U.S. patent application number 12/617790 was filed with the patent office on 2010-05-13 for manual unrolling device.
This patent application is currently assigned to EMSA GmbH. Invention is credited to KLAUS HORSTMANN.
Application Number | 20100116862 12/617790 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42114879 |
Filed Date | 2010-05-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100116862 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HORSTMANN; KLAUS |
May 13, 2010 |
MANUAL UNROLLING DEVICE
Abstract
A manual unrolling device for unrolling and tearing off a rolled
up foil or paper web includes (a) a housing in which a winding body
can be placed and having at least one web outlet opening; (b) at
least one lid cover connected to the housing via a hinge; and at
least one cutting element for separating a web section. The cutting
element is arranged on a lower side of the lid cover that is
directed toward the web outlet opening. A redirecting bar, and at
least two pull-off bars across which the web is guided, are
arranged parallel to each other at the web outlet opening. Upper
edges of at least one pull-off bar are provided with a
friction-enhancing coating, and the pull-off bars have a gap
between them into which the cutting element dips when the lid cover
is closed.
Inventors: |
HORSTMANN; KLAUS;
(Neuenkirchen, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
William H. Dippert;Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC
U.S. Steel Tower, 600 Grant Street, 44th Floor
Pittsburgh
PA
15219
US
|
Assignee: |
EMSA GmbH
Emsdetten
DE
|
Family ID: |
42114879 |
Appl. No.: |
12/617790 |
Filed: |
November 13, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
225/11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 35/002 20130101;
B65H 35/0086 20130101; B65H 35/06 20130101; B65H 2701/1752
20130101; Y10T 225/206 20150401 |
Class at
Publication: |
225/11 |
International
Class: |
B65H 35/06 20060101
B65H035/06 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 13, 2008 |
DE |
20 2008 015 031 |
Claims
1. A manual unrolling device for unrolling and tearing off a rolled
up foil or paper web, said device comprising: (a) a housing in
which a winding body can be placed and having at least one web
outlet opening; (b) at least one lid cover connected to the housing
via a hinge; and (c) at least one cutting element for separating a
web section; the improvement wherein (1) the cutting element is
arranged on a lower side of the lid cover that is directed toward
the web outlet opening; (2) a redirecting bar, and at least two
pull-off bars across which the web is guided, are arranged parallel
to each other at the web outlet opening; (3) upper edges of at
least one pull-off bar are provided with a friction-enhancing
coating; and (4) the pull-off bars have a gap between them into
which the cutting element dips when the lid cover is closed.
2. A manual unrolling device for unrolling and tearing off a rolled
up foil or paper web, said device comprising: (a) a housing in
which a winding body can be placed and having at least one web
outlet opening; (b) a lid cover connected to the housing via a
hinge; and (c) at least one cutting element for separating a web
section; the improvement wherein (1) the cutting element is
arranged on the housing at the web outlet opening; (2) a
redirecting bar, and at least two pull-off bars across which the
web is guided, are arranged parallel to each other at a lower side
of the lid cover that is directed toward the web outlet opening;
(3) a lower edge of at least one pull-off bar is provided with a
friction-enhancing coating; and (4) the pull-off bars have a gap
between them into which the cutting element dips when the lid cover
is closed.
3. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 1, wherein an edge
of a pull-off bar that is directed toward an outer side of the
housing exhibits at least one discontinuity.
4. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 2, wherein an edge
of a pull-off bar that is directed toward an outer side of the
housing exhibits at least one discontinuity.
5. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 1, wherein said
hinge is a film hinge.
6. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 2, wherein said
hinge is a film hinge.
7. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 1, wherein the
housing includes at least one hinged side flap having at least one
holding mandrel for insertion into a hollow cylindrical winding
body of the web.
8. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 2, wherein the
housing includes at least one hinged side flap having at least one
holding mandrel for insertion into a hollow cylindrical winding
body of the web.
9. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 7, wherein the
housing has a one slot-shaped recess into which the holding
mandrel, formed as a flat bar, can be inserted.
10. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 8, wherein the
housing has a one slot-shaped recess into which the holding
mandrel, formed as a flat bar, can be inserted.
11. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 1, further
comprising at least one spring element which is deflected when the
lid cover is closed.
12. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 2, further
comprising at least one spring element which is deflected when the
lid cover is closed.
13. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 11, wherein the
spring element is a leaf spring.
14. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 12, wherein the
spring element is a leaf spring.
15. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 11, wherein the
spring element is arranged centrally in the area of the redirecting
and pull-off bars and wherein the spring element presses from below
against the web that is guided above it.
16. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 12, wherein the
spring element is arranged centrally in the area of the redirecting
and pull-off bars and wherein the spring element presses from below
against the web that is guided above it.
17. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 11, wherein said
spring elements are arranged in the housing on both sides in the
frontal area.
18. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 12, wherein said
spring elements are arranged in the housing on both sides in the
frontal area.
19. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 1, further
comprising a second redirecting bar arranged on the inside of the
housing ahead of the first pull-off bar.
20. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 2, further
comprising a second redirecting bar arranged on the inside of the
housing ahead of the first pull-off bar.
21. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 1, wherein the
friction-enhancing coating of the pull-off bars contains a silicon
compound.
22. A manual unrolling device as defined in claim 2, wherein the
friction-enhancing coating of the pull-off bars contains a silicon
compound.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a device for unrolling and
tearing off a rolled up foil or paper web, with a housing in which
the winding body can be placed and which exhibits at least one foil
outlet opening, and with at least one lid cover connected to the
housing via a hinge and with at least one cutting element for
separating a foil section.
[0002] Such a manual unrolling device is known from DE 203 15 295
U1. This device can indeed be used to tear off foil pieces creating
a straight separation line. However, the separation is carried out
such that the foil is drawn against a toothed bar, which requires a
relatively great force. In addition, to withdraw the next section
of the foil, the lid cover needs to be opened in order to grasp the
foil again at its end and pull it out of the housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is, therefore, the objective of the invention to optimize
a manual unrolling device with regard to easier operation.
[0004] This objective is achieved by a manual unrolling device of
the type described above and in accordance with the invention
wherein: [0005] (a) the cutting element is arranged at the bottom
side of the lid cover that points toward the foil outlet opening,
and [0006] (b) a redirecting bar and at least two pull-off bars,
which serve as a guide for the foil, are arranged parallel to each
other at the foil outlet opening. The upper edges of at least one
of the pull-off bars are provided with a friction-enhancing
coating, and a gap is formed between the pull-off bars in which the
cutting element dips when the lid cover is closed.
[0007] The web, which may be a foil or thin paper, is initially
unrolled slightly and guided to the outside of the housing such
that the web runs beyond the pull-off bars. At the moment that the
lid cover is closed, the web is pulled down by the outer
redirecting bar such that it is guided downward adjacent to the
housing and in this manner is tightened across the pull-off
bars.
[0008] An alternative embodiment of the invention functions in the
same manner. In this embodiment, however, the arrangement of the
pull-off bars and of the cutting element in the housing and the lid
are reversed, as compared to the first embodiment.
[0009] In this context, it is particularly advantageous to provide
a symmetrical arrangement, wherein not only is a redirecting bar
provided on the outside in front of the pull-off bars but also an
additional inside redirecting bar is provided such that the web is
pulled taut on both sides of the pull-off bars.
[0010] When closing the lid cover, the cutting element impacts the
taut web such that it is separated at least across a significant
portion of the width.
[0011] A discontinuation is provided preferably in the middle at
the outer pull-off bar, which means, there is no bar at this
location or the bar is significantly lower in height at this
location such that the web cannot rest there. Thus, at this
location it is in part not tightened as in the remaining areas,
which results in it being not fully separated by the cutting
element. Thus, a small bridge connection remains.
[0012] The user can grab the cut section and tear it off at the
remaining bridge connection. To this end, he pulls at the same time
additional portions of the foil web partially out of the manual
unrolling device. The tip protruding in this manner from the manual
unrolling device is used to easily grip the foil web upon the next
use.
