Dispenser with toweling received within recess of loading door

• US 8,231,076 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovia Intellectual Properties, LLC
• Inventors: Troutman, William B., Troutman, William B. II, Kovacevich, Ian D., Philpott, Thomas James, Hoy, Christopher, Ober, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): RIVERA, WILLIAM ARAUZ
• Application Number:
  US12/957,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20110068212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 242/563, 242/563.2, 242/564, 242/564.1, 242/564.3, 242/564.4, 242/565, 242/566, 242/418, 242/419, 242/419.5, 242/595, 312/34.8, 225/106, 226/181
• US Class Current: 242/595
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 10/36 with mechanical dispensing, roll switching or cutting devices
• 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: A47K 2010/3681 characterised by the way a new paper roll is loaded in the dispenser
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/10 Methods
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 225/206 Including means to select or adjust feed-out length

Abstract

A towel dispenser includes a housing including a main body; a loading door that is configured to rotate relative to the main body between a closed position, in which the housing is configured to dispense towels there from, and an open position, in which the housing is configured to receive toweling therein; and a guide system that is configured to guide the toweling within the housing while towels are dispensed from the housing. The loading door serves as a towel carrier and has a curved surface defining a cavity configured to receive the roll of paper towels in floating engagement therewith such that the roll of paper towels rolls and slides on the curved surface during unwinding.

Claims

1. A towel dispenser, comprising:

(a) a housing for receiving toweling, comprising

(i) a main body,

(ii) a loading door that is configured to rotate relative to the main body between,

(A) a closed position, in which the housing is configured to dispense towels there from, and

(B) an open position, in which the housing is configured to receive toweling therein, and

(iii) a guide system that is configured to guide the toweling within the housing during extension from and retraction into the housing of the toweling, the guide system comprising a first roller attached to the main body and having a first toothed surface, and a second roller attached to the loading door and having a second toothed surface that is configured to mesh with the first toothed surface,

(iv) wherein at least one end of the first roller moves such that an axis of rotation of the first roller moves relative to the main body of the housing,

(v) wherein the first roller is spring biased toward engagement with the second roller when the loading door is in the closed position, and

(vi) wherein the toothed surfaces of the first roller and the second roller mesh together when the loading door moves into the closed position from the open position and do not preclude the loading door from moving into the closed position from the open position,

(b) wherein the loading door comprises a towel carrier having a surface defining a cavity configured to receive the roll of paper towels such that the roll of paper towels rolls and slides on the surface during unwinding.

2. The towel dispenser of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises:

(a) a motor assembly configured to cause a leading edge of the toweling to be extended from the housing and to cause the toweling to be retracted into the housing after the leading edge has been extended; and

(b) a sensor for sensing a leading edge of the toweling during retraction of the toweling by the motor assembly;

(c) wherein the sensor is configured to cause the motor assembly to cease retracting the toweling into the housing as a function of the sensing of the leading edge of the toweling during retraction of the toweling into the housing.

3. A towel dispenser, comprising:

(a) a housing for receiving toweling, comprising

(i) a main body,

(ii) a loading door that is configured to rotate relative to the main body between,

(A) a closed position, in which the housing is configured to dispense towels there from, and

(B) an open position, in which the housing is configured to receive toweling therein, and

(iii) a guide system that is configured to guide the toweling within the housing while towels are dispensed from the housing;

(b) wherein the loading door comprises a towel carrier having a surface defining a cavity configured to receive the roll of paper towels such that the roll of paper towels rolls and slides on the surface during unwinding;

(c) wherein the housing further comprises extension walls located proximate opposite exterior sides of the housing that extends above a top side of the housing, each extension wall comprising a weakened line extending parallel to a weakened line of the other extension walls, whereby the extent above the top side at which each extension walls extends may be changed, the extent representing a distance from the underside of a fixture below which the top side of the housing is mounted when the towel dispenser is installed under the fixture.

4. The towel dispenser of claim 3, wherein the housing further comprises:

(a) a motor assembly configured to cause a leading edge of the toweling to be extended from the housing and to cause the toweling to be retracted into the housing after the leading edge has been extended; and

(b) a sensor for sensing a leading edge of the toweling during retraction of the toweling by the motor assembly;

(c) wherein the sensor is configured to cause the motor assembly to cease retracting the toweling into the housing as a function of the sensing of the leading edge of the toweling during retraction of the toweling into the housing.

