GB2585251A

GB2585251A - Dispenser

Info

Publication number: GB2585251A
Application number: GB1909708.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Wightman Paul
Original assignee: Owen Greenings and Mumford Ltd
Current assignee: Owen Greenings and Mumford Ltd
Priority date: 2019-07-05
Filing date: 2019-07-05
Publication date: 2021-01-06
Also published as: GB2588274A; GB202010363D0; GB201909708D0

Abstract

A dispenser for dispensing material from a reel comprises a platform 2 providing a blade recess (3 fig. 1) and a blade 12 mounted in the blade recess (3 fig. 1) parallel to the longitudinal axis of the blade recess (3 fig. 1) and arranged for pivotal motion in the plane through the longitudinal axes of the blade 12 and the blade recess (3 fig. 1). The blade 12 may include a handle 14, a locking piece 16 and a pivot element 15 connected by a pivot pin 18 to a recess portion 19 forming the blade recess (3 fig. 1). The dispenser may comprise a body (1 fig. 1) including the platform 2, side panels (6 fig. 1), a back panel (7 fig. 1) connected by living hinges and coupling portions (8 fig. 1) to which the ends of a reel may be secured. The locking piece 16 may form a locking mechanism (22 fig. 6A) for the blade 12 along with a lip (21 fig. 6A) and a button (20 fig. 6A) formed in an extended section (2a fig.5) of the platform 2. The dispenser is suitable for dispensing material such as plastic wrap, aluminium foil, and baking paper.

Description

DISPENSER

Field of invention

The invention relates to a reel type dispenser and in particular a reel type dispenser for dispensing material, in particular for dispensing plastic wrap, also known as food wrap, cling film, or Saran (TM) wrap. The dispenser of the invention is also suitable for dispensing aluminium foil or baking paper.

Background of the invention

There is widespread use of reel type dispensers in the catering industry, which dispense plastic wrap or other sheet material (e.g. aluminium foil or baking paper) from a continuous reel of material. These reel type dispensers are typically a disposable cardboard box and are sold packaged with the reel. These cardboard boxes comprise a serrated blade, located on an edge of the box, over which a length of the material can be pulled and torn off. In the catering industry, these are similar to the boxes sold for domestic use in retail stores, but tend to be slightly larger, sturdier and with a more robust metal or plastic blade.

There are several problems with these disposable dispensers. Firstly, the action of the user in pulling the material down over the serrated blade is often inefficient and results in an uneven tearing of the material, or in the material becoming tangled. Accordingly, a user will use more material than is necessary in order to adequately cover the desired object (e.g. a plate of food). For a caterer any efficiency that can be made in the amount of food wrap used will be beneficial both economically and environmentally. As a further example, a portion of unevenly torn material (e.g. with a non-rectangular shape) may be unusable for a user (e.g. a piece of baking paper that does not cover the whole base of a baking tin), also resulting in waste.

Another problem is that the sharp blade is always exposed, and due to the action of tearing the user's hand may be in close proximity to the blade. This action can result in the user easily cutting themselves while using or handling the dispenser, which is not only painful but also unhygienic in a catering environment. Accordingly, more complicated reel type dispensers have been devised.

EP-A-2451733 discloses a dispenser housing and mounting including in use the housing, a coupling associated with a reel and the mounting. The mounting is arranged to permit removable mounting of the coupling to the housing so that the coupling is movable between a mounted and dismounted condition. The coupling includes a key; the mounting includes a lock arrangement which is movable between a locked condition and a free condition. The mounting is arranged so that when the coupling is moved from the dismounted condition to the mounted condition, the key moves the lock arrangement to the free condition permitting rotation of the coupling relative to the housing.

