US3374042A - Toilet tissue dispenser - Google Patents

Description

March 19 1968 J. A. SMITH 3,374,042

TOILET TISSUE DISPENSER 7 Filed Sept. 27, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 James A. Smith 30 I INVENTOK.

24 I 50 WWW H M2 3 Sheets-Sheet Z Mam}! 1 1968 J. A. SMITH TOILET TISSUE DISPENSER Filed Sept. 27, 1966 4 R m 7 7 0 m & mm M w MW, N 4 w U M M A m s W 5 0 I\ m w 0. 7/,/\. a J Y F B March 19, 1968 J, SMlTH TOILET TISSUE DISPENSER 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 2'7, 1966 8 R 1 .I 0 l mN W 81 H A l H, I M I w a J h n 1/ W 2 J \vn\\ BY WWW ma United States Patent Office 3,374,042 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 3,374,042 TOILET TISSUE DISPENSER James A. Smith, 520 Hilda St., Morgan City, La. 70380 Filed Sept. 27, 1966, Ser. No. 582,454 7 Claims. (Cl. 31239) This invention relates to a novel and useful toilet tissue dispenser and more specifically to a dispenser adapted to house a plurality of rolls of toilet tissue and to dispense, when needed, individual rolls of toilet tissue from the housing and to journal each dispensed roll for ease in unrolling the tissue therefrom. The dispenser of the instant invention may assume many different shapes but is specifically illustrated and described hereinafter as comprising an upstanding tubular housing adapted to receive therein a plurality of toilet tissue rolls stacked in side-by-side relation with the toilet tissue rolls disposed for free downward guided movement within the tubular housing. In addition, the dispenser of the instant invention includes tissue roll retaining means disposed above the lowermost end of the housing and adapted to engage and support from beneath the lowermost roll of toilet'tissue in the housing in a manner such that the roll retaining means may be intermittently actuated to release the lowermost roll and catch the roll disposed immediately thereabove whereby the lowermost roll may be dispensed by gravity downwardly in the tubular housing.

The lower end of the housing includes a discharge point in which a dispensed roll may be supported and including means by which the dispensed roll may be releasably supported for rotation about its longitudinal axis.

The roll retaining means includes an actuator portion engageable from the exterior of the housing and which may be readily actuated to release the lowermost roll in the stack of tissue rolls disposed within the housing whenever the supply of tissue on the roll journaled at the bottom of the housing has been depleted.

The main object of this invention is to provide a toilet tissue roll dispenser capable of storing a plurality of toilet tissue rolls and individually dispensing a roll of toilet tissue therefrom for journaled support of the tissue roll dispensed until the supply of toilet tissue thereon is depleted and it is desired to replace the depleted roll with afreshroll of toilet tissue stored within the dispenser.

' Another object of this invention, in accordance with the preceding object, is to provide a toilet tissue dispenser constructed in a manner whereby it may have a major portion thereof recessed within a wall structure.

A still further object of this invention, in accordance with the immediately preceding object, is to provide a toilet tissue dispenser that may also be readily supported 'com'pletely outw'ardly of one outer surface of a wall structure.

A finalobject of this invention to be specifically enumeratedherein is to provide a toilet tissue dispenser which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, be of simple construction and easy to use so as to provide a device that will be economically feasible, long lasting and rel-atively'trouble-free in operation. These together with otherobjects and advantages which will-become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had .to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a-wall structure having one form of the toilet tissue dispenser of the instant invention recessed therein;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional'view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 44 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 5-5 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a modified form of tissue dispenser illustrating a somewhat different roll retaining and release assem' bly for the lowermost roll of the stack of tissue rolls disposed within the dispenser, and with the roll retaining means illustrated in position to drop the lowermost tissue roll and catch the tissue roll disposed immediately thereabove;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 but illustrating the roll retaining means in position cradling and thereby supporting the lowermost tissue r-oll from beneath;

FIGURE 8 is a horizontal sectional view of the modified form of dispenser taken substantially upon a plane disposed immediately above the lowermost tissue roll in FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the cradle means defining the roll retaining means of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 6-8.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings the numeral 10 generally designates a wall structure having an opening 12 formed therein in which the toilet tissue dispenseriof the instant invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 14, is mounted. i

The dispenser 14 may be secured within the wall structure 10 as positioned in the opening 12 in any convenient manner and the dispenser 10 includes a housing referred to in general by the reference numeral 16.

