US3108695A

US3108695A - Article holder

Info

Publication number: US3108695A
Application number: US96810A
Authority: US
Inventors: Blanchard T Morris
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-03-20
Filing date: 1961-03-20
Publication date: 1963-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 1980-10-29

Description

oct. 29, 1963 B, T, MORRIS 3,108,695

ARTICLE HOLDER Filed March 20, 1961 JNVENToR. E LANuAQ| T. Moms United States Patent O 3,163,695 ARTICLE HUIDER Blanchard 'i'. Morris, 612 W. llth Terrace, Kansas City, Mo. Filed Mar. 2i), 1961, Ser. No. 96,810 2 Claims. (Cl. 2li- 55) This invention relates to holders for articles, and more particularly to such a supporting structure adapted to be mounted on a wall Withthe `article-receiving portionkpositioned outwardly therefrom and arranged to receive and engage portions of an article such as toothbrushes and the like.

It is desirable to have means in bathrooms and preferably located adjacent tothe lavatory for supporting toothbrushes and like articles in an easily accessible position. However, such permanent supporting devices as have been used in residences `are not suitable for use in hotel rooms or like accommodations for travelers or tourists due to the diiculty in maintaining surfaces thereof sanitary. Also, `a person is reluctant to have an article for personal use and cleanliness come in contact with surfaces which may have been used for iterrs of a number of previous occupants of the room, particularly where the article is a toothbrush or the like.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide Ya holder for toothbrushes and the like articles with a disposable portion providing the surfaces contacted by the article to be supported; to provide such a structure with a bracket portion adapted to be mounted 'on a Wall or other supporting structure with `an arm extending outwardly therefrom adapted to receive `a disposable articleengaging member; to provide such a structure wherein the toothbrush-receiving member is ilat whereby it is easily cut and shaped from flat stock of suitable paper or other inexpensive material for economical disposal and replacement after each use; to provide lsuch a structure wherein the arm portion of the support has a bifurcated outer portion or extension with resiliency therein whereby a stiff at sheet can be inserted therebetween and resiliently gripped to prevent laccidental displacement therefrom; to provide such a structure forming a mounting for the removable and replaceable member whereby it can be easily and readily removed yand a fresh member inserted; to provide a replaceable disposable yarticle support member in a cover or container to maintain said member sanitary, said cover Ibeing thin walled and separable whereby the covered member is insertable into the holder and said cover removed at the time it is to be used; to provide such a structure with a removable disposable member that is spaced from the wall and having openings for receiving handle portions of toothbrushes or the like to mount same with the bristle portion thereabove and out of Contact with `any other member to aid in maintaining a clean and sanitary condition; and to provide a holder for toothbrushes and like articles which is simple and eicient in structure and which is entirely sanitary with inexpensive removable disposable portions engaging the `article whereby a patron will have no hesitancy in placing his articles thereon.

Other objects :and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the yaccompanying drawings wherein are set forth by way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FlG. 1 is a perspective view of a holder embodying `the 3,108,695 Patented Oct. 29, 1963 lCC features of the present invention with toothbrushes supported thereon. v

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the disposable support member in a separable cover.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view through a holder bracket rand arm portion mounted on a Wall and a removable portion of the holder in spaced relation thereto before assembly thereof.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of thebr-acket and arm portion of the holder.

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view through the covered disposable member taken on the line 5 5, FIG. 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

The numeral l generally designates an article holder having a bracket portion 2 having an arm 3 extending therefrom and arranged to receive `and support a removable and replaceable member 4 adapted to receive articles 5 such as toothbrushes and the like to be supported. -In the structure illustrated, the bracket portion 2 is `a platelike member having spaced apertures 7 extending therethrough to receive attaching screws or other suitable fastening devices 8 for securing the plate-like member with a surface 9 thereof engaging a surface 10 of a wall or other object 1I. The plate-like member is illustrated as being circular for neatness of appearance. The arm 3 preferably extends axially outwardly from the bracket or plate-like member 2 at a right angle thereto. The arm 3 has an outer end portion or extension 12 for receiving 'the article-carrying member 4. In the illustrated structure,'the extension 12 carried by the arm 3 is integral therewith and consists of a reduced portion extending therefrom and bifurcated to provide la slot I3 between spaced substantially parallel fingers I4 which have resiliency normally biasing the fingers i4 inwardly to grip the member 4 when positioned in lthe slot 13. In the illustrated structure, the arm portion 3 is preferably cylindrical `and the bifurcated portion is also cylindrical terminating in -a generally conical end I5 whereby thel exposed surfaces are round and easily cleaned. The bracket member and arm may be made of `any suitable material, such as metal and the like, with the fingers I4 mounted to have resiliency or provide spring-like action. However, it is preferred that the bracket arm and parallel members or fingers 14- be made integral and of a suitable synthetic resin whereby it can be molded for economical production.

