1-50. (canceled)
51. In a gravity-feed dispenser for dispensing a stack of folded sheets including a generally rectangular housing with a front wall, a rear wall, two sidewalls and a lower portion, the improvement comprising:
(a) a funnel portion coupled to said lower portion of said housing provided with a generally convergent profile such that a front wall of said funnel portion extends downwardly and inwardly with respect to the front wall of said housing, a rear wall of said funnel portion extends downwardly and inwardly with respect to the rear wall of said housing and two sidewalls of said funnel portion extending downwardly; and
(b) a dispensing aperture defined by said funnel portion of said dispenser, said aperture having an elongate portion extending between the sidewalls of said funnel portion defining an elongate axis of said aperture, the aperture having a rear border of the elongate portion of said aperture and wherein said aperture is configured so that the elongate portion thereof extends upwardly from its rear border to said front wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser such that folded absorbent sheets disposed in said funnel portion of said dispenser are exposed adjacent said front wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser over a substantial height from the rear border of the elongate portion of the aperture and are so presented at the front of said dispenser, the aperture further being provided with a transverse portion extending from the rear border of the elongate portion of said aperture upwardly in said rear wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser, said transverse portion of said aperture being configured to allow access to the interior of said funnel portion of said dispenser in order to withdraw absorbent sheet from said dispenser.
52. The improvement according to claim 51, wherein said dispensing aperture is provided with an arcuate front lip extending upwardly to a maximum height at its central portion.
53. The improvement according to claim 51, wherein said stack of absorbent sheets comprises a stack of inter-folded napkins.
54. The improvement according to claim 53, wherein said stack of inter-folded napkins has a dispensing length of up to about 10\xbd inches.
55. The improvement according to claim 54, wherein said stack of inter-folded napkins has a dispensing length of up to about 7\xbd inches.
56. The improvement according to claim 53, wherein said stack of inter-folded napkins is a stack of two-fold inter-folded napkins disposed in the dispenser.
57. The improvement according to claim 56, wherein said stack of two-fold napkins is disposed in said dispenser and comprises a plurality of two-fold napkins, each of which has a lower tail portion projecting toward said front wall of said housing.
58. In a gravity-feed dispenser for dispensing a stack of folded sheets including a generally rectangular housing with a front wall, a rear wall, two sidewalls and a lower portion, the improvement comprising:
(a) a funnel portion coupled to said lower portion of said housing provided with a generally convergent profile such that a front wall of said funnel portion extends downwardly and inwardly with respect to the front wall of said housing, a rear wall of said funnel portion extends downwardly and inwardly with respect to the rear wall of said housing and two sidewalls of said funnel portion extending downwardly;
(b) a dispensing aperture defined by said funnel portion of said dispenser, said aperture having an elongate portion extending between the sidewalls of said funnel portion defining an elongate axis of said aperture, the aperture having a rear border of the elongate portion of said aperture and wherein said aperture is configured so that the elongate portion thereof extends upwardly from its rear border to said front wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser such that folded absorbent sheets disposed in said funnel portion of said dispenser are exposed adjacent said front wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser over a substantial height from the rear border of the elongate portion of the aperture and are so presented at the front of said dispenser, the aperture further being provided with a transverse portion extending from the rear border of the elongate portion of said aperture upwardly in said rear wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser, said transverse portion of said aperture being configured to allow access to the interior of said funnel portion of said dispenser in order to withdraw absorbent sheet from said dispenser;
(c) a plurality of declivitous guide ridges disposed on an inner surface of said front wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser configured to guide folded absorbent sheets downwardly as they are drawn through said aperture of said dispenser; and
(d) a plurality of subsidiary guide ridges disposed on an inner surface of said rear wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser configured to guide folded absorbent sheets downwardly as they are drawn through said aperture of said dispenser, wherein said plurality of declivitous guide ridges and said plurality of subsidiary guide ridges are positioned, configured and dimensioned to incline sheets of said stack in the vicinity of the dispensing aperture such that their front portions are elevated with respect to their rearward portions.
59. The improvement according to claim 58, wherein said plurality of declivitous guide ridges disposed on said inner surface of said front wall of said funnel portion extend upwardly to a height greater than a height that said subsidiary guide ridges project upwardly from said rear wall of said funnel portion.
