Tabletop napkin dispenser

Abstract

A napkin assembly including an open ended chute for storing a stack of napkins therein and an openable and closeable front member relative to the open end of the chute is disclosed. The chute is made of first to fourth sidewall members and a rear member that are separately injection molded pieces that include a clip structure to allow the pieces to be clipped together to form the chute. Opposed ones of the sidewall members are identical pieces allowing them to be interchanged with one another during manufacture while still allowing the sidewall members to clip together to form the chute. The front member includes a transparent window to allow a depth of the stack to be viewed from the outside to check a product low condition. The front member includes locking tabs to lock it in a closed position relative to the chute. The tabs may be flexed through openings in the chute from the outside into a lock release position. The chute includes blocking members to prevent over inward deflection of the locking tabs.

Claims

1. A napkin dispenser including a front member and an open ended housing defining an interior space for housing a stack of napkins, wherein the front member includes a dispensing opening, and wherein the front member is moveable from an open position for providing access to refill napkins in the interior space and a closed position to close the open end of the housing, wherein the front member includes at least one tab and the housing includes a through opening into which a projection of the tab resiliently snaps to hold the front member in the closed position, wherein the projection can be pushed on from outside of the napkin dispenser and moved through the opening to resiliently deflect the tab into the interior space to disengage the projection and the opening to allow the front member to be opened with respect to the housing, wherein the napkin dispenser includes a stop member obstructing a path of inward deflection of the tab to define a stop position for limiting inward deflection of the tab, wherein the tab is attached at one end to the front member and includes an arm portion freely projecting from the attached end, wherein a projection portion at a distal end of the arm defines the projection for engaging the opening, and wherein the stop position of the inward deflection of the tab is further interior, in a direction of inward deflection, from the housing than a location on the front member where the tab is attached.

2. The napkin dispenser of claim 1, wherein the napkin dispenser includes a platform upon which the stack is to seat, the platform being reciprocal within the housing from a retracted position relative to the dispensing opening to an adjacent most position relative to the dispensing opening in a direction through the interior space from the dispensing opening to an end of the housing opposite the dispensing opening, wherein the napkin dispenser includes a spring for biasing the platform from the retracted position to the adjacent most position.

3. The napkin dispenser of claim 2, wherein the platform and the tab are arranged so that the tab deflects to disengage the projection from the opening while being clear of the platform.

4. The napkin dispenser of claim 2, wherein the through opening is located in the housing closer to the dispensing opening than the platform is in the adjacent most position, in the direction through the interior space from the dispensing opening to an end of the housing opposite the dispensing opening.

5. The napkin dispenser of claim 1, wherein the at least one tab is provided on a side of the front member at a central location with respect to opposed sides of the housing.

6. The napkin dispenser of claim 1, wherein the front member includes a first tab and a second tab and the housing includes two through openings into each of which a projection of a respective first and second tab resiliently snaps, corresponding pairs of tabs and through openings are positioned on the housing and the front member, respectively, at opposite ends of a line extending from one side of the dispenser to the other in parallel with a major axis of the dispensing opening.

7. The napkin dispenser of claim 1, wherein the front member includes opposed first and second tabs and the housing includes corresponding opposed first and second through opening into each of which a projection of a corresponding first or second tab resiliently snaps.

8. A napkin dispenser comprising: an open ended housing comprising a rear wall member, opposed first and second side wall members, and opposed third and fourth side wall members forming a generally oblong shape and defining an interior space for housing a stack of napkins; and a drawer including a tray and a front member including a dispensing opening, the drawer being moveable between a closed position for closing the open end of the housing, which is opposite the rear wall member, and an open position providing access to refill napkins in the interior space, the drawer being slideable relative to the open ended housing between the closed and open positions, wherein the drawer comprises rails or channels on outer surfaces of opposed sides of the drawer and the first and second side walls each comprises, on an inside surface, a rail or channel that cooperates with the rail or channel on a respective side of the drawer, wherein an interior surface of at least one of the third or the fourth side wall member includes a plurality of interiorly protruding guide ribs that extend in a direction through the interior space from the rear wall member to the front member, the guide ribs having an extent of protrusion into the interior space such that the guide ribs are able to come into contact with the stack of napkins and aid in keeping edges of the stack out of contact with the remainder of the interior surface of the at least one of the third or the fourth side wall member, wherein the guide ribs for the at least one of the third or the fourth side wall member is connected by reinforcement ribs that project interiorly from the at least one of the third or the fourth side wall member but are set back relative to the extent of protrusion of the guide ribs.

9. The napkin dispenser of claim 8, wherein the extent of protrusion of the guide ribs is at least 5 mm.

10. The napkin dispenser of claim 8, wherein the at least one of the third and the fourth side wall member includes at least 3 guide ribs.

11. The napkin dispenser of claim 8, wherein the guide ribs are distributed evenly or about evenly across the at least one of the third and the fourth side wall member.

12. The napkin dispenser of claim 8, wherein the drawer and the cooperating rails and channels are arranged such that the drawer is slideable between the open and closed position in a first orientation and also in an upside down orientation, wherein the third and the fourth opposed side wall members each include the guide ribs and reinforcement ribs so that the guide ribs on one of the third or the fourth side wall member are able to contact the stack of napkins in both orientations, while the tray of the drawer upon which the stack is disposed is rideable along the ribs on the third or the fourth side wall member during movement of the drawer between the open and closed positions.

