CA1153740A - Positively cammed roller housed cutting mechanism for rolled web dispensers - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A dispenser for wound rolls of flexible sheet material, such as, paper towels, toilet tissue or the like has inwardly facing tracks on the opposite inner side walls of the dispenser housing to receive therein outwardly projecting spindles carried by wound rolls to be dispensed for the rolls to move in succession downwardly relative to the tracks with a section of the lower end of each track slanting away from a feed roller mounted adjacent the lower end of the dispenser housing and each track having at such lower end section a pivotally mounted roll rotation driving guide biased toward the track center to form the lower side of each track section slanting away from the feed roller. A pressure roller is biased into rotating engagement with the feed roller for flexible sheet material to drivingly pass therebetween with the pressure roller having at least one resiliently deformable segment that is eccentric to the pressure roller axis to pick up the leading free end of sheet material on a full roll and lead it into the nip between the feed roller and pressure roller, this pressure roller also has axially spaced conical resilient portions along the length thereof with the conical portions facing from the opposite ends of the pressure roll inwardly toward the mid-point of the pressure roll to promote spreading out the sheet material passing between the feed roller and the pressure roller. A serrated cutting knife is pivotally mounted within the feed roller to sever the sheet material, the serrations on the knife being spaced to accommodate therebetween the deformable eccentric segment and the conical portions on the pressure roller during initial projection of the knife from within the feed roller in severing the sheet material. The cutting knife swings about an axis laterally displaced from the plane of a radially outward portion of the knife and cam followers are carried by the ends of the knife extending beyond the ends of the feed roller with the followers displaced from the pivot mounting axis of the knife. Stationary cams are mounted adjacent the ends of the feed roller with which the cam followers on the knife edge engage to positively project the knife cutting edge beyond the feed roller periphery and retract the cutting edge upon rotation of the feed roller.

Description

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This inYention relates to dispensers for wound rolls of flexible sheet material and particularly to dispensers for rolls of paper towels~
~issue paper, and the like, wherein each roll has supporting spindles projecting out-wardly from the ends of the core of the roll~ More 5 specifically9 the dispensers to which the instant invention relates, are concerned with dispensing a web of flexible sheet material from wound rolls wherein multiple ro~ls can be retained for dispensing from each roll in succession with precision in unwinding the material from each roll and assurance that the leading free end on the exterior of each 10 wound roll will feed into the dispensing mechanis~m with reliability so that the user will have accessibility to the sheet materiRI exteriorly of the dispenser housing. Irnportnlltly, tlle invention also involves a mechanism ndapted to be used within dispensers for cutting ~ web o~
fIexible sheet materisl into individual lengths of the material Numerous web dispensirlg constructions are known in the prior art ~nd employed in commercial use where a paper towel dispenser, for example, is mounted on a wall in a location where towel availability is desired. Considering the large number of such dispensers employed in many commercial installations such as faetories, office buildings, 20 institutions9 et2., more and more sttention has been devoted to consideration of the substanti~l expcnse in time nnd labor required in replenishing the exhausted wound rolls in such dispcnsers, particularly where ~ single roll is the limit of capability to be housed within ea~h dispenser unit, ;;37~

Accordingly, many structures have been developed to accommodate multiple rolls of wound sheet material so that the individual dispenser need only be replenished when the entire c~o~rp~em~nt of rolls within the dispenser has been exhausted, namely7 where a first roll has been used 5 up and a reserve roll is available within the dispenser to move into the dispensing position and feed out the sheet material from such reserve roll. Obviously, this reduces the time and expense required in replenishing rolls in the multitude of dispensers in a commercial establishment so that the labor cost is correspondingly reduced.
Whereas the single roll dispenser can be easily loaded with a roll by an attendant and the free leading web end on the roll threaded in and through the dispensing mechanism to be available to a user externally of the dispenser housing, the advent of dispensers accommodat;ng multiple rolls gave rise to particular problems in providing a construction which 15 effectively enables the leading free web end on the exterior of a reserve roll to be picked up by the dispensing mechanism in the dispenser and reliably fed out of the dispenser once an initial roll has been exhausted.
The problem is to assure that this pick up and feeding from the reserve roll is effectively and accurately carried out automatically in the absence 20 of an attendant having to retum to the dispenser to start the leading free end of the reserve roll out through the feeding mechanism. Of course, this would defeat the purpose of multiple roll dispensers.
The prior art has proposed numerous ideas, constructions and mechanisms to c~rry out this pick up of the leading free end on a 25 reserve roll. Each hopefully aims at getting automatic and accurale feeding of the end of the new roll into the feeding mechanism so that the multiple roll dispenser can continue operating and supply its web of sheet material to the prospective users of the dispenser. Wherea~
attempts in development of multiple roll dispensers have sought to 30 achieve the ultimate, there have been numerous defects and failings in achieving assurance that the web of paper on the reserve roll is properly picked up, properly fed to the dispensing mechanism and properly available to the prospective users exteriorally of the dispenser housing.
These problems call for structures that ~re simple and yet effective 35 if the dispenser is to be readily understood and adaptable to easy loading IL~1.53~

by attendants who could become confused with structures involving complicated dispensing mechanisms where threading of even the lead end of the initial wound roll may be overly complicated. With complex dispensers, proper loading and assurance that $he lead end on a reserve 5 roll will be picked up may be beyond the comprehension of attendants who are assigned the task of loading numerous multiple roll dispensers in commercial estaWshments that employ a great number or even small number of multiple roll dispensers.
In the prior art perforating or severing mechanisms used in towel 10 dispensers have included a rotatably mounted knif e and a cooperating rotatably mounted roller having a slot therein for receiving the radially outward portion of the knife as the knife rotates past the roller. The web of flexible sheet material is passed between the roller and the - knife to be perforated or severed when the radially outward knife portion 15 enters the slot in the roller.
Such perforating or severing mechanisms are satisfactory for perforating or severing relatively unstretchable flexible sheet materials such as uncreped paper toweling. However, with the increased use of relatively stretchable flexible sheet materials, such as embossed or creped

2 0 paper toweling, the prior art perforating and severing mechanisms hav0 proved unsatisfactory because the web of sheet material tends to stretch about the cutting edge of the knif e instead of being perforate~ or severed thereby. Although precisi~rotary shears are also known which could be employed for obviating this problem, such shears are much too 2 5 expensive to be used in flexible sheet material dispensers designed for installation to be used in both commercial and private washrooms.
The wound roll dispenser of the present invention is particularly adaptable for multiple rolls held within the dispenser housing on supporting spindles projecting outwardly from both roll core ends. Inwardly facing 30 tracks on the opposite inner side walls of the dispenser housing receive the outwardly projecting spindles fixedly held in a r~ll core, either in the orm of core end caps or a mandrel, specifically constructed to promote rotation of the rolls as they move downwardly within the tracks.
The lowermost roll engages and is driven by a rotatably mounted feed 35 ro~ler disposed adjacent the bottom ends of the tracksO

