HK1017244A - Wiping material dispenser apparatus with a spare roll loading device - Google Patents

Description

Wiping material feeder with a device for loading a reserve roll

The invention relates to the technical field of wiping paper feeders, wherein the wiping paper is wiping paper towels such as hand paper, facial paper towels and multipurpose wiping paper realized by any paper quality and paper cotton materials.

The invention also relates to the field of automatic or semi-automatic feeders in which the strip is fed in a flat or folded manner.

In this type of feeder, it is known to use a reserve roll, which can be fitted into the feeder before the strip of the active roll is used up. The roll is in the form of a roll of wound wiping material with a supporting shaft, for example of cardboard material, which is placed in a horizontal plane of the feeder.

As is known, and therefore not discussed herein in detail with respect to the various possible implementations of its components, such feeders comprise a casing with a "U" shaped section closed by a rotating cover, which is mounted on the front of the feeder and is non-permanently fixed to the casing by a pin, a latch or similar blocking means.

The lower part of the housing is designed to allow the transverse mounting of a roller of a tape cutting device which can have any suitable shape and which, when activated, can penetrate and cut the paper tape in the desired sections.

The roll of working paper is placed over the drum between hinged or non-hinged side gussets having a deformation capability to mount and secure the roll.

A pressing member coaxial with the upper side of the roller is positioned between the side bearing plates of the shell and leans against the roller. In this way, the paper web from the working roll passes between the pressure member and the roller so that the roller guides it and feeds it out from the lower portion of the feeder through a slot to enable the user to grasp the exposed portion of the paper web.

It is known that in this type of feeder, it is necessary to periodically check the diameter of the working roll to determine when it is time to proceed with the installation of the standby roll.

The applicant has proposed a link switching mechanism to switch a reserve roll located in an upper plane to an operating position, replacing the active roll that is about to run out of paper. Such a reliable device is still complex and costly to implement.

In the prior art, it is also possible to use an engagement system with pairs of counter-rotating gears to start the reserve roll. In this latter case, the devices used are still costly and inconvenient to install.

The object of the present invention is to design and realize a simplified system with low costs and simple installation of the reserve roll.

Another object of the present invention is that the proposed solution is intended to be applicable to automatic or semi-automatic feeders for flat or folded paper strips.

These and other objects will appear in the following part of the description.

According to a first characteristic of the invention, an automatic or semi-automatic supply device for wiping materials, tissues, facial tissues, multipurpose wipes and the like (in which the strip is fed in flat or folded form), comprising a casing hinged to a lid, inside which there are two side supports perpendicular to the bottom of the casing, a roller between the side supports, with a cutting device, between which the roller is driven in rotation by the pulling force of the user pulling the strip, a pressing member between the side supports of the casing, with a slit in the lower part, through which the strip passes, a containing chamber, located at the rear bottom of the supply device, is characterised in that it comprises a loading device, which is intended to detect the end of the feeding of a strip of a working roll of paper previously loaded in the containing chamber, in order to fit a "standby" new roll between the side supports, and wherein the loading means comprises a first member fixed in the cover in a position substantially opposite to the feed of the web to the cylinder for cutting, and a second member cooperating therewith and mounted on the housing, the second member being activated when the cover is closed, the termination of web feed of the first roll being detected, and activation of the first member on the cover being controlled to load the web from the "standby" roll when the material on the first roll is exhausted.

According to another feature, the paper roll, which is fed out of the paper web in the housing, is positioned to feed the paper web towards the cutting roller, forming a tensioned connecting paper web, so as to form an area forming a flap in the vicinity of the cross-profile behind the roller, the paper web forming the flap cooperating, under certain conditions, with the second part of the loading device.

These and other features will be described in detail below.

The following figures depict non-limiting examples of the present invention:

fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the feeder with the cover open, schematically illustrating the main devices of the feeder according to the invention. In this figure, the working roll is just beginning to be used.

Fig. 2 is a partially enlarged view of a component of the loading device mounted on the cover. According to this figure, the assembly is drawn in the direction of the arrow F1 in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view of the assembly of fig. 2 secured to the cover, the assembly being unaffected by external forces.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to fig. 1, with the cover closed to the housing so that paper from the operating roll is in the delivery position.

