Dispenser for dispensing a paper roll

Abstract

A dispenser includes: a housing having a support axis for accommodating and rotatably supporting the paper roll, a brake shoe having a contact surface configured to abut at a face side of the paper roll and movably attached relative to the housing for adjustment of a braking force, and an elastic member urging the brake shoe in a direction toward the face side of the paper roll and having an adjustable elastic force that adjusts the braking force. The contact surface may have at least a first contact area closer to a tip of the support axis in an axial direction of the support axis and further away from the support axis in a radial direction and a second contact area further away from the tip of the support axis in the axial direction and closer to the support axis in the radial direction to provide a braking force decreasing with a decreasing diameter of the roll.

Claims

1. A dispenser for dispensing a paper roll, comprising: a housing for accommodating the paper roll and having a support axis for rotatably supporting the paper roll; a brake shoe having a contact surface configured to abut at a face side of the paper roll, the brake shoe being movably attached relative to the housing for adjustment of a braking force; and an elastic member urging the brake shoe in a direction toward the face side of the paper roll, so that the brake shoe is pushed by the face side of the paper roll toward the housing about the axis of rotation against an elastic force of the elastic member pushing against a surface of the brake shoe opposite the contact surface, wherein the elastic force of the elastic member is adjustable to adjust the braking force.

2. The dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising a support attached relative to the housing and being movable relative to the brake shoe, the housing, or both, wherein the elastic member is interposed between the brake shoe and the support.

3. The dispenser according to claim 2, wherein a distance between the support and the brake shoe is adjustable to adjust the elastic force of the elastic member.

4. The dispenser according to claim 2, further comprising an adjuster attached relative to the housing and being movable relative to the support, the adjuster comprising a ramp engaged with the support, wherein a portion of the ramp engaged with the support is changeable by movement of the adjuster relative to the support, thereby changing a distance between the housing and the support and between the support and the brake shoe.

5. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the ramp is at least partially annular and the adjuster is rotatable relative to the support.

6. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the height of the ramp continuously increases from a minimum to a maximum.

7. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein at least two notches are formed in the ramp, the notches being engageable with a protrusion by rotation of the adjuster indicating a predetermined braking force.

8. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the brake shoe and the support have a corresponding cutout giving access to a manipulator for moving the adjuster.

9. The dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the brake shoe and the support are pivotably attached to the housing.

10. The dispenser according to claim 9, wherein the brake shoe and the support are pivotable about a common pivot axis.

11. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein movement of the brake shoe in a direction toward the face side of the paper roll is limited by a stop engaging relative to the housing.

12. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the contact surface of the brake shoe has at least a first contact area closer to a tip of the support axis as seen in an axial direction of the support axis and further away from the support axis as seen in a radial direction and a second contact area further away from the tip of the support axis as seen in the axial direction of the support axis and closer to the support axis as seen in the radial direction.

13. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is a compression spring, a leg spring, or an elastic pad.

14. A dispenser for dispensing a paper roll, comprising: a housing for accommodating the paper roll and having a support axis for rotatably supporting the paper roll, a brake shoe having a contact surface configured to abut at a face side of the paper roll, wherein the contact surface of the brake shoe has at least a first contact area closer to a tip of the support axis as seen in an axial direction of the support axis and further away from the support axis as seen in a radial direction and a second contact area further away from the tip of the support axis as seen in the axial direction of the support axis and closer to the support axis as seen in the radial direction, wherein the brake shoe is rotatably attached to the housing about an axis of rotation and the first contact surface and the second contact surface are disposed an equal distance from the axis of rotation.

15. The dispenser according to claim 14, wherein the contact surface is an angled or curved plane or a planar plane tilted at an angle to the support axis different to 90 to form the first contact surface and the second contact surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective front view of a dispenser with a lid being removed to reveal the interior.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a perspective front view of a friction brake of the dispenser shown in FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a perspective a side view on the friction brake of FIGS. 1 and 2.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a side section of the friction brake as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 with a first elastic force of the elastic member being set.

(6) FIG. 5 shows a side section of the friction brake as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 with a second elastic force of the elastic member being set.

DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

(7) The dispenser shown in FIG. 1 includes a housing 10 and is configured to accommodate two not shown paper rolls, particularly two tissue paper rolls such as toilet paper rolls. For this purpose, the housing 10 has two support axes, one for each roll. In the present embodiment, the support axes are rotatably attached to the housing 10, particularly to a back wall 13 of the housing 10. Thus, the present dispenser is configured to accommodate coreless rolls as those described in EP 1 782 722 A1, which are frictionally engaged with the support axis 12 at their center axis so as to be held by the support axis 12 and to rotate together with the support axis 12.

(8) The dispenser further includes a friction brake 14 for each roll. As the friction brakes 14 have the same configuration, only one of these brakes is described in the following.

