Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention is directed toward an irnproved
bathroom tissue dispenser. The invention is also directed
toward an improved spindle for holding bathroom tissue rolls.
The invention is more particularly directed toward
an improved tissue dispenser of the type that holds both
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a new roll of tissue and a remnant roll. The invention
is also more particularly directed toward an improved spindle
that can have its size changed to hold different sizes of
cores.
It is common now to employ large rolls of bathroom
tissue because the large rolls reduce the number of times
that the rolls must be replaced. By a large roll it~is
meant a roll at least nine inches in diameter but the roll
can be twelve or more inches in diameter. However when
lS the dispensers employing the large rolls are serviced it
is common for the remnant roll to be thrown out before it
is fully ~used up to avoid running out of tissue before the
next servicing. Disposal of the remnant roll is wasteful.
It is known to provide a dispenser that can hold both a
new roll and a remnant roll at the same time so that the
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remnant roll can be used up before it is disposed of. This
eliminates the waste of tissue. Examples of such dispensers
are shown in U.S. Patents 4,796,832 and 5,172,840. However
these dispensérs are quite large with complicated
25 mechanisims, making them expensive to manufacture and ;~
maintain and awkward to use. In addition, in the known ~
dispensers, the user is not led to use up the remnant roll ,
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before starting on the new roll so that the problem of waste
can remain. It is the purpose of the present invention ~.
to provide an improved dispenser that holds both a fresh
roll and a remnant roll of bathroom tissue with the dispenser ;~ ~'
being relatively compact compared to known dispensers of
this type. The dispenser of the present invention is only -
slightly larger than a dispenser that employs only a large
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roll. In addition, the dispenser of the present invention ~
is constructed to locate the remnant roll in a position "
where the user is led to use it up before use of the fresh
large roll is started.
The improved dispenser employs mounting means '
~ for the remnant roll just below the large roll, the mounting i'' ~'~
'~ means located between the large roll and the outlet for
the dispenser. Thus the user is led to use up the remnant
roll before starting to use the fresh roll.
The known dispensers are built with a spindle
for the rall that fits a standard size of roll or more
particularly a standard size of core used in the roll. -
The dispenser cannot be used with other core sizes. It
is the purpose of the present invention to provide a roll ,'
spindle that can be used with several different core sizes.
In accordance with the present lnvention, the '- :
roll spindle is provided !w!th detachable means that caln
vary the circumference of the spindle so that it can be
~ used with different sized cores. The detachable means ~ ~'
- comprise a set of ribs that can be mounted on the spindle. ~ -
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Preferably the ribs can be mounted in one of two ways to
accommodate a different sized core in each way. The
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invention is particularly directed toward a bathroom tissue
dispenser having a base, the base having a main support
area and a secondary support area extending down from the - ~ ~-
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main support area. A large roll spindle is mounted in the
central portion of the main support area, the axis of the ~
spindle extending transversely to the main support area. ;~- ;
Secondary support means are provided on the secondary support ~
area for carrying a remnant roll, the axis of the secondary ~ ;
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support means extending transversely to the axis of the
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spindle. -
The invention is also directed toward a spindle ;~
having a tubular body and detachable means for increasing ~'
the diameter of the body. The body and diameter increasing
means have cooperating means for detachably connecting them
together. i -;~
The invention will now be described in detail
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having reference to the accompanying drawings in which~
Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the dispenser and ~ ;
the bathroom tissue rolls used with it; ~
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Fig. 2 is a side view of the dispenser mounted
on a wall with the cover open;
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Fig. 3 ls an elevation view of the spindle; ~ ~;
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Fig. 4 is a front view of the base;
Fig. 5 is a cross section view of the base taken
along line 5-5 of Fig. 4; ~
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Fig. 6 is a detail view showing thc~ spindle mounted
on the base;
Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view o~ the
secondary support area; ~ -~
Fig. 8 is a front view of the cover; . ;"'"r,
Fig. 9 is a cross section view of the cover taken ,
along line 9-9 of Fig. 8; ~
Fig. lO is a bottom view of the cover; "'~'","',6
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of another embodiment
of the spindle with detachable ribs in place; ;~ ~
Fig. 12 is a detail cross section view taken along ~.
line 12-12 of Fig. ll; ;-~
Fig. 13 is a plan view of a rib used in the spindle ~
of Fig. 11; ; ~ -
Fig. 14 is an end view of the rib;
Fig. 15 is an elevation view of the spindle without ~-
the ribs; - ;~
Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the spindle
without ribs;
Fig. 17 is a detail top view of the spindle showing
the bo*tom of the slot; and ~ ~,
Fig. 18 is a detail view of the locking means
for the rib.
