EP4140376A1

EP4140376A1 - Soap and soap dispenser assembly with such soap

Info

Publication number: EP4140376A1
Application number: EP22192107.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jiaji ZHAO; Oskar Bastiaan SOLTESZ
Original assignee: MMID PRODUCTS BV
Current assignee: MMID PRODUCTS BV
Priority date: 2021-08-26
Filing date: 2022-08-25
Publication date: 2023-03-01
Also published as: US20230180970A1; NL2029060B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a soap dispenser assembly comprising a soap dispenser and at least two pieces of soap. The at least two pieces of soap each comprises a top surface and a bottom surface and can be stacked thereby rotationally coupling the pieces of soap in at least one direction via locking profiles. The soap dispenser comprises a soap holder arranged to contain, and rotationally couple, the pieces of soap in a stacked position, a knife-blade module and a biasing module. The top surface of an upper most piece of soap interfaces with the biasing module. The bottom surface of a lower most piece of soap interfaces with the knife-blade module. The biasing module is arranged to bias the at least two pieces of soap towards the knife-blade module. The knife-blade module comprises at least one blade arranged to scrape the bottom surface of the second piece of soap upon rotation of the soap holder with the at least two pieces of soap relative to the knife-blade module.

Description

The invention generally relates to a soap dispenser assembly comprising a soap dispenser and a piece of soap. The invention further relates to a method for dispensing soap.
Such a soap dispenser assembly is known from NL 2020372 . The known soap dispenser assembly comprises a piece of soap that extends from a first radius to a second radius and comprises a circumferential surface, a top surface and a bottom surface. The piece of soap is therefore ring shaped. The circumferential surface comprises key indentations, substantially at the second radius. The soap dispenser assembly further comprises a manually operated soap dispenser, comprising a soap holder arranged to contain the piece of soap. The soap dispenser further comprises a knife-blade module and a biasing module. The soap holder is rotationably connected to the knife-blade module such that the soap holder can rotate relatively to the knife-blade module. Furthermore, the soap holder comprises keying protrusions, arranged to interface with the key indentations of the circumferential surface of the soap such that the soap is rotationally coupled to the soap holder. The biasing module comprises a flat pushing surface arranged to bias the soap towards the knife-blade module. The knife blade module comprises at least one blade arranged to scrape the surface of the piece of soap. When a piece of soap is present in the soap holder, and the soap holder is rotated by a user, the at least one blade scrapes soap of the bottom of the piece of soap since the soap is rotationally fixed to the soap holder and rotates relatively to the stationary knife-blade module. The user can collect the soap in the palm of his hand and can add water to get a liquid soap mixture.
When the soap is nearly depleted, the key indentations on the circumferential surface of the soap can no longer rotationally couple the soap to the soap holder. As a result, when the soap holder is rotated by the user, the soap may no longer rotate relative to the knife-blade module but instead rotates relative to the soap holder. This can cause the at least one blade to not scrape the bottom of the soap and no soap is dispensed. This problem is further increased by the fact that the transition between the lower surface and the circumferential surface of the piece of soap is slightly rounded.
An object of the invention is to provide an alternative soap dispenser assembly of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph hereof, in which, while maintaining the advantages, the disadvantages mentioned are diminished at least in part. In particular, the invention contemplates providing a soap dispenser assembly that can even better ensure that a piece of soap rotates relative to at least one blade and thereby improving reliable dispensing of soap. Moreover an aim of the present disclosure is to provide for a dispensing assembly, dispenser and/or piece of soap, in which an entire piece of soap can be dispensed accurately. These and other objects can be achieved at least in part with a dispensing assembly according to the disclosure.
In an aspect of the disclosure a soap dispenser assembly comprising a soap dispenser and at least two pieces of soap is provided. The at least two pieces of soap are substantially ring shaped, each comprising an inner opening, a peripheral surface, a top surface and a bottom surface. The soap dispenser comprises a soap holder arranged to contain the pieces of soap in a stacked position, a knife-blade module and a biasing module. The pieces of soap are stacked in the soap holder such that the bottom surface of one of the pieces of soap interfaces with the top surface of another of the pieces of soap. The at least two pieces of soap are thus stacked, such that each one of the at least two pieces of soap has at least:

a bottom surface engaging with a top surface of a piece of soap stacked next to it; or
a top surface engaging with a bottom surface of a piece of soap stacked next to it.

The top surface of an upper most piece of soap of the stacked pieces of soap interfaces with the biasing module. The bottom surface of a lower most piece of soap of the stacked pieces of soap interfaces with the knife-blade module. The peripheral surfaces of the at least two pieces of soap interface with the soap holder. Of each piece of soap:

the peripheral surface comprises a first alignment profile;
the top surface comprises a first locking profile;
the bottom surface comprises a second locking profile; and furthermore,
the soap holder comprises a second alignment profile;
the biasing module comprises a third locking profile.

