Dispenser for a roll of paper tissue or nonwoven material

Description of equivalent WO 2011149392 A1

DISPENSER FOR A ROLL OF PAPER TISSUE OR NONWOVEN MATERIAL

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a dispenser for web of absorbent paper, tissue or nonwoven material in the form of a roll according to the precharacterizing portion of claim 1.

BACKGROUND

Some dispensers for web of absorbent paper, tissue or nonwoven materia! in the form of a roll are provided with a web feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism is commonly operated by a user for feeding out a required amount of web.

US4406421 discloses a paper towel dispenser wherein web from a roll is dispensed between a drive roller and an idle roller. A linear gear rack and an integral gear actuating lever rotate the drive roller. The actuating lever is manipulated a desired number of times by a user to feed out web through a dispensing outlet of the dispenser. The web is then stripped from the dispenser at a serrated edge at the dispensing outlet.

US2004/0135028 discloses a dispenser for sheet material on a roll. The dispenser has a handle which drives a feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism includes a drive roller and an idle roller which cooperate to form a pressure nip, through which sheet materia! is dispensed. A handle is actuated by a user to rotate the drive roller in order to feed out a predetermined amount of sheet from the dispenser. In another type of dispenser, a user grasps and pulls on a dispensing end of the web from the roll to feed out a desired amount of web from the dispenser, in this type of dispenser it may sometimes be difficult to locate a dispensing end of web to grasp. It is known to use a push button mechanism engaging directly with an axle of the roll and arranged to feed out a portion of the web. The bush button mechanism pivots about an axis parallel with the axle of the roll. SUMMARY

An object of the present invention is to provide a dispenser for web of absorbent paper, tissue or nonwoven material from a roll, where the dispenser is of the type where a user pulls on the web to dispense web, in which dispenser grasping of a dispensing end of web is facilitated.

According to an aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by a dispenser for web of absorbent paper, tissue or nonwoven material in the form of a roll having a centre axis. The dispenser comprises a housing with a first dispensing opening for the web and a drive roller extending along a longitudinal axis. The drive roller is arranged in the housing in, or at, the dispensing opening with the longitudinal axis being substantially parallel to the centre axis. The roll is arranged to abut the drive roller to be frictiona!ly engaged with the drive roller. The dispenser further comprises a feeding mechanism for rotating the roll to feed the web in a direction from the roll towards the first dispensing opening. The dispenser is adapted for a user to grasp, and pull on, a dispensing end of the web to dispense a length of web from the roll. The feeding mechanism comprises a bar extending at least partially along the drive roller. The bar, at a first end, is pivotably attached to the housing to pivot about a pivot axis and, at a second end, is provided with a gear rack. The drive roller is at one end provided with a cog wheel. The gear rack and the cog wheel are engaged such that when the bar is pushed from a start position to rotate about the pivot axis, the drive roller and the roll are caused to rotate. The bar is biased towards the start position such that when pushing the bar to rotate about the pivot axis towards an end position and subsequently releasing the bar, the bar pivots back to the start position.

Since the feeding mechanism is provided to feed web from the roll, a dispensing end which was not graspable inside the dispenser, after pushing the bar of the feeding mechanism once or more times, is made graspabie at or outside the first dispensing opening. As a result, the above mentioned object is achieved.

The housing of the dispenser may comprise two or more housing portions, and at least one housing portion may be opened for refilling the dispenser with a full roll. Web is dispensed from an outer periphery of the roll. The drive roller may be provided with a rubber or rubberlike outer surface portion to ensure a sure grip between the drive roller and the roll. The bar may be biased e.g. by a spring arranged between the bar and the housing. The spring may for example be a torsion spring, pressure spring or tension spring. A full travel of the bar of the feeding mechanism, from the start position to the end position, may cause a length of about 1 - 8 cm to be fed from the roll.

According to example embodiments the pivot axis is substantially perpendicular to the centre axis of the roll. Thus, the pivot arm may pivot in a plane parallel to the roll and the drive roller. According to example embodiments the drive roller is provided with a one-way bearing between the cog wheel and the drive roller, the one-way bearing being arranged such that the drive roller is rotated when the bar is moved from the start position and the drive roller remains stationary when the bar returns back to the start position. In this manner it is not risked that the drive roller pulls the dispensing end of the web back into the housing of the dispenser, upon returning to the start position.

According to example embodiments the bar is provided with a push surface to be pressed by a user when moving the bar from the start position towards the end position, and wherein the push surface may be arranged in a vicinity of the first dispensing opening. In this manner a position on the bar, where a user suitably presses the bar towards the end position, may be provided. Further the push surface may be provided in a position where a user will expect to find a dispensing end of the web, namely at the first dispensing opening. According to example embodiments the bar may be provided with a push surface to be pressed by a user when moving the bar from the start position towards the end position, and wherein the housing may comprise an outer dispensing opening arranged at a distance from the first dispensing opening and the push surface may be arranged in a vicinity of the outer dispensing opening. Again, a position on the bar, where a user suitably presses the bar towards the end position, may be provided and the push surface may be provided in a position where a user will expect to find a dispensing end of the web, namely at the outer dispensing opening. Depending on the distance between the first and the outer dispensing opening, the push surface may be provided in a vicinity of both the first and the outer dispensing openings. According to example embodiments the push surface may be arranged approximately at a middle portion of the bar.

