Toilet Tissue Holder and Dispenser

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus for holding and dispensing toilet tissue and a method of use. The toilet tissue holding and dispensing apparatus has at least an active roll position and a standby roll position, where the active roll position is at an upward angle from the standby roll position. A roll of toilet tissue is capable of being held in the active roll position by one or more pins with an angled face oriented towards the standby roll position so that the sides of a toilet tissue roll pulled from the standby roll position to the active roll position can displace the pins axially. Once a toilet tissue roll is held in the active roll position, it can rotate freely relative to the pins and the orientation of the angled faces prevents the pins from being displaced axial by a toilet tissue roll dispensing toilet tissue.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A toilet tissue holding and dispensing apparatus for toilet tissue rolls with a hollow center in the axial direction, comprising:
 a housing with at least an active roll position and a standby roll position;   where a first toilet tissue roll is capable of being held in the standby roll position by a platform fixed to the housing and extending at least partially beneath the first toilet tissue roll;   where a second toilet tissue roll is capable of being held in the active roll position by a first movable pin mounted to the housing and capable of movement relative to the housing;   where the axis of the first toilet tissue roll, when held in the standby roll position, and the axis of the second toilet tissue roll, when held in the active roll position, are within and define a plane B;   where the angle between plane B and a horizontal plane is defined by angle A; and   where angle A is between 0 and 60 degrees.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the apparatus is further comprised of a second movable pin that is a mirror image of the first movable pin. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein said first movable pin and second movable pin:
 are attached to substantially opposite sides of the housing; 
 have a roll engagement end closest to one another and a base end furthest from one another; and 
 have an extended position and a retracted position, where the roll engagement ends of the first movable pin and second movable pin are closer to one another in the extended position than when in the retracted position. 
 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3  wherein the roll engagement end of said first movable pin and second movable pin are each further comprised of a substantially flat face, where said face is angled relative to the radial direction of the first toilet tissue roll and defined by angle C, and where C is between and including 5 to 80. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein said faces on the first movable pin and second movable pin are oriented substantially towards the axis of the first toilet tissue roll. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein said platform is further comprised of two ramps fixed to opposite sides of the housing with a gap disposed between the ramps. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein angle A is between and including 10 to 35 degrees. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein angle A is between and including 15 to 30 degrees. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein angle A is between and including 20 to 25 degrees. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein angle C is between and including 5 to 30 degrees. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein angle C is between and including 30 to 80 degrees. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein angle C is between 20 and 45 degrees. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein a portion of said ramps is parallel to plane B. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein the length of the portion of said ramps parallel to plane B is 50 percent or greater than the distance between the axes of the first toilet tissue roll when in the standby roll position and the second toilet tissue roll when in the active roll position. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 13  wherein the length of the portion of said ramps parallel to plane B is 30 to 50 percent of the distance between the axes of the first toilet tissue roll when in the standby roll position and the second toilet tissue roll when in the active roll position. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein plane B bisects said first movable pin and second movable pin. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said first movable pin and second movable pin are further comprised of a cylindrical portion and capable of movement in their axial direction, each coupled to a spring tending to cause said first movable pin and said second movable pin to move towards their extended position. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 12  wherein said first movable pin and second movable pin are each further comprised of a pivot pin mounted to an edge of their respective faces, rotatably mounted to the housing about said pivot pins, each coupled to a spring tending to cause said first movable pin and said second movable pin to move towards their extended position. 
     
     
         19 . A method of dispensing toilet tissue rolls with a hollow center in the axial direction, comprising the steps of:
 providing a housing with at least an active roll position, a standby roll position and a roll storage position;   where a user adds toilet tissue rolls to the roll storage portion;   where the first roll added to the roll storage portion falls through an open bottom in the roll storage portion and into the standby roll position;   where a user grasps the toilet tissue roll in the standby position and pulls at an upward angle to displace pins with a spring loaded means attached on opposite sides of the housing;   where a user continues pulling the toilet tissue roll at an upward angle so that the hollow center of the toilet tissue roll is substantially centered over the pins, the spring loaded means displacing the pins into the hollow center, placing said toilet tissue roll in the active roll position; and   where the upward angle is between and including 10 to 35 degrees above the horizontal plane.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising the steps:
 where a user dispenses toilet tissue from the toilet tissue roll in the active roll position by pulling generally downward on the first toilet tissue roll to unroll portions of toilet tissue; 
 when the toilet tissue of the toilet tissue roll in the active position is depleted, where a user grasps the depleted toilet tissue roll and pulls at an upward angle of 10 to 35 degrees above the horizontal plane to remove the depleted toilet tissue roll; and 
 where the user grasps a second toilet tissue roll that has fallen into the standby roll position and proceeds to move said toilet tissue roll from the standby roll position to the active roll position.