Dispenser for dispensing sheet material

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6779683
  • Patent Number
    6,779,683
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, April 30, 2002
    22 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, August 24, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A dispenser for dispensing individual sheets of a paper product from a stack of sheets loaded in the dispenser includes a housing having an internal compartment configured to hold a stack of sheets, and at least one door coupled to the housing. The door provides access and closure to the internal compartment, and the door has at least a portion of a dispensing opening formed therein through which individual sheets are dispensed. The door is configured to move into the internal compartment to provide an opened loading position for loading a stack of sheets. The door is also configured to move into alignment with adjacent portions of the housing when in a closed dispensing position such that the door abuts adjacent portions of the housing to provide a closure and hides an entry point into the dispenser, thereby providing an illusory appearance of being an unmovable portion of the dispenser.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The invention generally relates to dispensers, and more specifically, to dispensers for dispensing sheet material.




BACKGROUND




Dispensers for dispensing individual sheets of paper products, for example, toilet tissue, from an internally stored stack of the products are known in the art. Commercial examples of such dispensers include the line of SaniTouch® bath tissue dispensers from Kimberly-Clark Corporation. The industry is continuously seeking ways to improve such dispensers, especially as to ease and reliability of use by the public, and simplicity and cost from a manufacturing standpoint.




Particular problems arise in use of such dispensers for stacks of relatively high absorbency and low tensile strength paper products, such as bath or toilet tissue. For example, when a maintenance technician over-fills or “stuffs” the dispenser upon refilling, the stack becomes compressed against the bottom dispensing surface and it becomes very difficult for a user to pull individual sheets out of the dispensing throat. The sheets will tear and the user is tempted to grasp and pull “clumps” of the product out of the dispenser, resulting in user waste. Preventing over-fill conditions is an ongoing issue.




Conventional dispensers also typically include front doors or panels that swing open to provide access for refilling the dispenser. Such a configuration for refilling paper products often contributes to the compression of the stack at the bottom of the dispensing surface. Further, the doors or panels must be secured via lock and key mechanisms to prevent vandalism. Such devices add to the manufacturing costs, must be serviced and maintained, and require maintenance personnel to keep track of keys and the like for opening the dispenser.




The industry is constantly seeking improved dispensers, particularly for dispensing stacked sheets of bath or toilet tissue. The present invention offers such an improved dispenser and addresses certain noted drawbacks of conventional dispensers.




Definitions




As used herein, the term “exit port” or “dispensing opening” is the opening in a housing of a dispenser for the passage of sheet material out of the dispenser.




As used herein, the term “sheet material” means a material that is thin in comparison to its length and breadth. Generally speaking, sheet materials should exhibit a relatively flat planar configuration and be flexible to permit folding, rolling, stacking, and the like. Exemplary sheet materials include, but are not limited to, paper tissue, paper towels, label rolls, or other fibrous, film, polymers, or filamentary products.




As used herein, the term “fasteners” means devices that fasten, join, connect, secure, hold, or clamp components together. Fasteners include, but are not limited to, screws, nuts and bolts, rivets, snap-fits, tacks, nails, loop fasteners, and interlocking male/female connectors, such as fishhook connectors, a fish hook connector includes a male portion with a protrusion on its circumference. Inserting the male portion into the female portion substantially permanently locks the two portions together.




As used herein, the term “hinge” refers to a jointed or flexible device that connects and permits pivoting or turning of a part to a stationary component. Hinges include, but are not limited to, metal pivotable connectors, such as those used to fasten a door to frame, spring-loaded hinges, living hinges, and so forth. Living hinges may be constructed from plastic and other materials and formed integrally between two members. A living hinge permits pivotable movement of one member in relation to another connected member.




As user herein, the term “couple” includes, but is not limited to, joining, connecting, fastening, linking, or associating two things integrally or interstitially together.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In one aspect of the invention, a dispenser for dispensing individual sheets of a paper product from a stack of sheets loaded in the dispenser is provided. The dispenser has a housing having an internal compartment configured to hold a stack of sheets. The dispenser also has at least one door coupled to the housing. The door provides access and closure to the internal compartment. At least a portion of the door has a dispensing opening formed therein through which individual sheets are dispensed. The door is configured to move into the internal compartment to provide an opened loading position for loading a stack of sheets. The door is also configured to move into an alignment with adjacent portions of the housing when it is in a closed dispensing position such that the door abuts adjacent portions of the housing to provide a closure and to hide an entry point into the dispenser, thereby providing an illusory appearance of being an unmovable portion of the dispenser.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a dispenser for dispensing sheet material from the lower end of the dispenser, illustrating portions of the housing in phantom lines;





