# US 11,109,721 B2 · Dynamic product use reporting system

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- Number: US 11,109,721 B2
- Document ID: US11109721B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/062,061
- Filed: 2015-12-17
- Published: 2018-12-27
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2015-12-17
- Assignees: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
- Applicants: Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
- Inventors: Frederick J. Williams, Jr.; Stephen Becker
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11109721B2

## CPC

- A47K 10/32: Dispensers for paper towels or toilet paper
- A47K 10/24: Towel dispensers; Toilet paper dispensers
- A47K 10/3687: {with one or more reserve rolls}
- A47K 10/38: the web being rolled-up
- B65D 25/00: Details of other kinds or types of rigid or semi-rigid containers
- B65D 83/08: for dispensing thin flat articles in succession (for surgical scalpel blades A61B17/3215)
- B65D 85/67: for web or tape-like material
- G06F 9/542: {Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications}
- G06F 11/3065: {Monitoring arrangements determined by the means or processing involved in reporting the monitored data (error or fault reporting or logging G06F11/0766)}
- G07F 9/026: {for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty}
- A47K 2010/3226: {collecting data of usage}
- A47K 2010/3253: {with one or more reserve rolls}
- A47K: SANITARY EQUIPMENT; ACCESSORIES THEREFOR, e.g. TOILET ACCESSORIES
- B65D: CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G07F: COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS (coin sorting G07D3/00; coin testing G07D5/00; {handling coins or paper currencies apart from payment activated apparatus G07D; payment architectures, schemes or protocols G06Q20/00})

## Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatus for dynamically adjusting product use reporting schedules for dispensers to increase or decrease the frequency of such reports based on expected product use such as a date the dispenser is expected to be depleted.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A dispensing system comprising:
a product dispenser comprising:
a housing comprising (i) a primary roll holder configured to hold a first roll and (ii) a stub roll holder configured to hold the first roll as a second roll when an amount remaining of the first roll is in a threshold range;
a dispensing mechanism coupled to the housing and configured to dispense from the stub roll holder until the second roll is depleted and thereafter dispense from a new first roll in the primary roll holder;
a low product alert detector configured to generate a low product alert in response to determining that an amount of the first roll, in the primary roll holder, remaining is in a threshold range;
a dispenser counter configured to count a number of combined dispenses of the first and second rolls; and
a data communication device configured to transmit the number of combined dispenses according to a reporting schedule and the low product alert; and
a data processing system, remote to the product dispenser, configured to:
receive the number of combined dispenses from the data communication device;
determine available dispenses of the second roll based on the number of combined dispenses and a maximum number of dispenses of the first roll;
determine an expected depletion date of the first and second rolls based on the number of combined dispenses, the available dispenses of the second roll and the maximum number of dispenses of the first roll including determine an estimated dispensing profile over time based on the number of combined dispenses; and
wherein the data processing system is configured to change the reporting schedule based on at least one of the estimated dispensing profile and the expected depletion date, and the data communication device is configured to receive the changed reporting schedule from the data processing device and to transmit the number of combined dispenses according to the changed reporting schedule wherein the number of combined dispenses are transmitted periodically according to the changed reporting schedule and the transmission of the low product alert is transmitted asynchronously.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the changed reporting schedule is changed to require more frequent reporting intervals as at least one of the estimated dispensing profile and the expected depletion date indicate that the first roll is nearing depletion.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the changed reporting schedule is changed to account for a maintenance schedule defining when maintenance visits are planned for the product dispenser.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the data processing system is configured to store an initial estimated dispensing profile defining the time-varying dispensing rate of one or more of the first and second rolls over a set period, and the data processing system is configured to update the initial estimated dispensing profile based on the number of combined dispenses.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the threshold range defines a maximum amount of the first roll that can be held by the stub roll holder.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the product dispenser comprises a refill detector configured to determine when the first roll is replaced.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the product dispenser is in a washroom and the first and second rolls are hand towel rolls.

### Claim 8

A dispensing system comprising:
a product dispenser comprising:
a housing comprising (i) a primary roll holder configured to hold a first roll and (ii) a stub roll holder configured to hold the first roll as a second roll when an amount remaining of the first roll is in a threshold range;
a dispensing mechanism coupled to the housing and configured to dispense from the stub roll holder until the second roll is depleted and thereafter dispense from the primary roll holder;
a dispenser counter configured to count a number of combined dispenses of the first and second rolls; and
a data communication device configured to transmit the number of combined dispenses according to a reporting schedule; and
a data processing system, remote from the product dispenser, configured to:
receive the number of combined dispenses from the data communication device;
determine available dispenses of the second roll based on the number of combined dispenses and a maximum number of dispenses of the first roll;
determine an expected depletion date of the first and second rolls; and
wherein the data processing system is configured to change the reporting schedule based on the expected depletion date, and the data communication device is configured to receive the changed reporting schedule from the data processing device and to transmit according to the changed reporting schedule, wherein the data communication device is configured to transmit the number of combined dispenses at least once according to the reporting schedule and at least once according to the changed reporting schedule.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the changed reporting schedule is changed to require more frequent reporting intervals as the expected depletion date indicates that the first roll is nearing depletion.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the changed reporting schedule is changed to account for a maintenance schedule defining when maintenance visits are planned for the product dispenser.