US20110186612A1

US20110186612A1 - Dispensing Sheet Material

Info

Publication number: US20110186612A1
Application number: US12/987,180
Authority: US
Inventors: Jimenez Joseph
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2010-02-01
Filing date: 2011-01-10
Publication date: 2011-08-04

Abstract

A housing is disclosed for dispensing sheet material from a roll thereof contained within the housing. An elongate generally cylindrical box is openable to define a base and a lid. The box is provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the box, through which, when the box is closed, the sheet material may be manually pulled. One of the base and lid is provided with a toothed profile portion extending parallel to the slot for separating a length of sheet material from the remainder of the roll. The interior of the box is provided with respective supports for engaging opposite axial ends of a roll. At least one of the supports is selectively positionable along the length of the box interior at a plurality of mounting locations defined interiorly of at least one of the base and lid. Thus, one and the same box can accommodate a range of alternative rolls of sheet material of different widths of material.

Description

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to the dispensing of sheet material.
Food wrap sheet material such as aluminium foil, cling-film, greaseproof paper or baking parchment is conventionally sold on rolls, the rolls being packaged in cardboard boxes provided with a serrated cardboard, metal or plastics edge to allow a length of the sheet material to be separated from the remainder of the roll held within the cardboard box. The box often ceases to function properly before the roll it contains has been exhausted.
Various wall mounted dispensers have been proposed for such sheet material. While these may prove more robust than a typical cardboard box, they are generally incapable of accommodating rolls of different widths of material.

SUMMARY

In accordance with a first aspect of this disclosure, a housing for dispensing sheet material from a roll thereof contained within the housing comprises an elongate generally cylindrical box openable to define a base and a lid, the box being provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the box, through which, when the box is closed said sheet material may be manually pulled, one of the base and lid being provided with a toothed profile portion extending parallel to said slot for separating a length of sheet material from the remainder of the roll, the interior of the box being provided with respective supports for engaging opposite axial ends of a roll, at least one said support being selectively positionable along the length of the box interior at a plurality of mounting locations defined interiorly of at least one of the base and lid, whereby one and the same box can accommodate a range of alternative rolls of sheet material of different widths of material.
Preferred embodiments may have one or more of the following features: The lid and base are hinged together. The lid and base together define the slot between them when closed together. The lid and base are held in their closed position by snap clips that maintain the slot. The box is formed as a single plastics moulding, the lid and base being coupled by one or more live hinges. The toothed profile portion is integrally moulded as part of the base. One support is integrally moulded with the interior of the base. The selectively positionable support(s) comprise(s) a plate mounting a projection adapted to extend in the axial direction of the box towards the other support for insertion into the end of a roll of sheet material, the mounting locations for said plate being defined by grooves formed interiorly of at least one of the base and lid into which the plate may be slotted. The whole of the housing is formed from food grade plastics.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of housing for dispensing sheet material from a roll thereof contained within the housing are described hereinbelow by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an overall perspective view of a housing for dispensing sheet material from a roll thereof contained within the housing;

FIG. 2 is a similar perspective view of the housing of FIG. 1 with its lid open;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the open housing of FIG. 2, as seen from the right in that Figure;

FIG. 4 is a partial view of the interior of the open housing showing a selectively positionable roll end support; and

