NZ272992A - Toilet paper dispenser, single spindle carries spare rolls - Google Patents

Description

272992 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 No: 272992 Date: 12 September 1995 N.Z. PATENT 1 1 0 SEP 1996 RECEIVED COMPLETE SPECIFICATION "Improvements in or Relating to Roll Holders and Dispensers" We, DUROLLA PRODUCTS (NZ) LIMITED, a company duly incorporated under the laws of New Zealand of 220 Lake Road, Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand, do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: 27 2 9 9 2 The present invention relates to roll holders and/or dispensers and in particular, though not necessarily solely, to toilet roll holders and dispensers.

It is an object of the invention to provide a roll holder and/or dispenser which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Accordingly, the invention consists in a holder for rolls of webbed material and dispenser for said webbed material comprising a spindle adapted to be substantially horizontal in use, such that a plurality of rolls of webbed material may be mounted thereon; two ends and a surround such that said rolls of webbed material when mounted on said spindle are substantially enclosed and wherein said surround includes a dispensing opening such that, in use, said webbed material may be dispensed from at least one of said rolls through said dispensing opening, wherein one of said two ends includes an opening shaped or configured such that, in use, said core when substantially empty may be removed there through.

To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples only.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a front elevation of one embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional front elevation of one embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention; Figure 3 is an end elevation of one embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional end elevation of one embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention; Figure 5 is a front elevation on one embodiment of a key in accordance with the invention; and Figure 6 is an end elevation of one embodiment of a key in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawings a holder 1 for containing toilet rolls and the like while allowing the paper or other webbed material to be dispensed while the rolls are enclosed.

The holder comprises a central spindle 2 capable of carrying a plurality of toilet INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 0 S JUN 1998 Received i rolls in substantially horizontally adjacent positions. Further, the holder includes two ends 3 and 4 and a surround 5 such that the toilet rolls are substantially enclosed within the holder.

The surround 5 must include at least one dispensing opening 6 so that the paper or like material may be obtained from at least one of the plurality of rolls enclosed within the holder. Further, in the preferred form of the invention, the dispensing opening 6 is sized so that only paper from one of the enclosed rolls can be dispensed out the dispensing opening 6.

As can be seen in Figures 3 and 4, the surround 5 may be at least partially tubular to conform to the general shape of the rolls of webbed material. In this preferred form, the front half of the surround 5 is essentially tubular with the back half forming flanges 8 and 9 and a vertical rear wall 10.

The flanges 8 and 9 may contain engagement means 12 for the engagement of the holder against a vertical wall. It should be noted from Figure 4 that apertures may be formed in the flanges 8 and 9 to co-operate with the engagement means 12 in the engagement of the holder 1 to a vertical wall. Further, the engagement means 12 may be countersunk into the flanges 8 and 9 with caps 14 fitted in the apertures over the top of the countersunk engagement means 12.

As can be seen from Figure 2, the central spindle 2 may be mounted onto the end wall 3. This mounting may involve a disengageable mounting of the spindle 2 on the end wall 3. Lugs 16 may be provided discontinuously on a circumference about the central axis of the spindle 2 for engagement with an annular flange 17 on the end of the spindle 2. The annular flange may have cutouts (not shown) corresponding to the lugs 16 so that the annular flange 17 may be pushed past the lugs and against the end wall 3, and then the central spindle 2 may be rotated to lock the flange 17 in position behind the lugs 16.

In the preferred form of the invention, the end wall 4 is detachable from the holder so that the rolls of paper and the like may be loaded onto the central spindle 2. The end wall 4 comprises a substantially circular disc with lugs 18 fitted on the inside face and substantially at the perimeter of the disc.

Corresponding lug slots 19 in a flange 20 of the surround 5 provide spaces for the lugs 18 to be inserted through the slots 19 and then rotated so that they retain the end wall 4 behind the flange 20.

Further, a locking mechanism 22 may be provided so that the end wall 4 may be locked in position when attached to the surround 5. In this instance the lock comprises a lever 23 on the surround 5 that engages with a small projection 24 on the end wall 4. A key may be inserted into the key slot 25 and rotated to force the lever 23 away from the 272 perimeter of the end wall 4. This will disengage the lever 23 from the projection 24 and allow the end wall 4 to be rotated to a position in which the lugs 18 will correspond in position with the lug slots 19 and allow detachment of the end wall 4. A key suitable for this procedure is shown in Figures 5 and 6.

The end wall 4 may include an opening 27 so that, in use, a substantially empty core of a toilet roll or the like may be removed without the detachment of the entire end wall 4. As can be seen from Figure 2, the spindle 2 may project into the opening 27 such that a small annular opening exists between the spindle 2 and the end wall 4. Further, the end wall 4 may include radiused corners 29 and a guiding flange 30 to direct the empty core of the toilet roll through the annular opening.

