The present invention pertains to a rotating article dispenser and in particular a dispenser that may receive an article thereon and allow for rotation of the article, for example, a paper towel roll.
Paper towel holders are known that provide for a base and a rod to allow for rotation of the paper towel roll thereon. Such dispensers are known that have a handle at the top of the rod which may be removable. Such dispensers have attachment means for the handle, for example, so that the handle may be screwed and unscrewed to or from the rod. Such attachment means may be time consuming and difficult to operate; as the handle must be turned many rotations in order to remove it or attach it to the rod. As well, such handles do not provide for gripping surfaces that allow for the gripping of the entire dispenser assembly in order to remove individual paper towel segments from the paper towel roll.
The present invention pertains to a rotating article dispenser comprising a base, a tube rotatably mounted to the base, the tube including a bulb at the first end, and a handle attached to the tube. The handle includes a clamping head for clamping to the bulb, the clamping head is adjacent to a button so that upon activation of the button the clamping head will unclamp from the bulb and release the handle from the tube. In an embodiment, the button may be reciprocatingly mounted within a guide sleeve. In an embodiment, the guide sleeve may include a terminal end and a proximal end and an inner wall therebetween. The terminal end forms petals for clamping around the bulb.
The button includes a spreader head that may reciprocate upon attachment of the handle to the tube so that the spreader head may slide through the guide sleeve so that when the spreader head is adjacent the terminal end, the spreader head abuts the bulb and is expanded and when the spreader head is separated from the bulb and adjacent the proximal end the clamping head is contracted in order to clamp onto the bulb. In an embodiment, the spreader head may move between an expanded position when abutting the bulb and a closed position adjacent the proximal end. In an embodiment, the clamping head may include a plurality of petals forming an interior cavity having a generally cylindrical shape for clampingly receiving the bulb therein. In an embodiment, the bulb includes a neck and the terminal ends of the petals engage the neck of the bulb in order to clampingly engage the bulb. In an embodiment, the base may include a lower base member and an upper base member forming a cavity therebetween. In an embodiment, a bearing member may be mounted in the cavity. In an embodiment, the bearing member may be mounted to an axle protruding from the base.
In an embodiment, a weight may be mounted in the cavity. In an embodiment, the weight may be cylindrically shaped and mounted at a peripheral edge of the base. In an embodiment, the dispenser may comprise a foot mounted to the lower base member. In an embodiment, the foot may be a cylindrical shoulder formed of a resilient material and attached at a peripheral edge of the lower base member. In an embodiment, the upper base member may include an axial bore for receiving an axle protruding from the lower base member. In an embodiment, the axial bore may be formed of a cylindrical wall having an exterior wall. In an embodiment, the exterior wall may include a wing protruding therefrom. In an embodiment, the exterior wall may include three wings. In an embodiment, the axial wall may include a bearing neck for receiving the tube thereon. In an embodiment, the tube may be an elongated, hollow cylinder and the bearing neck is cylindrical and the tube is rotatably mounted to the bearing neck. In an embodiment, the bearing neck may include a shoulder abutting an edge of the tube.
In an embodiment, the bulb is generally ellipsoid in shape and is mounted at a linear axis of the tube. In an embodiment, the dispenser may comprise a rotating head mounted at the first end of the tube having wings protruding therefrom. In an embodiment, the rotating head may include a ridge for abutting an edge of the first end of the tube. In an embodiment, the dispenser may comprise a handle mounted to the rotating head. In an embodiment, the handle may include an external sleeve that is received by the rotating head. In an embodiment, the handle may include an upper knob attached to the clamping head and the upper knob is mounted to a lower knob attached to the external sleeve. In an embodiment, the upper knob and lower knob form a generally toroidal shape. In an embodiment, the upper knob is generally mushroom shaped having an upper grip and an axial tube protruding therefrom. In an embodiment, the axial tube may be received in a bore of the lower knob so that the axial tube is adjacent the external sleeve. In an embodiment, the guide sleeve may be attached to the end of the axial tube. In an embodiment, the axial tube may include a tube bore for receiving the clamping head therein. In an embodiment, the clamping head may include a cylindrical body and include a button surface at an end and a body of the clamping head may be received by the tube bore so that the button surface is mounted in the tube bore and generally coplanar to the upper grip.
A method of unclamping a handle from an article dispenser is provided comprising the steps of providing a handle having a resilient clamping head clamped to a bulb protruding from a tube of an article dispenser, depressing a button attached to the clamping head, moving the clamping head through a guide sleeve, expanding the clamping head and unlatching the clamping head from the bulb, and removing the handle from the bulb and tube assembly of the dispenser.
In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of providing fingers on the clamping head which are received within a tapering portion of the guide sleeve and when the clamping head is adjacent the terminal end of the guide sleeve expanding the clamping head fingers to release the bulb.
For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the subject matter sought to be protected, there are illustrated in the accompanying drawings embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the subject matter sought to be protected, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.
An embodiment of the invention will be described with respect to
The upper base member 24 includes an axial bore 42 formed through a cylindrical hub portion having an exterior wall 44. The axial bore 42 receives the axle 28 therein in order to mount the upper base member 24 to the lower base member 22. The exterior wall 44 includes wings 46, 47, 48. The wings protrude from the exterior wall 44 and support a paper towel roll when placed on the dispenser 10. The exterior wall 44 includes a bearing neck 50 and a shoulder 52. The neck 50 is telescopically received in the lower end of a hollow tube 55 which seats upon the shoulder 52.