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the roll support.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Housing 1 shown in the drawings comprises an elongate generally cylindrical box 2 moulded in a single piece from food grade plastics, preferably from polypropylene. Box 2 has a base 3 and lid 4 hingedly coupled by a live hinge 5. Both base and lid are generally rigid. Although less preferred, the box could be formed as two parts that interengage. When closed, as shown in FIG. 1, respective snap clips 6 at opposite ends of the lid 4 maintain an open slot 7 between edges of the lid and base along the front of the box. The loose end of a roll of sheet material within the box may be fed through slot 7 for dispensing lengths of the sheet material. In other embodiments, the slot may simply be provided as a narrow elongate opening through the lid or base. Although box 2 generally has the form of a geometric cylinder in the broad mathematical sense of a body with the same cross-sectional area along its length, it will be seen that the base 3 has a flat bottom 8 so that the box may stand on a kitchen surface without rolling. A toothed profile portion 9 is integrally moulded along the front edge of the bottom 8 of base 3 parallel to slot 7, and enables a user to tear off a length of sheet material pulled from the roll through the slot 7.
Rolls of sheet material such as aluminium foil, cling-film, greaseproof paper or baking parchment are sold in rolls of differing longitudinal extent providing sheet material of differing widths. The housing 1 is adapted to accommodate a range of alternative rolls of sheet material of different widths of material. Rolls of sheet material to be dispensed are wound on a (usually, cardboard) tubular former. As best shown in FIG. 2, the base interior is defined by an interior bottom wall 10, front 11 and rear 12 upstanding walls and respective left 13 and right 14 end walls. Right end wall 14 carries an integrally moulded projection 15, which extends in the axial direction of the box and is adapted for insertion into the hollow end of a tubular former of a roll of sheet material. The other axial end of the tubular former is supported by a selectively positionable roll end support 16. Roll end support 16 is here shown as a plate 17 mounting a projection 18 adapted to extend in the axial direction of the box towards projection 15, the projection 18 being inserted into the other axial end of the tubular former. Plate 17 is located in one of a series of parallel grooves 19 formed on the interior of bottom wall 10, front wall 11 and rear wall 12. The interior of lid 4 is defined by a curved surface 20 and left 21 and right 22 end walls, the left 21 and right 22 end walls being contiguous with left 13 and right 14 end walls of the base 3 when the box is closed (See FIG. 1). As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 4, curved interior surface 20 of the lid 4 is also provided with locating grooves 23 for the plate 17 so that when the box is closed, the plate is firmly held in place in corresponding grooves 19 and 23 of base and lid.
Other arrangements are feasible. Although considered less preferable, the grooves need not be continuous, need not be provided in both of lid and base, and may be replaced by other forms of mounting locations allowing for a plurality of positions for the roll end support axially of the box.
In the illustrated embodiment, one end roll support, namely projection 15 on right end wall 14, is fixed, while the other is movable. In alternative embodiments, both end roll supports may be selectively positionable in the axial direction of the box to enable accommodation of a range of alternative rolls of sheet material of different widths of material.
Although the box is preferably formed from plastics material, most preferably as a single moulding, this is not necessary. The box could be formed from metal, such as a brushed surface effect stainless steel.
Although the illustrated embodiment is free-standing and portable, the dispenser could be wall-mounted, or mountable to a suitable kitchen surface such as a surface of a built-in, free-standing or movable kitchen unit, a kitchen cupboard or a worktop. In particular, the housing could be arranged for mounting beneath a counter-top.

Claims

1. A housing for dispensing sheet material from a roll thereof contained within the housing, comprising an elongate generally cylindrical box openable to define a base and a lid, the box being provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the box, through which, when the box is closed, said sheet material may be manually pulled, one of the base and lid being provided with a toothed profile portion extending parallel to said slot for separating a length of sheet material from the remainder of the roll, the interior of the box being provided with respective supports for engaging opposite axial ends of a roll, at least one said support being selectively positionable along the length of the box interior at a plurality of mounting locations defined interiorly of at least one of the base and lid, whereby one and the same box can accommodate a range of alternative rolls of sheet material of different widths of material.

2. A housing according to claim 1 for dispensing sheet material, wherein the lid and base are hinged together.

3. A housing according to claim 1 for dispensing sheet material, wherein the box is formed as a single plastics moulding, the lid and base being coupled by one or more live hinges.

4. A housing according to claim 1 for dispensing sheet material, wherein the lid and base together define the slot between them when closed together.

5. A housing according to claim 4 for dispensing sheet material, wherein the lid and base are held in their closed position by snap clips that maintain the slot.

6. A housing according to claim 1 for dispensing sheet material, wherein the toothed profile portion is integrally moulded as part of the base.

7. A housing according to claim 1 for dispensing sheet material, wherein one support is integrally moulded with the interior of the base.

8. A housing according to claim 1 for dispensing sheet material, wherein the or each selectively positionable support comprises a plate mounting a projection adapted to extend in the axial direction of the box towards the other support for insertion into the end of a roll of sheet material, the mounting locations for said plate being defined by grooves formed interiorly of at least one of the base and lid into which the plate may be slotted.

9. A housing according to claim 1 for dispensing sheet material, wherein the whole of the housing is formed from food grade plastics.