The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 15, 2021
Filed:
Apr. 05, 2017
Waddington North America, Inc., Chelmsford, MA (US);
Ashish K Mithal, Chelmsford, MA (US);
William A Gallop, Westminster, MA (US);
Waddington North America, Inc., Chelmsford, MA (US);
Abstract
A system for easily refilling cutlery dispensers or other devices includes a stack of identical cutlery items maintained by a retaining structure that can be removable either before, during, or after installation, depending on the configuration of the dispenser. In a first aspect, the retaining structure includes nested cutlery handles and a single adhesive strip applied to one side of the stack. In a second aspect, the retaining structure includes separate adhesive strips applied to each side of the stack. In a third aspect, the retaining structure is a band extending entirely around the stack and equipped with a pull-tab for opening and removing the retaining structure. In all aspects a pull-tab or other graspable element can be provided to facilitate removal of the support structure. The stacked cutlery may also be loaded into a caddy or into a tray.