SPILL KIT DISPENSING SYSTEMS
Spill kit dispensing systems are disclosed that are highly visible and easy to access when needed for the containment of potentially hazardous materials. The systems include a structure to contain and dispense multiple spill kits. In certain embodiments, the systems also include replaceable magazines containing multiple spill kits. In certain embodiments, the systems also include support structure for receiving the replaceable magazines.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/155,541 filed May 1, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to spill kit dispensing systems.
BACKGROUND INFORMATIONSpill kits are used in a variety of applications, including for the containment and disposal of potentially hazardous spills. Such kits typically include absorbent materials such as mats, pads, socks, loose absorbent particulate, and/or pillows; disposal materials such as bags and ties; clean-up tools such as wipers, hand brooms, dust pans, and/or spray cleaners; as well as safety items such as gloves, safety glasses/goggles, fluid impervious aprons, respirators, warning signs, and/or labels. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established regulations for general requirements for spill prevention, control, and countermeasure plans, e.g., 40 CFR §112.7 and 40 CFR §§263.30-1. When spills occur, it is desirable to have spill kits readily accessible in order to quickly and safely respond to emergency situations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention provides spill kit dispensing systems that are highly visible and easy to access when needed for the containment of potentially hazardous materials. The systems include a structure to contain and dispense multiple spill kits. In certain embodiments, the systems also include replaceable magazines containing multiple spill kits. In certain embodiments, the systems also include support structure for receiving the replaceable magazines.
An aspect of the present invention is to provide a spill kit dispensing system, comprising: a support structure, and a spill kit dispensing magazine supported by the support structure. The spill dispensing magazine comprises: a body structured and arranged to contain a plurality of spill kits, and a front panel comprising a dispensing mouth structured and arranged to permit the spills kits to be sequentially removed from the spill kit dispensing magazine.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a spill kit dispensing magazine for use in a spill kit dispensing system, the spill kit dispensing magazine comprising: a body structured and arranged to contain a plurality of spill kits, a front panel comprising a dispensing mouth structured and arranged to permit spills kits to be removed from the spill kit dispensing magazine, and a plurality of spill kits contained in the body and sequentially removable therefrom through the dispensing mouth.
A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a spill kit dispensing device comprising: a body structured and arranged to contain a plurality of spill kits, and a front panel comprising at least one dispensing mouth structured and arranged to permit spills kits to be removed from the spill kit dispensing device.
These and other aspects of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.
The present invention provides self-feeding spill kit systems containing multiple spill kits that can be dispensed for quick spill response. As used herein, the term “spill kit” means a kit including materials for absorbing, collecting, containing, cleaning and/or disposing of a spill and/or safety items. In certain embodiments, the spill kits contain absorbent materials such as mats, pads, socks, loose absorbent particulate, and/or pillows; disposal materials such as bags and ties; clean-up tools such as wipers, hand brooms, dust pans, and/or spray cleaners; as well as safety items such as gloves, safety glasses/goggles, fluid impervious aprons, respirators, warning signs, and/or labels.
A spill kit 40 may include any suitable materials for the absorbing, collecting, containing and/or disposing of a spill and/or safety items. As shown in
As shown in
In accordance with certain embodiments, the front dispensing panel 30 has a dispensing mouth 31 structured and arranged to permit a single spill kit 40 to be removed from the dispensing magazine 20. As shown in
The dispensing mouth 31 has a height HM selected to allow a spill kit 40 to be removed from the dispensing magazine 20. For example, the height HM of the dispensing mouth 31 may range from 1 to 10 inches, or from 1 to 8 inches, or from 1.5 to 3 inches. In the embodiment shown, the dispensing mouth height HM is approximately the same or slightly larger than the spill kit height HK. For example, the dispensing mouth height HM may be from 100 percent to less than 200 percent of the spill kit height HK, e.g., from 120 percent to 180 percent. This arrangement allows easy removal of a single spill kit 40 from the dispensing mouth 31, while retaining the adjacent upper spill kit within the dispensing magazine 20.
The access notch 32 has a height HN selected to allow a user to easily grab a spill kit 40. For example, the height HN of the access notch 32 may range from 1 to 10 inches, or from 1 to 8 inches, or from 1.5 to 3 inches. In the embodiment shown, the access notch height HN is approximately the same or smaller than the dispensing mouth height HM. For example, the access notch height HN may be from 25 percent to less than 110 percent of the dispensing mouth height HM, e.g., from 40 percent to 90 percent.