FIG. 2

is a sectional view of

FIG. 1

taken along line


2





2


;





FIG. 3

is a sectional view similar to

FIG. 2

, but showing first and second doors opening inward and carrying previously loaded stack of sheets upward into the internal compartment to provide space for an additional stack of sheets to be loaded therein;





FIG. 4

is a sectional view similar to

FIG. 3

, but showing the stack of newly loaded sheets and the stack of previously loaded sheets being compressed further upward to provide a clearance position so that the first and second doors may be moved back into a closed dispensing position, the first and second doors being in an opened loading position;





FIG. 5

is a sectional view similar to

FIG. 2

, but showing the newly loaded stack of sheets and the previously loaded stack of sheets combined in the dispenser and uncompressed for dispensing, a lower end of the stack of sheets being positioned against the first and second doors for dispensing;





FIG. 6

is another perspective view of a dispenser for dispensing sheet material from the lower end of the dispenser, illustrating portions of the housing in phantom lines;





FIG. 7

is a sectional view of

FIG. 6

taken along line


7





7


, and showing a first and second door of the dispenser in a closed, dispensing position; and





FIG. 8

is a sectional view similar to

FIG. 7

, but showing the first and second doors of the dispenser in an opened, loading position.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION




Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention and is not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment or figure can be used on another embodiment or figure to yield yet another embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include such modifications and variations.




Referring now to

FIGS. 1-5

in general, a dispenser


10


is provided for dispensing individual sheets


12


of a paper product from a stack


14


of the sheets


12


loaded into the dispenser


10


, as shown in

FIGS. 1-2

. The dispenser


10


includes a housing, generally


16


, defining an internal compartment


18


with a dispensing opening


20


therein. The housing


16


is not a limiting feature of the invention and may take on any shape or configuration. In addition, the housing


16


may be made of any suitable material(s).




The housing includes a pair of side walls


22


, a front wall


24


, and a back wall


26


having a lower angled section


28


. A top plate


30


is coupled to, or formed integrally with, an upper end of side walls


22


, front wall


24


and back wall


26


. One or more windows


32


may be provided in any of the walls. The windows


32


and/or any portion of the housing


12


may be formed from a clear, tinted, or translucent material, so that a maintenance technician can easily view the quantity of sheets


12


left in the internal compartment


18


of the housing


12


. A first door


36


and a second door


38


provide generally a lower end


39


of the housing


12


. The second door


38


and a portion of the first door


36


come together to provide a planar surface or a dispensing plate


40


, in which the dispensing opening


20


if formed.




It will be appreciated that in the present embodiment, the housing


16


is configured to follow generally the shape and size of the stacks


14


of sheets


12


. Other configurations may be used, however, to accommodate aesthetic and/or functional considerations.




The first door


36


includes first and second sections


41


,


42


, as shown in

FIGS. 1-5

. First and second sections


41


,


42


are constructed and positioned, but not by way of limitation, at an obtuse angle


44


relative to each other, and are connected at a junction


46


. The first section


41


includes a back edge


48


which abuts a lower end


50


of the lower angled section


28


of the back wall


26


(FIG.


3


). At an opposite end, the second section


42


includes a front edge


52


having a concave curved portion


54


which forms a portion of the dispensing opening


20


. First and second sections


41


,


42


also include opposite side edges


56


. The first door


36


is coupled to the side walls


22


via a pair of hinges


58


. The hinges


58


are each coupled to a side wall


22


and are also coupled to an upper surface


59


of the first door


36


, one hinge


58


each being positioned near a corner at the junction of one side edge


56


and the back edge


48


of the first door


36


. The hinges


58


create a dispensing angle


60


for the first door


36


. That is, the angles


44


,


60


of the first door


36


, in part by the configuration of the first door


36


and in part by its positioning by the hinges


58


adjacent each lower end


61


of each side wall


22


, permits one of each of the side edges


56


of the first door


36


to be positioned adjacent one of each of the lower ends


61


of the side walls


22


, so that the edges


56


of the first door


36


conform to the contours of the lower ends


61


of the side walls


22


. The use of first and second sections


41


,


42


, is non-limiting, and alternatives include only a single section, more than two sections, and so forth, as long as the first door


36


is positioned closely to adjacent portions of the housing


12


and therefore desirably provides at least an initial appearance of being integrally formed with the adjacent housing


12


.




