DISPENSER AND DISPOSAL APPARATUS AND SYSTEM

Abstract

A dispenser and disposal system comprising: a cup, the cup comprising and interior volume, and an exterior surface; a lid removably attachable to the cup, the lid having a top side and an underside; a first pouch in communication with the lid, located in the interior volume, and in communication with the first slot, the first pouch comprising a first end that is generally adjacent to the lid, and a second end distal to the lid, and wherein the first end generally comprises an opening to the first pouch; and a second pouch in communication with the lid, located in the interior volume; and in communication with the second slot, the second pouch comprising a first end that is generally adjacent to the lid, and a second end distal to the lid, and wherein the first end generally comprises an opening to the second pouch.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES

The present application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 61/347,155 filed on May 21, 2010 by Patrick B. Harris, the entire contents of which are fully incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an apparatus that can both dispense items, and dispose of the items, and more specifically relates to an apparatus that can both dispense and dispose of paper items, such as tissues.

BACKGROUND

Disposable products, such as tissue papers, papers towels, napkins, moist wipes, etc., are often stored in some type of package. For example, unused tissue papers may be stored in a cardboard box containing a perforated cover. A user typically tears open the perforated cover to access the unused tissue papers. After using the tissue paper, a user may dispose the tissue paper in a waste basket.

In many situations, there may not be a waste basket or other container available in which to dispose the used tissue paper or other disposable product. In such situation, a user may place the used tissue paper in an undesirable location, such as on top of a table, on a chair, on the floor, or in one's pocket. Such undesirable disposal of the used tissue paper may lead to non-environmentally friendly disposal and may also lead to unsanitary conditions, which may result in illness in people who come in contact, directly or indirectly, with the used tissue paper.

Often times, a person may need to use a tissue when in a vehicle, and often times there is not an adequate place to hold a tissue container, and there may also be no adequate place to dispose of the used tissue.

Thus, there is a need for an apparatus that overcomes the above and other disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disclosed invention relates to a dispenser and disposal system comprising: a cup, the cup comprising and interior volume, and an exterior surface; a lid removably attachable to the cup, the lid having a top side and an underside; a first pouch in communication with the lid, located in the interior volume, and in communication with the first slot, the first pouch comprising a first end that is generally adjacent to the lid, and a second end distal to the lid, and wherein the first end generally comprises an opening to the first pouch; and a second pouch in communication with the lid, located in the interior volume; and in communication with the second slot, the second pouch comprising a first end that is generally adjacent to the lid, and a second end distal to the lid, and wherein the first end generally comprises an opening to the second pouch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will be better understood by those skilled in the pertinent art by referencing the accompanying drawings, where like elements are numbered alike in the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side exploded view of the disclosed apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the disclosed apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a lid;

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the lid;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the bottom mounting ring;

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the bottom mounting ring;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the top mounting ring;

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the top mounting ring;

FIG. 9 is a top view of a wire mounting ring;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the wire mounting ring attached to various components of the apparatus;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the winged mounting ring before being folded closed;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the device with a wire used on the bags;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the bag after the wire is installed and the bag it is sealed;

FIG. 14 shows several views of the device being assembled;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the disclosed up and a holder;

FIG. 16 is a top view of the disclosed holder;

FIG. 17 is a top view of the disclosed lid:

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the disclosed apparatus;

FIG. 19 is a bottom perspective view of the apparatus from FIG. 18, with the cup removed;