As shown in
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As shown most clearly in
In certain embodiments, the support structure 10 may be mountable to a wall, building column or other vertical surface. The support structure 10 may be mounted to a vertical surface using any type of mounting arrangement, including holes or slots (not shown). For example, brackets (not shown) may be bolted to the back panel 13 of the support structure 10. In another embodiment, the support structure 10 may be non-walled-mounted, e.g., the support structure 10 may be placed on a floor, table, bench or the like. The engagement pegs 16 of the support structure 10 may act as feet to stabilize the support structure when the support structure is non-wall-mounted. In another embodiment, the bottom panel 11 of the support structure has no engagement pegs 16. This allows the bottom panel 11 to comprise a flat surface for stabile horizontal mounting. In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the support structure 10 may be rotated 180° such that the top panel 12 is in contact with the horizontal surface. When the support structure 10 is non-wall-mounted, it may also be mounted to the horizontal surface using any type of mounting arrangement, including holes or slots (not shown). For example, brackets (not shown) may be bolted to the back panel 13 of the support structure 10.
In the various embodiments illustrated in
The spill kit dispensing magazine 20 may be made of any suitable materials such as heavy paper, cardboard, plastic and the like. For example, the spill kit dispensing magazine 20 may comprise a folded recyclable cardboard box structure. The spill kit dispensing magazine 20 may be preloaded with multiple spill kits 40. For example, the spill kit dispensing magazine 20 may hold from 2 to 20 spill kits, when full, e.g., from 3 to 15 spill kits, or from 5 to 10 spill kits. In certain embodiments, the spill kit dispensing magazine 20 may be placed on its top panel 14 and loaded with spill kits 40 through the dispensing mouth 31. In another embodiment, the spill kit dispensing magazine 20 may be top loaded before the top panel 14 is closed and sealed.
During use, the spill kit dispensing magazine 20 may be depleted of spill kits 40. The empty spill kit dispensing magazine 20 may be easily removed from the support structure 10 and replaced with an additional preloaded spill kit dispensing magazine 20 while maintaining the support structure 10 in a stationary location. Maintaining the location of the spill kit dispensing system 5 allows users to quickly and safely access spill kits 40 to respond to emergency situations. The empty dispensing magazine 20 may be disposed of or refilled with spill kits 40.
In accordance with certain embodiments, the front dispensing panel 130 has a dispensing mouth 131 structured and arranged to permit a single spill kit 40 to be removed from the dispensing magazine 120. As shown in
The dispensing mouth 131 has a height HM selected to allow a spill kit 40 to be removed from the dispensing magazine 120. For example, the height HM of the dispensing mouth 131 may range from 1 to 10 inches, or from 1 to 8 inches, or from 1.5 to 3 inches. In the embodiment shown, the dispensing mouth height HM is approximately the same or slightly larger than the spill kit height HK. For example, the dispensing mouth height HM may be from 100 percent to less than 200 percent of the spill kit height HK, e.g., from 120 percent to 180 percent. This arrangement allows easy removal of a single spill kit 40 from the dispensing mouth 131, while retaining the adjacent upper spill kit within the dispensing magazine.
The access notch 132 has a height HN selected to allow a user to easily grab a spill kit 40. For example, the height HN of the access notch 132 may range from 1 to 10 inches, or from 1 to 8 inches, or from 1.5 to 3 inches. In the embodiment shown, the access notch height HN is approximately the same or slightly larger than the dispensing mouth height HM. For example, the access notch height HN may be from 90 percent to less than 200 percent of the dispensing mouth height HM, e.g., from 90 percent to 140 percent.
As shown in
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The spill kits 40 contained in the upper portion 222 may have a height HUK (not shown) and the spill kits 40 contained in the lower portion 223 may have a height HLK (not shown). The lower spill kit height HLK may be greater than the upper spill kit height HUK, e.g., at least 10 percent to 20 percent higher. However, any other suitable arrangement of the upper and lower spill kit heights may be used, e.g., the same heights or the upper spill kit height HUK may be greater than the lower spill kit height HLK.
During use, it may be beneficial for the spill kit dispensing device 205 to have spill kits 40 containing different materials in the upper and lower portions 222, 223. For example, the upper portion 222 may contain spill kits 40 containing safety items, e.g., gloves, safety glasses/goggles, fluid impervious aprons, respirators, warning signs and the like; and the lower portion 223 may contain spill kits 40 containing absorbent materials such as mats, pads, socks, loose absorbent particulate and/or pillows, and/or disposal materials such as bags and ties. The upper portion 222 may contain spill kits 40 containing absorbent materials for a small spill, and the lower portion 223 may contain spill kits 40 containing absorbent materials for a large spill. The upper portion 222 may contain spill kits 40 containing specialized absorbents or neutralizers for an acid spill, and the lower portion 223 may contain spill kits 40 containing specialized absorbents or neutralizers for a caustic spill. The upper portion 222 may contain spill kits 40 containing clean-up tools such as wipers, hand brooms, dust pans, and/or spray cleaners; and the lower portion 223 may contain spill kits 40 containing absorbent materials and/or safety items. The upper and lower portions 222, 223 may contain any combination of these spill kits 40 containing different materials. The spill kits containing different materials in the upper and lower portions 222, 223 allow a user to select the proper materials to be removed from the dispensing device when a spill occurs.
