Abstract:
A free-standing dispenser for inter-folded towels capable of being placed in a wide variety of postures having an opening which facilitates one handed dispensing.

Description:
[0001]     Disposable toweling for home use has been widely sold in the form of rolls of perforated toweling, commonly referred to as kitchen roll towel. While roll toweling is extremely economical and easily manufactured, dispensers for kitchen roll towel are usually distinctly utilitarian and lacking in aesthetic appeal, even if made of relatively high-cost materials such as stainless steel, brass or wood. Further, such dispensers are normally either mounted to a wall or provided with a heavy base to provide the resistance required to enable the user to separate a towel from the remainder of the roll with a single hand without tipping. This invention is directed to a toweling system comprising a dispenser and folded toweling therefor which needs neither to be fixed to a wall nor to incorporate a heavy base but rather may be easily placed in any of a wide variety of postures while retaining the ability for the user to single-handedly obtain a single towel.  
         [0002]     The dispenser of the present toweling system comprises a generally prismatic housing having resilient protuberate peripheral plinths formed at opposed ends thereof. A hinged cambered access panel having an interiorly projecting (downwardly projecting when the access panel is uppermost) incurvate lip is rotatable between a closed position and an open position providing access to the interior, the incurvate lip being located away from the hinge and being at least partially overlapped by a cambered panel having an access concavity formed therein, the interiorly projecting incurvate lip being inwardly spaced from the panel with a biconvex lenticulate slot therebetween defining an opening through which toweling may be removed. Preferably, the concavity is formed along an edge on a minor lateral face of said prism closely adjacent to said interiorly projecting incurvate lip, while a spring engaging a backing plate is provided to urge a stack of toweling between the cambered panel and backing plate within said housing toward the slot. In more preferred embodiments, four exterior panels forming the lateral faces of the prismatic housing camber outwardly while the interiorly projecting incurvate lip bows inwardly so that, when viewed in section, the slot defined between the downwardly projecting incurvate lip and the outwardly cambered panel adjacent thereto presents a biconvex lenticulate shape being wider near its center than at either of its outward termini when viewed in section. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0003]      FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of the dispenser of the present invention particularly illustrating the dispensing slot and the opposed resilient protuberate peripheral plinths enabling the dispenser to be conveniently disposed in a wide variety of postures.  
         [0004]      FIG. 2  is a front elevation of the dispenser illustrating the dispensing opening therein.  
         [0005]      FIG. 3  is a top or plan view of the dispenser illustrating the slot having a bi-convex lenticulate section through which toweling may be withdrawn.  
         [0006]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view along lines  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2  illustrating the partial overlap between the interiorly projecting incurvate lip of the cambered access panel of the dispenser and the outwardly cambered minor lateral panel adjacent thereto.  
         [0007]      FIG. 5  is another front elevation of the dispenser illustrating with hidden lines the cooperation between various features of the dispenser.  
         [0008]      FIG. 6  is a rear elevation of the dispenser.  
         [0009]      FIG. 7  is a scale drawing of a portion of the concavity shape of the most preferred dispensing aperture of the dispenser of the present invention.  
         [0010]     FIGS.  8  is a perspective illustrating the dispenser in an opened configuration with a spring pressing against a backing plate and urging a stack of toweling toward the outwardly cambered minor lateral panel. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0011]     In  FIGS. 1-5 , dispenser  100  comprises generally prismatic housing  20  defined between end panels  22  and  24  bearing resilient protuberate peripheral plinths  26  formed at opposed ends  28  and  30  of generally prismatic housing  20 . Storage cavity  32  is defined among: (i) fixed outwardly cambered major lateral panel  34 ; (ii) minor lateral panel  36 ; (iii) outwardly cambered access panel  38  hingedly connected to end panels  22  and  24 ; and (iv) cambered minor lateral panel  40  having concavity  42  formed along edge  44  thereof. Dispensing aperture  45  is defined by slot  47  between (i) cambered minor lateral panel  40  having concavity  42  formed along edge  44  thereof and (ii) interiorly projecting incurvate lip  46  adjoining outwardly cambered access panel  38  hingedly connected to end panels  22  and  24  , each of which is, as previously mentioned, encompassed by resilient protuberate peripheral plinth  26 . Resilient protuberate peripheral plinths  26  not only project laterally beyond, but also project longitudinally beyond the end panels  22  and  24 , thereby defining recesses  48  and  49 , so that dispenser  100  may be positioned on a flat surface in a wide variety of postures including: 
        that illustrated in  FIG. 1  in which fixed outwardly cambered major panel  34  is disposed horizontally beneath outwardly cambered access panel  38 ; or     with either of recessed end panels  22  or  24  placed horizontally below the other end panel; or     with outwardly cambered minor lateral panel  36  horizontal and beneath outwardly cambered minor lateral panel  40 .        
 
