US20170355513A1

US20170355513A1 - Beverage container insulator dispenser

Info

Publication number: US20170355513A1
Application number: US15/616,595
Authority: US
Inventors: Carrie Anderson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2016-06-10
Filing date: 2017-06-07
Publication date: 2017-12-14

Abstract

In some embodiments, a beverage container insulator dispenser may comprise a body having a first end and a second end with at least one wall. A cavity may be formed into the body and shaped to receive one or more beverage container insulators. An access panel may be removably coupled to the body and configured to govern access to the cavity. A dispensing aperture may be formed into the access panel proximate to a first end of the body. Beverage container insulators may be removed from the cavity through the dispensing aperture. A motivation partition may be movably coupled to the body within the cavity, and a motivation element may be coupled to the motivation partition and configured to tension the motivation partition towards the dispensing aperture.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/348,178, filed on Jun. 10, 2016, entitled “BEVERAGE CONTAINER INSULATOR DISPENSER”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This patent specification relates to the field of storage and dispensing devices. More specifically, this patent specification relates to a dispenser configured to store, dispense, and transport beverage container insulators.

BACKGROUND

Beverage container insulators are typically made from insulating materials such as neoprene, foam rubber, and the like. These insulators are also known as koozies™, cozies, and coolies which are often given as gifts, promotional items, and/or accumulated as novelties. As a result, most individuals end up with a number of these insulators. While the insulators tend to be made from flexible materials and with a collapsible design, they also provide unique storage challenges. For example, without a containing force to maintain their collapsed state the insulators can become disorganized and quickly take up any available storage space. Also, when a number of insulators are taken to accommodate a number of people at a gathering, such as at a tailgate, the beach, a boat, a vacation condo, etc., they frequently become disorganized, lost or misplaced during travel to and from the gathering. For these reasons individuals may experience frustration and forego the use of insulators altogether in situations where they would be the most useful.
Therefore a need exists for a novel dispenser configured to store, dispense, and transport beverage container insulators. There is also a need for a novel beverage container insulator dispenser which is configured to maintain insulators in a collapsed state and to prevent a number of insulators from becoming disorganized and taking up excessive storage space. A further need exists for a novel dispenser that could serve as a promotional item to organize and dispense insulators for both individual dispensing and for (e.g. in an office) or as a novel give-a-way (e.g a small dispenser that is included in a gift bag) since companies frequently give out insulators as a promotional item (at golf tournaments, races, conferences, insurance company offices, etc.). Finally, a need exists for a portable novel beverage container insulator dispenser which is configured to prevent a number of insulators from becoming become disorganized, lost or misplaced during travel.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A beverage container insulator dispenser is provided which is configured to store and dispense beverage container insulators. In some embodiments, a beverage container insulator dispenser may include a body having a first end and a second end with at least one wall. A cavity may be formed into the body, and the cavity may be shaped to contain at least one beverage container insulator which is in a collapsed state. An access panel may govern access to the cavity, and a portion of the access panel may be movably coupled to the body. A dispensing aperture may be positioned proximate to the first end of the body. A motivation partition may be movably coupled within the cavity, and a motivation element may be coupled to the motivation partition and configured to tension the motivation partition towards the dispensing aperture.
In further embodiments, a beverage container insulator dispenser may include a body having a first wall and a second wall positioned generally parallel to each other, a third wall and a fourth wall positioned generally parallel to each other and coupled generally perpendicular to both the first wall and second wall, and a fifth wall coupled generally perpendicularly to the first, second, third, and fourth walls. An access panel may govern access to the cavity, and a portion of the access panel may be movably coupled to the body. A cavity may be formed by the first wall, second wall, third wall, fourth wall, fifth wall, and access panel, and the cavity may have a rectangular prism shape. A dispensing aperture may be positioned proximate to the first end of the body. A motivation partition may be movably coupled within the cavity, and a motivation element may be coupled to the motivation partition and configured to tension the motivation partition towards the dispensing aperture irrespective to the force of gravity.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of an example of a beverage container insulator dispenser containing beverage container insulators according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an example of a beverage container insulator dispenser with the access panel removed according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 shows a sectional, through line 3-3 shown in FIG. 2, perspective view of an example of a beverage container insulator dispenser with the access panel removed according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of an alternative example of a beverage container insulator dispenser according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of an example of a motivation partition according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of another example of a motivation partition according to various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 7 depicts a plan view of an example of a beverage container insulator prior to assembly.

FIG. 8 illustrates a plan view of an example of an assembled beverage container insulator in a collapsed state.