The bathroom tissue dispenser 1 of the present ;
invention, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, has a base 3. The ~':?~
base 3 has a main support area 5 for supporting a large
roll "R" of bathroom tissue. The support area 5 is
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'plate~llke, circular in shape, and carries a spin~le 7 in ;; '-
it's central portion. The axis 9 of the spindle 7 extends ~j "
transversely from the support area 5. The spindle 7, as
shown in Fig. 3, has a thin cylindrical base 11 with a ~-
tubular body 13 extending up from the center of the base -~
11. A narrow flange 15 extends outwardly from the bottom
portion of the base 11. The lower, outer corner of the
flange 15 is cut away to form a camming edge 17. The free
end 18 of the spindle body 13 can be shaped to provide a ~-~
turning knob. ~
Preferably the spindle 7 is detachably, rotatably ~-
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connected to the support area 5. To this end a circular
opening is provided in the center of the support area 5
o~ the base as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The opening 19 is
stepped to provide a narrow support rim 21 on which the
base 11 rests when the spindle 7 is mounted on the support
area 5. The rim 21 is broken into segments 23. Overlying
the open sections 25 between the rim segments 23 are shoxt,
flexible *abs 27. The tabs 27 are spaced above the rim
21 a distance just slightly greater than the thickness of
the flangé 15 of the spindle. The spindle 7 is detachably
mounted on the support area 5 of the base 3 by pressing
it down against the tabs 27 until the edge of the flange
15 snaps past the tabsl 27~to rest on the rim 21 as shown
~25 in Fig. 6. The tabs 27 hold the flange 15 on the rim 21
thus rotatably mounting the spindle 7 on the base 3. Other
types of connection means can be employed to rotatably
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connect the spindle 7 to the base 3.
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The base 3 has a sidewall 29 that encircles the
perimeter of the circular support area 5 as shown in Figs. '
1 and 5. The bottom edge 31 of the sidewall 29 lies
in a plane that is at a slight angle to the plane containing ~
the support area 5. The sidewall 29 rests against a support ~ -
wall W when the dispenser is mounted on the support wall
W thus angling the bottom of base 3 outwardly from the ~-
support wall W as shown in Fig. 2. Suitable means, not
shown, can be provided on the base to permit the use of ' ~
fasteners to fasten the base to the support wall W. t,,'',",,~,,,''
The base 3 includes a secondary support area 35 ;~
that extends downwardly from the main support area 5 as
shown in Fig. 7. The secondary support area 35 has a back ;~
wall 37 and two side walls 39. The back wall 37 curves ' ~
rearwardly and downwardly from *he bottom peripheral edge ~;
of the support area 5 presenting a concave front face. ~-;
~ The side walls 39 extend slightly forwardly of the support "
; ~ area 5 and together with the back wall 37 form a recess ,- ~
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to partly receive a paper roll remnant "r". Having the
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bottom of the base 3 angled slightly outwardly provides
room for the remnant roll "r" at the bottom of the base.
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The secondary support area 35 has secondary support ;~
"
means 41 for carrying the paper roll remnant "r". The ~;
secondary support means 41 can comprise a short stub shaft ;
43 on the inner face of each side wall 39. The stub shafts
43 extend toward each other and are located near the outer
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lower corners of the side WAlIS 39. The axis 44 joining
the stub shafts 43 is perpendicular to the axis 9 of the , ; ,
spindle 7 as shown in Fig. 1. The roll remnant "r" is ' ~ '~
mounted between the stub shafts 43 by moving them apart. -; '
To permit the stub shafts to move apart, the side walls ;
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39 are made hollow with an inner wall 45 and an outer wall --
46. The inner wall 45 has an angled slot 47 in it. The
stub shaft 43 is located adjacent the inner corner 48 of ' ~-
the slot 47. The slot 47 allows the section of the inner
wall 45 carrying the stub shaft 43 to be flexed inwardly.