In the stacked position the first locking profile and the second locking profile are rotationally coupled in at least one direction. Thus a rotation of one of the pieces of soap will result in a rotation of the piece of soap coupled therewith through the locking surfaces. The first alignment profile and the second alignment profile are rotationally coupled in the at least one direction. The first locking profile and the third locking profile are rotationally coupled in the at least one direction. Thus rotation of the soap holder in said at least one direction will result in a rotation of the stacked pieces of soap in said at least one direction. The biasing module is arranged to bias the stacked pieces of soap towards the knife-blade module. The knife-blade module comprises at least one blade arranged to scrape the bottom surface of the lower most piece of soap upon rotation of the soap holder with the stacked pieces of soap relative to the knife-blade module.
Having a substantially disc shaped piece of soap, for example a ring shaped piece of soap, can allow for the rotation of the at least two stacked pieces of soap around a rotational axis through the center of the soap, perpendicular to the top and bottom surface. Having the at least two pieces of soap rotate around the rotational axis can allow for continuous contact between the blade of the knife-blade module and the lower most piece of soap while the dispenser is being used. This can be more space-efficient than a, for example, back-and-forth movement along a longitudinal of the at least two pieces of soap.
Using substantially ring shaped pieces of soap, having an inner opening can further be advantageous in that the inner opening of the soap can help with aligning the at least two pieces of soap in the soap holder by using, for example, an axle that is arranged to pass through the openings. Preferably, in such embodiments the outer diameter of the axle has a comparable size to an inner diameter of the inner opening.
Furthermore, by having the inner opening around the rotational axis, the pieces of soap can be more efficiently scraped by the blade. With a full circular piece of soap near the rotational axis, the soap near the rotational axis will be more difficult to be scraped off by the blade, due to the limited path of travel relative to the circumference. Providing the inner opening reduces this problem significantly.
A stack of the at least two pieces of soap can be formed inside the soap holder by placing at least one piece of soap in the soap holder before adding at least a second piece of soap. Alternatively, the at least two pieces of soap can be stacked outside the soap holder and placed in the soap holder as a stack. The at least two pieces of soap can be stacked in such a way that a top or bottom surface of a first piece of soap can interface with the top or bottom surface of a second piece of soap. Stacking additional pieces of soap to the stack can cause the top or bottom surface of the additional piece of soap to interface with the top or bottom surface of a piece of soap in the stack it is stacked onto. A top surface of the stack of soap, which corresponds to the top surface of the upper most piece of soap in the stack, can interface with the biasing module of the soap dispenser. A bottom surface of the stack of soap, which corresponds to the bottom surface of the lower most piece of soap in the stack, can interface with the knife-blade module.
The stack of the at least two pieces of soap inside the soap holder can interface with a wall of the soap holder. More specifically, the peripheral surfaces of the stacked pieces of soap can interface with the circumferential wall of the soap holder. The outer radius of the peripheral surface can be arranged to be of a substantially comparable size to that of an inner radius of the circumferential wall of the soap holder such that, when at least one piece of soap is present in the soap holder, there is a fit between the circumferential wall of the soap holder and the peripheral surface of the at least one piece of soap.
In addition or alternatively, the peripheral surface of each piece of soap can comprise a first alignment profile and the soap holder can comprise a second alignment profile. These profiles can comprise various shapes arranged to rotationally couple the profiles in the at least one direction, and thereby the at least one piece of soap and the soap holder. An example of such a first alignment profile can be indentations, an example of a second alignment profile can be protrusions arranged to fit, or lock, in to said indentations, for example as disclosed in NL2020372 . It is appreciated by the person skilled in the art that many such profiles exist, for example but not limited to, a sawtooth profile and a battlement-shaped profile.
The top surface, the bottom surface and the biasing module comprises a first locking profile, a second locking profile and a third locking profile respectively. These profiles can comprise various shapes arranged to rotationally couple the top surface, bottom surface and biasing module when they interface. For example, the first locking profile can rotationally couple with the second locking profile and the third locking profile, the second locking profile can rotationally couple with the first locking profile while the third locking profile can interface with the first locking. Preferably the first and second locking profile of a piece of soap are substantially the same, such that a piece of soap is invertible and can still be coupled with another piece of soap and/or the third profile of the biasing module. This means that in such embodiments the second locking profile can also couple with another second locking profile and with the third locking profile. An example of such locking profiles can be sawtooth profiles. It is appreciated by the person skilled in the art that many such profiles can be used, for example but not limited to, indentations / protrusions and a battlement-shaped profile. Further examples can be found in publication US 945495 .
The biasing module is arranged to bias the stacked pieces of soap towards each other and towards the knife-blade module, for example via a spring-mechanism. More specifically, the biasing module can comprise a pushing surface that can interface with the upper most piece of soap of the stack of soap. Preferably, the shape of the pushing surface can be arranged such that it covers most or all of the surface of the upper most piece of soap, which can cause a better distribution of force applied to the stack of soap. The spring-mechanism can be placed between the pushing surface and a top cover of the soap dispenser such that, when the top cover is present, the spring-mechanism is pushing the stack of soap towards the knife-blade module. It will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that other biasing modules can be used, for example using additional weights.
The at least one blade arranged to scrape the relevant surface of the lower most piece of soap of the stack can be placed such that it reaches outwardly from an inner radius of the lower most piece of soap to the outer radius of the lower most piece of soap. The blade can be placed at an angle relative to the relevant, lower most surface of the lower most piece of soap that can interface with the knife-blade module. Said angle can for example be less than 70 degrees, preferably less than 60 degrees, more preferably less than 50 degrees. A relative small angle will aid in the scraping of the soap from the piece of soap and avoiding the blade cutting into the piece of soap. In embodiments of the invention, the first locking profile and second locking profile are sawtooth profiles, wherein each sawtooth profile comprises at least two sawteeth, for example on radially opposed locations of the top surface. Such a sawtooth profile can rotationally couple the pieces of soap in one direction, and can allow for self-priming. In other words, if a piece of soap is rotated around the axis in the direction in which it is to be rotationally coupled, while stacked below a second piece of soap, the sawteeth can lock and rotationally couple the two stacked pieces of soap to each other. It will be clear to the person skilled in the art that when the at least two sawteeth face in opposite directions, they can be self-priming and thereby locking in both rotational directions.
