DISPENSER ARRANGEMENT FOR INTERFOLDED NAPKINS

Abstract

A dispenser arrangement for interfolded napkins, the dispenser including a container having a bottom wall and side walls surrounding the bottom wall and extending from the bottom wall in a direction generally perpendicular thereto and defining a dispensing opening opposite the bottom wall. The bottom wall includes a supporting surface for supporting a rectangular stack of interfolded napkins. At least one weight is placed in the container, the weight having a projected surface on the bottom wall which is less than or equal to one third of the stack supporting surface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION

This application is a §371 National Stage Application of PCT International Application No. PCT/SE2009/050557 filed May 15, 2009, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure pertains to a dispenser arrangement for interfolded napkins, the dispenser including a container having a bottom wall and side walls surrounding the bottom wall and extending from the bottom surface in a direction generally perpendicular to the bottom wall and defining a dispensing opening opposite the bottom wall, the bottom wall including a supporting surface for supporting a rectangular stack of interfolded napkins.

BACKGROUND

Napkins in the form of sheets of material intended for wiping and for hygienic purposes are common household items that may be provided in the form of stacks of napkins from which individual napkins can be readily removed when needed. The dispenser for the napkins should be relatively inexpensive, easy to handle, should protect the napkins up to use and should be easy to move to a location where the napkins are needed, such as to a table, a kitchen counter, etc.

A common type of dispenser for this kind of napkins is an open cardboard box in which the napkins are arranged in a stack standing on an edge of the napkins with part of the napkins protruding through the opening in the box to provide grippability. This is a simple and inexpensive way of dispensing the napkins. However, the protruding parts of the napkins tend to fold over the edge of the box and become ruffled and deformed. Moreover, as soon as a few napkins have been removed from the box, the remaining stack does not fill the width of the container with the result that the stack will buckle in an accordion-like way and sink down into the box adding to the deformation of the not yet dispensed napkins.

A further commonly used option is to arrange the napkins in an interfolded stack which is placed standing on a non-folded surface in a container having a dispensing opening at the top of the container. The napkins are then successively removed from the top of the stack through the dispensing opening.

Interfolded napkins are sheets of materials arranged in a stack of superposed sheets which are each folded at least once. The sheets are interlinked in such a way that the separate folded sheets of material form a chain of sheets where each sheet has a leading panel and a trailing panel, the trailing panel being at least partly overlapped with the leading panel of the subsequent sheet in the stack. In this manner, the individual sheets are held loosely together by means of frictional forces arising between the overlapping parts. The sheets may be dispensed from a dispenser by pulling at the leading panel of the first sheet in the stack. In this manner, the first material sheet is extracted at the same time as a predetermined part of the leading panel of a subsequent material sheet is fed into a dispensing position in the dispenser.

The dispenser usually has a lid or cover with a dispensing opening that restricts the width of the dispensed napkin in order to keep the leading panel of the next napkin to be dispensed from falling back into the dispenser.

A problem with this solution is that when a first napkin is extracted, the napkin restriction caused by the dispensing opening will cause the napkin to wrinkle in an irreversible manner. There is also a risk that the leading part of the next paper towel in the stack becomes tangled or crumpled in the dispensing opening. It may also happen that when a first napkin is extracted and a predetermined part of the next napkin is supposed to be fed out the interlinking function is either too weak, so that the subsequent towel falls back into the container or the interlinking function is too strong, so that more than one napkin is withdrawn.

For napkins that are to be used, for example, at a dinner it is of importance that they look nice when they are taken out of the dispenser. It is also important that they are not ripped or otherwise damaged so that they cannot be used for the intended purpose.

SUMMARY

It is desired to solve the above problems by providing an improved dispenser arrangement for dispensing interfolded napkins.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, there is offered a dispenser for interfolded napkins. The dispenser includes a container having a bottom wall and side walls surrounding the bottom wall and extending from the bottom wall in a direction generally perpendicular to the bottom wall and defining a dispensing opening opposite the bottom wall. The bottom wall includes a supporting surface for supporting a rectangular stack of interfolded napkins. The dispenser is primarily distinguished in that at least one weight is placed in the container, the weight having a projected surface on the bottom wall which is less than or equal to one third of the stack supporting surface.

