A gravity-operated apparatus for sequentially dispensing sheet material from rolls of sheet material. The apparatus includes a housing having an opening; a rotatable turret; arms extending perpendicularly from the rotatable turret, each arm being offset and extending a sufficient distance to provide clearance for a roll of sheet material; a cantilevered spindle extending from a distal portion of each arm so that each spindle is positioned generally parallel to the rotating turret and is adapted to receive a roll of sheet material; means on each spindle to secure the roll of sheet material on the spindle; and a limit gate. Each cantilevered spindle extends from a distal portion of each arm so that the weight of a full roll of sheet material on the spindle urges the turret to rotate placing a full roll of sheet material at a dispensing position. The limit gate is positioned to impede rotation of the turret when the limit gate encounters a spindle containing a roll of sheet material that is less than substantially depleted.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an apparatus for sequentially dispensing 
sheet material from rolls of sheet material. 
BACKGROUND 
It is desirable to dispense rolls of sheet material such as, for example, 
rolls of bathroom tissue, in a sequential manner. Dispensers that store 
and sequentially dispense rolls of sheet material can be used to insure 
that a reserve roll or rolls is available when the dispensing roll is 
depleted. Occasionally, this can be extremely important in situations such 
as, for example, public and institutional washroom facilities. 
Dispensers that store and sequentially dispense rolls of sheet material 
have another advantage in that they do not need to be reloaded each time 
the dispensing roll is depleted. In the past, dispensers have been 
designed to contain one or more reserve rolls of material that can be used 
when the roll at the dispensing position is depleted. In some cases, these 
designs require mechanical adjustment of the dispenser by a user to gain 
access to a reserve roll or to have a reserve roll sequentially placed in 
a dispensing position. Such contact between a user and a dispenser can be 
undesirable, especially in settings such as public rest rooms. 
Dispensers have been developed with features that automatically advance a 
reserve roll into a dispensing position. Generally speaking, automatic 
dispensers tend to be complex, expensive and have the potential to jam. 
Some automatic dispensers use complex position locking mechanisms and/or 
springs, gears or the like. Such complicated features tend to be 
expensive, unreliable, and have the potential to jam. Other automatic 
dispensers require special cores or collapsing cores for proper operation. 
Such requirements may add expense and complexity to the dispenser. 
Accordingly, there is a need for a simple, inexpensive apparatus for 
sequentially dispensing sheet material from rolls of sheet material. There 
is also a need for a simple, gravity-operated apparatus for sequentially 
dispensing sheet material from rolls of sheet material. A need also exists 
for a simple, gravity-operated apparatus for sequentially dispensing sheet 
material from rolls of sheet material without the requirement of special 
cores or collapsing cores. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The problems described above are addressed by a gravity-operated apparatus 
for sequentially dispensing sheet material from rolls of sheet material. 
The apparatus includes a housing having an opening; a rotatable turret; 
arms extending perpendicularly from the rotatable turret, each arm being 
offset and extending a sufficient distance to provide clearance for a roll 
of sheet material; a cantilevered spindle extending from a distal portion 
of each arm so that each spindle is positioned generally parallel to the 
rotating turret and is adapted to receive a roll of sheet material; 
retaining means on each spindle to secure the roll of sheet material on 
the spindle; and a limit gate. Each cantilevered spindle extends from a 
distal portion of each arm so that the weight of a full roll of sheet 
material on the spindle (at any position other than a dispensing position) 
urges the turret to rotate placing a full roll of sheet material at a 
dispensing position. The limit gate is positioned to impede rotation of 
the turret when the limit gate encounters a spindle containing a roll of 
sheet material that is less than substantially depleted. 
In an aspect of the present invention, the rotatable turret may be a 
circular disc. In another aspect of the invention, the rotatable turret 
may composed of struts extending radially outward from and joined at a 
central point. 
The rotatable turret may include a first cantilevered spindle extending 
from a distal portion of a first arm and a second cantilevered spindle 
extending from a distal portion of a second arm. According to the 
invention, these spindles extending from the first arm and the second arm 
are offset so that the spindles extend beyond the central portion of the 
turret to create an unbalanced condition when rolls of sheet material are 
loaded on the spindles. 
