Sheet material dispensing apparatus and method
First Claim
1. An apparatus for dispensing sheet material, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing defining an interior including a first section for a source of sheet material and a second section for the source of sheet material, the second section being larger than the first section, and an outlet through which the sheet material is dispensed;
a sensor disposed in the housing for sensing the size of the source while the source is in the second section; and
an indicator cooperating with the sensor to provide an indication when the size of the source is small enough to place the source of sheet material in the first section of the housing interior.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A dispensing apparatus and method are disclosed for dispensing sheet material from at least one roll of the sheet material. Dispensing is transferred from a stub roll to a reserve roll automatically in response to sensing a predetermined quantity of the stub roll. An isolating element is provided to lift the reserve roll out of contact with dispensing rollers during dispensing of sheet material from the stub roll, and a nipping element is provided to nip sheet material of the reserve roll when dispensing is transferred from the stub roll to the reserve roll. A cam controls movement of both the isolating element and the nipping element. Structure is also provided for sensing the diameter of the reserve roll of sheet material and providing an indication when the reserve roll is a predetermined diameter. The dispenser is quiet and capacity efficient.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. An apparatus for dispensing sheet material, the apparatus comprising:
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a housing defining an interior including a first section for a source of sheet material and a second section for the source of sheet material, the second section being larger than the first section, and an outlet through which the sheet material is dispensed;
a sensor disposed in the housing for sensing the size of the source while the source is in the second section; and
an indicator cooperating with the sensor to provide an indication when the size of the source is small enough to place the source of sheet material in the first section of the housing interior. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for dispensing sheet material from at least one roll of sheet material, the apparatus comprising:
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a housing defining an interior including a first section for a stub roll of sheet material and a second section for a reserve roll of sheet material, and an outlet through which the sheet material is dispensed; and
a contacting element for contacting an outer surface of the stub roll to apply a force capable of resisting rotational movement of the stub roll and preventing translational movement of the stub roll throughout the dispensing of sheet material from the stub roll, wherein the contacting element is pivotally mounted in the housing and comprises a contacting surface for contacting the outer surface of the stub roll, wherein the apparatus further comprises a second element pivotally mounted in the housing and coupled to the contacting element so that pivotal movement of the contacting element moves the second element, wherein the contacting element includes at least one slot, and wherein the second element includes at least one projection extending in the slot to guide movement of the second element. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for dispensing sheet material from at least one roll of sheet material, the system comprising:
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a dispenser comprising a housing defining an interior and an outlet though which an end portion of the sheet material is dispensed; and
at least two rolls of the sheet material rotatably positioned in the interior of the housing, the sheet material having a width of at least about 5 inches, wherein the system is capable of dispensing a single segment of the sheet material by a user grasping only the sheet material, and wherein dispensing of a single segment of said sheet material produces a maximum sound level below about 81 decibels. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. A system for dispensing sheet material from at least one roll of sheet material, the system comprising:
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a dispenser comprising a housing defining an interior and an outlet though which an end portion of the sheet material is dispensed; and
at least two rolls of the sheet material rotatably positioned in the interior of the housing, the sheet material having a width of at least about 5 inches, wherein the system is capable of dispensing a single segment of the sheet material by a user grasping only the sheet material, and wherein the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of the maximum sheet material volume to the total enclosed volume of the dispenser is at least about 35%. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22)
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23. A system for dispensing sheet material from at least one roll of sheet material, the system comprising:
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a dispenser comprising a housing defining an interior and an outlet though which an end portion of the sheet material is dispensed; and
at least two rolls of the sheet material rotatably positioned in the interior of the housing, the sheet material having a width of at least about 5 inches, wherein the system is capable of dispensing a single segment of the sheet material by a user grasping only the sheet material, and wherein the ratio of the maximum sheet material volume expressed in cubic inches to the projected area of the dispenser against the mounting surface expressed in square inches is at least about 3.0 cubic inches/square inch. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. A system for dispensing sheet material from at least one roll of sheet material, the system comprising:
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a dispenser comprising a housing defining an interior and an outlet though which an end portion of the sheet material is dispensed; and
at least two rolls of the sheet material rotatably positioned in the interior of the housing, the sheet material having a width of at least about 5 inches, wherein the system is capable of dispensing a single segment of the sheet material by a user grasping only the sheet material, and wherein the ratio of the maximum sheet material volume expressed in cubic inches to the profile area of the side of the dispenser expressed in square inches is at least about 4.5 cubic inches/square inch. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. An apparatus for dispensing sheet material from at least one roll of sheet material, the apparatus comprising:
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a housing defining an interior including a first section for a stub roll of sheet material and a second section for a reserve roll of sheet material, and an outlet through which the sheet material is dispensed;
a contacting element for contacting an outer surface of the stub roll to apply a force capable of resisting rotational movement of the stub roll and preventing translational movement of the stub roll throughout the dispensing of sheet material from the stub roll, wherein the contacting element is pivotally mounted in the housing and comprises a contacting surface for contacting the outer surface of the stub roll; and
a second element pivotally mounted in the housing and coupled to the contacting element so that pivotal movement of the contacting element moves the second element, wherein the apparatus is configured so that the contacting element and the second element pivotally move in opposite pivoting directions. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. An apparatus for dispensing sheet material from at least one roll of sheet material, the apparatus comprising:
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a housing defining an interior including a first section for a stub roll of sheet material and a second section for a reserve roll of sheet material, and an outlet through which the sheet material is dispensed;
a contacting element for contacting an outer surface of the stub roll to apply a force capable of resisting rotational movement of the stub roll and preventing translational movement of the stub roll throughout the dispensing of sheet material from the stub roll; and
at least one biasing element for biasing the contacting element against the stub roll to apply the force, wherein the biasing element biases the contacting element toward a front of the housing. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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Specification