Roll container

A drawing toy having a housing and a web of material upon which a child can draw, color or mark. The housing includes a generally cylindrically shaped shell formed of two generally semi-cylindrical halfs. A hollow spindle having the web of material wound thereon it is located in the shell in substantial coaxial relationship with one end of the spindle projecting from one end of the cylindrical shell. A cap is removably attached to the projecting end of the spindle so that as the cap is turned, the spindle is caused to rotate about the longitudinal axes of the shell to unwind the web from or rewind the web on the spindle. A slot is formed in the shell through which the web of material moves as the web is unwound and re-wound on the spindle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to devices for containing a scroll, and more 
particularly to a childs drawing toy for storing a rolled web of material, 
unwinding selected lengths of the material web for use and rewinding the 
material web for storage. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is particularly adapted for unwinding a web of paper 
upon which a child can draw or color pictures and rewinding the web of 
paper for storage. 
Traditional coloring and drawing books can quickly and easily become 
dog-earred and otherwise mutulated. Typically, when opened for use, they 
are folded back over the bound edge which prevents the pages from laying 
flat, and which eventually causes the binding to break leaving loose 
sheets. 
Scroll holding devices for dispensing a web of material upon which a child 
can draw and color pictures are known. Such devices include a box having a 
web dispensing roll located in spaced apart, parallel relationship to a 
web take-up roll and a window opening between the rolls. The child using 
the device can draw or color on that portion of the web between the 
rollers exhibited in the window. 
An object of the present invention is to provide a compact drawing toy for 
unwinding a length of web material from a web roll, for example, paper 
upon which a child can draw, color pictures, or play games and rewinding 
the web for storage on the same web roll. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a drawing toy for 
unwinding and rewinding a web of material which is readily refillable with 
a new roll when a preceding web has been used up. 
A further object of the present invention is to provide a drawing toy for 
unwinding and rewinding a web of material on the same web roll including a 
place for storing drawing and coloring pencils. 
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a drawing 
toy of the class described including a device for sharpening drawing and 
coloring pencils. 
More particularly, the present invention provides a drawing toy for 
unwinding a web of material for use and rewinding the web for storage 
comprising a first generally semi-cylindrically shaped shell, a second 
generally semi-cylindrically shaped shell adapted to be selectively 
located in registered concavely facing relationship to the first shell so 
that the first and second shells cooperate to form a generally 
cylindrically shaped housing; a spindle having a length longer than the 
length of the housing adapted to be removably located within the housing 
for rotational movement about the longitudinal axis of the housing and 
having one end projecting from an end of the housing; a web of material 
spirally wound on the spindle, the width of the web being somewhat less 
than the length of the housing, and the web being asymetrically located 
between the ends of the spindle; means defining a slot through the arcuate 
wall of the housing generally longitudinally of the housing, the slot 
having a length generally equal to the width of the web and a width 
generally equal to the thickness of the web; and, a cap attached to the 
projecting end of the spindle so that the spindle is rotatably movable 
with the cap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
The Figures depict a childs drawing toy, generally denoted as the numeral 
10, having the features of the present invention. 
The drawing toy 10 includes a generally cylindrically shaped housing 12, a 
hollow spindle 14 with a web of material 16 wound thereon adapted to be 
installed within the housing 12, and an end cap 18 adapted to be removably 
attached to one end of the spindle 14. 
As can be best seen in FIG. 2, the housing 12 includes two generally 
semi-cylindrical shells 20 and 22 which when disposed in mutually 
concavely facing closed relationship form the housing 12 as shown in FIG. 
1. As shown, the first and second semi-cylindrical shells 20 and 22, 
respectively, are interconnected by hinge means 24. The hinge means 24 
interconnects one longitudinal edge of the first shell 20 to one 
longitudinal edge of the second shell 22. Preferably, the hinge means 24 
is integral with the first and second shells and is what is commonly 
referred to as a lining hinge. The hinge means 24 allows the first and 
second shells to be pivotally moved, relative to each other, between their 
concavely facing closed position (shown in FIG. 1) and an open position 
out of concavely facing relationship (shown in FIG. 2). 
