Patent Application
20150265108
The present disclosure is concerned with a dispenser for holding a stack of sheet products and for allowing individual sheet products to be dispensed from the stack. The dispenser includes a product housing defining an interior volume for accommodating the stack. The dispenser further includes a cover defining a dispensing opening through which individual sheet products may be dispensed from the dispenser. The present disclosure is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with dispensers of an in-counter type in which a majority of the product housing is disposed behind a wall, and the cover and dispensing opening is provided in front of the wall so that a user can access the napkins.
There are a number of kinds of sheet product dispensers known in the art. For example, there are table top dispensers as described in US 2006/0273102 A1 that are designed to stand on a table top, counter top or other such horizontal surface and which have a dispensing opening facing upwardly. There are also dispensers designed to lay on a table top, counter top or other such horizontal surface in which the dispensing opening faces horizontally, such as disclosed in WO 2005/107546 A1. Additionally known are gravity feed dispensers, which, in contrast to the aforementioned spring biased dispensers, make use of gravity to feed sheet products to a dispensing opening. A gravity feed dispenser is known from US 2005/0056656 A1. The disclosed elements are applicable to all such dispensers, but are especially useful for in-counter dispensers.
An in-counter dispenser is one that does not stand on a counter top, table top or other such horizontal surface as with the previously mentioned dispensers, but instead is built into the counter top or table top or other such wall so that a major part of a product housing is hidden from view to the user, being positioned behind the wall. An in-counter dispenser has an advantage of freeing up counter space, and also being less conspicuous than dispensers that stand on the counter or table top.
An early design of an in-counter dispenser can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,901,243. In this disclosure, a dispenser is built into a table so that a front wall of the dispenser is substantially flush with a front wall of the table. A dispensing window is provided for allowing folded napkins to be readily removed. A pair of springs is provided for urging napkins toward a front of the dispenser. The springs push against a plate, which is positioned against a rear of the stack of napkins. The napkins are thus urged into the front wall of the dispenser to ensure that a napkin is available at the dispensing window for dispensing.
The springs in the prior art dispenser would, in practice, have been optimised so as to ensure that the stack of napkins is forced against the front wall of the dispenser for the whole range of napkin depletion states from a full dispenser to an empty dispenser, while at the same time ensuring that the spring is not overly powerful such that the napkins are pressed so forcefully against the front wall of the dispenser as to create too much friction against the uppermost napkin in the stack that is being dispensed. Such excessive friction can cause tearing of individual napkins and also cause accidental dispensing of a bunch of napkins, which is not desirable because of the associated waste of napkin material. Optimising a spring force of the spring so as to avoid bunching and tearing issues is not a straightforward process in the design of a dispenser. Further, even if an optimised spring force is achieved, if the dispenser is mounted to a vertical wall instead of a horizontal wall, which some customers do, then the spring force will be too great because the weight of the stack is no longer acting against the bias of the spring. In a dispenser built into a vertical wall, the weight of the stack lies on the product housing, and the spring force is used to bias the front of the stack against the front wall of the dispenser. The previously described tearing and bunching problems can thus occur.
While the tearing and bunching issues have been described above specifically with reference to an in-counter dispenser, the reader will appreciate that the same problems can occur in other types of dispensers, such as those identified above, wherein a spring or other force (e.g. gravity) causes a stack to be pressed with too much force against a front face of the dispenser causing excessive friction between a front napkin in the stack and the front face of the dispenser.
Accordingly, it is desired to provide a dispenser for dispensing sheet products that is able to reduce incidence of dispensing failure such as tearing or accidental bunching.
In a first aspect, there is provided a dispenser including:
a front face including a dispensing opening, the dispensing opening for dispensing individual sheet products of a stack of sheet products;
a product housing including at least one side wall extending from the front face, wherein an interior surface of the front face and an interior surface of the at least one side wall define, at least in part, an interior volume for receiving the stack;
at least one hold back tab projecting from a side of the dispenser for engaging in a border of a front face of the stack and for holding the stack back from the interior surface of the front face of the dispenser.
