Rounded-Tip Dispenser Cutter for Safer Web Tearing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dispensers for centre-fed rolls of web material, such as tissue paper, face challenges in efficiently tearing off the material without causing damage or injury, as the conventional sharp tear-off teeth lead to splintering and increased risk of scratching.
Innovation Solution
A cutting means with a support structure featuring protrusions having rounded tips and intermediate cutting edges, which reduces the risk of injury and splintering by allowing the web material to be cut without penetrating multiple layers, utilizing a sliding mechanism to guide the web material through the cutting edges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sharp tear-off teeth are used to penetrate and tear through multiple layers of web material, then the web material can be torn off from the centre-fed roll, but the risk of scratching or hurting the user's hand increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting means is divided into multiple protrusions arranged in a row, with each protrusion having a rounded tip. The web material is sequentially engaged with multiple protrusions rather than one sharp tooth penetrating all layers at once, distributing the tearing action across several rounded contact points that guide the material through safely
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using sharp tips that penetrate inward toward the user's hand, the invention uses rounded tips that contact the web material from the opposite direction. The cutting edge is positioned at the base of the protrusion rather than at the tip, inverting the conventional tooth design to place the hazardous sharp edge away from the user's fingers
2Ease of operation
If sharp tear-off teeth are used to penetrate multiple layers of web material, then the tearing function is achieved, but splintering of the web material and dust generation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting edge is inverted from the conventional position at the tip to the base of the protrusion. This allows the rounded tip to contact and guide the web material smoothly, while the cutting edge at the base severs the material without causing splintering or dust generation
Solution Approach 2:
The geometry of the protrusion is changed from a sharp tooth to a rounded tip with a cutting edge at the base. This parameter change in shape and cutting mechanism reduces material damage, splintering, and dust while maintaining effective tearing capability
3Object-affected harmful factors
If rounded tips are used instead of sharp teeth, then the risk of hand injury is reduced, but the ability to penetrate and tear through multiple layers of web material is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The tearing function is segmented across multiple protrusions with rounded tips. Each protrusion engages a portion of the web material layers, and the cumulative effect of multiple rounded contacts guides and tears through the stacked material without requiring any single tip to be sharp
Solution Approach 2:
The rounded tip acts as an intermediary that contacts the web material first, guiding it toward the cutting edge at the base. The cutting edge then performs the actual separation, with the rounded tip serving as a safe intermediate contact point that prevents direct user exposure to the sharp edge
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3i
Figure 4a~4d
AI summary
The present invention relates to a cutting means (110) for use with a dispenser for a centre-fed roll of web material, said cutting means comprises a support structure (200), a plurality of protrusions (202) provided at said support structure, wherein at least some of said plurality of protrusions (202) has a rounded tip (300e) and neighbours at least one other protrusion (202) having a rounded tip (300e), and a cutting edge (302a; 302b) provided between said rounded tips of said neighbouring protrusions. The present invention also relates to an extraction means and a dispenser comprising cutting means.