US3291299A

US3291299A - Dispensing device

Info

Publication number: US3291299A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jr Joseph F Minnotte
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-08-18
Filing date: 1965-08-18
Publication date: 1966-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-13

Description

1965 J. F. MINNOTTE, JR 39239192??? DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Aug. 18, 1965 INVENTOR. JOSEPH F MINNOTTE,JR

A T TORNE Y5.

3,291,299 DISPENSING DEVICE Joseph F. Minnotte, Jr., 155 E. 50th St., New York, NY. Filed Aug. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 480,733 4 Claims. (Cl. 206-58) The present invention relates generally to a container for a towel or similar item, and more particular to certain improvements enabling the efficient use of the container as a dispensing device.

There are a great variety of materials customarily put up in a supply roll by being wound about a cardboard core and then consumed or used by having lengths of said material detached from the supply roll. Perhaps the most popular of these materials is paper toweling. Moreover, for numerous reasons such as to prevent the inadvertent unwinding of the supply roll, or to protect the material from soilage during storage, etc., it is desirable that the supply roll be suitably disposed within a protective container. Heretofore, however, it has not been possible to provide an entirely satisfactory container which, for example, is an article of manufacture which is economically mass produced, or which, from the viewpoint of convenience and use, does not interfere with the dispensing of the material. This is particularly true in the 'case of paper toweling, which is relatively inexpensive and thus requires a correspondingly inexpensive combination container and dispensing device.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art. Specifically, it is an object to provide a dispensing device which particularly lends itself to economical mass production, and which significantly facilitates the dispensing of the material.

An embodiment of a dispensing device demonstrating features and advantages of the present invention is preferably an inexpensive plastic article of manufacture having a cylindrically shaped body member formed by a relatively thin, pliable plastic wall. Appropriate means are provided internally of the body member for supporting the supply roll in a clearance position for free rotation within said body member. The body member is also provided with an appropriate exit opening therein for 11nwinding a length of the material from the supply roll. When it is desired to detach this length of material from the supply roll, it is necessary only to exert an external pressure on the body member which presses the pliable wall of said member from its clearance position about the supply roll into frictional engagement with said supply roll. This has the effect of holding the supply roll against rotation while the user of the device readily detaches the unwound length of material from the supply roll.

The above brief description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of a presently prefer-red, but nonetheless illustrative embodiment in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a dispensing device demonstrating features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view, in section, of said dispensing device; and

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view, in section, taken on line 33 of FIG. 2.

Shown in the drawings is a paper towel dispensing device, gene-rally designated 10, which demonstrates features of the preesnt invention. Preferably the device 10 is fabricated as an inexpensive plastic article of manufacture and has a substantially cylindrical body member 12 formed by a relatively thin pliable plastic wall. In an obvious manner the dispensing device 10 serves as an effective pro- United States Patent Patented Dec. 13, 1966 tective container for a paper towel P which in practice is housed within the enclosure 14 defined by said device 10. Preferably, the paper towel P is of the type having transverse perforations 16 at spaced intervals along its length for ready detachment of length portions of said paper. Further, the paper towel P is preferably put up in a supply roll 18 on a cardboard core 20.

In the illustrated preferred embodiment of the device 10, an end wall 22 is molded integrally 'with the body member 12, while a detachable cap 24 serves as the opposite end closure for the internal chamber or enclosure 14. Thus, there is provided an end opening 26 for loading the supply roll 18 within the dispensing device 10. Another comparatively larger opening 28 is provided in the body member 12 and serves as an exit opening for a length of paper P unwound from a supply roll 18 disposed in practice within the dispenser 10.

As is perhaps best shown in FIG. 2, a pair of facing axial projections 30 and 32 are molded integrally on the end wall 22 and cap 24 respectively, and in an obvious manner serve to mount the supply roll 18 for rotation within the dispensing device 10. More particularly, the cardboard core 20 is fitted over each of the projections 30, 32, and it is contemplated that the radial dimension of the supply roll 18 will be such that there is suflicient clearance space C between said supply roll 18 and the inner surface 12a of the pliable wall forming the body member 12. Thus, an end of the paper towel P is easily grasped and a length portion thereof unwound from the supply roll 18 through the exit opening 28. When it is desired to detach the unwound length portion of the paper towel P from the supply roll 18, it is necessary only to exert an external pressure, by hand, on the pliable body member 12 which has the desired effect of then holding the supply roll 18 against rotation. That is, as best shown in FIG. 3, the externally applied pressure is effective to press the pliable body member 12 from its clearance position about the supply roll 18 into frictional engagement with said supply roll to effectively hold said supply roll against rotation. While the supply roll 18 is thus held against rotation, it is contemplated that the user of the dispensing device 10 will snap the unwound length portion of paper towel P from the supply roll 18 along a line of perforations 16.

