Abstract:
A single hand, horizontal, paper towel dispenser for paper towel rolls designed to assist in creating a tear of a selected number of sheets by providing friction from a static tear bale. The single hand dispensing device can optionally employ friction surfaces and various additional structures to allow a user to grasp paper towel segments and tear off a desired length of paper towel segments with one hand.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/444,680, filed on Feb. 18, 2011 and entitled “Horizontal Paper Towel Holder Dispenser.” 
       RELATED PATENTS 
       [0002]    This application relates to applicant&#39;s prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,786,377 entitled Single Hand, Paper Towel Dispenser issued on Sep. 7, 2004; 6,805,271 entitled Single Hand, Paper Towel Sheet Dispenser issued on Oct. 19, 2004 and 7,090,106 entitled Frictional Surface Apparatus for One handed Dispensing of Paper Sheet Segments issued on Aug. 15, 2006. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    This invention relates to a novel paper towel dispenser. More specifically this invention relates to a single hand paper towel dispenser operable to be positioned upon a horizontal surface to facilitate dispensing of a desired length of paper towel segments with one hand. 
         [0004]    Paper towels are routinely used in kitchens, restaurants, shops, work benches, on painting job sites and the like. Towel dispensers are often used to dispense disposable paper towel segments to clean up spills or to clean tables and kitchen appliances. In addition, paper towel dispensers are used in garages, auto or wood working shops and in other work areas where people need to absorb or wipe-up a spill, dry a surface or simply clean and/or dry their hands. 
         [0005]    Paper towels usually are sold in a roll on a paper core approximately one inch in diameter and eleven inches or so in width. Paper towels are usually formed from one or two ply sheets of absorbent paper material fashioned into eleven-by-eleven or eleven-by-thirteen inch sheets connected together end-to-end along serrated tear lines. The paper towel segments, connected serially, are wound upon the paper core and are usually sixty feet, or so, in overall length. One brand comes in sheets that are approximately eleven-by-eleven inches square. Another brand is sold in a roll of sheets eleven inches wide by thirteen point eight inches in length joined end-to-end along serration tear lines. Still other brands include towel segments or lengths of seven inches or less. 
         [0006]    These paper towel brands are often dispensed by using a simple U-shaped bracket holder which is operable to be mounted upon a vertical wall surface or beneath a horizontal wood surface such as a cupboard by wood screws. Each end of the U-shaped bracket is designed to hold one end of the paper towel core or alternatively a rod can be axially extended through the center of the paper core and mounted at its ends on the bracket or frame. At least one disadvantage of traditional paper towel dispensers is that a person needs to use both hands to dispense a desired length of paper towel segments. This disadvantage represents an inconvenience and difficulty for people, which is all too common, when one hand is holding a container, object of use or is otherwise soiled or occupied. In such moments the only option, in most instances, is to find a place to set the container down so that both hands are free to tear off one or more sheets of paper towels. If a user attempts to use inertia and jerk a few sheets of towel from a roll, the roll can unreel, to a greater or less degree, leaving the user with the task of rewinding the unused length of towel segments. 
         [0007]    Some brands use complicated structures that aid tearing but require threading of the unreeled portion of the paper towels through somewhat complex mechanisms. It would be desirable to provide a horizontal countertop paper towel dispenser that provides a slot through which the unreeled portion of the paper towel roll exits and which provides friction to ease the tearing off of sheets with one hand. Certain structural features allow the holder to be loaded without the user having to thread the end of the paper towel roll through the dispensing exit slot. 
         [0008]    Traditional paper towel dispensers are often poorly designed or cheaply produced which means that a roll of paper towels often falls off the dispenser when a person attempts to tear off a paper towel segment. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a paper towel dispenser that is rugged and reliable in design and function and will securely retain a roll of paper towels during a dispensing procedure. 
         [0009]    In at least one further prior design, a roll of paper towels was operably received within a trough with a slit along one edge of the bottom of the trough. A free end of the roll of towels was trained through the slit and therefore operated as a dispensing unit. In this device there is nothing to brake rotation of the roll, except a user&#39;s second hand, and therefore while this design will dispense towel segments it exhibits many of the limitations of prior designs. 
         [0010]    In applicant&#39;s prior patented designs one hand dispensing has been advantageously disclosed for operation with a wall mounted dispenser. Although such dispensers have significant utility there are designed for a relatively fixed wall mounted location and are not meant to be readily moved except by remounting at a different wall location. Moreover applicant&#39;s prior patents do not admit to mounting on a horizontal surface. 
         [0011]    It would be desirable to have a horizontal countertop, single hand, paper towel dispenser that provides secure retention of a roll of paper towel segments while concomitantly facilitating tearing off of paper towel sheet segments with one hand. 
