CH719065A2 - Film dispenser for secure, rotatable storage of a film roll. - Google Patents

Abstract

The film dispenser comprises a system with two bearing bodies (3) and two pins (2) for the secure, rotatable mounting of a film roll (7) in a dispenser housing (1). Each bearing body (3) comprises a recess (5) which is open at the top and is delimited by an inner edge of the bearing body (3), which defines a bearing area (17) for one of the pins (2) at the bottom. The recess (5) comprises an open insertion area (15) at the top for inserting the pin portion and at the lowest level a bearing area (17) for supporting and pivoting the pin (2), the recess (5) being adjacent to the bearing area ( 17) includes a lateral bulge (19) as a catching space for the pin (2).

Description

The invention relates to a film dispenser with a system for the secured rotatable storage of a film roll or a sheet wound onto a core in a dispenser housing.

[0002] Cling film, aluminum foil and baking paper are examples of sheet materials which are usually wound onto a core, the core usually comprising a core sleeve. Such rolls of film are stored in dispenser housings, which generally include a removal opening for pulling out an end section of the wound film and means for separating such end sections from the film supply wound onto the core. In this document, the terms ¿foil¿ and ¿foil roll¿ are used synonymously for any fabric or roll of fabric, unless otherwise noted.

[0003] Film rolls for household purposes are commonly stored in folding boxes which, for example, include a serrated tear-off edge as a separating means. The folding boxes serve as a storage container and as a dispenser housing at the same time. The folding boxes are disposable containers that are disposed of as soon as the film supply has been completely used up.

[0004] Foil rolls for commercial purposes, for example for use in canteen kitchens, are comparatively large. They comprise foil strips wound onto a core, the length of which can be, for example, of the order of about 100 m to about 600 m, and the width of which is typically in the range of about 30 cm to 60 cm and is in particular 45 cm or 30 cm. Such film rolls are preferably stored at the place of use in stable, refillable dispenser housings.

A foil dispenser is known from EP3453659A1, which comprises a housing made of metal and is designed to accommodate two rolls of foil in a space-saving manner. The foil rolls each comprise a core sleeve and a foil strip wound onto it. In each roll of film, the core sleeve protrudes axially on both sides of the coiled film strip. The end sections of the core sleeve are rotatably mounted on roller holders in the housing. The roller holders are bearing plates which protrude upwards on the housing floor and have recesses which are open towards the upper end face and are designed to receive one end section of the respective core sleeve. Edge areas of the bearing plates, which delimit the recesses on the side of a removal opening of the housing, act as retaining elements. When pulling out film sections, the end sections of the respective core sleeve are pulled against the corresponding retaining elements. Together with the force of gravity acting on the film roll, this has the effect that the ends of the core sleeve remain in the recesses of the bearing plates even when film sections are pulled out through the removal opening. It is implicitly assumed that the film roll is sufficiently heavy. In order to prevent the ends of the core sleeve of a smaller, lighter film roll stored in the front area of the housing from jumping out of the recesses, particularly in the case of an unfavorable pulling angle, EP3453659A1 proposes forming a kink or curvature in the corresponding retaining elements. Even in such embodiments, a sufficiently high tensile force on the end section of the film strip can cause film rolls with relatively low weight in particular to be lifted against the acting force of gravity and/or rolled upwards along retaining elements and jump out of the recesses. In order to prevent this, EP3453659A1 proposes as an alternative measure to load the respective film roll with the weight of a hold-down device mounted pivotably in the housing.

An object of the present invention is to provide a film dispenser with a system for securely rotatably mounting a film roll in a dispenser housing, the film roll comprising a film strip wound onto a core.

[0007] This object is achieved by a foil dispenser according to the features of patent claim 1.

The system comprises two roll holders, which are arranged spaced apart from one another within a dispenser housing and are connected to the dispenser housing, and two bearing journals, henceforth referred to as journals for short.

The pins are preferably fastened to the end portions of a core of the film roll elements which comprise a protruding beyond the respective end of the core storage portion in the attached state.

In alternative embodiments, the end portions of the core can protrude far enough beyond the edge of the coiled film strip so that they can be used as bearing journals.

In particular, the core can be a cylindrical sleeve made of cardboard, for example. At least a portion of each of the spigots projects axially beyond the adjacent edge of the foil strip wound on the core sleeve when the spigots are located at the ends of the sleeve.