FIG. 9 shows a side elevation view of an example of an assembled beverage container insulator in a collapsed state.

FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of an alternative example of a beverage container insulator dispenser with the access panel removed according to various embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “rear”, “front”, “side”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in FIG. 1. However, one will understand that the invention may assume various alternative orientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to the contrary. Therefore, the specific devices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in the following specification, are simply exemplary embodiments of the inventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specific dimensions and other physical characteristics relating to the embodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting, unless the claims expressly state otherwise.
Although the terms “first”, “second”, etc. are used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, the first element may be designated as the second element, and the second element may be likewise designated as the first element without departing from the scope of the invention.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.
A new dispenser configured to store and dispense beverage container insulators is discussed herein. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.
The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.
The present invention will now be described by example and through referencing the appended figures representing preferred and alternative embodiments. FIGS. 1-4 illustrate examples of a beverage container insulator dispenser (“the dispenser”) 100 according to various embodiments. In some embodiments, the device 100 may comprise a body 11 having a first end 31 and a second end 32. A cavity 12 may be formed into the body 11 and shaped to receive one or more beverage container insulators 200. An access panel 13 may be movably coupled to the body 11 and configured to govern access to the cavity 12. A dispensing aperture 14 may be formed into or by portions of the access panel 13, and beverage container insulators 200 may be removed from the cavity 12 through the dispensing aperture 14. A motivation partition 41 may be movably coupled to the body 11 within the cavity 12. A motivation element 40 may be coupled to the motivation partition 41 and configured to tension the motivation partition 41 towards the dispensing aperture 14. Beverage container insulators 200 may be positioned within the cavity 12 and maintained in a collapsed state 220 (FIGS. 8 and 9) by the motivation partition 41 while the motivation element 40 tensions the motivation partition 41 towards the dispensing aperture 14 irrespective to the force of gravity.
In some embodiments, the body 11 may comprise one or more walls, such as a first wall 21, second wall 22, third wall 23, fourth wall 24, and/or a fifth wall 25. Optionally, the body 11 may be configured in a generally rectangular prism shape with the walls 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, comprising generally rectangular shapes. Preferably, a first wall 21 and a second wall 22 may be positioned generally parallel to each other, a third wall 23 and a fourth wall 24 may be positioned generally parallel to each other and coupled generally perpendicular to both the first wall 21 and second wall 22, and a fifth wall 25 may be coupled generally perpendicularly to the first 21, second 22, third 23, and fourth 24 walls. However, it should be understood to one of ordinary skill in the art that the body 11 and one or more walls 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, may be configured in a plurality of sizes and shapes including “T” shaped, “X” shaped, square shaped, cylinder shaped, cuboid shaped, hexagonal prism shaped, triangular prism shaped, or any other geometric or non-geometric shape, including combinations of shapes. It is not intended herein to mention all the possible alternatives, equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention. It is understood that the terms and proposed shapes used herein are merely descriptive, rather than limiting, and that various changes, such as to size and shape, may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
In preferred embodiments, the body 11 may comprise one or more walls 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, which are shaped to form a generally rectangular prism shaped cavity 12 within the body 11. Preferably, the cavity 12 may comprise a shape and dimensions which allows one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or more, such as a plurality, of beverage container insulators 200 to be stacked or linearly arranged as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 when the beverage container insulators 200 are in a collapsed state 220 (FIGS. 8 and 9). In alternative embodiments, the body 11 and one more walls 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, may be configured to form a cavity 12 which may comprise any geometric or non-geometric shape, including combinations of shapes.
The dispenser 100 may comprise an access panel 13 which may be movably coupled to the body 11 and configured to govern access to the cavity 12. The access panel 13 may be configured to form a barrier to prevent beverage container insulators 200 within the cavity 12 from exiting the cavity 12 in a disorganized fashion such as by falling out of the cavity 12. In further embodiments, an access panel 13 may be positioned anywhere on the body 11 such as within one or more walls. For example, the body 11 may comprise six walls and an access panel 13 may be formed into one or more of the walls. In still further embodiments, an access panel 13 may take the place of and/or function as a wall. For example, an access panel 13 may take the place of and/or function as a top wall, bottom wall, rear wall, or side wall. It is to be understood that an access panel 13 may be formed or comprise any portion of the body 11 to allow access to the cavity 12.
