HK40059735A - Dispenser assembly and related methods - Google Patents

Description

Dispenser assembly and related method

This application is a divisional application of an invention application having a filing date of 2016, 2/6, and having a filing number of 201680035254.4, and an international filing number of PCT/EP2016/062478, entitled "dispenser assembly and associated method".

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No.62/180,693 entitled "dispenser assembly and associated method" filed on 17.6.2015, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for dispensing basesheet materials, and more particularly, to dispensing paper products provided in roll form.

Background

The manufacturing of devices for dispensing a substrate, such as a paper product, from a roll often faces logistical challenges in attempting to meet the needs of various customers. For example, manufacturers are required to manufacture, manage, dispense, and maintain dispensers that require a user to manually pull the end of the web and non-manual (or hands-free) dispensers that automatically dispense paper when a hand is swung in front of a sensor within the dispenser. As such, manufacturers often need to accommodate the needs of consumers who prefer dispensers mounted on walls or counters, as well as the needs of consumers who prefer dispensers that are at least partially recessed into a wall. The requirement for the manufacturer to provide the final large variety of dispensers then results in the manufacturer having to manufacture a very large variety of components for each type of dispenser, both for the initial manufacture of each dispenser and as a spare part for maintenance purposes. The complexity of managing a large number of component groups and a large number of dispenser classes often represents a significant obstacle.

In addition to the above, customers often change their preferences for dispensers and require the manufacturer or distributor of the dispensers to undertake the task of replacing one type of dispenser with another. For example, without limitation, a customer may require that a manual type dispenser be replaced with a hands-free type dispenser. This task is often complex and therefore expensive. Another example is provided where a consumer wishes to install a manual or hands-free dispenser as a recessed dispenser using the recessed frame of an existing recessed folding towel dispenser.

To protect this solution, manufacturers are required to manufacture and store different types of additional dispenser elements to be used in the new dispenser installation, depending on the size and shape of the existing recessed folding towel dispenser. The final installation is typically a complex, costly process and results in a less attractive newly installed dispenser. For example, a newly installed dispenser may be offset from the rear recessed frame rather than centered.

It is therefore desirable to have a dispenser system and associated method that overcomes these and other drawbacks of conventional paper product dispensers.

Disclosure of Invention

In one embodiment, a paper product dispenser assembly is provided. The assembly has a hood including a hood coupling element and a first rear housing member configured to selectively couple with the hood. The first rear housing member has a first coupling element cooperating with the hood coupling element for releasably coupling the hood and the first rear housing member to each other. The first rear housing member and the hood collectively define a first housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein. A second rear housing member of the assembly, other than the first rear housing member, is configured to selectively couple with the hood.

The second rear housing member has a second coupling element cooperating with the hood coupling element for releasably coupling the hood and the second rear housing member to each other. The second rear housing member and the hood collectively define a second housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein. The assembly further includes a dispensing member disposed at least partially within the first housing or the second housing and adapted to selectively dispense paper product from within the first housing or the second housing, respectively.

The first rear housing member has a first pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a first rear wall extending between the first pair of side walls, and at least one resilient side flap extending outwardly from one or both of the first pair of side walls and configured to engage one or both of the exterior side walls of the recessed space for mounting the first rear housing member within the recessed space. The first rear housing member further includes a front opening and a front panel surrounding the front opening. The second rear housing member has a second pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a second rear wall extending between the second pair of side walls, and mounting structure on the second rear wall for mounting the second rear housing member on an external wall.

In certain embodiments, the selectively releasable couplings between the cover and the first rear housing member and between the cover and the second rear housing member are fastener-free. Additionally or alternatively, the cover coupling element may comprise a male coupling element and each of the first and second coupling elements may comprise a respective female coupling element adapted to receive the male coupling element therein for selective releasable coupling between the cover and the first rear housing part and between the cover and the second rear housing part. The male coupling element may further comprise an elastic element for a snap-fit coupling between the male coupling element and the female coupling element.

In a particular embodiment, the snap coupling comprises the cover being locked in position relative to the first rear housing part or relative to the second rear housing part. The assembly may further include a pair of roll support arms, each roll support arm configured to support an end of a roll of paper product, while the first and second rear housing members each include a respective pair of roll support couplers, each roll support coupler configured to selectively releasably couple with one of the roll support arms. One or more of the roll support couplers can include a female member and one or more of the roll support arms can include a male member configured to be received within the female member.

The coupling between the roll-support coupler and the roll support arm may be fastener-free. Additionally or alternatively, each spool support arm may include an arm resilient element configured to flex upon coupling engagement of one of the spool support arms with a respective one of the spool support couplers. The arm spring element may be configured to lock the spool support arm including the spring element relative to a spool support coupler to which the spool support arm is coupled. In certain embodiments, one or more of the roll support arms has a guide element configured to limit the number of possible orientations of the roll support arm for coupling with one of the roll support couplers.

The dispensing part may comprise a paper feed bar and each of the first and second rear housing parts may comprise a top wall and an oppositely disposed bottom wall extending between a first pair of side walls of the first rear housing part and a second pair of side walls of the second rear housing part respectively, wherein the bottom wall comprises a recess defining an opening in the bottom wall, the recess being adapted such that the paper feed bar extends outside the first or second housing.

Additionally, the assembly may include a bottom bracket configured to selectively releasably couple with the bottom wall, wherein the bottom bracket includes a protrusion configured to engage with the notch so as to close the opening in the bottom wall. In certain embodiments, the at least one resilient side flap includes one or both exterior side walls adapted to receive a fastener therethrough to mount the first back housing member to the recessed space. Additionally or alternatively, at least one of the first pair of side walls may include a mounting guide slot adapted to permit viewing of a mounting indicia on an adjacent one of the exterior side walls from within the first rear housing member.

The first rear housing member may include a bottom wall extending between the first pair of side walls and a floor adjacent to and spaced from the bottom wall, wherein the floor has first and second floor members slidable relative to each other so as to allow adjustment of a depth dimension of the floor. Additionally or alternatively, each of the first and second rear walls of the first and second rear housing members respectively includes a wire aperture adapted to receive a wire therethrough for powering the dispensing member.

The dispensing component may include a sensor configured to sense the presence of a human body in proximity to the sensor and a processor configured to cause the dispensing component to dispense the paper product in response to the sensing of the sensor. The dispensing component may include a manually actuated paper feed bar to dispense paper product upon selective actuation of the paper feed bar. In a particular embodiment, the cover has a metallic outer surface. Additionally or alternatively, the first rear housing member may include a front opening and a metal front panel surrounding the front opening. Also additionally or alternatively, the second rear housing part may have a metallic outer surface.

In another embodiment, a paper product dispenser assembly includes a cover having a metallic exterior surface and a male coupling member. A first rear housing member of the assembly is configured to selectively couple with the cover, wherein the first rear housing member has a first female coupling element that cooperates with the male coupling element for releasable fastenerless coupling of the cover with the first rear housing member. The first rear housing member and the hood collectively define a first housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein.

The assembly also includes a second rear housing member having a metallic outer surface and configured to selectively couple with the hood in place of the first rear housing member. The second rear housing part has a second female coupling element cooperating with the male coupling element for releasable coupling between the cover and the second rear housing part. The second rear housing member and the hood collectively define a second housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein. The dispensing member of the assembly is disposed at least partially within the first housing or the second housing and is adapted to selectively dispense paper products from within the first housing or the second housing, respectively.

The first rear housing member has a first pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a first rear wall extending between the first pair of side walls, and at least one resilient side flap extending outwardly from each of the first pair of side walls. The resilient side flaps are configured to engage exterior side walls of the recessed space to mount the first rear housing member within the recessed space. The first rear housing member further includes a front opening and a metal front panel surrounding the front opening. The second rear housing member has a second pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a second rear wall extending between the second pair of side walls, and at least one fastener opening extending through the second rear wall for mounting the second rear housing member to the outer wall.

