EP1371316A1

EP1371316A1 - Support structure for rolls

Info

Publication number: EP1371316A1
Application number: EP03010966A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fabio Snidero
Original assignee: D Factor Srl
Current assignee: D Factor Srl
Priority date: 2002-06-12
Filing date: 2003-05-16
Publication date: 2003-12-17
Also published as: ITPN20020036U1

Abstract

Support structure (1) for rolls of paper, film, tissue, and the like, in particular for household use, comprising a body (2) serving as a housing and adapted to accommodate one or more rolls stacked upon each other, and an unrolling body (3) that is removably associated to said housing body (2).

Description

The present utility model covers to a support structure for rolls of tissue paper, film paper, and the like, in particular for household use.
Usually, the rolls of absorbent paper used in the kitchen, or the rolls of tissue-type toilet paper, are mounted for use on support structure that are designed to make it more convenient for the roll to be unrolled. The rolls of film used for packing food are usually available on the market suitably packed in box-like containers provided with a serrated edge to assist in cutting the film. Anyway, structures are also available for use, which enable such rolls of film even without said containers.
In all cases, the roll support structures, which must of course comply also with definite aesthetical, i.e. decorative requirements, may be movable or attached to the wall with the help of appropriate brackets.
For example, the rolls of toilet paper are usually unrolled by making use, i.e. with the assistance of arms that are designed to be inserted in the cardboard core of the roll.
It is largely known that a commonly and constantly felt need on the part of the users consists in being able to readily have a spare roll close at hand to replace a roll that has run out of paper. Usually, in fact, a roll that is running out of paper is first replaced when it actually is entirely depleted, i.e. when there is no paper at all left on the roll for delivery. This fact is quite obviously associated with clear drawbacks in terms of convenience, since the spare rolls are often stored in some cabinet, or a walk-in cupboard, which may be situated even relatively far from the place in which the roll support structure is positioned.
Actually, the above-cited drawbacks are done away with by the arrangement described in the British patent application no. GB-A-2 355 251. This arrangement is comprised of a main cylindrical body which is hung vertically, with the aid of a rotating ring, to a bracket that is firmly joined to a wall. A disk having a greater diameter engages in a removable manner the lower end portion of the cylinder, so that rolls of toilet paper can be stacked vertically upon each other on said cylinder, said stacked roll resting against said disk, which in fact has a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the cardboard core of the rolls. Thanks to the pivoting ring, the arrangement is free to revolve, thereby enabling a user to unroll the lowest roll in the stack which, upon being fully used up, is simply slipped off the cylinder, by momentarily disengaging the disk with a greater diameter, in such a manner that a new roll of the stack is ready for use.
Arrangements of this kind, however, have a drawback in that loading new rolls in the cylinder each time implies that the cylinder itself must be released, i.e. unhooked from the bracket, in order to be able to place it on a worktop or a surface where the rolls can be loaded on it, and, upon having duly loaded with rolls, it must of course be hung again to the support bracket to regain its normal suspended position.
Another drawback lies in the fact that, to slip off, i.e. remove the used-up roll from the cylinder that need arises for a rather complicated and demanding operation to be carried out, i.e. the need arises to disengage the disk, remove the lowest roll of the stack, support the other rolls in the stack so as to prevent them from slipping off themselves, and re-establish the coupling of the disk with the cylinder.
A further drawback is encountered when unrolling the rolls, since unrolling is in this particular case quite awkward and poorly effective.
It therefore is a main object of the present invention to provide a support structure for paper, film and tissue rolls, in particular for use in the home, which is effective in doing away with the above-cited drawbacks.
Within the above general object, it is a purpose of the present invention to provide a support structure for rolls of paper and the like, which is more convenient and practical as compared with prior-art apparatuses of this kind.
Another, equally important purpose of the present invention is to provide a support structure for rolls of paper and the like, which is simple to manufacture at competitive costs.
According to the present invention, these aims, along with further ones that will be apparent in the following description, are reached in a support structure for paper, film, tissue and similar rolls, in particular for use in the home, incorporating the characteristics as recited in the appended Claim 1.
Anyway, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the description of the structure of the invention that is given below by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective side view of a support structure for rolls according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective rear view of the support structure for rolls according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is a perspective, exploded view of the unrolling body of the support structure for rolls according to the present invention.

