DISPENSING GAP DEFINED BETWEEN LOADING DOOR AND MAIN BODY OF AUTOMATIC TOWEL DISPENSER

• US 20120305696A1
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovia Intellectual Properties, LLC
• Inventors: Troutman, William Bryant, Troutman, William Bryant II
• Granted Patent: US 8,561,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 242/566
• 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 2010/3668 Detection of the presence of a user
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2010/3681 characterised by the way a new paper roll is loaded in the dispenser

Abstract

A towel dispenser includes a housing for receiving toweling. The housing includes a main body; a loading door that is configured to rotate relative to the main body between a closed position and an open position; and a guide system that includes a first roller attached to the main body and a second roller attached to the loading door. The towel dispenser may include a motor for driving dispensing of the toweling from the housing and an associated sensor. The towel dispenser can be mounted to an underside of a cabinet. In an aspect, the front wall of the main body and a lip of the loading door collectively define a gap to which the guiding system guides the toweling and through which towels are dispensed when the loading door is in the closed position.

Claims

1. A towel dispenser, comprising:

(a) a housing for receiving toweling, the housing comprising,

(i) a main body that comprises a front wall of the housing,

(ii) a loading door that is configured to rotate relative to the main body between,

(A) a closed position, in which the housing is configured to dispense towels therefrom, and

(B) an open position, in which the housing is configured to receive toweling therein, and

(iii) a guide system configured to guide the toweling while towels are dispensed from the housing, the guide system comprising a first roller attached to the main body and a second roller attached to the loading door;

(b) wherein the loading door comprises a curved body defining an area within which the toweling is positioned when the toweling is received in the housing and a lip that extends away from the curved body; and

(c) wherein the front wall of the main body and the lip of the loading door collectively define a gap to which the guiding system guides the toweling and through which towels are dispensed when the loading door is in the closed position.