Controlled Dispensing Sheet Product Dispenser

• US 20080078777A1
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Olejniczak, James, Cittadino, Antonio, Kuehneman, Bret, Reinsel, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,144,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/34 dispensing from a web, e.g. with mechanical dispensing means
• 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 10/3625 with electronic control means
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/3656 with paper jam preventing devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2010/3668 Detection of the presence of a user
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2010/3881 with tearing edges having movable parts
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 16/005 Dispensers, i.e. machines for unwinding only parts of web roll
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 20/02 by friction roller

Abstract

A sheet product dispenser includes a sheet product feed mechanism coupled to an electric motor, the sheet product feed mechanism moving a sheet product out of the dispenser during a dispense cycle; and a control unit controlling the sheet product feed mechanism or electric motor or both to move the sheet product with an increasing speed or acceleration or both during a portion of the dispense cycle.

Claims

1. A sheet product dispenser comprising:

a sheet product feed mechanism coupled to an electric motor, the sheet product feed mechanism moving a sheet product out of the dispenser during a dispense cycle; and

a control unit controlling the sheet product feed mechanism or electric motor or both to move the sheet product with an increasing speed or acceleration or both during a portion of the dispense cycle.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein during another portion of the dispense cycle, the sheet product feed mechanism dispenses the sheet product at a gradually decreasing speed or acceleration or both.

3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein during another portion of the dispense cycle, the sheet product feed mechanism dispenses the sheet product at a generally constant speed.

4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein during other portions of the dispense cycle, the feed mechanism dispenses the sheet product at a generally constant speed and then gradually decreases the speed to zero.

5. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the electric motor is a DC motor, and wherein the control unit utilizes a pulse-width-modulation scheme to control motor speed.

6. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispenser is battery powered, and wherein the control unit determines a motor run-time with correction for a decrease in battery voltage.

7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispenser is battery powered, and wherein the control unit increases the dispense cycle as the battery voltage decreases.

8. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispenser operates in a CONTINUOUS mode, wherein the dispense cycle length is not predetermined.

9. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the sheet product is a tissue paper, the controlled acceleration is variable based on a sheet product characteristic, and the controlled acceleration is related to a strength of the sheet product.

10. A method of dispensing a sheet product comprising:

activating a variable speed dispensing mechanism in response to a user activation, the dispensing mechanism gradually increasing a speed of a dispensed sheet product during a dispense cycle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sheet product speed is gradually increased during an initial portion of the dispense cycle, and the sheet product speed is generally constant during another portion of the dispense cycle.

12. A sheet product dispenser comprising:

an electric motor driving a dispensing mechanism to move a sheet product;

a battery having a voltage which decreases over time; and

an electronic controller for controlling a connection between the electric motor and the battery, the controller determining a run time for the electric motor, the run time being dependent on the voltage, wherein as the voltage decreases over time, the run time increases.

13. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein an electric motor speed gradually increases during a start of a dispense cycle.

14. The dispenser of claim 12, wherein an electric motor speed gradually decreases during a terminal portion of a dispense cycle.

15. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein the electric motor speed is generally constant subsequent to an initial time period.

16. A dispenser for sheet products comprising:

an electric motor driving a dispensing mechanism to move a sheet product; and

an electronic controller for operatively coupling the electric motor to a battery, wherein the electric motor is driven for variable time periods based on a battery voltage, the dispenser moving a generally equal length of sheet product out of the dispenser by increasing a motor run time as the battery voltage decreases over time.

17. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein the controller is a non-feedback controller operating without direct measurement of the length of sheet product.

18. The dispenser of claim 16, wherein a speed of the electric motor gradually increases to minimize impulse loads on the sheet product.

19. The dispenser of claim 18, wherein the motor speed gradually decreases to minimize sheet product roll overspin upon deactivation of the electric motor.

20. A sheet product dispenser comprising:

an electric motor driving a dispensing mechanism to move a sheet product;

a battery having a voltage which decreases over time; and

a motor control which determines a run time for the electric motor, the run time being corrected for a decrease in battery voltage.

21. The dispenser of claim 20, wherein an electric motor speed gradually increases after a start of a dispense cycle.

22. The dispenser of claim 20, wherein an electric motor speed gradually decreases during a terminal portion of a dispense cycle.

23. The dispenser of claim 20, wherein a battery voltage measurement is made while the electric motor is under load and is used to determine the run time.

24. The dispenser of claim 20, wherein the run time is determined during the same dispense cycle that a battery voltage measurement is made.