AU781728B2

AU781728B2 - Surface mountable container

Info

Publication number: AU781728B2
Application number: AU26536/01A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Keith James Hensel
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2000-01-12
Filing date: 2001-01-12
Publication date: 2005-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2021-01-12
Also published as: AU2653601A

Description

1 SURFACE MOUNTABLE CONTAINER Technical Field The present invention relates to containers and more particularly but not exclusively to containers which are mountable on a smooth surface to dispense thread or ribbon type products, such as dental floss and adhesive tape, as well as containers to receive air freshener and deodoriser material.

Background of the Invention Frequently, use of items such as dental floss and adhesive tape is inhibited by the product not being readily accessible. Still further, frequently, time is lost in trying to locate commonly used items such as dental floss and adhesive tape as they tend to be moved from location of their intended use or a location at which they are intended to be stored. A still further disadvantage of containers which dispense thread or tape type products is that frequently both hands are required to remove the product from within the container.

S 15 Air fresheners are often required in areas that are tiled, such as bathrooms, laundries and kitchens. Although air fresheners and deodorisers are available, they are o•generally not suitable for positioning on vertical surfaces, such as tiled surfaces.

Object of the Invention oo It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at V0°00.

S 20 least one of the above disadvantages or to provide a useful alternative.

Summary of the Invention There is disclosed a container to receive a product, said container having: a hollowed body within which the product is to be supported, said body having a peripheral skirt generally surrounding a transverse wall, said peripheral skirt having an extremity and a recess extending from the extremity inwardly of the peripheral skirt, and a suction cup having a central portion attached to the transverse wall, and a cup flange extending from the central portion generally towards the peripheral skirt but spaced therefrom, said suction cup further having a suction cup wall extending from the cup flange and into said recess; said suction cup is secured to a supporting surface by applying a force to the hollowed body towards said suction cup to resiliently deform the suction cup against said [R\LIBTT]03945 doc hxa 2 supporting surface and to further cause movement of the suction cup wall into said recess; and wherein said container is of a generally circular configuration so that said recess is annular and said suction cup wall is annular.

There is further disclosed herein a container to receive a product, said container having: a hollow body within which the product is to be supported, said body having at least one peripheral skirt generally surrounding a transverse wall, a suction cup having a central portion attached to the transverse wall, and a cup flange extending from the central 1o portion generally towards the peripheral skirt but spaced therefrom, and wherein said suction cup is secured to a supporting surface by applying a force to said transverse wall towards said suction cup to resiliently deform the suction cup against said supporting surface, so that said peripheral skirt is moved to a position terminating adjacent or is abutting said cup flange or supporting surface when said suction cup is secured to said 15 supporting surface to inhibit tilting of said hollow body relative to said suction cup and a disengagement of said suction cup from said supporting surface, wherein said peripheral skirt has a recess facing said cup flange, and said cup flange has a cup wall moveably received within said recess.

There is further disclosed herein a container to receive dental floss, said container having: a hollowed body within which the dental floss is to be supported, said body having a peripheral skirt generally surrounding a transverse wall, said peripheral skirt having an extremity and a recess extending from the extremity inwardly of the peripheral skirt, said body having a slot through which said dental floss can pass from said hollow; and a suction cup having a central portion attached to the transverse wall, and a cup flange extending from the central portion generally towards the peripheral skirt but spaced therefrom, said suction cup further having a suction cup wall extending from the cup flange and into said recess; and wherein said suction cup is secured to a supporting surface by applying a force to the hollow body towards said suction cup to resiliently deform the suction cup against said supporting surface and to further cause movement of the suction cup wall into said recess.

Preferably, the transverse wall is an end wall and the product is to be located between the transverse wall and cup flange.

R:\LIBTT 103945 doc:hxa 3 Preferably, the hollowed body is relatively stiff relative to the suction cup.

Preferably, the recess is a space between a first skirt flange and a second skirt flange of the peripheral skirt.

