TOWEL DISPENSERS

• US 20180317719A1
• Filed: 07/16/2018
• Published: 11/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Troutman, William Bryant, Troutman, II, William Bryant
• Granted Patent: US 10,342,394 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 2010/3233 Details of the housing, e.g. hinges, connection to the wall
• 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 mounted to a wall and defining an interior space for receiving toweling comprising a roll of towels, the interior space comprising a curved surface configured to receive the roll of towels in floating engagement therewith such that the roll of towels rolls and slides on the curved surface during unwinding of the roll of towels. The towel dispenser further includes a loading door configured to rotate relative to the main body, when the main body is mounted to a wall, between a closed position in which the loading door extends over a top of and closes off the interior space of the main body in which toweling is received, and an open position, in which the housing is configured to receive toweling therein without obstruction by the loading door, with the loading door extending upwardly above and over a top of the housing.

Claims

1. A sheet material dispenser comprising:

a housing comprising;

a main body defining a front edge, wherein the main body defines an exterior surface and an interior surface with respect to the housing;

a loading door defining a front edge and configured to move between a closed position and an open position relative to the main body, wherein the loading door defines an exterior surface and an interior surface with respect to the housing; and

a cavity formed between the loading door and the main body, wherein the cavity is sized to house a roll of sheet material in loose engagement therein such that the roll of sheet material is housed in the cavity without attachment to the housing;

a main body roller positioned on a portion of the interior surface of the main body proximate the front edge, wherein the main body roller is mounted within the main body in a recessed manner with respect to the portion of the interior surface such that only a portion of the main body roller is visible; and

a loading door roller positioned on a portion of the interior surface of the loading door proximate the front edge, wherein the loading door roller is mounted within the loading door in a recessed manner with respect to the portion of the interior surface such that only a portion of the loading door roller is visible,

wherein, in an instance in which the loading door is in the closed position, the loading door roller and the main body roller are positioned within the housing so as to be hidden from a user, wherein, in an instance in which the loading door is in the open position, the main body roller and the loading door roller are visible to the user,

wherein, in an instance in which the loading door is in the open position, the loading door roller is spaced apart from the main body roller and an opening is formed, wherein the opening is sized to enable the user to insert the roll of sheet material into the cavity and position a leading portion of the roll of sheet material between the spaced apart loading door roller and main body roller, wherein, in an instance in which the roll of sheet material is within the cavity and the leading portion of the roll of sheet material is positioned between the loading door roller and the main body roller, movement of the loading door to the closed position causes the roll of sheet material to be installed in the sheet material dispenser and ready for dispensing with the leading portion of the roll of sheet material sandwiched between the loading door roller and the main body roller.

2. The sheet material dispenser of claim 1, wherein, when installed in the cavity, the roll of sheet material is not fixed relative to an axis of the housing during dispensing.

3. The sheet material dispenser of claim 1, wherein the opening formed when the loading door is in the open position is sized to enable the user to drop the roll of sheet material into the cavity.

4. The sheet material dispenser of claim 1, wherein the cavity defines an internal curved surface that corresponds to curvature of an outer circumference of the roll of sheet material.

5. The sheet material dispenser of claim 4, wherein the cavity is further defined by opposing side walls that correspond to a top and a bottom of the roll of sheet material.

6. The sheet material dispenser of claim 5, wherein the main body comprises the opposing side walls and the internal curved surface of the cavity.

7. The sheet material dispenser of claim 1, wherein the main body defines a back portion that is configured to enable mounting to a wall.

8. The sheet material dispenser of claim 7, wherein the loading door is configured to rotate upwardly away from the main body when moved from the closed position to the open position.

9. The sheet material dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a motor configured to operate the main body roller to cause the leading portion of the roll of sheet material to dispense from the sheet material dispenser.

10. The sheet material dispenser of claim 9 further comprising a proximity sensor that is configured to sense an object and, in response, generate a signal to cause the motor to operate to cause dispensing from the roll of sheet material.