In yet another embodiment, a paper product dispenser assembly is provided that includes a hood having a hood coupling device and a first rear housing member configured to selectively couple with the hood. The first rear housing member has first coupling means cooperating with the hood coupling means for releasably coupling the hood and the first rear housing member to one another, wherein the first rear housing member and the hood collectively define a first housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein. A second rear housing member of the assembly, other than the first rear housing member, is configured to selectively couple with the hood.

The second rear housing member has second coupling means cooperating with the hood coupling means for releasably coupling the hood and the second rear housing member to each other. The second rear housing member and the hood collectively define a second housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein. The assembly further includes a device disposed at least partially within the first housing or the second housing for selectively dispensing paper product from within the first housing or from within the second housing, respectively. The first rear housing member has a first pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a first rear wall extending between the first pair of side walls, and a resilient means extending outwardly from at least one of the first pair of side walls and configured to engage one or both exterior side walls of the recessed space for mounting the first rear housing member within the recessed space.

The first rear housing member also includes a front opening and a front panel surrounding the front opening. The second rear housing member has a second pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a second rear wall extending between the second pair of side walls, and mounting means on the second rear wall for mounting the second rear housing member on an external wall. In a particular embodiment, the cover coupling means and the first coupling means define a fastener-free coupling between the cover and the first rear housing member. Additionally or alternatively, the hood coupling means and said second coupling means may define a fastener-less coupling between the hood and the second rear housing member.

In another embodiment, a paper product dispenser is provided that includes a cover having a cover coupling element. A rear housing member of the dispenser is configured to couple with the hood, wherein the rear housing member has a rear housing member coupling element that cooperates with the hood coupling element to releasably couple the hood and the rear housing member to one another. The rear housing member and the hood collectively define a housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein. The rear housing member has a pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a rear wall extending between the pair of side walls, and at least one pair of resilient side flaps extending outwardly from the pair of side walls.

The resilient side flaps are configured to engage with exterior side walls of the recessed space to mount the rear housing member within the recessed space. The bottom panel extends between the first pair of side walls. The dispenser also includes a dispensing member disposed at least partially within the housing and adapted to selectively dispense paper product from within the housing. The floor has first and second floor members slidable relative to each other to allow adjustment of the depth dimension of the floor.

In a particular embodiment, the rear housing member includes a front opening and a front panel surrounding the front opening. The front panel, if present, may be metallic. Additionally or alternatively, each elastic side flap may include a fastener opening adapted to receive a fastener therethrough for mounting the rear housing member to the exterior side wall. In some embodiments, at least one of the pair of side walls includes a mounting guide slot adapted to permit viewing of a mounting indicia on an adjacent one of the exterior side walls from within the rear housing member.

In a particular embodiment, the rear wall comprises a wire hole adapted to receive a wire therethrough. The dispenser may further include a bottom wall extending between the pair of side walls and disposed inside the rear housing member. The bottom wall includes a recess defining an opening in the bottom wall, the recess configured to allow a portion of the dispensing member to extend therethrough. The dispenser may further include a bottom bracket configured to releasably couple with the bottom wall, wherein the bottom bracket has a protrusion adapted to engage the recess to close the opening in the bottom wall.

The bottom bracket may be configured to be coupled with the bottom wall without fasteners. In some embodiments, the releasable coupling between the cover and the rear housing member is fastener-free. In those or other embodiments, the cover coupling element or the rear housing member coupling element comprises a male element and the other of the cover coupling element or the rear housing member coupling element comprises a female element, wherein the female element is configured to receive the male element therein. The male element may comprise a resilient element for a snap coupling between the male element and the female element. The snap-fit coupling between the male and female elements may further comprise locking the cover cap in place relative to the rear housing member.

The dispenser may additionally include a pair of roll support arms, each roll support arm configured to support an end of a roll of paper product. The rear housing member may include a pair of roll-support couplers each configured to selectively releasably couple to one of the roll support arms. Each of the pair of spool support couplers may include a female element, and each of the pair of spool support arms may include a male element configured to be received within the female element.

The coupling between each of the pair of spool support couplers and one of the pair of spool support arms may be fastener-free. Further, in certain embodiments, each of the pair of spool support arms includes an arm resilient element configured to flex upon coupled engagement of one of the spool support arms with a respective one of the spool support couplers. The arm spring element may be configured to lock the spool support arm including the spring element relative to a spool support coupler to which the spool support arm is coupled. Additionally or alternatively, each of the pair of spool support arms may have a guide element configured to limit the number of possible orientations in which the spool support arm is coupled to one of the spool support couplers.

In another embodiment, a paper product dispenser is provided that includes a hood having a hood coupling device. The dispenser comprises a rear housing member configured to couple with the hood, wherein the rear housing member has a rear housing member coupling means cooperating with the hood coupling means to releasably couple the hood and the rear housing member with each other. The first rear housing member and the hood collectively define a housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein.

The rear housing member has a pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a rear wall extending between the pair of side walls, and a resilient means extending outwardly from at least one of the side walls and configured to engage one or both exterior side walls of the recessed space for mounting the rear housing member within the recessed space. A floor extends between the pair of sidewalls, and a dispensing member is at least partially disposed within the housing and adapted to selectively dispense paper products from within the housing. The base plate has first and second base plate members slidable relative to each other to allow adjustment of a depth dimension of the base plate.

In yet another embodiment, a paper product dispenser includes a hood having a hood coupling element and a rear housing member configured to selectively couple with the hood. The rear housing member has a rear housing member coupling element cooperating with the hood coupling element to releasably couple the hood and the rear housing member to each other. The rear housing member and the hood collectively define a housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein. The rear housing member has a pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a rear wall extending between the pair of side walls, and a bottom wall extending between the pair of side walls.

A dispensing member of the dispenser is at least partially disposed within the housing and is adapted to selectively dispense paper products from within the housing. The dispenser further includes a bottom bracket configured to be releasably coupled to the bottom wall, wherein the bottom wall includes a recess defining an opening in the bottom wall, the recess adapted to allow a portion of the dispensing component to extend through and out of the housing. The bottom bracket includes a tab configured to engage the notch to close the opening in the bottom wall.

The rear housing member may include a front panel surrounding a front opening of the rear housing member. The front panel may be metallic. In certain embodiments, each of the pair of side walls includes a resilient side flap having a fastener opening adapted to receive a fastener therethrough for mounting the rear housing member to the exterior side wall of the recessed space. Additionally or alternatively, at least one of the pair of side walls includes a mounting guide slot adapted to permit viewing of a mounting indicia on an adjacent one of the exterior side walls of the recessed space from within the rear housing member.

In a particular embodiment, the rear wall comprises a wire hole adapted to receive a wire therethrough. The bottom bracket may be configured to be coupled with the bottom wall without fasteners. In certain embodiments, the releasable coupling between the cover and the rear housing member is fastener-free. In a particular embodiment, the cover coupling member or the rear housing member coupling member includes a male member and the other of the cover coupling member or the rear housing member coupling member includes a female member configured to receive the male member therein.

The male element may comprise a resilient element for a snap coupling between the male element and the female element. The snap coupling between the male and female elements includes, in some embodiments, locking the cover cap in place relative to the rear housing member. The dispenser may further include a pair of roll support arms, each roll support arm configured to support an end of a roll of paper product, wherein the rear housing member includes a pair of roll support couplers, each roll support coupler configured to selectively releasably couple with one of the roll support arms.