With continued reference to FIG. 2, the first semi-cylindrical shell 20 
includes a generally planar, generally cylindrically shaped end wall 26 at 
one end 20, and an annular end wall 28 at the other end. A bore 30 defined 
by the annular wall 28 has a diameter generally equal to the diameter of 
the spindle 14 and is coaxial with the longitudinal axes of the first 
shell 20. Preferably, the circular end wall 26 and annular end wall 28 are 
integrally formed with the first shell 20. A spindle support flange 32 is 
located near the circular end wall 26 to support one end of the spindle 
14. The spindle support flange 32 is shown defining an arcuate ledge 34 
having a radius generally equal to the radius of the spindle 14 with the 
radius being generally coaxial with the bore 30 of the annular end wall 
28. Preferably the spindle support flange 32 is integrally formed with the 
first shell 20. 
The second semi-cylindrical shell 22 is open at both of its ends and 
includes a pair of flanges 36 and 38. The first flange 36 is located near 
the open end of the second shell 22 which is adjacent to the end of the 
first shell 20 having the circular end wall 26, and the second flange 38 
is located near the other open end of the second shell 22 which is 
adjacent to the end of the first shell 20 having the annular end wall 28. 
The first flange 36 defines an arcuate ledge 40 having a radius generally 
equal to the radius of the spindle 14 with the radius being generally 
coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the second shell 22. Similarly, the 
second flange 38 defines an arcuate ledge 42 having a radius generally 
equal to the radius of the spindle 14 with the radius being generally 
coaxial with the longitudinal axis of the second shell 22. The space 
between the first and second flanges 36 and 38, longitudinally of the 
second shell 22, is generally equal to the width of the web 16 and less 
than the distance between circular end wall 26 and annular end wall 30 of 
the first shell 20. Preferably, the first and second flanges 36 and 38 are 
integrally formed with the second shell 22. 
The hollow spindle 14 is longer than the length of the housing 12 and is 
adapted to be coaxially disposed within the housing 12. Toward this end, 
the spindle 14 is located generally coaxially in the first shell 20 with 
one spindle end 44 in juxtaposition to the circular end wall 26 and 
cradled in the arcuate ledge 34 and the other spindle end 46 received 
through the bore 30 of the annular end wall 28 and projecting a distance 
past the annular end wall 28. 
The width of the material web 16 is somewhat less than the length of the 
first shell 20. The web 16 is spirally wound upon the spindle 14 and is 
asymetrically located between the spindle ends 44 and 46. The wound web 16 
is to be located between the circular end wall 26 and annular end wall 28 
of the first shell 20. 
With the spindle 14 and wound web 16 located in the first shell 20, the 
first and second shells 20 and 22 are pivoted about the hinge means 24 
into mutually concavely facing closed relationship. When in this closed 
position, the first and second flanges 36 and 38 of the second shell 22 
are located at opposite ends of the wound web 16 caging it therebetween to 
limit movement of the spindle and web in a longitudinal direction of the 
housing 12. Further, when the shells are in this closed position the 
arcuate ledge 40 of the first flange 36 is located in concavely facing 
relationship to the arcuate ledge 34 of the spindle support flange 32 of 
the first shell 20 and cooperates therewith to form a journal supporting 
the spindle end 44. The circular end wall 26 of the first shell 20 closes 
the one open end of the second shell 22 and the annular end wall 28 of the 
first shell 20 closes the other open end of the second shell 22. 