According to the invention, the sheet material may be a fibrous cellulosic 
material. Desirably, the sheet material is paper. More desirably, the 
sheet material is paper tissue. The sheet material may be wound into a 
coreless roll. Desirably, the sheet material is wound on a core to form a 
roll. 
According to the invention, the turret may be attached to the housing. The 
housing may be composed of a front wall, a top wall, and side walls. The 
housing may include a pivoting cover. 
The limit gate may be a limit roller or a limit pin. In some embodiments of 
the present invention, the limit gate may be adjustable. The limit gate 
may be affixed to the housing. 
Generally speaking, the retaining means on each spindle to secure the roll 
of sheet material on the spindle may be a catch, latch, stop, cinch, 
friction fitting, or the like. Desirably, the retaining means on each 
spindle to secure the roll on the spindle may be a friction fitting which 
holds a roll of sheet material in place by a snug fit with the core of the 
roll. The retaining means may also be compressible, movable or otherwise 
repositionable to permit loading of a roll of sheet material onto the 
spindle and removal of a core from the spindle. 
The present invention also contemplates a method of sequentially dispensing 
sheet material from rolls of sheet material. 
The method includes the step of loading a first roll of sheet material onto 
a first cantilevered spindle that extends from a distal portion of a first 
arm and a second roll of sheet material onto a second cantilevered spindle 
that extends from a distal portion of a second arm, each cantilevered 
spindle extending from a distal portion of each arm and each arm extending 
from a rotatable turret so that the weight of a full roll of sheet 
material on the spindle (at any position other than a dispensing position) 
urges the turret to rotate so that a full roll of sheet material is held 
at a dispensing position. 
That is, an unbalanced condition is created by the weight of a full roll of 
sheet material at any position other than a dispensing position such that 
the turret is urged to rotate under the influence of gravity so that a 
full roll of sheet material is held at a dispensing position. 
Rotation of the turret and the full rolls installed on the spindles affixed 
to the turret is impeded when the first full roll reaches a limit gate at 
the dispensing position. 
The first roll is substantially depleted by unwinding sheet material from 
the roll. 
Once the first roll becomes substantially depleted, rotation of the turret 
and the remaining full roll of sheet material (i.e., the second roll) 
resumes under the influence of gravity until the remaining full roll 
(i.e., the second roll) reaches the limit gate at the dispensing position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIG. 1, there is shown at 
10 a portion of a gravity-operated apparatus for sequentially dispensing 
sheet material from rolls of sheet material. The apparatus includes a 
turret 12 that includes two struts 14 extending radially outward from and 
joined at a central point or axis 16. The turret 12 is pivotable or 
rotatable about the axis. 
Arms 18 extend generally perpendicularly from the struts 14. Desirably, the 
arms 18 are cantilevered arms that extend from the ends or from distal 
portions 20 of the struts in a generally perpendicular manner and with 
sufficient distance to provide clearance for a full roll of sheet 
material. The term "cantilevered" as it relates to the arms 18 is used to 
describe the configuration in which the arms are joined or united to the 
turret (i.e., the struts 14) at their base. The term "distal" as it 
relates to the struts 14 is used to described locations that are far from 
the central point or axis 16 of the turret 12 (i.e., at the portion of the 
strut 14 farthest from the axis 16). 
Cantilevered spindles 22 extend generally perpendicularly from the arms 18 
at the distal portions 24 of the arms. That is, the spindles 22 extend 
from the arms 18 so that they are generally parallel to the rotating 
turret (i.e., the struts 14). The term "cantilevered" as it relates to the 
spindles 22 is used to describe the configuration in which the spindles 22 
are joined or united to the arms 18 at their base. The term "distal" as it 
relates to the arms 18 is used to described locations that are farthest 
from the common point between each arm 18 and the turret 12 (i.e., the 
portion of the arm farthest from the point where the arm 18 begins to 
extend from the strut 14). 
Generally speaking, each spindle 22 and arm 18 combination extends from a 
distal portion 20 of the turret 12 so the weight of a full roll of sheet 
material on the spindle urges the turret to rotate placing a full roll of 
sheet material at a dispensing position. 
