The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 16, 2002
Filed:
Mar. 21, 2000
Philip V. Sadrakula, Hudson, WI (US);
Leonard Kampa, Bloomington, MN (US);
James F. Pitzen, Maplewood, MN (US);
3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
A dispenser from which sheet material may be manually pulled from a supply of the sheet material carried on the dispenser through a passageway defined by a frame of the dispenser. The dispenser includes a cutting member having a sharp cutting edge adapted for transversely cutting the sheet material and an elongate contact surface generally parallel to and spaced from the cutting edge. The cutting member is mounted on the frame for movement between (1) a retracted position to which it is biased at which the cutting edge is positioned to restrict contact between a person using the dispenser and the cutting edge and at which the contact surface extends along the one side of the passageway—and (2) a cutting position to which the cutting member can be moved from its retracted position by manually tensioning sheet material being pulled from the dispenser around the contact surface of the cutting member. At the cutting position the cutting edge is positioned to intersect and transversely sever the tensioned sheet material being manually withdrawn from the dispenser.