When the dispenser is being used, a stack of interfolded napkins is placed on the supporting surface on the bottom wall. The stack of interfolded napkins has a rectangular shape with rectangular or square bottom surface formed by a trailing panel of the last napkin in the stack. The stack may have any suitable dimensions such as any suitable height, width and length. The width and length dimensions are defined by the dimensions of the bottom surface of the stack and the height is measured perpendicular to the bottom surface and is determined by the number of napkins in the stack as well as the number of plies and panels in each napkin. The individual napkins may include one or more plies or layers and may have been folded into two or more panels.

In accordance with aspects of the invention, fall-back of the gripping portion of an uppermost napkin in a stack of interfolded napkins is avoided without the risk of the tearing or wrinkling of the napkin being pulled out or of the next napkin. The dispenser arrangement will also ascertain that only one napkin is dispensed at a time. The dispenser can easily be operated with only one hand and has a simple and reliable construction.

The bottom wall of the container may have any suitable circumferential shape such as a circular shape, an irregular shape, a rectangular shape with rounded corners, etc. as long as the bottom wall provides a sufficiently large planar rectangular supporting surface for a stack of interfolded napkins. The side walls of the container may be completely perpendicular to the plane of the bottom wall or may be slightly inclined outwardly or in over the bottom wall. The side walls delimit the container space and the size of the dispensing opening and are arranged to contain and support the stack of interfolded napkins without deforming the napkins.

The container material may be any material suitable for the purpose such as paper, plastic, cardboard, wood, ceramic, yarn, etc. The container may be made by folding a sheet of material, molding, blow-molding, extrusion, knitting, weaving, etc. The physical form of the container may be a more or less rigid box, a bag or a basket. If the container is in the form of a bag with a planar bottom wall, the side walls need to have sufficient rigidity to stay generally upright and protect and support a stack inside the bag when the bag is stood on a surface such as a table or a worktop. A container made of a somewhat flexible material may have side walls that can be folded down to the outside of the container so that the container height can be adapted to the height of a stack of napkins placed in the container. A foldable container offers the possibility of successively lowering the sidewalls of the container as the napkins are removed from the container and the height of the container diminishes.

The dispenser arrangement has a simple construction and may be made from inexpensive and readily available materials. Moreover, the dispenser arrangement has a surprisingly reliable function and will not damage the dispensed napkins.

The at least one weight that is placed in the container can have an at least partially curved surface. By making the weight at least partly curved, movement of the weight in the container may take place by means of the weight rolling on the curved surface. This means that the frictional forces between the weight and the napkins to be dispensed are minimised and that smooth dispensing is afforded. By avoiding sharp edges and corners, the risk of damaging the napkins in the process of dispensing is also largely eliminated. For example, the weight may be a cube with rounded corners, it may have an egg-shape or it may have a perfect spherical shape.

The weight or weights may theoretically be very small and still fulfill their function in the dispenser. However, for practical reasons the weights can preferably have a sufficient size to allow them to be easily taken out of the dispenser and put back again without too much manipulation when recharging the dispenser with a new stack of napkins. For child-safety reasons it may also be a concern to make the weights big enough so that they cannot be swallowed. Consequently, it may be suitable that the weights have an effective cross-section as herein defined of at least 30 millimeters.

The effective cross-section for the weight or weights is determined as the inner diameter of the smallest tube through which the weight can be passed. Hence, for an irregularly shaped weight, the weight has to be oriented so that the smallest dimension of the weight can be determined.

In certain embodiments, the at least one weight may have an effective cross-section of from 30 millimeters to 100 millimeters and, in more certain embodiments, an effective cross-section of from 40 millimeters to 70 millimeters.

The at least one weight may have a weight of from 20 to 600 grams, preferably of from 50 to 400 grams and most preferably of from 70 to 200 grams. When only one weight is used it will preferably have a weight of from 100-500 grams. When more than one weight is being used the total weight is preferably not more than 1000 grams.

The dispenser arrangement may include more than one weight that is placed in the container.

The weights may be of different size, but preferably all weights have the same effective cross-section. If the weights are small such as below 10 mm in cross-section, so that passing them through a tube to determine the effective cross-section becomes impractical, the effective cross-section may alternatively be determined by passing them through a sieve. The mesh-size of the sieve then determines the effective cross-section of the weights.

When using several weights, all weights may have the same shape, with identically shaped balls being preferred. However, differently shaped weights are also contemplated, such as naturally shaped stones, fruit, etc.

