US20030189126A1

US20030189126A1 - Toilet paper holder

Info

Publication number: US20030189126A1
Application number: US10/117,231
Authority: US
Inventors: Joseph Hale
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-04-08
Filing date: 2002-04-08
Publication date: 2003-10-09

Abstract

A toilet paper holder that utilizes two appendages between the two supporting arms in lieu of the rods or bars. The appendages are positioned in the front portions of the supporting arms and face each other creating a void area between them The appendages rotate upward approximately 90 degrees, held in tension by a coil spring, as a roll of toilet paper is placed beneath and between the tip ends of the appendages and moved upward. To remove or replace, the roll of paper is moved upward as the appendages snap back to their horizontal positions.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A nuisance to many and even more of a problem to the physically challenged, the elderly and the young is the common day event of placing and replacing rolls of toilet paper when using the commonly available toilet paper holders. They are also time consuming to those for whose work involves maintaining large numbers of bathrooms and toilet facilities.

Though other toilet paper holders achieve the functional objective, namely, to hold a roll of tissue, it would be more desirable and preferable to have a toilet paper holder that eliminates or reduces the level of nuisance and time consumption.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a common everyday item, the toilet paper holder. Existing conventional toilet paper holder utilizes a rod (or bar) which is placed between two supporting arms through which the roll of tissue is positioned. Placing and replacing the roll of tissue can be a nuisance to many and even more of a problem, especially for the physically challenged, the elderly and the young. Also it is time consuming for those workers engaged in the task of maintaining large numbers of bathrooms and other toilet facilities that include placing and replacing rolls of tissue.

This invention reduces or eliminates the level of nuisance and time consumption by eliminating the rod or bar and instead relies upon appendages that are located at each end of the supporting arms. The roll of tissue is slid between two separated appendages until they rotate upward and snap into the center of a roll of toilet paper. At this point the user is able to use the toilet paper holder as the roll of tissue rotate around the two appendages. To replace or to remove the roll, the user lifts the roll upward as the appendages rotate and allow the roll of tissue to be removed. The appendages return to their original horizontal positions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIGS. 1A and 1B show two supporting arms each with an appendage on each of the arms. Wall brackets, screws and expander or sleeves are shown and used to position the toilet paper holder onto a wall or other surface. [0005]
FIG. 2A shows one of the two supporting arms with an appendage. [0006]
FIG. 2B shows an appendage. [0007]
FIG. 2C shows an appendage in a sectional view as encased in its housing with a coil spring around a shaft which starts and ends outside the housing. [0008]
FIG. 2D shows the appendage after it has rotated upwards and held in tension by a coil spring. [0009]
FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of one of the two supporting arms with an appendage after it has rotated upwards. The supporting arm and the appendage on the left shown are for the right side. The left side with its appendage extended to the right (not shown) operates identically as described for FIG. 3. [0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1A and 1B show generally the components of the toilet paper holder. The supporting [0011] arms 1,1 a house the appendages 2, 2 a in their front portions 3,3 a. The back portions 4,4 a of the supporting arms are round.
A user will position the supporting arms to a wall, securing them over the [0012] brackets 5,5 a which are affixed to the wall by means of screws 6,6 a, 6 b, 6 c and when necessary utilizing screw expanders or sleeves 7,7 a, 7 b, 7 c.
The round back [0013] portions 4,4 a of the supporting arms are placed over the brackets 5,5 a and the supporting arms are tightened with a screw 8, (8 a not shown) located round the rim of the back portions of the supporting arms.
FIG. 1A is the left side while FIG. 1B is the right side. When the two supporting arms are positioned to a wall they will be approximately 17.5 cm from each other as measured from the top center of the [0014] round back portions 4,4 a of the supporting arms 1, 1 a.
When properly installed there will be approximately a 6.8 cm separation between the tip ends of the [0015] appendages 2,2 a.
FIG. 2A shows the right side FIG. 1B of the two supporting arms with its appendage. [0016]
FIG. 2B shows an [0017] appendage 2,2 a and shows the aperture 9, for the shaft 12 around which the coil spring 11 is positioned.
FIG. 2C shows an appendage in a sectional view as encased in its [0018] housing 10, with a coil spring 11 around a shaft 12 that starts and ends outside the housing after going through the appendage 2B.
FIG. 2D shows the [0019] appendage 13, after it has been rotated upwards against the tension created by the coil spring 14 around the shaft 15.
FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of the right side of the two supporting arms and the location of the appendage within the hollow supporting arm that is fused to the supporting arm. [0020]
The object of the toilet paper holder is to place or replace a roll of toilet paper for use with ease. [0021]
Once the supporting arms FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B with their [0022] appendages 2,2 a are properly positioned onto a wall, the two appendages face each other horizontally. The user positions a roll of toilet paper, which is generally 11.5 cm wide, just beneath and between the two appendages and slides the roll upward. This movement rotates the two appendages upwards approximately 90 degrees until they snap into the center tube of the roll and the appendages return to their original horizontal position. The roll of toilet paper is thus supported on the tip ends of the appendages. The toilet paper rotates easily around the appendages.
To replace or to remove the roll of toilet paper, the roll is moved upward until the two appendages rotate up about 90 degrees allowing the roll of tissue to be easily removed while the appendages snap down to their original horizontal position [0023]
With the exception of the brackets, coil spring and the screws, which made of metal, all other component parts of the toilet paper holder are made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) material. [0024]
Other commonly used toilet paper holders utilize a rod or a bar between the two supporting arms to support a roll of toilet paper. The rod or bar is usually two pieces, which are concentric and cylindrical in shape with a spring mechanism within them. The user needs to squeeze the two pieces to remove it from its supporting arms and then slips a roll of paper through the rod or bar before returning it into the receptacles located on the supporting arms. In this process the two pieces of the rod or bar often separate and the spring within has the tendency to fall out. The common day event of placing and replacing rolls of toilet paper is a nuisance to many and even more of a problem to the physically challenged, the elderly and the young. It is also a time consuming process to those whose work involve maintaining large numbers of bathrooms and toilet facilities. [0025]
It is to be noted that other modifications with respect to dimensions and materials as described may occur without deviating from the basic intent of the invention. [0026]

Claims

I claim:

1. A toilet paper holder comprising of:

two supporting arms which are secured to a wall by means of brackets and screws at the back portion and

two appendages which are located in the front portion of the supporting arms and which are encased in housings positioned and fused within the hollow supporting arms and rotate approximately 90 degrees upward while held in tension by means of coil springs that are rolled over shafts and which pierce the appendages from points outside the housings.

2. The toilet paper holder according to claim 1, wherein two supporting arms and two appendages which are encased in their housing and fused within the hollow front portions of the supporting arms and which are held in tension by a coil spring positioned over a shaft located within the appendages, rotate upward approximately 90 degrees as a roll of toilet paper is moved upward beneath and between the two appendages until it is supported by the tip ends of the appendages which have snapped back to their original horizontal positions.

3. The toilet paper holder according to claim 2, wherein the two appendages located in the front portions of the supporting arms which face each other do not touch each other nor extend the length of the distance between to the supporting arms.

4. The toilet paper holder according to claim 3, wherein the appendages are in horizontal positions as they protrude from the front portions of the supporting arms are in housings fused within the hollow supporting arms.

5. The toilet paper holder according to claim 4,wherein the appendages with their coil springs positioned around shafts pierce from points outside the housing and through the appendages.

6. The toilet paper holder according to claim 5,wherein the appendages rotate upward approximately 90 degrees because of the coil springs which create the required tension and which also return the appendages to their horizontal position after completion of their upward movement.