According to example embodiments the housing may comprises an engaging roller in, or at, the first dispensing opening, wherein an outer peripheral surface portion of the engaging roller may be frictionally engaged only with the dispensing end of the web. The engaging roller may thus be caused to rotate by the dispensing end of the web being pulled out through a dispensing passage formed between the drive roller and the engaging roller. The engaging roller may be provided with a rubber or rubberlike surface portion to ensure frictiona! engagement with the web.

According to example embodiments the drive roller and the engaging roller may form a friction nip adapted to frictionally engage with the dispensing end of the web. The friction nip may be achieved by the web being frictionally engaged with both the drive roller and the engaging roller. This may be achieved by a non-linear dispensing passage. The friction nip may cause that a sheet from a dispensing end of the web, in particular when the web is a perforated web, to separate outside the friction nip. In case the sheet is separated from the dispensing end of the web such that the dispensing end is difficult to reach, e.g. between the drive roller and the engaging roller, the feeding mechanism may be utilized by a user to feed the dispensing end to become easily graspable.

According to example embodiments the roll may be biased against the drive roller. In this manner a reliable frictiona! engagement between the drive roller and the roll may be ensured.

According to example embodiments the dispenser may be a portable dispenser. In a portable dispenser, which may be relatively light, the feeding mechanism may be particularly useful. The portable dispenser may easily be displaced if a user has to tinker with the dispenser to reach a dispensing end. Since the bar of the feeding mechanism extends along the drive roller, the bar is easily pressed by a user. In particular if the bar is to be pressed in an essentially downward direction, the dispenser will not be displaced. Further features of, and advantages with, the present invention will become apparent when studying the appended claims and the following description. Those skilled in the art will realize that different features of the present invention may be combined to create embodiments other than those described in the following, without departing from the scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various aspects of the invention, including its particular features and advantages, will be readily understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a cross section of a dispenser for a roll of absorbent paper, tissue or nonwoven materia! according to example embodiments, and

Fig. 2 illustrates a feeding mechanism for a drive roller of a dispenser according to example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the

accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments are shown. However, this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Disclosed features of example embodiments may be combined as readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a cross section of a dispenser 2 for a roil 4 of absorbent paper, tissue or nonwoven material according to example embodiments. The absorbent paper, tissue or nonwoven material is provided in the form of a web on the roll 4. The dispenser 2 is portable and is provided with a handle 6 to facilitate carrying or suspending the dispenser 2. The dispenser 2 comprises a housing 8 with an upper housing portion 10 and a lower housing portion 12, which are shown in a closed position. In the c!osed position the upper housing portion 10 extends partially around the roll 4 (at least when it is full with web). The lower housing portion 12 may be adapted to be placed on a surface. The housing portions 10, 12 are connected to each other at one end by means of a first hinge 14. Opposite to the first hinge 10 there is formed a first dispensing opening 16 for a dispensing end 18 of the web between the upper and lower housing portions 10, 12. The housing further comprises a lid 20 which is foldable about a second hinge 22. One purpose of the !id 20 may be to protect the first dispensing opening 16. The lid 20 is provided with an outer dispensing opening 24 for the dispensing end 18 of the web.

The housing 8 is provided with a holder arrangement 26 for the roll 4. The holder arrangement 26 comprises an arm 28 with a seat 30 for an axle 32 about which the roll 4 rotates. The arm 28 is pivotally connected with the housing 8 at an end of the arm 28 opposite to the seat 30. A spring 34 biases the arm 28 and the roll 4 towards the first dispensing opening 16. At an opposite end of the roll 4 (not shown in Fig. 1 ) the holder arrangement 26 is provided with a corresponding arm/spring system, a pivotable arm only or other devices for moving the axle 32 towards the dispensing opening 16. A roll rotational, or centre, axis of the roll 4 coincides with the axle 32. The dispenser 2 further comprises a drive roller 36 and an engaging roller 38 arranged in the housing 8 in close proximity to the first dispensing opening 16. Between the drive roller 36 and the engaging roller 38 there is defined a dispensing passage through which web from the roil 4 may be dispensed by a user. The rollers 36, 38 are arranged such that the dispensing end 18 of the web from the roll 4 is in contact with both rollers 36, 38. The rollers 36, 38 suitably have an outer surface with a high friction coefficient, e.g. made from a rubber or rubberlike material. The roll 4, by means of the arm 28 and the spring 34, is biased against the drive roller 36. The drive roller 36 is thus frictionaliy engaged with the roll 4. Accordingly, when a user grasps and pulls on the dispensing end 18 of the web, the rotation of the drive roller 36 is transferred to the roll 4. Thus, the peripheral speed of the drive roller 36 and the roll 4 is the same.

