US3090522A - Napkin dispenser - Google Patents

Description

May 21, 1963 E. F. HOHWART NAPKIN DISPENSER Filed July 3, 1961 INVENTOR.

ERA/375 Hal/" 14E7- BY p ATTORNEY United States Patent Oce 3,090,522 Patented May 21, 1963 3,090,522 NAPKEJ DISPENSER Ernest F. Hohwart, 19381 Sussex, Detroit, Mich. Filed July 3, 1961, Ser. No. 121,393 1 Claim. (Cl. 221-33) This invention relates to a holder and dispenser particularly suitable for folded paper napkins.

Napkin holders and dispensers have been employed heretofore to facilitate one at a time dispensation, however, the several devices of the prior art have not proven entirely satisfactory inasmuch as they are complicated in design and construction, expensive to manufacture, difiicult to use, and usually require a specially folded or adapted napkin for use with the dispenser.

With the foregoing in view, the primary object of the invention is to provide a napkin dispenser which is simple in design and construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use, and easy to dispense and refill, and which does not require a specially folded or integrated napkin for use therewith.

An object of the invention is to provide a napkin dispenser which can be manufactured inexpensively as the component parts are easily made and the assembly of the parts readily accomplished.

An object of the invention is to provide a napkin dispenser which can be used and operated with perfect ease by any user with any type napkin.

An object of the invention is to prow'de a napkin dispenser which will dispense the innermost napkin one at a time or any number of innermost napkins at one time leaving the remaining napkins undisturbed and in proper position in the napkin holder box.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following description of a sheet or napkin dispenser embodying the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a side-elevational view of the dispenser showing the internal construction in dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken on.

the line 2-2 thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, partly in cross-section, of the dispenser box seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the construction in more detail.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a spring pressed roller modification; and

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, the dispenser disclosed therein to illustrate the invention comprises a box or container having spaced opposed side walls 11 and 12 and a V-shaped bottom wall 13 forming a trough area between the side walls 11 and 12; the reversely turned or U-shaped napkins 1-4 are bent around the roller 15 which holds the napkins down in position so that the abrasive or friction means 16 on the bottom wall 13 engages the outer napkin and the roller 15 engages the inner napkin so that when the user grasps the innermost napkin 17 and lifts upwardly thereon he lifts the roller 15 rolling it relative to the innermost napkin 17 with the friction means 16 holding the other napkins from sliding or rolling so that the roller 15 releases the innermost napkin 17 individually and then immediately engages the next napkin for similar dispensing action.

More particularly box 10 comprises the walls described together with the paired spaced end walls 18 and 19 which act as end stops for the napkins 14 and roller 15 as well as cross supports for the box 10. Sand paper has been found a suitable abrasive coating for the V- shaped bottom wall 13, however, apertures, studs, and/or any other friction means may be employed in this regard with suitable operational results.

Referring to the device of FIGS. 4 and 5 it will be noted that the leaf spring 20 is riveted to the bottom 13 as at 21 and comprises two outwardly paired arms 22 and 23 terminating upwardly in fingers 24 and 25 respectively at either end of the box and the roller 26 is equipped with axial pins 28 and 29 co-operating with the fingers 24 and 25 which are equipped with slots 27 for mounting and dismounting the pins relative to the spring 20. -In the operation of this device, the spring arms 22 and 23 pull downwardly on the roller 26 urging it against the napkins '14 so as to hold the napkins in position and supply forced frictional connection between the napkins 14 and the bottom 13 and the spring 20 has suflicient flexibility to permit the user pulling upwardly on the innermost napkin 17 to elevate the roller 26 to permit sliding engagement between the sheet 17 and the next sheet and rolling engagement with the roller 26.

It is to be noted in the device of FIGS. 1 through 3 that no spring is necessary and that the roller 15 is a relatively heavy roller compared to the roller 26 and acts with sufiicient pressure against the napkins 14 and the bottom wall 13 through gravitational force. Metal or ceramic bars or tubes have been found suitable.

