Patent Grant
9878869
The present invention relates to rolled product dispensers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rolled product dispenser comprising a multiple blade system operating for cutting a rolled product, such as rolled tissue paper. It also relates to cutter assemblies for rolled product dispensers.
Several types and models of rolled product dispensers are currently available on the market, especially for dispensing rolled paper, including, without being limitative, dispensers for paper hand towels, similar to the ones found in public bathrooms. These dispensers are configured for dispensing a web of the rolled product to a user and for cutting the web of rolled product once a desired length has been dispensed. The desired length can either be predetermined or can be controlled by the user of the dispenser.
Several cutting mechanisms are known in the industry and can be included in a dispenser for cutting the rolled product. One of the most common cutting mechanisms is a fixed blade having a serrated edge against which the user can pull the web of rolled product to tear a desired length of rolled product.
Also known in the art are dispensers where a user pulls a free end of the rolled product and the rolled product is automatically cut after a predetermined length has been dispensed. These dispensers are known in the industry as “no-touch” or “touchless” dispensers. The cutting mechanism of such dispensers usually includes a rotating drum having a cutting blade pivotally mounted within the drum. The rolled product is superposed to at least a section of an outer surface of the drum. When a user pulls the free end of the rolled product, the web of rolled product is pulled over the drum and the drum is caused to rotate. The rotation of the drum engages a blade guiding assembly causing the cutting blade to extend through a slot formed on the drum, and thereby severs the rolled product. In different embodiments, the blade guiding assembly can be a cam system, a spring system, a rotatory support system, a crank assembly or a combination thereof.
Examples of such dispensers can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,751 to Kapiloff et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,609,449 to Granger, U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,727 to Purcell et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,879 to Morand, U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,602 to Broehl, U.S. Pat. No. 7,357,348 to Kananen, U.S. Pat. No. 6,363,825 to Hagleitner, U.S. Pat. No. 7,841,556 to Elliott et al., as well as published US application No. 2007/0010389 to Cutrona et al.
All the dispensers disclosed in the above-mentioned references use a single blade for severing the web of rolled product. A consequence of the above described configuration is that a high pressure is normally applied on the single blade during the severing of the rolled product, which can create problems with “tabbing”. Tabbing occurs when a piece of towel tears off the sheet when a user grasps and pulls the paper. It has been found that tabbing occurs when, for instance, the blade tries to cut the web of paper. Lowering the pressure applied on the blade can reduce tabbing problems.
In light of the above, there is presently a need for an improved rolled product dispenser which, by virtue of its design and components, would be able to overcome or at least minimize some of the above-discussed prior art problems.
According to a general aspect, there is provided a rolled product dispenser for dispensing a web of rolled product. The rolled product dispenser comprises a housing; a dispensing assembly at least partially housed in the housing and interacting with the web of the rolled product; and a cutting assembly cooperating with the dispensing assembly to sever the web of rolled product. The cutting assembly comprises at least two cutting blades, each one of the cutting blades having a first end and a second end. The first end is pivotally mounted and the second end is operationally connected to a guiding assembly for guiding the blade between a cutting position and a non-cutting position.
In an embodiment, at least two of the at least two cutting blades are mounted in an inverted configuration.
In an embodiment, the at least two cutting blades move simultaneously between the cutting position and the non-cutting position.
In an embodiment, the at least two cutting blades move successively between the cutting position and the non-cutting position.
In an embodiment, the guiding assembly comprises at least one guiding groove. The second end of each one of the at least two cutting blades can be inserted into a corresponding one of the at least one guiding groove.
In an embodiment, the at least one guiding groove forms a closed loop.
In an embodiment, the simultaneous movements of the at least two cutting blades between the cutting position and the non-cutting position result from at least two of the at least one guiding groove having a similar configuration and a similar orientation.
In an embodiment, the successive movements of the at least two cutting blades between the cutting position and the non-cutting position result from at least two of the at least one guiding groove presenting at least one of a different configuration and a different orientation.
In an embodiment, the dispensing assembly comprises a rotating drum.
