Dispenser for interfolded napkins

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9901221-B2
Application number	US-201315100751-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2013
Priority date	Dec 9, 2013
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A dispenser for interfolded napkins, having an upper portion and a lower portion, a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction is disclosed. The dispenser includes a container having a bottom wall extending in a horizontal plane and being arranged at the lower portion of the dispenser, and side walls having upper edges and lower edges and extending from the bottom wall in a vertical direction perpendicular thereto; a dispensing opening arranged at the upper portion of the dispenser opposite to the bottom wall; a weight arranged between the side walls so as to form a stack-supported lid of the dispenser that is movable between an upper position adjacent to the dispensing opening, and a lower position adjacent to the bottom wall; and a weight control means interconnecting the weight and the container, and extending inside the container between a container connection arranged at the lower portion of the dispenser and a weight connection arranged at the upper portion of the dispenser. The weight control means restricts the movement of the weight in a vertical direction along the side walls so as to determine the location of the upper position of the weight.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dispenser for interfolded napkins, comprising:
a container having:
a bottom portion comprising a bottom wall extending in a horizontal plane, and
side walls extending from the bottom wall in a vertical direction perpendicular thereto,
a wall portion comprising at least a part of the side walls, and
a dispensing opening opposite to the bottom wall, the side walls surrounding a rectangular supporting surface formed by said bottom wall, for supporting a stack of interfolded napkins, wherein said bottom portion is removably attached to the wall portion for refill of napkins from the bottom of the dispenser;

a weight arranged between said side walls so as to form a stack-supported lid of the dispenser, the weight defining a dispensing mouth and being movable between an upper position adjacent to the dispensing opening of the container, and a lower position adjacent to the supporting surface of the container; and
a weight control means interconnecting the weight and the container, and extending inside the container between a container connection and a weight connection, said weight control means restricting the movement of the weight in a vertical direction along said side walls so as to determine a location of said upper position of said weight.

2. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the weight comprises an outer rim comprising at least two opposing rim portions.

3. The dispenser according to claim 2 , wherein the weight extends over the entire dispensing opening in at least one horizontal direction between at least two opposing side walls of the container, such that said two opposing rim portions are in contact with corresponding portions of two opposing side walls of the container.

4. The dispenser according to claim 3 , wherein the container connection is situated at one of said opposing side walls and adjacent to the supporting surface of the container, and the weight connection is situated adjacent to the corresponding one of said opposing rim portions.

5. The dispenser according to claim 3 , wherein the dispenser comprises two weight control means interconnecting the weight and the container, the weight control means being arranged one at each opposing side wall and corresponding rim portion.

6. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the weight control means comprises a flexible cord.

7. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the container connection is located adjacent the support surface.

8. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the container connection comprises a snap-in connection.

9. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the container further comprises a frame arranged along the side walls surrounding the supporting surface, said frame comprising the container connection.

10. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein a length of the weight control means between the container connection and the weight connection essentially corresponds to a vertical distance from the container connection to the dispensing opening.

11. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the container connection is arranged adjacent the supporting surface, and a length of the weight control means approximately corresponds to a vertical distance from the supporting surface to the dispensing opening.

12. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the weight is confined between said side walls.

13. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein an outline of the dispensing opening essentially corresponds to an outline of the supporting surface.

14. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the side walls comprise at least two opposing side walls, and wherein the dispensing mouth is elongate and has a maximum length dimension extending in parallel with two opposing side walls.

15. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the side walls comprise at least two opposing side walls, and wherein the dispensing mouth has a maximum length of at least 75% of the length of the supporting surface extending between said two opposing side walls.

16. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the total horizontal area of the weight including the dispensing mouth is at least 60% of the area of the supporting surface.

17. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the weight has a vertical extension being 1-10 cm.

18. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the weight has a substantially flat lower surface facing towards the stack of napkins, the lower surface comprising spacing protrusions.

19. The dispenser according to claim 18 , wherein said protrusions are arranged at a distance from the dispensing mouth.

20. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the weight comprises a first material and a second material, the second material having a greater density than the first material, so as to provide additional mass to the weight.

21. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the weight has a mass of between 50 and 1000g.

22. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the container comprises at least one vertical slot in at least one of said side walls, a horizontal extension of the slot being sufficient to allow manual access to the napkins in the container via said slot.

23. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion consists of said bottom wall.

24. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom portion is removably attached to the wall portion by a magnetic lock.

25. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the side walls comprise upper edges at the dispensing opening of the container, said upper edges form a plurality of uppermost edge portions, which are confined in a generally horizontal plane.

Assignees

• Sca Hygiene Prod Ab

Inventors

• Larsson Bjoern
• Hodossy Sofia
• Stenberg Martin
• Berglin Viktor
• Rittfeldt Mårten
• Carlstedt Susanne

Classifications

• B65D83/0894

  the articles being positioned relative to one another or to the container in a special way, e.g. for facilitating dispensing, without additional support · CPC title

• A47K2010/3233

  Details of the housing, e.g. hinges, connection to the wall · CPC title

• B65D83/0805

  through an aperture in a wall · CPC title

• A47K10/423 Primary

  with hold-down means riding on the top of the stack, e.g. a press plate with dispensing opening · CPC title