Dispenser

Abstract

A dispenser backplate (16, Fig.1) comprises an exterior surface, wherein a portion of the exterior surface comprises a raised profile 28 configured for alignment within a recessed portion of a wall-mo

Description

Technical field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing items, fluids or gels, and more particularly to a dispenser that can be releasably attached to a planar surface. Background to the Invention In certain clinical settings and institutions (such as psychiatric wards, prisons and hospitals), it is desirable (and often necessary) to avoid the use of equipment or fixtures which could be used as a ligature point. It is also often necessary to minimise or eliminate the use of equipment that could be used as a weapon. Although it is known to use magnets to attach objects (e.g. equipment) to fixtures (such that the object breaks away from the fixture when a sufficient force is applied, thereby mitigating the risk of the equipment being used as a ligature point), the object itself can then pose a weapons risk, particularly if large, heavy and / or made of brittle materials. Moreover, the object itself may be intentionally damaged in order to gain access to its contents or other internal parts which may be harmful if ingested or otherwise used inappropriately. The present invention aims to address, or at least mitigate, some of the above issues. Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a back plate for a wall-mounted object, comprising an exterior surface, wherein a portion of the exterior surface comprises a raised profile configured for alignment within a recessed portion of a wall-mounted plate, wherein the portion of the exterior surface comprises at least one magnetic element, wherein the magnetic element is secured within the back plate during the moulding of the back plate, and wherein the back plate further comprises attachment means for securing the back plate to an object, such that the object can be secured to a wall-mounted plate having at least one counterpart magnetic element. The protruded portion is preferably unitary with the exterior surface to form an unbroken exterior surface. Alternatively, the magnetic elements may be visible on the exterior surface. The raised portion / protrusion is preferably substantially oval-shaped with a planar top surface. Preferably, the back plate is made of a plastics material. Preferably, the at least one magnetic element is comprised within a planar metallic portion having at least one hole through which the plastic of the back plate can flow during the moulding process. According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a dispenser comprising a back plate, the back plate comprising an exterior surface, wherein a portion of the exterior surface comprises a raised profile configured for alignment within a recessed portion of a wall-mounted plate, wherein the portion of the exterior surface comprises at least one magnetic element, wherein the magnetic element is secured within the back plate during the moulding of the back plate, and wherein the back plate further comprises attachment means for securing the back plate to an object, such that the object can be secured to a wall-mounted plate having at least one counterpart magnetic element. The dispenser may further comprise a front portion which can be releasably attached to the back plate. The dispenser is preferably further to house an item or liquid to be dispensed. The front portion comprises a transparent section. Optionally, the front portion further comprised a locking mechanism for locking the front portion to the back plate. The front portion may be substantially cuboid and comprises rounded corners. Brief description of the drawings Fig 1 is a profile view of a dispenser; Fig 2 is a view of the upper surface of the dispenser of fig 1; Fig 3 is a view of the lock of the dispenser as shown in fig 2; Fig 4 is a view of the inside of the dispenser of fig 1 showing a pump and liquid soap holder; Fig 5 is a view of the internal surface of the back plate of the dispenser of fig 1; Fig 6 is a view of the external surface of the back plate of the dispenser of fig 1; Fig 7 is a schematic of the external surface of a back plate of a dispenser; Fig 8 is a series of schematics of a back plate of a dispenser; Fig 9 is a series of schematics of a back plate of a dispenser; Fig 10 is a diagram of part of a back plate of a dispenser; Fig 11 is a cut-away view of part of a back plate of a dispenser Fig 12 are views of a back plate according to an alternative embodiment; and Fig 13 are schematics of the back plate of fig 12. Detailed description A dispenser 10 is shown in Fig 1. Dispenser 10 comprises a front portion 16 configured to hold a liquid or gel to be dispensed. Although the invention will generally be described with reference to a soap or gel dispenser, it will be appreciated that the invention described herein is also applicable to other types of dispensers used for dispensing items such as tissues, gloves, aprons etc. Front portion 16 and back