The housing 16 includes front and rear Walls 18 and 20 and opposite side walls 22 interconnected by means of top and bottom walls 24 and 26. The housing 16 may be construct-ed of any suitable material although a noncorrosive material such as plastic is preferable inasmuch as the housing 16 may be subjected to high humidity conditions sometimes present in a bathroom. i

The front wall 18 includes opposite side rearward ly projecting flange portions 30 overlying the outer surfaces of the forward edge portions of the side walls 2 2 and the upper end portion of the front wall 18 has an inlet open ing 32 formed therein with which a hinged closure cover 34 is operatively associated. Still further, the lower end'of the front wall 18 has a discharge opening 36 formed therein and the lower ends of the side walls 22 include forwardly projecting extensions or arms 38 projecting through the opening 36 and forwardly of the front wall 18.

The arms '38 are provided with aligned tapered bores 40 defining seats which open away from each other and generally spherical members 42 are seated in the seats 40. Each of the arms 38 has an annular mounting boss 44 disposed on its outer surface in concentric relation with the corresponding seat 40 and a cap member 46 is secured in each mounting boss 44 and encloses a corresponding compression spring 48 acting upon the corresponding spherical member 42 so as to yiel-dingly urge .the latter into seated engagement with the associated seat 40. It will of course be noted that the spherical members 42 project through the arms 38.

A roll of toilet tissue generally referred to by the reference numeral. 50 includes a tubular core 52 and a 3 plurality of convolutions of tissue 54. The roll 50 is journ aled between the arms 38 by means of the spherical members 42. The adjacent portions of the spherical members 42 are snugly but loosely received within and there by rotatably journal the opposite ends of the tubular core 52.

As may be seen from FIGURE 2 of the drawings the housing 16 is of a size to support, in addition to the roll 50, further rolls 56, 58, 60 and 62 with the lowermost roll 56 being supported from beneath by means of a roller type actuator 64.

The roll actuator 64 includes a rigid sleeve-like core 66 journ-aled on a support shaft 68 and a resilient outer sleeve 70 is disposed over the core sleeve 66. The front wall 18 of the housing 16 has a small opening 72 formed therein and the support s'haft, disposed inwardly of the front wall 18, has its opposite ends slidably and rotatably received in slots 74 provided therefor in the forward marginal edge portions of the side walls 22. The forward peripheral portion of the roller actuator 64 projects outwardly through the opening 72 for ready engagement by a pers'ons fingers and the inner peripheral portion of the roller actuator 64 underlies the forward portion of the lower peripheral portion of the lowermost roll 56 and thereby supports the roll 56 from beneath against downward movement through the housing 16. Of course, inasmuch as the roller actuator 64 supports the lowermost roll 56, the rolls 58, 60 and 62 are also supported against downward movement.

The side walls 22 each include anchor pins 76 and expansion springs 78 extend between the terminal ends of the .support shaft 68 and the anchor pin-s 76 and thereby yield'ingly urge the support shaft 68 inwardly toward seated engagement in the inner ends of the slots 74.

When all of the toilet tissue on the core 52 is depleted the latter may be removed merely by pulling the core 52 outwardly of the lower end of the housing 16 from between the forward ends of the arms 38. Then, the rolloer actuator 64 may be manipulated by the user so as to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 2 of the drawings whereupon the frictional engagement between the outer sleeve 70 and the roll 56 will cause the latter to be slightly deformed and slowly rolled downwardly along the inner surface of the rear wall 20 of the housing 16 until the roll 56 passes below the roller actuator 64 at which point the roll 56 will be free to fall by gravity downwardly to the outlet opening 36 for subsequent mounting between the spherical members 42 in place of the roll 50. Accordingly, it may readily be seen that the retaining means comprising the roller actuator 64 defines an extremely simple and effective retaining and release means for the rolls of toilet tissue disposed within the housing 16. Although the shaft 68 has been mounted so that it may be shifted slightly to compensate for varying sizes of toilet tissue rolls, inasmuch as toilet tissue rolls are relatively compressible, the shaft 68 can be jonrnaled for rotation about a fixed axis. In any event, only the one moving part, the roller actuator 64, is necessary in the dispenser 14, the spring mounted spherical members 42 being replaceable by means of spring arm supported members of similar configuration.

