WO2002053004A1 - Dispenser for rolls of materials in the form of a web - Google Patents

Abstract

Dispenser for rolls of material in the form of a web, such as paper, which dispenser has space for at least two rolls. A first space is intended for a roll (8) in use position, and a second space is intended for a roll (8') in reserve position. A retaining means (12, 13) is arranged so as to hold the second roll (8') in reserve position and to interact with a roll (8) in use position in such a manner that, when a roll is present in use position, the retaining means is held in retaining position, whereas the retaining means is freed in order to allow the reserve roll to drop down into use position when the first roll is removed. The dispenser comprises a wall bracket (1) and a casing (2). Two support means (6, 7) are mounted on the wall bracket (1) inside the withdrawal opening (4) and are intended to support a roll (8) arranged in use postion. A plate (9) is mounted pivotably on the wall bracket (1) about an axis and is spring-loaded below said axis. The distance between the plate (9) and a holding portion (17) on the casing (2) is adapted in such a manner that a roll (8) can be arranged in use position in the first space between the plate and the holding portion counter to the action of the spring. The retaining means (12, 13) is pivotable together with the plate (9), and the plate (9), the spring (16) and the retaining means (12, 13) are arranged so as to interact in such a way that the spring (16), when it is relieved when the first roll is removed, brings the retaining means from the retaining position into the freed position.

Description

Dispenser for rolls of material in the form of a web

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a dispenser for rolls of material in the form of a web, such as paper, nonwoven fabric, or film or foil, which dispenser comprises a housing with a withdrawal opening arranged at the bottom for the material in the form of a web, the housing having space for at least two rolls which are arranged with their centre axes lying essentially horizontally, a first space being arranged adjacent to the withdrawal opening and being intended for a roll in use position, and a second space being located above the first space and being intended for a roll in reserve position, in addition to which a retaining means is arranged so as, in a retaining position, to hold the second roll in reserve position, the retaining means being arranged so as to interact with a roll in use position in such a manner that, when a roll is present in use position, the retaining means is held in retaining position, whereas the retaining means is freed in order to allow the reserve roll to drop down into use position when the first roll is removed.

BACKGROUND ART Dispensers of this type, for example for rolls of toilet paper, are intended for two or more rolls, one roll being in use position and other rolls in reserve position, and the latter being moved into use position when the preceding roll is finished and its empty core is removed from the dispenser.

A common problem in public toilets where the paper consumption is great is that it is difficult for service personnel to manage to replenish paper before there is none left in the containers. Rolls of paper which are placed loosely in reserve are often stolen, and this solution does not work in practice. The problem is an old one, and a great many solutions have been proposed over the years. Some examples of previously known dispensers for a number of rolls of a material in the form of a web are mentioned below. US-A-3, 865,295 discloses a toilet paper dispenser where the rolls are each slipped onto a wooden rod which runs in grooves in the wall of the dispenser and can be hung on a pendulum-type mechanism. On roll exchange, the user guides a lever on the pendulum-type mechanism backwards in such a way that on the one hand the core and wooden rod of the lower roll are freed and drop down into a storage space and on the other hand the roll above can drop down into use position for feeding out paper. This dispenser therefore requires separate wooden rods for suspending the rolls in the dispenser. Furthermore, the mechanism as a whole is particularly complicated.

US-A-2,299,301 and US-A-2,767,930 and also US-A-4,203,562 likewise describe very complicated mechanisms with link arms or grooves.

CH-A-404 124 describes a somewhat simpler but still relatively complicated mechanism using levers and pendulum-type arrangements. A roll in reserve position is held in place by two opposite projecting support arms, each on its own pendulum-type arrangement, arranged on either side of the roll. The pivoting spindles of these are arranged on levers which are held in place by a roll in use position. When a roll in use position is finished and its core is taken out of the dispenser, the levers are freed and the weight of the roll in reserve position presses said support arms in a direction outwards from the inner space of the dispenser at the same time as the pivoting spindle of the pendulum-type arrangement is moved. The construction does not appear especially reliable, and there is a risk that the rolls will catch on the support arms on their way down from reserve position to use position.