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A.dditionally) as an important pnrt of the invention, a pressure roller, rotatably rnoun~ed in the dispenser housing, is nssociated in driven relation with the feed roller. This pressure roller is formed with eccentrically disposed axiaUy spaced resilient segments that serve, upon 5 rotation of the prcssure roller, to picls up the leading free end of sheet material on the exterior of a full roll and feed it into the nip between the feed roller and pressure roller, thereby assuring that the web material from a roll in the bottorn position of the tracks resting on the feed roller is fed between the rollers and thence out of the dispenser for 10 access by a user. The pressure ro~ler also is provided with axially spaced cylindrical resilient conical portions that press against the feed roller as the sheet material passes between the nip of the rollers The above referred to inwardly facing tracks, within which the spindles extending from the roll core ends are supported, have a lower 15 end section of each track slanting away from the longitudinal axis of the main length of the track and generally slanting toward a position tangent to the perimeter of the feed roller. This lower end section o~
each track is provided with n pivotally supported guide that is biased inwardly toward the center line of the track, this guide being disposed 20 on the lower side of the slaulting track section. The biased guides promote rotation of the wound roll passing down the tracks by pressing against the periphery of the spindles at opposite ends of the rollO This ~ction rotates the roll during its downward movement within the tracksD
The lower end section of each track need not necessarily be slanted as 25 ~.bove mentioned but s~lould have the inwardly biased guide disposed on the side of the track disposed in the direction that the sheet material will be drawn off of the roll when it is engaging the feed roll er and pressure roller while being drawn out o the dispenserO
As for the above mentioned pressure roller9 the resiliently 30 deformable segments on the pressure roller project eccentrically outwnrdly throughollt a part of the periphery of the pressure roller and are positioned so that a full roll at the bottom of the dispenser tracks will not only engage the feed roller but also enga~e the pressure roller~ A~
the pressure roller rotates with the feed roller the deformable eccentric 35 segments will move ngninst the leading fre~ end of sheet materinl on the roll causiny it to buckle downwardly into the nip between the two rollers. Also, the axially spaced resilient cylindrical portions on the ~eed roller promote driving of the two rollers by each other as the sheet material is drawn between the nip. These resilient portions 5 preferably are conical in configuration with each conical portion facing inwardly toward the mid-point of the pressure roller so as to promote spreadingr out of the sheet material along the width of the nip between the rollers. The dispe~ser of the invention embodying the above described features also preferably is provided with a mechanism for stopping 10 rotation of the feed roller and pressure roller and thus arresting movement of the sheet material so that an individual sheet of material which has been severed from the web of ~material unwound from the roll has its free end immediately accessible to a user.
Also, a cam actuated knife pivotally mounted within the feed 15 roller is projected through an elongated opening in the feed roller wall as the feed roller is rotated with the sheet material overlyin~ its surface. The cam action is constructed to positively project and retract the knife relative to the opening in the feed roller and the activating cams are stationarily mounted such that the knie, which has serrations 20 therealong, initially projects outwardly immediately before the web of material reaclles the nip of the feed roller and pressure roller. There serrations are spaced to enter between the eccentric segments and conical resilient portions carried by the pressure roller to start perforation of the web ~djacent the nip of the rollersO
Further, the invention provides a cutting mechanism comprising a chassis and a rotatably mounted feed roller on the chassis over which the web of m~terial passes. A knife is pivotally mounted in the feed roller, to swing about an axis which is laterally displaced from the plane of the knife, radially outwardly with a portion of the knife defining a 30 cutting edge for the web. This edge is projected outwardly through an openlllg in the feed roller beyond the periphery of the feed roller to cut the web as it pnsses over the feed roller. The knife cnrries cam followers displaced from the pivot mounting axis of the knife and stationnry cams are mounted adjacent the ends of the fced roller with 35 which the cam îollowers on the knife engage to positively project and .

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retract the knife cutting edge upon rotation of the feed roller.
With the foregoing in mind, it is an cbject of an aspect of the present invention to provide a flexible sheet material dispenser having improved ~unting for wound rolls carried within the dispenser to assure ~tation of the rolls in pro ting the dispensing action.
An object of an aspect of the invention is to pr~vide for inter-engaging feed and pressure rollers with the pressure roller especially configured to promote pick up of a leading end of sheet material on the exterior of a full woun~ roll~
An object of an aspect of the invention is to provide a pressure roll in accordan oe with the above object wherein resilient means are carried spaoe d along the length of the roll to prom~te, incident rota-tion of the pressure roller, spreading out of the sheet m~terial across the width of the nip between a feed r~ller and pressure roller.
An object of an aspect of the invention is to provide a dispen-ser having opposite inwardly facing tracks to receive the spindles of rolls to be dispensed from the dispenser where a lo~er end section of each track carries a guide means which is biased inwardly toward the oe nter of the track to offer a friction surface along which the i -phery of a ~11 spindle within the track will engase to promote roll r~tation.
It is also an object of an aspect of the instant invention, in accordan oe with the above object, to employ a slanting lower end section of each track which slants away from the axis of a feed roller 25 with the biased guide means of each track. being located on the lower side of each slanting track section~
An cbject of an aspect of the invention is to pr~vide a dis-p~nser in accordan oe with the above~cbjects wherein one roll spindle has a peripheral groove spa oe d inwardly from the outermDst end of the 30 spind7e and one track has flanse means throush which the grcove passes when t~e spindle i5 lowered into the dispenser tracks such that proper loading direction-wise for the r311 within the dispenser is assured.
An cbject of an aspect of the invention is to provide a flex-ible sheet naterial dispenser having a mechanism for effectively cut-ting a web of flexible sheet material being remDved from a roll with-in the dispenser.
An object of an aspect of the invention is to provi2e a

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mechanism including a knife within a feed roller where the knife is projected outwardly beyond the periphery of the feed roller to cut the web as it passes over the feed roller.
Further to the above two objects, the cutting knife is S pivotally mounted within a feed roller and stationary cams exter-nal of the feed roller operate to positively project and retract the cutting knife incident rotation of the feed roller, as a further object of an aspect of the invention.
It is an object of an aspect of the invention to provide a flexible sheet material dispenser having a web cutting mechanism which dispenser is compact, rugged and economical to manufacture and that is ideally suited for both commercial and private instal-lations.
In accordance with one aspect of this invention there is pro-vided in a dispenser for rolls of flexible sheet material havinga mechanism for cutting a web of the material, a method for cut-ting the web comprising the steps of; passing the web of material over a feed roller, projecting the edge of a cutting knife from within the feed roller beyond the periphery of the feed roller to cut the web passing over the feed roller, charac-terized by positively canNning the cutting knife to retract the knife edge back into the feed roller incident rotation of the feed roller.
In accordance with another aspect of this invention there is provided in a dispenser ~or rolls of flexible sheet material having, a chassis adapted to be attached to a wall, means carried by said chassis for rotatably supporting a roll of flexible sheet material, means operatively connected to said chassis for guiding a web of flexible sheet material from the roll to a position to be grasped by a user so that the user may pull the web out of the dispenser, mechanism mounted on said chassis for cutting the web at intervals therealong to divide the web into individual sheets, characterized by said cutting mechanism including a rota-tably mounted feed roller on the chassis and over which the web of material passes, a knife pivotally mounted in the feed roller to swing about an axis which is laterally displaced from the plane of the knife cutting edge, said knife having a radially 37~

