US 4,586,639 AGranted

Sheet material dispenser and method of dispensing sheet material

AssigneeClik-Cut, Inc.

InventorsStanley L. Ruff, Albert Stubbmann

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A free end portion of sheet wrapping material is grasped and pulled from a dispenser transversely past and spaced from a cutting element mounted on a housing. The cutting element is displaced in response to the movement of the withdrawn material by generating a displacement force, latching the cutting element against displacement in a normally guarded position in which the cutting element is inoperative for cutting, and thereupon unleashing the displacement force in response to a further movement of the material to drivingly displace the cutting element from the guarded position to a cutting position in which the cutting element is in a position to sequentially pierce and cut the sheet material that is subsequently moved toward the same. Methods of dispensing the sheet material and of wrapping items also are disclosed.

Claims33

Dependent claims

A sheet wrapping material dispenser, comprising:

(a) a support;
(b) an elongated cutting element on the support;
(c) a guard element on the support;
(d) means for mounting a supply of elongated sheet wrapping material on the support to permit a free end portion of the material to be grasped by a user, and for paying out a desired length of the material when the latter is manually withdrawn from the dispenser;
(e) means for restraining the withdrawal of the desired length of the material for tautening the latter during withdrawal;
(f) means for guiding the taut length of the material for movement transversely past and spaced from the cutting element, and thereupon toward and onto the cutting element;
and
(g) means for displacing at least one of the elements relative to the other in response to the movement of the taut length of the material, including
(i) arming means for generating a displacement force in response to one portion of the movement of the taut length of the material,
(ii) latch means for normally latching said at least one element against displacement in a normally guarded position in which the guard element renders the cutting element inoperative for cutting, and
(iii) release means for releasing the latch means, and for unleashing the displacement force in response to another portion of the movement of the taut length of the material to drivingly displace said at least one element from the guarded position to a cutting position in which the cutting element is positioned to cut the material guided thereonto.

8 more elements

A sheet material dispenser, comprising:

(a) a support;
(b) an elongated cutting element on the support;
(c) a guard on the support;
(d) means for mounting a supply of elongated, limp, non-self-supportable, thin, broad sheet material on the support, said sheet material having a transverse width and side edges spaced transversely apart by a distance at least equal to eight inches, said mounting means being operative during each use of the dispenser for successively paying out a desired length of the material when a successive leading end portion of the material is manually grasped by a user at transversely spaced-apart locations along the width of each leading end portion adjacent the sides edges of the material, and when the desired length of the material is manually withdrawn from the supply:
(e) means for restraining the withdrawal of each successively withdrawn length of the material for tautening the same during withdrawal;
(f) means for guiding each taut length of the material for generally forward movement to a position spaced above the cutting element, and thereupon for generally downward movement from the spaced position past a trigger position and onto the cutting element;
and
(g) means for maintaining at least one of the cutting element and the guard in a guarded position in which the cutting element is shielded upon movement of each taut length of the material until just prior to reaching the trigger position, and thereupon for abruptly displacing said at least one of the cutting element and the guard relative to the other upon movement of each taut length of the material to the trigger position, to a cutting position in which the cutting element is positioned to cut each taut length of the material downwardly guided thereonto, said cutting position being maintained upon movement of each taut length of the material past the trigger position and onto the cutting element.

5 more elements

A sheet material dispenser, comprising:

(a) a support for supporting the dispenser on a generally horizontal support surface;
(b) an elongated cutting element on the support and having a plurality of pointed, sharp cutting teeth arranged along the cutting element, said teeth having apices, adjacent ones of which are at different vertical elevations relative to the support surface, said teeth having vertical axes at the tops of which the apices are located, said vertical axes being parallel to one another, each tooth being symmetrical about its respective vertical axis;
(c) a guard on the support;
(d) means for mounting a supply of elongated, limp, non-self-supportable, thin, broad sheet material on the support to permit successive leading end portions of the material to be grasped by a user adjacent opposite side edges thereof, and for successively paying out a desired length of the material upon manual withdrawal of the same from the supply;
(e) means for restraining the withdrawal of each successively withdrawn length of the material for tautening the same during withdrawal;
(f) means for guiding each taut length of the material for movement transversely past and spaced from the cutting element, and thereupon toward and past a trigger position, and then onto the cutting teeth;
and
(g) means for maintaining at least one of the cutting element and the guard in a guarded position in which the cutting teeth are shielded upon movement of each taut length of the material until just prior to reaching the trigger position, and thereupon for abruptly displacing said at least one of the cutting element and the guard relative to the other upon movement of each taut length of the material to the trigger position, to a cutting position in which the cutting teeth sequentially pierce each taut length of the material guided onto the cutting teeth at a plurality of punctures spaced over the transverse width of the respective taut length of the material, each puncture uniformly widening in width and merging with adjacent punctures during the movement of each taut length of the material onto the cutting element to form a complete transverse cut, said cutting position being maintained upon movement of each taut length of the material past the trigger position and onto the cutting element.

5 more elements

A dispenser, comprising:

(a) a housing having a base supportable on a generally planar horizontal support surface, and a top located above the base, said housing having wall portions bounding an interior, and an opening which extends from the interior to the exterior of the housing;
(b) an elongated cutting element having a plurality of sharp cutting teeth arranged along the length of the cutting element, said cutting element being mounted on the housing for movement between a guarded position in which the teeth are located within the housing, and a cutting position in which the teeth project beyond the housing;
(c) a roll mounted within the interior of the housing for turning movement about a generally horizontally-extending axis, said roll having a coiled, continuous supply of thin, broad, synthetic plastic film wound about the axis, and unwindable during each use of the dispenser for successively paying out a desired film length having a leading end portion along a path from the interior of the housing through the opening to the exterior of the housing;
(d) means at the top of the housing for positioning each leading end portion in an accessible position behind the guarded cutting element and above the housing to permit successive leading end portions of the film to be grasped readily by a user at transversely spaced-apart locations along the transverse width of each leading end portion;
(e) means for guiding each leading film length for manual withdrawal from the accessible position in a generally forward direction toward and past the cutting element to an elevated position above the same, and thereupon for generally downward movement from the elevated position toward and past a trigger position, and then onto the cutting element in a direction toward the base;
(f) means for exerting a drag on each film length for tautening the same during said withdrawal and said downward movement;
and
(g) means for maintaining the cutting element in the guarded position during said withdrawl until just prior to reaching the trigger position, for abruptly displacing the cutting element to the cutting position during said downward movement to the trigger position prior to each taut film length making contact with the cutting teeth, and for maintaining the cutting element in the cutting position during said downward movement past the trigger position and onto the cutting element until each taut film length is completely cut across its width.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.