In an embodiment, the cutting assembly comprises a first cutting blade and a second cutting blade. The first cutting blade is brought in the cutting position when a rotation angle of the rotating drum is between 0 and 20 degrees. The second cutting blade is brought in the cutting position when the rotation angle of the rotating drum is between 20 and 30 degrees.
In an embodiment, the rolled product dispenser further comprises a rotating drum cover configurable in a closed configuration and an open configuration. The rotating drum cover is superposed to at least a section of a peripheral wall of the rotating drum in the closed configuration, with the web of rolled product being extendable therebetween. The rotating drum cover is spaced-apart from the peripheral wall of the rotating drum in the opened configuration.
In an embodiment, the rotating drum cover further comprises a tensioning member for biasing the web of rolled product towards the peripheral wall of the rotating drum, when configured in the closed configuration.
In an embodiment, the at least two cutting blades have a length which substantially corresponds to a length of the cutting assembly.
According to another general aspect, there is provided a rolled product dispenser comprising a housing and at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades pivotally mounted inside the housing. The at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades are configurable between a non-cutting position and a cutting position. Each one of the cutting blades has a pivotally mounted proximal end and a distal end. The distal end of a first one of the cutting blades is opposed to the distal end of a second one of the cutting blades. In the cutting position, the distal end of the cutting blades is spaced-apart transversally from its proximal end.
According to another general aspect, there is provided a rolled product dispenser for dispensing a web of rolled product. The rolled product dispenser comprises a housing and at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades pivotally mounted inside the housing. The at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades are configurable between a non-cutting configuration and a cutting configuration. Each one of the cutting blades has a pivotal end and a distal end. The distal end is movable transversally for configuring the cutting blade successively in the non-cutting configuration and the cutting configuration. The distal end of a first one of the cutting blades is opposed longitudinally to the distal end of a second one of the cutting blades.
According to another general aspect, there is provided a cutting assembly for a rolled product dispenser with a housing. The cutting assembly comprises at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades pivotally mountable inside the housing and configurable between a non-cutting configuration and a cutting configuration. Each one of the cutting blades has a pivotal end and a distal end. The distal end is movable transversally for displacing the cutting blade between the non-cutting configuration and the cutting configuration. The distal end of a first one of the cutting blades is opposed to the distal end of a second one of the cutting blades.
In an embodiment, the at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades of the cutting assembly are configured to be mountable inside a rotating drum at least partially housed in the housing of a rolled product dispenser.
In an embodiment, the distal end of each one of the cutting blades comprises a male member insertable into a complementary female member forming a guiding assembly.
In an embodiment, the female member is a guiding groove and the guiding groove forms a closed loop.
According to another general aspect, there is provided a cutting assembly for a rolled product. The cutting assembly comprises at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades pivotally mountable and configurable between a non-cutting configuration and a cutting configuration. Each one of the cutting blades has a pivotal end and a distal end movable transversally for displacing the cutting blade between the non-cutting configuration and the cutting configuration.
According to still another general aspect, there is provided a cutting assembly for a rolled product. The cutting assembly comprises at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades pivotally mountable and configurable between a non-cutting configuration wherein the blades are spaced-apart from the rolled product and a cutting configuration wherein the blades are engaged with the rolled product.
In an embodiment, the cutting blades have a longitudinal axis and each one of the cutting blades is pivotable about its longitudinal axis.
In an embodiment, the wherein the at least two cutting blades are configured to move simultaneously between the cutting configuration and the non-cutting configuration. In an alternative embodiment, the at least two cutting blades are configured to move successively between the cutting configuration and the non-cutting configuration.
The cutting assembly can be used in combination with a rotating drum, wherein the at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades of the cutting assembly are pivotally mounted to a periphery of the rotating drum. In an embodiment, the at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades extend substantially tangential to the periphery of the rotating drum in the non-cutting configuration and substantially normal to the periphery of the rotating drum in the cutting configuration. In an embodiment, the at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades are configured in an adjacent and successive configuration to the periphery of the rotating drum.