Fig. 5 is a top cross-sectional view taken along line AA in fig. 4.

Figure 6 is similar to figure 1 in that the cover is open and the original working roll is moved to the rear bottom of the feeder and the paper feed can continue until it is complete and the operator can load a new spare roll to replace the original working roll.

Fig. 7 is a supplement to fig. 6, in which the cover is closed, but the paper from the new roll is not in the loading position.

Fig. 8 is a top sectional view taken along line BB in fig. 7.

Figure 9 is similar to figure 7 with the new roll of paper in the loaded position.

Fig. 10 is a partial top sectional view taken along line CC in fig. 9.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged partial view of the loading device, showing the components unassembled.

Figure 12 is a perspective view showing a variant of the pressing device pressing the web coming from the upper roll for loading.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along line BB in fig. 12.

In order to describe the device of the invention in more detail, the invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which description is not limiting.

The entire feeder is indicated with 1 in the figure. The feeder is adapted to transport hand towels, facial tissues and the like of any other material in an automated or semi-automated manner. It is known, in particular from the patents filed by the applicant, that such feeders are designed to deliver a flat, i.e. non-folded, or folded, paper strip.

The feeder has a housing 2 of plastic or other texture, on which a lid 3 of similar material is hinged. The housing has two outer side plates 2a, 2b and two side support plates 4, 5 which are mounted perpendicular to the bottom surface of the housing by a retaining ratchet or other means at the bottom of the housing. Between the two side gussets inside the casing, a roller 6 with cutting means is placed, said means operating, as a non-limiting example, under the conditions described in french patent 2332215.

The rollers 6 may be arranged in any suitable manner. It is rotated by the force of the user pulling the paper tape by means of an eccentric device connected to a start and return spring 9 fixed to one side support 4 of the housing.

The pressure member 10 lies alongside the drum and is coaxial therewith and engages in recesses 4a, 5a provided in the housing-side brackets 4, 5.

The lower part of the housing has a transverse slit 11 through which the paper strap held by the user is drawn.

The roll of paper R1 is placed between removable holders 12 which are fitted with tabs 13 which can be quickly inserted into sleeves into which the rolls are fitted.

These are described with respect to the above-described various components and devices that the present apparatus generally has, and the loading apparatus of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The loading device is activated when the paper web in the operating roll R1 is about to be fed out, i.e. when only a few pieces of paper web remain for feeding compared to its original diameter. In this condition, the completed roll should be moved by the operator to the compartment 14 formed at the bottom of the rear of the feeder, as shown in figure 6, and then loaded with another spare roll R2.

The purpose of the loading device according to the invention is to detect the end of the feed of the reel R1 of the reel being completed quickly in order to install a new reel R2.

The loading means therefore comprise a first member fixed to the inside of the cover 3 in a position substantially opposite to the gap e1 between the roller where the web passes and the pressure member 10, and a second member mounted on the casing and able to detect the end of the output of the web of the raw working paper roll R1 and to control the activation of the first member on the cover.

The features of each device are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The lid is horizontally provided with a rectangular flexible tongue 15 along the lid edge, which is fixed by a connecting shaft 16a to two parallel lugs 16 forming a U-shaped clip on the lid, which can be brought beyond the lugs 16 at the lid corners. In fact, the mobile tongue is close to an inner end face of the lid, to correspond to complementary means fixed in the casing. The end of the activating tongue forms a shoulder 15a, the movement of which will be described below. The area 15c of the movable tongue opposite to its shoulder can be close to the feeding area of the web of the reserve roll between the roller and the pressure member.

A flange 15b is provided on the movable tongue and is insertable into a recess in the middle of the drum to facilitate the transport of the paper web.

In addition to the above-described main components, the housing is assembled in the following manner.

Between the housing floor 1a and the drum is a curved transverse pattern 17 which generally conforms to the edge of the drum to form a gap e2 for the web to exit from the lower portion of the feeder through the gap.

