Abstract: An improved electronic price display system has rails into which are installed price display labels. Ridges along the top and bottom of the rails are shaped to receive a label readily. A removal tool may be engaged to release the pawls of the label to extract the label. Ridges at the rear of the rails, together with a resilient insert, permit quick mounting to a shelf with a minimal number of fasteners. A hemicylindrical feature at the back of the rails permits generous area of contact with a mounting screw having a hemispherical head. Opposed groove features permit the concealment of the screw heads and provide a visual design element.Angled ridges on the rear face of the label engage with knurls on the rails providing contact wiping, enhancing electrical integrity of the label-to-rail connection, and also fix the label in place.A feature along an edge of the rail provides a cylindrical concavity.

Abstract: A stop mechanism for a feed roller associated with a cutter in a dispenser for flexible rolled web material has a stop lever which provides a substantial mechanical advantage. The increased mechanical advantage permits the vacuum cups of a vacuum cup timer to be effortlessly and reliably set. The stop lever has a long actuating arm which pivots about a pivot point. The long actuating arm creates a substantial mechanical advantage for setting the vacuum cups in vacuum-gripping engagement. The mechanism advantage greatly enhances the low pull force requirement and smooth operation of the dispenser.

Abstract: A feed mechanism for feeding a web of rolled flexible sheet material, such as soft paper towels, out of a dispenser. The mechanism includes a feed roller within the dispenser and a web cutting blade in the feed roller and projectable and retractable therewith as the feed roller rotates. A contoured cam is attached to an end of the feed roller, and a spring-loaded cam follower presses against the contoured cam. The cam follower, through the cam, controllably assists in the rotation of the feed roller during the feed roller cycle when the blade cuts the web and thereafter to feed a free end of the material to an accessible position outside of the dispenser. The needed maximum pull forces by the user on the material to cut and withdraw the material from the dispenser are thereby significantly minimized, and the likelihood of the soft towel material tearing off in the user's wet hands is accordingly reduced.

Abstract: A cylinder including an opening and inlet and outlet ports. A biasing member, within the cylinder, includes a first end fixed relative to the cylinder and a second end closer to the opening. A rotatable slidable member includes an angled first surface on which the biasing member second end is disposed, an opposite second surface closer to the opening and a variable width surface for closing the inlet port. A piston has arotatable rod and a flange surface which faces the second surface of the slidable member. On the piston rod is at least one hinging member. A protrusion fixed relative to the cylinder pushes the hinging member when the piston is moved so that this hinging member can close the outlet port. A plurality of these hinging members define an umbrella-shaped seal for losing the port at various rotational positions of the rod. An O-ring seal is disposed between both the piston flange surface and the slidable member second surface.

Abstract: A dispenser and dispensing method for flexible web material that is wound into a roll on a readily deformable hollow core has a housing carrying opposed parallel guide tracks to guidingly receive roll core supports projecting from the roll ends and a spring biased lever pivoted on such housing, the lever applying an axial force to the hollow core at one roll end and being maintained in a roll retaining condition by the presence, in a roll dispensing position, of a hollow roll core that is held against downward displacement from such position. An axial force is applied against the other end of the hollow core.

Abstract: A dispenser for multiple rolls of web material such as paper toweling that is provided with dispensing mechanism to lead a web of material out of the dispenser to the user has supports for rotatably supporting rolls in primary and reserve positions, respectively, with transfer mechanism interactive with such roll supports and the dispensing mechanism to automatically transfer web feed from one roll to the other under predetermined sensed conditions.

Abstract: Mechanism for cutting a web of rolled flexible sheet material in a dispenser having a feed roller and pinch roller between which the web passes is provided with a knife mounted in the feed roller to be projected outwardly beyond the periphery of the feed roller during a web severing cycle wherein engagement of the pinch roller with the web immediately before the knife penetrates it acts to maintain tension in the web ahead of the knife and a high friction surface portion of the feed roller periphery which is in contact with the roll of material maintains tension in the web behind the knife as the web severing cycle proceeds while peripheral protrusions on the feed roller momentarily bump the roll out of contact with the feed roller during feed roller rotation to permit periphery which is in contact with the roll of material maintains tension in the web behind the knife as the web severing cycle proceeds while peripheral protrusions on the feed roller momentarily bump the roll out of contact with the feed roll

Abstract: A dispenser for rolled flexible sheet material, wherein several plies of material fed from multiple source rolls are jointly cut while passing over a feed roller associated with a cutter, has a retarding force applied to the exterior of one source roll at a point remote from the point where such roll rests on the feed roller of the dispenser such that the interengagement between the web plies is enhanced to enable their being jointly cut by the cutter without undue slippage between the web plies.