In some embodiments, the access panel 13 may be movably coupled, by being removably coupled, to one or more walls 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, of the body 12 so that the access panel 13 may be coupled to the body 11 to prevent access to the cavity 12 and removed from the body 12 to allow access to the cavity 12. Preferably, the dispenser 100 may comprise one or more access panel fasteners 18 which may removably couple a portion of the access panel 13 to portions of the body 11, such as a first wall 21, second wall 22, third wall 23, and/or fourth wall 24. An access panel fastener 18 may comprise press fit or snap fit fasteners, hook and loop type or Velcro® fasteners, magnetic type fasteners, threaded type fasteners, sealable tongue and groove fasteners, snap fasteners, clip type fasteners, clasp type fasteners, ratchet type fasteners, a push-to-lock type connection method, a turn-to-lock type connection method, slide-to-lock type connection method or any other suitable temporary connection method as one reasonably skilled in the art could envision to serve the same function.
In alternative embodiments, the access panel 13 may be movably coupled to the body 11 with portions of the access panel 13 pivotally coupled to portions of the body 11, such as with a hinge 15, and other portions of the access panel 13 may be removably coupled to portions of the body 11. In this manner, portions of the access panel 13 may be pivoted away from the body 11 to allow access to the cavity 12. Conversely, by pivoting the portions of the access panel 13 into contact with the body 11 access to the cavity 12 may be temporarily prevented.
A hinge 15 may comprise a butt hinge, butterfly hinge, flush hinge, barrel hinge, concealed hinge, continuous hinge, T-hinge, strap hinge, double-acting hinge, Soss hinge, a flexible material hinge, or any other type or style of hinge or pivotal joining method that allows portions of an access panel 13 and body 11 to be pivoted away from each other. In further embodiments, a hinge 15 may comprise any type of hinge known in the art, including so-called “living” hinges, which typically comprise a linear, relatively flexible area between two relatively more rigid components, such as a line of thin plastic between thicker plastic portions, as is well known in the art. In still further embodiments, a hinge 15 may comprise a spring or other tension providing device that is able to mechanically assist with the opening or closing of the access panel 13.
In other embodiments, an access panel 13 and body 11 may be movably coupled together by being slidably joined together with a tongue and groove engagement allowing portions of an access panel 13 to be slid open and closed from the body 11. In further embodiments, an access panel 13 and body 11 may be joined with any other type of engagement that allows all or at least a portion of an access panel 13 to be moved relative to the body 11 thereby restricting and granting access to the cavity 12 within the body 11 of the dispenser 100.
Preferably, an access panel 13 may comprise a dispensing aperture 14 out of which beverage container insulators 200 may be removed from the cavity 12. In some embodiments, a dispensing aperture 14 may comprise a horizontal slot, having one or more first horizontal lips 51 and second horizontal lips 52, which may be shaped to allow one or more beverage container insulators 200 which are in a collapsed state 220 (FIGS. 8 and 9) to be inserted into or removed from the cavity 12 through the dispensing aperture 14. In further embodiments and as shown by FIGS. 1 and 4, a dispensing aperture 14 may be generally T-shaped with a generally horizontal portion, having one or more first horizontal lips 51 and second horizontal lips 52, shaped to allow one or more collapsed beverage container insulators 200 to be inserted into or removed from the cavity 12 and also an intersecting generally vertical portion, having one or more first vertical lips 53 and second vertical lips 54, which may be shaped to allow portions of a user's thumb or fingers to pass through the dispensing aperture 14 to aid in manipulating one or more collapsed beverage container insulators 200 to be inserted into or removed from the cavity 12. In alternative embodiments, a dispensing aperture 14 may comprise any size and shape which may allow one or more collapsed beverage container insulators 200 to be inserted into or removed from the cavity 12.
In some embodiments, a dispensing aperture 14 may be formed into the access panel 13 so that the dispensing aperture 14 may be positioned proximate to the first end 31 of the body 11 when the access panel 13 is coupled to the body 11 as shown in FIG. 1. In other embodiments, a dispensing aperture 14 may be formed into the access panel 13 so that the dispensing aperture 14 may be positioned proximate to the second end 32 of the body 11 when the access panel 13 is coupled to the body 11. In alternative embodiments, a dispensing aperture 14 may be positioned on the body 11 such as on one or more walls 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. In still further embodiments, a dispensing aperture 14 may be positioned anywhere on an access panel 13 and/or anywhere on the body 11. In still other embodiments, a portion of a dispensing aperture 14 may be formed as a gap between the access panel 13 and a wall, such as the third wall 23, as shown in FIG. 4.
In some embodiments, the dispenser 100 may comprise a motivation partition 41 which may be movably coupled to the body 11 within the cavity 12. Optionally, portions of the body 11 forming the cavity 12, such as one or more walls 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, may comprise one or more channels 17 into which portions of the motivation partition 41 may fit and which may be used to guide the movement of the motivation partition 41 within the cavity 12. The motivation partition 41 may be shaped to extend across the cavity 12 so that a beverage container insulator 200 in contact with the motivation partition 41 may not move around the motivation partition 41 as the partition 41 moves within the cavity 12. A motivation element 40 may be coupled to the motivation partition 41 and configured to tension the motivation partition 41 towards the dispensing aperture 14. Beverage container insulators 200 may be positioned within the cavity 12 and maintained in a collapsed state 220 (FIGS. 8 and 9) by the motivation partition 41 while the motivation element 40 tensions the motivation partition 41 towards the dispensing aperture 14.
