Method and apparatus for dispensing flexible sheet material

A dispenser operable to dispense sheets separated from perforated flexible web material without the presence of a dedicated stop mechanism, comprising:

• a chassis forming a housing having a material discharge opening;
• means carried by said chassis for feeding a continuous web of flexible sheet material;
• means for perforating said web to produce therein a transverse line of cut containing residual unsevered segments of web material for maintaining the continuity of said web;
• a feed roll mounted on said chassis for rotation through an operating cycle in which said web is conducted from said feed means into operative relation to said perforating means and thence to a predetermined position with respect to said discharge opening to be grasped by a user for pulling said web from said dispenser and thereby impart rotational movement to said feed roll;
• and
• a spring operatively connected to said feed roll forming an energy storing means that is loaded during rotation of said feed roll through an initial portion of said operating cycle, unloaded during another portion of said operating cycle in which said feed roll is rotated to conduct said sheet material web with the line of cut thereon to a position accessible by said user, and reloaded by further rotation of said feed roll, whereby said spring upon reloading, is operative to independently generate against the pull of said user a resistive force sufficient to impart tensile stresses in said residual segments that increase gradually until said segments break.

A dispenser operable to dispense sheets separated from perforated flexible web material without the presence of a dedicated stop mechanism, comprising:

• a chassis forming a housing having a material discharge opening;
• means on said chassis for supplying a continuous web of flexible sheet material;
• a cutter for perforating said web to produce therein a transverse line of cut containing residual unsevered segments of web material for maintaining the continuity of said web;
• a feed roll mounted on said chassis for rotation through an operating cycle in which said web is conducted from said supply means into operative relation to said cutter and thence to a predetermined position exteriorly of said discharge opening to be grasped by a user for pulling said web from said dispenser and thereby impart rotational movement to said feed roll;
• and
• a spring operatively connected to said feed roll forming an energy storing means that is loaded during rotation of said feed roll through an initial portion of said operating cycle, unloaded during a succeeding portion of said operating cycle in which said feed roll is rotated to conduct said sheet material web with the line of cut thereon to a position accessible by said user exteriorly of said discharge opening, and reloaded upon further rotation of said feed roll, whereby said spring, upon reloading, operates to generate in said feed roll a resistive force acting on said web against the pull of said user to impart tensile stresses in said residual segments that increase gradually until said segments break.