Automatic wet towel supplying apparatus

• US 6,343,491 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2000
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nak-Won Jung
• Original Assignee: Nak-Won Jung
• Inventors: Jung, Nak-Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Stinson, Frankie L.
• Application Number:
  US09/525,836
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 68/13.R, 682/05.R, 681/75, 118/325, 118/235, 134/64.R, 134/122.R
• US Class Current: 68/13.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/26 Mechanically-driven towel dispensers, e.g. with storing devices for soiled towelsA47K10/28 takes precedence; for paper towels A47K10/34
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2010/328 by spraying

Abstract

An automatic wet towel supplying apparatus is disclosed. The automatic wet towel supplying apparatus comprises a housing, a casing, pulling means, cutting means, water supplying means and control means. The housing includes a cloth holding part for rotatably holding cloth in the form of a roll so that the cloth is pulled away and a towel storage chamber for storing wet towels for supply. The casing is fixed to the front portion of the interior of the housing by means of bolts so as to be easily removed from the housing. The cutting means includes a second motor, a rotary cutter rotated by the second motor, and a stationary cutter. The water supplying means is mounted in the housing, includes a water storage tank, a pump, a filtering unit and a nozzle, and serves to spray water on the cut towels. The control means includes a control board mounted on an outer surface of the housing, a first sensor for sensing a length of the cloth that is pulled by the pulling means, a second sensor for sensing a total number of rotations of the rotary cutter of the cutting means, and a microprocessor for controlling power supply to the first motor, the second motor and the pump by processing the signals from the control board, the first sensor and the second sensor.

Claims

1. An automatic wet towel supplying apparatus, comprising:

a housing including a cloth holding part for rotatably holding cloth in the form of a roll so that the cloth is pulled away and a towel storage chamber for storing cut, wet towels for supply;

a casing that is fixed to a front portion of an interior of the housing by means of bolts so as to be easily removed from the housing;

means for pulling the cloth while compressing the cloth, the pulling means including,

a first motor,

a first shaft that is connected to the first motor by means of gears,

a second shaft that is operated together with the first shaft by means of a belt,

a cover that is located above the belt while being fixed to the casing and

a roller that is rotatably fixed while being projected from a bottom surface of the cover;

cutting means that includes a second motor, a rotary cutter rotated by the second motor, and a stationary cutter fixed at a position in which the stationary cutter intersects the rotary cutter;

water supplying means being mounted in the housing, including a water storage tank, a pump, a filtering unit and a nozzle, and serving to spray water on the cut towels; and

control means that includes a control board mounted on an outer surface of the housing, a first sensor for sensing a length of the cloth that is pulled by the pulling means, a second sensor for sensing a total number of rotations of the rotary cutter of the cutting means, and a microprocessor for controlling power supply to the first motor, the second motor and the pump by processing the signals from the control board, the first sensor and the second sensor.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said belt of said pulling means is a plurality of ring belts that pass the first shaft and the second shaft and are spaced apart from one another.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said roller is elastically mounted to a bottom of the cover so as to treat various thicknesses of cloth by being moved elastically and vertically.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first sensor and said second sensor are tachometers, respectively.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control board of said control means includes select buttons for regulating a length of the wet towel and select buttons for selecting the number of wet towels.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said water supplying means further includes a heating and cooling means for regulating a temperature of the water.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for winding the wet towel and conveying the wound towel to the towel storage chamber, this means comprising,

a third motor mounted in the housing,

two side plates fixed to a frame while being spaced apart from each other,

a third shaft rotatably mounted between front portions of the side plates,

a fourth shaft connected to the third motor by means of gears and rotatably mounted between rear portions of the side plates,

a rubber belt passing the third shaft and the fourth shaft and conveying the wet towels to the rear,

a fifth shaft rotatably mounted between the side plates while being upwardly spaced apart from the rubber belt and connected to the fourth shaft by means of a belt,

a sixth shaft rotatably mounted between the side plates while being upwardly spaced apart from the rubber belt and connected to the fifth shaft by means of ring belts so as to wind the towels, and

a support plate serving to allow the wound towels, which pass the sixth shaft, to be moved to the wet towel storage chamber while the wound towels are in contact with the rubber belt and being extended so as to surround the rear portion of the rubber belt and the lower portion of the rubber belt while being spaced apart from the rubber belt.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said sixth shaft is rotatably mounted to slots that are curvedly formed in the side plates so as to be moved upwards while connected to the fifth shaft.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a spread plate, the spread plate being mounted between both side plates, being positioned in front of the fifth shaft and being vertically spaced apart from the rubber belt.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said spread plate has a plurality of tiny, sharp, flexible projections that remove residual water from the towel and spread the towel uniformly.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said spread plate further includes two or more rollers that are projected downwards so as to be rotated while pressing against an upper surface of the towel.