In some embodiments, a motivation partition 41 may be movably coupled within the cavity 12 by being coupled to a motivation element 40 and the motivation partition 41 may not be coupled to a wall 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, of the body 11. Portions of the motivation partition 41, such as a partition edge surface 42, may be configured to slide across one or more walls, such as the first wall 21, second wall 22, and fifth wall 25, and/or the access panel 13. A motivation partition 41 may comprise one or more partition edge surfaces 42, which may be planar in shape, or any other shape, and which may contact and slide across one or more walls, such as the first wall 21, second wall 22, and fifth wall 25, and/or the access panel 13 to guide the movement of the motivation partition 41 within the cavity 12 when it is moved towards and away from the dispensing aperture 14. For example, a motivation partition 41 may be generally rectangular prism shaped and comprise four partition edge surfaces 42 which may extend around the motivation partition 41 to contact one or more walls 21, 22, 25, and/or access panel 13 to guide the movement of the motivation partition 41 within a generally rectangular prism shaped cavity 12.
In further embodiments and as shown in FIG. 5, one or more skids 43 may be coupled to the motivation partition 41 and the skids 43 may contact and slide across one or more walls, such as the first wall 21, second wall 22, and fifth wall 25, and/or the access panel 13 to guide the movement of the motivation partition 41 within the cavity 12 when it is moved towards and away from the dispensing aperture 14. A skid 43 may comprise one or more skid surfaces 44, which may be planar in shape, or any other shape, and which may contact and slide across one or more walls, such as the first wall 21, second wall 22, and fifth wall 25, and/or the access panel 13 to guide the movement of the motivation partition 41 within the cavity 12 when it is moved towards and away from the dispensing aperture 14.
In still further embodiments and as shown in FIG. 6, a skid 43 may comprise a roller 45 which may be configured to roll along one or more walls, such as the first wall 21, second wall 22, and fifth wall 25, and/or the access panel 13 within the cavity 12. A skid 43 configured as a roller or wheel may comprise a cylindrical or annular skid surface 44 which may contact and roll across one or more walls, such as the first wall 21, second wall 22, and fifth wall 25, and/or the access panel 13 to guide the movement of the motivation partition 41 within the cavity 12 when it is moved towards and away from the dispensing aperture 14. In still further embodiments, a skid 44 may fit into or otherwise movably engage with a channel 17 disposed on one or more walls, such as the first wall 21, second wall 22, and fifth wall 25, and/or the access panel 13 within the cavity 12
The motivation element 40 may tension the motivation partition 41 towards the dispensing aperture 14, irrespective to the force of gravity, so that as one or more collapsed beverage container insulators 200 are removed from the cavity 12 through the dispensing aperture 14, the motivation partition 41 may motivate the remaining beverage container insulators 200 within the cavity 12 towards the dispensing aperture 14. In this manner, the motivation element 40 may tension the motivation partition 41 towards the dispensing aperture 14 so that the motivation partition 41 may resist movement away from the dispensing aperture 14 as one or more collapsed beverage container insulators 200 are inserted into the cavity 12 through the dispensing aperture 14.
In some embodiments and as shown in FIGS. 1-3, a motivation element 40 may comprise a constant-force spring 40B which may be a tightly rolled ribbon of elastic material that exerts a nearly constant force as it is unrolled. Optionally, a constant-force spring 40B type of motivation element 40 may be disposed in the cavity 12 between the motivation partition 41 and a wall proximate to the first end 31, such as the third wall 23. The motivation element 40 may be coupled to the body 11 and to the motivation partition 41 so that the motivation element 40 may be on the same side of the motivation partition 41 as any beverage container insulators 200 within the cavity 12. The dispenser 100 may comprise an optional static partition 16 which may be coupled to the body 11 within the cavity 12 proximate to a dispensing aperture 14. By placing one or more beverage container insulators 200 between a static partition 16 and a motivation partition 41, the beverage container insulators 200 may be maintained in a collapsed state 220 by the tension on the motivation partition while also maintaining the beverage container insulator 200 farthest from the motivation partition 41 in close proximity to the dispensing aperture 14. In alternative embodiments, a static partition 16 may be formed by one or more walls 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and a constant-force spring 40B type of motivation element 40 may be coupled to the body 11 on the exterior of a wall 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and/or cavity 12. Preferably, a constant-force spring 40B may be positioned within the cavity 12 between a static partition 16 and a wall such as the third wall 23 or fourth wall 24.
In alternative embodiments and as shown in FIG. 4, a motivation element 40 may comprise an elastic spring, such as a coil spring 40A, which is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy and which may be made from out of spring steel, annealed steel which is hardened after fabrication, and non-ferrous metals including phosphor bronze, titanium, beryllium copper, or any other suitable material. a motivation element 40 comprising a coil spring 40A may be coupled to the body 11 and to the motivation partition 41 so that the motivation element 40 may be on the opposite side of the motivation partition 41 as any beverage container insulators 200 within the cavity 12. In this manner, the motivation element 40 may be disposed in the cavity 12 between the motivation partition 41 and a wall proximate to the second end 32, such as the fourth wall 24.
