Abstract:
A paper roll holder for rotatably supporting a paper towel roll having a core with open ends. The holder includes a support structure having first and second attachment portions and two hubs insertable into the core of the paper towel roll for holding the paper towel roll. Each hub is rotatably coupled to an associated attachment portion of the support structure, each hub having a body having an axis and a resilient compressible sidewall having a maximum at rest diameter. The sidewall being radially compressible from the at rest position to a plurality of smaller diameters, whereby the sidewall is insertable into the open end of a plurality of differently sized cores. The paper roll holder can be placed in the housing of a paper towel dispenser.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to paper towel dispensers and, in particular, to paper roll holders therefor. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Certain prior paper roll holders for paper towel dispensers often had a complicated construction and could only adequately accommodate a single sized diameter core of a paper roll. These holders often included two circular, non-resilient end hubs having a sidewall inserted into the core. Since these hubs were non-resilient, these holders could only accommodate one sized cores. None of the prior art paper roll holders could accommodate paper rolls with various sized cores while maintaining a constant center line relative to the transfer mechanism. 
     Other holders included an extra piece releasably connected to the two end hubs. Though holders equipped with this piece could accommodate different diameter cores, the holder suffered several problems. First, it did not permit a tight fit with cores having a larger diameter than the end hub. This caused resistance by the larger core dragging on the holder rather than rotating with the holder during dispensing, making dispensing much more difficult. Second, the center line of these larger diameter cores would be moved down from the center of the hubs, which could cause the lower peripheral end of the paper roll to interfere with other portions of the dispenser, such as the transfer mechanism. Third, the extra piece often became lost or misplaced during roll replacement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved paper roll holder which avoids the disadvantages of prior paper roll holders while affording additional structural and operational advantages. 
     An important feature of the present invention is the provision of a paper roll holder which is a relatively simple and economical construction. 
     A still further feature of the invention is the provision of a holder of the type set forth which can accommodate a range of differently sized paper roll cores. 
     Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a holder of the type set forth which minimizes drag of the paper roll on the paper roll holder to ease dispensing of the toweling. 
     Still another feature of the present invention is the provision of the holder of the type set forth which maintains the axes of various size of paper roll cores in the same position in a paper dispenser which prevents interference of the paper roll with other parts of the dispenser. 
     Certain ones of these and other features of the invention may be obtained by providing a paper roll holder for rotatably supporting a paper towel roll having a core with open ends. The holder includes a support structure having first and second attachment portions and two hubs insertable into the core of the paper towel roll for holding the paper towel roll. Each hub is rotatably coupled to an associated attachment portion of the support structure and includes a body having an axis and a resilient compressible sidewall having a maximum at rest diameter. The sidewall being radially compressible from the at rest position to a plurality of smaller diameters, whereby the sidewall is insertable into the open end of a plurality of differently sized cores. 
     The invention consists of certain novel features and a combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the details may be made without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention, there is illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, the invention, its construction and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hub of the paper roll holder of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the paper towel dispenser of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 2 with the front cover removed; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial front elevational view of the dispenser shown in FIG. 3 better illustrating the paper roll holder with the paper roll shown in phantom; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the hub and support structure of the paper roll holder of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken generally along the line  6 — 6  of FIG. 5; and 
     FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 where the sidewall of the hub has been compressed to support a small diameter core of the paper roll. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings, as seen in FIG. 2, a paper towel dispenser  10  is provided. The paper towel dispenser  10  includes a back support structure  12  to connect to a wall or other vertical structure in a known manner and a front cover  14  forming a housing  15 . As seen in FIG. 4, the back support structure  12  includes a back wall  16  having two central clips  18 , two upwardly facing U-shaped stamped projections  20  and two downwardly U-shaped stamped projections  22 . Each of the projections  20  and  22  and the backwall  16  form a channel (four in total). 
     Still referring to FIG. 4, a paper towel roll holder  24  is disposed in the housing  15 . The paper towel roll holder  24  includes support structure, such as a flexible wire rod  26 , and two hubs  28  rotatably coupled thereto. 
     The rod  26  is coupled to the backwall  16 . The rod  26  is a one-piece structure having a central portion  30  disposed in the two clips  18 . The rod  26  also has two legs  32  each passing through one of the channels formed by upwardly facing U-shaped portions  20  and backwall  16  and one of the channels formed by the downwardly facing U-shaped projection  22  and the backwall  16 . The legs  32  and central portion  30  of the rod  26  lie in substantially the same plane. 
