U.S. patent application number 10/949835 was filed with the patent office on 2005-07-28 for holder for flaccid flat articles such as napkins.
Invention is credited to Fiola, Salvatore.
Application Number | 20050161464 10/949835 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34798737 |
Filed Date | 2005-07-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050161464 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Fiola, Salvatore |
July 28, 2005 |
Holder for flaccid flat articles such as napkins
Abstract
A holder maintains flaccid, flat articles in substantially
vertically no matter how many articles are removed from it. The
holder's base defines a generally horizontal plane when the holder
is in normal use. A pair of lateral walls are attached to the base
and arranged in vertical planes generally normal to the horizontal
plane. These walls, with predetermined height and spacing from each
other a predetermined distance, form a region that receives and
holds the stacked, flat, flaccid articles--such as
napkins--vertically oriented substantially parallel to the lateral
walls. Gravity-actuated force-generating members apply a generally
horizontal force to the stack of articles within the region and
urge them toward one of the lateral walls and away from the other.
This application of force substantially reduces any drooping or
collapse of the articles and keeps them erect no matter how many
articles are placed within or removed from the holder.
Inventors: |
Fiola, Salvatore; (Thiells,
NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
LACKENBACH SIEGEL, LLP
LACKENBACH SIEGEL BUILDING
1 CHASE ROAD
SCARSDALE
NY
10583
US
|
Family ID: |
34798737 |
Appl. No.: |
10/949835 |
Filed: |
September 24, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60505531 |
Sep 24, 2003 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
221/33 ; 211/51;
248/311.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G 21/16 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
221/033 ;
248/311.2; 211/051 |
International
Class: |
B65H 001/00 |
Claims
What I claim:
1. A holder for maintaining flaccid flat articles in substantially
vertical orientations independently of the number of articles
received or removed from the holder, comprising: a base defining a
generally horizontal plane when the holder is placed on a support
surface during normal use; a pair of laterals walls attached to
said base and arranged in vertical planes generally normal to said
horizontal plane, said pair of walls having a predetermined height
and spaced from each other a predetermined spaced distance to form
a region for receiving and holding a plurality of stacked flat
flaccid articles, such as napkins, with orientations generally
parallel to said spaced walls and vertical planes; and gravity
actuated force-generating means for applying a generally horizontal
force on a stack of flat flaccid articles to urge said articles to
be urged toward one of said lateral walls and away from the other
of said lateral walls to substantially reduce the drooping or
collapse of said articles and maintain said articles substantially
erect independently of the number of articles placed within or
removed from the holder.
2. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said predetermined
height is generally equal to the vertical height of said articles
when stacked within the holder.
3. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said predetermined
height is less than the vertical height of said articles when
stacked within the holder.
4. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said lateral walls are
fixedly mounted and supported on said base.
5. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of
the holder is made of plastic.
6. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of
the holder is made of wood.
7. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said force generating
means includes means for generating said generally horizontal force
in the direction of said one of said lateral walls at a distance
above said base.
8. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said force generating
means comprises a generally planar member mounted for movement in
generally parallel planes between and parallel to said lateral
walls to remain upright in all lateral positions and create a
compressive force on said stack of articles between said one of
said lateral walls and said planar member.
9. A holder as defined in claim 8, wherein said planar member is
pivotally mounted on a movable member between said lateral walls to
enable said planar member to remain upright regardless of the
position of said movable member.
10. A holder as defined in claim 9, wherein said movable member
comprises linkage means connected to said planar member and to one
of said base and said other of said lateral walls.
11. A holder as defined in claim 10, wherein said movable member is
pivotably connected to a region of the holder proximate to the
location where said base is connected to said other of said lateral
walls.
12. A holder as defined in claim 8, wherein said planar member has
a vertical height less than said predetermined height of said
lateral walls.
13. A holder as defined in claim 11, wherein said planar member has
a vertical height and connection point to said linkage means
selected to position a lower edge of said planar member out of
contact with said base when all articles have been removed from the
holder.