In certain embodiments, the front panel 230 has at least one dispensing mouth 232, 233 structured and arranged to permit spills kits 40 to be removed from spill kit dispensing device 205. As shown in
The lower dispensing mouth height HLM is selected to allow a spill kit 40 contained in the lower portion 223 having a height HLK to be removed from the dispensing device 205. For example, the height HLM of the dispensing mouth 232 may range from 1 to 10 inches, or from 1 to 8 inches, or from 1.5 to 3 inches. In the embodiment shown, the lower dispensing mouth height HLM is approximately the same or slightly larger than the spill kit height HLK. For example, the dispensing mouth height HLM may be from 100 percent to less than 200 percent of the spill kit height HLK, e.g., from 120 percent to 180 percent. This arrangement allows easy removal of a single spill kit 40 from the lower dispensing mouth 233, while retaining the adjacent upper spill kit within the dispensing device.
In the embodiment shown, the upper dispensing mouth height HUM is approximately the same lower dispensing mouth height HLM. However, any other suitable height and size arrangement of upper and lower dispensing mouths may be used, e.g. the upper dispensing mouth height HUM may be less than the lower dispensing mouth height HLM or the upper dispensing mouth height HUM may be greater than the lower dispensing mouth height HLM. In certain embodiments, the bottom of upper dispensing mouth 232 is intended to be substantially aligned with divider panel 215 and the bottom of lower dispensing mouth 233 is intended to be substantially aligned with bottom panel 211. This arrangement allows easy removal of a single spill kit 40 from the upper and lower dispensing mouth 232, 233.
As shown in
The upper indicator window height HUW should extend for a significant distance along upper portion height HUP, for example, 50 percent of the upper portion height HUP, e.g., from 60 percent to 90 percent of the height. For example, the height HUW of upper indicator window 234 may range from 4 inches to 3 feet, or from 8 inches to 2.5 feet, or from 10 inches to 2 feet. The upper indicator window width WUW may be less than upper indicator window height HUW, but is sufficiently wide enough to view the number of spill kits 40 remaining in the upper portion 222 of the spill kit dispensing device 205. For example, the width WUW of upper indicator window 234 may range from 0.25 to 5 inches, or from 0.375 to 4 inches, or from 0.5 to 2 inches.
The lower indicator window height HLW should extend for a significant distance along lower portion height HLP, for example, 50 percent of the lower portion height HLP, e.g., from 60 to 90 percent of the height. For example, the height HLW of lower indicator window 234 may range from 4 inches to 4 feet, or from 8 inches to 3 feet, or from 10 inches to 2.5 feet. The lower indicator window width WLW may be less than lower indicator window height HLW, but is sufficiently wide enough to view the number of spill kits 40 remaining in the lower portion 223 of the spill kit dispensing device 205. For example, the width WLW of lower indicator window 234 may range from 0.25 to 5 inches, or from 0.375 to 4 inches, or from 0.5 to 2 inches. In the embodiment shown, the indicator windows 234, 235 may be separate from the dispensing mouths 232, 233 of the front panel 230. However, any other suitable arrangement of the indicator windows may be used, e.g., the indicator windows may be formed continuously with the dispensing mouths.
As noted above, the front panel 230 may be pivotably mounted to the body 210. The front panel may be rotatable about 180° between the closed position shown in
As shown in
In certain embodiments, the spill kit dispensing device 205 may be mountable to a wall, building column or other vertical surface. As shown in
As shown in
The spill kit dispensing device 205 may be made of any suitable materials such as plastic, metal, natural or synthetic composites, injectable molding material and the like. For example, the body 210 and front panel 230 may be made from polyethylene. Alternately, any moldable plastic can be used for the body 210 and front panel 230 or they can be cast or machined from metal such as aluminum. The body and front panel may be made of separate material types.
Whereas particular embodiments of this invention have been described above for purposes of illustration, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1. A spill kit dispensing system, comprising:
- a support structure; and
- a spill kit dispensing magazine supported by the support structure, wherein the spill dispensing magazine comprises:
- a body structured and arranged to contain a plurality of spill kits; and
- a front panel comprising a dispensing mouth structured and arranged to permit the spills kits to be sequentially removed from the spill kit dispensing magazine.
