GIFT WRAP ORGANIZER AND DISPENSER

Abstract

Wrapping material organizers, dispensers and systems, as well as methods for making and using the same, are provided. In one embodiment, an organizer is provided with a plurality of holders located on a portable housing, each configured to hold a roll of wrapping material for dispensing in a generally horizontal orientation. The holders are located in a generally vertically spaced arrangement. In another embodiment, a wrapping material dispensing system comprises a scanner configured to read a Universal Product Code (UPC) symbol of an item to be wrapped, a database relating a plurality of UPCs to one or more wrapping dimensions associated with products having the UPCs; and a controller configured to communicate a UPC from the scanner to the database and output a related wrapping dimension

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119 (e), this application claims priority to: U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/774,140 filed on Feb. 15, 2006, the disclosure of which priority application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to wrapping material organizers and dispensers.

SUMMARY

According to certain aspects of various embodiments of the present invention, a storage container is provided for organizing and dispensing multiple rolls of gift wrapping material, tape, ribbons, bows, scissors, cards, tags, writing utensils and the like. According to other aspects, built-in cutters are provided for cutting off wrapping paper dispensed from the rolls. According to further aspects, easy visual and dispensing access is provided to the gift wrapping supplies, tools and other items simultaneously. According to yet further aspects, the organizer is portable and quickly converts between dispensing and carrying modes. According to still further aspects, the organizer is provided with automatic dispensing features.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an end perspective view of a gift wrap organizer and dispenser constructed according to aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an opposite end perspective view of the gift wrap organizer shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the gift wrap organizer shown in FIG. 1, with top cover 24 removed for clarity.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the gift wrap organizer shown in FIG. 1, with top cover 24 removed for clarity.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial view of the gift wrap organizer of FIG. 5 showing a cutting mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the gift wrap organizer of FIG. 1, illustrating its portability.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment gift wrap organizer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a gift wrapping organizer and dispenser 10 constructed according to the aspects of the present invention is shown. In the configuration of this embodiment, organizer 10 has an elongated box shape with a carry handle 12 located on a top surface 14 thereof for carrying organizer 10. A plurality of horizontally oriented gift wrap holders or dispensing receptacles 16 may be vertically spaced along a front side 18 of organizer 10, each for receiving a role of gift wrap paper 20. Rolls 20 may be removably covered by a transparent front cover 22 to help retain and protect them when not in use. During use, front cover 22 may be moved out of the way by pivoting, sliding, unhooking, or otherwise moving it so as to provide access to rolls 20. In this embodiment, top cover 24 is provided along the front edge of top surface 14 and is shown in a closed position in FIG. 1. Top cover 24 may be attached to organizer 10 with hinges 26 so that it can be pivoted up and back to an open position.

Referring to FIG. 2, organizer 10 is shown with front cover 22 removed and top cover 24 in an open position exposing a plurality of rolls of ribbon 28 and one or more tape dispensers 30. Ribbon rolls 28 may be coaxially mounted on a common shaft 32 so that they may rotate for dispensing ribbon. According to aspects of some embodiments of the invention, ribbon 28 and tape 30 are located directly above gift wrapping paper 20, are easily viewed simultaneously and are dispensed in the same direction as paper 20. Storage compartment 34 may be provided within organizer 10 for storing additional rolls 36 of wrapping paper. According to one embodiment of the invention, a transparent door 38 is provided on end 40 of organizer 10 to help protect and retain gift wrap roles 36 but allow them to be viewed when not in use. Door 38 may slide, pivot or otherwise move away from covering the opening of storage compartment 34 to provide access to rolls 36. Alternatively, door 38 may be the front of a drawer that pulls out from organizer 10 with rolls 36. When needed for dispensing, stored rolls 36 may individually be exchanged with rolls 20 in receptacles 16. When rotatably retained in a receptacle 16, a roll 20 or 36 may be easily dispensed. For example, bottom roll 20 has a portion 42 that is shown being dispensed in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 3, a rear side 44 of organizer 10 is shown with various storage compartments, bins and or drawers 46, 48, 50, 52. These storage areas may be used to organize items such as flat wrapping paper 54, wrapping tissue, additional tape, ribbons, bows, string, tags, scissors 56, writing utensils 58, receipts, documents, and other such items related to gift wrapping. In the embodiment shown, these storage areas are enclosed by transparent panels with molded pull handles so that they may be easily viewed and accessed. Other arrangements of storage areas may alternatively be used, such as areas that are accessed from the top 14, front 18, end 40, opposite end 72, or combinations of the above.

