RollaRod

Abstract

The RolaRod invention is a device that helps restrain the inner spool that contains wrap products such as aluminum foil, wax paper, parchment paper and plastic wrap, by keeping it securely inside the container box when in use. Often when taking the product off of the inner spool, the spool containing the product will lift out of the container causing uneven and messy extraction. The RollaRod device fits onto the original wrap container box. The wrap container is usually an elongated rectangular, four-sided, cardboard box with small push-in, end tabs designed into the container ends. These end tabs depress inward to the inside of the hollow spool in an effort to help keep the spool securely inside the container. But, after repeated use, the cardboard end tabs may become weak and allow the inner spool to excessively move around when extracting the wrap product. To prevent excessive movement of the inner spool, the RollaRod is a dowel that is inserted into one of the push in tabs and extends to the other end of the box through the middle of the hollow spool, where a screw-in end cap is added to the dowel. Once fully in place, the RollaRod is secured to the outer container box and locked in place, which tightly secures the inner spool while still allowing for full rotation and easy extraction of the wrap product.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Reference Provisional Patent Application No. 61/816,359 filed on Apr. 26, 2013 by applicant, Judith Kathleen Knez entitled Wrap'N Roll.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most people use both foil and plastic wraps that are bought packaged inside their own containers. This invention is intended to make removal of such wrap products easier and more organized by the addition of a small device. This device, the RollaRod, is a restraining mechanism for kitchen roll-type wrap dispensers like plastic wrap/aluminum foil/parchment paper, wax paper, etc. In an effort to make using wrap products easier, some manufacturers have included cardboard, push-in tabs on both ends of the container boxes that may be depressed and lodged inside the product's inner hollow spool in order to keep the spool securely inside the box. But after many uses and repeated stress on these tabs, they tend to become weak and do not continue to hold the spool securely in the container, which often results in the entire inner spool separating from the container box during use. Because this invention better locks the inner spool to the outer container, it assures a higher degree of restraint to the spool, ensuring that the spool stays within the box during extraction of the product.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention is basically a dowel that is used to restrain the hollow inner spool that contains wrap materials such as aluminum foil, plastic wrap, wax paper, parchment paper, etc. The RollaRod helps prevent the wrap product with its spool from coming out of the container box when extracting the product. The dowel is designed with one permanently-affixed end cap on one end, and another similar, but removable end cap that screws into the opposite end of the dowel. The dowel is hollow and extends the entire width of the container box and once inserted inside the inner spool with both end caps in place, the spool will still rotate smoothly allowing easy removal of the product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[Note: Drawings are not to scale]

FIG. 1. depicts a front transparent view of a container of wrap with the hollow inner spool inside the container.

FIG. 2. depicts a front transparent view of the dowel inserted into the hollow inner spool without the threaded end cap.

FIG. 3. depicts a stand alone dowel without the threaded, removable end cap—unassembled.

FIG. 4. depicts the device fully put together with the end cap screwed into the dowel.

FIG. 5. depicts a front transparent view showing the device inserted and in an operational state.

FIG. 6. depicts a close up view of the threaded end cap that screws into the dowel

FIG. 7. depicts the removable end cap inserted and attached to the wrap container box.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Push-in cardboard tabs are included on both ends of current wrap containers. These wrap containers are four-sided, rectangular boxes usually made of a light weight cardboard material and are either 12½ inches wide or 18½ inches wide. The existent cardboard end tabs on both ends of the container box push in on both ends toward the inside of the hollow spool in order to help hold the spool in place so it will stay within the container box. After many uses, pressure on the push-in tabs can weaken them and make them flexible, allowing the inner spool to move around when the product is being extracted, sometimes to the point that the entire product with the inner spool, comes out of the container either partially or completely. This invention reduces the likelihood of the inner spool with the product leaving the outer container during extraction by better securing it to the outer container box. The RollaRod invention is a hollow dowel that extends the width of the product container and is inserted into the container's inner spool by way of the existent cardboard push-in tabs on each end of the container box. The dowel has one permanently attached flat, round, non-removable end cap that is held while inserting the dowel into the inner spool of the product using the end slot openings while the opposite end of the dowel is threaded in order that a removable end-cap may be screwed into it. Once the dowel is fully inserted into the inner spool, across the width of the container, and the removable end-cap is screwed into the dowel, both dowel ends are flush to the ends of the container box which locks the inner spool tightly onto the container but still allows for full rotation of the inner spool when extracting the product.

Claims

1. A restraining device to help better secure inner spools of wrap products to their outer container, characterized by:

A hollow dowel extending the width of the container box, that is inserted into the inner product spool via existent cardboard push-in tabs, and that has one permanently attached flat, round, end cap, and another removable, flat, round, end cap that screws into the opposite end of the dowel thus resulting in both end caps being flush to the outer container on both ends.

2. The device noted in claim 1 may be made of plastic, wood or metal. (FIG. 4.)

3. The dowel noted in claim 1 is hollow and approximately one quarter of an inch (¼) in diameter with a permanently attached end cap on one end and having inner threads on the opposing end of the dowel for attaching the removable end cap also noted in claim 1. (FIG. 2)

4. The removable end cap noted in claim 1 has a threaded tip that screws into the inside of the dowel (FIG. 6) with the outer, round-shaped, flat, head matching in design to the fixed opposing end cap.

5. The device noted in claim 1 is reusable.