The hold back tab keeps the front of the stack held back from an interior surface of the front face of the dispenser. This means that the front of the stack is not frictionally engaged with the interior surface of the front face. The frictional engagement with the at least one tab is relatively low. Accordingly, the front most napkin in the stack can be dispensed with a relatively low dispensing force, allowing the napkin to be smoothly withdrawn with reduced or eliminated risk of the napkin tearing. Further, since the stack of napkins is held back from the front face, the risk of the user accidentally grabbing a bunch of napkins is significantly reduced.
In an embodiment, the dispenser can be considered to have a central axis extending through the centre of each napkin in the stack (or through the centre of the interior volume) and through the front face (and optionally also the dispensing opening), wherein the at least one tab has opposed major surfaces extending along a plane perpendicular to the central axis. Put alternatively or additionally, the at least one tab has opposed major surfaces, and one of the major surfaces is arranged to engage along the border of the front of the stack. The described tab construction provides a low cost, high simplicity solution that securely engages at a border area of a front area of the stack. The at least one tab engages a front face of the stack, and not side faces of the stack where folds or other edges of the sheet products are positioned.
In an embodiment, the at least one tab includes first and second tabs that engage different portions of the border of the front area of the stack. In certain embodiments, the different portions are opposed portions. The use of two tabs provides greater hold back security. By locating the tabs opposite to one another, a degree of symmetry is provided so that the front area of the stack is arranged parallel to the interior surface of the front face of the dispenser. As described above, engaging the stack only at the border ensures a low friction solution.
The stack may include folded sheet products, where the folds are located so as to form opposed side faces of the stack. The stack may include opposed fold side faces where folds in the sheet products are located and opposed cut side faces where the stack is cut from a log of folded sheet products during manufacturing. In an embodiment, the at least one tab is arranged to engage in the border of the front face of the stack on at least one fold side. The side faces formed by the folds are dimensionally high precision relative to a 3 mm tolerance in the dimension between cut side faces. Thus, in certain embodiments, the at least one tab is arranged not to engage in the border at a cut side of the front area of the stack. Generally speaking, the stack forms a rectangular prism with the sheet products being stacked in the length direction and the side faces with the folds forming a width dimension of the prism greater than the height dimension formed by the cut side faces. The interior volume is correspondingly shaped. The at least one tab is thus arranged at a longer side of the interior volume, and may not be arranged at a shorter side of the interior volume, where longer sides of the interior volume correspond to the side faces with folds of the stack and the shorter sides of the interior volume correspond to the cut side faces of the stack.
The dispenser may have the stack received in the interior volume.
The at least one tab may project from an interior surface defining a side of the interior volume into the interior volume by a distance of at least 5 mm. The distance may be between 10 mm as a lower limit and 50 mm as an upper limit. The upper limit may be 40 mm, 30 mm, 20 mm or 15 mm. The projecting distance is a balance between ensuring that the front face of the stack is sufficiently grasped (which tends toward a greater projection distance) and reducing friction on the sheet product being dispensed (which tends toward a lower projection). The at least one tab may be arranged to overlie 1 mm or more, 2 mm or more, 3 mm or more, 4 mm or more or 5 mm or more of a border of a front face of the stack. The at least one tab may be arranged to overlie a maximum of 20 mm, 15 mm or 10 mm of a border of a front face of the stack.
The interior volume may be considered to have a z-axis extending through a centre of the napkins in the stack and through the front face of the dispenser and perpendicular to the x and y axis. The dimensions of the interior volume may be such that the y axis dimension thereof is greater than the x axis dimension thereof, as described alternatively above. The at least one tab may be arranged to protrude in the direction of the y axis by a percentage of the y dimension of the interior volume of 5% or more (e.g. if the y dimension is 120 mm, then the tab would protrude from an interior surface defining the interior volume into the interior volume by a distance of at least 6 mm) or 10% or more. An upper limit of the percentage extension may be 40% or less, 30% or less, 20% or less or 15% or less.
The at least one tab may be arranged to project along the y axis. The at least one tab may be arranged so as to be centrally located with respect to the x axis.
