US3009604A

US3009604A - Flexible sheet dispenser

Info

Publication number: US3009604A
Application number: US791066A
Authority: US
Inventors: John R Gothreau
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-02-04
Filing date: 1959-02-04
Publication date: 1961-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 1978-11-21

Description

Nov. 21, 1961 J. R. GOTHREAU FLEXIBLE SHEET DISPENSER Filed Feb. 4, 1959 United States Patent 3,009,604 FLEXIBLE SHEET DISPENSER John R. Gothreau, 661 4th Ave., Berlin, N.H. Filed Feb. 4, 1959, Ser. No. 791,066 4 Claims. (Cl. 221-23) This invention relates to the dispensing of paper towels, napkins, wrapping material and other flexible sheet members. It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus capable of dispensing individual flat sheets from a stack. A further object of this invention is to provide a cabinet capable of receiving flat unfolded, uninterlocked sheets in a stack and dispensing them individually. Further objects will be apparent from the description, drawings and claims herein.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an end view of a preferred embodiment of this invention in cross section;

FIG. 2 is a partially broken away front view of the cabinet of another preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relation of the moving elements of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

The objects of this invention are achieved by positioning in a housing, parallel, spaced apart rolls adapted to be rotated in opposite directions, having a special rela tion to each other and to sheets to be dispensed whereby the removal of one sheet brings the sheet next adjoining in the stack into a looped position between the rolls, ready to be easily removed and so on.

In providing a simple apparatus for dispensing flat sheets, many advantages are achieved. Roll towel type dispensers are objectionable in that they can not be reloaded without waste until the dispenser becomes empty. Flat towel dispensers for example have depended upon interfolding succeeding towels for the positioning of the next towel when one is removed from a dispenser. The added manufacturing step of interfolding requires expensive machinery. In loading dispensers for interfolded towels, it has been necessary to interfold a towel of the new stack with the rear towel in the dispenser in order to assure continuous dispensing. Folds in delicatessen paper, napkins and in towels are objectionable from the users standpoint. The invention of this application removes all of these objectionable characteristics from individual dispensing of sheet material.

Referring now to the drawings the invention will be described in more detail. In FIG. 1 a cabinet housing 40 is mounted upon a backing plate 42. As shown the housing is hinged at the bottom 44, and a self-locking hasp 46 is provided at the top of the backing plate securing the housing to the backing plate. A sheet removal port 48 is provided in the front of the housing. Inside the housing 40 and parallel to lateral edges of the sheet removal port 48 there are positioned two parallel friction rolls 50 and 52. These rolls are supported by bearings not shown. These bearings are directly fastened to the sides of the cabinet housing 40. The rolls are spaced apart forming a slot so that a loop of the sheet to be dispensed can be caused to protrude from inside the housing through .this slot and through the port. The housing constitutes a holder which receives a stack of sheets 54.-

The. holder is so adapted that when loaded a face of the stack is placed against both roll 52 and roll shield 51, which partially guards roll 50 from contact with the sheets, that is to say, the shield preyents contact of the' sheets with roll 51 when the sheets are part of the stack,

but permits a sheet to contact the roll as it moves from,

the stack through the removal port 48 as it is pulled downwardly towards that roll as shown in FIG. 1 by the user who is withdrawing the sheet. A press plate 56 is Patented Nov. 21, 1961 provided, and is adapted to be placed against the back of the stack of sheets. This press plate is held in position by a spring means 58. By means of the press plate 56 this spring means urges the stack face againt the roll 52 and the roll shield 51. In a preferred embodiment a roll drive means 53 is provided connecting rolls 50 and 52 in such a manner that the movement of one of the rolls causes the other roll to move in the opposite rotational direction. As shown thi drive means is a cross-belt pulley drive. The roll drive means, the roll diameter and the position of the rolls with respect to each other and to the stack are all interdependent as will be apparent from the following description.

A stack of sheets 54 is inserted in the apparatus as shown in FIG. 1. In the front sheet of the stack there is formed a loop 55 protruding between the rolls 50 and 52, through the port 48. The shield 51 insures that the loop is comprised of the portion of the sheet extending from the end of the sheet adjacent to roll 52. The dispensing cabinet is now ready for action. When a sheet is desired, this loop is grasped and pulled out of the dispenser. In pulling, the sheet contacts roll 50 and turns that roll as it is withdrawn. Roll 52 turns in response to the motion of roll 50. Since sheet 55 is pulled com-' pletely out from under roll 52, roll 52 turns upon the next sheet 57 and because the frictional resistance between adjacent sheets is not great, that next sheet slips from the stack and forms a loop. This loop forms in the slot between the roll and extends through the port. After sheet 55 is completely withdrawn, the newly-formed loop extends sufficiently through the port to permit grasping and like removal from the dispenser.