13. The napkin dispenser of claim 12, wherein the guide ribs on each of the third and the fourth side wall members are tapered on opposite ends to merge with the remainder of the surface of respective third and fourth side wall members.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) These and other aspects will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing embodiment(s) of the invention, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a dispenser according to a first embodiment;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the dispenser of FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3A shows an exploded view of the drawer of the dispenser of FIG. 1;

(5) FIG. 3B shows a perspective view of the drawer of FIG. 3A;

(6) FIG. 4A shows an exploded view of the front member of the drawer of FIG. 3A;

(7) FIG. 4B shows a perspective view of the front member of FIG. 4A;

(8) FIG. 5A shows an exploded view of one of the larger area sidewall members of the dispenser of FIG. 1;

(9) FIG. 5B shows a perspective view of the larger area sidewall member of FIG. 5A;

(10) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a dispenser according a second embodiment;

(11) FIG. 7 shows an exploded view of the dispenser of FIG. 6;

(12) FIG. 8A shows an exploded view of the front or lid member of the drawer of FIG. 6; and

(13) FIG. 8B shows a perspective view of the front or lid member of FIG. 8A.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(14) FIG. 1 shows a table top dispenser for dispensing napkins that has a removable drawer for increased napkin capacity. The drawer is released by pressing resilient tabs at either side of a dispensing opening. The table top dispenser is made up of four sidewall members and a rear member that clip together. The larger area sidewall members are made up of first and second sidewall plates, the outer of which is see-through so that advertising material disposed in the space between the inner and outer sidewall plates can be seen. The tabletop napkin dispenser includes a platform that is biased by a spring to urge a stack of napkins held in the drawer of the dispenser toward the dispensing opening and away from the base member.

(15) FIG. 2 shows a napkin dispenser in which various components are shown before they have been assembled together. In particular, there is shown a drawer including a front member, first to fourth sidewall members, a base member, a platform and a spring for biasing the platform toward the dispenser opening. The first to fourth sidewall members and the base member clip together to define an open ended box (or chute) for receiving the drawer therein in a slideable manner that is movable between open and closed positions with respect to the open ended box. The spring or biasing member is attached at one end to a front facing surface of the base member and at the other end to a rear facing surface of the platform.

(16) FIGS. 3A and 3B show the drawer in detail. The drawer includes a tray member for receiving a stack of napkins and a front member that attaches to the tray member for defining the dispensing opening. The tray member includes resilient tabs that engage with corresponding openings in the sidewall members when the drawer member is in the closed position and which can be depressed in order to release the drawer member from the open ended box to allow it to be retracted to a position for refilling. Walls of the tray member have mounted thereon respective stop, members for preventing over inward depression of the resilient tabs.

(17) FIGS. 4A and 4B disclose a front member of the napkin dispenser in detail. The front member is made of two parts that clip together. A first part provides an opaque frame for the dispensing opening and the portions mounting to the drawer member, while a second part is transparent and defines lips of the dispensing opening as well as filling in side portions of the first part to provide an aesthetically pleasing transparent and opaque mix.

(18) FIGS. 5A and 5B show a sidewall member of the napkin dispenser in detail. The napkin dispenser includes first, second, third and fourth sidewall members, two opposed of which define corresponding relatively small areas, and two opposed of which define relatively large areas. FIG. 5A shows the larger area sidewall members in detail. The larger area sidewall member is made up of first and second plates that clip together to define an advertising material receiving space between them. The outer of the plates is transparent, while the inner of the plates is opaque so that the advertising material can be viewed through the transparent plate. Also shown is that the outer plates include four depressions at each corner for receiving respective feet members to stand the napkin dispenser on and for providing a soft interface with the tabletop.

(19) FIG. 6 discloses another embodiment of a tabletop napkin dispenser of a kind in which a rear to front dimension or a stack height capacity dimension is smaller than a length and/or width dimension of the dispenser, which can be compared with the napkin dispenser of FIGS. 1 to 5B wherein the rear to front dimension is greater than a length and width dimension of the napkin dispenser. The napkin dispenser of FIG. 6 is designed to be stood on a rear wall member so that a front wall member and its associated dispensing opening faces upwardly, to define a vertically dispensing dispenser. The napkin dispenser of FIG. 6 further includes four sidewall members connecting the rear wall member and the front wall member, wherein two opposed of the sidewall members are of a larger area than the other two opposed side wall members, so that the napkin defines a generally oblong shape. The front wall member is locked in a closed position with respect to a chute defined by the four sidewall members and a rear wall member and can be released to pivotally open with respect to the chute in order to allow refilling of a napkin reservoir defined by the interior space defined within the four sidewall members and the rear wall member. A platform is disposed within the interior space that is movable between a retracted position and an extended position and is biased by a biasing member to the extended position with respect to the dispensing opening so that the stack of napkins is always disposed adjacent the dispensing opening irrespective of the depletion state of the stack of napkins.

(20) FIG. 7 provides an exploded view of various parts of the napkin dispenser of FIG. 6. This figure shows four sidewall members, the rear wall member and the front wall member as separately injection molded pieces, and the platform. A sheet-sized cavity is disposed between the larger of the sidewall members, which are transparent, and upstanding inner wall members extending normally to a general body of the rear wall member. A stack receiving interior space is defined within inner surfaces of the upstanding inner wall members of the rear wall member and inner surfaces of the inner sidewall members. The platform is received and guided within this space between the retracted and extended positions. Also shown in FIG. 7 are rectangular cards for disposition in the cavity defined in the space between the larger sidewall members and the inner upstanding sidewall members of the rear wall member.