The resiliency of the inner walls 45 permits this. ~;
A cover 49 is provided for covering the large
roll "R" and the remnant roll "r" carried on the base. ~ '
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The cover 49, as shown in Figs. 8 and 10 has a generally
circular, dished-shaped main cover portion 51 having a
circular front wall 53 and a side wall 55. The side wall
; 55 tapers outwardly slightIy from the periphery of the front
wall 53. There is a circular opening 57 in the center of
the front wall 53 through which the spindle 7 projects as
~20 wiIl be described. The cover 49 also has a secondary cover
portion 61 that extends down from the main cover portion
51. The secondary cover portion 61 has a front wall 63
and side walls 65. There is also a short bottom wall 67
that extends' rearwardly from the bottom of t'he front wlail
~25 63. The free edge of the bottom wall 67 is rounded at both
ends to form rounded inner corners as shown at 69 in Fig.
10 where it merges into the side walls 65. The rounded
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inner corners 69 are serrated to he ~1 ~e2a~6~issue beiny
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dispensed.
The bottom of the secondary cover portion 61 is
open as shown at 71 except for the short bottom wall 67
extending rearwardly from the front wall 63. The opening
71 forms the outlet opening for dispensing tissue from either
a large roll or a remnant roll. There is also an opening
73 in the si.de wall 55 of the main cover portion as shown
in Fig. 9. The opening 73 is generally bounded by the front
and side walls 63, 65 of the secondary cover portion 61
and connects the interior of the main cover portion Sl with
the interior of the secondary cover portion 61. The openings
71 and 73 are aligned and large enough for a person to stick
his hand within the cover 49 to grasp a free end of tissue
if the free end ends up within the cover for some reason.
Hinge pins 75 are provided on the lower bottom
corners of the side walls 65 of the secondary cover portion
61. The hinge pins 75 extend toward each other and are
sized to fit in openings 77 provided in the the outer walls
' 20 46 of the side walls 39 of the base. The cover 49 is mounted
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on the base by having the hinge pins 75 placed in the
openings 77. The side walls 65 of the cover are flexible
enough to be moved outwardly to allow the pins 75 to be
placed in the openings 717. Means, not shown, can be provided
to lock the-cover 49 in a closed position overlying the
base 3. In the closed position, the free edge 79 of the ;
side wall 55 rests against a rim 80 on the outer peripheral
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portion of the sidewall 29.
In use, the cover 49 is opened by pivotiny it
about the hinge pins 75 to allow placement of a large roll
"R" on the spindle 7. Preferably the core of the roll fits
snugly on the spindle so that it will rotate with the
spindle. The roll rests against the spindle base 11'.
The cover 49 is closed with the free end 18 of the spindle
7 extending through the opening 57 in the front wall 53
of the cover. The free end of the tlssue on the large roll
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"R" extends down toward the bottom dispensing opening 71
through the connecting opening 73. The free end can be
grabbed by reaching up within the cover through the
dispensing opening 71 and pulling it down. A length can
be torn off by pulling it against one of the serrated corners
69 on the cover 49. The free end 18 of the spindle that
extends through the opening 57 in the cover 49 can be rotated
to rotate the roll "R" to make its free end more accessible
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through the d1spensing opening 71.
When the large roll "R" on the spindle is nearly
used up, it is replaced with a fresh, large roll Instead
of disposing of the remnant roll "r" as in the past, the
remnant roll "r" is now mounted on the secondary support
means 41 below the fresh large roll. To assist the
maintenance people in making th1s decision the spindle base
-~25 11' is sized so that when the roll "R" is reduced in diameter
to less than the diameter of the spindle base 11' the roll
is then moved to the secondary support means 41. To make
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210276~
thls observation easier the spindle base 11' can be a
distinctive colour.