EP-A-0880332 discloses a dispenser for a roll of material in combination with said roll. The dispenser has opposing journal mounting means allowing rotation of the roll about its axis and also comprises a diaphragm which fits into or onto one of the journal mounting means so as to be rotatable relative thereto. The diaphragm comprises a first face which lacks an axial well or stub but is provided with a configuration of recesses and/or projections for engagement with corresponding projections and/or recesses at one end of the roll, and said roll having material wrapped around a core. At one end at least, a retained element comprising a first face which lacks an axial stub or well but carries the corresponding projections and/or recesses for engagement with the first face of the diaphragm. The retained element comprises a bung which abuts or engages with the core and wherein the material of the roll is also wrapped directly around a portion of said bung.

EP-A-1851153 discloses apparatus for gripping pliable sheet materials, including at least first and second elongated substantially linear jaw members and mounting means for mounting a jaw member to allow it to conform longitudinally to the other jaw member to enable the material to be clamped fully along the length of the jaw members.

The benefit of reel type dispensers with mechanical jaws is that a user can quickly and efficiently cut the material (e.g. plastic wrap) so as to minimize waste and avoid contact with the blade. However, these dispensers are larger and much more expensive than their archetypal disposable counterparts. The jaws of these dispensers are also spring loaded; the springs deteriorate and can cause the blade to be left exposed which is a serious safety issue. Another negative for the user, although beneficial for the supplier, is that these more complicated dispensers often require the purchase of specialized refill reels; these refill reels are often sold with a greater markup than a generic reel.

It is one aim of the present invention to provide a reel type dispenser which likewise overcomes the aforementioned problems with typical simple reel type dispensers, but does so without the size and production cost of the more complicated mechanical reel type dispensers.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful reel type dispenser for dispensing food wrap.

In general terms, a first aspect of the invention proposes a dispenser for dispensing material from a reel. The dispenser comprises a platform providing a recess and a blade pivotally mounted in the blade recess. The blade is mounted parallel to the longitudinal axis of the blade recess, and arranged for pivotal motion in the plane through the longitudinal axes of the blade and the blade recess.

The dispenser may comprise a body, including the platform, and at least one supporting portion.

The at least one supporting portion may be connected to the platform by at least one hinge, whereby the at least one hinge enables the body of the dispenser to be collapsible.

The at least one supporting portion may comprise a pair of side panels. At least one of the side panels may contain a coupling portion for securing the reel of material.

The dispenser may have a coupling portion for securing the reel of material which has a specific shape corresponding to a specific shape of an end of the reel.

The dispenser may comprise a locking mechanism for the blade.

The locking mechanism may comprise a depressible lip extending from the platform that engages with a cooperating element on the blade to secure the blade in a resting position, and whereby the lip is configured to release the blade when depressed.

The locking mechanism may further comprise a biasing member arranged to displace the blade away from the depressible lip when the lip is depressed.

The dispenser may further be arranged such the blade is prevented from rotation beyond a certain angle with respect to the platform by contact of the blade with a contacting portion of the dispenser.

The reel of material may be one of plastic wrap, aluminium foil, and baking paper.

Brief description of the figures

Embodiments of the invention will now be described for the sake of example only with reference to the following drawings in which: Fig. 1 is the net of the main body of the dispenser; Fig. 2 is a top-down view of the platform of the dispenser; Fig. 3 is a side view of the blade; Fig. 4 is a side view of one of the side portions of the dispenser; Fig. 5 is a side view of one of the side portions of the dispenser; Fig. 6A is a side view of a fully assembled dispenser; Fig. 6B is a side view of a fully assembled dispenser with the blade lifted; and Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view of a side panel of the dispenser, with an optional modification.

Detailed description of the embodiments

Referring first to Fig. 1, a net of the main body 1 of the reel type dispenser in its fully collapsed state is shown; some features of the composite parts of the reel type dispenser are omitted for simplicity, but will be described later. The main body 1 of the reel type dispenser comprises a platform 2, wherein the platform has a recess 3. A blade (not shown in this figure) is in use located in the recess 3. The reel of material (not shown) is secured underneath the platform 2. In an assembled dispenser of this embodiment, the platform 2 is supported by side panels 6 and back panel 7. The reel of material is secured under the main body 1. In the embodiment of Fig. 1, the coupling portions 8, located on the side panels 6, define holes or cut-out areas in which the ends of the reel of material are secured, and in which the reel is allowed to rotate.

