Wrap dispenser holder

Abstract

A holder (1) for a wrap dispenser (2) has a boxlike shape matched to and acceptably larger than a shape and size of a wrap dispenser that is generally square through a cross section and usually but not necessarily more or less than a foot or two long. The holder has dispenser retainers (8, 9, 11) that retain the wrap dispenser in the holder in opposition to normal pulling force to pull wrap or foil from the wrap dispenser. An ejector spring (20) on a bottom wall (5) of the holder can eject the wrap dispenser when the dispenser retainers are in a release mode. A back wall (6) of the wrap dispenser can be attached to vertical walls or to top surfaces of use-area structure. For attachment of the holder to undersides of tables, shelves and other use-area structure, a holder lid (10) can be hinged to a top of the back wall of the holder and have ends with hinged enclosure flaps (11) that snap-fasten to the ends of the holder. The back side of the holder and the lid can have fastener elements (21, 22) that mate with corresponding fastener elements on vertical and horizontal surfaces to which the holder is attachable.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to holders of wrap or foil dispensers.

[0002] Numerous wrap-dispenser holders are known. None, however, are boxes into which wrap dispensers can be inserted easily, held reliably with a dispenser retainer and then removed easily in a manner taught by this invention.

[0003] Examples of most-closely related known but yet different devices are described in the following patent documents. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 425,345, issued to Ohm, et al. on May 23, 2000, illustrated a tissue-box holder having suction cups for being retained on a flat surface. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 381, 228, issued to Cockrum on Jul. 22, 1997, illustrated a two tier tissue-box holder. U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,988, issued to Nguyen on Nov. 6, 1990, described a tissue-box holder with foldable sides and ends. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 293,182, issued to Carter on Dec. 15, 1987, illustrated a tissue-box holder with an open front. U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,212, issued to Polk on Mar. 11, 1975, described a dispenser holder with a cutting blade sufficiently separated from a foil box to provide a protruding edge slightly removed for easy sequential grasping. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 162,122 and Des. 162,123 issued to Broeren on Feb. 27, 1951, illustrated front-lap holders for dispensers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention are to provide a wrap-dispenser holder which:

[0005] receives a wrap dispenser or foil dispenser easily, holds it snugly and then allows it to be removed for replacement easily;

[0006] prevents wrap dispensers from becoming damaged, wet or misplaced in working conditions, particularly in restaurant kitchens; and

[0007] can be placed easily on vertical walls and horizontal undersides of tables and shelves.

[0008] This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with a holder for a wrap dispenser that has a boxlike shape matched to and acceptably larger than a shape and size of a wrap dispenser that is generally square through a cross section and usually but not necessarily more or less than a foot or two long. The holder has dispenser retainers that retain the wrap dispenser in the holder in opposition to normal pulling force to pull wrap or foil from the wrap dispenser. An ejector spring on a bottom wall of the holder can eject the wrap dispenser when the dispenser retainers are in a release mode. A back side of the wrap dispenser can be attached to vertical walls or to top surfaces of use-area structure. For attachment of the holder to undersides of tables, shelves and other use-area structure, a holder lid can be hinged to a top of a back side of the holder and have ends with hinged flaps that snap-fasten to the ends of the holder. The back side of the holder and a lid can have fastener elements that mate with corresponding fastener elements on surfaces to which the holder is attachable.

[0009] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] This invention is described by appended claims in relation to description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the following drawings which are explained briefly as follows:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway front view of a holder containing a wrap dispenser depicted in wide dashed lines;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view of a holder having a lid with which the holder can be attached to undersides of structures;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway top view of the FIG. 1 illustration;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view of a holder having a lid with flaps that can be snap-fastened to ends to stabilize attachment to undersides of structures;

[0015] FIG. 5 is a partially cutaway top view of the FIG. 4 illustration with the lid shut;

[0016] FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway front view of a holder having inclined projections with top legs attached to top edges of end walls of the holder and with slide legs attached to the top legs;

[0017] FIG. 7 is the FIG. 6 illustration with the top legs of the inclined projections attached to bottom portions of end walls;

