EP0324752B1

EP0324752B1 - Dispenser

Info

Publication number: EP0324752B1
Application number: EP87906054A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Peter Bruce Hanmer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-09-12
Filing date: 1987-09-11
Publication date: 1992-06-17
Anticipated expiration: 2007-09-11
Also published as: AU7963387A; WO1988001978A1; AU602359B2; ATE77344T1; DE3779925T2; DE3779925D1; JPH02500665A; EP0324752A4; EP0324752A1

Abstract

The dispenser (10) has a body (11) and a cover (12) hinged to the body at (15). An upper jaw carrier (13) has jaw members (33, 34) extending downwardly therefrom. A holding finger (19) and a support finger (18) are present. Finger (19) is hinged at (14) to the cover and finger (18) is hinged at (45) to the body (11). The lower carrier has jaw members (20, 21) which normally conceal blade (26). Both fingers (18, 19) are downwardly movable against spring (31) and the lower carrier is downwardly movable against spring (30) to reveal the blade (26) and to enable the blade to move between members (33, 34) to perform a severing operation.

Description

The invention relates to a dispenser. In particular, the invention relates to a dispenser for material from a roll such as plastics material, foil or paper material.
Plastics sheet material and paper sheet material for use by consumers is usually carried on a cylindrical former and stored inside a container or carton having a closure flap which may be opened to expose the sheet material. The carton had a serrated knife edge adjacent an edge of an opening formed when the closure flap was opened. The material was unrolled from the former and once a suitable length thereof was unrolled it was drawn across the knife edge and that length was severed from the remainder.
It was necessary with such a carton to prevent the roll of material from rotating during the severing operation. Thus, the operation required two hands. If the roll was not held against rotation it was usually not possible to produce a transverse edge which extended at ninety degrees across the sheet material and this was undesirable.
Where sheet material was flexible plastics sheet material (such as plastics food wrap) even if the roll was held against rotation the material had a tendency to gather up or fold onto itself during or as a consequence of the severing operation. One then either needed to straighten or unfold the material before it could be used for its intended purpose which was frustrating and time consuming or throw away that severed length of material and have another attempt at severing a length of material which was wasteful.
In another earlier proposal, of which Australian patent specification 503352 is typical, a web roll dispenser was proposed. The carton in which the roll was purchased was discarded (regardless whether or not it had a serrated knife like that previously described) and the roll was placed into the dispenser from which discrete lengths of material could be severed from the roll. Such dispensers were provided primarily for aesthetic reasons and consisted of a container body with a lid or cover and had an elongate opening through which the material could be withdrawn. A straight edge was provided adjacent the opening and the material could be drawn across the edge to sever a length of material from the roll. If the roll within the dispenser was not restrained against rotation during the severing operation it was not possible to sever the material at ninety degrees transversely thereacross and a ragged edge was sometimes obtained.
Such dispensers were generally more suited for material such as paper or foil but where the material was plastics film there was an even greater tendency to produce a ragged edge during the severing operation. This was because the film was flexible and could be stretched and was usually stretched during the severing operation. In addition to the production of a ragged edge, if care was not exercised the film, because of its nature would tend to fold over on itself and would need to be unfolded before it would be used.
In an attempt at alleviating the problems referred to above sometimes the straight edge across which the material was drawn was replaced with a serrated knife. The resultant dispenser then became nothing more than an upmarket replacement for the packaging container initially discussed above.
In U.K. patent specification 1407507 a dispenser and joiner was disclosed having a container for rotatably receiving a roll of plastics film. The container had a lid and the film was captured between the lid and an upper edge of the container during a severing operation in which the lid was held closed against the container. A knife was movably held by the lid and could be moved along the lid to sever a discrete length of material from the roll. Thus, a two part operation was involved. As the material was stretched by the movement of the knife there was a tendency for the roll to rotate within the container. This, because of the construction of the dispenser either made the severing operation difficult or resulted in an edge on the severed length (and also on the leading edge of the material extending from the roll) being at something other than at ninety degrees to side edges of the material.
