Apparatus for dispensing a controlled length of sheet material from a roll

An elongate core having first and second ends and a generally cylindrical outer surface therebetween on which a length of sheet material is wound to form a roll, the core being formed to be removably disposable in a rotatably supported position within a containment space defined between pivotally connected upper and lower covers of an elongate hand-held dispenser body which comprises a first support means inside the containment space adjacent to respective front end walls of the upper and lower covers for supporting the first end of the core and second support means also inside the containment space and located adjacent to respective second end walls of the upper and lower covers for supporting the second end of the core, biasing means for resiliently biasing the upper and lower covers pivotally apart to define a gap through which a length of the sheet material is unwound from the roll, means for controlling a direction of rotation of the core and roll and means for stopping rotation of the core end roll to limit the length of material being unwound from the roll, the core comprising:

• a first core end support means located at the first end of the core for cooperating with the first support means to thereby rotatably support the core;
• and
• a second core end support means located at the second end of the core for cooperating with the second support means to thereby rotatably support the core,
• wherein the first core end support means also coacts with the means for controlling the direction of rotation of the core end roll to ensure against inadvertent rewinding of the unwound material, and
• wherein the first core end support means is formed of a plastic material and is affixed to the core by adherence thereto with an adhesive material.

Apparatus for dispensing selected lengths of a sheet material, comprising:

• an elongate hollow core having first and second ends and a generally cylindrical outer surface therebetween on which a length of the sheet material is wound to form a roll, first core end support means located at the first end of the core, and second core end support means located at the second end of the core;
• and
• a dispenser body replaceably receiving said core with said sheet material wound thereon, said dispenser body comprising an upper cover pivotally connected to a lower cover to define a containment space for containing the roll and core therebetween and an elongate material delivery gap of adjustable width defined between respective front edges of the upper and lower covers so that a free end of the sheet material unwound from the roll is accessible through the material delivery gap, first support means located inside the containment space adjacent to respective first end walls of the upper and lower covers for rotatably supporting the first end of the core in cooperation with the first core end support means, second support means located inside the containment space adjacent to respective second end walls of the upper and lower covers for rotatably supporting the second end of the core by cooperating with the second core end support means, biasing means for resiliently biasing apart the upper and lower covers, separation limiting means for limiting an extent of said pivotal biasing apart between the upper and lower covers so as to limit said gap, and rotation stopping means cooperating with said first core end support means for stopping rotation thereof to thereby limit an amount of the material unrolled from the roll through the material delivery gap.

A method for containing a replaceable hollow cylindrical roll of a sheet material wound on a core provided with a first core end support means at a first end and a second core end support means at a second end, and for enabling safe extraction from the roll of selected lengths of the sheet material by a user, comprising the steps of:

• providing a dispenser body comprising an upper cover pivotally connected to a lower cover to define a containment space containing the roll and core therebetween and an elongate material delivery gap of adjustable width defined between respective front edges of the upper and lower covers so that a free end of the sheet material unwound from the roll is accessible through the material delivery gap, first support means located inside the containment space adjacent to respective first end walls of the upper and lower covers for rotatably supporting the first end of the core in cooperation with the first core end support means, second support means located inside the containment space adjacent to respective second end walls of the upper and lower covers for rotatably supporting the second end of the core by cooperating with the second core end support means, biasing means for resiliently biasing apart the upper and lower covers, separation limiting means for limiting an extent of said pivotal biasing apart between the upper and lower covers so as to limit said gap, tear means adjacent the front edge of the lower cover, and rotation stopping means cooperating with said first core end support means for stopping rotation thereof to thereby limit an amount of the material unrolled from the roll through the material delivery gap;
• grasping the dispenser body such that the upper and lower cover thereof continue to be pivotally separated by the biasing means;
• grasping a distal end of the sheet material and pulling a desired length thereof through the material delivery gap;
• pressing the upper and lower covers to each other in opposition to the biasing means, to activate the rotation stopping means and thereby prevent further rotation of the core and roll wound thereon;
• and
• pressing the unwound sheet material to the tearing means to tear off the sheet material thereat.

Apparatus for containing a replaceable roll of a sheet material and for enabling controlled removal of selected lengths of the sheet material wound on a hollow core having first and second ends and first and second core end support means provided respectively thereat, comprising:

• an upper cover pivotally connected to a lower cover, the upper and lower covers each comprising an elongate wall having respective front and rear edges and transverse first and second end walls, the upper and lower covers each being shaped and sized to cooperatively define a containment space for containing the roll and core therebetween, a free end of the sheet material unwound from the roll being accessible through an elongate material delivery gap of adjustable width between the front edges of the upper and lower covers;
• first support means located inside the containment space adjacent to the first end walls of the upper and lower covers for rotatably supporting a first end of the core by cooperating with the first core end support means;
• second support means located inside the containment space and adjacent to the second end walls of the upper and lower covers for rotatably supporting a second end of the core by cooperating with the second core end support means;
• biasing means for resiliently biasing the upper and lower covers to pivotally separate them apart;
• and
• separation limiting means for limiting an extent of a pivotal separation between the upper and lower covers by the biasing means, wherein
• the containment space defined by the upper and lower covers is substantially cylindrical in shape,
• the lower cover has an elongate shelf portion extending outwardly of said substantially cylindrical containment space to the front edge of the lower cover, and
• the front edge of the upper cover extends over the elongate shelf portion and is disposed to be located inwardly of the front edge of the lower cover,
• whereby a distal end portion of the sheet material extends over the shelf portion between the respective front edges of the upper and lower covers and is thereby positioned to be readily accessible by a user.