Abstract:
A dispenser for dispensing roll stock material comprises a pair of rollers for receiving the roll stock material, the pair of rollers being axially offset. A base supports the pair of rollers and a wheel assembly is coupled to the base. The wheel assembly enables movement of the dispenser and rotation of the pair of rollers causes the roll stock material to be unrolled. The rollers are driven by a drive mechanism to deliver a free end of material to a workstation for processing.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for dispensing roll stock material, and in particular to an apparatus for transporting and dispensing roll stock material.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Many different industries use sheet material, such as aluminum, steel or plastics including acrylic and polycarbonate, to produce end products. Operations such as stamping, routing and forming are employed to process the sheet material into the desired end product. The industrial sign production industry uses high volumes of sheet material to produce large scale signs and letters. Sheet material is available from suppliers in two forms: roll stock and pre-cut sheets. Roll stock is considerably less expensive than pre-cut sheets, however, additional labour is required at the manufacturing facility to cut the roll stock into individual sheets prior to processing.  
           [0003]    Currently, multiple rolls of roll stock material are stored at the manufacturing facility on a series of racks. A forklift is required at the time of delivery to lift each roll onto the rack. Once the roll stock is on the rack, the material is dispensed by manually unrolling a desired amount and cutting it from the roll. The cut sheet is then carried to a workstation where it will be formed, routed or stamped, for example. The dispensing and moving process is labour intensive and typically requires the assistance of three or four workers. In addition, material is wasted because excess material from a cut sheet cannot be re-attached to the roll for later use.  
           [0004]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for dispensing roll stock material, which obviates or mitigates at least one of the above disadvantages.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    According to one aspect of the present invention there is a dispenser for dispensing roll stock material, the dispenser comprising:  
           [0006]    a pair of rollers for receiving the roll stock material, the pair of rollers being axially offset from one another;  
           [0007]    a base for supporting the pair of rollers;  
           [0008]    a wheel assembly coupled to the base, the wheel assembly for enabling movement of the dispenser; and  
           [0009]    wherein rotation of the pair of rollers causes the roll stock material to be unrolled.  
           [0010]    According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for dispensing roll stock material, the method comprising:  
           [0011]    placing the roll stock material on a pair of rollers, the pair of rollers being offset from one another and supported by a base; and rotating the pair of rollers in a first direction to unroll the roll stock material and advance a free end of the roll stock material toward a working surface of a workstation.  
           [0012]    The present invention provides advantages in that the time and effort required to unload a roll of material and move the material to a workstation for processing is reduced. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    An embodiment of the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is an isometric side view of a roll stock dispenser in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a top view of the dispenser of FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a roller assembly of FIG. 2;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 4 is an enlarged view on A of portions of FIG. 3;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 5 is a view on  5 - 5  of FIG. 2;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 6 is a view on  6 - 6  of FIG. 2 including a roll of material;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of a roll stock dispenser; and  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 8 is an isometric side view of a third embodiment of a roll stock dispenser.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]    Referring now to FIG. 1, a dispenser for dispensing roll stock material is generally indicated at  10 . The dispenser  10  includes a wheel assembly  12  that supports a base  14 . The base  14  includes an outer frame  16  and first and second cross-members  18 ,  20  that divide the outer frame  16 . The cross-members  18 ,  20  are welded to the outer frame  16 . The base  14  and cross-members  18 ,  20  are generally U-shaped channels comprised of steel.  
         [0023]    The wheel assembly  12  includes four castors  22  that are secured to the outer frame  16  of the base  14 . Each castor  22  is welded to the underside of the outer frame  16  generally at a corner thereof. The castors  22  alternatively could be coupled to the outer frame  16  using suitable fasteners.  