The one or more tabs should be located as close to the interior surface of the front face of the dispenser as possible so as not to reduce dispenser capacity and the ability for a user to conveniently grasp sheet products, while at the same time holding the front face of the stack back from the interior surface. The front face of the stack may even contact the interior surface of the front face of the dispenser, for example where a central portion of the stack away from the one or more tabs bulges frontwards. In this instance, the one or more hold back tabs have still performed their function described above, since pressure between the front of the stack and the interior surface is reduced by the one or more tabs. In one embodiment, the one or more tabs are located so that a rearward surface thereof is spaced within 2 cm of the interior surface along an axis parallel to the above described z-axis or parallel to an axis passing through the centre of the napkins in the stack and passing through the front face, where the parallel axis passes through the tab. The spacing may be within 15 mm or within 10 mm.
The at least one tab may project from the at least one sidewall of the product housing. That is, the at least one tab may be attached to the product housing and project into the interior volume relative to the at least one sidewall. In this way, if the front face is removable or otherwise able to be opened for reloading, the hold back tabs maintain the stack in position even with the front face removed. This significantly aids reloading.
In an embodiment, the dispenser includes a spring for urging the stack toward the front face of the dispenser. The at least one hold back tab ensures that the spring force is not, or is applied to a substantially reduced extent, between the front of the stack and the interior surface of the front face. In this way, dispensing failure as a result of tearing or bunching is avoided, by means that are fully functional irrespective of whether the dispenser is loaded with the spring force acting in a direction opposed to gravity, normal to gravity or some orientation therebetween. The dispenser may include a platform upon which a rear face of the stack sits (e.g. in direct contact). The spring may be positioned on the rearward side of the platform.
In one embodiment, the at least one tab is relatively thin so as not to take up stack capacity in the dispenser. For example, the at least one tab may have a thickness between opposed major surfaces of 3 mm or less or 2 mm or less or 1.5 mm or less or 1 mm or less. This feature also aids in achieving flexibility for the tab, as is discussed further below.
The at least one tab forms a projecting structure from a side of the dispenser so as to contact the front face of the stack from an edge of the front face of the stack and extending the contact into a border area of the front face of the stack.
In a second aspect, there is provided
a dispenser, including:
a product housing defining an interior volume for containing a stack of sheet products;
a cover that is openable with respect to the product housing to reveal a loading opening for loading the product housing with a new stack of sheet products and that is able to be closed with respect to the product housing to close the loading opening;
structure for engaging a front face of the stack and for holding the stack of sheet products relative to the loading opening when the cover is opened, wherein the front face is the face of the stack that is revealed when the cover is opened.
Traditionally, when a loading cover of a dispenser is opened, the remaining sheet products of a remaining stack in the interior volume of the product housing can overflow relative to the loading opening. To prevent this, a maintenance person is required to perform a loading operation while holding the old stack of sheet products inside the product housing. The new stack is then inserted and is also held by the hand of the maintenance person until the cover is closed to keep the new stack of sheet products from overflowing from the loading opening.
The second aspect eases this maintenance operation. When the cover is opened, the remaining sheet products are held within the product housing to prevent overflow from the product housing. The new stack of sheet products can be inserted and this new stack will also be held relative to the loading opening by said structure, to allow the cover to be closed without the maintenance person having to hold the stack down by hand. Further, the structure of the second aspect will hold the stack back during use when the cover is closed, to achieve the advantages described above with respect to the first aspect.
Of course, the first and second aspects may be combined. Thus, the structure of the second aspect may be provided in the form of at least one hold back tab projecting from a side of the dispenser for engaging in a border of a front face of the stack and for holding the stack back from the interior surface of the cover of the dispenser. The cover may thus include the dispensing opening. The at least one hold back tab may be defined in any of the ways detailed above. Conversely, the at least one hold back tab of the first aspect may be provided so as to engage the front face of the stack and hold the stack of sheet products within the product housing when the front face of the dispenser is in an open position, wherein the front face of the dispenser is openable relative to the product housing to reveal the loading opening of the product housing for loading the product housing with a new stack of sheet products. The further features described below with respect to the second aspect are also applicable to the first aspect.
Thus, in the second aspect, the structure does not move with opening and closing of the cover.
In an embodiment, the cover includes a dispensing opening through which individual sheet products are dispensable when the cover is closed.
