Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2062S9~
FOLDED SHEET PRODUCT DISPl~:NSER ~Y~i'l'h
Technical Field
. . .
This invention relates to dispenser apparatus for
serially dispensing discrete folded sheet products, for
example, paper napkins, from a stack of said folded sheet
products. In one specific embodiment, the dispenser
apparatus includes a housing of specified construction which
provides for improved presentation of the products at the
point of dispensing, facilitates such dispensing, and
utilizes storage space in a highly efficient ~nner.
BackyL~ ~ Art
It is well known to serially dispense folded sheet
products, for example, paper napkins, from a stack of such
~ products. Such dispensers can employ followers or simply be~-
gravity fed, the latter approach generally being the lowest
in cost and the least complex.
In gravity-fed dispensers for paper napkins and the
like, the products are stac~ed in a housing having an
opening, or a dispenser element or nose piece defining an
opening, at the lower end of the housing through which the
products are dispensed in a serial fashion by manual removal
of the lowermost sheet product from the openi ng .
.._ . . .. . .
It will be appreciated that dispensing of the lowermost
napkin or other folded sheet product can be inhibited by
frictiona~ forces exerted thereon by the rest o~ the stac~.
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--,
- That is, the lowermost folded sheet product supports the
- - rest-of the stack. The highex the stackj the greater the
fric.tional forces between the lowermost folded sheet product
and the folded sheet product ;mmeA;ately adjacent thereto.
Ripping and tearing of the napkin or other folded sheet
product being dispensed is fairly common, particularly when
the stack itself is quite long and the lowermost folded
sheet product bears its entire weight.
10Often, the paper napkins and other similar products are
disposed in the dispenser essentially horizontally, so that
the paper napkin or other folded sheet product being
dispensed bears the full load of the vertical stack of which
it is a part. In such dispensers, the consumer may have
difficulty accessing and withdrawing the lowermost paper
napkin or the like.
The products being dispensed, for example, paper
napkins, are often of non-uniform thickness due to the
particular fold utilized in their construction. A stacX of
such folded sheet products will tend to be higher at one
side thereof than at the other d~e to the non-uniform
thickness of each individual product. To accommodate a
straight, vert;c~l1y disposed stack, a dispenser housing of
the prior art must be as high as the highest side of the
stack. Additionally, frictional engagement ~etween folded
sheets at the opening from the dispenser is non-uniform,
often resulting in tearing of the sheet as it is withdrawn
from the dispenser.
2062S94
DISCLOSURE OF THE lNV~NL10~
The dispenser apparatus of the present invention is so constructed
as to relieve and evenly distribute frictional forces of folded sheet
products at the bottom of a stack of such products. Additionally, the
dispenser may be so constructed as to present the edge of the lowermost
folded sheet product in the stack toward the consumer to facilitate
manual access to and removal of the lowermost sheet product.
The dispenser apparatus of the present invention is particularly
adapted to dispense folded sheet products of non-uniform thic~ness
having a first edge portion thereof thlrker than a second edge portion
thereof. The folded sheet products, when stacked with the first edge
portions and second edge portions in respective Al; g t, and in the
absence of outside forces applied thereto, form a stack with a bend
along the length thereof having a predetermined radius of curvature.
The present invention provides a dispenser apparatus for serially
dispensing discrete folded sheet products from a stack of said folded
sheet products, each of said folded sheet products being of non-uniform
th~rkneSs and having a first edge portion thereof th;cker than a second
edge portion thereof whereby said folded sheet products when stacked
with the first edge portions and second edge portions in respective
Al i~ _ t and in the ~hs~nce of outside forces applied thereto form a
curved stack, said dispenser apparatus comprising a housing including a
back wall, a front wall, and
' ' 2062S94
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side w811s defining an interior for accommodating a stack of said folded
sheet products, said housing back wall being curved to accommodate the
curvature of said stack; an opening at the lower end of said housing in
c: ~n;cation with said housing interior permitting manual access to and
removal of the lowermost folded sheet product in the stack thereof in
said housing, the curved housing back wall permitting the said first
edge portions of the stacked folded sheet products to slide over said
wall during downward ~c - t of said stack within said ho~ ng interior
upon removal of the lowermost folded sheet product therefrom.
The housing back wall may be vertically oriented at its upper end
and extend forward at its lower end. The opening at the lower end of
the dispenser apparatus may be generally disposed along a plane
substantially perpendicular to the bsck wall of the housing at its lower
end such that the bottom of the lowermost folded sheet product in the
housing faces towards the consumer to facilitate manual access to the
lowermost sheet product through the opening.