The cap members 46 may be retained within the mounting bosses 44 by means of suitable setscrews 80. Further, the closure cover or door 34 may include suitable deten-t latch means (not shown) and may open either inwardly or outwardly as desired. Still further, the lower end of the housing 16 may be provided with a partial cylindrical baffle 82 to forwardly direct a roll of toilet tissue falling downwardly through the housing as dispensed roll of tissue reaches the lower end of the housing. With attention now directed more specifically to FIG- URES 6-9 of the drawings there may be seen a modified form of dispenser generally referred to by the reference numeral 114 and which is substantially the same in construction as the dispenser 14 except for the roll retaining and dispensing mechanism thereof.

The roll retaining and dispensing mechanism of the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 6-9 is generally referred to by the reference numeral 115 and includes an actuating roller 164 corresponding to the roller 64 and mounted on a shaft 168 corresponding to the shaft 68 whose opposite ends are journaled in mounting lugs 169 carried by the front wall 118 of the dispenser 114. The front wall 118 includes a small opening 172 corresponding to the opening 72 and through which the inner peripheral portion of the roller actuator 164 projects. One end of the roller actuator .164 has a toothed wheel 165 formed integrally therewith .and the roll retaining and dispensing mechanism further includes a cradle assembly generally referred to by the reference numeral 167.

The cradle assembly 167 includes a pair of opposite end walls 169 interconnected by means of a semi-cylindrical bottom wall portion 171 and the side walls 169 include stub axle portions 173 journaled in suitable apertures 175 formed in the side walls 122 of the dispenser 114. The semi cylindn'cal bottom wall 171 includes a plurality of circumferentially extending rack gear-type teeth 177 with which the teeth on the wheel 165 are meshed and the side or end walls 169 further include stop pins 179 which are engageable with a horizontal rib 181 extending inwardly from and projecting across the inner surface of the front wall 118 when the cradle assembly 167 is in the position thereof illustrated in FIGURE 7 of the drawings.

The dispenser 114 normally has the roll retaining and dispensing mechanism 115 positioned as illustrated in FIGURE 7 of the drawings wherein the lowermost roll 156 is cradled in the cradle assembly 167. When it is desired to dispense the lowermost roll 156, the roller actuator 164 may be rotated in a clockwise direction from the position thereof illustrated in FIGURE 7 of the drawings so as to swing the cradle assembly 167 from the position thereof illustrated in FIGURE 7 of the drawings to the position thereof illustrated in FIGURE 6 of the drawings with the leading edge of the bottom wall 171 passing between the upper peripheral portion of the lowermost roll 156 and the lower peripheral portion of the roll 158 disposed immediately thereabove. When the cradle assembly 167 has been shifted to the position illustrated in FIGURE 6, the roll 156 will be free to fall downwardly through the dispenser 114 for subsequent journaled support in the manner in which the roll 50 is supported in FIGURES 14. Of course, the leading edge of the bottom wall 171 retains the roll 158 in an elevated position when the cradle assembly 167 is positioned as illustrated in FIGURE 6. However, the cradle assembly 167 is weighted eccentrically relative to its axis of rotation in a manner such that it will automatically return to the position thereof illustrated in FIGURE 7 of the drawings from the position illustrated in FIGURE 6 of the drawings as soon as the roller actuator 164 is released. Of course, return of the cradle assembly 167 to the position thereof illustrated in FIGURE 7 of the drawings will then enable the cradle assembly 167 to cradle the roll 158 in the same manner in which the roll 156 is cradled in FIGURE 7 of 'the drawings, the roll 158 then becoming the lowermost roll in a stack of rolls supported within the dispenser 114. Of course, although the dispenser has been illustrated and described as being adapted to handle rolls of toilet tissue, it is to be understood that all features of the dispenser are also readily adaptable to handle rolls of paper towels and other rolled material such as waxed paper, aluminum foil and rolled plastic sheet material, etc.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A toilet tissue dispenser comprising elongated upstanding guide means adapted to support a plurality of toilet tissue rolls stacked in side-by-side relation therefrom for free downward guided movement therealong, said guide means including roll retaining means spaced above the lower end thereof and adapted to releasably support the lowermost roll in said stack against downward movement past said retaining means, said guide means including roll journaling means disposed below said retaining means adapted to removably rotatably journal a roll of tissue after it has passed down said guide means past said roll retaining means, said roll retaining means including an actuator journaled from said guide means and operative, in response to its rotation, to cause said lowermost roll to move downwardly along said guide means past said retaining means for subsequent journaling from said roll journaling means, said roll retaining means including upwardly opening cradle means journaled from said guide means for oscillation between an upright upwardly opening position adapted to cradle said lowermost roll from beneath and an inverted downwardly opening position allowing downward movement of said lowermost roll therefrom and defining an abutment for the next to the lowermost roll in said stack.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said actuator includes a roller journaled from said guide means, readily finger engageable, and frictionally drivingly connected to said cradle means for simultaneous rotation of the latter and said roller actuator.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said cradle means is weighted for return to said upright position from said inverted position by gravity.