When the remnant roll "r" is mounted on the stub
shafts 43 it makes access to the large, fresh roll through
the connecting opening 73 difficult. The remnant roll "r"
however is accessible through the dispensing opening 71.
Once the remnant roll "r" is used up there is easy access
to the fresh, large roll through both openings 71 and 73.
The spindle 7 receives a standard size of roll.
However it is preferred that the spindle be constructed
to receive rolls having different sized cores. To this
end a spindle 7' is provided with means for varying its
circumference. The circumference varying means are
detachably mounted on the spindle 7' and preferably comprise
ribs 83 that extend longitudinally along the spindle when
detachably mounted thereon as shown in Figs. 11 and 12.
Preferably at least three ribs 83 are used, equally spaced
apart about the circumference of the spindle 7'. In more
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detail, each rib 83 comprises a slat-like member as shown
in Figs 13 and 14. A slot 85 is provided in the rib member
~i 83 extending inwardly from one end 87 of the member. The
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slot 85 extends inwardly parallel to the sides 89, 91 of
the member and has a length slightly less than one half
the length iof the member The slot 85 is positioned~ to -~
be closer to one side 89 of the member 83 than the other
side 91. This divides the slotted portion of the rib into
a wide portion 93 and a narrow portion 95. The slot 85
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has a width e~ual to the thickness of the wall of the spindle
7'. The rib has two sets of stops 97, 99 at its other end ;; '
101. One set of stops 97 is positioned adjacent the side
; 89 of the rib. The other set of stops 99 is positioned >
as far away from the center line 103 of the slot 85 toward ;.,~'!'.''''',',;,~,'
the side 91 of the rib as the stops 97 are positioned from
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it. Each set of stops 97, 99 can comprise small tabs 105,
107 on both surfaces of the rib.
The spindle 7' is constructed with three equally
spaced apart slots 109 in the tubular wall 111 of its tubular
body 13' as shown in Figs. I5 to 17. Each slot extends
up from the base 11' of the spindle 7', parallel to the
axis 9l of the spindle. Each slot 109 is about half the
length of the spindle and continues radially, as shown by
113 in Fig. 17, into the base 11' where it forms an enlarged
opening 114. The spindle 7' is provided with a side wall
115 on each side of each slot 109. The side walls 115 are
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relatively low and extend for nearly the entire length of
the spindle. The side walls 115 taper inwardly slightly
~- 20 in moving outwardly from the base. The side walls 115 are ,-; -
~ used to support the smallest size of core and also ta provide ~-~
; ~ ; lateral support for the ribs 83 as will be described. There ''
is a small radial extending projection 117 at the bottom , ~
of each side wall 115 as shown in Fig. 18. The projections ' 3i"
117 serve to lock the ribs 83 in place as will be described.
In use, the spindle 7' can be used to frictionally
hold a roll with one standard size of core by placing the
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core directly on the spindle over the side walls 115. rrhe
tapered side walls 115 ~rictionally ho].d the core on the
spindle. If a larger core is to be used, the ribs 83 can
be mounted in the slots 109 to increase the circumference
of the spindle 7'. Each rib 83 is slid up from the bottom
of the spindle through the radial section 113 of the slot
109 and between the side walls 115 to have its slot 85
receive the top portion of the wall 111 of the spindle as
shown in Fig. 17. The rib 83 is moved up until the bottom
121 of its slot 85 abuts the top 123 of the slot 109 in
the spindle. At this point one of the set o~ stops 97,
99 on the rib 83 slip over the projections 117 at the bottom
of the side walls 115 as shown in Fig. 18 and the rib 83
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is locked in place between the projections 117 and the end
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~- 15 of the slot 123 in the spindle. The ribs 83 can be mounted
i :
with the narrow portion 95 of the rib outwardly to receive
a larger size of core with stops 97 abutting projections
117 (not shown) or with the wider portion 93 outwardly to
; receive a still larger size of core with stops 99 abutting
.
~20 projections 117 as shown in Fig. 18. The ribs 83 can be
easily removed by slipping them off the projections 117
and pulling them off the spindle.
The use of the ribs 83 permit the spindle 7' to
- be used with three different sizes of cores.' The ribs'83
can be stored when not needed.
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