Referring to FIG. 4, a front view of organizer 10 is shown. In use, organizer 10 may be placed on a table, counter, shelf, bed, floor or other suitable surface. In this embodiment, a user positioned in front of organizer 10 has easy visual and dispensing access to multiple rolls 20 of gift wrapping paper, tape 30 and ribbons 28. Other gift wrapping items are within easy reach on the rear side 44 of organizer 10, as shown in FIG. 3. Rolls 20 may fit loosely into dispensing receptacles 16 and be retained there by raised edges 60. This arrangement allows rolls 22 to easily rotate for dispensing and allows them to be quickly removed and exchanged with additional rolls 36 in storage compartment 34. As gift wrapping paper 20 is dispensed in this embodiment, it is pulled over the associated raised edge 60. A cutter 62 may be provided for each of the dispensing receptacles 16 for quick dispensing and cutting of gift wrapping paper 20. Each cutter 62 may include an independently operable handle 64 for laterally sliding a cutting blade along track 66 on raised edge 60 to slit gift wrapping paper 20 after a desired length has been dispensed. According to aspects of the present invention, each cutter 62 may be provided with a double-sided blade such that it may make cuts to wrapping paper 20 in both directions. With this arrangement, a cutter 62 may be moved from the left position as shown in FIG. 4 to the right side of cutter track 66 to cut a first portion of gift wrapping paper 20 that has been dispensed. Additional gift wrapping paper 20 may then be dispensed from the same role and cut by sliding cutter 62 from right to left along cutting track 66 without having to first move the cutter 62 back to its original left position before dispensing and cutting. Alternatively, cutters 62 may be provided with spring return means to automatically return cutters 62 to their original positions when released. The cutting blades of cutters 62 may be located between the rails of cutting tracks 66 and beneath cutter handles 64 so that personal injury as well as other inadvertent cutting is avoided.

One or more tape dispensers 30 may he configured to accept individual roles of transparent or other tape on spindles 68, and may each be provided with a tape cutter such as a serrated blade 70 attached to organizer 10. Alternatively, or in combination with the above arrangement receptacles may be provided in organizer 10 to removably receive commercially available disposable tape dispensers having their own tape, dispensing and cutting means, in a fixed and easily accessible position for dispensing tape.

Ribbon supporting shaft 32 may be configured with different portions of various diameters for different sized rolls of ribbon, or provided with removable spacer rings to accomplish this purpose. Alternatively, shaft 32 may be of such a diameter so as to fit through the smallest ribbon spool 28, allowing larger diameter spools to fit loosely on shaft 32. Shaft 32 may be removable at one or both ends from organizer 10 to allow ribbon spools 28 to be added or removed from shaft 32. In other embodiments, support shaft 32 may be omitted and ribbon spools 28 may instead be supported by a round-bottomed cradle located in top surface 14 of organizer 10. Additional trays or compartments may also be located under top cover 24 to hold additional supplies or items used in gift wrapping in an easily accessible position.

Gift wrap organizer 10 may be configured to accommodate standard 30 inch long rolls of gift wrapping paper in dispensing receptacles 16 and storage compartment 34. Alternatively, receptacles 16 and or compartment 34 may be configured to accommodate longer or shorter rolls of paper and/or rolls having an oversized diameter. Organizer 10 may be configured with fewer or more than the three dispensing receptacles 16 shown. In one embodiment, organizer 10 may have overall dimensions of 32 inches long, 12 inches high and 12 inches deep. Organizer 10 may be formed from plastic, aluminum, steel or other suitable materials and may be assembled from a plurality of components or formed as a unitary design.

According to aspects of some embodiments of the present invention, organizer 10 may be configured to be easily carried by handle 12 and quickly set up to provide everything needed for gift wrapping within easy reach. In some embodiments, more than one roll of gift wrapping paper 20 is positioned for easy dispensing, and each role is provided with its own cutter. After use, organizer 10 may be stowed horizontally or vertically in a closet, cabinet, garage, shelf, under a bed, or in other suitable locations. To aide in storing vertically, an additional handle may be added to end 72 of organizer 10. To aid in storing under beds, the inventive organizer may be configured with a low profile, or the back portion of the organizer may be removable from the front portion such as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. In such an embodiment, the two portions may be releasably connected together by a hinge, snaps, slides, hooks, Velcro® type hook and loop fastening material, or other suitable securing means. Separate modules of the organizer may be sold separately or together.

According to aspects of embodiments of the present invention, a gift wrapping organizer may be provided with an automatic feed feature. Such a feature may be incorporated into the embodiment described above, or incorporated in a commercial gift wrapping station, such as found in a department store customer service department. The automatic feed feature may involve holding rolls 20 on a spindle, and/or feeding the gift wrapping paper between pinch rollers. A lever or other manual mechanism may be employed to advance gift wrapping paper from the dispenser. Such spindles or pinch rollers may be driven by an electric motor. The motor may be operated by a pushbutton, or operated automatically by a controller as described below.