(21) FIGS. 8A and 8B disclose a two-piece construction for the front or lid member of the tabletop napkin dispenser. An opaque piece includes pivot arms having respective openings therein for receiving pivot protrusions of the smaller sidewall members, to define a pivot axis about which the lid member will rotate between open and closed positions. The opaque piece also includes depending resilient fingers including tab-like protrusions for engagement in respective openings in the smaller sidewall members to allow the lid member to be locked in the closed position when the tab-like projections engage with the openings and to allow the lid member to be released from the locked position for pivoting to the open position when the tab-like projections are depressed by a user from the outside to deflect the resilient arms inwardly to disengage the tab-like projections from the openings. A transparent piece of the lid member defines a lip of the opening of the dispensing opening and also transparent outer portions disposed on either side of the dispensing opening and which extend from one end of the lid member to the other to provide transparent windows for viewing a depletion state of the napkins within the napkin dispenser.

(22) A perspective view of a table top napkin dispenser according to a first embodiment is shown in FIG. 1. The tabletop napkin dispenser 1 is made up of separately injection molded pieces that are able to be clipped or snap-fit together in order to form the tabletop napkin dispenser 1 shown in FIG. 1. Some of these pieces can be seen in FIG. 2, where there is shown a pre-assembly view of the table top napkin dispenser 1. The tabletop napkin dispenser 1 includes a base member 2, first, second, third and fourth sidewall members 3, 4, 5, 6, a front member 7 and a tray member 8.

(23) The base member 2 and the first, second, third and fourth sidewall members 3, 4, 5, 6 are clipped together in order to form an open ended oblong shaped box or chute 10 for housing a stack of napkins. The tabletop napkin dispenser 1 includes a drawer including a tray member 8 and a front member 7 that defines a dispensing opening 11 that are clipped together. The drawer 9 is movable between a rearward most position in which an open end of the cute 10 is closed by the front member 7 of the drawer 9 and a position in which the drawer 9 is dislocated from the chute 10 for ease of refilling the drawer 9 with napkins.

(24) The dispenser 1 further includes an elongate spring 15 that is connected to a front facing surface of the rear member 2 at one end and is connected to a rear facing surface of the platform 14 at its other end. The platform 14 serves to contact a rear facing surface of a stack of napkins disposed in the drawer 9. The spring 15 is in a more compressed configuration when the drawer 9 is full with napkins and in an extended configuration when the drawer 9 becomes depleted so that the platform 14 biases the stack of napkins to a position adjacent the dispensing opening 11 irrespective of the state of depletion of the stack of napkins.

(25) The first, second, third and fourth sidewall members 3, 4, 5, 6 extend between the rear member 2 and an open end of the chute 10. The first, second, third and fourth sidewall members 3, 4, 5, 6 include first and second sidewall members 3, 4 that have the same length as the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 in the rear to front direction, yet have a smaller width in a perpendicular direction to define smaller area rectangular shapes for the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 than the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6.

(26) The rear member 2 provides a closed rear face to the open ended chute 10 having an open front end. The rear member 2 includes first and second tab-like projections 16, 17 that project from an outer periphery of the rear member 2 to engage in corresponding recesses 18 in a rear end of the first and second sidewall members 3, 4. The first and second tab-like projections 16, 17 project in a sideways direction. By resiliently deflecting the first and second tab-like projections 16, 17 in a rear to forward direction, the corresponding openings 18 on the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 are securely engaged to thereby mount the rear member 2 and the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 together.

(27) The rear member 2 further includes brackets 19 that overlap with a periphery of a rear end of the spring 15 in a rear to front direction in order to connect the spring 15 to the rear member 2. These brackets 19 are provided on a front facing surface of the rear member 2. The platform 14 includes depending members 20 that overlap with a periphery of the spring at the other end in a front to rear direction in order to connect the other end of the spring 15 to the underside of the platform 14.

(28) The larger area third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 include resilient tab-like members 21 that project sideways from an outer periphery of the sidewall members 5, 6 in order to mount the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 to the first and second sidewall members 3, 4. More specifically, the projecting tab-like members 21 resiliently deflect in order to pass into corresponding openings in the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 and resiliently reform into the initial position in order to engage them. As can particularly be seen in FIG. 5B, a rear end of the sidewall members 5, 6 include at least one (in the shown embodiment two) snap-fit projections 22 for clipping into counterpart structure in the rear wall member 2. Continuing to refer to FIG. 5B, it can be seen that the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 include the tab-like projections 21 on both sides thereof so that the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 are symmetrical about a central axis extending in a front to rear direction. The symmetrical constructions of the sidewall members 3, 4, 5, 6 allows the first and second sidewall members 3,4 to be interchanged in position with one another with respect to the rear member 2 and likewise the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 are interchangeable, yet the tab-like projections 21, the snap-fit projections 22 and the projecting tabs 16, 17 are still aligned with counterpart openings despite the interchange. In this way, manufacture is simplified for a clip together napkin dispenser as the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 and the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 do not have to be discriminated from one another. The third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 include a larger number (four in the shown in embodiment) of outwardly extending projections 21 for securing them to the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 than the rear member 2 (which includes two outwardly extending projecting tabs 16, 17) for engaging the first and second sidewall members 3, 4.

(29) The chute 10 is thus formed by clipping together the rear member 2 and the first to fourth side wall members 3, 4, 5, 6 through protrusions engaging in recesses (which term includes slots), to thereby define a generally oblong shaped chute 10 having one open end.

(30) The third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 include, on an interior side thereof, a plurality (in the shown embodiment four) of ribs 23 extending longitudinally from a rear end to a front end of the respective sidewall member 5, 6. These ribs protrude by a distance so as to support a tray defining wall of the tray member 8 of the drawer 9 in a low friction manner with respect to the fourth sidewall member 6 and to be able to project into a side face of the stack of napkins held in the drawer 9 to guide the stack of napkins. In one example structure, the ribs 23 project by a distance of about 7 mm. Also shown, but not identified by a reference numeral, are crossbars connecting the guide ribs 23 and diagonally oriented to structurally reinforce the ribs 23.