The removable replaceable member l is preferably formed of a fiat sheet of stiif paperboard or the like whereby it has rigidity to support articles. The member 4 is preferably, though not necessarily, made of paper such as a stilf waterproof heavy paperboard to retain its shape and have suicient strength to support the articles adapted to be positioned thereon. The slot I3 formed by the fingers Id is preferably arranged to have a slightly enlarged portion le at the outer ends thereof to facilitate insertion of the member 4 between the members or fingers I4. Intermediate the length of the fingers, the slot is normally of less width whereby the member 4 tends to spread the members 14 to provide a gripping action, and said slot terminates as at 17 in coplanar relation to the end I8 of the arm portion 3 whereby an edge I9 of'the replaceable member 4 Will engage the surface of the shoulder or end l to aid in positioning and holding the member i against accidental displacement. The structure is arranged whereby when the bracket is secured to a wall with the arm extending outwardly therefrom, the slot is horizontal whereby the plane of the flat plate-like member 4 is horizontal. The replaceable member 4 is preferably generally rectangular with the corners rounded as at 2t) and a plurality of recesses 21 are arranged along each side edge 22 and extend inwardly therefrom, said recesses each having an enlarged portion 23 spaced from the respective side edge 22 with a narrow neck or mouth 24 extending inwardly from the edge 22 to provide access for the recess to facilitate moving portions of an article therein, as later described. The replaceable member 4 is preferably arranged with each end portion identical with the other whereby the member 4 is reversible, making it immaterial which end is inserted into the slot between the bifurcated portions or fingers of the holder.

The arrangement of the member 4 is such that the portion 25 of the handle 26 of the toothbrush adjacent the bristle end 27 may be inserted through the mouth 24 to position the handle in the recess 2li with the bristle portion above the plate-like support removable member 4. Also, the recess 2i is of such size that the handle 26 may be inserted into the recess and dropped therethrough whereby the bristle portion 27 will engage the member 4 and rest thereon. The recesses are spaced from the bifurcated portion of the holder whereby the toothbrushes or articles supported will be supported entirely by the member 4 and will not come in contact with any other part of the support.

The replaceable and disposable support member 4 is preferably individually packaged in a protective cover or container 28. The cover or container 28 is formed of suitable thin walled impervious material such as plastic film, foil or paper coated with Wax, plastic or the like. However, it is preferred that the walls 29 of the cover 28 be readily scalable by heat or adhesive. In the structure illustrated the container or cover 23 is of heat sealable transparent plastic film having a thickness in the nature of 1/2 mil. As an example of such container the film may be in a tube form of suchsize that when sleeved over the support member 4 the cover will engage the side edges 22 and the opposite faces of the support member 4. The ends of the cover are sealed as at 3i) and 31 with one end portion being of such extension to form a tab 32. VThe cover or container is of suitable structure to have readily separable portions for removal from the support member 4. The separable portions may be provided by weakened lines, perforations or tear strips and may be at Iany suitable position. In the illustrated structure, the cover 28 has spaced weaken lines 3.3 and 34 extending longitudinally from end to end whereby the tab 32 may be gripped and pulled longitudinally to separate the cover on the adjacent weakened lines. The

separation lines

33 and 34 are preferably spaced apart slightly more than the width of the extension 12 whereby when the covered support is engaged in the slot 13, the cover can be separated on either or both sides of said extension without disturbing the portion of the cover in said slot.

In using a supporting device constructed and assembled as described, the bracket is secured to a wall whereby the arm 3 extends outwardly therefrom and the slot 13 is in a horizontal plane, a replaceable member 4 enclosed in its cover or container 28 and thereby a sanitary package, is positioned with the

separation lines

33 and 34 parallel to the extension and then said covered support member is inserted into the opening 16 to the slot 13 and moved longitudinally of the arm until the cover adjacent the edge 19 engages the end 18 of the arm 3, with the bifurcated portions or fingers 14 substantially equally spaced from the side edges 22 and between the

lines

33 and 34. The support member remains covered so a new patron can readily see it has not been used. Then the patron can grasp a tab 32 and pull same separating a side portion of the cover therefrom whereby removal Yof said side portion exposes a portion of the support member for use as in FIG. l. The patron can then take a toothbrush and insert the handle portion into a recess 21 whereby the bristle portion 27 rests on the upper surface 35 of the plate-like removable member 4. The brush can be removed and used and replaced as desired by the patron. The replaceable member 4 can be readily removed and replaced with a fresh member when desired, and when a dilerent patron is to occupy the room a fresh covered support plate member d is inserted in the bracket whereby the patrons toothbrush may be supported in an entirely sanitary manner without Contact with any portion of the support structure that would have been contacted by an article of another person. Also, the structure of the bracket and arm is such that the surfaces thereof may be readily cleaned whereby the entire structure will present a neat fresh appearance with a sanitary articlecontacting portion that a patron can use with confidence. The removable member 4 is of a structure whereby it can be die-cut from sheets of stiti paper for quantity production at low cost, yet providing a shape that is particularly sturdy to assure proper support of an article thereon.

