CA1152050A

CA1152050A - Soap holder

Info

Publication number: CA1152050A
Application number: CA000375955A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Hussain A. Moontasir
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1981-04-22
Filing date: 1981-04-22
Publication date: 1983-08-16

Abstract

"SOAP HOLDER"
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A soap holder comprises a tray-like member for holding a bar of soap. Below the tray-like member there is disposed an actuatable member which is connected to a member for causing the soap to be discharged from the tray-like member into the palm of a user's hand when the actuatable member is actuated. Thus the user does not have to pick up the soap with his fingers and therefore the likelihood of soap becoming embedded under his nails is lessened.

Description

~Z050 1 The pr~scnt inventio~ relates to so~p holclcrs which are used to hold bars of soap adjacent wash basins and, more particularly, to a 50ap holder which can be actuated, wllen desired, in order to dispense or discharge the bar of soap into the hand of the user.
Hitherto, soap holders have typically co.nprised a tray, dish or similar receptacle for retaining a bar of soap in a desired position. When a user picks up a bar of soap from such a receptacle if often occurs that the persons finger nails, particularly when the person has long nails, dig into the soap, with the result that soap is lodged under the nails or even breaks long nails. This is at least inconvenient and the soap can be difficult to remove.
An objcct of the present invention is to provide a soap holder which overcomes or alleviates the above-mentioned problems.
To tkis end, the invcntion consists in a soap holder comprising, in combination:-a) a tray-like member having a base part for holding a bar of soap on one surface thereof, b) means for mounting said tray-like member in a generally horizontal position projecting from back to front of said soap holder and with said base part surface facing upwardly, c) push me;ans located closely above said base part surface of snid tray-lilce member, d) me~ns mounting said push means for recipro-cating movement between a rest position at the baclc of said tray-like mcmber and the front thereof, and e) actuating means located below said tray-like member and adapted to move said push means, f) said actuating means bcing operable to advance said pu~sh means to-~ards said front of said tr~y to dispense said bar of soap from s~id front thereof, .

2~5(1 -1a-1 whereby said bar can be delivered into the palm of a user's hand operating said actuating means.
Hence, a user does not have to use his or heI
fingers to pick up the bar of soap and thus the problems mentioned above are avoided.
Conveniently, the actuating means is a h3nd-opercated member. It may be connected to the push means, such as a flat bar or like member~ arranged to push the soap off the tray-like member, when the hc~nd-operated mcmber is actuate!d.
The hand-operated member and push member may be pivotally mounted~ on a common, subst~ntially horizontal axis. In one embodiment, the hand-operated member and push m~mber are s;upported by means pivotally mounted on s~

the holder above the tray-like member, whereby the hand-operated member can be pulled by the fingers of a person's hand to cause the push member to push the soap off the tray-like member and into the palm of the hand.
The soap holder may be adapted to facilitate securing to a wall above a basin.
In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of soap holder according to the invention, and E'igure 2 i5 a cross-sectional view of the holder of ~igure 1 taken on the line II-II.
~eferring to the drawings, a soap holder 1 com-15 prises a tray-like member 2 which extends forwardly from a rear wall 3 of the holder. The tray-like member 2 has a base 4 for locating a bar of soap 5,an open front 2a, and side walls 6, 7. Lugs 8, 9 pro~ect forwardly from opposite sides of the rear wall at the upper end thereof.
Vertically extending support arms 10, 11 are mounted on the lugs 8, 9 to pivot about a hori~ontal axis 12 by means of pivot pins 13.
The sul)port arms 10, 11 extend down past the outsides of the opposite side walls 6, 7 of the tray-like member. A flat hand-operated member 14 extends between the lower ends of the support arms 10, 11 so as to be located below the tray-like member, and a flat push member 15 extends between the support arms at a region just above the base 4 of the tray-like member. 'l'he push member 15 includes transverse recesses or cut-out portions 16 at its opposite ends to accommodate the side walls 6, 7 of the tray-like member.
'l'he push member 15 extends between the rear edges of the support arms 10, 11 and in its rest or inoperative position is located adaacent the front surface of the rear wall 3 of the tr,ay-like member. The hand-operated member 14 extends between the front ed~es of the support .