(31) The first and second sidewall members 3, 4 include structure to guide retraction and extension of the drawer 9. In particular, the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 include channels 24 in an interior facing surface for receiving opposed rails of the drawer 9. The channels 24 extend from a rear end to a front end of the sidewall members 3, 4. The channels 24 are, in the shown embodiment, defined between first and second ribs 26, 27 that extend in a front to rear direction and are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular thereto to provide a space or channel between them for receiving the guide rails 25.

(32) The first and second sidewall members 3, 4 are symmetrically formed with respect to a rear to front central axis passing through the chute 10 so that the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 include an upper and a lower drawer guiding channel 24. This enables the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 to be interchanged with one another for ease of the manufacturing process and also allows the drawer member 9 to be mounted in the orientation shown in FIG. 1 and also in an upside down orientation with respect to the chute 10. In fact, the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 are symmetrically formed with respect to the central axis so that they may also be interchanged with one another. In this way, one injection mold can be used for forming both the first and the second sidewall members 3, 4 and one injection mold can also be used for forming both the third and the fourth sidewall members 5, 6.

(33) Turning back to the drawer guiding channels 24 in the first and second sidewall members 3, 4, the more centrally disposed drawer guiding rib 27 is a continuous (or at least more continuous) one, while the other guide rib 26 is discontinuous, formed into a plurality of rib portions spaced in the front to rear direction to provide a low friction interaction with the rails 25 for the rib 26 upon which the weight of the drawer 9 will rest. The discrete rib portions of the drawer guiding rib 26 are co-located with recesses for receiving tab-like projection 21 of the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6, which provides clearance for moulding the corresponding recesses or slots in the first and second sidewall members 3, 4.

(34) Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the drawer 9, specifically the tray member 8, includes opposed guide rails 25 that project from an outside of the tray member 8. The guide rails 25 are provided to be accommodated in the opposed guide channels 24 of the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 in order to guide movement of the drawer 9 from a retracted to an extended position with respect to the chute 10. The guide rails 25 are defined by a pair of spaced ribs 29, 30 that extend longitudinally from a rear end to a front end of the drawer 9. These ribs 29, 30 define a relatively deep rail for insertion in the channel 24, while also reducing frictional contact with the first and second sidewall members 3, 4 as compared to a solidly defined rail 25. The first and second guide ribs 29, 30 are, in the shown embodiment, connected at the rear end and the front end to define a continuous loop. The upper guide rib 30 of the guide rail 25 is shaped with a concave depression to allow the drawer to be inserted in an upwardly angled state relative to a central axis passing in a rear to front direction of the chute 10 and, once partly inserted, lowered so that the drawer 9 moves along the axis to the retracted position.

(35) The tray member 8 comprises a base wall 31 and first and second upstanding sidewalls 32 as well as rear corner pieces 33. The stack of napkins is stored in the drawer 9 in an interior space defined by the base wall 31, the upstanding sidewalls 32 and the rear corner pieces 33. The rear corner pieces 33 frame an opening in the rear of the drawer member 8 through which the platform 14 passes as the drawer member 8 is mounted in the chute 10. With the drawer member 8 in the retracted position so that the chute 10 is closed by the front member 7, the platform 14 and spring 15 partially project through the opening framed by the rear corner pieces 33 to contact a rear face of the stack in the drawer 9. Part of the platform 14 and spring 15 will be disposed rearwardly of the rear opening in the drawer 9 in a space in the rear to front direction defined between the corner pieces 33 and the rear member 2.

(36) A front facing surface of the corner pieces 33 provides a surface against which a rear face of the stack of napkins seats when the drawer member 9 is filled with napkins. At least the base wall 31 and the upstanding sidewalls 32 of the tray member 8 are integrally injection molded. The rear wall pieces 33 can be separately injection molded and clipped in place to the sidewalls 32 or can be integrally injection molded with the rest of the tray member 8.

(37) The front of the drawer 9 is provided by a front member 7 that includes the dispensing opening 11. Sidewalls 32 of the tray member 8 include slits 34 extending therethrough and in communication with a front thereof. The front member 7 includes corresponding ribs to provide a mechanical fit between the front member 7 and the tray member 8. In an embodiment, adhesive is also applied between the ribs and the slits 34 to ensure that the front member 7 is securely held to the tray member 8 of the drawer 9. Other attachment mechanisms are possible, including a snap-fit variation. The combination of mechanical fit and adhesive is used for the attachment between the front member 7 and the tray member 8 in one embodiment since this is a heavily handled part of the tabletop napkin dispenser 1 during use.

(38) The drawer 9 includes first and second tabs 12 disposed at a front end portion of the sidewalls 32 that can be deflected into the interior space defined by the tray member 8 to disengage projection tabs 36 from corresponding openings 13 in the first and second sidewall members 3, 4, thereby releasing the drawer 9 from a locked and retracted position for movement into a more extended or removed position relative to the chute 10. The first and second tabs 12 include resilient fingers 35 and projecting tabs 36 disposed at a distal end of the resilient fingers 35. The tab projections 36 are clip-on members with respect to the resilient fingers 35 in order to allow the base wall 31 and the sidewalls 32 and the resilient fingers 35 to be integrally injection molded to form the tray member 8. The guide rail 25 is also an integrally injection molded component of the tray member 8.