Similarly, the second door


38


includes a front edge


62


which abuts a lower end


64


of the front wall


24


, as illustrated in

FIGS. 1-5

. The second door


38


includes a back edge


66


desirably having a curved section


68


, such as but not by way of limitation, a rounded V-shape curve, a rounded U-shape curve, and so forth. The curved section


68


forms a part of the dispenser opening


20


and provides a portion of the dispensing opening


20


in which a user may use a thumb and finger to better permit a user to grasp sheets


12


between the thumb and finger for removal from the dispenser


10


. It will be understood that the shape of the dispensing opening


20


is non-limiting, and any configuration and/or size of opening may be used, so long as sheets


12


are readily, but not excessively, dispensed therethrough. The second door


38


also includes opposing side edges


70


.




The second door


38


is also coupled to the sidewalls


22


via a pair of hinges


72


. The hinges


72


are each coupled to a side wall


22


and are also coupled to an upper surface


74


of the second door


38


, and one hinge


72


is positioned near a corner at the junction of one side edge


70


and the front edge


62


of the second door


38


. The hinges


72


create an obtuse dispensing angle


76


for the second door


38


relative to the front wall


24


and the side walls


22


. The angle


76


of the second door


38


, in part by the configuration of the second door


38


and in part by its positioning by the hinges


72


along each of the lower ends


61


of the side walls


22


, permits one of each of the side edges


70


of the second door


38


to be positioned adjacent to one of each of the lower ends


61


of the side walls


22


, so that the side edges


70


of the second door


38


conform to the contours of the lower ends


61


of the side walls


22


.




The front edge


52


of the second section


42


of the first door


36


abuts the back edge


66


of the second door


38


, and the first and second doors


36


,


38


cooperate to provide the planar surface or dispensing plate


40


, as shown in

FIGS. 1

,


2


and


5


. Similarly, the contours of the concave curved portion


54


of the second section


42


cooperate with the contours of the curved section


68


of the second door


38


to provide the dispensing opening


20


. A line of abutment


80


is provided at the junction of the front and back edges


52


,


66


. The line of abutment


80


provides a close contact and closure between the front and back edges


52


,


66


of the first and second doors


36


,


38


and also provides an appearance of only a minor “seam” or manufacturing line in an otherwise planar surface. This appearance provides the illusion generally that the dispensing plate


40


is a single integral planar surface, and not two hinged doors which provide access into the internal compartment


18


of the housing


12


, thereby hiding the access into the internal compartment


18


. Further, the positioning of the first and second doors


36


,


38


with respect to the housing


12


also provides the illusory appearance that the planar surface or dispensing plate


40


are integrally formed with the adjacent portions of the housing


12


. That is, the side edges


56


of the first door


36


and the edges


70


of the second door


38


are positioned adjacent to the lower ends


61


of the side walls


22


. The back edge


48


and the front edge


62


of the first and second doors


36


,


38


abuts the lower ends


50


,


64


of the lower angled section


28


of the back wall


26


and the front wall


24


, respectively. This abutment desirably provides an overall illusion or illusory appearance of the first and second doors


36


,


38


, being integrally formed with, or, at least, being fixedly coupled to, the housing


12


, to prevent tampering and vandalism of the dispenser


10


. Such a mechanism, however, also provides easy loading of additional stacks


14


of sheets


12


into the internal compartment


18


of the housing


12


, without having to un-latch or un-lock at least a portion of the housing


12


and/or the first and second doors


36


,


38


, to do so. In addition, this mechanism prevents over-filling of the internal compartment


18


of the housing


12


, resulting in improved dispensing of the sheets


12


.