         [0012]    In addition it would be highly desirable to provide a paper towel dispenser that can be facilely moved from one work area to another and permit one handed dispensing of a desired length of towel segments with one free hand 
         [0013]    The difficulties and desired features suggested in the preceding are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather are among many which demonstrate that paper towel dispensers appearing in the past will admit to worthwhile improvement. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a horizontal, single hand paper towel dispenser with a tear bale including an concave arcuate central section to facilitate tearing of paper towel segments from a roll of paper towels; 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  illustrates another embodiment of a horizontal, single hand, paper towel dispenser with an internal core holder for a roll of paper towel segments and a tear bale with an arcuate single hand tear region; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment with a dispensing slot having an arcuate friction surface and paper towel roll securing frames; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  illustrates another embodiment of the horizontal, single hand, paper towel dispenser with parallel dispensing bales integrated with the roll holder; 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  illustrates an embodiment similar to  FIG. 4  in which the roll is held by horizontal bars; 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  illustrates an integrated device in which the roll is held in place entirely by a concave structure in the holder region; 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  illustrates another embodiment similar to  FIG. 6  in which parallel bales assist dispensing of paper towels; 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  illustrates a paper towel dispenser with wire loop arms holding the sides of a paper towel roll; 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  illustrates an integrated device similar to  FIG. 8  with the roll of paper towels removed; 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  illustrates a hinge design that facilitates the loading the unreeled sheet into a dispenser slot; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  illustrates an integrated embodiment in which a paper towel roll is held in place by a concave surface of the holder region similar to the embodiment of  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
           [0025]      FIGS. 12 and 13  are two perspective views that illustrate additional features of the invention. A forward slope in the dispenser slot surface keeps the outer surface of the paper towel roll close to the dispenser slot even as the roll becomes nearly empty. Also illustrated an additional hand slot in the rear of the dispenser can be used as a handle. 
       
    
    
     SUMMARY 
       [0026]    The invention is a single hand, horizontal paper towel dispenser to assist in dispensing sheet segments of a roll of paper towel segments by providing a horizontal slot or channel in combination with an arcuate roll support. After a perforation has passed through the slot with a desired length of paper towel segments, a user simply pulls upwardly with one hand to tear the length of towel segments at the perforation. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0027]    A roll of paper towels comprises a long sheet of paper towel segments which are wound upon a central core. This core is typically a hollow cardboard tube. The sheet further comprises a continuous length of paper towel material formed by a series of paper towel segments separated by transverse perforations. Individual paper towel segments can be dispensed when the roll is held stationary and a user holds the end of an unreeled portion of the sheet and pulls. Paper towel segments will be dispensed as each is torn off from the rest along the perforations. The paper towel holder disclosed herein is to facilitate this procedure while using a single hand from a portable unit operable to be facially transportable and operably supported upon a horizontal surface. 
         [0028]      FIG. 1  shows one embodiment of the subject single hand, horizontal, paper towel dispenser invention. In this embodiment the paper towel dispenser  10  comprises a base  12 , which may include an integrated weight plate, having a dispensing region  14  and an arcuate roll holder region  16 . A paper towel segment is fed through a tear bale  18 . As an alternative to threading a paper towel segment through the tear bale slot, a central gap  19  is provided through which a paper towel segment can be loaded from the middle. 
         [0029]    There is a an arcuate hand relief  20  in a central portion of the tear bale  18  that allows a user&#39;s single hand to gain secure purchase on a distal segment of paper towel segments to be dispensed. 
         [0030]    An initial paper towel segment can be threaded through a slot  22  to facilitate upward tearing with a single hand motion. A concave tray  24  serves to permit unreeling of paper towel segments while concomitantly keeping a roll of paper towels in a secure horizontal posture. A wire keeper  26  assists in keeping a roll of paper towels within the concave tray  24 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 2  shows the invention in an alternative form. In this embodiment an arcuate hand relief  30  is provided in a cantilever mounted upper bale  32  which frames tear slot  34 . The arcuate hand relief  30  can be located centrally, as shown, or at other positions along the upper bale  32 . A side feed slot  36  is available to assist in threading paper through the tear bale slot  34 . The roll of paper towels is held for rotation by an axial roll support  38  as opposed to sitting in a tray  24  ( FIG. 1 ). 
