Assembly including refillable compact sheet dispenser

• US 5,526,955 A
• Filed: 09/14/1994
• Issued: 06/18/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co (3M Company)
• Inventors: Windorski, David C., Wilson, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): REICHARD, DEAN ALAN
• Application Number:
  US08/306,102
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 221/33, 221/34, 221/45, 221/47, 221/50, 221/61, 221/62, 221/63, 221/92, 221/123, 221/124, 221/130, 221/131, 221/155, 221/281, 221/282, 221/286, 221/306, 221/312 C
• US Class Current: 221/34
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 5/005 Supports for note-pads B42F9/00 takes precedence; underlays B43L3/00

Abstract

Described is a dispenser for sheets received in a cavity in the dispenser that are pulled through an outlet opening in a top wall of the dispenser. The dispenser has access openings that afford inspection of the number of sheets remaining in the dispenser and facilitate engagement of a persons finger with the end portion of one of the sheets that projects through the outlet opening; a cover for the top wall when the dispenser is not in use; and separable portions that allow sheets to be positioned in the cavity. The dispenser can be included in an assembly further including a support member along which the dispenser is releasably attached, which support member can support one or more such dispensers together with dispensers for other items such as tape flags.

Claims

1. An assembly comprising:

a plurality of flexible sheets, said sheets each having first and second major surfaces, first and second opposite ends, and a band of pressure-sensitive adhesive on said second surface adjacent said second end of the sheet, the bands of adhesive on the sheets adhering the sheets to the first surfaces of adjacent sheets to form a stack and the bands of adhesive on successive sheets in the stack being at opposite sides of the stack, both said first and said second surfaces of each of the sheets being free from adhesive along a first end portion opposite the second end of the sheet; and

a dispenser comprising walls having inner surfaces defining a cavity receiving the stack and having opposite outer surfaces, said walls including a top wall and opposite side walls, said side walls having opposite ends and depending from and flanking said top wall, said top wall being generally parallel with the sheets in the stack and having an outlet opening for said cavity between said inner and outer surfaces through which the first end portion of the uppermost sheet on the stack projects and through which individual sheets from the stack in the cavity may be manually withdrawn, which outlet opening is elongate in a direction parallel to said side walls, and said top and side walls having through access openings flanking said outlet opening, said access openings each being adapted to afford inspection of the number of sheets remaining in the dispenser and facilitating engagement of a person'"'"'s finger with the first end portion of the sheet that projects through said outlet opening, lays along said outer surface of said top wall and overlays one of said access openings.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein said dispenser further includes first and second end walls extending between the adjacent ends of said side walls, a cover adapted to overlay the outer surface of said top wall, and means mounting said cover on said second end wall for movement between a closed position overlaying the outer surface of said top wall with said cover generally parallel with the sheets in said stack, and an open position spaced from said top wall.

3. An assembly comprising:

a dispenser for flexible sheets from a stack of sheets disposed one on top of another, said dispenser comprising;

walls having inner surfaces defining a cavity adapted to receive the stack and having opposite outer surfaces, said walls including

a top wall and opposite side walls, said side walls having opposite ends and depending from and flanking said top wall, said top wall having an outlet opening for said cavity between said inner and outer surfaces through which individual sheets from the stack in the cavity may be manually withdrawn, which outlet opening is elongate in a direction parallel to said side walls, and said top and side walls having through access openings flanking said outlet opening, said access openings each being adapted to afford inspection of the number of sheets remaining in the dispenser and to facilitate engagement of a person'"'"'s finger with an end portion of one of the sheets that projects through said outlet opening, lays along said outer surface of said top wall and overlays one of said access openings;

said dispenser further including first and second end walls extending between the adjacent ends of said side walls, a cover adapted to overlay the outer surface of said top wall, and means mounting said cover on said second end wall for movement between a closed position overlaying the outer surface of said top wall, and an open position spaced from said top wall, said means mounting said cover on said second end wall for movement between said closed position and said open position includes means for detaching said cover from and subsequently re-attaching said cover to said second end wall only by manual application of separating and reattaching forces to said cover and said second end wall.

4. An assembly according to claim 3 wherein said means mounting said cover on said second end wall for movement between said closed position and said open position and said means for detaching said cover from and subsequently re-attaching said cover to said second end wall only by manual application of separating and reattaching forces to said cover and said second end wall are provided by spaced parts of the second end wall defining two pairs of spaced parallel grooves in said second end wall extending generally parallel to said side walls and defining a pair of generally semi-spherical opposed sockets recessed in said parts from the outer groove in each pair;

and by said cover having two pairs of spaced parallel projecting plate-like portions spaced and adapted to be positioned in the grooves in the second end wall, and having generally semi-spherical projections projecting from opposite sides of the two outermost of the plate-like portions that are received in said sockets when the cover is engaged with the second end wall, whereupon said semi-spherical projections provide pivot members about which the cover can be moved between its open and closed positions, said spaced parts of the second end wall including a center plate like part partially defining each set of two grooves, which center plate like part is sufficiently resiliently flexible to allow said semi-spherical projections to be pulled from within the sockets when said cover is in said open position to detach the cover from said second end wall, and to subsequently afford repositioning of said semi-spherical projections within the sockets to re-attach said cover to said second end wall.

