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:
Jun. 10, 2003
Filed:
Dec. 21, 2000
James F. Pitzen, Maplewood, MN (US);
Ronald C. Johansson, Stillwater, MN (US);
Mark D. Sorlien, White Bear Lake, MN (US);
3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US);
Abstract
A portable dispenser with which lengths of a sheet material may be manually dispensed from a supply roll of the sheet material. The dispenser has a frame including a bridging portion adapted to extend along a portion of the periphery of the roll of sheet material, and end wall portions fixed to the ends of the bridging portion and adapted to extend along the opposite end surfaces of the roll of sheet material on which the roll of sheet material is rotatably journaled. A resiliently flexible cantilevered portion of the frame has a proximal edge fixed to the bridging portion and has a sharp cutting edge along its opposite distal edge. A guard portion of the frame extends between its end wall portions and has an inner surface extending along the side of the cutting edge opposite the roll. The cantilevered portion is normally positioned in a retracted position at which the cutting edge is spaced from the roll of sheet material and is positioned adjacent the inner surface of the guard portion to restrict contact with the cutting edge by a person handling the dispenser such as to withdraw a length of sheet material from the dispenser. The cantilevered portion can be manually flexed by a person grasping the outer surface of the frame to move the cutting edge away from the inner surface of the guard portion to a cutting position at which sheet material being pulled from the roll can be engaged with the cutting edge to transversely sever the sheet material.