-7a-outward portion defining said cutting edge for the web, said edge being projected outwardly through an opening in said feed roller beyond the periphery of the feed roller to cut the web as it passes over the feed roller, cam follower means carried by the knife at a point displaced from the pivot mounting axis of the knife, and cam means stationarily mounted on the chassis and engaged with said cam follower means for positively project and retract the knife cutting edge upon rotation of the feed roller.
The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention given in connection with the following described drawings which form a part of this invention.
Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the wound roll dispenser for flexible sheet material of this invention with the front cover broken away to expose components within the interior of the dispenser housing Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure 17 Figure 3 is a view, partly in section, taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a roll mounting spindle relative to one of the inwardly facing tracks which are located on the opposite inner side walls of the dis-penser housing.
Figure 5 is a view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 1 with the cover side wall of the dispenser housing removed to expose the mechanism for feeding flexible sheet material.
Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing the dis-penser mechanism in a position where web material dispensing isin progress.
Figure 7 is a sectional view through the front cover, back and bottom of the dispenser housing showing positions of wound rolls relative to a feed roller, cam activated cutting knife and pressure roller disposed within the housing.
Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the feed roller, pres-sure roller, material cutting knife and one -s~ationary cam for actuating the ~1537~
- B -knife from within ~he feed roller.
Figure 9 is an end view, with portions shown in phantom, illustrating the action of camming the material cutting knife ~rom within the feed roller shown in Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a partial end view showing the relationship of the feed roller and pressure Ipller to a full wound roll of material as the pressure roller approaches picking up the leading free web end of a full roll.
Figure 11 is a view similar to Figure lQ but showing the pressure roller buckling the free end of the web material on n full roll to be fed between the nip of the feed roller and the pressure roller.
Figure 12 is a view also simil~r to the showing in Figure 10 showing the lead end of the full roll being fed downwardly between the nip of the feed and pressure rollers.
Figure 13 is a perspective view showing a resiliently deformable segment which is eccentric to the pressure roll a:cis to pick up the leading edge of sheet material on a full roll.
~igure 14 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment for a resiliently deformable eccentric segment to that sho~vn in ~igure 13~
Figure lS is a sectional view of the front portion of the dispenser showing the cutting mechanism within the chassis in relation to a roll of fle.;ible sheet material.
Figure 16 is a sectional Yiew taken on line 16-16 of Pigure 150 Figure 17 is an elevational view taken on line 17-17 of Figure 16 ~igure 18 is a perspective view of the cutting knife thnt is mounted in the feed roller shown in Figures 15 and 16.
Figure 19 is a Yiew partly in section showing the over-center means for driving the feed roller through a portion of each rotation, ~nd Figure 20 is ~1 elevational view showing the over-center means and anti-reversing pawl engaging notches spaced around the periphery o~
the feed wheel The complete wound roll dispenser is shown in Figure I as a multiple roll dispenser provided with a housing 10 mnde up of a cover 12, the lower portion being removed to e:cpose ~he inncr workings of ~L~S3~0 9 _ the dispenser, a chnssis 14 which providcs inner side walls lfi and lû nnd a back wall 20. A bottom wall 22 is also provided hy ehassis 14 as part of the dispenser housing lO, as best seen in Figure 7. An elongated opening 2~ across ~ major portion of the width of the dispenser housing 5 is provided at the forward end of the bottom wall 22 of cllassis 14 to provide means for leading the dispensed sheet material to access to a user.
In the embodirnent shown, each of the opposite inner side walls 16 and 18 is provided with a vertical track 26, these being shown in 10 section on Figure 2 and one track, shown in perspective on Figure 4, as c~rried by side wall 18. Side wall tracks 26 face inwardly to receive therein the spindles projecting outwardly from the core C of wound roll R of flexible sheet material.
A forward portion 28 of the back wall of each track 26 is inclined 15 inwardly toward the interior of the dispenser housing 10. These inwardly inclined portions 28 of the tracks 26 enga~e the ends of the spindle extending outwardly from the ends of the core C of roll R adjacent the forward periphery of each spindle end AS seen in Figure 2. Thus9 as a roll R moYes down within tracks 26, engagement of the forward 20 end portions of the spindles by inclined portions 28 tends to rot~te the roll R in ~he direction that the s~leet material will eventunlly b~ unwound ~rom the roll. However, in a cabinet where multiple rolls are positioned within the tracks the presence of the lowermost roll while being dispense~
from the dispenser with the reserve roll resting thereon will prevent 25 the rotation of an upper reserve roll from unwinding its sheet material prior to the lowermost roll being substantially exhausted and moving into discard pocket P for spent roll cores. Then the reserve roll moves down into position to have the free leading end of its web of shcet material fed outwardly from the dispenser to the user.
In the embodiment illustrated, as best shown in ~igures 2, 3 and

4, the core C of roll R carries a mandrel 30 frictionally held within the core C. Mandrel 30 hns a flange 32 at one end thereof and fins 34 extending outwardly from the cylindrical surface of mnndrel 30.
These - fins 3~1 mate with slots formed extending outwnrdly through the 35 roll core C into the wound sheet materinl to key thc mandrel 30 and -- lo --roll R positively togcthcr. A largc cylindrical spindle 36 is provided extending ouLwardly from core C on mandrel 30 ~t one cnd of the mandrel while the opposite end of the mandrel has a spindle 38. Spindle 38 is formed with a peripheral groove ~0 inwnrdly of its outermost end.

