Transfer paper towel dispenser

A towel dispenser for sequentially feeding towel webs from a primary roll in a first station, and a secondary roll in a second station, towel feed mechanism including a pair of parallel shafts having cylindrical web gripping and feeding surfaces providing a feed nip for paper webs delivered from rolls in said stations, drive means for rotating one of said shafts, mounting means for a primary paper roll in said first station with the primary roll web extended in a path to said feed nip to effect dispensing of said primary roll web, mounting means for a secondary roll in said second station with the secondary roll web lying in a path extended past said parallel shafts in spaced relation to the input side of said feed nip, and mechanism for effecting transfer of web feed from a primary roll to a secondary roll upon exhaustion of the primary roll web, said transfer mechanism including a roll support for the primary roll shiftably movable in either direction generally in the path in which the primary roll web is extended toward the feed rolls, a transfer element for initiating feed of the secondary roll web by the towel feed mechanism, the transfer element being connected and movable with the shiftably movable primary roll support, biasing means tending to shift the primary roll support in the direction to effect transfer by said transfer element, and stop means positioned to engage the periphery of a primary roll carried by said support and located to limit shifting movement of the support in the direction to effect transfer by said transfer element, the stop means being positioned to limit movement of the support in said direction until the primary roll is close to exhaustion.

A towel dispenser for sequentially feeding towel webs from a primary roll in a first station, and a secondary roll in a second station, towel feed mechanism including a pair of parallel shafts having cylindrical web gripping and feeding surfaces providing a feed nip for paper webs delivered from rolls in said stations, drive means for rotating one of said shafts, mounting means for a primary paper roll in said first station with the primary roll web extended in a path to said feed nip to effect dispensing of said primary roll web, mounting means for a secondary roll in said second station with the secondary roll web lying in a path extended past said parallel shafts in spaced relation to the input side of said feed nip, and mechanism for effecting transfer of web feed from a primary roll to a secondary roll upon exhaustion of the primary roll web, said transfer mechanism including a roll support for the primary roll pivotally movable in either direction toward and away from the feed rolls, a transfer element for initiating feed of the secondary roll web by the towel feed mechanism, the transfer element being connected and movable with the pivotally movable primary roll support, biasing means tending to shift the primary roll support in the direction to effect transfer by said transfer element, and stop means positioned to engage the periphery of a primary roll carried by said support and located to limit shifting movement of the support in the direction to effect transfer by said transfer element, the stop means being positioned to limit movement of the support in said direction until the primary roll is close to exhaustion.

A towel dispenser for use with towel rolls having hollow cores, the dispenser providing for sequentially feeding towel webs from a primary roll in a first or primary roll station, and a secondary roll in a second station, towel feed mechanism including a pair of parallel shafts having cylindrical web gripping and feeding surfaces providing a feed nip for paper webs delivered from rolls in said stations, drive means for rotating one of said shafts, mounting means for a primary paper roll in said first station with the primary roll web extended in a path to said feed nip to effect dispensing of said primary roll web, mounting means for a secondary roll in said second station with the secondary roll web lying in a path extended past said parallel shafts in spaced relation to the input side of said feed nip, mechanism for effecting transfer of web feed from a primary roll to a secondary roll upon exhaustion of the primary roll web, and a roll support device for mounting a roll in the primary station, said device comprising a cup-shaped element of diameter adapted to fit into the end of a roll core and having an external projection adapted to abut the end of the core, said abutment being located intermediate the ends of the cup-shaped element, the element being invertible end-for-end, and means for mounting the base of the cup alternatively in either inverted position and thereby provide for alternative support of rolls of different length.

A towel dispenser for sequentially feeding towel webs from a primary roll in a first station, and a secondary roll in a second station, towel feed mechanism including a pair of parallel shafts having at least one pair of cylindrical web gripping and feeding surfaces providing a feed nip for paper webs delivered from rolls in said stations and being located inboard of the lateral edges of a paper web engaged in said feed nip, drive means for rotating one of said shafts, mounting means for a primary paper roll in said first station with the primary roll web extended through said feed nip to effect dispensing of said primary roll web, mounting means for a secondary roll in said second station with the secondary roll web lying in a path extended past said parallel shafts in spaced relation to the input side of said feed nip, a portion of one of said shafts in the end region thereof outboard of said web feeding surfaces and of the feed nip being of smaller diameter than the cylindrical feeding surface on said one shaft, and said outboard portion of said one shaft being threaded, a thread follower element mounted at the outer side of said extended path of the secondary roll web in the region of the threaded portion of said one shaft, means providing for alternative mounting of rolls of webs of at least two different widths with an edge of any such web passing the threaded portion of said one shaft intermediate the ends of the threaded portion, the follower element being mounted for shifting movement axially of said threaded portion, and means responsive to exhaustion of the primary roll web to shift the thread follower element into engagement with the thread inboard of the edge of the web and with the marginal edge portion of the secondary roll web therebetween and thereby cause the secondary roll web to enter the feed nip.