         [0015]     Accordingly, it can be appreciated that dispenser  100  can be disposed in a wide variety of postures on an available horizontal surface according to the user&#39;s space available, aesthetic urges or whims, yet stably rest upon resilient protuberate peripheral plinths  26  without incurring marring contact between the supporting surface and either of end panels  22  or  24  or any of the outwardly cambered lateral panels  34 ,  36 ,  38 , or  40 . Thus, the dispenser may be stably placed for dispensing upwardly, forwardly or sideways with either hand depending upon the posture chosen by the user while avoiding contact which might mar either the surface upon which the dispenser rests or any of the panels of the dispensers.  
         [0016]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , longitudinally extending ribs  50  project inwardly from end panels  22  and  24  providing clearance around flexible locking pins  51  securing end panels  22  and  24  to resilient protuberate plinths  26  thereby alleviating potential interference between flexible locking pins  51  and toweling stack  64  disposed within storage cavity  32 .  
         [0017]     Preferably, interiorly projecting incurvate lip  46  is spaced inwardly by a distance “δ” from outwardly cambered minor lateral panel  40  of from about 0.5 to about 1 in., most preferably 730 mils, along the center line of dispenser  100  while interiorly projecting incurvate lip  46  projects below outwardly cambered access panel  38  by a distance “S” of approximately 1.5″ to 1.75″, most preferably 1.63″ below. Preferably, if slot  47  has a width of 10.5′, incurvate lip  46  is only very gently curved, having a radius of curvature lying in the horizontal plane of approximately 45″. Inasmuch as incurvate lip  46  is curved inwardly while minor lateral panel  40  is cambered outwardly, dispensing aperture  45  when viewed in plan view has a generally biconvex lenticulate shape.  
         [0018]     We have found that it is particularly beneficial to dispensing if concavity  42  in cambered minor lateral panel  40  has a shape closely conforming to that shown in  FIG. 7  with the outer extremities of concavity  42  being spaced a distance “P” of approximately ⅝″ to ⅞″ below, most preferably ¾″ below, outwardly cambered access panel  38  and the center line being spaced further downwardly about 1½in. (37 mm) as illustrated in the scale drawing of  FIG. 7 , the overlap “γ” between interiorly projecting incurvate lip  46  and cambered minor lateral panel  40  therefore being approximately 880 mils with the center line of concavity  42  therefore being approximately 2¼ inches below outwardly cambered access panel  38  when the most preferred dimensions are selected. Table  1  sets forth the approximate shape of concavity  42  as a function of the distance from its centerline, concavity  42  being preferably bilaterally symmetrical. Still more preferably, the upper portion (about ¾″ to 1″) of cambered minor lateral panel  40  is inclined inwardly at between 5° and 15° from the vertical.  
                                                                                                                                                     TABLE 1                           Depth of Concavity (mm) as a function of Distance from Centerline (cm)                cm from Center                0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13                        Depth (mm)   37   36   34   31   26   21.5   16   12   8   5   4   2   1   0                  
 
         [0019]     Plinths  26  may be formed from thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic olefins, thermoplastic vulcanizates, silicone rubber, or polyurethane. Typically, we prefer that plinths  26  have a hardness of between  15  and  90  as measured on the Shore Q scale. The degree polymerization of plinths  26  should be controlled such that the polymer is non-marking. The remainder of the body of dispenser  100  may be formed by injection molding, thermoforming or any other convenient method. Preferably, the panels will be injection molding from ABS copolymer—poly(acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene), polystyrene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride or any other convenient engineering resin.  
         [0020]     Toweling for the present dispenser system preferably comprises two-ply through air dried product in the Z-fold configuration with the overall unfolded sheet size being 9¼″ by 11″ with a folded sheet size of 9¼″ by 3⅝″. Owing to the vagaries of sheet stacking, a 60 count stack of 31lb. toweling will typically have a gross size of 9¼″×3¾″×4¼″. Such toweling is far more easily dispensed single-handedly when the dispensing aperture is configured as described above using the preferred dimensions. Such toweling will preferably have a caliper of between 160 and 210 mils/8 sheets measured under a load of 540 g. The CD wet tensile is preferably at least about 440 g/3″ measured by the Finch cup method for ease in dispensing with wet hands.  
         [0021]      FIG. 7  illustrates the rear of the dispensing system of the present invention with hinge pins  52  extending from outwardly cambered major lateral access panel  38  to end plates  22  and  24  behind plinths  26  so that outwardly cambered major lateral access panel  38  may be pivoted between the closed position shown in  FIGS. 1-5  and the open position illustrated in  FIG. 8 . In  FIG. 7 , clearance slot  56  is defined between chamfered edge  49  of downwardly projecting rear lip  50  of outwardly cambered lateral access panel  38  and chamfered edge  51  of minor lateral panel  36  so that access panel  36  may be rotated upwardly about hinge pins  52  as shown in  FIG. 8  illustrating the dispensing system of the present invention with outwardly cambered hinged access panel  38  open revealing spring  60  bearing against back plate  62  urging toweling pack  64  against outwardly cambered minor lateral panel  40 . Preferably spring  60  has a spring constant of from about 0.10 lb/in to 0.15 lb/in.