Abstract: A mechanism for cutting a web of flexible sheet material which is adapted to be used in a dispenser having a feed roller and a pinch roller between which rollers the web passes. A knife is pivotally mounted in the feed roller to swing about an axis laterally displaced from the plane of a radially outward portion of the knife defining a cutting edge which edge is projected outwardly beyond the periphery of the feed roller to cut the web as it passes over the feed roller and cam followers ar carried by the ends of the knife extending beyond the ends of the feed roller with the followers displaced from the pivot mounting axis of the knife. Stationary cams are mounted adjacent the ends of the feed roller with which the cam followers on the knife engage to positively project the knife cutting edge beyond the feed roller periphery and retract the cutting edge upon rotation of the feed roller.

Abstract: An evaporative dispenser is disclosed for emitting a vaporized material into the ambient. A battery powered, motor-driven fan forces air through the dispenser housing and across a material reservoir to evaporate and entrain material therein prior to being discharged from the housing. A supply container is supported directly on a reservoir lid and comprises structure which cooperates with the housing to direct the air flow across the reservoir. The supply container also comprises a battery nesting recess which affords compact packaging of the components within the housing. A transparent viewing window is provided for easy viewing of the level of material in the reservoir.

Abstract: A dispenser to accommodate source and reserve rolls of flexible sheet material has a housing provided with inwardly facing tracks on the opposite inner side walls thereof and guide means associated with each track adjacent the lower end thereof to drivingly assist the source roll dispensing action with a reserve roll segregating device cooperating between the guide means and the reserve roll to both hold the reserve roll away from the dispensing position of the source roll and urge the guide means to brake against over-spin of the source roll incident withdrawal of sheet material therefrom.

Abstract: A dispenser for flexible sheet material having a reserve roll that automatically moves in the dispensing position when the dispensing roll is almost exhausted. The sides of reserve roll guide tracks are angled inwardly to engage the reserve roll spool at an off center point, so the spool is pushed downwardly into contact with a driving roller during rotation. The leading edge of the reserve roll towel engages the remaining portion of the almost exhausted dispensing roll and is moved therewith to be threaded through the dispensing mechanism. The perforating mechanism is assisted through the perforating stroke by a spring mechanism. The sensing roll is halted by a roll stop mechanism including a pivoted stop link and an anti-reverse pawl.

Abstract: A dispenser for wound rolls of flexible sheet material, such as, paper towels, toilet tissue or the like has inwardly facing tracks on the opposite inner side walls of the dispenser housing to receive therein outwardly projecting spindles carried by wound rolls to be dispensed for the rolls to move in succession downwardly relative to the tracks with a section of the lower end of each track slanting away from a feed roller mounted adjacent the lower end of the dispenser housing and each track having at such lower end section a pivotally mounted roll rotation driving guide biased toward the track center to form the lower side of each track section slanting away from the feed roller.

Abstract: An evaporative dispenser is disclosed for emitting a vaporized material into the ambient. A battery powered, motor driven fan forces air through the dispenser housing and across a material reservoir to evaporate and entrain material therein prior to being discharged from the housing. A supply container is supported directly on a reservoir lid and comprises structure which cooperates with the housing to direct the air flow across the reservoir. The supply container also comprises a battery nesting recess which affords compact packaging of the components within the housing. A transparent viewing window is provided for easy viewing of the level of material in the reservoir.

Abstract: A dispenser guides a web from a roll of sheet material over a feed roller to a position to be grasped by the user while roller mounted knife means cuts the web into individual sheets and a manually engagable handwheel, rotatable with the feed roller, provides peripherally spaced finger notches to facilitate manual forward rotation of the roller in dispensing the material. The notches are formed differently in separate circumferential portions of the handwheel such that pawl means, successively engaging the notches incident handwheel rotation, prevents reverse rotation of the feed roller throughout a first portion of each feed roller revolution and biasing means acts to cause reverse rotation throughout a second portion of the feed roller revolution to assure return of the knife means to a safe inaccessible location within the dispenser when the handwheel is released.

Abstract: A roll holder is disclosed having a pair of spaced roll supporting means, wherein one of the supporting means comprises a movable arm pivotable about an oblique axis between a roll supporting position and a roll loading position.

Abstract: A dispenser for flexible sheet material having a reserve roll that automatically moves into the dispensing position when the dispensing roll is almost exhausted. The sides of the reserve roll guide tracks are angled inwardly to engage the reserve roll spool at an off center point, so the spool is pushed downwardly into contact with a driving roller during rotation. The leading edge of the reserve roll towel engages the remaining portion of the almost exhausted dispensing roll and is moved therewith to be threaded through the dispensing mechanism. The perforating mechanism is assisted through the perforating stroke by a spring mechanism. The sensing roll is halted by a roll stop mechanism including a pivoted stop link and an anti-reverse pawl.