In a further aspect of the disclosure, a piece of soap for a soap dispenser assembly is provided, wherein the piece of soap is substantially ring shaped and comprises a circumferential surface, a top surface and a bottom surface. Such piece of soap is preferably provided for forming part of a soap dispenser assembly according to the disclosure. The piece of soap is preferably a solid piece of soap, such that soap can be scraped off the piece of soap, for example as powder, scintillas or flakes or similar small particles. The circumferential surface comprises a first alignment profile, the top surface comprises a first locking profile and the bottom surface comprises a second locking profile. The first locking profile and second locking profile are arranged such that when a second piece of soap is stacked on a first piece of soap and the first locking profile of a first piece of soap interfaces with the second locking profile of a second piece of soap, the first and second piece of soap are rotationally coupled in at least one direction. This means that if the second piece of soap is rotated around a rotational axis extending perpendicular to the top surface and bottom surface of the pieces of soap, in said one direction, the first piece of soap will rotate with the second piece of soap. Obviously more than two pieces of soap can be stacked in this manner, in said coupled configuration, by coupling respective first and second locking profiles.
The first alignment profile comprises at least one indentation into the circumferential surface, extending from the top surface to the bottom surface such that two pieces of soap can be stacked aligning the at least one indentation of a first one of the pieces of soap with the at least one indentation of the second one of the pieces of soap. Again more than two pieces of soap can be stacked in this manner, forming at least one continuous indentation.
In embodiments of the invention, the first locking profile comprises a sawtooth profile, wherein the sawtooth profile comprises at least two sawteeth, for example on radially opposed locations of the top surface.
In embodiments of the invention, the second locking profile can comprise a sawtooth profile, wherein the sawtooth profile comprises at least two sawteeth, preferably on radially opposed locations of the bottom surface.
Preferably the first and second locking profile are substantially identical, such that they are interchangeable, meaning that a piece of soap can be inverted and still be rotationally coupled in said at least one direction by the cooperating locking profiles, which may then be a first and second locking profile, two first locking profiles or two second locking profiles.
In embodiments of the invention, a distance between the top surface and the bottom surface is substantially constant along the circumferential surface. Keeping the distance between the top surface, including any protrusions or indentations as a result of the first or second locking surface can result in equal strength and stiffness through the piece of soap.
In an further aspect of the disclosure, a soap dispenser for dispensing soap from a solid piece of soap can be provided, wherein the soap dispenser comprises a soap holder arranged to contain at least two stacked pieces of soap and comprises a circumferential wall, a bottom opening and a top opening. Furthermore, the soap dispenser comprises a knife-blade module comprising at least one blade. In addition, the soap dispenser comprises a biasing module located near the top opening of the soap holder. The soap holder is rotationally connected to the knife-blade module, directly or indirectly, such that the soap holder can rotate relatively to the knife-blade module. The biasing module is arranged to, when at least one piece of soap is present in the soap holder, bias the said at least one piece of soap towards the knife-blade module and rotationally couple the piece of soap and biasing module in at least one direction. During use the biasing module or at least a surface thereof engaging with and rotationally coupled to the piece of soap preferably rotates with at least one of the soap holder and the blade. The at least one blade is arranged to, when at least one piece of soap is present in the soap holder, scrape a surface of the piece of soap upon rotation of the soap holder relative to the knife-blade module. Preferably, the soap dispenser for dispensing soap from a solid piece of soap is the soap dispenser of the soap dispenser assembly disclosed here above, and is suitable for use with a piece of soap as disclosed here above.
In embodiments of the invention, the biasing module comprises a pushing surface that comprises a sawtooth profile. Using the sawtooth profile can allow for the biasing module to be rotationally coupled in at least one direction with a piece of soap when at least one piece of soap is present in the soap holder having a compatible surface engaging with said sawtooth profile.
In embodiments of the invention, the biasing module can be releasably connected to the soap holder. By releasably connecting the biasing module to the soap holder, the biasing module can be removed so that a user can be able to place at least one piece of soap in the soap holder, preferably stacking pieces of soap in said soap holder. The biasing module can be releasably connected to the soap holder by, for example, using a clicking-mechanism. It will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that there are other options, such as a screw-mechanism or a magnetic-mechanism. Such a connection can be either directly, wherein the biasing module can directly interface with the soap holder, or indirectly wherein the biasing module can interface with a different component. Said different component can, on its turn, interface with the biasing module. Preferably the biasing module or at least the surface therefore interfacing with the piece of soap next to it cannot rotate relative to the soap holder when coupled to the soap holder.
In embodiments of the invention, the soap dispenser can comprise an opening located below and in-line with the knife-blade module arranged such that, when a piece of soap is present in the soap holder and upon rotation of the soap holder, soap can fall through said opening. When the opening is located below and in-line with the knife-blade module, scrapings of soap are able to fall through the opening so that a user can catch the scrapings of soap. Preferably, the opening can be located below the at least one blade of the knife-blade module, such that the scrapings fall directly through the opening without interfacing with any additional components of the soap dispenser. The opening can either be a permanent opening or dependent on a pre-determined condition. For example, the opening can be arranged to be closed off when the soap dispenser is not in use. It will be appreciated by the person skilled in the arts that this can be achieved through multiple designs, for example using a mechanical hatch, a lid or an electronically actuated lid. Preferably the opening is closed off or opened by rotation of the soap holder relative to an outer housing part of the dispenser. To this end for example the soap holder can have multiple openings in a bottom surface thereof, whereas the outer housing part has fewer openings, especially only one, such that upon rotation of the soap holder relative to the outer housing part intermittently one of the multiple openings of the soap holder is brought into line with the openings or preferably the opening in the outer housing part, for allowing scrapings to pass, or out of line, closing the relevant opening in the outer housing part by the bottom of the soap holder between two openings therein.
In embodiments of the invention, the biasing module is rotationally coupled to the soap holder. Doing so can further help with rotationally coupling of the at least one piece of soap, when the at least one piece of soap is present in the soap holder.
In embodiments of the invention, the soap holder during use is rotatable via an electrically powered actuator. Such an electrically powered actuator can directly rotate the soap holder during use, or indirectly through a set of gears or other transmission means.
In embodiments of the invention, the electrically powered actuator can be powered by a rechargeable energy source. Such a rechargeable energy source can for example be recharged via a USB cable, and can allow for stationary or mobile use of the soap dispenser, when it is not connected to the USB cable.
In embodiments of the invention, the electrically powered actuator can be arranged to rotate the soap holder over a preset rotational angle. By rotating the soap holder over a fixed distance cq angle a substantially preset amount of soap scrapings can be dispensed by the soap dispenser when at least one piece of soap is present in the soap holder.
In an further aspect of the disclosure, a method for filling a soap dispenser with at least two pieces of soap is provided. Such soap dispenser preferably is a soap dispenser assembly as disclosed above, the method comprising;

