Liquid dispenser for vertical wall mounting

• US 5,183,182 A
• Filed: 02/11/1991
• Issued: 02/02/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Better Living Products
• Original Assignee: Better Living Products
• Inventors: Tischner, Ryan K., Pearce, Wayne E., Comstock, Roger D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, Robert P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): REISS, STEVEN
• Application Number:
  US07/653,142
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 222/153, 222/156, 222/157, 222/129, 222/181, 222/514, 222/559
• US Class Current: 222/129
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 5/12 for liquid or pasty soap

Abstract

A liquid dispenser device comprising a shell adapted to be wall-mounted substantially vertically in a bathing or washing area and to removably and replaceably receive and hold one or more elongate bottles for liquids useful before, after, or while bathing, each bottle having a valve assembly operable by a push button along an axis extending substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of its associated bottle as positioned substantially vertically for use. The shell has a hinged and preferably lockable cover part that can be propped open when raised for allowing a bottle to be removed for refilling. Most of the components of the dispenser device are preferably fabricated from a thermoplastic material, as by well-known injection molding techniques.

Claims

1. A liquid dispensing device, comprising a shell for enclosing one or more liquid-containing bottles, said shell having a part for receiving and holding said one or more bottles and a cover part for the bottle holding part, said cover part of the shell being hinged to the bottle-holding part of the shell along a side thereof that will be uppermost when the device is installed in vertical position on a wall, and including a series of arcuate retaining members extending longitudinally along that side of the bottle-holding part of the shell that will be uppermost and concentric with the hinge axis between bottle-holding part and cover part, and a corresponding series of resilient tabs extending along said side of the cover part of the shell that will be uppermost and having ends bearing against the arcuate surfaces of corresponding ones of said members, respectively, said arcuate surfaces having respective grooves into which said ends of said tabs fits when said cover of the shell is opened to thereby maintain the cover part of the shell in propped-open condition until moved to closed condition;

one or more elongate bottles adapted to be received and held by said bottle-holding part, each of said one or more bottles having a liquid-dispensing opening with valve means at its bottom, said valve means including mechanism that is operable back and forth along an axis substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of its associated bottle by means of a push button that is adapted to extend through said cover for manual operation by the user of the device for operating said valve means, and having a downwardly extending, discharge spout through which liquid from its associated bottle will be discharged when the valve means is operated, and resilient means for returning the push button and valve mechanism to closed position; and

means whereby said shell can be attached to a wall, with said bottle or bottles positioned substantially vertically.

2. A liquid-dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of bottles and the bottle-holding part of the shell is adapted to receive and hold said bottles in close side-by-side relationship.

3. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein one or more bottle-viewing apertures corresponding to the one or more bottles are formed in the shell cover part adjacent to the valve means for enabling a user to determine when the bottle or bottles should be refilled.

4. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more bottles are provided in their upper ends with respective refilling orifices and removable and replaceable covers for said orifices, respectively.

5. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein means are also provided between said cover part and said bottle-holding part for latching said cover part in closed position.

6. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 1, including key-unlockable, snap-locking means for preventing unauthorized opening of the shell.

7. A liquid dispensing device, comprising a shell for enclosing one or more liquid-containing bottles, said shell having a part for receiving and holding said one or more bottles and a cover part for the bottle holding part;

one or more elongate bottles adapted to be received and held by said bottle-holding part, each of said one or more bottles having a liquid-dispensing opening with valve means at its bottom, each valve means including a valve body of substantially right angle formation having a first elongate body member containing valve mechanism, and a second body member extending at substantially right angles to the first body member at one end thereof which is otherwise closed, said second body member being adapted for attachment over the bottom discharge opening of a bottle, a discharge spout extending downwardly from said first body member in offset relationship to said second body member, said valve member mechanism comprising a plunger slidable within said first body member and having a plunger rod with one end attached to a push button that is adapted to extend through said cover for manual operation by the user of the device for operating said valve means and with a plunger head on the opposite end within sand slidable back and forth in said first body member, valve sealing means carried by said plunger rod between said ends thereof, a slideway cap closing the end of said first body member opposite said one end and through which said plunger rod slidably extends, a spring bearing against said headed end of the plunger to normally urge said plunger away from said one end of the first body member and toward said slideway cap so said plunger head will bear against said valve sealing means which will be positioned against said slideway cap over said discharge spout to thereby seal the valve against leakage and to urge said push button into an extended position to be pushed so that said plunger head will pass under said second body member and liquid from said bottle will be discharged through said discharge spout when said push button is pushed; and

means whereby said shell can be attached to a wall, with said bottle or bottles positioned substantially vertically.

8. A liquid-dispensing device according to claim 7, wherein a flow passage for liquid from the bottle to the discharge spout is provided by the plunger rod being smaller in diameter than the plunger head, by the provision of flow passages through the valve sealing means carried by the plunger rod, and by the provision of an annual shoulder internally of the first valve body member that restrains movement of said valve sealing means toward the first valve body member when the push button is pushed.

9. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 8, wherein the valve sealing means carried by the plunger rod comprises a slide ring slidably mounted on the plunger rod and formed to provide flow passages through such valve sealing means, and a sealing washer slidably and sealingly mounted on said plunger rod between said slide ring and the slideway cap.

10. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 9, wherein the slide ring is formed with an annular flow passage facing toward the plunger head, with an annular series of teeth facing oppositely, said teeth being spaced apart to provide flow passages therebetween, and with flow passages interconnecting said annular flow passage with said flow passages between said teeth.

11. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 10, wherein a sealing washer is carried by the plunger rod between the plunger head and the slide ring to seal the annular flow passage in the slide ring when the plunger head bears against the valve sealing means.

12. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 9, wherein a sealing washer is carried by the plunger rod between the plunger head and the slide ring to seal against the slide ring and close the flow passages through the valve sealing means when the plunger head bears against the valve sealing means.

13. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 7, wherein is included a check valve for preventing back flow of liquid from the valve means into the bottle.

14. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 7, wherein one or more bottle-viewing apertures corresponding to the one or more bottles are formed in the shell cover part adjacent to the valve means for enabling a user to determine when a bottle or bottles should be refilled.

15. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 7, wherein the one or more bottles are provided in their upper ends with respective refilling orifices and removable and replaceable covers for said orifices, respectively.

16. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 7, including key-unlockable, snap-locking means for preventing unauthorized opening of the shell.

17. A liquid dispensing device, comprising a shell for enclosing one or more liquid-containing bottles, said shell having a part for receiving and holding said one or more bottles and a cover part for the bottle holding part;

one or more elongate bottles adapted to be received and held by said bottle-holding part, each of said one or more bottles having a liquid-dispensing opening with valve means at its bottom, said valve means including mechanism that is operable back and forth along an axis substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of its associated bottle by means of a push button that is adapted to extend through said cover for manual operation by the user of the device for operating said valve means, and having a downwardly extending discharge spout through which liquid from its associated bottle will be discharged when the valve means is operated, and resilient means for returning the push button and valve mechanism to closed position;

means whereby said shell can be attached to a wall, with said bottle or bottles positioned substantially vertically;

a pair of elongate and resilient tabs rising inwardly of the shell from the bottle-holding shell part thereof and cantilevered from attachment at one of their ends to said shell part and formed as hook members at their opposite ends, the individual tabs of said pair being arranged in staggered formation forwardly and backwardly of a keyhole in the cover shell part and at opposite sides of said keyhole; and

a correspondingly located and arranged pair of hook members depending inwardly of said shell from the cover part thereof for locking interengagement with said hook members of said elongate tabs said elongate and resilient tabs and pair of hook members forming a key-unlockable, snap-locking means for preventing unauthorized opening of the shell.

18. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 17, wherein resilient members are cantilevered from a shell part adjacent to the hook members for engagement with the other shell part as springs to force the shell parts apart upon unlocking of the shell.

19. A liquid dispensing device according to claim 17, wherein one or more bottle-viewing apertures corresponding to the one or more bottles are formed in the shell cover part adjacent to the valve means for enabling a user to determine when a bottle or bottles should be refilled.

20. A liquid dispensing device, comprising a shell for enclosing one or more liquid-containing bottles, said shell having a part for receiving and holding said one or more bottles and a cover part for the bottle holding part;

one or more elongate bottles adapted to be received and held by said bottle-holding part, each of said one or more bottles having a liquid-dispensing opening at its bottom;

valve means removably attached to each of said one or more bottles over said liquid-dispensing opening, each of said valve means including mechanism that is operable back and forth along an axis substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of its associated bottle by means of a push button that is adapted to extend through said cover for manual operation by the user of the device for operating said valve means, and having a downwardly extending, discharge spout through which liquid from its associated bottle will be discharged when the valve means is operated, and resilient means for returning the push button and valve mechanism to closed position;

means whereby said shell can be attached to a wall, with said bottle or bottles positioned substantially vertically; and

means on said receiving and holding part of said shell for individually removably receiving and holding each of said one or more bottles with valve means attached whereby each of said bottles with valve means attached may be individually and easily removed as desired for cleaning, filling, or replacement.

21. A bottle for use with a liquid-dispensing device wherein the liquid-dispensing device includes a shell for enclosing one or more liquid-containing bottles, said shell having a part for receiving and holding one or more bottles and a cover part for the bottle holding part, valve means adapted to be removably attached to each of the one or more bottles over a liquid-dispensing opening, each of said valve means including mechanism that is operable back and forth along an axis substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of its associated bottle by means of a push button that is adapted to extend through said cover for manual operation by the user of the device for operating said valve means, and having a downwardly extending, discharge spout through which liquid from its associated bottle will be discharged when the valve means is operated, and resilient means for returning the push button and valve mechanism to closed position, means whereby said shell can be attached to a wall, with said bottle or bottles positioned substantially vertically, and means on said receiving and holding part of said shell for individually removably receiving and holding each of the one or more bottles with valve means attached whereby each of said bottles with valve means attached may be individually and easily removed as desired for cleaning, filling, or replacement, said bottle comprising a liquid holding portion for holding a liquid to be dispensed by the liquid-dispensing device;

a liquid-dispensing opening at the bottom of the bottle when the bottle is mounted in the liquid dispensing device, means for removably attached a valve means over said liquid-dispensing opening;

check valve means associated with said liquid-dispensing opening to allow fluid to flow from the bottle but not back into the bottle; and

means for allowing air to flow into the bottle as liquid flows from the bottle.