US 5,452,832 AGranted

Automatic dispenser for paper towels severable from a continuous roll

AssigneeQTS S.r.l.

InventorGianandrea Niada

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An automatic dispenser for paper towels shaped in strips of an appropriate length severable from a continuous feed roll, outputs a portion of paper of an appropriate length cutting it with a stationary blade. The blade is located in a less accessible area of the apparatus for user safety reasons. Dispensing is usually controlled by a photoelectric cell or proximity detector, which actuates an ON-OFF switch for supplying power to a motor during a time period predetermined by a timer, thereby causing rotation of a dragging roller adapted to cause a certain extent of unrolling of the feed roll. In case of saturation of the photoelectric cell caused by improperly keeping it intercepted, an electronic switch disables the photo cell and enables an emergency push-button while also lighting a signal lamp to advise of a change in the operating condition, which requires a push of an emergency button.

Claims7

Dependent claims

An apparatus for dispensing paper towels severable from a continuous roll comprising:

a housing having a back plate, and a cover having a lower portion thereof being hingedly connected to a bottom portion of said housing, said cover including a dispensing port on the lower portion thereof;
a support for a paper roll;
a dragging roller and an opposing pressure roller for dragging a paper strip unrolled from said paper roll;
a motor for operating said dragging roller;
a cutting blade mounted in the dispensing port for severing a paper towel from the paper roll;
transmission means provided between said motor and said dragging roller, mounted on a side shoulder integral with said housing,
an ON-OFF circuit for supplying power to the motor for an adjustable, predetermined time period;
a photocell for actuating said ON-OFF circuit;
an electronic switch for supplying power to said ON-OFF circuit through a first enable circuit;
and
an alternative enable circuit including an emergency push button in parallel with said first enable circuit to the input of said ON-OFF circuit for supplying power to the ON-OFF circuit during an emergency operating condition.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/152,652Filed 15 Nov 1993 · continuation in part
Priority: 6 Apr 1993
Granted: 26 Sep 1995
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

A47K 10/36
Dispensing from a web, e.g. with mechanical dispensing means: with mechanical dispensing, roll switching or cutting devices
A47K 10/3612
The cutting devices being motor driven: with drive and pinch rollers
A47K 2010/3668
With mechanical dispensing, roll switching or cutting devices: detection of the presence of a user
Y10T 225/202
Severing by manually forcing against fixed edge: with timer-released means for preventing work feed-out