placing a first piece of soap in a soap holder of a soap dispenser of the soap dispenser assembly such that a first alignment profile of the first piece of soap interfaces with a second alignment profile of the soap holder and thereby rotationally coupling the first alignment profile and the second alignment profile in at least one direction and hence the first piece of soap and the soap holder;
placing a second piece of soap in the soap holder of the soap dispenser such that a first alignment profile of the second piece of soap interfaces with the second alignment profile of the soap holder thereby rotationally coupling the first alignment profile and the second alignment profile in the at least one direction, and that a first locking profile of the first piece of soap interfaces with a second locking profile of the second piece of soap rotationally coupling the first piece of soap and the second piece of soap in the at least one direction. Thus the second piece of soap is rotationally coupled to the soap holder and to the first piece of soap.

A biasing module is placed in the soap dispenser, comprising a biasing surface that comprises a third locking profile such that the third locking profile interfaces with the first locking profile of the second piece of soap such that the biasing surface is rotationally coupled to the second piece of soap in the at least one direction. The biasing module biases the at least two pieces of soap towards a knife-blade module of the soap dispenser. The biasing module is coupled to the soap holder in said at least one locking direction, such that at least the third locking profile is rotated with the soap holder when the soap holder is rotated.
With the present invention it is ensured that each piece of soap can be dispensed in about its entirety, since the piece of soap will be rotationally coupled and locked to the soap holder even if the connection between the peripheral surface and the soap holder has become too weak or is even lost by dispensing most of the piece of soap engaged by the blade. Especially when using a stack of pieces of soap since the lower most piece of soap or what is remaining thereof will be locked to and rotated by the piece or pieces of soap stacked thereon.
The invention will be further elucidated on the basis of the exemplary embodiments that are represented schematically in the drawing. In the drawings:

Fig. 1A shows a top view of the at least one piece of soap;
Fig. 1B shows a side view of the at least one piece of soap;
Fig. 1C shows a side view of the at least two pieces of soap in a stacked configuration;
Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional isometric view of the soap dispenser assembly comprising a soap dispenser and at least two pieces of soap;
Fig. 3 shows a cross-sectional view along the line IV - IV in Fig. 2;
Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional view along the line V - V in Fig. 2.