Preferably, the suction cup is provided with a tab projecting outwardly of the peripheral skirt which is gripped to deform the suction cup to release the suction cup from the supporting surface.

Preferably, there is extending from the transverse wall, a hollow stem to which the suction cup is attached by a suction cup projection extending into the stem.

Preferably, the peripheral skirt and the cup flange each have one of a projection lo or opening wherein the projection will enter the opening to prevent relative rotation of said hollow body and the suction cup.

Preferably, dental floss is included within the hollow body.

Preferably, the container is of a generally circular configuration so that the recess is annular and the suction cup wall is annular.

o 15 Preferably, the suction cup wall includes spaced wall portions adjacent the cup S•flange, the spaced wall portions being spaced by a recess surrounding the cup flange.

Preferably, the wall portions include an inner and an outer wall portion, with the outer wall portion being engaged by the peripheral skirt when the suction cup is engaged with the supporting surface.

20 Brief Description of the Drawings Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: •Figure 1 is a schematic top perspective view of a container to receive a substance to act as an air fireshener; Figure 2 is a schematic top perspective view of the container of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a schematic bottom perspective view of the container as illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic bottom perspective view of the container as illustrated in Figure 2; Figure 5 is a schematic section side elevation of the container of Figures 1 to 3; [R:\LIBTT]03945,doc:hxa Figure 6 is a further schematic section side elevation of the container of Figures 2 to 4; Figure 7 is a schematic top plan view of a container to dispense dental floss; Figure 8 is a schematic top perspective view ofa container of Figure 7; Figure 9 is a schematic section side elevation of the container as illustrated in Figure 7; and Figure 10 is a schematic section side elevation of the container as illustrated in Figure 8.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments In the following description, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described as containers to receive air fresheners or to dispense products such as dental floss. However, it should be appreciated that containers according to the present invention could be adapted to contain or dispense a wide variety of products such as disinfectants, s15 deodorisers, adhesive tape, twine and other similar products.

In Figures 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings, there is schematically depicted a container 10 which in this embodiment receives a cylindrical block of air freshener material 11. More particularly the block 11 is of annular shape so as to have a l ongitudinally extending cylindrical central wall 12.

Oio o e• [R\LIBTT]03945 doc hxa WO 01/50980 PCT/AUO 1/00021 4 The container 10 has a hollow body 13, including an end (transverse) wall 14, provided with a variety of apertures 15 so that a vapour to be dispensed from the block 11 may pass to the surrounding atmosphere.

Depending from the wall 14 is a peripheral skirt 16 generally surrounding the wall 14. The skirt 16 includes a first skirt flange 17 spaced radially from a second skirt flange 18. In this respect, it should be appreciated that the container 10 has a longitudinal central axis 19. As the container 10 is of a generally circular configuration the flanges 17 and 18 are generally cylindrical and have located between them an annular space Also depending from the wall 14 is a hollow stem 21 which is of a cylindrical 1o configuration so as to generally enclose a central passage 22.

The skirt flange 17 terminates with a circular extremity 23 while the skirt flange 18 terminates with a circular extremity 24.

Secured to the hollow body 13 is a suction cap 25 having a central projection 26 received within the passage 22. The stem 21 has inwardly extending projections or barbs is 27 which engage the projection 26 to captively locate the projection 26 within the passage 22. As the projections 26 form passages in the stem 21, the hollow body 13 cannot rotate relative to the cup The cup 25 has an annular flange 28 which tapers in thickness from the projection 26 to a peripheral wall 29. The wall 29 has a first wall portion 30 from which here extends wall portions 31 and 32. The wall portions 31 and 32 are separated by an annular groove 33. The wall portion 30 is annular and is received within the annular space The wall portion 32 diverges from the wall portion 31 so as to have an annular extremity 34 aligned with the extremity 24 of the hollow body 13.

Thile hollow body 13 is preferably a moulding of resilient plastics material. The suction cap 25 is resilient elastomeric material which is resiliently deformed by a user pressing on the body 13 toward a supporting surface 35 (which may be a bathroom tile).