Referring now to FIG. 2 where like numerals refer to like elements of FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of this invention is presented. Roll 50 is mounted on shaft 62. The shaft is held within the housing in bearings 64, one of which is shown. These bearings are attached to the sides of the housing. A pulley 66 is mounted on shaft 62. An extension 63 of shaft 62 protrudes through a side of the housing 40. A knurled knob 74 is firmly attached to this extension, providing a means to manually rotate shaft 62. Roll 52 is mounted upon shaft 60,held by bearings 75. A pulley 68 is mounted upon shaft 60, in substantially the same plane as pulley 66. A crossed belt 33 connects pulley 66 with pulley 68. The operation of this preferred embodiment is as follows:

A stack of sheet material 54 is inserted in the housing and urged against roll 52 by press plate 56 and spring means 58 as shown in FIG. 1. The press plate and spring cooperate with the roll shield 51 to form a sheet restraining means. The knurled knob 74 is turned in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed from the knob end, turning shaft 62. Through the pulley connection shaft 60 is turned causing roll 52 to push the sheet in contact with it towards roll 50. A loop is thus caused to be formed between the rolls in port 48 and upon suflicient turning is large enough to be grasped by an individual desiring to use the dispenser.

Upon pulling the loop now extending through port 48, the upper end of the loop will be freed. Now, if the sheet is pulled downwardly friction contact with roll 50 is effected, turning that roll. In the form shown, by the crossed belt the pulley '68 of equal diameter with pulley 66 is caused to turn counterwise at the same speed. This movement is transferred to move roll 52 at the same speed as roll 50, disregarding slippage. Roll 52, frictionally engaging the next sheet, causes that'underlying sheet to gradually form a loop in port 48. When they initial sheet is completely pulled out, the next sheet is sufiiciently looped to permit grasping and like removal,

and in some instances the top end of the loop of the next from under the top roll so as to hang down, having one loose end available for pulling out.

In FIG. 3 a diagram is provided giving visual aid in the explanation of the relationship that exists in the invention.

D and D represent the diameters of the respective rolls and L and L indicate the distances between the rolls and the adjacent ends of the sheets. The angular speed one roll turns, W determines the angular speed the other will turn because the drive is dependent. As indicated in FIG. 3, D and D are equal and W and W are equal. L is substantially greater than L in order to compensate for some slippage. The desired relationship betwen the three variables will depend upon how much slippage occurs between each of the rolls and the sheet with which each is in contact.

Depending on the amount of slippage that takes place on a given installation, the relative diameter of rolls and/or pulleys may be varied for any given relationship between L and L to ensure that the loop 55 will be properly formed in successive sheets with normal withdrawal of each preceding sheet. If no substantial slippage is encountered, L and L could be made equal with D and D also equal and W and W equal so that withdrawal of any sheet would cause a succeeding sheet to be in the same position for removal as was the first sheet after withdrawal of the first sheet.

In more general terms the preferred relationship between the three variables may be described as follows: In the dispensing cycle comprised of the step of withdravw'ng a sheet and the simultaneous step of positioning a second adjacent sheet for like removal it is important that the two steps remain in phase.

Because of the slippage described above, and because of variability of surface friction of paper sheets, the feeding of successive sheets is never wholly uniform. But rather, upon withdrawal of one sheet, a succeeding sheet will sometimes come out so far as to be also grasped and removed with the first one, and on the other hand, a succeeding sheet will sometimes not be brought out far enough for successive grasping after the first sheet is removed. The above device provides a novel means for readily adjusting the loop to restore it to the proper state in the event of such erratic operation. While the rolls move dependently, the shield 51 prevents the sheet portion under roll 50 from being moved with that roll when the user is not exerting downward withdrawal tension on the sheet, and roll 52 can alone affect the front sheet when knob 74 is actuated. Thus, the size of the loop in the port can be readily adjusted with adjustment of the phase relation between the sheet and rolls 50 and 52. It will be readily appreciated that this solution avoids the necessity of taking the dispenser apart to make the adjustment. Likewise avoided is the provision of a complex clutch or the like. Thus, an inexpensive dispenser is achieved which realizes the objects of practical, easily adjusted, automatic, single sheet dispensing of flat sheets, as of paper towels.