US-A-4, 383,657 discloses a dispenser for two rolls of paper where the lower roll slides freely against the bottom of the dispenser housing and an inclined rear edge in such a way that it is advanced into feed-out position against a withdrawal opening provided with a tearing edge. The upper roll is prevented from dropping down by the upper part of a lever. On roll exchange, the user presses on the lower part of the lever, which is designed as a pressure plate. The empty core is then pressed through an opposite hole, and the stop lug at the top of the lever is moved aside in such a way that the upper roll can drop down.

EP-A-0 034 121 discloses a paper dispenser for a number of rolls arranged one above another, where the roll located in use position adjacent to the withdrawal opening rests on a rocking plate. When the roll is finished, it is possible, by pressing on a part of the rocking plate projecting from the withdrawal opening, to cause the latter to fold upwards, on the one hand the empty core being pressed out through the withdrawal opening and on the other hand a retaining device, which holds a roll in reserve position, being moved aside in such a way that the reserve roll can drop down into use position.

EP-A-0 298 931 and GB-A-2 193 703 likewise describe constructions which call for manual handling in order to bring a roll from reserve position into use position. It is common to both these mechanisms that the user inserts a hand into the inside of the container and takes hold of a lower lever arm of a two- armed lever and raises this, the upper lever arm being lifted upwards and taking the roll in reserve position upwards. The upper lever arm is short in relation to the lower, which means that the upper lever arm is, after a short pivoting movement of the lower, brought out of supporting engagement with the roll in reserve position. The roll can then drop down from reserve position into use position and bring the lower lever arm with it, which results in the upper lever arm being brought into its previous supporting position and being capable in this position of supporting a new reserve roll.

It has been found that constructions which call for manual handling by the user in order to bring a roll from reserve position into use position do not function in practice. It is difficult to communicate in a sufficiently effective manner to ordinary users that a new roll can be brought into use position by inserting a hand into the dispenser and performing a special operation using a mechanism.

US-A-2, 839,346 describes an arrangement in which a roll in reserve position automatically drops down into use position when the empty core of a finished roll is taken out of the use position. This document discloses a dispenser for two rolls, where the reserve roll is held in place by a retaining means which is acted on by the lower roll which presses on a spring-loaded tongue. This tongue is connected firmly to an upwardly extending wire, the upper portion of which is arranged inside the side edge of a tippable stop washer for supporting it when the spring-loaded tongue is pressed in by a roll in use position. A roll in reserve position therefore rests on the stop washer. When a roll in use position is finished, and the empty core is removed, the tongue springs out and brings said wire out of engagement with the stop washer which then tips downwards and lets a roll down from the reserve position into the use position. The tongue then returns counter to the action of the spring, and the wire pivots back and lifts the stop washer into the support position, in which it can support a new reserve roll. In use position, the roll rests on two elongate rotatable rollers at the bottom of the dispenser housing.

The dispenser described in the last-mentioned publication includes a fragile mechanism which will not withstand the wear which occurs when dispensers are used in public toilets. It is also awkward and difficult to reach the empty core from the narrow withdrawal opening.

Swedish patent application 9800651-3 describes a dispenser for a number of rolls, where a roll in use position is held in place between a casing (housing) and a spring-loaded dished plate which is provided with an edge flange running all the way round for supporting the roll in use position. Via a link arm, the dished plate controls a tippable support plate, the support plate being in a support position for supporting a reserve roll when the dished plate is loaded by a roll in use position, whereas the support plate tips for lowering a new roll from the reserve position into the use position when the empty core of the finished roll is removed from the use position and the spring is freed. The last-mentioned publication describes another embodiment where the retaining means which holds the reserve roll in place consists of a pair of support pins which form an integrated part with a holding means. The dished plate, which supports a roll in use position, is attached to said holding means which is therefore carried along when the dished plate is pivoted.

The reserve roll is supported by said support pins as long as a roll or empty core is in place on the dished plate but, as soon as the empty core is removed, the dished plate, and the holding means acted on by it, will, in a manner corresponding to that described above, rock about its axis, the support pins being moved in a direction towards the rear plate and out of engagement with the reserve roll which then drops down into use position in the dished plate.

