Patent landscapes › Home & cleaning

Is a paper towel holder patented?

Short answer: specific designs of a paper towel holder have been patented many times, but "a paper towel holder" as a general idea is not what is protected. What matters is the exact combination of features in your version.

What our index shows
  • 112 US and WO patent publications since 2000 have a title matching “paper towel holderdispenser” or a close variant (our index of 9.7 million patent families; one publication per family).
  • Among the 112 best keyword matches we examined, 30 were published in 2020 or later, and the earliest was published in 2000.
  • Most frequent assignees in those matches: TONG KUN YUAN (3), BOEING CO (3), WISCONSIN PLASTICS INC (3), BEHAVIORAL SAFETY PRODUCTS LLC (3).
  • Most common patent classes (CPC subclasses): A47K (110), Y10T (16), B65H (6), Y10S (5).

Counts come from keyword matching on titles and abstracts, so they are indicative, not a legal count. Some matches are different products that share a word.

14 real patent publications related to a paper towel holder

  1. Paper towel holder and dispenser US-2026157581-A1 2026 · HYNDING MICHAEL
    An apparatus including a tension rod, a plate, and an aperture collar disposed within the center of the plate. The tension rod includes: a first diameter portion having a tubular shape, a second diameter portion having a tubular s…
    View on Google Patents
  2. Multi-function paper towel holder WO-2024177626-A1 2024 · MUNCHKIN INC
    A multi-function paper towel assembly has a frictional component to control paper towel rolling, and a removable spray bottle container that is positioned inverted, and inside the vertical shaft that holds the paper towel. An acco…
    View on Google Patents
  3. Paper Towel Holder Device US-2022378257-A1 2022 · THOMAS NADIENE
    The present invention relates to a novel paper towel holder device. The device is designed to ensure that a roll of paper towels is always accessible when needed. The device comprises a housing mounted to a wall or refrigerator an…
    View on Google Patents
  4. Paper towel dispenser with roll holder and rotating plug assembly US-10172501-B2 2019 · GSCHEIDMEIER JASON
    A hardwound paper towel dispenser cabinet includes a roll holder mounted inside the dispenser cabinet. The roll holder includes a male key stub on a face thereof. The face of the roll holder and the male key stub are open to the v…
    View on Google Patents
  5. Clamp-on paper towel holder US-10433682-B2 2019 · MCNICHOLAS JAMES
    A clamp-on paper towel holder has a back plate, a first and second holder arm, one or more clamps and a pop-up retainer. The first and second holder arms work together to grasp both ends of a paper towel roll and suspend the roll …
    View on Google Patents
  6. Paper towel holder US-2016270607-A1 2016 · CORE PACIFIC LLC
    The apparatus for dispensing paper towels from a roll includes a base member, an offset flange member and a rod member. The base member can have an actuatable suction cup on a bottom surface. The flange member has a base portion a…
    View on Google Patents
  7. Sanitary roll paper towel holder US-8602345-B2 2013 · TUTTLE BILLY W
    A holder and dispenser of paper towels or the like that includes a base, a first post attached to the base for receiving a roll of paper towels or the like, a second post attached to the base in substantially parallel spaced relat…
    View on Google Patents
  8. Paper towel holder and dispenser US-7172152-B2 2007 · WARDELL JANICE W
    A paper towel holder and dispenser including a flat circular base plate having a top side and a bottom side with a first opening in the center thereof and a second opening near the outer edge thereof, a first cord extending upward…
    View on Google Patents
  9. Spinning paper towel holder US-7232090-B2 2007 · MORATTO JAMES MICHAEL
    The invention is a spinning roll dispenser product for dispensing items from a roll, for example a roll of paper towels. The product holds the roll on a spindle and spins around a spindle axis as the items are pulled from the roll…
    View on Google Patents
  10. Pull angle dependant resistive paper towel holder US-2007262191-A1 2007 · AMRON SCOTT L
    A paper towel holder is provided having a pad made of foam, rubber or the like for impeding (or resisting) the rotation of a paper towel roll with respect to a user initiated unfurling pull angle. The user pulls upward (i.e., in a…
    View on Google Patents
  11. Paper towel holder US-6749149-B1 2004 · ENGLEWOOD VENTURES INC
    A support arm for supporting a paper towel roll, having selected openings in one end, in a paper towel dispenser, and having a dispenser engaging arm portion, a cylindrical portion affixed to the arm portion, and an outer sleeve a…
    View on Google Patents
  12. Paper towel holder US-2004195429-A1 2004 · CALPHALON CORP
    A paper towel holder apparatus includes a base, a first guide piece disposed on the base, and a second guide piece disposed radially inward from the first guide piece on the base. The first and second guide pieces extend substanti…
    View on Google Patents
  13. Portable paper towel holder US-6267316-B1 2001
    A portable dispenser of paper towels or other paper roll products. This device effectively dispenses paper towels in the work area at any place the user wishes to place the device. The device is made of PVC or similar tubing and s…
    View on Google Patents
  14. Combined spray bottle and paper towel holder US-6216920-B1 2001 · ATICO INT USA INC
    A combination spray bottle and paper towel holder configured and arranged to prevent an edge of a roll of paper towels from being damaged by condensate and/or fraying, comprising a body having a shaft, a base, a hand grip, a flang…
    View on Google Patents

What this means for your idea

Because patents cover specific combinations of features, the useful question is not “has a paper towel holder been patented?” but “has my combination of features been described before?” Household products tend to differ in the mechanism (how something attaches, folds, dispenses or cleans) rather than the basic idea.

Check your own version of a paper towel holder

Get the 10 closest patents to your design, charted feature by feature, in 24 hours. Order the $99 report See a sample

Or get the full $99 report: top 10 references charted feature by feature, in 24 hours.

Guides that help with this

First-look landscape. Not exhaustive. Not legal advice. This page lists keyword-matched publications from a limited database; it does not say whether any product is or isn't covered by a patent, whether a patent is still in force, or whether your idea is patentable. Consult a registered patent attorney or agent.