may be used to secure a paper towel roll in a aesthetically pleasing manner while functionally providing access to the paper towel roll.

(a) a container 31 that is made of durable material and includes an integral bottom and sides 37 and a center arbor 38A;

(b) a lid 33;

(c) a means 32 to hold a paper towel roll PT onto the arbor 38A;

(d) a means to hold the arbor 38A integral bottom and sides 37; and

(e) a means 43 to dispense a paper towel PT from the roll as a single sheet

19. A Special Functional and Decorative Paper Towel Dispenser 30 comprised of wherein the special device 30 may be used to secure a paper towel roll in a aesthetically pleasing manner while functionally providing access to the paper towel roll.

(a) a container 31 that is made of durable material and includes a separate base 41; separate side 40 and a center arbor 38A;

(b) a lid 33;

(c) a means 32 to hold a paper towel roll PT onto the arbor 38A;

(d) a means 39 to hold the arbor 38A integral bottom and sides 37;

(e) a means 42 to hold the base 41 to the side 40; and

(e) a means 43 to dispense a paper towel PT from the roll as a single sheet