5 One channel 26 has flanges 42 extending along both inner edges thereof at the upper end of this channel. Flanges 42 overlie a portion of this track 26 with the flanges extending into the groove 40 of spindle 38 when the roll R is being loaded into the dispenser. The advantage of having groove ~0 to permit sp;nd}e 38 to enter the channel passing 10 through the track haYing flanges 42 is that proper loading of the roll within the dispenser is assured so that only one mandrel end, nD mely, the proper end of the roll, passes downwardly into this track 26. Spindle 36 without a groove 10, at the opposite end of the roll would not be able to enter the track 26 having flanges 42 and thus the roll rnust be inserted in loading the dispenser with spindle 38 only in the track 26 carried by wall 16. The keying by means of fins 34 in the slots formed in core C and roll R is important in operation of the dispenser so that the track driving ac tion to rotate the roll is positively transmitted to the ro~l for dispensing in the manner as will be described.
The lower end section of each track 26 slants away from the longitudinal axis of the main length of the track as shown in Figures 3 an~ 4. These lower end sec tions of the two tracks are slanted rear~rardly within the dispenser housing 10 and slant away from the axis of the feed roller described below such thnt the slanting section of e~ch track lies on a line that is generally tangent to the periphery of the feed rollerO
Each slanting section of a track 26 is formed by a stationary upper wall 4-~ and a pivotally mounted driving guide 46 pivotally mounted at 48 to the lower end of the t~ ack. Each driving guide 46 provides a friction surface 50 forming the lower track wall of the slanting section guide 46, as a whole, slanting away from the main track lcngth. The upper end o~ friction surface 50 on each guide 46 has fl projection 52 with an inclined cam nrea 54 extending thereabove. Each guide 46 is biased inwardly toward the center of the track 26 by a spring 56 mounted on a suitable stationary stud 58. Onc end of spring SG presses ~L~5~

ngninst a stationary wall of the part forming track 26 while the other end of spring 56 engages in and presses against the outer wall of guide 46 and ~s held in M retainer 60 on guide ~6. The bottom end wall 45 below stationnry wnll 44 is inclined rearwardly at a steeper angle. This 5 wall ~S allows the spindle to pass between the feed roller and wnll 45 into discard pocket P flt the rear of the dispenser housing once the roll is substantially exhausted oî sheet material, as will be described in more detail hereinafter.
The driving guide 46 is norma~ly biased by spring 56 to pivot 10 about pivot point d~8 such that the guide is moved inwardly toward the center of the track 26. In this position, the inclined cam area 54 is disposed such that as the spindle moves down within track 26 it will en~age this cnm area, camming the driving guide 46 forwardly and allowing the spindle to move over projection 52 and into the space 15 between friction surface 50 and stationary upper wall 44. In this position the spindle rides against the friction surface 50 so that it is encouraged to rotate in a direction to unwind the sheet material from t~le roll.
To promote this rotation of the ro~ under the action of the perimeter of a spindle riding down along friction surface 50, the sllrface may be 20 provided with a coating providing a higller co-efficient of friction to more positively drive a roll spindle and roll carried thereby.
Alternatively, a material having a hiah co-efficient of friction may be used in making the driving guide 46 to provide a higher co-efficient of friction for the surfnce S0.
The pivotally mounted driving gruide 46 associated with each track 26 is preferably and advantageously pivoted on the side of the trflck which is in the direction toward which the web of sheet material will be drawn off of the roll incident dispensing rotation of the feed roller mounted adjncent the lower ends of tracks 26. Where the lower sections 30 of the tracks are slanted, as iLlustrated and described in the preferred embodiment, the inclined friction surface 50, forming the lower side of the slanted track section, in and of itsclf, promotes the perimeter of thc spindles to press ~Irmly against this surface 50 and rotate. The pressure of the spindles agninst the stationnry slnnted wall 4-~, which is 35 the upper wall of the slanted track section is lessencd in such construction .
The force of pulling the web of sheet mnterial off of a roll in the dispensing~ operation adds a further force drawing the spindles which carry the roll ~Irmly against the inclined surface 50. Thus this force 5 further also drlves the roll and its spindles in moving down the inclined sl~nted friction surface 50 to promote rotation of the roU. ~ain, withdraw~l of sheet ma~erial from the roll incident dispensing, whiIe pressing the spindles more firmly a~ainst the surface of driving guides46, lightens or even frees engagement of~ the spindle perimeter from 10 the stationary wall 44.
Even where the track is straight throughout its length, without a slar~ted lower section, the action of n spring biased driving guide pivota11y mounted in the track lower section adjacent the upper end of the feed roller is advantageous. By reason of its locating such guide on the side I 5 of the track 26 which is in the direction in which the web of sheet material is to be withdrawn from the roll the web withdrawing force presses the spindle against the pivotally mounted biased driving ~lide at the lower section of the track. This lessens or releaves the force ag~inst the opposite wall of the track which is stationary. ~gain, the 20 urging toward rotation of the spindles and the roll carried thereby in the direction in which the web is to be ~mwound from the roll during dispensing contributes to effective and easy dispensing of sheet mflteriul from the roL
A feed roIler 6~ is rotatably mounted within the dispenser housing 25 10 adjacent the lower end thereof for n ro11 to engage and be driven by the feed roller in dispensing sheet material from the roll. As sllown, roller 62 is mounted generaUy beneath the main length of trac~s 26 and is made up of several axially spaced cylindrical sections includinga center section 64 and two end sections 66, the latter having their 30 outer ends closed by end caps 67. Each of the feed roller sections has a cavity therein to provide an interior space within and along the length of the feed roller 62 which accornmodntes R serrated cutting knife 68. Feed roUer sections 64 and 66 are slotted to provide an elongated e~ternal opcning. 70 on the periphery of the feed roller 62.
35 Shaît ends 72 project from the opposite end caps 67 of feed rollcr 62 ~153~

to rotatably support the feed roller by each shaft end 72 engaging in a bore 74 provided in a stationarily mounted cam block 76. It is to be understood that a cam block 76 is stationarily mounted at each end of the feed roller 62, these cam blocks being affixed to and facing 5 inwardly from the opposite inner side walls 16 and 18 of chassis 14 which form a part of the dispenser housing 10.
The cam block 76 provides a plate cam therein consisting of a cam pocket 78, opening, in the case of each cam block 76, toward the end of feed roller 62 with which it is associated. This pocket 78 has 10 a pætly-cylindrical portion with its center of curvature corresponding with the axis of bore 74 that receives shaft end 72 and also has an outwardly curved portion extending away from the axis of the feed roller 62. This latter portion is joined at its ends with the ends of the par~cylindrical portion to form pocket 78 into an endless cam 1 5 configuration.
The serrated cutting knife 68 is carried on a member 79 located within the interior space in feed roller 62, such member having cylindrical studs 80, one at each end of knife 68 and member 79, providing a pivot axis which is displaced from the plane of the cutting knif e 68 . The 20 stubs 80 are engaged in apertures provided in the opposite end caps 67 of the feed roller 62. The knife also has at eaoh end thereof, disposed in the plane of the ~utting knife 68 a cam follower 82, one such cam fo~lower extending through an opening in each end cap 67 of the feed roller B2. The cam follower at each end of roller 62 fits into the 25 pocket 78 of a stationary cam block 76 and thus is propelled to control extension and retraction of the cutting knife 68 out of and back into the feed roller 62 as the roller rotates in dispensing sheet material from a wound roll. Incident this rotation of roller 62, knife 68 projects outwardly, piercing the web of sheet material and severing it for removal 30 of a length of the material from the dispenser through opening 24 More detailed description OI the action of the stationary cam block 76 in controlling, through cam followers 82, the projection and retraction of knife 68 will be given by referring to Figures 15-20. It should be mentioned at this point that the disposition of the cam pocket 35 78 and the stationary cam block 76 at each end of feed roller 64 is, i3~ ~