4. A toilet tissue dispenser comprising elongated upstanding guide means adapted to support a plurality of toilet tissue rolls stacked in sideby-side relation there from for free downward guided movement therealong, said guide means including roll retaining means spaced above the lower end thereof and adapted to releasably support the lowermost roll in said stack against downward movement past said retaining means, said guide means including roll journaling means disposed below said retaining means adapted to removably rotatably journal a roll of tissue after it has passed down said guide means past said roll retaining means, said roll retaining means including upwardly opening cradle means journaled from said guide means for oscillation between an upright upwardly opening position adapted to cradle said lowermost roll from beneath and an inverted downwardly opening position allowing downward movement of said lowermost roll therefrom and defining an abutment for the next to the lowermost roll in said stack.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein said cradle means is weighted for return to said upright position from said inverted position by gravity.

6. A toilet tissue dispenser comprising elongated upstanding guide means adapted to support a plurality of toilet tissue rolls stacked in side-by-side relation therefrom for free downward guided movement therealong, said guide means including roll retaining means spaced above the lower end thereof and adapted to r'eleasably support the lowermost roll in said stack against downward move ment past said retaining means, said guide means including roll journaling means disposed below said retaining means adapted to removably rotatably journal a roll of tissue after it has passed down said guide means past said roll retaining means, said roll retaining means including upwardly opening cradle means journaled from said guide means for oscillation between an upright upwardly opening position adapted to cradle said lowermost roll from beneath and an inverted downwardly opening position allowing downward movement of said lowermost roll therefrom and defining an abutment for the next to the lowermost roll in said stack, said roll journaling means including a pair of opposing mounting portions carried by the lower end of said guide means, each of said mounting portions including a tube end journaling member projecting toward the other mounting portion, said tube end journaling members being supported from said guide means for limited movement toward and away from each other and adapted to be at least partially received in and to journal the opposite ends of a toilet tissue roll tube, said tube end journaling members being yieldingly urged toward reduced spatial relationship.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said mounting portions comprise a pair of generally parallel arm portions adapted to receive the roll of toilet tissue to be journaled therebetween, said arm portions including panel-like free end portions having aligned apertures formed therethrough, said tube end journaling members including generally semi-spherical portions opposing each other, the remote ends of said apertures defining seats in which said generally semi-spherical portions are seated, the latter projecting through said apertures.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,958,080 5/1934 Bottker et al. 242-55.53 XR 2,407,971 9/1946 Blaok 312-39 2,555,885 6/1951 Hope 242-55.53 2,592,346 4/1952 Scogin 312-39 2,603,427 7/1952 Holmes 312-39 2,819,852 1/1958 Sarro 24255.53 2,871,078 1/1959 Carleo 31239 3,246,937 4/1966 Galbraith 242--55.53 XR BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

JAMES L. KOHNEN, Assistant Examiners.

Claims (1)

1. A TOILET TISSUE DISPENSER COMPRISING ELONGATED UPSTANDING GUIDE MEANS ADAPTED TO SUPPORT A PLURALITY OF TOILET TISSUE ROLLS STACKED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION THEREFROM FOR FREE DOWNWARD GUIDED MOVEMENT THEREALONG, SAID GUIDE MEANS INCLUDING ROLL RETAINING MEANS SPACED ABOVE THE LOWER END THEREOF AND ADAPTED TO RELEASABLY SUPPORT THE LOWERMOST ROLL IN SAID STACK AGAINST DOWNWARD MOVEMENT PAST SAID RETAINING MEANS, SAID GUIDE MEANS INCLUDING ROLL JOURNALING MEANS DISPOSED BELOW SAID RETAINING MEANS ADAPTED TO REMOVABLY ROTATABLY JOURNAL A ROLL OF TISSUE AFTER IT HAS PASSED DOWN SAID GUIDE MEANS PAST SAID ROLL RETAINING MEANS, SAID ROLL RETAINING MEANS INCLUDING AN ACTUATOR JOURNALED FROM SAID GUIDE MEANS AND OPERA-

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