In filling, referring to the device of FIGS. 1 through 3, the user grasps the cut ends 30 of the group of napkins and holds these ends in parallel alignment and wraps the napkins around the roller 15 whereupon the folded ends 31 take on a staggered relationship due to the diiference in relative circumference around the axis of the roller 15 thereby presenting the innermost napkin 17 as the uppermost readily graspable napkin in the group. The user then merely places the napkins with the roller inside them in the box or carton 10 and the device is ready to operate.

In use, the user grasps the innermost napkin .17 and lifts upwardly so as to elevate the roller 15 from pressure against the remainder of the pack whereupon the innermost napkin 17 is free to slide relative to the rest of the napkins and free to roll relative to the roller 15 whereupon the innermost napkin 17 is easily extracted leaving the remaining napkins undisturbed and immediately upon the innermost napkin being extracted roller 15 re-engages the next innermost napkin for the next operation which is identical and this continues down to the very last napkin in the box in accurate repetition.

Referring to the device of FIGS. 4 and 5 it will be noted that the roller 26 may be manually uplifted on the spring 20 to insert the napkins 1-4 below as illustrated in FIG. 4 or the user may slip the pins 28 and 29 through the spring arm notches 27 and remove the roller so that the roller and napkins may be inserted together whereupon the pins 28 and 29 are slipped into the notches 27 of the arms 24 and 25 so that the spring 20 then drags downwardly on the roller 26 forcing the napkins 14 into frictional engagement with the friction developing means on the V-shaped bottom wall 13. The operation of this device is the same as previously described inasmuch as the user lifts on the innermost napkin 17 thereby elevating the roller 26 so that the innermost napkin 17 is free to slide relative to the next napkin and free to roll relative to the elevated roller 26 and immediately upon this napkin being extracted the roller 26 immediately engages the next napkin via the pressure exerted on the roller in a downward direction by the spring 20.

The inventive device with the features described constitutes a compact, durable, protective, attractive, and neat appearing mechanism which is easily operated to hold the napkins for immediate dispensation in a one at a time repetitive order.

Although but a single embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail together with one modification, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the size, shape, detail, and arrangement of the various elements of the invention within the scope of 5 the appended claim.

I claim: e

A sheet dispenser for dispensing sheets at least one at a time from a pack of sheets comprising a box having substantially vertical side walls and op- 4 of a pack of sheets exerting force radially through the sheets engaging the sheets with the friction surface of said V-shaped bottom wall preventing the pack of sheets from moving relative to said box; manual lifting pull on one end of at least the innermost sheet, tensioning the pulled end of the sheet on a tangent relative to said roller below the bearing radii of said roller thereby lifting said roller out of bearing engagement and causing said roller to roll thereby transferring the tension of the manual pull to the positely angled angular bot-tom members leading downwardly and inwardly from said side walls toward one another and joining one another in a V- shaped bottom wall forming a trough having a bottom apex; said bottom members having an upwardly facing friction surface;

other unpulled end of the sheet on a tangent of said roller; the tensioning pull on the sheet causing it to move away from the pack on a tangent of said roller eliminating frictional engagement between the pulled sheet and the pack and relieving roller radial bearing force on the pulled sheet relative to said roller, said box, and the pack;

said roller exerting force though the pack against said V-shaped bottom wall friction surface on radii of said roller as the pack diminishes as sheets are manually pulled therefrom with the force radially exerted by said roller being directed normal to said angular bottom members forming said V-shaped bottom wall so that the relationship and action is preserved from a full pack of sheets to the last sheet.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS a roller having a cylindrical periphery in said box lying in said trough bearing toward said bottom members friction surface; said roller exerting force against each said bottom member in a narrow radial portion substantially normal to said bottom members friction surface at points spaced from said trough apex; said roller as so bearing concentrating force in a small area to develop maximum friction points between said roller and said bottom members friction surface;

a pack of sheets of U-shaped configuration being positionable in said box under said roller; said pack having straight ends upstanding abutting said box side walls and an intermediate curved portion engaging 427,918 Shafer May 13, 1890 said V-shaped bottom wall friction surface at rela- 648,603 Whitehead May 1, 1900 tively small area high friction tangential locations; 663,726 Carlen Dec. 11, 1900 2,150,998 Warshaw Mar. 21, 1939 said roller lying in the intermediate curved portion

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