AU2003203629A1 - Twin tissue dispenser - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): ENGLEWOOD VENTURES INC.

Invention Title: TWIN TISSUE DISPENSER The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: TWIN TISSUE DXSPENSER Field The present invention relates to a tissue dispenser for dispensing toilet tissue of a type that holds two rolls of toilet tissue and dispens~es from one roll at a time.

Batckgz'oind Known twin or dual roll toilet tissue dispensers house mnultiple rolls with the spindles either parallel but spaced apart from a support wall or with the spindles perpendicular to a wall.

With the latter type either there i.s no prcovision for rotating the rolls from the outside of the housing with the cover closed or, if there is, then there is no way of limiting the rotation of a roll not in use and filling up the inside of the housing with tissue paper.

Of the known twin roll dispensers, some have access to the rolls from the bottom controlled by a sliding panel which slides fr-om a position below one roll to a position below an adjacent roll. Known sliding panels are supported from both the back of the housing as well as by an elongated member at the front that extends from one side of the housing to the other.

Such elongated members tend to be fragile and result in a more complex and expensive structure. Another feature of known sliding panels is that there is no bias tending to inhibit movement of the panel from an initial position to a final position. Consequently, any force applied to the panel can easily result; in the panel moving from one side to the other by accident.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a twin tissue roll dispenser which is simrple and inexpensive It is a further object of the invention to-provide a twin tissue roll dispenser which avoids the need for a sliding panel support mnember along the front of the housing. it is yet a further object of the invention to provide a means for locking one spindle whil.e the other one is free to dispense toilet tigsue.

St7MMdRY OF THE flJVENTZON A toil.et tissue paper dispenser having a housing with rear, top and side walls, a cover pivotally connected to the housing, a pair of rotatable spindles mounted on the rear wall of the housing, and a slidable panel slidably coupled to a rear wall of the housing and located below the spindles. The slidable panel is movable from one side of the housing to another so as to expose for access a roll of toilet tissue mounted on one of the spindles and block access to another roll of toilet tissue mounted on another one of the spindles. A pair of knobs is rotatably mounted on a front of the cover, coupled to respective ones of the spindles and operative to rotate each spindle when the slidable panel is on a side of the dispenser opposite to each spindle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWIXZGS Although the characteristic features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself, and the manner in which it m~ay be made and used, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts! Fig. 1 is a, front perspective view of the dippenser; Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of the dispenser with the cover open; Fig. 3 is a rear perspective view showing the rear and bottom of the dispenserj, Fig. 4 is a view of a portion of the exterior of the rear panel showing the sliding panel siupport features; and Fig. 5 is a bottom view of one half of the dispenser with the sliding panel positioned on the other half showing the spindle and front actuator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO TIM DRAWINGS Referring to Fig. 1, the dispenser 11 is made up of a housing 10 and a cover 20 pivotally attached to the housing with pivot pins 42 on the sides of the housing 10 at the bottom of the dispenser 11, Rolls of toilet tissue paper 17 are mounted on spindles 12 and 14 (see Fig. 2) in. the interior of the dispenser L1. Knobs 27 couple to the spindles and, when rotated, cause rotation of the spindles 12 and 1.4, except when the latter are locked from the rear. A slidable panel 24 is moved from one side to another by the application of force to knob 34. Once a roll is emrpty a user can simply move the slidable panel 24 to the other side and expose the second roll for use.

Referring to Fig. 2 the rear of housing 10 is made up of two upper sections 21 and 23 and a lower section 20 which is displaced outwardly with respect to section 21 leaving a horizontally oriented elongated slot 43 (see Fig. 3) between the' two. A lower, horizontally aligned elongated slot 32 extends across the rear of the housing except for a small region at the center. A sliding panel 24 has an underlying raised hand grip 34 and a raised plate 38 which extends up to slightly below spindle 14. As seen in Fig. 3 a pair of pins 51 affixed to an inside side edge of panel 24 extend through slot 32 at either end of panel 24 and retained within slot 32 by small flanges (not shown) Plate 38 has slots in its upper portion and an inner slotted portion extends through slot 43 to retain the panel and prevent it from rotating downwardly. An elongated toothed inner edge 26 engages a gear wheel 28 and provides resistance against rapid movemnent of the panel 24 towards the right as could happen if the panel were released part way through a movement from right to left and a biasing spring were installed between the housing an-d the panel 24. A tab f ormed in the housing having a slight inwardly projecting protuberance 36 serves to inhibit movement of the panel due to casual contact with a user.