It will be noted that in the following description, the same numerical references refer to similar elements. The embodiments, geometrical configurations, materials mentioned and/or dimensions shown in the figures or described in the present description are preferred embodiments only, given solely for exemplification purposes. Moreover, it will be appreciated that positional descriptions such as “upward”, “downward”, “forward”, “backward”, “above”, “below”, “left”, “right” and the like should, unless otherwise indicated, be taken in the context of the figures and should not be considered limiting.
Referring now to the drawings and, more particularly, referring to
In an embodiment, and without being limitative, the housing 12 is made of moulded plastic such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). However, other materials offering similar characteristics could be used in the construction of the housing 12. Moreover, even though the illustrated embodiment presents the supporting members 18 and 20 as being detachably mounted on the housing 12, one skilled in the art will easily understand that the supporting members 18 and 20 could be integral to the housing 12.
Referring to
As mentioned above, in an embodiment, the dispenser 10 is provided with a rotating drum 16 mounted between supporting members 18 and 20. As shown in
As shown in
In an embodiment better shown in
However, when the cover 22 is in the closed configuration, shown in
Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiment, a biasing arm 32 extends downward from the cover 22 and drives the web of the rolled product 15 against the peripheral wall 16a of the rotating drum 16. The above mentioned assembly results in the rotating drum 16 rotating at the same speed as the web of rolled product 15 during dispensing and that no slippage occurs.
Now referring to
It should be understood that, for the sake of clarity,
In the illustrated embodiment, the second end 46 of the blade 38, known as the guiding end or distal end, is provided with a male member. In an embodiment, the male member is a free rolling assembly 48 which for example and without being limitative, the free rolling assembly can be a ball bearing system. The free rolling assembly 48 projects longitudinally outside of the rotating drum 16 into a female member formed within the corresponding supporting member 18. In the illustrated embodiment, the female member is a guiding groove 50 forming a closed looped groove carved into the supporting member 18, around the attachment cavity 54, and having an egg-like shape. As the rotating drum 16 rotates, as a consequence of the pulling of the free end of the rolled product 14 by a user, the free rolling assembly 48 of the guiding end 46 of the blade 38 moves along the path of the guiding groove 50. The egg-like shape of the guiding groove 50 drives the blade to move longitudinally up and down during the rotation of the rotating drum 16.
In alternative embodiments and without being limitative, the male member, embodied in the illustrated embodiments by the free rolling assembly 48, can be replaced by other types of path or cam followers, such as a sliding member engaged in the guiding groove 50.
Although not illustrated in
In an embodiment, the cutting blades 38, 40 are made of metal or plastics in order to be rigid enough to sever the rolled product and provide sufficient wear resistance. One skilled in the art will however readily understand that, in alternative embodiments, other material could be used. Moreover, the edge of the cutting blades 38, 40 which contacts the web of rolled product 15 can be serrated in order to facilitate the severing of the web of rolled product 15. The amount of teeth provided on the serrated blades may vary from the illustrated embodiment where five teeth are provided. One skilled in the art will also understand that, in alternative embodiments, multiple blades having a different amount of teeth may be used as part of a single cutting assembly.
As better illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the level of the cutting blades 38, 40 is dictated by the distance between the free rolling assemblies 48, 49 and the corresponding attachment cavity 54 at a given point in time. For example, the blades 38, 40 will be at their lowest when the distance between the free rolling assemblies 48, 49 and the corresponding attachment cavity 54 is the shortest. Similarly, the peak of the extended cutting position will be reached when the free rolling assemblies 48, 49 are positioned at the point farthest from the corresponding attachment cavity 54. In the presented embodiment, the position of the attachment cavity 54 and the egg-like configuration of the guiding grooves 50, 52 result in the cutting blades remaining in the lowered non-cutting position for a portion of a revolution of the rotating drum 16 that is significantly longer than the extended cutting position. This configuration provides the desired brief extension of the cutting blades 38, 40 outside of the rotating drum 16 during a rotation of the rotating drum 16, for severing the web of roll product 15.
In an alternative embodiment, the configuration of the guiding grooves 50, 52 may be different than the illustrated egg-like configuration. For example and without being limitative, the guiding grooves 50, 52 may present an eccentric rounded configuration. In another alternative embodiment, the guiding grooves 50 and 52 may even present a different configuration from one another.
