This application is a §371 National Stage Application of PCT International Application No. PCT/IB2012/001332 filed on Jul. 6, 2012, which claims priority to European Patent Application No. 11005622.3 filed on Jul. 8, 2011, both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.
An aspect disclosed relates to a dispenser assembly. Another aspect relates to a roll of sheet material adapted to be dispensed by the dispenser assembly. Such a dispenser assembly finds a particular, though non-exclusive, application in dispensing paper towel roll.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,127 describes a dispenser for rolls of sheet material including a base or housing for supporting one or more rolls of sheet material. An extension from one side of the housing includes a receiver for receiving one end of an axle/push rod. A journal is positioned on the opposite side of the housing from the receiver. The journal and receiver in turn are positioned along an axis. The axle/push rod has a first section which can be inserted into the center passageway through the roll and extend at least slightly out of the opposite side of the roll. A second section of the axle/push rod abutting the side of the roll has a diameter greater than the passageway through the roll and allows the axle/push rod to push the roll rotatably supported on the first section out of the housing. The entire length of the axle/push rod is greater than twice the length of a roll. The roll on the axle/push rod is then exposed outside the housing for dispensing of sheet material. Once the roll exposed for dispensing is expired, the axle is withdrawn from the receiver and withdrawn through the housing, with a half turn the remaining rolls drop in the housing and the axle right side up is reinserted into the next succeeding roll passageway. The axle/push rod is used to then push the next roll out to where it is positioned for dispensing.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,771 describes a dispenser for dispensing a paper or plastic product that allows a user to easily tear off one sheet of the product at a time. The dispenser includes a first magnetized member, a second magnetized member, a support bar and at least one stop device.
However, these techniques are not satisfactory because the loading operation may not be easily and/or quickly done.
It is desired to propose a dispenser assembly that overcomes the above mentioned drawbacks, and in particular to improve the ease of the loading operation.
According to one aspect, there is provided a dispenser assembly for dispensing a sheet from a roll of sheet material, the roll of sheet material having a longitudinal axis, the dispenser assembly including:
a roll holder for removably holding the roll of sheet material, the roll of sheet material being free to rotate relatively to the roll holder;
a base for supporting the roll holder and for coupling the dispenser assembly with an environment structure;
a pair of coupling elements including a first element coupled to the roll of sheet material and a second element integral to the roll holder, the first element being coupled in a free to rotate and removable manner relatively to the second element by magnetic coupling;
wherein the first element includes a contacting portion extending transversally relatively to the longitudinal axis, which is adhered to a lateral edge of the roll of sheet material and arranged to at least partially recover said lateral edge so that the first element is fixedly secured to the roll of sheet material.
The first element may be in the form of a sticker that adheres to the lateral edge of the roll of sheet material by means of an adhesive layer.
The first element may be in the form of a painted area that adheres to the lateral edge of the roll of sheet material as a result of a painting process.
The second element may be a flange secured to the base through an arm, the second element including another contacting portion arranged for magnetic coupling to the contacting portion of the first element.
The roll holder may further comprise a resilient element for pressing the flange against the contacting portion of the first element.
The first element and the second element each may include a magnet, these magnets being oriented so as to provide an attractive magnetic force between the first element and the second element.
One of the pair of coupling elements may be made of a magnetic material, the other coupling element being made of a ferro-magnetic material.
One of the pair of coupling elements may be made of a plastic charged with a magnetic powder, the other coupling element being made of a plastic charged with a ferromagnetic powder.
One of the pair of coupling elements may include a magnet, the other coupling element comprising a piece of ferro-magnetic material.
The first element may be coupled to the second element through a punctual contact.
The first element may be coupled to the second element through a surface contact, each element having a contacting portion in the form of a planar surface.
The dispenser assembly may include a pair of coupling elements positioned at both end portion of the cavity of the roll of sheet material.
The roll of sheet material may be wound onto a hollow or solid core.
The roll of sheet material may be a paper towel roll.
According to another aspect, there is provided a roll of sheet material having a longitudinal axis, the roll of sheet material being provided with a coupling element including a contacting portion extending transversally relative to the longitudinal axis, which is adhered to a lateral edge of the roll of sheet material and arranged to at least partially recover said lateral edge so that the coupling element is fixedly secured to the roll of sheet material, the roll of sheet material being adapted to be dispensed by the dispenser assembly.
According to a further aspect, there is provided a coupling element for coupling to a roll of sheet material, the roll of sheet material having a longitudinal axis, wherein the coupling element includes a contacting portion extending transversally relative to the longitudinal axis, arranged to at least partially recover a lateral edge of the roll of sheet material when adhered to said lateral edge so as to fixedly secure the coupling element to the roll of sheet material, the coupling element being adapted to be coupled in a free to rotate and removable manner relatively to another element by magnetic coupling in the dispenser assembly.
The disclosed aspects enable easy and quick authorized stuffing and loading operations. This is particularly advantageous during maintenance of a dispenser assembly used in a commercial application context.