Hinges


58


,


72


prevent first and second doors


36


,


38


, respectively, from moving lower than the lower edges


61


of the side walls


22


. Each side walls


22


, may also have a lip, a flange, and so forth, which limits the first and second doors


36


,


38


movement (not shown). Hinges


58


,


72


are configured to permit the first and second doors


36


,


38


to pivotably move upward, into the internal compartment


18


of the housing


12


, to allow stacks


14


of sheets


12


to be loaded into the internal compartment


18


. First and second doors


36


,


38


pivot on hinges


58


,


72


, respectively and move upwardly, as shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

, so that an upper surface


59


of the first door


36


is generally positioned adjacent an inner surface


82


of the back wall


26


, and an upper surface


74


of the second door


38


is generally positioned adjacent an inner surface


84


of the front wall


24


, each first and second door


36


,


38


, being desirably, in the present embodiment, positioned in a generally vertical position. The front edge


52


of the first door


36


and the back edge


66


of the second door


38


are each positioned superior relative to the rest of the first and second doors


36


,


38


, respectively, to provide upper ends


86


,


88


, of the first and second doors


36


,


38


, respectively when in an opened, loading position. Similarly, when the first and second doors


36


,


38


are in the opened, loading position, the back edge


48


of the first door


36


and the front edge


62


of the second door


38


are positioned in an inferior position relative to the upper ends


86


,


88


, and therefore provide lower edges


90


,


92


of the first and second doors


36


,


38


, respectively.




The position of each of the first and second doors


36


,


38


provides a sufficient opening and access into the internal compartment


18


for loading of additional stacks


14


of sheets


12


. The limited length of each of the first and second doors


36


,


38


, as they extend into the internal compartment


18


provides sufficient clearance thereabove so that a substantial stack


14


of sheets


12


may be loaded into the internal compartment


18


by a maintenance technician. The clearance required for the first and second doors


36


,


38


to move back into a closed, dispensing position, provides the space required within the internal compartment so that the sheets


12


, which may be compressed during the loading procedure, have sufficient space to un-compress after being loaded. In this manner, an effective number of sheets


12


, i.e., desirably, one or two sheets at a time, are dispensed through the dispensing opening


20


, without excessive tearing and/or “clumping” of sheets and waste. Such “clumping” and waste commonly occurs when stacks of sheets are loaded into a dispenser to completely fill the internal compartment of a dispenser, the sheets being overly compressed when a dispenser is completely filled in such a manner.




To load the dispenser


10


, as illustrated generally in

FIGS. 3-5

, a maintenance technician places a sufficient stack


14


of sheets


12


in one hand, and generally aligns the stack


14


with the first and second doors


36


,


38


of the housing


12


. The maintenance technician desirably pushes the first and second doors


36


,


38


, as illustrated in FIG.


3


. The front edge


52


of the first door


36


and the back edge


66


of the second door


38


pivotably moves upward and inward into the internal compartment


18


of the housing


12


, while the back edge


48


and the front edge


62


of the first and second doors


36


,


38


, pivotably rotate on hinges


58


,


72


, respectively. As shown in

FIGS. 3 and 4

, as the front edge


52


and the back edge


66


move upward, they pushing any existing stack


14


′ of sheets


12


′ within the internal compartment


18


upward as well. The first and second doors


36


,


38


, move to a position adjacent the inner surfaces


82


,


84


of the back wall


26


and the front wall


24


, respectively, in an opened, loading position, as shown in FIG.


4


. The maintenance technician continues to move the stack


14


of sheets


12


upward into the internal compartment


18


, past the first and second doors


36


,


38


. The remaining stack


14


′ of sheets


12


′ in the internal compartment


18


is now positioned upon an upper end


94


of the newly loaded stack


14


of sheets


12


, and both stack


12


′ and stack


12


are desirably moved upward and compressed against the top plate


30


during loading. Such compression permits a lower end


96


of the newly loaded stack


14


of sheets


12


to move into a clearance position above the upper ends


86


,


88


of the first and second doors


36


,


38


such that no sheets


12


extend below the upper ends


86


,


88


to block the closure of the first and second doors


36


,


38


into the closed, dispensing position. The clearance position permits the first and second doors


36


,


38


to easily move back into a closed, dispensing position and also prevents over-filling of sheets


12


in the internal compartment


18


, as illustrated in FIG.


4


. When the combined stack


14


of sheets


12


are in the clearance position, the hand of the maintenance technician is withdrawn, permitting the first and second doors


36


,


38


to pivotably move back into the closed, dispensing position, as shown in FIG.


5


.




As the first and second doors


36


,


38


, close, the combined stack


14


of sheets


12


un-compress, and the lower end


96


of the stack


14


of newly loaded sheets


12


moves downward, in a position against the upper surfaces


59


,


74


of the first and second doors


36


,


38


, and adjacent the dispensing opening


20


. In the closed dispensing position, the first and second doors


36


,


38


again cooperate to form the dispensing plate


40


and the dispensing opening


20


. The first and second doors


36


,


38


also cooperate with each other and all of the surrounding structures of the housing


12


, as previously illustrated and described herein, to provide an appearance of being integrally formed with, or, at least, fixedly coupled to, the housing


12


.




