US3061218A - Double roll toilet paper holder - Google Patents

Description

0d. 3 9;. 1 962 MQQRE DOUBLE ROLL TOILET PAPER HOLDER Filed March 23, 1960 2 a G Q m Q C WW 2 c w 2 P w p 4 6 a u w 5: i b M h w w :M 7 m m u FIG. 2

FIG.3

3,061,218 DOUBLE ROLL TOILET PAPER HOLDER Francis J. Moore, 11 2nd St. SE., Minneapolis, Minn. Filed Mar. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 17,185 4 Claims. (Cl. 242--55.3)

T his invention relates generally to devices for rotatably holding rolls of toilet paper and the like and particularly to such devices for holding a pair of such rolls vertically spaced in generally parallel relation.

It is an object of this inventnon to provide such a device having a roll surface restraining member adjustable to engage the surface of either one of the rolls to hold the paper thereon in reserve while allowing the other roll to rotate as paper is unwound therefrom.

It is also an object to provide such a device having a housing with means for supporting the ends of a pair of roll core-mounting members and a roll restraining member mounted for vertical adjustable movement upon the back of the housing and curved forwardly at the ends thereof to extend respectively above and below the rolls of paper mounted on upper and lower disposed mounting .members and movable to engage and restrain either one of the rolls.

It is a further object to provide such a device in which therestraining member has a pair of vertically elongated slots through the intermediate portion thereof slidably receiving a threaded mounting pin attached to the back of the housing and which is locked in adjusted vertical position by threadably tightening a lock nut onto either pin against the front of the restraining member.

It is also an object to provide such a device in which a pair of toilet paper rolls are mounted thereupon substantially close to the front of the housing so that the unrestrained roll must be substantially emptied of paper in order to provide access to the lock nuts to shift the restraining member from engagement with the other roll.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will more fully appear from the following descrip tion made in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the roll holder housing without the core-mounting members and showing the roll restraining member positioned for restraining a toilet 1 United States Patent C) i paper roll mounted in the upper roll position thereupon;

FIG. 2 is a front view, partly broken away, of the housing shown in FIG. 1 holding two rolls of toilet paper broken away to expose a portion of the restraining member adjusted to engage the upper disposed roll, and also showing the hollow cores of both rolls and portions of the upper roll core-mounting member in central vertical section; and,

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

In the form of the invention shown in the accornpanying drawing, I provide a supporting housing 10 including a flat top panel 12 and bottom panel 14 and generally parallel sides 16. A generally fiat back panel 18 encloses the rear of the housing 10 and has a plurality of openings 18a therethrough to permit the housing 10 to be attached to a flat Wall surface by threaded screws or other convenient attaching means (not shown).

A pair of opposed vertical channels 20 are respectively formed in the front end of each housing side 16 to add rigidity to the housing 10 and also to provide seats for mounting a pair of roll core-mounting members extended laterally across the front of the housing 10.

A pair of vertically spaced seat elements 26 and 28 are attached to spaced portions of the bottom 20a of each of such a pair of core-mounting members.

3,061,218 Patented Oct. 30, 1962 form shown, as by having the pair of vertically elongated slots 30a through the intermediate portion thereof respectively receiving a threaded mounting pin 32 attached to the back panel 18 and extended forwardly therethrough. A threaded lock nut '34 is provided upon each mounting pin 32 and is manually adjustable to lock the restraining member 30 against the back panel 18 and to release the member 30 for vertical shifting adjustment.

The upper and lower end portions of the restraining member 39 are curved to extend forwardly from the rear of each roll C, as best shown in FIG. 3, to provide a ,pair of external roll brake elements 30b respectively adapted to matingly engage a surface portion of the adjacent roll.

The upper brake element 30b engages the surface of an upper disposed roll C when the restraining member 30 is positioned so that the mounting pins 32 abut the re: spective upper ends of the slots 30a, as best shown in FIG. 2. The lower brake element 30bengages a lower disposed roll C when the restraining member 30 is shifted upwardly to position the bottom end of the slots 30a in abutment against the bottoms of the respective mounting pins 32.

The brake elements 30b terminate at the front of the housing 10, to permit installation of a roll holding sup porting member A in either of the two seating positions regardless of the disposition of the restraining member 30.

