Editing Pez (section)

==Patents==
Pez, Inc. has applied for and received patents related to the Pez dispensers, and usually molds the patent number onto the stem of the design. The patent number cannot be reliably used to determine how old a dispenser is.{{sfn|Welch|1994|p=2}} Collectors refer to the first two digits of a patent number as a shorthand for a given patent number. For example, the 5.9 (5,984,285) patent was granted in 1999, but did not first appear on a Pez item until 2002. By 2007, 4.9 patented items were still regularly appearing on store shelves. Dispensers can also be found with several non-US patents, such as the German "DBP 818.829" (Deutsches Bundes-Patent) and the Mexican "Patent Nr 141,242".

{| class=wikitable
!Patent!!Year!!<div style="text-align:left;">Name of patent; notes about the patent</div>
|-
|{{US patent|2620061}}||1952||Pocket article dispensing container; First patent for the Pez dispenser
|-
|{{US patent|3410455}}||1968||Dispensing Device for tablets
|-
|{{US patent|3845882}}||1974||Spring cage for use in a tablet dispensing receptacle
|-
|{{US patent|3942683}}||1976||Tablet dispensing receptacle
|-
|{{US patent|4966305}}||1990||Tablet dispenser
|-
|{{US patent|5984285}}||1999||Plastic spring
|-
|{{US patent|7523841}}||2009||Tray for storing and individually dispensing tablets
|}