The object of the present invention is to produce a dispenser which is more robust and operationally reliable than previously known solutions and which moreover is easier to handle.

Many demands are made of dispensers intended for a number of rolls and for a public environment, such as busy toilets. The way in which the reserve roll is brought into active position should be both simple and obvious. The way in which the empty core of a finished roll is taken out in order to cause the reserve roll to be brought into use position should therefore be simple and obvious.

Another problem to which attention is not always paid is that it must be easy to reach the end of the material on a new roll. On a roll of paper, for example, the outermost turns are usually joined together in order that the roll can be handled before use, and it must therefore be easy to rotate the roll from the outside and to reach the roll of paper via the withdrawal opening in order to free the end of the material web of the roll. At the same time, it is important that it is not possible to take out a roll of paper which contains a large number of turns.

As wear is great in a public environment, the construction of the dispensers has to be robust and reliable. These requirements are especially important when these are dispensers for large, heavy rolls of paper which drop from reserve position into use position and moreover have to be handled in the dispenser. Above, and below as well, reference is frequently made to paper, but it must be pointed out here that the present invention is not limited to dispensers for paper but is intended for all types of flexible material in the form of a web, such as plastic film or aluminium foil, nonwoven fabric and paper.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

By means of the present invention, a dispenser of the type referred to in the introduction has been acheived, which is particularly robust and operationally reliable and which moreover solves all the problems described above in connection with the description of known solutions.

This has been achieved in a construction of the type referred to in the introduction according to the invention by virtue of the fact that said housing comprises a wall bracket and a casing which can be attached to it, that at least two support means, suitably in the form of wheels, are mounted on the wall bracket inside the withdrawal opening and are intended to support a roll of the material in the form of a web arranged in use position in the first space, that a plate is mounted pivotably on the wall bracket about a horizontal axis extending transversely to the axial direction of the roll, that the plate is spring- loaded below said axis, that the distance between the plate and a holding portion on the casing is adapted in such a manner that a roll can be arranged in use position in the first space between the plate and the holding portion counter to the action of the spring, that said retaining means is pivotable together with the plate about the same horizontal axis between the retaining position and a freed position, and that the plate, the spring and the retaining means are arranged so as to interact in such a way that the spring, when it is relieved when the first roll is removed, brings the retaining means from the retaining position into the freed position.

The construction is particularly robust and operationally reliable principally by virtue of the fact that the support means, which are intended to support the roll in use position, are attached directly to the wall bracket and that the only moving part apart from any said wheels present, the spring-loaded plate, is likewise mounted directly on the wall bracket.

According to a suitable embodiment, the retaining means is connected rigidly to the plate or formed in one piece with it.

According to an especially suitable embodiment, the invention is characterized in that the support means have such an axial extent from the wall bracket that, when a roll of material in the form of a web is arranged in the first space between the plate and the holding portion, they extend at least in the order of some millimetres in under the roll. This is sufficient for secure support of the roll at the same time as the roll is easily accessible from below, the result of which is that an end of the mateπal web on a new roll is easily accessible and that it is easy to reach and take out an empty core.

Further features and advantages of the invention will emerge from the other patent claims and the description following below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention is described in greater detail below with reference to an illustrative embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a wall bracket for a dispenser according to the invention with the outer cover and casing of the dispenser housing removed.

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a casing belonging to the dispenser.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the wall bracket according to Figure 1 with a plate removed for a spring belonging to the dispenser.

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the wall bracket according to Figure 1 with a casing according to Figure 2 mounted on it.

Figure 5 shows a different perspective view of the same parts as in Figure 4.

Figure 6 shows the dispenser in its entirety with an outer cover belonging to the dispenser mounted in an open position on the wall bracket and the casing.

Figure 7 shows the dispenser according to Figure 6 with the cover closed.

The invention relates to a dispenser for rolls of material in the form of a web, which means all types of flexible material in the form of a web, for example plastic film or aluminium foil, nonwoven fabric and paper. Reference will in the first place be made to paper below even though the invention is not limited to dispensers for paper. The paper can be in the form of a continuous web, the dispenser being provided with tearing teeth or another sharp tearing edge in order to cut off a certain length of the paper. The paper web can also be provided with perforations at a certain interval so as to allow a given length of the paper to be torn off from the roll.

In the first place, those rolls in which the paper is rolled up on a rigid core are intended, but it is also possible for the innermost turns of the paper web to form a stiffened core in the roll of paper, for example by being joined together by means of spraying with water, glue or equivalent.

The dispenser according to the invention comprises a wall bracket 1 (Figure 1 ), to which a casing 2 (Figure 2) is intended to be attached to form a dispenser housing. The dispenser is provided with an openable outer cover 3 (Figure 6). The housing is intended to accommodate two rolls of paper, of which one is in use position and one is in reserve position.

The housing formed by the wall bracket 1 and the casing 2 has a withdrawal opening 4 at the bottom, which has tearing teeth 5 along a number of edges, as can be seen from Figures 2 and 4. As mentioned above, the housing has room for two rolls of paper, a first being arranged in use position in a first space. This is arranged adjacent to the withdrawal opening 4. Mounted inside this are two support means 6, 7 in the form of two wheels which are supported by the wall bracket and are intended to support the roll of paper arranged in the first space. In Figure 1 , a roll of paper 8 arranged in the first space has been marked by dot/dash lines. The roll of paper is arranged with its centre axis lying essentially horizontally and projecting straight out from the wall bracket. A plate 9 is mounted pivotably on the wall bracket about a horizontal axis which extends across the bracket and is located in the upper, broader portion of the plate 9.

The plate 9 is, via two holding arms 10, 11 projecting upwards from the plate, connected rigidly to a retaining means which, in the illustrative embodiment shown, consists of two support pins 12, 13. As will be described in greater detail below, the retaining means is intended to retain a roll of paper in reserve position in a second space until the roll in the use position is finished.

Rolls of paper can be introduced into the housing via the opening 21 when the cover 3 is open, as shown in Figure 6. The cover 3 is suitably lockable in order to prevent the theft of rolls of paper. If the dispenser is empty when a roll of paper is introduced, the roll will drop down directly into use position in the first space. The size of the housing is suitably adapted to the rolls of paper which are to be used in such a manner that the axial width of the rolls of paper corresponds essentially to the horizontal space between the wall bracket and the casing, the result of which is that the roll of paper slides down in a controlled manner instead of falling completely freely from the upper opening towards the withdrawal opening 4. To this end, the wall bracket has, in a second, upper space which is intended for a reserve roll, a support 14 projecting from the rest of the wall bracket. Furthermore, a friction means in the form of an inwardly protruding projection 15 is located on the inside of the casing and, as can be seen from Figures 4 and 5, slopes inwardly and downwardly in the housing so as to brake a roll 8 falling downward. A roll of paper on its way down from the reserve position to the use position is therefore braked by the friction action of the support 14 and the projection 15.

The plate 9 which, as mentioned, is mounted pivotably, is spring-loaded by a spring 16 attached below the narrower part of the plate. This spring is shown in Figure 3, in which the plate 9 has been removed in order to show the construction and attachment of the spring. The distance between the plate 9 and a holding portion 17 on the casing 2 is adapted in such a manner that a roll can be arranged in use position in the first space between the plate and the holding portion 17 counter to the action of the spring 16. This distance can be varied by varying the height H of the casing in Figure 2. The dispenser according to the invention can therefore be designed in different sizes for adaptation to rolls of paper of different size, the height H of the casing 2 being adapted to the axial extent of the roll of paper.

The outer support surface of the support 14 is located essentially in the same vertical plane as the outer surface of the plate 9 when the plate is pivoted in counter to the action of the spring 16 by a roll of material in the form of a web introduced into the use position. As can be seen from Figure 1, the holding arms 10, 11 with the support pins 12, 13 are located outside the support 14, and the support pins can by virtue of this be pivoted aside under said support surface so that a roll can pass.

