Abstract:
A sheet material supply roll wrapped on a core tube including a reserve segment of sheet material spirally wrapped around the core tube with a supply segment of sheet material spirally wrapped on top of the reserve segment of sheet material. Different methods for placement or attachment of the roll ends are provided including perforated, overlapping, spaced, and integrated flap methods and apparatus. Further, a cross oriented low supply indicator is provided on the supply roll to provide a quick indicator of the end of roll without disrupting the remaining integrity of the supply.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   This application claims priority to and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/030,469, filed Jan. 6, 2005 now abandoned. 

   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not Applicable. 
   REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX 
   Not Applicable. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to the field of sheet material supply. In particular, the present invention relates specifically to providing a reserve supply and an indicator of the reserve in a sheet material supply roll. Known art may be found in U.S. Class 242, Subclass 118.3, 118.32, 160.1, 160.2, 160.3, 160.4, 166, 167, 563, 563.2, and 912 as well as in other classes and subclasses. 
   2. Description of the Known Art 
   Patents disclosing relevant information include: U.S. Pat. No. 610,339 issued to Atherton on Sep. 6, 1898; U.S. Pat. No. 1,935,970 issued to Wooster on Nov. 21, 1933; U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,378 issued to Barwick on Sep. 5, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,249 issued to Dashow on Jul. 17, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,663 issued to De Luca on Feb. 20, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,214 issued to Hazelton on May 15, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,874 issued to Dorfman on Nov. 22, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,249 issued to Koizumi on Dec. 12, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,165 issued to Huston on Oct. 6, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,807 issued to Johnson on Sep. 4, 2001; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,607,110 issued to Nusbaum on Aug. 19, 2003. Each of these patents are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 610,339 issued to Atherton on Sep. 6, 1898 discloses a solid paper based telegraph tape with certain marks or indications which will call to the operators attention to the fact that the end of the coil of tape is approaching. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,378 issued to Barwick on Sep. 5, 1978 discloses a ink ribbon spool roll with the end portion wound in one direction and the rest of the roll in another. When the end of the roll is approaching the roll changes direction giving the user indication that the end is near. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,874 issued to Dorfman on Nov. 22, 1994 discloses dental floss with an indicator. The indicator is described as a length of tape having a different color or appearance than the rest of the roll. In the drawings number 38, 40 are relevant. 
   It is also known to color along the side of a strip of adding machine paper to indicate the approach of the end of a roll. This side coloring provides a problem to consumers in that a new receipt cannot be printed with a clear copy for the customer without actually changing the roll of material to one that has not yet reached the red coloring portion. The typical red dye used to color the paper means that the receipt cannot be copied for expense reports or other reproductive necessities. In addition to these problems, the knowledge of changing color of a segment of material has stayed limited to the paper and solid object fields of endeavor and has not been recognized for its use in other applications such as translucent wrap. 
   What is not known is the deliberate packaging of an extended length of material on a roll over a separate reserve segment with the reserve segment having a changing indicator. Thus, it may be seen that these prior art patents are very limited in their teaching and utilization, and an improved roll supply is needed to overcome these limitations. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to improved sheet material supply based on an observation of consumer behavior and frustration with depleting a quantity of clear plastic wrap. Because clear plastic wrap has advanced in its construction and obtained such clarity and the thickness of the material has become so thin, consumers are unable to gauge when the roll is running low or even when the last few inches of material are about to run off of the spool. This same problem also exists with other sheet materials such as aluminum foil. Thus, the present invention is directed to solving this basic need. 
   The basic idea is to provide two separate quantities of material on the same roll with a reserve having an indicator that the reserve is in use. For example, consider a consumer that has run out of the main supply of material, such as a plastic wrap. Instead of being frustrated at the depletion of the material supply, the present invention would provide a separate section of material on the same roll. This reserve of material may have a different color, design or pattern, or simply have an indicator such as a stripe running down the middle of the reserve indicating that the reserve is now in use and that the main material supply needs to be replenished. A sleeve separating the supply of material may be provided or the material may be joined in various different methods including, perforation, but joint, overlapping joints, or an integrated flap joint. A further improvement may be found in the use of a changing indicator that changes in color, shape, or intensity as the end of the reserve wrap approaches. 
   In accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a sheet material supply device is provided using a core tube with a reserve segment of sheet material spirally wrapped around the core tube and a supply segment of sheet material spirally wrapped on the reserve segment of sheet material. The reserve segment has a reserve length and the supply segment has a supply length greater then the reserve length. Additional elements for the invention include the inclusion of the reserve segment having a reserve indicator and indicators on the end of the supply segment. Also taught are various connections or wrapping methods between the supply and reserve segments including a perforated end connection; a butted end connection; an end separation gap; overlapping ends; distinct end flaps; and interlocking flaps. 