14. A holder as defined in claim 11, wherein said planar member has
a vertical height and connection point to said linkage means
selected to position an upper edge of said planar member within the
region of the upper edge of said other of said lateral walls when
the holder has been fully filled with the articles to be held and
said other of said lateral walls and said planar member are
substantially juxtaposed against each other.
15. A holder as defined in claim 10, wherein said linkage means is
pivotally joined to said planar member at a height below a midpoint
between said upper and lower edges of said planar member.
16. A holder as defined in claim 10, wherein said linkage means
comprises a generally inclined rectangular wall having opposing
horizontal edges, and pivot means at each edge for pivoting said
inclined wall about a lower horizontal edge and for pivoting said
planar member along an upper horizontal edge.
17. A holder as defined in claim 16, wherein said inclined wall is
formed of plastic and includes portions of hinges along at least
one of said edges.
18. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein said force generating
means is formed of a material sufficiently heavy to create a
gravitational force to produce a desired horizontal force acting on
the article.
19. A holder as defined in claim 1, wherein the dimensions of said
lateral walls are selected to generally correspond to the size and
shape of the articles to be held.
20. A holder as defined in claim 8, wherein said surfaces of said
planar member and said one of said lateral walls facing the stacked
articles are generally smooth to facilitate removal of an article
by pulling same upwardly notwithstanding compressive forces acting
on said articles by minimizing friction between the flat articles
and said facing surfaces.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION
[0001] This utility patent application is based on an earlier filed
provisional application, for a "Sure-Hold Napkin Holder," which was
filed on September 24, 2003, and received the Ser. No. 60/505,531.
This application takes priority from that provisional
application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention generally relates to article holders and,
more specifically, to a holder for flaccid flat articles such as
napkins, files, correspondence, and other such articles.
[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] While numerous napkin holder designs have been proposed, the
prior art has failed to create a simple design that generally has
the appearance of a typical or traditional napkin holder while it
maintains the generally soft and flaccid napkins from drooping as
the napkin holder is depleted, and fewer and fewer napkins remain
between two fixed spaced lateral upright walls.
[0006] For example, one prior art approach to avoid the drooping or
sagging of napkins is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,505,745, in
which the retained stacked articles are stacked one upon the other
so that the napkins are all in horizontal planes. While such design
avoids the drooping or sagging problem, such napkin holders
necessarily have a larger footprint than conventional or
traditional napkin holders. Another such design in which napkins
are stacked one on top of another in general horizontal planes is
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,622,888.
[0007] A well-known or common design used to maintain the
vertically arranged napkins in a generally erect state is a napkin
holder that is provided with an inner coil compression spring that
urges two plates on either side of the spring to force the napkins
in opposite directions of openings through which the end napkins
can be accessed and pulled out. Such napkin holders are
significantly more complicated and costly.
[0008] Traditional napkin holders, which have two vertical
sidewalls, in fixed positions, are very familiar and are intended
to maintain napkins in generally vertical orientations between the
two spaced walls that are fixed to the base. The traditional napkin
holder works well as long as it is completely filled with napkins.
However, as napkins are removed from the holder, the remaining
napkins are no longer held firm between the vertical walls, and
thus they hang loose, and become limp and fold over each other,
which makes it more difficult to grasp the edge of the napkins and
remove them from the holder. The more napkins that are removed from
the holder, the more difficult it becomes to remove a single napkin
without having the others fall over each other. They can also fall
out of the napkin holder if one moves the holder. In addition, if
the napkin holder is used outside, such as on a patio table, a deck
table or a picnic table, the slightest breeze can blow the napkins
away.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide a holder for maintaining flaccid flat articles, such as
table napkin, that overcomes the disadvantages inherent in the
prior art holders.
[0010] It is another object of the invention to provide a holder
for maintaining soft or flaccid flat articles, ones that are
subject to drooping, that is simple in construction and economical
to manufacture.