In certain embodiments, each of the pair of roll-support couplers includes a female element and each of the pair of roll-support arms includes a male element configured to be received within the female element. The coupling between each of the pair of spool support couplers and one of the pair of spool support arms may be fastener-free. Each of the pair of spool support arms may include an arm spring element configured to flex upon coupled engagement of one of the spool support arms with a respective one of the pair of spool support couplers.

Additionally or alternatively, the arm resilient element may be configured to lock the spool support arm including the resilient element relative to a spool support coupler to which the spool support arm is coupled. In certain embodiments, each of the pair of spool support arms has a guide element configured to limit the number of possible orientations of each spool support arm to couple with the spool support coupler relative to one of the spool support couplers.

Drawings

The objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a system or assembly for dispensing paper product in roll form in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a housing or cover of the system of fig. 1.

Fig. 2A is a front view of the housing of fig. 2.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the housing of fig. 2 and 2A.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another housing or cover of the system of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the housing of fig. 5.

FIG. 6 is a partially schematic perspective view of a dispensing component of the system of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a dispensing member of the system of fig. 1 according to another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the housing of fig. 5 according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 9 is a partially exploded perspective view of the housing of fig. 2, 2A and 3.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a rear housing part of the housing of fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a partially exploded perspective view of the housing of fig. 4, 5 and 8.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view illustrating coupling between the cover and the rear housing member of the system of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12A is a cross-sectional view taken generally along line 12A-12A of fig. 12 illustrating the coupling between male and female elements of the cover and rear housing components.

Fig. 12B is a view similar to fig. 12A, further illustrating the coupling between the male and female elements of the cover and rear housing parts.

Fig. 12C is a view similar to fig. 12A and 12B showing the hood and rear housing member in a coupled state.

Fig. 13A is an exploded cross-sectional view showing the hood and rear housing member of fig. 12A-12C in a coupled state.

FIG. 13B is a view similar to FIG. 13A showing the pivotal movement of the lid of the closure of FIG. 13A.

Fig. 14A is another perspective view of the rear housing part of fig. 10 viewed from the rear side thereof.

Fig. 14B is a view similar to fig. 14A showing the bottom panel of the rear housing member in an extended state.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the rear housing member of fig. 10 showing the bottom bracket coupled to the rear housing member.

Fig. 16A is a perspective view of a rear housing member of the housing of fig. 4, 5 and 8 showing the bottom bracket of fig. 15 coupled to the rear housing member.

Fig. 16B is a perspective view similar to fig. 16A showing the bottom bracket having been coupled to the rear housing member.

FIG. 17A is a perspective view of a spool support arm of the system of FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 17B is another perspective view of the spool support arm of figure 17A from the rear side thereof.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a spool support arm of the system of FIG. 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 19A is a front view showing the interior of the housing of the system of fig. 1 dispensing paper product from the roll in a first orientation.

Fig. 19B is a view similar to fig. 19A showing dispensing of paper product from the roll in a second orientation.

Fig. 20 is a perspective view of a housing of the system of fig. 1, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 21 is a front view of the fig. 20 housing.

Fig. 22 is a top view of the housing of fig. 20 and 21.

Fig. 23 is a bottom view of the housing of fig. 20, 21 and 22.

Fig. 24 is a side view of the housing of fig. 20, 21, 22 and 23.

Detailed Description

To the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this written document conflicts with the meaning or definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to the term in this written document shall govern. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "including," "comprising," or "having" and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "supported," and "coupled" and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, "connected" and "coupled" are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

Referring to the drawings and in particular to fig. 1-8, an illustrative dispenser system or assembly 10 is shown configured to dispense paper products arranged in a cylindrical form. As used herein, the term "paper product" and related terms refer to a tissue substrate made from cellulosic fiber paper as well as to other dry or wet substrates made from, for example, nonwoven materials. The system 10 includes a cover or lid 12 that is selectively coupled to one of two different rear housing members 20, 24 that also form part of the system 10. The selective coupling between the hood 12 and one of the two different rear housing components 20, 24 functions to collectively define a hood or housing within which a roll 26 of paper product may be supported.

In one embodiment, as particularly shown in fig. 2, 2A and 3, the rear housing member 20 and the cover 12 collectively define a housing 30 when coupled to one another. The interior 31 of the housing 30 is configured to at least partially support a dispenser part DS schematically shown in fig. 3. In another embodiment, as shown in particular in fig. 4 and 5, the further rear housing part 24 and the cover 12 jointly define a housing 34 when coupled to each other, the interior 35 of which is also configured to at least partially support a distribution part DS, also shown schematically in fig. 5. The dispensing member DS supported within one of the inner portions 31 and 35 may be of a manual type, i.e. requiring therefore manual actuation to dispense the sheets from the roll 26, or alternatively of an automatic type.

With particular reference to fig. 6, this figure shows an example automatic type assignment component 39 of the "hands-free" type. The dispensing component 39 includes a sensor 40 configured to sense the presence of a portion of a person's body, such as a hand. Once a portion of the human body is detected, the sensor 40 is configured to generate a signal to a processor 42 housed within the interior 31, 35 or exterior of the housing 30, 34, which in turn causes the dispensing member 39 to dispense paper from the roll 26 to the exterior of the housing 30, 34.

Referring now to fig. 7 and 8, those figures show a dispensing member 46 of the manual type, different from the dispensing member 39 of fig. 6. Fig. 8 schematically illustrates a dispenser part 46 supported within the example housing 34. It is contemplated that the dispenser unit 46 may also be supported within the example housing 30, as will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art. The dispensing member 46 includes a manual actuation mechanism 48 that is actuated by a user applying a force to a handle or paper feed bar 52 that moves to effect dispensing of a predetermined length of paper product through a dispensing opening 54 in the housing 34. The paper feed bar 52 extends out of a lower portion 56 of the housing 34 adjacent the dispensing opening 54.

The exemplary dispensing member 46 is in the form of a box having a front wall 62, a rear wall 64, and two side walls 66. The dispensing member 46 includes a pressure roller 70, a drum, and a rotary cutter (not shown). Paper product web 26a is arranged to be fed from paper product roll 26 and into dispensing member 46 for subsequent dispensing out of dispensing opening 54 (fig. 8). Dispenser part 46 further includes a hatch 72 that, when opened, is configured to provide access to the internal components of dispenser part 46. The dispenser part 46 is secured to the rear wall of the housing 34 by fasteners (not shown) or by a fastenerless coupling similar to those described below with respect to the releasable, fastenerless coupling of other elements of the system 1. The dispensing member 46 is also accessible when the cover 12 is pivotally opened to enable loading of the roll 26 of paper product. Other features of the exemplary dispensing member 46 may be found in commonly owned U.S. patent No.8955790, entitled "dispenser," the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference for the sole purpose of disclosing features associated with the cassettes forming part of the dispensing devices described herein.

As described above, the cover 12 is selectively coupled to one of two different rear housing members 20, 24. The coupling of the cover 12 to one of the two rear housing parts 20, 24 is of a releasable type rather than a permanent type. The term "releasable coupling" and related terms, as used herein, refer to a coupling of the type in which structures being coupled are easily disassembled, disengaged, or otherwise separated from one another in a simple manner without causing damage or destruction of any of those structures. For purposes of further explanation, a permanent rather than "releasable" type coupling may, for example, involve two structures that are integrally formed or adhesively joined to one another such that their separation does not necessarily result in some level of damage to the separated portion or portions.

In the exemplary embodiment of fig. 1-8, the releasable coupling between the cover 12 and the rear housing members 20, 24 is fastener-free, facilitating easy one-handed coupling of the cover 12 and the rear housing members 20, 24 to one another. In that regard, the releasable coupling between the hood 12 and the rear housing members 20, 24 does not include bolts, screws, or rivets, for example. It is contemplated that the optional coupling between the hood 12 and the rear housing members 20, 24 may include one or more types of fasteners and still be considered a releasable rather than permanent coupling.

