Transportable apparatus for cutting and dispensing roll material

An apparatus for cutting and dispensing sheet material from a roll of sheet material comprising:

• a rectangular base frame;
• front and rear upright standards mounted on the front and rear ends of said base frame, respectively, in a longitudinally aligned manner;
• a cutting and dispensing table assembly extending longitudinally between the upper ends of said front and rear upright standards;
• means associated with each said standard to receive and support opposite ends of a sheet roll axle shaft such that said axle shaft is longitudinally disposed intermediate said base frame and said table assembly;
• said table assembly including a table having an upper bearing surface including a longitudinally extending feed edge over which a length of sheet material is drawn from a roll supported on said axle shaft;
• said table having front and rear support means adjacent each end thereof;
• said upright standards being mounted asymmetrically on said base frame entirely on one side of a given vertical plane which includes the longitudinal center line of said base frame, and wherein said receiving and support means being operative to dispose said shaft axle on the inboard side of said front and rear standards substantially on the longitudinal center line of said base frame;
• pivotal sheet retaining brake means extending longitudinally between said front and rear support means adjacent said one feed edge operative for rotational gravity biased movement in a first retaining direction toward said one feed edge into an engaged position with said bearing surface with the sheet material from a roll supported on said axle shaft retained therebetween, and said brake means operative for rotational movement in a second sheet material dispensing direction away from said bearing surface one feed edge;
• said retaining brake means being in the form of a retaining plate extending longitudinally between said front and rear support means and mounted thereto by pivotal means aligned along its one longitudinal side, said retaining plate including a retaining edge at it other longitudinal side which is operative for rotational movement in said first direction into engagement with said bearing surface;
• pivotal sheet cutting blade means extending longitudinally between said front and rear support means operative for resiliently biased, snap-action, rotational movement in either said first or second direction to first cutting and second dispensing overcenter positions;
• said blade means first overcenter cutting position resulting in engagement by said blade means with said bearing surface intermediate the bearing surface other longitudinally extending edge and said brake means;
• said blade means second overcenter dispensing position locating said blade means a predetermined distance above said bearing surface;
• the arrangement characterized in that with said blade means in said second overcenter dispensing position the sheet material, upon being lifted upwardly from said bearing surface operative for releasing said brake means by rotating same in said second dispensing direction allowing a desired length of sheet material to be drawn over said one feed edge onto said bearing surface, with the sheet material being retained thereon by said brake means returning to its engaged position, whereby with said blade means returned to said cutting position, and the desired length of sheet material cut thereby from the roll the cut end is retained by said brake means in a readily accessible manner for the next desired length to be dispensed and cut;
• said cutting blade means being in the form of plate means extending longitudinally between said end support means and mounted thereto by pivotal means aligned along an intermediate portion of said plate means, said plate means having a cutting blade portion including a cutting edge at its one longitudinal side for rotational movement in said first or second directions;
• said plate means having an overcenter plate portion positioned radially outwardly from its pivotal means in substantially 180.degree. opposed relation to said cutting blade portion, and spring means interconnected between said table and said overcenter plate portion providing said snap-action rotational movement to said first cutting and second dispensing overcenter positions.