The figures are only schematic representations of embodiments of the invention. These embodiments are only shown as example for a better understanding of the claimed invention and should not be considered as limiting the disclosure or as limiting the disclosure to these embodiments. In the figures, like or corresponding parts are indicated with the same or similar reference numerals.
In this description terms like top and bottom, upper most and lower most or above and below are considered in view of a position of a soap dispenser assembly in a position when, during use, the at least two pieces of soap are stacked in the soap holder such that a top piece of soap of the at least two pieces of soap is the piece of soap that is closest to the biasing module and a bottom piece of soap of the at least two pieces of soap is the piece of soap that is closest to the knife-blade module, the pieces of soap having been stacked with a bottom surface or a top surface of one piece of soap interfacing with a top surface or bottom surface of another piece of soap stacked therewith.
In this description terms like substantially and about are used as an indication that small deviations from a value it pertains to are acceptable, such as for example deviations of 20% or less, such as 15% or less, or 10% or less of such value.
Figures 1A and 1B show a top view and a side view respectively of an embodiment of at least one piece of soap 10. The piece of soap 10 can be substantially ring shaped and comprises an inner opening 11, a peripheral surface 12, a top surface 13 and a bottom surface 14. The top surface 13 comprises a first locking profile 15 and the bottom surface 14 comprises a second locking profile 16. In the example shown, the locking profiles 15, 16 each comprise eight equally spaced sawteeth 18, each extending radially from the inner opening 13 to the peripheral surface 12. A sawtooth 18 should be understood as a profile comprising a first surface 15A, 16A connecting to a second surface 15B, 16B at a sharp angle α, wherein the second surface 15B, 16B extends substantially parallel to a central axis X - X of the piece of soap 10, extending perpendicular to the top and bottom surfaces 13, 14, whereas the first surface 15A, 16A slopes relative to said axis X - X and to said second surface 15B, 16B. In the embodiment shown the second surfaces 15B and 16B of sawteeth 18 on opposite sides of the piece of soap are preferably parallel to each other and more preferably are in a same plane W - W, extending through the axis X - X. Four such planes W - W are hence provided when eight saw teeth are used, crossing each other in the axis X - X.
Using at least two equally spaced sawteeth 18, preferably at least four equally spaced sawteeth 18 and more preferably at least eight equally spaced sawteeth 18 can help with a better stress distribution when at least two pieces of soap are rotationally coupled in at least one direction. However, it will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that any other number of sawteeth 18 can be used and any other shape as long as the at least two pieces of soap are rotationally coupled in at least one direction in use. In addition, it is clear to the person skilled in the art that the sawteeth 18 can also extend only partly over the radial distance between the inner opening 11 and the peripheral surface 12.
The peripheral surface 12 comprises a first alignment profile 17, which in this example is displayed as comprising two indentations 17A on opposite sides of the at least one piece of soap 10. The indentations 17A extend from the top surface 13 to the bottom surface 14 and are arranged such that, when in use and the at least one piece of soap 10 can be located in the soap holder 40, as will be described, the at least one piece of soap 10 can be rotationally coupled to the soap holder 40, to which end the soap holder 40 is provided with corresponding protrusions 44A protruding from a circumferential wall 41 of the soap holder 40 thereby forming the second alignment profile 44. It is appreciated by the person skilled in the art that any other number of indentations can be used, as well as any other form such as, for example, sawteeth or protrusions. In the embodiment shown the peripheral surface 12 is also provided with eight sawteeth 18 like profilings 12A, which are shown in positions corresponding with the sawteeth 18 of the top surface 13 and the bottom surface 14.
In the embodiment shown the top surface 13 is substantially identical to the bottom surface 14, and hence the first locking profile 15 is substantially identical to the second locking surface 16, such that the piece of soap 10 can be used in the orientation as shown in fig. 1B, which can be referred to as straight up position, or in an inverted position.
Furthermore, the distance D1 between the top surface 13 and the bottom surface 14 of the at least one piece of soap 10, measured parallel to the axis X - X can be substantially constant along the peripheral surface 12 at any radial location. The distance D1 can include the first 15 and second locking profile 16.
Figure 1C shows a stack 20 of two pieces of soap 10 described above. In the shown example, the first locking profile 15 of a lower first piece of soap 10A interfaces with the second locking profile 16 of an upper second piece of soap 10B placed on top thereof. The sawteeth 18 of the profiles 15, 16 interface with each other, and preferably fit snuggly against each other. The second surface 15A of the first locking profile 15 will engage the second surface 16B of the second locking profile 16, thus blocking rotation of the second piece of soap 10B relative to the first piece of soap 10A in said at least one direction. The interfacing first and second locking profiles 15, 16 thereby rotationally couple, in rotational direction R1, the first piece of soap 10A with the second piece of soap 10B. It should be clear to the person skilled in the art that, while only two pieces of soap 10A, B are shown in the stack 20, any number of pieces of soap 10 can be stacked, resulting in a stack 20 of at least two pieces of soap 10 that can be rotationally coupled in the direction R1.
In the shown example, the first locking profile 15, the second locking profile 16 and the first alignment profile 17 can be arranged, especially stacked, such that the indentations 17A of the first piece of soap 10A are aligned with the indentations 17A of the second piece of soap 10B and form indentations in the stack 20 extending from a top surface 13 of the uppermost piece of soap 10B of the stack 20 to a bottom surface 14 of the lowermost piece of soap 10A of the stack 20. This can allow for a more convenient placement of the pieces of soap in the soap holder.
Figs. 2 - 4 show the soap dispenser assembly comprising of a soap dispenser 30 for dispensing soap from a solid piece of soap 10. The soap dispenser 30 comprises a soap holder 40, a knife-blade module 50, and a biasing module 60. In the shown example, the soap dispenser 30 further comprises an electrically powered actuator 31 and a rechargeable energy source 32 arranged to provide the actuator 31 of electrical power. The actuator 31 can be arranged to, during use, rotate the soap holder 40. More preferably, the actuator 31 can be arranged to rotate the soap holder 40 over a preset rotational angle each time it is activated. This can result, during use, in a preset portion of soap scrapings during every use. In the presented example, the preset angle can be ensured by using one or more magnets 33 that can be embedded in the soap holder 40 and a Hall-sensor embedded in an outer housing 70. For example four such magnets 33 can be used, spaced apart over 90 degree angles, such that each time the actuator 31 is activated that soap holder will rotate over 90 degrees. It will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that other methods for ensuring a fixed rotational angle could be used, such as but not limited to time-based actuation or mechanical means.