Adjacent one side of the transverse profile is a cut-out 17a which allows a hinged detection member 18 to pass through it as will be described in more detail below.

Between the cross-shaped plate 17 and the bottom of the casing there is formed a space or housing for the paper roll R1, which is fed out soon, and also a support strip for the paper from the reel of base paper. Preferably, the lateral side plates 4-5 are fitted, in the area of the housing 14 which constitutes the paper roll ready for feeding, with lugs forming fixing means, ending in a disk 19a so as to be partially inserted in the sleeve of the roll R1. At the lower part of the bottom of the casing there are provided tongues 20 projecting inwards and elastically deformable to press the roll R1, thus ensuring, together with the disc 19a, the fixing of the roll, generating a force opposite to the force generated when pulling the paper strip, thus allowing the paper to be pulled off the support.

The second component is realized in the following manner. The detection member 18 is mounted with an articulated bracket 21 placed parallel to the feeder-side strip, forming a draw bar. The tie rod has an oblong slot 21a near the front end, which is a passage hole and a guide groove for the means 22 for connecting the side brackets 4 in the fixed position. The tie rod is movable backwards by a pushing device 23, in practice realized by a lower bevel of the cover 3. The pull rod 21 is constrained by a spring-loaded return device 24, one end 24a of which is suspended on the starting eccentric 8 of the drum and the other end 24b is fixed to a fixed point 25 at the rear of the pull rod. Preferably, the spring 24 is the starting spring of the drum.

The rear tie-rod portion 21b is able to receive a horizontal lamina 26 having an oblong hole 26a in which a stem 27 acting as a hinge for the detection member 18 can be inserted. The shaft 27 is mounted vertically in a holder 28 at the end of the detecting member 18 in the axial direction. The bracket 28, which is rotatable about axes 29-30 from parallel shaped legs 31-32 on the side branch 4, is acted upon by a second spring return means 33, one end 33a of which is fixed to a fixed point 33b at the rear of the side branch 4. In this way, when the tie-rod 21 is moved, the detection member 18 can rotate, passing over the cut-out 4a of the side strip 4, close to the transverse profile 17 behind the roller, passing through the latter, in a specific working phase, towards the inside of the roller, as will be described below.

The cross-section of the support 28 is rectangular, wherein the shafts or the same shaft passing through are offset towards one end of the support 28, one end of the shaft being connected to the pull rod and the other end being connected to the second return means. Thus, movement of the pull rod causes the carriage 28 to rotate in an arc, which in turn causes the sensing member to rotate radially at an angle greater than 90 °.

In addition, a slide plate 34 in the form of a pull rod is mounted along the outside of the side support 4, and has two oblong slots 34a through which a shaft 35 fixed to the side support 4 passes, ensuring the guidance of the slide plate and acting as a stroke limiter. The rear end 34b of the slide plate is in the form of a hook 34c which can contact the detection member when the rotation of the detection member is completed. The slide plate is generally horizontally disposed with its front face 34c generally opposite the flexible tab on the cover. The slide plate has a slot 34d which cooperates with a thrust bearing 36 which limits the travel of the slide plate.

Furthermore, according to the invention, the feeder is frontally equipped with an additional plate 37, the purpose of which is to ensure the prepositioning of the first strip of paper coming from the reserve roll R2, as described below. The additional plate 37 is mounted on the side brackets 4-5 by means of a latch arrangement 37 a.

The working of the feeder, and in particular of its loading device, will now be described with reference to the figures, while it is noted that the structural elements of the logs of the cutting device can be varied.

With reference to figures 1 to 3, the feeder is provided with a working roll R1, the end of which is unwound in front of the feeder, before the corresponding template 37.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the inclined lower portion 23 of the cover adjacent the open area comes to rest on the pull rod 21 mounted inside the housing when the cover is closed. In this way, the tie-rod is pushed backwards, causing the detection member 18 to rotate angularly until it enters slightly into the cut-out in the transverse profile of the casing behind the drum. At the same time, the detection member whose rotation is not restricted contacts the slide plate, so that the slide plate moves forward along the side branch plate 4. This movement in turn causes the front of the slide plate to contact the tongue shoulder on the cover. The movable tongue piece is inclined, and the other end of the movable tongue piece conveys the paper tape in front of the front template of the feeder to a position between the roller and the pressing piece. According to a known embodiment, by rotating the drum by means of a known control knob 38 at the other axial end of the drum, a length of paper strip corresponding to the length of one circumference of the drum can be easily delivered, the latter then being cut off by the cutting device.

