Electric paper cabinet

An apparatus for dispensing a predetermined length of a paper web from a paper supply roll, comprising:

• a housing provided with a slot through which the paper web is fed outside from the roll contained in said housing;
• a bidirectional electric motor;
• means including a first shaft and a first pinion for advancing the paper web through said slot;
• means including a second shaft and a second pinion for transversely cutting at least a part of the paper web protruding outside said slot;
• means for selectively coupling said motor to said advancing means and to said cutting means, said motor when coupled to the advancing means being capable of advancing the paper web through said slot and when coupled to said cutting means being capable of actuating the cutting means to cut the web;
• a control circuit for driving the motor when coupled to said advancing means for a duration proportional to the predetermined length, and then driving said motor after coupling to said cutting means, whereby the dispensed paper web is at least partially cut;
• said coupling means including first unidirectional coupling means interposed between said first pinion and said first shaft and second unidirectional coupling means interposed between second shaft and said second pinion, said unidirectional coupling means each comprising a spring wound around a hub rigidly fixed to the associated shaft and having one end free and another end fixed to the respective pinion so that rotation in a determined direction of the two pinions causes loosening of the coils wound on the hub which remains free and tightening of the coils wound on the other hub which is thus driven into rotation, and means for stopping the shaft which is not driven into rotation.

An apparatus for dispensing a predetermined length of a paper web from a paper supply roll, comprising:

• a housing provided with a slot through which the paper web is fed outside from the roll contained in said housing;
• a pair of brackets supporting said paper supply roll within said housing, each of said support brackets having a rack portion and idle pinion means which simultaneously engages both rack portions, said pinion means rotatable on an axis through which passes the center plane of symmetry of said brackets;
• a bidirectional electric motor;
• means for advancing the paper web through said slot;
• means for transversely cutting at least a part of the paper web protruding outside said slot;
• means for selectively coupling said motor to said advancing means and to said cutting means, said motor when coupled to the advancing means being capable of advancing the paper web through said slot and when coupled to said cutting means being capable of actuating the cutting means to cut the web;
• a control circuit for driving the motor when coupled to said advancing means for a duration proportional to the predetermined length, and then driving said motor after coupling to said cutting means, whereby the dispensed paper web is at least partially cut.