In Australian patent specification 544232 a dispenser was disclosed which was specifically intended for dispensing plastics film from a roll. That dispenser had a normally concealed hot wire which was uncovered to enable it to melt through the material to provide a discrete length of film from the roll. That apparatus required a power source for the wire and produced unpleasant odours which, depending upon the plastics material involved were often toxic.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for dispensing material from a roll which at least minimizes some of the disadvantages referred to above.
According to one aspect the invention provides a dispenser including receiving means for holding a supply or roll of material, support means extending longitudinally of said receiving means and against which a transverse portion of said material may locate, holding means adjacent said support means and biased relative thereto to hold said material therebetween so that the free edge of said material may pass out between said support means and said holding means and be readily grasped by the user, upper and lower jaw carrier means each having jaw members extending therealong, said jaw members on one said carrier means having a profile complementary to that of the jaw members on the other said carrier means, and severing means associated with the jaw members, characterized in that said carrier means are movable relative to one another so that said complementary jaw members engage and stretch the said material in a region between said free edge and said holding and support means, said severing means being associated with the jaw members of one said carrier means and normally being concealed by said jaw members of said one carrier means and being movable relative thereto so as to be exposed when said carrier means are moved relative to one another to thereby sever the stretched said material.
It is usual for the supply of material to consist of a roll of material carried on a cylindrical former. The invention will be described by way of example with reference to a roll of material. The material may be paper or paper based, metal foil such as aluminium foil or plastics material such as food wrap or plastics material for other purposes.
The receiving means may include a surface upon which the roll of material may rest. Alternatively, the receiving means may include spindle portions which locate within open ends of the cylindrical former which carries the roll of material. In a preferred form of the invention the receiving means may comprise an elongate body within which the roll may be placed and a cover normally extending over the body. The body may have one or more retaining walls which substantially enclose the roll. Preferably, the body has a wall upon which the roll may rest. If desired, the wall may be a bottom wall of the body and be shaped or contoured to conform to the peripheral contour of the roll. Preferably the bottom wall is U or V shaped.
The body may be provided with an opening through which the roll may be placed. For example, the body need not completely surround or enclose the roll. Alternatively, the cover may be removable or movable to enable the roll to be placed within the body. Preferably the body is substantially U shaped in transverse cross section. This shape has two side walls and a bottom wall which may all form one continuous wall of the body and two end walls. One side wall may for example be hinged relative to the bottom wall and in this way the roll of material may be positioned with the body.
If desired the body, in use may be hand held or wall or surface mounted. Where the body is wall or surface mounted it is preferred that the body be provided with mounting means to facilitate this. The mounting means may comprise adhesive pads secured to the body portion. Alternatively fixing apertures for receiving fasteners may be present through the body. In another form mounting brackets or plates or the like may form part of the body or be secured thereto.
The body may be adapted to be free standing on a support surface. In which case one surface of the body may merely rest upon the support surface. Alternatively the body may have outwardly projecting legs upon which it may rest on the support surface. Preferably at least two legs are present. These legs may project downwardly from the body at two transversely spaced locations along.
Preferably the cover is hinged to an edge of the body and may be moved from a position enabling a roll of material to be placed in the body to a position covering the body.
