ROLL HOLDER

Abstract

A holder for a roll of toilet paper or a roll of absorbent sheet material, the roll having a hollow cylindrical core, the holder comprising a patch formed of paper, cloth, or thin plastic sheet, having an adhesive surface, cordage for insertion through the core secured to the patch. The assembly of the patch and cordage is capable of suspending the roll by adhesion of the patch to a surface. The cordage forms two legs which can be secured to the patch. Alternatively, one end of one leg of the cordage is fixed at a distal point below the patch to the other leg, the end of which is secured to the patch. The adhesive can be covered by a release sheet.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a roll holder such as for toilet paper or a roll of absorbent sheet material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A very wide variety of holders are known to facilitate the dispensing of roll paper such as toilet paper or a kitchen roll of paper or water-absorbent material. These include wall mounted devices and stand-alone devices. Wall mounted devices are connected to a wall and include spring loaded telescopic cores held between mounts that extend from a wall, and U-shaped metal rods that extend from a wall either horizontally or formed as an upright. Some of the holders are mainly functional while others are designer holders providing a bathroom or kitchen highlight for what otherwise would be a pedestrian device. A designer roll holder sold by Vandiss as the Diabolo Toilet Paper Holder (http://shop.gessato.com/diabolo-toilet-paper-holder-by-vandiss.html) uses a pulley mounted on a wall. Nautical rope is threaded through the hollow cylindrical core of a roll of toilet paper and is wrapped around the hub of the pulley to suspend the toilet paper. The toilet paper holder derives its mode of operation from the juggling toy that consists of a top in the form of a deep pulley balanced across a string. It is secured against the wall by use of adhesive applied to both the wall and to the back of the pulley, using heat such as from a hair blower followed by curing for 72 hours. A significant purpose of such a pulley holder is ornamental as are many of the various designer paper roll holders.

When a person needing the use of toilet paper or absorbent paper is not in a home having a bathroom or kitchen, for example when camping or when the person is homeless or living in meager or rundown housing, then the only recourse is to carry tissue paper or an unsupported paper roll. The use of a stand-alone device is not practical as it would be burdensome to carry such a device, and wall mounted devices of the prior art such as the afore-described pulley holder are not feasible. There is a need for a paper holder that can readily be mounted on the wall of a tent or on a wall that is too thin to support the usual holder or which cannot be drilled into, or even on a wall under an overpass that often serves as a shelter for homeless people. Such a holder must be simple and inexpensive yet must provide the convenience of a fully functional wall mounted paper roll holder.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides such a holder in the form of cordage that is inserted through the hollow cylindrical core of a roll of toilet paper or roll of absorbent sheet material forming two legs and suspended from a wall by means of a suction cup to which the cordage is fixed. In one embodiment, the two legs of the cordage can be joined at their ends and at its juncture secured to the suction cup. In another embodiment, one end of one leg of the cordage is fixed at a distal point below the patch to the other leg, the end of which is secured to the suction cup. Fixing can be by knotting or by fusion and can be overlaid within a plastic sleeve. The cord constituting the cordage can be formed of string, cable, braiding such as braided thread, lace, lanyard, or twine. It can be a single cord or be formed of multiple cords. The holder can be provided independent of the roll it is to support, or it can be provided already inserted through the core of the roll with the ends of the cordage secured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which the broken lines are for the purpose of illustrating a roll of paper carried by the holder and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a rear plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing a clear plastic release sheet carried on an adhesive layer;

FIG. 3B is a rear plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 3A with the clear plastic release sheet removed exposing the adhesive layer;

FIG. 4 is a left side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a right side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a front plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10A is a rear plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 8, showing a clear plastic release sheet carried on an adhesive layer;

FIG. 10B is a rear plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 10A with the clear plastic release sheet removed exposing the adhesive layer;

FIG. 11 is a left side view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a right side view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 15 is a front perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention, using two patches as the holder, each patch being the same as the patch of FIGS. 1-3 and 8-10;

FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the invention, using two suction cups as the holder;

FIG. 17 is a front perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the invention, using a single suction cup as the holder;

FIG. 18 is a front perspective view of the suction cup and cord used in FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of the suction cup and cord of FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a front perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the invention, using a single suction cup as the holder;

FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the suction cup and cord of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a front perspective view of one version of a seventh embodiment similar to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 but in which the cordage is inserted through a roller in the form of a tube and which itself is inserted through the hollow cylindrical core of the paper roll;

FIG. 23 is a front perspective view of a second version of a seventh embodiment similar to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 15 but in which the cordage is inserted through a roller identical to the roller shown in FIG. 22 and which itself is inserted through the hollow cylindrical core of the paper roll;

FIG. 24 is a cross-section of the roller depicted in FIG. 23 taken on line A-A of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25A depicts the holder of FIG. 15 adhered to a wall;

FIG. 25B depicts the holder of FIG. 15 adhered to tent material;

FIG. 25C depicts the holder of FIG. 15 adhered to thin plastic sheeting;

FIG. 25D depicts the holder of FIG. 17 adhered to a wall;

FIG. 26A depicts a prior art holder designed to mount a pulley onto a wall with a nautical rope threaded through the hollow cylindrical core of a roll of toilet paper and wrapped around the hub of the pulley to suspend the toilet paper;

FIG. 26B depicts a close-up of the pulley region of the holder of FIG. 26A; and

FIG. 26C is the instruction sheet for the holder of FIG. 26A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 26 A-C depict a designer roll holder, and its instruction sheet, sold by Vandiss as the Diabolo Toilet Paper Holder (http://shop.gessato.com/diabolo-toilet-paper-holder-by-vandiss.html) that suspends a roll of toilet paper on a length of nautical rope that is threaded through the hollow cylindrical core of a roll of toilet paper and is wrapped around the hub of a pulley to suspend the toilet paper. The pulley is mounted on a wall using adhesive applied to both the wall and to the back of the pulley. Because of the weight of the pulley added to the weight of the roll, mounting requires using heat such as from a hair blower followed by curing for 72 hours.

FIGS. 1-7 depict a first embodiment of the invention in which a roll of paper, illustrated by a roll of toilet paper 10 is suspended by cordage 12. The cordage 12 is inserted through the hollow cylindrical core 14 of the roll of toilet paper or roll of absorbent sheet material forming two legs 16, 18 but rather than being wound about a pulley or other device that needs to be fixed with hardware to a wall, the present invention utilizes an adhesive patch 20 to which the ends 22, 24 of the cordage 12 are secured, as shown in FIG. 3B and to secure the cordage 12 to a wall or other support.

The patch 20 is a piece of material of any convenient shape, square, triangular, circular or the like formed of paper, cloth or thin (i.e., less than 0.3 cm thick) plastic sheet, having adhesive 26 on a side as shown in FIG. 3B. The adhesive 26 can be covered by a release sheet 28, which can be opaque or clear, and may carry printing on its outer side. Such printing can be a design or text or a combination thereof and can be a logographic for the company manufacturing the holder or a third party to generate advertising revenue. The release sheet 28 can be of clear plastic, as shown, of paper or other material. As shown in FIG. 3B, the ends of the cordage 22, 24 can be fixed to the patch 20 by the adhesive 26. Alternatively, or in addition, the ends 22, 24 of the cordage can be sewn to the patch 20 or, if the cordage 12 and patch 20 are of plastic material, they can be fused together.

Referring to FIG. 8-14, a second embodiment is depicted wherein one end of one leg 16′ of the cordage 12′ is fixed to the other leg 18′ at a distal point 30 below the patch 20, the end 22′ of the leg 16′ being secured to the patch 20. Fixing can be by knotting or by fusion and can be overlaid within a plastic sleeve 32.

Referring to FIG. 15, a third embodiment is depicted using two patches 20 as the holder fixed to opposite ends of cordage 38. Each patch 20 is the same as the patch referred to in FIGS. 1-3 and 8-10.

Referring to FIG. 16, a fourth embodiment is depicted using two suction cups 34 as the holder fixed to opposite ends of the cordage 38 of FIG. 15.

Referring to FIG. 17, a fifth embodiment is depicted using a single suction cup 34 fixed to the top end of cordage 18′ that, other than the holder, is the same as used in the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 8-10;

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, depicted is, respectively, a close-up of the suction cup 34 and its cross-section. The cordage 18′ is passed through an opening 36 in the neck 38 of the suction cup 34. In FIG. 18 the cordage is shown extending upwardly of the neck opening 36 after it is tied in a knot 40. In FIG. 19, the cordage 18′ is pulled down so that the knot 40 is secured against the neck 38 of the suction cup 34.