Each roller holder comprises a bearing body with a recess, which comprises an open insertion area for inserting a pin or a portion of this pin at the top and a bearing area for supporting and rotatably mounting the pin at the bottom. The recess is delimited by an inner edge of the bearing body. The storage area is essentially defined by the lowest level of the inner edge.

[0013] Between the insertion area and the storage area, a section of this inner edge is designed as an insertion ramp with a gradient in the direction of the storage area. When a roll of film is inserted into the dispenser housing, this causes the pins to be deflected laterally into the storage areas due to the force of gravity acting on the roll of film. Without the action of other forces, the film roll then rests in a resting position at the lowest level.

[0014] Laterally adjacent to the storage area, the recess comprises a bulge. This serves as a catching space into which the pin can dip when removing a film section from the film roll. The bulge and at least part of the storage area are covered at the top by a portion of the inner rim. This section of the inner edge is a stop or a retaining element, which prevents the pins from jumping out of the storage area in the direction of the insertion area when a film section is pulled off the film roll.

Preferably, the inner edge of each bearing body has a catching ramp with a slope adjacent to the insertion ramp. Together with the insertion ramp, a lowest level or the storage area for the respective pin and thus also the resting position of the film roll to be stored is defined.

The slope of the insertion ramp and the slope of the catch ramp can be constant or locally different. In particular, the inner edge of the recess can be concavely curved in sections or continuously in the insertion ramp, in the storage area and in the catching ramp. This makes it easier for the pegs to roll on the inner edge and reduces frictional forces between the peg and the bearing body when foil sections are pulled off.

When a film section is pulled out of the dispenser housing, the pull-out force exerted tangentially on the film roll causes a torque which causes the film roll to roll. The pins supported by the bearing bodies roll on the lower inner edge section of the respective recess from the bearing area at least partially in the direction of the catching space. The stop or retaining element limits the freedom of movement of the pins upwards, ie against the direction of gravity. Even if a comparatively light film roll should be lifted by a sufficiently large pulling force when pulling out a film section, this reliably ensures that the pins are retained by the retaining elements in the region of the catching space including the storage region.

Furthermore, the slope of the inner edge of the catch ramp causes the film roll to be lifted slightly when a section of film is pulled off, thereby exerting a compressive force on the bearing body of the dispenser housing. The inner edge is preferably continuously curved in a concave manner in the area of the catch space. When a section of film is pulled off, this causes the respective pin to roll along this contour and be held securely in the catching space.

As soon as no more pull-out force acts on the roll of film, the roll of film resumes its resting position.

The rotatable mounting of film rolls in a dispenser housing assumes that the arrangement and dimensions of the roll holder, in particular the recesses in the bearing bodies and those of the pins are coordinated.

If film rolls are used in a film dispenser, in which the end sections of the core are used as bearing journals, the options for using different film rolls are very limited. Pins are therefore preferably not an integral part of core sleeves, but rather separate adapter elements that can be connected to one or more different core sleeves. They comprise a connecting section which can be connected to this core sleeve in a non-positive and/or positive manner, e.g. by being inserted into the open end of a core sleeve, and a bearing section which protrudes axially on the core sleeve when connected.

In such arrangements, it is not necessary, but possible that the core sleeves of film rolls protrude axially beyond the coiled film strip, for example about 5mm on each side of the film strip. The length of a core sleeve can, for example, be approximately the same as the width of the foil strip. Such film rolls can be produced efficiently and easily stored and transported with little space requirement.

Spigots can, for example, be attached to the ends of the respective core sleeve during production of the film rolls or at a later point in time. In particular, they can be sold separately as accessories or together with foil rolls or foil dispensers.

For use in one or more different dispenser housings, such film rolls can be supplemented with differently designed pins and thereby adapted to differently designed roll holders arranged in these dispenser housings.

Connecting portions of spigots may be designed for use with one or more different types of film rolls. For film rolls with different inside and/or outside diameters of the core sleeve, for example, different pins with correspondingly adapted dimensions in the area of the connecting section can be used. Preferably, such pins are formed in one piece. Alternatively, pegs in the connecting section can include, for example, elements that can be expanded or exchangeable adapter rings with different outside diameters, which enable adaptation to core sleeves with different inside diameters.

