Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding – With drive mechanism
Patent
1997-08-06
1999-02-09
Darling, John P.
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding
With drive mechanism
242423, 225 14, B65H 2002
Patent
active
058683437
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the technical sector of apparatus for dispensing cellulose wadding, creped paper towels and towels of similar materials, especially those used for wiping the user's hands, toilet paper and paper napkins.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The Applicant has developed several apparatus for dispensing paper towels that are the subject of several patent applications in France and abroad which allow operation and dispensing of paper in folded or unfolded form.
Briefly, such apparatus generally comprises a reel of material, enclosed in a support housing, the reel capable of being unwound and routed towards a drum that includes a cutting device capable of dispensing strips of material cut to predetermined lengths.
In a first embodiment, the strip of paper can be unwound flat over the entire length of the drum or, in the context of an alternative embodiment, by using a special frame support such as that described in French Patent applications 94.04399 and 94.05698, the paper being dispensed in folded form.
Such apparatus are extremely reliable in operation but, in some cases, there may be a problem, caused by a high tensile force, of the strip of paper being unwound from the reel in a manner which creates, between the drum and the reel, a loose strip which eliminates any tension between the reel and the drum. It is then necessary to reduce or eliminate this loose strip by an additional action to dispense a strip of paper. This situation results from the fact that the reel of material placed between the flanges of the housing is rotatably mounted and must allow the unimpeded dispensing of the paper.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object sought after by the invention is therefore to overcome the above drawbacks by proposing, in a simple manner, the possibility of controlling unwinding of the reel of material and adjusting the dispensing of a length of strip as a function of one rotation of the drum whilst ensuring control of tensioning of the strip of material.
Another object sought after by the invention is to provide a device that is perfectly suitable for apparatus for dispensing a material that can be dispensed in folded or unfolded form without any excessive increase in cost.
These objects and others will become apparent from the following description.
According to the invention, the dispensing apparatus for paper towels is of the type comprising a housing having lateral flanges capable of accommodating, in its upper part, a reel-holder or end pieces to support and feed a reel of paper towel, toilet paper or paper napkins or similar and, in its lower part, a drum supporting a cutting device and means of pressing against the drum allowing transport of the strip of paper with a view to dispensing and ejecting it, said drum and said means of applying pressure being mounted crosswise by their shafts between said flanges, at least one of the ends of the shaft of the drum extending as a control knob making it possible to load the apparatus and eject the paper intended to be held in the hand.
According to a first aspect, the apparatus comprises at least one device for braking the material take-off reel, this device being associated with an operating cycle of the apparatus involving rotation of the drum of one revolution so as to dispense a length of material, said braking device being arranged laterally on one side of the drum and hinged relative to the housing, directly linked to rotation or non-rotation of the drum and ensuring, depending whether or not the apparatus is operating, braking-action contact on at least one of the lateral sides of the reel or release of the latter so that it can rotate one cycle, the operation or release of the braking device being controlled by the action performed by the user on the strip of material emerging from the apparatus.
According to another aspect of the invention, the braking device comprises a long lever of which the middle part is hinged relative to the flange and having, in its upper part, an arm that cooperates with a shape fo
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patent: 4213363 (1980-07-01), Granger
patent: 4432261 (1984-02-01), DeLuca
patent: 5078033 (1992-01-01), Forman
patent: 5146830 (1992-09-01), Granger
patent: 5161723 (1992-11-01), Wirtz-Odenthal
patent: 5257711 (1993-11-01), Wirtz-Odenthal
patent: 5441189 (1995-08-01), Formon et al.
patent: 5526973 (1996-06-01), Boone et al.
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