Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02414156 2002-12-30
DISPENSER OF PAPER ARTICLES
The indent-on relates to a dis-zen-ser -or absorbent pace
r
articles, in particular table napkins, such as those found in
or other similar
establishments.
On the counters of cafeteria-sovle. fast-food restaurants,
generally before the cashier where the consumer has rung up the food
that he has taken and pays the price for it, there are one or several
dispensers of table napkins. The napkins are for one-time use and
most often are made of paper. A sheet of light and absorbent paper is
involved here, such as a sheet of tissue paper. It may be folded
slimly into two or into four, but it may also be provided in numerous
other forms.
The dispensers are often simply parallelelepipedic boxes
with a front surface turned toward the consumer and provided with a
distribution opening in the form of a slot. The consumer extracts the
article that is presented to him through the opening. In the
dispenser, the napkins form a packet or a stack that is supported
against the front surface, optionally by means of a push spring at the
opposite end of the stack when the dispenser is horizontal. If the
dispenser is placed vertically or in an inclined position, the weight
of the stack of sheets is sufficient to maintain.the stack against the
distribution wall. In such a case, a push spring is not then useful.
The napkins in the stack may be simply juxtaposed. They may
CA 02414156 2002-12-30
also be interlocked. In this case, they _...sent at least one foldinc
i1r_e perpendio1alar to the axis of the St_c:{ ':vit h at least one fronC
Clap and one rear flap. in the case of two napkins that follow one
another in the stack, the rear flap of the first napkin is placed
behind the front flap of the next napkin. This arrangement is
advantageous because when the first napkin is pulled out Through the
distribution slot, the front flap of the following napkin is drawn
along with it. The latter is then in position to be easily grasped.
The distribution opening is generally a slot, positioned
horizontally in the middle of the front surface. It is sufficiently
long to permit the passage of the napkins. This slot is not too
narrow because it must permit the consumer to grasp the first sheet
inside the box when this sheet is not engaged in the opening. This is
difficult when the pressure exerted on the stack against the front
surface is strong, either because it is compressed or because the push
spring is powerful. On the other hand, it must not be too wide,
otherwise the sheets would fall outside of the box via the opening.
Additionally, the grasping of just one. sheet is not always easy, given
that there is a tendency to take several napkins at one time.
An object of the invention is to furnish a dispenser whose
distribution opening has an improved form in relation to those of the
prior art, in that it permits the first sheet to be grasped more
easily.
Another object of the invention is to provide a dispenser
2
that can be used just as easily for sheets that have been interlocked
as well for those sheets that have not been.
in accordance with the invention, there is provided a
dispenser of paper articles, in particular table napkins, comprising a
receptacle closed at one end by a panel forming the front side and
provided with an opening for the distribution of articles with an
edoe, which dispenser is characterized by the fact that at least a
portion of the edge of the opening is prolonged by a wall element
extending outward in relation to the panel.
This wall element is preferably perpendicular to the panel
comprising the distribution opening. When the dispenser is in a
horizontal position, it provides the advantage of serving as a support
for the portion of the free sheet of the first article of the stack
and making it easier to be grasped by the consumer because it is then
turned in his direction. The hygienic conditions at the time of use
are thereby improved, the user touching only one sheet at a time
without coming into contact with the dispenser. When the dispenser is
in a vertical position, one is able to ;avoid the sheet coming into
contact with the wall.
In-conformity with another feature of the invention, the
opening is in a form of a slot and the wall element extends over at
least a portion of the lower edge. In particular, its width is
sufficient so that the wall element serves as a support for the free
part of the first article of the stack and permits it to be grasped by
3
CA 02414156 2002-12-30
CA 02414156 2002-12-30
the consumer.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become
apparent upon reading the following description of a nonrestrictive
example of an embodiment of the invention and the accompanying
drawings wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of three-fourths of the front
of the dispenser, with the loading trap being open;
FIGURE 2 is a front view of the dispenser; and
FIGURE 3 is a side view and a view in transparency of the
front part.