The weights may be of the same weight or may have different weights. The difference in weight may be achieved by using differently sized weights and/or by using weights of materials having different densities.

When more than one weight is placed in the dispenser, the total projected surface of the weights on the stack supporting surface of the bottom wall may be at least 20% of the stack supporting surface, preferably at least 40% of the stack supporting surface, more preferably at least 60% of the stack supporting surface and most preferably at least 80% of the stack supporting surface. Although it is sufficient to use a single weight in order for the dispenser to function, the dispenser will preferably contain two or more weights. Multiple weights may be arranged in two or more layers on top of each other. However, if more than approximately 10 weights are used, it may be desirable to use weights of a sufficiently small size to allow the weights to be poured in and out of the container. Hence, for such embodiments, the weights may have an effective cross-section of from 1-30 millimeters, such as from 5-15 millimeters. Suitable multiple weights are peas, pebbles, small glass balls, metal balls, etc.

When using more than one weight, the weights may be arranged in at least two rows of weights each row including at least one weight.

The weights may be made from any suitable material or combination of materials such as wood, glass, ceramics, natural and synthetic polymers, stone and metal. Accordingly, the weights may be of glass or plastic and may have a core or an outer layer of a different material. A particularly aesthetically pleasing design is a ball of clear plastic or glass having a decorative or informative object enclosed in the plastic or glass and visible through the plastic or glass. The weights may also be in the form of a shell enclosing an inner object in order to produce a sound effect or to provide a visual effect through the shell. In the latter case, the shell has to be at least partly see-through by means of being at least partly made of a transparent material or by having openings therein.

The surface of the weights may include a sound reducing material in order to avoid rattling of the weights against each other and against the walls of the container. By way of example, the sound reducing material may be a coating of natural or synthetic rubber, a frosting, a surface on the weights made of wood, cork, fibres or similar.

In a corresponding manner, the dispenser side walls may include a sound reducing material.

The at least one weight may be a man-made object or may be chosen among suitable natural items preferably adding a decorative function such as fruit, vegetables, seeds, etc. By way of example it is possible to use suitably sized apples, oranges, pears, lemons, limes, potatoes, chestnuts, eggs, peas, stones, etc. When using natural objects as weights in the dispenser, it should be ascertained that the weights are clean and if using perishable goods, they should be replaced before they go bad.

During use, the dispenser contains a stack of interfolded napkins that has been placed on the planar supporting surface of the bottom wall of the dispenser with a bottom napkin resting on the bottom surface and a top napkin exposed at the dispensing opening. The interfolded napkins are folded at least once to create a leading panel and a trailing panel, the leading panel being placed towards the top of the stack of napkins and the trailing panel being placed towards the bottom of the stack. Except for in the first and the last napkin in the stack, each trailing panel of each napkin is connected by interfolding to the leading panel of the next napkin in the stack. The at least one weight in the dispenser is placed on the top napkin in the stack with at least a portion of the leading panel of the top napkin being lifted to a position above the lower panel of the napkin and forming a gripping part of the top napkin. The gripping part of the top napkin is held in the raised position by leaning against a container side wall or against one or more weight that is placed in the container.

The napkins may be any kind of household napkins, wipes, paper towels, etc. The material may be a fibrous material of any suitable kind such as cellulose based paper materials, with or without admixture of man-made fibres, binders and fillers. The napkins may include only man-made fibres. However, it is usually desired that a napkin has some degree of absorbency or that it at least is wettable. If the fibrous material contains a large proportion of fibres of a hydrophobic character implying that the fibres are non-wettable, it may be suitable to treat the material with a wetting agent. Wetting agents and other additives are well known to the person skilled in the art and will not be further discussed herein. The napkins may have any suitable shape and/or size and may be embossed, perforated, printed and dyed if desired. The napkins may be single-ply sheets of material or may include two or more plies of the same or different materials. In the stack the napkins are folded at least once in order to obtain an interfolded arrangement with interconnected panels. However, the napkins may be additionally folded in order to reduce their planar size to a practical dimension. Accordingly, any type of interfolding of the napkins may be used, as known in the art.