5. An assembly comprising:

a dispenser for flexible sheets from a stack of sheets disposed one on top of another, said dispenser comprising;

walls having inner surfaces defining a cavity adapted to receive the stack and having opposite outer surfaces, said walls including

a top wall and opposite side walls, said side walls having opposite ends and depending from and flanking said top wall, said top wall having an outlet opening for said cavity between said inner and outer surfaces through which individual sheets from the stack in the cavity may be manually withdrawn, which outlet opening is elongate in a direction parallel to said side walls, and said top and side walls having through access openings flanking said outlet opening, said access openings each being adapted to afford inspection of the number of sheets remaining in the dispenser and to facilitate engagement of a person'"'"'s finger with an end portion of one of the sheets that projects through said outlet opening, lays along said outer surface of said top wall and overlays said access opening;

said dispenser further including first and second end walls, and further comprising;

a first portion including said top wall, said side walls and said second end wall with said second end wall extending between adjacent ends of said side walls;

a second portion including said first end wall;

means mounting said second portion on said first portion for movement between a closed position with said first end wall extending between the ends of said side walls opposite said second end wall, and an open position with said first end wall spaced from the ends of said end walls opposite said second end wall to afford access to said cavity to insert a stack of sheets therein; and

means for releasably retaining said first and second portions in said closed position.

6. An assembly comprising:

a dispenser for flexible sheets from a stack of sheets disposed one on top of another, said dispenser comprising;

walls having inner surfaces defining a cavity adapted to receive the stack and having opposite outer surfaces, said walls including

a top wall and opposite side walls, said side walls having opposite ends and depending from and flanking said top wall, said top wall having an outlet opening for said cavity between said inner and outer surfaces through which individual sheets from the stack in the cavity may be manually withdrawn, which outlet opening is elongate in a direction parallel to said side walls, and said top and side walls having through access openings flanking said outlet opening, said access openings each being adapted to afford inspection of the number of sheets remaining in the dispenser and to facilitate engagement of a person'"'"'s finger with an end portion of one of the sheets that projects through said outlet opening, lays along said outer surface of said top wall and overlays said access opening

said dispenser further including first and second end walls extending between the adjacent ends of said side walls, and a bottom wall along the sides of said side and end walls opposite said top wall, and said assembly further includes a support member having a front surface, and means for releasably attaching said dispenser to said support member with the bottom wall of the dispenser along the front surface of said support member, said means for releasably attaching said dispenser to said support member being provided by said dispenser having opposite outwardly projecting ledges centered along said end walls and disposed generally parallel with said bottom wall, and said support member including a ridge projecting above said front surface and defining a recess adapted to receive one of said ledges, and a latch portion spaced along said front surface from said ridge and having a recess adapted to receive the other one of said ledges, said latch portion being resiliently elastically bendable to a release position sufficiently spaced from said ridge to afford movement of said ledges into said recesses from a normal retaining position with said latch member in a position to releasably retain said ledges in said recesses, and said latch portion including a manually engageable projection affording manual movement of said latch portion from said retaining position to said release position.

7. An assembly according to claim 6 wherein at least one of said ledges on said dispenser and said latch portion include cam surfaces adapted for engagement to move said latch portion to said release position upon engagement of the other of said ledges in the recess in said ridge and movement of said one ledge toward the recess in said latch portion.

8. An assembly according to claim 6 wherein said assembly includes a plurality of said dispensers, and said support member includes means for releasably attaching said dispensers to said support member in side by side relationship with the bottom walls of the dispensers along the front surface of said support member.

9. An assembly according to claim 8 wherein said means for releasably attaching said dispensers to said support member is provided by said dispensers each having opposite outwardly projecting ledges centered along said end walls and disposed generally parallel with said bottom wall, and said support member including a plurality of ridges projecting above said front surface and each defining a recess adapted to receive one of said ledges on one of said dispensers, and said support member further including a plurality of latch portions each spaced along said front surface from one of said ridges and having a recess adapted to receive the other one of said ledges on said one dispenser, said latch portions each being resiliently elastically bendable to a release position sufficiently spaced from said ridge to afford movement of said ledges into said recesses from a normal retaining position with said latch member positioned to releasably retain said ledges in said recesses, and said latch portions each including a manually engageable projection affording manual movement of said latch portion from said retaining position to said release position.

10. An assembly according to claim 9 wherein at least one of said ledges on each of said dispensers and each of said latch portions include cam surfaces adapted for engagement to move said latch portion to said release position upon engagement of the other of said ledges in the recess in said ridge opposite said latch portion and movent of said one ledge toward the recess in said latch portion.

11. An assembly according to claim 6 wherein said support member includes means for releasably attaching a plurality of dispensers similar to said dispenser to said support member in side by side relationship with the bottom walls of the dispensers along the front surface of said support member.