FIG. 20 is an exploded view of the apparatus from FIGS. 18 and 19; and

FIG. 21 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the disclosed apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a front exploded view one embodiment of the disclosed apparatus 10. The apparatus comprises a cup 14. The cup 14 may be tapered as shown, or may be shaped more cylindrically (with generally parallel sides). The cup may have an opened bottom 16. In other embodiments, the bottom 16 may closed, or have a removable bottom. Located within container is a dual-pouched bag 18, shown in dashed line when in the cup 14. The bag 18 has a first pouch 22 and a second pouch 26. In one alternative embodiment, the second pouch 26 may have a sealable opening 30 at or near its bottom. The sealable opening 30 may be any suitable type of closeable opening including but limited to Ziploc style openings, zippered opening, and adhesive openings. The apparatus 10 also comprises a bottom mounting ring 34, a layer of material 38, such as but not limited to cellophane, a top mounting ring 42, and a lid 46. The lid 46 attaches to the cup 14, and when attached to the cup 14, the dual pouched bag 18 is held between the bottom mounting ring 34, and the layer of material 38 and the top mounting ring 42. The first pouch 22 is configured to hold a plurality of tissues arranged such that one tissue at a time may be dispensed from the apparatus 10. Although this disclosure discusses tissues, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that polishing wipes, car tire protectant wipes, metal polishing wipes, window polishing wipes, disinfectant wipes, anti-bacterial wipes and the like may all be used in the disclosed cups instead of tissues. The second pouch 26 is configured to accept used tissues and other small refuse. If the second pouch 26 is filled up before the first pouch 22 is empty, one can empty the second pouch 26 by opening the sealable opening 30, and emptying out the second pouch 26. In another embodiment a single ring may be used and the bags mounted directly to the single ring. The apparatus may also comprise a sleeve configured to slide over the cup 14. The sleeve may have artistic designs, kids games, kids puzzles, areas for coloring, lined areas for list writing and memos, and calendars. The sleeve may be made out of any suitable material including but not limited to paper, cardboard, and plastic.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the disclosed apparatus 10. In this view, the lid 46 is visible. The lid 46 has two openings 50, 54. The top mounting ring 42 also has two openings 58, 62. The bottom mounting ring 34 also has two openings 66, 70. These pairs of openings, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 70 allow for access to each of the two pouches 22, 26. The material layer 38 has a first 74 and second slot 78 configured to be generally centrally located within the openings 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 70. Thus one may remove a tissue from a first pouch 22, and dispose of the tissue, or other refuse, into the second pouch 26, via the slots 74, 78. Each of the slots may also have a reinforcement strip 82, 86 associated with them. The lid 46 may snap or screw onto the cup 14. The top and bottom mounting rings 34, 42 may be glued, stapled or otherwise attached to each other, with the dual-pouched bag 18 and layer of material 38 held between the two attached rings 34, 42.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the lid 46. In this view the openings 50 and 54 are shown alone. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the lid 46.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the bottom mounting ring 34. FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of the bottom mounting ring 34.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the top mounting ring 42. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the top mounting ring 42.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 11, instead of having two separate mounting rings, the pattern for the mounting ring includes two wings 100,101 that when folded inward matches the mounting ring in the center 102. Additionally in FIG. 12 we see a small gauge pliable wire 103 is attached to the bag material 105 before the bag sides are sealed. FIG. 13 shows the wired bag opening 104 supported with wire 103 to give the bag an opened form. The bags 106 are linked together at their midpoints 107, see FIG. 14. The bags 106 are then dropped into the mounting ring through holes 108, 109 of the center mounting ring 102. A cellophane type material 112 may then be placed on top of the center mounting ring 102. The wings 100,101 are then folded inward and plastic welded to the center mounting ring 102. The holes in the mounting ring wings 100,101 are thereby aligned directly over the holes in the center mounting ring 110,111 so that the bags openings 104 ,104 may be accessed through the holes. Tabs may be placed on two opposite sides of the mounting ring which would be able to be set into a hole-slot in the cup to secure the mounting ring and bags in the cup. In another embodiment, instead of using mounting rings to couple the bags 106 to the cup 14, the bags 106 may be coupled to the cup 14, by other attachment means, including but not limited to adhesives, tape, two-sided tape, Velcro, glue, etc.

In other embodiments, the apparatus may be square shaped, like a box, or rectangular shaped instead of cup shaped. Instead of a cup 14, the apparatus may comprise a rectangular box, with two openings at its top, and a dual-pouched bag for tissue and refuse, with one opening in the top of the box for receiving the tissue and one opening in the top of the box for disposing of the tissue and other refuse.

The cup may have a separate holder 120 for placement of cell phones, Chap Stick or other normal things carried in vehicles and may be attached to the cup using an adjustable clasp system which wraps around the cup and then is anchored by exposing a sticky tape, Velcro. wire, snaps or any other means. FIG. 15 shows a side view of the cup 14 with the separate holder 120 attached to it. The holder 120 may have a generally tapered and generally curved attachment side 124 that allows it to abut the tapered and rounded cup 14. FIG. 16 shows a top view of the holder 120. One can see a generally crescent moon shape of the holder 120 in this view. FIG. 17 shows an optional lid 128 that can fit onto the top of the holder 120.