A roll arranged in use position between the plate 9 and the holding portion 17 on the casing 2 rests, in this position, on the support means 6, 7 which, as mentioned above, can consist of rotatably mounted wheels. These wheels suitably have such an axial extent from the wall bracket that they extend at least in the order of some millimetres in under a roll of paper which is arranged in the first space between the plate and the holding portion 17. Trials have shown that a distance of at least 4 mm functions satisfactorily for rolls of paper of conventional size. Rolls of paper can be angle-cut during manufacture, and it may therefore be suitable for the wheels to have a greater axial extent, for example 8 mm. The essential factor is that the wheels do not hinder free insertion of a hand for access to, for example, the end of the web of the roll of paper, which can otherwise be awkward, especially when the roll is new and the outermost turns are glued firmly around the end portion of the web material. The small axial extent of the wheels also facilitates the removal of an empty core of a finished roll of paper. Especially on larger rolls of paper, the empty cores can be difficult to break, and a great deal of manoeuvring space is required to extract them when they have their full length. The holding portion 17 has a smooth outer surface of low friction, such as a polished panel of stainless sheet metal. By virtue of this, rotation is facilitated when paper is fed out from the dispenser in such a way that feeding-out can take place without risk of the paper accidentally breaking in undesirable places, and it can be fed out continuously to the desired length. Close to the withdrawal opening 4, the holding portion 17 has an indentation 17'. Removal of an empty core is facilitated by virtue of the empty core being guided laterally out of engagement by means of the indentation. When a roll of paper is arranged in use position, the plate 9 is pivoted in counter to the action of the spring 16. The retaining means in the form of the support pins 12, 13 on the holding arms 10, 11 accompany the pivoting movement of the plate, between a retaining position and a freed position. When the plate is pivoted in counter to the action of the spring, the holding arms 10, 11 , and with them the support pins, are pivoted out from the bracket into a retaining position, in which the support pins project beyond the support 14 and in this position prevent a reserve roll introduced into the upper space from passing. When two rolls are introduced into the dispenser, the lower roll in the use position therefore holds the retaining means in retaining position, and the reserve roll rests on the support pins 12, 13. Only when the roll in the use position is finished and the empty core has been taken out can the plate, by virtue of the action of the spring 16, pivot out and free the support pins 12, 13 from the retaining position so as to allow the reserve roll to drop down into use position. With a new roll in use position, the support pins are again in retaining position, and a reserve roll can be introduced into the upper space.

As mentioned above, the distance between the bracket and the casing can be selected so that the reserve roll is braked by the friction against the casing and the bracket as it drops down into use position. This drop is also damped by the spring when the plate 9 is pivoted aside by the falling roll.

By virtue of the fact that all the supporting parts are essentially supported directly on the wall bracket, the dispenser according to the invention is very robust and operationally reliable. A factor contributing to the operational reliability of the dispenser is of course that it contains so few moving parts. Apart from the wheels, which are mounted rotatably in the bracket, it is only the support plate, together with the retaining means, which pivots to and fro about its axis of rotation. This extends across the wall bracket through the pivots 22 in Figure 3, which interact with snap-in means (not shown) on the underside of the plate 9.

In spite of the fact that the withdrawal opening 4 is large for access to the paper web and in order to facilitate the removal of the empty core, it is not possible to take out a roll which contains a large number of turns by attempting to pull the roll through the withdrawal opening. The distance between the holding portion 17 of the casing 2 and the plate 9 is of course, as mentioned above, adapted to the axial length of the roll in such a manner that the roll can be introduced counter to the action of the spring. This distance is adapted so that there simply is not space to angle a roll which contains a large number of turns. It is therefore not possible to guide this roll out past the wheels 6, 7.

A considerable advantage of the dispenser according to the present invention compared with previously known dispensers of the type which has special operating devices for bringing the reserve roll into position is that the reserve roll automatically drops into place when the empty core is removed from the use position. It is natural for a user to realize that the empty core is to be taken out, whereas it has proved to be difficult to communicate satisfactorily to users that there are operating devices for replacing rolls and how these function.

As can be seen from Figure 4, the casing 2 is provided with an opening 23, through which it is possible to observe whether and how much paper remains, for example whether there is a reserve roll. Paper is replenished easily by a roll being introduced through the opening 21 when the cover 3 has been opened and pivoted aside, as shown in Figure 6. The dispenser is suitably provided with a locking device 24 which has been indicated diagrammatically in Figure 7. Directly in front of all the openings 23 in the casing 2, the cover 3 is provided with transparent plastic portions 26. As can be seen in Figures 6 and 7, a transparent plastic portion 27 is arranged in the upper part of the cover. Through this plastic portion, it is possible to see whether a reserve roll is in place. The material used for the cover 3 can furthermore consist of coloured plastic or sheet metal.