(39) The tray member 8 includes stop members 37 to prevent the resilient fingers 35 from extending too far inwardly in order to prevent the resilient fingers 35 from damaging the stack of napkins and also to prevent overstraining of the resilient fingers 35. The stop members 37 are provided by way of an obstructing surface in the path of the inward deflection of the resilient fingers 35. In the shown embodiment, the stop members 37 are mounted to the sidewalls 32 of the tray member 8 at a distal end of the resilient fingers 35 and which include a projection disposed in the path of an inward deflection of the resilient fingers 35. The stop members 37 are formed in a ramped manner in that they taper to merge into the sidewalls 32 in a rearward direction and project further beyond the sidewalls 32 in a forward direction to guide the napkins toward the dispensing opening 11. The stop members 37 are separately formed from the tray member 8 and snap-fit to the sidewalls 32, which again allows the tray member 8 to be injection molded, while still allowing functional components such as the stop members 37 to be provided in a low complexity manufacturing manner.

(40) Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the front member 7 includes a transparent part 38 and an opaque part 39. These parts 38, 39 are attached together to provide a partially opaque and partially transparent front member 7. The transparent and opaque parts 38, 39 may, in one embodiment, be adhesively attached to one another. The transparent part 38 forms a lip 40 around a frame to the dispensing opening 11 formed by the opaque part 39. The transparent part 38 further fills-in cutout portions 41 defined in the opaque part 39 to form half-moon shaped transparent regions on either side of the dispensing opening 11 in order to allow the stack of napkins to be viewed through the front member 7.

(41) In particular, the front member is curved in profile so that the front member 7 extends from the dispensing opening 11 and curves in a front to rear direction so that a front end thickness of the stack of napkins in the drawer 9 can be viewed. The transparent part 38 includes this curved profile so that the end portion of the front of the stack in a stack height direction of front to rear direction can be viewed therethrough. The dispensing opening 11 is generally slot shaped with an enlarged portion in a central region of the slot. Transparent windows 50 on either side of the dispensing opening 11 provided by the transparent part 38 are elongate and share a longitudinal axis that extends parallel to a longitudinal axis of the slot-like dispensing opening. Since the front end portion of the stack can be viewed through the front member 7, it can be quickly and easily determined when the stack of napkins is in a depleted condition and also provides an intuitive feel to the dispensing operation.

(42) Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 are each formed of inner and outer plates 42, 43 that can be clipped together in order to define advertising material receiving space between them. The advertising material receiving space is substantially planar so that it is only large enough to receive sheet like material such as paper or thin cardboard. In order to hold the inner and outer plates 42, 43 slightly apart to define the advertising material receiving space, the inner plate 42 includes an outwardly protruding bump 44. This bump 44 holds open the advertising material receiving space, while also avoiding excessive feeding of the advertising material into the space. The inner and outer plates are separately injection molded parts, which allows the sidewall members 5, 6 and particularly the advertising material space defined by them to be formed in a low complexity manufacturing manner. The inner plate 42 includes a thumb sized cutout 45 so that advertising material held in the space between the inner and outer plates 42, 43 can be retrieved easily from an inside of the chute 10.

(43) The inner and outer plates 42, 43 clip together by way of L-shaped brackets 46 and resilient fingers 47 so that the inner and outer plates 42, 43 can be brought together and partially overlapped in a direction normal to the plates 42, 43 and then moved longitudinally in a front to rear direction so that the L-shaped brackets 46 engage against engagement surfaces on the inner plate 42, whereat the resilient fingers 37 resiliently deflect into engagement with blocking surfaces on the outer plate 43 to prevent the outer plate 43 being moved in a rear to front direction to prevent the reverse operation to the just described mounting operation. The L-shaped brackets 46 are moved into engagement with further blocking surfaces on the inner plate 42 as a result of the relative movement between the inner and outer plates 42, 43 in the front to rear direction to block movement of the outer plate 43 relative to the inner plate 42 in a direction normal to the planes defined by the plates 42, 43. In this way, the combination of the resilient fingers 47 and the L-shaped brackets 46 and the blocking surfaces of the first and second plates 42, 43 lock the inner and outer plates 42, 43 together in a forward to rear direction, a rear to forward direction and in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the plates 42, 43.

(44) Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown feet 51 that can be mounted (e.g. adhesively attached) to corresponding depressions 49 in the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 and/or corresponding depressions 48 in the rear wall member 2. The dispenser 1 has depressions in both the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 and in the rear wall member 2 so that the tabletop napkin dispenser 1 can be used in a horizontally dispensing orientation, in which case they will be provided in the depressions 49, or in a vertically dispensing orientation, in which case the feet 51 will be provided in the depressions 48 of the rear wall member 2. The feet 51 serve to lift the napkin dispenser 1 from the tabletop surface and are made of a material such as rubber that is softer than the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 at the outer surfaces or the rear wall member 2 at the outer surface to provide a soft and scratch free interaction with the tabletop surface.

(45) A refilling operation for the napkin dispenser 1 and a dispensing operation for the napkin dispenser 1 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

(46) In order to refill the napkin dispenser 1, the projections 36 of the tabs 12 on either side of the dispensing opening 11 can be pressed inwardly to resiliently deflect the resilient fingers 35 to take the tab projections 36 out of engagement with the openings 13 in the first and second sidewall members 3, 4. In this way, the drawer 9 for housing a stack of napkins is released from a locked and closed position with respect to the chute 10 of the napkin dispenser 1. Once unlocked, the drawer 9 can be retracted with respect to the chute 10 by pulling the front member 7 forward while holding the projections 36 of the tabs 12 in the inwardly deflected, released position.

(47) The drawer 9 can be continued to be retracted until it is entirely removed from the confines of the chute 10 by sliding the guide rails 25 on either side of the drawer 9 along the guide channels 24 in the first and second sidewall members 3, 4. Once removed, the drawer 9 can be filled with napkins by aligning a stack height of the napkins with a rear to front direction of the drawer 9 so that a rear face of the stack of napkins is positioned against the rear wall pieces 33 of the drawer 9 and so that a front face of the stack of napkins is aligned with the front member 7 of the drawer 9.

