Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02392332 2002-07-03
Docket No: 588.1
BREAKAWAY CORE ARMS FOR TOWEL CABINET
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to paper towel dispensers and more particularly,
those types of paper towel dispensers in which a continuous roll of paper
toweling is
housed within the dispensed and is dispensed in discrete amounts and
thereafter a
mechanism is employed to cut the paper toweling. Paper towels and the cabinets
therefor of the general type to which this invention applies are generally
found in
commercial and industrial locations as opposed to residential
DESCRIPTtQN OI= RELATED ART
A paper towel cabinet of the general type described herein is disclosed in
so PCT application A47K10136; International Publication No.. WO 99135950 which
was
published July 22, 1999, the entire disclosure of which is herein incorporated
by
reference. Other references which generally show dispensers of the fiype to
which
this invention pertains include the Grainger U:S. patent no. 4.846.035 issued
July
11, 1989 and the EPO patent EP 0693268A1 published January 24, 1996. The
disclosures of both of these documents being incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INYEN'610N
In commercial and industrial applications, it is often desirable to customize
th~
dispensing mechanism so that the company which sells the dispenser is
guaranteed
selling replacement rolls of towel. To date; there has not been a
satisfiactory
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mechanism by which the seller of the towel cabinet can ensure that future
purchas~s
of replacement rolls are from the same company.
SUMMARY of THE INVENTfON
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a towel core
insert which is specific to a particular manufacturer or source.
Another object of the invention is to provide a disposable towel core insert
which is unique in design and requires that a new towel core insert be used
with
each new roll of toweling.
A further object of the invention is to provide a towel core insert for use
with a
a.o paper towel dispenser, comprising a body portion having a larger end and a
smaller
end. a removable portion at the larger end. and a locking member associated
with
the body portion spaced from the removable portion preventing axial movement
of
the towel core insert when the insert is mounted through an associated towel
roll
support arm and into s towel Col! core.
A still further object of the invention into provide a combination towel core
insert and towel roll support arm, the towel roll support arm having one end
for
connection to an associated paper towel dispensing cabinet and another end
with an
annular portion defining a circular opening, the towel core insert in the
shape of a
frustum having a larger end and a smaller end, a removable portion at the
larger
a o end, and a locking member associated with the towel core insert spaced
from the
removable portion axial movement of the towel core insert when the insert is
mounted through the towel roll support arm' annular portion to trap the
annular
portion between the locking member and the removable portion, the locking
member
engaging the annular portion to prevent axial movement of the core insert with
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respect to the support arm until the removable portion is r~moved.
A final obJect of the present invention is a combination paper towel core
insert
and towel roll support arrn and paper towel dispensing cabinet, the paper
towel
dispensing cabinet having an enclosure with a paper tow~i dispensing opening
at
the bottom thereof, two paper towel support arms inside the cabinet with one
of the
arms having a paper towel core insert; extending therefrom in use toward the
other
support arm, the other paper towel support arm having an annular portion
defining a
citcular opening through which a disposable paper towel core insert can
extend, a
break away disposable paper towel core insert in the shape of a frustum having
a
zo larger end and a smaller end; the larger ertd having a circumference
Slightly smaller
than the circular opening in the annular portion; a removable portion at the
larger
end having a circumference larger than the circular end and the circular
opening in
the annular portion, a locking member extending from the disposable paper
towel
core insert axially spaced from t:',e T~avable portion preventing axial
movement of
the disposable paper towel insert with respect to the other paper towel
support arm
when the disposable paper towel core insert extends through the annular
portion of
the other paper towel support arm and the locking member engages the annular
portion, the two paper towel support arms in combination with the paper towel
core
insert and the break away disposable paper towel core insert supporting a roll
Of
Zo paper toweling in the cabinet, whereby the paper towel support arms and the
paper
towel core insert and the disposable paper towel core cooperate to support a
paper
towel roil, the removal of the removable ~pottion being required before the
break
away disposable paper towel core insert can be removed from the associated
support arm after the paper towel is exhausted.
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BR1EF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAIIIIING$
Eor the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the invention, th~re is
illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof, from
an
inspection of which; when considered in connection with the following
description,
the invention, its cvn5truction and operation; and many of its advantages
should be
readily understood and appreciated,
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a towel cabinet useful in the present
invention;
FIG. 2 is a view like Fig_ 1 with the top and bottom portions of the towel
~.o cabinet open illustrating the position of the'towel roll within the
cabinet:
FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the back panel of the towel cabinet
illustrated in Figs 1 and 2 showing the relationship betw~en the towel supporE
arms;
FIC. 4 is a perspective view of he disposable towel core insert showing the
tearaway ring and the lochirlg mechanism;
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the disposable towel core insert
and support arm therefor.
FIG. 6 is a view like Fig: 5 but in assembled position; and
FIG. 7 is an end elevationat view of the combination of towel core insert and
support arm illustrated in Fig. 6 particularly showing the locked relationship
between
so the core insert and the support arm.
DESGRIPTIClN OF TH~ PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Figures 1 - 3, ihe~e is disclosed a paper towel dispenser 10
having a front top portion 11 pivotally mounted as at hinge 13 to the side
panels 1B
of a back plate 15. The top portion has opposed sides 11 a and 11 b. There is
also
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provided a bottom portion 12 of the dispenser 10 pivotally mounted as at hinge
14 to
the side panels 16. The bottom portion 12 is provided with opposed sides 12a
and
12b. As illustrated in Fig. 2 in which the top front portion 11 and the bottom
front
portion 12 are pivoted to the open positions thereof, a slot 18 is formed in
the bottom
portion12 through which paper toweling is dispensed.
As best seen in Fig. 3, a shaft 40 extends through a housing 41 and has
receiver 42 extending upwardly at one end of the shaft 40 and another receiver
extending 43 e~ctending at the other end of the shaft 40. A support arm 50 has
a
flexible shaft 51 having a locking mechanism on the bottom (not shown) for
locking
Zv engagement with the receiver 43. Upwardly of the flexible shaft 51 is an
upper
portion 55 connected to an annular ring 56. A core insert 60 is a frustum
having a
large end 61 in engagement with the annular part 56 and the small end 62
extending
. towards the middle of the dispenser 10. A body portion 63 ofithe frustum
core insert
~0 is sized or dimensioned to fit approximately 'I I3 of he way into a colt of
toweling
20 shown in Fig. 2.
As best seen in Fig. 5; a support arm 70 includes a filexible shaft 71 having
a
tab opening 72_ A tab 73 is integral with the flexible shaft 71 and extends
outwardly
from the flexible shaft 71 and has a locking ledge 74 at the distal end of the
tab 13.
The flexible shaft 71 leads to a yoke 75 having spaced apart arms which
support an
ao annular portion 7fi defining a circularQpening 77. On the opposite side of
the
annular portion 76, as best seen in Fig. 7, is a groove 78 for a purpose
hereinafter
set forth. A disposable and removable core insert 90 is provided and
cooperates
with the support arm 70. The disposable and removable core insert 90 includes
a
frustvconical shaped body 91 having a smatter porttvn 92, a middle sized
portion 93
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and a larger portion 94. There are step downs 95, ~6 which interconnect the
larger
portion 94 with the middle sized portion 93 and the middle sized portion with
the
smallef portion 92.
A locking mechanism 100, as best seen in Flgs. 4, 5 and 7, has a plurality of
resilient fingers 101 extending from and preferably integral with the larger
portion of
94. Each of the locking mechanisms:100, and four are preferred, is spaced
cirCUmferentially approximately 90° from the adjacent mechanism 100;
and has a
hinge portion 102 from which ext~nds a tooth portion 103. The tooth portion
103
has an abutment surtace 10~ which contacts the inside of the annular portion
76 of
zo the support arm 7D, as will be described, and also has a ramp surface 105
on the
outside of the resilient finger 141 to facilitate the deformation of each
locking
mechanism 100 as it is being inserted into the annular portion 76 of the arm
70 to
snap lock with the abutment surtace 104 and the groove 78. When the locking
mechanism 1 OCl is engaged; there is little, if any, axial movement of the
disposable
core insert 90 with respect to the support arm 70.
Finally, a tear off ring 110 is preferably molded as a single piece with the
core
insert 90 and includes a circular portion 111 which has a plurality of
attachment
segments 112 that have reduced thickness areas to facilitate removal of the
tear off
ring 110 from the remainder of the disposable core insert . The removal of the
tear
a o off ring 110 is facilitated by the hoop portion 115 which serves as a
handle allowing
the tear off portion 110 to be n:moved or tom from the core 90.
Operation of the invention is as follows. When a roll of toweling 20 is to be
placed into the dispenser 10, the front panels 11 and 12 are opened to the
position
illustrated in Fig. 2. The support arm 70 at this time, hay towel insert 90 as
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illustrated in Fig. 6. Because the inserts 50 and 90 each extend 1l3 of the
way into a
roll of toweling, the dispenser 10 cannot be loaded with a new roll of
toweling 20,
because the cure inserts 60 and g0 cannot be separated sufficiently to insert
the
toweling Z0. The insert 90 in place must be removed by pulling the hoop
portion 11a to
remove the entire ring 110. Thereafter the remainder of the disposable core 90
can be
removed .
After a roll 20 is positioned over the core insert F0 and in axial alignment
with
the circular opening 77 of the support arm 70, a new disposable core insert 90
such a5
that illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 is positioned in axial alignment with the
center of the roll
~o of toweling 20 and the circular opening 77. Thereafter, the new towel core
insert 90 is
snapped into the support arm 70 to form a construction as shown in Figs. 5 and
7.
Each of the resilient locking, mechanisms 100, because of the ramp surface
105,
compress as the disposable core insert 90 is pushed into the roll of toweling
20. Wh~n
the core insert 90 seats within the support arm 70, the locking fingers 101
snap into the
groove ?8 on the inside surface 75 of the flexible support arm 70, After the
toweling is
dispensed, as explained above, before a new roil of toweling 20 is to be
inserted, the
attendant must remove the tear off ring 11D in order to position a new roil of
toweling In
the dispenser 10. When the tear off ring 110 is removed, the remaining portion
of the
disposable core insert 90 can easily be removed from the support arm 70. At
which
a o time the new roil of toweling 20 is inserted as previously described and a
new
disposable core insert 90 is positioned in place: When the toweling is thus
Ivaded, the
front and bottom portions 1't and 12, respectively, are closed to the position
illustrated
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in Fig. 1 and the dispenser is in condition far dispensing operation. During
dispensing,
the shaft 40 and the arms 50, 70 contlected thereto are free to rotate
downwardly under
the force of gravity as the role of toweling decreases in diarrfeter. This
construction
maintains the relationship between the periphery of the roll 20 and the slot
18
substantially constant during the entire dispensing of the rdl 20.
While there has been disclosed what is considered to be the preferred
embodiment of the present invention, it is understood that various changes in
the
details may t'e made withouf departing 'from the spirit, or sacrificing any of
the
advantages of the present invention-
