Dispenser for a stack of web material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10398265-B2
Application number	US-201515549291-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2015
Priority date	Feb 23, 2015
Publication date	Sep 3, 2019
Grant date	Sep 3, 2019

Abstract

A dispenser for dispensing sheets of web material is provided. The dispenser includes a dispenser housing and storage compartment for receiving a stack of sheets of web material. The housing has a front side, a rear side, upper and lower end portions, and two vertical sides connecting the front and rear sides, the lower end portion forming a dispensing end portion of the dispenser. The storage compartment includes a support arrangement for supporting the stack of sheets of web material at the dispensing end portion of the dispenser. The support arrangement a dispensing opening is arranged in a portion between the front, rear and side portions and an abutment surface to which the stack of sheets of web material can abut.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A dispenser for dispensing sheets of web material, the dispenser extending in a height direction, a width direction and a depth direction, wherein the dispenser comprises a dispenser housing and storage compartment for receiving a stack of sheets of web material, the housing having a front side, a rear side, upper and lower end portions, and two vertical sides connecting the front and rear sides, the lower end portion forming a dispensing end portion of the dispenser,
wherein the storage compartment comprises a support arrangement for supporting the stack of sheets of web material at the dispensing end portion of the dispenser, said support arrangement comprising a front portion, a rear portion and a pair of side portions connecting opposite ends of the front portion and the rear portion,
wherein a dispensing opening is arranged in a portion between the front, rear and side portions, the dispensing opening of the support arrangement being defined by a surrounding edge formed by the front, rear and side portions, the edge comprising a leading edge portion and a rear edge portion,
wherein the leading edge portion forms an upper guiding edge for the sheets of web material during dispensing thereof,
wherein the front portion of the support arrangement comprises a front abutment surface for supporting the stack of sheets of web material, the front abutment surface extending upwardly in a direction from the dispensing opening towards the front side of the dispenser,
wherein the dispenser further comprises a lower guiding edge for the sheets of web material during dispensing thereof, the lower guiding edge being arranged at a location downwards from the upper guiding edge towards the front side of the dispenser, the lower guiding edge being below the support arrangement, the front abutment surface, the leading edge portion, and the rear edge portion, wherein an HD plane extends in the height direction and the depth direction through the dispenser and the front side, the abutment surface, the lower guiding edge, the leading edge portion, the dispensing opening, the rear edge portion, and the rear side,
wherein:
a first straight line extends in the HD plane through a lowermost part of the abutment surface and an uppermost part of the abutment surface, wherein the first straight line forms an angle a to a first horizontal line extending in the HD plane from a rear wall of the storage compartment, which angle α is from 30 degrees to 60 degrees,
a third straight line extends in said HD plane from a lowermost part of the upper guiding edge that defines a limitation for pulling a sheet of web material in contact with the upper guiding edge to a lowermost part of the lower guiding edge that defines a limitation for pulling a straightened sheet of web material in contact with the lower guiding edge and the upper guiding edge, wherein the third straight line forms an angle β to the first horizontal line, and
a sum of the angles α and β is from 45 degrees to 120 degrees.

2. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the angle α is from 40 degrees to 50 degrees.

3. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the sum of the angles α and β is from 60 degrees to 120 degrees.

4. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the angle β is from 5 to 80 degrees.

5. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the front abutment surface has a main plane that extends upwardly in a direction from the dispensing opening towards the front side of the dispenser along the first straight line between the lowermost part and the uppermost part of the front abutment surface, wherein the main plane of the front abutment surface forms the angle a to the first horizontal line.

6. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the dispensing opening is arranged in a portion that extends upwardly in an inclined direction from the rear side towards the front side of the dispenser,
wherein a fourth straight line extends in said HD plane from a lowermost part of the rear edge portion to the lowermost part of the upper guiding edge that defines the limitation for pulling a sheet of web material in contact with the upper guiding edge, wherein the fourth straight line forms an angle φ to the first horizontal line that is from 25 degrees to 60 degree.

7. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein a rim forms part of the upper guiding edge and extends in a downward direction at the dispensing opening, thereby forming a downwardly facing flange of the upper guiding edge that presents a guiding surface portion for the sheets of web material during dispensing thereof.

8. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the upper guiding edge is formed by two or more components.

9. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the upper guiding edge has a thickness dimension in the HD plane of at least 2.5 mm between the lowermost part of the upper guiding edge and an upper surface portion of upper guiding edge in the HD plane, which upper surface portion is arranged opposite to said lowermost part in the height direction in the HD plane.

10. The dispenser according to claim 9 , wherein the thickness dimension is at least 4 mm.

11. The dispenser according to claim 9 , wherein the thickness dimension is 30 mm or less.

12. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the upper guiding edge has an edge surface forming an upper guiding surface for the sheets of web material during dispensing thereof, wherein the upper guiding surface presents one or more rounded surface portions in the HD plane.

13. The dispenser according to claim 12 , wherein a portion of the upper guiding surface facing upwardly in inclined direction towards the rear side is a rounded surface portion.

14. The dispenser according to claim 12 , wherein a portion of the upper guiding surface facing downwardly in an inclined direction towards the rear side is a rounded surface portion.

15. The dispenser according to claim 13 , wherein the radius of the rounded surface portion is about 0.5 mm to 2 mm.

16. The dispenser according to claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a rear wall, and a front wall or front door.

17. The dispenser according to claim 16 , wherein the lower guiding edge is formed by an edge of the lower end portion of the front wall or front door.

Assignees

• Sca Hygiene Prod Ab
• Essity Hygiene & Health Ab

Inventors

• Larsson Björn
• Wallenius Hans

Classifications

• A47K10/424 Primary

  dispensing from the bottom part of the dispenser (A47K10/44 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47K2010/428

  Details of the folds or interfolds of the sheets · CPC title