Paper roll dispenser with adjustable brake

Abstract

 A paper roll dispenser (1) comprising a housing (2) having a first (3a) and a second (3b) flange at a distance from each other. A first roll support (4) is placed in connection with said first flange (3a) and a second roll support (5) in connection with said second flange (3b) for rotatably supporting a paper roll (6). The invention is characterized in that the second roll support (5) is an integral part of a braking element (7) hingedly attached to said second flange (3b) and provided with a braking surface (7a) to be in contact with the paper roll's (6) end surface and with a tab (8) protruding from said second roll support (5) at a side facing away from the paper roll (6). The tab (8) has a plurality of transversal grooves (8a) at one side cooperating with an edge (10) at said second flange (3a) for locking the braking element (7) in different positions.

Description

Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to paper roll dispensers. More specifically the present invention relates to a paper roll dispenser equipped with means for applying a breaking force to the paper roll.

Prior art

[0002] A conventional paper roll dispenser comprises a housing having supports for rotatably supporting the paper roll to be dispensed to a user. Rotation of a paper roll due to its rotational inertia after a desired length of a web has already been dispensed is a well-known problem concerning paper roll dispensers. This leads to unnecessary lengths of the dispensed web to be unreeled, possibly resulting in further problems such as problems relating to cutting the web may also occur.

[0003] Previously this problem has been addressed by, for example, adding frictional elements to the supporting arms of the dispenser, so that the frictional elements are facing either one or both ends of the paper roll. An example of such a dispenser is disclosed in US 4919350 (A). However, this kind of dispenser requires the user to pull the web in the roll's axial direction in order to move the paper roll against the friction element. Especially if the paper roll and the friction elements are covered by a housing, the correct use of the dispenser is not immediately apparent to the user. The dispenser described above requires the user to manually apply a braking force. Therefore, such braking mechanism is not applicable in dispensers comprising automatic or semi-automatic dispensing means, such as a dispensing drum cutting a predetermined length of a paper web per each revolution, the operation of which can be initiated, for example, by a user pulling the leading end of the web.

[0004] Another kind of a braking mechanism is introduced in US 2006071119 (A1), where a dispenser is described comprising a pair of brackets supporting an axially compressible support tube, which in turn, supports a paper roll. A user can push either one of the inwardly flexible brackets in order to apply a braking force to either end of the roll, thus enabling the user to brake the paper roll while tearing a sheet of the paper roll. This kind of a dispenser also requires specific actions from the user in order to apply a braking force, thus rendering the mechanism inapplicable for dispensers having an automatic or semi-automatic dispensing mechanism as described above.

[0005] A more advanced mechanism for applying a braking force to the paper roll is described for example in the document EP 2218383 (A1). This kind of a dispenser comprises means for sensing the tightness of the web to be dispensed and braking means controlled by said sensing means for applying a braking force to the paper roll when the web is loose. In other words, a braking force is applied only when web is not pulled. Such sophisticated braking mechanism are, however, more expensive to manufacture.

[0006] Moreover, none of the above-mentioned documents describe a dispenser constantly applying an adjustable braking force.

Objects of the Invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a paper dispenser having a simple and robust adjustable braking mechanism which is also cheap to manufacture and applicable for several types of dispensers.

[0008] This object is achieved with a dispenser according to the invention as described in the characterizing part of claim 1.

Brief description of the drawings

[0009] The invention is described hereafter with reference to the following figures, where:

Fig. 1 shows a paper dispenser according to the present invention

Fig. 2 illustrates a detailed view of a breaking element according to the invention

Fig. 3 illustrates the interaction of a paper roll and a braking element according to the present invention

Fig. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a dispenser according to the present invention

Detailed description of the invention

[0010] Figure 1 illustrates a dispenser 1 having a housing 2 from the back which a first flange 3a and a second flange 3b protrude substantially perpendicularly at a distance from each other. The housing 2 is mounted to a structure, most commonly a wall, in the area where the dispenser 1 is to be placed. In figure 1, the housing 2 is presented in a simplified manner for illustrative purposes. The housing 2 may additionally comprise a hinged cover (not shown) for covering the dispenser 1, leaving only a leading end of the paper to be dispensed uncovered. In connection with the first flange 3a, there is a first roll support 4. Correspondingly, in connection with the second flange 3b there is a second roll support 5. The first and second roll supports 4, 5 are arranged to rotatably support a paper roll 6 therebetween.

[0011] As can be seen in figure 2, the second roll support 5 is an integral part of a braking element 7 having a braking surface 7a. The braking surface 7a is the area of the braking element 7 facing an end of the roll 6, which can be better seen in figure 3. The braking element 7 comprises a tab 8 protruding at a side facing way from the paper roll 6. The tab 8 has a plurality of grooves 8a transversal to the protruding direction of the tab 8. The braking element 7 further comprises one or more hinge elements 9 for hingedly attaching the braking element 7 to the second flange 3b. As illustrated in figure 4, the second flange 3b may comprise one or more slots 11 for inserting the one or more hinge elements 9.

[0012] As illustrated in figures 1 and 3, the grooves 8a cooperate with an edge 10 at the second flange 3b for locking the braking element 7 in different positions in order to adjust the braking force against the end surface of the paper roll 6.