Although not essential to the functioning of the device 10 as just described, in a preferred form the pliable body member 12 is advantageously provided with a medial reduced diameter section 1211 serving as a convenient hand grip for the device 10. Spaced ribs 34 integrally molded in the body section 12b serve to provide some rigidity to this section while not adversely effecting the ability to press this section into frictional engagement with the supply roll 18 for the purposes previously mentioned. Further, although not shown, if the supply roll of paper toweling is not provided with perforated lines to permit ready detachment of length portions thereof, use can be made of an appropriate cutting edge such as serrated teeth or the like appropriately mounted along one of the long edges of the exit opening 28.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corrseponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispensing device for a continuous strip of material comprising a hollow body member serving as a protective enclosure for a supply roll of said material, said body member having means internally thereof for mounting said material supply roll in a position of clearance within said body member for free rotation permitting the unwinding of a length portion of said material from said supply roll, said body member having an exit opening therein for said unwound length portion and fabricated of a pliable material such that pressure applied externally thereon is effective to urge said body member from said clearance position about said supply roll into frictional contact therewith to hold said supply roll against rotation during detachment of said unwound length portion of said material from said supply roll.

2. A dispensing device as defined in claim 1 including end closure members for said body member, each of said end closure members having axial projections therein on which said supply roll is journalled for rotation.

3. A dispensing device for 'a continuous strip of material of the type having successive length portions detachable along transversely oriented perforated lines provided at spaced intervals in said material comprising a hollow body member having an outer wall defining a protective enclosure for a supply roll of said material, said body member having at least one end opening therein for loading a supply roll of material within said enclosure and another opening therein for unwinding a length portion of said material from said supply roll, said body member further having means internally thereof for mounting said material supply roll in a position of clearance from said outer wall within said body member for free rotation therein during the unwinding of a length portion of material from said supply roll, and said wall of said body member being fabricated of a pliable material such that pressure applied externally of Said wall is effective to urge said wall from said clearance position about said supply roll into frictional contact therewith to hold said supply roll against rotation during detachment of said unwound length portion of said material from said supply roll along one of said perforated lines in said material.

4. A dispensing device for a continuous strip of material of the type having successive length portions detachable along transversely oriented perforated lines provided at spaced intervals in said material comprising a hollow body member having an outer wall defining a protective enclosure for a supply roll of said material, end closure members for said body member each having axial projections thereon for mounting a material supply roll therebetween in a position of clearance from said wall for free rotation of said supply roll within said body member to unwind a length portion of said material from said supply roll, one of said closure members being removable from said body member to uncover an opening into said enclosure for loading a supply roll of material therein, said body member having an exit opening therein for said unwound material length portion, and said wall of said body member being fabricated of a pliable material such that pressure applied externally of said wall is effective to urge said wall from said clearance position about said supply roll into frictional contact therewith to hold said supply roll against rotation during detachment of the said unwound length portion of said material from said supply roll along one of said perforated lines in said material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 870,445 11/ 1907 Livermore.

1,909,527 5/1933 Fischer.

2,119,439 5/ 1938 Parmelee.

FOREIGN PATENTS 169,644 12/1951 Austria. 174,859 5/ 1953 Austria. 877,188 5/1953 Germany.

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Examiner.

J. M. CASKIE, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

4. A DISPENSING DEVICE FOR A CONTINUOUS STRIP OF MATERIAL OF THE TYPE HAVING SUCCESSIVE LENGTH OF PORTIONS DETACHABLE ALONG TRANSVERSELY ORIENTED PERFORATED LINES PROVIDED AT SPACED INTERVALS IN SAID MATERIAL COMPRISING A HOLLOW BODY MEMBER HAVING AN OUTER WALL DEFINING A PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR A SUPPLY ROLL OF SAID MATERIAL, END CLOSURE MEMBERS FOR SAID BODY MEMBER EACH HAVING AXIAL PROJECTIONS THEREON FOR MOUNTING A MATERIAL SUPPLY ROLL THEREBETWEEN IN A POSITION OF CLEARANCE FROM SAID WALL FOR FREE ROTATION OF SAID SUPPLY ROLL WITH IN SAID BODY MEMBER TO UNWIND A LENGTH PORTION OF SAID MATERIAL FROM SAID SUPPLY ROLL, ONE OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBERS BEING REMOVABLE FROM SAID BODY MEMBER TO UNCOVER AN OPENING INTO SAID ENCLOSURE FOR LOADING A SUPPLY ROLL OF MATERIAL THEREIN, SAID BODY MEMBER HAVING AN EXIT OPENING THEREIN FOR SAID UNWOUND MATERIAL LENGTH PORTION, AND SAID WALL OF SAID BODY MEMBER BEING FABRICATED OF A PLIABLE MATERIAL OF SUCH THAT PRESSURE APPLIED EXTERNALLY OF SAID WALL IS EFFECTIVE TO URGE SAID WALL FROM SAID CLEARANCE POSITION ABOUT SAID SUPPLY ROLL INTO FRICTIONAL CONTACT THEREWITH TO HOLD SAID SUPPLY ROLL AGAINST ROTATION DURING DETACHMENT OF THE SAID UNWOUND LENGTH PORTION OF SAID MATERIAL FROM SAID SUPPLY ROLL ALONG ONE OF SAID PERFORATED LINES IN SAID MATERIAL.