The tube 55, in an embodiment, is cylindrical and includes a bulb 60 mounted at a first end 61 (see
A handle 70 is mounted to the rotating head 65. The handle 70 includes a spreader head 75. Attached to the spreader head 75 is a button 80. In an embodiment, the spreader head 75 and button 80 may be integrally molded of a polymer material. The handle 70 includes a guide sleeve 82 (see
The handle 70 also includes an external sleeve 98 for mounting within the rotating head 65. In an embodiment, the external sleeve 98 is formed of three segments having semicircular notches 99 formed therebetween for receiving protrusions 135 formed on the inner wall of the rotating head 65 (one shown in
The handle 70 is formed of an upper knob 101 and a lower knob 102. The upper knob 101 is generally mushroom shaped and includes an upper grip 104. Protruding from the upper knob 01 is an axial tube 106. Attached at an end of the axial tube is the guide sleeve 82. In an embodiment, an annular neck 107 is formed between the guide sleeve 82 and the upper portion of the axial tube 106. The axial tube 106 is received by a bore 108 of the lower knob 102. When the axial tube 106 is inserted within the bore 108, the annular neck 107 is compressed as it slides through the bore until it passes an annular shoulder 109; whereupon the annular neck 107 will expand and will abut against the annular shoulder 109 in order to retain the axial tube 106 and upper knob 101 on the lower knob 102. The upper knob 101 includes a tube bore 110 which receives the spreader head 75 therein. The spreader head 75 includes a cylindrical body 112 and a button surface 114 at an end opposite the first end 89. In an embodiment, the cylindrical body 112, button surface 114 and spreader head 75 are formed integrally of polymer material. The tube bore 110 is formed in the upper knob 101 and forms an annular bore edge 116 (see
A central bearing 118 is mounted within the lower knob 102, between the bore 108 and the upper knob 101. The central bearing member 118 allows for the upper knob 101 to rotate within the bore 108 so that the upper grip 104 may rotate upon the upper portion of the lower knob 102. In an embodiment, the lower knob 102 is formed of a polymer material and axial struts 120 are integrally molded therewith which help to align the central bearing member 118 therein.
Therefore, it may be understood that the handle 70 is assembled by inserting the central bearing member 118 to the lower knob 102 so that it is axially aligned to the bore 108. The upper knob 101 is then mounted to the lower knob 102 by inserting the axial tube 106 through the center of the central bearing 118 and into the bore 108 of the lower knob 102. Upon complete insertion of the upper knob 101 within the bore 108 the annular neck 107 snaps into position against the annular shoulder 109 in order to retain the upper knob 101 to the lower knob 102. The spreader head 75 is then mounted within tube bore 110 of the upper knob 101. In an embodiment, the stop abutment member 96 is flexible and resilient so that it may abut against the inner wall of the bore 110 upon insertion. After being completely inserted, the abutment member 96 will expand and extend beyond the diameter of the bore 110 and abut against the edge 116 in order to restrict the spreader head 75 from being removed from the tube bore 110.
The assembly of the upper knob 101 to the lower knob 102 and the central bearing 118 therebetween forms a reciprocating area 125 (see
After assembly of the handle 70, it is then assembled to the tube 54. The rotating head 65 is attached to the tube 55 at the first end 61 and surrounds the bulb 60. The external sleeve 98 is inserted within the upper end of the rotating head 65 so that the semicircular notches 99 respectively receive the protrusions 135. Simultaneously, upon insertion of the external sleeve 98, the opening 130 of the clamping head 122 abuts the bulb 60 which forces the petals to expand and receive the bulb 60 therethrough. The bulb 60 abuts against the terminal ends 84 of the clamping head 122 at the opening 130. As the handle 70 is continued to be pushed into the bore of the rotating head 65, the bulb 60 is received into the opening 130 of the clamping head 122 and the petals 123, 124, 126, 127 surround the bulb 60 as the clamping head 122 is received within the rotating head 65. As pressure is continued to be exerted against the handle 70, the clamping head 122 encompasses the bulb 60, which causes the terminal ends 84 to clamp around the neck 132 of the bulb 60 in order to attach the handle to the tube 55.
In order to release the handle 70 from the first end 61 of the tube 55 (so that an article, such as a paper towel roll may be placed onto the tube) the following steps occur. The button surface 114 is depressed so that the spreader head 75 is moved from its position with the first end 89 adjacent the proximal end 86 so that it slides along the inner wall 88 toward the terminal end 84 of the guide sleeve 82. When the fingers 91, 92, 93 of the spreader head 75 abut the bulb 60, the fingers 91, 92, 93 resile and expand. The plurality of fingers 91, 92, 93 expand so that the outer diameter of the spreader head 75 is equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the guide sleeve and the expanded spreader head 75 abuts against the resilient petals 123, 124, 126, 127 of the clamping head 122 to spread and open the petals. Therefore, the bulb 60 may be slidingly released from the terminal ends 84 of the clamping head 122 and, as the handle 70 is pulled upward and away from the tube 55, the external sleeve 90 is allowed to be removed from the bore of the rotating head 65 and the bulb 60 is removed from within the guide sleeve 82 and through the opening 130 of the clamping head 122. Thus, the handle 70 is completely removed from the dispenser tube 55 and rotating head 65.
After an article, such as a paper towel roll, is mounted onto the tube 55; the process may be reversed and the handle 70 may be replaced on the rotating head 65 so that it is clampingly attached thereto. It may be understood that the wings 66, 67, 68 of the rotating head 65 abut the interior cylindrical surface of an article, such as a paper towel roll, so that it is grasped and frictionally retained thereon. Upon removal of paper sheets from the paper towel roll, the entire tube 55 and rotating head 65 rotate. Generally, the base 20 remains stationary upon rotation of a paper towel roll on the dispenser 10.
While particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the rotating article dispenser in its broader aspects. The matter is set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation.
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