5. A towel dispenser, comprising:

(a) a housing for receiving toweling, comprising

(i) a main body,

(ii) a loading door that is configured to rotate relative to the main body between,

(A) a closed position, in which the housing is configured to dispense towels there from, and

(B) an open position, in which the housing is configured to receive toweling therein, and

(iii) a guide system that is configured to guide the toweling within the housing while towels are dispensed from the housing;

(b) wherein the loading door comprises a towel carrier having a surface defining a cavity configured to receive the roll of paper towels such that the roll of paper towels rolls and slides on the surface during unwinding;

(c) wherein a back side of the housing includes an opening configured to permit excess toweling to fall during retraction of the toweling back into the housing;

(d) wherein the housing further comprises;

(i) a motor assembly configured to cause a leading edge of the toweling to be extended from the housing and to cause the toweling to be retracted into the housing after the leading edge has been extended, and

(ii) a sensor for sensing a leading edge of the toweling during retraction of the toweling by the motor assembly,

(iii) wherein the sensor is configured to cause the motor assembly to cease retracting the toweling into the housing as a function of the sensing of the leading edge of the toweling during retraction of the toweling into the housing.

6. The towel dispenser of claim 5, wherein the guide system comprises a first roller attached to the main body and a second roller attached to the loading door.

7. The towel dispenser of claim 6, wherein the second roller is the only roller of the guide system affixed to the loading door.

8. The towel dispenser of claim 6, wherein the second roller comprises a lower drive roller of the guide system, and the first roller comprises an upper drive roller of the guide system, the lower drive roller engaging the upper drive roller with toweling extending there between when the loading door is moved into the closed position with toweling draped over the loading door.

9. The towel dispenser of claim 6, wherein the loading door has a second curved surface that defines a second cavity within which the second roller is retained.

10. The towel dispenser of claim 9, wherein the loading door comprises,

(i) a first component, a surface of which comprises the surface defining the cavity within which the roll of paper towels is received and retained, and

(ii) a second component, a surface of which comprises the second surface defining the second cavity within which the second roller is retained,

(iii) wherein the second component is affixed to the first component.

11. The towel dispenser of claim 10, wherein the second component further defines a guiding surface along which toweling rides when extended from the housing.

12. The towel dispenser of claim 11, further comprising a sensor mounted to the main body and configured to sense a leading edge of the toweling between a gap formed by the main body and the loading door when the loading door is in the closed position.

13. The towel dispenser of claim 12, wherein the guide system comprises a first roller attached to the main body and a second roller attached to the loading door.

14. The towel dispenser of claim 13, wherein the second roller is the only roller of the guide system on the loading door.

15. The towel dispenser of claim 13, wherein the loading door includes a surface defining a second cavity within which the second roller is received and retained.

16. The towel dispenser of claim 13, wherein the loading door comprises,

(i) a first component, a surface of which comprises the surface defining the cavity within which the roll of paper towels is received and retained, and

(ii) a second component, a surface of which comprises the second surface defining the second cavity within which the second roller is received and retained,

(iii) wherein the second component is affixed to the first component.

17. The towel dispenser of claim 16, wherein the second component further defines a guiding surface against which toweling rides when being extended from the housing.

18. A towel dispenser, comprising:

(a) a housing for receiving toweling, comprising

(i) a main body,

(ii) a loading door that is configured to rotate relative to the main body between, (

A) a closed position, in which the housing is configured to dispense towels there from, and

(B) an open position, in which the housing is configured to receive toweling therein, and

(iii) a guide system that is configured to guide the toweling within the housing while towels are dispensed from the housing;

(b) wherein the loading door comprises a towel carrier having a surface defining a cavity configured to receive the roll of paper towels such that the roll of paper towels rolls and slides on the surface during unwinding;

(c) wherein the motor assembly is configured to wait a predetermined period of time after the toweling is extended exterior of the housing for grasping by a user before causing the toweling to retract into the housing and, while waiting, to continuously perform the steps of (a) attempting retraction of the toweling in response to detected further extension of the toweling resulting from grasping of the toweling by the user; and

(b) ceasing retraction of the toweling in response to detected retraction of the further extension of the toweling resulting from grasping of the toweling by the user.