With reference to the above-mentioned Figures, the reference numeral 1 is used there to generally indicate a support structure for paper, film, tissue and similar rolls according to the present invention, which can be noticed to comprise a body 3 serving as a housing, to which there is capable of being removably associated an unrolling body 3 by means of support upright members 4.
The housing body 2 is adapted to accommodate at least an extra roll in addition to the one being used (four extra rolls in the example being illustrated).
The unrolling body 3 comprises a U-shaped member 5, which is adapted to receive a roll 6 to be unrolled, as this is best illustrated in Figure 1. Such a U-shaped member 5 has one of its end portions that is rotatably and slidably associated into a cylindrical cavity 7 provided in a connection body 8, so as to define a roll loading position and an operational roll unrolling position, so as this is best illustrated in Figure 3.
The unrolling body 3 further comprises an appropriately contoured member 9, which is adapted to be applied to said connection body 8 so as to partially cover from sight the roll 6 when it is inserted in the U-shaped member 5.
The connection body 8 defines a locating slot 10 in which the U-shaped member 5 is intended to rest when it is in its operational position.
Changing from the operational position to the roll loading position is done by rotating and slightly slipping off the U-shaped member 5 from the cavity 7, in such a manner as to cause the U-shaped member 5 to disengage from said locating slot 10 and move into a substantially vertical position, thereby facilitating the loading of the roll 6 without any hindrance being caused by the contoured member 9, so as illustrated in Figure 1.
The U-shaped member 5 is then moved back into its operational position in that it is brought again into engaging the locating slot 10 with a movement of partial rotation and translation to be performed in the opposite direction with respect to the afore described one.
The connection body 8 of the unrolling body 3 defines two cylindrical receptacles 11 into which the upper end portions of the support upright members 4 are capable of being inserted. On the bottom side thereof, these upright members 4 are firmly joined to a base member 12 that supports the whole structure 1 and makes it vertically stable.
The housing body 2 substantially comprises a box-shaped body with a rounded-off contour, which is open on one side so as to enable the rolls to be loaded thereinto. In this body the rolls are stacked upon each other resting on a base, as this is best illustrated in Figure 2. On the bottom side, the housing body 2 rests in correspondence of a lower-profiled, i.e. sunken seat (not shown in the Figures) which is provided in the base member 12 so as to be complementary to the peripheral edge of the base section of the housing body 2, in such a manner as to cooperate with said housing body to form a fit-in joint by the matching of shapes.
The housing body 2 is delimited on top by a substantially planar surface, in which there are provided two through-holes, through which the two support upright members 4 of the structure are caused to pass, thereby ensuring the required standing stability of the housing body 2 itself.
The above-mentioned sunken seat provides a surface for the lower roll of the stack contained inside the housing body 2 to rest upon. The base member 12 has on the rear side a raised edge 13, in which there are fixed the lower end portions of the support upright members 4; it further defines a kind of side shoulder to retain the lower roll, thereby contributing to its keeping its vertical position upon being inserted in the housing body 2. In an advantageous manner, the two support upright members 4 are spaced from each other by such an extent as to allow the rolls to be loaded in the housing body and taken out therefrom by simply exerting a light pressure, whereby advantage is taken of the elastic deformability of the rolls. This practically enables the stack of rolls to keep its stability inside the housing body 2 even in the case that the entire support structure 1 is being displaced or, anyway, tilted. On the front side thereof, the housing body 2 is further provided with apertures 14 that enable the number of rolls available or remaining in the same housing body to be conveniently and readily identified, so as to timely add new ones whenever this is needed.
Fully apparent from the above description is therefore the ability of the invention to effectively reach the afore-cited aims and advantages: in fact, it provides a support structure for rolls which effectively ensures that at least a spare roll is readily available to the user at that very moment in which the paper or film on an existing roll runs out, without having to complete any complicated or awkward operation to replace the roll, actually.
Another advantage of the support structure for rolls of the invention derives from the fact that loading the rolls into the housing body thereof is extremely simple.
A further advantage of the support structure for rolls according to the present invention derives from the fact that it is particularly simple from a construction point of view, as well as very convenient in use.
A further advantage yet of the support structure for rolls according to the present invention derives from the fact that it is sectional, i.e. modular in its construction, which practically enables the unrolling body thereof to be separated for wall-mounting, if desired.
It will be appreciated that the materials used to manufacture the structure of the present invention, as well as the shapes and the sizing of the individual component parts thereof, may each time be selected so as to more appropriately meet the particular requirements or suit the particular application.

Claims

Support structure (1) for paper, film, tissue and similar rolls, in particular for use in the home, comprising a housing body (2) adapted to accommodate one or more stacked rolls, characterized in that an unrolling body (3) is removably associated to said housing body (2).
Support structure (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said unrolling body (3) comprises a member (5), which is adapted to receive a roll (6) to be unrolled, said member (5) being rotatably and slidably associated in a cylindrical cavity (7) provided in a connection body (8), so as to define a loading position and an operational unrolling position of the roll (6), said unrolling body (3) further comprising an appropriately contoured member (9) which is adapted to be applied on to said connection body (8) so as to partially cover from sight the roll (6) when it is inserted in said member (5).
Support structure (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said connection body (8) of said unrolling body (3) defines two cylindrical receptacles (11) into which the upper end portions of two support upright members (4) are capable of being inserted, said support upright members (4) being firmly joined on their lower side to a base member (12) that supports the whole structure (1).
Support structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said housing body (2) comprises a box-shaped body, which is open on one side so as to enable the rolls to be loaded thereinto, said housing body (2) resting in correspondence of a lower-profiled, i.e. sunken seat which is provided in said base member (12) cooperating with said housing body (2) to form a fit-in joint by the matching of shapes, said housing body (2) defining on top two through-holes for said two support upright members (4) of the structure to engage therethrough.
Support structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sunken seat of said base member (12) defines a surface for the lower roll of the stack contained inside said housing body (2) to rest upon, said base member (12) defining a shoulder to retain said lower roll and keep it in its vertical position when it is inserted in said housing body (2).
Support structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said two support upright members (4) are spaced from each other by such an extent as to allow the rolls to be loaded in the housing body and taken out therefrom by simply exerting a light pressure, whereby advantage is taken of the elastic deformability of the rolls.
Support structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said housing body (2) is provided on the front side with apertures (14) that enable the number of rolls available or remaining in the same housing body (2) to be conveniently and readily identified, so as to timely add new ones whenever this is needed.
Support structure (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said unrolling body (3) is removably associated in correspondence of the upper portion of said housing body (2).
Support structure, substantially as described and/or illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.