The soap holder 40 can be arranged to contain at least two stacked pieces of soap 10 and comprises a circumferential wall 41, a bottom wall 72, a bottom opening 42 in the bottom wall 72 and a top opening 43. Preferably, the at least two pieces of soap 10 can form a stack 20 as previously described and depicted in the assembly of figure 1 and 3. The circumferential wall 41 can be preferably arranged to contain the at least two pieces of soap 10 such that, when the at least two pieces of soap 10 are present in the soap holder 40, the wall 41 substantially can interface with the at least two pieces of soap 10. The circumferential wall 41 can comprise a second alignment profile 44 arranged to interface, when at least one piece of soap 10 is present in the soap holder 40, with the first alignment profile 17, especially the indentations 17A. In the shown example, the second alignment profile 44 can comprise two radially equally spaced protrusions 44A, extending inwards. Furthermore, the protrusions 44A can be arranged to interface with the indentations 17A of the first alignment profile 17 to rotationally couple the at least one piece of soap 10 with the soap holder 40.
As discussed, preferably the pieces of soap 10 can be stacked such that the indentations 17A form a basically continuous indentation over the full height of the stack, measured along the axis X - X. The protrusions preferably have a height extending along the circumferential wall 41 which is at least similar to the height of the stacked pieces of soap 10, such that coupling between the protrusions 44A and indentations 17A will be maintained over the full height. More preferably the height of the protrusions 44A is slightly greater than the height of the stacked pieces of soap, such that a biasing plate 62 of the biasing module 60 can also interface with the protrusions 44A, in order to prevent rotation of the biasing plate relative to the soap holder 40. The biasing plate 62 can have indentations 17B similar to the indentations 17A in the pieces of soap 10. Thus the biasing plate 62 can be guided by the protrusions 44A over the height thereof when following a reduction of the height of the stacked pieces of soap when scraping soap from the bottom surface 14 of the lower most piece of soap.
The soap holder 40 can be rotationally connected to the knife-blade module 50, either directly or indirectly. A direct rotational connection means in this context a rotational connection that can comprise interfacing of the soap holder 40 and the knife-blade module 50, for example by having a guide element of the soap holder 40 interface with a slot in the knife-blade module 50 such that only a rotational movement is allowed. An indirect rotational connection means in this context a rotational connection that comprises an additional component that can facilitate the interfacing of the soap holder 40 and the knife-blade module 50, for example a bearing.
In the embodiment shown the knife-blade module 50 is provided in the soap holder 40 in the outer housing 70, whereas the soap holder is mounted by a bearing in the outer housing 70, such that the soap holder 40 can rotate around an axis X - X which coincides during use with the axis X - X of the stack 20 of pieces of soap 10. The knife blade module 50 is connected to a stump 73 of the outer housing 70, stationary, such that it does not move relative to the outer housing 70 and the soap holder 40 rotates around the knife-blade module 50. During use of the disclosed embodiment the pieces of soap 10 therefore slide in a rotating direction over the knife-blade module 50, which can to this end be provided with ridges or the like for reducing friction between the supporting module 50 and the lower most piece of soap 10.
The knife-blade module 50 comprises at least one blade 51 arranged to, when at least one piece of soap 10 or a remaining part thereof is present in the soap holder 40, to scrape the bottom surface 14 of the at least one piece of soap 10 upon rotation of the soap holder 40 relative to the knife-blade module 50. It will be understood that bottom surface 14 in this respect needs to be understood as including any surface facing the knife-blade module 50 during use, which may be a bottom surface of the remaining part of a piece of soap 10 after part of the piece of soap 10 has been scraped off. In the shown example, the at least one blade 51 is arranged such that, when at least one piece of soap 10 is present in the soap holder 40, the at least one blade 51 substantially radially extends from the inner surface 11 to the peripheral surface 12 of the at least one piece of soap 10, such that with the blade 51 soap can be scraped over the full width W of the ring shaped piece of soap 10. Furthermore, the at least one blade 51 can be placed at an angle A relative to the bottom surface 14 of the at least one piece of soap 10, when said piece of soap 10 is present in the soap holder 40. The angle A is preferably less than 70 degrees, for example less than 60 degrees, and is in the embodiment shown for example about 45 degrees. The angle A is preferably chosen such that soap is scraped off the surface of the piece of soap 10, without the blade 51 actually cutting into the piece of soap 10.
The at least one blade 51 can comprise a contact tip 52 that can interface with the bottom surface 14 of the at least one piece of soap 10, when a piece of soap 10 is present in the soap holder 40. The contact tip 52 can preferably be thin, for example less than 5mm, preferably less than 3mm, more preferably less than 2mm. It will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that the combination of angle A and thickness of contact tip 52 can be varied to ensure better scraping, slicing or grating of the bottom surface 14. Sub optimal scraping, slicing or grating performance can be understood as either getting too thick and granular shavings on one hand or a pasty substance on the other, while choosing a correct angle A and a sharp contact tip 52 can result in a thin and continuous soap flake.
In the embodiment shown the angle A is chosen such that the tip 52 faces into the direction of rotation of the soap holder 40. It will however be clear that the angle A could also be chosen differently, for example such that the blade is trailing in the direction of rotation, in which case the tip will be bent upward for scraping. In the embodiment shown the blade 51 is substantially straight and extends substantially radially between the inner and outer peripheries 11, 12 of the piece of soap 10. It will however be clear that the blade could also be formed and positioned differently, for example at an angle relative to the radial direction and/or non-straight, for example curved or undulated. Placing the blade at a small angle relative to the radial direction and/or using a non-straight blade could be advantageous when starting with a new piece of soap 10, in order to pass along the then present locking profile 15, 16, such as saw teeth as discussed.
To help facilitate retrieving the soap flakes from the soap dispenser 30, the soap dispenser 30 can comprise an opening 34 in the outer housing 70 located below the knife-blade module 50. Preferably the opening 34 can be in-line, preferably vertically in line, with the knife-blade module 50, such that the scraped off soap flakes can fall through the opening 34 when shaved off the at least one piece of soap 10 without interfacing any walls or other parts of the soap dispenser 30. If the soap flakes would interface, for example touch, any walls of the soap dispenser 30 they can stick instead of falling through the opening 34. This can result in a built up of soap flakes inside the soap dispenser 30 and can prevent the user from receiving any soap flakes or at least a sufficient amount thereof.
Preferably the opening 34 can be closed off when not dispensing soap, for example by a bottom part of the soap holder, or by a separate lid or other closure, which could be activated by the actuator 31 or mechanically, in a known manner. Preferably the closure is substantially water tight, such that the dispenser can also be used in wet environments, such as bathrooms and showers. To that end preferably also the outer housing 70 is substantially water tight.
