Patent Publication Number: US-2017355513-A1

Title: Beverage container insulator dispenser

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/348,178, filed on Jun. 10, 2016, entitled “BEVERAGE CONTAINER INSULATOR DISPENSER”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This patent specification relates to the field of storage and dispensing devices. More specifically, this patent specification relates to a dispenser configured to store, dispense, and transport beverage container insulators. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Beverage container insulators are typically made from insulating materials such as neoprene, foam rubber, and the like. These insulators are also known as koozies™, cozies, and coolies which are often given as gifts, promotional items, and/or accumulated as novelties. As a result, most individuals end up with a number of these insulators. While the insulators tend to be made from flexible materials and with a collapsible design, they also provide unique storage challenges. For example, without a containing force to maintain their collapsed state the insulators can become disorganized and quickly take up any available storage space. Also, when a number of insulators are taken to accommodate a number of people at a gathering, such as at a tailgate, the beach, a boat, a vacation condo, etc., they frequently become disorganized, lost or misplaced during travel to and from the gathering. For these reasons individuals may experience frustration and forego the use of insulators altogether in situations where they would be the most useful. 
     Therefore a need exists for a novel dispenser configured to store, dispense, and transport beverage container insulators. There is also a need for a novel beverage container insulator dispenser which is configured to maintain insulators in a collapsed state and to prevent a number of insulators from becoming disorganized and taking up excessive storage space. A further need exists for a novel dispenser that could serve as a promotional item to organize and dispense insulators for both individual dispensing and for (e.g. in an office) or as a novel give-a-way (e.g a small dispenser that is included in a gift bag) since companies frequently give out insulators as a promotional item (at golf tournaments, races, conferences, insurance company offices, etc.). Finally, a need exists for a portable novel beverage container insulator dispenser which is configured to prevent a number of insulators from becoming become disorganized, lost or misplaced during travel. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A beverage container insulator dispenser is provided which is configured to store and dispense beverage container insulators. In some embodiments, a beverage container insulator dispenser may include a body having a first end and a second end with at least one wall. A cavity may be formed into the body, and the cavity may be shaped to contain at least one beverage container insulator which is in a collapsed state. An access panel may govern access to the cavity, and a portion of the access panel may be movably coupled to the body. A dispensing aperture may be positioned proximate to the first end of the body. A motivation partition may be movably coupled within the cavity, and a motivation element may be coupled to the motivation partition and configured to tension the motivation partition towards the dispensing aperture. 
     In further embodiments, a beverage container insulator dispenser may include a body having a first wall and a second wall positioned generally parallel to each other, a third wall and a fourth wall positioned generally parallel to each other and coupled generally perpendicular to both the first wall and second wall, and a fifth wall coupled generally perpendicularly to the first, second, third, and fourth walls. An access panel may govern access to the cavity, and a portion of the access panel may be movably coupled to the body. A cavity may be formed by the first wall, second wall, third wall, fourth wall, fifth wall, and access panel, and the cavity may have a rectangular prism shape. A dispensing aperture may be positioned proximate to the first end of the body. A motivation partition may be movably coupled within the cavity, and a motivation element may be coupled to the motivation partition and configured to tension the motivation partition towards the dispensing aperture irrespective to the force of gravity. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  depicts a perspective view of an example of a beverage container insulator dispenser containing beverage container insulators according to various embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of an example of a beverage container insulator dispenser with the access panel removed according to various embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 3  shows a sectional, through line  3 - 3  shown in  FIG. 2 , perspective view of an example of a beverage container insulator dispenser with the access panel removed according to various embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 4  depicts a perspective view of an alternative example of a beverage container insulator dispenser according to various embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of an example of a motivation partition according to various embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 6  shows a perspective view of another example of a motivation partition according to various embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 7  depicts a plan view of an example of a beverage container insulator prior to assembly. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a plan view of an example of an assembled beverage container insulator in a collapsed state. 
         FIG. 9  shows a side elevation view of an example of an assembled beverage container insulator in a collapsed state. 