This invention has been described as utilizing pulley drive means, but it should be appreciated that other such means such as gearing is available to achieve the same relative movement and connection between the two rolls. In addition, other friction elements such as endless tracks and spring loaded, pivoted levers can be utilized under the teachings of this invention. Since many variations are within the spirit of this invention the descriptive words herein used should be taken as illustrative only.

What is claimed is:

l. A sheet dispenser apparatus for stacks of uninterleaved sheets in face to face disposition comprising a holder for a stack of such sheets, a pair of movable friction elements positioned at one face of said stack, said elements being spaced apart so as to form therebetween an opening for looped egress of said sheets one at a time, means for urging a stack of sheets forwardly towards said movable friction elements, shield means adapted to be engaged with said stack, for cooperating with said means for urging said stack forwardly to impose a retarding force on the foremost sheet, said shield means partially shielding one friction element from direct contact with the face of the forwardly urged stack while leaving said partially shielded friction element exposed to driving contact by sheets moving through said opening in a manner such that the foremost sheet when being removed may contact the unshielded portion of the partially shielded element in order to actuate said element, means mechanically connecting said movable friction elements for dependent simultaneous opposite motion, and a direct friction element actuating means adapted to move said unshielded friction element to set said dispenser for automatic action by partially looping a first forward sheet between said friction elements, said elements being so driven and so spaced with respect to an inserted stack that the motion imparted to said partially shielded friction element by a manual withdrawal of the portion of a forward sheet restrained under said shielding means imparts an opposite motion to the said unshielded movable friction element while it is in contact with a sheet underlying the foremost sheet whereby the underlying sheet will be formed into a loop extending through said opening during the terminal motion of removal of the foremost sheet.

2. An apparatus adapted to receive a stack of sheets having little but variable frictional resistance upon each other and to dispense these sheets individually, said apparatus comprising a housing for holding a stack of sheets, a sheet removal port provided to extend across the other face of the stack of sheets within said .housing, a pair of parallel, spaced apart rotatably mounted friction rolls within said housing so positioned that the space between the rolls cooperates with the port to provide a passage through which looped sheets may pass in moving from the stack out of the housing, means for urging said stack of sheets against one of said rolls, means comprising a part of said housing for partially shielding the other of said rolls from direct contact with the face of the urged stack while leaving said partially shielded roll exposed to driving contact by sheets moving through said passage in a manner such that the foremost sheet when being removed may contact the unshielded portion of the partially shielded roll in order to actuate said roll, the housing permitting holding a sheet in frictional contact with the partially shielded roll during its withdrawal from the dispenser, means to said first mentioned roll to rotate in opposite direction from and at aspeed dependent upon the movement of the partially shielded roll, said rolls being of such diameters, being so positioned and so driven that when the first roll in rotation generates a linear distance equal to the distance from that roll to the adjacent end of the stack, the partially shielded roll traverses a distance substantially equal to the distance from it to its adjacent end of the stack, less the linear slippage that occurs between said partially shielded roll and the contacting sheet, means adapted to turn said rolls, and means provided to cooperate with said means for shielding to cause the independent dislodging from the stack the end of the front sheet under the first roll permitting the formation and adjustment thereof, of a loop between rolls while the other end of the sheet is not substantially disturbed to set the apparatus for subsequent automatic action.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the said roll turning means for creating between the rolls a loop of the portion of the front sheet under the first roll comprises an extension of one of said rolls extending beyond said housing adapted to be turned manually causing the first roll to form the loop.

4. A sheet dispenser apparatus for stacks of uninterleaved sheets in face-to-face disposition comprising a holder for receiving a stack of such sheets, a pair of rotatably mounted parallel friction rolls disposed in said dispenser so as to extend across a face of a stack inserted in said holder, said rolls being spaced apart to form a slot for looped egress of said sheets one at a time from said holder, a shield member interposed between one of said rolls and said stack partially shielding said roll adapted to prevent contact of said stack with said roll, but permitting driving contact with said roll of a sheet moving from said stack through said slot, drive connection means for causing dependent movement of said rolls whereby driving contact of a sheet being withdrawn with said partially shielded roll causes looping of a succeeding sheet by other said roll, which directly engages said stack, one of said rolls being adapted to be directly manually rotated for causing movement of the roll directly engaging said stack for moving the portion of the sheet engaging said roll While the opposite 15 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 363,694 Sperry May 24, 1887 517,896 Stevens Apr. 10, 1894 803,343 Hoyt Oct. 31, 1905 1,312,449 Lundberg Aug. 5, 1919 1,703,594 Pratt Feb. 26, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS 391,489 France Nov. 2, 1908