Novelty dispenser

1. A novelty dispensing apparatus, comprising:

a housing including a chamber in which novelty items may be contained;

a receptacle member slidably mounted inside the housing and movable from a retracted position within the housing, through an opening in the housing and into an extended position wherein a part of the receptacle member protrudes from the housing opening;

a door inside the housing and mounted for sliding movement inside the housing across the opening from a closed position to an open position that enables the part of the receptacle member to protrude from the opening;

a link member mounted for movement within the housing and attached at one end to the door and at another end to the receptacle member, the link member connected to a handle member for manipulation, wherein manipulation of the handle member moves the link member and attached door and receptacle member;

a lost-motion mechanism connected to the link member and receptacle member for delaying motion of the receptacle member until the door is moved partly out of the closed position;

a toggle mechanism connected to the receptacle member for forcing the receptacle member into either of the extended position or the retracted position in the absence of manipulation of the handle member as the receptacle member moves toward respective extended or retracted positions; and

wherein at least a portion of the link member is elastic and guided for movement in the housing in a deformed configuration, thereby to provide an elastic force of the toggle mechanism.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the link member is deformable for providing the elastic force for forcing the receptacle member into the extended position and the retracted position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the link member defines a window through which extends the part of the receptacle member that protrudes from the housing opening.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the link member is configured so that the receptacle member is secured in the extended position in the absence of the handle being manipulated by a user, thereby enabling single-handed operation of the dispensing apparatus such that the user can with the same hand move the receptacle member into the extended position and retrieve an item carried in the part of the extended receptacle member.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the lost-motion mechanism includes a floating hinge connection between the link member and receptacle member.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the link member is flexible, the apparatus further including a guide member within the housing for guiding bending movement of the link member within the housing.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the guide member is located near an interior surface of the housing, thereby defining a gap through which the flexible link member moves, the gap being sized to constrain the link member against twisting during movement.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the handle member comprises a handle fastened to a post by a fastener that engages the post, the fastener being configured to slide along the exterior of the housing as the handle member is manipulated.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the fastener is rotatable into a locked position for engaging the post and includes detent members for resisting rotational motion of the fastener out of the locked position.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the handle member is attached to a rotatable shaft that is pivotally connected to both the link member and to the receptacle member, the pivotal connection including a keyway in which a pivot pin is slidable as part of the lost motion mechanism.

11. A novelty dispensing apparatus, comprising:

a housing including a chamber in which novelty items may be contained;

a receptacle member slidably mounted inside the housing and movable from a retracted position within the housing, through an opening in the housing and into an extended position, wherein a part of the receptacle member protrudes from the housing opening;

a door mounted for movement adjacent to the opening from a closed position to an open position that enables the receptacle member to protrude from the opening;

a link member mounted for movement within the housing and attached at one end to the door and at another end to the receptacle member, the link member connected to a handle member for manipulation, wherein manipulation of the handle member moves the link member and attached door and receptacle member; and

a toggle mechanism connected to the receptacle member for providing an elastic force for forcing the receptacle member into the retracted position in the absence of manipulation of the handle member as the receptacle member moves toward the retracted position, and wherein the elastic force increases as the receptacle member moves toward the retracted position.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein at least a portion of the link member is elastic and deformable for providing the elastic force for forcing the receptacle member into the extended position and the retracted position.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the link member is configured so that the receptacle member is secured in the extended position in the absence of the handle being held or otherwise manipulated by a user so that the receptacle member remains in the extended position until the handle is manipulated to retract the receptacle member.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a lost-motion mechanism connected to the link member and receptacle member for delaying extension movement of the receptacle member until the door is moved partly out of the closed position.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein at least a portion of the link member is elastic and guided for movement in the housing in a deformed configuration, thereby to provide the elastic force.

16. A method for dispensing novelty items, comprising the steps of:

containing the novelty items in a chamber of a housing;

moving a slidably mounted receptacle member in a first direction from a retracted position within the housing, through an opening in the housing and into an extended position wherein a part of the receptacle member protrudes from the housing opening;

sliding a door that is mounted inside the housing in a direction substantially across the first direction so that the door slides across the opening from a closed position to an open position that enables the receptacle member to protrude from the opening;

elastically forcing the receptacle member into either of the extended position or the retracted position as the receptacle member moves toward respective extended or retracted positions by increasing the elastic force as the receptacle member moves toward respective extended or retracted positions; and

delaying motion of the receptacle member until the door is slid partly out of the closed position.

17. The method of claim 16 including the step of elastically forcing the receptacle member into both the retracted and extended position; and connecting to the receptacle an elastic and deformable link member for providing the elastic force.