Device to Restrain the Unwinding of a Web of Roll Material

Abstract

A device to restrain the unwinding of a roll of paper for use in combination with a paper dispenser is disclosed. The paper dispenser includes a back plate mountable upon a wall, a pair of opposed side plates extending from the back plate for rotatably supporting a roll of paper having a depending lead sheet. The restraining device comprises a base portion mountable to the wall and a support arm extending laterally from the base portion over the roll of paper. The support arm includes a collar located at its free end, the collar including a central opening. The roll braking arm is oriented substantially vertically and extends through the central opening of the support arm. The roll braking arm contacts and applies its weight as a braking force against the roll of paper to restrain the roll of paper from unwinding unnecessarily.

1 . A device to restrain the unwinding of a roll of paper for use in combination with a paper dispenser, the paper dispenser including a back plate mountable upon a wall, a pair of opposed side plates extending from the back plate for rotatably supporting a roll of paper having a depending lead sheet, said device comprising:
 a. a base portion mountable to the wall;   b. a support arm extending laterally from said base portion over said roll of paper and having a free end, said support arm including a collar having a central opening located at said free end;   c. a roll braking arm oriented substantially vertically and extending through said central opening, said roll braking arm contacting and applying its weight as a braking force against the roll of paper to restrain said roll of paper from unwinding unnecessarily.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the roll of paper includes a central axis and wherein said roll braking arm includes a bell-shaped braking bar including a pair of braking pads extending parallel to the central axis. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said braking pads are integral with said roll braking arm. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein said braking pads are in contact with the roll of paper and separated from each other a predetermined distance. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 2 , where in each said braking pad includes a curved surface in contact with the roll of paper. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein said curved surface is approximately 0.125 inches. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6 , wherein said braking pad is formed of a roughened surface. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said roughened surface is a serrated surface. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein said braking pads provide surfaces for tearing a roll of paper against. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein said braking pads prevent twisting of the paper being withdrawn. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said support arm and said roll braking arm are made of transparent plastic. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein said support arm and said roll braking arm are provided with a surface finish of polished brass. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1 , additionally comprising a dowel removeably mounted between said support arms. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1 , additionally comprising an adhesive strip for mounting said base portion to said wall. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 1 , additionally comprising a thumb screw threadably received by a hole formed through said collar and arranged to extend into said support arm opening to secure said roll braking arm extending therethrough to a desired position. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the roll of paper is a roll of toilet paper. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the roll of toilet paper includes overlapping webs of paper with perforations at regular intervals therebetween. 
     
     
         18 . A device to control the dispensing of paper from a roll for use in combination with an existing paper dispenser of conventional design already mounted to a wall, the existing paper dispenser including a back plate for mounting to the wall, a pair of opposed side plates extending from the back plate for rotatably supporting a roll of paper having a central axis and a depending lead sheet, said device comprising:
 a. a support arm extending laterally from the wall and over said roll of paper;   b. a housing affixed to said support arm and disposed over said roll of paper, said housing including a friction roller mounted therein, said friction roller including a portion disposed within said housing for contacting the paper as it is dispensed from the roll, and a portion protruding externally from said housing that is arranged for direct manual contact to enable manual rotation of the friction roller by a user, whereupon manual rotation of said protruding portion of said friction roller causes rotation of the paper roll for dispensing a desired amount of paper from the roll.   
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein said friction roller extends parallel to the central axis of the roll of paper. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein said housing includes an inlet end and an outlet end through which paper from the roll is fed. 
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 20 , wherein said outlet end includes a serrated edge or a sharpened edge for tearing a desired length dispensed paper. 
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein said friction roller is made of a rubber or plastic material. 
     
     
         23 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein said friction roller is arranged to be rotated in response to manual actuation. 
     
     
         24 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein a dispensing control spring is affixed to said support arm, said spring bearing upon said friction roller. 
     
     
         25 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein said dispensing control spring engages within a slot formed in said friction roller during rotation of said friction roller to provide a tactile confirmation upon completion of each rotation of said friction roller. 
     
     
         26 . The device of  claim 24 , wherein said dispensing control spring engages within a slot foamed in said friction roller during rotation of said friction roller to provide an audible confirmation upon completion of each rotation of said friction roller. 
     
     
         27 . The device of  claim 26 , wherein the paper includes webs of paper sheets with perforations at regular intervals therebetween, and wherein the circumference of said friction roller is sized such that each full rotation of said friction roller dispenses a predetermined number of paper sheets from the roll. 
     
     
         28 . The device of  claim 27 , wherein said predetermined number of paper sheets is a single sheet of paper. 
     
     
         29 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein said friction roller is removeably engaged within said housing. 
     
     
         30 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein said housing additionally comprises a feed platform integral therewith, said feed platform located in proximity to said friction roller to define a space therebetween, the paper being supplied into the space between said feed platform and said friction roller enabling said friction roller to frictionally engage and dispense the paper from the roll in response to manual rotation.