         [0032]      FIG. 3  shows the invention in another alternative form from a reverse perspective. A frictional arcuate surface  40  is fashioned on the tear bale  42  to assist in tearing sheets. Solid keeper panels  44  are located at the ends of the tray  46  to hold a roll of paper towels within an arcuate tray  46 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 4  illustrates another embodiment of the invention. The concave tray  50  which permits unreeling of paper towel segments while concomitantly keeping a roll of paper towels in place (in a secure horizontal posture) is designed as an insert  56  within a generally rectangular case  52 . The sides of the case  54 , together with the concave tray  50 , keep the roll of paper towels in place. A pair of transverse bales,  57  and  58 , frame a paper towel dispensing slot  59 . The upper bale  57  may have an arcuate friction surface such as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 5  shows still another embodiment of the invention in which the roll holder function performed by a concave tray ( FIGS. 1-4 ) is replaced by a set of horizontal dowels. The dowels are placed in a generally semicircular array. In this embodiment the spaces between the dowels provide a convenient pathway through which paper towel segments can move from the roll holder region  62  to the dispensing region  64 . In this embodiment, the sides  66  of the dispenser also keep a roll of paper towels in place while paper towel segments are dispensed by unreeling from the roll through a pair of parallel bales  67  and  68 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  shows another embodiment of the invention in which an arcuate roll holder region  70  comprises a curved sheet and can function together with a dispensing region  72  including an upper bale arm  74 . The curved sheet  70  is mounted upon a horizontal base member  76  to provide a weighted securement for the roll. 
         [0036]      FIG. 7  shows another embodiment similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 6  in which the wire keeper  80  is mounted at each end of the arcuate roll holder  70 . This structure, similar to  FIG. 6 , has a rear portion  70  that provides support to keep a paper towel roll in place and a front portion  78  against which paper towel segments can be dispensed. The front portion includes an upper bale  79  to facilitate tearing off segments of paper towels. 
         [0037]      FIG. 8  is an embodiment similar to the embodiment of  FIG. 7  in which a wire keeper  82  is provided at the ends of a holder region  84 . A dispensing region  86  is similar to that of  FIG. 6 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 9  shows still another form of the invention. In this embodiment an arcuate roll holder region  92  is fitted with solid side supports to maintain a roll of paper towels in position. The dispensing region  96  is similar to that of  FIGS. 6 and 8 . 
         [0039]    In  FIG. 10  an arcuate roll holder region  100  includes a curved sheet tray  102 . The tray includes perforations  104  and increases paper towel roll visibility. A hinge  106  is used to lift an upper bale  108  which assists in loading paper into the tear slot  112 . A keeper stanchion  114  is shown at each end of the tray which helps keep a paper towel roll in place in the roll holder region  100 . An arcuate concave hand relief area  116  is provided in the upper bale  108  to facilitate grasping of paper towel segments to be dispensed. 
         [0040]      FIG. 11  shows another alternative, solidly molded form of the invention. An arcuate roll holder region  120  is joined with a dispensing region  122  and these regions are components of a single molded whole  124 . The solid side supports  126  and the tear bale  128  are also integrated in this embodiment. The tear bale  128  may include an arcuate inner friction surface and a sharp outer edge  130  to facilitate the tearing action of dispensing a segment of paper towels. 
         [0041]      FIG. 12  illustrates still another embodiment. The surface of the roll holder region  130  is sloped forward. In this embodiment a roll of paper towels will, due to the force of gravity, roll forward and contact the dispensing slot  134 . The advantage of this embodiment is that the surface of a roll of paper towels will remain in contact with the dispensing slot  134  even when the roll is nearly empty. This gives the dispenser both a aesthetic appeal by keeping the roll from unraveling and keeps the roll at an optimum distance from the dispensing slot to facilitate tearing.  FIG. 12  also illustrates a hand hold  132  which can be used to lift and transport the device.  FIG. 13  illustrates the device in  FIG. 12  from a different perspective. 
         [0042]    The overall design of the embodiments hold a paper towel roll in a horizontal posture for one hand dispensing. The invention can be made from a variety of materials such as polyethylene. The main features include a tear bale and a tray or roll support. The tray can be made as a solid piece or with multiple parts. 
         [0043]    A frictional surface can be a variety of textures including, but not limited to raised bumps, a flat or arcuate surface operable to produce friction. The frictional surface can be a variety of materials including, but not limited to, plastic, silicone, rubber, metal, etc. The pattern and distribution can be a varied. The friction surface is located upon a bottom surface of the tear bale in advance of a sharp tear edge of the bale. 
         [0044]    The tear slot can have a variety of shapes, forms, positions, and dimensions. If the tear slot is designed such that it alone provides enough friction to facilitate a tear, a frictional surface may not be necessary. 
         [0045]    The foregoing preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention are not intended to be exhaustive but rather are illustrative of the invention and should not be construed to be limitations on the invention as defined in the following claims.