The dispenser includes jaw carriers mounted for movement relative to one another. The jaw carriers include upper and lower jaw carriers. The upper carrier has jaw members extending along it. Preferably the jaw members are at a free edge of the carrier. The jaw members on one carrier are substantially complementary in shape to the members on the other carrier. In one embodiment, the members on the upper carrier comprise two spaced rails having a recess between them. The rails extend outwardly from the carrier and are directed towards the members on the other carrier. The free edges of the members on the upper carrier are contoured to receive the members of the lower carrier.
The upper carrier may be pivotally mounted relative to the cover whilst the lower carrier may be pivotally mounted to the body. Preferably, the upper carrier is normally away fromthe lower carrier.
The members on the lower carrier define a recess between them in which the severing means locates. These members normally conceal the blade and are movable, when the lower carrier pivots to uncover the blade. The members on the lower carrier have contoured free ends receivable by the jaw members of the upper carrier.
The support means extends substantially the full length of the dispenser. The support means may comprise an outwardly directed or upstanding ledge or finger upon which a transverse portion of the material may locate. In one embodiment, the support finger has two arms which are pivotally mounted. The pivotal mounting may be relative to the body. Preferably the finger is biased away from the lower jaw carrier. The biasing may be achieved by a leaf spring depending from the body portion. Preferably the finger has a curved transverse profile and, when viewed in plan, has an outwardly curved rear or trailing edge. Such a profile and edge assists in ensuring that the material does not crease or fold over on itself when drawn across the finger.
The holding means extends substantially the full length of the dispenser. The holding means normally abuts the support means and material is captured or held between them so that a free edge of the material may be readily retrieved from the dispenser after a severing operation. The holding means may comprise a holding finger extending between two spaced arms. The arms may be pivotally mounted to enable the finger to move relative to the support finger. Preferably the holding finger is biased towards the support finger. A coil spring may be employed for this purpose. Preferably the holding finger is pivotally mounted to the cover. In one embodiment the two spaced arms are pivotally mounted to the cover and the coil spring extends around a pivot pin securing the arms to the cover.
The holding finger is preferably curved in transverse cross section to match the curve of the support finger.
The severing means may include a cutting member. The cutting member, in one embodiment extends transversely across the material. The cutting member may extend adjacent the support means or the holding means and be movable between a retracted or non-cutting position to an extended or cutting position. The cutting member may be caused to move from the retracted to the extended position as a consequence of cooperation between the upper and lower jaw carriers. Preferably the cutting member is adjacent the holding means and is brought into contact with the material as the jaw members engage. Preferably the cutting member is an elongate cutting blade. Preferably the cutting blade has a plurality of triangular outwardly extending cutting teeth for engaging the material. The teeth may first pierce the material and then cut the material as the blade is moved into the material. The blade may be mounted relative to the jaw members of the lower carrier.
In another embodiment the cutting member may comprise a cutting blade which may be moved transversely of the material to sever a length of material from a supply of material. Thus, the blade may be relatively short in length and may be moved across the transverse portion of the material held between the holding and support means. Preferably the blade may be moved in a slot extending transversely of the material. The slot may be formed in the upper jaw carrier or the lower jaw carrier but preferably is formed in the upper carrier.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an end view of a dispenser according to an embodiment of the invention showing the dispenser in its closed position;
Figure 2 is an end view of the dispenser of figure 1 but shown in its open position;
Figure 3 is a plan view of the dispenser shown in the figure 2 position;
Figure 4 is a sectional view of the dispenser of figure 3 taken along lines IV-IV of figure 3;
Figure 5 is a view of the dispenser in the figure 1 position but taken along the same sectional lines as that in figure 4; and,
Figure 6 is a view of the dispenser much like that shown in figure 5 but after a discrete length of material has been severed from a roll of material.