(48) In order to reinsert the drawer 9 into the open ended chute 10, the rear of the drawer 9 is inserted into the open end of the chute 10 so that the guide rails 25 enter the guide channels 24. In order to ease this mounting process, the guide rails 25 may include an angled portion at a rear end thereof in order to allow the drawer 9 to be angled with respect to a central axis passing in a front to rear direction of the chute 10. Once the guide rails 25 have begun running in the guide channels 24, the drawer 9 is brought into an aligned position with the central axis and moved to a rearward position so that the front member 7 seats flush against a front end of the chute 10 to close the open end of the chute 10, whereat the projections 36 of the tabs 12 enter the openings 13 under resilient reformation of the resilient fingers 35 in order to lock the drawer member 9 in the retracted position.

(49) In passing the drawer 9 through the open end of the chute 10, the opening in the rear end of the drawer 9 defined by the pieces 33 being arranged in a frame shape around the opening allows the platform 14 to pass at least partly through the rear opening in the drawer 9 to engage against a rear face of the stack. As the drawer 9 is moved into the retracted position, and with the platform 14 pressed against a rear end of the stack, the platform 14 is moved to the rear end of the chute 10, which causes the spring 15 to become compressed. As such, the stack of napkins is biased forwardly in the drawer 9 to a position adjacent the dispensing opening 11 when the drawer 9 is in the locked and retracted position.

(50) If desired, a sheet of advertising material can be fed between the inner and outer plates 42, 43 of the third and/or fourth sidewall members 5, 6. As desired, rubber feet can be mounted (e.g. stuck) in corresponding depressions 49 at the corners of outer surfaces of one of the third or fourth sidewall members 5, 6 or in corresponding depressions 48 in the rear wall member 2 depending upon whether horizontal or vertical dispensing is to be implemented.

(51) Napkins contained in the drawer 9 when the drawer 9 is in the locked and retracted position can be withdrawn through the dispensing opening 11 so that they come into contact with the transparent lip 40 as they are withdrawn. The lip forming piece 38 can be made of a different material such as one having a greater frictional interaction with the napkins, in order to ensure one at a time dispensing. As the stack depletes, there will come a point at which the platform or at least the rear extent of the stack of napkins can be viewed through the transparent windows 50 disposed on either side of the dispensing opening 11 at rearwardly curving parts of the front member 7 or where the rearward curve in combination with the transparent windows 50 allows an end portion, such as at least ten napkins, pressed against the front member 7 to be viewed.

(52) As the stack of napkins depletes, the platform 14 moves under the force of the biasing spring 15 toward the front member 7 to ensure that a napkin is disposed at the dispensing opening 11 for as long as napkins remain in the stack stored in the drawer 9. The stack of napkins will generally be interfolded so that as a front-most napkin is withdrawn through the dispensing opening 11 for use, the adjacent napkin in the stack is partly pulled through the dispensing opening 11 with it for grasping for the next use.

(53) A further embodiment of a tabletop dispenser is shown in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 discloses a tabletop napkin dispenser 60, which can be seen in exploded view in FIG. 7.

(54) The tabletop napkin dispenser comprises a rear wall member 61, first and second sidewall members 62, 63 and third and fourth sidewall members 64, 65. The rear wall member 61 and the first to fourth sidewall members 62-65 are separately injection molded pieces that are able to clip together in order to provide a chute 70 that is closed other than an open front end. A lid member 66 is pivotally attached to the chute 70 between an open position that gives access to the open front end of the chute 70 and a closed position that closes the front open end of the chute 70 so that napkins disposed within an interior spaced defined by the chute 70 are removed through the dispensing opening 69 of the lid member 66.

(55) The rear wall member 61 includes a flat inner surface 71 that will extend parallel to the plane of the tabletop when the dispenser stands on the rear wall member 61. Side parts curve upwards to define a curved rim 72 to long sides of the rear wall member 61. Further, upstanding inner side walls 73 extend normally to the flat surface 71 and define inner and outer surfaces that are parallel to the inner and outer surface of the inner and outer surfaces of the larger sidewall members 64, 65.

(56) First and second projecting tabs 74 extend from the edges of the smaller sides of the rear wall member 61. The first and second projecting tabs 74 engage with recesses disposed in a bottom of the first and second smaller sidewall members 62, 63, in order to secure the rear wall member 61 thereto. A projection 75 is also disposed on inner surface of the curved rims 72 between an outer surface of the upstanding sidewalls 72 and the long side edge of the rear wall member 61 at a location centrally disposed along the long side edge. These projections 75 engage with corresponding recesses 76 disposed at a rear end of the third and fourth sidewall members 64, 65. Further, the third and fourth sidewall members 64, 65 include tabs 77 projecting from the smaller sides thereof to engage in corresponding recesses 78 provided in the smaller sidewall member 62, 63. The recesses 78 are defined by rails protruding normally from a general body of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 inwardly that include slots or recesses 78 disposed therethrough. In this way, the chute 70 is formed from five separately injection molded pieces 61 to 65 that snap-fit together through protrusions engaging in recesses in a counterpart engagement member.

(57) A cavity is disposed in a space between inner surfaces of the third and fourth sidewall members 64, 65 and outer surfaces of the upstanding inner sidewalls 73 of the rear wall member 61 that is sheet or card shaped for receiving advertising material such as the cards 79 shown in FIG. 7. The outer sidewall members 64, 65 are transparent so that advertising or other information on the cards 79 can be viewed through the third and fourth sidewall members 64, 65 from the outside of the napkin dispenser 60. The upstanding inner sidewalls 73 each include a central cutout that extends from a front end to a rear end and which is larger at the front end than at the rear end to define an upside down isosceles trapezoid shape to the cutout.