In addition or as an alternative, the bearing sections of pins can also be designed to rotatably mount a film roll in dispenser housings with different roll holders. For example, in certain embodiments, the spigots may comprise bearing portions having a plurality of areas, each of which areas is suitable for rotatably supporting the roll of film in a dispenser housing having a particular type of roll holder. In particular, the outer diameter can be different in each of the areas of a bearing section of the pin.

In an advantageous embodiment of a foil dispenser, the roll holders comprise bearing bodies in the form of stable plates, for example plates made of stainless steel, which have a section which is arranged vertically or orthogonally to a bottom of the dispenser housing. Such plates preferably have a material thickness in the range from about 1 mm to about 4 mm and can be produced inexpensively and with the required precision, e.g. by stamping and/or laser cutting. The foot area of such plates is preferably bent over in an L-shape. Such plates can be easily and accurately connected to the bottom of the housing, especially in dispenser housings made of steel, e.g. by screwing, riveting or welding. Each of the plates has a recess which is open towards the upper end face and is delimited by an inner edge of the plate. The area of the bearing section of a pin protruding from the film roll can be inserted from above into this recess. The recess has a clear width that is greater than the outside diameter of the area of the pin to be accommodated. Therefore, the pin can be moved down along the recess into the storage area and into the catching space. At the bottom, the inner edge of the recess is preferably concavely curved from the insertion ramp over the storage area to the catch ramp.

In alternative embodiments, the bearing plates or, in general, the roller holders can comprise more than one such recess. This enables more than one film roll to be stored in a secure, rotatable manner in a common dispenser housing.

In particularly preferred embodiments of the film dispenser, the outside diameter of the pins is smaller than in the region of the connecting section, at least in that part of the bearing section that is guided and displaceable in the recess of the bearing body. The dimensions of the bearing body and the recess on this bearing body can therefore be comparatively small. The space required for the rotatable storage of foil rolls with such journals is significantly smaller than in the case of foil rolls in which protruding sections of the core sleeve are used as bearing journals. Corresponding dispenser housings can be constructed in a comparatively compact manner.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to some figures. Figure 1 shows a cross section of a foil dispenser equipped with two foil rolls according to the prior art, Figure 2 shows a cut-open foil dispenser with visible roll holders, Figure 3 shows the foil dispenser from Figure 2 with a foil roll mounted in the roll holders, Figure 4 shows a cross section of the arrangement from Figure 3 , Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a bearing journal for a film roll, Figure 6 shows a cut-open film dispenser with a film roll whose core sleeve is supplemented with a bearing journal according to Figure 3, Figure 7 shows a longitudinal section of the arrangement from Figure 6 in the area of one of the roll holders, Figure 8 shows a Arrangement with a roll of film stored in an alternative roll holder.

Figure 1 shows a cross section of a known foil dispenser, which comprises a dispenser housing 1 with two axially spaced roll holders, the roll holders each comprising a bearing body 3 with recesses 5, in which two rolls of film 7 are rotatably mounted parallel to one another. The dispenser housing 1 includes a hinged cover 9, which can be opened to insert or remove rolls 7 of film. In order to pull out foil sections, the dispenser housing 1 comprises a removal opening 11 for each of the foil rolls 7 , which are arranged opposite the pivot axis 9a of the hinged lid 9 .

The recesses 5 and the delimiting legs of the plate-shaped bearing body 3 are essentially U-shaped. In the case of the recess 5 at the front in the pull-out direction A for film sections, the adjoining legs of the bearing body 3 are inclined backwards with respect to the vertical direction, and the base of the recess 5 comprises two essentially straight sections arranged in a V-shape. Both film rolls 7 comprise a core sleeve 13 which protrudes axially on both sides beyond the film strip wound thereon. These axially projecting areas of the core sleeves 13 are rotatably mounted in the recesses 5 of the bearing body 3 .

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an open dispenser housing 1 with roll holders designed according to the invention. The front face is not shown for a better view of the dispenser housing 1 . The roll holders are arranged axially spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the dispenser housing 1 near the two end faces of the dispenser housing 1 . They include bearing bodies 3 in the form of L-shaped curved plates, the shanks of which face each other and are connected to the bottom of the housing. In alternative embodiments, the shanks could also be attached to the bottom of the housing with the opposite orientation. In further alternative embodiments, bearing bodies 3 could, for example, be connected to the rear wall of the dispenser housing (not shown). The bearing bodies 3 each comprise a recess 5 with an insertion area 15 open towards the upper end face, a bearing area 17 arranged at the lowest level of the recess 5 and a lateral bulge 19 adjoining it.

