US 6,854,684 B2Granted

Hands-free paper towel dispensers

AssigneeMosinee Paper Corporation

InventorsDannie D. Byrd, Alain P. Cotnoir, Adam T. Elliott, Victor Mendelsberg

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Abstract

A hands-free paper towel dispenser including a housing with a front cover pivotally attached thereto. A sensor is disposed entirely within the housing, and mounted so that it is not attached to the front cover and oriented toward the front cover of the housing to detect an object adjacent the front cover of the housing without the object contacting the front cover. A dispensing mechanism is disposed within the housing for dispensing a length of towel, with the dispensing mechanism including a drive roller and a motor in driving engagement with the drive roller. Control circuitry controls operation of the sensor and the motor, with the control circuitry including a circuit to control the length of towel that is dispensed, and a circuit to provide a delay between dispensing cycles. The dispenser also includes an electric power source for powering operation of the dispenser.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A hands-free paper towel dispenser, comprising:

(a) a housing defining an interior space sufficient to contain at least one paper towel roll, the housing including a front cover that is pivotally attached thereto;
(b) a sensor disposed entirely within the housing, the sensor being mounted so that it is not attached to the front cover, the sensor being oriented toward the front cover of the housing to permit detecting of an object adjacent the front cover of the housing, and the sensor being constructed to detect an object without the object contacting the front cover;
(c) a dispensing mechanism disposed within the housing for dispensing a length of towel, the dispensing mechanism including a drive roller and a motor in driving engagement with the drive roller;
(d) control circuitry controlling operation of the sensor and the motor, the control circuitry includes a length control circuit to control the length of towel that is dispensed in a dispensing cycle, and a delay circuit to prevent a new dispensing cycle until a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the completion of a previous dispensing cycle, wherein the length control circuit senses rotation of the drive roller, and the control circuitry is constructed to turn the motor off if rotation of the drive roller is not sensed within a predetermined time period;
and
(e) an electric power source for powering operation of the dispenser.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/394,320Filed 20 Mar 2003 · division
Priority: 16 Feb 1996
Published: US 2004/0041057 A14 Mar 2004
Granted: 15 Feb 2005
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

A47K 10/36
Dispensing from a web, e.g. with mechanical dispensing means: with mechanical dispensing, roll switching or cutting devices
A47K 10/3687
With mechanical dispensing, roll switching or cutting devices: with one or more reserve rolls
A47K 10/3612
The cutting devices being motor driven: with drive and pinch rollers
A47K 10/3625
The cutting devices being motor driven: with electronic control means

Family

Application08/603,051Parent of this continuation · filed 16 Feb 1996
Application09/085,289Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 27 May 1998
Application09/538,453Parent of this division · filed 30 Mar 2000
US 2004/0041057 A1Pre-grant publication · published 4 Mar 2004
US 6,695,246 B1Parent of this division
US 6,105,898 AParent of this continuation-in-part
Application09/538,453Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,772,291 AParent of this continuation
Application09/085,289Parent of this continuation
US 6,854,684 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.