Universal napkin dispenser with interchangeable face plates

• US 5,131,561 A
• Filed: 04/30/1991
• Issued: 07/21/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Tissue, LLC
• Original Assignee: Wisconsin Tissue Mills, Inc.
• Inventors: Hochtritt, Robert C., Casperson, C. Patrick, Chudek, Christopher W.
• Primary Examiner(s): SKAGGS JR, H GRANT
• Application Number:
  US07/693,830
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 221/34, 221/35, 221/44, 221/45, 221/47, 221/55, 221/61, 221/62, 221/63, 221/155, 221/303, 221/304
• US Class Current: 221/35
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/427 with means for urging the whole stack towards the dispensing opening, e.g. a spring

Abstract

A dispenser for folded paper napkins including a door hinged to an opening of a housing and a face plate detachably secured to the door. The face plate includes a dispensing opening through which napkins are withdrawn from the dispenser. The new dispenser allows the use of interchangeable face plates so that the same dispenser can be used to store various styles and/or sizes of folded paper napkins.

Claims

1. A dispenser for folded paper napkins comprising:

a housing enclosing at least part of a storage area for folded paper napkins, the housing having an opening towards at least one end;

a door that is pivotably mounted to the housing for positioning over the opening in the housing, the door including an opening and the door including wall panels having a plurality of edges along a periphery of the opening in the door, the wall panel forming a plurality of surfaces facing inwardly towards the storage area for folded paper napkins; and

a face plate mounted to project through the opening in the door from inside the door, the face plate including a dispensing opening smaller than the opening in the door for withdrawal of folded napkins from the storage area, the face plate including top and side portions which are non-overlapping in front of the wall panels adjacent the periphery of the opening in the door and the face plate including structure positionable behind the door opening for cooperating with the edges and with the inwardly facing surfaces of the wall panels of the door for snap-fit mounting and detachment of the face plate into the door from behind the door opening.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1 further characterized in that:

the face plate structure includes peripheral flange means for engagement with inner surfaces of the wall panels of the door to detachably secure the face plate to the door.

3. A dispenser according to claim 1 further characterized in that:

the door is movable between (a) an open position to provide access to the enclosure for loading napkins in the enclosure, and (b) a closed position for withdrawal of napkins from the enclosure; and

the dispenser includes latch means for retaining the door in its closed position.

4. A dispenser according to claim 1 further characterized in that:

the door includes hinge pin means along a lower portion thereof, and the housing includes channel means for receiving the hinge pin means.

5. A dispenser according to any one of claims 1-4 further characterized in that:

the face plate is transparent.

6. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising:

a second face plate including a dispensing opening of different shape than the dispensing opening of the earlier mentioned face plate, and

wherein the second face plate includes portions identical to the non-overlapping portions on the earlier mentioned face plate and structure positionable behind the door opening for snap-fitting the second face plate into and out of position from behind the opening in the door.

7. A dispenser for folded paper napkins comprising:

a housing enclosing at least part of a storage area for folded paper napkins, the housing having openings towards opposite ends;

a pair of doors, each pivotably mounted to the housing for positioning over a respective opening of the housing each door including an opening and each door including wall panels having a plurality of edges along a periphery of the opening in the respective door, the wall panels for each door forming a plurality of surfaces facing inwardly towards the storage area for folded paper napkins; and

face plates mounted to project through the respective door openings from inside the respective doors, each face plate including a dispensing opening smaller than the opening in the door for withdrawal of folded napkins from the storage area, the face plate including top and side portions which are non-overlapping in front of the wall panels adjacent the periphery of the opening in the door and the face plate including structure positionable behind the door opening for cooperating with the edges and with the inwardly facing surfaces of the wall panels of the door for snap-fit mounting and detachment of the face plate into the door from behind the door opening.

8. A dispenser according to claim 7 further characterized in that:

each face plate structure includes peripheral flange means for engagement with inner surfaces of the wall panels of its respective door to detachably secure the face plate to the door.

9. A dispenser according to claim 7 further characterized in that:

each door is movable between (a) an open position to provide access to the enclosure for loading napkins in the enclosure, and (b) a closed position for withdrawal of napkins from the enclosure; and

the dispenser includes latch means for retaining each door in its closed position.

10. A dispenser according to claim 7 further characterized in that:

each door includes hinge pin means along a lower portion thereof, and the housing includes channel means along each open end thereof for receiving the hinge pin means of one of the doors.

11. A dispenser according to any one of claims 7-10 further characterized in that:

both face plates are transparent.