The loading opening is a mouth to the interior volume. It is usually defined by a frame, or at least part of a frame, that mates with the cover when the cover is closed and which extends about a front end of the interior volume. The structure may extend from the frame or adjacent to the frame.
The cover may be mounted to pivot between the opened and closed positions for ease of stack loading. Alternatively, the cover may form a detached component of the dispenser when the cover is opened.
The structure, like the at least one hold back tab discussed above, may space at least part of the front face of the stack from an interior surface of the cover when the cover is closed. In particular, the structure is spaced from the interior surface of the cover when the cover is closed, thereby holding at least the engaged part of the front face of the stack back from the interior surface of the cover. Some part of the front face of the stack may, however, bulge into contact with the interior surface of the cover, particularly in areas not engaged by the structure, but it will not do so with the pressure of prior art dispenser designs. Indeed, this bulging may even be desirable to promote ease of grasping of the front sheet in the stack through a dispensing opening in the cover.
The structure may be provided in the form of a projection from a part of the product housing defining an outer periphery of the interior volume, where the projection is into the interior volume. The projecting structure does not have to be in the form of one or more tabs (but preferably it is in this form), but may have the dimensions defined above, particularly with respect to extent of projection. The structure may be provided in the form of one or more flat members having opposed major surfaces. The thickness of the one or more members may be defined as above with respect to the one or more tabs embodiment.
In one embodiment, the structure is located within 20 mm, or 10 mm or 5 mm of the loading opening (which is the entrance opening to the interior volume). In this way, the capacity of the product housing is not reduced significantly and the front of the stack is kept reasonably close to the cover for ease of loading and, when the cover includes a dispensing opening, for ease of dispensing.
The structure may be configured to overlap an x-y plane of the interior volume, when a z-axis extends from a rear to a front of the dispenser through a centre of the sheet products in the stack (i.e. a cross-section of the dispenser extending perpendicular to the z axis), so as to contact a front face of the stack of sheet products, by an area of less than or equal to 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10% or 5% of a total area of the interior volume of the x-y plane. This area ratio of stack contacting area to total area of a front face of the sheet products is applicable to the at least one tab described above and the at least one hold back member described below. The structure may be arranged to only contact a border area of the front face of the stack of sheet products.
In a third aspect, there is provided a dispenser including:
a product housing defining an interior volume for containing a stack of sheet products;
a front face including a dispensing opening through which individual sheet products of the stack are dispensable from the dispenser; and
at least one hold back member for holding the stack back from an interior surface of the front face, wherein the at least one hold back member projects into the interior volume in a stack engaging configuration and wherein the at least one hold back member is positioned out of the way of the stack in a stack loading configuration, wherein the at least one hold back member is moveable between the stack engaging configuration and the stack loading configuration.
In the third aspect, the at least one hold back member may be positioned out of the way to load a stack in the product housing, and may be repositioned to engage the stack to hold the stack back from the cover for smoother dispensing.
In an embodiment, the stack engaging configuration includes a relatively large protrusion into the interior volume as compared to the stack loading configuration (in which there may be no protrusion into the interior volume at all).
In an embodiment, the at least one hold back member may be biased to return to the stack engaging configuration when in the stack loading configuration. This feature aids loading of the stack as the maintenance person is not required to carry out any steps to move or reconfigure the at least one hold back member after the stack has been loaded.
In an embodiment, a stack is passed over the at least one hold back member during stack loading, which causes the at least one hold back member to move from the stack engaging configuration to the stack loading configuration. The stack may hold the at least one hold back member in the stack loading configuration as the stack moves over the hold back member. In an embodiment, when the stack clears the hold back member, the at least one hold back member springs from the stack loading configuration to the stack engaging configuration.
In the various aspects disclosed above, a stack is loaded in the dispenser in a +z direction and, optionally, individual sheet products are dispensed in a −z direction at least one hold back member.