In Figure 5, the container 1 0 is illustrated in a relaxed configuration while in Figure 6 it is illustrated as applied to the surface 35 with the cup 25 securing the container 10 to the surface 35. As best seen in Figure 6, the cup 25 is resiliently deformed against the surface 35, with the wall portion 30 substantially filling the space 20 and the wall portions 31 and 32 further resiliently deformed so that the extremity 24 is abutting or is located adjacent the extremity 34. In this configuration it is difficult for a user to dislodge the container by manipulation of the body 13. By having the extremity 24 engaged with or located adjacent the extremity 34, the body 13 is substantially prevented from tilting with respect WO 01/50980 PCT/AUOI/00021 to the longitudinal axis 13 and therefore the surface 35 and cup 25. It should also be noted that the lower wall portion 31 deflects radially outwardly to permit the flange 28 to deform and engage the surface In a further embodiment, the skirt flange 18 would abut or be located adjacent the s surface 35 rather than the extremity 34 to inhibit tilting of the body 13.

To facilitate removal of the container 10 from the supporting surface 35 there is extending from the wall portion 32 a tab 36 which is gripped by the user and manipulated to deform the radial extremities of the flange 28 and therefore break contact between the cup 25 and the surface When applying the container 10 to the surface 35 a user preferably applies a force to the central area 37 so that the force is transmitted to the suction cap 35 by the stem 21.

More particularly the stem 21 engages an annular surface 38 of the cup To facilitate deformation of the flange 28, it is connected to the lower wall portion 31 by a thin wall section. As mentioned previously the flange 28 tapers in thickness from Is the projection 26 towards the wall 29.

It can be further noted from Figure 6 that the flange 17, and more particularly its extremity 23, also engages the flange 28. Contact of the extremity 23 with the flange 28 facilitates contact between the cup 25 and the supporting surface In Figures 7 to 10 of the accompanying drawings, there is schematically depicted a modification of the container 10 of Figures 1 to 6. In this embodiment the same reference numerals have been employed.

In the embodiment of Figures 7 to 10 the container 10 receives a reel 39 of dental floss 40. The reel 39 includes an annular inner wall 41 which is slidably received on the stem 21 to the mid-rotation of the reel 39 about the longitudinal axis 19. The end wall 14 is provided with a slot 42 through which the dental floss 40 passes to a cutting blade 43.

The cutting blade 43 is of a conventional arrangement in that it provides a tapered slot 44 in to which the floss 40 passes to be severed.

The wall portion 30 together with the wall portion 31 are repositioned to fill portion of the slot 42.

In the embodiment of Figures 7 to 10, normal forces applied to the dental floss are not transmitted to the cup 35 in a manner which would remove the cup 25 from the surface In addition to the slot 42 the body 13 is provided with a smooth arcuate surface over which the dental floss 40 is drawn to pull it from within the container WO 01/50980 PCT/AUO 1/00021 6 With particular reference to the embodiment of Figures 7 to 10, the hollow body 13 and cup 25 co-operate to provide a generally closed space 46 which receives the reel 39.

Still further with reference to the embodiment of Figures 7 to 10, the container 10 is adapted to be located against a tiled surface and therefore can be located in areas for convenient use and which make the container 10 visually apparent to remind people to use dental floss.

Claims

1. A container to receive a product, said container having: a hollowed body within which the product is to be supported, said body having a peripheral skirt generally surrounding a transverse wall, said peripheral skirt having an extremity and a recess extending from the extremity inwardly of the peripheral skirt, and a suction cup having a central portion attached to the transverse wall, and a cup flange extending from the central portion generally towards the peripheral skirt but spaced therefrom, said suction cup further having a suction cup wall extending from the cup flange and into said recess; said suction cup is secured to a supporting surface by applying a force to the hollowed body towards said suction cup to resiliently deform the suction cup against said supporting surface and to further cause movement of the suction cup wall into said recess; and s wherein said container is of a generally circular configuration so that said recess S• 15 is annular and said suction cup wall is annular. a

2. The container of claim 1, wherein said transverse wall is an end wall .i and said product is to be located between said transverse wall and cup flange.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein said hollowed body is relatively stiff relative to said suction cup. 20

4. The container of claim 1, wherein said recess is a space between a first skirt flange and a second skirt flange of said peripheral skirt.