A specific ~ ~o~; t of this invention comprises an improved nose
piece defining an opening through which folded sheet products are
dispensed from a stack contained in the housing.
In other specific e ~o~ ts of the pre~ent invention, the
dispenser apparatus in~ des ; r,~oved means for supporting the ho~;ng~
and a blocking device associated with the housing to prevent upward
~v~ t of the products when the level falls below a predetermined
height.
- 2062594
Brief Description of Drawings
.. . .
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of
dispenser apparatus constructed in accordance with the
teachings of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional, side view of the dispenser
with a stack of paper napkins therein;
Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a representative
folded napkin of the type suitable for dispensing by the
dispenser apparatus;
Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic, profile view illustrating the
configuration assumed by a stack of paper napkins of the
type illustrated in Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the supply side of a
nose piece for a dispenser of the type illustrated in Fig.
l;
Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line
6-6 of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line
7-7 of Fig. 5;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a folded napkin of the
type illustrated in Fig. 3, illustrating its configuration
when protruding from ~he nose piece.
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Best Mode For Carryinq Out The Invention
Fig. 3 illustrates diagrammatically a typical folded
sheet product of the type to be dispensed by the dispenser
apparatus of the present invention. The illustrated folded
sheet product is a paper napkin 10. Napkin 10 is, as may
clearly be seen, of non-uniform thic~ness having a first
edge portion 12 thereof, thicker than a second edge portion
14 thereof. This uneven thickness results from the nature
of the fold.
When paper napkin 10 is stacked with other paper
napkins of like construction in a dispenser housing, it i5
usually necessary, or at least desirable, to have the first
edge portions and second edge portions of all of the stacked
napkins in respective alignment. These stacked napkins~
will, in the absence of outside forces being applied
thereto, form a curved stack S, as shown in Fig. 4.
With reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the dispenser
apparatus of the present invention includes a generally
vertically oriented housing 20 having a front cover 40, side
walls 24, 26 and a back wall 28 defining an interior for
accommodating a stack S of paper napkins. The housing back
wall 28 is smoothly curved and has a radius of curvature
generally corresponding to the normal radius of curvature of
.. . , . . . . _, . . . .... . ... .. . .
the stack S shown in Fig. 4.
' ' 206259~
-- 7
In a ~referred em~odiment of this invention, a nose
_ piece 34 defining an opening 36 in communication with the
housing interior is provided at the lower end 23 of the.
housing 20. A pre~erred nose piece 34 is illustrated in
greater detail in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Opening 36, in nose
piece 34, in communication with the interior of housing 20,
allows manual access to and removal of the lowermost folded
sheet product in the stack S of folded sheet products in the
housing 20.
10The first edge portions 12 of the paper napkin 10
stacked in housing 20 are in free slidable engagement with
the smoothly curved housing back wall 28 . Housing back
wall 28 is generally vertically oriented at the upper end 22
of the housing and extends forward at the lower end 23 of
the housing 20.
The dispenser nose piece opening 36 is disposed along a~
plane substantially perpendicular to the housing back wall
28 at the lower end 23 of the housing 20. Thus, the bottom
edge 13 of the lowermost folded sheet product in the housing
faces toward the front of the dispenser, i.e. in the
direction of the consumer, to facilitate manual access of
the lowermost sheet product through the opening. Some of
the weight of the stack S in the vicinity of the nose piece
34 is carried by the lower end of the back wall 28. The
lowermost napkin therefore does not carry the entire weight
of the- stack-,--and the frictional--forces-between it and the
paper napkin ;mm~ tely above it are significantly less
than that in a conventional vertical stack. Similarly, less
2062~9~
-- 8 --
friction exists between the lowermost paper napkin and the
nose piece 34. Thus, a consumer will encounter considera~ly
less resistance in pulling the lowermost napkin from the
stack through the opening 36.
The front cover 40 is hinged to the housing 20 in a
suitable manner as by hinge 42. The cover 40 is curved and
generally parallel to the housing back wall 28 when in the
closed position illustrated in solid line in Fig. 2. The
phantom line presentation illustrates schematically how the
cover 40 may be pivoted outward to expose the housing
interior for refilling or servicing the dispenser.
The embodiment of the dispenser includes a support
stand 48 connected to the housing 20 and supporting the
housing above a horizontal support surface. The base 52 of
the support stand 48 is provided with support elements 54 of~-
a resilient flexible material, for example, rubber, which
project outwardly from the base o~ the support stand. The
illus~rated support elements are elongated, extending from
one side of the support stand to the other side thereof.
