Product dispenser, system, and method of operation

• US 9,067,754 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2013
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPCP IP Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Georgia-Pacific Consumer Products LP (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Inventors: Petersen, Gary N., Yardley, Craig D.
• Primary Examiner(s): WAGGONER, TIMOTHY R
• Application Number:
  US14/075,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20140067113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 221/7, 700/236, 700/241, 700/244
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 10/3687 with one or more reserve rolls
• CPC Class Codes: A47K 2010/3668 Detection of the presence of a user
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/52 Age; Duration; Life time or chronology of event
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 35/0006 Article or web delivery apparatus incorporating cutting or line-perforating devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 43/00 Use of control, checking, or safety devices, e.g. automatic devices comprising an element for sensing a variable
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/08 Registering or indicating the production of the machine either with or without registering working or idle time

Abstract

A product dispenser includes a housing configured to receive a supply of product, a dispensing mechanism disposed and configured to dispense the product, and a controller operably coupled to the dispensing mechanism. The controller includes a processer responsive to executable instructions which when executed by the processor facilitates: recording of usage data associated with the product; calculation of a usage rate of the product; and, prediction of at least one of a depletion date of the product, a time to depletion of the product, a time to near-depletion of the product, and a near-depletion date of the product.

Claims

1. A product dispenser, comprising:

a sensor that is configured to be activated by a user;

a housing configured to receive a supply of the product;

a dispensing mechanism operably coupled to the supply of the product and the sensor, wherein the dispensing mechanism dispenses the product in response to activation of the sensor by the user;

a controller electrically coupled to the sensor and the dispensing mechanism, the controller comprising a processer responsive to executable instructions, which when executed by the processor in response to the sensor being activated, facilitate;

recording of usage data associated with usage of the product;

using the usage data for prediction of at least one of;

a depletion date of the product;

a time to depletion of the product, a time to near-depletion of the product, and, a near-depletion date of the product; and

transmission of at least one of;

the depletion date of the product, the time to depletion of the product, the time to near-depletion of the product, and the near-depletion date of the product.

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a proximity sensor capable of sensing the presence of the user'"'"'s hand in front of the product dispenser.

3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an infrared proximity sensor.

4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a tear bar sensor.

5. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the processer is responsive to executable instructions, which when executed by the processor in response to the sensor being activated, facilitate recording of the usage data associated with usage of the product in a machine-readable format.

6. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the processer is responsive to executable instructions, which when executed by the processor in response to the sensor being activated, further facilitate creating a database of the usage data in a machine-readable format.

7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the usage data comprises at least one of:

the actual amount of product remaining, the dispensing date, the dispensing time, and the amount of product dispensed.

8. A sheet product dispenser, comprising:

a housing configured to receive a supply of sheet product;

a sensor configured to generate a signal that indicates whether a sheet product has been dispensed; and

a controller operably coupled to the sensor, the controller comprising a processer responsive to executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, facilitate;

recording of usage data associated with the sheet product;

using the usage data for prediction of at least one of;

a depletion date of the sheet product, a time to depletion of the sheet product, a time to near-depletion of the sheet product, and a near-depletion date of the sheet product; and

transmission of at least one of;

the depletion date of the sheet product, the time to depletion of the sheet product, the time to near-depletion of the sheet product, and the near-depletion date of the sheet product.

9. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein the sensor comprises a proximity sensor, a tear bar sensor, or a current draw sensor.

10. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein the supply of sheet product comprises fan-folded sheet products or a center-pull roll of sheet products.

11. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein the processer is responsive to executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, facilitate recording of the usage data associated with the sheet product in a machine-readable format.

12. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein the processer is responsive to executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, further facilitate creating a database of the usage data in a machine-readable format.

13. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein the usage data comprises at least one of:

the actual amount of sheet product remaining, the dispensing date, the dispensing time, and the amount of sheet product dispensed.

14. A sheet product dispenser system, comprising:

a remote facility management system that comprises a receiver module, a data storage module, and a data processing module; and

a sheet product dispenser comprising;

a housing configured to receive a supply of sheet product;

a dispensing mechanism configured to dispense the sheet product from the housing;

a controller operably coupled to the dispensing mechanism, the controller comprising a processer responsive to executable instructions, which when executed by the processor facilitate recording of usage data associated with usage of the sheet product; and

a transmitter module operably coupled to the controller, the transmitter module being configured to transmit the usage data to the remote facility management system,

wherein the receiver module is configured to receive a transmission from the transmitter module,

wherein the data storage module and the data processing module are configured to store and process, respectively, data, which has been predicted using the usage data, relating to at least one of;

the depletion date of the sheet product, the time to depletion of the sheet product, the time to near-depletion of the sheet product, and the near-depletion date of the sheet product.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the remote facility management system further comprises a data display module configured to display the data, which has been predicted using the usage data.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the usage data comprises at least one of:

the actual amount of sheet product remaining, the dispensing date, the dispensing time, and the amount of sheet product dispensed.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the recording of the usage data is triggered by activation of a proximity sensor, activation of a tear bar sensor, or activation of a current draw sensor.

18. The system of claim 14, the recording of the usage data comprises recording the usage data in a machine-readable format.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the transmitter module is configured to transmit the usage data to the remote facility management system via electrical wiring or cabling, fiber optics, or a wireless communication network.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the data, which has been predicted using the usage data, has further been predicted based on usage profiles, machine learning, weighting factors, or any combination thereof.