Apparatus and methods for paper dispensing

A napkin dispensing system comprising:

• a dispenser for storing and dispensing individual napkins from a stack thereof, said dispenser having
• (a) a bottom wall and a plurality of sidewalls jointly defining an interior volume of the dispenser for storing said napkins therein, and
• (b) a lid hingedly coupled to one or more of said sidewalls for selectively allowing access into said interior volume, said lid including a dispensing aperture configured to allow extraction of the napkins one at a time from said interior volume;
• (c) a platen arranged within said interior volume of said dispenser and having a paper engaging surface, said platen being movable between a first position adjacent to the bottom wall in which said platen is locked relative to a remainder of said dispenser, and a second position adjacent to the lid, said platen and said paper-engaging surface being obliquely oriented relative to the bottom wall of the dispenser in the first position thereof;
• and
• wherein a stack of interfolded napkins is receivable within said interior volume of said dispenser, said stack of interfolded napkins being supported on said paper-engaging surface, said stack having a generally rectangular footprint, said rectangular footprint including a length not exceeding about 115 mm and a width not exceeding about 95 mm, wherein a ratio of an area of said rectangular footprint to a total effective support area of said paper-engaging surface is between 0.7 and 1,
• wherein:
• said dispensing aperture has an elongated shape and includes a length dimension and a width dimension,
• said dispensing aperture has a centrally located section and a pair of slotted sections each extending from said centrally located section,
• said centrally located section has a length no greater than about 40 mm, and
• each of said slotted sections has a width no greater than about 13 mm, and
• wherein the platen is parallel to the bottom wall of the dispenser in the second position thereof.