11. The sheet material dispenser of claim 9 further comprising a leading edge sensor that is positioned proximate the main body roller and configured to sense the leading edge of the roll of sheet material and, in response, generate a signal to cause the motor to cease operation.

12. The sheet material dispenser of claim 11 further comprising a controller that is configured to detect and dispense sheets of varying lengths from an installed roll of sheet material.

13. A sheet material dispenser comprising:

a housing comprising;

a main body defining a front edge, wherein the main body defines an exterior surface and an interior surface with respect to the housing;

a loading door defining a front edge and configured to move between a closed position and an open position relative to the main body, wherein the loading door defines an exterior surface and an interior surface with respect to the housing; and

a cavity formed between the loading door and the main body, wherein the cavity is sized to house a roll of sheet material in loose engagement therein such that the roll of sheet material is housed in the cavity without attachment to the housing; and

a main body roller positioned on a portion of the interior surface of the main body proximate the front edge, wherein the main body roller is mounted within the main body in a recessed manner with respect to the portion of the interior surface such that only a portion of the main body roller is visible,

wherein, in an instance in which the loading door is in the closed position, the main body roller is positioned within the housing so as to be hidden from a user, wherein, in an instance in which the loading door is in the open position, the main body roller is visible to the user,

wherein, in an instance in which the loading door is in the open position, the loading door is spaced apart from the main body roller and an opening is formed, wherein the opening is sized to enable the user to insert the roll of sheet material into the cavity and position a leading portion of the roll of sheet material between the spaced apart loading door and main body roller, wherein, in an instance in which the roll of sheet material is within the cavity and the leading portion of the roll of sheet material is positioned between the loading door and the main body roller, movement of the loading door to the closed position causes the roll of sheet material to be installed in the sheet material dispenser and ready for dispensing with the leading portion of the roll of sheet material sandwiched between the loading door and the main body roller.

14. The sheet material dispenser of claim 13, wherein, when installed in the cavity, the roll of sheet material is not fixed relative to an axis of the housing during dispensing.

15. The sheet material dispenser of claim 13, wherein the opening formed when the loading door is in the open position is sized to enable the user to drop the roll of sheet material into the cavity.

16. The sheet material dispenser of claim 13, wherein the cavity defines an internal curved surface that corresponds to curvature of an outer circumference of the roll of sheet material.

17. The sheet material dispenser of claim 13 further comprising a motor configured to operate the main body roller to cause the leading portion of the roll of sheet material to dispense from the sheet material dispenser.

18. A sheet material dispenser comprising:

a main body;

a cavity defined within the main body, the cavity sized to receive a roll of sheet material;

a loading door movable relative to the main body between a closed position and an open position, the loading door providing access to the cavity when the loading door is in the open position, the loading door enclosing the cavity when the loading door is in the closed position;

dispensing rollers, including;

a main body roller positioned on a main body edge surface of the main body, the main body roller mounted within the main body in a recessed manner with respect to the main body edge surface, a dispensing surface of the main body roller protruding through the main body edge surface, and

a loading door roller positioned on a loading door edge surface of the loading door, the loading door roller mounted within the loading door in a recessed manner with respect to the loading door edge surface, a dispensing surface of the loading door roller protruding through the loading door edge surface;

the main body roller positioned on the main body and the loading door roller positioned on the loading door so that, when the loading door is the open position, the dispensing surfaces of the dispensing rollers are spaced apart from each other to form an opening for inserting the sheet product into the cavity, and when the loading door is in the closed position, the dispensing surfaces of the dispensing rollers are adjacent each other to form a nip for dispensing sheet product positioned therebetween.

19. The sheet material dispenser of claim 18, wherein, when installed in the cavity, the roll of sheet material is not fixed relative to an axis of the sheet material dispenser during dispensing.

20. The sheet material dispenser of claim 18, wherein, when the loading door is in the closed position, the dispensing surfaces of the dispensing rollers are hidden from a user, wherein, when the loading door is in the open position, the dispensing surfaces of the dispensing rollers are visible to the user.