Housingless Soap Dispenser Structure for Stable Above-Counter Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing disposable liquid soap dispensers are cumbersome and prone to mechanical failure due to their design, requiring users to bend and having multiple moving parts, and often necessitate a costly fixed housing member.
Innovation Solution
A housingless liquid soap dispenser with a chamber, a manual pumping device, and a discharge tube that is above-counter mountable and replaceable, utilizing a shoulder that abuts a planar support surface to transmit user force without needing a separate housing, allowing for easy manipulation and replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a fixed housing member is used to support the dispensing unit, then structural stability is improved, but cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the fixed housing member from the dispensing unit, extracting only the essential functional components (chamber, pumping device, discharge tube) and relying on the shoulder-to-surface abutting relation for support. This eliminates unnecessary structural elements while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispensing unit is segmented into distinct functional components (chamber, shoulder, neck portion, pumping device, discharge tube) that can operate independently. The shoulder serves as a separate support interface element, allowing the unit to be mounted without a comprehensive housing structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple moving parts are included in the dispensing mechanism, then dispensing functionality is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to mechanical failure
Solution Approach 1:
The manual pumping device is designed to be operated directly by the user without requiring additional mechanical linkages or actuating mechanisms. The user's manual operation directly drives the pumping action, eliminating intermediate moving parts that could fail.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the reservoir is replaced by bending below the sink, then soap replacement is achieved, but user comfort deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The chamber is designed with an elongated vertical configuration that allows it to be inserted through an aperture in the countertop from above. This vertical insertion approach eliminates the need to bend below the sink, as the replacement action occurs in the vertical dimension rather than requiring horizontal access beneath the sink.
4Quantity of substance
If the chamber length is increased to maximize soap retention, then soap capacity is improved, but ease of manipulation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The chamber dimensions are optimized with specific parameters: elongated length (up to 55 cm) for capacity, controlled width (28-45 mm) for maneuverability, and a shoulder diameter (40-60 mm) that provides sufficient support surface area. These parameter changes balance soap retention capacity with ease of manipulation and installation.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a housingless liquid soap dispenser, comprising: a) an elongated chamber in which liquid soap is contained, wherein the length of the chamber is at least 25 cm and its width or diameter is ranging from 28-45 mm; b) a shoulder protruding laterally from the chamber at an upper end thereof; c) a neck portion extending upwardly from the shoulder; d) a manual pumping device fitted on top of the neck portion and in fluid communication with the chamber; and e) a discharge tube extending from the pumping device for dispensing a dose of liquid soap from the chamber. The shoulder has a slanted profile for enhancing the stability of the dispenser after its installation in removable abutting relation with, but not coupled to, a planar support surface of a countertop or a sink, such that the shoulder rests on top of the support surface while the chamber is inserted by a maximum extent through an aperture formed in the support surface.