Referring to FIG. 20, a sixth embodiment is depicted using a single suction cup 34 fixed to the top end of cordage 18 that, other than the holder, is the same as used in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 1-3.

Referring to FIG. 21, a cross-section of the suction cup 34 is depicted with the two ends of the cordage 18 passed through the opening 36 in the neck 38 of the suction cup 34 and knotted together to form a knot 42 pulled down so that the knot 40 is secured against the neck 38 of the suction cup 34.

The suction cup is a device that uses the negative pressure of air to adhere to a nonporous surface, creating a partial vacuum. The working face of the suction cup has a curved surface 44 and is made of elastic, flexible material, such as rubber, natural or synthetic, or a polymer with sufficient elastic properties.

Referring to FIG. 22, there is shown one version of a seventh embodiment that is similar to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 but in which the cordage is inserted through a roller 46 in the form of a tube and which itself is inserted through the hollow cylindrical core of the paper roll;

Referring to FIG. 23, there is shown a second version of the seventh embodiment that is similar to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 15 but in which the cordage is inserted through a roller 46 which is identical to the roller 46 shown in FIG. 22 and which itself is inserted through the hollow cylindrical core of the paper roll;

Illustrating use of the holder of this invention adhered respectively to a wall, tent material, and thin plastic sheeting, FIG. 25A depicts the holder of FIG. 15 adhered to a wall, FIG. 25B depicts the holder of FIG. 15 adhered to tent material, FIG. 25C depicts the holder of FIG. 15 adhered to thin plastic sheeting, and FIG. 25D depicts the holder of FIG. 17 adhered to a wall.

FIG. 24 is a cross-section of the roller depicted in FIG. 22 taken on line A-A of FIG. 22;

The cordage 12 or 12′ can be formed of string, cable, braiding such as braided thread, lace, lanyard, twine, or cord or any other suitable material.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be utilized without departing from the principles and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Accordingly, such modifications may be practiced within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A holder for a roll of toilet paper or a roll of absorbent sheet material, the holder being constructed to have one side mountable to a surface, the roll having a hollow cylindrical core, the holder comprising one or more suction cups; and

cordage capable of being inserted through the roll core and secured to each suction cup, each cordage-suction cup assembly being capable of supporting the roll suspended by the cordage by adhesion of the suction cup to said surface.

2. The holder of claim 1 wherein the holder comprises two suction cups, the cordage having two legs extending from the supported roll, each leg being secured at its end to one of two suction cups.

3. The holder of claim 1 wherein one end of one leg of the cordage is fixed to the other leg at a distal point below the suction cup, the end of which is secured to the suction cup.

4. The holder of claim 1 wherein the cordage has two legs extending from the supported roll, both legs being secured at their ends to a suction cup.

5. An assembly of a roll of toilet paper or a roll of absorbent sheet material and a holder for the roll, the holder being constructed to have one side mountable to a surface, the roll having a hollow cylindrical core, the assembly comprising one or more suction cups and cordage capable of being inserted through the paper roll core and secured to the one or more suction cups, the assembly capable of supporting the roll suspended by the cordage by adhesion of the one or more suction cups to said surface.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the surface to which the holder is to be mounted is a wall.

7. A holder for a roll of toilet paper or a roll of absorbent sheet material, the roll having a hollow cylindrical core, the holder comprising one or more suction cups; and

cordage capable of being inserted through the roll core and secured to each suction cup, the cordage-suction cup assembly being capable of supporting the roll suspended by the cordage by adhesion of the suction cup to a surface capable of supporting the roll and cordage by the suction of the suction cup.

8. The holder of claim 1 including a roller in the form of a tube through which the cordage can be inserted, the tube being capable of insertion through the paper roll core.

9. A holder for a roll of toilet paper or a roll of absorbent sheet material, the holder being constructed to have one side mountable to a surface, the paper roll having a hollow cylindrical core, the holder comprising one or more suction cups; and

a roller in the form of a tube and cordage disposed or disposable through the roller tube, the tube being capable of being inserted through the roll core, the cordage secured to each suction cup, whereby to support the paper roll suspended by the cordage by adhesion of suction cup to said surface.