According to aspects of embodiments of the present invention, the gift wrapping dispenser may be provided with a Universal Product Code (UPC) bar-code scanner, a controller, a data memory and the electric motor arrangement described above. For all commercially available products having a UPC symbol, or for a subset or subsets thereof, wrapping dimensions for each product may be compiled, and a recommended length of wrapping paper may be established. The established wrapping paper length associated with each UPC symbol may then be stored in the data memory of the gift wrapping dispenser. In use, an operator may position the product to be wrapped in front of the UPC barcode scanner of the gift wrapping dispenser. The gift wrapping dispenser may then immediately, or after further user input such as selecting the type of wrapping paper, automatically feed out the length of wrapping paper that is stored in the memory for that product. Automatic cutting of the dispensed paper may also be provided. This arrangement can speed up the time involved in wrapping an item and may allow for more efficient use of wrapping paper. The established wrapping paper lengths for various UPC symbols located in the dispenser memory may be updated by the use of removable media, such as a flash memory card or CD-ROM, by wireless or wired connection to a computer network, or by other suitable means. The data memory of the automatic gift wrapping dispenser itself may be built into the dispenser or provided by removable media. The dispenser controller may operate independently and be located within the dispenser, or the operations described above may be controlled by an external computer controller. Similarly, the UPC barcode scanner may be built into the dispenser, may be wired to or wirelessly communicate with the dispenser, or may be connected through an external controller or computer.

As for additional details pertinent to the present invention, materials and manufacturing techniques may be employed as within the level of those with skill in the relevant art. The same may hold true with respect to method-based aspects of the invention in terms of additional acts commonly or logically employed. Also, it is contemplated that any optional feature of the inventive variations described may be set forth and claimed independently, or in combination with any one or more of the features described herein. Likewise, reference to a singular item, includes the possibility that there are plural of the same items present. More specifically, as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “and,” “said,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is further noted that the claims may be drafted to exclude any optional element. As such, this statement is intended to serve as antecedent basis for use of such exclusive terminology as “solely,” “only” and the like in connection with the recitation of claim elements, or use of a “negative” limitation. Unless defined otherwise herein, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The breadth of the present invention is not to be limited by the subject specification, but rather only by the plain meaning of the claim terms employed.

Claims

1. A wrapping material dispenser comprising:

a housing having a self-supporting orientation for dispensing wrapping material;

a plurality of holders located on the housing, each configured to hold a roll of wrapping material for dispensing in a generally horizontal orientation, wherein the holders are located in a generally vertically spaced arrangement when the housing is in the dispensing orientation, wherein the housing is portable and configured to be readily lifted by an individual person.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a carrying handle permitting an individual to lift and transport the dispenser with a single hand.

3. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a material cutter located on the housing.

4. A dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the material cutter is slidably attached to the housing.

5. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a separate material cutter for each of the material holders.

6. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a storage compartment in the housing and configured to store additional rolls of wrapping material not located in the holders.

7. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a storage compartment located in the housing and configured to store wrapping supplies.

8. A dispenser according to claim 7, wherein the storage compartment comprises a transparent exterior portion.

9. A dispenser according to claim 7, further comprising a plurality of storage compartments located in the housing and configured to store wrapping supplies.

10. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a reel holder located on the housing and configured to dispense ribbon or cord from a reel.

11. A dispenser according to claim 10, wherein the reel holder is configured to hold a plurality of ribbon or cord reels.

12. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a tape dispenser located on the housing.

13. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a tape dispenser located on the housing and a reel holder located on the housing configured to dispense ribbon or cord from a reel, wherein the tape dispenser and the reel holder are located generally above the plurality of wrapping material roll holders, and wherein the tape dispenser, reel holder and roll holders are all configured to dispense in a generally common direction.

14. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein each of the holders is configured to cradle a bottom side of a roll of wrapping material during dispensing.

15. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises separable front and rear portions.

16. A wrapping material dispenser comprising:

a housing having a self-supporting orientation for dispensing wrapping material;

at least one handle for carrying the housing;

a plurality of holders located on the housing, each configured to hold a roll of wrapping material for dispensing in a generally horizontal orientation, wherein the holders are located in a generally vertically spaced arrangement when the housing is in the dispensing orientation;

a plurality of material cutters, each cutter slidably located on the housing adjacent to one of the material holders for cutting material dispensed therefrom;

a first storage compartment located in the housing and configured to store additional rolls of wrapping material when not located in the holders;

a second storage compartment located in the housing and configured to store wrapping supplies; and

a reel holder located on the housing and configured to dispense ribbon or cord from a plurality of reels.

17. A wrapping material dispensing system comprising:

a scanner configured to read a Universal Product Code (UPC) symbol of an item to be wrapped;

a database relating a plurality of UPCs to one or more wrapping dimensions associated with products having the UPCs; and

a controller configured to communicate a UPC from the scanner to the database and output a related wrapping dimension.

18. A wrapping material dispensing system according to claim 17, further comprising a wrapping material dispensing mechanism, wherein the controller is further configured to communicate the related wrapping dimension from the database to the dispensing mechanism.

19. A wrapping material dispensing system according to claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to cause the dispensing mechanism to automatically dispense an associated length of wrapping material once the UPC symbol of an item is read by the scanner.