Each support element 54 includes a plurality of
flexible, elongated ribbed strips 56 disposed side-by-side
and parallel to one another, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Each
ribbed strip 54 has a plurality o~ parallel elongated distal
rib elements 56. The rib elements 56 are bent when
positioned on a support surface 57 establ;sh; ng frictional
engagement between the support surface and the side walls of
each rib 56. The rib elements 56 are highly effective in
preventing ILlo~e---ent of the dispenser on the support surface.
2062594
g
The ribbed strips 56 are markedly superior to pads or flat
_ feet often utilized in, for example, paper napkin
-dispensers.
A nose piece 34 (Figs. 1 and 2) is connected to the
lower end 23 of housing 20 and has an opening 36 therein
communicating wi~h the housing interior through which paper
napkins are dispensed from the stack S in serial fashion.
As illustrated in Figs. 5-7, nose piece 34 has a front
side 35 and a back side 37, the back side facin~ toward and
engageable by the stack S of paper napkins in the interior
of housing 20. The ~front of the nose piece 34 forms the
external surface of the bottom of housing 20. In this
illustrated preferred embodiment, the nose piece 34 is of
unitary construction and may be, for example, comprised of
plastic which has been molded or otherwise formed in a
conventional manner.
With reference to Figs. 5-7, nose piece 34 includes a
pair of smooth, inclined first contact surfaces 44, 46
spaced from one another and defining smooth slopes on the
back side of the nose piece leading to opening 36. These
first contact surfaces 44, 46 lead from a first pair of
opposed housing walls, i.e. bac~ wall 28 and front wall 40
at the back of the housing, and gr~d~ y converge toward
one another and toward the front 35 of the nose piece,
terminating at opening 36. ~ ~ ~ ~
2062~94
- 10 -
The back side or nose piece 34 also includes a pair or
- inclined second contact surfaces ~0, 62 which are spaced
from one another leading from a second pair of opposed
housing side walls, namely side walls 24 and 26, and
S gradually converge toward one another and toward the front
35 of the nose piece, and terminating at the opening 36.
It is important that the first contact surraces 44 and
46 project toward the opening 36 a greater distance than do
the second contact surfaces 60 and 62. The first and second
contac~ surfaces are contiguous and form a generally
continuous, smoothly -curved surface about the periphery of
the opening 36 leading from the back 37 to the front 35 of
the nose piece as illustrated.
The nose piece 34 includes a flange Sl. When the nose
piece is in position relative to the housing, the ~ista~
ends of at least some of the housing walls are covered by
the flange and at least some of the walls engage nose piece
contact elements. The relationship between the nose piece
and wall 24 and its opposing side wall 26 is shown in dashed
lines in Fig. 1.
It will be appreciated that the stack of paper napkins
within the housing interior is biased toward the nose piece.
A m~chanical biasing arrangement (not shown), for example, a
follower plate biased by a spring or a weight, may be
. _ ....... . .. . . . .. .. _ . . . .
utilized to urge the stack toward the nose piece.
-- ' 2~62594
-- 11 --
The ~irst contact surfaces 44 and 46 are engageable by
- the end-most paper napkin of the stac.~ positioned at the
'discharge end'of'the houslng cl'oselv adjacent the firs, side
edges thereof. Movement of the stack after initial
engagement with the first contact elements causes the first
side edges 12 of the end-most paper napkin to slide along
first contact surfaces 44, 46 and create a bend in the end-
most paper napkin about an axis Y-Y generally parallel to
the first contact elements, as illustrated in Fig. 3 . The
end 13 of the napkin is unsupported and out of engagement
with the first contact surfaces 44 and 46. Terminal end
flap 13 is thus free to move away from r~ er
of the paper napkin to some degree.
Initial engagement between the first contact surfaces
44, 46 and the end-most paper napkin occurs generally along
the plane designated ~y the letter A in Figs. 6 and 7.
The end-most paper napkin also engages the second
contact surfaces 60, 62 closely adjacent to the second side
edges 64, 66 of the end-most napkin which serve to bend the
end-most paper napkin about axis X-X whic~ is generally
parallel to the second contact surfaces 60, 62. Engagement
with the pair of second contact elements takes place
generally at the level of plane B shown in Figs. 6 and 7
relative to the nose piece 34~
.. . . . .
Second contact surfaces 60, 62 are so configured and
relatively positioned as to engage only the oppased
extremities of the t~rmi na- end of flap 13. The flap
tPrmi n~l e~d otherwise daes not engage the nose piece, being
in registry with an area of m~ximllm opening width 70 where
the opening 36 flares out from a semi-circular shaped
opening area 72 immediately adjacent thereto.