When more than one weight is used in the dispenser, the leading panel of the top napkin may be positioned between at least two weights which are placed in the container with at least one weight on a lower panel of the top napkin and at least one weight on the leading panel of the top napkin with an edge portion of the leading panel protruding into the dispensing opening between the at least two weights.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will in the following be described in detail, with reference to the figures that are shown on the appended drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a dispenser arrangement according to a first embodiment of the invention with one weight placed therein,

FIG. 2 shows a dispenser arrangement according to a second embodiment of the invention with two weights placed therein,

FIG. 3 shows a dispenser arrangement according to a third embodiment of the invention with three weights placed therein,

FIG. 4 shows a dispenser arrangement according to a fourth embodiment of the invention with four weights placed therein,

FIG. 5 shows a dispenser arrangement according to a fifth embodiment of the invention with a soft-walled container,

FIG. 6 shows a dispenser arrangement according to a sixth embodiment of the invention with multiple small weights,

FIG. 7 shows a container bottom wall,

FIG. 8 shows a second container bottom wall,

FIG. 9 shows a third container bottom wall,

FIG. 10 shows a weight and a device for measuring effective cross-section,

FIG. 11 illustrates the projected surface of a weight onto a stack supporting surface; and

FIG. 12 illustrates the projected surface of an irregularly shaped weight onto a stack supporting surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The dispenser arrangements 1 shown in FIGS. 1-4 include a container 2, a stack 3 of interfolded napkins and one or more weights 4.

The container 2 as shown in FIGS. 1-4 is a transparent box of glass or plastic having a rectangular bottom wall 5 on which the stack of interfolded napkins 3 rests and four rectangular side walls 6 arranged perpendicularly from the edges of the bottom wall 5 towards a dispensing opening 7 opposite the bottom wall 5. The bottom wall 5, has a supporting surface 8 on which the stack 3 of interfolded napkins is placed. In the examples shown in FIGS. 1-4, the supporting surface 8 generally coincides with the bottom wall 5 of the container. However, this is not a necessary feature as other shapes of the bottom wall may be used as long as the bottom wall has sufficient size to fully accommodate a planar supporting surface for a stack of interfolded napkins.

The material of a container needs not be of glass or plastic but may be made of any suitable transparent or non-transparent material such as paper, cardboard, wood, metal, etc. The container may be made by folding of a sheet of material, by moulding, blow-moulding, extrusion, knitting, weaving, plaiting or may be formed from a nonwoven fibrous material. The container may have solid side walls, as the container 2 shown in FIGS. 1-4 or may have side walls with openings therein such as a lace-work material or a net. The container material may be a laminate including two or more layers of materials and may be made from parts of different materials. The container may be of any colour and may be provided with decorative features such as embossed or engraved structures, surface finishes and patterns and may have printed texts or designs thereon.

As used herein, interfolded napkins are sheets of material arranged in a stack of superposed sheets. The interfolded napkins are folded at least once in a first direction which is the interfolding direction to provide each napkin at least with a leading panel and a trailing panel. When more complicated folding arrangements are used, the leading and trailing panels may be separated by one or more intermediate panels. In a simple folding arrangement, the leading panel and the trailing panel will be contiguous with the trailing panel following directly after the leading panel. In the stack, the napkins are arranged as a linked chain where each trailing panel of each napkin is connected by interfolding to the leading panel of the next napkin in the stack. The only exceptions from this arrangement are found at the first and last napkin in the chain, the first napkin being positioned at the top of the stack and having a free leading panel and the last napkin being at the bottom of the stack and being placed in the container with the trailing panel resting on the supporting surface of the bottom wall. The napkins are interlinked by means of each trailing panel being at least partly overlapped with the leading panel of the subsequent napkin in the stack. In this manner, the individual sheets are held loosely together by means of frictional forces arising between the overlapping parts. The napkins may be single ply or multi ply napkins and may be folded one or more time in a second direction perpendicular to the first, interfolding direction.

The weights used in the dispenser arrangement may be spherical weights as shown in FIGS. 1-5. Weights having a non-spherical but rounded shape such as egg-shaped weights, or the like may also be used. The weights may be only partially rounded or may have only planar surfaces although non-rounded weights are less preferred as they will have to slide on the napkin surface in order to shift position in the container. Moreover, sharp edges and corners should be avoided as they may catch in the dispensed material and cause the material to wrinkle and tear.

The dispenser arrangement shown in FIG. 1 includes only one weight 4 that is shown to be placed on top of the stack 3 of interfolded napkins. FIG. 1 shows how the dispenser arrangement will appear after a napkin has been pulled away from the stack 3 of interfolded napkins and out of the container 2. The weight is seen to be resting on top of the leading panel 9 of the uppermost napkin in the stack with a free end of the leading panel 9 being lifted to a dispensing position above a lower panel 10 of the uppermost napkin and leaning against one of the container 2 sidewalls 6. In this manner the leading panel 9 is accessible for gripping and removing of the uppermost napkin in the stack 3.

