The invention relates to a paper dispenser, in particular for hygiene papers or the like.
Since dispensers of this type and the reels to be inserted therein of toilet papers, paper towels, etc. are not precision products, widely varying rolling properties are unavoidable. It is particularly unfavorable here if the reels are too easy-running, since too much paper can be pulled off in the case of manual removal and, in the case of existing discharging mechanisms, continued rotation of the reel can lead to loop formation in the interior which can of course bring about functional disruptions. There are therefore also various simple brakes, for example hoops which press against the circumference, brackets which press against the end sides, etc., which, however, have disadvantages above all if the braking operation becomes too intensive.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a paper dispenser which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices of this general type.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention a paper dispenser. The paper dispenser contains a brake for a paper reel, two conveying rollers defining a nip therebetween, a paper path of a paper web leading through the nip between the two conveying rolls, and a tensioning device for the paper web. The tensioning device interacts with the brake, and the tensioning device is loaded in the paper path between the two conveying rollers and the paper reel.
The invention then proposes in a paper dispenser to allow a brake for a paper reel and a tensioning device for the paper web which comes from the reel to interact in such a way that the braking action of the brake is adapted to the tension in the paper web.
This means that, in the case of a low tension in the paper web which could have the consequence of sagging or the risk of a loop, the braking force on the paper reel is increased, it being possible for the paper reel to be rotated only with an increased force application during the next paper removal, as a result of which the paper sagging is eliminated at the beginning. The paper web is therefore increasingly tensioned, that is to say the tension in the paper web is increased, which, according to the invention, leads to the reduction in the braking action, with the result that the paper reel becomes more easy-running again.
The result of this is that an equilibrium will be set, that is to say the tension and the braking action are substantially in balance. The tensioning device can be loaded by gravity or preferably by a spring, with the result that every installation arrangement becomes possible.
The equalization according to the invention between tension and braking action is particularly advantageous in the case of paper dispensers which, in addition to the dispensing reel, have a reserve reel and a device for transferring the paper web of the reserve reel into a conveying roll nip as soon as the dispensing reel is exhausted. Precisely during the transfer of the reserve reel, there should be a sufficient rotational resistance at the reserve reel until the ratio of tensioning force and braking force has evened out.
There is provision in one preferred embodiment for the tensioning device to have a pivotable, U-shaped hoop and for the brake to have a brake lever which presses on the front side onto the reel and can be actuated by a side part of the hoop. The brake lever is provided, for example, on a rocker which is provided with a rising rib, onto which the side part of the hoop runs. If the side part moves in the opposite direction, the brake is loosened.
There is provision in a further preferred embodiment for a lever to project from the side part of the hoop, which lever is coupled kinematically to the cover of the dispenser by a bracket in such a way that, when the cover is open, the tensioning device is pivoted out of the paper path and the brake is released. The pivoting out of the tensioning device facilitates the insertion of the paper reel and the assignment of the start of the paper web to the device for transferring the paper web as soon as the dispensing reel is exhausted. If the cover is subsequently closed again, the hoop pivots until the paper web is tensioned. If the pivoting goes beyond an equalized center position, the brake is also engaged.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a paper dispenser, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to
The side part 17 engages over a rocker 18 (
When the cover 2 is open, as can be seen from
A reserve reel 13 is inserted, and the start of the paper web 25 is guided through behind the pivoted outward tensioning roller 16 and is fixed on a device 22, the purpose of which is to thread the paper start of the reserve reel 13 into a nip 6 between two conveying rolls 4 and 5 when the dispensing reel 10 shown in
If the cover 2 is then closed, the bracket 28 is moved downward and releases the U-shaped hoop 30 of the tensioning device 15 (see
If paper is conveyed by the conveying roll 4, 5, the tensioning device 15 will pivot back to the left and the brake will loosen a little if the braking action is too high, and will move further to the right and increase the brake pressure if the braking action is too low. In any case, uncontrollable unraveling of the paper web 25 from a reserve reel 13 which runs too easily is avoided.
The paper dispenser according to the invention can have a dispensing reel 10 and a reserve reel 13, the paper of which is taken over by the device 22 after exhaustion of the paper of the dispensing reel 10 and is fed to the conveying rolls 4, 5, with the result that paper can continue to be removed and the refilling can take place not at this instant, but rather at some later time before exhaustion of the reserve reel.
The equalization of the braking action to a changing paper tension is by nature independent of the presence of the dispensing reel, with the result that the dispenser can also be of smaller and simpler construction, by it being possible for all the components which are required only for the dispensing reel and the paper change to be omitted. The reserve reel is then the dispensing reel, and it goes without saying that the uncontrolled unraveling in the housing is also to be avoided in this case.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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A 704/2008 | May 2008 | AT | national |
This is a continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. § 120, of copending international application No. PCT/AT2009/000138, filed Apr. 8, 2009, which designated the United States; this application also claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of Austrian patent application No. A 704/2008, filed May 5, 2008; the prior applications are herewith incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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5868343 | Granger | Feb 1999 | A |
6363824 | Granger | Apr 2002 | B1 |
6550714 | Granger | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6591727 | Purcell et al. | Jul 2003 | B1 |
6736348 | Formon et al. | May 2004 | B1 |
7712699 | Granger | May 2010 | B2 |
8056459 | Granger | Nov 2011 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country |
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2 771 620 | Jun 1999 | FR |
2 778 902 | Nov 1999 | FR |
2 890 302 | Mar 2007 | FR |
9624281 | Aug 1996 | WO |
0200083 | Jan 2002 | WO |
2007026103 | Mar 2007 | WO |
Entry |
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International Search Report of PCT/AT2009/000138, Dated August 14, 2009. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20110101147 A1 | May 2011 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/AT2009/000138 | Apr 2009 | US |
Child | 12940244 | US |