It will be understood that a single door, or more than two doors may be used, so long as the features of the invention, as illustrated and described herein, are retained. In addition, a latch and/or lock mechanism may be used to secure one or more doors. Such latch and/or lock mechanisms are known in the art.




In another embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in

FIGS. 6-8

, the dispenser


110


provided is similar to the dispenser


10


. The dispenser


110


differs from its counterpart dispenser


10


in that it has a first door


136


which generally provides a lower end


139


and a second door


138


which generally provides a dispensing plate


140


having a dispensing opening


120


formed therein. The dispensing opening


120


has a perimeter edge


198


which, in a non-limiting configuration, is configured to accommodate a user's thumb and finger to withdraw sheets therefrom, although any configuration may be utilized. As shown in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, the first and second doors


136


,


138


abut at a junction


146


.




The first and second doors


136


,


138


abut at a front edge


152


and a back edge


164


, respectively, providing a line of abutment


180


at the junction


146


. The first and second doors


136


,


138


each have a back edge


148


and a front edge


162


which abut the lower ends


50


,


64


of the lower angled section


28


of the back wall


26


and the front wall


24


, respectively. The first and second doors


136


,


138


are coupled to the side walls


22


via hinges


58


,


72


, respectively, which are coupled to side walls


22


and which are also mounted on upper surfaces


159


,


174


of the first and second doors


136


,


138


, respectively. The first and second doors


136


,


138


pivotably move upward and inward into the internal compartment


18


of the housing


116


, and are positioned adjacent the inner surfaces


82


,


84


, of the back wall


26


and the front wall


24


, respectively, to provide an opened, dispensing position in which to load stacks


14


of sheets


12


, as illustrated in FIG.


8


. The first and second doors


136


,


138


, pivotably move to return to a closed, dispensing position (FIGS.


6


and


7


). In the closed, dispensing position, the opposite sides


156


,


170


of the first and second doors


136


,


138


, respectively, are positioned adjacent the lower ends


61


of the side walls


22


, while the front end


152


and the back end


164


of the first and second doors


136


,


138


cooperate at the line of abutment


180


to provide a closure, and to provide an illusion or illusory appearance that the first and second doors


136


,


138


, and therefore the dispensing plate


140


and the lower end


139


are integrally formed with, or, are at least fixedly coupled to, the housing


116


to discourage or prevent tampering and vandalism of the dispenser


110


. It will be understood that the method of loading stacks


14


of sheets


12


in the dispenser


110


, and use of the dispenser


110


in the present embodiment is generally the same as described and illustrated previously herein for dispenser


10


. It will also be appreciated that the dispenser


110


generally has other features and characteristics previously described and shown herein of dispenser


10


.




The door or doors provided in either dispenser, or any variation thereof, are each intended to be “hidden” as doors to a user, thereby hiding an entry point or a point of access into the internal compartment of the dispenser. Instead, the door or doors provide an illusion or illusory appearance of being a solid and unmovable component of the dispenser, such as a fixed dispensing plate, a fixed side wall, a fixed lower end, and so forth, to the casual observance of a user. That is, a user, observing and using the dispenser, would believe that the first and second door, and any portions thereof, are either integrally formed with the dispenser housing, or fixedly coupled to the dispenser housing in such a manner to prevent tampering or vandalism. In this manner, the dispenser provides the illusion or illusory appearance to a user that the sheet product is available to the user only through the dispensing opening.




While the present invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.