2062S94
- 12 -
The result of the compound bending of the end-most
paper napkin 10 and the sliding of the second side edges 64
_ of the napkin on second contact surfaces 64, 66 while the
.. .flap. terminal end 13 is- supported only at the opposite
5 extremities thereof, forcing the intermediate portion of the
flap terminal 13 outwardly of the rest of the napkin in the
manner il.lustrated in somewhat diagrammatic fashion in Figs.
1 and 2. A consumer can now readily grasp the flap termin~l
end 13 and withdraw the paper napkin outwardly through
lO opening 36. The smoothly curved surfaces 44, 46, 60, 62
defining the opening 36 greatly facilitate such removal by
reducing frictional forces between the nose piece 34 and the
lowermost napkin. First contact element 42 has an area of
reduced thickness 72 at a location spaced from the flap
15 terminal 13 to further facilitate manual grasping of the
flap terminal and removal of a napkin by a consumer.
A further specific embodiment of the dispenser includes
blocking means operatively associated with the housing and'
20 responsive to short~ning of the stack of folded sheet
products during depletion thereof to a predetermined stack
length. The blocking means, described in detail herein-
after, restricts upward movement of the stack within the
housing interior.
As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, a blocking means 80
may be operatively associated with the housing 20 and
responsive to shortening of the stack S of folded sheet
products~ during~depletion thereof. When the~napkins~ are
dispensed to a predetermined stack length, the blocking
30 means 80 restricts upward movement of the stack S within the
housing interior. In a preferred embodiment, the blocking
' 2062~94
- 13 -
means includes a flap 86 movably mounted relative to the
_ housing and movable between a first retracted position ~the
- position illustrated in phantom outline in Fig. 1) wherein
the blocking member does not interfere with the movement of
the stack within the housing interior and a second position
(shown in Figs. 1 and 2) wherein the blocking member
projects into the housing interior.
In this specific embodiment, an aperture or opening 84
is provided in back wall 28 of the dispenser housing and the
blocking member 80 passes through the aperture 84 in moving
between the first and second positions. The flap 86 of
blocking member 80 is pivotally connected to the back wall
28 of the dispenser a predetermined distance above the nose
piece 34. A hinge pin 88 is connected to the housing wall
28 in any suitable manner and extends across the top of
aperture 84. At its upper end, flap 86 of blocking member
80 is curled about hinge pin 88 to provide a hinged connec-'
tion between the blocking member and the housing. The
blocking member 80 is thus freely rotatable about hinge pin
88.
The bloc~ing ~mher 80 is biased toward the second
position as shown in Fig. 2. In this embodiment, the
biasing means is in the form of a counter-weight 90
ext~n~;ng outwardly from pin 88 on the side thereof opposite
blocking m~mher 80. The counter-weight 90 may be formed of
' ~''''any suit'able~material,~such'as lead'or steel, and under the
influence of gravity urges the blocXing member 80 toward the
position illustrated in Fig. 2.
- 14 - 2062594
It will be appreciated that blocking member 80 is
maintained in its retracted rirst position illustrated in
_ phantom lines in Fig. 2 by the stack S of paper napkins
until the-stack ~iminishes in length to the point where the--
topmost napkin falls below the lower end of blocking member
80. That is, blocking member 80 can move to its second
position under the influence of counter-weight 90 only after
the length of the stack falls below the level of the bottom
92 of the blocking member. When the length of the stack
shrinks to the required height, the blocking member rotates
so that it is disposed over the stack. The bottom 92 of the
blocking member 80 will thus interfere with and prevent
significant upward movement of the paper napkins r~m~;ning
in the stack. If an upwardly directed force is applied to
the lowermost paper napkin, the stack cannot be
significantly dislodged from its dispensing position within
the housing and relative to the dispenser opening.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, a protrusion or lip 94
projects from the distal end of blocking member bottom 92.
Such protrusion is engageable with the wall 28 where the
wall defines the lower limit of aperture 84. Such
engagement ensures that the counter-weight 90 will not cause
the blocking m~mher 80 to extend any farther into the
interior of housing 20 than is desired.
The blocking member 80 will not interfere with napkin
reloading nor is it necessary for the person performing the
~ reloading activity to take any special steps to rëtract
the blocking member from the housing interior. The blocking
member is retracted automatically by the napkins themselves
during the refill operation. That is, the refill napkins
will bear against the blocking member and cause the blockir.g
member to swing bac~ to the position shown in phantom
outline in Fig. 2, against the bias of the counterweight 90.