The biasing module 60 can be arranged to, when the at least one piece of soap 10 is present in the soap holder 40, bias said piece of soap 10 towards the knife-blade module 50. Moreover, when a stack 20 of pieces of soap 10 is provided in the soap holder, the biasing module can also push the pieces of soap 10 against each other. Furthermore, the biasing module 60 comprises a biasing plate 62 with a third locking profile 61. The third locking profile 61 can be arranged to, when at least one piece of soap 10 is present in the soap holder 40, to interface with the first locking surface 15 or the second locking surface 16 of the piece of soap or an upper most piece of soap 10 of a stack 20 to rotationally couple the biasing module 60 and the at least one piece of soap 10 in the at least one direction R1. More specifically, in the example shown the biasing module 60 can comprise a pushing plate 62 that comprises the third locking profile 61, while the third locking profile 61 comprises a sawtooth profile 61A similar to or at least compatible with the profile of the first and/or second locking profile 15, 16. It should be clear to the person skilled in the art that the third locking profile 61 can also comprise other shapes than the sawtooth profile, such as protrusions / indentations, as long as they can interface with the relevant surface of a piece of soap 10.
As discussed before, the pushing plate 62 can comprise indentations 17B, similar to or identical to the indentations 17A in the pieces of soap 10, which indentations can slide over the protrusions 44A of the soap holder, thus preventing rotation of the pushing plate 62 relative to the soap holder 40, but allowing movement thereof in the axials direction X - X relative to said soap holder 40.
Furthermore, it is clear to the person skilled in the art that a pushing surface 62 is not required to rotationally couple the biasing module 60 to the at least one piece of soap 10, especially not when using a stack 20 of coupled pieces of soap 10.
In the shown example, the biasing module 60 can comprise a spring 63 that can be connected to or at least placed between a housing part of the soap dispenser 30 and the pushing surface 62. When the at least one piece of soap 10 is present in the soap holder the spring 63 can be compressed, which can cause for a bias of the pushing surface 62 towards the knife-blade module and thereby the at least one piece of soap 10, preferably the stack 20 towards the knife-blade module 50.
The biasing module 60 can be releasably connected to the soap holder 40, either directly or indirectly. Directly meaning in this context that biasing module 60 can be released, and attached, to the soap holder 40 without any other components. For example by providing a tight fit, a bayonet type of connection or a screw-connection. Indirectly meaning in this context that the biasing module 60 can be released, and attached, to the soap holder using additional components such as a mechanical lock or a magnet system. Allowing the biasing module 60 to be released from the soap holder 40 allows the user to place at least one piece of soap 10 in the soap holder 40, preferably a stack 20 of pieces of soap 10. By attaching the biasing module 60 afterwards to the soap holder 40, the at least one piece of soap 10 present in the soap holder can be biased towards the knife-blade module 50. Preferably, the third profile 61 of the biasing module 60 can be rotationally coupled to the soap holder 40 in the at least one direction R1. Doing so, for example by providing said indentations 61A in the pushing plate 62 and/or a substantially rigid biasing mechanism such as a stiff spring, can help during use with rotationally coupling the at least one piece of soap 10 present in the soap holder 40 to the soap holder 40.
With a dispenser 30 according to the disclosure at least two pieces of soap 10 can be stacked inside the soap holder 40. Thus during dispensing of soap, when the lower most piece of soap 10 is mostly dispensed and only has a limited height remaining, for example half the height or only little more than the height of the upper locking profile 16, the dispenser 30 can be opened and a new piece of soap 10 can be stacked on top of the remaining part of the lower most piece of soap 10 or any piece of soap 10 present on top thereof, after which the dispenser can be closed again. To this end the dispenser 30 can be provided with an indication mechanism which can indicate when a new piece of soap 10 can be placed.
The dispenser, especially the outer housing 70 can be provided with a lid 64 which can comprise, be part of and/or be provided over the biasing module 60. The lid 64 can close off the upper opening of the soap holder 40. The lid 64 can comprise or be connected to a center element, such as a hollow tube 45 which can during use extend through the center opening(s) 11 of the piece(s) of soap 10 inside the soap holder 40, and can for example lock into the outer housing 70 below the soap holder 40, for example by a bayonet mechanism, screw threads or a similar releasable connection. In embodiments the center element, such as the tube 45 can be released manually, freely by for example rotation and pulling upward the lid. In other embodiments the center element, such as the tube 45 can only be released by using a key, which can for example be introduced through the tube 45 in order to unlock a lock between the tube 45 and the housing 70. Thus theft of soap pieces 10 from the dispenser can be prevented.
In embodiments the dispenser assembly according to the disclosure can be provided with a wall mounting 70, with which the dispenser 30 can be mounted releasably to a wall or similar mounting surface. Again a lock can be provided, necessitating use of a key for releasing the dispenser from the wall mount. Electronic connectors, for example for charging a battery of the dispenser, can be positioned such in the dispenser that they are covered by the wall mount when the dispenser is mounted to the wall mount.
The dispenser preferably comprises a proximity sensor 71 in the housing 70, for example near the opening 34 in the housing 70, with which the activator can be activated for rotation of the soap holder 40 relative to the knife-blade module 50, for scraping soap from the lower most piece of soap 10 and dispensing this, for example into a hand held under the opening 34, which hand can activate the proximity sensor 71. This allows for a "no touch" dispensing of soap.
With a dispensing assembly according to the disclosure soap can be dispensed by rotation of the soap holder 40 with the (stacked) piece(s) of soap 10 inside the soap holder 40 relative to the knife-blade 51 around the axis X - X, the piece(s) of soap 10 being pushed against the knife blade 51, the biasing pushing plate 62 pushing against the piece(s) of soap 10. The knife blade 51 can in embodiments be a rasping blade. Obviously alternatively the knife blade can be moved, for example rotated around the axis X - X and/or moved up against the piece(s) of soap 10. The soap holder 40 can be designed to house more than two pieces of soap, for example three or more in a stacked configuration.
The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described here. Many variants are possible. For example, the at least one piece of soap 10 can be rectangular or multi angularly shaped and the orientation of the stack 20 might be different. In other embodiments, the soap holder might be rotated using physical force instead of an actuator. The locking profiles can be shaped differently, for example with more or less saw teeth or by providing castellation, undulation, press fitting elements or the like, which provide for locking and coupling in at least one direction of rotation, or in two opposite directions of rotation.
Such variants will be clear to the skilled person and are understood to fall within the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