in the instant invention, disposed to obtain a preferred action relative to other components of the structure which will now be described.
For ease in description of the specific s,tructure illustrated in Figures 15-20 the reference numerals have been given from a 100 or 5 100' series.
Referring to Pigure 15 the dispenser 110' has a chassis 112', only a part of which is shown in Figure 150 The chassis has an opening 114' at its lower forward end through which the web W of flexible sheet material, such as paper toweling, passes to be available to the userO
10 The web W is taken from a roll R mounted in the dispenser on a suitable supporting shaft 116'. The web W as withdrawn from roll R
passes over a rotatably mounted feed rollerll8~ and then down and out through opening 114'. A pinch r~ller 120' mounted on a shaft 122' is spring biased into engagement with the exterior of feed roller 118' with 15 the web W of flexible sheet material passing between the pinch roller and the feed roller.
The feed roller ~18' is rotatably mounted within the chassis ~12' of the dispenser on stub shaft 124 and 126 with stub shaft 126 carrying at its outer end a feed wheel 128. The feed wheel is secured to rotate 20 with the feed roller and function in a manner to be described in the dispersing and cutting OI a length of web W removed from the roll R~
The feed roller 1l8l has pivotally mounted there within a knife 130, the structure of the knife being shown In ~igure 18. The knife ~
mounted to swing about an axis which is laterally displaced from the 25 plane of the ~utting edge 134 of the knife. The feed roller 118' has an opening 132 formed in the periphery of the feed roller so that the cutting edge 134 of the knif e can be projected beyond the exterior of the feed roller 118' and retracted back into the feed roller~ Broken line L on Pigure 15 shows the path of the projection of this cutting 30 edge 134 beyond the periphery of feed roller 118' as the roller rotates so that the web is effectively severed to enable removal of the flexible sheet material by the user.
Referring to the structure of knife 130 as best seen in ~igure 18, the pivotal mounting is provided by stubs 136, one being disposed on 35 each end of the knife 130 providing a pivot axis which is displaeed from 7~

the plane of knife cutting edge 134. The knife also has at each end, disposed in the plane of the knife cutting edge, cam followers 138.
The pivot stubs 136 are mounted in the end waUs 140 of the feed roller 118' to support the knife 130 so as to be swingable about an axis 5 which is laterally displaced from the plane of the knife cutting edge 134. The control of movement of the knife to project from opening 132 and be retracted back into the feed roller 118' is achieved by the cam followers 138 engaging in stationary plate cams 142, one such cam being mounted within the chassis 112' adjacent each end of feed roller 1 0 ~18l.
The configuration OI each plate cam 142 is shown in Figure 17.
It has a pocket 144 of substantially uniform width throughout its length to receive one cam follower 138. In each case the pocket 144 opens toward the end of the feed roll er 1:18' as shown in Figure 16. The 15 pocket 144 in each plate cam 142 has aE~L~cylindrical portion 146 with its center of curvature corresponding with the axis of the feed roller 118' provided by the stub shafts 124 and 126. The pocket 144 also has an outwardly curved portion 148 extending away from the axis of the ~ feed roller 118'. This latter portion is joined at its ends with the ends 20 of the ~y~cylindrical portion 146 to form pocket 144 into an endless cam configuration to actuate one cam follower 138 upon rotation of feed roller 118'.
On Figure 15 broken line circle C shows the path of movement of the mounting stubs 136 of knife 130 as the feed roller 118' rotates~
25 This figure also illustrates four successive positions for the axis of stubs 13B and movement of cam followers 138 within the pockets 144 of plate cams 142. As previously mentioned, the broken line L on Figure 15 shows the pattern of movement of the cutting edge 134 of knife 130 caused by the cam followers 138 being guided w;thin the pockets 144 of 30 the plate cams 142. ~rom this path of movement it w;ll be seen that the cutting edge 134 starts to project beyond the periphery of feed roller ~18' immediately beyond the point of engagement of pinch roller 1201 with feed roller ~18'.
Referring to Figures 19 and 20, the feed wheel 128 is shown 35 mounted on the outer end of stub shaft 126. The feed wheel is provided i;3~o -- 16 ~

with notches 150 spaced around its perimeter and anti-reversing pawl 152 is mounted on the chassis 112' to be freely pivotal into engagement with notches 150 to prevent reverse rotation of the feed wheel 128 and likewise feed roller 118'.
The feed roll~r 118' is driven through a portion of each rotation by an over-center means including a spring 156 connected to the chassis 112' by fastener 158 and to the feed wheel 128 by screw 16û, such screw 16~ being off-center from the rotation axis of feed wheel 128 and feed roller 118'. It will be readily understood that during rotat~on oE feed O wheel 128 and feed roller 118' in the direction of arrow A on Pigure 20, the spring 156 is initially tensioned as it approaches the position of link 162 shown on Figure 20. When the screw 160 passes beyond alignment of link 162 with stub shaft 126 the over-center means is energiæed to its maximum, therefore, the spring uses its stored energy to assist 15 further rotation of the feed wheel 128 and feed roller 118' to activate the knif e so that the web is severed and additional flexible sheet mate~ial is fed into position for the next use of the dispenser.
It will be noted that the center section 64 of feed roller 62 is spaced at each of its ends from the iMer ends of the two end sectians 20 66 of such roller. These spaces, as shown more clearly on ~igures 1 and 8, are provided for a purpose which will be made clear hereinafter.
Concerning the cylindrical sections 64 and 66, making up the feed roller 62, these sections may all have the peripheral surfaces thereof provided with a high friction surfacing material up to the outer ringed Z5 ends and end plates ~7 of the end sections 66, as shown in Figures 1 ar.d 8. For good driving characterilstics in moving the wound roll within the dispenser and feeding the sheet material off of the roll to the dispenser outlet opening 24, the center section 64 may have a rubber surface. The exterior cylindrical surfaces of all feed roller sections 30 may be ~nade of rubber for good feeding characteristics of the sheet material.
In the instant invention, the cam pockets 78 in the stationary cam blocks 76, one at each end of the feed roller 62, preferably have their configuration disposed such that the action on cam followers 82 35 which drive the knife out and retract it back within the roller 62 3~