The roll restraining member 30, in the form shown, can be locked into position restraining either roll by threadably tightening either of -the lock nuts 34.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the upper lock nut 34 is positioned slightly below the upper core-mounting member A and the lower lock nut 34 is slightly above the lower mounting member A. The vertically spaced toilet paper rolls C, respectively mounted upon the mounting members A, substantially fill the front of the housing and pre vent access to the lock nuts 34 for releasing the restrained roll to remove paper therefrom. Thus, it is seen that the unrestrained roll of paper must be substantially removed from its core before the lock nuts 34 can be reached to release the restrained roll and unwindpaper therefrom.

Operation of the roll restraining member is described generally as follows. With the restraining member 30 locked at its upper limit by the upper lock nut 34, a full roll of paper is axially mounted upon a supporting member A which is then seated within the lower housing channel seats. The roll of paper on the lower mounting member presses downwardly and rearwardly against the lower brake element 30b in restrained position. The upper core-mounting member is installed containing another roll of paper mounted thereon. With the restraining member 30 disposed at its upper limit, the upper brake element is spaced apart from a roll C mounted upon the upper member A to permit rotation of the roll C when paper is unwound therefrom. Paper canthen be taken only from the upper disposed paper roll until the same is substantially emptied of paper to permit access to the upper lock nut 34. When the paper is entirely removed from the upper roll, a person desiring to release the lower brake element 30b. Before the upper roll is so replaced, the operator reaches behind the bottom roll C to tighten the lower lock nut 34 and lock the restraining member 34 in such lowered position. When the upper roll C is then installed, access to the lower lock nut 34 is prevented until the lower unrestrained roll is substantially removed from its core B.

Although the above described procedure for usage is recommended, rolls of toilet paper can be alternately locked and released for usage in a different order, and the roll restraining member 30 can be locked at an intermediate vertical position to leave both rolls unrestrained thereby.

Any suit-able form of core-mounting member may be used with the roll surface restraining device described above. However, I have obtained most satisfactory results by combining therewith the particular core-mounting members shown and designated by the letter A, which is shown and described in the application for U.S. Letters Patent Serial No. 17,049, filed by me of even date herewith and entitled Paper Roll Holder, and now abandoned.

The core-mounting member A, as best shown in vertical section in FIG. 2, comprises an elongated polygonal crossbar 40 and an anchor block 60 of similar shape. The anchor block 60 has a cylindrical spindle 62 attached to one end thereof for longitudinal movement within a cavity 42 in the cross-bar 40. A compression coil spring 64 encircles the spindle 62 and abuts the bottom of the cavity 42 to normally urge the respective opposite ends of the cross-bar 40 and the block 62 farther apart than the bottoms of the opposed channels 20. The coil spring 64 is compressible to permit abutment between adjacent ends of the cross-bar 40 and block 60. The member A, at such fully compressed disposition, is shorter than the distance between the channel bottoms 20a, but is longer than the width of the housing between the flat sides 16, so that the supporting member A cannot pass rearwardly beyond the channels 20. The forward disposed walls of the channels 20 respectively form flanges 22 upon the front of the housing to generally align each side of the opening with the housing side 16 adjacent thereto. Two pairs of slots 24 are formed respectively through each channel opening outwardly upon the open housing front to admit the compressed supporting members A therethrough to extend between the channels 20 by first seating one end thereof within one channel and swinging the other end rearwardly through the slot 24 in the other flange 22 into the other channel. The compressed coil spring 64 urges the outer ends of the member A against the opposed channel bottoms 20a between the upper and lower seat elements 26 and 28. The polygonal shape of the core mounting member A fits between the fiat channel sides to prevent axial rotation thereof. Outer free edges of the channels 20 are spaced to barely permit a roll of toilet paper on a mounting member to revolve therebetween so that such a roll must be stripped empty of toilet paper and the hollow core thereof must be torn away in order to expose the core-mounting member A to compress and remove the same.

Internal roll core restraining means are provided, in the form shown, by a pair of parallel restraining bars 50 and 70, disposed respectively in parallel spaced relation to opposite sides of the cross-bar 40, as best shown in FIG. 2. The restraining bar 50 is attached in fixed relation to the cross-bar 40, and the bar 70 has a central mounting bar 74 extending slidably through a passage 46 through the cross-bar 40. The mounting bar 74 has a retaining nut 78 threadably mounted upon the end portion thereof to abut the cross-bar 40 adjacent the restraining bar 50. A compression spring 80 encircles the mounting bar 74, and extends within an adjacent enlarged portion of the passage 46 to abut the shoulder formed at the enlargement thereof to normally urge the bar 70 away from the cross-bar 40 and engage the nut 78 against the other side of the cross-bar. A guide bar 72 extends laterally from an end of the restraining bar through a passage through the cross-bar 40 of slightly larger diameter to maintain the bar 70 substantially parallel to the cross-bar 40. The free end of the guide bar 72 abuts the bar 50 to limit movement of the bar 70 in the direction of the cross-bar 40, and a shift limiting bar 76 extends laterally from the other end of the restraining bar 70 to simultaneously abut the adjacent side of the cross-bar 40 to distribute excessive spring compressing pressure on both sides of the mounting bar 747 As best shown in FIG. 2, the opposed outer surfaces of the restraining bars 50' and 70 are spaced apart a distance to exert internal expanding braking force upon opposite sides of a toilet paper core of conventional size with the spring compressed to an intermediate length. The expanding force exerted by the spring 80 can be adjusted by threadably tightening and loosening the nut 78 upon the mounting bar 80.

