WO2000051927A1

WO2000051927A1 - Film or foil dispenser

Info

Publication number: WO2000051927A1
Application number: PCT/GB2000/000659
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giovanni Benedetti
Original assignee: Benedetti International Plc
Priority date: 1999-03-04
Filing date: 2000-02-29
Publication date: 2000-09-08
Also published as: AU2812900A

Abstract

Dispenser (10) which comprises a housing (20) sized and shaped to receive a roll (24) of film material. The housing is mounted on at least one supporting leg (30), is provided with a dispensing slot (22) through which the film may be passed and a cutting device (40) having a cutting edge (42). The cutting device is provided adjacent and substantially parallel to the dispensing slot and has a moveable part being moveable between an open position wherein the cutting edge is exposed and a closed position wherein the cutting edge is not exposed. A kit for holding a roll (24) of film material and dispensing short sections thereof and a disposable unit for a film to be used in a film dispenser device as above described and which comprises a disposable housing provided with the cutting device described above, are also described.

Description

FILM OR FOIL DISPENSER

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a film or foil dispenser.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Films and other sheet materials are usually manufactured as continuous rolls of material and conveniently may be sold in a suitable dispensing device. Films intended for food purposes, such as plastic cling film, microwave film or freezer film, cellophane, metal (e.g. aluminium) foils or greaseproof paper, are generally available in the form of a continuous roll and short sections of appropriate length are cut off as required. Films for food purposes are commonly sold packaged within a disposable cardboard box which has been adapted to dispense the film during the lifetime of the roll. Thus the box may be provided with a slot through which the film is fed and toothed blades of metal or plastic are positioned adjacent to or along one edge of the slot to allow the desired length of film to be torn off.

However, these boxes are not convenient to use. First, the toothed blades provided are always exposed at the edge of the box. The blades must naturally be sharp enough to tear the film being dispensed and inevitably a user, for example a caterer, may be cut by the blade whilst removing the portion of film required or in general handling of the box of film. In addition to the painful nature of such a cut, there is a more important hygiene problem which arises due to the presence of human blood in proximity to foodstuffs. Additionally, the cardboard box, if smeared with blood from a cut finger or by traces of foodstuffs etc, cannot easily be wiped clean and since a large roll of catering film may last for several months there is a risk of contamination not only to the film itself, but also to the people who subsequently handle the box and to the food prepared by them after they have handled the box. Also, the rectangular base of cardboard dispensing boxes are easily soaked with water or other fluids. Since the boxes are only formed from cardboard, they become soft permitting moisture to come into contact with the film. If the boxes become very wet, they may even completely collapse which makes any further dispensing of film difficult.

The size of these conventional dispensing boxes will of course vary depending on the size of the roll contained therein. Roll size is in turn determined by the frequency of use of the film and the cost per metre of film which is acceptable to the buyer and thus there is a distinct variation between the products sold for household use and those of the catering industry. Although the problems arising from such dispensing boxes are more acute in the catering industry (because of the greater frequency of use and increased likelihood of contamination problems) similar inconveniences occur at domestic level.

More elaborate catering film dispensers have been developed to overcome such problems. For example, the film can be provided in an elaborate plastic housing internally provided with a sharp blade mounted in a guillotine arrangement which can safely and neatly cut the required length of film. However, such devices are generally quite expensive, are not disposable and often require the purchase of specialised refill cartridges which may be more expensive. These devices are thus much less popular than the cardboard dispensing boxes. Thus, cardboard dispensing boxes still represent by far the majority of the dispensing devices sold.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one of the objects of the invention to provide a film dispenser which overcomes the drawbacks noted above. It is a further object of the invention to provide a dispenser which is safe and easy to use while being of low cost to manufacture. It should be understood that the term "film" encompasses all material provided in thin sheet form, especially kitchen cling film and aluminium foil. The present invention provides a film dispenser comprising a housing sized and shaped to receive a roll of film material. The housing is mounted on at least one supporting leg and is provided with a dispensing slot through which the film may be passed. The dispenser is further provided with a cutting device having a cutting edge. The cutting device is provided adjacent and substantially parallel to the dispensing slot. The cutting device has a moveable part which is moveable between an open position wherein the cutting edge is exposed and a closed position wherein the cutting edge is not exposed.