Further, the disclosed aspects prevent unauthorized stuffing action of the dispenser assembly by an unauthorized provider or operator by requiring a specific coupling mechanism between the roll holder and the roll of sheet material. Further, the element or at least a part of it associated with the roll of sheet material is arranged to disappear once the roll has been used avoiding a second use in association with another roll of sheet material. It enables the client of such a dispenser assembly to have a specific, qualitative and controlled service during the maintenance operations.
Furthermore, an old dispenser assembly may be easily and economically retrofitted with the mechanism provided herein merely by replacing the old arms with new arms supporting one of the magnetic coupling elements as described in the various embodiments provided in the following description.
Other advantages will become apparent from the hereinafter description.
Embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of examples and not limited to the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements:
In the following description, the terminology “a roll of sheet material” has a large meaning encompassing, as examples, the rolls of paper towels, toilet tissues, plastic sheets or the like, metal sheets (e.g. aluminum) sheets or the like, food preservation bags, wraps, etc. . . . The sheet material may be rolled as a continuous non-perforated sheet or pre-perforated sheets. Further, the terminology “roll of sheet material” also covers either a roll of sheet material having a core, or a roll of sheet material being coreless. In particular, during the manufacturing process of the roll of sheet material, either the sheet material is wound into a cylinder onto a core (as an example a hollow cylinder made of cardboard, or a plastic mandrel, or a metallic axle, etc. . . . ), or the sheet material is wound into a cylinder on itself such as to define a central hollow cavity of substantially cylindrical shape and of variable size extending longitudinally.
The dispenser assembly may be used for residential or commercial applications for dispensing multiple of the hereinbefore mentioned sheets of material from a roll of sheet material.
The dispenser assembly may dispense the sheets of material from the roll of sheet material either manually (a user may pull the sheet of material with a hand) or motor assisted (a motor may assist in automatically dispensing the sheet of material on wish). There are numerous mechanisms to automatically dispense the sheet of material, and also to cut the sheet of material at the user requested length.
The dispenser assembly 1 includes a roll holder 5, 5a, a base 6, and a pair of coupling elements 8, 8a. In the embodiment depicted in
The roll holder 5, 5a holds in a removable manner the roll of sheet material 3. The roll of sheet material 3 is free to rotate relatively to the roll holder 5, 5a.
The base 6 supports the roll holder 5, 5a. The base 6 further couples the dispenser assembly 1 with an environment structure 7, for example a wall, by means of appropriate securing elements 16 (screw, glue, etc.). The base 6 may further include a housing 17 having a slit 18 that is adapted to dispense sheets 2 of material. The housing may include a hood (not shown) closed during the use of the dispenser assembly, and opened during loading or unloading operation of the roll of sheet material into the dispenser assembly.
The pair of coupling elements 8, 8a includes a first element 9, 9a coupled to the roll of sheet material 3 and a second element 10, 10a integral to the roll holder 5, 5a. The first element 9, 9a is coupled to the second element 10, 10a by a magnetic coupling in an interface zone 13, 13a. The magnetic coupling is such that:
the first element 9, 9a is free to rotate relative to the second element 10, 10a enabling free-rolling of the roll of sheet material 3 relative to the roll holder 5, 5a; and
the first element 9, 9a is removable relative to the second element 10, 10a enabling engagement or disengagement of the roll of sheet material 3 with regards to the roll holder 5, 5a.
The first element 9, 9a is realized under the form of a transversally extending contacting portion (i.e., transverse to the longitudinal axis of revolution 15). The transversally extending contacting portion is adhered to a lateral edge 12, 12a of the roll of sheet material 3 and arranged to at least partially recover a lateral edge 12, 12a of the roll of sheet material 3 so that the first element 9, 9a is fixedly secured to the roll of sheet material 3. The terminology “adhere to” is intended to mean to stick, to become joined or to become united.
The second element 10, 10a may be a flange secured to the base 6 through for example an arm 14, 14a.
These embodiments are well suited to a dispenser assembly 1 dispensing sheets 2 from a roll of sheet material 3 wound around a core 4a as depicted in
Similarly, all these embodiments are also well suited to a dispenser assembly 1 dispensing sheets 2 from a coreless roll of sheet material 3, namely a roll of sheet material 3 lacking the core 4.
Only the pair of coupling elements referenced 8 on one end of the roll of sheet material 3 is illustrated on these
The sticker 20 includes the transversally extending contacting portion (i.e., transverse to the longitudinal axis of revolution 15) that is adhering to the lateral edge 12 of the roll of sheet material 3 through an adhesive/gluing/sticking layer 21. The transversally extending portion protrudes and is arranged to at least partially recover the lateral edge 12 of the roll of sheet material 3. This enables a satisfactory inter-coupling between the first element 9 and the roll of sheet material 3, in particular avoiding a loose fit between the first element 9 and the roll of sheet material.
The sticker 20 has a contacting surface 24 forming a plane. It may have various shapes, for example a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a rectangular shape, etc. . . . .