A soap dispenser assembly comprising a soap dispenser and at least two pieces of soap;
wherein the at least two pieces of soap are substantially ring shaped and each comprises an inner opening, a peripheral surface, a top surface and a bottom surface; and

wherein the soap dispenser comprises a soap holder arranged to contain the pieces of soap in a stacked position, a knife-blade module and a biasing module; and

wherein the at least two pieces of soap are stacked, such that of each one of the at least two pieces of soap has at least a bottom surface engaging with a top surface of a piece of soap stacked next to it or a bottom surface or a top surface engaging with a bottom surface of a piece of soap stacked next to it,

wherein the top surface of an upper most piece of soap of the stacked pieces of soap interfaces with the biasing module; and

wherein the bottom surface of a lower most piece of soap of the stacked pieces of soap interfaces with the knife-blade module

wherein the peripheral surfaces of the at least two pieces of soap interface with the soap holder; and wherein:
of each piece of soap
- the peripheral surface comprises a first alignment profile;

- the top surface comprises a first locking profile;

- the bottom surface comprises a second locking profile;
and

- the soap holder comprises a second alignment profile;

- the biasing module comprises a third locking profile; and

wherein the first locking profile and the second locking profile are rotationally coupled in at least one direction; and

wherein the first alignment profile and the second alignment profile are rotationally coupled in the at least one direction; and

wherein the first locking profile and the third locking profile are rotationally coupled in the at least one direction; and

wherein the biasing module is arranged to bias the at least two pieces of soap towards the knife-blade module; and

wherein the knife-blade module comprises at least one blade arranged to scrape the bottom surface of the second piece of soap upon rotation of the soap holder with the at least two pieces of soap relative to the knife-blade module.
Soap dispenser assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first locking profile and second locking profile are sawtooth profiles, and wherein the sawtooth profile comprises at least two sawteeth on radially opposed locations of the top surface.
Soap dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the third profile is rotationally coupled to the soap holder in the at least one direction via the biasing module.
Piece of soap for a soap dispenser assembly, preferably the soap dispenser assembly according to claim 1, wherein the piece of soap is substantially ring shaped and comprises a circumferential surface, a top surface and a bottom surface; wherein:
- the circumferential surface comprises a first alignment profile;

- the top surface comprises a first locking profile;

- the bottom surface comprises a second locking profile;
wherein the first locking profile and second locking profile are arranged such that when at least two pieces of soap are stacked and the first locking profile of a first piece of soap interfaces with the second locking profile of a second piece of soap, the at least two pieces of soap are rotationally coupled in at least one direction; and

wherein the first alignment profile comprises at least one indentation into the circumferential surface, extending from the top surface to the bottom surface such that two pieces of soap can be stacked aligning the at least one indentation of a first one of the pieces of soap with the at least one indentation of the second one of the pieces of soap.
Piece of soap according to claim 4, wherein the first locking profile is a sawtooth profile, and wherein the sawtooth profile comprises at least two saw-teeth on radially opposed locations of the top surface.
Piece of soap according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the second locking profile is a sawtooth profile, and wherein the sawtooth profile comprises at least two sawteeth on radially opposed locations of the bottom surface.
Piece of soap according to any of the claims 4-6, wherein a distance between the top surface and the bottom surface is substantially constant along the circumferential surface.
Soap dispenser for dispensing soap from a solid piece of soap, wherein the soap dispenser comprises:
- a soap holder arranged to contain at least two pieces of soap and comprising a circumferential wall, a bottom opening and a top opening;

- a knife-blade module comprising at least one blade;

- a biasing module located near a top opening of the soap holder;

wherein the soap holder is rotationally connected to the knife-blade module such that the soap holder can rotate relatively to the knife-blade module; and

wherein the biasing module is arranged to, when at least one piece of soap is present in the soap holder, bias the piece of soap towards the knife-blade module and rotationally couple the piece of soap and biasing module in at least one direction; and

wherein the at least one blade is arranged to, when at least one piece of soap is present in the soap holder, scrape a surface of the piece of soap upon rotation of the soap holder relative to the knife-blade module.
Soap dispenser according to claim 8, wherein the biasing module comprises a pushing surface that comprises a sawtooth profile.
Soap dispenser according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the biasing module can be releasably connected to the soap holder.
Soap dispenser according to any of the claims 8-10, wherein the third profile is rotationally coupled to the soap holder in the at least one direction via the biasing module.
Soap dispenser according to any of the claims 8-11, wherein the soap dispenser comprises an opening located below and in-line with the knife-blade module arranged to, when a piece of soap is present in the soap holder and upon rotation of the soap holder, soap can fall through said opening.
Soap dispenser according to any of the claims 8-12, wherein the soap holder during use is rotatable via an electrically powered actuator.
Soap dispenser according to claim 10, wherein the electrically powered actuator is powered by a rechargeable energy source.
Soap dispenser according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the electrically powered actuator is arranged to rotate the soap holder over a preset rotational angle.
Method for filling a soap dispenser with at least two pieces of soap, preferably a soap dispenser assembly according to claim 1, the method comprising;
- placing a first piece of soap in a soap holder of a soap dispenser of the soap dispenser assembly such that a first alignment profile of the first piece of soap interfaces with a second alignment profile of the soap holder and thereby rotationally coupling the first alignment profile and the second alignment profile in at least one direction;

- placing a second piece of soap in the soap holder of the soap dispenser such that a first alignment profile of the second piece of soap interfaces with the second alignment profile of the soap holder thereby rotationally coupling the first alignment profile and the second alignment profile in the at least one direction, and that a first locking profile of the first piece of soap interfaces with a second locking profile of the second piece of soap rotationally coupling the first piece of soap and the second piece of soap in the at least one direction;

- placing a biasing module in the soap dispenser, comprising a biasing surface that comprises a third locking profile such that the third locking profile interfaces with the first locking profile of the second piece of soap such that the biasing surface is rotationally coupled to the second piece of soap in the at least one direction; and
whereby the biasing module biases the at least two pieces of soap towards a knife-blade module of the soap dispenser.