Dispenser for rolled sheet material

A device for sequentially dispensing paper toweling from primary and reserve rolls, each roll of toweling including a roll core having an outer surface and the toweling having inner and outer surfaces, said device comprising

• a cabinet having a back portion, opposed side portions and a cover portion cooperating to define a storage compartment for the primary and secondary rolls, said cabinet including a dispensing opening through which toweling is dispensed;
• first and second holder means disposed in said storage compartment for respectively supporting the primary and reserve rolls of toweling for rotation to permit toweling to be unwound therefrom;
• a feed mechanism disposed in said storage compartment for receiving toweling from either the primary roll or the reserve roll and dispensing it through said dispensing opening, said feed mechanism including
• a drive roller rotatably supported in said cabinet and including a drive section having an outer surface,
• drive means for rotating said drive roller in one direction,
• a pressure finger extending toward the drive section of said drive roller and having a first end portion including a dispensing surface engageable with toweling extending around a portion of said drive roller, an opposite second end portion and an intermediate portion pivotally mounted for reciprocative movement of said first end portion away from and toward the outer surface of said drive section,
• spring means operably connected to the second end portion of said pressure finger for urging said dispensing surface toward said drive section so that, when toweling extends between the dispensing surface of said pressure finger and said drive section, the outer surface of aid drive section is in sufficient frictional engagement when the toweling to cause the toweling to be unwound from the respective roll and advanced through said dispensing opening in response to operation of said drive means,
• a transfer assembly for transferring toweling from the reserve roll to said feed mechanism when at least substantially all the toweling has been dispensed from the primary roll, said transfer assembly including
• a transfer arm extending generally parallel to the rotational axis of said drive roller and having a pair of transfer legs axially spaced relative to said drive roller and including transfer surfaces engageable with toweling extending around a portion of said drive roller at locations on opposite sides of the dispensing surface of said pressure finger,
• a sensing arm connected to said transfer arm and including a sensing surface extending generally parallel to the rotational axis of the primary roll, and engageable with the outer surface of toweling on the primary roll and with the outer surface of the roll core of the primary roll, and
• means supporting said transfer arm and said sensing arm for common pivotal movement between a non-transfer position where said sensing surface engages the outer surface of toweling on the primary roll and said transfer surfaces are spaced from the outer surface of aid drive roller and a transfer position where said sensing surface engages the outer surface of the roll core for the primary roll and said transfer legs push toweling from the reserve roll into engagement with the outer surface of said drive roller and, in response to rotation of said drive roller, cause toweling from the reserve roll to be fed between the dispensing surface of said finger and the outer surface of said drive section and advanced through said dispensing opening.

A device for sequentially dispensing paper toweling from primary and reserve rolls, each roll including a roll core having an outer surface and the toweling having inner and outer surfaces, said device comprising

• a cabinet having a back portion, opposed side portions and a cover portion cooperating to define a storage compartment for the primary and secondary rolls, said cabinet including a dispensing opening through which toweling is dispensed;
• first and second holder means disposed in said storage compartment for respectively supporting the primary and reserve rolls for rotation to permit toweling to be unwound therefrom;
• a feed mechanism disposed in said storage compartment for receiving toweling from either roll and dispensing it through said dispensing opening, said feed mechanism including a drive roller rotatably supported in said cabinet and having an outer surface which frictionally engages the toweling and causes toweling to be unwound from the respective roll in response to said drive roller being rotated, means for rotating said drive roller and means for retaining the toweling in frictional engagement with the outer surface of said roller;
• and
• transfer means for transferring toweling from the reserve roll into said feed mechanism when at least substantially all the toweling has been dispensed from the primary roll, said transfer means including
• sensing means for sensing the net thickness of the toweling on the primary roll when toweling is being dispensed from the primary roll;
• and
• shifting means for transferring toweling from the reserve roll into frictional engagement with the outer surface of said drive roller in response to said sensing means sensing the absence of toweling on the roll core for the primary roll.

A device for sequentially dispensing flexible sheet material having inner and outer surfaces from said first and second rolls, each roll including a roll core having an outer surface, said device comprising

• first and second holder means supporting respective first and second rolls of sheet material for rotation to permit the sheet material to be unwound from the respective roll core;
• a feed mechanism for receiving and dispensing sheet material from either of said rolls including
• a rotatably mounted drive roller including a drive section having an outer surface;
• a pressure element comprising a finger extending toward said drive section of said drive roller and having an end including a dispensing surface engageable with sheet material extending around a portion of said drive roller;
• biasing means for urging the dispensing surface of said finger toward engagement with the outer surface of said drive section so that, when sheet material extends between the dispensing surface of said finger and said drive section, the outer surface of said drive section is in sufficient frictional engagement with the sheet material to cause the sheet material to be unwound from the respective roll and advanced through said dispensing opening in response to operation of said drive means;
• and
• transfer means for transferring sheet material from the second roll to said feed mechanism when at least substantially all the sheet material has been dispensed from the first roll, said transfer means including
• sensing means for sensing the thickness of both the sheet material on the first roll and the roll core for the first roll when sheet material is being dispensed from the first roll, and
• shifting means for transferring sheet material from the second roll to between the dispensing surface of said finger and the outer surface of said drive section in response to said sensing means sensing a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the roll core for the first roll.