The napkins 11 are dispensed from the dispenser 2 by pulling at the leading panel 9 of the first napkin in the stack 3. In this manner, the first napkin is extracted at the same time as a predetermined part of the leading panel 9 of the subsequent napkin is fed into a dispensing position in the dispenser. The weight 4 counteracts the pulling force and keeps the remaining napkins in the container 2. Pulling at the free napkin end will bring the leading end of the next napkin into a gripping position by partly unfolding the fold 12 between the leading panel 9 and the next panel 13, which may be the trailing panel or an intervening panel between the leading panel 9 and the trailing panel depending on the fold configuration of the napkins 11. In this manner the unfolded part of the napkin will be longer than the length l₁ of the corresponding side wall 6, causing the leading panel 9 to lean against the container 2 side walls 6.

As previously described, the napkins may be interfolded in numerous different ways. If the napkins are interfolded in simple interlocking V-folds, extraction of the top napkin 11 in the FIG. 1 arrangement will cause the position of the weight 4 to shift from being on top of the leading panel 9 to be below the leading panel 9. In this second configuration the weight 4 will serve to keep the free edge portion of the leading panel 9 in a lifted position, ready for gripping.

In the dispensing arrangement shown in FIG. 2, two weights 4 are used. The weights 4 are placed on either side of the free end portion of the leading panel 9 of the uppermost napkin in the stack 3. As the napkins 11 are successively removed from the container 2 by pulling them up between the weights 4, the weights 4 will hold the leading panel 9 that is currently being exposed in a raised gripping position as shown in FIG. 2. This arrangement offers the advantage of avoiding the risk that the leading panel 9 is by mistake pushed back in alignment with the upper surface of the stack 3. The grippable portion of the top napkin is held securely in the raised position until it is removed and a subsequent napkin takes it place. However, although preferred, it is not necessary to place one weight 4 on each side of the exposed leading panel. Instead both weights 4 may be placed on the same side of the free edge portion on the leading panel 9 of the uppermost napkin. The resulting dispensing arrangement will work in a manner similar to the one-weight arrangement shown in FIG. 1.

The dispensing arrangements shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 have three and four weights 4, respectively. With increasing number of weights 4, a larger proportion of the supporting surface 8 of the bottom wall 5 will be covered by the weights 4. The larger proportion of the supporting surface 8 that is covered by weights 4, the more securely will the napkins be held back in the container. Then number of weights 4 will also influence the reliability of the dispensing operation, in particular will a large number of weights ensure that the raised leading panel will be held in the raised position. The number of weights may be sufficient to completely cover the surface of the stack. It is also possible to arrange weights in more than one layer on top of the stack.

The weights 4, may be arranged in two or more rows with the dispensing of the napkins taking place between two neighbouring rows. In the dispenser shown in FIGS. 1-4, six weights 4 of the shown size may be placed in two rows so that the leading panel 9 of the uppermost napkin can be pulled out between the rows. Such arrangement offers a very smooth and reliable operation of the dispenser and ensures that the napkins are held in a planar, non-wrinkled configuration throughout the dispensing operation.

The dispenser arrangement 1 shown in FIG. 5 differs from that in FIGS. 1-4 in that the container 2 is made of a flexible or bendable material such as a wicker basket, a bag of textile, paper or plastic material, etc. As is shown in FIG. 5, edge portions 15 of the side walls 6 that are located at the dispensing opening 7 are folded down on the outside of the container 2. As the number of napkins 11 in the stack 3 diminishes, the height of the container 2 can be adjusted in a corresponding manner by pulling down the edge portions 15 of the side walls 6 even further in the direction shown at the arrow A in FIG. 5.

In the FIG. 5 dispenser, four weights 4 are placed in the container 2 on top of the stack 3 of interfolded napkins 11. The weights 4 are shown as spherical weights being arranged in two rows 16′ and 16″ with two weights in each row 16′, 16″. A free edge portion of the leading panel 9 of the uppermost napkin 11 in the stack 3 of interfolded napkins protrudes between the two rows 16′ 16″ of weights 4. Dispensing of the napkins 11 takes place by pulling the protruding napkin in the direction of the arrow B whereby the uppermost napkin is pulled out of the container 2 and the next interfolded napkin in the stack 3 follows up and is brought into the gripping position.