With continuing reference to fig. 1, 2A and 3-8 and with further reference to fig. 9-12, 12A, 12B, 12C, 13A and 13B, in the illustrative embodiment shown in those figures, the releasable, fastener-free coupling between the cover 12 and the rear housing members 20, 24 is provided by male coupling members in the form of fingers 80 located along edges 81 of the cover 12 that are received within female cover coupling members in the form of channels 84 disposed at respective locations within each of the rear housing members 20, 24. With particular reference to fig. 12, 12A, 12B and 12C, each finger 80 is received within a respective one of the channels 84 (fig. 12A) for snap coupling between the fingers 80 and the channels 84. During insertion, the resilient elements 86 of the fingers 80 are depressed as shown in fig. 12B. Once a predetermined position within the channel 84 is reached, the raised stops 89 of the resilient member 86 snap into place, extending through the locking apertures 90 in the channel 84.

The engagement of the raised detent 89 with the surface defining the locking aperture 90 acts to prevent the finger 80 from moving relative to the channel 84 in a direction along the longitudinal axis 84a of the channel 84 and in both directions perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 84 a. The engagement of the raised detents 89 with the surfaces defining the locking apertures 90 locks the fingers 80 in place and more specifically functions to prevent accidental separation of the cover 12 from the rear housing components 20, 24 to which the cover 12 is coupled. The engagement of the raised detents 89 with the surfaces defining the locking apertures 90 also functions to substantially prevent movement of the cover 12 relative to the rear housing components 20, 24 along the resulting height, depth and width dimensions of the housings 30, 34. The type of releasable fastener-less coupling between the cover 12 and the rear housing members 20, 24 in the embodiment of fig. 9-12, 12A, 12B, 12C is also advantageous in that the precise location of the cover 12 relative to the rear housing members 20, 24 to which the cover 12 is coupled is predetermined, which helps to facilitate assembly and alignment between the cover 12 and the rear housing members 20, 24. More specifically, the precise location and orientation of the canopy 12 relative to the rear housing members 20, 24 is determined by the respective positions of the raised stops 89 and the locking apertures 90 that engage one another at specific locations along the channel 84.

Referring now specifically to fig. 13A and 13B, those figures illustrate the hinged coupling between the fingers 80 and the main lid portion 12a of the lid 12. More specifically, each finger 80 (one shown in the drawings) includes a hinge 92, the hinge 92 enabling pivotal movement of the main lid portion 12a of the hood 12 relative to the respective finger 80 and thus relative to the rear housing part 20, 24 to which the hood 12 is generally coupled about the respective axis of the hinge 92. The pivotal movement of the main lid portion 12a enables the main lid portion 12a to act as a door to the resulting enclosure 30, 34, acting to provide access to the interior 31, 35 (fig. 3 and 5). A latch structure 94 located along an edge 96 (fig. 8) of the cover 12 (opposite the edge 81 (fig. 9) of the cover 12) cooperates with a catch (not shown) of the rear housing members 20, 24 to further provide coupling between the cover 12 and the rear housing members 20, 24. The engagement of the latch structure 94 with the catch functions to prevent unwanted pivotal movement of the main lid portion 12a of the cover 12.

Although in the embodiment shown in the figures referenced above the cover 12 has two fingers 80 cooperating with two corresponding channels 84 in the rear housing parts 20, 24, variations are envisaged. For example, the cover 12 and rear housing members 20, 24 may have a number of fingers 80 and channels 84 other than two in the example embodiment of those figures. Similarly, it is contemplated that one or more fingers 80 may be positioned inside or even outside of the rear housing members 20, 24, while one or more cooperating channels 84 may form a portion of the cover 12. Additional alternatives include such a cover 12: having both the fingers 80 and the channels 84 which cooperate with the channels 84 and the cover forming part of the rear housing parts 20, 24, respectively. Further, the releasable, fastener-free coupling of the hood 12 and the rear housing members 20, 24 may be provided by structural elements other than the illustrative, but non-limiting, fingers 80 and channels 84 in the illustrated embodiment.

Referring in detail to fig. 1, 2A, 3, 9 and 10, the example rear housing member 20 shown in those figures is configured to be inserted into a recessed space and secured to a pair of exterior side walls SW (fig. 2A) defining the recessed space. To this end, the rear housing member 20 includes a pair of side walls 20a, each of which includes one or more resilient side flaps 100 that are bent by an amount that depends on the width of the recessed space, i.e., the distance D between the outer side walls SW (FIG. 2A). During installation and once pressed by engagement with the exterior side walls SW, the tabs 100 exert opposing outward forces on the exterior side walls SW, acting to frictionally hold the rear housing member 20 in place. While the rear housing member 20 is frictionally held against the exterior side walls SW to stay in the desired position, the installer may be able to secure the rear housing member 20 in place by using one or more fasteners, such as screws (not shown). The fastener is inserted through a fastener opening 104 located within the tab 100 and engages the exterior sidewall SW in this particular non-limiting example. It is contemplated that the fastener openings 104 may alternatively be located elsewhere on the side walls 20a of the rear housing member 20.

The number of tabs 100 and the material, shape and structure of which the tabs 100 are comprised are suitably selected so as to be sufficiently resilient so that the tabs are pressed once in engaging contact with the outer side walls SW when the rear housing part 20 is inserted into the recessed space. Furthermore, the number of tabs 100 and the material, shape and structure of which the tabs 100 are comprised are suitably selected such that the tabs 100 are capable of exerting a sufficiently high force on the outer side walls SW upon being pressed, acting to support the weight of the rear housing part 20 by frictional engagement with the outer side walls SW. In this regard, the rear housing member 20 may, for example, have a total of four tabs 100, with two tabs 100 on each side wall 20a 20, and the tabs 100 being made of metal, particularly steel sheet having a thickness of about 1/16 inches (about 1.6mm), and each projecting about 5/8 inches (about 16mm) from the surface of the respective side wall 20 a. Further, each tab 100 may be integrally formed with the adjacent sidewall 20 a. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, each tab 100 is integrally formed with the side adjacent to the sidewall 20a, has a connected end 100a and a free end 100b (i.e., cantilevered support), and has a height "h" of about 15/16 inches (about 24mm) and a depth "d" of about 70mm (i.e., a dimension parallel to the depth dimension of the rear housing member 20). Other combinations of the number and materials, shapes and structural configurations of the fins 100 are contemplated within the scope of the present invention, and it will be readily understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the details described above with respect to the illustrative fins 100 are illustrative and not intended to be limiting. Furthermore, the dimensions of each tab 100 may be suitably selected so as to accommodate a range of widths, i.e., a range of distances D between the exterior sidewalls SW, which may vary between about 5mm and about 20 mm. For example, the flap 100 may be configured to frictionally support the weight of the rear housing member 20 against the exterior sidewalls SW having a distance D therebetween of about 380mm and against the exterior sidewalls SW having a distance D therebetween of about 400 mm.

With continuing specific reference to fig. 1, 2A, 3, 9 and 10 and with further reference to fig. 14A and 14B, the rear housing member 20 further includes a base plate 110 that is adjustable over a depth dimension DD of the rear housing member 20 to accommodate installation of the rear housing member 20 in various recessed spaces of varying depth. More specifically, in the example embodiment shown, the base plate 110 is made up of two base plate members 112, 114 that are slidable relative to each other so as to allow the base plate 110 to achieve a plurality of available depths that are continuous (rather than discrete). It may be desirable for the adjustable base plate 110 to accommodate recessed spaces of different depths and to enhance the stability of the dispenser mounted within the recessed space. More specifically, the floor member 112 can extend so as to contact the outer rear wall BW (fig. 2A) of the recessed space, which contact acts to help prevent inward (i.e., toward the rear wall BW) movement or even bending of the rear housing member 20 during installation and ultimately inward movement of the housing 30 during use.