     Each leg  32  of the rod  26  also has a bottom end  33  and a foot  34  connected to the bottom end  33 . The foot  34  has a first portion  36  which projects out of the plane of the legs  32  and central portion  30 . Each first portion  36  of the foot  34  is also sloped in a direction from the bottom end  33  toward the central portion  30 . Each foot  34  also has a second portion  38  connected to the first portion  36 . Each second portion  38  is substantially parallel to the central portion  30  and projects inwardly from the first portion  36  toward the opposite foot  34 . Each foot  34  also includes a substantially planar loop  40  disposed at the end of the second portion  38 . The loops  40  each lie in planes substantially parallel to one another. The loops  40  have an at rest position, as in FIG. 4, where they are separated a minimum distance. As discussed below, when the loops  40  are separated by a greater distance than the minimum at rest distance, the resilient wire rod causes the loops to be biased toward one another back to the at rest position. 
     As seen in FIGS. 1 and 6, each hub  28  of the paper roll holder  24  includes an axis “A”, a circular end wall  42  having a thicker central portion  44  (FIG. 6) having an aperture  46 . Each hub  28  also includes a plurality of spaced apart legs  48  projecting angularly and radially outwardly from the periphery of the end wall  42 . Together the legs  48  and the end wall  42  having a substantially frustoconical shape. 
     Each hub  28  also includes a plurality of U-shaped branches coupled to an associated leg  48 . In its at rest position, as shown in FIG. 1, flanges  50  lie substantially in a plane to form a retaining end wall  51  substantially parallel to end wall  42 . 
     As discussed below, the plurality of legs  48  define a sidewall  52  having a maximum diameter as measured where the legs  48  are connected to the flanges  50 . As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the ends of the legs  48  of sidewall  52  are advantageously compressible toward the axis “A” (toward a position parallel thereto) to vary the maximum diameter from a non-compressed state (or at rest position) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 to a smaller diameter as shown in FIG.  7 . In that regard, the legs  48  are flexible, resilient and formed of a flexible material which allows the legs  48  to compress inwardly yet return to their at rest position. Preferably, the legs  48  are formed of a resilient plastic. Preferred plastics include acetals, polyacetals and polypropylene, including those sold under the tradename Celcon® made by Hoechst Celanese Corporation. It is possible that stainless steel could also be used. 
     As seen best in FIG. 6, the hubs  28  are coupled to the wire  26  by passing a rivet  54 , or other suitable connector, through an associated loop  40  of the wire rod  26  and an associated aperture  46  of the end wall  42  of the hub  28 . The rivet  54  includes a first cylindrical portion  56  having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the aperture  46  and passing therethrough, a larger diameter second cylindrical portion  58  passing through the loop  40 , a head  60  and a shoulder  62  formed between the first and second cylindrical portions  56 ,  58  and resting on the end wall  42 . Preferably, the rivet  54  and hub  48  are fixed with respect to one another and rotate together. To allow rotation of the hub  20  and the attached rivet  54 , the length of the second cylindrical portion  58  is slightly greater than the diameter of the loop  40  of the wire rod  26  to provide clearance therefrom. When the loops  40  are in their at-rest position, the axes of the two hubs  28  connected to the loops  40  are substantially coaxial. 
     To provide ease of rotation of the hubs  28  about their respective axes, the end wall  42  is preferably made of a self lubricating, low coefficient of friction material, such as the same plastic forming the legs  48  of the hub  28 . Preferably, therefore, the hub  28  is a one-piece molded construction. 
     As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, a paper roll  64  having a cylindrical core  66  and paper toweling  68  disposed thereabout is inserted and held by the paper roll holder  24  as follows. First, one of the loops  40  and connected hub  28  are manually moved away (a greater than the minimum at-rest distance discussed above) from the other connected loop  40  and hub  28 . Then, one end of the core  66  is placed over the non-moved hub  28  until the end of the core  66  contacts at least some of the flanges  50  of the retaining end wall  51  of the hub  28 . The other end of the core  66  is then aligned and placed over the hub  28  which has been moved. Since the loops  40  are biased towards one another back to the at-rest position, the connected hubs  28  are also so biased and apply pressure to entrap and support the core  66  between the two retaining end walls  51 . 
     As discussed above, the sidewall  52  formed by the legs  48  of the hub  28  are compressible radially inwardly toward the axis of the hub  28  to accommodate and support differently sized paper roll cores. As seen in FIG. 7, a core  66 ′ of a paper roll  64 ′ having a smaller diameter than that of the core  66  of FIG. 6 is supported on hub  28 . As seen by the line D′ of FIG. 7, the sidewall  52  and legs  48  thereof have been further compressed inwardly to form a smaller maximum diameter sidewall  52  than when the hub  28  is supporting the larger diameter core  66 , such as shown in and represented by line D in FIG.  6 . 
     If the diameter of the core  66  is less than the maximum at-rest diameter of the sidewalls  52 , the legs  48  of the hub  28  will have been compressed radially inwardly and exert a radial force on the core  66  to form a frictionally engageable fit therebetween. As seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, this frictional fit allows the paper towel roll holder  24  to support and properly position a plurality of differently sized paper roll cores at a position where the axis (or center line) of the paper roll core is substantially coaxial with the axes of the hubs  28 . 
     While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.