FIG. 6 illustrates a dispenser arrangement 1 in which a multitude of small weights 4 is placed on top of the stack 3. The leading panel 9 of the uppermost interfolded napkin 11 is shown protruding between rows 16 of small weights 4. The weights are shown to be arranged in a single layer but arrangements with weights 4 placed in two or more layers are also possible. The shape and size and other properties of the container 2 may be different from that shown in FIG. 6, as previously disclosed.

One advantage in covering a major part or the entire uppermost surface of the stack with weights 4 is that the weights 4 protect the surface of the uppermost interfolded napkin 11 from contamination. If the dispenser arrangement is used outdoors, the weights 4 will prohibit the napkins 11 from blowing out of the container 2.

It is to be understood that features of the shown examples may be freely combined with each other within the scope of the appended claims. The number of weights, as well as the size, shape and composition of the components may be varied as set out herein.

With reference to FIGS. 7-9, different shapes of container bottom walls 5 are shown. As can be seen, the bottom walls 5 need not have the same size or shape as the supporting surface 8. In FIG. 7, the bottom wall is shown to be circular while the supporting surface 8 is a square inscribed within the periphery of the bottom wall 5. In FIG. 8, a bottom wall 5 having bi-lobal shape will accommodate a rectangular stack of interfolded napkins on the supporting surface 8 and in FIG. 9, a bottom wall 8 with an irregular periphery will accommodate a square stack of interfolded napkins on the square supporting surface 8. The bottom wall in FIG. 9 may, for instance, be the bottom of a wicker basket.

When the bottom wall 5 of the container has larger size than the supporting surface 8, the size of the weight 4 or weights that is chosen should preferably be such that it exceeds the size of the largest gap that is formed between the side walls 6 of the container 2 and the sides of the stack 3 of interfolded napkins 11. By choosing sufficiently large weights 4, it is avoided that the weights 4 fall down between the container side walls 6 and the stack.

FIG. 10 shows a weight 4 for a dispenser arrangement. The weight 4 in FIG. 10 is irregularly shaped and has a somewhat elongate appearance. The size of the weight is determined as the inner diameter 0 of the smallest measuring tube 18 that will allow the weight 4 to pass therethrough. When measuring irregularly shaped weights, such as the weight 4 shown in FIG. 10, the weight 4 has to be rotated so that the smallest cross-sectional dimension can be determined. This is the effective or critical cross-section of the weight 4. The cross-sectional size of a weight as used herein refers to the effective or critical cross-section.

The weights used in the dispenser arrangements may have an effective cross-section of from 30 millimeters to 100 millimeters and preferably an effective cross-section of from 40 millimeters to 70 millimeters. It may be a concern to use weights of a dimension that would not cause a problem if a small child tries to swallow them. A size of 30 millimeters or above is generally considered to be safe, as it is too large to swallow. Smaller weights of below 5 mm can generally be swallowed without problem.

The weights may have a weight of from 20 to 600 grams, preferably of from 50 to 400 grams and most preferably of from 100 to 200 grams. When only one weight is used it will preferably have a weight of from 100-500 grams. When more than one weight is used the combined weight is preferably not more than 1000 grams.

If more than one weight is used, the weights may be of different size, but preferably all weights have the same or similar effective cross-section. If the weights are very small, so that passing them through a measuring tube to determine the effective cross-section becomes impractical, the effective cross-section may alternatively be determined by passing them through a sieve. The mesh-size of the sieve then determines the cross-section of the weights.

The size of the weights 4 can also be expressed as a size in relation to the portion of the supporting surface 8 or uppermost surface of the stack 3 of interfolded napkins 11 onto which the weight 4 projected when seen at an angle of 90° towards the supporting surface 8. FIG. 11 illustrates the projected area W of a spherical weight 4 and FIG. 12 illustrates the projected area W of an irregularly shaped weight 4. In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the projected area of a single weight 4 is one third of the supporting surface 8 or less.

