PET WASTE BAG DISPENSER
A pet waste bag dispenser includes a housing defining an interior compartment and having at least one opening in communication with the interior compartment. A pair of positioning plates is located within the interior compartment of the housing and is configured to position at least one box containing rolled pet waste bags relative to the opening such that the rolled pet waste bags can be dispensed through the opening in the housing. The pair of positioning plates is also configured to position a plurality of stacked pet waste bags relative to the opening such that stacked pet waste bags can be dispensed through the opening in the housing.
This application is a continuation-in-part patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/239,839, entitled Pet Waste Bag Dispenser, filed Sep. 22, 2011, the disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference.
FIELDThe field of this invention relates generally to pet waste bag dispensers and more particularly to a pet waste bag dispenser adapted to store and dispense both rolled pet waste bags and stacked pet waste bags.
BACKGROUNDPet waste bag dispensers are often placed in parks or along trails/walking paths frequented by pets and their owners to make it easy for the owners to clean up after their pets. Known pet waste bag dispensers include metal boxes configured to dispense pet waste bags through an opening in the box. Thus, pet waste bags are readily available to the owner should the need arise.
The pet waste bags are typically available either rolled or stacked. As a result, known pet waste bag dispensers are available to dispense either the rolled pet waste bags or the stacked pet waste bags, not both. Thus, once the pet waste bag dispenser is purchased, the owner or service provider responsible for maintaining (e.g., stocking) the pet waste bag disperser is limited to a single type of bag that can be used with the dispenser. That is, stacked pet waste bags cannot be used in pet waste bag dispensers configured for rolled pet waste bags, and rolled pet waste bags cannot be used in pet waste bag dispensers configured for stacked pet waste bags.
As a result, there is a need for a pet waste bag dispenser that is adapted to store and dispense both rolled pet waste bags and stacked pet waste bags.
SUMMARYIn one aspect, a pet waste bag dispenser generally comprises a housing defining an interior compartment and having at least one opening in communication with the interior compartment. A pair of positioning plates is located within the interior compartment of the housing and configured to position at least one box containing rolled pet waste bags relative to the opening such that the rolled pet waste bags can be dispensed through the opening in the housing. The pair of positioning plates is also configured to position a plurality of stacked pet waste bags relative to the opening such that stacked pet waste bags can be dispensed through the opening in the housing.
In another aspect, a pet waste bag dispenser generally comprises a housing defining an interior compartment and having at least one opening in communication with the interior compartment. The interior compartment is sized and shaped to receive one of at least one box of rolled pet waste bags and a plurality of stacked pet waste bags. A pair of positioning plates is located within the interior compartment of the housing. The pair of positioning plates includes a back edge extending generally vertically and disposed at a back panel of the housing, and a sloped edge extending at an angle relative to the back edge. A pair of hooks is disposed above and aligned with the pair of positioning plates. The pair of positioning plates is configured to position the at least one box containing rolled pet waste bags relative to the opening such that the rolled pet waste bags can be dispensed through the opening in the housing. The pair of positioning plates is also configured to position a plurality of stacked pet waste bags relative to the opening such that the stacked pet waste bags can be dispensed through the opening in the housing. The pair of hooks is adapted to support the plurality of stacked bags such that the bags are disposed adjacent the opening in the housing and the sloped edge of each of the pair of positioning plates is arranged to locate the stacked bags adjacent the opening in the housing when the stacked bags are supported by the pair of hooks.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSReferring now to the drawings,
As seen in
To move the illustrated pet waste bag dispenser 10 from the closed position to the opened position, the front panel 12 is manually pivoted downward (i.e., moved away from the top panel 16). In the illustrated embodiment, the front panel 12 lies approximately in the same plane as the bottom panel 18 when the pet waste bag dispenser 10 is in the opened position (
With reference now to
Each of the openings 28, 30, 32 in the front panel 12 is configured for allowing pet waste bags to be dispensed through the opening. That is, pet waste bags disposed within the interior compartment 24 of the pet waste bag dispenser 10 can be accessed through any one of the openings 28, 30, 32 in the front panel. In the illustrated embodiment and as seen in
With reference again to
In one potential use, which is illustrated in
With reference again to
In another potential use, the pet waste bag dispenser 10 is configured to hold a plurality of stacked bags 58. As seen in
As seen in
Accordingly, the pet waste bag dispenser 10 is adapted to store and dispense both rolled pet waste bags 52 (
In the illustrated embodiment, the pet waste bag dispenser 10 is made of a suitable metal (e.g., aluminum, steel). It is understood, however, that the pet waste bag dispenser 10 can be made of any suitable material (e.g., plastic).