With reference to figure 1, the dispenser 10 has a body 11 and a cover 12. The cover 12 has an upper jaw carrier 13 pivotally coupled to it at pivot 14. Cover 12 is pivotally coupled to the body 11 at pivot 15. Body 11 has downwardly extending lands 16 upon which the body may rest on a support surface (not shown). The dispenser 10 in figure 1 is shown in its rest position with jaw carrier 13 directed away from the forward end 17 of the body. Visible between carrier 13 and forward end 17 the support means 18, against which the holding means 19 projects, can be partially seen. Adjacent end 17 lower jaw members 20, 21 can be seen extending slightly above end 17.
Figure 5 shows a sectional view of the dispenser taken along lines IV-IV of figure 3 but with the dispenser closed. In this view the dispenser is in its rest position like that of figure 1. A roll of material 22 is held within the body 11 and normally concealed from view by cover 12. A free edge 23 of the roll material passes out between the support means 18 and the holding means 19 and may readily be grasped by a user. Also pivoted about pivot 14 is a lower arm 25 having a free end with jaw members 20, 21 located thereat. It should be understood that a similar arm to arm 25 is located at the opposite side of the dispenser and the members 20, 21 extend between those arms. The members 20, 21 have tapered distal ends as shown in the figure and have a groove or recess 29 located between them. A blade 26 extends between members 20, 21 and within the recess. The blade 26 is anchored or fixed between side faces 27 of the dispenser at locations 28 (see figure 3) and is stationary relative to the body 11 and concealed between members 20, 21 when in the rest position of figure 5. The blade 26 (although not shown) has a serrated cutting profile with upstanding saw teeth.
As shown in figure 5, arm 25 is biased to the position shown in figure 5 by spring 30. Spring 31 abuts projection 32 on support means 18 to normally bias means 18 against or towards the holding means 19 to capture end 23 between them.
Figure 6 shows the dispenser 10 at the end of a severing operation with the jaw carrier 13 in its most downward position whilst figure 5 shows the jaw carrier in its uppermost position. With reference to figures 5 and 6 it can be seen that the jaw carrier has jaw members 33, 34 depending downwardly therefrom. Member 33 extends from one side of the dispenser to the other (see figure 3) as does member 34. These members have upwardly extending U shaped grooves with edges 35, 36. These edges and the tapered profile of members 20, 21 are arranged so that when the dispenser is moved from the figure 5 to the figure 6 position edges 37, 38 first engage edges 35, 36 respectively to ensure that the material from roll 22 is not only stretched to span between jaw members 33, 34 but also securely held or clamped between these members and members 20, 21. Recess 39 between members 33, 34, as shown in figure 6 receives the blade 26 when the jaw carrier 13 is pressed toward forward end 17 of the body. This action causes arm 25 to act against spring 30 and support means 18 to act against spring 31. In the figure 6 position the blade 26 acts to sever a length of material from the roll 22 as the material is moved relatively towards and over the blade 26. Since the material is securely held and stretched by members 20, 21 and 33, 34 the blade 26 (with its saw tooth serrations) can cleanly sever a discrete length of material from the roll 22. Once jaw carrier 13 is released from the figure 6 position it returns to the rest position of figure 5.
To load the dispenser with roll 22 the cover 12 is hinged about pivot 15 and the dispenser is moved to the figure 2 position. The roll 22 (see figure 4) is placed in the rear of the body 11 and free end 23 is withdrawn from the roll and trained over the support means 18. The dispenser may then be returned to the figure 5 position and is now ready for use.
With further reference to figures 2, 3 and 4 it can be seen that the pivot 14 is formed by a bead or pin 40 which forms an upper edge part of the cover 12 which extends through apertured lobes 41 of holding means 19 and into parts 42 of the jaw carrier 13. Springs 43 extend around pins 40 to normally bias the upper carrier away from the lower one. Pivot 15 is provided by hinges 44. As is evident from these figures, pivot 45 is formed by pins 46 which extend into lower arm 25 and also into holding means 18.
With reference to figure 3, axis 50 represents the axis about which jaw carrier 13 and holding means 19 may pivot. Axis 51 is the axis about which the cover pivots relative to the body 11. Axis 52 is the central axis of rotation of roll 22 as material is withdrawn therefrom and axis 53 is the axis about which the arm 25 and support means 18 pivot.
With reference still to figure 3 it can be seen that the members 20, 21 and 33, 34 extend essentially the full length of the dispenser.
It should be appreciated the blade may be associated with the jaw carrier 13 rather than with the forward end of the body 11 and the arm 25. Similarly, the members 33, 34 and 20, 21 may have their relative locations transposed.
If desired the trailing edge 60 (figure 3) of support means 18 may be arcuate or curved so as to be broader in the region between the sides of the dispenser. Such a construction assists in preventing the material gathering up on itself as it is withdrawn from the roll.
It should be appreciated that the dispenser may be made in a variety of sizes to accommodate a variety of differently sized rolls or alternatively may be adapted to receive plugs 61 which locate in ends of the roll 22. Support means 18 extends almost the full length of the dispenser and may be thought of as a support finger. Because this finger is biased upwardly by spring 31 (figure 5) after a severing operation a free edge of the material is presented raised for easy retrieval by the user. The holding means 19 or holding finger 19 holds the material down against finger 18 to ensure that the free end is not lost.
The jaw members 20, 21, 33, 34 are of complementary wedge shapes to ensure that maximum grip is afforded for minimum effort. The tapers on members 20, 21 are slightly wider than the recesses in members 33, 34 to stretch the material across recess 39 (figure 5) to ensure that the operation of the blade is quicker and easier.
The blade may be made of plastics material or metal and by having saw tooth serrations and the way in which the material is held ensures that the blade cuts and does not tear the material. Since the blade is normally concealed it is not exposed where it may cause injury.

