Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding – With supply coil replenishment
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-26
2004-07-27
Nguyen, John Q. (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding
With supply coil replenishment
Reexamination Certificate
active
06766976
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a dispenser for rolls of material in the form of a web, such as paper, non-woven 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 be 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.
U.S. Pat. No. 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.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,299,301 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,767,930 and also U.S. Pat. No. 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.
U.S. Pat. No. 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 therein of supporting a new reserve roll.
Previously known constructions which call for manual handling by the user in order to bring a roll from reserve position into use position have not functioned satisfactorily in all respects. 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.
U.S. Pat. No. 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.
SE 512 595 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
Lind Mats
Salåker Allan
Wester Christina
Nguyen John Q.
SCA Hygiene Products AB
Young & Thompson
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