The present invention further provides a kit for holding a roll of film material and dispensing short sections thereof. The kit comprises: - a cutting device having a cutting edge for cutting the film and a moveable part, the moveable part being moveable between an open position wherein the cutting edge is exposed and a closed position wherein the cutting edge is not exposed; and - at least one supporting leg for maintaining the roll of film above the work surface.

The present invention provides a disposable unit to be used in the above film dispenser device. The unit comprises a disposable housing provided with a cutting device as described above and containing a ready-to-use roll of film. In one embodiment, the housing and cutting device have connecting means able to co-operate with corresponding means provided within the supporting foot of the film dispenser, thereby to attach and lock the housing. These connecting means are easily dismountable from the film dispenser in order to provide simple replacement of the housing when the roll of film contained has run out and to facilitate easy positioning of a new replacement disposable unit.

The cutting edge of the dispenser of the present invention desirably includes a toothed member responsible for enabling the film to be cut. The toothed member may be of plastics material or may be of metal. Desirably the toothed member is formed from smooth plastics material. We have found that varying the length of the teeth along the length of the cutting member can be beneficial in enhancing the ease with which a film is cut and in one preferred arrangement the length of the teeth gradually decreases from the outer edges towards the centre of the cutting edge.

In a preferred embodiment the moveable part of the cutting device comprises the cutting edge, and is pivotally mounted on at least one hinge. Generally, the moveable part is mounted on a flange and is rotatable about a hinge. In one preferred embodiment the hinge (s) are provided with biasing means which urge said moveable part to adopt either one of the open or closed positions. Optionally, the cutting edge itself forms the moveable part of the cutting device. Thus the cutting edge may move between the open and closed positions. However it is also possible to provide a safety flap which covers a fixed cutting edge. Alternatively the cutting edge may be retractable within the housing holding the film.

Optionally the device includes a locking device or arrangement which is able to hold the moveable part so that the cutting edge stays in the open position.

In one embodiment the cutting device may include a dispensing slot, through which the film is passed. Preferably the slot is open at one end to facilitate passing the film through the dispensing slot of the cutting device. Where the slot is open at one end, a spacing means is preferably included so that the full width of the dispensing slot is maintained along the length of the slot. Whilst the spacing means may be part of the cutting device itself, and may simply span across the dispensing slot, we have found that occasionally the film may snag on this arrangement. Consequently a spacing element consisting of a sideways extension to the frame of the cutting device which engages with the supporting leg to be held in a spaced arrangement is preferable.

The housing of the dispenser of the present invention may have two opposite ends which desirably comprise supporting legs and these may be, for example, two feet positioned at each end of the housing of the roll of film. Other arrangements are of course also possible and dispensers having a single large foot or more than two feet are envisaged. Optionally the supporting leg or legs are provided with corresponding tongues and grooves sized, shaped and positioned to co-operate with the tongues and grooves of another supporting leg so that said dispenser is vertically stackable with another dispenser of the same kind. Alternatively the dispensers of the present invention may be designed to be stackable in another way.

Conveniently the ends of the housing comprise end portions which include at least a transparent or semi- transparent portion or window so that the quantity of film remaining can be easily seen.

The cutting device and the supporting feet or legs can advantageously be connected together by a connecting means comprising a set of co-operating tongues and grooves.

Optionally, the dispenser of the present invention may include attachment means to maintain said housing or a support leg thereof on a non-moveable support such as a work surface or wall. The attachment means may be sized and shaped to conform to at least a portion of the outer contour of the housing of the dispenser itself. Generally the attachment means will include non-slip feet or suckers which can be firmly pressed down onto a smooth surface. Alternatively the attachment means may include an adhesive portion. More permanent fixation of the attachment means to a work surface or wall would also be possible via the provision of screw-holes or the like. The cutting device and the supporting leg of the kit of the invention advantageously incorporates the variant described above. Thus, it is preferred that two supporting legs be included in the kit. Also, the kit may also include a housing.

