Paper product dispenser and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9345368-B2
Application number	US-201414281308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2014
Priority date	May 19, 2014
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing paper product stacked along a stacking dimension includes a housing for holding the stack of paper product and having a longitudinal dimension associated with the stacking dimension. The movable ejector is located adjacent the housing and is configured to contact paper product at an end of the stack. Movement of the ejector is effective to slide paper product at the end of the stack, relative to a remainder of the stack, in a dispensing direction, to thereby dispense paper product from the housing. A first restrictor in the housing is configured to exert a force on the stack in a first restricting direction transverse to the dispensing direction, with the first restrictor being spaced from the ejector, in the longitudinal dimension, by a first distance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus configured to dispense paper product from an end of a stack of paper product stacked along a stacking dimension defining a thickness of the stack, each paper product having a plurality of side edges orthogonal to the stacking dimension of the stack, the apparatus comprising:
a housing configured to encompass the stack of paper product, the housing being arranged within the apparatus and having a longitudinal dimension generally parallel to the stacking dimension, the housing configured to support the end of the stack at an end position of the housing;
a movable ejector located adjacent said housing and having a contacting surface configured to contact the paper product at the end of the stack, movement of said ejector being effective to slide the paper product at the end of the stack, relative to a remainder of the stack, in a dispensing direction, to thereby dispense paper product from said housing;
a first restrictor in said housing having a first force-exerting contacting surface configured to exert a first force on a portion of the stack that is spaced from the end position in a first restricting direction transverse to the dispensing direction, said first restrictor being spaced from said end position in the longitudinal dimension by a first distance such that no force is exerted on the stack in the first restricting direction between the first restrictor and the elector; and
a second restrictor in said housing having a second force-exerting contacting surface configured to exert a second force on the same portion of the stack on which the first force-exerting contacting surface is configured to exert the first force, the second force being oriented in a second restricting direction generally opposite the first restricting direction and transverse to the dispensing direction, the second restrictor being spaced from the end position such that no force is exerted on the stack in the second restricting direction between the second restrictor and the elector.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first restricting direction is generally orthogonal to the dispensing direction.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
said first restrictor includes a movable main body for making engaging contact with the stack, and a biasing element configured to urge said main body toward the stack, and
said second restrictor is non-movable.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein at least one of said first restrictor and said second restrictor has a guiding surface adjacent said first force-exerting contacting surface or said second force-exerting contacting surface, said guiding surface being configured to guide paper product in the stack toward said adjacent first or second force-exerting contacting surface.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said first or second force-exerting contacting surface and said adjacent guiding surface are contiguous.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said guiding surface is oriented at an angle relative to said first or second force-exerting contacting surface adjacent thereto.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first restrictor includes a movable main body for making engaging contact with the stack, and a biasing element, said biasing element being configured to urge said movable main body toward the stack.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein said movable main body is pivotally mounted to said housing at a pivoting location.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said biasing element is a torsion spring located at said pivoting location.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a stand coupled to said housing and having a surface for resting the apparatus on a horizontal surface so as to define a top end and a bottom end of said housing, said ejector being located adjacent said bottom end and being configured to at least partially support a weight of the stack when the apparatus is resting on a horizontal surface.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said first restrictor is arranged opposite said second restrictor along the stacking dimension.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said ejector includes a roller, and movement of said ejector includes rotation of said roller.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an actuator operatively coupled to said ejector and configured to move said ejector for sliding paper product at the end of the stack relative to a remainder of the stack.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein said actuator includes an electric motor operatively coupled to said ejector.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein said actuator has a plurality of available cycles of said ejector, each associated with a different number of paper products to be dispensed from the stack by the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an interior of said housing has a generally rectangular cross-section defining a width dimension and a depth dimension thereof, said dispensing direction being generally parallel to said depth dimension and said first restricting direction being generally parallel to said width dimension.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said housing includes at least one support ledge having a ledge surface for contacting and supporting a weight of the stack, said ledge surface being spaced from said first force-exerting contacting surface, in the longitudinal dimension, by a second distance greater than the first distance.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said ejector is positioned relative to said housing so as to at least partially support a weight of the stack.

19. An apparatus configured to dispense paper product from an end of a stack of paper product stacked along a stacking dimension defining a thickness of the stack, each Paper product having a plurality of side edges orthogonal to the stacking dimension of the stack, the apparatus comprising:
a housing configured to encompass the stack of paper product, the housing being arranged within the apparatus and having a longitudinal dimension generally parallel to the stacking dimension, the housing configured to support the end of the stack at an end position of the housing;
a roller located adjacent said housing and having a contacting surface configured to contact the paper product at the end of the stack, and to at least partially support a weight of the stack, rotation of said roller being effective to slide the paper product at the end of the stack, relative to a remainder of the stack, in a dispensing direction, to thereby dispense paper product from said housing;
a movable restrictor in said housing having a first force-exerting contacting surface configured to exert a force on the stack in a first restricting direction transverse to the dispensing direction, said movable restrictor having a pivotable main body and a biasing element configured to urge said pivotable main body toward the stack; and
a non-movable restrictor in said housing having a second force-exerting contacting surface configured to exert a force on the stack in a second restricting direction generally opposite the first restricting direction and transverse to the dispensing direction,
wherein the end position of the housing is spaced from said first and second force-exerting contacting surfaces in the longitudinal dimension such that no force is exerted on the stack in the first restricting direction between the movable restrictor and the roller, and no force is exerted on the stack in the second restricting direction between the non-movable restrictor and the roller.

Assignees

• Sca Hygiene Prod Ab

Inventors

• Formon John Stephen
• Raleigh Edward Arthur
• Brickl Jeffrey Jay
• Woerpel Matthew Tarrence

Classifications

• A47K10/44

  with mechanical dispensing means {for prehension of the next sheet to be dispensed} · CPC title

• A47K10/424 Primary

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