The container of claim 1, wherein said suction cup is provided with a tab projecting outwardly of said peripheral skirt which is gripped to deform the suction S. cup to release the suction cup from said supporting surface.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein there is extending from said transverse wall, a hollow stem to which said suction cup is attached by a suction cup projection extending into said stem.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein said peripheral skirt and said cup flange each have one of a projection or opening wherein said projection will enter said opening to prevent relative rotation of said hollow body and said suction cup.

8. The container of claim 1, further including dental floss disposed within said hollow body.

9. A container to receive a product, said container having: [I R.\LIBTT]03945.doc:hxa 8 a hollow body within which the product is to be supported, said body having at least one peripheral skirt generally surrounding a transverse wall, a suction cup having a central portion attached to the transverse wall, and a cup flange extending from the central portion generally towards the peripheral skirt but spaced therefrom, and wherein said suction cup is secured to a supporting surface by applying a force to said transverse wall towards said suction cup to resiliently deform the suction cup against said supporting surface, so that said peripheral skirt is moved to a position terminating adjacent or is abutting said cup flange or supporting surface when said suction cup is secured to said supporting surface to inhibit tilting of said hollow body relative to said suction cup and a disengagement of said suction cup from said supporting surface, wherein said peripheral skirt has a recess facing said cup flange, and said cup flange has a cup wall moveably received within said recess.

The container of claim 9, wherein the container is of a generally circular configuration so that said recess is annular and said suction cup wall is annular. 15

11. The container of claim 9, wherein said recess is a space between a first skirt flange and a second skirt flange of said peripheral skirt.

12. The container of claim 9, wherein said transverse wall is an end wall and said product is to be located between said transverse wall and cup flange.

13. The container of claim 9, wherein said hollow body is relatively stiff S 20 relative to said suction cup. O. L

14. The container of claim 9, wherein said suction cup is provided with a tab projecting outwardly of said skirt which is gripped to deform the suction cup to release the suction cup from said supporting surface.

15. The container of claim 9, wherein there is extending from said transverse wall a hollow stem to which said suction cup is attached by a suction cup projection extending into said stem.

16. The container of claim 9, wherein said suction cup wall includes spaced wall portions adjacent said cup flange, the spaced wall portions being spaced by a recess surrounding said cup flange.

17. The container of claim 9, wherein said wall portions include an inner and an outer wall portion, with said outer wall portion being engaged by the peripheral skirt when said suction cup is engaged with said supporting surface. [R-\LIB7Tj0394S.doc:hxa 9

18. The container of claim 9, wherein said peripheral skirt and said cup flange each have one of a projection on opening wherein said projection will enter said opening to prevent relative rotation of said hollow body and said suction cup.

19. A container to receive dental floss, said container having: a hollowed body within which the dental floss is to be supported, said body having a peripheral skirt generally surrounding a transverse wall, said peripheral skirt having an extremity and a recess extending from the extremity inwardly of the peripheral skirt, said body having a slot through which said dental floss can pass from said hollow; and o a suction cup having a central portion attached to the transverse wall, and a cup flange extending from the central portion generally towards the peripheral skirt but spaced therefrom, said suction cup further having a suction cup wall extending from the cup flange and into said recess; and wherein said suction cup is secured to a supporting surface by applying a force to the 15 hollow body towards said suction cup to resiliently deform the suction cup against said supporting surface and to further cause movement of the suction cup wall into said recess. oooo

20. A container, substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 10 of the accompanying drawings. Dated 29 March 2005 Keith James Hensel Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON S S [R\LIBTT03945 doc:hxa