Personal dispensing system

• US 6,283,334 B1
• Filed: 08/30/1999
• Issued: 09/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide Incorporated (Kimberly-Clark Corporation)
• Inventors: Lewis, Richard P., Mahaffey, Cleary E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kaufman, Joseph A.
• Application Number:
  US09/386,056
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 222/175, 222/181.1, 222/212, 222/213, 222/494, 222/148.2, 222/148.7, 222/546
• US Class Current: 222/175
• CPC Class Codes: A45F 5/02 Fastening articles to the garment
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 23/003 Suspension means
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 47/2031 the element being formed by a slit, narrow opening or constrictable spout, the size of the outlet passage being able to be varied by increasing or decreasing the pressure B65D47/2025 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0894 the articles being positioned relative to one another or to the container in a special way, e.g. for facilitating dispensing, without additional support

Abstract

A personal dispensing system allows various cleansing or sanitizing products to be carried on the body of a user. Often, the product to be dispensed will be a viscous liquid, such as soap, waterless hand cleaner, waterless hand sanitizer or skin lotion. A dispenser made according to the invention includes a product container having a mounting element, such as a mounting clip, located thereon. In many cases, the mounting element will be oriented such that the product container will be inverted when worn on the body of a user. In addition, the mounting element may be removable from the product container so that a new product container can be substituted when the contents of a prior product container are depleted. According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, multiple product containers of different types may be used with a common mounting element. Various interlocking arrangements are contemplated to effect the removable securement of the mounting element to the product container.

Claims

1. A viscous liquid dispenser comprising:

a product container having therein a quantity of a predetermined viscous liquid, said product container having a container opening located at one end thereof;

said product container further including a flexible sidewall such that depression of said flexible sidewall will cause said viscous liquid to be forced through said container opening;

a mounting element located on said product container, said mounting element being oriented such that said product container will be inverted when worn on a user'"'"'s body;

wherein said mounting element comprises a mounting clip and wherein said mounting clip includes a base portion fixedly attached to said product container; and

wherein said product container defines a configured recess into which said base portion of said mounting clip is received.

2. A dispenser as set forth in claim 1, wherein said mounting clip includes a clip portion pivotally connected to said base portion.

3. A dispenser as set forth in claim 1, wherein said mounting clip comprises a clip portion integrally extending from said base portion.

4. A viscous liquid dispenser comprising:

a product container having therein a quantity of a predetermined viscous liquid, said product container having a container opening located at one end thereof;

said product container further including a flexible sidewall such that depression of said flexible sidewall will cause said viscous liquid to be forced through said container opening;

a mounting element located on said product container, said mounting element being oriented such that said product container will be inverted when worn on a user'"'"'s body;

wherein said mounting element comprises a mounting clip and wherein said mounting clip is removably attached to said product container and wherein said mounting clip is removably attached to said product container using an interlocking head-in-slot arrangement; and

wherein said head-in-slot arrangement includes a first head-in-slot combination and a second head-slot combination.

5. A dispenser as set forth in claim 4, wherein said first head-slot combination and said second head-slot combination are differently sized such that said mounting clip can be attached to said product container in only one orientation.

6. A wearable dispenser comprising:

a mounting clip having a base portion and a clip portion;

a product container having therein a product to be dispensed;

an interlocking arrangement having first and second interlocking portions on said base portion of said mounting clip and on said product container, respectively, such that said mounting clip can be removably attached to said product container;

wherein said interlocking arrangement comprises a head-in-slot arrangement; and

wherein first interlocking portion of said head-in-slot arrangement includes a plurality of mortise slots defined in said base portion of said mounting clip, and said second interlocking portion comprises a plurality of dovetail heads received in respective of said mortise slots.

7. A wearable dispenser as set forth in claim 6, wherein said product container is removably attached to said mounting clip in an inverted orientation, said dispenser containing a predetermined viscous liquid.

8. A wearable dispenser as set forth in claim 7, wherein said viscous liquid is selected from a group consisting of soap, waterless hand cleaner, waterless hand sanitizer and skin lotion.

9. A wearable dispenser as set forth in claim 6, wherein said product container is removably attached to said mounting clip in an upright orientation.

10. A wearable dispenser as set forth in claim 9, wherein said product container contains a plurality of fabric wipes.

11. A wearable dispenser as set forth in claim 6, wherein head-slot combinations of said head-in-slot arrangement are differently sized such that said mounting clip can be attached to said product container in only one orientation.

12. A wearable dispenser system comprising:

a first product container having therein a predetermined viscous liquid, said first product container having a first pair of differently-sized attachment heads located thereon;

a second product container having therein a plurality of fabric wipes, said second product container having a second pair of differently-sized attachment heads located thereon;

a wearable mounting element having a base portion defining a pair of differently-sized slots for receipt of respective attachment heads therein; and

said first pair of differently-sized attachment heads being arranged such that said first product container will be attached to said mounting element in an inverted orientation and said second pair of differently-sized attachment heads being arranged such that said second product container will be attached to said mounting element in an upright orientation.

13. A product container comprising:

a container body having a flattened cross section and containing therein a product to be dispensed; and

a pair of differently-sized attachment heads located on a side surface of said container body, each of said attachment heads being configured as dovetail heads for receipt in a complementary mortise slot.