In use, once the tissue containing pouch 22 is emptied, one removes the lid 46, and simply throw away the dual pouched bag 18, the two mounting rings 42, 34, and the layer of material 38, and simply replace with a new dual-pouched bag 18 that is attached to two mounting rings 42, 34 along with a layer of material 38. The cup 14 may have an outer diameter configured to fit cup holders in vehicles, boats, trains, etc. In another embodiment, instead of two mounting rings 34, 42, a single mounting ring made of wire or thin material may be used, with the dual-pouched bag attached to the wire ring, and the layer of material attached to the wire mounting ring. See FIG. 9 for a top view of the wire mounting ring 90. The wire mounting ring 90 has two openings 94, 98 for each of the pouches 22, 26. FIG. 10 shows the wire mounting ring 90 with the dual-pouched bag 18 and material layer 38 attached to it. In still another embodiment, Velcro strips may be located on the sides of the cup, so that Velcro material may be attached to the Velcro strips in order to increase the circumference and/or diameter of the cup so that it will fit in larger cup holders. In another embodiment, tacky putty may be removeably attached to the bottom of the cup, to more firmly secure the cup to table tops, desks and other surfaces, and reduce the chances of the cup from being knocked over.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the disclosed dispenser 140. In this embodiment, the dispenser comprises a cup 14 (shown in dashed line) and a lid 46. The lid may have a first slot 74 and a second slot 78. Slot 74 may be a an x-shaped or cross-shaped slot. In this embodiment, a first bag 144 and a second bag 148 are both attached to the underside 152 of the lid 46. The bags 144, 148 may be attached to the underside 152 of the lid 46 via an adhesive, staples, two-sided tape, Velcro, glue or any other suitable attachment means. The first bag 144 will act as a trash receptacle. The first bag 144 may have a resealable opening 156. The resealable opening 156 may be, but not limited to zippered opening, Ziploc style opening, a zipper lock type resealable opening, either with or without a slider, or an opening that can be resealed with an adhesive. The second bag 148 is configured to hold numerous tissues, wipes, etc. Thus, in use, one may simply pull a tissue or wipe, from the slot 78. When the user is done with the tissue or wipe, the user can insert the used tissue or wipe into slot 74, thereby depositing the used tissue or wipe into the first bag 144. If the first bag becomes full with used tissues and wipes, or other trash, the user may simply remove the lid from the cup, with the first and second bags 144, 148 still attached to the lid. The user may then unseal the resealable opening 156 and dispose of the trash in the first bag 144, close the resealable the opening 156, and place the lid 46 back on the cup 14, with the bags 144,148 back inside the cup, but now with the first bag 144 generally empty. FIG. 19 is a bottom perspective view of the lid 56 and the bags 144, 148. In this view, for this embodiment, an adhesive 160 that attaches the bags 144, 148 to the underside 152 of the lid 46 is shown as the shaded material.

FIG. 20 is a exploded view of the device from FIGS. 18 and 19. In this view the lid 46 is shown attached to the cup 14. A lid cap 164 is shown above the lid 46. A sealing device 168 is shown above the lid cap 164. The sealing device 168 may be a seal made of a thin plastic material that generally covers the perimeter of the lid 46 and generally an outer circumference of the lid cap 164, and seals the cap 164 against the lid 46. The sealing device 168 may have a perforated portion 172 to allow a user to conveniently remove the sealing device 168 from the cup, and remove the cap 164, to allow the user to pulls tissues or wipes from the slot 78, and dispose the of the tissues or wipes in the slot 74.

FIG. 21 is an exploded view of another embodiment of the disclosed invention 200. IN this embodiment, the cup 14 has an interior volume which is configured to contain a first bag 178 and a second bag 179. First bag 178 may be configured to hold a plurality of tissues. Second bag 179 may be configured to be a trash bag to hold refuse, such as used tissues, or other trash. First bag 178 may have a resealable opening 182. The resealable opening may be, but not limited to zippered opening, Ziploc style opening, a zipper lock type resealable opening, either with or without a slider, or an opening that can be resealed with an adhesive. The bags 178, 179 may be attached to the underside 204 of a dust cover 176. The dust cover may be made out of plastic, or cellophane, or any other suitable material. The bags 178, 179 may be attached to the dust cover 176 via an adhesive, staples, two-sided tape, Velcro, glue or any other suitable attachment means. A first slot or cross-slit 177 may be located in the dust cover, and be configured to be in communication with the interior for the first bag 178. A second slot or cross-slit 208 may be located in the dust cover, and be configured to be in communication with the interior of the second bag 179. A lid 175 is removably attachable to the cup 14. The lid may have a first and a second generally crescent shaped opening 173, 174. The openings 173, 174 may also be generally semi-circular shaped. The dustcover 176 is attached to the underside of the lid 175, via an adhesive, staples, two-sided tape, Velcro, glue or any other suitable attachment means.