Alternatively, the coupling portions 8 might define a protruding portion (male portion) onto which the reel slots. It is also possible for the coupling portions 8 to have a specific shape which conforms to a specific shape of the reel, ensuring that the dispenser requires specialized refill reels; in this case, the design of the reel may be protected to ensure that competitors cannot produce reels which match the shape of the coupling portions 8 of the dispenser.

It will be appreciated that the coupling portions 8 may not be identical (e.g. one area might be a female portion, and the other might be a male portion) or that there may be only one coupling portion 8 (e.g. there may be a rod extending from one side panel 6, onto which the reel fits). The side panels 6 will be described in greater detail later, but as seen in the figure, there are recess cutouts 9 which conform to the size and position of the recess 3. Both the side panels 6 and back panel 7 are attached to the platform 2 with hinges 5; in this case living hinges.

Folding of the back panel 7 onto the platform 2 followed by the side panels 6 onto back panel 7 allows the dispenser to be packaged as a flat pack, which allows for more straightforward shipping of the product to users. Also the main body 1 of the dispenser may be made in a single mould, which significantly reduces production costs. The only assembly that is needed before shipping to the user is the insertion and securing of the blade in the recess 3 and, optionally, the fitting of non-slip rubber feet (not shown) to the base of the dispenser.

The dispenser of Fig. 1 is assembled by first rotating the side panels 6 to be orthogonal to the back panel 7 and then rotating the platform 2 such that the recess 3 is aligned with the recess cutouts 9.

It will also be appreciated that the platform 2 may be supported by alternative configurations of support not shown in Fig. 1, e.g. with a support on each edge of the platform, or without hinges 5, or a configuration with no back panel 7. In the case that there is no back panel 7, or otherwise, the side panels 6 may be connected directly to the platform 2, rather than the back panel 7.

A top down view of platform 2 is shown in greater detail in Fig. 2. As well as the recess 3, the platform may comprise a slot 4 through which the material from the reel is pulled.

The material is then pulled over the recess 3 in which the blade is located. As can be seen, the recess 3 has an open end, to the right of the figure, and a closed end, to the left of the figure. Also shown in Fig. 2 are an optional rest section 10 and hand guard 11. The operation of the dispenser will be described in greater detail later, but these features allow the user, while operating the dispenser, to hold the material in place in an area with greater protection from the blade. These features also allow the user to steady the dispenser by pressing down on the rest section 10. Optionally, there may be more than one rest section 10 and hand guard 11. The slot 4 may have a shape that is not a uniform rectangle, for example the slot 4 may have both wide sections, through which the user may more easily grasp the material, and thin sections, which help guide the material when the user pulls the material from the reel so that it is uniformly dispensed.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of the blade 12 in isolation. The blade 12 has a cutting member 13 which is preferably serrated, as shown. The blade 12 is secured to the main body 1 of the dispenser through the pivot element 15. The blade 12 may also be provided with a handle 14 to assist the user in operating the blade 12. The blade 12 further comprises a locking piece 16 (cooperating element) and a recess connector 17, both described later. The cutting member 13 of the blade 12 is preferably very sharp, in order to more cleanly cut the material. In an embodiment the cutting member 13 is made of metal, but any suitable material could be used. The blade 12 could be formed of two materials, wherein the cutting member 13 is formed of one material (e.g. metal) and housed in a blade holder formed of another material (e.g. a plastic material); in this case the handle 14, pivot element 15, locking piece 16 and recess connector could all be seen to be part of the blade holder. Alternatively the blade 12 could be formed of a single material; in this case the material must still be a suitable material for the cutting member 13.

In the assembled dispenser, the blade is housed in the recess 3 such that the handle 14 is at the open end of the dispenser (i.e. to the right of Fig. 2), and the pivot element is at (or proximate) the closed end.

