Patent Publication Number: US-6334544-B1

Title: Upright napkin dispenser

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to upright dispensers for paper napkins. 
     Conventional paper napkin dispensers used in commercial eating establishments typically comprise a housing forming an internal compartment containing a stack of vertically oriented napkins. A front wall of the housing includes a vertical slot through which the napkins can be pulled one-at-a-time. The napkins can be interfolded wherein a napkin being pulled out will pull out a section or tail of the next napkin to facilitate the sequential dispensing of napkins. 
     However, on certain occasions it may be desirable to dispense napkins in bunches rather than one-at-a-time. For example, in fast food restaurants having a drive-through window, a restaurant employee bags a customer&#39;s food order and then adds one or more napkins to the bag. Depending upon the size of the order, and the number of customers in the vehicle, the employee may want to add a bunch of napkins to the bag. 
     Removing napkins one-at-a-time from a conventional dispenser to form the bunch is excessively time consuming. Alternatively, a pile of napkins could be placed on a nearby surface from which the employee could remove the napkins in bunches, but besides taking up surface space, such a stack would be susceptible to being knocked over, contaminated, etc. 
     Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a napkin dispenser that facilitates the removal of napkins selectively in bunches or one-at-a-time. It would also be desirable when removing the napkins in bunches, to be able to select a desired number of napkins. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a napkin dispenser which includes a housing having upright walls and a floor together forming a vertical compartment for the reception of a vertical stack of horizontal paper napkins. The upright walls include a front wall. A horizontal slot is formed between the floor and a lower end of the front wall, wherein the horizontal slot communicates with a lower portion of the compartment for facilitating the simultaneous removal of a bunch of napkins through the slot. 
     Preferably, the floor includes a front edge situated below the horizontal slot, the front edge including a recess disposed midway between opposite ends of the slot for facilitating the insertion of a user&#39;s finger beneath the bunch of napkins to be removed. 
     The front wall preferably includes a vertical slot extending upwardly from the horizontal slot at a location midway between opposite ends of the horizontal slot for facilitating the insertion of a user&#39;s finger above the bunch of napkins to be removed. 
     The front edge of the floor is preferably offset inwardly relative to the lower end of the front wall, and the floor preferably includes a ridge extending thereacross parallel to the slot. 
     Support tabs are preferably attached to the wall structure for engaging an underside of the stack and supporting at least a portion of that underside above the floor. 
     The invention also pertains to a method of using the dispenser to simultaneously remove a selected number of napkins. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals designate like elements and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of a napkin dispenser according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front bottom perspective view of the dispenser; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the dispenser; 
     FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the dispenser; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the dispense; 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the dispenser, with a stack of napkins disposed therein; 
     FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the dispenser with a stack of napkins disposed therein; 
     FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 after a user has grasped the front portion of a bunch of napkins disposed in the dispenser; and 
     FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 after the user has partially pulled out the bunch of napkins. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
     A napkin dispenser  10  includes a housing  12  having upright walls and a floor or base  13  forming a vertical compartment  15  for the reception of a vertical stack of horizontal paper napkins N, such as single-folded (2-panel) napkins having dimensions of 6½″×10″. The upright walls include a front wall  14 , a pair of opposing side walls  16 , and a rear wall  18  opposing the front wall. 
     The rear wall  18  includes holes  18 A to accommodate fasteners, such as screws, for example, for securing the housing to a vertical surface (not shown). 
     The front wall  14  includes a vertical slot  20  disposed midway between opposite horizontal ends thereof, the slot  20  extending the entire height of the front wall and facilitates loading of the dispenser as well as dispensing by the bunch, as will be explained. A lower end  22  of the front wall is spaced above the floor  13  to form a front horizontal slot  24  therebetween. Thus, the horizontal slot  24  is disposed below the front wall  14 , and the lower end  22  of the wall  14  constitutes an upper edge of that horizontal slot  24  (see FIGS.  2  and  4 ). As will be explained, the slots  24  and  20  are configured to facilitate the removal of napkins in bunches. The lower ends  26  of the side walls  16  are similarly spaced above the floor to form horizontal side extensions  24 ′ of the slot  24  (see FIGS.  2  and  5 ). 
     Formed in a front edge  28  of the floor is a recess  30  or finger notch, the recess located about midway between opposite ends of the front edge, whereby the recess  30  is located in alignment with the vertical slot  20  as the dispenser is viewed from the front (see FIG.  4 ). The vertical slot  20  and the recess  30  serve to facilitate the positioning of a user&#39;s fingers for removing napkins by the bunch, as will be explained. 
     The front edge  28  of the floor, in addition to being spaced vertically downwardly from the lower end of the front wall  14 , is also offset horizontally inwardly therefrom as can be seen in FIG. 7 for example. Also, the floor includes an upstanding ridge  32  extending horizontally thereacross parallel to the slot  24 . The ridge  32  is spaced slightly rearwardly from the front edge  28  of the floor. In addition, a plurality of side support tabs  34  and rear support tabs  36  are provided on the side and rear walls, respectively. The lower end of each tab  34 ,  36  is bent to project downwardly and inwardly, whereby the tabs form support surfaces that support the underside of the stack of napkins above the floor  13 . The rear tabs  36  are situated higher than the side tabs  34  (see FIGS.  4  and  5 ). 
     By providing the combination of the ridge  32  and the support tabs  34 ,  36 , wherein the rear support tabs  36  are disposed higher than the side support tabs  34 , the front portions of the napkins N located near the bottom of the stack are given a slight downward inclination, (see FIG. 7) which is accommodated by the inward offsetting of the front edge  28  of the floor  13  from the lower end  22  of the front wall. This facilitates the removal of a bunch of napkins through the horizontal slot  24  by minimizing the possibility of the bunch of napkins becoming jammed in the slot. Also, the napkins in the bunch are permitted to sag at their center regions since the perimeter regions thereof are supported above the floor by the support tabs  34 ,  36 . This minimizes any tendency for the napkin bunch to become jammed as it is being pulled out. 
     If desired, an additional ridge  32 A can be provided adjacent the rear end of the floor  13  to support a rear end of the stack in case the loading of the stack causes the stack to be pushed downwardly past the support tabs  34 ,  36 . 
     It will also be appreciated that the ridges  32 ,  32 A serve to reinforce the floor  13 . 
     The floor  13  includes side edges  40  that, like the front edge  28 , could be offset inwardly with respect to lower ends of the side walls  16  (see FIG.  4 ). 
     The floor  13  can be provided with a center aperture  50  to enable napkins to be dispensed one-at-a-time therethrough if that is desired. 
     In practice, the dispenser  10  is fastened to a vertical surface, and a vertical stack of paper napkins is inserted into the compartment  15 . Loading of the napkins is facilitated by the vertical slot  20  which accommodates a user&#39;s hand. The dispenser could be positioned at a drive-through station of a fast food restaurant where an operator bags a customer&#39;s order and hands it to him/her. One of the duties of the operator is to insert napkins, especially since the occupants of the vehicle may not have any other access to napkins. Hence, it is desired to supply the customer with a bunch of napkins. 
     To do so, the user inserts one finger (e.g., a thumb) into a lower end of the vertical slot  20 , and another finger (e.g., an index finger) into the recess  30  to pinch a bunch of napkins between those fingers, as shown in FIG.  8 . Then the user pulls the bundle through the horizontal slot  24  and out of the dispenser as shown in FIG.  9 . The slot  24  acts roughly as a metering device to somewhat limit the height of the bundle that can be dispensed. 
     Pulling the bundle from the dispenser is facilitated by the structural features of the dispenser, such as: (a) the supporting of napkins on the side and rear support tabs  34 ,  36  with the rear support tabs  34  situated higher than the side support tabs  36 , (b) the front portion of the bundle supported on the ridge  32  of the floor, and (c) the front edge  28  of the floor  13  being offset horizontally inwardly relative to the lower end  22  of the front wall  14 . That combination of features minimizes chances of the bundle becoming jammed or wedged while being pulled through the slot, and minimizes napkin tabbing. 
     The user is able to insert his thumb at a selected level whereby the user can select a desired number of napkins. Since the user is able to see, and gain access to, napkins disposed higher than an upper edge  22  of the horizontal slot  24 , due to the presence of the vertical slot  20 , the user is able to position his/her thumb over a napkin situated higher than the upper edge of the horizontal slot and squeeze and pull the resulting bunch through the slot  24 . The amount of napkins that can be pulled through the slot  24  is limited by the height of the slot and the compressability of the napkins. 
     If it is necessary to remove a larger bunch of napkins, it could be removed from the top of the dispenser, since the vertical slot extends all the way to the top of the front wall  14 . 
     In any event, a reasonable number of napkins could be removed through the slot  24 , such as from one to about fifteen or twenty. 
     If desired, a slot  52  could be formed in either or both of the side walls  16 , as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 5, to enable a user to see from a side view how many napkins are left in the dispenser. 
     Desirably, the dispenser is a high-capacity dispenser capable of holding at least about one-thousand napkins. 
     It will be appreciated that the invention provides an upright napkin dispenser which facilitates the dispensing of napkins by the bunch. Alternatively, napkins could be dispensed one-at-a-time through the slot  24  or the bottom aperture  50 . 
     Although the present invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that additions, deletions, modifications, and substitutions not specifically desired may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.