Tissue paper dispenser

Abstract

A tissue paper dispenser includes a holding member for holding a stack of separated sheets of tissue paper and having an access opening and a dispensing slot, and an actuator including an actuating member terminating at an enlarged dragging portion contacting a leading sheet of the stack with a friction force, a shifted member operable to move the dragging portion between standby and ready-to-dispense positions, and a key confronting the access opening and interposed between the actuating member and the shifted member. A guiding member is disposed on the holding member, and has a keyway to guide the key to move between initial and end regions along forward and backward paths. The keyway is configured such that the friction force between the dragging portion and the leading sheet is instantly decreased when the key reaches the end region by following the forward path.

1 . A tissue paper dispenser adapted for dispensing sheets of tissue paper from a stack of separated sheets of tissue paper, the stack including a leading sheet, a succeeding sheet that is in contact with the leading sheet by a first friction force, and a last sheet that is opposite to the leading sheet in a depleting direction, said tissue paper dispenser comprising: 
 a holding member which confines a receiving space for holding the stack, and which includes 
 a standby abutment wall having 
 front and rear ends opposite to each other in a longitudinal direction transverse to the depleting direction,  
 an inner major surface adapted to have the stack disposed thereon such that the leading sheet abuts against said inner major surface, and is movable between a standby position where the leading sheet is disposed inwardly of said front end, and a ready-to-dispense position where the leading sheet extends beyond said front end, and  
 an outer major surface which is opposite to said inner major surface in the depleting direction and which has an access opening that extends through said inner major surface so as to permit access to the leading sheet, and that is proximate to said front end, and  
 
 a front major wall which extends from said front end in the depleting direction to terminate at a replenishing edge that is proximate to the last sheet, and which has a dispensing slot that extends in a transverse direction transverse to both the depleting direction and the longitudinal direction, and that extends through said front major wall, said dispensing slot being disposed to confront said inner major surface in the depleting direction such that the leading sheet extends through said dispensing slot when in the ready-to-dispense position;  
   an actuator defining an axis in the depleting direction, and including 
 an actuating member which extends along the axis to terminate at an enlarged dragging portion that is normal to the axis, and that is adapted to contact the leading sheet with a second friction force which is greater than the first friction force in the standby position,  
 a shifted member opposite to said actuating member along the axis and externally operable to move said enlarged dragging portion in the longitudinal direction and between the standby and ready-to-dispense positions, and  
 a key unit disposed between said actuating member and said shifted member and confronting said access opening in the depleting direction; and  
   a guiding member disposed on said outer major surface and having a keyway unit which defines initial and end regions that are opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction, and that correspond to the standby and ready-to-dispense positions respectively, and which is configured to guide said key unit to move along a forward path when said key unit moves from said initial region to said end region, and to move along a backward path when said key unit moves from said end region back to said initial region, said forward and backward paths being configured such that no sooner did said key unit reach the ready-to-dispense position by following said forward path than the second friction force decreases to a value smaller than the first friction force, and such that when said key unit is being moved along said backward path back to said initial region, the second friction force is maintained at said value until said initial region is reached.    
   
   
       2 . The tissue paper dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein said forward path and said backward path are spaced apart from each other in the depleting direction and are proximate to and distal from said standby abutment wall, respectively, said forward and backward paths interconnecting with said initial and end regions to form a looped track unit.  
   
   
       3 . The tissue paper dispenser according to  claim 2 , wherein said key unit includes left and right major surfaces which are opposite to each other in the depleting direction, which are proximate to and distal from said standby abutment wall, respectively, and which extend in radial directions relative to the axis to terminate at left and right peripheries respectively, and a sliding area which extends between said left and right peripheries, and which is in sliding contact with said looped track unit, said guiding member including a spacer unit which is interposed between said forward and backward paths in the depleting direction, and which is configured to abut against said left and right major surfaces when said sliding area is guided towards and away from said initial region along said backward and forward paths, respectively, in response to movement of said shifted member to pass through said initial region in the depleting direction.  
   
   
       4 . The tissue paper dispenser according to  claim 3 , wherein said spacer unit is made from an elastomeric material so as to be deformed when said left and right major surfaces are forced to abut thereagainst in response to the movement of said shifted member in the depleting direction.  
   
   
       5 . The tissue paper dispenser according to  claim 4 , wherein said spacer unit has a fixed end and a flippable end proximate to said initial and end regions, respectively, said flippable end being configured to extend into said forward path such that said key unit is deterred from moving back into said forward path after moving over said flippable end to said end region along said forward path.  
   
   
       6 . The tissue paper dispenser according to  claim 5 , wherein said enlarged dragging portion is a friction sheet which is attached to said actuating member.  
   
   
       7 . The tissue paper dispenser according to  claim 6 , further comprising a depressing member adapted to abut against the last sheet so as to maintain the first friction force between the leading sheet and the succeeding sheet.  
   
   
       8 . The tissue paper dispenser according to  claim 7 , further comprising a biasing member disposed to urge said depressing member to abut against the last sheet.  
   
   
       9 . The tissue paper dispenser according to  claim 6 , further comprising a biasing member disposed to bias said shifted member towards said initial region.  
   
   
       10 . The tissue paper dispenser according to  claim 1 , wherein said holding member further includes a rear wall opposite to said front major wall in the longitudinal direction, and two sidewalls interconnecting said front major wall and said rear wall to confine said receiving space, said holding member further including a cover removably mounted on said front major wall, said rear wall, and said sidewalls to close said receiving space.