(9) The friction brake 14 is disposed on the back wall 13 of the housing 10. The friction brake 14, which is shown in an enlarged front view in FIG. 2 and a perspective side view in FIG. 3, includes a brake shoe 15, a support 16, an elastic member 17 (in the present embodiment a compression spring) and an adjuster 18. These elements are assembled to a body 19, which, in turn, is fixed to a corresponding recess 20 in the back wall 13 of the housing 10. Thus, the friction brake 14 may be preassembled and in the assembled state be inserted into the recess 20 of the housing 10 thereby being attached to the housing 10. On the other hand, the recess in the housing may also directly receive the brake shoe 15, the support 16, the elastic member 17 and the adjuster 18 without the need of a body 19. Alternatively, the pre-assembled friction brake may be attached on a surface of the back wall 13 of the housing 10 omitting the recess 20.

(10) The brake shoe 15 has a contact surface 20, which is a planar plane being tilted relative to the support axis 12 in the axial direction at an angle different than 90 in a radial direction. Thereby the contact surface 20 has a first contact area 21 and a second contact area 22. The contact surface 20, thus, has a distance as seen in an axial direction of the support axis 12 to the back wall 13 of the housing which continuously decreases from the first contact area 21 to the second contact area 22. Thus, the distance continuously decreases in a radial direction toward the support axis 12. The distance of the contact surface 20 to the back wall 13 of the housing 10 is smallest closest to the support axis 12 and largest furthest away from the support axis 12 in a radial direction. Accordingly, the first contact area 21 is closer to the tip of the support axis 12 as seen in an axial direction than the second contact area 22, which is closer to the connection of the support axis 12 to the back wall 13 of the housing. As a consequence, if a paper roll is attached to the axis 12, the first contact area 21 presses more onto a face side of the roll than the second contact area 22. The more paper is unreeled from the paper roll, the smaller its diameter becomes. Accordingly, once the roll is unreeled, the contact between the face side of the roll and the first contact area 21 reduces and at some stage the face side of the roll will no longer be in contact with the first contact area 21 but only in the second contact area 22 or a part thereof. Accordingly, the braking force applied to the face side of the paper roll in the present case gradually and continuously reduces with unreeling of the roll due to the continuous decrease of the distance of the contact surface 20 to the face side of the paper roll. Hence, the braking force applied is dependent on the diameter of the roll or the dispensing state of the roll. In an alternative embodiment, it may well be that instead of a tilted planar plane of the contact surface 20 an angled or curved plane is used to have a more stepwise change in the braking force in dependency of the diameter of the roll.

(11) As can be best seen from FIGS. 2 to 5, the brake shoe 15 is rotatably attached to the body 19 and, hence, the housing 10 about an axis of rotation 23. The contact surface 20, which is disposed at an end of the brake shoe away (most distant) from the axis of rotation 23, can accordingly be moved further away from the body 19 or the back wall 13 of the housing 10 and closer to the body 19 or the back wall of the housing 10 by rotation about the axis of rotation 23. Further, the brake shoe 15 has a stop 24 for limiting the rotational movement of the brake shoe 15 about the axis of rotation 23 at an end opposite to the end at which the contact surface 20 is located. The stop 24 is, hence, relative to the axis of rotation 23 disposed on another side of the brake shoe 15 than the contact surface 20. The stop 24 abuts at a back wall 25 of the body 19 or may in other cases abut at the back wall 13 of the housing 10 in the maximum position (end or limit position) at which the contact surface 20 is most distant from the back wall 13 of the housing 10 or a back wall 25 of the body 19. If no roll is inserted into the dispenser, the brake shoe 15 will always be in the maximum position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 being urged into this position by the elastic member 17. If a roll is inserted, the face side of the roll is pressed against the contact surface 20 and thereby pushes the brake shoe toward the back wall 25 about the axis of rotation 23 against the elastic force of the elastic member 17.

(12) The support 16 of the friction brake 14 is also rotatably attached to the body 19 (and/or the housing 10) about the same axis of rotation 23 as the brake shoe 15. For ease of assembly, it may be advantageous that the brake shoe 15 has a fixed axis 26 having heads 27 at opposite ends clicked into corresponding recesses 28 in the body 19 (these could also be in the housing 10) and the support 16 has an engagement portion 29 clicked onto the axis 26 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

(13) Moreover, the support 16 has a support portion 30 at an end furthest away from the axis of rotation 23 and corresponding to the contact surface 20 or at least the end of the brake shoe 15 adjacent the contact surface 20. The support portion 30 is configured for supporting the elastic member 17. In a particular embodiment, the support portion 30 includes a plurality of hooks 31 engaging with the elastic member 17 to form fittingly attach the elastic member 17 to the support 16. Similarly, the brake shoe 15 may, at its surface facing the support 16, have a support structure 32, here a protrusion inserting into an end of the elastic member 17, thus guiding and holding this end of the elastic member 17.

