Transfer mechanism for sheet material dispenser
AssigneeSolaris Paper, Inc.
InventorCharles Agnew Osborne
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A dispenser for sequentially dispensing rolls of sheet material is described. The dispenser has an automatic transfer mechanism for transferring a reserve roll into a dispensing position once a primary roll has been depleted. The automatic transfer mechanism includes a diameter sensing member and a blocker rotatably coupled to the dispenser housing and biased to rotate in a opposite directions. The diameter sensing member and block cooperate with one another in order to block the reserve roll from contacting a drive roller until the primary roll has been depleted. The reserve roll held in the dispenser by two pivoting arms that are biased to rotate towards the drive roller.
Claims20
A dispenser having an automatic transfer mechanism for dispensing at least first and second rolls of sheet material, comprising:
- a housing defining an interior space;
- first and second roll holders at least partially disposed in the interior space and configured to releasably engage the first and second rolls;
- a drive roller configured to drive the sheet material from the second roll to a feed nip;
- a diameter sensing member movably coupled with the housing and biased to move in a first direction;
- a blocker movably coupled with the housing and biased to move in a second direction;
- wherein the diameter sensing member has a stop;
- and
- wherein the blocker has a catch that cooperates with the stop to impede the blocker from moving in the second direction until the diameter sensing member has moved to a predetermined position in the first direction due to dispensing the first roll of sheet material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.