Apparatus for Dispensing Articles

This invention relates to a dispensing device for dispensing articles, and more particularly, to a dispenser for premoistened towels or tissues, wherein the dispenser has a removable closure with a slitted opening therethrough through which the towels or tissues and the like are removed one at a time.

The slitted opening, as contemplated herein, encompasses narrow slots where the sides of the opening are not in contact with each other as well as those where the sides are in contact with each other but can be displaced to define the opening. The essential requirement is that the opening be too narrow to permit convenient withdrawal of the contents of the container by merely inserting one's fingers therein.

An example of a prior art dispenser of the type with which this invention is concerned is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,002. In order to initiate threading of towels through the slitted opening in the dispenser described in this patent, it is necessary for the user to push a leading part of a towel through the slitted opening, e.g., with a finger, so that it may be grasped from outside the container to thereafter draw the towel from the container through the slitted opening, The towels are arranged in the container such that withdrawal of one towel causes threading of a subsequent towel through the slitted opening so that it may be grasped.

Another type of dispenser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,026, in which a threading implement or device 6 is used for withdrawing an initial towel from the container. However, in this patent, the threading device or implement is separate from the container and after its initial use may become lost or misplaced.

In a dispensing device currently on sale, the closure cap has a finger tab integral therewith, which could, in theory, be employed as a threading device to initiate dispensing. However, the finger tab of this device, which contains an aperture in the mid-portion thereof, is of a size, rigidity and alignment such that it would be highly impractical to employ it in this manner.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a means associated with a dispenser having a slitted opening therein, which may be extended through the slitted opening to facilitate threading of towels therethrough.

Another object of the invention is to provide a threading device integral with the closure cap of a container for dispensing towels or tissues and the like whereby the threading device cannot be lost or misplaced and is always associated with the container for use to initiate threading of a towel or the like from the container.

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a dispenser according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a dispenser according to the invention showing the closure cap in open position.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary exploded view in elevation and shown partly in section of the dispenser of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the dispenser of the invention showing the threading device inserted through the opening in the container closure.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation shown partly in section of a dispensing device according to the invention wherein the threading device or protrusion is withdrawn from the opening in the container closure for drawing a towel therethrough.

FIG. 6A is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment with the closure cap in the open position.

FIG. 6B is a top plan view of the closure of FIG. 6A, with its cap closed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, a container 10 has a removable closure 11 on one end thereof with a slitted opening 12 surrounded by an upstanding wall or rib 13 and a cap 14 for closing the opening 12 integrally joined therewith by means of a strap 15, as described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,002, for example. Of course, other means for securing the removable closure 11 to the container 10 could be provided, such as threads 16 shown in FIG. 3, for example. A finger engaging tab or flange 17 is formed on one side of the cap 14 to facilitate removal of the cap from the upstanding flange or neck 13 surrounding the slitted opening 12 for access to towels or tissues or the like T pulled through the slitted opening 12.

In order to facilitate threading of the towels or tissues and like through the slitted opening, a threading protrusion 18 having a hole or opening 19 formed therethrough is integral with the cap 14 on one side thereof. In use, the closure 11 is removed from the container 10 as seen in FIG. 3, for example, and the threading protrusion 18 on the cap 14 is inserted through the slitted opening 12 in the closure 11. One end of a towel or tissue or the like T is then grasped with the fingers of the hand H of a user and inserted through the opening 19 in the threading protrusion 18, and the closure 11 may then be placed back on the container 10 as seen in FIG. 4. Thereafter, the cap 14 is pulled upwardly, withdrawing the threading protrusion from the slitted opening before the closure is placed back on the container if desired. The end of the towel or tissue or the like is then removed from the opening 19 in the threading protrusion 18 and the dispensing container of the invention is ready for use. Subsequent towels are automatically threaded through the slitted opening in a manner well known in the art. However, in the event a towel fails to thread through the slitted opening, the above process can simply be repeated to once again initiate a dispensing cycle.

It is of course possible to vary the disposition axis of the protrusion with respect to the longitudinal axis of the strap, but the nearer these axes came to being aligned i.e. parallel, the more difficult it is to insert the protrusion 18 into slitted opening 12. Therefore, it is preferred that these axes be substantially transverse.

FIGS. 6A and B depict a preferred embodiment wherein cap 14 is recessed in closure 11 to facilitate stacking and prevent accidental opening. Recess 20 facilitates easy access to and provides a nest for finger engaging tab or flange 17 and recess 21 provides a nest for threading protrusion 18.

It is, of course, desirable that threading protrusion 18 be sufficiently rigid, narrow and thin to permit ready exit and entry into the slitted opening, i.e cross slits 12 and that the protrusion be laterally disposed i.e. in the same plane as the flexible strap.

It is also preferred that threading protrusion 18 be wedge-shaped and that the threader eye 19 be relatively small and tapered so as to hold the towelette or the like securely when it is pulled through the dispenser slits.

The provision of at least one slit parallel to the longitudinal axis of the flexible strap is also preferred.

The strap or hinge 22 preferably contains a slit 23 to function as a hanging device and this strap nests in recess 24.

By means of the present invention, all of the components are integrally formed with one another whereby there is little likelihood of the threading device becoming lost of separated from the dispensing container. Additionally, the structure provided by the present invention is exceptionally simple and economical and does not require any modification of the existing dispensing container other than the provision of the threading protrusion on the side of the cap 14 and suitable recesses in the closure, if desired.

The present invention is not limited to a dispensing device for pre-moistened towels or tissues and the like as specifically described herein, but could be applied to many other types of articles which are to be dispensed through openings which make it difficult for the user to initiate threading or feeding of the articles through the opening.