The total projected surface of the one or more weights on the stack supporting surface of the bottom may be at least 20% of the stack supporting surface, preferably at least 40% of the stack supporting surface, more preferably at least 60% of the stack supporting surface and most preferably at least 80% of the stack supporting surface. Although it is sufficient to use a single weight in order for the dispenser to function, it may be desired to use multiple weights and even weights placed in two or more layers placed on top of each other. If more than approximately 10 weights are used, it may be desirable to use weights of a size that can be poured in and out of the container instead of the weight being handled one at a time. For such embodiments, the weights may have an effective cross-section of from 1-30 millimeters, such as from 5-15 millimeters. Suitable multiple weights are peas, pebbles, small glass balls, metal balls, etc. An example of an embodiment using multiple small weights 4 is shown in FIG. 6.

The weights may be made from any suitable material or combination of materials such as wood, glass, ceramics, natural and synthetic polymers, stone and metal. Accordingly, the weights may be of glass or plastic and may have a core or an outer layer of a different material. A particularly aesthetically pleasing design is a ball of clear plastic or glass having a decorative or informative object enclosed in the plastic or glass and visible through the plastic or glass. The weights may also be in the form of a shell that may be hollow or may be enclosing an inner object and/or a liquid. When an object or a liquid is placed in the shell the shell may be at least partly transparent in order to provide a visual effect through the shell. An object may be made visible through openings in the shell and may be selected to produce a sound effect as the weight moves during a dispensing operation.

The weights may further have a decorative outer surface obtained by selecting a particular colour, surface texture or shine or by means of a three-dimensional pattern or a printed design such as an ornamental pattern or a text.

The surface of the weights may include a sound reducing material in order to avoid rattling of the weights against each other and against the walls of the container. By way of example, the sound reducing material may be a coating of natural or synthetic rubber, a frosting, a surface on the weights made of wood, cork, fibres or similar.

In a corresponding manner, the dispenser side walls may include a sound reducing material or may be made of an inherently sound reducing material such as textile or rubber.

The at least one weight may be a man-made object or may be chosen among suitable natural items which may be perceived as having a decorative effect such as fruit, vegetables, seeds, etc. By way of example it is possible to use suitably sized apples, oranges, pears, lemons, limes, potatoes, chestnuts, eggs, peas, stones, etc. When using natural objects as weights in the dispenser, it should be ascertained that the weights are clean and that they are replaced if they go bad after some time.

Claims

1. A dispenser arrangement for interfolded napkins comprising a container comprising

a bottom wall comprising a supporting surface for supporting a rectangular stack of interfolded napkins,

side walls surrounding the bottom wall and extending from the bottom wall in a direction generally perpendicular thereto and defining a dispensing opening opposite the bottom wall, and

at least one weight placed in the container and being free from attachments to the container, the weight having a projected surface on the bottom wall which is less than or equal to one third of the stack supporting surface.

2. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one weight has an at least partially curved surface.

3. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the at least one weight has a spherical shape.

4. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one weight has an effective cross-section of at least 30 millimeters.

5. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the at least one weight has an effective cross-section of from 30 millimeters to 100 millimeters.

6. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the at least one weight has an effective cross-section of from 40 millimeters to 70 millimeters.

7. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one weight has a weight of from 20 to 600 grams.

8. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 1, wherein more than one weight is placed in the container.

9. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 8, wherein all weights in the container have the same effective cross-section.

10. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 8, wherein at least two weights in the container have different effective cross-section.

11. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 8, wherein all weights in the container have the same shape.

12. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 8, wherein at least two weights in the container have different shapes.

13. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the total projected surface of the weights is at least 20% of the stack supporting surface.

14. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the weights are arranged in at least two rows of weights, each row comprising at least one weight.

15. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the weights are made from one or more materials selected from wood, glass, ceramics, natural and synthetic polymers, stone and metal.

16. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the weights comprises a sound-reducing material.

17. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the container side walls comprise a sound reducing material.

18. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the at least one weight is a natural item.

19. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the container contains a stack of interfolded napkins that is placed on the supporting surface on the bottom wall with a bottom napkin resting with a trailing panel on the bottom surface and a leading panel of a top napkin exposed at the dispensing opening, and wherein the at least one weight is placed on the top napkin with the leading panel of the top napkin being lifted to a position above a lower panel of the napkin and forming a gripping part of the top napkin.

20. The dispenser arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the leading panel of the top napkin is positioned between at least two weights which are placed in the container with at least one weight on a lower panel of the top napkin and at least one weight on the leading panel of the top napkin with an edge portion of the leading panel protruding into the dispensing opening between the at least two weights.