[0013] Commonly known paper rolls 6 comprise a core 6b, from which a spool 6a extends on both sides as illustrated in figure 3. The spool 6a may be an integral part of the roll 6b or it may belong to the dispenser 1. In either case, in a dispenser according to the invention both the first and second roll supports 4, 5 may comprise a section shaped so as to receive said spool 6a. In figures 2 and 3 the second roll support 5 is illustrated in an U-shape for holding the paper roll 6 from its spool 6a. The first roll support 4 may also form a similar U-shape. Different shapes for receiving the spool 6a of the paper roll 6 may also come in question, one example being an extending tubular shape with a tilted end forming a cuplike holder for the spool 6a. These kinds of configurations enable easy replacement of the roll 6 from above. It should be noted that the sections for receiving the spool 6a in the roll supports 4, 5 need not to be of a same kind.

[0014] Although not illustrated, the spool 6a extending from the core 6b of the paper roll 6 can also be substituted by introducing spokes to the roll supports 4, 5, so that these spokes extend into the core 6b of a paper roll 6.

[0015] In operation the paper roll 6 is inserted to the dispenser 1 to be supported by the roll supports 4, 5. The leading end of the web from the paper roll 6 is led from the dispenser 1 so that said leading end is accessible to the user. The braking force is adjusted by moving the tab 8 so as to alter the groove 8a which presses against the edge 10, thus affecting the distance between the first 4 and second 5 roll supports. The braking force is adjusted so as to be sufficiently strong enough to reduce unwanted unwinding of the paper web from the roll, while still small enough not to cause the web to brake when pulled by the user.

[0016] An additional benefit of applying the braking force on the end of the roll 6 is that while the pressure induced on to the end of the roll 6 remains constant, the braking force diminishes along with the surface area of the roll's end when the roll is depleted.

[0017] A braking force applied on the end of a paper roll 6, however, tends to push the paper roll 6, which may result in the paper roll 6 falling from the roll supports 4, 5. In the present invention this problem is overcome because the second roll support 5 is an integral part of the braking element 7. Therefore, as the braking force is increased, the second roll support 5 is simultaneously brought closer to the paper roll 6, thus minimizing the risk of the paper roll 6 from falling out of the roll supports 4, 5.

[0018] In an embodiment according to the invention, the braking element 7 comprises at least one hinge element 9 for hingedly attaching the braking element 7 to the second flange 3b. Said at least one hinge element 9 cooperates, respectively, with at least one slot 11 at the second flange 3b. This arrangement comes apparent from figure 4.Said at least one hinge element 9 may be an integral part of the braking element 7. Such arrangement renders a separate hinge redundant for attaching the braking element 7 to the second flange 3b.

[0019] In a further embodiment the at least one hinge element 9 is shaped like a hook. This kind of an embodiment facilitates easy manufacture and assembly of a dispenser according to it. Advantageously, the hook of the at least one hinge element 9 and the grooves 8a of the tab 8 face substantially opposite directions, and thus cooperating to keep the braking element 7 to the second flange 3b.

[0020] In yet a further embodiment according to the invention the second roll support 5 is surrounded by the braking surface 7a. Both the second roll support 5 and the braking surface 7a may be of a U-shape.

[0021] In another embodiment, in which the dispenser's 1 housing 2 covers at least the braking element 7, the housing comprises an opening through which the tab 8 extends. This provides easy access for adjusting the braking force. Additionally, the edge 10 cooperating with the grooves 8a of the tab 8 may be an edge of said opening in the dispenser's 1 housing 2.

[0022] In still another embodiment of the present invention, the first and second flanges 3a, 3b are an integral part of the housing 2. Manufacturing the housing 2 and flanges 3a, 3b as a single piece reduces the cost of manufacturing the dispenser 1.

Claims

1. A paper roll dispenser (1) comprising;

- a housing (2) comprising a first flange (3a) and a second flange (3b) extending perpendicularly from the back of the housing (2) and located at a distance from each other,

- a first roll support (4) in connection with said first flange (3a) and a second roll support (5) in connection with said second flange (3b) for rotatably supporting a paper roll (6),
characterized in that, the second roll support (5) is an integral part of a braking element (7) hingedly attached to said second flange (3b) and provided with a braking surface (7a) to be in contact with an end surface of the paper roll (6) and with a tab (8) protruding from said second roll support (5) at a side facing away from the paper roll (6), said tab (8) having a plurality of transversal grooves (8a) at one side cooperating with an edge (10) at said second flange (3b) for locking the braking element (7) in different positions in order to adjust the braking force against the end surface of the paper roll (6).

2. A paper roll dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the braking element (7) comprises at least one hinge element (9) protruding from of the braking element (7) facing away from the paper roll (6), said hinge element (9) being arranged to be inserted in to a slot (11) in the second flange (3b).

3. A paper roll dispenser according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second roll support (5) and the braking surface (7a) are U-shaped, the braking surface (7a) surrounding the second roll support (5).

4. A paper roll dispenser according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 3 characterized in that said hinge element (9) of the braking element (7) is of a hook-like shape, wherein the grooves (8a) of said tab (8) and the hook of said hinge element (9) are facing substantially opposite directions.

5. A paper roll dispenser according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the housing (2) is provided with an opening through which said tab (8) extends for providing easy access to it.

6. A paper roll dispenser according to claim 5, characterized in that the edge (10) cooperating with said grooves (8a) of the tab (8) is an edge of said opening in the dispenser's housing (2).

7. A paper roll dispenser according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, said first (3a) and second (3b) flanges are an integral part of said housing (2).

Drawing