Dispensing system with catching arm for sheet material rolls
The invention relates to a roll of sheet material to be used in a dispenser having guides in opposing sides and at least one catching arm. The roll comprises a hollow core around which sheet material is wound, and a first and second end cap placed at each end of the core. The first end cap has a part of the end cap extending inside the core and a part that extends outwardly from an end surface. The outwardly extending part comprises a pin and at least a first annular part at least partly surrounding the pin. The invention further relates to a dispensing system for dispensing sheet material from a roll comprising an end cap at each end. The system comprises a dispenser and at least one roll of sheet material. The dispenser has opposing sides each having a guide that co-operate with the end caps.
The present invention relates to dispensing systems for sheet material on rolls and particularly to systems in which the rolls comprise a hollow core with an end cap in each end.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONDispensers for sheet material may e.g. be used for toilet paper or paper towels and will typically be placed at hospitals, hotels, public lavatories etc., but they may also be used in private homes. Such dispensers are often designed so that a proper functioning requires that the rolls of sheet material are inserted in the correct orientation. Dispensing systems are known in which the correct orientation is ensured by using rolls of sheet material with end caps at the ends, these end caps having different diameters corresponding to different widths of opposing guide tracks in the dispenser. Hereby it is impossible, or at least very difficult, to insert a roll with the wrong orientation. Dispensing systems are also known in which it is obtained that only rolls with a desired type of sheet material can be inserted. This is obtained by having corresponding designs of the end caps and the guide tracks of the dispensers. Such a system is e.g. known from EP 0 824 494.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing system in which it is easy to insert a roll of sheet material.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispensing system in which the roll of sheet material is held firmly in the axial direction without hindering the rotation when the roll is in a dispensing position, i.e. ready for use.
It is an object of possible embodiments of the present invention to provide a dispensing system in which a second roll of sheet material is held firmly in a position above and free of a first roll being in a dispensing position.
It is a further object of possible embodiments of the present invention to provide a dispensing system with which it is obtained that only rolls with a desired type of sheet material can be inserted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn a first aspect the present invention relates to a roll of sheet material to be used in a dispenser having guides in opposing sides and at least one catching arm, said roll comprising a hollow core around which sheet material is wound, said core having a first end and a second end, a first end cap placed at the first end of the core and having a part of the end cap extending inside the core, said part having an end surface at a distal end from the first end of the core, and a part of the end cap extending outwardly from the end surface, the outwardly extending part comprising a pin having at least a first diameter, a first annular part at least partly surrounding the pin and having an inner and an outer diameter different from the diameter of the pin, and a second end cap placed at the second end of the core with a part of the end cap extending inside the core, said part having an end surface at the end furthest away from the second end of the core, and a part of the end cap extending outwardly from the end surface. The term “outwardly” is used for the axial direction from the middle of the core and towards the end of the core. The pin may be made as a hollow part, if necessary closed with an end surface at the outwardly extending end, but it may also be solid.
In an embodiment of the invention, the pin may extend further away from the end surface of the first end cap than the first annular part.
The outwardly extending part of the first end cap may further comprise one or more additional annular part(s), at least partly surrounding the first annular part. When there is more than one annular part, they may extend to the same or to different distances from the end surface. The wall thicknesses of two or more annular parts may be the same or different.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, both the pin and the one or more annular part(s) have a constant cross section, but it is also possible within the scope of the invention to have varying cross section(s), such as conically shaped pin and/or annular part(s).
In the embodiments described above, the cross section of the pin and the annular part(s) is preferably circular. Hereby it is obtained that the roll can be inserted in the dispenser without taking the rotational orientation of the roll into account. However, other cross sectional shapes, such as e.g. rectangular, of the pin and/or annular part(s) are also possible within the scope of the invention. In such embodiments the roll may e.g. be held in a rotational further part when it is in the dispensing position.
The outwardly extending part of the second end cap may be different from the outwardly extending part of the first end cap. It may e.g. be a part with a cylindrical surface having another diameter than the pin of the first end cap. Hereby it is ensured that the two ends will match guides of different widths in opposing side walls of the dispenser, whereby the correct orientation of the roll is ensured.