With reference to FIG. 1, when the first and second shells 20 and 22 are in 
the closed position forming the housing 12, the free longitudinal edges 48 
and 50 of the shells 20 and 22, respectively, cooperate to define a 
longitudinal slot 52. The slot 52 is generally as long as the width of the 
web 16 and is generally as wide as the thickness of the web 16. As 
illustrated in FIG. 2, one of the longitudinal edges of the shells, for 
example, longitudinal edge 50 of shell 22 is formed with a longitudinally 
extending notch 54. When the shells 20 and 22 are in the closed position 
shown in FIG. 1, the longitudinal edge 48 of shell 20 lays in 
juxtaposition along the open side of the notch 54 and cooperates therewith 
to define the slot 52. The free end of the web 16 is slidably received 
through the slot 52 so that it can be dispensed from the housing 12 for 
use and retreived through the slot 52 for storage. In addition, one 
longitudinal edge of the slot 52, preferably that longitudinal edge 
defined by the notch 54, is thinner than the other longitudinal edge 
defined by the longitudinal edge 48 of the shell 20. This can be 
accomplished by removing some of the material from the convex surface of 
the second shell 22 along the longitudinal side of the notch 54 as denoted 
by the numeral 55. Thus, one longitudinal edge of the slot 52 is relieved 
from the other longitudinal edge of the slot 52. The relief provides 
clearance for the portion of the web 16 extending through the slot 52 as 
it is being unwound from and rewound on the spindle 14 and prevents the 
web 16 from binding in the slot 52. 
With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the end cap 18 is adapted to be removably 
attached to the open end 46 of the spindle 14 so that as the cap 18 is 
turned the spindle 14 will turn with it to unwind or rewind portions of 
the web 16 from the spindle 14 through the slot 52. The cap 18 is 
removable from the spindle end 46 to gain access to the interior of the 
hollow spindle 14. Toward this end, the spindle end 46 is illustrated as 
being formed with two notches 56 and 58 diametrically spaced from each 
other and open at the spindle end 46. The cap 18 is formed with a collar 
60 having an outside diameter generally equal to the inside diameter of 
the spindle 14 and which is coaxially received in the hollow end 46 of the 
spindle end 46. While it has been found that the friction between the 
outside diameter of the cap collar 60 and inside wall surface of the 
hollow spindle is sufficient to provide for the turning of the spindle 
with the cap 18, in the illustration of FIG. 3, two ribs 62 and 64 are 
formed on the circular wall 60 diametrically spaced from each other and 
radially extending outwardly of the circular wall 60. Each of the ribs 62 
and 64 is adapted to be received in a different one of the notches 56 and 
58 of the spindle end 46 to provide a physical connection between the cap 
18 and spindle 14. 
Preferably, the housing is fabricated of a high impact plastic material and 
is injected molded. 
In order to shape the first and second shells 20 and 22 in the closed 
position, a latch, generally denoted as the numeral 66 is provided for 
selectively latching the shells together. As can be best seen in FIG. 2, 
the latch comprises a slit 68 formed in the annular wall 28 of the shell 
20 and a lip 70 formed on the second flange 38 of the shell 22. When the 
shells 20 and 22 are in the closed position concavely facing each other, 
the lip 70 is received in the slit 68, thus, preventing the shells 20 and 
22 from pivoting about the hinge 24 to the open position. To open the 
housing 12, the shell 22 is distorted by pressing inwardly on opposite 
sides. In so doing, the lip 70 moves out of the slit 68 and the shells 20 
and 22 can be pivoted to the open position. 
The childs drawing toy 10 of the present invention provides a number of 
advantages over the drawing devices known to us. The present invention 
provides a complete drawing toy including the sheet of material upon which 
to draw, a place for storage of the drawing pencils and a place for 
storing the sheet of drawing material. Further, the web of drawing 
material provides a continuous mural-type surface upon which to draw and 
color. This allows a continuous game, story or these to be exhibited 
without having to turn pages be viewed and worked on through a restricted 
space such as a window opening. In addition, sections of the web of 
drawing material can be cut-off for display without adversely effecting 
the operation of the drawing toy. 
The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of 
understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood 
therefrom for modifications will become obvious to those skilled in the 
art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from 
the sprit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.