         [0024]    A support roller  28  is located at a forward end of the dispenser  10 . Arms  24 ,  26  extend upwardly from the base  14  at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. The arms  24 ,  26  are generally U-shaped channels that are welded to the base  14 . The support roller  28  is mounted on bearings  30 ,  32  and extends between the arms  24 ,  26 . The bearings  30 ,  32  allow for free rotation of the support roller  28 . The support roller  28  is generally comprised of steel having a bonded sheet rubber coating. The support roller  28  supports a free end  132 , shown in FIG. 6, of the roll of material  130 . Preferably, the arms  24 ,  26  are of a length that allows the support roller  28  to be positioned approximately at the height of a working surface of a workstation such as router machine, for example.  
         [0025]    First and second roller assemblies  34  and  36  are mounted on the base  14  to receive the roll of material  130 . The roller assemblies  34 ,  36  are axially offset from one another and extend across the outer frame  16  generally perpendicular to the cross-members  18 ,  20 . The distance between the roller assemblies  34 ,  36  is determined by the size of roll stock that the dispenser  10  is intended to dispense. A drive mechanism for driving the roller assemblies  34 ,  36  is generally indicated at  38 . The drive mechanism  38  is powered by a power source (not shown) via a power cord  40 .  
         [0026]    A hand-held control device  42  controls the drive mechanism  38 . The hand-held control device  42  is connected to the drive mechanism  38  through a cord  44 . Buttons  46  and  48  are provided on the hand-held control device  42 . Button  46  corresponds to a “start” control and button  48  corresponds to a “stop” control. A switch (not shown) is provided to select the direction of rotation of the roller assemblies  34 ,  36 . Additional buttons may be included to control the speed of the roller assemblies  34 ,  36 , for example.  
         [0027]    Referring to FIGS.  2  to  6 , the roller assemblies  34 ,  36  and drive mechanism  38  will now be described.  
         [0028]    The first roller assembly  34  comprises a first roller  50  having a first shaft  52 , as shown in FIG. 3. The first shaft  52  extends through a first roller body  54  and includes a mating end  56  and an opposing end  58 . A second roller  60  includes a second shaft  62  that extends through a second roller body  64 . The second roller  60  similarly includes a mating end  66  and an opposing end  68 . The first and second rollers  50 ,  60  are arranged in series with mating ends  56  and  66  in abutment with one another. The rollers  50  and  60  are steel, which is coated with urethane to minimize slipping of the material relative to the roller assemblies  34 ,  36 .  
         [0029]    Bearings  70  and  72  support the first shaft  52  of first roller  50  at mating and opposing ends  56  and  58  thereof. The bearings  70  and  72  are received in bearing mounts  74  and  76 . Bearing mount  76  is secured to the outer frame  16  by fasteners  78 . Bearing mount  74  is secured to the first cross-member  18  by fasteners  80 . Similarly, bearings  82  and  84  support the second shaft  62  of second roller  60  at mating and opposing ends  66 ,  68  thereof. The bearings  82  and  84  are received in bearing mounts  86  and  88 , which are secured to the second cross-member  20  and outer frame  16 , respectively, by fasteners  90  and  92 .  
         [0030]    The first and second shafts  52  and  62  are connected to one another by a coupling  94 . As shown in FIG. 4, the coupling  94  includes a key  96  that fits into slots  98  and  100  that are formed in mating ends  56  and  66  of the first and second shafts  52  and  62 , respectively. The coupling  94  ensures that rotational motion is transferred to the first and second shafts simultaneously.  
         [0031]    The second roller assembly  36  is generally identical to the first roller assembly  34  and therefore will not be described. The first and second roller assemblies  34  and  36  are driven by the driving mechanism  38 . Referring back to FIG. 2, the driving mechanism includes a motor  102  that is supported by a mounting plate  104 . The mounting plate  104  is secured to the underside of the base  14  and extends between the first and second cross-members  18 ,  20 . The mounting plate  104  is secured by fasteners (not shown). The mounting plate  104  may alternatively be welded to the base  14 . A double sprocket  106  having a first sprocket element  112  and a second sprocket element  116  is coupled to a rotating motor output shaft  108 . A first belt  110  is coupled to the first sprocket element  112  of the double sprocket  106 . A second belt  114  is coupled to the second sprocket element  116  of the double sprocket  106 . The belts  110 ,  114  are preferably chain belts, however, any belt for driving the sprocket elements  112 ,  116  without slipping may be used.  