Claims

A dispenser (10) including receiving means (11, 12) for holding a supply or roll (22) of material, support means (18) extending longitudinally of said receiving means (11, 12) and against which a transverse portion of said material may locate, holding means (19) adjacent said support means (18) and biased relative thereto to hold said material therebetween so that the free edge (23) of said material may pass out between said support means (18) and said holding means (19) and be readily grasped by the user, upper and lower jaw carrier means (13, resp. 25) each having jaw members (33, 34 resp 20, 21) extending therealong, said jaw members on one said carrier means having a profile complementary to that of the jaw members on the other said carrier means, and severing means (26) associated with the jaw members, characterized in that said carrier means are movable relative to one another so that said complementary jaw members engage and stretch the said material in a region between said free edge (23) and said holding and support means (18, resp 19), said severing means (26) being associated with the jaw members of one said carrier means and normally being concealed by said jaw members of said one carrier means and being movable relative thereto so as to be exposed when said carrier means are moved relative to one another to thereby sever the stretched said material.
The dispenser (10) of Claim 1 wherein said receiving means (11,12) comprises a body (11) and a cover (12) hinged along an edge of the body (11).
The dispenser (10) of Claim 2 wherein said holding means (19) is hinged to the cover (12) and spring biased into engagement with said support means (18).
The dispenser (10) of Claim 2 or Claim 3 wherein said jaw members of said upper jaw carrier means consists of two parallel rails (33, 34) defining a recess (39) therebetween, the free edges (35,36) of the rails (33, 34) being contoured to receive edges (37, 38) of the jaw members (20, 21) of the lower jaw carrier means (25).
The dispenser (10) of any one of Claims 2 to 4 wherein the upper jaw carrier means (13) is normally biased to a rest position spaced from the lower jaw carrier means (25).
The dispenser (10) of any one of Claims 2 to 5 wherein said holding means (19) comprises a finger extending along the upper jaw carrier (13) and hinged to the cover (12) by two spaced arms pivotally coupled to the cover (12).
The dispenser (10) of any one of Claims 2 to 6 wherein the lower jaw carrier means (25) is pivotally coupled to the body (11).
The dispenser (10) of Claim 7 wherein the jaw members of the lower jaw carrier means (25) comprise two parallel rails (20, 21) each having an edge profile complementary to that of the jaw members (33, 34) of the upper jaw carrier means (13), the severing means (26) being normally located in a recess (29) between the jaw members (20,21) of the lower jaw carrier means (25) and the lower jaw carrier means (25) being biased to normally conceal the severing means (26).
The dispenser (10) of Claim 8 wherein the lower jaw carrier means (25) is biased by a leaf spring (30) projecting upwardly from the body (11) and into engagement with the lower jaw carrier means (25).
The dispenser (10) of any one of claims 2 or 9 wherein the jaw members (33,34) of said upper jaw carrier means (13) project outwardly from the underside of the upper jaw carrier means (13) and along a free edge thereof.
The dispenser (10) of any one of Claims 2 to 10 wherein the support means (18) comprises a support finger extending along said dispenser (10) and having two spaced arms hinged to the body (11).
The dispenser (10) of Claim 11 wherein said support finger is biased towards said holding means (19) and normally extends away from and above said lower jaw carrier means (25) when the dispenser (10) is in a rest position.
The dispenser of Claim 12 wherein said support finger is biased by a leaf spring (31) extending upwardly from the body (11).
The dispenser of Claim 4 wherein when said upper and said lower jaw carrier means (13, resp 25) are moved relative to one another, said severing means (26) is caused to relatively move into the recess (39) between the upper jaw members (35,36).
The dispenser of any one of Claims 1 to 14 wherein the severing means (26) comprises a blade having a serrated cutting edge.
The dispenser (10) of Claim 1 wherein said jaw members of said upper jaw carrier means (13) comprise a pair of spaced apart elongated parallel jaw members (33,34) and wherein said jaw members of said lower carrier means (13) comprise a pair of spaced apart parallel jaw members (20,21), the jaw members of one said jaw carrier means having wedge shaped recesses and wherein the jaw members of the other said jaw carrier means have a wedge shaped taper substantially complementary to said wedge shaped recesses.
The dispenser (10) of claim 16 wherein said jaw members of the upper and lower said jaw carrier means respectively are spaced apart to define recesses (29,39) therebetween, and wherein said severing means (26) is normally disposed in one of said recesses to be concealed by the adjacent pair of said jaw members and being movable relatively into the other said recess to sever said material when said carrier means are moved relatively towards each other .
The dispenser (10) of claim 17 wherein said carrier means for said adjacent pair of jaw members is normally biased to a position to conceal said severing means, said carrier means being movable away from said position when said adjacent pair of said jaw members are engaged by the other said pair of jaw members whereby to permit said severing means to move into said other recess.