In an embodiment, the at least one hold back member is flexed into a collapsed configuration in the stack loading configuration. The collapsed configuration is to be understood with respect to the projecting state in the stack engaging configuration. The collapsed configuration may require the at least one hold back member to be flexed into a position pressed flat against an interior surface of the product housing as the stack is passed over the at least one hold back member. In the stack engaging configuration, the at least one hold back member projects into the interior volume relative to the interior surface, for example in a perpendicular orientation to the interior surface. A flexible material implementation offers an effective and relatively simple solution to a stack engaging member that can be moved between stack engaging and stack loading positions. The flexibility may be as a result of the thickness and material of the at least one hold back member. For example, a flat piece of polymer material may suffice.
In certain embodiments, the material for the at least one hold back member is sufficiently stiff as to not buckle under the force of any bias the stack has to move to the dispensing opening (e.g. by spring or gravity) and yet flexible enough to be collapsed into an out of the way position. Further, the material is resilient so as to move back to the stack engaging position after the stack has cleared the at least one hold back member.
In an embodiment, the at least one hold back member may have a bias such that it is easier to collapse in a direction of stack loading into the product housing than in the opposite direction. This can be achieved by a bend or curve in the hold back member or by a spring or other means for ensuring that the hold back member is only liable to collapse as intended, i.e. during stack loading. Alternatively, the housing may include a support surface on a front side of the at least one hold back member and a recess, hole, cutout or other space on a rear side of the at least one hold back member to make the at least one hold back member easier to move in a stack loading direction than the opposite direction when the at least one hold back member is in the stack engaging position.
In an embodiment, the dispenser includes a mouth opening through which the stack of sheet products is loaded into the interior volume, and the at least one hold back member is positioned at the mouth opening and projects interiorly from a periphery of the mouth opening in the stack engaging configuration. In this way, the at least one hold back member is suitably positioned at the top of the interior volume to ensure stack capacity is maintained and to ensure the sheet products are positioned suitably positioned adjacent the dispensing opening when being held back from the cover.
The dispenser of the third aspect can be combined with the features outlined with respect to the first and second aspects, and vice versa. So, the at least one hold back member may be provided in the form of at least one hold back tab projecting from a side of the dispenser for engaging in a border of a front face of the stack and for holding the stack back from the interior surface of the cover of the dispenser. Further, the at least one hold back member may be for engaging a front face of the stack and for holding the stack of sheet products back relative to a loading opening into the interior volume when the cover is opened, wherein the front face is the face of the stack that is revealed when the cover is opened, and wherein the cover is openable and closeable to allow access to the loading opening in the open position for stack loading and so that the loading opening can be closed for dispensing. Conversely, the at least one hold back tab of the first aspect may be positionable between stack engaging and stack loading configurations, wherein the at least one tab is out of the way of the stack in the loading configuration. Further, the structure of the second aspect can be able to move from a stack engaging configuration to a stack loading configuration, wherein the at least one tab is out of the way of the stack in the loading configuration. In fact, all features identified above with respect to each aspect are combineable independently and in groups, as will be clear from the following detailed embodiment, wherein all such features are combined in one implementation.
The aspects described above can be applied to an in-counter dispenser. However, it is imagined that they also could be applied to other types of dispensers, such as table top dispensers or countertop dispensers. A tabletop dispenser is one designed to sit on a horizontal surface by way of a base and has a dispensing opening oriented so that sheet product dispensing occurs in the vertical direction. A countertop dispenser is one that is designed to lay on a horizontal surface on a base and the dispensing opening is disposed so that dispensing of a sheet product occurs in the horizontal direction. Both countertop and tabletop dispensers differ from an in-counter dispenser in that they are designed to be positioned on a horizontal surface so that the entire housing can be seen, whereas an in-counter dispenser has a majority of the housing disposed behind, and thus, hidden from view by a horizontal or other wall surface.
In one embodiment, the in-counter dispenser includes a flange for seating against a cut-out in a wall. The product housing is sized to be positioned behind the wall, and passed through the cut-out in the wall during mounting. The wall may be a vertical wall, or a horizontal counter. The dispenser may include means for fixing the product housing relative to the wall. The flange may be fastened to the wall, for example.
The stack of sheet products may be a stack of napkins. The sheet products may be folded. The sheet products may be interfolded so that as one sheet product is fully dispensed and separated from the stack, the next sheet product in the stack is partly dispensed with it.
