Holder for roll of paper towels

A support for conventional roll of perforated paper towelling includes a base for mounting on a vertical or horizontal surface, a support rod perpendicular to said base for holding the towel roll, and a manually operable braking device for impeding the unrolling of the towels when one is being torn off the roll.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF PRESENT INVENTION 
Prior art devices for supporting a conventional roll of paper towels are 
numerous. U.S. Pat. Nos. numbered 3,806,057; 4,030,676; and 2,917,249 all 
illustrate types of holders designed primarily for domestic use. U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,030,676 discloses a domestic type of holder which includes an 
annular rim into which the towels are seated, and which rim is supposed to 
facilitate the tearing off of an individual towel by providing a fulcrum 
point for the lower edge thereof. Nothing is mentioned about preventing 
rotation of the roll while the outermost towel is torn away. Further, the 
annular rim creates a limitation on the size of the roll of towels which 
can be effectively maintained on the holder. If the roll size is not 
compatible, the rim is not effective as an aid for tearing off towels 
because the towel roll will not fit within the rim. Additionally, as 
towels are removed and the roll diameter decreases, the holder will become 
cumbersome and unsteady during the removal of towels. 
The present invention, however, overcomes all these disadvantages, and has 
the further advantage of being adaptable to horizontal or vertical use. 
The preferred embodiment of the improved towel holder includes a flattened 
base member, a support rod extending perpendicularly from the approximate 
center of the base, and a control knob having a flanged base and removably 
mounted in a bore which extends axially into the center of the support 
rod. 
The control knob, when depressed by the operator's free hand, acts as a 
braking means to inhibit the rolling motion of the towel roll when towels 
are being torn from the roll. The control knob is comprised of an upper 
decorative portion; a flanged base portion with a flat bottom which has an 
outer diameter generally greater than the outer diameter of the tubular 
core of the paper towel roll; and an elongated shaft extending 
perpendicularly from the underside of the base portion. The shaft is 
designed to fit loosely within the bore in the support rod to operate as 
described below.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Looking first at FIG. 1, the improved towel holder 10 is shown as it would 
be used on a horizontal countertop or other such horizontal surface. There 
is a base 15 and a control knob 20. The towel roll T is supported on a 
support rod 30 not visible in FIG. 1. The holder 10 is adapted for use on 
the illustrated horizontal surface or may be mounted with screws on a 
vertical wall such that the towel roll T is perpendicular to the vertical 
surface. 
FIG. 2 shows the components of the holder 10 in exploded view, which 
further includes the support base 15, control knob 20, towel support rod 
30 and a cushion glide 40. The support base 15 and the towel support rod 
30 are separable for packing and storage. In the preferred embodiment rod 
30 includes a threaded lower end 31 which screws into a threaded aperture 
16 in the center of base 15. Other conventional means for attaching the 
rod 30 to the base 15 include metal screws, bolts, etc. By having 
separable components the holder is compact for efficient and economical 
packaging for sale and/or storage when disassembled. 
The aforementioned means for braking or inhibiting the rolling tendency of 
the towels during tearing includes the control knob 20 which is 
operatively engaged with the support rod 30. The engagement of the two 
components is accomplished by an elongated shaft or pin 22 which extends 
perpendicularly and downwardly from the underside of the base plate 24 of 
the control knob. The shaft is loosely inserted into an axially extending 
bore 32 in the upper end of rod 30. 
The control knob itself comprises a decorative upper portion 26 which is 
attached to the upper surface of base plate 24. The base plate 24 includes 
a flat undersurface. As previously mentioned, the base plate 24 has an 
outer diameter greater than the diameter of the tubular core of the towel 
roll T. The shaft 22 on the undersurface of the base plate should be 
somewhat shorter than the axial bore 32 in the towel support rod. Thus 
structured, when the control knob 20 is removed from the support rod, a 
roll of towels T can be inserted onto the rod, and the control knob shaft 
22 reinserted into bore 32. 
In operation, when towels are needed, the desired length is unrolled and, 
using the opposite hand, the control knob 20 is depressed downwardly 
against the paper towels to a point where the undersurface of base plate 
24 bears slight pressure against the end surface of the towel roll. The 
slight pressure is sufficient to prevent unrolling, and the desired length 
of towels can be easily torn away at the perforations, and the control 
knob released. 
The cushion glide 40 is formed of a smooth plastic material, or may be a 
teflon coated surface, positioned between the base 15 and the roll of 
towels T. The glide decreases friction between towels T and base 15 to 
allow for ease in unrolling towels. If the holder is made from a plastic 
material or some material smoother than a wood surface, it may be possible 
to eliminate the cushion glide 40. 
Legs 50 are attached to the undersurface of base 15 to help prevent 
slipping on a counter surface. The legs 50 are preferably formed of a 
silicone material which is particularly effective at gripping a smooth 
surface such as a cabinet or countertop. If it is desired to mount the 
holder on a wall or other vertical surface, the base 15 is mounted with 
screws or nails through apertures 17 to the desired wall or surface. 
Operation of the holder is otherwise the same. 
The decorative configuration shown in purely aesthetic. Other shapes and 
designs may be employed without departing from the scope of the claims 
below.