function to project the knife 68 in thc pattcrn of movements shown on Figure 7. Thus, in thc instant invention, the knife 68 as it is initially cammed out through the opening 70 commences at a point immcdiately before the nip of feed roller 62 formcd in conjunction with a pressure 5 roller 84. ~s rotation of feed roller G2 proceeds relative to the stationary cam pockets ~8 in cam blocks 76, the serrated knife edge projects further and further out of the interior space wit}lin roller 62 to progress through the several projected stages as shown in phantom lines on ~igure 7. While the knife is quickly projected out through the 10 opening 70 of roller 62 to effectively sever the web W of sheet material the knife is also rapidly withdrawn or retracted back into t~:e ~0~1:'1` 6.s ~S it moves through the positions under the control of the configuration of cam pockets 78 within which the cam followers 82 follow.
The construction of the pressure roller 84 may best` be seen in 15 the perspectiYe view of Figure 8. Roller 84 is rotatably mounted in bearing blocks 86, one such bearing block receiving an end of roller 8~L
at each of the roller ends. Each bearing block 86 is slideably mounted in a slot (not shown) pro~/ided in the side walls 16 and 18 of the chassis 14 forming a part of the dispenser housing 10. The slots in the side 20 walls 16 and 18 are oriented generally radinlly relative to the rotation nxis of feed roller 62, such thnt the pressure roller 84 may move toward and away from the axis o~ roller 62 provided by the ends of shaft 72 rnounting such ~eed roller. T11e pressure roller 84 is spring biased toward the cylindrical surface of feed roller 62 by the bearing blocks 86 at 25 each end of roller 8~ being engaged by springs 88, one at each of the pressure rollers 84, as shown in Figure 8. One end of each spring 88 presses against a bearing block 86 to urge it and pressure roller 8~
carried thereby toward the surface of feed roller 62. The opposite end of each spring 88 engages a stationary abutment 90, one carried by 30 each of walls 16 and 18 while the mid-portion of each spring 88 is suitably supported on a stud 92, also carried by each wall 16 nnd 18 (see Figures 5 and 63.
Secured to pressure roller 84 nre a pair of spaced resiliently deformable scgmellts 94. Each scgment is eccentric Imd resiliently 35 deformable relative to the roller 84 uxis. In thc embodiment illl~strnted ,7~~

- la ~n Figures 8 and 13, the resilient segment is formed by a plurality of radiating resilient fingers 96. It will be seen that tllese elemellts, rotating with pressure roller 84, move with such ro~ler so that the outwardly projecting resilient segments 94, which are eccentric with thc 5 axis of roller 8~, may pass within the spaces provided between each end of section 64 and cnd sections 66 of the feed roller 62.
Whereas in ~igures 7, 8 and 10-13 the resiliently deformable segment 94 have been shown formed by the radiating resilient fingers 96, another embodiment which may be employed is shown in Figure 14 10 In this embodiment the resiliently deformable segment is formed by an outwardly projecting arcuate wnll 98 which is bowed outwardly from the portion of the element secured to pressure roller 8~ to form the eccen-tric resilient deformable segment. This arcuate wall 98 provides a surface to engage and pick up the leading free end of sheet material upon the 15 exterior of an outer roll surface in the same manner as the resilient generally radiating fingers 98 function for the embodiment shown in Figure 13. This will be described in more detail with reference to the action shown being carried out in Figures 10, 11 and 12. ~s further shown on Figure 14, the outwardly projecting arcuate wall 98 may be 20 reinforced by providing radial webs 100 extending outwardly from the axis of pressure roller 8'1 to the underside of arcuate wall 98.
It will be ~mderstood thnt the embodiments shown in Figure 13 and 14 may be appropriately made of any rubber like material which not orlly will give the desired friction~l characteristics for the function 25 of the eccentric segments in picking up the leflding free end of slleet material from the exterior of a roll, but also this will give tlle desired resiliency and deformability for effective action in use of the dispenser in feeding sheet material from a wound roll.
The pressure roller 84 also has a~iully spaced therenlong, resilient 30 conical portions 102. Each conical portion 102 on roller 8-t provides a cylindrical perimeter which presses against the feed roller 62 surface to def;ne a nip between these two rollers. As seen from Figure 8, the two center conical portions 102 ride ngainst the center section 6~t of the feed roller while the conieal scctions outwnrdly of ~he eccentric 35 scgments 94 ride on the end sections 6fi of feed rollcr G20 An important ;3'~4~

featurc of thc location and positioning of the conicel por~ions 102 rotnting with pressure roller 84 is that e~ch conical portion faces inwflrdly toward the mid-point of pressure roller 81. This performs a particular function in acting to spread out the sheet material along thc length of the nip 5 between feed roller 62 ~nd pressure roller 81. Under the nction of springs 88 at each end of pressure rol~er 81 the conical portions 102 tend to be deflected at the nip between the rollers so that the cylindrical perimeter is bent somewhat laterally away from the mid-point of roller 84. By reason of the conical portions facing inwardly toward the mid-10 point of pressure rollcr 8~ this deflection of the cylindrical perimetersof the portions 102 moves the perimeters axially outwardly which ncts cn the sheet material passing between the nip of the rollers to spread it ou-twardly toward the ends of pressure roller 84 thus encouraging the sheet material to pass between feed roller 62 and pressure roller 81 in 15 a fully spread out taut position.
Before considering other structures employed in effectively leading the sheet material leaving the feed roller out of the dispenser housing to be accessable to a user discussion may be provided concerning the funct;on of the eccentric segrnents 94 forming a part of pressure roUer 2 0 84 as best shown on Figures 7 10 11 and 12.
- Referrin~ to Figure 7 a substantially e~hallsted initial roll ER is æhown within a disc~rd pocket P at the rear portion of the chassis 1~
in front of rear wnll 20 and ubove bottom wall 22. This roll ER would llave been the lo~Yermost roll loaded into the dispenser with a reserve 25 roll still located above the lowermost roll and resting on the lowermost roll surface in readiness to move into position once the lowermost roll has become substantially exhausted. Thus roll ~R with a li mited amount of sheet material still wound thereon has moved down through the tracks 26 and~ after becoming substantially exhausted its spindles 30 have moved beneath the inclined walls 45 at the lower ends of tracks 26 and over the surface of feed roller 62 to drop into the discnrd pocket P. The web of sheet material is still being fed over the ~op of fced roller 62 and bctween the nip of feed roller 62 and pressure roller 84 with the web ~ exiting through the dispenser llousing opening 35 2~1o ~ 1~i3~

