Patent Publication Number: US-7219852-B2

Title: Dispenser for multiple rolls of sheet material

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   Dispensers for bath tissue used in institutional and public restrooms are often configured to provide a “jumbo” roll of sheet material or bath tissue therein. For increased capacity and to extend the time between restocking, some of these dispensers are configured to accommodate a second, or backup, jumbo roll, which is disposed alongside the primary jumbo roll. It would be advantageous to have a dispenser that would accommodate a backup jumbo roll, yet restrict a user from dispensing sheet material from the backup roll prior to substantial depletion of the primary roll. 
   DEFINITIONS 
   As used herein, the term “exit port” or “dispensing opening” is the opening in a housing of a dispenser for the passage of sheet material out of the dispenser. 
   As used herein, the term “fasteners” means devices that fasten, join, connect, secure, hold, or clamp components together. Fasteners include, but are not limited to, screws, nuts and bolts, rivets, tape, snap-fits, tacks, nails, loop fasteners, and interlocking male/female connectors, such as fishhook connectors. A fish hook connector includes a male portion with a protrusion on its circumference. Inserting the male portion into the female portion substantially permanently locks the two portions together. 
   As used herein, the term “hinge” refers to a jointed or flexible device that connects and permits pivoting or turning of a part to a stationary component. Hinges include, but are not limited to, metal pivotable connectors, such as those used to fasten a door to frame, spring-loaded hinges, living hinges, and so forth. Living hinges may be constructed from plastic and other materials and formed integrally between two members. A living hinge permits movement, such as, but not by way of limitation, pivotable movement, of one member in relation to another connected member. 
   As used herein, the term “sheet material” means a material that is thin in comparison to its length and breadth. Generally speaking, sheet materials should exhibit a relatively flat planar configuration and be flexible to permit folding, rolling, stacking, and the like. Exemplary sheet materials include, but are not limited to, paper tissue, bath/toilet tissue, paper towels, wipes, label rolls, or other fibrous, film, or filamentary products. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   In one embodiment, a dispenser for storing and dispensing rolled sheet material includes a housing configured to rotationally support a primary roll of sheet material and a backup roll of sheet material inside the housing. The housing also includes an exit port. The dispenser further includes a dispensing control member moveably positioned substantially within and partially blocking the exit port. The dispensing control member is configured to substantially restrict rotation of the backup roll of sheet material prior to substantial depletion of the primary roll of sheet material. In another embodiment, the dispensing control member includes at least one projection positioned on an inside surface of the dispensing control member. The projection substantially restricts rotation of the backup roll of sheet material. 
   In a further embodiment, a dispenser for storing and dispensing rolled sheet material includes a housing having an interior and configured to rotationally support a primary roll of sheet material and a backup roll of sheet material therein. The housing is formed to include an exit port positioned to allow insertion of the primary roll of sheet material and the backup roll of sheet material into the housing interior. The dispenser further includes a dispensing control member moveably positioned substantially within and partially blocking the exit port. The dispensing control member includes a divider extending into the housing interior between the primary roll of sheet material and the backup roll of sheet material to a distance sufficient to substantially restrict movement of the dispensing control member prior to substantial depletion of the primary roll of sheet material. The dispensing control member further includes a plurality of ribs positioned on an inside surface of the dispensing control member. The ribs are positioned to substantially restrict rotation of the backup roll of sheet material prior to substantial depletion of the primary roll of sheet material. 
   In an even further embodiment, a dispenser for storing and dispensing rolled sheet material includes a housing configured to rotationally support a primary roll of sheet material and a backup roll of sheet material therein. The dispenser further includes a means for substantially restricting rotation of the backup roll of sheet material prior to substantial depletion of the primary roll of sheet material. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a dispenser; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional end view of the dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional front view of the dispenser of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of an embodiment of a dispensing control member; and 
       FIGS. 5–7  are schematic operational front views of an embodiment of a dispenser. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are set forth below and illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention and is not meant as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated and described as part of one embodiment or figure can be used on another embodiment or figure to yield yet another embodiment. It is intended that the present invention include such modifications and variations. 
   As illustrated in  FIGS. 1–3 , the dispenser  10  includes a housing  12  having an exterior surface  14  and an interior surface  16 . The housing  12  defines an internal compartment  18  within which the housing is capable of rotationally supporting a first, or primary, roll of paper  20  and a second, or backup roll of paper  22 . The housing  12  further defines a dispensing opening or exit port  24  which provides a user access to the sheet material on the paper rolls. Desirably, the exit port  24  is substantially rectangular in shape, and permits loading of the paper rolls through the exit port. In the present embodiment, but not by way of limitation, the exit port  24  is provided in a lower portion  26  of the housing  12 . Desirably, a perimeter  28  of the exit port  24  includes at least one serrated portion  29  to permit sections of sheet material to be severed and removed from one or more rolls of sheet material disposed in the internal compartment  18  of the housing  12 . 
