Patent Publication Number: US-3878966-A

Title: Napkin holder

Description:
I United States Patent 1 1 1111 3,878,966  
 Haboush Apr. 22, 1975 NAPKIN HOLDER 3,008,606 11/1961 Limberger 221 41 x [76] Inventor: Nicholas M. Haboush, 8808 Three FOREIGN AT TS QR APPLICATIONS Chopt Road No. 101. R chmond, 650361 12/1962 ltaly 211/50 Va. 23229 Primarv ExaminerRobert B1. Reeves 22 Fl d: M 1973 v 1 ay 25 Assistant Examiner-Thomas E. Kocovsky PP&#39; N05 363,895 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Griffin, Branigan and Butler 52 us. (:1 221/33; 07/72; 211/50 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl B6511 1/00 Disclosed is a napkin holder and dispenser unit allow 58 Field 61 Search 221/33-63; s withdrawal of a Single napkin from a bundle of 211/50; 7/72; 20 /73; 312 50 1 held napkins. The unit is equipped with restraining means to prevent the remaining napkins in the bundle 5 References Cited from following the one selected, as it is being with- UNITED STATES PATENTS drawn. To permit easy accessibility to the napkins, the 2044 23 6/l936 Smith 312/50 unit disposes one end of the napkin bundle in a 2:347:823 5/1944 Goodman. 11.: fanned&#39;mt 2,5l3,474 7/1950 Greer 211/50 1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED 3.878.966 SHEEI 1 [If 3 NAPKIN HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to sheet paper dispensing devices. In particular, it relates to a napkin holder and dispenser that holds napkins in an easily accessible position and allows the dispensing of individual napkins separately, without permitting the remaining napkins to trail behind.  
  In removing napkins from their container or holder, difficulty is often encountered in that when one desires to withdraw a single napkin, the napkin or napkins adjacent to the single one selected tend to follow the chosen one out of the container. Therefore, to secure a single napkin, one must manually restrain the remaining napkins in the holder while he withdraws one, or else be bothered to reinsert the following napkins after he removes the individual one desired. These procedures either inconveniently monopolize the use of both of ones hands, or necessitate clumsy restuffing of unwanted napkins back into the holder.  
  Hence, for convenience and ease of use, a napkin holder is needed which affords easy selection and quick unencumbered dispensing of napkins.  
 It is an object of this invention to provide a napkin holder and dispenser unit for home or commercial use in which a bundle of individual napkins can be held and be singly dispensed.  
  It is further an object to provide a napkin holder and dispenser which holds a bundle of napkins in an easily accessible fanned-out manner.  
  It is another object to provide a napkin holder and dispenser which allows the withdrawal of a single napkin while restraining the remaining napkins in their held position.  
 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with principles of this invention, the objects as set forth are attained by providing a main support member including an upright rear support member connected to a horizontal base support member. Attached to the rear support near the connection corners of the rear and base members are restraining arms projecting into the interior of the device to help hold the inserted napkins in their upright fanned-out manner and to force distortion of any withdrawn napkins. These restraining arms prevent the remaining napkins in the bundle from following the selected napkin being withdrawn, since the frictional attractive force exerted by the napkin being withdrawn on its neighboring napkins is insufficient to draw them through the forced distortion caused by these arms. A third restraining arm extends from the front corner of the base member into the interior of the device. This arm serves to hold the napkin bundle against the base support member and further helps maintain the bundle in position while a napkin is being withdrawn.  
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:  
  FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a napkin holder and dispenser according to the invention.  
  FIG. 2 is a side view of the device of FIG. 1 but including napkins to illustrate the fanned-out manner in which the napkins are held.  
  FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the device illustrated in FIG. 2.  
  FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention.  
  FIG. 5 is a side view and the second embodiment but includes napkins to illustrate the fanned-out manner in which the napkins are held.  
  FIG. 6 is a plan view of selected fragment of a napkin holder to illustrate an alternative mesh material from which the device may be constructed.  
  The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed on illustrating the principles of the invention.  
  Referring to the elements of the invention as embodied in the drawings, numeral 1 generally represents a napkin holder and dispenser which comprises a spring arm 9, restraining arms 3 and 5, main support member including an upright rear support member 7 and a base support member 6, a front retaining member 17, and base support feet 11, 13 and 15.  
