LEVER-SECTOR GEAR SHEET DISPENSER WITH MECHANICAL MOTION MAGNIFIER

摘要

A sheet material dispensing apparatus wherein the sheet passes through a nip formed by a drive roller and a pressure roller. A lever is mounted for rotation about a first point and a gear segment is mounted for rotation about a second point. When the lever is rotated, a point or surface on the lever slidingly contacts a point or surface on the gear segment causing the gear segment to rotate through a greater angle than the lever. The teeth of the gear segment are operably engaged with gear means which causes rotation of the drive roller. In another aspect of the invention, the gear means for rotating the drive roller includes a floating gear mounted in a slot that is aligned generally parallel to the teeth of the gear segment and which causes rotation of the drive roller during one direction of travel of the gear segment and is disengaged from the drive roller during the other direction of travel of the lever. The invention also employs an overload mechanism which prevents excessive force from being applied to the gears in the event the dispenser becomes jammed.