In still further embodiments, a motivation element 40 may comprise any type of spring such as a Tension/extension spring, Compression spring, Torsion spring, Variable spring, Coil spring, Flat spring, Machined spring, Serpentine spring, Cantilever spring, Hairspring or balance spring, Leaf spring, V-spring, Belleville washer or Belleville spring, Gas spring or gas piston, Mainspring, Negator spring, Progressive rate coil springs, Spring washer, Torsion spring, Wave spring, Rubber band, bungee cord, a shock cord, or other non-metallic elastic material, or any other material or device which is suitable for tensioning a motivation partition 41 towards a dispensing aperture 14.
An example of a beverage container insulator 200 is shown in FIGS. 7-9. Typically, beverage container insulators 200 are made from a planar piece of insulating material such as neoprene, foam rubber, and the like as illustrated in FIG. 4. The material may be cut or shaped so that it comprises two first elongated edges 201, bounding a first panel 211, and two opposing second elongated edges 202, bounding a second panel 212. Additionally, the material may be cut or shaped so that it comprises a round base 203. To assemble the beverage container insulator 200, each first elongated edge 201 may be coupled to its opposing second elongated edge 202 as shown in FIG. 5. In this manner, the a beverage container insulator 200 may accommodate a beverage container, such as a beverage can or bottle, between the panels 211, 212, and the base 203, while still being able to fold flat into a collapsed state 220 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 when not accommodating a beverage container.
FIG. 10 depicts a perspective view of an alternative example of a beverage container insulator dispenser 100 with the access panel 13 removed according to various embodiments described herein. In some embodiments, the device 100 may comprise a follower 46 which may be coupled to the motivation partition 41. A follower 46 may provide a method of stabilization to the movement of a motivation partition 41 by contacting portions of the device 100 within the cavity 12 to guide the movement of the follower 46 and the motivation partition to which it is coupled within the cavity 12. Preferably, a follower 46 may be grasped, or otherwise be interacted with by a user, and used to pull down and move the motivation partition 41 to which the follower 46 is coupled.
Optionally, a follower 46 may be coupled to the motivation partition 41 with one or more skids 43. A follower 46 may be configured in any shape and size such as a generally planar rectangular prism shape, similar to the depicted motivation partition 41, a U-shape, a T-shape, or any other shape. In some embodiments, the device 100 may comprise a finger recess 48 which may be formed by, formed into, and/or formed between a follower 46 and a motivation partition 41, and the finger recess 48 may form a recess or space for receiving the finger(s) of the user when moving the motivation partition 41. Preferably, a follower 46 may comprise one or more follower surfaces 47, which may be planar in shape, or any other shape, and which may contact and slide across one or more walls, such as the first wall 21, second wall 22, and fifth wall 25, and/or the access panel 13 to guide the movement of the follower 46 and therefore the movement of the motivation partition 41 to which the follower is coupled, within the cavity 12 when the motivation partition 41 is moved towards and away from the dispensing aperture 14. For example, a follower 46 may be generally rectangular prism shaped and comprise four follower surfaces 47 which may extend around the follower 46 to contact one or more walls 21, 22, 25, and/or access panel 13 to guide the movement of the motivation partition 41 within a generally rectangular prism shaped cavity 12.
While some materials have been provided, in other embodiments, the elements that comprise the dispenser 100 such as the body 11, access panel 13, motivation partition 41, motivation element 40, optional static partition 16, and/or any other element discussed herein may be made from durable materials such as aluminum, steel, other metals and metal alloys, wood, hard rubbers, hard plastics, fiber reinforced plastics, carbon fiber, fiber glass, resins, polymers, heavy cardboards and stiff foams (allowing the body 11 to float) or any other suitable materials including combinations of materials. Additionally, one or more elements may be made from or comprise durable and slightly flexible materials such as soft plastics, silicone, soft rubbers, or any other suitable materials including combinations of materials. In some embodiments, one or more of the elements that comprise the dispenser 100 may be coupled or connected together with heat bonding, chemical bonding, adhesives, clasp type fasteners, clip type fasteners, rivet type fasteners, threaded type fasteners, other types of fasteners, or any other suitable joining method. In other embodiments, one or more of the elements that comprise the dispenser 100 may be removably coupled or removably connected by being press fit or snap fit together, by one or more fasteners such as hook and loop type or Velcro® fasteners, magnetic type fasteners, threaded type fasteners, sealable tongue and groove fasteners, snap fasteners, clip type fasteners, clasp type fasteners, ratchet type fasteners, a push-to-lock type connection method, a turn-to-lock type connection method, slide-to-lock type connection method or any other suitable temporary connection method as one reasonably skilled in the art could envision to serve the same function. In further embodiments, one or more of the elements that comprise the dispenser 100 may be coupled by being one of connected to and integrally formed with another element of the dispenser 100.
Although the present invention has been illustrated and described herein with reference to preferred embodiments and specific examples thereof, it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments and examples may perform similar functions and/or achieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, are contemplated thereby, and are intended to be covered by the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A beverage container insulator dispenser, the dispenser comprising:

a. a body having a first end and a second end with at least one wall;

b. a cavity formed into the body, the cavity shaped to contain at least two beverage container insulators which are in a collapsed state;

c. an access panel, wherein a portion of the access panel is movably coupled to the body;

d. a dispensing aperture positioned proximate to the first end of the body;

e. a motivation partition movably coupled within the cavity; and

f. a motivation element coupled to the motivation partition and configured to tension the motivation partition towards the dispensing aperture irrespective to the force of gravity.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein a portion of the dispensing aperture is formed as a gap between the access panel and the body.

3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispensing aperture is formed into the access panel.

4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispensing aperture is T-shaped.

5. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the motivation partition is movably coupled to a wall within the cavity.

6. The dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a skid coupled to the motivation partition.

7. The dispenser of claim 6, wherein the skid comprises a skid surface configured to slide along a wall within the cavity.

8. The dispenser of claim 6, wherein the skid comprises a roller configured to roll along a wall within the cavity.

9. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the motivation element comprises an elastic spring.

10. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the motivation element comprises a constant-force spring.

11. A beverage container insulator dispenser, the dispenser comprising:

a. a body having a first wall and a second wall positioned generally parallel to each other, a third wall and a fourth wall positioned generally parallel to each other and coupled generally perpendicular to both the first wall and second wall, and a fifth wall coupled generally perpendicularly to the first, second, third, and fourth walls;

b. an access panel, wherein the access panel is movably coupled to the body;

c. a cavity formed by the first wall, second wall, third wall, fourth wall, fifth wall, and access panel, the cavity having a rectangular prism shape;

d. a dispensing aperture positioned proximate to the first end of the body;

e. a motivation partition movably coupled within the cavity; and

12. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein a portion of the dispensing aperture is formed as a gap between the access panel and the third wall.

13. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein the dispensing aperture is formed into the access panel.

14. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein dispensing aperture is T-shaped.

15. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein the motivation partition is movably coupled to a wall within the cavity.

16. The dispenser of claim 11, further comprising a skid coupled to the motivation partition.

17. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein the skid comprises a skid surface configured to slide along a wall within the cavity.

18. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein the skid comprises a roller configured to roll along a wall within the cavity.

19. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein the motivation element comprises an elastic spring disposed in the cavity between the motivation partition and the fourth wall.

20. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein the motivation element comprises a constant-force spring disposed in the cavity between the motivation partition and the third wal