In particular, the holder 1 may be designed with a spindle 2 that has a diameter only slightly less than the inside diameter of the core of the toilet roll or the like. Further, the opening 27 in the end wall 4 may be only slightly larger than the external diameter of the core of the roll and, in co-operation, the annular opening provided will be suitable for rolls of toilet paper and the like that have a central core of a specific diameter. This allows the unit to be designed so that it is ideally suited for a particular proprietary range of toilet rolls. Further, the spindle 2 and end wall 4 are both detachable and can be replaced by spindles and end walls of differing diameters to fit a different range of proprietary toilet rolls.

Clearly, the same co-operation between the spindle 2 and the end wall 4 could be provided by varying the shape or configuration of either or both to suit a proprietary range of rolls.

In use, the holder 1 is mounted on a wall in a suitable position. The end wall 4 may be unlocked using the key 30 and detached from the surround 5. Rolls of webbed material such as toilet paper may then be inserted onto the spindle 2 and the end wall 4 attached and locked in position. The holder shown in the figures is suitable for three standard sized toilet rolls.

The paper from one of the rolls is accessible through the dispensing opening 6 in the surround 5. When the roll in position adjacent to the dispensing opening 6 has been emptied, a user may insert the fingertips of a hand into a further opening 32 in the surround 5. The next toilet roll can be pushed along the central spindle 2 to the dispensing position behind the dispensing opening 6. In doing so, the empty roll is pushed out the opening 27 in the end wall 4. It should be noted that the opening 27 is shaped or configured so that only substantially empty rolls may be removed out the end wall 4.

Once the empty roll has been removed and the next roll positioned behind the dispensing opening 6 then this next roll can continue to dispense paper and the like until 9 7 7 £ fC - w. -v.;? * it too is empty. Again, the third roll may be pushed across to the dispensing position and the empty roll pushed out the opening 27. Now, the third toilet roll is in the dispensing position.

When the third roll is empty or at any time before this, the end wall 4 may be removed and the central spindle 2 refilled with new rolls of paper.

Thus, it can be seen, the invention provides many advantages over previously known holders and dispensers. In particular, although not solely, the holder 2 provides for the removal of empty rolls through an end wall and allows a central spindle and end wall to be fitted which are ideally designed for a proprietary range of rolls.

Claims (13)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A holder for rolls of webbed material of a type mounted on a core and dispenser for said webbed material comprising; a spindle adapted to be substantially horizontal in use, such that a plurality of rolls of webbed material may be mounted thereon; two ends and a surround such that said rolls of webbed material when mounted on said spindle are substantially enclosed and wherein said surround includes a dispensing opening such that, in use, said webbed material may be dispensed from at least one of said rolls through said dispensing opening, wherein one of said two ends includes an opening shaped or configured such that, in use, said core when substantially empty may be removed there through.

2. A holder and dispenser as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said surround is partially tubular.

3. A holder and dispenser as claimed in either Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein said two ends comprise a first end and a second end and said spindle is mounted on at least said first end.

4. A holder and dispenser as claimed in Claim 3 wherein said second end is detachable such that, when detached, said rolls of webbed material may be removed from, or inserted onto, said central spindle.

5. A holder and dispenser as claimed in claims 3 or 4 wherein said second end has said opening.

6. A holder and dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said spindle has a diameter such that, in use, said spindle provides a close fit within said core of said roll of webbed material.

7. A holder and dispenser as claimed in either Claim 5 or Claim 6 wherein said spindle projects at least partially into said opening within said second end when said second end is attached to said holder.

8. A holder and dispenser as claimed in Claim 7 wherein said spindle and said opening in said second end co-operate to form an annular opening for the removal of said substantially empty cores of said rolls of webbed material.

9. A holder and dispenser as claimed in Claim 8 wherein said annular opening has an internal diameter and an external diameter such that said opening provides a close fit about both an inside and an outside of said substantially empty core of said roll of webbed material.

10. A holder and dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 4 to 9 wherein said second end is lockable in position when attached to said holder. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFIcf OF N.Z. J 0 9 JUN 1998 ; RECEIVE? 272992 - 7 " . *;

11. A holder and dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said holder includes engagement means for the engagement of said holder with a wall.;

12. A holder and dispenser as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said dispensing opening allows webbed material to be dispensed from only one of said rolls of webbed material at any point in time.;

13. A holder and dispenser as claimed in Claim 12 wherein further openings are provided in said surround such that, in use, an adjacent roll of webbed material may be pushed into a position by said user to allow dispensing of webbed material from said adjacent roll through said dispensing opening and by pushing said adjacent roll, pushing said substantially empty core of said roll of said webbed material from said holder.;DATED THIS Pf* DAY OF A.J. PARK & SON END OF CL