The invention is not limited to the illustrative embodiment described above but a number of modifications are possible within the scope of the patent claims below.

In the drawing, two support means 6, 7 for supporting the roll in its use position have been shown. Depending on the weight and design of the roll, three or four support means 6, 7 may be suitable. These can all consist of rotatably mounted wheels which accompany the paper web running over the wheels in its rotation movement when it is drawn out through the withdrawal opening 4.

Claims

1. Dispenser for rolls of material in the form of a web, such as paper, nonwoven fabric, or film or foil, which dispenser comprises a housing with a withdrawal opening (4) arranged at the bottom for the material in the form of a web, the housing having space for at least two rolls (8) which are arranged with their centre axes lying essentially horizontally, a first space being arranged adjacent to the withdrawal opening and being intended for a roll (8) in use position, and a second space being located above the first space and being intended for a roll (8') in reserve position, in addition to which a retaining means (12, 13) is arranged so as, in a retaining position, to hold the second roll in reserve position, the retaining means being arranged so as to interact with a roll in use position in such a manner that, when a roll is present in use position, the retaining means is held in retaining position, whereas the retaining means is freed in order to allow the reserve roll to drop down into use position when the first roll is removed, characterized in that said housing comprises a wall bracket (1 ) and a casing (2) which can be attached to it, in that at least two support means (6, 7), suitably in the form of wheels, are mounted on the wall bracket inside the withdrawal opening (4) and are intended to support the roll (8) of the material in the form of a web arranged in use position in the first space, in that a plate (9) is mounted pivotably on the wall bracket (1 ) about a horizontal axis extending transversely to the axial direction of the roll, in that the plate is spring-loaded below said axis, in that the distance between the plate and a holding portion (17) on the casing (2) is adapted in such a manner that a roll (8) can be arranged in use position in the first space between the plate (9) and the holding portion (17) counter to the action of the spring (16), in that said retaining means (12, 13) is pivotable together with the plate (9) about the same horizontal axis between the retaining position and a freed position, and in that the plate (9), the spring (16) and the retaining means (12, 13) are arranged so as to interact in such a way that the spring, when it is relieved when the first roll is removed, brings the retaining means from the retaining position into the freed position.

2. Dispenser according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the retaining means (12, 13) is connected rigidly to the plate (9) or formed in one piece with it.

3. Dispenser according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the retaining means is provided with at least two support pins (12, 13) which project in a direction away from the wall bracket and are intended, in the retaining position of the retaining means, to support the reserve roll.

4. Dispenser according to Claim 3, characterized in that said support pins (12, 13) are arranged on holding arms (10, 11) projecting vertically upwards from the plate (9).

5. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support means (6, 7) consist of wheels which have such an axial extent from the wall bracket (1 ) that, when a roll (8) of material in the form of a web is arranged in the first space between the plate (9) and the holding portion (17), they extend at least in the order of some millimetres in under the roll.

6. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wall bracket (1) has, in the second space, a support

(14) which projects from the rest of the wall bracket and the outer support surface of which is located essentially in the same vertical plane as the outer surface of the plate (9) when the plate is pivoted in counter to the action of the spring by a roll of material in the form of a web introduced into the use position.

7. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that friction means in the form of at least one inwardly protruding projection (15) or the like is located on the inside of the casing (2), which is intended to brake a roll on its way from the reserve position to the use position.

8. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holding portion (17) has a smooth outer surface of low friction, such as a polished panel of stainless steel, in order to facilitate rotation of the roll arranged in use position when web material is fed out.

9. Dispenser according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the casing (2) is provided with an openable upper portion (3), via which a roll of material in the form of a web can be introduced into said reserve position in the second space.

10. Dispenser according to Claim 9, characterized in that an openable cover (3) is arranged outside the casing (2), and in that said cover is provided with one or more transparent portions which are intended to make it possible to observe whether there are rolls of material in the form of a web in use position and in reserve position.