MXPA00006558A

MXPA00006558A - Drag-reducing hub and support arm assemblies for roll goods dispenser

Info

Publication number: MXPA00006558A
Application number: MXPA/A/2000/006558A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Richard Paul Lewis
Original assignee: KimberlyClark Worldwide Incorporated
Priority date: 1997-12-30
Filing date: 2000-06-30
Publication date: 2001-06-26

Abstract

A hub assembly (100) for use in a dispenser for a roll of sheet material having a core, which hub assembly includes a mounting plate having a first side and a second side, a hub attached to the first side of the mounting plate, and a bracket attached to the second side of the mounting plate for pivotally mounting the hub assembly on a support. If desired, the hub may be freely rotatable. Also provided is a hub support assembly (200) for use in a dispenser for a roll of sheet material having a core. The hub support assembly includes a hub assembly and a supportarm (202), in which the hub assembly may be the hub assembly just described. The support arm has a first end (204) and a second end (206), in which the first end is adapted to be pivotally mounted on a support, and the first end has a tensioning means to apply a retaining force to the roll and to permit compensation for varying product widths. The hub assembly is pivotally mounted to the second end of the support arm by means of the bracket attached to the second side of the hub assembly mounting plate, thereby assuring that the roll retaining force is applied axially through the center core of the roll without applying drag on the roll. Again, the hub may be freely rotatable. By way of example, the tensioning means may be a spring. Additional embodiments and variations also are described.

Description

SUPPORT ARM SETS AND CRANE REDUCER CUBE FOR A ROLLED ARTICLES DISTRIBUTOR Background of the Invention The present invention relates to a dispenser for products in a roll form for the consumer and merchant such as, for example, absorbent paper products such as toilet tissue and paper towels.

Commercial consumer absorbent products such as shop towels, non-woven fabrics, cleaners, toilet tissue and paper towels are often distributed and stocked in a roll format. Most products in this format include a cylindrical core in the center of the roll. Typically the product is wrapped around the kernel and most roll-format product distributors require this kernel to function properly. The core is usually some type of cardboard or plastic tube to which the product is stuck so that the product does not separate from the core. The product is normally loaded by mounting the roll on the opposite hubs or pins which penetrate the hollow space within the core to only a limited extent.

Even when conventional distributors often allow variations in product widths, such variations can result in an unanticipated increase or drag of the product. Therefore, there is a need for one means to reduce or eliminate increased or n advance carryover.

Synthesis of the Invention The present invention relates to some of the difficulties and problems discussed above by providing a bucket assembly for use in a dispenser for a roll of sheet material having a core. The hub assembly includes a mounting plate having a first side and a second side, a hub secured to the first side of the mounting plate, and a bracket attached to the second side of the mounting plate for pivotal mounting of the mounting plate. set of cube on a stand. If desired, the cube can be rotated freely.

The present invention also provides a cube support assembly for use in a dispenser for a roll of sheet material having a core. The cube support assembly includes a hub assembly and a support arm. The hub assembly includes a mounting layer having a first side and a second side, a hub attached to the first side of the mounting plate, and a bracket attached to the second side of the mounting plate. The bracket is adapted to pivot the hub assembly on the support brace. If desired, the cube can be rotated freely.

The support arm has a first end and a second end, in which the first end is adapted to be mounted as a pivot on a support, and the first end has a tensioning means for applying a retention force to the roll and to allow the compensation for variable product widths. The hub assembly is pivotally mounted on the second end of the support arm by means of the bracket on the second side of the mounting plate, thus ensuring that the roll retainer force is applied axially through the central core of the roll without apply drag on the roll. By means of this example, the tensioning means can be a spring.

The present invention also provides a roll retention assembly for use in a dispenser for the roll of sheet material having a core. The roll retainer assembly includes a first hub assembly, a support arm and a second hub assembly. The first hub assembly includes a mounting plate having a first side and a second side. The first hub is attached to the first side of the mounting plate and a bracket is attached to the second side of the mounting plate. The bracket is adapted to pivot the first hub assembly on the support arm.

The support arm has a first end and a second end. The first end is adapted to be mounted as a pivot on a support and the first end has a tensioning means for applying a retention force to the roll and to allow compensation for the variable product widths. The first hub assembly is pivotally mounted to the second end of the support arm by means of the bracket of the hub assembly, thereby ensuring that the roll retaining force is applied axially through the center core of the roll without increase the drag on the roll.

