Waste minimizing paper dispenser

A paper towel dispenser comprising:

• a rotatable carriage comprising:
• a first roll holder adapted to hold a first roll of paper;
• and
• a second roll holder adapted to hold a second roll of paper;
• wherein the carriage is rotatable between at least a first rotation orientation in which the first roll holder holds the first roll in a primary position and the second roll holder holds the second roll in a secondary position, and a second rotation orientation in which the first roll holder holds the first roll in the secondary position and the second roll holder holds the second roll in the primary position;
• a roll sensor for sensing the amount of paper remaining on the roll held in the primary position;
• a feed mechanism into which paper from at least one of the two rolls is fed for dispensation;
• and
• a transfer mechanism, wherein when the roll sensor senses that the paper on the roll held in the primary position is depleted to less than a first predetermined diameter, the transfer mechanism feeds paper from the roll held in the secondary position into the feed mechanism, thereby causing dispensation of paper from both rolls;
• wherein the carriage is rotatable to move the roll held in the secondary position into the primary position when paper from the roll held in the secondary position is fed into the feed mechanism.

A paper towel dispenser comprising:

• a housing;
• a carriage disposed within the housing, the carriage being rotatable about a central axis and comprising:
• a first roll holder adapted to hold a first roll of paper;
• a second roll holder adapted to hold a second roll of paper, the second roll holder being disposed equidistant from the central axis and on an opposite side of the central axis from the first roll holder;
• and
• a radially aligned lever arm adapted to engage a catch disposed on the housing to maintain the carriage in one of two orientations, wherein in the first orientation, the first roll holder holds the first roll in a primary position and the second roll holder holds the second roll in a secondary position, and in the second orientation the first roll holder holds the first roll in the secondary position and the second roll holder holds the second roll in the primary position, and wherein in each orientation the roll held in the secondary position is offset from vertical alignment with the roll in the primary position by approximately 5 degrees;
• a feed mechanism disposed within the housing, wherein paper from at least one of the two rolls is fed into the feed mechanism for dispensation through a paper feed opening in the housing;
• and
• a transfer mechanism disposed within the housing, the transfer mechanism comprising a roll sensor adapted to sense the amount of paper remaining on the roll held in the primary position, wherein when the roll sensor senses that the paper on the roll held in the primary position is depleted to less than a first predetermined diameter, the transfer mechanism feeds paper from the roll held in the secondary position into the feed mechanism, thereby causing dispensation of paper from both rolls until the paper on the roll held in the primary position is exhausted,
• wherein the carriage is rotatable to move the roll held in the secondary position into the primary position when the roll held in the primary position is exhausted and when the roll held in the secondary position is depleted to less than a second predetermined diameter.

A method of dispensing paper towels comprising:

• maintaining a rotatable carriage in a first orientation, the rotatable carriage comprising a first roll holder adapted to hold a first roll of paper and a second roll holder adapted to hold a second roll of paper, wherein in the first orientation the first roll is held in a primary position and the second roll is held in a secondary position;
• feeding paper from the first roll into a feed mechanism for dispensation;
• sensing when paper on the first roll is depleted to less than a predetermined diameter;
• automatically feeding the paper from the second roll into the feed mechanism when the paper on the first roll is depleted to less than a first predetermined diameter such that paper from both rolls is dispensed until the paper on the first roll is exhausted;
• and
• rotating the carriage to a second orientation, wherein in the second orientation the second roll is held in the primary position.

A method of dispensing paper towels comprising:

• maintaining a rotatable carriage in a first orientation, the rotatable carriage comprising a first roll holder adapted to hold a first roll of paper and a second roll holder adapted to hold a second roll of paper, wherein in the first orientation the first roll is held in a primary position and the second roll is held in a secondary position;
• feeding paper from the first roll into a feed mechanism for dispensation;
• feeding the paper from the second roll into a transfer mechanism;
• sensing when paper on the first roll is depleted to less than a predetermined diameter;
• activating the transfer mechanism to automatically feed the paper from the second roll into the feed mechanism when the paper on the first roll is depleted to less than a predetermined diameter such that paper from both rolls is dispensed;
• rotating the carriage to a second orientation when the paper on the first roll is exhausted, wherein in the second orientation the second roll is held in the primary position;
• and
• placing a third roll of paper in the first roll holder.