Toilet Paper Styled Wet Wipe Cartridge and Dispenser

Abstract

A two-roll toilet paper dispenser promotes sanitary cleanliness in private and public restrooms by dispensing both dry toilet paper and wet toilet paper-style wipes. A wet wipe cartridge fits in one of the two chambers of a conventional commercial two-roll toilet paper dispenser to convert the two-roll toilet paper dispenser into a wet and dry toilet paper dispenser. The wet and dry toilet paper dispenser offers both the cleaning agent of the wet wipe and the comforting feeling of a dry wipe. The wet wipe cartridge is preferably retrofit for a two-roll toilet paper dispenser that is already in place. The wet wipe cartridge is sealed when not in use to prevent the wet wipes from drying out. A sealable opening on the cartridge allows access to wet wipes while keeping the cartridge sealed when not in use.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wet wipe cartridge comprising:
 a cartridge container defining an interior compartment formed inside the cartridge container;   a plurality of wet wipes located in the interior compartment of the cartridge container; and   a cartridge cover on the cartridge container covering a cartridge opening in the cartridge container, wherein the cartridge opening is reversibly sealable by the cartridge cover such that with the cartridge cover in a closed position, the internal compartment is sealed water-tight from an environment outside the wet wipe cartridge, and with the cartridge cover in an opened position, the cartridge opening provides access to at least one of the plurality of wet wipes;   wherein the wet wipe cartridge is sized and shaped to fit in a first chamber of a toilet paper dispenser sized and shaped to receive a dry toilet paper roll and defined by a dispenser housing.   
     
     
         2 . The wet wipe cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the dry toilet paper roll is a commercial toilet paper roll. 
     
     
         3 . The wet wipe cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the dry toilet paper roll is a household toilet paper roll. 
     
     
         4 . The wet wipe cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the cartridge container has a central opening to receive a dowel of the toilet paper dispenser for receiving the dry toilet paper roll. 
     
     
         5 . The wet wipe cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wet wipes is a continuous roll of perforated wet wipes around a central axis. 
     
     
         6 . The wet wipe cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the cartridge cover is hingedly rotatable with respect to the cartridge container between the opened position and the closed position and biased toward the closed position. 
     
     
         7 . The wet wipe cartridge of  claim 1 , wherein the cartridge cover is slidable with respect to the cartridge opening between the opened position and the closed position and biased toward the closed position. 
     
     
         8 . A wet and dry toilet paper dispenser comprising:
 a dispenser housing defining a first chamber sized to fit a first dry toilet paper roll and having a first chamber opening to provide access to the first dry toilet paper roll in the first chamber and a second chamber sized to fit a second dry toilet paper roll and having a second chamber opening to provide access to the second dry toilet paper roll in the second chamber;   a wet wipe cartridge located in the first chamber, the wet wipe cartridge comprising:
 a cartridge container defining an interior compartment formed inside the cartridge container; 
 a plurality of wet wipes located in the interior compartment of the cartridge container; and 
 a cartridge cover on the cartridge container covering a cartridge opening in the cartridge container, wherein the cartridge opening is reversibly sealable by the cartridge cover such that with the cartridge cover in a closed position, the internal compartment is sealed water-tight from an environment outside the wet wipe cartridge, and with the cartridge cover in an opened position, the cartridge opening provides access to at least one of the plurality of wet wipes; 
 wherein the cartridge opening and the cartridge cover are located on the cartridge container such that the cartridge cover is actuatable between the closed state and the opened state and, in the opened state, the cartridge opening and the first chamber opening provide access to the at least one of the plurality of wet wipes with the wet wipe cartridge located in the first chamber; and 
   the second dry toilet paper roll in the second chamber.   
     
     
         9 . The wet and dry toilet paper dispenser of  claim 8 , wherein the first dry toilet paper roll is a commercial toilet paper roll and the second dry toilet paper roll is a commercial toilet paper roll. 
     
     
         10 . The wet and dry toilet paper dispenser of  claim 8 , wherein the first dry toilet paper roll is a household toilet paper roll and the second dry toilet paper roll is a household toilet paper roll. 
     
     
         11 . The wet and dry toilet paper dispenser of  claim 8  further comprising a dowel extending into the first chamber for receiving the first dry toilet paper roll, wherein the cartridge container has a central opening to receive the dowel. 
     
     
         12 . The wet and dry toilet paper dispenser of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of wet wipes is a continuous roll of perforated wet wipes around a central axis. 
     
     
         13 . The wet and dry toilet paper dispenser of  claim 8 , wherein the cartridge cover is hingedly rotatable with respect to the cartridge container between the opened position and the closed position and biased toward the closed position. 
     
     
         14 . The wet and dry toilet paper dispenser of  claim 8 , wherein the cartridge cover is slidable with respect to the cartridge opening between the opened position and the closed position and biased toward the closed position. 
     
     
         15 . A method of converting a two-roll toilet paper dispenser into a wet and dry toilet paper dispenser, the two-roll toilet paper dispenser comprising a dispenser housing defining a first chamber sized to fit a first dry toilet paper roll and having a first chamber opening to provide access to the first dry toilet paper roll in the first chamber and a second chamber sized to fit a second dry toilet paper roll and having a second chamber opening to provide access to the second dry toilet paper roll in the second chamber, the method comprising the steps of:
 a) opening the dispenser housing to access the first chamber;   b) inserting a wet wipe cartridge into the first chamber, the wet wipe cartridge comprising:
 a cartridge container defining an interior compartment formed inside the cartridge container; 
 a plurality of wet wipes located in the interior compartment of the cartridge container; and 
 a cartridge cover on the cartridge container covering a cartridge opening in the cartridge container, wherein the cartridge opening is reversibly sealable by the cartridge cover such that with the cartridge cover in a closed position, the internal compartment is sealed water-tight from an environment outside the wet wipe cartridge, and with the cartridge cover in an opened position, the cartridge opening provides access to at least one of the plurality of wet wipes; 
 wherein the cartridge opening and the cartridge cover are located on the cartridge container such that the cartridge cover is actuatable between the closed state and the opened state and, in the opened state, the cartridge opening and the first chamber opening provide access to the at least one of the plurality of wet wipes with the wet wipe cartridge located in the first chamber; and 
   c) closing the dispenser housing to return the two-roll toilet paper dispenser to an operational position.