Dispenser for flexible sheet material and a perforating mechanism adapted to be used therein
First Claim
1. In a dispenser for flexible sheet material including, a chassis adapted to be attached to a wall, means operatively connected to said chassis for rotatably supporting a roll of flexible sheet material, means operatively connected to said chassis for guiding a web of flexible sheet material from said roll to a position to be grasped by a user so that the user may pull the web out of the dispenser, and a mechanism operatively connected to said chassis for perforating said web at intervals therealong to divide the web into individual sheets, the improvement wherein said perforating mechanism comprises, a rotatably mounted roller, a rotatably mounted knife positioned adjacent said roller and having a radially outward portion defining a cutting edge for perforating the web as the web passes between the roller and the knife, said roller being operatively connected to said knife for synchronous rotation therewith and having a slot therein for receiving said radially outward knife portion as the knife rotates past the roller, and means associated with said knife for orienting said cutting edge substantially in the direction in which said radially outward knife portion moves with respect to the web during the entrance of said portion into said slot so that when the portion enters the slot, the cutting edge will effectively perforate the web, and wherein said dispenser further comprises a mechanism associated with said perforating mechanism for stopping the rotation of said knife and said roller and thus arresting the movement of the web after a predetermined length of the web has been withdrawn from the dispenser, and a variable timing means associated with said stop mechanism for controlling the period of time during which the stop mechanism is effective to stop the rotation of the knife and the roller.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mechanism for perforating a web of flexible sheet material which is adapted to be used in a flexible sheet material dispenser, said mechanism comprising; a rotatably mounted roller, a rotatably mounted knife positioned adjacent the roller and having a radially outward portion defining a cutting edge for perforating the web as the web passes between the roller and the knife, the roller being operatively connected to the knife for synchronous rotation therewith and having a slot therein for receiving the radially outward knife portion as the knife rotates past the roller, and means associated with the knife for orienting the cutting edge substantially in the direction in which the radially outward knife portion moves with respect to the web during the entrance of the portion into the slot so that when the portion enters the slot the cutting edge will effectively perforate the web.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. In a dispenser for flexible sheet material including, a chassis adapted to be attached to a wall, means operatively connected to said chassis for rotatably supporting a roll of flexible sheet material, means operatively connected to said chassis for guiding a web of flexible sheet material from said roll to a position to be grasped by a user so that the user may pull the web out of the dispenser, and a mechanism operatively connected to said chassis for perforating said web at intervals therealong to divide the web into individual sheets, the improvement wherein said perforating mechanism comprises, a rotatably mounted roller, a rotatably mounted knife positioned adjacent said roller and having a radially outward portion defining a cutting edge for perforating the web as the web passes between the roller and the knife, said roller being operatively connected to said knife for synchronous rotation therewith and having a slot therein for receiving said radially outward knife portion as the knife rotates past the roller, and means associated with said knife for orienting said cutting edge substantially in the direction in which said radially outward knife portion moves with respect to the web during the entrance of said portion into said slot so that when the portion enters the slot, the cutting edge will effectively perforate the web, and wherein said dispenser further comprises a mechanism associated with said perforating mechanism for stopping the rotation of said knife and said roller and thus arresting the movement of the web after a predetermined length of the web has been withdrawn from the dispenser, and a variable timing means associated with said stop mechanism for controlling the period of time during which the stop mechanism is effective to stop the rotation of the knife and the roller.
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2. In a dispenser for flexible sheet material including, a chassis adapted to be attached to a wall, means operatively connected to said chassis for rotatably supporting a roll of flexible sheet material, means operatively connected to said chassis for guiding a web of flexible sheet material from said roll to a position to be grasped by a user so that the user may pull the web out of the dispenser, and a mechanism operatively connected to said chassis for perforating said web at intervals therealong to divide the web into individual sheets;
- the improvement wherein said perforating mechanism comprises, a rotatably mounted roller, a rotatably mounted knife positoned adjacent said roller and having a radially outward portion defining a cutting edge for perforating the web as the web passes between the roller and the knife, said roller being operatively connected to said knife for synchronous rotation therewith and having a slot therein for receiving said radially outward knife portion as the knife rotates past the roller, and means associated with said knife for orienting said cutting edge substantially in the direction in which said radially outward knife portion moves with respect to the web during the entrance of said portion into said slot so that when the portion enters the slot, the cutting edge will effectively perforate the web; and
wherein said dispenser further comprises a mechanism associated with said perforating mechanism for stopping the rotation of said knife and said roller and thus arresting the movement of the web after a predetermined length of the web has been withdrawn from the dispenser; and
wherein said perforating mechanism further comprises a second rotatably mounted roller operatively connected to said first-mentioned roller for synchronous rotation therewith, said knife being mounted on said second roller; and
wherein said stop mechanism comprises a camming pin operatively connected to said second roller for rotation therewith, a stop lever pivotally connected to said chassis and having a cam follower and a stop lug integrally affixed thereto, said cam follower being positioned in the rotational path of said camming pin, and said stop lug being movable into the rotational path of said camming pin upon the engagement of said pin with said follower for stopping the rotation of the pin and said second roller, and thereby stopping the rotation of said knife and said first roller, so that after said predetermined length of the web has been withdrawn from the dispenser a user may tear an individual sheet of the web from the portion thereof remaining within the dispenser along the perforations last-produced in the web by said cutting edge, and means connected to said stop lever for moving said stop lug out of the rotational path of said camming pin so that after said individual sheet has been torn from said remaining web portion an additional predetermined length of the web may be withdrawn from the dispenser. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
- the improvement wherein said perforating mechanism comprises, a rotatably mounted roller, a rotatably mounted knife positoned adjacent said roller and having a radially outward portion defining a cutting edge for perforating the web as the web passes between the roller and the knife, said roller being operatively connected to said knife for synchronous rotation therewith and having a slot therein for receiving said radially outward knife portion as the knife rotates past the roller, and means associated with said knife for orienting said cutting edge substantially in the direction in which said radially outward knife portion moves with respect to the web during the entrance of said portion into said slot so that when the portion enters the slot, the cutting edge will effectively perforate the web; and
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8. In a dispenser for flexible sheet material including a chassis adapted to be attached to a wall, means operatively connected to the chassis for rotatably supporting a roll of flexible sheet material, means operatively connected to the chassis for guiding a web of flexible sheet material from said roll to a position to be grasped by a user so that the user may pull the web out of the dispenser, a mechanism operatively connected to the chassis for perforating said web at intervals therealong to divide the web into individual sheets, said perforating mechanism including a rotatably mounted roller, a rotatably mounted knife positioned adjacent said roller and having a radially outward portion defining a cutting edge for perforating the web as the web passes between the roller and the knife, said roller being operatively connected to said knife for synchronous rotation therewith and having a slot therein for receiving said radially outward knife portion as the knife rotates past the roller, a stop mechanism associated with said perforating mechanism for stopping the rotation of said knife and said roller and thus arresting the movement of the web after a predetermined length of the web has been withdrawn from the dispenser, and a variable timing means associated with said stop mechanism for controlling the period of time during which stop mechanism is effective to stop the rotation of the knife and the roller;
- the improvement wherein said timing means comprises a pair of resilient vacuum cups, one of said cups being attached to said stop mechanism and the other of said cups being attached to said chassis, said cups being engageable in vacuum-gripping relationship when said stop mechanism stops the rotation of the knife and the roller, said one cup being made of a relatively hard resilient material and said other cup being made of relatively soft resilient material to thereby minimize the compression force required to engage the cups in said vacuum-gripping relationship, and valve means associated with said one cup for regulating the flow of air between the cups when the cups are in vacuum-gripping relationship.
- View Dependent Claims (9)
Specification