The second end cap may be of the same type as the first end cap. In this case it should preferably still be ensured that the roll can only be inserted in the dispenser in the correct orientation. This may e.g. be obtained by having differences in the diameter of the pin(s) and/or the annular part(s) of the first and the second end caps.
Another aspect of the present invention relates to a dispensing system for dispensing sheet material from a roll, said system comprising a dispenser having a first and a second opposing sides each having a guide, and at least one catching arm, at least one roll of sheet material, said roll comprising a hollow core having a first and a second end, a first end cap placed at the first end and a second end cap placed at the second end, the first end cap having a part of the end cap extending inside the core, said part having an end surface at a distal end from the first end of the core, and a part of the end cap extending outwardly from the end surface, the outwardly extending part comprising a first annular part having an inner and an outer diameter, in which dispensing system the guides co-operate with the end caps, and the at least one catching arm has a catching part adapted to engage at least with the inner diameter of the first annular part of the first end cap.
In an embodiment of the invention, the dispenser may be adapted to receive one roll of sheet material, and the at least one catching arm may comprise a guide co-operating with the first end cap and a catching part adapted to engage at least with the inner diameter of the first annular part of the first end cap.
In another embodiment of the invention, the dispenser may be adapted to receive two or more rolls of sheet material, and the catching arm may be moveable between a first position in which the first end cap of an inserted roll can pass the catching part of the catching arm and a second position in which the catching part of the catching arm engages with the first end cap of an inserted roll. When the dispenser is used for two or more rolls, the catching arm may be used to hold the second and succeeding rolls at a distance from the first roll that ensures an unhindered rotation of the first roll.
The first end cap may comprise a pin at least partly surrounded by the by the first annular part, and the pin of a first inserted roll may move the catching arm from the first position to the second position.
The dispensing system may further comprise a side track placed in connection with and at an obtuse angle to the guide. The angle between the guide and the side track may e.g. be between 100 and 170°, such as between 120 and 150°. The catching part of the catching arm may be adapted to guide a roll comprising a first end cap having an outwardly extending part only comprising a pin in such a way that the pin is moved to the side track when the catching arm 16 is in the second position.
In an embodiment of the invention, the second guide may comprise a catching arm having a catching part adapted to receive the second end cap of a roll, when the roll is inserted in the dispenser. The design and working principle of the second guide and its co-operation with the second end cap may correspond to any of the possibilities described for the first guide and first end cap.
The guides may be generally vertically oriented. However, any other orientation or combination of orientations will be possible within the scope of the invention. It may e.g. be possible that the guides start at the front surface of the dispenser and bend towards a generally vertical orientation.
Another aspect of the invention relates to the use of a roll of sheet material as described above in a dispensing system for dispensing sheet material from a roll.
Another aspect of the invention relates to the use of a dispensing system as described above for dispensing sheet material from a roll.
In the following, the invention and in particular preferred embodiments thereof will be described in details with reference to the drawings in which:
FIG. 8.a in a cut-out sectional view shows a second roll inserted in a dispenser whereby a catching part of a catching arm engages with the end cap. FIG. 8.b is a frontal view of a section of the dispenser shown in FIG. 8.a as seen from “inside” of the dispenser. FIG. 8.c is a section along line A-A in FIG. 8.b. The figure only shows one guide and a section through a corresponding end cap engaging therewith; and
The widths of the guides 4 correspond to the diameter of the outwardly extending parts of the end caps 6,8 being inserted therein. The widths and diameters are typically not the same for the two sides 3a, whereby it can be ensured that the rolls 2 are inserted in the correct orientation in a dispenser 3.
The catching arm 16 will typically move from the first to the second position in a pivotal way. In the embodiment shown in
When an end cap 6 as shown in
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. It is e.g. possible to have a dispensing system only holding one roll of sheet material at a time. In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality.