The film dispenser of the present invention is of course particularly suited for the dispension of film for food purposes (especially in the catering industry) , but may of course also be used where any roll of film or other sheet material needs to be dispensed in short sections. Examples where the dispenser of the present invention may be especially suitable include hospitals (for the dispension of film or other dressing materials, paper or the like) and schools or nurseries (for the dispension of paper) .

The invention will be further described by reference to particularly preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a dispenser according to a first embodiment of the invention with the moveable part of the cutting device in the open position.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational exploded view of the dispenser of Fig. 1 and also showing an attachment means. Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of a dispenser according to a first embodiment of the invention (similar to Fig. 1) with the moveable part of the cutting device in the closed position.

Fig. 4 is a partial front elevational view of a dispenser according to a first embodiment of the invention with the moveable part of the cutting device in the open position (as in Fig. 1) and showing the cross-section of the housing and detail of the connection between the housing and the cutting device.

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view of two stacked dispensers according to the first embodiment of the invention with the moveable part of both cutting devices in the closed position.

Fig. 6 is a front elevational view of an alternative cutting device in the open position according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a hinged element as viewed from the rear of the cutting device of Fig. 6 when the moveable part of the cutting device is in an open position.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the hinged element of Fig. 7, as viewed from the front of the cutting device of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a hinged element of the cutting device shown in Fig.6 when the moveable part of the cutting device is in a closed position.

Fig. 10 is a front elevational view of a dispenser according to the second embodiment of the invention incorporating the cutting device shown in Fig. 6 and showing the cutting device in the closed position.

Fig. 11 is a front elevational view of a dispenser according to a third embodiment of the invention showing the cutting device in the open position.

Fig. 12 is a front elevational exploded view of the dispenser of Fig. 11, again with the cutting device shown in the open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figs. 1 to 5 show a dispenser 10 according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention. The dispenser 10 is provided with a housing 20 which is advantageously sized and shaped to accommodate a tubular roll of film such as the one shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 under reference number 24. The housing 20 illustrated is of generally circular cross-section, but it should be understood that a different shape of housing, for example a housing having a rectangular or oval cross - section, could also be used. A dispensing slot 22 (see Fig. 2) is provided on housing 20. The slot 22 is wide enough so that at least one layer of the film 26 can be passed through and is long enough so that the full width of film can also be passed through without wrinkling or folding. The housing 20 can be of any suitable material including metal or plastic. However, in this particular embodiment it is preferred to use cardboard, preferably having a water-repellant wipeable coating thereon. Use of cardboard to form housing 20 permits the production of a disposable product which is not harmful to the environment and which is easy to manufacture at a low cost.

A cutting device 40 is attached on the housing 20. The cutting device 40 is adjacent and positioned substantially parallel to the dispensing slot 22 (shown in Fig. 2) . The cutting device 40 shown in this preferred embodiment includes a cutting edge which in this embodiment consists of the blade 42 which comprises an alignment of generally triangular teeth 44. Blade 42 is preferably mounted at an angle on a moveable part, here flange 46. The teeth 44 are advantageously made from a plastics material (e.g. polypropylene) , but may alternatively be formed from metal.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the flange 46 is advantageously pivotally mounted on a frame 48 and the whole cutting device 40 can be located on the housing 20 over the dispensing slot 22. Conveniently, the flange 46, which supports the blade 42, is attached to the frame 48 by a hinge 54 and may therefore pivot between two extreme positions. In the first (or open) position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the flange 46 is located at an angle of approximately 90-120° relative to the frame 48 and the dispensing slot 22. Of course, the series of teeth 44 must be positioned so that the sharp points of teeth 44 are substantially in the direction of the film layer 26 (see Fig. 1) , when the latter is pulled out from the box. Desirably the flange 46 may be secured in this position and cannot be displaced therefrom accidentally.