While the device has been found to work satisfactorily with the spring pressed bar 70 oriented in other positions, I have found that it gives the most trouble free service when disposed in depending relation to the cross-bar 40. Therefore, in the form of the invention shown, the end of the cross-bar 40 opposite the anchor block 60 is beveled toward the side thereof adjacent to the spring pressed bar 70, and the lower edge of each of the slots 24 is slanted at a corresponding angle to admit the crossbar 40 to be inserted therethrough only when the spring pressed bar 70 is disposed in such depending position thereto. The anchor spindle 62 is freely rotatable within the cylindrical chamber 42 so that the cross-bar 40 can be axially oriented to pass horizontally through one of the flange slots 24 after the anchor block 60 has been seated in fixed axial position in the other channel.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of my invention which, generally stated, consists in the matter set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for holding two rolls of toilet paper and the like wound upon a hollow core comprising a pair of elongated supporting members disposed one above the other respectively adapted to extend axially through the hollow core of such a roll, open front housing structure having seats adjacent the open front thereof disposed to receive the outer ends of said supporting members and permit a roll of toilet paper or the like upon each supporting member to rotate as the paper is unwound therefrom, a roll restraining member mounted for vertically shiftable adjustment upon said housing rearwardly of such a pair of rolls and having roll engaging portions extended toward the front of said housing, the forward extended portion of said restraining member engaging the surface of the upper and lower disposed rolls respectively when said restraining member is respectively shifted downwardly and upwardly, means for locking said roll restraining member in fixed vertical position, said housing enclosing the rear portions of such rolls and the front opening thereof being of a size to be substantially closed by such a pair of rolls operatively mounted on the respective supporting members, said means for locking the roll restraining member being enclosed within said housing by said mounted rolls to render said locking means inaccessible until the toilet paper on the unrestrained roll is substantially removed therefrom.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 and said roll restraining member having a pair of vertically elongated slots therethrough respectively spaced below and above the upper and lower roll supporting members, a pair of threaded mounting pins attached to the back of said housing and respectively extended forwardly through each of said slots, a pair of lock nuts respectively threaded upon each mounting pin and threadably adjustable to engage the surface of said restraining member adjacent thereto to look the restraining member in vertically fixed position, the upper and lower end portions of said restraining member being respectively curved toward the front of said housing to extend respectively above the upper roll and below the lower roll, and said upper curved end of the restraining member engaging the outer surface of the top roll when said restraining member is vertically positioned with the upper ends of said elongated slots respectively engaging said mounting pins, and said lower curved end of the restraining member engaging the surface of the lower disposed roll when said restraining member is shifted upwardly to engage the lower ends of said slots with the mounting pins respectively extended therethrough.

3. The structure set forth in claim 2 and said mounting pins being of a diameter to permit said restraining member to shift readily in a vertical direction and also to prevent displacement thereof from proper vertical orientation, said roll restraining member having sufficient Weight to drop into lowest disposed operative position 20 to restrain an upper roll and release a lower roll, when released by said lock nuts, to facilitate the process of adjusting said restraining member.

4. The structure set forth in claim 3 and said seats upon said housing structure comprising a pair of vertical opposed channels respectively formed within the front end portion of each side of said housing and having two opposed pairs of vertically spaced seat elements there in disposed respectively to receive the corresponding outer end portions of the roll supporting members therebetween and prevent vertical displacement thereof, the forward disposed wall of each of said channels enclosing a corresponding side portion of said housing front, and said roll supporting members being longitudinally compressible to permit insertion thereof between said forward channel walls and seating at each end within op posite channels between a pair of said spaced seat elements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,210,955 Langheok Jan. 2, 1917 1,360,714 Bell Nov. 30', 1920 1,614,112 Fisher Jan. 11, 1927

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