(58) The opposing upstanding inner sidewalls 73 of the rear member 61 are thus formed into two discrete portions separated by the cutout. This enables cards 79 to be disposed in the space between the outer surface of the upstanding inner sidewalls 73 and the third and fourth sidewall members 64, 65 that are of smaller height than accommodated by the space and which can still be retrieved from the inside of the dispenser through the cutouts. Yet further, the cutouts extend below a top edge of the curved rim 72, which provides clearance for injection molding the undercuts required to produce the projections 75 that engage with recesses 76 in the third and fourth sidewall members 64, 65.

(59) The platform 67 includes notches 80 at each corner end of the long sides of the platform 67 that extend through the thickness of the platform 67. The notches 80 receive guide ribs 81 that extend from a rear end to a front end of inner surfaces of the upstanding inner sidewalls 73 through which notches 80 and guide ribs 81, movement of the platform 67 from a retracted position adjacent the flat surface 71 of the rear wall member 61 to an extended position adjacent the dispensing opening 69 is guided.

(60) The platform 67 also includes a pair of notches 82 extending through a thickness of the platform 67 on each of the short sides of the platform 67. The pair of notches 82 are spaced apart from each other in a central position on the short sides so as to define a projecting portion 83 between them. The first and second sidewall members 62, 63 are each provided with guide ribs 84 extending from a rear end to adjacent a front end of the respective sidewall member 62, 63. The projecting portions 83 of the platform 67 are received between the guide ribs 84, while the guide ribs 84 are received in the notches 82. In this way, the platform 67 is guided by a guide mechanism provided on each of its four sides, namely by way of notch and rib mechanisms.

(61) The guide ribs 84 on each of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 are connected at a front end by a cross member connecting rib 85. The cross member connecting rib 85 is positioned rearwardly in the rear to front direction of a front edge of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 so that through openings 87 extending through a thickness of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 are located above the cross member connecting rib 85.

(62) The lid member 66 includes depending resilient fingers 88 having tab-like projections 89 disposed at distal ends thereof. The tab-like projections 89 are sized to be received in the through openings 87 of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 to lock a closed position of the lid member 66. From the outside of the napkin dispenser 60, a user can press the tab-like projections 89 inwardly through the openings 87 to resiliently deflect the resilient fingers 88, to thereby release the lid member 66 for opening. When the lid member 66 is returned to the closed position, the tab-like projections 89 engage against the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 to deflect the resilient fingers 88 inwardly until the tab-like projections 89 align with the through openings 87 at which point the tab-like projections reengage with the through openings 87 under the bias of the resilient fingers 88 to lock the lid members 66.

(63) Stop members 86 project in a rear to front direction from a front facing surface of the cross member connecting rib 85 and are disposed in a path of inward deflection of the resilient fingers 88 to avoid over-inward deflection of the resilient fingers 88. A front facing edge of the stop members 86 is disposed below a bottom edge of the through openings 87. The stop members 86 define a stop position for inward deflection of the resilient fingers 88 such that the resilient fingers 88 cannot be moved inwardly to a position at or beyond the inward extension of the guide ribs 84 of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 so that the resilient fingers 88 are prevented from coming into contact with, and thus scrunching, the napkins. That is, the inward extent of the guide ribs 84 defines the stack location in a long direction of the platform 67 and the stop members 86 are disposed outwardly of this inward extent to prevent the resilient fingers 88 coming into contact with the stack of napkins.

(64) A spring 68 is disposed between the flat surface 71 of the rear member 61 and a rear facing side of the platform 67. The rear facing side of the platform 67 includes brackets for securing an end of the spring 68. The other end of the spring freely rests against the flat surface 71 of the rear member 61 (although it could be secured thereto by brackets or the like at the cost of some manufacturing simplicity). The retracted position of the platform 67 is defined when a rear side of the platform 67 comes into contact with the flat surface 71 of the rear member 61. An extended position of the platform 67 is defined when a front facing side of the projecting portions 83 of the platform 67 comes into contact with a rear facing side of the cross member connecting rib 85. The spring 68 biases the platform 67 from the retracted position to the extended position so that the napkins are always disposed adjacent the dispensing opening 69 irrespective of the depletion state of the stack of napkins.

(65) The lid member 66 includes first and second pivot arms 90 at either end of the long side of the lid member 66. The first and second pivot arms 90 include pivot openings 91 therethrough at a distal end of the pivot arms 90 that receive pivot projections 92 disposed on an inner surface of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63, respectively. The first and second sidewall members 62, 63 each include first and second pivot projections 92 at a front end portion thereof and symmetrically disposed with respect to a rear to front axis passing centrally between the short sides of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63. In this way, the lid member 66 can be mounted to one side of the first and second side wall members 62, 63 or the other side of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63. In terms of manufacturing, it means that the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 can be identical pieces and interchanged with one another, to simplify the manufacturing process. In fact, the third and fourth sidewall members 64, 65 are formed from the same injection mold as are the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 and are interchangeable with one another in the napkin dispenser 60.