The flange 46 can be rotated to a second (or closed) position wherein the flange 46 is substantially folded over the body 20 and the teeth 44 are not protruding externally (see Fig. 3) . Advantageously the blade 42 is then received into and positioned inside the dispensing slot 22. Desirably the blade 42 may be secured in this closed position and cannot be opened accidentally.

This particular embodiment is arranged to close or seal the dispensing slot 22 when the flange 46 is in the closed position and this arrangement helps to prevent contamination (e.g. dirt, bacteria) contacting the roll of film 24. This is particularly desirable when the film 26 is intended for use with food.

The dispenser 10 is thus portable and may be moved safely.

The cutting device 40 can be built within the housing device 20 but is preferably manufactured as an independent part. Advantageously it is moulded as a one-piece plastic member according to known methods.

The cutting device 40 may be provided with downwardly facing projections (not shown) which would either engage with the housing 20 through a series of corresponding holes or grooves provided in the housing 20, or would be punched through the housing 20 during manufacture. Preferably such projections would have a barb-like shape to increase the grip of the housing 20.

Alternatively or additionally and as best shown in Fig. 4, the frame 48 of cutting device 40 can be slid onto the defining edges of slot 22 and attached thereto via lip 50. As best shown in Fig. 4, the cutting device 40 is provided with a dispensing slot 52 within frame 48, with slot 52 being disposed over and corresponding with the dispensing slot 22 of the housing 20. As seen in Fig. 1, slot 52 is sized and shaped so that the film layer 26 (which is represented as being transparent) , may pass through successive slots 22 and 52 and extend out of the dispenser 10 without wrinkling when unrolled from the film roll 24.

Preferably, a spacing means 45 is provided at an open end of slot 52 to maintain the aperture of slot 52 at its full width. Spacing means 45 as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 is a hammer shaped element integral with frame 48 at one end thereof, which spans slot 52 and abuts the facing side of the slot. At the opposite end of frame 48 as illustrated aperture 52 is not open, but is bound by one side of the frame 48 (see Fig. 2) . According to the preferred embodiment illustrated two supporting legs 30 are attached at each end of the housing 20. As shown in Fig. 2, each supporting leg 30 is provided with a base portion 34, a top portion 36 and an internal face 38. A groove 31 formed by rims 33 and 35 is advantageously provided on the internal face 38 of each of the supporting legs 30 to receive and hold the extremities of housing 20. This groove 31 is preferably provided at some distance from the base portion 34 so that the housing 20 is positioned at some distance from the surface where the dispenser 10 stands, thus the housing 20 is kept away from water and dampness. This locking system associated with the groove 31 which receives and holds the extremities of the housing 20 forms connecting means which are easy to dismount and re-assemble.

A window 28 made from transparent or semi-transparent material may advantageously be provided in one or both of the supporting legs 30. As shown in Fig. 1, window 28 allows the roll of film 24 and the amount of film remaining to be viewed.

Fig. 2 shows the "W" -shaped groove-and-tongue element 29 which is symmetrically provided on the rim 35 of supporting leg 30, and which engages the edge portion of the cutting frame 48, and locks the supporting legs 30 in position with the cutting device 40.

Returning to the cutting device 40, it is particularly desirable to provide a locking system to lock the flange 46, which supports the blade 42, in the first dispensing (or open) position. This locking system can be, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a clip which comprises the two locking tongues 60. These tongues 60 are symmetrically provided and extend laterally from the superior edge of the flange 46 into the corresponding locking grooves 62. The grooves 62 may be located as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 on the top portions 36 of the supporting legs 30 and are sized and shaped to receive and engage the locking tongues 60. The flange 46 and the blade 42 are thus maintained in dispensing position during the use of the dispenser 10.

According to one advantageous aspect of the invention described above, the housing 20 is provided with the cutting device 40 and is easily dismountable from the supporting legs 30. Thus, the housing 20, which contains a roll of film 24, and the cutting device 40 can form a disposable unit which can easily be removed from the supporting legs 30 and discarded when the roll of film 24 runs out. A new disposable unit may then replace the previous one and be mounted upon the supporting legs 30. Of course both the housing 20 and the cutting device 40 of the disposable unit are preferably made of low cost material; for example cardboard for the housing 20 and plastic for the cutting device 40.