Claims
1. A roll of sheet material (2) to be used in a dispenser (3) having guides (4) in opposing sides (3a) and at least one catching arm (16), said roll (2) comprising
- a hollow core (5) around which sheet material (20) is wound, said core (5) having a first end (7) and a second end (9),
- a first end cap (6) placed at the first end (7) of the core (5) and having a part of the end cap (6) extending inside the core (5), said part having an end surface (10) at a distal end from the first end (7) of the core (5), and a part of the end cap (6) extending outwardly from the end surface (10), the outwardly extending part comprising a pin (11) having at least a first diameter, a first annular part (12) at least partly surrounding the pin (11) and having an inner and an outer diameter different from the diameter of the pin (11), and
- a second end cap (8) placed at the second end (9) of the core (5) with a part of the end cap (8) extending inside the core (5), said part having an end surface (10a) at the end furthest away from the second end (9) of the core (5), and a part of the end cap (8) extending outwardly from the end surface (10a).
2. A roll (2) according to claim 1, wherein the pin (11) extends further away from the end surface (10) of the first end cap (6) than the first annular part (12).
3. A roll (2) according to claim 1, wherein the outwardly extending part of the first end cap (6) further comprises one or more additional annular part(s) (13), at least partly surrounding the first annular part (12).
4. A roll (2) according to claim 1, wherein the second end cap (8) is of the same type as the first end cap (6).
5. A dispensing system (1) for dispensing sheet material (20) from a roll (2), said system (1) comprising in which dispensing system (1) the guides (4) co-operate with the end caps (6,8), and the at least one catching arm (16) has a catching part (17) adapted to engage at least with the inner diameter of the first annular part (12) of the first end cap (6).
- a dispenser (3) having a first and a second opposing sides (3a) each having a guide (4), and at least one catching arm,
- at least one roll of sheet material (2), said roll (2) comprising a hollow core (5) having a first and a second end (7,9), a first end cap (6) placed at the first end (7) and a second end cap (8) placed at the second end (9), the first end cap (6) having a part of the end cap (6) extending inside the core (5), said part having an end surface (10) at a distal end from the first end (7) of the core (5), and a part of the end cap (6) extending outwardly from the end surface (10), the outwardly extending part comprising a first annular part (12) having an inner and an outer diameter,
6. A dispensing system (1) according to claim 5, wherein the dispenser (3) is adapted to receive one roll of sheet material (2), and wherein the at least one catching arm (16) comprises a guide (4) co-operating with the first end cap (6) and a catching part (17) adapted to engage at least with the inner diameter of the first annular part (12) of the first end cap (6).
7. A dispensing system (1) according to claim 5, wherein the dispenser (3) is adapted to receive two or more rolls of sheet material (2), and wherein the catching arm (16) is moveable between a first position in which the first end cap (6) of an inserted roll (2) can pass the catching part (17) of the catching arm (16) and a second position in which the catching part (17) of the catching arm (16) engages with the first end cap (6) of an inserted roll (2).
8. A dispensing system (1) according to claim 7, wherein the first end cap comprises a pin at least partly surrounded by the by the first annular part, and where in the pin (11) of a first inserted roll (2) moves the catching arm (16) from the first position to the second position.
9. A dispensing system (1) according to claim 7, wherein the dispenser (3) further comprises a side track (18) placed in connection with and at an obtuse angle β to the guide (4).
10. A dispensing system (1) according to claim 9, wherein the catching part (17) of the catching arm (16) is adapted to guide a roll (2) comprising a first end cap (6) having an outwardly extending part only comprising a pin (11) in such a way that the pin (11) is moved to the side track (18) when the catching arm (16) is in the second position.
11. A dispensing system (1) according to claims 5, wherein the dispenser (3) comprises a second catching arm (16) having a catching part (17) adapted to receive the second end cap (8) of a roll (2), when the roll (2) is inserted in the dispenser (3).
12. A dispensing system (1) according to any of claims 5, wherein the guides (4) are generally vertically oriented.
13. A method of using a roll of sheet material (2) according to claim 1 in a dispensing system (1) for dispensing sheet material (20) from a roll (2).
14. A method of using a dispensing system (1) according to claim 5 for dispensing sheet material (20) from a roll (2).
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 12, 2006
Publication Date: Mar 13, 2008
Inventor: Kim Achton (Copenhagen)
Application Number: 11/520,856
International Classification: B65H 19/00 (20060101);