Fig. 4 shows a side view of the assembled dispenser, at the side closest to the pivot element 15 of the blade 12. Back panel 7 has been omitted for simplicity. The pivot element 15 of the blade 12 is connected to recess portion 19 with a pivot pin 18. The recess portion 19 extends from the platform 2 to define the recess 3 which houses the blade 12. The blade 12 can therefore be lifted (i.e. in an upwards direction with respect to the platform) from the one end (i.e. with the handle 14) to pivot around the pivot formed of pivot element 15 and pivot pin 18. This action allows the blade 12 to cut material which is pulled over the recess 3. As will be shown in a later figure, the recess 3 may have multiple recess portions 19. Alternatively, the recess 3 may be formed of one single trench-like portion. As the blade 12 is lifted in the upwards direction to cut the material, the user is able to obtain a length of material before handling (i.e. lifting and exposing) the blade 12. This improves safety for the user as they do not need to have their hands near an exposed cutting member 13 at any point during the cutting operation.

As will be appreciated, the pivot element 15 of the blade 12 can be set up in such a way that the blade 12 cannot be rotated beyond a certain limit, e.g. 90 degrees (i.e. orthogonal to the platform 2), which ensures that the blade 12 cannot be dropped onto a bystander to the side of the dispenser when it is in use. For example, the blade 12 may be positioned such that the tip of the base of the blade 12 is in contact with the side panel 6 when the blade is orthogonal to the platform 2 (and so parallel with the side panel 6), thus preventing any further rotation of the blade 12. Alternatively, the pivot may be set up so that the contact between the blade 12 and the side panel 6 (e.g. so that the blade contacts an edge of the recess cutout 9) occurs at an angle less than 90 degrees, e.g. by positioning the pivot element 15 closer to the handle 14.

Additionally, or alternatively, the rotation of the blade 12 may be prevented by the platform 2 at the end of the recess 3; the greater the length of the blade 13 that is covered by the platform 2 (rather than being open in the recess 3), the lower the rotation angle at which the cutting member 13 will contact the platform 2. A further example of a feature which achieves the effect of preventing over-rotation of the blade will be described later in Fig. 7.

Fig. 5 shows a side view of a side view of the assembled dispenser, at the handle-end side of the blade 12. Back panel 7 and hand guard 11 have been omitted for simplicity. From this side, the handle 14 of the blade 12 can be seen. Also shown are some components of one example of an optional locking mechanism of the blade 12. In this embodiment, the platform 2 extends down, parallel to the side panel 6 when assembled. This extended section 2a of the platform 2 can be depressed towards the side panel 6, and a button 20 may be provided to the user for that purpose.

Fig. 6A shows a view of the assembled dispenser orthogonal to the side panels 6 with the blade in a resting position, and Fig. 6B shows this same view with the blade in an elevated position. As can be seen in this view, locking piece 16 rests in a direction towards the side panel 6 when the blade is parallel with the platform 2, and is secured to the platform by a lip 21 which prevents the locking piece 16, and hence the blade 12, from moving upwards. Thus to unlock the blade 12, the button 20 is pressed which releases the locking piece 16 from the lip 21 and allows the blade to be lifted upwards.

The locking mechanism 22 may be further improved by the addition of a biasing member, for example a spring (not shown), which presses against the underside of the blade 12 when the blade is in the resting (i.e. locked) positon. When the lip 21 is depressed and the blade is released the spring displaces the blade by a few mm (i.e. by a small angle of rotation) in order for the locking piece 16 to clear the lip 21. This improves the usability of the locking mechanism 22 for the user (e.g. the user does not need to use two hands to press the button 20 and lift the handle 14). The spring mechanism may be provided by a piece of plastic which protrudes from the side panel 6.

As can also be seen, the recess 3 is formed of multiple recess portions 19. Lip 21 and button 20 of the platform 2, as well as locking piece 16 of the blade 12 make up locking mechanism 22. Optionally, as shown, the blade 12 has a recess connector 17 which clips into or rests on a recess portion 19 as a further method of securing the blade 12 within the recess 3 when the blade 12 is not in use.