FIG. 2A of the drawings is a front view of a turret illustrating an 
exemplary offset (i.e., difference in length between the turret and the 
spindles) which may be used to create an unbalanced condition that urges 
the turret to rotate as desired when full rolls of material are loaded on 
the spindles. There is shown a turret that includes two struts 14 
extending from a central axis 16. Arms 18 extend generally perpendicularly 
from the distal portions 20 of the struts and cantilevered spindles 22 
extends from the distal portions 24 of the arms 18. As can be seen, the 
spindles 22 extend beyond the struts 14. When full rolls of sheet material 
are loaded on the spindles, the relatively short dimensions of the struts 
14 extending from the central axis 16 are unable to balance the weight of 
the full rolls of sheet material on the relatively long spindles 22. The 
unbalanced condition created by the offset of the centers of gravity of 
the spindles and rolls when they are aligned horizontally urges the turret 
to rotate. It is contemplated that one can use any offset between the 
between the centers of gravity of horizontally aligned spindles when full 
rolls of sheet material are loaded on the spindles which creates an 
unbalanced condition sufficient to urge the turret to rotate and force the 
lower roll against the limit gate. That is, the offset between the centers 
of gravity when the rolls and spindles are aligned perpendicular to the 
direction of gravity should be sufficient to create an unbalanced 
condition that urges the turret to rotate and force the lower roll of 
sheet material against the limit gate. 
It should be noted that the struts, arms and spindles in FIGS. 1 and 2A, 
are generally configured to have a "Z" pattern. When loaded with full 
rolls of material, the turret will rotate in the counter-clockwise 
direction. 
If desired, a latch or ratchet may be positioned to prevent clockwise 
rotation but otherwise allow counter-clockwise rotation. That is, when a 
spindle (and its associated arm and strut) is about to enter the 
dispensing position, a latch or ratchet may be positioned so that the 
strut can slide just past the latch or ratchet by counter-clockwise 
rotation of the turret into the dispensing position, but the strut is 
prevented from clockwise rotation back out of the dispensing position by 
the latch or ratchet. 
FIG. 2B is an illustration of an exemplary turret portion of the apparatus 
of the present invention. The turret illustrated in FIG. 2B is different 
from the one illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2A in that the struts 14, arms 18 
and spindles 22 are generally configured to have an "S" pattern (i.e., a 
mirror image of the "Z" pattern). When loaded with full rolls of material, 
the turret will also rotate in the counter-clockwise direction. 
Of course, it should be understood that the apparatus of the present 
invention may easily be configured so the turret rotates in the clockwise 
direction for proper operation. 
Referring again to FIG. 1, the spindles 22 may be mounted or attached to 
the arms 18 which, in turn, may be mounted or attached to the struts 14. 
Alternatively, the turret 12 composed of spindles 22, arms 18 and struts 
14 may be formed or cast as one piece. In yet another configuration, the 
turret may be composed of struts and arms formed or cast as one piece and 
the spindles may be mounted or attached to the arms. In still another 
configuration, the spindles and arms may be formed or cast as one piece 
and may be mounted or attached to turret. 
It should be understood that other turret configurations are contemplated. 
For example, the turret may be a circular disc or the like having arms 
extending from distal portions and spindles extending from the arms. Such 
a disc-like turret 12' is shown in FIG. 1A. Other parts of the device in 
FIG. 1A are shown by the same reference numbers as in FIG. 1. The spindles 
and/or arms themselves may be hollow, solid, cylindrical, cross-hatched or 
any other configuration suitable to hold a roll of sheet material. The 
spindles may also be rotatable or pivotable at the point where they are 
connected to the arm to aid in the dispensing of the sheet material from 
the roll. 
The retaining means 26 on each spindle to secure the roll of sheet material 
on the spindle 22 may be a catch, latch, stop, cinch, friction fit, or the 
like. In FIG. 1, the retaining means 26 are shown as a catch, latch or 
stop. Such retaining means may be compressible, movable or otherwise 
repositionable to allow loading of a full roll of sheet material and/or 
removal of a core after the roll has been depleted. 
Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawings, there is illustrated another 
example of the retaining means 26 that may be used to secure the roll of 
sheet material on the spindle 22. In this illustration, the retaining 
means provide a friction fit between the core of the roll and the spindle. 
