DISPENSER FOR EYE SHIELDS

1 . A dispenser for eye shields comprising:

a plurality of panels interconnected via a plurality of fold lines defined in a contiguous blank;

a body having a U-shaped cross-section, the body formed by folding the plurality of panels together along the plurality of fold lines and securing attachment portions of the plurality of panels to each other or one or more of the plurality of panels;

an interior of the body defined by the plurality of panels as folded, the interior of the body configured to hold a plurality of eye shields in a stacked configuration; and

a first access panel disposed at least partially within a front panel of the plurality of panels, wherein the first access panel is configured to be removed to grant access to the interior of the body,

wherein the front panel is contiguous with only a single other one of the plurality of panels along a hinge line of the plurality of fold lines, and

wherein the front panel is configured to hingedly move via the hinge line to expose the interior of the body to enable access thereto for loading the plurality of eye shields within the interior of the body.

2 . The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising the plurality of eye shields disposed in the interior of the body such that when a first one of the plurality of eye shields is removed from the interior through an access port another one of the plurality of eye shields will be gravity fed down along a height dimension of the interior of the body into substantially the same place as the removed eye shield.

3 . The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the first access panel crosses over the hinge line to the single other one of the plurality of panels.

4 . The dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a second access panel formed in one of the plurality of panels different from the front panel, the second access panel joining the first access panel when the body is formed.

5 . The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the plurality of panels include a second outer side panel, a second inner side panel, a first outer side panel, a first inner side panel, an inner rear panel, a first outside rear panel, and a second outside rear panel, a top panel, and a bottom panel.

6 . The dispenser of claim 5 wherein the second outer side panel comprises the single other one of the plurality of panels for which the front panel is contiguous along the hinge line.

7 . The dispenser of claim 5 wherein the first outer side panel comprises the single other one of the plurality of panels for which the front panel is contiguous along the hinge line.

8 . The dispenser of claim 5 wherein the top panel comprises the single other one of the plurality of panels for which the front panel is contiguous along the hinge line.

9 . The dispenser of claim 5 wherein the bottom panel comprises the single other one of the plurality of panels for which the front panel is contiguous along the hinge line.

10 . The dispenser of claim 5 wherein the plurality of fold lines includes first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth hinge lines, and wherein:

the top panel is contiguous with the first outer side panel along the first fold line,

the bottom panel is contiguous with the first outer side panel along the second fold line,

the first outside rear panel is contiguous with the first outer side panel along the third fold line,

the first inner side panel is contiguous with the first outside rear panel along the fourth fold line,

the inner rear panel is contiguous with the first inner side panel along the fifth fold line, the second inner side panel is contiguous with the inner rear panel along the sixth fold line,

the second outside rear panel is contiguous with the second inner side panel along the seventh fold line, and

the second outer side panel is contiguous with the second outside rear panel along the eighth fold line.

11 . The dispenser of claim 5 wherein a combined width of the first outside rear panel, the second outside rear panel, and the inner rear panel is greater than a width of the front panel.

12 . The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the attachment portions of the plurality of panels include a plurality of flaps and a plurality of slots, wherein each of the plurality of flaps are contiguous with one of the plurality of panels along a respective one of the plurality of fold lines, and wherein each of the plurality of slots are cutouts along a respective one of the plurality of fold lines and are configured to receive a respective one of the plurality of flaps.

13 . The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the first access panel is disposed at least within the front panel of the plurality of interconnected panels by perforations, wherein the first access panel is configured to be removed to grant access to the interior of the body by tearing the perforations.

14 . A method for loading a stacked configuration of eye shields into a dispenser, the method comprising:

providing a dispenser, the dispenser formed by folding a plurality of panels together along a plurality of fold lines and securing attachment portions of the plurality of panels to each other or one or more of the plurality of panels to form a body having a U-shaped cross- section, the plurality of panels being interconnected via the plurality of fold lines as defined in a contiguous blank;

loading a first stacked configuration of eye shields into an interior of the body through an opening exposed along a height dimension of the interior of the body; and

closing a front panel of the plurality of panels along a hinge line to enclose the first stacked configuration of eye shields within the interior of the body.

15 . A method comprising: providing the dispenser of claim 2 ; and removing the first access panel to grant access to reveal the first one of the plurality of eye shields from within the interior of the body.

16 . A method comprising:

providing the dispenser of claim 2 ;

allowing eye shields to be dispensed therefrom

reopening at least a portion of the front panel to expose the interior of the body along the height dimension thereof; and

loading additional eye shields into the interior of the body; and

closing the front panel to at least partially enclose the second stacked configuration of eye shields within the interior of the body.

17 . A blank for forming an eye shield dispenser, the blank comprising:

a contiguous sheet; and

a plurality of fold lines formed in the contiguous sheet to define a plurality of panels, the plurality of panels configured to be folded along the plurality of fold lines to form a body of an eye shield dispenser having a U-shaped cross-section, and

wherein the plurality of panels include a front panel that is contiguous with only a single other one of the plurality of panels along a hinge line of the plurality of fold lines, and

wherein the front panel is configured to hingedly open via the hinge line to expose an interior of the body when the plurality of panels are folded along the plurality of fold lines to form the body.

18 . The blank of claim 17 wherein the plurality of panels further include a second outer side panel, an second inner side panel, an first outer side panel, an first inner side panel, an inner rear panel, a first outside rear panel, and a second outside rear panel, a top panel, and a bottom panel, and wherein the first outer side panel comprises the single other one of the plurality of panels for which the front panel is contiguous along the hinge line.

19 . The blank of claim 17 wherein the plurality of fold lines further include first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth fold lines.

20 . The blank of claim 17 wherein the plurality of panels further include a second outer side panel, an second inner side panel, an first outer side panel, an first inner side panel, an inner rear panel, a first outside rear panel, and a second outside rear panel, a top panel, and a bottom panel, and wherein the first outer side panel comprises the single other one of the plurality of panels for which the front panel is contiguous along the hinge line,

wherein the plurality of fold lines further include first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth fold lines,

wherein the top panel is contiguous with the first outer side panel along the first fold line,

wherein the bottom panel is contiguous with the first outer side panel along the second fold line,

wherein the first outside rear panel is contiguous with the first outer side panel along the third fold line,

wherein the first inner side panel is contiguous with the first outside rear panel along the fourth fold line,

wherein the inner rear panel is contiguous with the first inner side panel along the fifth fold line,

wherein the second inner side panel is contiguous with the inner rear panel along the sixth fold line,

wherein the second outside rear panel is contiguous with the second inner side panel along the seventh fold line, and

wherein the second outer side panel is contiguous with the second outside rear panel along the eighth fold line.