When provided as part of a disposable unit the extremities of the housing 20 may be provided with disposable covers (not shown) to prevent the roll of film 24 from falling out of the housing 20. When the disposable unit is to be mounted on supporting legs 30, the covers may then be removed and discarded. Alternatively, the covers may be provided inside the housing 20 so as to leave its extremities free to project and to engage the connecting groove 31.

It is also particularly advantageous to design the supporting leg 30 so that two or more distinct dispensers 10 may be stackable one onto another. As can be seen from Fig. 4 this can be achieved by providing the bottom of the base 34 of the supporting legs 30 with bottom tongues 64 which can engage top grooves 62 provided in the top portion 36 of another dispenser 10. In this embodiment top grooves 62 are sized and shaped to be used both as part of a locking system to lock the flange 46 and to permit another dispenser 10 to be stacked upon it. In a stacking arrangement, as shown in Fig. 5, each dispenser 10 may contain a different type of film and together the stacked dispensers provide a handy multi-film dispenser tower which is space-saving due to its vertical disposition.

In use and as shown in Fig. 1, a roll of film 24 is provided inside the housing 20. If the dispenser 10 is pre-manufactured this can be achieved by removing one of the supporting legs 30 and sliding the roll of film 24 inside the housing 20. Then, the flange 46 is located into its open position and the end of the film layer 26 can be passed through slots 22 and 52. Passage of the film layer 24 in the slots 22 and 52 is made easy since the corresponding end of the slots 22 and 52 is open at the side where supporting leg 30 has been removed .

Once the layer of film 26 has been passed through the slots 22 and 52, the supporting leg 30 can be re- attached to the housing 20. The blade 42 can be used to detach the desired length of the film layer 26.

After use, dispenser 10 can be closed by disengaging the locking tongues 60 from the locking grooves 62 and folding the flange 46 over the frame 48. The blade 42 will then be secured inside the slots 22 and 52 protecting the operator from any accidental cut.

It should be noted that the portion of film 24 positioned between the blade 42 and the dispensing slots 22 and 52 is usually captured by the teeth 44 when the flange 46 is secured in its closed position. Thus, when the dispenser 10 has to be used and the flange 46 is re-positioned in its open position, the edge of the roll of film 24 is still caught by the teeth 44 and is therefore presented to the user in a way that is easy to handle. This is particularly desirable when the film 24 is a cling film which is by nature subject to a lot of static electricity which makes it difficult to locate the free end. Thus such a cutting device 40 allows quicker and simpler handling of the film layer 26 and an overall easier delivery of a desired length of film 24.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention an attachment means can be provided on a dispenser according to the invention (for example a dispensers 10 made according to the first preferred embodiment of the invention as described above) . As shown in Fig. 2 the attachment means is holding member 70.

Holding member 70 is designed to have attaching means to attach/affix the dispenser 10 to a wall or a non- moveable surface so that dispenser 10 does not become dislodged by the user when pulling out the film layer 26. Thus, with holding member 70, the user can pull out the desired length of film using only one hand, as he does not have to maintain the housing 20 in a static position. The attaching means can be, in any combination, suckers, adhesive portions or holes allowing the dispenser to be screwed in place.

As shown in Fig. 2 it is preferred that the holding member 70 comprises a base 71 which is shaped to receive the housing 20 on its internal face 72. Thus, its internal face 72 can adopt a partially cylindrical shape adapted to receive the circular housing 20. Two lateral locking members 74 are symmetrically provided at each extremity of the base 71 to engage corresponding tongues 64 provided on the base portion of each supporting leg 30. This arrangement allows attachment of the holding member 70 to the dispenser 10. Suckers 76 or holes 77 can be provided at the base (as illustrated) or at the side of the external face 73 of the holding member 70 in suitable position (s) .

The cutting device 40, the supporting legs 30 and the holding member 70 may be made of any kind of suitable material, in particular low cost plastics materials (such as polypropylene) and may be formed using conventional methods like moulding.