The disclosed invention has many advantages. The cup may be configured to be held any sized cup holder, thus keeping the cup in a secure and known location. Having tissues dispensing and disposal in the same container keeps the location clean of used tissues that typically are placed in ones pocket or the floor, armrest, cup holder or door pocket. The dual-pouched bag and a vertical rolling of the tissues give extra protection to new tissues should the disposal side bag rip or tear due to over exertion during disposal. The tissues in one pouch may be folded into a tube formation. This enables many more tissues to be place in the dispensing end than tissues folded in any other discovered way; gives a third layer of protection from anything placed in the disposal side. This is accomplished by the wrap around effect of the tube using the outer layer of tissues to protect the inner layers of tissues until one gets to the last few tissues. The lid and dual-pouched bag are completely disposable. When all of the tissues are used, the bag system (lid, material layer, mounting rings and attached dual-pouch bags) are removed from the cup and thrown away. The cup is constructed for reuse. A new plastic bag system (with lid and fresh tissues, dispensing and disposal bags) are placed on the same cup used the last time. In another embodiment the cup and lid are reusable and the plastic bag system (with mounting ring and fresh tissues and dispensing and disposal bags) are placed on the same cup as before and covered with the same lid as before. Specially manufactured tissues may be used so as to conform for the size or the cup. One, two or three ply tissues may be used. The disclosed apparatus may be modified for additional benefits. A disposal only plastic bag system may be supplied for installation on the cup. If tissues are not needed at any time period, the disposal only bag system can replace the standard plastic bag system on the cup and the cup can be used for disposal of any materials (size appropriate) in ones travels. The cup itself can be decorated for different seasons, age groups, holidays etc. The cup can be used for the dispensing and disposal of food items such as peanuts and their shells, candy, chocolate, nuts, and other foods. The apparatus may comprise a disposable boxed shaped unit with two chambers. One side is for dispensing preloaded tissues and the other side is for the disposal of used tissues or any size appropriate materials. This embodiment is designed for use in the home, daycare, hospital rooms or doctor's waiting rooms and offices, for example. The dispensing chamber may be specially made so as to use the same size tissue as the vehicle cup holder version. The disposal side is the same size container as the dispensing side so that only one size box need be manufactured. A separate container can be attached to make room for holding personal items such as reading glasses, pens or cell phones. In another embodiment, the disposable box shaped unit may be smaller and a convenient size for fitting in a purse or for taking in a backpack. One side of the unit is a chamber for dispensing preloaded tissues and the other side of the unit is a chamber for disposal of used tissues. There may be a small chamber on one end for storage of chapstick or something similar in size such as a small antibiotic spray bottle. Another embodiment may comprise a single unit, sized for coffee tables and night stands, which holds replaceable throw away containers (for dispensing and disposal of tissues, napkins, paper towels, moist wipes, food, and the like), personal items (such as glasses, TV controllers and pens) and table coasters. The construction of this boxed shaped unit may be such that the bins are separated by a personal item storage section. The table coaster holder is located directly below the previously mentioned bins and personal storage area, with the opening large enough to slide typical table coasters in for storage. The disclosed apparatus may be constructed of wood, plastic or vinyl covered boxed frames. Cardboard may be used, as well as any other suitable material. In another embodiment, each of the chambers may be covered by a lid hinged at the back of the box such that when the lid is closed the chambers are completely covered. When the lids are flipped open the doors disappear behind the unit. Picture holders may be installed on the inner side of the two chambers lids so the when the lid is opened a favorite picture will be displayed on the backside of the box. A container of tissues may be loaded in one of the bins of the unit and an empty container is loaded into the disposal side. These containers may be made of cardboard. The disposal containers may be folded before use for ease of storage. The containers may throwaway and replaceable and recyclable. The personal storage may be divided and sized for holding two remote controls. The rest of the area may be divided into areas for other items such as reading glasses and pens. Partition dividers are supplied so that the different areas of the storage area can be altered by placing a partitions where needed. A small clock can be mounted in the front of box. An antimicrobial, or antibacterial, or antiviral material may be used for all or portions of this device. The disclosed device is a green device in that prevents littering.