The rear housing member 20 in the illustrated embodiment also includes a mounting guide slot 116 on one of the side walls 20a that allows a marking (not shown) on one of the exterior side walls SW to be viewed from inside the rear housing member 20. The markings may, for example, conform to installation height requirements necessary for the resulting dispenser to comply with certain regulations. Optionally, the two side walls 20a may each include a respective guide slot 116. For example, the installer may measure and mark the adjusted height of the dispenser relative to the floor on one or both of the exterior sidewalls SW, either before or during installation. When the rear housing member 20 is inserted into the recessed space, the installer may raise or lower the rear housing member 20 until the mounting indicia are visible through the mounting guide slots 116. The tabs 100 will then frictionally support the rear housing member 20 in place against the exterior side walls SW and the installer will then proceed to drive a screw or other fastener through each fastener opening 104 and through the side walls SW. Screws or other fasteners in turn secure the rear housing member 20 in place within the recessed space. In addition, wire holes M are positioned on the rear wall 20b extending between the side walls 20a and are configured to allow passage of power cords and/or other wires that provide power and/or communication to the various components within the housing 30. For example, the wire hole M may receive a power cord therethrough that is configured to power a dispensing component, such as the example dispensing components 39 and 46 of fig. 6 and 7, respectively.

The various features described above enable the rear housing member 20 to be installed in the recessed space relatively easily, quickly, and in some cases with a single hand, and accommodate installation in the recessed space having a depth of about 97mm to about 267mm and/or a width (i.e., the distance between the exterior side walls SW in the recessed space) of about 380mm to about 400mm, for example.

The rear housing member 20 further includes a front panel 120 surrounding a front opening 122 of the rear housing member 20, which is aesthetically pleasing to the extent that it provides a finished appearance to the installed dispenser. The entirety or at least a substantial portion of the front panel 120 may be made of metal, and more particularly in certain embodimentsMade of anti-fingerprint type Stainless steel type 304 (via ASTM A240) metal, such as available under the trademark "Aperam Stainless Europe", FranceCleartouch, which includes a 4 μm thick anti-fingerprint coating. The rear housing member 20 further includes top and bottom walls 20c, 20d disposed opposite one another and extending between the side walls 20a of the rear housing member 20 and connected to the rear wall 20 b. The bottom wall 20c is adjacent to and spaced apart from the bottom plate 110 (fig. 14A and 14B) and is disposed inside the rear housing member 20 (fig. 10).

With continuing reference to figures 1, 2A, 3-13, 14A and 14B and with further reference to figure 15, the bottom wall 20d of the rear housing member 20 includes a notch 125. The recess 125 defines an opening in the bottom wall 20d that allows the push or paper feed bar 52 (fig. 7 and 8) of the manual type dispensing member (if forming part of the system 10) to extend outside the housing 30. When a dispensing member that does not include a paper feed bar 52, such as the exemplary dispensing member 39 of fig. 6, is used, the notch 125 can be engaged by a centrally located protrusion 128 of a bottom bracket 130 that releasably couples to the bottom wall 20d of the rear housing member 20. The engagement of the projection 128 with the notch 125 acts to close the opening available for extension of the paper feed bar 52.

The releasable coupling of the bottom wall 20d to the bottom bracket 130 in the illustrated embodiment is also fastener-free (e.g., screws, bolts), which facilitates easy coupling and decoupling between the bottom wall 20d and the bottom bracket 130, and is provided by male and female elements and resilient elements, similar to the coupling between the cover 12 and each of the two rear housing members 20, 24 as described above with reference to fig. 1. In particular, in the illustrated embodiment, the bottom bracket 130 includes a pair of male elements in the form of a pair of outer fingers 132 and a central positioning finger 134 that are received within corresponding female elements in the form of a pair of outer channels 20f and a central positioning channel 20 g. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the releasable, fastener-less coupling between the bottom wall 20d and the bottom bracket 130 may be achieved by other means. For example, and without limitation, the bottom wall 20d may have a combination of male and female elements (e.g., fingers and channels, respectively) that cooperate with a corresponding combination of male and female elements of the bottom bracket 130. Similarly, it is contemplated that the bottom wall 20d may have only male elements (e.g., fingers) configured to be received within cooperating female elements (e.g., channels) of the bottom bracket 130.

In the exemplary embodiment of fig. 15, the outer fingers 132 include respective resilient elements 133 having raised stops 133a, similar to the resilient elements 86 and respective raised stops 89 described above in connection with the releasable coupling of the hood 12 to the rear housing components 20, 24. During insertion (arrow a), the resilient element 133 flexes until the raised detents 133a engage the surface of the corresponding locking aperture 137 defining the outer channel 20 f. The engagement of the raised stops 133a with the surfaces defining the locking apertures 137 acts to secure the bottom bracket 130 in position relative to the bottom wall 20 d. It may be desirable for the releasable fastener-less coupling of the bottom wall 20d and the bottom bracket 130 to one another to enable quick one-handed assembly and disassembly of the dispenser to be installed.

Fig. 16A and 16B illustrate a bottom bracket 130 releasably coupled to an example rear housing member 24 that also forms part of the system or assembly 10. To facilitate understanding, the same reference numerals in fig. 16A and 16B refer to similar structures in fig. 15. The bottom bracket 130 in fig. 16A and 16B is releasably coupled to the bottom wall 24d of the rear housing member 24 in a manner similar to the manner in which the example recessed type rear housing member 20 is releasably coupled to the bottom bracket 130. In particular, a pair of outer and center positioning channels 24f, 24g of the rear housing member 24 receive the outer and center fingers 133, 134, respectively, of the carriage 30 to permit selective releasable fastener-free coupling of those two structures to one another. The centering tab 128 of the bottom bracket 130 engages the notch 125 when the bottom bracket 130 and the bottom wall 24d are coupled to one another and, in doing so, acts to close the opening in the bottom wall 24d of the rear housing member 24 through which the paper feed bar 52 would otherwise extend.

With continued reference to fig. 16A and 16B in particular, those figures illustrate additional features of the example second rear housing member 24 of the system or assembly 10. As described above, the rear housing member 24 (and not the rear housing member 20) is selectively coupled to the hood 12 to collectively define the housing 34. The coupling between the cover 12 and the rear housing member 24 is similar in constituent elements, function, and their intended variations to those described above in connection with the coupling between the cover 12 and the rear housing member 20. The second rear housing member 24 is configured to mount the final housing 34 on a surface, such as a wall, rather than in a recessed space. To this end, the rear wall 24b of the rear housing member 24 includes one or more mounting structures 138, such as holes and/or slots, that permit fasteners, such as screws, to be inserted therethrough, and that function to secure the rear housing member 24 and the resulting housing 34 to the wall. The rear wall 24B also includes a wire aperture M that is similar in structure and function to the wire aperture M on the rear wall 20B of the rear housing member 20 (fig. 14A and 14B).

