Abstract:
A sheet product dispenser includes a body portion defining an inner cavity arranged to support a stack of sheet products and a faceplate attached to the body portion. The faceplate portion is arranged to support and dispense the sheet products, has an opening comprising a rectangular portion with a centrally disposed arcing triangular portion having a centrally disposed arced apex, the rectangular portion extends from an upper edge of the faceplate to the arced apex, the opening is arranged to expose a plurality of the sheet products on one end of the body portion through the rectangular portion and to expose a planar surface of a single sheet product through the arcing triangular portion.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to sheet product dispensers, and more particularly to sheet product dispensers adapted for dispensing a selectable number of folded sheet products. 
     Sheet product dispensers are devices that store and dispense sheet products. The dispensers may be mounted to a surface such as a wall, or may be placed on a horizontal surface such as a counter top. A number of sheet products such as napkins or other folded sheet products may be stacked and stored in the dispenser. Individual sheet products may be removed from the dispenser by a user by, for example, pulling a sheet product through an opening in a faceplate of the sheet product dispenser. Accordingly, sheet products are dispensed via the faceplate in response to a user grasping sheet products through the opening. 
     While existing sheet product dispensing products are suitable for their intended purpose, application of multiple grasping motions in order to acquire a plurality of sheet products may result in jamming the dispenser, thereby requiring dispenser service. Additionally, excessive force, or rate of force application, may result in unintentional removal of the faceplate, associated dispersal and fouling of the sheet products, and additional dispenser service. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a sheet product dispenser arrangement that overcomes these drawbacks. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     According to example embodiments, a sheet product dispenser includes a body portion defining an inner cavity arranged to support a stack of sheet products and a faceplate attached to the body portion. The faceplate portion is arranged to support and dispense the sheet products, has an opening comprising a rectangular portion with a centrally disposed arcing triangular portion having a centrally disposed arced apex, the rectangular portion extends from an upper edge of the faceplate to the arced apex, the opening is arranged to expose a plurality of the sheet products on one end of the body portion through the rectangular portion and to expose a planar surface of a single sheet product through the arcing triangular portion. 
     According to additional example embodiments, a sheet product dispenser includes a first side wall, a rear wall joined to the first side wall, a second side wall joined to the rear wall, a front wall joined to the second side wall, and a faceplate attached to the body portion. The faceplate is arranged to support and dispense the sheet products, the faceplate has an opening comprising a rectangular portion with a centrally disposed arcing triangular portion having a centrally disposed arced apex, the rectangular portion extends beyond an upper edge of the faceplate to the arced apex, the opening is arranged to expose a plurality of the sheet products on one end of the body portion through the rectangular portion and to expose a planar surface of a single sheet product through the arcing triangular portion. 
     According to additional example embodiments, a faceplate of a sheet product dispenser includes an opening. The opening is arranged to expose a plurality of the sheet products on one end of the body portion through a rectangular portion of the opening and to expose a planar surface of a single sheet product through a triangular portion of the opening. The rectangular portion of the opening protrudes from the faceplate. The triangular portion of the opening extends from the bottom edge of the protruding rectangular portion of the faceplate to an apex point beyond a height of the protruding rectangular portion. 
     These and other features of the present invention will be better appreciated by reference to the appended drawings and the description which follows. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an example embodiment of a sheet product dispenser; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of the sheet product dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a rear view of the sheet product dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the sheet product dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of a faceplate of a sheet product dispenser, according to an example embodiment; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a side view of the faceplate of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a top view of the faceplate of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a bottom view of the faceplate of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of another faceplate of a sheet product dispenser, according to an example embodiment; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a side view of the faceplate of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a top view of the faceplate of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a bottom view of the faceplate of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of another faceplate of a sheet product dispenser, according to an example embodiment; 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a side view of the faceplate of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 15  illustrates a top view of the faceplate of  FIG. 13 ; 
         FIG. 16  illustrates a bottom view of the faceplate of  FIG. 13 ; and 
         FIG. 17  illustrates a back view of the faceplate of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 18  illustrates a perspective view of the sheet product dispenser of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     The detailed description explains embodiments of the invention, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Example embodiments of the present invention are directed to sheet-product dispensers, and more particularly, to napkin dispensers. 