In
A sequence of operation of the first cutting blade 38 and the second cutting blade 40, according to one embodiment, is illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiment, the sequence of operation of the first cutting blade 38 and the second cutting blade 40 is directly related to the rotative movement of the rotating drum 16. Therefore, the movement of the blades 38, 40 can be defined in relation with the rotation angle of the rotating drum 16. For example and without being limitative, the first cutting blade 38 can be brought in the cutting position when the rotation angle of the rotating drum 16 is between 0 and 20 degrees from a starting rest position and the second cutting blade can be brought in the cutting position when the rotation angle of the rotating drum is between 20 and 30 degrees from the starting rest position. As will be easily understood, in an alternative embodiment, other alternative sequences may be provided.
It will be understood that the guiding assembly used to guide the cutting blades 38, 40 between the retracted non-cutting position and the extended cutting position is not limited to the above described embodiment. In fact, one skilled in the art will readily understand that any guiding assembly resulting in the raised and lowered movement of the guiding ends 46, 47 of the blades 38, 40, in order to move the blades 38, 40 between a non-cutting and a cutting position, simultaneously or consecutively, could be used. For example and without being limitative, a cam or a spring system could also be used for forming the guiding assembly.
In an alternative embodiment and without being limitative, a dispenser having at least two longitudinally extending cutting blades, pivotally mounted inside the housing and configurable between a non-cutting position and a cutting position, could be provided without the need of a rotating drum or any roller assembly. In such an embodiment, the movement of the cutting blades between a non-cutting position and a cutting position may be activated by an activation mean such as, without being limitative, a push button or a sensor sensing that a predetermined length of paper has been dispensed.
In another alternative embodiment and without being limitative, a cutting assembly comprising at least two cutting blades having the characteristics described in the present description to be configurable between a non-cutting position and a cutting position, could be provided independently from the dispenser in which it is destined to be installed into.
In an alternative embodiment, the cutting blades can be shorter than the width of the web of rolled product being cut and the two or more cutting blades can be disposed successively along the longitudinal axis of the rotating drum, if any, or along the width of the rolled product web. The pivotable end of the cutting blades can be anywhere along the width of the rolled product web. For instance and without being limitative, if the cutting assembly includes two cutting blades mounted sequentially in an adjacent configuration, their pivotable end can be provided at opposed or adjacent ends thereof (for instance, in the middle of the width of the web). Furthermore, in an alternative embodiment, the cutting blades can pivot about their longitudinal axis, instead of having a pivotable end. For instance and without being limitative, the blades can pivot between the non-cutting position wherein they extend substantially parallel to the web or tangential to the rotating drum, if any, and a cutting position wherein they extend substantially perpendicularly to the web or normal to the periphery rotating drum. For instance, the cutting blades can be mounted to a periphery of the rotating drum and rotate therewith. Once again, the cutting blades can be configurable into the cutting position either sequentially or simultaneously. Combinations of the above-described embodiments can also be foreseen.
Furthermore, if the cutting blades are configured sequentially in the cutting position, a first one of the cutting blades can first engage the web without cutting the web entirely and a second one of the cutting blades can then completely severed the web. Thus, the two cutting blades cooperate to completely sever the web and the pressure applied on both blades is thus reduced.
Moreover, even though the presented embodiments are for a “touchless” dispenser, one skilled in the art will easily understand that the cutting assembly could be designed in order to work with a traditional dispenser where a user activates the cutting mechanism after a desired length of rolled paper product has been dispensed.
Several alternative embodiments and examples have been described and illustrated herein. The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to be exemplary only. A person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate the features of the individual embodiments, and the possible combinations and variations of the components. A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of the embodiments could be provided in any combination with the other embodiments disclosed herein. It is understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein. Accordingly, while the specific embodiments have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the scope of the invention.
This application claims priority under 35USC§119(e) of U.S. provisional patent application 61/539,028 filed on Sep. 26, 2011, the specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference. This application is a national phase entry of POT patent application serial number PCT/CA2012/050674 filed on Sep. 26, 2012, designating the United States of America.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CA2012/050674 | 9/26/2012 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2013/044385 | 4/4/2013 | WO | A |
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