With continuing reference to figures 1, 2A, 3-13, 14A, 14B, 15, 16A, 16B and with further reference to figures 17A, 17B, 18, 19A and 19B, each of the rear housing components 20, 24 includes a roll-support coupler 150, which in the illustrated embodiment is in the form of a female member configured to receive a respective male member 154 of each of a pair of roll support arms 156, 158 therein. The coupling between the roll support arms 156, 158 and the roll-support coupler 150 is of a releasable type in the illustrated embodiment, and further of a fastener-less type, which is desirable to facilitate coupling and decoupling of the roll support arms 156, 158 to/from the roll-support coupler 150. The spool support arms 156, 158 in the exemplary embodiment of the drawings include respective arm resilient members 166, 168 that flex during insertion of the male member 154 into the spool support coupler 150 and which lock the spool support arms 156, 158 in place by engagement of the respective raised stops 170, 172 similar to the raised stops 89 of the resilient member 86 in the coupling of the cover 12 to the rear housing member 20. The spool support arms 156, 158 in the figures further include corresponding guide elements in the form of ramps 174. Ramp 174 prevents insertion of spool support arms 156, 158 in the wrong orientation, thus acting to limit insertion of spool support arms 156, 158 into one of spool support couplers 150 in one orientation.

Furthermore, in the example embodiment shown and as shown in fig. 19A and 19B, spool support coupler 150 and spool support arms 156, 158 are designed such that spool support arms 156, 158 exchange their positions with each other, i.e., between left and right side spool support coupler 150. This flexibility allows the resulting dispenser to accommodate paper product rolls 26 in either of the two available directions of the roll 26, i.e., to dispense a roll of paper clockwise or counterclockwise (i.e., release the web from the front of the roll as shown in fig. 19A or from the back of the roll 26 as shown in fig. 19B).

Also in the illustrated embodiment, the system 10 includes one or more bending-type spool support arms 156 and one or more fixed-type spool support arms 158. The bending type spool support arm 156 is designed to bend along the width dimension to accommodate spools 26 of various widths, such as in the range of about 195mm to about 210mm width. On the other hand, a stationary type roll support arm 158 is designed to have a substantially fixed position along the width dimension of the dispenser (and of the paper product roll 26). To this end, the bending-type spool support arm 156 has an integral hinge element 156c that permits the hub 178 of the spool support arm 156 to bend in a width dimension relative to the male element 154 of the spool support arm 156, as shown in FIG. 18.

It is contemplated that the releasable coupling between the roll support arms 156, 158 and the roll support coupler 150 may alternatively be reversed, i.e., such that the male and female elements are reversed relative to the embodiment shown in the figures. Similarly, alternative embodiments include a combination of each roll support arm 156, 158 having male and female elements that respectively cooperate with the male and female elements of roll support coupler 150.

Fig. 20-24 illustrate various other features of the depression-type dispenser, such as forming part of system 10 (fig. 1), and the description thereof is also referenced to provide a good understanding of the features of the dispenser of fig. 20-24.

Referring generally to the various embodiments of the drawings as described above, the exterior surface of the hood 12 and the exterior surface of the rear housing member 24 (fig. 4 and 5) may be made of materials that enhance the aesthetic appearance of those elements exposed to the end user. In this regard, those exterior surfaces may be made of the same stainless steel material as that which constitutes the exterior surface of the front panel 120 (FIG. 2), as described above, or they may alternatively be made of a different material. The use of an anti-fingerprint coating for the outer surfaces of the cover 12 and rear housing member 24 is desirable, for example, to also prevent other undesirable appearances of the resulting dispenser once it is in continuous contact with the hand of many users. However, it is contemplated that the outer surfaces of the rear housing member 24, the cover 12 and/or the front panel 120 may desirably be made of other metallic or non-metallic materials, for example, to minimize the manufacturing costs of those components.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below in a non-limiting manner:

1. a paper product dispenser assembly comprising:

a cover having a cover coupling element;

a first rear housing member configured to selectively couple the hood, the first rear housing member having a first coupling element that cooperates with the hood coupling element to releasably couple the hood and the first rear housing member to one another, the first rear housing member and the hood collectively defining a first housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein;

a second rear housing member configured to selectively couple the hood in place of the first rear housing member, the second rear housing member having a second coupling element that cooperates with the hood coupling element to releasably couple the hood and the second rear housing member to one another, the second rear housing member and the hood collectively defining a second housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein; and

a dispensing member disposed at least partially within the first housing or the second housing and adapted to selectively dispense paper product from within the first housing or the second housing, respectively,

wherein:

the first rear housing member having a first pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a first rear wall extending between the first pair of side walls, and at least one resilient side flap extending outwardly from one of the first pair of side walls and configured to engage one or both of the exterior side walls of a recessed space for mounting the first rear housing member within the recessed space, the first rear housing member further including a front opening and a front panel surrounding the front opening, and

the second rear housing member has a second pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a second rear wall extending between the second pair of side walls, and mounting structure on the second rear wall for mounting the second rear housing member to an external wall.

2. The dispenser assembly of claim 1, wherein the selective releasable couplings between the cover and the first rear housing member and between the cover and the second rear housing member are fastener-free couplings.

3. The dispenser assembly according to item 1 or 2, wherein the cover coupling element comprises a male coupling element and each of the first and second coupling elements comprises a respective female coupling element adapted to receive the male coupling element for selective releasable coupling between the cover and the first rear housing part and between the cover and the second rear housing part.

4. The dispenser assembly according to item 3, wherein the male coupling element comprises a resilient element for a snap-fit coupling between the male coupling element and the respective female coupling element.

5. The dispenser assembly of claim 4, wherein the snap coupling comprises the cover being locked in place relative to the first rear housing member or relative to the second rear housing member.

6. The dispenser assembly according to any one of claims 1-5, further comprising a pair of roll support arms, each roll support arm configured to support an end of a roll of paper product, each of said first and second rear housing members including a respective pair of roll support couplers, each roll support coupler configured to be selectively releasably coupled to said pair of roll support arms.

7. The dispenser assembly of item 6, wherein said respective pairs of roll support couplers comprise female elements and said pair of roll support arms each comprise male elements configured to be received within said female elements.

8. The dispenser assembly of claim 6 or 7, wherein the coupling between the respective pairs of roll-support couplers and the pair of roll-support arms is fastener-free.

9. The dispenser assembly according to any one of claims 6-8, wherein each of said pair of roll support arms includes an arm resilient member configured to flex upon coupled engagement of one of said roll support arms with a respective one of said roll support couplers.

10. The dispenser assembly of claim 9, wherein the arm resilient element is configured to lock the roll support arm including the resilient element relative to a respective roll support coupler to which the roll support arm is coupled.

11. The dispenser assembly according to any one of claims 6-10, wherein each of said pair of roll support arms includes a guide element configured to limit the number of possible orientations of said roll support arm for coupling with one of said roll support couplers.

12. A dispenser assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the dispensing member comprises a paper feed bar and each of the first and second rear housing parts comprises a top wall and an oppositely disposed bottom wall extending between the first and second pairs of side walls of the first and second rear housing parts respectively, the bottom wall comprising a recess defining an opening in the bottom wall adapted such that the paper feed bar extends through to the exterior of the first or second housing.

13. The dispenser assembly of claim 12, further comprising a bottom bracket configured to selectively releasably couple with the bottom wall, the bottom bracket including a tab configured to engage the notch so as to close the opening in the bottom wall.

14. The dispenser assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the at least one resilient side flap comprises a fastener opening adapted to receive a fastener therethrough to mount the first rear housing member to one or both of the exterior side walls.

15. A dispenser assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein at least one of said first pair of side walls includes a mounting guide slot adapted to permit viewing of a mounting indicia on an adjacent one of said outer side walls from inside said first rear housing member.

16. A dispenser assembly according to any one of claims 1-15, wherein said first rear housing member includes a top wall and an oppositely disposed bottom wall each extending between said first pair of side walls, said first rear housing member including a bottom panel adjacent said bottom wall, said bottom panel having first and second bottom panel members that slide relative to each other so that a depth dimension of said bottom panel can be adjusted.

