Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1 The pr~scnt inventio~ relates to so~p holclcrs which
are used to hold bars of soap adjacent wash basins and,
more particularly, to a 50ap holder which can be actuated,
wllen desired, in order to dispense or discharge the bar
of soap into the hand of the user.
Hitherto, soap holders have typically co.nprised
a tray, dish or similar receptacle for retaining a bar
of soap in a desired position. When a user picks up a
bar of soap from such a receptacle if often occurs that
the persons finger nails, particularly when the person
has long nails, dig into the soap, with the result
that soap is lodged under the nails or even breaks
long nails. This is at least inconvenient and the soap
can be difficult to remove.
An objcct of the present invention is to provide
a soap holder which overcomes or alleviates the above-
mentioned problems.
To tkis end, the invcntion consists in a soap
holder comprising, in combination:-
a) a tray-like member having a base part for
holding a bar of soap on one surface thereof,
b) means for mounting said tray-like member in
a generally horizontal position projecting from back
to front of said soap holder and with said base part
surface facing upwardly,
c) push me;ans located closely above said base
part surface of snid tray-lilce member,
d) me~ns mounting said push means for recipro-
cating movement between a rest position at the baclc of
said tray-like mcmber and the front thereof, and
e) actuating means located below said tray-like
member and adapted to move said push means,
f) said actuating means bcing operable to advance
said pu~sh means to-~ards said front of said tr~y to
dispense said bar of soap from s~id front thereof,
.
2~5(1
-1a-
1 whereby said bar can be delivered into the palm of a
user's hand operating said actuating means.
Hence, a user does not have to use his or heI
fingers to pick up the bar of soap and thus the problems
mentioned above are avoided.
Conveniently, the actuating means is a h3nd-
opercated member. It may be connected to the push means,
such as a flat bar or like member~ arranged to push
the soap off the tray-like member, when the hc~nd-operated
mcmber is actuate!d.
The hand-operated member and push member may be
pivotally mounted~ on a common, subst~ntially horizontal
axis. In one embodiment, the hand-operated member and
push m~mber are s;upported by means pivotally mounted on
s~
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the holder above the tray-like member, whereby the hand-
operated member can be pulled by the fingers of a person's
hand to cause the push member to push the soap off the
tray-like member and into the palm of the hand.
The soap holder may be adapted to facilitate
securing to a wall above a basin.
In order that the present invention may be more
readily understood, reference will now be made to the
accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment
of soap holder according to the invention, and
E'igure 2 i5 a cross-sectional view of the holder
of ~igure 1 taken on the line II-II.
~eferring to the drawings, a soap holder 1 com-
15 prises a tray-like member 2 which extends forwardly from
a rear wall 3 of the holder. The tray-like member 2 has
a base 4 for locating a bar of soap 5,an open front 2a,
and side walls 6, 7. Lugs 8, 9 pro~ect forwardly from
opposite sides of the rear wall at the upper end thereof.
Vertically extending support arms 10, 11 are mounted on
the lugs 8, 9 to pivot about a hori~ontal axis 12 by
means of pivot pins 13.
The sul)port arms 10, 11 extend down past the
outsides of the opposite side walls 6, 7 of the tray-like
member. A flat hand-operated member 14 extends between
the lower ends of the support arms 10, 11 so as to be
located below the tray-like member, and a flat push
member 15 extends between the support arms at a region
just above the base 4 of the tray-like member. 'l'he push
member 15 includes transverse recesses or cut-out portions
16 at its opposite ends to accommodate the side walls 6,
7 of the tray-like member.
'l'he push member 15 extends between the rear edges
of the support arms 10, 11 and in its rest or inoperative
position is located adaacent the front surface of the
rear wall 3 of the tr,ay-like member. The hand-operated
member 14 extends between the front ed~es of the support
.
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arms and is thus located both below and in front of the
push member 15.
The base 4 of the tray-like member is generally
of concave form and slopes downwardly from the open
front 2a towards the rear wall 3O rhis construction
prev~nts the bar of soap accidently slipping off the front.
A pair of ridges 17 extending parallel to the side walls
6, 7 are provided in the base 4 of the tray-like member -
for supporting the bar of soap 5. ~rain apertures 18
are provided in the bise towards the rear of the tray-
like member so that residual water off of the soap can
drain from the tray-like member. A curved wall 2~ ext-
ends ~cross the underside of the tray-like member 2
between the support arms 10,11 and depends from the front
15 of the apertures 18 such that water passing through the
apertures can drain down the convex rear surface oL the
wall 2~. 'rhus 1;1IC tray-li kc member i S sclf-drainlng.
In use, the soap holder 1 is mounted on a wall 19
above ~ wash basin (not shown) by means of a batten or
the like 20 which is secured to the wall by screws2~ and
has an upper pro,jection 21 over which the rear wall 3 is
hooked. ~hen the bar of soap 5 is to be used, a person
engages the back of the hand-operated member 14 with the
fingers of ~ne harld, with the palm facing up, and pulls
25 the hand-operated member forward. 'rhis causes the support
arms lU,ll to pivot about the horizontal pivot axis 12
and the push member 15 to be moved forwardly and push the
soap o~f the front of the tray-like member 2 into the palm
of the user's halld.
rl`he support arms may return to theil initial
vertical positions under the action of gravity or,
alternatively, they may be returned manually.
Whilst a partic-llar embodiment of the invention
has been describ~d, it will be understood that various
35 modifications may be made without departing from the scope
of the invention.