A variant of the cutting device 40 is shown in Figs. 6 to 9. In this variant the cutting device 140 is generally similar to the one shown in Figs. 1 to 5 except for hinge portion 54, holding portion 179 and spacing means 145.

According to this embodiment, the hinge portion 54 comprises a hinge element 170 (see Figs. 7 to 9) which holds flange 146 and urges flange 146 to adopt either the first (open) position or the second (closed) position.

As can be seen from Fig. 6 the flange 146 which holds the blade 142 is connected to the cutting frame 148 by a set of hinge elements 170 (better shown in Figs. 7 to 9) which connect the flange 146 to the cutting frame 148 at regularly spaced intervals. Each hinge element 170 comprises two connecting elements 172 which are provided on each side of a bridging element 174. The bridging element 174 is made of a resilient material such as resilient plastic. Bridging element 174 consists of several linear portions connected together via hinge regions. The linear portions can rotate with respect to one another and in combination forms a biasing means which urges the bridging element 174 to adopt one of two positions. These two positions correspond to the open and closed positions of the flange 146, respectively. The bridging element 174 is designed asymmetrically and at first offers some resistance against the rotation of the flange 146 with respect to the frame 148 when the flange 146 is moved from a closed position to an open position or vice versa. Once the flange 146 has been moved out of its stable conformation the bridging element 174 then drives movement of flange 146 through to the alternative stable conformation.

Thus to open the cutting device 140 the user must exert an amount of pressure to start to pivot flange 146. Once the bridging element 174 has been moved out of its stable closed position the resistance against movement of the flange 146 disappears and bridging element 174 urges flange 146 into the open position. In the same way, to close the cutting device 140, the user must firstly move the flange 146 while exerting some pressure to overcome the inherent resistance of the bridging element 174, but when the flange 146 is rotated beyond a certain point, the change in conformation of the bridging element 174 then drives the flange 146 to the closed position.

Such a cutting device 140 allows easy and safe positioning of the blade 142 in the delivery position together with easy closing of the blade 142. Also the bridging element 174 helps blade 142 to be locked in the first (open) position.

Another difference between the cutting device 40 of the first embodiment and the cutting device 140 as shown in Fig. 6 is that the flange 146 of the cutting device 140 is provided with a cup-shaped recess 179 which makes it easy to get hold of and move flange 146.

Additionally, the spacing element 145 as shown in Fig. 6 consists of a sideways extension of the frame 148. In contrast to the spacing element 45 shown in Figs. 1 to 4 , the spacing element does not itself span across the slot in the cutting device 140, but instead engages with holding means (not shown) in the corresponding supporting leg 30 which maintains the aperture width of the slot 52. This arragement has the advantage that film being dispensed is less likely to snag on the spacing means.

A dispensing device 110 according to the second embodiment of the invention and provided with a cutting device 140 (as illustrated in Figs. 6 to 9) is shown in Fig. 10.

The dispensing device 210 according to the third embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 11 and 12. This embodiment is generally similar to the devices previously described and differs only in the form of the support member 230 and the way the cutting device 240 is mounted to the supporting leg 230 and to the housing 220.

As best shown in Fig. 12, the supporting leg 230 is provided with rim 235 having circumferentially spaced protuberances 236. Rim 235 is sized and shaped to engage the housing 220 in a push-fit manner and protuberances 236 hold firmly to the interior surface of housing 220. In this embodiment the cutting device 240 is provided with tabs 241 at each end which engage apertures 243 at the top of each supporting leg 230. The cutting device 240 is first sited onto the housing 220 and flanges 244 may engage with the edge of housing 220 or may be stamped through housing 220 to form a tight fit therewith. Thereafter each supporting leg 230 is located onto the housing 220 having cutting device 240 mounted thereon, so that apertures 243 are aligned and engage with tabs 241.

Desirably tabs 241 include a lip or barb to retain engagement with apertures 243. As supporting leg 230 is pushed onto the housing 220, the close fit of rim 235 with the internal diameter of housing 220 also ensures that supporting leg 230 remains properly located. As before, supporting leg 230 may include a window portion.

