Roll Film Dispenser

Abstract

A roll film dispenser having a base unit provided with a storage roll trough and an upwardly and forwardly located dispensing trough supports additional units to form a vertical array of staggered dispensing and storage troughs for rolls of perforated sheet film. Each unit is formed from a single piece of sheet material with angularly related converging portions forming the troughs. The forward walls of the dispensing troughs are at a sufficient angle with the vertical to eliminate the need for a core weight.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The invention relates to dispensers and more particularly to roll film dispensers for dispensing rolls of web material having perforations at equally spaced intervals.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention provides a roll film dispenser for storing and dispensing multiple rolls of web material with a base unit formed from a single piece of sheet material to provide a storage trough and a forwardly and upwardly located dispensing trough. Additional units can be added on as required to form a vertical array of staggered storage and dispensing troughs. The staggered relationship of the troughs minimizes the overall height of the dispenser and lowers the center of gravity to provide a compact dispenser capable of storing a number of rolls of various types of film. Each unit has complementary, parallel, horizontal wall portions which permit the units to be stacked. Fasteners extending through the wall portions secure the adjacent units together.

The base unit is provided with a detachable forwardly extending leg with a horizontal foot which is provided with suction cups. Suction cups are also secured to the horizontal wall portion of the base unit. The forward wall portion of the storage trough of each unit extends upwardly and connects to the rearward wall portion of the dispensing trough to support the dispensing trough and rigidify the forward wall of the storage trough. The forward wall portions of the dispensing troughs are at an angle of 20.degree. to 25.degree. with the vertical to eliminate the need for a core weight.

It is an object of the invention to provide a film dispenser in which units formed from a single piece of material and having a storage trough and dispensing trough can be added as required to a base unit to form a rigid vertical stack.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide a compact film dispenser for storing multiple rolls of film comprising a vertical array of units with staggered storage troughs and dispensing troughs with the forwardly and upwardly inclined wall portions of the storage troughs supporting the dispensing troughs and in which horizontal parallel wall portions form abutting supporting surfaces for adjacent units.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a film dispenser in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of two dispenser units.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged end view of a dispenser in accordance with the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a film dispenser in accordance with the invention which is generally designated 10 and which includes three vertically stacked units or tiers including a base unit 12 and upper units 14 and 16. Each of the units can be formed from a single piece of material with a first wall portion 18 having edges 20 and 22 which converge upwardly to form a piercing or tear edge 23. The wall portion 18 and a wall portion 26 converge downwardly to form a trough 25 which supports a roll of film 24 in a dispensing position.

To facilitate stacking of the units, each unit is provided with a generally horizontal wall portion 28 which connects wall portion 26 to a vertical wall portion 30. The vertical wall portion 30 is connected with a forwardly extending generally horizontal wall portion 32 which is parallel with wall portion 28 and is connected with a downwardly inclined wall portion 34 which is parallel with wall portion 26. As shown in FIG. 3, the wall portions 32 and 34 are respectively supported on wall portions 28 and 26 of the lower unit when the units are stacked.

To support the dispensing trough 25 and provide a storage trough for an extra roll, a wall portion 36 extends angularly upwardly from wall portion 34 and is connected with a wall portion 38 which is parallel with the wall portion 26. The wall portion 36 is connected to wall portion 26 by fasteners 42 and provides rigidity for the dispensing trough 25.

The lower unit 12 is provided with a forwardly extending leg 44 which has an upper leg portion 53 connected to a wall portion 38 by a fastener 42. The leg 44 has an out-turned flange or foot 46 provided with suction cups 48 fastened to the foot 46 by bolts 49. The wall portion 32 of the base unit 12 is also provided with two suction cups 50 for anchoring and supporting base unit 12 on a surface. Inasmuch as the wall portions 28 and 32 and the wall portions 26 and 34 of each of the units are parallel, they can be stacked as shown in FIG. 3 with wall portion 32 of unit 14 in engagement with wall portion 28 of unit 12. The wall portion 34 of unit 14 is supported on the wall portion 26 of unit 12. Fasteners 51 secure the adjacent units together.

The vertical row of storage troughs 40 adjacent the rear walls 30 and the stored rolls contained herein provide weight on the suction cups 50. The vertical row of dispensing rolls adjacent the suction cups 48 provides weight on the suction cups 48 thus stabilizing the vertical stack of units and insuring that the suction cups remain in firm engagement with the supporting surface. The staggered relationship of the storage troughs and dispensing troughs provide a compact dispenser with a low center of gravity to minimize translatory movement of the dispenser during severance of sheets from the rolls.

The angle A between the forward wall portions 18 and the vertical is desirably between 20.degree. and 25.degree., to eliminate the need for a core weight which is employed with prior art dispensers to prevent the roll from climbing out of the dispensing trough during withdrawal of film.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A roll film dispenser comprising a vertical array of dispensing units, each of said units being formed from a single piece of material having a first wall portion extending angularly upwardly and forwardly, a second wall portion extending upwardly and rearwardly from said first wall portion and forming a trough with said first wall portion for supporting a roll of film, a third wall portion extending rearwardly and generally horizontally from said second wall portion, a fourth wall portion extending downwardly and generally at right angles with said third wall portion, a fifth wall portion extending forwardly at generally right angles with said fourth wall portion and parallel to said third wall portion, a sixth wall portion extending forwardly and downwardly from said fifth wall portion and parallel to said second wall portion, a seventh wall portion extending upwardly from said sixth wall portion to adjacent said second wall portion, said seventh wall portion and said sixth wall portion forming a trough for storing a roll of film, and an eighth wall portion extending forwardly from said seventh wall portion and generally parallel to said second wall portion.

2. Dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said second and eighth wall portions of said units are secured together.

3. Dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including means fastening said fifth wall portion of one of said units to the third wall portion of an adjacent lower unit.

4. A dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including means connected to and extending from the fifth wall portion of the lower unit supporting the dispenser on a surface.

5. Dispensing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 including a supporting leg having an upper leg portion, a forwardly extending foot, means connecting said upper leg portion to said eighth wall portion of the lowermost of said units, and means extending from said foot supporting said leg on a surface.

6. A roll film dispenser comprising a base unit having converging wall portions defining a dispensing trough and converging wall portions defining a storage trough spaced rearwardly and below said dispensing trough, said storage trough converging wall portions including a forward wall portion connected to one of said converging wall portions of said dispensing trough to support said dispensing trough, a vertical rear wall and parallel upper and lower generally horizontal wall portions extending forwardly from said rear wall and connected to said wall portions forming said troughs and an add-on unit having a horizontal wall portion and a converging storage trough portion extending from the horizontal wall portion at an angle equal to the angle defined between said base unit upper horizontal wall portion and the adjoining dispensing trough wall portion so that said add-on unit is supported by said upper horizontal wall portion of said base unit, and means connecting said add-on unit to said base unit.

7. A dispenser in accordance with claim 6 including a vertical array of add-on units above said base unit with said adjacent horizontal wall portions of said units secured together.

8. A dispenser in accordance with claim 6 wherein said converging wall portions defining said dispensing trough include a forward wall portion having an angle of between 20.degree. and 25.degree. with the vertical.