The recess portions 19 may not all be uniformly sized, for example the recess portion 19 shown in Fig. 4, connected to the pivot element 15 of the blade with the pivot pin 18, may be larger than the other recess portions to support the pivot pin 18. Further, if the recess connector 17 is present on the blade, the recess portion 19 in contact with the connector 17 may be a different size to accommodate the connector 17.

Fig. 7 shows a cross section of the side panel 6 at the closed end of the recess 3, to which an optional modification has been made to prevent the blade 12 from over-rotating. Recess portion 19 has been omitted for simplicity. In this embodiment, an end stop 23, which is an example of a contacting portion, has been provided to the side panel 6, at the edge of recess cuttout 9. This end stop 23 ensures that the blade 12 cannot exceed a certain rotation angle, as the blade 12 abuts the end stop 23 at a certain rotation angle (i.e. less than 90°). It will be appreciated that the end stop 23 can be arranged such that any angle less than 90° is set as the maximum rotation angle of the blade 12. If the limiting angle is less than 90° (i.e. orthogonal to the platform 2), this ensures that the blade 12 cannot be left in the upright position; once the cutting arc of motion of the blade 12 is completed, the blade 12 will drop back into the safe, recessed position if released by the user. It will be appreciated however, that contacting portion of the dispenser may simply be the side panel 6, as the end stop could be disposed on the blade 12.

In summary, in the described embodiment, the main body 1 of the dispenser is first assembled by the user by rotating the hinged back panel 7 orthogonally with respect to the platform 2, whilst at the same time guiding the side panels 6 into their respective positons within the underside of the platform thus forming a 3 sided box. The reel of material is then secured underneath the platform 2 using the connections within the area defined by the at least one connecting portion 8. The material is then pulled through the slot 4 and over the recess 3. The material can then be pulled over the desired object and held taut. The user may wish to leave their hand holding the end of material or choose to move their hand to the rest section 10. The blade 12 is then lifted to cleanly cut the material.

The dispenser therefore achieves a cleaner cut than a typical disposable dispenser. This is because the tearing action of a typical dispenser requires the user to exert more downwards force to increase the tension on the material to tear it and because downwards travel is limited by the work surface that the dispenser is sitting on; conversely the upwards lifting of the blade 12, which can be much sharper than a blade of a disposable dispenser because it is recessed when not in use, smoothly increases the tension on the material until it is cut. In addition, the dispenser of the invention is compactly designed, and cheaper to produce than prior, more complicated dispensers (for example, a gripping jaw configured dispenser), due to the location of the blade 12 in the recess 3 of the platform 2. This compactness, combined with the use of hinges 5 to connect the support to the platform 2, results in the dispenser being collapsible and more easily shipped to users, further reducing the cost of the product.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A dispenser for dispensing material from a reel, the dispenser comprising: a platform providing a blade recess; and a blade pivotally mounted in the blade recess parallel to the longitudinal axis of the blade recess, and arranged for pivotal motion in the plane through the longitudinal axes of the blade and the blade recess.
2. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser comprises a body including the platform and at least one supporting portion.
3. A dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the at least one supporting portion is connected to the platform by at least one hinge, whereby the at least one hinge enables the body of the dispenser to be collapsible.
4. A dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one supporting portion comprises a pair of side panels, at least one of the side panels containing a coupling portion for securing the reel of material.
5. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one coupling portion for securing the reel of material has a specific shape corresponding to a specific shape of an end of the reel.
6. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispenser further comprises a locking mechanism for the blade.
7. A dispenser according to claim 6, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a depressible lip extending from the platform that engages with a cooperating element on the blade to secure the blade in a resting position, and whereby the lip is configured to release the blade when depressed.
8. A dispenser according to claim 7, wherein the locking mechanism further comprises a biasing member arranged to displace the blade away from the depressible lip when the lip is depressed.
9. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispenser is arranged such the blade is prevented from rotation beyond a certain angle with respect to the platform by contact of the blade with a contacting portion of the dispenser.
10. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the material of the reel is one of: plastic wrap, aluminium foil, and baking paper.