Patent ID: 8042707

Claim:
A toothpick dispenser, comprising: a chamber for holding a plurality of toothpicks, the chamber having an aperture through which a single toothpick may be dispensed; a housing coupled to the chamber; an electrical power source carried by the housing; a drive system conductively coupled to the power source, the drive system having: a dispenser motor; a gear system coupled to the dispenser motor; a shaft coupled to the gear system; and a dispenser cam coupled to the shaft and to the lift system; wherein rotation of the dispenser cam activates the lift system; a lift system coupled to the drive system, the lift system being adapted to dispense the single toothpick through the aperture of the chamber; and an electrical sensor conductively coupled to the drive system for detecting the presence of a user and for activating the drive system and the lift system in response to the detection of the user.