Business Card Holder and Dispenser

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention are concerned with a business card dispenser that presents a single card to the user, when the front of the dispenser is pushed. The dispenser can hold over one hundred cards, plus one protected display card to show the contents of the dispenser. This dispenser provides a large quantity of cards in a compact volume and eliminates “dry finger” syndrome that affects many other business card dispensers. This is accomplished by use of a plunger, which pushes through a slot a single card, partially exposing it outside of the dispenser. Hence, allowing the user to grab the card with two fingers and pull it to retrieve the card.

1 . A business card dispenser comprising:
 a cradle, having an area to hold business cards;   a trigger mechanism for dispensing a single business card from the cradle; and   a front panel, having a hinge for attaching to front of the cradle, an ejector slot for allowing a single business card to eject from the dispenser, and wherein said front panel may initiate the trigger mechanism.   
     
     
         2 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the front panel can be detachably screwed to the cradle. 
     
     
         3 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the front panel comprises two panels, creating a vertical opening to house a single business card. 
     
     
         4 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the front panel comprises a removable label. 
     
     
         5 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the dispenser is mountable and hangable. 
     
     
         6 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the dispenser is stackable against one or more additional business card dispensers. 
     
     
         7 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the cradle can hold over one hundred business cards. 
     
     
         8 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the cradle is proportional in shape to a business card. 
     
     
         9 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprising a pressure plate, having a hinge for attaching to top of cradle, and capable of maintaining pressure on business cards. 
     
     
         10 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a pressure plate, having a hinge for attaching to top of cradle, and capable of maintaining pressure on business cards; and   one or more flaps, attached to the pressure plate, for preventing front edge of business cards from lifting upwards.   
     
     
         11 . The dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the trigger mechanism is comprised of:
 a plunger, having similar length to the business card and identical height to the front panel ejector slot, and wherein said plunger is aligned to the bottom business card in the cradle and locked in a stationary position; and   a spring, positioned to the outside of the back panel of the cradle, and wherein once the front panel is pressed inward toward back panel of the cradle, said spring compresses and the cradle slides, moving along the axis of the spring.   
     
     
         12 . A business card dispenser comprising:
 a cradle to hold multiple business cards, having a left, right, bottom and back plate;   a shell, to house the cradle, and allowing the cradle to slide in and out of the shell;   a plunger, attached to the shell at a fixed point, in a position to dispense a single business card from the cradle; and   a front panel, having a hinge for attaching to front of the cradle, an ejector slot for allowing a business card to eject from the dispenser, and wherein said front panel initiates a plunger to dispense a single business card through said ejector slot.   
     
     
         13 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein the front panel can be attached to the cradle by screws positioned towards bottom of front panel. 
     
     
         14 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 one or more snaps, located on the outside of said left or right plate;   one or more slider slots, located on the inside of said shell, wherein said slider slots are positioned to align with said snaps and allow cradle to slide in a restricted motion.   
     
     
         15 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein the front panel comprises two panels, creating a vertical slot. 
     
     
         16 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein the front panel comprises a removable label. 
     
     
         17 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein the business card dispenser is mountable and hangable. 
     
     
         18 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein two or more business card dispensers may be stacked and lined up. 
     
     
         19 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 One or more tabs, located on a back wall of the shell; and   One or more springs positioned between back panel of cradle and shell, and positioned on said tabs, wherein said springs are normally pushed out, and may be pushed in by pressing on the front panel, and wherein said springs allow cradle to slide towards shell.   
     
     
         20 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein the shell is comprised of tracks along side walls, guiding the sliding motion of the cradle. 
     
     
         21 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein the cradle can hold over one hundred business cards. 
     
     
         22 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , wherein the cradle and shell are proportional in shape to a business card. 
     
     
         23 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a pressure plate, having a hinge for attaching to top of cradle, and capable of maintaining a constant pressure on said business cards.   
     
     
         24 . The dispenser of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a pressure plate, having a hinge for attaching to top of cradle, and capable of maintaining a constant pressure on said business cards; and   one or more flaps, attached to the pressure plate, for preventing front edge of business cards from lifting upwards.