         FIG. 10  depicts a perspective view of an alternative example of a beverage container insulator dispenser with the access panel removed according to various embodiments described herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “rear”, “front”, “side”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in  FIG. 1 . However, one will understand that the invention may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. Therefore, the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise. 
     Although the terms “first”, “second”, etc. are used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, the first element may be designated as the second element, and the second element may be likewise designated as the first element without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 
     In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims. 
     A new dispenser configured to store and dispense beverage container insulators is discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. 
     The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below. 
     The present invention will now be described by example and through referencing the appended figures representing preferred and alternative embodiments.  FIGS. 1-4  illustrate examples of a beverage container insulator dispenser (“the dispenser”)  100  according to various embodiments. In some embodiments, the device  100  may comprise a body  11  having a first end  31  and a second end  32 . A cavity  12  may be formed into the body  11  and shaped to receive one or more beverage container insulators  200 . An access panel  13  may be movably coupled to the body  11  and configured to govern access to the cavity  12 . A dispensing aperture  14  may be formed into or by portions of the access panel  13 , and beverage container insulators  200  may be removed from the cavity  12  through the dispensing aperture  14 . A motivation partition  41  may be movably coupled to the body  11  within the cavity  12 . A motivation element  40  may be coupled to the motivation partition  41  and configured to tension the motivation partition  41  towards the dispensing aperture  14 . Beverage container insulators  200  may be positioned within the cavity  12  and maintained in a collapsed state  220  ( FIGS. 8 and 9 ) by the motivation partition  41  while the motivation element  40  tensions the motivation partition  41  towards the dispensing aperture  14  irrespective to the force of gravity. 
     In some embodiments, the body  11  may comprise one or more walls, such as a first wall  21 , second wall  22 , third wall  23 , fourth wall  24 , and/or a fifth wall  25 . Optionally, the body  11  may be configured in a generally rectangular prism shape with the walls  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , comprising generally rectangular shapes. Preferably, a first wall  21  and a second wall  22  may be positioned generally parallel to each other, a third wall  23  and a fourth wall  24  may be positioned generally parallel to each other and coupled generally perpendicular to both the first wall  21  and second wall  22 , and a fifth wall  25  may be coupled generally perpendicularly to the first  21 , second  22 , third  23 , and fourth  24  walls. However, it should be understood to one of ordinary skill in the art that the body  11  and one or more walls  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , may be configured in a plurality of sizes and shapes including “T” shaped, “X” shaped, square shaped, cylinder shaped, cuboid shaped, hexagonal prism shaped, triangular prism shaped, or any other geometric or non-geometric shape, including combinations of shapes. It is not intended herein to mention all the possible alternatives, equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention. It is understood that the terms and proposed shapes used herein are merely descriptive, rather than limiting, and that various changes, such as to size and shape, may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. 
     In preferred embodiments, the body  11  may comprise one or more walls  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , which are shaped to form a generally rectangular prism shaped cavity  12  within the body  11 . Preferably, the cavity  12  may comprise a shape and dimensions which allows one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or more, such as a plurality, of beverage container insulators  200  to be stacked or linearly arranged as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4  when the beverage container insulators  200  are in a collapsed state  220  ( FIGS. 8 and 9 ). In alternative embodiments, the body  11  and one more walls  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , may be configured to form a cavity  12  which may comprise any geometric or non-geometric shape, including combinations of shapes. 
     The dispenser  100  may comprise an access panel  13  which may be movably coupled to the body  11  and configured to govern access to the cavity  12 . The access panel  13  may be configured to form a barrier to prevent beverage container insulators  200  within the cavity  12  from exiting the cavity  12  in a disorganized fashion such as by falling out of the cavity  12 . In further embodiments, an access panel  13  may be positioned anywhere on the body  11  such as within one or more walls. For example, the body  11  may comprise six walls and an access panel  13  may be formed into one or more of the walls. In still further embodiments, an access panel  13  may take the place of and/or function as a wall. For example, an access panel  13  may take the place of and/or function as a top wall, bottom wall, rear wall, or side wall. It is to be understood that an access panel  13  may be formed or comprise any portion of the body  11  to allow access to the cavity  12 . 