[0018] FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway front view of a holder having inclined projections with top legs attached resiliently to top edges of end walls of the holder and with bottom legs attached horizontally to the top legs and having injector springs;

[0019] FIG. 9 is the holder with the top legs of the inclined projections attached to bottom portions of end walls;

[0020] FIG. 10 is the FIG. 4 illustration with ejector springs and showing a wrap dispenser on the ejector springs, but without inclined projectors; and

[0021] FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway front view of the holder shown in FIG. 10, but with the wrap dispenser spring-pressured between the ejector springs and a snap-closed lid.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0022] Listed numerically below with reference to the drawings are terms used to describe features of this invention. These terms and numbers assigned to them designate the same features throughout this description. 1 1. Holder 12. Snap bulb 2. Wrap dispenser 13. Snap aperture 3. First-end wall 14. Top leg 4. Second-end wall 15. Slide legs 5. Bottom wall 16. Bottom legs 6. Back wall 17. First top lock aperture 7. Front wall 18. Second top lock aperture 8. First inclined projection 19. Lock apertures 9. Second inclined projection 20. Ejector spring 10. Lid 21. Back-wall-fastener element 11. Enclosure flap 22. Lid-fastener element

[0023] Referring first to FIGS. 1-5, a holder 1 for a wrap dispenser 2 shown by wide dashed lines, has a boxlike shape with a first-end wall 3, a second-end wall 4, a bottom wall 5, a back wall 6 and a front wall 7. The boxlike shape is generally elongate with an inside periphery that is matched to and slightly larger than an outside periphery of the predetermined wrap dispenser 2 in order to receive and to allow removal of the predetermined wrap dispenser 2.

[0024] At least one dispenser retainer having engagement with a predetermined container portion in contrast to a dispensing portion of the wrap dispenser 2, is attached to the first-end wall 3 and to the second-end wall 4 of the holder 1. This allows the dispensing portion, generally a full-length opening with a cutting-edge side, of the wrap dispenser to be exposed.

[0025] The dispenser retainer in FIGS. 1-5 includes a first inclined projection 8 attached to a top edge of the first-end wall 3 and a second inclined projection 9 attached to a top edge of the second-end wall 4. In FIGS. 4-5, the first inclined projection 8 is attached to a bottom portion of the first-end wall 3 and the second inclined projection 9 is attached to a bottom portion of the second-end wall 4. Additionally and optionally in FIGS. 4-5, the dispenser retainer includes a lid 10 that is hinged to the back wall 6 and can be attached detachably in a down-closure mode to the first-end wall 3 and to the second-end wall 4 with enclosure flaps 11 having a quick-disconnect fastener that can include a snap bulb 12 and a snap aperture 13.

[0026] The first inclined projection 8 and the second inclined projection 9 preferably have top legs 14 attached to the first-end wall 3 and to the second-end wall 4 respectively.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 6-7, the top legs 14 can be attached to or suspended from the first-end wall 3 and the second-end wall 4 resiliently and have first-end and second-end slide legs 15 that slide against the first-end wall 3 and the second-end wall 4 respectively in reaction to forced insertion and removal of the wrap dispenser 2. In a depressed mode, the top legs 14 and the slide legs 15 are shown in dashed lines.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 8-9, the top legs 14 can be attached to or suspended from the first-end wall 3 and the second-end wall 4 resiliently and have first end and second-end bottom legs 16 that are attached horizontally to the top legs 14 and extend through a first top lock aperture 17 and a second top lock aperture 18 in depressed mode for receiving and releasing the wrap dispenser 2. Correspondingly for top legs 14 attached to bottom portions of the first-end wall 3 and the second-end wall 4, the first-end and second-end bottom legs 16 are extended through bottom lock apertures 1L9 in the depressed mode for receiving and releasing the wrap dispenser 2.

