GB2270899A

GB2270899A - Dispenser for leaflets

Info

Publication number: GB2270899A
Application number: GB9220204A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ian Michael Broughall
Original assignee: Fords Ltd
Current assignee: Fords Ltd
Priority date: 1992-09-24
Filing date: 1992-09-24
Publication date: 1994-03-30
Also published as: GB9220204D0

Abstract

A box has front and rear walls and an internal arm (18) that is pivotally mounted to the rear wall and urged towards the first wall (14), thus preserving a stack of leaflets (34) in a neat array at the front of the box, whence they are removable. The arm may be of metal, pivotted at a lower end by a portion (20) projecting through a slot (24) so that it is urged to pivot forwardly by gravity. An upper portion (26) may project rearwardly, extending through a slot (28) when the box is full and the arm (18) is pressed against the rear wall (8). <IMAGE>

Description

DISPENSER FOR LEAFLETS This invention is concerned with dispensers for leaflets, booklets, and slim packages.

A known type of dispenser is a box, open at the top and/or an upper region of the front, so that flat articles can be removed from an upright array of such articles located one in front of the other. But when the array is not closely packed, it tends to become untidy, particulary if it consists of floppy items such as leaflets.

According to the invention there is provided a dispenser comprising a box having a base and upstanding walls; and an arm member pivotally mounted to a first one of the upstanding walls and urged (preferably by gravity) towards an opposing second wall. Thus an upright array of flat items stacked in the box may be contacted by the arm and thereby urged to stand in a neat array.

Generally the arm will be pivoted at a lower region thereof, so that it tends to fall downwardly, and dimensioned so that it tends to abut the opposing second wall. Preferably the base slopes down towards that wall.

Preferably the arm extends through a slot in the first wall and is pivotable about one edge of this slot.

The second wall may be at least in part, lower than the first wall, so that a dispensing mouth is defined.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a leaflet dispenser embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an arm member from the dispenser of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the dispenser, in which the dispenser is full of leaflets; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the dispenser containing fewer leaflets.

In this embodiment the dispenser consist of an opentopped box 6 having four upright walls 8,10,12,14 and a forward sloping base 16. The front wall 14 of the box 6 is shorter than the other three walls, thus providing a front dispensing mouth. The rear wall has a narrow, short lower transverse slot 24 and a wider and longer upper transverse slot 28. A weight arm 18 is a heavy metal plate. It has a rectangular main body 19. A short lower edge has a central tab 20. Its main portion is parallel to the main body 19 but offset from it by an 'S' bend 22. The upper end portion 26 of the arm 18 is angled out of the plane of the main body 19, in the same direction as the tab is offset.The arm 18 is shaped and dimensioned so that the tab 20 can protrude through the lower slot 24 and allow the arm to pivot about the lower edge of that slot; and the angled portion can protrude rearwardly through the upper slot 26 when the arm is in its raised position, as shown in Figs 1 and 4.

The tab then lies adjacent the rear of the rear wall 8.

The box is provided with supports 30,32 at either side so it can stand upright although its floor 16 is sloped.

The offset between the tab 20 and the main body 19 allows the main body to be parallel to the back wall 8 of the box with the angled section 26 protruding through the hole 28 when the box is full of leaflets 34. This situation is shown in Fig. 3. As leaflets are removed from the dispenser, the weight 18 falls forward under gravity, pivoting about an edge of the slot 24, pushing the remaining leaflets forward. The forward slope of the dispenser's floor 16 enables the bottom edges of the leaflets 34 to slide forward easily so the leaflets remain vertical (Fig. 4). The action of the weight 18 pushing the leaflets 34 forward against the short front wall 14 of the box ensures that the leaflets 34 remain neatly stacked. The front leaflet is also easily removed because its top portion 36 is exposed and can be grasped.

The angled upper portion 26 of the weight 18 allows leaflets 34 to be loaded easily into the box 6, between the weight 18 and the front wall 14.

The box can be made of any convenient material, e.g.

card, metal or plastics. Generally the arm will be, or include, metal so that it is weighty enough for gravity to provide a useful urging force. For example, an arm could be a 2-part plastics shell enclosing a weight.

However, in some embodiments the arm may be resiliently urged, so that weightiness could be of lesser or no importance.

Dispensers may be produced as multiple formings, i.e. one unit with many compartments, some or all of them having an urging arm.

Claims

1. A dispenser comprising a box having a base and upstanding walls; and an arm member pivotally mounted to a first one of the upstanding walls and urged towards an opposing second wall.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the arm member is urged by gravity.

3. A dispenser according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the arm is pivoted at a lower region thereof, so that it ends to fall downwardly, and dimensioned so that it tends to abut the opposing second wall.

4. A dispenser according to any preceding claim wherein the base sloped down towards the second wall.

5. A dispenser according to any preceding claim wherein the arm extends through a slot in the first wall is and pivotable about one edge of this slot.

6. A dispenser according to any preceding claim wherein the arm member comprises a metal plate having a rearwardly cranked lower position that extends through a lower slot in the first wall so that the arm is pivotable about the lower edge of the lower slot , and a rearwardly projecting upper portion, there being an upper slot in the first wall so that the arm can be pivoted rearwardly to lie against the first wall with the upper portion projecting rearwardly through the upper slot.

7. A dispenser substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.