2. The spill kit dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the dispensing mouth height HM is from 100 to 200 percent of the height of each spill kit.
3. The spill kit dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the dispensing mouth height HM is from 1 to 8 inches.
4. The spill kit dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the spill kit dispensing magazine further comprises a pair of opposing side panels, and at least one of the side panels comprises an indicator window having an indicator window height HW from 4 inches to 4 feet and an indicator window width WW of from 0.375 to 5 inches.
5. The spill kit dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the front panel comprises an indicator window having an indicator window height HW is from 4 inches to 4 feet and an indicator window width WW of from 0.375 to 5 inches.
6. The spill kit dispensing system of claim 5, wherein the indicator window is continuously formed with the dispensing mouth.
7. The spill kit dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the support structure comprises at least one front retaining panel and at least one side opening through which the spill kit dispensing magazine can be inserted into the support structure.
8. The spill kit dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the support structure further comprises at least one engagement peg and at least one engagement aperture, wherein the engagement peg is structured and arranged to fit within the engagement aperture.
9. The spill kit dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the spill kit height HK is from 1 to 8 inches.
10. The spill kit dispensing system of claim 1, comprising at least three spill kits contained in the body.
11. A spill kit dispensing magazine for use in a spill kit dispensing system, the spill kit dispensing magazine comprising:
- a body structured and arranged to contain a plurality of spill kits;
- a front panel comprising a dispensing mouth structured and arranged to permit spills kits to be removed from the spill kit dispensing magazine; and
- a plurality of spill kits contained in the body and sequentially removable therefrom through the dispensing mouth.
12. The spill kit dispensing magazine of claim 11, wherein the dispensing mouth height HM is from 100 to 200 percent of the height of each spill kit.
13. The spill kit dispensing magazine of claim 11, wherein the dispensing mouth comprises an access notch extending upward from the dispensing mouth, wherein the access notch height HN is from 40 percent to 140 percent of the dispensing mouth height HM.
14. The spill kit dispensing magazine of claim 11, wherein the front panel comprises a base lip having a base lip height HL from 70 percent to 150 percent of the height of each spill kit.
15. The spill kit dispensing magazine of claim 11, wherein the body comprises a pair of opposing side panels, and at least one of the side panels comprises an indicator window having an indicator window height HW of from 4 inches to 4 feet and an indicator window width WW of from 0.375 to 5 inches.
16. The spill kit dispensing magazine of claim 11, wherein the front panel comprises an indicator window having an indicator window height HW of from 4 inches to 4 feet and an indicator window width WW of from 0.375 to 5 inches.
17. The spill kit dispensing magazine of claim 16, wherein the indicator window is continuously formed with the dispensing mouth.
18. A spill kit dispensing device comprising:
- a body structured and arranged to contain a plurality of spill kits; and
- a front panel comprising at least one dispensing mouth structured and arranged to permit spills kits to be removed from the spill kit dispensing device.
19. The spill kit dispensing device of claim 18, comprising a plurality of spill kits contained in the body and sequentially removable therefrom through the dispensing mouth.
20. The spill kit dispensing device of claim 18, wherein the at least one dispensing mouth height HM is from 100 to 200 percent of the height of each spill kit.
21. The spill kit dispensing device of claim 18, wherein the body comprises an upper portion, a lower portion and a divider formed between the upper portion and lower portion.
22. The spill kit dispensing device of claim 21, wherein the front panel comprises an upper one of the dispensing mouths structured and arranged to permit spills kits to be removed from the upper portion of the body and a lower one of the dispensing mouths structured and arranged to permit spills kits to be removed from the lower portion of the body.
23. The spill kit dispensing device of claim 21, wherein the spill kits contained in the upper portion of the body are different than the spill kits contained in the lower portion of the body.
24. The spill kit dispensing device of claim 18, wherein the front panel further comprises at least one indicator window having an indicator window height from 4 inches to 4 feet and an indicator window width of from 0.375 to 5 inches.
25. The spill kit dispensing device of claim 18, wherein the front panel is pivotably mounted on the body about an axis of rotation.
26. The spill kit dispensing device of claim 18, wherein the body further comprises a pair of mounting brackets, wherein each mounting bracket comprises an at least partially enclosed mounting hole structured and arranged to receive a mounting device therethrough.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 29, 2016
Publication Date: Nov 3, 2016
Inventors: Matthew A. Romito (State College, PA), Chris M. Iuzzolino (Altoona, PA)
Application Number: 15/143,088