Dispenser for interfolded napkins

The dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the hinges each connect a housing part and a stack engaging part of the holdback members, wherein the stack engaging part is able to turn relative to the housing part about the hinge, and the hinge comprises one or more gaps located along the hinge line at which the stack engaging part and the housing part are unconnected.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the holdback members each include a bridge portion for spacing the hinge interiorly from a sidewall of the housing defining the at least part of the interior volume in a direction normal to the sidewall.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the stack engaging part of each of the holdback members includes a flat surface for interfacing with the top of the stack in the stack engaging orientation, wherein the flat surface extends perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly to a sidewall of the housing at least partly defining the interior volume when the stack engaging part is in the stack engaging orientation.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the stack engaging part of each of the holdback members is arranged to engage in a margin area of the front of the stack in the stack engaging orientation.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, comprising a removable or openable cover defining the dispensing mouth, wherein the cover is able to be removed or opened in order to reveal an entrance to the interior volume defined at least partly by the housing to provide access to the interior volume for loading, and the holdback members are able to engage the stack and hold the stack within the interior volume when the cover is removed and when the holdback members are in the stack engaging orientation, and wherein when the cover is replaced, the entrance is partly covered so that sheet products are able to be removed from the stack through the dispensing mouth.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, comprising a platform arranged in the housing that is moveable in a forward and rearward direction, wherein the platform is arranged to provide a stack support surface upon which a rear of the stack is supported, and biasing means is arranged to act on the platform to bias it toward the dispensing mouth.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, the housing comprising a rear wall and a front wall and one or more sidewalls extending normally relative to the front and rear walls, wherein an interior surface of each of the walls together defines the interior volume.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the stack engaging parts of the one or more holdback members are located at a front end of the housing, adjacent the dispensing mouth.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, comprising at least two holdback members, wherein the housing defines a generally rectangular or square cross-section at a front end of the housing adjacent the dispensing mouth, wherein the cross-section is taken perpendicular to an axis passing centrally from a rear of the dispenser, through a centre of the interior volume and centrally through the dispensing mouth, and the holdback members are located on opposed sides of the rectangular or square cross-section and centrally located along the respective opposed side.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein a rear facing surface of each stack engaging part of the one or more holdback members for engaging a front of the stack are located in the stack engaging orientation at least 0.5 cm from the dispensing mouth, preferably at least 1 cm, so as to space the front of the stack by at least 0.5 cm, preferably at least 1 cm, from the dispensing mouth.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the housing includes a front wall, a rear wall and one or more sidewalls extending normally between the front and rear walls to define the interior volume, wherein the dispensing mouth is included in the front wall of the dispenser housing and the one or more holdback members serve to hold a front of the stack back from an interior surface of the front wall having the dispensing mouth extending through it.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the hinge of each holdback member has a groove or kinked area extending along a hinge axis of the hinge about which the stack engaging part turns.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein the stack engaging part of each of the one or more holdback member extends freely, in a cantilevered manner, from a sidewall of the housing.

The dispenser of any preceding claim, wherein each stack engaging part of the one or more holdback members extends only part way along a sidewall of the housing from which it projects and extends only part way across the interior volume toward an opposed sidewall of the housing toward which it projects.

A method comprising refilling the dispenser of any preceding claim with a new stack of napkins, comprising turning the stack engaging part of each of the one or more holdback members about the hinge from the stack engaging orientation to the stack loading orientation to provide clearance, passing the stack through the holdback members into the interior volume from outside of the dispenser as allowed by the clearance provided, allowing or causing the stack engaging part of each holdback member to return to the stack engaging orientation so that the stack is retained in a position spaced from the dispensing mouth in use by the stack engaging parts of the holdback members.