     The term “sheet products” as used herein is inclusive of natural and/or synthetic cloth or paper sheets. Sheet products may include both woven and non-woven articles. There are a wide variety of nonwoven processes and they can be either wetlaid or drylaid. Some examples include hydroentagled (sometimes called spunlace), DRC (double re-creped), airlaid, spunbond, carded, paper towel, and meltblown sheet products. Further, sheet products may contain fibrous cellulosic materials that may be derived from natural sources, such as wood pulp fibers, as well as other fibrous material characterized by having hydroxyl groups attached to the polymer backbone. These include glass fibers and synthetic fibers modified with hydroxyl groups. Examples of sheet products include, but are not limited to, wipers, napkins, tissues, rolls, towels or other fibrous, film, polymer, or filamentary products. 
     In general sheet products are thin in comparison to their length and breadth and exhibit a relatively flat planar configuration and are flexible to permit folding, rolling, stacking, and the like. The sheet product may have perforations extending in lines across its width to separate individual sheets and facilitate separation or tearing of individual sheets from a roll or folded arrangement at discrete intervals. Individual sheets may be sized as desired to accommodate the many uses of the sheet products. For example, perforation lines may be formed every 13 inches, or other defined interval, to define a universally sized sheet. Multiple perforation lines may be provided to allow the user to select the size of sheet depending on the particular need. 
     As used herein, “rectangular” refers to a substantially rectangular feature, which should be interpreted to include any feature being rectangular, substantially rectangular (e.g., having a longitudinal dimension greater than a transverse dimension of the feature), oblong, or substantially enabling a plurality of sheet products to be accessed simultaneously. 
     Hereinafter, example embodiments are described in detail with reference to the drawings. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the sheet product dispenser (dispenser)  100  includes a body portion  102  that includes side walls  104 , a rear wall  106 , a front wall  108 , and a bottom assembly  110  that define an inner cavity  101 . In the illustrated embodiment, the front wall  108  is joined to a side wall  104  with a hinge  118 , however alternate embodiments may include a front wall  108  that is joined to the side walls  104  with any suitable joint such as, for example an integral connection, a slidable joint, or a snap-fit joint. The dispenser  100  may include a top member  112  that is joined to a side wall  104  with any suitable joint such as, for example a hinge joint, a slidable joint, or a snap-fit joint. The dispenser  100  may include a pedestal member  114  that supports the body portion  102  on a surface (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, the pedestal member  114  is removable, and the body portion  102  may be mounted to a surface such as, for example, a vertical wall through mounting holes  119 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of the sheet product dispenser  100 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a rear view of the sheet product dispenser  100 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a side view of the sheet product dispenser  100 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of a faceplate of a sheet product dispenser  100 , according to an example embodiment. As illustrated, the faceplate  110  includes an opening  501  defined by features  502 ,  503 , and  504  of body portion  505 . In an embodiment, feature  502  is a rectangular portion of the opening  501  extending from an upper edge of the body portion  505 , defining an upper portion of the opening  501 , which enables a plurality of sheet products to be accessed simultaneously. In an embodiment, feature  504  is an arcing portion extending from a lower edge of the feature  502  towards a lower and more confined arced apex of feature  503 . The combination of features  503  and  504  form an arcing triangular portion which exposes a planar surface of a single sheet product. As illustrated, the combination of features  502 ,  503 , and  504  allow dispensing of a selectable number of sheet products as the feature  502  allows access to a plurality of sheet products, and the arcing portions  504 , and  503  allow selection of any number of the accessible plurality of sheet products in a sequential fashion. 
     It is noted that due to the selectivity of the combination of features  502 ,  503 , and  504 , a user may access a plurality of sheet products through the use of a single hand, thereby simplifying sheet product dispensing. 
     In an embodiment, the faceplate  110  further includes an attachment portion  510 . The attachment portion  510  may be a tab, hinge joint, a slidable joint, a snap-fit joint, or any other suitable attachment portion. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a side view of the faceplate  110 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a top view of the faceplate  110 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a bottom view of the faceplate  110 . 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of a faceplate of a sheet product dispenser, according to an example embodiment. As illustrated, the faceplate  910  includes an opening  901  defined by features  902 ,  903 , and  904  of body portion  905 . In an embodiment, feature  902  is a substantially rectangular portion of the opening  901  extending from an upper edge of the body portion  905 , defining an upper portion of the opening  901 , which enables a plurality of sheet products to be accessed simultaneously. 