It is to be understood that while l have illustrated and described certain forms of my invention, it is not to be limited Vto the specific forms or arrangements of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A holder for toothbrushes and like articles comprising, a bracket member adapted to be secured to a wall, an arm carried by said bracket member and extending outwardly therefrom, a pair of elongate resilient members on said arm and extending therefrom oppositely from the bracket in spaced substantially parallel relation providing an elongate opening therebetween extending from outer ends thereof, and a disposable support formed from a iiat sheet of inexpensive material, a thin walled cover enclosing said support to maintain same sanitary before use, said covered support having a thickness greater than the opening between the resilient members and being removably mounted between said resilient members whereby it is yieldably retained, said support having a size that certain edges are spaced from the resilient members, said support having article-receiving openings adjacent said certain edges and spaced from the resilient members, said cover having separation lines therein adjacent said resilient members for removal of cover portions from said support as it is held by said resilient members to expose article-receiving openings.

2. A holder for toothbrushes and like articles comprising, a bracket member having a round portion adapted to be secured to a wall and an integral arm extending axially outwardly therefrom at right angles thereto and terminating in an end remote from said round portion, said arm being generally cylindrical in shape, a generally cylindrical extension on said arm and extending axially outwardly from the end thereof and terminating in a pointed outer end, said extension having a slot extending from the outer end to the end of the arm and arranged in a horizontal plane to separate said extension into spaced elongate resilient fingers normally biased toward each other, a disposable support of flat sheet of inexpensive paper-like material, a thin walled impervious cover enclosing said support to maintain same sanitary before use, said covered support having a thickness greater than the slot between the resilient ngers and removably mounted therebetween whereby said resilient fingers grip said covered support, said support having a size whereby one edge engages the end of the slot adjacent the end of the arm and other edges are spaced from the extension, said support having a plurality of recesses adjacent side edges thereof with each having a restricted opening extending to said adjacent side edges for insertion of the handle of a toothbrush into the recesses with the bristle portion above the support and exposed to the atmosphere, said cover having separation lines spaced from the portion of the covered article support gripped by said fingers, and tabs on said cover adjacent said separation lines and adapted to be grasped and pulled to effect separation and removal of portions of the cover from said support as it is gripped by said fingers to expose the recesses in the mangas UNITED STATES PATENTS Kulling Ian. 14, 1947 6 Ornell Oct. 24, 195 Sinder Sept. 13, 1955 Beteridge May 26, 195g Ellot Dec. 8, 1959 Eliot Dec. 8, 1959 Jenkins Oct. 25, 196C

Claims

1. A HOLDER FOR TOOTHBRUSHES AND LIKE ARTICLES COMPRISING, A BRACKET MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO A WALL, AN ARM CARRIED BY SAID BRACKET MEMBER AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM, A PAIR OF ELONGATE RESILIENT MEMBERS ON SAID ARM AND EXTENDING THEREFROM OPPOSITELY FROM THE BRACKET IN SPACED SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL RELATION PROVIDING AN ELONGATE OPENING THEREBETWEEN EXTENDING FROM OUTER ENDS THEREOF, AND A DISPOSABLE SUPPORT FORMED FROM A FLAT SHEET OF INEXPENSIVE MATERIAL, A THIN WALLED COVER ENCLOSING SAID SUPPORT TO MAINTAIN SAME SANITARY BEFORE USE, SAID COVERED SUPPORT HAVING A THICKNESS GREATER THAN THE OPENING BETWEEN THE RESILIENT MEMBERS AND BEING REMOVABLY MOUNTED BETWEEN SAID RESILIENT MEMBERS WHEREBY IT IS YIELDABLY RETAINED, SAID SUPPORT HAVING A SIZE THAT CERTAIN EDGES ARE SPACED FROM THE RESILIENT MEMBERS, SAID SUPPORT HAVING ARTICLE-RECEIVING OPENINGS ADJACENT SAID CERTAIN EDGES AND SPACED FROM THE RESILIENT MEMBERS, SAID COVER HAVING SEPARATION LINES THEREIN ADJACENT SAID RESILIENT MEMBERS FOR REMOVAL OF COVER PORTIONS FROM SAID SUPPORT AS IT IS HELD BY SAID RESILIENT MEMBERS TO EXPOSE ARTICLE-RECEIVING OPENINGS.