As seen in FIG. 3, a first and a second retaining means may be employed 
at, for example, each end of the spindle. One or both of the retaining 
means may be rings or sleeves adapted to glide or rotate on a fixed 
spindle to enable rotation of a roll of sheet material with little applied 
force. For example, each retaining means (e.g., ring or sleeve) may be 
adapted to rotate or glide on the spindle (or move on bearings) thereby 
allowing sheet material to be unrolled from the roll of sheet material 
with relatively little applied force. In another embodiment, the retaining 
means may be fixed on the spindle 22 to provide a friction fit and the 
entire spindle 22 may be adapted to rotate on about an axis or center 
point 28. Desirably, the retaining means 26 on each spindle to secure the 
roll on the spindle may be compressible, movable or otherwise 
repositionable to permit loading of a roll of sheet material onto the 
spindle and removal of a core from the spindle. 
As may be seen in FIG. 4, the turret 12 is placed in an unbalanced 
condition by inserting two rolls of sheet material 30 and 32 on the two 
spindles 22 when the rolls and spindles are horizontally aligned. That is, 
an unbalanced condition is created by the offset of the centers of gravity 
of the horizontally aligned spindles and rolls. The unbalanced condition 
urges the turret to rotate and force the roll 30 of sheet material into 
the dispensing position 34 and against a limit gate 36. Generally 
speaking, the term "gravity-operated" refers to an apparatus that relies 
on gravity as manifested in the weight of a particular component to 
provide some action substantially free from the aid of motors, springs or 
like sources to generate a force. It is generally thought that the 
combined weight of the turret and spindles should not be so 
disproportionately large (i.e., much greater than the weight of a full 
roll (or rolls) of sheet material) as to minimize the driving force 
provided by the weight of roll (or rolls) on the turret to generate 
rotation. 
Referring now to FIG. 5A, the first roll 30 becomes substantially depleted 
by unwinding sheet material from the roll. In its depleted state, the 
first roll 30 is able to pass the limit gate 36. Once the first roll 30 is 
substantially depleted and able to pass the limit gate 36, rotation of the 
turret 12 with the remaining full roll of sheet material 32 resumes under 
the influence of gravity (and along the direction of the arrows shown 
therewith). Rotation is generated by the differences in weight between the 
substantially depleted first roll 30 and the remaining full roll 32 in the 
reserve position. The turret rotates until the remaining full roll 32 
reaches the limit gate 36 at the dispensing position 34 as shown in FIG. 
5B and the substantially depleted first roll 30 (being much lighter) 
reaches a reserve position directly above the dispensing position 34. 
Referring back to FIG. 4, the limit gate 36 is positioned to impede 
rotation of the turret 12 when the limit gate 36 encounters a spindle 22 
containing a roll of sheet material that is less than substantially 
depleted. The limit gate 36 may be a limit roller, limit pin, limit post 
or the like. The limit gate 36 may be adjustable in a manner such as, for 
example, indicated by arrow 37. 
According to the invention, the apparatus for dispensing sheet material 
from rolls may include a housing. FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary housing at 
38. The housing may be composed of a front wall 40, a top wall 42, and 
side walls 44. The housing may contain or include a pivoting cover 46 as 
well as latches, hinges, locks, brackets or the like that may be found in 
conventional dispenser designs. In one aspect of the invention, the turret 
may be attached to the housing. Alternatively and/or additionally, the 
limit gate may be attached to the housing. It is also contemplated that 
the turret and/or the limit gate may be attached to a support base that is 
connected to a housing. 
In an embodiment of the invention, the housing may be configured so that 
the turret containing full rolls of sheet material is able to rotate in 
only one direction (e.g., only in the counter-clockwise direction). This 
may be accomplished independently of any latch or ratchet mechanism to 
control rotation and can be achieved by configuring the housing so the 
clearance between a spindle and the wall of the housing just above the 
limit gate is just enough to let only a substantially depleted roll pass 
as the reserve roll rotates into the dispensing position 34 and the empty 
spindle rotates beyond the limit gate 36 to the reserve position. 