   These and other objects and advantages of the present invention, along with features of novelty appurtenant thereto, will appear or become apparent by reviewing the following detailed description of the invention. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the following drawings, which form a part of the specification and which are to be construed in conjunction therewith, and in which like reference numerals have been employed throughout wherever possible to indicate like parts in the various views: 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment and a reserve segment with a reserve segment indicator along the side of the reserve segment. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic view of an alternative embodiment of a material roll with a supply segment and a reserve segment with an across segment indicator along the end of the reserve segment. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment and a reserve segment with an underlapping connection joint. 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment and a reserve segment with an overlapping connection joint. 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment and a reserve segment with a perforated connection joint. 
       FIG. 6  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment and a reserve segment with a separating gap connection joint. 
       FIG. 7  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment and a reserve segment with a gap separated flap connection joint. 
       FIG. 8  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment and a reserve segment with a flap connection joint. 
       FIG. 9  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment and a reserve segment with an increasing width reserve indicator. 
       FIG. 10  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment and a reserve segment with a decreasing width reserve indicator. 
       FIG. 11  is a schematic view of a material roll with a reserve segment wound on a core. 
       FIG. 12  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment wound over a reserve segment wound on a core with a separating gap joint. 
       FIG. 13  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment wound over a reserve segment wound on a core with an overlapping gap joint. 
       FIG. 14  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment wound over a reserve segment wound on a core with a reserve flap separating gap joint. 
       FIG. 15  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment wound over a reserve segment wound on a core with a reserve flap overlapping gap joint. 
       FIG. 16  is a schematic view of a material roll with a supply segment wound over a reserve segment wound on a core with an interlocking flap. 
       FIG. 17  is an expanded view of the overlapping interlocking flap joint of  FIG. 16 . 
       FIG. 18  is a schematic view of the separating sheet joint. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is directed to inventive aspects of supplying two separate quantities of material on the same roll to reduce consumer frustration and aggravation from the depletion of plastic wrap from a roll. The present invention allows a user to deplete the initial supply of material such as 100′ of clear plastic wrap, aluminum foil, wax paper, etc., and then have a separate reserve segment such as a 5′ section still on the roll to notify the user of the depletion of material and the need to replenish the supply without aggravating the customer by a complete material depletion. The reserve segment may have a notice associated with it such as a change in color, a stripe, or other design or pattern to indicate that the reserve of material is in use. The material rolls may be separated by a paper sleeve separating the two quantities of material or various end configurations may be provided. These ideas are explained in detail by the following detailed description. 
     FIGS. 1 through 17  of the drawings show the application of the present invention on the preferred embodiment material of clear plastic wrap. These exemplary embodiments of the present invention are generally shown as a sheet material supply device  100  having a core tube  200  supporting a reserve segment  300  and a supply segment  400 . The invention provides for this reserve segment  300  as a reserve of material on the roll  100  to be held until the supply segment  400  is depleted. The reserve segment  300  of sheet material is spirally wrapped around the core tube  200  for its reserve length  302 . The supply segment  400  of sheet material is then spirally wrapped on the reserve segment  300  of sheet material. In the preferred embodiment, the supply segment  400  has a supply length  402  greater than the reserve length  302 . 
   The core tube  200  is shown having an inner bore  202  defining an inner diameter  204  with a bore face  206 . The core tube  200  also defines an outer shell  208  with an outer diameter  210  and a diameter face  212  on which the reserve of material is wrapped. The core tube  200  has a core width  214  with core sides  216 ,  220  with each side having a side face  218 ,  222 . 
   The reserve segment  300  of sheet material is provided with a reserve length  302  and a reserve width  304  where the reserve width is associated with the core width  214 . The reserve segment also has a reserve thickness  306  associated with the particular type of sheet material being supplied. The reserve segment defines an inner reserve end  308  and an outer reserve end  310  and the outer reserve end  310  may define a reserve end flap  312  formed from a reserve flap crease  314 . The reserve end flap has a reserve flap length  316  of approximately one quarter to one half inch. The sheet material for the reserve segment  300  has a first reserve side  318  and a second reserve side  320 . The reserve indicator  322  may be printed on either the first reserve side  318  or the second reserve side  320 , or impregnated into the material to indicate that the reserve of material is being utilized. 
