Plural Tissue Roll Support

Abstract

This application discloses a plural tissue roll support suitable for receiving and holding a plurality of tissue rolls, such as toilet paper rolls and the like. Such support has a support frame with opposed shaft-holding members. Shaft ends are respectively held by such shaft-holding members. Two opposed plural tissue roll supporting plates are freely rotatably and longitudinally movable on such shaft to hold a plurality of such rolls around such shaft. Each of the plates may have radial arms, with such arms having inward flanges to engage the centers of hollow tissue rolls to hold such rolls between such plates. The support frame has a base, a yoke on the base with two upward arms to shaft-holding means at the upper ends of the upward arms. Upwardly open shaft end receiving channels are provided at the upper ends of the upward arms to receive the shaft, and from which channels the shaft may be removed and into which channels the shaft may be inserted. The top roll may have its wrapper removed, so the tissue can be unrolled from such top roll. The other rolls around the shaft may remain covered by their wrappers, if desired.

Description

This invention relates to a plural tissue roll support.

A feature of this invention includes a support suitable for receiving and holding a plurality of tissue rolls, such as toilet paper rolls and the like, so that the rolls are rotatably held to permit the tissue to be removed from a first one of the rolls, while the other rolls remain ready for use after such first roll has been completely used.

Another feature of this invention includes a support frame means with opposed shaft-holding means. A shaft means has its ends respectively held in such shaft-holding means. Two opposed plural tissue roll supporting means or plates are freely rotatably and longitudinally movable on such shaft rotatably to hold a plurality of rolls around the shaft.

Another feature of this invention includes a support frame having a base, a yoke on the base having two upward arms to provide shaft-holding means at the upper ends of such arms. Upwardly open shaft and receiving channels are provided at the upper ends of such upward arms so that the roll-supporting shaft can be placed into, or removed from, such channels, so that the tissue rolls may be mounted on or removed from the support as desired.

Other features of this invention are apparent from this description, the appended claimed subject matter, and/or the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective diagrammatic view showing the plural tissue roll support with a plurality of tissue rolls mounted thereon, and with such support having been placed adjacent a toilet.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the support shown in FIG. 1, in enlarged scale, and with certain parts shown in cross section.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross section taken substantially along line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective diagrammatic view of certain parts adjacent the upper end of one of the frame support upward arms.

Certain words are used in this application to indicate direction, relative position and the like. Such words are used for convenience and brevity of description. These words are used only in connection with the views of the drawings. The article so described can be used in positions other than the positions shown in the drawings, and then the parts so described may have entirely different direction, relative position and the like. Examples of such words are "upper," "lower," "vertical," "horizontal," and the like.

A combination 20 is shown in the drawings, which is suitable for receiving and holding a plurality of tissue rolls 22, such as toilet paper rolls and the like, and such combination 20 may be used adjacent a toilet 24.

The combination may include a support frame means 26 having two opposed shaft-holding means 28, 28. A shaft or shaft means 30 may have shaft ends 32 held by such shaft-holding means 28. Two opposed plural tissue roll supporting means 34 are rotatably and longitudinally movable on the shaft means 30 rotatably to hold such plurality of rolls 22 around the shaft 30.

The said opposed shaft-holding means 28, 28 removably hold the shaft 30 and the shaft ends 32. The shaft-holding means 28 may include two opposed upwardly vertical shaft end supporting channels 36 which removably hold the shaft ends 32, 32.

The two opposed plural roll supporting means 34 may each be a rotatable plate means 38 having a plurality of inward roll end engaging means 40. Each of these engaging means 40 may be an inward circular flange 42 to enter a well-known hollow center or central tube 43 of the rolls 22. Each of said inward flanges 42 is sufficiently long to enter and hold such tissue rolls, even when any of such rolls 22A might be considerably shorter than the maximum distance between the plate means 38, as is frequently the case.

Each of the plate means 38 may have radial arms 44 which support the flanges 42.

If desired, the support frame means 26 may include a substantially flat base 46 with a downward peripheral flange and a substantially flat, vertical support yoke 48 on the base which may have two upwardly extending vertical arms 50 to support the shaft-holding means 28, 28 at the upper ends of such upward arms 50. The upward arms 50 have the horizontal upwardly open shaft end receiving channels 36, FIG. 4, which are closed at outer end wall 52 at the outer ends of the channels 36 and open at the inner ends 54 of the channels 36 as shown in FIG. 4, to receive the shaft end 32 at the bottoms 56 of the channels 36. This limits the endwise movement of the shaft ends 32 and of the shaft 30 and permits the shaft 30 and shaft ends 32 to be lifted upwardly from such upwardly open channels 36.