60. The improvement according to claim 58, wherein said plurality of declivitous guide ridges are provided with an arcuate profile.
61. The improvement according to claim 58, wherein said plurality of subsidiary guide ridges are provided with a generally triangular profile.
62. The improvement according to claim 59, wherein said plurality of declivitous guide ridges project upwardly from said front wall of said funnel portion to a maximum distance of from about 12 inch to about 1 inch.
63. The improvement according to claim 62, wherein said plurality of declivitous guide ridges project upwardly from said front wall of said funnel portion to a maximum distance of about 34 inch.
64. The improvement according to claim 59, wherein said plurality of declivitous guide ridges include at least one centrally located declivitous guide ridge and at least a pair of laterally located declivitous guide ridges, said laterally located declivitous guide ridges being located between said centrally located declivitous guide ridge and a respective sidewall of the funnel portion of the dispenser, wherein said centrally located declivitous guide ridge projects upwardly to a height higher than that of said laterally located declivitous guide ridges.
65. The improvement according to claim 64, wherein said plurality of declivitous guide ridges comprises at least 2 centrally located declivitous guide ridges between said laterally located declivitous guide ridges, each of which centrally located declivitous guide ridges projects upwardly to a height higher than that of said laterally located declivitous guide ridges.
66. The improvement according to claim 59, wherein said subsidiary guide ridges project upwardly from said rear wall of said funnel portion to a maximum distance of from about 14 inch to about 12 inch.
67. The improvement according to claim 66, wherein said subsidiary guide ridges project upwardly from said rear wall of said funnel portion a maximum distance of about 38 inch.
68. The improvement according to claim 58, wherein said plurality of declivitous guide ridges comprises from 2 to 8 declivitous guide ridges.
69. A gravity-feed dispenser for a stack of inter-folded napkins comprising:
(a) a generally rectangular housing provided with a front wall, a rear wall, two sidewalls and a lower portion;
(b) a funnel portion coupled to said lower portion of said housing provided with a generally convergent profile such that a front wall of said funnel portion extends downwardly and inwardly with respect to the front wall of said housing, a rear wall of said funnel portion extends downwardly and inwardly with respect to the rear wall of said housing and two sidewalls of said funnel portion extend downwardly with respect to the sidewalls of said housing;
(c) a dispensing aperture defined by said funnel portion of said dispenser, said aperture having an elongate portion extending between the sidewalls of said funnel portion defining an elongate axis of said aperture, the aperture having a rear border of the elongate portion of said aperture and wherein said aperture is configured so that the elongate portion thereof extends upwardly from its rear border to said front wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser such that folded absorbent sheets disposed in said funnel portion of said dispenser are exposed adjacent said front wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser over a substantial height from the rear border of the elongate portion of the aperture and are so presented at the front of said dispenser;
(d) a plurality of declivitous guide ridges disposed on an inner surface of said front wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser configured to guide folded absorbent sheets downwardly as they are drawn through said aperture of said dispenser; and
(e) a plurality of subsidiary guide ridges disposed on an inner surface of said rear wall of said funnel portion of said dispenser configured to guide folded absorbent sheets downwardly as they are drawn through said aperture of said dispenser, wherein said plurality of declivitous guide ridges and said plurality of subsidiary guide ridges are positioned, configured and dimensioned to incline sheets of said stack in the vicinity of the dispensing aperture such that their front portions are elevated with respect to their rearward portions;
wherein the length of the elongate axis of the aperture is shorter than the corresponding dispensing length of the stack of inter-folded napkins.
70. The improvement according to claim 59, wherein the length of said elongate axis of said dispensing aperture is from about 5 to about 20 percent less than the corresponding dispensing length of said stack of folded inter-folded napkins.
71. The improvement according to claim 59, wherein the length of said elongate axis of said dispensing aperture is about 10 percent less than the corresponding dispensing length of said stack of folded inter-folded napkins.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A server configured to control a external apparatus, the server comprising:
a communicator configured to receive an input command of a user and biometric information of the user from a device; and
a controller configured to determine a condition for controlling the external apparatus and operation of the external apparatus based on the received input command of the user and the received biometric information of the user, and provide a control command for controlling the operation of the external apparatus to the external apparatus in response to the determined condition being satisfied.
