Back to results
US 2016/0045083 A1Published application
Sheet product dispenser
AssigneeSCA Hygiene Products AB
InventorsJohn S. FORMON, Joseph WIESER, Jeffrey J. BRICKL, Matthew T. WOERPEL
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeSCA Hygiene Products AB
InventorsJohn S. FORMON, Joseph WIESER, Jeffrey J. BRICKL, Matthew T. WOERPEL
Estimating the term…
A dispenser is disclosed that includes a housing defining an interior volume for receiving a stack of sheet products, an actuator, a dispensing member, a roller, and a support structure for engaging a front face of the stack including opposed shelves for supporting opposed sides of the front face. The actuator is operable by a user to activate a dispensing member to dispense a desired number of sheet products. The actuator includes two or more user interfaces that a user can actuate to transmit to the dispensing member an amount of movement corresponding to different numbers of sheet products being dispensed depending upon which of the user interfaces is actuated. The roller is located between the opposed shelves and engages and grips on the front face of the stack. The actuator imparts a predetermined amount of rotation to the roller depending upon which of the user interface ledges is actuated, which causes the roller to separate one or more sheet products at the front face of the stack in a one-at-a-time fashion.
A dispenser comprising a housing defining an interior volume for supporting a stack of sheet products of a certain maximum depth in the stacking direction of the stack and a certain maximum area perpendicular to the stacking direction, the dispenser comprising a dispensing opening and stack support structure around the dispensing opening for engaging a front face of the stack having said maximum area, the stack support structure for engaging the front face on one side of the front face and on another side of the front face, and dispensing means for releasing a sheet product at said one side of the front face of the stack to extend through the dispensing opening while the sheet product remains supported by the support structure at the another side of the front face of the stack.
A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing means is arranged to engage and operate on the front face of the stack to move the one side of the sheet product off the support structure.
A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing means peels the engaged sheet product from the support structure at the one side and into the dispensing opening to clear the sheet product from the dispensing means so that the dispensing means engages an underlying sheet product.
A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing means is provided by a roller that is arranged to engage the front face of the stack and rotate to move the sheet product relative to the support structure on the one side to release the one side and to position the sheet product in the dispensing opening.
A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing means is configured to release a plurality of sheet products at the one side and the plurality of sheet products remain held at the another side so that a plurality of sheet products extend through the dispensing opening.
A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing means includes a moveable dispensing member that moves relative to stack, particularly the front face of the stack, in order to dispense the sheet product into the dispensing opening.
A dispenser according to any preceding claim, comprising a user actuation mechanism that operates on the dispensing means to cause the sheet product to be dispensed upon actuation by a user.
A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispensing means is configured to grip the sheet product and the dispensing means is operable to release the sheet product from the dispensing means to allow the sheet product to extend through the dispensing opening while being held at the another side.
A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispenser is configured so that the stack is pressed against the support structure, optionally by way of gravitational force when the dispenser is a gravity feed dispenser and/or by way of spring force.
The dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the support structure and the interior volume is such that the another side of the sheet product is pinched between the support structure and the remainder of the stack.
The dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispenser is a gravity feed dispenser in which the interior volume is adapted to be positioned above the dispensing opening.
The dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the support structure comprises proximal, relative to a user, and distal support shelves for engaging the front face of the stack of sheet products at the one side and the another side, wherein the one side and the another side are proximal and distal margin portions of the front face of the stack.
The dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein the support structure is such that the part engaging the one side and the part engaging the another side are spaced apart and a dispensing opening is defined in the space.
A method of supplying a stack of sheet products for loading in the housing of the dispenser of any preceding claim.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.