     In some embodiments, the access panel  13  may be movably coupled, by being removably coupled, to one or more walls  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , of the body  12  so that the access panel  13  may be coupled to the body  11  to prevent access to the cavity  12  and removed from the body  12  to allow access to the cavity  12 . Preferably, the dispenser  100  may comprise one or more access panel fasteners  18  which may removably couple a portion of the access panel  13  to portions of the body  11 , such as a first wall  21 , second wall  22 , third wall  23 , and/or fourth wall  24 . An access panel fastener  18  may comprise press fit or snap fit fasteners, hook and loop type or Velcro® fasteners, magnetic type fasteners, threaded type fasteners, sealable tongue and groove fasteners, snap fasteners, clip type fasteners, clasp type fasteners, ratchet type fasteners, a push-to-lock type connection method, a turn-to-lock type connection method, slide-to-lock type connection method or any other suitable temporary connection method as one reasonably skilled in the art could envision to serve the same function. 
     In alternative embodiments, the access panel  13  may be movably coupled to the body  11  with portions of the access panel  13  pivotally coupled to portions of the body  11 , such as with a hinge  15 , and other portions of the access panel  13  may be removably coupled to portions of the body  11 . In this manner, portions of the access panel  13  may be pivoted away from the body  11  to allow access to the cavity  12 . Conversely, by pivoting the portions of the access panel  13  into contact with the body  11  access to the cavity  12  may be temporarily prevented. 
     A hinge  15  may comprise a butt hinge, butterfly hinge, flush hinge, barrel hinge, concealed hinge, continuous hinge, T-hinge, strap hinge, double-acting hinge, Soss hinge, a flexible material hinge, or any other type or style of hinge or pivotal joining method that allows portions of an access panel  13  and body  11  to be pivoted away from each other. In further embodiments, a hinge  15  may comprise any type of hinge known in the art, including so-called “living” hinges, which typically comprise a linear, relatively flexible area between two relatively more rigid components, such as a line of thin plastic between thicker plastic portions, as is well known in the art. In still further embodiments, a hinge  15  may comprise a spring or other tension providing device that is able to mechanically assist with the opening or closing of the access panel  13 . 
     In other embodiments, an access panel  13  and body  11  may be movably coupled together by being slidably joined together with a tongue and groove engagement allowing portions of an access panel  13  to be slid open and closed from the body  11 . In further embodiments, an access panel  13  and body  11  may be joined with any other type of engagement that allows all or at least a portion of an access panel  13  to be moved relative to the body  11  thereby restricting and granting access to the cavity  12  within the body  11  of the dispenser  100 . 
     Preferably, an access panel  13  may comprise a dispensing aperture  14  out of which beverage container insulators  200  may be removed from the cavity  12 . In some embodiments, a dispensing aperture  14  may comprise a horizontal slot, having one or more first horizontal lips  51  and second horizontal lips  52 , which may be shaped to allow one or more beverage container insulators  200  which are in a collapsed state  220  ( FIGS. 8 and 9 ) to be inserted into or removed from the cavity  12  through the dispensing aperture  14 . In further embodiments and as shown by  FIGS. 1 and 4 , a dispensing aperture  14  may be generally T-shaped with a generally horizontal portion, having one or more first horizontal lips  51  and second horizontal lips  52 , shaped to allow one or more collapsed beverage container insulators  200  to be inserted into or removed from the cavity  12  and also an intersecting generally vertical portion, having one or more first vertical lips  53  and second vertical lips  54 , which may be shaped to allow portions of a user&#39;s thumb or fingers to pass through the dispensing aperture  14  to aid in manipulating one or more collapsed beverage container insulators  200  to be inserted into or removed from the cavity  12 . In alternative embodiments, a dispensing aperture  14  may comprise any size and shape which may allow one or more collapsed beverage container insulators  200  to be inserted into or removed from the cavity  12 . 