Finally, the second cube set is coaxially opposed to the first cube. The second hub assembly includes a mounting plate having a first side and a second side. A second hub is attached to the first side of the mounting plate and the second side is fastened to a support, either directly or through any type of coupling device known to those having ordinary skill in the art. Either or both the first cube and the second cube can rotate freely.

A number of variations are contemplated by the present invention. For example, the second hub assembly can be attached to an interior surface of the dispenser or to an integral part thereof. As another example, the second hub assembly can be attached to a rigid bracket attached to or an integral part of an interior surface of the dispenser. With a further example, the first end of the supporting arm can be attached to an inner surface of the distributor or an integral part thereof. As yet another example, the first end of the support arm can attach to a rigid bracket attached to or integral with an inner distributor surface. As yet another example, the reel retainer assembly can further include a rigid bracket having a first end and a second end, wherein the second hub assembly is attached to the second end of the rigid bracket by means of a rigid extension. and the first end of the support arm is attached to the first end of the rigid bracket. The rigid extension can form an integral part of one or more interior surfaces of the distributor.

If desired, the second hub assembly can be attached to a second support arm. The second support arm may have a first end and a second end as described for the support arm to which the first cube assembly is attached. That is, the first end of the second support arm can be adapted to be mounted as a pivot on a support, and the first end can have a tensioning means to apply a retaining force to the roll and to allow compensation for variable product widths. . The second hub assembly may include a bracket attached to the second side of the mounting plate to allow for pivotal mounting to the second hub assembly for the second end of the second support arm. Therefore, the second hub assembly and the second support arm can be an identical image of the first hub assembly and its support arm. Such an arrangement will help in centering the roll of product in the distributor over a distributor opening.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a side view of an embodiment of a hub assembly for the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top view of the cube assembly of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view of an embodiment of a hub support assembly of the present invention, which includes the hub assembly of Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a side view of a roll retainer assembly of the present invention, which includes the hub support assembly of Figure 3.

Detailed Description of the Invention Referring now to the drawings in which the same reference numbers refer to equal parts as shown in figures 1 and 2, a cube assembly embodiment of the present invention. The cube assembly 100 includes a mounting plate 102 having a first side 10 and a second side 106. A hub 108 is fastened to the first lad 104 of the mounting plate 102. If desired, the hub 108 can be freely rotatable. . The hub 108 may be a solid cylinder or an annular ring having a diameter which is slightly smaller than that of the core of a roll of product. The mounting plate 102 has a bracket 110 attached to the second side 10 of the mounting plate 102 for mounting in the form of a pivot and hub assembly on a support (not shown). In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2, the bracket 110 is d-shaped, having the support arms 112 and 114. A support (not shown) to which the hub assembly can be attached will be a size and shape for adjustment between the side arms 112 114 of the bracket 110. The bracket 110 can be secured to the bracket by means of a pin, a screw, a bolt or a similar device (not shown) inserted through the holes 110 in the side arms 112 and 114 and a corresponding hole in the support. The hole can be tightened enough to hold the bucket assembly 100 in place while s allows the bucket assembly 110 to pivot around the bolt. Therefore, the hub assembly 110 is capable of being pivotally mounted on the support.An embodiment of a hub support assembly for the present invention is shown in Figure 3. The hub support assembly 200 includes a hub assembly 100 and a support arm 202 having a first end 204 and a second end 206 The first end is mounted on an inner surface 208 of a distributor (not shown) by means of a U-shaped bracket 210, which is mounted on the inner surface 208 of the distributor on an integral part thereof. The support arm 202 is held in place by a bolt 212 which passes through the matching holes (not shown) in the bracket 210 and in the first end 204 of the support arm 202. Thus, the bolt 202 represents an axis around which is free to pivot the support arm 202; the movement of the support arm 202 is shown by the arrow 214 with the direction A 214 representing the movement towards a roll of product to be supplied (not shown) in the direction B which represents the outward movement of the product roll. The first end has tensioning means (not shown) for applying tension to the support arm 202 of the product roll. Such tension means, for example, may be a spring attached to the first end 204 to the inner surface 208 to apply tension in the direction A of the arrow 214, the movement of the support arm 202 may be limited by the stops (not shown) provided by the shape of the first end 204 of the support arm 202 or by the stops present on the inner surface 208 of the distributor. These and other means of tension are of course well known to those who have ordinary skill in art. The hub assembly 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is mounted near the second end 206 of the support arm 202. The hub assembly 100 is held in place by a bolt 216 which passes through the holes 116 of the bracket. 110 (figures 1 and 2) and a matching hole (not shown) in the support arm 202. Thus, the bolt 216 represents an axis around which the hub assembly 100 is free to pivot; the movement of the hub assembly 100 is shown by the arrows 218, with the direction C of the arrow 210 representing the movement towards the inner surface 208 of the dispenser and the direction D representing the outward movement of the inner surface 208.

Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a roll retainer assembly of the present invention for use in a roll dispenser for a roll of a sheet material having a core. The roll retainer assembly 300 includes the hub support assembly 200 of Figure 3, which includes the hub assembly 100 of Figures 1 and 2 and the support arm 202 of Figure 3, and a second hub assembly The second hub assembly 400 has a mounting plate 402 which has a first side 404 and a second side 406. A hub 408 is attached to the first side of the mounting plate 402. If desired, the hub 408 can also be spin freely. The hub assembly 400 is mounted on an inner distributor surface 410 (not shown) the second hub assembly opposes and is coaxial with the hub assembly 100, which is part of the hub support assembly 200. Due to the bucket support assembly features described above, a roll holding force is axially applied through the central roll core without increasing the drag on the roll.

A number of variations are contemplated by the present invention. For example, the second cube assembly can be attached to an interior surface of the dispenser or an integral part thereof. As another example, the second hub assembly can be attached to a rigid bracket attached to or integral with an interior distributor surface. As a further example, the first support arm end may be attached to an inner distributor surface or to an integral part thereof. As yet another example, the first end of the support arm can be fastened to a rigid bracket fastened or forming an integral part of an interior surface of the distributor. As yet another example, the roll retainer assembly may further include a rigid header having a first end and a second end, wherein the second hub assembly is attached to the second end of the rigid bracket by means of a rigid extension. The first end of the support arm is attached to the first end of the rigid bracket. The rigid extension can be an integral part of one or more interior distributor surfaces.

As used herein, the term "integral part thereof" refers to for example a protrusion, bracket or other suitable three-dimensional shape or molded as an integral or non-separable part of one or more interior surfaces of the distributor.

If desired, the second hub assembly can be attached to a second support arm. The second support arm may have a first end and a second end as described for the support arm to which the first hub assembly is attached. That is, the first end of the second support arm can be adapted to be mounted as a support on a support, and the first end can have tensioning means to apply a retention force to the roll and to allow compensation for the product widths. variables The second hub assembly may include a bracket attached to the second side of the mounting plate to allow the second hub assembly to be pivotally mounted to the second end of the second support arm. Therefore, the second hub assembly and the second support arm can be an identical image of the first hub assembly and its support arm. Such an arrangement will help to center the roll of product in the distributor over a distributor opening.

Even though the specification has been made in detail with respect to specific incorporations thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, to achieve an understanding of the foregoing, that alterations, variations and equivalents of these additions can easily be conceived. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be established as that of the appended claims any equivalents thereof.

Claims

R E I V I N D I C A C I O E S

1. A hub assembly for use in a dispenser for a roll of sheet material having a core, which hub assembly comprises: a mounting plate having a first side and a second side; a cube attached to the first side of the mounting plate; Y a bracket attached to the second side of the mounting plate, the bracket of which is adapted to pivotally mount the hub assembly on a support.

2. The hub assembly as claimed in clause 1, characterized in that the hub can rotate freely.

3. A hub support assembly for use in a dispenser for a roll of sheet material having a core, and the hub support assembly comprising: a cube set; a support arm having a first end and a second end; in which the hub assembly comprises a mounting plate having a first side and a second side, a hub secured to the first side, and a bracket attached to the second side, which post is adapted to pivotally mount the cube assembly on the support arm; the first end of the support arm is adapted to be mounted in a pivot on a support has tensioning means to apply a retention force to the roll and to allow compensation for the variable product widths; Y The hub assembly is pivotally mounted to the second end of the support arm by means of the hub assembly bracket, thereby ensuring that the roll retainer force is applied axially through the roll center core without applying drag on the roll.

4. The cube support assembly as claimed in clause 3, characterized in that the hub can rotate freely.

5. The cube support assembly as claimed in clause 3, characterized in that the tensioning means are a spring.

6. A roll retainer assembly for use in a dispenser for a roll of sheet material having a core, which roll retainer assembly comprises: a first cube set; a support arm; Y a second set of cube; Y in which the first hub assembly comprises a mounting plate having a first side and a second side, the first hub is attached to the first side of the mounting plate, and a bracket is attached to the second side of the mounting plate, the bracket is adapted to pivot the hub assembly on the support arm; the support arm has a first end and a second end, the first end is adapted to pivotally mount the support arm on a support, and the first end has tensioning means for applying a retention force to the roll and to allow the compensation for variable product widths; the first hub assembly is pivotally mounted to the second end of the bracket arm by means of the bracket attached to the second side of the first hub assembly mounting plate, thereby ensuring that the roll retainer force is applied axially through the central core of the roll without increasing the drag on the roll; the second hub assembly comprises a mounting plate having a first side and a second side and a second hub secured to the first side of the mounting plate; Y The second hub assembly is adapted to be mounted on a support coaxially with and in a position to the first hub assembly.

7. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that the first cube and the second cube can rotate freely.

8. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that the second hub assembly is fastened to an inner distributor surface or to an integral part thereof.

9. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that the second hub assembly is fastened to a rigid fixed bracket or an integral part of an interior surface of the distributor

10. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that the first end of the support arm is fastened to an inner surface of the distributor or to an integral part thereof.

11. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that the first end of the support arm is fastened to a clamped rigid bracket or an integral part of an interior distributor surface.

12. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 6, characterized in that it comprises a rigid bracket having a first end and a second end, in the second hub assembly is attached to the first end of the rigid bracket by means of an extension rigid and the first end of the support arm is attached to the second end of the rigid bracket.

13. A roll retainer assembly for use in a dispenser for a roll of sheet material having a core, whose roll retainer assembly comprises: a first cube set; a first support arm; a second set of cube; Y a second support arm; in which the first hub assembly comprises a mounting box having a first side and a second side, a hub is fastened to the first side of the mounting plate, and a tool attached to the second side of the mounting plate, the bracket is adapted for pivotally mounting the hub assembly on the first support arm; the first support arm has a first end and a second end, the first end is adapted to pivotally mount the first support arm on a support, and the first end has tensioning means for applying a retention force to the roll and to allow compensation for variable product widths; The first hub assembly is pivotally mounted to the second end of the first support arm by means of the bracket attached to the second side of the mounting plate of the first hub assembly, thereby ensuring that the roll retainer force is axially applied to the hub. through the central core of the roll without increasing the drag on the roll; the second hub assembly comprises a mounting plate having a first side and a second side, a second hub is attached to the first side of the mounting plate; and a bracket attached to the second side of the mounting plate, the bracket is adapted to pivotally mount the second hub assembly on the second support arm; the second support arm has a first end and a second end, the first end is adapted to pivotally mount the second support arm on a support, and the first end has a tensioning means for applying a retention force to the roll and to allow compensation for variable product widths; the second hub assembly is pivotally mounted to the second end of the second support arm by the bracket attached to the second side of the mounting plate of the second hub assembly, thereby ensuring that the roll retainer force is applied axially through the central core of the roll without increasing the drag on the roll; Y the second set of the cube is essentially coaxial with and opposes the first cube set.

14. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 13, characterized in that the first hub and the second hub can rotate freely.

15. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 13, characterized in that the first end and the first support arm are fastened to an inner surface of the distributor or to an integral part thereof.

16. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 13, characterized in that the first end of the second support arm is fastened to an inner surface of the distributor or to an integral part thereof.

17. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 13, characterized in that the first end of the first support arm is fastened to a rigid machine attached to or to an integral part of an interior surface of the distributor.

18. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 13, characterized in that the first end of the second support arm is fastened to a rigid header attached to an interior surface of the distributor or an integral part thereof.

19. The roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 13, characterized in that the first end of the first support arm is fastened to a first end of a rigid bracket fastened to an interior surface of the distributor of the first end of the second support arm. it is attached to a second end of the rigid bracket.

20. A roll goods dispenser comprising the roll retainer assembly as claimed in clause 13. SUMMARY A hub assembly for use in a distribution for a roll of sheet material having a core, whose hub assembly includes a mounting layer having a first and a second side, a hub attached to the first side of the mounting plate and a bracket attached to the second side of the mounting plate for mounting in the form of the hub assembly on a support. If desired, the cube can rotate freely. A bucket support assembly for use in a dispenser for a roll of sheet material having a core is also provided. The hub support assembly includes a hub assembly and a support arm, in which the hub assembly can be the newly described hub assembly. The supporting arm has a first end and a second end, in which the first end is adapted to be pivotally mounted on a support, and the first end has half tensioners to apply a holding force to the roll to allow the compensation for variable product widths The hub assembly is pivotally mounted to the second end and to the support arm by means of the bracket attached to second side of the mounting plate of the hub assembly thus ensuring that the holding force of roll s applies axially through the center core of the roll if applying drag on the roll. Again, the cube can rotate freely. By way of example, the tensioning means may be a spring. Additional additions and variations are described.