FIG. 3 shows the arrangement from FIG. 2 with a roll of film 7 mounted in the dispenser housing 1. A pin 2 is arranged at each of the two ends of the core sleeve 13 and is connected to this core sleeve 13 in a rotationally fixed manner. The pin 2 comprises an axially protruding cylindrical section, the outer diameter D1 (Fig. 4) of which is smaller than the clear dimension of the recess 5. The outer diameter D1 can, for example, be on the order of about 10 mm to about 25 mm and can be, for example, about 20 mm, and the length of the axially projecting portion is preferably of the order of about 5mm to about 12mm and may be about 9mm, for example. After this section has been inserted through the insertion area 15, the pin 2 is deflected towards the storage area 17 by an insertion ramp 21 and then rests on the lowest level of the recess 5, as shown in FIG 17 arranged inner edge section of the recess 5, which has a gradient or an inclination towards the storage area 17 out.

Figure 4 shows a front view of the arrangement from Figure 3, in which an end section of the film strip 7a which has been pulled off the film roll 7 and which rests on a support rod 23 and on the guide rail 25 of a cutting device on the front upper edge of the dispenser housing 1 is also shown .

The angle of inclination ¿ of the insertion ramp 21 relative to the horizontal direction is preferably in the range from about 5° to about 45°. Even if the film dispenser rests on a work surface that is not exactly horizontal, this ensures that a film roll 7 assumes a rest position in which each pin 2 is arranged in the bearing area 17 of the respective bearing body 3 .

The section of the inner edge of the recess 5 adjoining the bearing area 17 at the bulge 19 can be designed analogously to the insertion ramp 21 as a catch ramp and have an angle of inclination β relative to the horizontal direction, which is between 0° and about 45°, for example.

Preferably, the sections of the inner edge in the insertion area 15 are inclined at an angle ¿ relative to the vertical direction, which can be, for example, of the order of 0° to about 30°. Bearing bodies 3 with such inclined insertion areas 15 can be manufactured with comparatively small widths L1. In addition, the insertion areas 15, which are open at the top, are more accessible when the hinged cover 9 is open, which makes it easier to insert and remove film rolls 7. Nevertheless, it is ensured that an upper section of the inner edge in the area of the bulge 19 sufficiently covers a pin section located in the bearing area 17 so that this inner edge section can be used as a retaining element or stop for the pin 2 . Preferably, this stop projects beyond at least half of a pin section mounted in the bearing area 17 . As shown in FIG. 4, it can include a nose 27 that is slightly curved downwards in the end region. If the pin 2 is unrolled along the entire inner edge at the bulge 19 as a result of very large pull-out forces at the end section of the film strip 7a, the film roll 7 finally receives an impulse downwards. This makes it even more difficult for the pins 2 to unintentionally jump out of the recesses 5 of the bearing body 3 .

Figure 5 shows an axial end portion of a film roll 7 and another pin 2 as an exploded view. In contrast to the pin 2 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pin 2 in FIG. 5 comprises a further cylindrical area with a larger outside diameter D2 axially adjacent to the area with the small outside diameter D1. These two areas together form a bearing portion of the spigot 2 which protrudes from the film roll 7 when the spigot 2 is attached to the core sleeve 13 thereof. For this purpose, the pin 2 comprises a connecting section which can be inserted into the open end area of the core sleeve 13 and whose outer diameter corresponds approximately to the inner diameter of the core sleeve 13 . For example, it can be in the range of about 38 mm to about 42 mm and in particular can be about 40 mm. The connecting portion may include structures such as protruding ribs 29 for positively connecting to the core sleeve 13. The ribs 29 can be arranged axially and/or radially, as a result of which particularly non-rotatable and/or pull-out-proof connections can be achieved. The connecting section can optionally be slightly conical. This facilitates the insertion and pressing into the respective core sleeve 13 .