The dispenser may include a biasing device, such as a spring, for biasing the sheet products toward the dispensing opening or the hold back structure/tab/member. The dispenser may include a platform upon which the stack of sheet products lays. The platform may be subject to a bias to elevate the sheet products toward the dispensing opening or the hold back structure/tab/member. The stack of sheet products may thus be held compressed between the hold back structure/tab/member by the biasing device. The biasing device and platform are present in at least in-counter, tabletop and countertop dispensers.
Embodiments of the invention will be described below with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:
a shows a plan view of of a tab-like member separated from the dispenser of
b shows a cross-sectional view of the tab-like member of
c shows a plan view of the frame portion of the dispenser of
The dispenser 1 is an in-counter dispenser, which is provided with a flange 8 for seating on a front surface of a wall, such as a counter top, to which the dispenser 1 is mounted. When mounted, the flange 8 surrounds a cut-out in the wall. The product housing 2 is positioned through the cut-out and is disposed at least partly behind the wall. Thus, facing the front surface of the wall, the user only sees the cover 6 and the dispensing opening 7 of the dispenser, and does not see the hidden product housing 2. In order to secure the dispenser 1 to the wall, the dispenser 1 includes keys 9 that pass through a sidewall 4 of the product housing 2 to engage a rear surface of the wall. Such a key system for mounting the dispenser to a wall, such as a counter top, is merely exemplary as the exemplified tab-like hold back means is also applicable to more conventional dispensers, for example a dispenser in which a flange is screwed or otherwise fastened to the wall.
The dispenser 1 defines an interior volume 11 (partly shown in
In the particular dispenser 1 of
The dispenser 1 further includes first and second tab-like members 15, 16, as can be clearly seen in
a and 4b show different views of a tab-like member separated from the dispenser. The tab-like member is a flat piece of polymer material that includes a hole through the thickness of the tab-like member for mounting the tab-like member to the dispenser.
c shows a plan view of the frame portion of the dispenser to show the relative position of the cut-outs into which the tab-like members are placed and which also shows fastening holes in the frame. A fastener will be applied through the fastener hole of the tab-like members and through the fastening holes of the frame to mount the tab-like members to the dispenser. The tab-like members are provided in the form of thin pieces of flexible polymer material so that they can flex downwardly when a new stack of sheet products is pushed past them and so that they resiliently spring back into a more projecting position in order to engage on the front face of the new stack.
The first and second tab-like members are provided at a central location with respect to opposed sidewalls, particularly the long sidewalls 4, of the product housing 2 along the X axis. The first and second tab-like members 15, 16 project relative to an interior surface of the respective sidewall 4 into the interior volume in the Y direction by an amount of between 5 mm and 20 mm, or 10 mm and 15 mm. A greater projection distance will ensure that the front face of the stack of sheet products is engaged, but a smaller distance will reduce contact area providing a smoother dispensing function. The balance between these competing constraints in the dispenser of
The first and second tab-like members 15, 16 are spaced from an interior surface of the cover 6, which provides a roof to the interior volume defined by the dispenser 1, and this spacing may be a distance of less than 10 mm and less than 5 mm. The spacing ensures that at least part of a front face of the stack is held back from the interior surface of the cover 6 to reduce or eliminate friction between the interior surface of the cover 6 and the front face of the stack. This is especially important in light of the spring force applied by the spring 10, tending to force the front face of the stack onto the interior surface of the cover 6. This pressure can be reduced or removed entirely by the first and second hold back tabs 15, 16. The first and second tab-like members 15, 16 also serve this function if dispenser 1 is mounted so that the spring force of the spring 10 applies horizontally, rather than vertically as is more often the case, when the pressure applied to the sheet products will be greater because the spring force is not counter acted by gravity. Accordingly, the dispenser 1 can be mounted horizontally or vertically, or any orientation therebetween, and smooth dispensing, resistant to tearing of the sheet products, can be secured.