     In some embodiments, a dispensing aperture  14  may be formed into the access panel  13  so that the dispensing aperture  14  may be positioned proximate to the first end  31  of the body  11  when the access panel  13  is coupled to the body  11  as shown in  FIG. 1 . In other embodiments, a dispensing aperture  14  may be formed into the access panel  13  so that the dispensing aperture  14  may be positioned proximate to the second end  32  of the body  11  when the access panel  13  is coupled to the body  11 . In alternative embodiments, a dispensing aperture  14  may be positioned on the body  11  such as on one or more walls  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 . In still further embodiments, a dispensing aperture  14  may be positioned anywhere on an access panel  13  and/or anywhere on the body  11 . In still other embodiments, a portion of a dispensing aperture  14  may be formed as a gap between the access panel  13  and a wall, such as the third wall  23 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     In some embodiments, the dispenser  100  may comprise a motivation partition  41  which may be movably coupled to the body  11  within the cavity  12 . Optionally, portions of the body  11  forming the cavity  12 , such as one or more walls  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , may comprise one or more channels  17  into which portions of the motivation partition  41  may fit and which may be used to guide the movement of the motivation partition  41  within the cavity  12 . The motivation partition  41  may be shaped to extend across the cavity  12  so that a beverage container insulator  200  in contact with the motivation partition  41  may not move around the motivation partition  41  as the partition  41  moves within the cavity  12 . A motivation element  40  may be coupled to the motivation partition  41  and configured to tension the motivation partition  41  towards the dispensing aperture  14 . Beverage container insulators  200  may be positioned within the cavity  12  and maintained in a collapsed state  220  ( FIGS. 8 and 9 ) by the motivation partition  41  while the motivation element  40  tensions the motivation partition  41  towards the dispensing aperture  14 . 
     In some embodiments, a motivation partition  41  may be movably coupled within the cavity  12  by being coupled to a motivation element  40  and the motivation partition  41  may not be coupled to a wall  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , of the body  11 . Portions of the motivation partition  41 , such as a partition edge surface  42 , may be configured to slide across one or more walls, such as the first wall  21 , second wall  22 , and fifth wall  25 , and/or the access panel  13 . A motivation partition  41  may comprise one or more partition edge surfaces  42 , which may be planar in shape, or any other shape, and which may contact and slide across one or more walls, such as the first wall  21 , second wall  22 , and fifth wall  25 , and/or the access panel  13  to guide the movement of the motivation partition  41  within the cavity  12  when it is moved towards and away from the dispensing aperture  14 . For example, a motivation partition  41  may be generally rectangular prism shaped and comprise four partition edge surfaces  42  which may extend around the motivation partition  41  to contact one or more walls  21 ,  22 ,  25 , and/or access panel  13  to guide the movement of the motivation partition  41  within a generally rectangular prism shaped cavity  12 . 
     In further embodiments and as shown in  FIG. 5 , one or more skids  43  may be coupled to the motivation partition  41  and the skids  43  may contact and slide across one or more walls, such as the first wall  21 , second wall  22 , and fifth wall  25 , and/or the access panel  13  to guide the movement of the motivation partition  41  within the cavity  12  when it is moved towards and away from the dispensing aperture  14 . A skid  43  may comprise one or more skid surfaces  44 , which may be planar in shape, or any other shape, and which may contact and slide across one or more walls, such as the first wall  21 , second wall  22 , and fifth wall  25 , and/or the access panel  13  to guide the movement of the motivation partition  41  within the cavity  12  when it is moved towards and away from the dispensing aperture  14 . 
