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US 2018/0000261 A1Published application
Cutlery dispenser
AssigneeJade Group International LLC
InventorPatrick J. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plastic cutlery dispenser having a base and a cartridge is described. The cartridge may be slideable relative to the base. In some embodiments, the base has a base dispensing mechanism and the cartridge has a cartridge dispensing mechanism configured to mate with the base dispensing mechanism. In some embodiments, when the base and cartridge dispensing mechanisms mate, the cutlery dispenser is configured to dispense cutlery located within the cartridge one piece of cutlery at a time.
Claims29
A cutlery dispenser comprising:
- a base comprising a base bottom configured to rest on a surface, a base top opposite the base bottom, and a base height extending from the base bottom to the base top;
- a cartridge attached to the base and comprising a cartridge bottom, a cartridge top, a cartridge height extending from the cartridge bottom to the cartridge top, and a chamber;
- a stack of cutlery pieces located in the cartridge chamber, each cutlery piece having a eating portion comprising an eating portion tip, a handle comprising a handle tip and a cutlery piece length extending from the eating portion tip to the handle tip, the cutlery piece length generally perpendicular to the cartridge height, the stack of cutlery pieces comprising a top comprising a top cutlery piece, a bottom comprising a bottom cutlery piece and a stack height extending from the top cutlery piece to the bottom cutlery piece and generally parallel to the cartridge height;
- a system dispensing mechanism configured to move between a resting position in which the cutlery stack is stationary within the cartridge chamber to a dispensing position in which the system dispensing mechanism ejects at least a portion of a piece of cutlery out of the cartridge chamber, the system dispensing mechanism comprising a base dispensing mechanism forming a portion of the base and a cartridge dispensing mechanism located in the cartridge chamber, the base dispensing mechanism removably engaged with the cartridge dispensing mechanism;
- and
- an actuator configured to move the system dispensing mechanism from the resting position to the dispensing position.
3 more elements
A cutlery dispenser comprising:
- a base comprising a base bottom configured to rest on a surface, a base top opposite the base bottom, a base height extending from the base bottom to the base top, and a base upper surface;
- a cartridge comprising a cartridge bottom, a cartridge top, a cartridge height extending from the cartridge bottom to the cartridge top, and a chamber;
- a stack of cutlery pieces located in the cartridge chamber, each cutlery piece having a eating portion comprising an eating portion tip, a handle comprising a handle tip and a cutlery piece length extending from the eating portion tip to the handle tip, the cutlery piece length generally perpendicular to the cartridge height, the stack of cutlery pieces comprising a top comprising a top cutlery piece, a bottom comprising a bottom cutlery piece and a stack height extending from the top cutlery piece to the bottom cutlery piece and generally parallel to the cartridge height;
- and
- a system dispensing mechanism configured to move between a resting position in which the cutlery stack is stationary within the cartridge chamber to a dispensing position in which the system dispensing mechanism ejects at least a portion of a piece of cutlery out of the cartridge chamber, wherein the cartridge comprises a cartridge locked position in which the cartridge is fixed to the base and a cartridge unlocked position in which the cartridge is configured to disengage from the base and in which the cartridge bottom is configured to confront and slide along the base upper surface.
2 more elements
A cutlery dispenser comprising:
- a base comprising a base bottom configured to rest on a surface, a base top opposite the base bottom, and a base height extending from the base bottom to the base top;
- a cartridge comprising a cartridge bottom, a cartridge top, a cartridge height extending from the cartridge bottom to the cartridge top, and a chamber;
- a stack of cutlery pieces located in the cartridge chamber, each cutlery piece having a eating portion comprising an eating portion tip, a handle comprising a handle tip and a cutlery piece length extending from the eating portion tip to the handle tip, the cutlery piece length generally perpendicular to the cartridge height, the stack of cutlery pieces comprising a top comprising a top cutlery piece, a bottom comprising a bottom cutlery piece and a stack height extending from the top cutlery piece to the bottom cutlery piece and generally parallel to the cartridge height;
- and
- a system dispensing mechanism configured to move between a resting position in which the cutlery stack is stationary within the cartridge chamber to a dispensing position in which the system dispensing mechanism ejects at least a portion of a piece of cutlery out of the cartridge chamber, wherein the cartridge is configured to slide relative to the base from a first position to a second position.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.