Dispenser that automatically transfers rolls of absorbent material, method of reloading same, and rolls of absorbent material for use in same
AssigneeSCA Tissue North America LLC
InventorsJohn S. Forman, Russell G. Wieser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A two-roll toilet paper dispenser automatically transfers a new roll into dispensing position once the previous roll is spent or nearly spent. A spring-loaded plate senses the decreasing diameter of the first roll, and once it reaches a predetermined minimum, actuates a linkage that permits a mandrel carrying the two rolls to drop down within the dispenser body and position the second roll for dispensing. The mandrel and track structure permits reloading the dispenser without removing the mandrel. The rolls of toilet paper have adapter plugs in one end only, to ensure that the rolls are placed in the correct orientation within the dispenser.
Claims18
A dispensing device for automatically transferring a second roll of absorbent material to be dispensed when a first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to a predetermined minimum diameter, said device comprising:
- a main body having a back portion and first and second side portions;
- a cover pivotally mounted to said main body and being pivotal between an open loading position and a closed dispensing position;
- a guide channel on each of said first and second side portions;
- a support mandrel slidable in said guide channels, said support mandrel having first and second roll holding elements and being automatically movable between a first position for dispensing sheets of absorbent material from the first roll of absorbent material contained on said first roll holding element and a second position for dispensing sheets of absorbent material from the second roll of absorbent material contained on said second roll holding element;
- a sensor plate pivotally mounted in said dispenser, said sensor plate maintaining said support mandrel in said first position before the first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to the predetermined minimum diameter, and enabling said support mandrel to automatically move to said second position when said sensor plate senses that the first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to the predetermined minimum diameter;
- and
- a transfer link pivotally mounted on at least one of said first and second sides on a surface opposite to said guide channels, said transfer link being operatively connected to said sensor plate, said transfer link comprising a projecting element that selectively blocks one of said guide channels to prevent the support mandrel from moving between said first and second positions.
A dispensing device for automatically transferring a second roll of absorbent material to be dispensed when a first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to a predetermined minimum diameter, said device comprising:
- a main body having a back portion and first and second side portions;
- a cover pivotally mounted to said main body and being pivotal between an open loading position and a closed dispensing position;
- a guide channel on each of said first and second side portions;
- a support mandrel slidable in said guide channels, said support mandrel having first and second roll holding elements and being automatically movable between a first position for dispensing sheets of absorbent material from the first roll of absorbent material contained on said first roll holding element and a second position for dispensing sheets of absorbent material from the second roll of absorbent material contained on said second roll holding element;
- a sensor plate pivotally mounted in said dispenser, said sensor plate maintaining said support mandrel in said first position before the first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to the predetermined minimum diameter, and enabling said support mandrel to automatically move to said second position when said sensor plate senses that the first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to the predetermined minimum diameter;
- and
- a mandrel channel brake at a lower end of one of said guide channels that slows the movement of said support mandrel between said first and second positions and prevents said support mandrel from being pushed up into said cover.
A dispensing device for automatically transferring a second roll of absorbent material to be dispensed when a first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to a predetermined minimum diameter, said device comprising:
- a main body having a back portion and first and second side portions;
- a cover pivotally mounted to said main body and being pivotal between an open loading position and a closed dispensing position;
- a guide channel on each of said first and second side portions;
- a support mandrel slidable in said guide channels, said support mandrel having first and second roll holding elements and being automatically movable between a first position for dispensing sheets of absorbent material from the first roll of absorbent material contained on said first roll holding element and a second position for dispensing sheets of absorbent material from the second roll of absorbent material contained on said second roll holding element;
- and
- a sensor plate pivotally mounted in said dispenser, said sensor plate maintaining said support mandrel in said first position before the first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to the predetermined minimum diameter, and enabling said support mandrel to automatically move to said second position when said sensor plate senses that the first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to the predetermined minimum diameter, and said sensor plate comprises a roller at a distal end of said sensor plate.
A dispensing device for automatically transferring a second roll of absorbent material to be dispensed when a first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to a predetermined minimum diameter, said device comprising:
- a main body having a back portion and first and second side portions;
- a cover pivotally mounted to said main body and being pivotal between an open loading position and a closed dispensing position;
- a guide channel on each of said first and second side portions;
- a support mandrel slidable in said guide channels, said support mandrel having first and second roll holding elements and being automatically movable between a first position for dispensing sheets of absorbent material from the first roll of absorbent material contained on said first roll holding element and a second position for dispensing sheets of absorbent material from the second roll of absorbent material contained on said second roll holding element, said guide channels being configured such that when said cover is in said open position and said support mandrel is in said second position, said first roll holding element is movable to said first position without removing the support mandrel from the dispenser, one channel being thinner than the other channel and each channel includes a wider portion at a top thereof for insertion of said support mandrel;
- and
- a sensor plate pivotally mounted in said dispenser, said sensor plate maintaining said support mandrel in said first position before the first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to the predetermined minimum diameter, and enabling said support mandrel to automatically move to said second position when said sensor plate senses that the first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to the predetermined minimum diameter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.