[0011] It is still another object of the invention to provide a
holder as in the previous objects that continues to maintain a
substantially constant force on vertically oriented, flaccid
articles to prevent such articles from drooping or collapsing,
particularly when the holder becomes depleted of such articles.
[0012] It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a
holder as in the previous objects that does not require springs or
other active biasing members, but, instead, relies upon the force
of gravity to provide a substantially continuous and substantially
constant force acting on the vertically oriented, flat
articles.
[0013] It is a further object of the information to provide a
holder of the type under discussion that maintains a stack of
vertically arranged flaccid flat articles in an organized, neat
array, so that the upper edges of such articles continue to be
available for easy access, gripping and removal from the
holder.
[0014] It is still a further object of the invention to provide a
holder as in a previous object that prevents flaccid flat articles,
vertically arranged, from inadvertently falling out or being blown
out by wind or the like when the napkin holder is not full.
[0015] In order to achieve the above objects, as well as others
that will become evident hereinafter, a holder for maintaining
flaccid flat articles in substantially vertical orientations
independently of the number of articles received or removed from
the holder, in accordance with the present invention, comprises a
base defining a general horizontal plane when the holder is placed
on a support surface during normal use. A pair of lateral walls are
attached to said base and arranged in vertical plane general normal
to said horizontal plane. Said walls have a predetermined height
and are spaced from each other a predetermined spaced distance to
form a region for receiving and holding a plurality of stacked
flaccid, flat articles such as napkins, with orientations generally
parallel to said spaced walls and vertical planes. An important
feature of the invention is the provision of gravity-actuated
force-generating means for applying a generally horizontal force on
a stack of flaccid articles to cause said articles to be urged
towards one of said lateral walls and away from the other of said
lateral walls to substantially reduce the drooping and/or collapse
of said articles and maintain said articles erect independently of
the number of articles within or removed from the holder.
[0016] In accordance with one presently preferred embodiment, said
force-generating means comprises a pivoted, generally planar member
mounted for movement in generally parallel planes between and
parallel to said lateral walls to remain upright in all positions
and create a compressive force on said stack of articles between
said one of said lateral walls and said planar member.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a holder for flaccid flat
articles, such as napkins, in accordance with the present
invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the gravity-actuated
force-generating member or inclined wall in accordance with the
present invention, used to continuously apply a force to the
napkins or other flaccid flat articles as it generates a biasing
force on the napkins due to the force of gravity;
[0019] FIG. 3A is a side elevational view of the holder shown in
FIG. 1, when the holder has received and holds a stack of
vertically oriented napkins that are maintained in general vertical
orientations;
[0020] FIG. 3B is similar to FIG. 3A, but showing the changed
position of the gravity-actuated biasing members when a plurality
of napkins have been removed;
[0021] FIG. 3C is similar to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, but showing the
arrangement of the gravity-actuated members when all of the napkins
have been removed or depleted from the holder; and
[0022] FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the holder corresponding to the
arrangement of the gravity-actuated members shown in FIG. 3C.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Referring now to the Figures, in which each reference
numeral or letter represents the same or similar part of the
invention throughout, and referring initially to FIG. 1, the holder
in accordance with the present invention is generally designated by
the reference numeral 10. The holder 10 is used to maintain flaccid
flat articles 12 in substantially vertical orientations,
independently of the number of articles received or removed from
the holder. While the presently preferred embodiment is disclosed
to be in the form of a napkin holder, it will be evident that
similar elements and structures can be used to receive and hold
other flaccid flat articles, such as letters, bills, files, postal
cards, and the like.
