Device for receiving end of use spools of wiping material for a wiping material dispensing apparatus

Abstract

A fixed enclosure partially surrounds a drum, leaving, in front, free access for transport, insertion and ejection of wipe material before and after cutting. An outer part of the enclosure constitutes a support surface for a strip of material from a service reel that is nearly used up. The enclosure has oblong openings arranged along the enclosure. Located behind the drum and enclosure, is a receptacle comprising a fixed-position component receiving the reel and a movable component that allows or prevents, depending on its position, access to the fixed component. The movable component has teeth that align with the openings. The teeth, depending on position of the movable component, rest on the strip of material obtained from the reel which itself rests on the enclosure. Depending on whether the strip of material from the reel is present or not, the movable component penetrates or does not penetrate into said enclosure.

1 . A device for receiving reels of wipe material at the end of their service life in a wipe material dispensing machine comprising a housing with a back wall and lateral sides defining, in an upper part, side pieces between which there is a service or standby reel of material and lower side pieces between which there is a drum accommodating a cutting device, a storage area being provided behind the drum in a bottom of the housing in order to receive a service reel that is nearly used up, further comprising a fixed enclosure partially surrounding the drum and leaving, in a front part, free access for transport and insertion and ejection of the wipe material before and after cutting, said enclosure ensuring protection of the drum and the cutting device, and transport of the strip of material during a cutting phase, an outer part of said enclosure constituting a support surface for a strip of material from a service reel that is nearly used up, said enclosure having oblong openings arranged along the enclosure, and further comprising, behind the drum and enclosure, a receptacle device for the strip of material that is in service and nearly used up comprising a fixed-position component receiving the reel of material that is nearly used up and a movable component that moves relative to the fixed component and allows or prevents, depending on its position, access to the fixed component, and the movable component has teeth, number and position of the teeth match number and position of the openings, said teeth, depending on the position of the movable component, resting on the strip of material obtained from the reel that is nearly used up which reel rests on the enclosure, and, depending on whether the strip of material from the reel of material that is nearly used up is present or not, the moveable component penetrates or does not penetrate into the enclosure. 
     
     
         2 . A device as claimed in  claim 1  wherein said fixed enclosure partially surrounds the drum over an angle of approximately 180 to 250°,
 the enclosure is concentric with the drum and leaves, between the enclosure and the drum, a gap for transport of the wipe material,   ends of said enclosure are fixed to the lower side pieces that support the drum, the enclosure has, over its length, a plurality of said oblong openings, the openings are identical to each other and arranged parallel to each other with a predetermined spacing pitch along the enclosure,   and the oblong openings are made over a sector angle of the order of 15 to 30° approximately and fulfil the function of accommodating the teeth on the movable component after a reel of material that is nearly used up is depleted and exhausted.   
     
     
         3 . A device as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising, in the front part facing the drum, three rollers fitted parallel to each other and having end fingers that penetrate into openings made in walls of side pieces that accommodate the rollers,
 the rollers are sheathed in a covering made of an elastomer material and include a plurality of concentric discs along their longitudinal central core that define corrugations,   an upper roller and intermediate roller of said three rollers are adjacent to each other and enable insertion of the wipe material in a perpendicular plane so that the wipe material is guided towards the drum,   and a lower roller underneath the intermediate roller is identical to the upper and intermediate rollers and enables ejection of the strip of material cut by the cutting device from between the lower roller and the intermediate roller.   
     
     
         4 . A device as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising, in the front part facing the drum, it a single pressure roller articulatedly mounted relative to the side pieces of the housing,
 the strip of material wraps round the pressure roller and is then inserted between the drum and the enclosure so that the strip wraps round the drum through the gap formed between the drum and the fixed enclosure,   and a cut strip of material emerges from a lower part of the machine.   
     
     
         5 . A device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the fixed-position component has a curved cradle-like configuration over an angle of approximately 120 to 150° and is oriented with an opening facing towards a top of the machine,
 the cradle is fixed to the lower opposite-facing side pieces of the housing,   the leading edge of said cradle is tapered,   and the fixed-position component receives the service reel of material that is nearly used up.   
     
     
         6 . A device as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the movable component has an open cylinder configuration,
 the cylinder has lateral side pieces with extension shafts and is articulately mounted by its ends on the internal side pieces of the housing,   longitudinally, the cylinder has an opening over an angular distance sufficient to allow transport of a service reel of material which is nearly used up in order to allow access and insertion of the service reel into the fixed cradle,   and the cylinder has a smooth wall on which there are protruding teeth shaped and arranged relative to each other with a spacing pitch identical to the oblong openings.   
     
