Apparatus and Methods Usable in Connection With Dispensing Flexible Sheet Material From a Roll
First Claim
1. A dispenser for dispensing flexible sheet material, comprising:
- a support for rotatably supporting a roll of sheet material;
a feed mechanism for advancing the sheet material from said roll;
a motor for driving the feed mechanism;
a plurality of sensors spaced along a width of said sheet material for detecting respective leading edge portions of said sheet material and outputting respective signals indicative thereof, and a control device for receiving said respective signals and controlling said motor to drive said feed mechanism to dispense a predetermined length of the sheet material from the point at which a leading edge portion is first detected by one of said plurality of sensors.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A powered dispenser for dispensing individual sheet segments from a continuous roll of sheet material provided with spaced tear lines comprises a powered feed mechanism, a releasable, powered drive mechanism, a powered transfer mechanism, a pair of web sensing sensors, a capacitive sensing system providing automatic sensitivity adjustment, and control circuitry. A dual power supply system provides a mechanical lock-out functionality, and the control system is protected from electrostatic build-up on the surface of the feed roller. The web sensor, and an antenna plate of the capacitive sensing system, are provided on respective printed circuit boards mounted in overlying relation. Utilizing signals received from the pair of web sensors and the capacitive sensing system, the control circuitry senses the presence of a user to activate the powered drive mechanism, and prevents further dispensing of the sheet material until a previously dispensed segment is separated from the roll. The web sensors detection of a leading edge of the sheet material initiates a predetermined interval of sheet material advancement providing a proper placement of successive tear lines. Various approaches may be utilized to accommodate inadvertent sheet “tabbing” scenarios. The web sensors, together with the control circuitry, are also used to detect the depletion, or absence, of a working roll of sheet material, whereupon the control circuitry controls the powered transfer mechanism to automatically transfer the web feed supply from a depleted working roll to a reserve roll. The powered transfer mechanism may include a motor driven transfer bar, or provide motor driven release of a spring biased transfer bar. Another arrangement allows for ready release of a roll core, and drop of the same into an open dispenser cover for removal.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A dispenser for dispensing flexible sheet material, comprising:
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a support for rotatably supporting a roll of sheet material;
a feed mechanism for advancing the sheet material from said roll;
a motor for driving the feed mechanism;
a plurality of sensors spaced along a width of said sheet material for detecting respective leading edge portions of said sheet material and outputting respective signals indicative thereof, and a control device for receiving said respective signals and controlling said motor to drive said feed mechanism to dispense a predetermined length of the sheet material from the point at which a leading edge portion is first detected by one of said plurality of sensors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A dispenser for dispensing flexible sheet material, comprising:
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a support for rotatably supporting a roll of sheet material;
a feed mechanism for advancing the sheet material from said roll;
a motor for driving the feed mechanism;
a sensor for detecting a leading edge portion of said sheet material and outputting a signal indicative thereof, a measurement device for measuring a first interval of advancement of said feed mechanism terminating with a detection of a leading edge portion by said sensor; and
a control device for receiving signals from said sensor and said measurement device and for controlling said motor to drive said feed mechanism to dispense a predetermined length of the sheet material from a determined initialization point, said control device comprising;
a storage device for storing a nominal measure of said first interval of advancement;
a comparator for comparing a measurement of said measurement device with said nominal value; and
determination means for determining said initialization point for a given dispense cycle based upon an output of said comparator. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A dispenser comprising:
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a housing having a discharge opening;
a support within the housing for supporting a continuous strip of sheet material having a plurality of spaced tear lines defining leading and trailing edges of individual removable segments, with an outer segment having a free leading edge and inner segments which in turn become outer segments as adjoining outer segments are removed;
a feed mechanism for repeatedly moving the sheet material in advancement and retraction intervals, said advancement intervals serving to advance successive outer ones of said segments through the discharge opening and out of the housing, said retraction interval serving to initialize the sheet material for said advancement interval;
a sensor for repeatedly detecting arrival of a said leading edge of retracting sheet material at a first position defining the end of said retraction interval and the beginning of said advancement interval, as sheet material is repeatedly retracted back into the discharge opening; and
a control device for receiving a signal from the sensor indicating a said arrival of a said leading edge at said first position, and for initiating said advancement interval from said first position, said advancement interval terminating when said leading edge of the sheet material has advanced from said first position a predetermined amount, to repeatedly place said spaced tear lines at a second position that is variable downstream of said first position in relation to variations in the lengths of said segments, said second position defining the beginning of a said retraction interval for a next adjacent segment, when it is in turn initialized for said advancement interval.
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Specification