BLADE DISPENSER

• US 20160304269A1
• Filed: 11/07/2014
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accutec Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Energizer Battery Incorporated (Energizer Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: ERDMANN, Paul Philipp, WONDERLEY, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 10,315,833 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B26B 21/54 Razor-blades B26B21/4006 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0817 the articles being automatically urged towards the dispensing aperture, e.g. spring-loaded B65D83/0823 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0829 by means of an actuator
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/10 for dispensing razor-blades

Abstract

A blade dispenser is provided that includes a housing, a carrier, and a blade eject assembly. The housing defines a carrier cavity having an open end, and includes a blade loading mechanism. The carrier is operable to hold a plurality of blades. The carrier is selectively disposable within the carrier cavity of the housing. The blade eject assembly includes a button biased in a normal position relative to a base. The button is operable to be moved relative to the base and engage a blade disposed within the carrier, and to move the blade to a position where at least a part of the blade is disposed outside the housing.

Claims

1. A blade dispenser, comprising:

a housing defining a carrier cavity having an open end, which housing includes a blade loading mechanism;

a carrier operable to hold a plurality of blades, and which carrier is selectively disposable within the carrier cavity of the housing; and

a blade eject assembly having a button biased in a normal position relative to a base, wherein the button is operable to be moved relative to the base and engage a blade disposed within the carrier and move the blade to a position where at least a part of the blade is disposed outside the housing.

2. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing includes at least one carrier button operable to engage the carrier disposed within the carrier cavity to selectively secure the carrier within the carrier cavity.

3. The blade dispenser of claim 2, wherein the housing includes a first carrier button disposed on a first side of the housing, and a second carrier button disposed on a second side of the housing, each of which carrier buttons is operable to engage the carrier disposed within the carrier cavity to selectively secure the carrier within the carrier cavity.

4. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the blade eject assembly is selectively positionable relative to the housing in an open position and in a closed position.

5. The blade dispenser of claim 4, wherein the blade eject assembly is pivotally mounted to the housing, and the housing includes at least one blade eject assembly latch button, which button is operable to secure the blade eject assembly relative to the housing.

6. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the carrier has a length and includes a base panel having a lengthwise extending slot, and a dog operable to be selectively positioned at lengthwise positions within the carrier, and a detent mechanism operable to positionally secure the dog at lengthwise positions of the carrier.

7. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the carrier includes one or more panels that define a blade cavity sized to contain a plurality of blades, which blade cavity has a cross-sectional geometry that accommodates the blades held within the carrier.

8. The blade dispenser of claim 7, wherein the one or more panels includes a front panel configured to receive a portion of the blade eject assembly button.

9. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing has a floor panel that includes a carrier surface and a bottom surface, which bottom surface is disposed opposite the carrier surface, and which floor panel includes a lengthwise extending slot, which slot extends through the floor panel between the carrier surface and the bottom surface;

and

wherein the blade loading mechanism includes a sled, a flexible member, a pivotable member, and a biasing element, wherein the sled is configured for travel along the lengthwise extending slot disposed in the floor panel.

10. The blade dispenser of claim 9, wherein the sled includes a slot member extending between a bottom surface flange and a blade flange, which slot member is received within the lengthwise extending slot disposed in the housing floor panel, and the bottom surface flange is disposed adjacent the bottom surface of the housing floor panel, and the blade flange is disposed adjacent the carrier surface of the housing floor panel;

and

wherein the flexible member is attached the bottom surface flange of the sled, and extends around at least a portion of the circumferential face of the pivotable member, and the biasing element is operable to bias the sled toward the open end of the carrier cavity of the housing.

11. The blade dispenser of claim 10, wherein the pivotable member is pivotally attached to the bottom surface of the housing floor panel.

12. The blade dispenser of claim 10, wherein the carrier has a length and includes a base panel having a lengthwise extending slot, and a dog operable to be selectively positioned at lengthwise positions of the carrier, and a detent mechanism operable to positionally secure the dog at the lengthwise positions of the carrier;

and

wherein the sled is positioned within the carrier cavity of the housing such that when the carrier is disposed within the carrier cavity, the sled extends through the lengthwise extending slot disposed in the base panel of a carrier.

13. The blade dispenser of claim 12, wherein the carrier includes one or more panels that define a blade cavity sized to contain a plurality of blades, which blade cavity has a cross-sectional geometry that accommodates the blades held within the carrier.

14. The blade dispenser of claim 13, wherein the sled is biased against the dog disposed within the blade cavity.

15. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the biasing force of the sled against the dog is adequate to move the dog forward toward the open end of the carrier cavity.

16. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the carrier is a unitary structure that includes a plurality of panels and each panel is connected to another panel by a hinge, and the panels are configured to assemble and define a blade cavity sized to contain a plurality of blades, which blade cavity has a cross-sectional geometry that accommodates the blades held within the carrier.

17. The blade dispenser of claim 1, wherein the blade eject assembly includes a blade engagement structure attached to the blade eject assembly button, which blade engagement structure is configured to engage one of the plurality of blades which the carrier is operable to hold.

18. The blade dispenser of claim 17, wherein the blade engagement structure extends outwardly from blade eject assembly button, and includes a widthwise extending member having a length substantially equal to a width of the plurality of blades which the carrier is operable to hold.

19. The blade dispenser of claim 18, wherein the widthwise extending member includes a slot disposed in a top surface of the member.

20. The blade dispenser of claim 19, further comprising a selectively removable insert having at least one contactor, wherein the insert is attached to the blade engagement structure and the contactor extends outwardly from the slot.

21. The blade dispenser of claim 20, wherein the insert is comprised of a material having a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the blade engagement structure.

22. The blade dispenser of claim 19, further comprising a selectively removable insert having a contact edge comprised of a material having a hardness that is greater than a hardness of the blade engagement structure.

23. A carrier operable to hold a plurality of blades, and which carrier is configured to be selectively disposable within a blade dispenser, the carrier comprising:

a unitary structure that includes a plurality of panels and each panel is connected to another panel by a hinge, and the panels are configured to assemble and define a blade cavity sized to contain a plurality of blades, which blade cavity has a cross-sectional geometry that accommodates the blades held within the carrier.

24. The carrier of claim 23, wherein the carrier has a length and includes a base panel having a lengthwise extending slot.

25. The carrier of claim 24 further comprising a dog operable to be selectively positioned at lengthwise positions within the carrier, and a detent mechanism operable to positionally secure the dog at lengthwise positions of the carrier.