Blade dispenser

Abstract

A blade dispenser including a body comprising a housing and a cover. The housing is configured to store a plurality of new blades. The housing has an opening for receiving the blades. The cover is configured to close the opening. The blade dispenser further includes a blade ejector constructed and arranged to dispense blades through a slot in the body. The body comprises an attachment member configured to couple the blade dispenser to another blade dispenser to increase a storage capacity of new blades of the blade dispenser.

1 . A blade dispenser, comprising:
 a body comprising a housing and a cover, the housing being configured to store a plurality of new blades, the housing having an opening for receiving the blades, the cover being configured to close the opening; and   a blade ejector constructed and arranged to dispense blades through a slot in the body; the body comprising an attachment member configured to couple the blade dispenser to another blade dispenser.   
   
   
       2 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the attachment member comprises a tab having an end attached to the cover and an elongated portion detached from the cover. 
   
   
       3 . The blade dispenser of  claim 2 , wherein the cover comprises an opening spaced apart from a detached extremity of the tab, and a recessed portion at a periphery of the cover adjacent to the opening. 
   
   
       4 . The blade dispenser of  claim 3 , wherein the other blade dispenser comprises a tab and an opening adjacent to the tab, wherein the opening in the cover is configured to receive the tab of the other blade dispenser and wherein the opening of the other blade dispenser is configured to receive the tab of the blade dispenser. 
   
   
       5 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the attachment member is further configured to attach the blade dispenser to an object. 
   
   
       6 . The blade dispenser of  claim 5 , wherein the object is a belt or strap. 
   
   
       7 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprises a hinge, the hinge configured to join the housing to the cover. 
   
   
       8 . The blade dispenser of  claim 7 , wherein the hinge is integrally formed with the housing and the cover. 
   
   
       9 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises female or male closing latches and the cover comprises male or female closing latches, wherein the female latches of housing are configured to mate with the male latches of the cover or vice versa. 
   
   
       10 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the slot is formed in a wall of the housing. 
   
   
       11 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprising a window in a wall of the housing for viewing a quantity of blades stored in the housing. 
   
   
       12 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprising a hanger portion for hanging the blade dispenser to an object. 
   
   
       13 . The blade dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein the hanger portion is detachably joined to the housing or the cover. 
   
   
       14 . The blade dispenser of  claim 13 , wherein the hanger portion is integrally molded with the housing or the cover, or both. 
   
   
       15 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprises an opening for attaching the blade dispenser to an object. 
   
   
       16 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of tab openings configured to receive a plurality of tabs of a storage unit for used blades to mount the storage unit to the blade dispenser. 
   
   
       17 . The blade dispenser of  claim 16 , wherein the storage unit comprises a slot for introducing used blades into the storage unit. 
   
   
       18 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprising a blade platform and a resilient member, the blade platform configured to be disposed inside the housing, the b lade platform cooperating with the resilient member to press upon a last one of the plurality of blades such that a first of the plurality of blades is forced into alignment with the slot in the body. 
   
   
       19 . The blade dispenser of  claim 18 , wherein the blade platform comprises a lock structure configured to retain the blade platform in spaced relation from its extended position to facilitate loading of blades into the housing. 
   
   
       20 . The blade dispenser of  claim 19 , wherein the lock structure comprises a plurality of tabs, wherein when the plurality of tabs are depressed to release the blade platform, the resilient member biases the blade platform against the plurality of blades in the housing. 
   
   
       21 . The blade dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the blade ejector comprises a plate configured to support a blade in the plurality of blades and a manually engageable portion coupled to the plate, the manually engageable portion being actuatable to move the plate to dispense a blade. 
   
   
       22 . The blade dispenser of  claim 21 , wherein the manually engageable portion protrudes from a second opening in the, body, the second opening being initially closed by a strip portion removably attached to the housing , the strip portion covering at least partially the manually engageable portion. 
   
   
       23 . The blade dispenser of  claim 22 , wherein the strip portion is removable from the housing to access the manually engageable portion. 
   
   
       24 . A blade dispenser, comprising:
 a body comprising a housing and a cover;   the housing being configured to store a stack of new blades, the housing having an opening;   the cover being configured to close the opening; and   a slider mechanism configured to engage a first blade within the stack, the slider mechanism including a manually engageable portion, the manually engageable portion being actuatable to move the slider mechanism to dispense the first blade through a slot in the body; and   a removable stop structure preventing movement of the slider mechanism unless the stop structure is moved.   
   
   
       25 . The blade dispenser of  claim 24 , wherein the removable stop structure is removable from the housing to access the manually engageable portion. 
   
   
       26 . A blade dispenser, comprising:
 a body comprising a housing and a cover, the housing configured to store a plurality of new blades, the housing having an opening for receiving the blades, the cover for closing the opening;   a blade ejector constructed and arranged to dispense blades through a slot in the body; and   a removable storage unit removably attachable to the body.   
   
   
       27 . A blade dispenser, comprising:
 a body comprising a housing and a cover, the housing configured to store a plurality of blades, the housing having an opening for receiving the blades, the cover for closing the opening; and   a blade ejector constructed and arranged to dispense blades through a slot in the body; and   a blade counter indicia disposed on a sidewall of the body adjacent an opening in the sidewall, the blade counter indicia configured to indicate a quantity of blades present in the housing.