   The housing  12  generally includes a top wall  31  contiguous with a back wall  30 , an opposing front wall  32 , and a pair of spaced-apart opposing side walls  34 . The back wall  30  is configured to be mounted on a surface or wall, such as, by way of non-limiting example, the wall of a toilet stall (not shown). The back wall  30  defines a plurality of openings  36  to permit such mounting via fasteners, brackets, hinges, adhesives, and so forth. 
   The front wall  32  defines a window opening  38  provided therein. A window plate  40  is mounted on an inner surface  42  of the front wall  32  over the window opening  38 . The window plate  40  may be, for example, but not by way of limitation, clear, transparent, tinted, and so forth, to provide a view of the size and amount of the remaining rolls of sheet material in the dispenser  10  to a user or a maintenance technician. It will be appreciated, however, that any portion(s) of the housing  12  may be clear, transparent, tinted, opaque, and so forth. 
   It will be appreciated that in the present embodiment, the configuration of the housing  12  is not intended as a limitation; other configurations may be used to accommodate aesthetic and/or functional considerations. 
   As described above, the dispenser  10  and housing  12  are desirably configured to hold at least two rolls of sheet material, for example, the primary roll of sheet material  20  and the backup roll of sheet material  22 . Such sheet material is often flexible, such as toilet or bath tissue and so forth. Each roll  20 ,  22  may be wound throughout its diameter about a longitudinal open core or may be coreless, and each roll forms, generally, a cylinder having opposing flat ends  48  and an outer circumferential surface  50 . The sheet material forming the rolls  20 ,  22  is desirably non-perforated sheet material, although sheet material perforated into sheet sections of predetermined length may also be used. 
   A first pair of mandrels/hubs  44  and a second pair of mandrels/hubs  46  are mounted on the housing  12 , each pair including a mandrel/hub on the front wall  32  and the back wall  30 . The first pair of hubs  44  holds the primary roll of sheet material  20  and the second pair of hubs  46  holds the backup roll of sheet material  22 . The rolls  20 ,  22  are positioned on the hubs  44 ,  46  such that the center  52  of each roll  20 ,  22  is mounted on a hub  44 ,  46  and each roll  20 ,  22  is mounted with its outer circumferential surface  50  adjacent the other. One flat end  48  of each roll  20 ,  22  is positioned adjacent the back wall  30  while the opposite flat end  48  of each roll  20 ,  22  is positioned adjacent the front wall  32 . The pairs of mandrels/hubs  44 ,  46  are configured to rotationally support the rolls of sheet material  20 ,  22 . The mandrels/hubs  44 ,  46  may be fixed or may rotate along with the rolls of sheet material  20 ,  22 . Support arms  54 , desirably cantilevered support arms, may be attached to the interior surface  16  of the housing  12  to provide further support to the rolls of sheet material  20 ,  22 . In one embodiment, the mandrels/hubs  44 ,  46  may be cantilevered on an end of the support arm  54 . The support arms  54  are configured to apply pressure against and support the flat ends  48  of the rolls of sheet material  20 ,  22 . 
   Desirably, the dispenser  10  of the present embodiment is generally designed to hold a pair of large, or jumbo, rolls. A jumbo roll is generally, but not by way of limitation, considered to have a diameter greater than about 8 inches. It will be appreciated that the dispenser  10  and the housing  12  may be sized to include additional hubs to hold additional rolls of larger or smaller roll sizes as well as combinations of roll sizes. 