The invention also comprises a kit to manufacture a dispenser according to the invention and more particularly according to one of the preferred embodiments described above.

Such a kit may advantageously comprise in a container or bag: the cutting device 40, 140 or 240, a pair of supporting legs 30, 130 or 230 and, optionally, a holding member 70. The kit may be supplied, for example, to manufacturers of rolls of various films so that they can provide ready-to-use film containing dispensers. The housing 20, 120 or 220 may also be included in the kit if so required. In one embodiment the kit will include housing 20, 120 or 220 containing a roll of film 24.

Although the dispenser shown in the embodiments of the invention is sized to receive a large roll of film suitable for industrial (catering) purposes, it should be understood that any size, and in particular a smaller size suitable for domestic use of the dispenser is encompassed by the invention.

Claims

Claims :

1. A film dispenser comprising a housing sized and shaped to receive a roll of film material, wherein said housing is mounted on at least one supporting leg and is provided with a dispensing slot through which said film may be passed, wherein the dispenser is further provided with a cutting device having a cutting edge, said cutting device being provided adjacent and substantially parallel to the dispensing slot and the cutting device having a moveable part being moveable between an open position wherein the cutting edge is exposed and a closed position wherein the cutting edge is not exposed.

2. A film dispenser as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said cutting edge comprises a toothed portion.

3. A film dispenser as claimed in either one of Claims 1 and 2, wherein said moveable part of the cutting device comprises the cutting edge and is pivotally mounted about at least one hinge.

4. A film dispenser as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said hinge is provided with biasing means which urge said moveable part to adopt one of the open or closed positions.

5. A film dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 , wherein the device comprises a locking means to hold the cutting edge in the open position.

6. A dispenser as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said locking means are provided on the hinge.

7. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein said housing comprises two opposite ends and said dispenser is provided with two supporting legs each positioned at each end of the housing.

8. The dispenser of Claim 7, wherein the cutting device and the supporting legs are connected to each other via connecting means which comprise a set of co-operating tongues and grooves.

9. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 9, wherein said supporting leg is provided with tongues and grooves which are sized, shaped and positioned to co-operate with the tongues and grooves of another supporting leg of another dispenser device of the same kind so that the dispensers are vertically stackable.

10. A dispenser as claimed in any one of Claims 7 to 9, wherein said ends comprise end portions which include at least a transparent or semi-transparent portion or window so that the quantity of film remaining can be seen.

11. A kit for holding a roll of film material and dispensing short sections thereof, said kit comprising: a cutting device having a cutting edge for cutting the film and a moveable part, said moveable part being movable between an open position wherein the cutting edge is exposed and a closed position wherein the cutting edge is not exposed; and - at least one supporting leg for maintaining the film above the work surface.

12. A kit as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said kit further comprises a housing to contain said roll of film material .

13. A kit as claimed in either one of Claims 11 and 12, wherein said cutting edge comprises a toothed portion.

14. A kit as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 13, wherein said moveable part of the cutting device comprises the cutting edge and is pivotally mounted about at least one hinge.

15. A kit as claimed in Claim 14, wherein said hinge is provided with biasing means which urge said moveable part to adopt one of the open or closed positions.

16. A kit as claimed in Claim 15, where said biasing means are provided on said hinge.

17. A kit as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 16, wherein the cutting device comprises a locking means to hold the cutting edge in the open position.

18. A kit as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 17, which comprises two supporting legs.

19. A kit as claimed in Claim 18, wherein the cutting device and the supporting legs are provided with connecting means to connect to each other, said means comprising a set of co-operating tongues and grooves.

20. A kit as claimed in any one of Claims 11 to 19, wherein said supporting leg is provided with tongues and grooves which are sized, shaped and positioned to co-operate with the tongues and grooves of another supporting leg of another kit of the same kind so that said legs are vertically stackable.

21. A disposable unit for a film to be used in a film dispenser device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 10, said unit comprising a disposable housing provided with a cutting device as described in any one of Claims 1 to 10 and containing a ready-to- use roll of film.