[0013] The hinges can be designed as film hinges such that the
housing and lid cover can be made of one piece. To retain the foil
or paper roll in the inside of the housing, an advantageous
embodiment has a pivoting side flap attached on each side of the
front side. This pivoting side flap has at least one holding
mandrel for inserting it into a hollow cylindrical winding body of
the web. The roll is supported by the holding mandrel and, because
of this, will not drop out even when the lid cover is opened
widely.
[0014] To this end, the housing can exhibit a slot-shaped recess on
the front side and a holding mandrel designed as a flat bar can
pivot into said recess. This allows even for the use of rolls that
exhibit no or only a very tight hollow space. In this case, the
side flaps simply remain on the outside in the up position.
[0015] The holding mandrel can engage in the slot-shaped recess by
means of latching elements, for example in the form of partial
elevations at the side areas.
[0016] Preferably, this side flap is connected to the housing or
the lid cover via a film hinge. In particular, the film hinge is
designed as a so-called butterfly hinge, such as is known, for
example, from one-piece lid connections on packages for body care
products. This design allows for defined closing and opening
positions. Random unintentional opening of the side flaps is
prevented because force must be used to overcome a dead center
between these positions. According to one preferred embodiment, it
is provided that when closing the lid cover at least one spring
element, which is designed in particular as a leaf spring, is
deflected. The spring element should preferably be arranged
centrally in the area of the redirecting and pull-off edges. This
has the following two effects:
[0017] Operation is made easier due to the slight counter-pressure
because the lid cover is initially in the up position.
[0018] The spring, which not only pushes the lid cover up but in
addition also pushes from underneath against the web located above,
lifts it up from the pull-off bars. In this manner, the user can
easily pull the web out to the desired length without having to
hold the lid cover and having to keep the foil from the
friction-reduced coated pull-off bars.
[0019] The other effect is that the user must overcome a certain
counter force when closing the lid cover. As is also the case with
precision mechanics pliers, where the pliers legs are spread apart
of each other, this allows for sensitive force metering. In
addition, the preset counter holding force when closing the lid
cover also achieves a certain acceleration. In this manner, the
cutting element exerts an impulse on the taut foil web underneath
it. The sharpness of the cutting element combined with the sudden
movement provides for easy separation of the web.
[0020] According to the invention, the separation is less caused by
a strenuous indentation of a cutting element into the web but
rather through a brief, fast, sudden closing movement of the lid
cover.
[0021] In addition to or in place of the central spring element,
spring elements can also be arranged in the housing on both sides
in the front, in order to avoid canting even with an asymmetrical
handling and to achieve the desired result.
[0022] For a full understanding of the present invention, reference
should now be made to the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 an exploded view of a manual unrolling device
according to the invention.
[0024] FIG. 2 a perspective view of the manual unrolling device
with a slightly opened lid cover.
[0025] FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the manual unrolling
device with a closed lid cover and a foil section pulled out from
it.
[0026] FIG. 5 a section of the manual unrolling device.
[0027] FIGS. 6 and 7 are a perspective view and a top view,
respectively, of a housing with side flaps in a magnified
presentation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now
be described with reference to FIGS. 1-7 of the drawings. Identical
elements in the various figures are designated with the same
reference numerals.
[0029] FIG. 1 shows a fully disassembled manual unrolling device
100. It comprises a housing 10 with an inner chamber 13, in which,
for examples, foils 31 can be taken up that are wound onto a
winding body 30.
[0030] A lid cover 10, which carries a cutting element 16 at its
lower side, is connected to the housing 20 via two hinges 27.1,
27.2. At its front, the lid cover 10 concludes with a redirecting
edge 14 that points downwards.
[0031] Two parallel pull-off edges 21, 22 exhibiting a silicon
coating for slip resistance are provided at the front of the
housing 20. A gap is present between them into which the cutting
element 16 can move when the lid cover 10 is closed.