[0024] The holder 10 includes a base 14 that defines a generally
horizontal plane when the holder is placed on a support surface 16
(FIGS. 3A-3C) during normal use. A pair of lateral walls 18, 20 are
attached to the base 14 in any conventional mannerand arranged in
vertical planes, as shown, generally normal to the horizontal plane
of the base. The pairs of walls 18, 20 have a predetermined height
H (FIG. 3C) and are spaced from each other a predetermined spaced
distance S (FIG. 3C), to form a region 22 (FIG. 3B) for receiving
and holding a plurality of stacked flaccid articles 12, such as
napkins, with vertical orientations generally parallel to the
spaced walls and vertical planes. An important feature of the
present invention is the provision of gravity-actuated
force-generating means 24 for applying a generally horizontal force
to the stack of flat, flaccid articles 12 to cause the articles to
be urged towards the lateral wall 18 and away from the other
lateral wall 20 to substantially reduce the drooping or collapse of
the articles, and to maintain the articles substantially erect. As
will become evident, the articles will remain erect, under all
conditions, independently of the number of articles placed within
or removed from the holder.
[0025] As with most typical or traditional napkin holders, the
lateral walls 18, 20 have a predetermined height H that is
generally equal to the vertical height of the articles stacked
within the holder. However, it should be clear that this is not a
critical feature of the invention and the lateral walls are
preferably somewhat shorter than the articles 12, so that such
articles protrude or project above the upper edges 18a, 20a of the
lateral walls, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, to render the upper
ends of the articles 12 accessible and grippable for convenient and
easy removal. The extent to which the walls 18, 20 can extend below
the upper edges of the articles 12 will, of course, depend on the
softness of the articles, how flaccid they are, and how much they
are inclined to droop or collapse. In many instances, the napkins
can project 10-25% of their overall height above the upper edges
18a, 20a without bending or drooping.
[0026] In the Figures the lateral walls 18, 20 are, as with
traditional, more conventional napkin holders, fixedly mounted and
supported on the base 10 at the lower edges 18b, 20b, as shown in
FIG. 3A. Thus, the lateral walls 18, 20 are always fixed in the
designated positions and are not adjustable. Notwithstanding the
fact that the lateral walls 18, 20 are spaced from each other a
fixed distance S, a force-generating member 24 generates a
generally horizontal force F (FIG. 3B) in the direction of the
lateral wall 18. Preferably, the force applied, towards the left as
viewed in 3B, is applied to the articles 12 at a distance above the
base 14 no greater than the predetermined height H. In FIG. 3A, the
applied force is represented by distributed representative forces
F1, F2 and F3, which are force components distributed over the
height and area of a planar member 26 that forms part of the
gravity-actuated force-generating mechanism 24. With the
construction illustrated, the force is generally uniformly
distributed over the area of the planar member 26 to bias or urge
the articles 12 against the wall 18 to compress the articles
between the fixed lateral wall 18 and the movable planar member
26.
[0027] As will be evident, the planar member 26 is mounted for
movement in generally parallel planes between and parallel to the
lateral walls 18, 20 to remain upright in all lateral positions to
create a compressive force on the stack of articles 12 between the
fixed lateral wall 18 and the planar member 26. In accordance with
the construction of the presently preferred embodiment, the planar
member 26 is pivotally mounted on a movable member 28 between the
lateral walls 18, 20 to enable the planar member 26 to remain
upright regardless of the position of the movable member 28. This
is achieved by pivotally attaching the movable member 28 to the
planar member 26 by means of a pivot, joint or hinge 30, at the
upper edge of the movable member 28, and by means of a pivot or
hinge 32 to a fixed portion of the holder 10, at the lower edge of
the movable member 28. It will be evident that the movable member
28 may take on many forms and may be in the form of one or more
linkages. However, in the presently preferred embodiment, it is in
the form of a generally inclined wall or rectangular flat panel
having opposing horizontal edges, best shown in FIG. 2, and pivots
at each edge for pivoting the inclined wall about a lower
horizontal edge and for pivoting the planar member along a upper
horizontal edge. This can be achieved by providing longitudinal,
circular channels along each edge and inserting elongate pivot pins
36, 38, which are longer than the channels, to provide pin
projections or ends 36a, 36b and 38a, 38b, respectively, that can
be received within associated sleeves or bosses 40, 42 (FIG. 4)
that are formed on a fixed portion of the holder and on the movable
member 28. Other means of attachment of the inclined wall 34,
forming part of the movable member 28 will be evident. However, by
way of example, the inclined wall 34 may be pivotably or hingedly
attached by means of open hinges, snaps, clips or the like. When
the inclined wall 34 is formed out of plastic, the pin extensions
36a, 36b, 38a, 38b can be molded into the material so that no extra
or separate pins need to be used.