17. A dispenser assembly according to any one of claims 1-16, wherein each of said first and second rear walls of said first and second rear housing members, respectively, includes a wire aperture adapted to receive a wire therethrough to provide power to said dispensing member.

18. The dispenser assembly of any one of claims 1-17, wherein the dispensing component includes a sensor configured to sense the presence of a human body in proximity to the sensor and a processor configured to cause the dispensing component to dispense a paper product in response to the sensing of the sensor.

19. The dispenser assembly of any one of claims 1-18, wherein the dispensing member comprises a paper feed bar that is manually actuated to cause dispensing of paper product upon selective actuation thereof.

20. The dispenser assembly of any one of claims 1-19, wherein the cover has a metallic outer surface.

21. The dispenser assembly of any one of claims 1-20, wherein the first rear housing member includes a front opening and a metal front panel surrounding the front opening.

22. A dispenser assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein said second rear housing member has a metallic outer surface.

23. A paper product dispenser assembly comprising:

a cover having a metallic outer surface and a male coupling element;

a first rear housing member configured to selectively couple the hood, the first rear housing member having a first female coupling element cooperating with the male coupling element for releasable fastener-less coupling between the hood and the first rear housing member, the first rear housing member and the hood collectively defining a first housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein;

a second rear housing member having a metallic outer surface and configured to selectively couple the hood in place of the first rear housing member, the second rear housing member having a second female coupling element cooperating with the male coupling element for releasable coupling between the hood and the second rear housing member, the second rear housing member and the hood collectively defining a second housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein; and

a dispensing member disposed at least partially within the first housing or the second housing and adapted to selectively dispense paper product from within the first housing or the second housing, respectively,

wherein:

the first rear housing member having a first pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a first rear wall extending between the first pair of side walls, at least one resilient side flap extending outwardly from each of the first pair of side walls, each resilient side flap being configured to engage an exterior side wall of a recessed space for mounting the first rear housing member within the recessed space, the first rear housing member further including a front opening and a metal front panel surrounding the front opening of the first rear housing member, and

the second rear housing member has a second pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a second rear wall extending between the second pair of side walls, and at least one fastener opening extending through the second rear wall for mounting the second rear housing member to an exterior wall.

24. A paper product dispenser assembly comprising:

a cover having a cover coupling means;

a first rear housing member configured to selectively couple the hood, the first rear housing member having a first coupling element cooperating with the hood coupling device to releasably couple the hood and the first rear housing member to one another, the first rear housing member and the hood collectively defining a first housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein;

a second rear housing member configured to selectively couple the hood in place of the first rear housing member, the second rear housing member having second coupling means cooperating with the hood coupling means to releasably couple the hood and the second rear housing member to one another, the second rear housing member and the hood collectively defining a second housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein; and

means at least partially disposed within the first housing or the second housing for selectively dispensing paper product from within the first housing or from within the second housing, respectively,

wherein:

the first rear housing member having a first pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a first rear wall extending between the first pair of side walls, and a resilient means extending outwardly from at least one of the first pair of side walls and configured to engage one or both of the exterior side walls of a recessed space for mounting the first rear housing member within the recessed space, the first rear housing member further including a front opening and a front panel surrounding the front opening, and

the second rear housing member has a second pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a second rear wall extending between the second pair of side walls, and mounting means on the second rear wall for mounting the second rear housing member on an external wall.

25. The dispenser assembly of claim 24, wherein the cover coupling means and the first coupling means define a fastener-less coupling between the cover and the first rear housing member.

26. The dispenser assembly of claim 24 or 25, wherein the cover coupling means and the second coupling means define a fastener-less coupling between the cover and the second rear housing member.

27. A paper product dispenser comprising:

a cover having a cover coupling element;

a rear housing member configured to couple with the hood, the rear housing member having a rear housing member coupling element that cooperates with the hood coupling element to releasably couple the hood and the rear housing member to one another, the rear housing member and the hood collectively defining a housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein, the rear housing member having a pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a rear wall extending between the first pair of side walls, at least one pair of resilient side flaps extending outwardly from the pair of side walls and configured to engage exterior side walls of a recessed space to mount the rear housing member within the recessed space, and a floor extending between the pair of side walls; and

a dispensing member disposed at least partially within the housing and adapted to selectively dispense paper products from within the housing,

wherein the base plate has first and second base plate members slidable relative to each other so that a depth dimension of the base plate can be adjusted.

28. The dispenser of item 27 wherein the rear housing member comprises a front opening and a front panel surrounding the front opening.

29. The dispenser of item 28, wherein the front panel is metal.

30. The dispenser of any one of claims 27-29, wherein the resilient side flaps each comprise a fastener opening adapted to receive a fastener therethrough to mount the rear housing member to an exterior side wall.

31. The dispenser of any one of claims 27-30, wherein at least one of the pair of side walls includes a mounting guide slot adapted to permit viewing of a mounting indicia on an adjacent one of the exterior side walls from inside the rear housing member.

32. The dispenser according to any one of items 27 to 31, wherein the rear wall comprises a wire hole for receiving a wire therethrough.

33. The dispenser of any one of claims 27-32, further comprising a bottom wall extending between the pair of side walls and disposed within the rear housing member, the bottom wall including a recess defining an opening in the bottom wall, the opening configured to allow a portion of the dispensing member to pass therethrough.

34. The dispenser of item 33, further comprising a bottom bracket configured to releasably couple with the bottom wall, the bottom bracket having a protrusion adapted to engage the notch so as to close the opening in the bottom wall.

35. The dispenser of item 33 or 34, wherein the bottom bracket is configured to be coupled with the bottom wall without fasteners.

36. The dispenser of any one of claims 27-35 wherein the releasable coupling between the cover and the rear housing member is fastener-free.

37. A dispenser according to any of claims 27-36, wherein the cover coupling element or the rear housing part coupling element comprises a male element and the other of the cover coupling element or the rear housing part coupling element comprises a female element configured to receive the male element therein.

38. The dispenser of item 37 wherein the male element comprises a resilient element for snap coupling between the male element and the female element.

39. The dispenser of claim 38, wherein the snap-fit coupling between the male element and the female element comprises locking the cover in place relative to the rear housing member.

40. The dispenser of any one of claims 27-39 further comprising a pair of roll support arms, each roll support arm configured to support an end of a roll of paper product, the rear housing member including a pair of roll support couplers, each roll support coupler configured to be selectively releasably coupled to one of the pair of roll support arms.

41. The dispenser of item 40 wherein each of the pair of roll support couplers comprises a female element and each of the pair of roll support arms comprises a male element configured to be received within the female element.

42. The dispenser of item 40 or 41, wherein the coupling between each of the pair of roll support couplers and one of the pair of roll support arms is fastener-free.

43. The dispenser of any one of items 40-42, wherein each of the pair of roll support arms includes an arm resilient member configured to flex upon coupled engagement of one of the roll support arms with a respective one of the pair of roll support couplers.

44. A dispenser assembly according to item 43, wherein the arm resilient element is configured to lock the roll support arm including the resilient element relative to a respective roll support coupler to which the roll support arm is coupled.

45. The dispenser of any one of claims 40-44, wherein each of the pair of roll support arms includes a guide element configured to limit the number of possible orientations of the roll support arm for coupling with one of the pair of roll support couplers.

46. A paper product dispenser comprising:

a cover having a cover coupling means;

a rear housing member configured to couple with the hood, the rear housing member having a rear housing member coupling means cooperating with the hood coupling means to releasably couple the hood and the rear housing member to one another, the rear housing member and the hood collectively defining a housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein, the rear housing member having a pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a rear wall extending between the first pair of side walls, resilient means extending outwardly from at least one of the side walls and configured to engage one or both exterior side walls of a recessed space to mount the rear housing member within the recessed space, and a floor extending between the pair of side walls; and

means at least partially disposed within said housing for selectively dispensing paper products from within said housing,

wherein the base plate has first and second base plate members slidable relative to each other so that a depth dimension of the base plate can be adjusted.