   Referring now to  FIGS. 1–4 , the dispenser  10  further includes a dispensing control member  60 . The dispensing control member  60  is moveably attached to the housing  12 . The dispensing control member  60  is desirably positioned within or near the exit port  24 , and partially blocks the exit port. Desirably, the dispensing control member  60  includes at least one serrated portion  29  to permit sections of sheet material to be severed and removed from one or more rolls of sheet material disposed in the internal compartment  18  of the housing  12 . The dispensing control member  60  is capable of moving in a primary direction of travel between a first end  62  of the exit port  24  (at which position the dispensing control member leaves exposed the second (or backup) roll of sheet material  22 ) to a second end  64  of the exit port (at which position the dispensing control member leaves exposed the first (or primary) roll of sheet material  20 ). In one embodiment, the dispensing control member  60  is partially supported upon the housing  12  by tabs  66  on an outside surface  68  of the dispensing control member. As one example, the tabs  66  may be arranged adjacent first and second sides  69 ,  70  of a lip  72  formed in the perimeter  28  of the exit port  24 . As another example, the tabs  66  may slidingly rest on a ridge  74  formed on the interior surface  16  on or near the lower portion  26  of the housing  12 . To slidingly restrain the dispensing control member  60 , a projection  76  on the dispensing control member may be slidingly restrained within a slot  78  in the housing  12  by a fastener (not shown). The slot  78  may include one or more slight restrictions (not shown) to partially restrict movement of the retaining fastener within the slot. Additional force is required to move the fastener past the restriction. For example, restrictions in the slot  78  near the ends of the slot may be used to in effect lock the dispensing control member  60  into position at either end of the exit port  24 . 
   The dispensing control member  60  is desirably configured to substantially restrict rotation of the backup roll of sheet material  22  prior to substantial depletion of the primary roll of sheet material  20  when the dispensing control member  60  is positioned towards the second end  64  of the exit port  24 . As such, the dispensing control member  60  desirably includes a means for substantially restricting rotation of the backup roll  22  prior to substantial depletion of the primary roll  20 . In one embodiment, the dispensing control member  60  includes at least one projection  80  positioned on an inside surface  82  of the dispensing control member. In another embodiment, the inside surface  82  may contact the backup roll  22  when the dispensing control member  60  is positioned towards the second end  64  of the exit port  24  and thus substantially restrict rotation of the backup roll. In a further embodiment, the inside surface  82  may be roughened to increase friction against the outer circumferential surface  50  of the backup roll  22  to substantially restrict rotation of the backup roll. By “substantially restrict rotation”, it is meant that the backup roll  22  will be restrained such that force applied to the tail of sheet material extending from the backup roll will cause the sheet material to break rather than causing the roll to rotate and dispense additional sheet material. In other embodiments, the dispensing control member may more fully restrict or prevent rotation of the backup roll  22 . 
   Desirably, the projection  80  includes a triangular rib  84 . More desirably, an edge  86  of the triangular rib  84  may be attached to the inside surface  82  of the dispensing control member  60  wherein the attached edge  86  is oriented parallel to the primary direction of travel of the dispensing control member. Even more desirably, the attached edge  86  is shorter than a first unattached edge  88  and a second unattached edge  90  of the triangular rib  84  extending from the inside surface  82  of the dispensing control member  60 . 
   Desirably, the dispensing control member  60  will include a plurality of projections  80  positioned on the inside surface  82  of the dispensing control member  60 . More desirably, the plurality of projections  80  are arranged in rows  92  with each row having at least two projections. In some embodiments, the rows  92  may have two, three, four, or more projections. When there is more than one row  92 , the rows may have equal or unequal numbers of projections  80 . The rows  92  are desirably positioned substantially perpendicular to the primary direction of travel of the dispensing control member  60 , but may be positioned at other angles with respect to the primary direction of travel of the dispensing control member. 
   In one embodiment, the dispensing control member  60  further includes a divider  94  extending into the interior compartment  18  of the housing  12  between the primary roll of sheet material and the backup roll of sheet material. The divider  94  desirably extends to a distance sufficient to substantially restrict movement of the dispensing control member  60  in a primary direction of travel prior to substantial depletion of the primary roll of sheet material  20 . Therefore, the movement of the dispensing control member  60  is restricted according to the size of the primary roll of sheet material  20  as shown in  FIGS. 5–7 . When the primary roll of sheet material  20  is at its largest size as shown in  FIG. 5 , the divider  94  allows relatively little movement of the dispensing control member  60  from its position below the backup roll of sheet material  22 . As sheet material from the primary roll  20  is dispensed and the primary roll becomes smaller, the dispensing control member  60  becomes capable of moving farther from its initial position below the backup roll  22  as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 . However, the means for substantially restricting rotation of the backup roll  22  continues to substantially restrict the rotation of the backup roll until the sheet material on the primary roll  20  is substantially depleted. 
   In a method of use, rolls of sheet material may be loaded into the dispenser embodiments described above. The method includes disposing a primary roll of sheet material and a backup roll of sheet material within the housing and moving or sliding the dispensing control member to a position wherein rotation of the backup roll of sheet material is at least substantially restricted. 
   While the present invention has been described in connection with certain preferred  embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.