Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6779683
-
Patent Number
6,779,683
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, April 30, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, August 24, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Walsh; Donald P.
- Joerger; Kaitlin
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 221 61
- 221 63
- 221 62
- 221 155
- 221 48
- 221 46
- 221 47
- 221 281
-
International Classifications
-
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.
US Referenced Citations (19)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
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