~2~5Q

arms and is thus located both below and in front of the push member 15.
The base 4 of the tray-like member is generally of concave form and slopes downwardly from the open front 2a towards the rear wall 3O rhis construction prev~nts the bar of soap accidently slipping off the front.
A pair of ridges 17 extending parallel to the side walls 6, 7 are provided in the base 4 of the tray-like member -for supporting the bar of soap 5. ~rain apertures 18 are provided in the bise towards the rear of the tray-like member so that residual water off of the soap can drain from the tray-like member. A curved wall 2~ ext-ends ~cross the underside of the tray-like member 2 between the support arms 10,11 and depends from the front 15 of the apertures 18 such that water passing through the apertures can drain down the convex rear surface oL the wall 2~. 'rhus 1;1IC tray-li kc member i S sclf-drainlng.
In use, the soap holder 1 is mounted on a wall 19 above ~ wash basin (not shown) by means of a batten or the like 20 which is secured to the wall by screws2~ and has an upper pro,jection 21 over which the rear wall 3 is hooked. ~hen the bar of soap 5 is to be used, a person engages the back of the hand-operated member 14 with the fingers of ~ne harld, with the palm facing up, and pulls 25 the hand-operated member forward. 'rhis causes the support arms lU,ll to pivot about the horizontal pivot axis 12 and the push member 15 to be moved forwardly and push the soap o~f the front of the tray-like member 2 into the palm of the user's halld.
rl`he support arms may return to theil initial vertical positions under the action of gravity or, alternatively, they may be returned manually.
Whilst a partic-llar embodiment of the invention has been describ~d, it will be understood that various 35 modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A soap holder comprising, in combination:-a) a tray-like member having a base part for holding a bar of soap on one surface thereof, b) means for mounting said tray-like member in a generally horizontal position projecting from back to front of said soap holder and with said base part surface facing upwardly, c) push means located closely above said base part surface of said tray-like member, d) means mounting said push means for recipro-cating movement between a rest position at the back of said tray-like member and the front thereof, and e) actuating means located below said tray-like member and adapted to move said push means, f) said actuating means being operable to advance said push means towards said front of said tray to dispense said bar of soap from said front thereof, whereby said bar can be delivered into the palm of a user's hand operating said actuating means.

2. The soap holder of claim 1, wherein said mounting means supports said push means for swinging movement about a generally horizontal axis, and said actuating means is a hand-operated member connected to said push means.

3. The soap holder of claim 2, wherein said mounting means includes arm means integrally connected with said push means and said hand-operated member and pivotally mounted on said soap holder generally above said back of said tray-like member, whereby said hand-operated member is adapted to be pulled by the fingers of a user's hand to cause said push means to dispense said soap from said front of said tray-like member and there-after said push means and hand-operated member can return to said rest position under the action of gravity.

4. The soap holder of claim 2 or 3, wherein said base part surface of said tray-like member slopes downwardly from said front of said member towards said back thereof and is of generally concave form.

5. The soap holder of claim 2 or 3, wherein said tray-like member is provided with at least one aperture adjacent said back thereof to permit water to drain from said tray-like member, and said hand-operated member is located forwardly of said drain aperture in said rest position of said push means.

6. The soap holder of claim 3, wherein said arm means comprises a pair of generally vertically extending support arms pivotally connected to a rear wall of said soap holder and extending downwardly outside opposite sides of said tray-like member to a position below said tray-like member, said hand-operated member extends between the lower ends of said support arms below said tray-like member, and said push means comprises a push member extending between said support arms in a region immediately above said base part surface of said tray-like member, and means is provided for fixing said holder to a wall with said rear wall of said holder juxtaposed thereto.