plate are releasably secured together via attachment means generally known in the art. Front portion 16 is generally cuboid in shape with rounded edges to mitigate its risk of harm should the dispenser be detached from a wall (as will be described below) and used as a weapon. Front portion 16 is configured to house the liquid or gel to be dispensed (by pushing tab 14 to activate pump 26, as discussed below). Front portion 16 also comprises transparent portion 18 to allow the level of liquid or gel that remains in dispenser 10 to be seen. It may be desirable to avoid completely refilling housing 24 with the fluid or gel to be dispensed to limit the amount of fluid or gel that can be accessed should the back plate and front portion be broken apart. Transparent portion 18 thus allows the amount of fluid or gel in housing to be assessed to determine when it may be appropriate to top up the amount of fluid or gel in housing 24. As shown in figures 2 and 3, back plate 16 and front portion 12 can be locked together using locking mechanism 22. Locking back plate 16 and front portion 12 together inhibits access to the contents of the dispenser, which may be of particular importance in some institutional settings. Figure 4 shows housing 24 for the liquid or gel and pump 26. Advantageously, pump 26 is in integral unit such that it cannot easily be broken. Figure 5 shows the internal surface of back plate 16 including protrusions 10 which engage with the rear of the pump 16 to aid a secure fit to front portion 12. The exterior surface of back plate 16 is shown in figures 6, 7 and 8. Back plate 16 comprises a raised or protruding portion 28. As can be seen from figure 11 at least, raised portion / protrusion 28 may be a thicker portion of back plate 16. The shape of raised portion 28 is shown as oval although it can be other shapes, depending on the number and size of magnets and the weight and shape of the dispenser. Raised portion 28 has a planar top surface and is configured to sit within a recess of a plate (not shown) which is secured to a wall or other planar surface, such that the location of the magnetic elements in back plate 16 couple with magnets which are coupled to or incorporated within the wall-mounted plate. The magnetic attachment between the back plate 16 and wall-mounted plate is sufficient to hold the back plate (with attached dispenser) to the wall, but cannot be used a ligature point, since the application of a force on the dispenser over a threshold will cause the back plate and dispenser to break away from the wall-mounted plate. One or more magnetic elements 30 are shown in figures 9, 10 and 11. With particular reference to figure 11, magnetic elements 31 are comprised within plate 30. Plate 30 comprises a series of holes. Back plate 16 is molded 'around' plate 30 such that plate 30 and magnetic elements 31 are completely embedded with back plate 16 such that plate 30 and magnetic elements 31 are not visible either from the exterior or interior surface of back plate 16 and cannot be accessed, even if back plate 16 is bent, sawn, smashed, etc. Due to the embedded magnetic elements, the exterior surface of back plate 16 is unitary and unbroken, thereby making it easy to clean. In an alternative embodiment, plate 30 is partially embedded within back plate 16, as shown in figures 12 and 13. From reading the present disclosure, other variations and modifications will be apparent to the skilled person. Although the appended claims are directed to particular combinations of features, it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure of the present invention also includes any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalisation thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as does the present invention. Features which are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable sub combination. The applicant hereby gives notice that new claims may be formulated to such features and / or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present application or of any further application derived therefrom. For the sake of completeness it is also stated that the term "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, the term "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality, and reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A back plate for a wall-mounted object, comprisingan exterior surface, wherein a portion of the exterior surface comprises a raised profile configured for alignment within a recessed portion of a wall-mounted plate,wherein the portion of the exterior surface comprises at least one magnetic element, wherein the magnetic element is secured within the back plate during the moulding of the back plate, andwherein the back plate further comprises attachment means for securing the back plate to an object, such that the object can be secured to a wall-mounted plate having at least one counterpart magnetic element.

2. The back plate of claim 1, wherein the protruded portion is unitary with the exterior surface to form an unbroken exterior surface.