The feeder remains in this state until a new intervention. When the maintenance device or the operator finds that the strip of paper in the working roll R1 is about to be fed out, said intervention is carried out, requiring the installation of another spare roll R2.

Referring to fig. 6 and the subsequent figures, when the operator opens the cover, the lever 21 and the slide plate are released and the sensing member is returned to the home position. The operator takes off the original working paper roll R1 which is fed by the paper tape and puts the paper roll into the accommodating chamber at the bottom of the feeder. The sleeve of the roll R1 is then fitted over the disk-like tongue provided on the side branch plates 4-5. In this case, the operating paper roll R1 can still be fed directly by means of the rollers and the cutting device connected thereto. Thus, between the pressure contact belt of the roller and the pressure member and the operating paper roll R1, which is placed in the rear compartment immediately after the paper web has been fed, the paper web B1 passes behind the transverse profile in the casing, closing the cut in the transverse profile. The operator loads a new roll between the frame and the upper splice and pulls the end of the paper to the front transverse form of the feeder as shown in figure 6.

At the next stage shown in fig. 7 and 8, the operator recloses the lid. In this case, the pull rod 21 is likewise moved backwards again, causing the detection member 18 to rotate again. Thus, the web coming from the paper roll R1, which is running out of the web, forms a stop E, limiting the movement of the detection member and preventing it from passing through the notch of the cross-profile. One end of the web is pressed between the roller and the pressing member, and the other end is pulled against the assembly in the housing of the delivery roll R1, so that the flap is tightened. In this case, since the shutter generates a resistance force and the detection member that cannot be completely rotated does not contact the slide plate, the slide plate cannot be pushed. The slide plate is therefore unable to act on the loading tongue on the cover, so that only paper feed from the base paper roll is possible.

Referring to figures 9 and 10, when the paper web is completely fed from the operating roll R1, as the last paper web is fed, the stop disappears, the detection member is released and is no longer acted upon by the paper web and thus enters the cross-cut, rotating completely to stop the slide plate, which slides forward into contact with the tongue on the cover. Under the action of the shoulder force of the movable tongue piece, the movable tongue piece leans against the gap between the roller and the pressing piece, and the paper belt from the new paper roll is installed. A new cycle is started again.

In fig. 12 and 13, a variant of the loading device for feeding the web from the upper standby roll is shown. In this case, the front profile 37 has an upper groove 37b therein to allow the passage and connection of the rectangular plate 39. The rectangular plate is hinged in a seat 40 associated with the transverse plate 37. In this design, the movable tongue on the cover ensures that the additional front plate 37 lies flat against the roller when subjected to a force, as shown in fig. 13, the paper strip being previously placed between the additional front plate and the roller. Therefore, the pressure exerted by the movable tongue can be better stabilized and distributed. Further, shoe 40 may define a tape position.

The advantages of the present invention are well described. Particularly advantageous is the simplified installation of the components of the feeder and loading device. Thus, the loading device is suitable whether the mode of feeding the web is automatic or semi-automatic, folded or unfolded. In the latter case, a cross-member is required, as described in the previous patent documents by the applicant.