[0028] As indicated, the linkage 28 is connected to the planar
member 26, at one end, and to either the base 14 or to lateral wall
20, at the other end. The precise locations where the movable
member 28 is pivotably or hingedly attached is not critical.
However, it has been found that a practical design is to have the
lower pivot 32 connected to a region of the holder proximate to the
corner location where the base 14 is connected to the upright
lateral wall 20, as shown in the Figures. The upper pivot 30,
connected to the planar member 26, is preferably joined at a point
somewhat below the vertical midpoint between the upper and lower
edges 26a, 26b of the planar member 26. However, attachment of the
pivot 30 to the midpoint, or even somewhat above the midpoint, of
the planar member 26 still provides useful results, with differing
degrees of advantage.
[0029] In the disclosed embodiment the planar member 26 has a
vertical height P that is less than the predetermined height H of
the lateral walls 18, 20. The vertical height P of the planar
member and the connection point, at 30, to the movable member or
linkage 28 are selected to position the lower edge 26b of the
planar member 26 out of contact with the base 14 when all articles
12 have been removed from the holder. Thus, it will be evident that
as long as the lower edge 18b remains positioned above the upper
surface of the base 14, the gravity-actuated elements will continue
to apply a force F towards the left, as viewed in FIGS. 3B and 3C.
This ensures that such force is applied even when a small number of
articles in the form of napkins, for example, remain in the holder.
In FIG. 3C, the gravitational force G is shown directed downwardly
from a point of the center of gravity representing the combined
weight of the movable member 28 as well as the planar member 26,
which is connected thereto at pivot 30.
[0030] The planar member 26 also advantageously has a vertical
height and connection point to the movable member or linkage point
28, selected to position the upper edge 26a within the region of
the upper edge 20a of the lateral wall 20 when the holder has been
fully filled with articles, and the planar member 26 and the
lateral wall 20 are substantially juxtaposed against each
other.
[0031] The force-generating members or elements, including the
planar member 26, as well as the movable member or linkage 28, are
preferably formed of a material sufficiently heavy to create a
suitable gravitational force G (FIG. 3C) to produce a desired force
acting on the articles 12. The greater force G, the greater the
lateral force applied to the articles. The holder, and any of the
component parts thereof, may be made of any suitable or desirable
materials, including plastic, wood, aluminum, or the like. The
presently preferred embodiment contemplates that the surfaces of
the planar member 26 as well the inner surface of the lateral wall
18 facing the stacked articles 12 be general smooth to facilitate
the removal of an article by pulling same upwardly, notwithstanding
the horizontal forces acting on the articles, by minimizing
friction between the flat articles and the facing contacting
surfaces.
[0032] It will be evident from the above the holder in accordance
with the present invention has a weighted, self-collapsing inner
wall or planar member 26 that presses against the napkins 12 and
holds them firmly in place all the time no matter how many or how
few napkins are in the holder.
[0033] The design is extremely simple, inexpensive and very
effective. The use of gravity to apply constant pressure to the
articles or napkins by way of an inner self-biasing and adjusting
inner wall or planar member designed and hinged for free movements
towards an opposing fixed lateral wall 18 renders the design
extremely efficient and highly resistant to mechanical failure. As
suggested, the holder, or any selected components thereof, can be
made from stainless steel, plastic, or other materials, or a
combination of different materials.
[0034] Having described at least one of the preferred embodiments
of the present invention with reference to the accompanying
drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited
to those precise embodiments, and that various changes,
modifications, and adaptations may be effected therein by one
skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of
the invention as defined in the appended claims.
* * * * *