2. The server of claim 1, wherein the biometric information of the user is generated by a wearable device connected to the device and is provided to the device by the wearable device.
3. The server of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the condition and the operation, according to an intention of the user which is determined based on the input command of the user, the biometric information of the user, and a type of the external apparatus.
4. The server of claim 1, wherein the external apparatus is one of a plurality of the external apparatuses, and
the controller is configured to select some of the external apparatuses and determine operation of the selected external apparatuses.
5. The server of claim 1, wherein the communicator is configured to receive condition information of a house of the user or information of a location of the device,
the controller is configured to determine whether the determined condition is satisfied based on the condition information or the information of the location of the device,
the external apparatus is a home appliance in the house of the user, and
the controller is configured to determine an ONOFF state and a function of the external apparatus.
6. The server of claim 5, wherein the condition information is generated by at least of the external apparatus and the device, and
the condition information comprises information about at least one of a temperature and a humidity in the house of the user.
7. The server of claim 1, wherein the control command is generated by sequentially arranging a plurality of control commands with respect to the external apparatus to execute the determined operation.
8. The server of claim 1, wherein the input command of the user comprises information about at least one of text, voice, and a gesture which are input to the device by the user.
9. The server of claim 1, wherein the external apparatus is one of a plurality of external apparatuses,
the biometric information comprises at least one of a heart rate, a body temperature, and a blood flow rate at an end of a hand of the user,
the plurality of external apparatuses comprises an air conditioner and a heater, and
the condition for controlling at least one of the air conditioner and the heater is determined based on at least one of the heart rate, the body temperature and the blood flow rate at the end of the hand of the user.
10. The server of claim 1, wherein the communicator is configured to receive apparatus information of the external apparatus from the device,
the apparatus information comprises information about an identification value of the external apparatus, a type of the external apparatus, and a command used to control the external apparatus, and
the control command comprises some commands selected among commands included in the apparatus information.
11. A method of controlling an external apparatus, the method comprising:
receiving an input command of a user and biometric information of the user from a device; and
determining a condition for controlling the external apparatus and operation of the external apparatus based on the received input command of the user and the received biometric information of the user; and
providing a control command for controlling the operation of the external apparatus to the external apparatus in response to the determined condition being satisfied.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the biometric information of the user is generated by a wearable device connected to the device and is provided to the device by the wearable device.
13. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining the condition for controlling the external apparatus and the operation of the external apparatus comprises:
determining the condition and the operation, according to an intention of the user which is determined based on the input command of the user, the biometric information of the user, and a type of the external apparatus.
14. The method of claim 11, wherein the external apparatus is one of a plurality of external apparatuses, and
the determining the operation of the external apparatus comprises selecting some of the plurality of external apparatuses and determining operation of the selected external apparatuses.
15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving condition information of a house of the user; and
determining whether the determined condition is satisfied based on the condition information,
wherein the external apparatus is a home appliance in the house of the user, and
the determining the operation of the external apparatus comprises determining an ONOFF state and a function of the external apparatus.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the condition information is generated by at least one of the external apparatus and the device, and
the condition information comprises information about at least one of a location of the device, a temperature in the house of the user, and a humidity in the house of the user.
17. A server configured to control an external apparatus, the server comprising:
a communicator configured to receive an input command of a user and biometric information of the user from a device; and
a controller configured to determine a condition for controlling the external apparatus and operation of the external apparatus based on the received input command of the user and the received biometric information of the user, and provide a control command for controlling the operation of the external apparatus to the external apparatus in response to the determined condition being satisfied.
18. A method of controlling an external apparatus, the method comprising:
receiving an input command of a user and biometric information of the user from a device; and
determining a condition for controlling the external apparatus and operation of the external apparatus based on the received input command of the user and the received biometric information of the user; and
providing a control command for controlling the operation of the external apparatus to the external apparatus in response to the determined condition being satisfied.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program which, when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to perform the method of claim 11.
20. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a computer program which, when executed by a computer system, causes the computer system to perform the method of claim 18.