- 20 ~

It wiU of course be understood that while the feed roller 62 continues its rotation under the action of withclrawing web W from the opening 2~ of the dispenser housing 10, thc camming nc~ion under the driving force of stationary cam pockets 78 on cam followers 82 will 5 project and retract the knife 68 in accordance with the movernents illustrated on Figure 7. The projecting action of knife 68 will serve to sever n length of web ~Y for each rotation of feed roller 62 so that the cut off length of sheet material may be withdrawn from the dispenser cabinet by the intending user.
The structure of pressure roller 84, incorporating spaced eccentric segments 94 and conical portions 1~2, also is advantageous in cooperating with the serrations of cutting knife 68. These knife serrations are spaced to accommodate therebetween not only the eccentric segments 94 but also the conical resilient portions 102. This may be seen from 15 the phantom shown position of pressure roller 8~ in Figure 1. By this relationsllip between the cutting knife serrations and the eccentric segments 94 and conical portions 102, it is possible to initiate camming of the knife through the opening 70 in feed roller 62 commencing at a point immediately before the nip of the feed and pressure rollers.
20 This is of course advantageous in that when the web of sheet matel ial is located between the two rollers, the conical portions 102 are acting to spread the slleet material along the length of the pair of rollers and the nip between the rollers 11olds the sheet material firmly in this spread condition. As shown in Figure 7, the projection of the knife through 25 the opening 70 immediately before the nip of the rollers permits the outermost ends of the knife serrations to pass into the web of sheet material and initially perforate it along the length of the pair of rollers.
At this time the rollers act to firmly hold tlle web of sheet material against displacement. As the sheet material passes on through the nip, 30 the Mm action on c~m followers 82 continues to move the knife G8 outwardly. ~Yhen it passes the nip between rollers 62 and 84 it is rapidly projected to complete severing of thc web of sheet material for removal from the dispensing cabinct. As previously mcntioncd, thc knife, under the control of the stationary c~m pocl;et 78, is then rnpidly 3S retracted back into the feed roller ~2 in readiness, on thc nc:ct revolution of such roller, to perform a subsequent web cutting action.
At this point, shown in Figure 7, the roll that wus disposed upwardly in the track as a reser~,e roll has moved down until in its full position its spindles are engaging with the friction surfaces 50 of 5 the driving guides 46 on the opposite side walls 16 and lû of the chassis 14. The diameter of this reserve roll, which is now in readiness for removal of sheet material therefrom and is thus in the dispensing position, is such that it not only rests and drivingly er gages with the surface of feed roller 62 but it also is of a sufficient diameter that 10 it will be engaged by the eccentric segments 94 on the pressure roller 84 as such roller rotates along with the feed roller 62. As the rema;ning sheet material continues to be withdrawn from the substantiaIly exhausted roll ER in the discard pocket P, it continues to rotate the rollers in passing through the nip therebetween, the withdrawing action occuring 15 either under the pUll of a prospective user externally of the dispénser or manually operated by the manual hand wheel 104 as will be described ~ubsequently.
The rotation OI pressure roller 84 will carry the resiliently deformable segments 94 around to bring them into frictional contact 2 O Wit}l the exterior of the fresh full roll in dispensing position which was !~rmerly disposed upwardly in the dispenser cabinet as a reserve roll.
The surface engagement of this new full roll in the dispensing position with the feed roller 62 and with rotation encouraged by its spindles frictionally engaging with the surfaces 50 on the driving guides 46 within 25 the lower section of the tracks 26 causes rotation in a direction to feed the loose free end of the sheet rnaterial onto the resilient segments 94 of the pressure roller 84.
Referring to Figures 10, 11 and 12, the action of the eccentric segrnents 94 on the pressure roller 84 will follow the action shown.
30 The feed ro~lee 62 is rotating counterclockwise while pressure roller 84 is rotating clockwise with the web of sheet material passing between the nip of these two rollers. The clockwise rotation, as shown in Figures 1O-12J has the effect as the eccentric segments 94 on the pressure roller 84 move into frictional engagement with the outer free layer of 35 roll R of buckling this free end as rotation progresses between the three ~3.''f~1 elements, as shown in ~igure 11. Thc web W at this point is still being withdrawn from the substantially exhausted roll ER in the discard pocket P so that withdrawal of the web by a user tcnds to assure continucd rotation of the elements, as shown in Figurcs 10 and U. The buckling 5 action created by the eccentric segments 94, performin~ by use of resilient fingers 96 in the embodiment shown in Figures 10 and 11, carriesthe buckling action to ~ point where the buckled sheet material web is dl'aWlI positively and firmly into the nip between feed roller 62 and pressure roller 84. As this action proceeds, the outer free end on the 10 new full roll is carried in double thickness between the rollers and fed out through opening 24 in the dispenser housing 10. If the first brush or frictional engagement of the eccentric segments 9~ on pressure roller 8~ does not efectively pic1c up ~he leading free end of the fresh new full roll R, the elements will continue their rotation and successive 15 brushes or frictional engagements between the segments 94 and the outer layer of sheet material on ro~l R will be repeated as ti1e remainder of sheet material is being withdrawn from the nearly exhausted ro.ll ER in discard pocket P.
Once the leading free end of web sheet material on the new roll in dispensing position is picked up, $everal thicknesses of sheet material may be fed from the dispenser for a period of time until the web sheet mnterial on roll ER is fully exhausted. Also there may be a period where the dout~le thickness coming from the buckled surEace layer of sheet material off of full roll R as shown in Figure 12 may be fed out of the dispenser along with the remaining material on roll ER. Oo~vever, the action of eccentric segments 94 will effectively and positively pick up and feed sheet material into the nip between the feed roller and pressure roller from the new roll. Thus, this roll will be brought into operation for dispensing from the unit.
The dispenser functions in such a manner that, at the end of each cycle the leading end of the sheet material extends outwardly of the dispenser cabinet, in order to be grflspcd by the user. The mechanism for dispensing sheet material has menns for mensuring thc Iength of each segment of such material that is dispensed and stopping the dispcnsing action at thc end of this desircd length. ~lso, manual fecding ~S3~
- 23 ~

is provided. The manual fecding mechanism and associated components nre best shown on Figures 5 and 6.
The mechanism includes n manual feed wheel 104 mounted on the end of feed roller 62 as shown more clearly in scction on Figule 1.
5 Thus, a screw 106 is threaded into the end of feed roller 62 to securely fasten -the feed wheel 104 to rotate with such roller. The periphery of feed wheel 10~ is provided with nlternating recesses 108 and projections 110 to facilitate its rotation liy the fingers of R user. Rotation of the feed wheel 104 causes the feed roller 62 to rotate and cam the knife 10 68 outwardly and inwardly as previously described. A link 112 is pivotally connected to a screw 114 threaded into the feed wheel 104 at a point radially offset and therefore eccentrie to the axis of rotation of the wheel formed by securing screw 106. A spring 116 is secured to the opposite end of link 112 while the upper end of spring 116 is fastened 15 a, 118 to the side wall lG of the chassis 1~.
I~n anti reverse pawl 120 is pivotaUy mounted on fl screw 122 threaded into side wall 16 of the chassis 1~. This pawl rides in the recesses 103 of feed wheel 10~ and prevents the feed wheel from rotating elockwise as shown in Figure 5 and 6.
The spring 116, acting through link 112, pivotally connected b~
screw 114 eccentrically of the rotation axis of feed wheel 10~1, provides a force assist to sever the sheet material so that the act of severing the material is nccomplished without the need of a user increasinK his pull upon the sheet material coming from the dispenser. During the first part of rotfltion of feed wheel 104, the spring 116 is tensioned as the wheel moves counterclockwise as shown in Figures 5 and 6. ~fter the screw 114 passes the lowermost point, opposite its position shown in Figure 5 or 180 from the position shown in Figure S, the spring 1l6 pulls upwardly, thus helping to rotate manual feed wheel 104 with roller 30 62 and cam cutter 68 outwardly and then inwardly to perform the sheet material severing operation.
The foregoing sets forth a detailed description of the dispenser for wound roll flexible sheet material of the invention, wherein multiple rolls oî such material may be loaded into the dispenser nnd each roll 35 in succession have its ~eb of sheelt material picked up nnd fed from the dispenser. Also, a detailed description of the cuttirlg mechanism of the invention has been set forth, this mechanism being adapted to be used in the disclosed dispenser although it is not restricted to use solely therein. It certainly is to be r~oognized ~at vario~ Ddifications 5 of both the dispenser and the cutting mechanism of the invention may occur to those skiMed in the art. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (16)

