Patent Application
20120074161
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to dispensing devices, and more particularly to a dispenser for roll materials, such as aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and wax paper as commonly used in the kitchen, although the dispenser may be used in other areas and/or configured or scaled up for the dispensing of other roll materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
The provision of thin, flexible sheet material on rolls has been known for a considerable time. Conventionally, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, wax paper, and similar materials are supplied in roll form, with a single roll being contained within its own box or carton. Generally, the box or carton is equipped with a cutting edge in order to separate sheets of the material from the roll as desired. One of the problems with such individually boxed rolls of material is that storage space must be provided for the individual cartons, and storage space is often at a premium in kitchen areas. Space must be found in a drawer or perhaps atop a cabinet or countertop, which space is thus lost for other purposes.
Moreover, the cartons supplied with such roll material are disposable, which means that their materials (and the cutting edge provided therewith) are relatively cheap. As a result, such cartons with their cutting edges generally do not do a good job of dispensing and cutting the roll material contained therein. The material will oftentimes snag or hang up in the carton or on an edge thereof as it is being dispensed, and use of the inexpensive and poor quality cutting edge of the carton to cut a length of roll material often results in an uneven cut or tearing of the material.
While holders and the like for disposable paper towels are well known, they are generally mounted beneath an existing cabinet, separate from other roll materials. Such holders work well for goods such as paper towels, which are conventionally provided with perforations to facilitate the separation of short lengths from the roll without requiring a cutting device. However, such holders are not suitable for roll materials provided in continuous, unbroken lengths, as they cannot provide a cutting edge for the separation of a length of material from the roll.
Thus, a dispenser for roll materials solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The dispenser for roll materials provides for the convenient storage and dispensing of one or more rolls of material therein, while also providing a cutting tool(s) therewith for the separation of shorter lengths of material from the roll(s). The dispenser includes a cabinet adapted for permanent attachment to a vertical surface, such as a wall, door, or kitchen cabinet door or side. The dispenser cabinet has an openable or removable front cover. The cabinet includes one or more individual roll storage compartments. The front cover has a corresponding number of dispensing openings and cutting implements therein.
The cutting implements are secured to the front cover of the cabinet by a lateral slotted track formed in the front cover. Each cutter has a retaining slide mechanism captured in the slotted track. The actual cutting element extends from the cutter somewhat below the track and slide. A bridge serving as a handle extends between the slide and the cutting implement. A dispensing opening is provided across the span beneath the cutter bridge or handle. As the cutter separates the sheet material below the edge of the dispensing opening, a free end of the material is always provided in the dispensing opening for the user to grasp and pull from the dispenser when needed.
The dispenser for roll materials may include one or more roll storage compartments or shelves. There is preferably a separate compartment for each type of roll material to be used. The dispenser for roll materials is particularly useful for storing and dispensing roll materials commonly used in the kitchen, e.g., aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and wax paper, but may be used for the storage and dispensing of other roll materials at other locations. An optional paper towel holder may be mounted beneath the cabinet, if so desired.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The dispenser for roll materials may provide for the storage and dispensing of one or more rolls of material, and is particularly well suited for use in the kitchen for dispensing such materials as wax paper, aluminum foil, and plastic wrap. However, it will be recognized that the device may be scaled up for dispensing material normally supplied on larger rolls, such as fabric goods and the like.
The dispenser 10 includes a cabinet 12 (mostly concealed behind the front cover in
A plurality of shelves extends forward from the back panel and between the two side panels, as shown by the shelves 120 of the dispenser 110 of
The dispenser includes a front cover that is removably installed over the cabinet, as shown by front cover 26 for the cabinet 12 of
Each compartment 132 is adapted for the storage therein and dispensing therefrom of roll material R, e.g., plastic wrap, aluminum foil, wax paper, etc. Additional security for the rolls R contained within the compartments 132 is provided by a series of roll retainers 134 extending upwardly from the forward portion of each shelf 120, generally opposite the forward ledge 124 of the shelf. The lowermost compartment 32 and the uppermost edges of the corresponding roll retainers 34 of the dispenser 10 are shown in the left portion of
The various embodiments of the cabinets and their corresponding covers are preferably formed of an at least somewhat flexible and resilient material, such as a durable plastic or the like. The front cover, e.g., the cover 26 of the dispenser embodiment 10 of
The resilient material of which the cabinet and cover are preferably formed provides for other features as well.
The two arms 42, 44 are preferably formed as integral components of the resilient plastic cabinet 12 (or 112). The flexible nature of the material allows the two arms to be spread apart from one another to grip the core of a paper towel roll P therebetween, as is known in the art. Alternatively, the two arms 42, 44 may be spring-biased toward one another to grip the paper towel roll P therebetween. The term “flexible” is intended to include both the flexible mounting or attachment of integral paper towel holder arms, as well as hinged arms that are mechanically biased toward one another by springs or the like.
As paper towel rolls are conventionally provided with perforations to facilitate their separation as needed, no other means for separating such paper towel segments or lengths from one another need be provided. However, most other roll materials are provided as continuous and unbroken lengths of material, the user determining the appropriate length to be removed from the end of the roll for use. Accordingly, the dispenser includes a plurality of cutters 48 for cutting a sheet of material S from the corresponding roll R. Each of the cutters 48 is secured within and slides along a corresponding laterally disposed cutter track 50 formed above the corresponding sheet opening or passage 28 of the cover 26. Each cutter 48 includes a blade (shown in
The opposite blade end 58 of the cutter 48 includes a short axle 66 having a pair of resilient rotary wheels 68 installed thereon. The axle 66 and wheels 68 are captured within the blade end 58 of the cutter 48. A circular blade 70a is captured between the two resilient wheels 68 and rotates therewith. The periphery of the blade 70a extends outward from the blade end 58 of the cutter handle 54. The resilient wheels 68 bear against the underlying material, e.g., the protruding end of a sheet of aluminum foil or other material as dispensed from the corresponding compartment, the wheels 68 rolling along the sheet material and the circular blade 70a engaging the blade slot 52 (or 152) to cut the material along the line defined by the blade slot 52 and travel of the blade 70a.
The device is loaded by removing the front cover from the cabinet, removing the rolled material from its retail container, placing the roll of material within the desired compartment, and extending the free end of the sheet through the corresponding sheet passage of the cover as the cover is reinstalled over the cabinet. The sheet of material extends through the relatively narrow gap between the upper edge of the sheet passage and the upper edge of the corresponding front ledge when the cover is installed.
Material is cut to the desired length by pulling the exposed edge of the material from its sheet passage gap as desired and sliding the cutter assembly 48 from one end of its track to the other, generally as shown by the uppermost cutter assembly in
While the primary description of the dispenser for roll material has been directed to a device configured for use in the kitchen or for dispensing materials of comparable size, it will be seen that no limitations have been placed upon the size or dimensions of the dispenser. Accordingly, the dispenser for roll material may be scaled up to serve as a dispenser for larger rolls of material, e.g., bolts of fabric on rolls to provide for the convenient cutting to length of fabric from those rolls. Such a device will be most useful in fabric and yard good stores, as well as in other operations (industrial, retail sales, etc.) where lengths of material must be cut from continuous rolls of material.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