As can be seen in FIGURE 1, the dispenser 1 is composed of a
receptacle with a base 2, two side walls 4 and 5, a bottom wall 6 and
a wall 7 forming a front wherein a distribution opening 71 is made.
The dispenser may be made of cloth, plastic, or a combination of these
two materials. In the example shown, the receptacle comprises a cover
with a trap 3 capable of creating an opening in the upper part which
permits the loading of the dispenser. The sheets form a packet or a
stack and are placed parallel to the front surface. A wedge forming
or pushing device 8 is movable inside the receptacle and serves to
compress the stack of paper articles against the internal surface of
the panel. To this end, means for blocking the wedge along the
receptacle may be provided or else a spring which expands between the
rear of the wedge 8 and the bottom 6 can be provided.
The panel 7 comprises a distribution opening 71, whereby the
4
CA 02414156 2009-09-25
sheet that is presented is extracted, i.e., the first sheet. The
ocening is in the form of an elongate, slot running parallel to the
plane of the base 2. At one of its ends, the slot widens. Here, this
part 72 has a circular form that permits the passage of a finger into
the inside of the box in order'to grasp an edge of the first article
in the stack inside when necessary.
In accordance with the invention, the lower edge 73 of the
distribution opening 7 is extended by a wall element 74 which extends
over the outside of the dispenser. This element is preferably
perpendicular to the plane in which the napkins are presented. The
drawings show this preferred embodiment. This plane corresponds to
that of the panel. In order to define the plane of the panel, the
optional camber of the front surface does not have to be taken into
account. This element 74 extends over a substantial part 75 of the
opening 71. It is not necessary that it be as long as the former.
This width , 1 measured from the plumb of the upper edge 76 up to
its narrowest edge of the panel 7 must be sufficient so that the end
part of a sheet or of a flap of the napkin which is found inside and
which rests on the element, i.e., extends outward in relation to the
plane of the panel 7 as can be seen in FIGURE 3. In practice, the
intrinsic suppleness of the absorbent paper is taken into account, the
width 1 preferably being not less than 1 cm. In fact, if it is
too narrow, there is the risk of tearing the sheet. In particular,
this width 1,, is at least 3 cm. The portion of the element 74
CA 02414156 2002-12-30
whose width is at a maximum -1 is preferably toward the central
part of the opening, if this is not the middle.
The slot, aside from its part 72, is narrow. Its height,
i.e., the distance separating the upper 76 and lower 73 edges, is in
particular less than the 1 õ width.
As can be seen in the example shown in FIGURE the napkins
are interlocked. Each of them comprises one front flap and one rear
flap. The front flap of the first napkin is engaged in the slot 71
and rests on the wall element 74, its end extending. slightly over the
edge. The consumer can thus easily grasp the flap. When he pulls on
this front flap, the rear flap of the first napkin pulls with it by
force of friction the front flap of the next napkin through the slot.
This latter flap is then in position to be grasped.
By allowing the free end of the first napkin to serve as a
support on surface 74, any undesired contact, for example with the
support of the dispenser, is thereby avoided, and thus the hygiene of
the product is best preserved.
The dispenser that has just been described is only one
example of an embodiment of the invention. Numerous variants are
available to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention.
For example, the dispenser has been described in an
horizontal position, but it applies to dispensers that are placed in
an inclined position or that are vertical.
6
CA 02414156 2002-12-30
The form of the opening may rar;. =t may comprise in
particular a widened Dart of different for-, or be.differently
arranged, in the center, for example. .. ...ar also not comprise these
carts.
This description has focused a paper napkin dispenser. The
invention may of course also apply to dispensers for all types of
paper articles, such as hand towels, wiping rags, or all-purpose
household wipes.
Finally, even though the problem solved by the invention may
be particularly well adapted for interlocked paper articles, it is
also suitable for packets of simply juxtaposed articles.
7