CLAIMS:

1. In a dispenser for rolls of flexible sheet material having a mechanism for cutting a web of the material, a method for cutting the web comprising the steps of; passing the web of material over a feed roller, projecting the edge of a cutting knife from within the feed roller beyond the periphery of the feed roller to cut the web passing over the feed roller; characterized by positively camming the cutting knife to retract the knife edge back into the feed roller incident rotation of the feed roller.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein projecting the edge of the cutting knife involves positively camming the cutting knife to project the edge beyond the periphery of the feed roller.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein projecting the edge occurs immediately following passing of the web between the feed roller and a pinch roller.

4. In a dispenser for rolls of flexible sheet material having, a chassis adapted to be attached to a wall, means carried by said chassis for rotatably supporting a roll of flexible sheet material, means operatively connected to said chassis for guiding a web of flexible sheet material from the roll to a position to be grasped by a user so that the user may pull the web out of the dispenser, mechanism mount-ed on said chassis for cutting the web at intervals there-along to divide the web into individual sheets, characteriz-ed by said cutting mechanism including a rotatably mounted feed roller on the chassis and over which the web of material passes, a knife pivotally mounted in the feed roller to swing about an axis which is laterally displaced from the plane of the knife cutting edge', said knife having a radial-ly outward portion defining said cutting edge for the web, said edge being projected outwardly through an opening in said feed roller beyond the periphery of the feed roller to cut the web as it passes over the feed roller, cam follower means carried by the knife at a point displaced from the pivot mounting axis of the knife, and cam means stationarily mounted on the chassis and engaged with said cam follower means to positively project and retract the knife cutting edge upon rotation of the feed roller.

5. A dispenser as recited in claim 4 wherein a pinch roller cooperatively engages with said feed roller and the web passes between said rollers, said stationary cam means having a configuration to project the knife cutting edge beyond the feed roller periphery immediately after the web passes beyond the bite of the rollers.

6. A dispenser as recited in Claim 4 wherein the cam follower means comprises a cam roll mounted at each end of the cutting knife to project beyond the ends of said feed roller and said cam means comprises a plate cam fixed to said chassis adjacent each end of said feed roller.

7. A dispenser as recited in claim 6 wherein each cam has an inside cam track facing outwardly to define said first cam surface and an outside cam track facing inwardly to define said second cam surface with the two tracks being spaced apart throughout their lengths to accommodate one of said cam rolls therebetween so that said inside cam track drives the cam roll to positively project said knife and said outside cam track drives the cam roll to positively retract said knife upon feed roller rotation.

8. A dispenser as recited in claim 4 wherein said cam means comprises an inside cam track facing outwardly to define said first cam surface and an outside cam track facing inwardly to define said second cam surface with the two tracks being spaced apart throughout their lengths to accommodate said cam follower means therebetween so that said inside cam track drives said knife to project the knife cutting edge and said outside cam track drives said knife to retract said cutting edge.

9. A dispenser as recited in any of claims 41 5 or 6 wherein said knife is mounted on pins pivotally cooperating with openings in the opposite ends of said feed roller with the knife cutting edge disposed parallel to the axis of said pins.

10. A dispenser as recited in claim 6 wherein each said cam has two spaced cam tracks, one facing outwardly to define said first cam surface and the other facing inwardly to define said second cam surface, with one said cam roll being confined between said two tracks whereby the tracks conjointly drive said cam rolls to control the projecting and retracting movements of said knife.

11. A dispenser as recited in claim 4 wherein a pinch roller is biased into rotating contact with said feed roller, for the web to pass between said rollers, said feed roller is driven through a portion of each rotation by an over-center means including a spring connected between said chassis and a feed wheel associated with said feed roller, said spring being connected off center from the rotational axis of said feed roller, and an anti-reversing pawl engages in notches spaced around the perimeter of said feed wheel to prevent reverse rotation of said feed roller.

12. A dispenser as recited in claim 4 wherein said cam follower means comprises a cam roll mounted at each end of said knife to project beyond the ends of said feed roller, said feed roller having end caps which are slotted to accom-modate the mountings for the cam rolls and their movement incident projecting and retracting of said cutting edge, said cam means comprises a plate cam fixed to said chassis adjacent each end of said feed roller, each plate cam having a pocket of substantially uniform width throughout its length to receive one said cam roll with said pocket opening toward the end of said feed roller, said pocket having a partly cylindrical portion with its center of curva-ture corresponding with the axis of said feed roller, and an outwardly curved portion extending away from said feed roller axis which latter portion is joined at its ends with the ends of said partly cylindrical portion to form said pocket into an endless cam configuration to drive the cam roll upon rotation of said feed roller.

13. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein projecting and reacting the knife edge from and back into the feed roller involve pivotally mounting the cutting knife to swing about an axis laterally displaced from the plane of the knife cutting edge, and swinging the knife cutting edge along an arcuate path about the axis incident positive camming of the cutting knife.

14. A method as recited in claims 2 or 3 including pivotally mounting the cutting knife to swing about an axis laterally displaced from the plane of the knife cutting edge, and positively camming the cutting knife from a point dis-placed from the pivot mounting axis of the knife.

15. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein projecting and retracting the knife edge from and back into the feed roller involve swinging the knife cutting edge along an arcuate path incident positive camming of the cutting knife, camming a cam follower means affixed to the knife along the arcuate path by a first cam surface to positively project the knife cutting edge and camming the cam follower means along the arcuate path by a second cam surface to positive-ly retract the knife cutting edge.

16. The method as recited in claim 2 including providing an inside cam track facing outwardly to form the first cam surface, and providing an outside cam track spaced from the first cam surface and facing inwardly to form the second cam surface, and disposing the cam follower means to be positive-ly guided by the outwardly and inwardly facing cam tracks to positively project and positively retract the knife cutting edge.