The drive roller 36 may be attached to the Sower housing portion 12 and the engaging roller 38 may be attached to the upper housing portion 10. Accordingly, when the upper housing portion 10 is opened, the rollers 36, 38 are separated and a dispensing end 18 of the web from a roll is easily placed in the dispensing passage between the rollers 36, 38 as well as in the first dispensing opening 16.

The drive roller 36 and the engaging roller 38 may each be provided with sections of small diameters and sections with large diameters as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 1. The drive roller 36 and the engaging roller 38 are in this case arranged in relation to each other such that a small diameter longitudinal section of the drive roller 36 is opposite to a !arge diameter longitudinal section of the engaging roller 38, and a large diameter longitudinal section of the drive roller 36 is opposite to a small diameter longitudinal section of the engaging roller 38. As mentioned above the dispensing passage is defined between the rollers 36, 38. The rollers 36, 38 are arranged at such a distance from each other that the outer portions of the large diameter sections of the rollers 36, 38 overlap seen in a direction along the axes of the rollers 36, 38 (i.e. a direction perpendicular to the view presented in Fig. 1 ). Due to this overlapping of the rollers 36, 38, the dispensing passage is undulated.

In such an undulated dispensing passage, the dispensing end 18 of the web is in contact with both the drive roller 36 and the engaging roller 38. The drive roller 36 and the engaging roller 38 have an outer surface with a high coefficient of friction. Accordingly, as the web is dispensed, both the drive roller 36 and the engaging roller 38 will be rotated by the web. Since the web is in contact with both the drive roller 36 and the engaging roller 38 and due to the high coefficient of friction, the dispensing passage is a friction nip. A bar 40 of a feeding mechanism 42 for rotating the drive roller 36 is arranged in a vicinity of the first and outer dispensing openings 16, 24. The bar 40 is provided with a push surface 44 to be pressed by a user to cause the drive roller 36 and the roll 4 to rotate. Fig. 2 illustrates a feeding mechanism 42 for a drive roller 36 of a dispenser according to example embodiments. A first dispensing opening 16 of the housing is illustrated by a broken line and an outer dispensing opening 24 of the housing is illustrated by a dash- dotted line. The drive roller 36 is rotatably suspended at both its ends in posts 46 of a housing of the dispenser. The drive roller 36 is substantially parallel to a not-shown roll of absorbent paper, tissue or nonwoven material. As described above, the drive roiler 36 is provided with sections of small diameters and sections with large diameters. The sections having a large diameter are arranged to abut, and frictionally engage, with the not-shown roll.

The feeding mechanism 42 comprises a bar 40 which at one end is pivotable about a pivot axis 48. The bar 40 is biased by means of a spring 50 towards a start position such that it will return to the start position from an end position. At its other end the bar 40 is provided with a gear rack 52 which engages with a cog wheel 54 arranged at one end of the drive roller 36. The cog wheel 54 is mounted on the drive roller 36 by means of a not- shown one-way bearing, such as the INA Drawn cup roiler dutches HF0612. The oneway bearing is arranged such that the gear rack 52 drives the cog wheel 54 and the drive roller 36 when the bar 40 is moved from the start position towards the end position. When the bar 40 pivots back from the end position to the start position, the one-way bearing freewheels and the drive roller 36 remains stationary.

In Fig. 2 the pivot axis 48 is substantially perpendicular to the drive roller 36 and the not- shown roll. Further, the bar 40 is illustrated in the start position as biased by the spring 50 when not pressed by a user. Accordingly, in Fig. 2 the end position is below the start position. The push surface is arranged substantially at a middle portion of the bar 40 and in the first and outer dispensing openings 16, 24.

Exampie embodiments may be combined as understood by a person skilled in the art. Although the invention has been described with reference to example embodiments, many different alterations, modifications and the like wiil become apparent for those skilled in the art. For instance may a dispenser be provided with only one dispensing opening.

Therefore, it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of various example embodiments and the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications to the disclosed embodiments, combinations of features of disclosed embodiments as well as other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. As used herein, the term "comprising" or "comprises" is open-ended, and includes one or more stated features, elements, steps, components or functions but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps, components, functions or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

As used herein, the common abbreviation "e.g.", which derives from the Latin phrase "exempli gratia," may be used to introduce or specify a general example or examples of a previously mentioned item, and is not intended to be limiting of such item. If used herein, the common abbreviation "i.e.", which derives from the Latin phrase "id est," may be used to specify a particular item from a more general recitation. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context dearly indicates otherwise. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (inciuding technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "coupled" or

"connected" to another element, it can be directly coupled or connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.