Claims (12)

1. An automatic or semi-automatic supply device for wiping materials, hand towels, facial tissues, multipurpose wipes and similar wipes, in which the paper strip is fed out in a flat or folded form, said supply device comprising a casing (2) hinged to a cover (3), said casing having two lateral supports (4, 5) perpendicular to the bottom surface of the casing, a roller between said supports, provided with a cutting device (7), the roller being driven in rotation by the tension of the paper strip pulled by the user, a pressing member (10) between said supports of the casing, the lower part of which has a slit (11) through which the paper strip passes, the paper roll being housed between upper supports (12), the rear bottom of the supply device being provided with a housing (14);

characterized in that it comprises a loading device, the function of which is to detect the end of the feeding of the web of the original working roll (R1) previously loaded into the housing (14), in order to place a new roll (R2) in reserve between the supports (12),

the loading device comprises a first member fixed in the cover (3) in a position substantially opposite to the position where the web is fed towards the rollers for cutting, and a second member cooperating therewith and mounted on the casing, said second member being activated when the cover is closed, and being able to detect the end of the feeding of the web of the first roll (R1) and to control the activation of the first member on the cover when the material on the first roll is used up, in order to load the web of a "standby" roll (R2).

2. A feeder as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the fast-feeding reel (R1) of web in the housing (14) is positioned to feed the web towards the cutting roller (6) to form a taut web (B1) of connecting material, thereby forming an area forming a barrier in the vicinity of the transverse profile (17) behind the roller, said web forming the barrier cooperating, under certain conditions, with the second part of the loading means.

3. A feeder as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the transverse profile (17) has a cut-out (17a) through which the second part can pass in the loading device at some stage during operation.

4. A feeder as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the housing (14) for the active roll (R1) of paper ready for delivery houses means (19-20) cooperating with the roll which, when released by the action of the tension of the end of the paper pulled by the user outwards of the feeder, create a counter-resistance.

5. A feeder as in any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the first part mounted on the cover comprises an oval flexible tongue (15) placed horizontally transversely to the edge of the cover and connected between the U-shaped jaws (16), said tongue having a rear end projecting to form a shoulder (15a) and an opposite part having a zone (15c) for approaching, after hinging, the feed zone of the web of reserve roll (R2) between the roller and the presser member.

6. A feeder as in claim 5, characterised in that the mobile tongue has a flange (15b) able to be directed towards the central portion of the cylinder to facilitate the transport of the strip.

7. A feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that said second member, arranged on the side support (4) side casing, comprises a hinged, rotatable detection member (18) mounted behind the drum and the cross-profile (17), hinged on the side support (4), rotatable and cooperating with a shaped operating lever (21), said lever (21) being movable backwards under the action of pushing means (23) in the shape of the lid (3), said detection member being folded towards the side support (4) when the lid is open, and being substantially perpendicular to the side support (4) when the lid is closed, and being accessible or inaccessible into the cross-profile (17),

along the side supports (4) there is provided a sliding plate (34) whose plane is substantially horizontal, said sliding plate being acted upon by the rotating detection member at some stage during the operation, so as to act on the constituent tongues of the first loading means, this function being achieved when the detection member is not obstructed or restrained by the paper strip of the work rolls in the containing chamber and the detection member passes through the cross-shaped plate (17).

8. A feeder as in claim 7, characterised in that the pull rod (21) is connected to a return device (24), the spring device being fixed at one end to the end of the pull rod and hanging at the other end on the starting eccentric (8) of the drum.

9. A feeder as claimed in claim 7 or 8, characterised in that the rear tie-rod portion (21b) is adapted to receive a horizontal tab (26) with an opening for fixing a shaft (27) passing through a bracket (28) carried directly by or attached to the detection member (18), said bracket (28) being rotatable about portions (31-32) fixed to the side brackets (4).

10. A feeder as claimed in claim 9, characterised in that the slide plate (34) is guided on the side brackets (4) by means of fixing and stroke limiting means, the rear part (34b) of said slide plate having a hook shape adapted to engage the detection member at some stage during operation, and the front part of said slide plate being adapted to act on the tongue shoulder at some stage during operation to engage the movable tongue in contact with the first member.

11. A feeder as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the device further comprises a template (37) mounted in the front of the feeder between the side brackets (4-5) with a latch for pre-fixing the strip from the reserve roll.

12. A feeder as in claim 11, characterised in that the template (37) has a recess (37b) associated with a seat (40) for the seating and articulation of a paper guide plate (39), said guide plate (39) being pushed by a tongue (15) on the lid to ensure its loading action.