[0029] The bottom legs 16 projecting through the lock apertures 17, 18 and 19 can be accessed by hand to be raised for bending the top legs 14 inwardly for releasing the wrap dispenser 2 Referring to FIGS. 8-11, embodiments of this invention that include the lid 10 with enclosure end-attachable flaps 11 and the top leg 14 with slide legs 15 and horizontal bottom legs 16, retainment of the wrap dispenser 2 is sufficiently firm for employment of ejector springs 20 to eject the wrap dispenser 2 to a graspable position when released. The ejector spring 20 is shown in an expanded mode in FIGS. 8 and 10. It is shown in a depressed mode in FIGS. 9 and 11.

[0030] The holder 1 can be attached to a vertical structure with a back-wall-fastener element 21 or to an underside surface of the structure with a lid-fastener element 22. A standard bolt-head slot is shown for both to represent whatever suitable attachment or fastener is employed. An adhesive is foreseeable in lieu of a mechanical fastener for some applications.

[0031] A new and useful wrap-dispenser holder having been described, all such foreseeable modifications, adaptations, substitutions of equivalents, mathematical possibilities of combinations of parts, pluralities of parts, applications and forms thereof as described by the following claims and not precluded by prior art are included in this invention. CLAIMS

Claims

1. A wrap-dispenser holder comprising:

a holder with a boxlike shape having a first-end wall, a second-end wall, a bottom wall, a back wall and a front wall;

the boxlike shape of the holder having an inside periphery that is matched to an outside periphery of a shape and size of a predetermined wrap dispenser and being larger than the size of the predetermined wrap dispenser to receive and to allow removal of the predetermined wrap dispenser;

at least one dispenser retainer having retainment engagement with a predetermined container portion of the wrap dispenser positioned in the holder; and

the dispenser retainer being attached to the first-end wall and to the second end wall of the holder.

2. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 1 wherein:

the dispenser retainer includes a first inclined projection attached to the first-end wall and a second inclined projection attached to the second-end wall;

the first inclined projection engaging a first end of the wrap dispenser; and

the second inclined projection engaging a second end of the wrap dispenser.

3. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 1 wherein:

the dispenser retainer includes a lid hinged to a top edge of the back wall;

the lid is attached to the first-end wall with a first enclosure flap that is attached detachably to the first-end wall and with a second enclosure flap that is attached detachably to the second-end wall; and

the lid covers a predetermined portion of a side of the wrap dispenser.

4. A wrap-dispenser holder comprising:

a holder with a boxlike shape having a first-end wall, a second-end wall, a bottom wall, a back wall and a front wall;

the boxlike shape of the holder having an inside periphery that is matched to an outside periphery of a shape and size of a predetermined wrap dispenser and being larger than the size of the predetermined wrap dispenser to receive and to allow removal of the predetermined wrap dispenser;

a first inclined projection having a top leg attached to the first-end wall;

a second inclined projection having a top leg attached to the second-end wall; and

the first inclined projection and the second inclined projection being sized, shaped and structured to retain the wrap dispenser in the holder.

5. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 4 wherein:

the top leg of the first inclined projection is attached resiliently to a top edge of the first-end wall; and

the top leg of the second inclined projection is attached resiliently to a top edge of the second-end wall.

6. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 5 wherein:

the top leg of the first inclined projection has a first-end slide leg that is attached resiliently to the top leg of the first inclined projection;

the top leg of the second inclined projection has a second-end slide leg that is attached resiliently to the top leg of the second inclined projection.

7. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 5 wherein:

the top leg of the first inclined projection has a first-end bottom leg that is attached horizontally to the top leg of the first inclined projection;

the first end of the holder has a first top lock aperture to receive the first-end bottom leg in a depressed mode for the holder to receive the wrap dispenser;

the top leg of the second inclined projection has a second-end bottom leg that is attached horizontally to the top leg of the second inclined projection; and

the second end of the holder has a second top lock aperture to receive the second-end bottom leg in a depressed mode for the holder to receive the wrap dispenser.

8. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 7 wherein:

the first-end bottom leg is extended through the first top lock aperture for access to the first-end bottom leg which is raised for relieving retainment pressure of the first inclined projection against a top portion of the first end of the wrap dispenser; and

the second-end bottom leg is extended through the second top lock aperture for access to the second-end bottom leg which is raised for relieving retainment pressure of the second inclined projection against a top portion of the second end of the wrap dispenser.

9. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 4 and further comprising:

an ejector spring on the bottom wall of the holder; and

the ejector spring having spring pressure upwardly to eject the wrap dispenser upwardly when the first inclined projection and the second inclined projection are in a depressed mode for removing the wrap dispenser from the holder.

10. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 4 and further comprising:

a lid hinged to a top edge of the back wall;

a lid-fastener element on the lid for attachment of the holder to undersides of structures;

a first enclosure flap on a first end of the lid;

a second enclosure flap on a second end of the lid;

a first flap fastener on the first enclosure flap in fastening communication with a first-end fastener on the holder; and

a second flap fastener on the second enclosure flap in fastening communication with a second end fastener on the holder.

11. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 4 and further comprising:

a back-wall-fastener element on the back wall to match with a structure fastener for fastening the back wall to a vertical surface of the structure.

12. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 4 wherein:

the top leg of the first inclined projection is attached resiliently to a bottom portion of the first-end wall; and

the top leg of the second inclined projection is attached resiliently to a bottom portion of the second-end wall.

13. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 12 wherein:

the top leg of the first inclined projection has the first-end bottom leg that is attached horizontally to the top leg of the first inclined projection;

the first end of the holder has a first bottom lock aperture to receive the first-end bottom leg in a depressed mode for the holder to receive the wrap dispenser;

the top leg of the second inclined projection has a second-end bottom leg that is attached horizontally to the top leg of the second inclined projection; and

the second end of the holder has a second bottom lock aperture to receive the second-end bottom leg in a depressed mode for the holder to receive the wrap dispenser.

14. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 13 wherein:

the first-end bottom leg is extended through the first bottom lock aperture for access to the first-end bottom leg which is raised for relieving retainment pressure of the first inclined projection against a bottom portion of the first end of the wrap dispenser; and

the second-end bottom leg is extended through the second bottom lock aperture for access to the second-end bottom leg which is raised for relieving retainment pressure of the second inclined projection against a bottom portion of the second end of the wrap dispenser.

15. A wrap-dispenser holder comprising:

a holder with a boxlike shape having a first-end wall, a second-end wall, a bottom wall, a back wall and a front wall;

the boxlike shape of the holder having an inside periphery that is matched to an outside periphery of a shape and size of a predetermined wrap dispenser and being larger than the size of the predetermined wrap dispenser to receive and to allow removal of the predetermined wrap dispenser;

a lid hinged to a top edge of the back wall;

the lid having a width to cover a predetermined portion of a top opening of the holder intermediate a top edge of the front wall and a predetermined portion of a wrap dispenser for allowing dispensing of wrap from the wrap dispenser;

a first enclosure flap on a first end of the lid;

a second enclosure flap on a second end of the lid;

a first flap fastener on the first enclosure flap in fastening communication with a first-end fastener on the holder; and

a second flap fastener on the second enclosure flap in fastening communication with a second end fastener on the holder.

16. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 15 and further comprising:

a back-wall-fastener element on the back wall to match with a structure fastener for fastening the back wall to a vertical surface of the structure.

17. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 16 and further comprising:

a lid-fastener element on the lid to match with a structure fastener for fastening the lid to an underside surface of the structure.

18. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 15 and further comprising:

a lid-fastener element on the lid to match with a structure fastener for fastening the lid to an underside surface of the structure.

19. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 15 and further comprising:

an ejector spring on the bottom wall of the holder; and

the ejector spring having spring pressure upwardly to eject the wrap dispenser upwardly when the first inclined projection and the second inclined projection are in a depressed mode for removing the wrap dispenser from the holder.

20. The wrap-dispenser holder of claim 18 and further comprising:

an ejector spring on the bottom wall of the holder; and

the ejector spring having spring pressure upwardly to eject the wrap dispenser upwardly when the first inclined projection and the second inclined projection are in a depressed mode for removing the wrap dispenser from the holder.