US 5,690,299 AGranted

Dispenser for feeding sheet material from sequential rolls

AssigneePerrin Manufacturing Company

InventorsPatrick C. Perrin, Jimmie L. Whittington, deceased

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Abstract

A dispenser includes an openable housing having a front opening, a parallel-spaced pair of guide slots being supported proximate opposite sides of the housing, each guide slot having a generally vertically oriented first segment, a generally horizontally oriented second segment intersecting the first segment, and a generally vertically oriented third segment intersecting the second segment in offset relation to the first segment, the first segment having a bottom extremity below the second segment. A dual mandrel has parallel-spaced portions for receiving respective rolls, and a bridge portion rigidly connecting the mandrel portions. The dual mandrel, is locatable with opposite ends of each mandrel portion guidable from a first position wherein a lowermost of the mandrel portions is in a first dispensing position at the bottom extremity of the first segment, the other mandrel portion being in a reserve position and, following substantial consumption of the sheet material from the lowermost mandrel, to a second position wherein the lowermost of the mandrel portions is in an expended position at a bottom extremity of the third segment of the guide slot, and the other mandrel portion is in a second dispensing position within the first segment. A catch member is biasingly coupled to the housing for retaining the lowermost of the mandrel portions in the expended position.

Claims13

Dependent claims

Apparatus for dispensing rolled sheet material, comprising:

(a) a base panel for mounting to a supporting structure and defining a parallel-spaced pair of vertically oriented coplanar panel guide surfaces;
(b) a pair of parallel-spaced base track members rigidly projecting from the base pavel, each base track member having first and second guide surface segments, each first guide surface segment extending approximately parallel to a corresponding panel guide surface, each second guide surface being inclined relative to the first guide surface and forming a continuation of the corresponding first guide surface;
(c) a cover unit openably connectable to the base panel and having latch means for holding the cover unit in a closed position relative to the base panel, the cover unit having a front wall portion and respective side wall portions;
(d) a pair of parallel spaced cover track members rigidly extending in facing relation relative to corresponding ones of the side wall portions, each cover track member having a first guide surface segment, a second guide surface segment, and a transition segment wherein, when the cover unit is in the closed position, the first guide surface segments of the respective base and cover track segments extend in approximately uniformly spaced relation, the second guide surface segments of the respective base and cover track segments extend in approximately uniformly spaced relation, and the transition segments extend in concave relation between proximal ends of the first and second guide surface segments of the cover track members thereby to form respective L-shaped track passages;
and
(e) a mandrel unit having a parallel-spaced pair of mandrel portions and a bridge portion rigidly connecting the mandrel portions, the mandrel unit being locatable between the base panel and the cover unit with opposite ends of each mandrel portion guidable within respective ones of the track passages in the closed position of the cover unit, one of the mandrel portions being movable between a first dispensing position to an expended position, the other of the mandrel portions being correspondingly moved from a reserve position to a second dispensing position.

3 more elements

Apparatus for dispensing sheet material from a plurality of cored rolls, comprising:

(a) an openable housing having opposite side portions and a front opening, a parallel-spaced pair of guide slots being supported proximate respective ones of the side portions, each guide slot having a generally vertically oriented first segment, a generally horizontally oriented second segment intersecting the first segment, and a generally vertically oriented third segment intersecting the second segment in offset relation to the first segment, the first segment having a bottom extremity below the second segment;
(b) a mandrel member having a parallel-spaced pair of mandrel portions for receiving respective ones of the rolls, and a bridge portion rigidly connecting the mandrel portions, the mandrel member when loaded with the rolls being locatable with opposite ends of each mandrel portion guidable within respective ones of the guide slots:
(i) from a first position wherein a lowermost of the mandrel portions is in a first dispensing position at the bottom extremity of the first segment, and an uppermost of the mandrel portions is in a reserve position within the first segment;
and, following substantial consumption of the sheet material from the lowermost mandrel,
(ii) to a second position wherein the lowermost of the mandrel portions is in an expended position at a bottom extremity of the third segment of the guide slot, and the uppermost of the mandrel portions is in a second dispensing position within the first segment;
and
(c) a catch member biasingly coupled to the housing for retaining the lowermost of the mandrel portions in the expended position.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.