     In an embodiment, feature  904  is an arcing portion extending from a lower edge of the feature  902  towards a lower and more confined arced apex of feature  903 . The combination of features  903  and  904  form an arcing triangular portion which exposes a planar surface of a single sheet product. As illustrated, the combination of features  902 ,  903 , and  904  allow dispensing of a selectable number of sheet products as the feature  902  allows access to a plurality of sheet products, and the arcing portions  904 , and  903  allow selection of any number of the accessible plurality of sheet products in a sequential fashion. 
     It is noted that due to the selectivity of the combination of features  902 ,  903 , and  904 , a user may access a plurality of sheet products through the use of a single hand, thereby simplifying sheet product dispensing. 
     In an embodiment, the faceplate  910  further includes attachment portions  906 - 907 . The attachment portions  906 - 907  may be tabs, joints, slidable joints, snap-fit joints, or any other suitable attachment portion. 
     It is noted that the combination of features  902 ,  903 , and  904  may form a sheet product dispensing feature relatively smaller than the combination of features  502 ,  503 , and  504  discussed above. Therefore, the arcing triangular portion illustrated in  FIG. 9  may be of relatively reduced height compared to the arcing triangular portion illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a side view of the faceplate  910 . 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a top view of the faceplate  910 . 
       FIG. 12  illustrates a bottom view of the faceplate  910 . 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a perspective view of a faceplate of a sheet product dispenser  100 , according to an example embodiment. As illustrated, the faceplate  1310  includes an opening  1301  defined by features  1302 ,  1303 , and  1304  of body portion  1305 . In an embodiment, feature  1302  is a substantially rectangular portion of the opening  1301  extending beyond an upper edge of an attachment portion  1306  the body portion  1305 , defining an upper portion of the opening  1301 , which enables a plurality of sheet products to be accessed simultaneously. 
     In an embodiment, feature  1304  is an arcing portion extending from a lower edge of the feature  1302  towards a lower and more confined arced apex of feature  1303 . The combination of features  1303  and  1304  form an arcing triangular portion which exposes a planar surface of a single sheet product. As illustrated, the combination of features  1302 ,  1303 , and  1304  allow dispensing of a selectable number of sheet products as the feature  1302  allows access to a plurality of sheet products, and the arcing portions  1304 , and  1303  allow selection of any number of the accessible plurality of sheet products in a sequential fashion. 
     It is noted that due to the selectivity of the combination of features  1302 ,  1303 , and  1304 , a user may access a plurality of sheet products through the use of a single hand, thereby simplifying sheet product dispensing. 
     In an embodiment, the faceplate  1310  further includes attachment portions  1306 - 1307 . The attachment portions  1306 - 1307  may be tabs, joints, slidable joints, snap-fit joints, or any other suitable attachment portion. As illustrated, attachment portion  1306  is below the feature  1302  such that sheet product is accessible easily through the feature  1302 . 
     It is noted that the combination of features  1302 ,  1303 , and  1304  may form a sheet product dispensing feature relatively smaller than the combination of features  502 ,  503 , and  504  discussed above, and extending beyond the edge of attachment portion  1306 . Therefore, the arcing triangular portion illustrated in  FIG. 13  may be of relatively reduced height compared to the arcing triangular portion illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 14  illustrates a side view of the faceplate  1310 . 
       FIG. 15  illustrates a top view of the faceplate  1310 . 
       FIG. 16  illustrates a bottom view of the faceplate  1310 . 
       FIG. 17  illustrates a back view of the faceplate  1310 . As illustrated, the faceplate  1310  may include ribs  1701  to support sheet product. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to example embodiments, it will be understood that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best or only mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. Also, in the drawings and the description, there have been disclosed example embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms may have been employed, they are unless otherwise stated used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention therefore not being so limited. Moreover, the use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the use of the terms a, an, etc. do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item.