         [0032]    The first and second roller assemblies  34 ,  36  are each provided with a single sprocket  118 ,  118 ′ that surrounds the coupling  94 ,  94 ′. The first belt  110  extends between the single sprocket  118  of the first roller assembly  34  and the first sprocket element  112 . The second belt  114  extends between the single sprocket  118 ′ of the second roller assembly  36  and the second sprocket element  116 . The drive mechanism  38  further includes a connecting lead  120  that is coupled to a pull box  122  for communicating with the power supply through cord  40 .  
         [0033]    Referring to FIG. 6, the roll of material  130  is shown positioned on the roller assemblies  34  and  36  with the free end  132  resting on the support roller  28 . Examples of types of roll stock material that the dispenser  10  could dispense include plastics, such as acrylics or polycarbonates, metal alloys, aluminum, and paper. Roll stock generally includes any type of material in sheet form that is wound onto a spool and stored in roll form. The roller assemblies  34 ,  36  are drivable in a direction to unroll the material and feed the free end  132  toward a workstation (not shown). Alternatively, the roller assemblies  34 ,  36  are drivable in an opposing direction to reroll the roll stock material.  
         [0034]    In operation, the dispenser  10  is moved by an operator on castors  22  to a roll stock delivery location to receive a new roll of material  130 . The dispenser  10  may be pushed using the support roller  28  as a handle. The roll of material  130  is loaded onto the dispenser  10  using a forklift or another suitable device. The roll of material is then positioned to rest along the first and second roller assemblies  34 ,  36 , as shown in FIG. 6. Once the roll of material  130  is properly positioned, the dispenser  10  is moved on castors  22  to a workstation. The dispenser  10  is oriented so that the support roller  28  is adjacent the workstation in order to deliver the free end  132  of the roll stock material to the working surface thereof.  
         [0035]    Once the dispenser  10  is in place, the motor  120  is actuated by the operator using the hand held control device  42 . The roller assemblies  34 ,  36  rotate in a direction to deliver the material to the workstation. The motor  120  is stopped by the operator when a sufficient amount of material is located on the working surface of the workstation. The material is then processed in a desired manner. Following processing, the processed portion of the material is severed from the roll of material  130 . The free end  132  may then be retracted by actuating the motor  120  to rotate the roller assemblies  34 ,  36  in a direction to re-roll the roll of material  130 . Alternatively, the free end  132  may be delivered, as has been previously described, to the working surface to process another portion of the material.  
         [0036]    A second embodiment of a dispenser  140  is shown in FIG. 7, in which like numerals represent like parts. In this embodiment, a hand-held control device  142  remotely controls the drive mechanism  38 . The hand-held control device  142  includes a plurality of buttons  144 , which provide the operator with various control options including “start” and “stop”. Preferably, the hand-held control  142  is a Protean radio control device manufactured by Insul-8 Corporation, however, any suitable remote control device may be used.  
         [0037]    A third embodiment of a dispenser  150  is shown in FIG. 8. The dispenser  150  includes a first dispenser  152  stacked upon a second dispenser  154 . The first dispenser  152  is supported by struts  156  at four corners thereof. The struts  156  have a generally square cross-section. The principles of construction of the first and second dispensers  152  and  154  individually have been described herein in relation to the dispenser  10 . As shown, the sizes of the components of the dispenser  10  may be altered to suit each particular application.  
         [0038]    It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the roller assemblies  34 ,  36  may each be comprised of a single roller and the driving mechanism  38  may be coupled to an end of each of the rollers. It will further be appreciated that the support roller is optional and therefore could be omitted without affecting the operation of the dispenser  10 .  
         [0039]    In a further alternative embodiment, the wheel assembly  12  of the dispenser  10  may be driven by a motor. This would further reduce the amount of labour required because manual re-location of the dispenser  10  would no longer be necessary.  
         [0040]    Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those of skill in the art will appreciate that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.