Washrooms in commercial and residential buildings typically include products such as toilet tissue or paper towels. These products are typically housed by a dispenser and are dispensed as needed by the user. Indeed, there are a number of manual, semi-automatic, and automatic dispensers capable of dispensing said products. Rolled sheet materials can be dispensed from said dispensers. However, different rolled sheet materials can have varying widths or core diameters. While rolled products produced vary in terms of product width, systems and devices used to dispense these products generally only accommodate a single product width or product width within a certain or limited width range. Such limitations in dispensing systems and devices requires multiple product dispensers in order to accommodate the full range of product widths. Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and dispensers for dispensing products of various widths that is functional and can be achieved at a reduced cost.
In general, the present disclosure is directed to a dispenser for sheet materials. The dispenser includes a back frame assembly and a front cover assembly configured to form a housing. The housing defines an interior volume so as to retain at least one roll of sheet material having a width and a core diameter. The back frame assembly includes one or more mounting tracks and one or more roll support members. The one or more mounting tracks are disposed on an internal surface of the back frame assembly. The roll support members include a first end configured to support a roll of sheet material and a second end configured to engage the one or more mounting tracks to attach the one or more roll support members to the back frame assembly. The one or more roll support members can be positioned at various locations in the one or more mounting tracks in order to accommodate rolls of sheet material having varying widths.
Also provided is a dispenser for dispensing rolled sheet materials including a back frame assembly and a front cover assembly configured to form a housing having an interior volume so as to retain at least one roll of sheet material. The dispenser includes one or more roll support members disposed within the housing to retain the at least one roll of sheet material. The roll support members including a first end configured to support a roll of sheet material and a second end configured to securely attach to the back frame assembly. At least one of the one or more roll support members includes a connection hub having at least two diameters to facilitate supporting of rolls of sheet material having varying core diameters and/or widths.
The disclosure is also directed to a dispenser for dispensing sheet materials including a back frame assembly and front cover assembly configured to form a housing having an interior volume so as to retain at least one roll of sheet material. A support panel secured having a first end is secured to the back frame assembly. One or more roll support members are also provided and include a first end configured to support a roll of sheet material and a second end configured with a spring loaded hinge secured to the back frame assembly such that the one or more roll support members is capable of pivoting about the hinge. A first side of the at least one roll of sheet material is supported by the support panel and a second side of the at least one roll of sheet material is supported by the one or more roll support members.
Other features and aspects of the present disclosure are discussed in greater detail below.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present disclosure is set forth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, including reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.
It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present disclosure.
As used herein, the terms “first”, “second”, and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components.
The terms “coupled,” “fixed,” “attached to,” and the like refer to both direct coupling, fixing, or attaching, as well as indirect coupling, fixing, or attaching through one or more intermediate components or features, unless otherwise specified herein.
The terms “communicate,” “communicating,” “communicative,” and the like refer to both direct communication as well as indirect communication such as through a memory system or another intermediary system.
The singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, is applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about”, “approximately”, and “substantially”, are not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value, or the precision of the methods or machines for constructing or manufacturing the components and/or systems. For example, the approximating language may refer to being within a 1, 2, 4, 10, 15, or 20 percent margin. These approximating margins may apply to a single value, either or both endpoints defining numerical ranges, and/or the margin for ranges between endpoints.
The embodiments including dispenser and methods of the present disclosure, including components thereof, can comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of the essential elements and limitations of the embodiments described herein, as well as any additional or optional components or limitations described herein or otherwise useful.
As used herein, the terms “sheet material” and “paper” means a material that is thin in comparison to its length and breadth. Generally speaking, sheet materials should exhibit a relatively flat planar configuration and be flexible to permit folding, rolling, stacking, and the like. Exemplary sheet materials and papers include, but are not limited to, paper tissue, bath/toilet tissue, paper towels, wipes, label rolls, or other fibrous, film, polymer, or filamentary products. The terms “sheet material” and “paper” may be used interchangeably.
The present disclosure is generally directed to a dispenser for sheet materials and/or to a dispenser assembly. The dispensers of the present disclosure are capable of holding rolls of sheet materials having varying widths and/or core diameters. Accordingly, rolled products with different widths or core diameters can all be dispensed from the same dispenser. Advantageously, as product widths or core diameters change, the provided dispenser can be used to dispense the rolled products without the need to purchase additional dispensers to accommodate different products. Additionally, features of the dispensers provided herein can be easily manufactured, saving manufacturing time and costs.