47. A paper product dispenser comprising:

a cover having a cover coupling element;

a rear housing member configured to couple with the hood, the rear housing member having a rear housing member coupling element cooperating with the hood coupling element for releasably coupling the hood and the rear housing member to one another, the rear housing member and the hood collectively defining a housing adapted to hold a roll of paper product therein; the rear housing member having a pair of oppositely positioned side walls, a rear wall extending between the pair of side walls, and a bottom wall extending between the pair of side walls;

a dispensing member disposed at least partially within the housing and adapted to selectively dispense paper products from within the housing; and

a bottom bracket configured to selectively releasably couple with the bottom wall, the bottom wall including a recess defining an opening in the bottom wall adapted to allow a portion of the dispensing component to extend out of the housing therefrom, the bottom bracket including a protrusion configured to engage the recess so as to close the opening in the bottom wall.

48. The dispenser of item 47 wherein the rear housing member comprises a front opening and a front panel surrounding the front opening.

49. The dispenser according to item 47 or 48, wherein the front panel is metallic.

50. A dispenser according to any of claims 47 to 49, wherein each of the pair of side walls comprises a resilient side flap having a fastener opening adapted to receive a fastener therethrough to mount the rear housing member to an exterior side wall.

51. The dispenser of any one of claims 47-50, wherein at least one of the pair of side walls includes a mounting guide slot adapted to permit mounting indicia on an adjacent exterior side wall of the recessed space viewed from within the rear housing member.

52. The dispenser of any one of items 47-51 wherein the rear wall comprises a wire hole adapted to receive a wire therethrough.

53. The dispenser of any one of claims 47-52, wherein the bottom bracket is configured to be coupled to the bottom wall without fasteners.

54. The dispenser of any one of claims 47-53 wherein the releasable coupling between the cover and the rear housing member is fastener-free.

55. The dispenser of any one of claims 47-54, wherein the cover coupling element or the rear housing member coupling element comprises a male element and the other of the cover coupling element or the rear housing member coupling element comprises a female element configured to receive the male element therein.

56. The dispenser of item 55, wherein the male element comprises a resilient element for snap coupling between the male element and the female element.

57. The dispenser of item 56 wherein the snap-fit coupling between the male and female elements comprises locking the cover in place relative to the rear housing member.

58. The dispenser of any one of claims 47-57 further comprising a pair of roll support arms, each roll support arm configured to support an end of a roll of paper product, the rear housing member including a pair of roll support couplers, each roll support coupler configured to be selectively releasably coupled to one of the pair of roll support arms.

59. The dispenser of item 58 wherein each of the pair of roll support couplers comprises a female element and each of the pair of roll support arms comprises a male element configured to be received within the female element.

60. The dispenser of item 58 or 59, wherein the coupling between each of the pair of roll support couplers and one of the pair of roll support arms is fastener-free.

61. The dispenser of any one of claims 58-60, wherein each of the pair of roll support arms includes an arm resilient member configured to flex upon coupled engagement of one of the roll support arms with a respective one of the roll support couplers.

62. The dispenser of item 61, wherein the arm resilient element is configured to lock the roll support arm including the resilient element relative to a respective roll support coupler to which the roll support arm is coupled.

63. The dispenser of any one of claims 58-62, wherein each of the pair of roll support arms includes a guide element configured to limit the number of possible orientations of the roll support arm for coupling with one of the pair of roll support couplers.

Other embodiments using systems, devices, and/or elements according to any of items 1-63 above, or implementing any method associated with any of the above in any manner, are also contemplated.

From the foregoing summary of the general principles of the invention and the preceding detailed description of illustrative embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications are possible in the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that this invention be limited only by the following claims and the equivalents thereof.

Claims (17)

1. A paper product dispenser comprising:

a cover (12) having a cover coupling element;

a rear housing member (20) configured to couple with the hood (12), the rear housing member (20) having a rear housing member coupling element cooperating with the hood coupling element for releasably coupling the hood (12) and the rear housing member (20) to one another, the rear housing member (20) and the hood (12) collectively defining a housing adapted to hold a roll (26) of paper product therein; the rear housing member (20) having a pair of oppositely positioned side walls (20a), a rear wall (20b) extending between the pair of side walls (20a), and a bottom wall (20d) extending between the pair of side walls (20 a);

a dispensing member (46) disposed at least partially within the housing and adapted to selectively dispense paper products from within the housing; and

a bottom bracket (130) configured to selectively releasably couple with the bottom wall (20d), the bottom wall (20d) including a recess (125) defining an opening in the bottom wall (20d) adapted such that a portion of the dispensing component (46) extends out of the housing therefrom, characterized in that the bottom bracket (130) includes a protrusion (128) configured to engage the recess (125) so as to close the opening in the bottom wall (20 d).

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the rear housing member includes a front opening (122) and a front panel (120) surrounding the front opening.

3. The dispenser of claim 1 or 2, wherein the front panel (120) is metallic.

4. The dispenser of any one of claims 1-3, wherein each of the pair of side walls (20a) includes a resilient side flap (100) having a fastener opening (104), the fastener opening (104) being adapted to receive a fastener therethrough to mount the rear housing member (20) to an exterior Side Wall (SW).

5. The dispenser of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein at least one of the pair of side walls (20a) includes a mounting guide slot (116) adapted to permit mounting indicia on an adjacent outer Side Wall (SW) of the recessed space viewed from inside the rear housing member (20).

6. The dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the rear wall (20b) comprises a wire hole (11) adapted to receive a wire therethrough.

7. The dispenser of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the bottom bracket (130) is configured to be coupled to the bottom wall without fasteners.

8. The dispenser of any one of claims 1-7, wherein the releasable coupling between the cover (12) and the rear housing member (20) is fastener-free.

9. The dispenser of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the cover coupling element or the rear housing member coupling element comprises a male element (132) and the other of the cover coupling element or the rear housing member coupling element comprises a female element (20f, g) configured to receive the male element therein.

10. The dispenser of claim 9, wherein the male element (132) comprises a resilient element (133) for snap coupling between the male element and the female element.

11. The dispenser of claim 10, wherein the snap-fit coupling between the male and female elements comprises locking the cover cap (12) in place relative to the rear housing member (20).

12. The dispenser of any one of claims 1-11, further comprising a pair of roll support arms (156, 158), each roll support arm configured to support an end of a roll of paper product, the rear housing member (20) including a pair of roll support couplers (150), each of the pair of roll support couplers (150) configured to be selectively releasably coupled to one of the pair of roll support arms (156, 158).

13. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein each of the pair of roll-support couplers (150) includes a female element and each of the pair of roll-support arms includes a male element configured to be received within the female element.

14. The dispenser of claim 12 or 13, wherein the coupling between each of the pair of roll-support couplers (150) and one of the pair of roll-support arms (156, 158) is fastener-free.

15. The dispenser of any one of claims 12-14, wherein each of the pair of roll support arms (156, 158) includes an arm resilient member (166, 168) configured to flex upon coupling engagement of one of the roll support arms (156, 158) with a respective one of the roll support couplers (150).

16. The dispenser of claim 15, wherein the arm resilient element is configured to lock the roll support arm including the resilient element relative to a respective roll support coupler (150) to which the roll support arm (156, 158) is coupled.

17. The dispenser of any one of claims 12-16, wherein each of the pair of roll support arms (156, 158) includes a guide element (174) configured to limit the number of possible orientations of the roll support arm for coupling with one of the pair of roll support couplers (150).