Sheet product dispensers and related methods for reducing sheet product usage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sheet product dispensers either provide insufficient resistance, leading to excessive rotation and waste, or inconsistent resistance that varies over the life of the roll, resulting in an undesirable user experience and increased costs due to unnecessary sheet product usage.
Innovation Solution
A sheet product dispenser with a roll support mechanism and a resistance mechanism that provides a consistent pull force resistance between 36 grams-force and 96 grams-force throughout the majority of the roll's life, ensuring controlled unwinding and reducing waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If significant resistance is provided to prevent free-wheeling and over-rotation of the roll, then sheet product waste is reduced, but the resistance becomes intermittent and varies significantly during use, resulting in user frustration
Solution Approach 1:
The resistance mechanism uses a spring-loaded arm that dynamically adjusts its engagement with the roll to provide substantially constant pull force resistance. The spring allows the resistance to adapt to changes in roll diameter while maintaining consistent operational feel, resolving the contradiction between waste reduction and user experience consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the resistance mechanism, specifically using a spring with calibrated force characteristics to provide substantially constant pull force resistance between 36-96 grams-force. This parameter optimization ensures consistent resistance throughout the roll's life, preventing both excessive waste and user frustration.
2Ease of operation
If no resistance or minimal resistance is provided, then the roll rotates freely and operation is easy, but the roll continues to rotate beyond necessary point due to inertia, causing excessive sheet product dispensing
Solution Approach 1:
The resistance mechanism is pre-configured with spring tension to provide opposing force before the user pulls the sheet product. This preliminary resistance prevents the roll from rotating beyond the necessary point due to inertia, while the spring's elastic nature maintains smooth operation throughout the dispensing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful effect of inertia (which causes over-rotation and waste) into a beneficial controlled rotation. By providing substantial constant resistance, the system harnesses the user's pulling force to overcome the resistance in a controlled manner, preventing uncontrolled free-wheeling while maintaining operational smoothness.
3Loss of substance
If resistance mechanism engages the roll, then pull force resistance is provided to control unwinding, but the resistance varies significantly as the outer diameter of the roll decreases over its life
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded arm dynamically compensates for changes in roll outer diameter throughout its life. As the roll diameter decreases, the spring's mechanical advantage changes to maintain substantially constant pull force resistance, ensuring stable and consistent resistance characteristics from first use to last use.
Solution Approach 2:
The resistance mechanism provides continuous feedback through the spring's elastic deformation as the roll diameter changes. The spring automatically adjusts its engagement force based on the instantaneous roll diameter, creating a self-regulating system that maintains constant resistance without external control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces sheet product usage by up to 30% and provides a consistent user experience by maintaining a constant resistance, thereby decreasing waste and costs.
Implementation Method 1
The spring is attached to the arm and configured to bias the arm into engagement with the surface of the roll of sheet product
Implementation Method 2
The arm is configured to frictionally engage a surface of the roll of sheet product
Data Source
AI summary
A method of dispensing a user-determined length of sheet product from a roll of sheet product via a sheet product dispenser is provided. The method includes the steps of providing the roll of sheet product rotatably supported by the sheet product dispenser for dispensing sheet product therefrom, wherein the roll of sheet product rotates in response to a pull force applied to a tail portion of the roll of sheet product; and providing, via the sheet product dispenser, a pull force resistance opposing the rotation of the roll of sheet product, wherein the pull force resistance is between 36 grams-force and 96 grams-force throughout a majority of a life of the roll of sheet product.