[0032] The front pull-off edge 22 has a discontinuation 23 in the
center. In this area, the height is significantly reduced. The rear
pull-off edge 21 has a recess in the center into which a leaf
spring can dip when it is bent down.
[0033] At its narrow sides, the housing 20 has side areas with
slot-shaped recesses 24. A side flap 25 that exhibits a holding
mandrel 26 is connected at the side areas via a film hinge. Its
shape corresponds precisely to the slot-shaped recess 24 such that
when placing the side flaps 25 onto the housing 20, the holding
mandrel 26 will be pushed through the recess 24 into the inner
space 13 and there will be pushed into the hollow cylindrical
winding body 30.
[0034] FIG. 2 shows the manual unrolling device 100 in a ready to
use state. The foil web 31 is pulled out of the gap between the
pull-off edges 21, 22 and the still open lid cover 10. The
redirecting edge 14 is already resting on the foil web 31. Also
visible is the discontinuation 29 in the front pull-off edge
22.
[0035] FIG. 3 shows the state created after the sudden closing of
the lid cover 10. Closing causes the cutting element 16 to affect a
cut 33 through the foil 31, said cut being, however, interrupted in
the area where the discontinuation 29 is located and where the
foil, therefore, has not been tightened between the pull-off edges
21, 22. A small bar 32 remains at this location by which the mainly
already separated area of the foil 31 is still connected to the
foil roll that is located inside of the manual unrolling device
100. Additional pulling, as indicated by the arrow, will tear off
the foil piece at the bar 32.
[0036] As shown in FIG. 4, a portion of the bar 32 remains as the
tip that protrudes from the re-directing edge 14, said tip being
easily gripped subsequently in order to pull out a new piece of the
foil.
[0037] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the foil guide in the
manual unrolling device 100. The section plane is located in the
center of the manual unrolling device 100, i.e., it runs through
the discontinuation 29. Shown is the position after the closing of
the lid cover 10.
[0038] The foil 31 wound onto the winding body 30 runs underneath
the inner redirecting edge 15, then up across the parallel pull-off
edges 21, 22 and finally under the outer redirecting edge 14 toward
the outside. Through the redirecting edges 14, 15 that are arranged
to the right and left of the pair of pull-off edges 21, 22 and that
reach deep into the bottom area of the bars that form the pull-off
edges 21, 22, the foil 31 has been pulled taut to the pull-off
edges 21, 22 and tightened across them when the lid cover 10 was
closed. In the area of the section plane of FIG. 5, the cutting
element 16 did not separate the foil because it did not rest
tightly on the pull-off edges 21, 22.
[0039] The leaf spring 28 is bent down such that it causes the
return forces onto the lid cover 10 and the foil web 31 guided
across it. If the manual unrolling device 100 is no actively longer
pushed closed by the user, the lid cover 10 moves abruptly upward
and the foil 31 is lifted up as well such that it separates from
the slip-resistant and maybe even slightly sticky pull-off edges
21, 22.
[0040] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a side area of the
housing 20 with the lid cover removed. The side flap 25 is
connected to the housing 20 via a film hinge 25.1. Braces 25.2,
25.3 extend from the housing 20 and from the side flap 25 across
the film hinge 25.1, with said braces having the shape of circular
sections. The bracings have the effect that the film hinge 25.1 on
the one hand is supported and on the other hand must be
overextended to be able to move the side flap 25 from the open to
the closed position.
[0041] FIG. 7 shows a top view of the arrangement of the side flaps
25. It is apparent that the slot-shaped recess 24 for receiving the
holding mandrel 26 extends to the bottom of the housing 20.
[0042] There has thus been shown and described a novel manual
unrolling device which fulfills all the objects and advantages
sought therefor. Many changes, modifications, variations and other
uses and applications of the subject invention will, however,
become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this
specification and the accompanying drawings which disclose the
preferred embodiments thereof. All such changes, modifications,
variations and other uses and applications which do not depart from
the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by
the invention, which is to be limited only by the claims which
follow.
* * * * *