The first and second tab-like members 15, 16 are sized to engage only in a margin area of a front face of the stack of sheet-like products so as to reduce the contact area. Further, the first and second tab-like members 15, 16 are tab-shaped, which ensures that they only extend to a limited extent along the margin, again ensuring a reduced contact area. The dimension of the first and second tab-like members along the margin or in the Y direction is between 10 mm and 100 mm, 20 mm and 90 mm, 30 mm and 80 mm, 30 mm and 70 mm, 30 mm and 60 mm, 30 mm and 50 or 35 mm and 45 mm. In a specific embodiment, the Y dimension of the first and second tab-like members 15, 16 is about 40 mm.
Referring now to
The frame 12 is provided with a cut-out 19 extending in the Z direction for receiving one of the first and second tab-like members 15, 16, as can be seen in
The first and second tab-like members 15, 16 are positioned in opposed cut-outs 19 in the frame 12 and fasteners (not shown) are applied in respective fastener receiving holes 21 of the first and second tab-like members 15, 16 and respective fastener receiving holes 20 (
In use, the dispenser 1 will be mounted to a wall, such as a vertical wall or a horizontal counter top, so that most of the product housing 2 is hidden behind the wall. The flange 8 will be seated on a front surface of the wall, while keys 9 will contact or be positioned adjacent to a rear surface of the wall so that a dispenser 1 is secured to the wall in the +Z and −Z direction. The cover 6 may be opened to reveal at least part of an interior volume for receiving a stack of sheet products. The optional frame 12 and the flange 8 surround a mouth opening to the interior volume through which the stack of sheet products are passed in the Z direction to load the dispenser 1 with a stack.
A rear face of the stack of sheet products will contact the first and second tab-like members 15, 16 as the stack of sheet products is passed into the interior volume and will flex the first and second tab-like members 15, 16 in a rearward direction so as to move the first and second tab-like members 15, 16 into an out of the way or less projecting position. The rear face of the stack will contact the platform (not shown) and the platform and the stack will be moved deeper into the product housing 2 against the bias of the spring 10. The first and second tab-like members 15, 16 will be held in the flexed, substantially non-projecting, position by side faces of the stack of sheets. The first and second tab-like members 15, 16 will only spring back into a projecting position, where this projecting position is shown in
The first and second tab-like members 15, 16, once in the projecting position, shown in
When an individual sheet product is withdrawn through the dispensing opening 7, it will be pulled from under one of the tab-like members 15, 16 and will then move from under the other of the tab-like members 15, 16 so as to be released from the product housing 2 and to allow the sheet product to be dispensed through the dispensing opening 7. In an interfolded sheet product stack, a subsequent sheet product will be pulled partly through the dispensing opening with the sheet product that has been entirely dispensed. In this way, part of a next front most sheet product in the stack will protrude through the dispensing opening 7 for convenient grasping by a user.
During dispensing, an individual sheet product is only forced by the spring 10 into contact with the tab-like first and second members 15, 16 at relatively small contact area portions, so that frictional force during withdrawal of the sheet product is relatively low, thereby providing resistance to tearing of the sheet product and securing a smooth dispensing operation. The front face of the stack of sheet products is, to a large extent, held back from an interior surface of the cover 6 so that the problems with pressure between the front face of the stack and the interior surface of the cover 6 in the prior art, causing tearing of sheet products that are dispensed, are avoided by the disclosed dispenser solution.
A number of alternative implementations for the stack hold back means of
The fixed tab-like member 25 of the alternative of
In the alternative embodiment of
The alternative embodiment of
In
The alternative embodiment of
Other, non-illustrated alternative embodiments can be envisaged by the skilled person. In the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
In the various alternative embodiments presented herein, the hold back structure can engage a margin area of a front face of the sheet products, is able to contact a front face of a stack of sheet products irrespective of an opening and closing state of the cover, and is able to move between a loading configuration in which the structure is less projecting and a projecting configuration for engaging on a front face of the stack of sheet products when the stack is loaded. These three aspects can be independently implemented to achieve advantages described herein, or implemented in any combination to achieve a synergy in the combination of advantages.
This application is a §371 National Stage Application of PCT International Application No. PCT/EP2012/067403 filed Sep. 6, 2012, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2012/067403 | 9/6/2012 | WO | 00 | 3/4/2015 |