     In still further embodiments and as shown in  FIG. 6 , a skid  43  may comprise a roller  45  which may be configured to roll along one or more walls, such as the first wall  21 , second wall  22 , and fifth wall  25 , and/or the access panel  13  within the cavity  12 . A skid  43  configured as a roller or wheel may comprise a cylindrical or annular skid surface  44  which may contact and roll across one or more walls, such as the first wall  21 , second wall  22 , and fifth wall  25 , and/or the access panel  13  to guide the movement of the motivation partition  41  within the cavity  12  when it is moved towards and away from the dispensing aperture  14 . In still further embodiments, a skid  44  may fit into or otherwise movably engage with a channel  17  disposed on one or more walls, such as the first wall  21 , second wall  22 , and fifth wall  25 , and/or the access panel  13  within the cavity  12   
     The motivation element  40  may tension the motivation partition  41  towards the dispensing aperture  14 , irrespective to the force of gravity, so that as one or more collapsed beverage container insulators  200  are removed from the cavity  12  through the dispensing aperture  14 , the motivation partition  41  may motivate the remaining beverage container insulators  200  within the cavity  12  towards the dispensing aperture  14 . In this manner, the motivation element  40  may tension the motivation partition  41  towards the dispensing aperture  14  so that the motivation partition  41  may resist movement away from the dispensing aperture  14  as one or more collapsed beverage container insulators  200  are inserted into the cavity  12  through the dispensing aperture  14 . 
     In some embodiments and as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , a motivation element  40  may comprise a constant-force spring  40 B which may be a tightly rolled ribbon of elastic material that exerts a nearly constant force as it is unrolled. Optionally, a constant-force spring  40 B type of motivation element  40  may be disposed in the cavity  12  between the motivation partition  41  and a wall proximate to the first end  31 , such as the third wall  23 . The motivation element  40  may be coupled to the body  11  and to the motivation partition  41  so that the motivation element  40  may be on the same side of the motivation partition  41  as any beverage container insulators  200  within the cavity  12 . The dispenser  100  may comprise an optional static partition  16  which may be coupled to the body  11  within the cavity  12  proximate to a dispensing aperture  14 . By placing one or more beverage container insulators  200  between a static partition  16  and a motivation partition  41 , the beverage container insulators  200  may be maintained in a collapsed state  220  by the tension on the motivation partition while also maintaining the beverage container insulator  200  farthest from the motivation partition  41  in close proximity to the dispensing aperture  14 . In alternative embodiments, a static partition  16  may be formed by one or more walls  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , and a constant-force spring  40 B type of motivation element  40  may be coupled to the body  11  on the exterior of a wall  21 ,  22 ,  23 ,  24 ,  25 , and/or cavity  12 . Preferably, a constant-force spring  40 B may be positioned within the cavity  12  between a static partition  16  and a wall such as the third wall  23  or fourth wall  24 . 
     In alternative embodiments and as shown in  FIG. 4 , a motivation element  40  may comprise an elastic spring, such as a coil spring  40 A, which is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy and which may be made from out of spring steel, annealed steel which is hardened after fabrication, and non-ferrous metals including phosphor bronze, titanium, beryllium copper, or any other suitable material. a motivation element  40  comprising a coil spring  40 A may be coupled to the body  11  and to the motivation partition  41  so that the motivation element  40  may be on the opposite side of the motivation partition  41  as any beverage container insulators  200  within the cavity  12 . In this manner, the motivation element  40  may be disposed in the cavity  12  between the motivation partition  41  and a wall proximate to the second end  32 , such as the fourth wall  24 . 
     In still further embodiments, a motivation element  40  may comprise any type of spring such as a Tension/extension spring, Compression spring, Torsion spring, Variable spring, Coil spring, Flat spring, Machined spring, Serpentine spring, Cantilever spring, Hairspring or balance spring, Leaf spring, V-spring, Belleville washer or Belleville spring, Gas spring or gas piston, Mainspring, Negator spring, Progressive rate coil springs, Spring washer, Torsion spring, Wave spring, Rubber band, bungee cord, a shock cord, or other non-metallic elastic material, or any other material or device which is suitable for tensioning a motivation partition  41  towards a dispensing aperture  14 . 