   The reserve indicator  322  is shown in various forms.  FIG. 1  of the drawings shows the indicator as a side stripe along the length of the reserve segment  300 . This allows the user to be constantly reminded when the reserve segment  300  is in use.  FIG. 2  shows the indicator as a cross stripe which provides an initial indication that the reserve segment has been reached. Additional cross stripes may be used for repetitive reminders.  FIG. 9  shows the increasing width reserve indicator  322 . This indicator provides the user with an indication of the amount of material left by looking at the unwound sheet while still providing a constant reminder.  FIG. 10  shows a decreasing width reserve indicator  322  which provides the consistent reminder that the reserve segment  300  is in use to the user while also providing the ability to discern the amount of material by looking at the unwound sheet. Even better, this embodiment allows the user to look at the unwound roll and discern the amount of material remaining by the position of the color or indicator change on the width of the core tube  200 . Because the preferred embodiment uses a typical brown cardboard tube and the clear plastic allows one to see this tube, the contrasting color of the indicator, such as a red dyed segment, allows the user to easily see the estimated amount of the reserve material that is left on the roll. Note that this could also be used on a regular roll to provide a constant reminder of the amount of material remaining. 
   The reserve segment  300  may be covered by a separator sheet  800  made out of a contrasting material, such as paper for a roll of plastic wrap, that may be wrapped onto the reserve segment  300  as a reserve indicator  322 . However, in the preferred embodiment the supply segment  400  is wrapped directly onto the reserve segment  300  and the reserve indicator  322  is integrated into the plastic wrap being supplied. 
   As noted above, the supply segment  400  is wrapped over the reserve segment  300 . The supply segment  400  has a supply length  402 , a supply width  404 , and a supply thickness  406  defining the sheet material. The supply segment  400  has an inner supply end  408  which may define a supply end flap  410 . As with the reserve end flap  312  the supply end flap  410  includes a supply flap crease  412  with a supply flap length  414  to interlock with the reserve end flap  312 . The supply segment  400  end in an outer supply end  416  and may cling to itself with appropriate sheet materials or may be secured by tape, an enclosing tube, or other means. The supply segment  400  defines a first supply side  418  and a second supply side  420 . 
   The preferred methods of joining the supply segment  400  and the reserve segment  300  interlocks the supply end flap  410  into the reserve end flap  312 . In this manner, the depletion of the supply segment  400  will pull the initial end  310  of the reserve segment out off of the roll while separating the supply segment from the reserve segment. This allows the user to receive notice of the depletion of the supply segment while the end of the reserve segment is presented for use. This provides the notice to the user while providing convenient access to the reserve segment  300  of material. 
   Either or both of the supply, segment  400  and reserve segment  300  may also include a indicator,  322  means such as coloring, shading, striping, patterns, texture or other indicators of change between the segments. An indicator may also be used to gauge the depletion of the supply with or without the reserve material. The preferred embodiment uses a stripe  500  having a stripe width  502  and a stripe length  504  positioned at either the supply transition edge  506  or the reserve transition edge  508 . The stripe  500  is designed with a stripe contrasting characteristic  510  such that it stands out as an indicator of the depletion of the supply segment  400  or the beginning of the reserve segment  300 . 
   An alternative connections between the supply segment  400  and the reserve segment  300  is a perforated end connection  600 . The perforated end connection  600  uses a perforation pattern  602  having perforation apertures  604  with each of the apertures  604  having a perforation length  606  and a perforation width  608 . Remaining segments between the apertures  604  are shown as material bridges  610  with each having a bridge length  612  and a bridge width  614 . The perforation length  606  and bridge length  612  are shown along the length of the roll  100  and the perforation width  608  and bridge width  614  are shown across the width of the roll  100 . 
   Yet a further method is to separate the ends of the supply segment  400  and the reserve segment  300  with an end separation gap  700 . The end separation gap is defined with a gap length  702  defining the space between the supply end  408  and the reserve end  310 . The preferred embodiment of this particular method uses an end separation gap of one quarter to one half inch. 
   Reference numerals used throughout the detailed description and the drawings correspond to the following elements:
         A sheet material supply device  100     a core tube  200     an inner bore  202     an inner diameter  204     a bore face  206     an outer shell  208     an outer diameter  210     a diameter face  212     a core width  214     a first core side  216     a first side face  218     a second core side  220     a second side face  222     a reserve segment  300     a reserve length  302     a reserve width  304     a reserve thickness  306     an inner reserve end  308     an outer reserve end  310     a reserve end flap  312     a reserve flap crease  314     a reserve flap length  316     a first reserve side  318     a second reserve side  320     a reserve indicator  322     a supply segment  400     a supply length  402     a supply width  404     a supply thickness  406     an inner supply end  408     a supply end flap  410     a supply flap crease  412     a supply flap length  414     an outer supply end  416     a first supply side  418     a second supply side  420     a stripe  500     a stripe width  502     a stripe length  504     a supply transition edge  506     a reserve transition edge  508     a stripe contrasting characteristic  510     a perforated end connection  600     perforation pattern  602     perforation aperture  604     perforation length  606     perforation width  608     material bridge  610     bridge length  612     bridge width  614     an end separation gap  700     a gap length  702     separator sheet  800         

   From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention well adapted to obtain all the ends and objects herein set forth, together with other advantages which are inherent to the structure. It will also be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. Many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.