     
         7 . A device as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein, to ensure rotation of the cylinder and control of its position, one end of the cylinder accommodates, around an end shaft, an elastic positional return means in the form of a hairpin spring, one end of the spring is attached to an opposite-facing lateral side piece of the cylinder and an other end of the spring is attached to a notch made for this purpose on a support side piece,
 and the spring is used in such a way that the cylinder swivels forward, and the teeth penetrate into the openings.   
     
     
         8 . A device as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the cylinder is rotated manually by an operator tasked with maintenance by pressing on a small flat longitudinal bar along a cylinder wall, and the small bar is positioned away from said teeth at a sufficient distance to be accessible when the cylinder is in the position where the receptacle is closed and the teeth penetrate into a base of the enclosures. 
     
     
         9 . A device as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the one end of the cylinder extends as a shaped cam with a notch as a limit stop, to control a mechanism for gripping a hanging end of a spare reel of material waiting to be loaded on the drum. 
     
     
         10 . A device as claimed in  claim 9 , further comprising a loading mechanism that includes a long flap located at the front of the dispensing machine, the flap being articulated and swiveling relative to side piece of the housing of the machine, said flap being associated with a means of gripping the end of a strip of material of the spare reel, said means of gripping being subjected to the action of a return means. 
     
     
         11 . A device as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the flap comprises a first end shaped like a finger that penetrates into an opening in a left-hand lateral side piece that supports the drum, an other end of the flap is fixedly mounted on a head end of a connecting rod located in a plane perpendicular to the flap and laterally parallel to the lower side piece that accommodates the drum and the receptacle, and, internally, the flap has a flat strip facing an area where the strip of material is inserted between rollers or between a pressure roller and the drum. 
     
     
         12 . A device as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein the connecting rod is freely and controllably coupled to a control rod cooperating with a cam,
 the control rod has a long horizontal arm arranged parallel and adjacent to the connecting rod,   the control rod has, to its rear, a vertical piece capable of moving opposite the notch, and the connecting and control rods are linked to each other, firstly, by two guide fingers on the horizontal arm of the control rod that fit into oblong slots in the connecting rod and, secondly, by elastic return means located between the connecting rod by attachment fingers on the vertical piece.   
     
     
         13 . A device as claimed in  claim 11 , further comprising a mechanism for swiveling the flap, the mechanism comprising a single connecting rod, a rear end of the single connecting rod cooperates with a heel of the cam, and a front end of the single connecting rod cooperates with the flap,
 the single connecting rod is guided on a single shaft mounted on the side piece with a guide or travel limiting slot, the slot has one end for locking in position on the single shaft in order to lock the connecting rod in position when it is translationally moved forward for opening and placing the free end of the reel of material, and a return spring returns the single connecting rod to its initial position during locking produced by rotation and actuation of the cam.   
     
     
         14 . A device as claimed in  claim 6 , further comprising a mechanism for loading a spare reel positioned on a side of the dispensing machine opposite that which accommodates a mechanism for gripping a hanging end of the spare reel. 
     
     
         15 . A device as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein an end of the cylinder opposite that which accommodates the cam for controlling the gripping mechanism comprises a shaped disc having a notch that defines a hook shape and an outer ramp,
 and further comprising, on the internal side piece of the housing, a first long lever which is articulated relative to a shaft of the drum, another lever adjacent to the first lever, the another lever being mounted on a swivel pin with the side piece,   the swivel pin is associated with the first lever in order to support a sprocket.   and the another lever has a cut-out and lower ramp-shaped external edge to cooperate with a plate that partially forms a hook that, in turn, cooperates with the shaped disc.   
     
     
         16 . A device as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein an end of the first lever comprises a perpendicular inwardly oriented plate constituting a support plate for the spare reel of material,
 the first lever is articulated relative to a bearing surface located on an end of the shaft of the drum and in opposition to an elastic return means, an other end of the first lever is attached to a bottom of the opposite-facing side piece of the housing,   and a stop pin is located on an outer surface of the side piece of the housing and limits forwards swiveling of said lever.   
     
     
         17 . A device as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein a lower part of the another lever has a heel that rests on a protruding shaft of the drum,
 an upper part of the another lever has an external protruding shaft that accommodates a small-diameter sprocket that cooperates with a sprocket on a support roller for the reel of material,   and the support roller is located in a same plane as the plate on the end of the first lever.   
     
     
         18 . A device as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the plate has a beak cooperating with the shaped disc and its matching shapes,
 a top front edge of the plate has a part forming a head and ramp that cooperate with a matching part of the another lever and its cut-out during various operating phases,   an elastic return means connects the plate to the lateral side piece of the housing, thus controlling limiting of plate displacement, and a spring links the another lever to the first lever.   
     
     
         19 . A device as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein the flap comprises a clip articulated relative to a base of the flap, a window in the flap allows movement of a thrust finger and an elastic return means to move the clip up against an inner surface of the flap,
 and the elastic return means comprises a hairpin spring fitted in a lower part of the flap to allow desired articulation,