In one embodiment, the dispenser includes a dispenser for sheet materials including a back frame assembly and a front cover assembly configured to form a housing having an interior volume so as to retain at least one roll of sheet material. The back frame assembly includes the back frame assembly including one or more mounting tracks disposed on an internal surface of the back frame assembly. The dispenser also includes one or more roll support members. The roll support members have a first end configured to support a roll of sheet material and a second end configured to engage the one or more mounting tracks to attach the one or more roll support members to the back frame assembly. The one or more roll support members can be positioned at various locations in the mounting tracks in order to accommodate rolls of sheet material having varying widths.
In other embodiments, provided is a dispenser for sheet materials including a back frame assembly and a front cover assembly configured to form a housing having an interior volume so as to retain at least one roll of sheet material. The dispenser includes one or more roll support members disposed within the housing to retain the at least one roll of sheet material. The roll support members including a first end configured to support a roll of sheet material and a second end configured to securely attach to the back frame assembly. At least one of the one or more roll support members includes a connection hub having at least two diameters to facilitate supporting of rolls of sheet material having varying core diameters and/or widths.
In still another embodiment, provided is a dispenser for sheet materials having a back frame assembly and a front cover assembly configured to form a housing having an interior volume so as to retain at least one roll of sheet material. The dispenser includes a support panel having a first end secured to the back frame assembly. One or more connection hubs and/or nubs for supporting a roll of sheet material can be disposed on the support panel. The dispenser includes one or more roll support members including a first end configured to support a roll of sheet material and a second end configured with a spring loaded hinge secured to the back frame assembly such that the one or more roll support members is capable of pivoting about the hinge. A first side of the at least one roll of sheet material is supported by the support panel and a second side of the at least one roll of sheet material is supported by the one or more roll support members.
Referring particularly to
The operational components of the dispenser 10 may be mounted directly to the back frame member 18 or can be mounted and otherwise disposed within the housing 16. The operational components of the dispenser 10 can be part of a module or insert that is received within the housing 16. For example, the operational components can be part of a module that may be readily removable from the housing for servicing and/or replacing components without the necessity of having to remove the entire dispenser 10 from its support surface. The operational components can include a dispensing mechanism 40 configured within the housing 16 of the dispenser 10. The dispensing mechanism 40 includes driver rollers, gear mechanisms, control circuitry, etc. for advancing the roll of sheet material through an opening 40 in the dispenser 10, so that the sheet material 17 can be dispensed to a user.
As shown, the back frame assembly 18 includes one or more mounting tracks 24. The mounting tracks 24 are disposed on an internal surface 26 of the back frame assembly 18. The internal surface 26 refers to the surface of the back frame assembly 18 that generally faces the interior of the dispenser 10. One or more rolls of sheet material 17 are disposed within the housing 16. As shown, one or more roll support members 30 are used to secure the roll of sheet material 17 within the housing 16. As shown, a first end 32 of the support members 30 is configured to support the roll of sheet material 17, while second end 34 of the support members 30 is configured to engage the one or more mounting tracks 24 to secure the support members 30 to the back frame assembly 18.
Further embodiments of the back frame assembly 18 are shown in
In other embodiments, for example as shown in
As shown in the above-described Figures, the roll support members 30 can be adjusted within the mounting tracks 24 on the back frame assembly 18, such that the roll support members 30 can be placed in various locations. For example, the roll support members 30 can be moved towards the outer portion of the mounting tracks 24 in order to accommodate a roll of sheet material having a larger width. Likewise, in other embodiments, the roll support members 30 can be moved towards an interior position within the mounting tracks 24 in order to accommodate a roll of sheet material having a smaller width. The dispensers 10 including the roll support members 30 disclosed herein, are suitable for supporting a roll of sheet material having a width ranging from about 5 inches to about 12 inches.
Furthermore, as shown in
Also, it should be appreciated, that while the telescoping connection hubs as disclosed can be used on any roll support members 30, in certain embodiments, the telescoping connection hubs can be used in embodiments where the roll support member is not moveable with respect to the back frame assembly. For example, in certain embodiments, the roll support member 30 can be fixedly secured to the back frame member 18. In such embodiments, inclusion of the telescoping connection hub allows for the accommodation of varying widths of rolled sheet material products. In certain embodiments, at least two roll support members are used to support the roll of sheet material. In such embodiments, at least one of the roll support members includes the telescoping connection hub as disclosed, while the other roll support member can include any proprietary or conventional nub or connection hub known to those in the art. For example, as illustrated in
As shown in
Now referring to
These and other modifications and variations to the present invention may be practiced by those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is more particularly set forth in the appended claims. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various embodiments may be interchanged both in whole or in part. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the invention so further described in such appended claims.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2021/028132 | 4/20/2021 | WO |