The combination 20 is such that the shaft 30 and the two plate means 38 can be lifted out of the shaft end receiving channels 36. Then a plurality of hollow tissue rolls 22 or 22A can be placed and held between the plate means 38, with the inward flanges 42 in the hollow centers or central tubes 43 of the hollow tissue rolls. Then, the shaft, plate means 38, and the tissue rolls 22 or 22A can be mounted on the support frame means 26, with the shaft ends 32 in the upward channels 36. Conversely, the shaft 30 and the two plate means 38, with or without rolls 22 or 22A, can be lifted off the support frame means 26, as desired. The yoke construction 48 allows the rolls 22 to be rotated around the shaft 30 and through the yoke 48, so that the construction is very efficient and simple.

The base 46 may be made removable from the lower end 58 of a central single, downwardly extending, vertical post 60 of the yoke 48. For example, a suitable depression 62 may be provided in the base 46 which properly receives the lower end 58 of the post 60. Then, a screw 64 may be inserted through an opening in the depression 62 and into the lower end 58 of the post 60 securely to hold the yoke 48 on the base 46.

All of the parts of the support means for the rolls 22 may be molded from plastic material and have flanged constructions where desired for structural strength, as shown. The screw 64 may be removed from the lower end 58 of post 60 when desired. The various parts of the combination may be packaged together in package form, to be transported or sold in a very simple manner.

The tissue roll support may be used in any desired manner.

For example, if desired, a length of tissue may be pulled off the upper roll 22 with one hand while holding one of the adjacent radial arms 44, or an exhausted or unexhausted roll 22 with the other hand to prevent substantial rotation of the radial arms 44 around the longitudinal axis of the shaft 30 while pulling off the length of tissue. Thereafter such length of tissue may be quickly yanked off the upper roll 22 or such upper roll 22 may be held by such other hand against rotation while such length of tissue is more slowly torn off such upper roll 22. The same type of operation may be used to remove tissue from the other rolls. A complete and satisfactory use may thus be made of the roll support of this invention.

It is thus to be seen that a very convenient, new, and unobvious plural roll support has been provided. The support may be portable, if desired, so that such support may be placed adjacent any desired place of use.

While the form of the invention now preferred has been disclosed, as required by statute, other forms may be used.

Claims

I claim:

1. A combination suitable for receiving and holding a plurality of tissue rolls, such as toilet paper and the like, comprising:

a substantially flat base;

a substantially flat, vertical support yoke having two upwardly extending vertical arms and a single downwardly extending vertical post with a lower post end secured to said base;

horizontal upwardly open shaft end receiving channels at the upper ends of each of said upward arms, said channels being open at their inner ends and closed at their outer ends;

a horizontal shaft having shaft ends upwardly removably held in said shaft end receiving channels;

two opposed plural tissue roll supporting means rotatably and longitudinally mounted and movable on said shaft rotatably to hold said plurality of tissue rolls between said two roll-supporting means and around said shaft, each of said roll-supporting means having a plurality of radial arms, each of said radial arms having an inward roll end engaging means, and each of said radial arms being rotatably movable past and adjacent one of said upward vertical arms with said rolls passing through said vertical support yoke, said combination being such that said shaft and roll-supporting means can be lifted out of said shaft end receiving channels, then a plurality of said rolls can be placed on and held between said roll-supporting means, and then said shaft with said rolls can be mounted in said channels, with said rolls passing through said vertical support yoke, and in which each of said inward roll end engaging means includes an inward circular flange on each of said radial arms and in which said radial arms are parts of a rotatable plate means having said radial arms and in which said base has a downward peripheral flange and a central post-receiving depression with a screw-receiving opening, and with said vertical post having its lower post end extending into said post-receiving depression, and in which a screw is partly inserted through said screw-receiving opening and into said lower post end to hold said yoke securely on said base.

2. A combination suitable for receiving and holding a plurality of tissue rolls, such as toilet paper and the like, comprising:

a substantially flat base;

a substantially flat, vertical support yoke having two upwardly extending vertical arms and a single downwardly extending vertical post with a lower post end secured to said base;

horizontal, upwardly open shaft end receiving channels at the upper ends of each of said upward arms, said channels being open at their inner ends and closed at their outer ends;

a horizontal shaft having shaft ends upwardly removably held in said shaft end receiving channels; and

two opposed plural tissue roll supporting means rotatably and longitudinally mounted and movable on said shaft rotatably to hold said plurality of tissue rolls between said two roll-supporting means and around said shaft, each of said roll-supporting means having a plurality of radial arms, each of said radial arms having an inward roll end engaging means, and each of said radial arms being rotatably movable past and adjacent one of said upward vertical arms with said rolls passing through said vertical support yoke, said combination being such that said shaft and roll-supporting means can be lifted out of said shaft end receiving channels, then a plurality of said rolls can be placed on and held between said roll-supporting means, and then said shaft with said rolls can be mounted in said channels, with said rolls passing through said vertical support yoke, and in which said base has a downward peripheral flange and a central post-receiving depression with a screw-receiving opening, and with said vertical post having its lower post end extending into said post-receiving depression, and in which a screw is partly inserted through said screw-receiving opening and into said lower post end to hold said yoke securely on said base.

3. A combination according to claim 2 in which all of the parts of said combination, except said tissue rolls and said screw, are plastic material parts.