3. The back plate of preceding claim, wherein the protruded portion is substantially oval-shaped.

4. The back plate of preceding claim, wherein the back plate is made of a plastics material.

5. The back plate of preceding claim, wherein the at least one magnetic element is comprised within a planar metallic portion having at least one hole through which the plastic of the back plate can flow during the moulding process.

6. A dispenser comprising a back plate according to any of claims 1 to 5.

7. The dispenser of claim 6, further comprising a front portion for releasably securing the backplate thereto.

8. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein the front portion is configured to house an item or liquid tobe dispensed.

9. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein the front portion comprises a transparent section.

10. The dispenser of any of claims 6-9, further comprising a locking mechanism to lock the frontportion to the back plate.

11. The dispenser of any of claims 7-10, wherein the front portion is substantially cuboid andcomprises rounded corners.T +44(0)30 0300 2000Search report under Section 17 of the Patents Act 1977Application No.: GB2414567.4Claims searched: 1-11Date search completed: 2 April 2026International classificationSubclass and subgroup Valid from A47G29 / 087 01 / 01 / 2006 A47K10 / 24 01 / 01 / 2006 A47K10 / 32 01 / 01 / 2006 A47K10 / 42 01 / 01 / 2006 A47K5 / 12 01 / 01 / 2006Field of searchWorldwide search of patent documents classified in the following areas of the IPC:A47K, A47G, B05BDatabases used in the preparation of this search report:SEARCH-PATENTDocuments considered to be relevantPatent literatureCategory Relevant to claims Document of relevance X 1-11 GB 2619525 A (BALCO GLOBAL LTD) - See description page and claim 3, See Figs 1-3 showing dispenser 40 with back plate with exterior surface including raised oval -shaped portion with magnetic element 30 and wall-mounting plate 10 with magnetic recessed portion 12 to correspond with raised portion 30, the wall mounting portion having magnets embedded within the moulded plastic (see description page 3 paragraph 5) X 1-11 US 2017225875A1 (SCHLAUPITZ et al.) - Figures 1 and 2 showingT +44(0)30 0300 2000complementary convex part 70 and concave part 80, both being magnetic with magnetic element integral to mounting bracket. A - GB 2601739 A (BALCO GLOBAL LTD) - Figure 1-4 A - US 2007257058 A1 (OPHARDT et al.) - Figure 3 dispenser with magnet secured within the back plate A - US 2005056655 A1 (GARY) - Magnetic surface mounting holder comprising embedded magnet 40 within moulded plastic backplate 48, Figs 4 and 5. A - US 2002074353 A1 (LEWIS et al.) - Figures 2 and 3 showing wall-mounted dispenser 10 with backplate 18 configured to inter-engage with wall-mounting plate 58Non-patent literatureCategory Relevant to claims Document of relevance X 1-11 (BALCO GLOBAL LTD), 21 / 03 / 2023, YouTube (RTM) video title 'How to Install a Balco Mounting Plate to make your dispensers Anti-Ligature in Under 2 Minutes!' dated 21 March 2023, https: / / www.youtube.com / watch?v=vcXM6jjA4vM, (BALCO GLOBAL LTD) YouTube (RTM) video title 'How to Install a Balco Mounting Plate to make your dispensers AntiLigature in Under 2 Minutes!' dated 21 March 2023. Accessed via webpage https: / / www.youtube.com / watch?v=vcXM6jjA4vM on 02 April 2026. See Particularly still image at 1minute 36 seconds showing dispenser back plate with rivet attached raised profile containing magnets being configured to align with recess in wall-mounting plate, where the wall-mounting plate has incorporated magnets within the plastic moulding.CategoriesLetter or symbol Description X Document indicating lack of novelty or inventive step.T +44(0)30 0300 2000Letter or symbol Description Y Document indicating lack of inventive step, if combined with another document of the same category. & Member of the same patent family. A Document indicating technological background. P Document published on or after the priority date but before the filing date of the present application. E Earlier application published on or after the filing date of the present application.

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