HAND TOWEL DISPENSER HAVING MEANS FOR DATA CAPTURE AND TRANSMISSION

• US 20150066207A1
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cws-Boco International GmbH (Haniel Family)
• Original Assignee: CWS-boco Supply AG (CWS International GmbH)
• Inventors: Erb, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 9,524,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/28 dispensing a clean part and taking-up a soiled part, e.g. using rolls; with dispensers for soap or other detergents; with disinfecting or heating devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2010/3226 collecting data of usage
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49716 Converting

Abstract

A hand towel dispenser capable of data capture and transmission. The hand towel dispenser includes a reel shell for holding a hand towel roll that includes fresh dispenser material, a rotatably held reel that takes up used dispenser material, a measuring apparatus for capturing measured values that represent the quantity of used dispenser material, and a radio module that is connected to the measuring apparatus to receive the measured values captured by the measuring apparatus. The radio module is designed to transmit radio signals, each of which contains at least one measured value. The measuring apparatus incoudes at least one first sensor for capturing the quantity of used dispenser material. And, the sensor is connected to the radio module.

Claims

1. A hand towel dispenser comprising:

a reel shell for receiving a hand towel roll containing fresh dispenser material;

means for rotatably receiving a reel roll that winds up used dispenser material;

a measuring device for capturing measured values that represent an amount of used dispenser material; and

a radio module that is connected to the measuring device, said radio module being configured to receive the measured values captured by the measuring device and to transmit radio signals that contain at least one measured value;

wherein measuring device comprises at least a first sensor for capturing the amount of used dispenser material, and wherein said sensor is connected to the radio module.

2. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the measuring device comprises a first signal-initiating element that can be fastened on a drive roller driving the reel roll.

3. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the measuring device comprises a second sensor and a second signal-initiating element, wherein the second signal-initiating element is fastened on a deflection shaft for the dispenser material to be dispensed.

4. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the measuring device comprises a third sensor and a third signal-initiating element, wherein the third signal-initiating element is stationarily fastened on a housing of the hand towel dispenser.

5. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the radio module and the first sensor are fastened on the reel shell.

6. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the second and/or the third sensor is arranged on the reel shell.

7. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein an indication of a supply of dispenser material as determined by the measuring device is transmitted, wherein a first supply state “

dispenser almost empty”

is transmitted when a remaining supply of dispenser material is less than 25%, and wherein a second supply state “

dispenser empty”

is transmitted when the residual supply of dispenser material is depleted.

8. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 7, wherein the first supply state “

dispenser almost empty”

is transmitted when the remaining supply of dispenser material is less than 15%.

9. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the radio module comprises a microcontroller with which the used amount of dispenser material can be determined from the measured values captured by the measuring device.

10. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the hand towel dispenser comprises a protocol converter configured to receive data transmitted by the radio module and forward said data wirelessly to an external communication network.

11. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 10, wherein the protocol converter is a gateway that comprises a clock so that a forwarded radio signal also comprises, in addition to the at least one measured value, the time of its forwarding.

12. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a level indication representing a current amount of used dispenser material is transmitted in a periodically transmitted radio signal by the radio module.

13. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the radio module transmits a periodic signal that indicates that the radio module is in operation.

14. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the radio module transmits radio signals in a frequency range between 868 MHz and 870 MHz.

15. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a transmission time of a radio signal of the radio module is between 55 ms and 65 ms.

16. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a number of revolutions that the real roll that winds up the used dispenser material carries out is captured by the measuring device.

17. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein a drive roller is fastened on the reel shell with which the used dispenser material is wound on a reel axis of the reel roll.

18. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 17, wherein the hand towel dispenser comprises a spring storage drive with which the drive roller is driven.

19. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 18, wherein a deflection roller is arranged on a housing of the hand towel dispenser and is driven during a winding off of dispenser material from the hand towel roll containing fresh dispenser material and by which the spring storage drive is pre-tensioned.

20. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 18, wherein the spring storage drive comprises a time-delay device that is activated during the winding off of dispenser material from the hand towel roll containing fresh dispenser material and after a course of a set time span activates the spring storage drive for drawing in the used dispenser material.

21. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 17, wherein the drive roller forms a rotatable frictional contact with the reel roll comprising the used dispenser material.

22. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 21, wherein the drive roller is provided with nubs on its jacket surface.

23. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the hand towel dispenser comprises a signal amplifier or signal preparer that is arranged between the radio module and the gateway.

24. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the radio module comprises a battery, and wherein a state of the battery is captured by the radio module and transmitted from the radio module as another data signal.

25. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the hand towel dispenser comprises a manual defect switch connected to the radio module so that upon actuation of the defect switch a message “

dispenser defect”

is transmitted by the radio module.

26. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 7, wherein the radio signals that comprise the supply states “

dispenser almost empty” and

“

dispenser empty”

can be transmitted in real time by the radio module.

27. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the radio signals transmitted by the radio module comprise an identification of the product dispenser.

28. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the radio signals transmitted by the radio module comprise a location of the product dispenser.

29. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the hand towel dispenser is connected to a central data processing system for data transmission via an external communication network via a gateway.

30. The hand towel dispenser according to claim 29, wherein the external communication network is a mobile telephone network and wherein the data transmission from the gateway to the central data processing system takes place via the mobile telephone network.

31. A kit for retrofitting a hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, comprising:

a first sensor, a second sensor and a third sensor;

a first magnet, a second magnet and a third magnet; and

a gateway.

32. A method for monitoring and servicing a hand towel dispenser according to claim 29, wherein the method comprises the steps:

capturing a supply state “

dispenser almost empty”

or “

dispenser empty”

in at least one hand towel dispenser by the measuring device;

receiving a radio signal “

dispenser almost empty”

or “

dispenser empty”

transmitted from the radio module in real time by the protocol converter; and

forwarding a received radio signal “

dispenser almost empty”

or “

dispenser empty”

together with an indication of a time of the transmission via the protocol converter by an external communication network to a central data processing system.

33. The method according to claim 32, further comprising the steps:

capturing the used amount of dispenser material on the winding-up reel roll by the measuring device;

forwarding the captured, used amount of dispenser material in a periodically transmitted radio signal from the radio module to the protocol converter;

forwarding the radio signal together with the indication of the time of the transmission from the protocol converter to a central data processing system;

storing the captured, used amount of dispenser material in a data memory of the central data processing system; and

processing the detected amounts of dispenser material with the particular indications of time with the central data processing system to data concerning the frequency of use and the product consumption of the hand towel dispenser.

34. A method for retrofitting a hand towel dispenser such that it becomes a hand towel dispenser according to claim 1, comprising the steps:

replacing an original reel shell with a reel shell having a pre-assembled radio module; and

incorporating magnets in the hand towel dispenser.