Generally speaking, the dispensing apparatus may be used to sequentially 
dispense any flexible sheet material that can be wound on a roll and 
dispensed in individual portions. In many cases, the sheet material may be 
a fibrous cellulosic material such as, for example a nonwoven web of 
cellulosic fibers that has a structure of individual fibers which are 
interlaid, but not in an identifiable repeating manner. Such webs have 
been, in the past, formed by a variety of nonwoven manufacturing processes 
known to those skilled in the art such as, for example, air-forming, 
wet-forming and/or papermaking processes. Exemplary fibrous cellulosic 
materials include papers, paper tissues and the like. Such materials can 
be treated to impart desired properties utilizing processes such as, for 
example, calendering, creping, hydraulic needling, hydraulic entangling 
and the like. Generally speaking, the cellulosic fibrous material may be 
prepared from cellulose fibers from natural sources such as woody and 
non-woody plants. The cellulose fibers may be modified by various 
treatments such as, for example, thermal, chemical and/or mechanical 
treatments. It is contemplated that reconstituted and/or synthetic 
cellulose fibers may be used and/or blended with other cellulose fibers of 
the fibrous cellulosic material. 
Desirably, the sheet material is paper. More desirably, the sheet material 
is paper tissue. The sheet material may be wound into a coreless roll. 
However, the use of a coreless roll in not required for successful 
operation of the present invention. In fact, in an aspect of the 
invention, it is desirable for the sheet material to be wound on a hollow 
core to form a roll. 
In an embodiment of the invention, the dispenser may be configured to 
sequentially dispense bathroom tissue from individual rolls wound about a 
core. Generally speaking, the standard dimensions of such individual rolls 
of bathroom tissue may be about 3 to about 5 inches in width and from 
about 3 to about 5 inches in diameter. Accordingly, embodiments of the 
dispensing apparatus may have dimensions suited to hold and store standard 
sized rolls of bathroom tissue. 
The dispensing apparatus may be manufactured from any suitable material. 
The entire apparatus may be made from one material or combinations of 
materials may be used. Exemplary materials include plastics and metals. 
The method of the present invention relates to the sequential dispensing of 
sheet material from rolls of sheet material. The rolls may have cores or 
may be coreless. 
Generally speaking, the method includes the step of loading a first roll of 
sheet material onto a first cantilevered spindle that extends from a 
distal portion of a first arm and a second roll of sheet material onto a 
second cantilevered spindle that extends from a distal portion of a second 
arm, each cantilevered spindle extending from a distal portion of each arm 
and each arm extending from a rotatable turret so that the weight of a 
full roll of sheet material on the spindle (at any position other than a 
dispensing position) urges the turret to rotate so that a full roll of 
sheet material is held at a dispensing position. 
That is, an unbalanced condition is created by the weight of full rolls of 
sheet material at any position other than a dispensing position so that 
the turret will rotate under the influence of gravity to place a full roll 
of sheet material at a dispensing position. It is contemplated that 
spindles and/or arms may be offset or otherwise configured to enhance the 
unbalanced condition created by the weight of full rolls of sheet material 
at any position other than the dispensing position. For example, one of 
the arms could be positioned on the strut closer to the pivot or center 
point than the other arm. 
It is contemplated that the rotatable turret could have more than two sets 
of arms and spindles (e.g., three or more spindles) as long as the arms 
and spindles were positioned such that loading full rolls of sheet 
material on at least one spindle other than at the dispensing position 
produced an unbalanced condition that urges the turret to rotate. 
Rotation of the turret and the full rolls installed on the spindles affixed 
to the turret is impeded when the first full roll reaches a limit gate at 
the dispensing position. 
The first roll is depleted by unwinding sheet material from the roll. As 
the first roll is becomes substantially depleted, it is finally able to 
slip past the limit gate and rotation of the turret and the remaining full 
roll of sheet material resumes under the influence of gravity until the 
remaining full roll reaches the limit gate at the dispensing position. The 
substantially depleted roll, being much lighter, is rotated upward and out 
of the way. 
Reloading of the dispensing apparatus is accomplished by opening the 
housing or cover, disposing of the depleted core, if any, and loading a 
new reserve roll on the spindle at the reserve position. If the dispenser 
has more than two sets of arms and spindles (i.e., is capable of holding 
more than two full rolls of sheet material), it is desirable that the 
housing or cover be configured so that full rolls of sheet material can be 
loaded onto a spindle (or spindles) at the reserve position (or reserve 
positions). This may be accomplished by placing baffles or a blocking 
device at the non-reserve position (or positions) and/or configuring the 
housing so there is insufficient clearance around a spindle at the 
non-reserve position (or positions) to hold a full roll. 
While the present invention has been described in connection with certain 
embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by 
way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific 
embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the 
invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as 
can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.