The front panel 112, the back panel 114, the top panel 116, the bottom panel 118, and the side panels 120, 122 cooperatively define an interior compartment 124 of the pet waste bag dispenser 110. In the illustrated embodiment, the front panel 112 is hingedly connected to the bottom panel 118 via a pair of hinges 134 for movement between a closed position (not shown but similar to the position of front panel 12 of pet waste bag dispenser 10 as illustrated in
To move the illustrated pet waste bag dispenser 110 from the closed position to the opened position, the front panel 112 is manually pivoted downward (i.e., moved away from the top panel 116). In the illustrated embodiment, the front panel 112 lies approximately in the same plane as the bottom panel 118 when the pet waste bag dispenser 110 is in the opened position. In other words, the pet waste bag dispenser 110 is configured such that the front panel 112 pivots approximately 90 degrees between the opened and closed positions. It is understood, however, that the front panel 112 can pivot more or less than approximately 90 degrees. In one suitable embodiment, for example, the front panel can pivot approximately 180 degrees.
The front panel 112 of the pet waste bag dispenser 110 includes at least one opening for allowing pet waste bags disposed within the interior compartment 124 of the pet waste bag dispenser 110 to be dispensed through the front panel 112. In the illustrated embodiment, the front panel 112 has three diamond shapes openings 128, 130, 132 that are horizontally arranged in side-by-side relations. It is understood, however, that one or more of the openings 128, 130, 132 can have other suitable shapes (e.g., circular, square, rectangular, triangular). It is also understood that in embodiments having more than one opening 128, 130, 132, the openings can have any suitable relative arrangements (e.g., vertically arranged, diagonally arranged, random).
Each of the openings 128, 130, 132 in the front panel 112 is configured for allowing pet waste bags to be dispensed through the opening. That is, pet waste bags disposed within the interior compartment 124 of the pet waste bag dispenser 110 can be accessed through any one of the openings 128, 130, 132 in the front panel. In embodiment depicted in
According to some embodiments, the pet waste bag dispenser 110 further comprises a pair of positioning plates 160 mounted to the back panel 114 and/or a shelf 123 within the interior compartment 124 of the pet waste bag dispenser 110. For example, each positioning plate 160 may comprise a front edge 166 and a back edge 162 each extending in a substantially vertical direction (as viewed in
The pet waste bag dispenser 110 may further comprise a pair of hooks 172 mounted or otherwise secured to top panel 116. Each hook may comprise a shank 174 extending generally downwards from top panel 116 in a substantially vertical direction (as viewed in
According to some embodiments, the shank 174 of each hook 172 may be vertically aligned with a topmost end 169 of the sloped edge 168 of a corresponding positioning plate 160 as can be seen in
In the embodiment depicted in
As further seen in
As with the embodiment discussed in connection with, e.g.,
In another potential use, the pet waste bag dispenser 110 is configured to hold the plurality of stacked bags 58. As seen in
When used to accommodate the stacked bags 58, the position of each hook 172 with respect to a corresponding positioning plate 160 may beneficially serve to guide each bag of the stacked bags 58 towards one or more openings 128, 130, 132 such that the bag may be readily grasped and removed by a user. For example, and returning to
Accordingly, and as with pet waste bag dispenser 10 discussed in connection with
In the illustrated embodiment, the pet waste bag dispenser 110 is made of a suitable metal (e.g., aluminum, steel). It is understood, however, that the pet waste bag dispenser 110 can be made of any suitable material (e.g., plastic). Further, in some embodiments, the various components of pet waste bag dispenser 110 may be made of varying materials. For example, in some embodiments the housing 111 of pet waste bag dispenser 110 may be made of, e.g., aluminum, while the pair of positioning plates 160 may be made of, e.g., plastic. Any other combination of suitable materials for the varying components of pet waste bag dispenser 110 may be employed without departing from the scope of this disclosure.
When introducing elements of the present invention or the preferred embodiment(s) thereof, the articles “a”, “an”, “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising”, “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Moreover, the use of “top”, “bottom”, “above”, “below” and variations of these terms is made for convenience, and does not require any particular orientation of the components.
As various changes could be made in the above without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Claims
1. A pet waste bag dispenser comprising:
- a housing defining an interior compartment and having at least one opening in communication with the interior compartment; and
- a pair of positioning plates located within the interior compartment of the housing, the pair of positioning plates being configured to position at least one box containing rolled pet waste bags relative to the opening such that the rolled pet waste bags can be dispensed through the opening in the housing, the pair of positioning plates also being configured to position a plurality of stacked pet waste bags relative to the opening such that stacked pet waste bags can be dispensed through the opening in the housing.
2. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a back panel, wherein each of the pair of positioning plates comprises a back edge and a sloped edge, wherein the back edge extends generally vertically and abuts the back panel, and wherein the sloped edge extends at an angle relative to the back edge.
3. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 2, wherein the housing further comprises a front panel including the opening and configured to move between an opened position and a closed position, wherein a bottommost end of each sloped edge is disposed closer to the front panel when the front panel is in a closed position than a topmost end of each sloped edge.
4. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 3, wherein the front panel includes three diamond shapes openings that are horizontally arranged in side-by-side relations, each of the openings being configured for allowing at least one of the rolled pet waste bags and the stacked pet waste bags to be dispensed therethrough.
5. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 2 further comprising a pair of hooks, wherein the pair of hooks is disposed above the pair of positioning plates.
6. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 5, wherein the pair of hooks is adapted to support the plurality of stacked pet waste bags such that the bags are disposed adjacent the opening in the housing.
7. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 5, wherein the pair of hooks is configured to receive and suspend the plurality of stacked pet waste bags such that, when suspended, the plurality of stacked pet waste bags rest on the sloped edges of the pair of positioning plates with the sloped edges positioning the plurality of stacked pet waste bags toward the opening.
8. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 5, wherein each hook comprises a bend disposed above and vertically aligned with the sloped edge of a corresponding positioning plate of the pair of positioning plates.
9. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 8, wherein each hook further comprises a shank connected to a top panel of the housing and a tip, wherein the bend extends from the shank to the tip, wherein the shank is vertically aligned with the topmost end of the sloped edge of the corresponding positioning plate, and wherein the tip is vertically aligned with the bottommost end of the sloped edge of the corresponding positioning plate.
10. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing has three openings in communication with the interior compartment and the housing is configured to receive three boxes of rolled pet waste bags disposed vertically within the interior compartment such that openings in the boxes of rolled pet waste bags are generally aligned with the openings in the housing.
11. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 10, wherein the housing comprises a pair of side panels and is further configured to receive:
- a first box of rolled pet waste bags between a first panel of the pair of side panels and a first positioning plate of the pair of positioning plates;
- a second box of rolled pet waste bags between the first positioning plate and a second positioning plate of the pair of positioning plates; and
- a third box of rolled pet waste bags between the second positioning plate and a second panel of the pair of side panels.
12. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 11 wherein the housing further comprises a shelf disposed within the interior compartment of the housing and extending between the side panels and configured to support the three boxes of rolled pet waste bags.
13. A pet waste bag dispenser comprising:
- a housing defining an interior compartment and having at least one opening in communication with the interior compartment, the interior compartment being sized and shaped to receive one of at least one box of rolled pet waste bags and a plurality of stacked pet waste bags;
- a pair of positioning plates located within the interior compartment of the housing, each of the pair of positioning plates including a back edge extending generally vertically and abutting a back panel of the housing, and a sloped edge extending at an angle relative to the back edge; and
- a pair of hooks disposed above the pair of positioning plates,
- wherein the pair of positioning plates is configured to position the at least one box containing rolled pet waste bags relative to the opening such that the rolled pet waste bags can be dispensed through the opening in the housing, and
- wherein the pair of positioning plates is also configured to position a plurality of stacked pet waste bags relative to the opening such that the stacked pet waste bags can be dispensed through the opening in the housing, the pair of hooks being adapted to support the plurality of stacked pet waste bags such that the bags are disposed adjacent the opening in the housing, and the sloped edge of each of the pair of positioning plates being arranged to locate the stacked pet waste bags adjacent the opening in the housing when the stacked pet waste bags are supported by the pair of hooks.
14. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 13, wherein the housing further comprises a front panel including the opening and configured to move between an opened position and a closed position, wherein a bottommost end of each sloped edge is disposed closer to the front panel when the front panel is in a closed position than a topmost end of each sloped edge.
15. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 14, wherein the front panel includes three diamond shapes openings that are horizontally arranged in side-by-side relations, each of the openings being configured for allowing at least one of the rolled pet waste bags and the stacked pet waste bags to be dispensed therethrough.
16. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 13, wherein each hook comprises a bend disposed above and vertically aligned with the sloped edge of a corresponding positioning plate of the pair of positioning plates.
17. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 16, wherein each hook further comprises a shank connected to a top panel of the housing and a tip, wherein the bend extends from the shank to the tip, wherein the shank is vertically aligned with the topmost end of the sloped edge of the corresponding positioning plate, and wherein the tip is vertically aligned with the bottommost end of the sloped edge of the corresponding positioning plate.
18. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 13, wherein the housing has three openings in communication with the interior compartment and the housing is configured to receive three boxes of rolled pet waste bags disposed vertically within the interior compartment such that openings in the boxes of rolled pet waste bags are generally aligned with the openings in the housing.
19. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 18, wherein the housing comprises a pair of side panels and is further configured to receive:
- a first box of rolled pet waste bags between a first panel of the pair of side panels and a first positioning plate of the pair of positioning plates;
- a second box of rolled pet waste bags between the first positioning plate and a second positioning plate of the pair of positioning plates; and
- a third box of rolled pet waste bags between the second positioning plate and a second panel of the pair of side panels.
20. The pet waste bag dispenser set forth in claim 19, wherein the housing further comprises a shelf disposed within the interior compartment of the housing and extending between the side panels and configured to support the three boxes of rolled pet waste bags.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 26, 2013
Publication Date: Oct 31, 2013
Inventors: Ruth Springer (St. Louis, MO), Jeffrey Springer (St. Louis, MO)
Application Number: 13/927,484
International Classification: B65D 83/08 (20060101);