The length of the connecting section in the axial direction can be, for example, in the range from about 12 mm to about 20 mm, preferably between 14 mm and 15 mm. In further embodiments, the connecting sections can also be longer. Between the connecting section and the bearing section, the spigot 2 preferably comprises a stop flange 31, the outside diameter of which is larger than the inside diameter of the core sleeve 13 and preferably smaller than the outside diameter D3 of the core sleeve 13. The thickness of the stop flange 31 can range, for example, from about 1 mm to about 3mm lie. When the connecting section is pressed in, the stop flange 31 defines the end position of the pin 2 when it hits the core sleeve 13. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the larger outer diameter D2 of the bearing section corresponds to the outer diameter D3 of the core sleeve 13. This also enables a film roll 7 equipped with such pins 2 to be rotatably mounted in dispenser housings 1, which can be used with conventional roll holders for rotatably mounting axially protruding sections of the core sleeve 13 are formed.

Analogous to FIG. 3, FIG. 6 shows an arrangement with a film roll 7 mounted in the dispenser housing 1. In contrast, the pins 2 correspond to the embodiment according to FIG arranged on the outside of the bearing body 3 . As a result, the film roll 7 is additionally secured against axial displacement. The axially outer areas of the pins 2 with the larger outside diameters D2 are tubular. They can therefore be used as gripping openings for easy insertion and removal of film rolls 7 in the dispenser housing 1 .

[0042] FIG. 7 shows a longitudinal section of a film dispenser and a film roll 7 stored therein according to FIG. 6 in the area of one of the bearing bodies 3.

FIG. 8 shows a longitudinal section of a film dispenser and a film roll 7 stored therein according to FIG. 3 in the area of one of the bearing bodies 3.

Claims (10)

1. Foil dispenser for the secure, rotatable mounting of a foil roll (7) with a foil strip (7a) wound onto a core sleeve (13), comprising an elongate dispenser housing (1) and a system with two axially spaced-apart in this dispenser housing (1) and with roll holders connected to the dispenser housing (1) and two pins (2) which can be attached to the axial ends of the core sleeve (13) or comprise axial end sections of this core sleeve (13), the roll holders each having a bearing body (3) with a recess (5 ), wherein this recess (5) is delimited by an inner edge of the bearing body (3) and is designed to receive a section of the respective pin (2), characterized in that the recess (5) has an open insertion area (15) at the top for insertion of the pivot portion and at the lowest level a bearing area (17) for supporting and rotatably bearing the pivot (2), that a portion of the inner edge between the insertion area (15) and the bearing area (17) as an insertion ramp (21) with a gradient in Is formed in the direction of the storage area (17), and that the recess (5) adjacent to the storage area (17) comprises a lateral bulge (19) as a catching space for the pin (2). 2. Foil dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner edge of each bearing body (3) adjacent to the insertion ramp (21) comprises a catch ramp with an incline relative to the horizontal direction. 3. Foil dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that the inner edge of the recess (5) in the insertion ramp (21), in the storage area (17) and in the catch ramp is partially or continuously concavely curved. 4. Foil dispenser according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bulge (19) and at least part of the storage area (17) are covered at the top by a section of the inner edge which, as a stop, limits the range of motion of the pins (2) in the Recess (5) limited at the top. 5. Foil dispenser according to claim 4, characterized in that the stop comprises a downwardly curved nose (27) in the end region. 6. Foil dispenser according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the inner edge sections of the bearing body (3) delimiting the insertion area (15) are inclined at an angle (¿) relative to the vertical direction, so that the access openings of the recess (5) are closer to a removal opening (11) of the bearing housing (1). 7. Foil dispenser according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each pin (2) has a connecting section which can be connected in a force-fitting and/or form-fitting manner to the core sleeve (13) and a bearing section for rotatably bearing in the recess (5) of one of the bearing bodies ( 3) and that the bearing section comprises a cylindrical region axially adjacent to the connecting section, the outer diameter (D1) of which is smaller than the outer diameter (D3) of the core sleeve (13). 8. Foil dispenser according to claim 7, characterized in that the connecting section is cylindrical, the outside diameter corresponding to the inside diameter of the core sleeve (13), and that the connecting section comprises protruding ribs (29) for non-positive connection with the core sleeve (13). 9. Foil dispenser according to one of Claims 7 or 8, characterized in that the bearing section, axially adjacent to the cylindrical area with the small outside diameter (D1), comprises a further cylindrical area with an outside diameter (D2) which is larger than the outside diameter (D1 ). 10. Foil dispenser according to one of Claims 7 to 9, characterized in that a stop flange (31) is formed between the connecting section and the bearing section of the pin (2), the outside diameter of which is larger than the inside diameter of the core sleeve (13), but smaller than the outer diameter (D3) of the core sleeve (13).