It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and the like may be used herein to modify elements performing similar and/or analogous functions. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated.

While the disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A dispenser and disposal system comprising:

a cup, the cup comprising and interior volume, and an exterior surface;

a lid removably attachable to the cup, the lid having a top side and an underside;

a first pouch in communication with the lid, located in the interior volume, and in communication with the first slot, the first pouch comprising a first end that is generally adjacent to the lid, and a second end distal to the lid, and wherein the first end generally comprises an opening to the first pouch; and

a second pouch in communication with the lid, located in the interior volume; and in communication with the second slot, the second pouch comprising a first end that is generally adjacent to the lid, and a second end distal to the lid, and wherein the first end generally comprises an opening to the second pouch.

2. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, wherein the lid comprises:

a first slot located in the lid, the first slot in communication with the opening to the first pouch; and

a second slot located in the lid, the first slot in communication with the opening to the first pouch.

3. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first opening in the lid;

a second opening in the lid;

a dust cover attached to the underside of the lid;

a first slot located in the dust cover;

a second slot located in the dust cover;

wherein the opening to the first pouch is in communication with the first slot located in the dust cover, and first opening in the lid; and wherein the opening to the second pouch is in communication with the second slot located in the dust cover and second opening in the lid.

4. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, wherein the first pouch comprises:

a resealable opening located generally at the second end of the pouch.

5. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, wherein the second pouch contains a plurality of items selected from the group consisting of tissue papers, papers towels, napkins, moist wipes, polishing wipes, car tire protectant wipes, metal polishing wipes, window polishing wipes, disinfectant wipes, and anti-bacterial wipes.

6. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, wherein the first pouch and second pouch are attached to the underside of the lid.

7. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 4, wherein the first pouch and second pouch are attached to the lid by an attachment means selected from the group comprising: adhesive; glue, tape, two-sided tape, Velcro, and staples.

8. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 3, wherein the first pouch and second pouch are attached to the underside of the dust cover; and

wherein the first pouch and second pouch are attached to the lid by an attachment means selected from the group comprising: adhesive; glue, tape, two-sided tape, Velcro, and staples.

9. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, further comprising:

a lid cap abutting the top side of the lid;

a sealing device sealing the lid cap, lid and cup to each other.

10. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 9, wherein the sealing device is seal made of a thin plastic material that generally covers the perimeter of the lid and generally an outer circumference of the lid cap.

11. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 9, wherein the sealing device has a perforated portion configured to allow a user to remove the sealing device from the cup, and lid.

12. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 2, wherein the first slot is a generally a slot that corresponds to a single line segment, and the second slot is generally cross-shaped or X-shaped slot

13. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, further comprising a sleeve removeably attachable to the exterior surface and the cup and sleeve may be configured for a use selected from the group consisting of aesthetically pleasing designs, games, puzzles, areas for coloring, lined areas for list writing and memos, and calendars.

14. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, further comprising strips configured to removeably attach to the exterior surface of the cup, and further configured increase the circumference and/or diameter of the cup so that the cup will fit in larger cup holders.

15. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1 further comprising:

a tacky putty removably attachable to the bottom of the cup, and configured to secure the cup to a surface.

16. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, wherein the first pouch and second pouch are a single two-pouched bag.

17. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, further comprising:

a bottom mounting ring abutting the cup,

a layer of material abutting the bottom mounting ring; and

a top mounting ring abutting the layer of material and the lid, and wherein the first and second pouches are held between the bottom mounting ring and the layer of material.

18. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 1, further comprising:

a container removeably attachable to the cup's exterior surface.

19. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 18, wherein the container is a generally crescent shaped container that is configured to mate and generally abut with the cup's exterior surface.

20. The dispenser and disposal system of claim 18, wherein the container is attachable to the cup by the means selected from the group comprising tape, Velcro., wire, snaps, adhesive, and glue.