Electro-mechanical roll product dispenser
AssigneeKimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc.
InventorDavid Kapiloff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electromechanical roll towel dispenser includes a housing with a roll carrier disposed therein to rotationally support a roll of towel material. An electro-mechanical feed mechanism is disposed in the housing to dispense measured sheets of the towel material. The feed mechanism operates in a first mechanical operational mode wherein the towel sheets are dispensed by a user grasping and pulling on a tail of the towel material extending from the housing, and a second electrical operational mode wherein a measured length of a next sheet is automatically and electrically fed out of the housing to define the tail for the next user.
Claims22
An electromechanical roll towel dispenser for dispensing measured towel sheets from a roll of the towel material, comprising:
- a housing, and a roll carrier disposed in said housing to rotationally support the roll of towel material, said housing further comprising a dispensing slot defined therein through which measured sheets of the towel material are dispensed;
- an electromechanical feed mechanism disposed in said housing to dispense the sheets of towel material therefrom, said feed mechanism having a first mechanical operational state wherein a sheet of towel material is dispensed by a user grasping and pulling on a tail of the towel sheet extending from said dispensing slot, and a second electrical operational state wherein a measured length of the towel material is electrically and automatically fed out of said dispensing slot to define a tail of the next sheet of towel material;
- a motor disposed in said housing to drive said feed mechanism in said second electrical operational state.
An electromechanical roll towel dispenser for dispensing measured towel sheets from a roll of the towel material, comprising:
- a housing, and a roll carrier disposed in said housing to rotationally support the roll of towel material, said housing further comprising a dispensing slot defined therein through which measured sheets of the towel material are dispensed;
- an electromechanical feed mechanism disposed in said housing to dispense the sheets of towel material therefrom, said feed mechanism having a first mechanical operational state wherein towel sheets are dispensed by a user grasping and pulling on a tail of a towel sheet extending from said dispensing slot, and a second electrical operational state wherein a measured length of the towel material is electrically and automatically feed out of said dispensing slot to define the tail of the next sheet of towel material, said feed mechanism including a feed roller driven in said second operational state of said feed mechanism and freely rotatable in said first operational state of said feed mechanism, and a pressure roller opposing said feed roller, the towel material passing between said feed roller and said pressure roller.;
- a motor disposed in said housing to drive said feed roller in said second electrical operational state;
- and
- a control circuit including a power supply for said motor and a motor power switch, said switch being closed to supply power to said motor upon a measured sheet being severed from the towel material by the user, and being opened upon a measured amount of tail being extended from the dispensing slot by said feed mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.