Claims
  • 1. A dispenser for dispensing individual sheets of a paper product from a stack of sheets loaded in the dispenser, comprising:a housing having sidewalls and an internal compartment configured to hold a stack of sheets; and a pair of doors pivotably coupled to the sidewalls of the housing and providing access and closure to the internal compartment, at least one of the pair of doors having at least a portion of a dispensing opening formed therein through which individual sheets are dispensed, each door configured be of limited length so as to provide sufficient clearance thereabove when pivotably moved into the internal compartment in an opened loading position such that a substantial stack of sheets is easily moved into a clearance position above a free end of each door, the doors configured to each pivotably move into alignment with adjacent portions of the housing when in a closed dispensing position, each door having a pivotable end and the free end, each pivotable end not in contact with the front and back wall of the housing when in the opened and loading position and each pivotable end in contact with the housing when in the dispensing position, the free ends of each door abutting in the dispensing position to hide an entry point into the dispenser and to provide an illusory appearance of being an unmovable portion of the dispenser.
  • 2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein each of free end of each door abuts in the dispensing position to cooperate to form an obtuse angle at the abutment of the two doors.
  • 3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein each free end of each door abuts in the dispensing position to cooperate to form a planar surface at the abutment of the two doors.
  • 4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the pair of doors includes a first door and a second door, the pivotable end of the first door configured to be positioned against a portion of a back wall when the first door is moved into a dispensing position, the pivotable end of the second door configured to be positioned against a portion of a front wall when the second door is moved into a dispensing position.
  • 5. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein each of the doors moves into the internal compartment when positioned in the opened loading position, the pivotable end of each door being positioned in the internal compartment and away from the housing, the free end of each door being positioned in the internal compartment.
  • 6. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the clearance position provides a clearance space, so that when the doors are moved into the closed dispensing position, the newly loaded stack of sheets moves down, adjacent the doors for dispensing and the clearance space prevents the stack of sheets from being compressed in the dispenser.
  • 7. A dispenser for dispensing individual sheets of a paper product from a stack of sheets loaded in the dispenser, comprising:a housing having an internal compartment configured to hold a stack of sheets; and a pair of doors coupled to the housing and providing access and closure to the internal compartment, the door having at least a portion of a dispensing opening formed therein through which individual sheets are dispensed, the door having a free end and a pivotable end, the free end and the pivotable end configured to move into the internal compartment to provide an opened loading position for loading a slack of sheets, the door configured to move into alignment with adjacent portions of the housing when in a closed dispensing position such that the door abuts adjacent portions of the housing to provide a closure and to hide an entry point into the dispenser, thereby providing an illusory appearance of being an unmovable portion of the dispenser.
  • 8. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein the at least one door is further defined as a pair of doors, and wherein each of the doors includes a pivotable end and a free end.
  • 9. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein each of free end of each door abuts in the dispensing position to cooperate to form an obtuse angle at the abutment of the two doors.
  • 10. The dispenser of claim 9, wherein each free endof each door abuts in the dispensing position to cooperate to form a planar surface at the abutment of the two doors.
  • 11. The dispenser of claim 7, wherein the clearance position provides a clearance space, so that when the doors are moved into the closed dispensing position, the newly loaded stack of sheets moves down, adjacent the doors for dispensing and the clearance space prevents the stack of sheets from being compressed in the dispenser.
  • 12. A dispenser for dispensing individual sheets of a paper product from a stack of sheets loaded in the dispenser, comprising:a housing having an internal compartment configured to hold a stack of sheets; and a pair of doors coupled to the housing providing access and closure to the internal compartment, the doors each having a pivotable end pivotably coupled to a portion of the housing and a free end, the pivotable end and the free end movable into the internal compartment when positioned in an opened loading position, at least a portion of one door having portion of a dispensing opening formed therein, at least a portion of each free end positioned in an abutting position relative to each other when the doors are positioned in a closed dispensing position, the doors in the abutting position configured to provide a point of entry into the internal compartment when the doors are moved into the internal compartment to provide an opened loading position, the abutting position of the doors hiding the point of entry when the doors are in a closed dispensing position and the doors positioned adjacent other portions of the dispenser such that the doors provide an outward illusory appearance to a user of being an unmovable portion of the dispenser to prevent tampering or vandalism by a user wherein at least a portion of each free end of each door abuts in the dispensing position to cooperate to form one of an obtuse angle and a planar surface at the abutment of the two doors.
  • 13. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein the pair of doors includes a first door and a second door, the pivotable end of the first door configured to be positioned against a portion of a back wall when the first door is moved into a dispensing position, the pivotable end of the second door configured to be positioned against a portion of a front wall when the second door is moved into a dispensing position.
  • 14. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein the pivotable end of each door is positioned in the internal compartment and away from the housing when each door is positioned in the opened loading position.
  • 15. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein when the doors are positioned in the internal compartment, a clearance position is provided above the free ends and a clearance space is provided, so that when the doors are moved into the closed dispensing position, the newly loaded stack of sheets moves down, adjacent the doors for dispensing and the clearance space prevents the stack of sheets from being compressed in the dispenser.
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