Easy load sheet product dispenser

• US 7,568,652 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wilcox, Matthew T., Schuelke, Todd D., Cittadino, Antonio M., Kissinger, Karl D., Kilgore, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): RIVERA, WILLIAM ARAUZ
• Application Number:
  US11/866,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20080087759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 242/559.2, 242/560, 242/560.2, 242/594.4, 242/596.8, 242/598.5, D6518-523
• US Class Current: 242/594.4
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/36 with mechanical dispensing, roll switching or cutting devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/3687 with one or more reserve rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2010/3681 characterised by the way a new paper roll is loaded in the dispenser

Abstract

A dispenser includes a cover; a housing back member; a hinge coupling the housing back member and the cover such that the cover is pivotable between an open position and a closed position, the cover and the housing back member collectively forming a housing of the dispenser; a first and second mounting bracket coupled to the housing back member; and a rotatable carousel removably mounted to the first and second mounting brackets, wherein the brackets and carousel are configured such that the carousel is movable between an inner, locked position for dispensing and an outer, rotatable position for reloading.

Claims

1. A dispenser comprising:

a cover;

a housing back member;

a hinge coupling the housing back member and the cover such that the cover is pivotable between an open position and a closed position, the cover and the housing back member collectively forming a housing of the dispenser;

a first and second mounting bracket coupled to the housing back membcr; and

a rotatable carousel removably mounted to the first and second mounting brackets, wherein the brackets and carousel are configured such that the carousel is movable between an inner, locked position for dispensing and an outer, rotatable position for reloading.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the first and the second mounting bracket each include forwardly extending slots and a laterally offset locking channel at a rearward position of one of the slots and the carousel has a pair of mounting projections for mounting in the slots as well as a locking lug, wherein the locking channel and the slots of the brackets and the mounting proj&

ctions of the carousel and the locking lug thereof are configured to cooperate such that the carousel is movable between the inner, locked position for dispensing and the outer, rotatable position for reloading.

3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the rotatable carousel includes roll mounts for at least two rolls of sheet product.

4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein

(a) the cover defines a front wall of the dispenser as well as portions of laterally opposed sidewalls of the dispenser housing, the cover providing a pair of laterally projecting fi-ustal sidewall domes, the frustal planes of each dome being generally parallel to a back panel, each laterally projecting fi-ustal sidewall dome generally abutting the back panel and being frontally circumscribed by an arcuate annular margin extending outwardly therefrom and forwardly with respect to the back panel;

the housing back member defines the back panel of the housing, and portions of the pair of laterally opposed sidewalls, the housing back member being configured to define a pair of laterally opposed sidewall recesses extending substantially to the back panel of the housing back member and corresponding substantially in size and shape to a rearward portion of the laterally projecting frustal sidewall domes of the cover;

at least one of the housing back member and cover defines at least a portion of the top wall; and

the laterally projecting frustal sidewall domes of the cover are positioned, configured and dimensioned to substantially define the sidewalls of the housing in the vicinity of a mounted roll of sheet product.when the housing is in a closed position and to provide substantially unobstructed access to the roll mounting when the cover is in an open position.

5. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the sidewall recesses of the housing back member flare open forwardly and the laterally projecting frustal sidewall domes of the cover are generally frusto-spheroidal.

6. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the housing back member defines at least a portion of the top Wall of the dispenser.

7. The dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the housing back member further includes a pair of laterally opposed sidewall portions extending forwardly from a lower portion of the sidewall congruent with a pair of corresponding cover sidewall recesses at a forward lower portion of the cover.

8. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the cover is hinged to the housing back member at a lower extremity thereof such that the cover pivots away from a top portion of the housing.

9. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the housing back member defines at least a portion of the top wall of the dispenser.

10. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the back housing member includes a bottom wall extending more than half of the horizontal span between the back of the dispenser and the front wall thereof adapted to be a support platform for a drive chassis module.

11. A dispenser configured to dispense rolls sheet product, the dispenser including a mounting for rolls of sheet product and a housing with a back panel, top wall, a front wall and a pair of laterally opposcd sidewalls and comprising:

a cover defining the front wall of the dispenser as well as portions of the laterally opposed sidewalls of the dispenser housing, the cover providing a pair of laterally projecting frustal sidewall domes, the frustal planes of each dome being generally parallel to the back panel, each laterally projecting frustal sidewall dome generally abutting the back panel and being frontally circumscribed by an arcuate annular margin extending outwardly therefrom and forwardly with respect to the back panel;

a housing back member defining the back panel of the housing, and portions of the pair of laterally opposed sidewalls, the housing back member being configured to define a pair of laterally opposed sidewall recesses extending substantially to the back panel of the housing back member and corresponding substantially in size and shape to a rearward portion of the laterally projecting frustal sidewall domes of the cover, at least one of the housing back member and cover defining at least a portion of the top wall; and

a hinge coupling the housing back member and the cover such that the cover is pivotable between an open position and a closed position,

wherein the laterally projecting frustal sidewall domes of the cover are positioned, configured and dimensioned to substantially define the sidewalls of the housing in the vicinity of a roll mounting when the housing is in a closed position and to provide substantially unobstructed access to the roll mounting when the cover is in an open position.

12. The dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the sidewall recesses of the housing back member flare open forwardly and the laterally projecting frustal sidewall domes of the cover are generally frusto-spheroidal.

13. The dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the housing back member defines at least a portion of the top wall of the dispenser.

14. The dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the housing back member further includes a pair of laterally opposed sidewall portions extending forwardly from a lower portion of the sidewall congruent with a pair of corresponding cover sidewall recesses at a forward lower portion of the cover.

15. The dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the cover is hinged to the housing back member at a lower extremity thereof such that the cover pivots away from a top portion of the housing.

16. The dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the housing back member defines at least a portion of the top wall of the dispenser.

17. The dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the back housing member includes a bottom wall extending more than half of the horizontal span between the back of the dispenser and the front wall thereof adapted to be a support platform for a drive chassis module.