(14) The adjuster 18 is a rotatable disk rotatably attached to the body 19 or more particularly to the back wall 25 of the body 19. Alternatively, the adjuster may as well be attached to the housing 10 or to its back wall 13. A protrusion 33 (manipulator) is provided on a surface of the adjuster 18 facing the support 16. The protrusion extends through a cutout 34 in the support 16 and a tip 35 of the protrusion 33 is accessible through a further cutout 36 in the brake shoe 15, here in the contact surface 20. The tip 35 further includes a slot 37 for inserting a slotted screwdriver. Accordingly, one can rotate the adjuster 18 about its rotation axis 38 using a slotted screwdriver, if no roll is inserted and as will be apparent from FIG. 1. Certainly, other recesses than the slot 37 such as a crossed slot or Torx may be implemented.

(15) Further, the adjuster 18 includes a ramp 39 on its surface facing the support 16. The ramp 39 is partially annular with a first height starting at a first end 40 and continuously increasing to a second height at a second end 41 of the ramp 39. A top surface 42 is in contact with a surface (rear surface) of the support 16 facing the top surface 42 of the ramp 39. Accordingly, a distance (later referred to as D1 and D2) between the surface 43 of the support 16 and the back wall 25 of the body 19 or respectively the housing 10 (particularly its back wall 13) is different depending on which portion of the ramp 39 or particularly its top surface 42 engages (contacts) with the surface 43. Accordingly and as previously explained, the brake shoe 15 is always in the maximum tilted position with the stop 24 abutting the back wall 25 of the body 19, if no roll is inserted. Thus, if a portion of the top surface 42 of the ramp 39, being for example close to or at the end 41, engages with the surface 43, a distance D1 between the surface 43 and the back wall 13 of the housing 10 is relatively large (see FIG. 4). As the brake shoe 15 may not move or rotate further away from the back wall 13, the elastic member 17 is more compressed, because the distance between the rear surface of the brake shoe 15 facing the support 16 and the front surface of the support 16 facing the brake shoe is reduced. Accordingly, the elastic member 17 urges the brake shoe 15 or more particularly the contact surface 20 toward a face side of the roll with a higher elastic force, if a roll is inserted, and pushes the brake shoe 15 about the axis of rotation 23. Accordingly, the braking force applied to the face side of the roll is relatively large.

(16) If a user, however, rotates the adjuster 18 by using the screwdriver being inserted into the slot 37 counterclockwise or clockwise, the portion of the top surface 42 engaging with the surface 43 changes. If one changes, for example to a portion of the ramp 39 adjacent or close to the end 40, the distance D2 between the surface 43 and the back wall 13 of the housing 10 is smaller as compared to the distance D1 (see FIG. 5). Accordingly, also the distance between the rear surface of the brake shoe facing the support 16 and the front surface of the support 16 facing the brake shoe 15 increases. As a result, the elastic member 17 is relieved as compared to the case in FIG. 4 and the elastic force applied to the brake shoe 15 is decreased. Accordingly, the braking force applied to the face side of the roll is smaller than that of FIG. 4.

(17) Because the ramp 39 is continuous, the braking force may continuously be adjusted or more particularly the elastic force of the elastic member 17 may continuously be adjusted.

(18) Further, it is beneficial that the adjuster 18 may be rotated about more than 360, thereby enabling a user to not need to consider in which direction he/she would need to rotate. In this context, it was, however, beneficial that the ramp 39 is completely annular so that a rotation in both directions is possible in all positions.

(19) In addition, it may be possible, even though not shown, that indicia are provided on the contact surface 20 of the brake shoe 15 near the cutout 36 to visually indicate to the user that a maximum or minimum brake force is set.

(20) To also provide a haptic feedback that a certain position or certain brake force has been reached, two or more notches 44 formed in the top surface 42 of the ramp 39 may be provided. It may, in this case, also be preferred that the surface 43 of the support 16 is part of a rib 45 (or more general a protrusion) extending from the rear surface of the support 16 toward the top surface 42 of the ramp and being in its width adapted to the width of the notches 44. When rotating the adjuster 18 and a certain position is reached, the rib 43 engages with the notch 44, thereby giving a haptic feedback to the user that a certain position has been reached.

(21) By the afore-described embodiment, it is possible to provide a dispenser having a friction brake 14, wherein the braking force applied to a roll decreases with a decreasing roll diameter upon unreeling the roll, because of the contact surface 20 having the contact areas 21 and 22 applying different braking forces to different diameter portions of the roll.

(22) Further, it is possible to continuously adjust the braking force by adjusting the elastic force of the elastic member. This adjustment is achieved by a reliable and simple configuration and at the same time securing ease of handling.

(23) Certainly, the present embodiment may be altered. For example, it is conceivable to use an adjuster 18 which is translationally movable relative to the housing or the body with a linear ramp. It is also conceivable to use translationally movable brake shoes and adjusters. In the same manner, it is conceivable to directly attach the parts of the friction brake 14 to the housing without the use of the body 19. Even further alterations may be performed without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.