US 7,320,413 B2
Self-closing dispensing container
John C. Fusi, JCF Research Associates, Inc. 320 Essex St. Ste 5, Stirling, N.J. 07980 (US)
Filed on Jun. 07, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/146,360.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/578044, filed on Jun. 08, 2004.
Prior Publication US 2005/0274733 A1, Dec. 15, 2005
Int. Cl. B65G 59/00 (2006.01); B65H 3/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 221—255  [221/259; 221/256; 221/257; 221/239] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
13. An economical and disposable container for storing and individually dispensing sheets from a stack of the group including oral care strips, candy strips, and medicinal strips and comprising; an injection molded polymer housing base, an injection molded housing cover affixed to said housing base to form therewith a housing having a sanitary chamber therein for storing the stack, said housing further comprising a window allowing communication between said sanitary chamber and the outside of the container, a carriage disposable in a retracted state within said sanitary chamber wherein a first portion of said carriage closes said window to thereby substantially prevent unsanitary communication between said sanitary chamber and the outside of the container through said window, said carriage being further disposable into an ejecting state wherein at least a second portion thereof is extended through said window to the outside of the container and said first portion does not close said window, said carriage comprising an actuator extending to the outside of the container through a slot in said housing, said actuator being engageable by a user from the outside of the container and adapted to move said carriage from said retracted state to said ejecting state, and a leaf movable with said carriage and adapted to substantially prevent unsanitary communication between said sanitary chamber and the outside of the container by substantially covering said slot, wherein said carriage comprises a frictuous member and a spring, said spring being connected to said housing and adapted to bias said carriage toward said retracted state, said frictuous member being adapted to engage a single sheet of the stack in said retracted state, and to force said single sheet from said stack and through said window with said second portion of said carriage so that at least a portion of said single sheet is extended outside of the container as said carriage is moved toward said ejecting state, wherein said second extended portion of said carriage comprises a void exposing a grasping portion of said extended portion of said single sheet, said void adapted to allow the fingers of the user to pinch said extended portion of said single sheet at said grasping portion and to remove said single sheet from the container without touching said extended portion of said carriage, and wherein said extended portion of said single sheet may hang below said second portion of said carriage during said extended state and said single sheet is thereby adapted to be applied directly onto a person's tongue without being touched by the user's fingers.