  Spring arm 9 is a semi-rigid, but bendable tonguelike appendage that is attached to the front retaining member 17, at the front corner of the unit. The spring arm extends into the interior of the dispenser and serves to hold the inserted napkin bundle l9 firmly yet gently in place against the base 6 of the unit. Rear upright member 7 is vertically connected to triangular base 6 along its rear hypotenuse edge. This member serves as the back support of the container and allows the inserted napkins to be disposed in an easily accessible forward fanned-out manner, as shown in FIG. 2. The restraining arms 3 and 5 extend from the rear upright member adjacent to the vertical-horizontal junction of the rear upright member and the base, at the lower rear corners of the container. These restraining arms serve to deform the napkins as they are withdrawn and thus tend to prevent the remaining napkins from following the one selected as it is being withdrawn. They also prevent the fanned-out napkins from falling over onto the front of the holder. Base support feet 11, 13 and 15 are firmly fastened to the bottom of the triangular base of the container and serve to support the structure.  
  In operation, spring arm 9 is pulled upwardly and a bundle of napkins 19 is inserted under the spring arm 9. One corner of the bundle is aligned with the front corner of the container. Frontal retaining member 17 provides lateral support for the bundle and maintains the bundle in an orderly arrangement. The rear corners of the napkin bundle adjacent to the restraining arms 3 and 5 are tucked beneath these arms. The upright back member 7 of the container causes the most rearward corner of the inserted bundle to be bent vertically upward; and in conjunction with the spring arms holding of the horizontally disposed part of the bundle in place, allows the napkin bundle to fan-out forwardly as shown in FIG. 2, for easy access.  
  As one desires a napkin, he merely selects the foremost disposed napkin such as 20, grabs its edge from the fanned-out array, and pulls it from the bundle. The foremost selected napkin slips out from under the spring arm 9 and its edges are deformed as they pass from under the restraining arms 3 and 5. The joint restraining effort of spring arm 9 and arms 3 and 5, however, maintains the remaining napkins in the bundle in their held position and prevents them from following the selected napkin due to the frictional attraction of the withdrawal. This withdrawal-attractive force is not sufficientto draw the adjacent napkins through the forced distortion by the restraining arms.  
  In FIG. 4, a second embodiment of my invention is shown, generally represented by numeral 2. Upright projections and 22 attached to the base 6 of the unit serve to provide lateral support to the napkin bundle. Spring restraining arms 24 and 26 hold the napkin bundle firmly by its corners, and restraining arms 28 and 30 serve to provide frontal support for the vertically disposed portion of the napkin bundle and also serve to deform the napkins as they are pulled from the stack, thus providing restraint for the napkins remaining in the bundle. The tips of the spring restraining arms 24 and 26 are provided with smooth knobs, so that the selected napkins can be withdrawn from the restraining influence of these springs without tearing.  
  The napkin holder and dispenser unit is preferably molded of a plastic material, but also may be formed from metal; wire mesh, or any other suitable rigid or semi-rigid material. The restraining arms and spring arms can be rigidly attached to the structure, or to facilitate loading they may be attached by hinges so that they can easily be swung out of position. However, if the restraining arms and spring arms are made of suitably semi-rigid flexible material they may merely be bent out of position to facilitate loading, so as to make the hinged connection unnecessary.  
 7 While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various alterations in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the upright and base support members of the main support member need not be triangular in shape, as long as means are provided to maintain the napkins in alignment. Similarly, the restraining means may also vary in shape and size without reducing their effectiveness; and the rear support member nned not be disposed at a right angle to the base support member to cause the fanning out of the napkins.  
  The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or priviledge is claimed are defined as follows:  
  l. A napkin holder and dispenser for holding a bundle of napkins in a generally L-shaped configuration and singly releasing an individual napkin from said bundle of napkins comprising:  
 a main support member comprised of a diagonally folded generally rectangular-shaped element wherein one of the resulting triangular sections serves as a horizontal base support member and the other resulting triangular sections serves as a vertical back support member, said back and base support members thereby forming a verticalhorizontal junction;  
 first restraining arm means affixed to the front of said base support member and adapted to extend over said bundle of napkins toward said verticalhorizontal junction and biased toward said base support member;  
 second restraining arm means projecting into the interior of the napkin holder adjacent said verticalhorizontal junction, so that a restraining influence is applied adjacent said junction of said back support member and said base support member for distorting the corners of said napkins as they are withdrawn from said napkin holder and holding said bundle of napkins in place and restraining the remaining napkins from following a selected napkin as said selected napkin is withdrawn from said bundle.