     An example of a beverage container insulator  200  is shown in  FIGS. 7-9 . Typically, beverage container insulators  200  are made from a planar piece of insulating material such as neoprene, foam rubber, and the like as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The material may be cut or shaped so that it comprises two first elongated edges  201 , bounding a first panel  211 , and two opposing second elongated edges  202 , bounding a second panel  212 . Additionally, the material may be cut or shaped so that it comprises a round base  203 . To assemble the beverage container insulator  200 , each first elongated edge  201  may be coupled to its opposing second elongated edge  202  as shown in  FIG. 5 . In this manner, the a beverage container insulator  200  may accommodate a beverage container, such as a beverage can or bottle, between the panels  211 ,  212 , and the base  203 , while still being able to fold flat into a collapsed state  220  as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9  when not accommodating a beverage container. 
       FIG. 10  depicts a perspective view of an alternative example of a beverage container insulator dispenser  100  with the access panel  13  removed according to various embodiments described herein. In some embodiments, the device  100  may comprise a follower  46  which may be coupled to the motivation partition  41 . A follower  46  may provide a method of stabilization to the movement of a motivation partition  41  by contacting portions of the device  100  within the cavity  12  to guide the movement of the follower  46  and the motivation partition to which it is coupled within the cavity  12 . Preferably, a follower  46  may be grasped, or otherwise be interacted with by a user, and used to pull down and move the motivation partition  41  to which the follower  46  is coupled. 
     Optionally, a follower  46  may be coupled to the motivation partition  41  with one or more skids  43 . A follower  46  may be configured in any shape and size such as a generally planar rectangular prism shape, similar to the depicted motivation partition  41 , a U-shape, a T-shape, or any other shape. In some embodiments, the device  100  may comprise a finger recess  48  which may be formed by, formed into, and/or formed between a follower  46  and a motivation partition  41 , and the finger recess  48  may form a recess or space for receiving the finger(s) of the user when moving the motivation partition  41 . Preferably, a follower  46  may comprise one or more follower surfaces  47 , which may be planar in shape, or any other shape, and which may contact and slide across one or more walls, such as the first wall  21 , second wall  22 , and fifth wall  25 , and/or the access panel  13  to guide the movement of the follower  46  and therefore the movement of the motivation partition  41  to which the follower is coupled, within the cavity  12  when the motivation partition  41  is moved towards and away from the dispensing aperture  14 . For example, a follower  46  may be generally rectangular prism shaped and comprise four follower surfaces  47  which may extend around the follower  46  to contact one or more walls  21 ,  22 ,  25 , and/or access panel  13  to guide the movement of the motivation partition  41  within a generally rectangular prism shaped cavity  12 . 
     While some materials have been provided, in other embodiments, the elements that comprise the dispenser  100  such as the body  11 , access panel  13 , motivation partition  41 , motivation element  40 , optional static partition  16 , and/or any other element discussed herein may be made from durable materials such as aluminum, steel, other metals and metal alloys, wood, hard rubbers, hard plastics, fiber reinforced plastics, carbon fiber, fiber glass, resins, polymers, heavy cardboards and stiff foams (allowing the body  11  to float) or any other suitable materials including combinations of materials. Additionally, one or more elements may be made from or comprise durable and slightly flexible materials such as soft plastics, silicone, soft rubbers, or any other suitable materials including combinations of materials. In some embodiments, one or more of the elements that comprise the dispenser  100  may be coupled or connected together with heat bonding, chemical bonding, adhesives, clasp type fasteners, clip type fasteners, rivet type fasteners, threaded type fasteners, other types of fasteners, or any other suitable joining method. In other embodiments, one or more of the elements that comprise the dispenser  100  may be removably coupled or removably connected by being press fit or snap fit together, by one or more fasteners such as hook and loop type or Velcro® fasteners, magnetic type fasteners, threaded type fasteners, sealable tongue and groove fasteners, snap fasteners, clip type fasteners, clasp type fasteners, ratchet type fasteners, a push-to-lock type connection method, a turn-to-lock type connection method, slide-to-lock type connection method or any other suitable temporary connection method as one reasonably skilled in the art could envision to serve the same function. In further embodiments, one or more of the elements that comprise the dispenser  100  may be coupled by being one of connected to and integrally formed with another element of the dispenser  100 . 
     Although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims.