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CA2192057A1 - Toilet roll dispenser - Google Patents

Toilet roll dispenser

Info

Publication number
CA2192057A1
CA2192057A1 CA 2192057 CA2192057A CA2192057A1 CA 2192057 A1 CA2192057 A1 CA 2192057A1 CA 2192057 CA2192057 CA 2192057 CA 2192057 A CA2192057 A CA 2192057A CA 2192057 A1 CA2192057 A1 CA 2192057A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
housing
roll
rolls
user
retaining
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2192057
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Pierre Villeneuve
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA 2192057 priority Critical patent/CA2192057A1/en
Publication of CA2192057A1 publication Critical patent/CA2192057A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • AHUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A47FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
    • A47KSANITARY EQUIPMENT NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; TOILET ACCESSORIES
    • A47K10/00Body-drying implements; Toilet paper; Holders therefor
    • A47K10/16Paper towels; Toilet paper; Holders therefor
    • A47K10/18Holders; Receptacles
    • A47K10/22Holders; Receptacles for rolled-up webs

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Replacement Of Web Rolls (AREA)

Abstract

A device to store and automatically dispense toilet paper rolls having no moving parts, comprising a housing having downwardly inclined steps forming a serpentine passage generally adapted to receive toilet paper rolls. The passage directs the movement of the rolls to a dispensing platform.
The only force required to dispense the rolls is the force of gravity.

Description

TOILET ROLL DI~N~K

FIELD OF lNV~.~ION
The present invention relates to the automatic dispensing of toilet paper rolls without the use of moving parts.

R~R-ihODN~ OF THE INVENTION
In maintaining a constant supply of toilet paper rolls in a washroom there is the need for a simple device to both store and dispense the rolls with a minimum of maintenance and cost.
In addition to the convenience of having a stored supply of toilet paper in and around the washroom area in a house or commercial establishment, a ready supply of toilet paper rolls is also desirable from an economical point of view. By providing a means to store a large number of rolls to be dispensed whenever a user requires a new roll, the labour cost of having a custodian frequently check the supply level and replace the toilet paper rolls is significantly reduced.
Other dispensing machines have been developed which store cylindrical or spherical objects in a hopper area and deliver them to a dispensing space along a simple track. Accordingly, while dispensers have long been known for various articles such as canned foods and beverages, the need continues to exist for an economical means for storing and dispensing toilet paper rolls which will be quick, easy, hygienic, and maintenance-free.
There also exists various devices to store toilet paper rolls and dispense toilet paper sheets. However, these devices concentrate their designs in dispensing the toilet paper sheets and not the whole roll. In addition, these devices use moving parts such as carousel devices to rotate from one completed roll to the next new roll. The moving parts in these devices adds manufacturing and maintenance costs. Since the emphasis of these designs is to dispense the individual sheets of toilet paper a drawback often encountered is that the capacity of these devices often falls short of the true capacity desired. In addition, with the prevalent practice by consumers to purchase bulk-sized packages of toilet paper having large quantities of rolls there is an increasing need to store ever larger quantities of these rolls. What also happens in practice particularly in office buildings and the like when multiple toilet paper sheet dispensers fall short of the desired storage capacity is that the surplus rolls are stored sometimes on the toilet bowl tank cover, on floor or on top of the sheet dispenser itself.
Leaving the rolls in these locations is unhygienic, clumsy looking and sometimes results in the toilet paper roll falling and/or rolling about the floor.
On other occasions, the toilet paper rolls are just simply left in the plastic wrap that they come packaged in and are stored in the washroom cabinet so packaged. The problem with this method of storage is that retrieving the rolls is difficult and often the package occupies an undesired amount of 'real estate' in a modestly proportioned washroom cabinet.

SU~RY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object therefore of the present invention to provide a dispensing device that obviates and mitigates from the disadvantages of present methods of storing and dispensing toilet paper rolls.
Another object is to provide a means to automatically dispense toilet paper rolls one at a time without the use of moving parts that is quick dispensing and easily loaded.
Further still, a further object is to provide a dispensing device that is relatively maintenance-free, thereby reducing overall costs.
The present invention will act both as a convenient storage and dispensing device for a large quantity of toilet paper rolls that will keep the rolls dry and easily accessible 21 92a~7 whenever they are required. In addition the present invention will not require undue space in a washroom cabinet or on the floor. An optional transparent wall or walls with slits or openings therein will make checking to see whether more toilet paper rolls are needed in the dispenser a quick and easy operation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a passage way for the toilet paper rolls to travel with only the use of gravity to encourage the movement of the rolls but that at the same time will discourage jamming of the rolls within the passage.
The present invention may be used in conjunction with a toilet paper sheet dispenser such as the traditional single roll spindle or the earlier mentioned multiple-roll dispensers.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for storing and dispensing rolls of material to a user comprising: a housing adapted to receive a plurality of rolls, said housing having an upper end, a lower end and inclined surface means extending therebetween;
retaining means for retaining a roll in a position accessible to the user adjacent to said lower end, whereby a roll placed in said housing travels along said inclined surface means to said ret~;n;ng means for retention until removed by the user.
According to the present invention, there is also provided an apparatus for storing and dispensing rolls of material to a user comprising: a housing adapted to receive a plurality of rolls, said housing having an upper end and a lower end; inclined surface means within said housing extending between said upper end and said lower end; and platform means adjacent to said lower end of said housing, said platform means adapted for receiving a roll from said housing and retaining the roll in a position accessible to a user until removed by the user.
2 ~ 5 7 According to the present invention, there is further provided an apparatus for storing and dispensing rolls of paper comprising: a housing adapted to receive said rolls, said housing having an upper end, a lower end, a first opening near said upper end and a second opening near said lower end;
a plurality of inclined surfaces between said upper and lower end of said housing, said surfaces being staggered down said housing whereby a roll switch backs over said inclined surfaces in a serpentine direction downwardly from said upper to said lower end of said housing; a substantially horizontal surface adjacent said lower end of said housing for receiving a roll after the roll passes through said and retaining the roll in a position accessible to a user.
According to the present invention, there is also further provided an apparatus for storing and dispensing rolls of material to a user comprising: a housing adapted to receive said rolls at an upper end thereof and to dispense said rolls at a lower end thereof, and a passageway through said housing for the rolls to travel from said upper end to said lower end;
and ret~;n;ng means for temporarily ret~;n;ng one of said rolls at said lower end until removed therefrom by the user, whereupon any other rolls in said housing travel down said passage until said ret~;n;ng means is occupied by another roll.

BRIEF D~eCRTPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in greater detail, and will be better understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
Fig 1. is a side elevation view of the present dispenser;
and Fig 2. is a front elevation view of the dispenser of Fig.
1.

DET~TTRn DESCRIPTION OF THE ~n~-~nn~ EMBODIMENT
With reference initially to Fig. 1, the dispenser generally comprises a box-like housing 1 having a serpentine passage 2 therein defined by elevated inclined steps 3, 4 to direct the movement of the rolls in a serpentine fashion to the base inclined step 5 and to the dispensing platform 6.
The inclined steps are of course downwardly inclined. The incline prevents jamming of the toilet rolls in the dispenser as they move along passage 2 and more importantly encourages movement of the rolls toward dispensing platform 6 under the influence of gravity.
The toilet rolls are loaded through the opening 8 at the top 14 of housing 1. The rolls then move along the first elevated inclined step 3 in one direction until they fall off the edge lO of the step onto the next elevated inclined step 4. The next elevated inclined step re-directs the rolls to move in the opposite direction they were travelling along in the preceding step but still in a generally downward direction. This serpentine movement of the rolls continues until the rolls reach the base inclined step 5. Inclined step 5 is of greater length than the preceding steps and directs the rolls onto a flat dispensing platform 6.
The flat dispensing platform 6 may protrude outwardly from housing 1. The rolls are prevented from any further movement once they land on the dispensing platform by a vertically inclined barrier 7. Preferably, there is sufficient space for only one roll to sit on the platform and be partially exposed. The exposed roll is then ready to be removed from the dispenser by the user when needed.
The removal of the roll sitting in the dispensing platform 7 results in an empty dispensing platform 7. The rolls then advance and the next roll after the removed roll fills the space made available on the dispensing platform.
If desired, a transparent or see-through panel 11 on the outer side of housing 1 will allow a quick visible check to 21 q2057 determine whether more rolls are needed. In the alternative, slits or openings may be formed in otherwise opaque panels 11 to facilitate visual inspection.
It may be desired to have a lid 9 for the opening 8. The lid may be hinged or a simple lift-off type. Depending on the usage needs of a particular location larger quantities of toilet paper rolls may be desired to be stored. Therefore, the dispenser storage capacity may be increased by manufacturing a housing having greater height and/or width and having more elevated inclined steps where appropriate. This would increase the length of the serpentine passage thereby increasing the capacity of the dispenser.
The dispenser may be mounted along any one of its walls onto any supporting surface such as a wall or cabinet door.
The dispenser may be mounted using fasteners such as nails or screws. In the alternative, the relatively light construction of the dispenser allows the dispenser to be mounted with only adhesive glue.
The above-described embodiments of the present invention are meant to be illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various modifications, which would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, are intended to be within the scope of the present invention. The only limitations to the scope of the present invention are set out in the following appended claims.

Claims (15)

1. An apparatus for storing and dispensing rolls of material to a user comprising:
a housing adapted to receive a plurality of rolls, said housing having an upper end, a lower end and inclined surface means extending therebetween;
retaining means for retaining a roll in a position accessible to the user adjacent to said lower end, whereby a roll placed in said housing travels along said inclined surface means to said retaining means for retention until removed by the user.
2. An apparatus according claim 1 wherein said inclined surface means comprises a plurality of inclined surfaces alternatively staggered down said housing whereby a roll switch backs downwardly from said upper to said lower end of said housing until retained in said retaining means.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said retaining means comprises stop means for retaining a roll against the force of other rolls on said housing until said roll is removed by a user.
4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said stop means includes an inclined barrier to retain a roll between said barrier and the lower end of said inclined surface means.
5. An apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said retaining means further comprises a substantially horizontal surface at the lower end of said housing disposed between said barrier and said lower end of said inclined surface means for receiving a roll after the roll passes through said housing.
6. An apparatus for storing and dispensing rolls of material to a user comprising:
a housing adapted to receive a plurality of rolls, said housing having an upper end and a lower end;
inclined surface means within said housing extending between said upper end and said lower end; and platform means adjacent to said lower end of said housing, said platform means adapted for receiving a roll from said housing and retaining the roll in a position accessible to a user until removed by the user.
7. An apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising a stop means on said housing for retaining a roll against the force of other rolls on said housing until said roll is removed by a user.
8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said stop means includes an inclined barrier to retain a roll between said barrier and the lower end of said inclined surface means.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said platform means comprises a substantially horizontal surface at the lower end of said housing disposed between said barrier and said lower end of said inclined surface means for receiving a roll after the roll passes through said housing.
10. An apparatus for storing and dispensing rolls of paper comprising:
a housing adapted to receive said rolls, said housing having an upper end, a lower end, a first opening near said upper end and a second opening near said lower end;
a plurality of inclined surfaces between said upper and lower end of said housing, said surfaces being staggered down said housing whereby a roll switch backs over said inclined surfaces in a serpentine direction downwardly from said upper to said lower end of said housing;
a substantially horizontal surface adjacent said lower end of said housing for receiving a roll after the roll passes through said and retaining the roll in a position accessible to a user.
11. An apparatus according to claim 10 further comprising stop means for retaining a roll on said platform against the force of other rolls on said housing until removed by a user.
12. An apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said stop means includes an inclined barrier to retain a roll between said barrier and the lower end of said inclined surfaces.
13. An apparatus for storing and dispensing rolls of material to a user comprising:
a housing adapted to receive said rolls at an upper end thereof and to dispense said rolls at a lower end thereof, and a passageway through said housing for the rolls to travel from said upper end to said lower end; and retaining means for temporarily retaining one of said rolls at said lower end until removed therefrom by the user, whereupon any other rolls in said housing travel down said passage until said retaining means is occupied by another roll.
14. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein said roll of material is a roll of paper.
15. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims wherein said roll of material is a roll of toilet paper.
CA 2192057 1996-12-04 1996-12-04 Toilet roll dispenser Abandoned CA2192057A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2192057 CA2192057A1 (en) 1996-12-04 1996-12-04 Toilet roll dispenser

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2192057 CA2192057A1 (en) 1996-12-04 1996-12-04 Toilet roll dispenser

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2192057A1 true CA2192057A1 (en) 1998-06-04

Family

ID=4159379

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2192057 Abandoned CA2192057A1 (en) 1996-12-04 1996-12-04 Toilet roll dispenser

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2192057A1 (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
USD886488S1 (en) 2018-05-29 2020-06-09 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper dispenser
USD888458S1 (en) 2018-06-07 2020-06-30 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper dispenser
USD899132S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2020-10-20 Cascades Canada Ulc Dispenser
USD917917S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2021-05-04 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper or towel dispenser
USD918615S1 (en) 2018-05-29 2021-05-11 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper dispenser

Cited By (16)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
USD989509S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2023-06-20 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper or towel dispenser
USD944557S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2022-03-01 Cascades Canada Ulc Dispenser
USD899132S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2020-10-20 Cascades Canada Ulc Dispenser
USD917917S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2021-05-04 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper or towel dispenser
USD938752S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2021-12-21 Cascades Canada Ulc Dispenser
USD937604S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2021-12-07 Cascades Canada Ulc Dispenser
USD1004327S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2023-11-14 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper or towel dispenser
USD949593S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2022-04-26 Cascades Canada Ulc Dispenser
USD949592S1 (en) 2018-02-23 2022-04-26 Cascades Canada Ulc Dispenser
USD918615S1 (en) 2018-05-29 2021-05-11 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper dispenser
USD983557S1 (en) 2018-05-29 2023-04-18 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper dispenser
USD983556S1 (en) 2018-05-29 2023-04-18 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper dispenser
USD886488S1 (en) 2018-05-29 2020-06-09 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper dispenser
USD1002226S1 (en) 2018-05-29 2023-10-24 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper dispenser
USD1001534S1 (en) 2018-06-07 2023-10-17 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper dispenser
USD888458S1 (en) 2018-06-07 2020-06-30 Cascades Canada Ulc Paper dispenser

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