(66) Referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the lid member 66 is a two-piece construction made from separate injection molded pieces 93, 94. There is a transparent piece 93 and an opaque piece 94. The opaque piece 94 includes the pivot arm 90 and the resilient fingers and tab-like projections 88, 89. The transparent piece 93 provides a lip 97 of the dispensing opening 69 and also transparent windows 95, 96 disposed on either side of the dispensing opening 69 and extending along the dispensing opening 69 along a long side of the lip member 66 from substantially at one end to substantially at the other end. The lid member 66 includes a more flattened portion framing the dispensing opening 69 as provided by the opaque piece 94, while the transparent windows 95, 96 curve rearwardly from the more flattened portion so that a depth of the stack of napkins (such as at least 10 napkins) can be seen through the transparent windows 95, 96 so that a user can determine when the stack of napkins is reaching a depleted state. The transparent piece 93 and the opaque piece 94 include overlapping interfacing surfaces that are provided with an adhesive layer to adhere the first and second pieces 93, 94 together.

(67) The napkin dispenser 60 further includes four feet made of a relatively soft material as compared to the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 or the rear wall member 61 that are disposed in respective depressions at corner portions of an outer surface of a rear facing surface of the napkin dispenser 60. The soft feet 100 can be adhesively attached in the depressions. The depressions may be provided on an outer surface of a rear facing surface of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63. The feet 100 provide an interface between the napkin dispenser 60 and the table top surface and lift the remainder of the outer surface of the rear facing surface of the napkin dispenser 60 from the tabletop surface to avoid scratching of the table top surface. The feet 100 may be made of, for example, rubber.

(68) In use, the second embodiment of the tabletop napkin dispenser 60 is stood on the feet 100 on the table top surface. To fill the napkin dispenser 60 with napkins, the tab-like projections 89 protruding into the through openings 87 in the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 are pressed clear of the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 to allow the lid member 66 to be rotated about the pivots 91, 92 so that the lid 66 is moved into a position in which the body of the lid extends substantially parallel and outside of one of the third and fourth sidewall members 64, 65. The lid member 66 is thus moved into an open position exposing the open end of the chute 70.

(69) A stack of napkins can be placed with a rear surface of the stack laying on the front facing surface of the platform 67. To close the lid member 66, the stack and the platform are pushed downwards to the position in which a rear facing surface of the platform 67 contacts the flat forward facing surface 71 of the rear wall member 61 such that that platform 67 is in its retracted position. Movement of the platform 67 is guided by notches 80, 82 and guide ribs 81, 84 on each of the four sides of the platform 67 and by the projecting portion 83 of the platform 67 being disposed between the pair of guide ribs 84 on the first and second sidewall members 62, 63, respectively. With the platform 67 disposed in the retracted position and the stack of napkins thus clear of a forward facing edge of the chute 70, the lid member 66 can be rotated about the pivots 91, 92 into the closed position to close the chute 70.

(70) As the lid member 66 is moved into the closed position, the tab-like projections 89 engage against the first and second sidewall members 62, 63 to inwardly deflect the resilient fingers 88 until the tab-like projections 89 align with the through openings 87 in the first and second sidewall members 82, 83. At which point the resilient fingers force the tab-like projections 89 outwardly into the through openings 87 to lock the closed position of the lid member 66.

(71) The napkins can be removed through the dispensing opening 69 so that they contact the lip 97 provided by the first piece 93 of the lid member 66. The lip 69 may be made of a high friction material with respect to the napkins than the other piece 94 of the lid member 66 so that the napkin adjacent in the stacking order to the napkin being dispensed is better gripped by the dispensing opening to ensure successful one at a time interfolded napkin dispensing operation. As the stack reaches a depleted state, the user is given forewarning by viewing the bottom of the stack or a front facing surface of the platform 67 through the windows 95, 96, to garner an indication that the napkin dispenser 60 is to be refilled.

(72) The napkin dispenser 60 further includes provision for disposing advertising or other information cards in a sheet shaped cavity disposed between the inner surface and the third and fourth sidewall members 64, 65 and the outer surface of the inner sidewalls 73 of the rear member 61. The height of the information cards 79 in the rear to front direction can be designed with flexibility, since the inner sidewalls 73 include a centrally disposed cutout that extends from the front end to the rear end thereof. The cards 79 can include written information, graphics, advertising information or aesthetically pleasing designs that can be viewed through the transparent outer sidewall members 64, 65.

(73) Various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiments.

(74) An example of such modification is that the rails 25 of the drawer 9 shown in FIG. 2 can be provided in split form in that it does not extend continuously from the rear end to the front end of the tray member 8. Instead, the rails 25 could be divided into two or more separate rails distributed from the front end to the rear end of the tray member 8.

(75) In the first embodiment, where ribs 23 are disposed on inner surfaces of the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6, this could be modified so that only the inner surface of the sidewall members 5, 6 in contact with the stack of napkins when the drawer member 9 is mounted in a predetermined orientation in the chute 10 is provided with the ribs 23. This modification would functionally achieve the stack guiding function, but at the expense of manufacturing flexibility since the third and fourth sidewall members 5, 6 would not then be interchangeable.

(76) In the first embodiment, the guide rails 25 of the drawer 9 are provided by upper and lower ribs connected at each end. A solid rail that does not include the space between the first and second ribs and is instead filled in with material could alternatively be provided, at the expense of the low friction arrangement of the first embodiment and weight and material use considerations.

(77) In the drawer 9 of the first embodiment, a rear opening is provided by four corner pieces 33. Each of these four corner pieces 33 is separated from one another. A continuous frame shape could, however, be provided, although this may make it less easy to injection mould the drawer 9.

(78) In the first and second embodiments, the front member 7 or the lid member 66 are made of first and second separate pieces. It is envisaged, however, that four separate pieces could be provided. A first opaque piece as shown in the figures, a second lip providing piece and third and fourth transparent window providing pieces. In this way, the transparent windows would not be connected to the transparent lip by connecting webs as shown in FIGS. 4, 8A and 8B.