Spindles 12 and 14 have serrated end edges which grip and interlock with similar serrated edges on small cylinders and 52, respectively. Cylinders 50 and 52 are rigidly affixed to plates 54 and 56# respectively. Plates 54 and 56, in turn, are rigidly affixed to corresponding rotatable knobs 27. ordinarily the interlocking serrated edges assist in ensuring that rotation of each knob 27 results in rotation of the corresponding one of spindles 12 and 14. Referring to Fig. 3, an elongated bar 49 i4 rigidlJy connected to panel 24 and slides horizontally fromr one side of the dispenser 11 to the other as panel 24 moves from one side to the other. In each position the bar slides under rear annular discs 61 and 63 below indentations in these discs so as to block the corresponding one of rear annular discs 61 and 63 from rotation. Since rear arnular discs 61. and 63 are connected rigidly to spindles 12 and 14, locking of one of the latter discs causes the corresponding one of spindles 1.2 and 1.4 to become locked. Rotation of the corresponding knob 27 causes the serrated teeth to slide over' one another and flex the cover outwardly.

In operation a pair of roll$ of toilet paper tissue 17 are mo unted on spindles 12 and 14 with the panel pulled fully to the right. Spindl.e 12 is locked against rotation by bar 49 and plate 38 is blocked from movement to the left by the roll on spindle 14 until that roll is empty. With the cover 20 locked, the roll on spindle 14 is accessible from below and spindle can be rotated in response to rotation of corresponding knob 27.

When the roll 17 on spindle 14 is empty, plate 38 is no longer blocked by the roll 17. A user can pull on handle or knob 34 to move the panel to the left. A ramp bracket 37 on cover resists this movement arnd causes the cover to flex outwardly until handle 34 clears an end of ramp bracket 37 and then the handle is blocked from movement to the right at that point. A spring may be connected between a right hand end of panel 24 and a right hand end of the housing 10 to bias the panel to the right. While pulling the panel 24 to the left in order to expose the right hand roll 17, if a spring is used to bias the panel to the right'a user may accidentally release the panel and it is then pulled rapidly to the right, Upon engagement by the teeth 26 with the gear wheel 30, the latter resists accelerated movemnent to the right and causes the panel to slow down, thereby protecting the user.

By providing access only to one roll at a time and only from below, the contamination risk of the paper is reduced.

Accordingly, while this invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to this description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any such modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention.

For the purposes of this specification it will be clearly understood that the word "comprising" means "including but not limited to", and that the word "comprises" has a corresponding meaning.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country.

Claims (4)

1.A toilet tissue paper dispenser, comprisin g: a housing having a rear, top and side walls; a cover pivotally connected to said housing, said cover; a pair of rotatable knobs mounted oil 5aid cover having toilet tissue roll engaging elements on an interior of said cqver; a pair of rotatable spindles mounted on the rear. wall of said housing, axially aligned with 4aid rotatable knobs, sai.d spindles and said corresponding toilet tissuie roll engaging elements positioned to rotatably engage toilet tissue rolls therebetweea; 4 slidable panel slidably coupled to a rear wall of said housing and located below said spindles,. said slidable panel movable from one side'of said housing to another so as to expose for access a roll of toilet tissue mnounted on oraf, of said spindles and block access to another roll of toilet tissue mounted on another one of said spindles; and a slidable panel mounted on a rear wall of said housing below said4 spindles and movable from one side of said dispenser to another so as to expose only one of said rolls of toilet tissue and block access to another.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said slidable panel has a raised plate which abuts a non-empty roll of toilet tissue when on said one side and blocks movement of said plate to said another side until said roll s empty,

3. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said slidable panel has a bar which moves as said panel moves and, when in said one position, locks a corresponding one of said spindles and, when in said another position, locks -another of said spindles.

4. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said cover has a ramp bracket on an interior surface thereof, which blocks return movement once said panel has moved past said ramp. A dispenser according to claim 1, including a braking element operative to slow said panel in the event of aqcidental release when said panel is biased towards said one side of said dispenser. Dated this 10th day of April 2003 ENGLEWOOD VENTURES INC. By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia