DISPENSER FOR DISPENSING WEB MATERIAL FROM A ROLL

Abstract

Dispenser for dispensing web material from a roll, the dispenser including a housing and a spindle intended to rotatably support a roll of web material during dispensing. The spindle is movable between a loading position and a dispensing position. The dispenser further includes a deflecting member being movable between a protruding position protruding towards the spindle in dispensing position and a retracted position retracted into the housing away from the spindle in dispensing position. The deflecting member is connected to a blocking member moving in response to the movement of the deflecting member.

Claims

1. Dispenser for dispensing web material from a roll, the dispenser comprising: a housing comprising an engagement slot, a front cover; wherein said front cover has a closed and opened state, said front cover comprises an engagement member arranged to interact with said engagement slot when the front cover in closed state, a spindle intended to rotatably support a roll of web material during dispensing, said spindle being movable between a loading position and a dispensing position, a deflecting member being movable between a protruding position protruding towards said spindle in dispensing position and a retracted position retracted into the housing away from the spindle in dispensing position; and wherein the deflecting member is connected to a blocking member moving in response to the movement of the deflecting member wherein said movement of the deflecting member translates into movement of the blocking member in and out of said engagement slot in the dispenser housing, and wherein said blocking member blocks the engagement slot when the deflecting member is in its retracted position.

2. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the deflecting member interacts with a resilient member arranged to allow the deflecting member to flex back into protruding position from retracted position.

3. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the deflecting member is arranged in the housing in order to receive a first end of the spindle when the spindle is in dispensing position.

4. Dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the deflecting member in protruding position engages said first end of said spindle.

5. Dispenser according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said deflecting member comprises a guiding groove adapted to receive said first end of the spindle and guide it into an engaged position when the spindle is in dispensing position.

6. (canceled)

7. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a top wall, side walls.

8. (canceled)

9. Dispenser according to the claim 8, wherein the engagement slot is arranged in the top wall of the dispenser housing.

10. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said blocking member is movable in a direction perpendicular to the movement of the deflecting member.

11. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the deflecting member is connected to the blocking member by a rod translating a horizontal movement of the deflecting member into vertical movement of the blocking member.

12. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said dispenser further comprises an indication window and an indication being visible in the indication window when the blocking member is in the engagement slot.

13. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said spindle is attached perpendicular to an arm, said arm being hinged at a hinge point to a support member, said arm being allowed to pivot about said hinge point, and said arm has a spindle dispensing position in which the spindle is arranged within the housing of the dispenser, said arm is pivotable between a first position in which said spindle is arranged in a dispensing position within the housing of the dispenser, and a second position in which said spindle is arranged in a loading position outside the housing of the dispenser in order to allow loading of a roll onto said spindle.

14. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said deflecting member has a shape adapted to fit in an indentation in a side of a roll arranged on the spindle.

15. Dispenser according to claim 14, wherein said deflecting member being adapted to be pushed into said retracted position in said dispenser housing when coming into contact with said side of a roll comprising an indentation complementary to the shape of the deflecting member as said spindle is moved into dispensing position, and said deflecting member being adapted to flex back into protruding position when the spindle reaches dispensing position.

16. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein said deflecting member is at least partly frustoconical.

17. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser is a dual dispenser comprising two spindles intended to hold a roll respectively, and wherein the two spindles are movable between loading position and dispensing position independently from each other.

18. Dispenser according to claim 17, wherein the housing of the dual dispenser comprises a central side wall arranged between the two spindles, the deflecting member being arranged in the central side wall protruding from the central side wall towards a first of said spindles in dispensing position in its protruding position and the deflecting member retracted into the central side wall away from said first spindle in dispensing position in its retracted position.

19. Dispenser for dispensing web material from a roll, the dispenser comprising: a housing and a front cover having an opened and a closed state, a spindle that is configured to rotatably support a roll of web material in a given orientation during dispensing, said spindle being movable between a loading position and a dispensing position, a deflecting member resiliently movable between a retracted position in which the deflecting member is retracted in the housing and a protruding position in which the deflecting member is protruding towards the interior of the dispenser, wherein the front cover in its closed state is blocked from interaction with the housing when the deflecting member is in retracted position.

20. Dispenser for dispensing web material from a roll, the dispenser comprising: a housing comprising an engagement slot and a front cover having a closed state and an opened state, said front cover comprising an engagement member arranged to interact with the engagement slot in closed position, a spindle rotatably supporting a roll of web material, said spindle being movable between a loading position and a dispensing position, a deflecting member resiliently movable between a protruding position in which the deflecting member is protruding towards said spindle dispensing position and a retracted position in which the deflecting member is retracted into the housing away from the spindle dispensing position, and wherein said deflecting member being adapted to be moved into a retracted position by a first side of said roll when the spindle is moved from loading position to dispensing position, wherein the movement of the deflecting member translates into moving a blocking member into said engagement slot in order to hinder interaction between said engagement member and said engagement slot.

21. Dispenser according to claim 20, wherein said first side of said roll facing the deflecting member is provided with an indentation complementary to the shape of the deflecting member such that said blocking member moves out of the engagement slot, and said deflecting member is allowed to move back into protruding position.

22. Dispenser according to claim 20, wherein the roll is a coreless roll.

23. Method of loading a dispenser for dispensing web material from a roll, the dispenser comprising a housing and a front cover, a spindle adapted to rotatably support a roll of web material during dispensing, said spindle having a dispensing position and a loading position, a deflecting member having a shape and being movable between a protruding position protruding towards said spindle dispensing position and a retracted position retracted into the housing away from said spindle dispensing position, wherein the method comprises: placing a roll comprising an indentation complementary to the shape of the deflecting member on said spindle in loading position, moving said spindle from said loading position towards said dispensing position, allowing a first side of said roll, comprising the indentation, to push against said deflecting member in order to move it from said protruding position to said retracted position, wherein the movement of the deflecting member translates into movement of a blocking member into a blocking position, allowing the deflecting member to flex back into protruding position once the spindle is in dispensing position in order to move said blocking member out of said blocking position, moving the front cover to a closed state.

24. Method of loading a dispenser according to claim 23, wherein the blocking position of the blocking member blocks an engagement slot arranged in the housing of the dispenser.

25. Method of loading a dispenser according to claim 23, wherein the method further includes: locking the front cover in closed state by allowing an engagement member arranged on the front cover to interact with said engagement slot.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0034] The present disclosure is illustrated by way of examples and not limited to the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements:

[0035] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the dispenser disclosed herein, with both spindles in dispensing position;

[0036] FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the dispenser disclosed herein, with a first spindle in dispensing position and a second spindle in loading position;

[0037] FIGS. 2A-E is a perspective view of the first arm in first, second and third position respectively;

[0038] FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the deflecting member in protruding position;

[0039] FIG. 3B is a perspective view of the deflecting member in retracted position:

[0040] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the central side wall;

[0041] FIGS. 5A-B is a partly cross-sectional view of the central side wall with the deflecting member in protruding position and retracted position respectively; and

[0042] FIGS. 6A-B is a perspective view of the deflecting member and resilient member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] It is to be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the following is a description of exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present disclosure.

[0044] FIG. 1A shows a dual dispenser 11 comprising a housing 12 defining an interior. The housing 12 comprises a back wall 37, a top wall 21, two outer side walls 221, 223 and a central side wall 222. A first and a second arm 26a, 26b is hinged at a respective hinge point 27 to a respective support member 28a, 28b, and the arms 26a, 26b are adapted to pivot about the hinge points 27. The first arm 26a is hinged at a first support member 28a arranged close to the first side wall 221, at the lower part of the back wall 37. The second arm 26b is hinged to a second support member 28b arranged at the lower part of the central side wall 222. The support members 28a, 28b and the arms 26a, 26b extend in a direction perpendicular from the back wall 37 of the dispenser 12, and the arms 26a, 26b are adapted to pivot in same direction. Each arm 26a, 26b is provided with a spindle 13a, 13, the spindles 13a, 13b being attached perpendicular to respective arm 26a, 26b, and the spindles 13a, 13b being adapted to rotatably support a roll during dispensing. Each spindle 13a, 13b is provided with a rotatable sleeve 32. In FIG. 1A, the rotatable sleeves 32 are intended to interact with rolls disposed on the spindles 13a, 13b, allowing the rolls to rotate during dispensing of the web material from the roll.

[0045] The first spindle 13a, being attached to the first arm 26a, has a first end 17 directed towards the central side wall 222, and a second end 33 attached to the first arm 26a. The second spindle 13b, being attached to the second arm 26b, has a first end 17 directed towards the second side wall 223 and a second end 33 attached to the second arm 26b.

[0046] The spindles 13a, 13b are movable between a dispensing position and a loading position by means of the arms 26a, 26b. Each respective arm 26a, 26b has a spindle dispensing position in which the spindle 13a, 13b is arranged within the housing 12 of the dispenser 11, shown in FIG. 1A, and a spindle loading position in which the spindle 13a, 13b is arranged outside the housing 12 of the dispenser 11 in order to allow loading of a roll onto the spindle 13a, 13b, shown in FIG. 1B (second spindle 13b). The arms 26a, 26b are pivotable to place each respective spindle 13a, 13b in the two positions respectively, and the arms 26a, 26b are pivotable independently from each other, as shown in FIG. 1B. Hence, the spindles 13a, 13b are movable between loading position and dispensing position independent from each other.

[0047] A front cover 23 is hinged at to the lower parts of the outer side walls 221, 223, i.e. at the lower part of the dispenser 11. The front cover 23 is movable between an opened state, shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, and a closed state (not shown). An engagement member 24 in the shape of a locking hook is arranged at the top of the front cover 23 in a central position corresponding to the central side wall 222 when the front cover 23 is in closed state. The front cover 23 has a dispensing opening 46 and a slidable lid 47 covering one half of the dispensing opening 46 at the time. The slidable lid 47 is slidable between two positions so that one roll at the time, arranged on the spindles 13a, 13b, are available for dispensing when the front cover 23 is in closed state.

[0048] If the front cover 23 is closed with the second arm 26b in loading position, as shown in FIG. 1B, the front cover will abut the arm 26b and push it upwards and inwards such that it folds over the support member 28b from a first position into a second position; placing the spindle 13b in dispensing position within the interior of the housing 12.

[0049] FIGS. 2A-C and 2E shows the first arm 26a attached to a first support member 28a at a pivot point. The pivot point 27 is arranged at a first end 44 of the first arm 26a. In FIG. 2A the arm is folded at the pivot point 27 such that it partly encompasses the first support member 28a, i.e. the first arm 26a is in its first position and the first spindle 13a is in dispensing position. The first arm 26a comprises two legs 43 with a respective inner bearing surface 39. The two legs 43 are attached at the pivot point 27 to outer side surfaces 38 of the support member 28a, such that the bearing surfaces 39 of the first arm 26a bear against the outer side surfaces 38 of the support member 28. The first spindle 13a is attached at a second end 45 of the first arm 26a opposite the first end 44 comprising the legs 43 and pivot point 27. When the arm 26a is in its first position the spindle 13a in its dispensing position is arranged closer to the back wall 37 of the dispenser 11 than the hinge point 27 of the first arm 26a. In other words, the first arm 26a has been folded backwards over the first support member 28a and into the housing 12.

[0050] The two outer side surfaces 38 of the support member 28a each comprises a recess 41 and the bearing surfaces 39 of the first arm 26a each comprises a knob 40. The recess 41 is an area extending in a semi-circular manner from the top front to the lower back of the outer side surface. The bearing surfaces 39 bear against the outer side surfaces 38 as the arm 26a is moved between first and second position, and the knobs 40 slide in the complementary recesses 41 in order to guide the movement. In FIG. 2B the arm is in motion between its first and second position. Each recess 41 has an extension with closed end positions 42, and the knobs 40 slide in the recesses 41 between the closed end positions 42. The knobs 40 arranged in the closed end positions 42 of the recesses 41 corresponds to the first and second position of the first arm 26a, thereby positioning the first spindle 13a in dispensing and loading position respectively.

[0051] In FIG. 2C the first arm 26a is in its second position, folded outwards from the dispenser 11 interior, and the first spindle 13a is arranged in loading position.

[0052] In FIG. 2E the first arm 26a is positioned in a third position hanging downwards. The third position is reached by an overload mechanism allowing the knobs 40 to snap out of the recesses 41 if a force above a predetermined release force is placed on the first spindle 13a. The snap out is shown in FIG. 2D, illustrating the legs 43 flexing outwards to allow the knobs 40 to pass the edge of the recesses 41. In FIG. 2E the knobs 40 has completely snapped out of the recesses 41 such that the first arm 26a has left its second position and rotated further about the hinge point 27 into its third position.

[0053] The second arm 26b and second support member 28a, not shown in FIGS. 2A-E, comprises the same elements as the first arm 26a and first support member 28a, and facilitate pivoting between first and second position in the same way. The overload mechanism may be present also between the second arm 26b and support member 28b.

[0054] A deflecting member 14 is arranged in the central side wall 222 of the housing 12. The deflecting member 14 is movable between a protruding position protruding towards the first spindle 13a in dispensing position, shown in FIG. 3A, and a retracted position retracted into the central side wall 222 of the housing 12 away from the spindle 13a in dispensing position, shown in FIG. 3B.

[0055] A receiving part 34 is arranged at the second side wall 223 and interacts with the first end 17 of the second spindle 13b in dispensing position. The receiving part 34 have the same frustoconical shape as the deflecting member 14.

[0056] The deflecting member 14 is connected to a resilient arm 16 connecting the deflecting member 14 to the central side wall 222 of the housing 12. In protruding position the deflecting member 14 is protruding from the side surface of the central side wall 222, protruding into the interior of the housing 12. In FIG. 3A a roll 30 having an indentation 29 at a first side 31 positioned at the first end 17 of the first spindle 13a is provided on the first spindle 13a. The indentation 29 is complementary to the frustoconical shape of the deflecting member 14 thereby allowing the deflecting member 14 to protrude into the indentation 29. No force is exerted on the deflecting member 14 and the resilient arm 16 is in relaxed state. The deflecting member 14 is in protruding position and the first spindle 13a is in the dispensing position. The first end 17 of the first spindle 13a is engaged in the deflecting member 14.

[0057] If a force is applied to the deflecting member 14 the resilient arm 16 bends and the deflecting member 14 moves into its retracted position inside the central side wall 222, shown in FIG. 3B. This happens for example when the spindle 13a holding the roll 30 moves from loading to dispensing position and the side 31 of the roll 30 abuts the deflecting member 14. Once the spindle 13a is in dispensing position the force is removed due to the indentation 29 arranged adjacent the through hole in the side 31 of the roll 30, i.e. the tension on the resilient arm 16 is released and the deflecting member 14 flexes back into protruding position, shown in FIG. 3A.

[0058] If the roll 30 does not have a complementary shape indentation 29, or if the roll 30 is placed with the indentation 29 facing the second end 33 of the spindle 13a, the deflecting member will stay in retracted position.

[0059] The receiving part 34 having the same shape as the deflecting member 14 fits in an indentation 29 in a roll 30 being complementary to the shape of the deflecting member 14. It is movable between a protruding position and a retracted position.

[0060] The central side wall 222 of FIGS. 1A-B is shown in FIGS. 4-5. Shown in FIG. 4; the deflecting member 14 is connected to a blocking member 15 by a rod 19 translating a horizontal movement of the deflecting member 14, between protruding position and retracted position in the central side wall 222, into vertical movement of the blocking member 15 moving it in and out of an engagement slot 20 in the central side wall 222 at the top wall 21.

[0061] In FIG. 5A the deflecting member 14 is in protruding position, and the blocking member 15 is out of blocking position thereby not blocking the engagement slot 20 (seen in FIG. 4). The engagement slot 20 is thus available for the locking hook 24 of the front cover 23 to engage with, and the front cover 23 can thus be maintained and locked in closed position. In FIG. 5B the deflecting member 14 is pushed into retracted position, the resilient member 16 is tensed, the blocking member 15 is pushed upwards into the engagement slot 20 by the rod 19 and the engagement slot 20 is thereby blocked. The front cover 23 is unable to stay in closed position since the locking hook 24 cannot engage with the blocked engagement slot 20.

[0062] A color indication 36 is visible in an indication window 25, shown in FIGS. 1A-B, when the blocking member 15 is blocking the engagement slot 20. The indication 36 moves in and out of the indication window 25 with the movement of the blocking member 15 in and out of blocking position in the engagement slot 20. The indication 36 indicates to the service personnel if it is possible to lock the front cover 23 in closed state or not, thereby indicating if the roll 30 is correctly loaded or not.

[0063] FIG. 6A shows a deflecting member 14 of truncated frustoconical shape comprising a guiding groove 18. The guiding groove 18 is adapted to receive the first end 17 of the first spindle 13a and guide it into an engaged position in the deflecting member 14 when the first spindle 13a is in dispensing position. In FIG. 6B the frustoconical shape is chamfered at one side to facilitate the edge of the first side 31 of the roll arranged on the spindle 13a to pass the deflecting member 14 when moved to dispensing position. The chamfered surface 35 is facing outwards from the interior of the housing 12, thereby facing the first end 17 of the first spindle 13a as it moves from loading position to dispensing position.