Paper towel dispenser

• US 6,419,136 B2
• Filed: 12/03/1999
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: George-Pacific Corporation
• Inventors: Formon, John S., Morris, Andrew R., Murphy, James H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rachuba, M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, KIM N
• Application Number:
  US09/453,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20010001475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 225/106, 225/10, 225/14, 225/11, 225/15, 225/16, 225/1, 833/67, 833/70, 833/71, 83/13, 836/49, 839/49, 242/563, 242/563.2, 242/564.1, 242/564.4, 242/565
• US Class Current: 225/14
• 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 10/3625 with electronic control means
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2010/3668 Detection of the presence of a user
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/10 Methods
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/12 With preliminary weakening
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/205 With feed-out of predetermined length from work supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/209 With feed-out of lead-end to aid initial grasping
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/21 Merely to provide lead-end for manual grasping
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/246 Including special support for wound supply package
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/393 Web restrainer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/543 Sensing means responsive to work indicium or irregularity

Abstract

A powered dispenser for dispensing individual paper towel segments from a continuous roll of paper provided with spaced lines of tearing comprises a housing, a support for the roll of paper, a feed mechanism, and a control device. The control device senses the presence of a user to activate the feed mechanism, controls the amount of material which is dispensed from the housing for any one cycle, and prevents further dispensing of the paper until the previous segment is separated from the roll. The control device detects the leading edge of the paper to initiate monitoring of the length of paper to be dispensed to prevent any cumulative error in dispensing the segments.

Claims

1. A method of dispensing individual segments from a continuous strip of sheet material having a plurality of spaced tear lines therealong 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, the method comprising:

repeatedly advancing the sheet material to advance, in first and second intervals, successive outer ones of said segments out of a housing;

detecting arrival of a said leading edge of the advancing sheet material at a first position defining the end of said first interval and the beginning of said second interval, as the sheet material is repeatedly advanced out of the housing;

terminating the advance of the sheet material when a said leading edge of the sheet material has further advanced from said first position a predetermined amount, to repeatedly place said spaced tear lines at a second position that is variable within a space defined between the feed mechanism and said first position in relation to variation in the length of said segments, said second position defining the beginning of a said first interval of advancement for a next adjacent segment, when it is in turn dispensed; and

permitting removal of a said outer segment from the strip of sheet material along a said tear line thereof, such that a new free leading edge is placed in said second position.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising preventing further advancement of the sheet material until the then outer segment of sheet material advanced out of the housing has been torn off.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said advance of the sheet material is initialed by sensing the presence of a user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting of the arrival of a said leading edge of the advancing sheet material is carried out with a plurality of sensors laterally spaced apart along a width of the sheet material.

5. A method of dispensing with a dispenser individual segments from a continuous strip of sheet material having a plurality of spaced tear lines therealong 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, the method comprising:

detecting a user;

advancing an outer segment of the sheet material such that a free leading edge of the sheet material resides outside of a housing of said dispenser;

detecting the advanced outer segment of the sheet material while it is still a part of said continuous strip of sheet material;

preventing any further advancement of the sheet material so long as it is detected that the advanced outer segment is present as a part of the continuous strip of sheet material; and

activating a feed mechanism of the dispenser to advance a next outer segment of the sheet material when it is detected that said advanced outer segment is no longer present as a part of said continuous strip of sheet material, and in response to said detecting of a user.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising sensing a leading edge of the advancing outer segment and dispensing a predetermined amount of sheet material from said sensing of the leading edge.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said detecting of the advanced outer segment of the sheet material is carried out with a plurality of sensors laterally spaced apart along a width of the sheet material.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said further advancement of the sheet material is prevented so long as a signal received from each of the sensors indicates a, presence of the advanced outer segment as a part of the continuous strip of sheet material.