Portable, vertically oriented automatic towel dispenser apparatus

• US 10,165,907 B1
• Filed: 04/30/2017
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Troutman, William Bryant, Troutman, II, William Bryant
• Primary Examiner(s): RIVERA, WILLIAM ARAUZ
• Application Number:
  US15/582,766
• Time in Patent Office: 611 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/36 with mechanical dispensing, roll switching or cutting devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/3612 with drive and pinch rollers
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2010/3233 Details of the housing, e.g. hinges, connection to the wall

Abstract

A portable towel dispenser includes a housing configured to stand upright and an interior space for receiving a toweling assembly including a roll of towels on an arbor. The interior space is configured to receive in a vertical orientation the arbor for vertical support thereof during unwinding of the roll of towels. A loading door is configured to rotate relative to the housing about a generally vertical axis between a closed position, in which the loading door and housing together enclose the toweling assembly within the dispenser, and an open position, in which the dispenser is configured to receive the toweling assembly therein without obstruction by the loading door. The dispenser is battery operated, includes a handle, and is readily hand portable. A button on a bottom of the housing is depressed to enable dispensing when the housing is stood upright.

Claims

1. A towel dispenser, the towel dispenser comprising:

a housing comprising a top and a bottom, wherein the bottom is configured to support the housing in a vertical orientation, wherein the housing further defines an interior space configured to receive a paper towel roll in a vertical orientation for vertical support thereof during dispensing of toweling from the paper towel roll;

a loading door configured to rotate relative to the housing between a closed position and an open position, wherein, in an instance in which the loading door is in the closed position, the loading door and the housing define a gap configured to enable dispensing of toweling from the paper towel roll therein, wherein, in an instance in which the loading door is in the open position, the loading door and the housing define an opening that enables insertion of the paper towel roll into the interior space of the housing;

one or more rollers configured to engage a portion of the toweling from the paper towel roll; and

a motor assembly configured to drive the one or more rollers to cause dispensing of the portion of the toweling from the paper towel roll through the gap.

2. The towel dispenser of claim 1, wherein the interior space is further configured to receive an arbor that is configured to support the paper towel roll.

3. The towel dispenser of claim 2, wherein the arbor is removable from the paper towel roll, such that a second paper towel roll is disposable on the arbor for use in the towel dispenser.

4. The towel dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a safeguard located on the bottom of the housing, wherein the safeguard is configured to prevent dispensing of toweling from the paper towel roll in an instance in which the bottom of the housing is not positioned on a surface.

5. The towel dispenser of claim 1, further comprising a button located on the bottom of the housing that is configured to prevent dispensing of toweling unless the button is depressed.

6. The towel dispenser of claim 5, wherein the button is configured to be depressed in an instance in which the housing is positioned to stand upright in a generally vertical orientation on a generally horizontal, planar surface.

7. The towel dispenser of claim 1, wherein the one or more rollers comprise a first set of one or more rollers that extend along an interior side of the loading door and a second set of one or more rollers that extend along a corresponding section of the housing when the loading door is in the closed position.

8. The towel dispenser of claim 7, wherein the second set of one or more rollers are configured to be driven by the motor assembly to cause dispensing of the toweling.

9. The towel dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a sensor located on an interior of the housing and configured to sense a leading edge of the toweling in the gap.

10. The towel dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a sensor located on an exterior of the housing and configured to detect motion, wherein the sensor is operatively connected to the motor assembly and configured to cause the motor assembly to drive the one or more rollers to cause dispensing of the toweling in an instance in which an object or motion is detected by the sensor.

11. The towel dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a strap for carrying of the towel dispenser.

12. The towel dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a light indicator for indicating a status of the towel dispenser, the light indicator being located on an exterior surface of the housing.

13. The towel dispenser of claim 1, wherein the interior space defines a vertical dimension sized to correspond to a vertical dimension of the paper towel roll when the paper towel roll is in a vertical orientation.

14. The towel dispenser of claim 13, wherein the interior space defines a generally cylindrical volume with a center axis extending in a vertical orientation when the towel dispenser is upright, wherein the loading door is configured to rotate about a vertical axis that is parallel to the center axis of the interior space.

15. A towel dispenser comprising:

a housing configured to stand upright in a vertical orientation and define an interior space for receiving a toweling assembly comprising a roll of towels, wherein the interior space is configured to receive the roll of towels in a vertical orientation during unwinding of the roll of towels for dispensing of toweling; and

a loading door having one or more rollers extending along a section of an interior side of the loading door, wherein the loading door is configured to rotate relative to the housing about a generally vertical axis between,

a closed position, in which the loading door and the housing are configured to receive an extent of toweling therebetween for dispensing of the toweling, and in which the loading door closes off access to the toweling assembly received in the dispenser, and

an open position, in which the dispenser is configured to receive the toweling assembly therein without obstruction by the loading door.

16. The towel dispenser of claim 15, wherein the dispenser is battery operated, includes a handle, and is hand portable.

17. The towel dispenser of claim 15, wherein the loading door defines a second interior space that extends within the first interior space, wherein the towel dispenser is configured to receive the toweling assembly therein for dispensing by moving the loading door to the open position, inserting an arbor with a roll of towels disposed thereon into the interior space of the loading door, with a bottom end of the arbor being received within a recessed area of the loading door such that the toweling assembly is rotatable while supported in the vertical orientation within the second interior space of the loading door, and moving the loading door into the closed position with an extent of the toweling extending between the loading door and the housing.

18. The towel dispenser of claim 15, wherein the towel dispenser is further configured such that no further threading or positioning of the toweling is required to load the toweling for dispensing.

19. The towel dispenser of claim 15, wherein a button that must be depressed to enable automatic dispensing of toweling is located on a bottom surface of the housing such that the button is depressed when the housing is stood upright in a vertical orientation for dispensing of toweling.

20. A paper towel dispenser configured to receive a paper towel roll in loose engagement for dispensing of paper towel from the paper towel roll, wherein the paper towel dispenser comprises:

a housing defining a top, a bottom, and an interior space, wherein the housing is configured to stand in a vertical orientation in an instance in which the bottom is positioned on a flat surface, wherein the interior space is configured to receive the paper towel roll in loose engagement;

a loading door configured to move between an open position and a closed position relative to the housing, wherein, in an instance in which the loading door is in the open position, the loading door and the housing define an opening that enables insertion of the paper towel roll into the interior space of the housing such that the paper towel roll is positioned in the interior space in a vertical orientation;

at least one first roller positioned on an interior surface of the loading door;

at least one second roller positioned on an interior surface of the housing and configured to sandwich, with the at least one first roller, a portion of the toweling from the paper towel roll therebetween in an instance in which the loading door is in the closed position and the paper towel roll is installed in the interior space with the portion of the toweling extending outside of the housing between the loading door and the housing; and

a motor assembly configured to drive at least one of the first roller or the second roller to cause the portion of the toweling to dispense from the housing.