The sticker 20 is either a magnet, or a piece of ferro-magnetic material, or a plastic piece charged with a magnetic powder, or a plastic piece charged with a ferromagnetic powder. The sticker 20 is glued on each lateral edge 12, 12a of the roll of sheet material 3 (through the adhesive layer 21).
The sticker 20 together with the gluing layer 21 may be obtained from a sticky tape that is cut according to the desired shape.
The painted area 22 forms the transversally extending portion (i.e., transverse to the longitudinal axis of revolution 15) that is adhering to the lateral edge 12 of the roll of sheet material 3 as a result of the painting process. The transversally extending contacting portion protrudes and is arranged to at least partially recover the lateral edge 12 of the roll of sheet material 3. This enables a satisfactory inter-coupling between the first element 9 and the roll of sheet material 3, in particular avoiding a loose fit between the first element 9 and the roll of sheet material.
The painted area 22 has a contacting surface 24 forming a plane.
The painted area 22 is a magnetic or ferro-magnetic painting (i.e. a paint charged with a magnetic or ferro-magnetic powder) that is for example painted, spray-painted or sputter-painted on each lateral edge 12, 12a of the roll of sheet material 3.
Various shapes of painted area 22 can be obtained, for example a circular shape, an elliptical shape, a rectangular shape, etc. . . . using as an example an appropriate stencil or pattern during the painting process.
In the hereinbefore described first and second embodiments, the second element 10 supports a magnet or a piece of ferro-magnetic material 33 having a contacting surface 34 being an elliptical surface or a spherical surface.
Thus, the first element 9 is coupled to the second element 10 through a punctual contact. This feature enables limiting the friction effect between this two elements providing a rotation of the roll of sheet material 3 relatively to the roll holder 5 even if a low pull force is exercised on the dispensed sheet 2 (shown in
The magnet or the piece of ferro-magnetic material 33 is positioned facing the first element 9. When the first element 9 includes a magnet or a plastic piece charged with a magnetic powder, or a magnetic painting the second element 10 may include a magnet or a plastic piece charged with a magnetic powder, these magnetic elements being properly oriented to attract each other. Alternatively, the second element 10 may be made of a ferro-magnetic material. When the first element 9 includes a piece of ferro-magnetic material, or a ferro-magnetic painting, the second element 10 may either include a magnet, or be made of magnetic material. In all these cases, an attractive magnetic force is provided for coupling the first element 9 to the second element 10. The size and thickness of the sticker 20 or of the painted area 22 is chosen such as to provide a sufficient magnetic coupling, for example a few centimeters in size and a few millimeters in thickness.
The magnetic coupling through a punctual contact as hereinbefore described in relation with the various embodiments enables reducing the friction between the two coupling elements, thus between the roll of sheet material and the roll holder. This enables reducing the force or energy required to dispense a sheet of material either manually or motor assisted. When the dispenser assembly includes a motor (not shown) to dispense the sheet of material, having a low friction enables either to reduce electrical consumption of the motor, or to downsize the motor power for the same dispenser assembly characteristics. Further, it also reduces the motor loudness during the dispensing operation. When the dispenser assembly is manually operated (i.e. without the help of a motor), the sheet of material may be dispensed in a quasi-automatic manner by combining a very low pull force exercised on the dispensed sheet with the low friction and the effect of gravity on the currently dispensed sheet of material.
In the embodiments illustrated in
These embodiments of the pair of coupling elements 8 are also applicable to coreless rolls of sheet material.
The dispenser assembly 1 (depicted in
At a later stage, when a significant amount of sheet 2 have been dispensed from the roll of sheet material 3, further dispensed sheet portion includes a border being an adhesive band 21a (first embodiment) or a band of magnetic painting 22a (second embodiment) on each side of the sheet when the sheet 2 splits from the roll of sheet material 3. This is particularly advantageous to prevent a direct subsequent use of the first element 9. With the first embodiment, at the end of the dispensing process, the adhesive layer is lacking to further stick the sticker to another roll of sheet material 3. With the second embodiment, at the end of the dispensing process, the magnetic painted area has gradually disappeared from the lateral edge 12 of the roll of sheet material 3 with the dispensed sheet 2.
The drawings and their descriptions hereinbefore illustrate rather than limit the invention.
The depicted embodiment of dispenser assembly in
The depicted embodiments illustrate a dispenser assembly wherein the roll of sheet material is positioned horizontally. However, it may also be positioned vertically, or at an angle.
The depicted embodiment of dispenser assembly in
Any reference sign in a claim should not be construed as limiting the claim. The word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements than those listed in a claim. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such element.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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11005622 | Jul 2011 | EP | regional |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/IB2012/001332 | 7/6/2012 | WO | 00 | 2/3/2014 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2013/008074 | 1/17/2013 | WO | A |
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English-language translation of a Chinese Office Action dated Aug. 12, 2015 issued in related Chinese patent application No. 201280034079.9 (10 pages). |
English-language translation of a Chinese Office Action dated Aug. 24, 2015 issued in corresponding Chinese patent application No. 201280034080.1 (8 pages). |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20140158811 A1 | Jun 2014 | US |