Patent Application
20190307299
The present disclosure is directed to, in one aspect, dispensers for flexible sheet materials, and in particular, to a dispenser with a sheet material transfer mechanism for selectively transferring feeding/dispensing of sheet material between a plurality of supplies of sheet material.
Dispensers for sheet materials, such as for dispensing towels, tissue or other paper products, are commonly used in hospitals, restrooms, and other facilities. Some dispensers have more than one supply of sheet material, e.g., multiple rolls of sheet material, for dispensing/feeding from the dispensers, and when a supply of sheet material in such dispensers is running low or has been fully dispensed, transfer of the feeding of sheet material to a new supply generally must be manually performed. In addition, with some dispensers, when a supply of sheet material is running low, feeding/dispensing may be modified such that sheet material from multiple supplies may be dispensed/fed at the same time, i.e., double sheets may be dispensed simultaneously, to ensure the supply of sheet material that is running low is fully dispensed. Such practices, however, can waste a significant portion of sheet material. Further, since transfer of feeding of sheet material generally must be manually performed, when the supply of sheet material being fed is fully exhausted, the dispenser will not be able to dispense sheet material until the dispensing thereof is manually exchanged. Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a dispenser having a sheet material transfer mechanism that can switch/transfer the feeding/dispensing of sheet material between a plurality of supplies of sheet material when at least one supply of sheet material is running low or has been fully dispensed. The present disclosure addresses these problems and other related and unrelated problems in the art.
Briefly described, the present disclosure is directed to a dispenser assembly for dispensing sheet materials, such as towels, tissues, and/or other paper products. The dispenser assembly generally includes a housing with a plurality of supplies of sheet material, e.g., two or more supply rolls of sheet material, rotatably supported/mounted therein. The housing further may include a feed roller rotatably mounted therealong to facilitate dispensing/feeding the sheet material from the supply rolls along a feed or discharge path toward and through a discharge throat or chute arranged along the housing. The feed roller can be driven, for example, by a drive system including a motor. Alternatively, or in addition, however, the feed roller can be manually operated, for example, in response to an operator or user engaging a lever, knob, or otherwise manually engageable actuator. The housing also may include at least one pressing or guide roller arranged along the feed path and adjacent the feed roller to guide the sheet material therebetween and toward the discharge throat/chute.
Additionally, with embodiments of the present disclosure, the dispenser assembly can include a sheet material transfer system/assembly for selectively transferring feeding/dispensing of sheet material between the plurality of supply rolls of sheet material. The sheet material transfer system/assembly can be movable between a plurality of positions or configurations, for example, a first position or configuration that facilitates feeding of the sheet material from at least one (e.g., a first or stub) supply roll of sheet material, and a second position or configuration that facilitates feeding/dispensing of sheet material from at least one additional (e.g., a second or a main/full) supply roll of sheet material. The sheet material transfer system/assembly also can shift or otherwise move to the second position/configuration to dispense/feed sheet material from the second supply roll of sheet material when the first supply of sheet material (e.g., the stub roll) is running low or has been substantially exhausted/fully dispensed from the dispenser assembly.
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the sheet material transfer system/assembly can include a movable support assembly or a frame that at least partially supports a plurality of guide roller assemblies. The guide roller assemblies can at least partially engage the sheet material supplied/dispensed from the plurality of supply rolls and further can facilitate the transfer of feeding/dispensing of sheet material between the supply rolls. In one example, the plurality of guide roller assemblies can include a first guide roller assembly that at least partially engages a portion of sheet material being fed from the first supply roll, and a second guide roller assembly that at least partially engages a portion of the sheet material fed from the second supply roll. The support frame for the guide roller assemblies generally will be rotatably or pivotably mounted along the housing such that the frame can rotate or otherwise move the guide roller assemblies to facilitate transfer of the feeding/dispensing of the sheet material between the first and second supply rolls of sheet material. The frame also can be rotatably biased or urged by one or more biasing members, for example, toward the second position to facilitate feeding of the sheet material from the second supply.
The frame also can comprise a series of supports, arms or other parts including opposing side supports rotatably or pivotably coupled to the side(s), or other portions, of the housing. At least one of the side supports can be in communication with the biasing member urging the frame toward the second position. Each side support further can be coupled to the first guide roller assembly at a first end, and to the second guide roller assembly at a second end thereof, such that the first and second guide roller assemblies extend at least partially between, and are rotatable with respect to the side supports. The frame also can have additional support members or arms that extend between and connect the opposing side supports. For example, at least one support member can extend between the side supports and can be connected thereto at a position at or substantially adjacent the second end of each of the side supports, and also can be positioned substantially proximate the second guide roller assembly.
In addition, with embodiments of the present disclosure, the first guide roller assembly can include at least one guide roller that at least partially engages sheet material being fed or dispensed from the first supply roll of sheet material, while the second guide roller assembly can include at least one guide roller that engages at least a portion of sheet material being fed or dispensed from the second supply roll of sheet material. The at least one guide roller of the first guide roller assembly generally will include a cylindrical body rotatably coupled to the side supports of the frame, with a series of spaced projections or disks that can at least partially define a series of notches or grooves therebetween. The spaced projections of the guide roller also can be configured to be at least partially received within a series of corresponding grooves or notches defined along an associated member, e.g., a support, arm, or other suitable member, positioned adjacent the first guide roller assembly. The projections spaced along the body of the guide roller further can have a circumferential/annular surface that will at least partially engage the sheet material fed or dispensed from the first supply roll. The member also can have a series of spaced projection portions, each with a surface or face that at least partially engages a portion of the sheet material as it is fed from the first supply roll.
In an additional example, the first guide roller assembly can include a plurality of guide rollers, with each guide roller connected to the side supports of the frame, e.g., at or adjacent the first ends thereof, such that the guide rollers are arranged generally coaxial and generally spaced apart from each other. Each guide roller of the pair of guide rollers further can have one or more projections that are sized or otherwise configured to be received within one or more corresponding notches or grooves defined in the associated member (or member) that extends adjacent the pair of rollers.
The member(s) adjacent to guide roller(s) further can be biased, e.g., by one or more springs, to engage the sheet material against the guide roller and to urge the frame toward its first position. The member(s) adjacent the guide roller(s) also can be moveable, e.g., pivotable, rotatable, etc., between a plurality of positions to facilitate loading/unloading of the first supply of sheet material.
Additionally, with embodiments of the present application, sheet material from the first supply roll may be fed between the at least one roller (or the pair of spaced apart, coaxial rollers) of the first guide roller assembly and the adjacent support of the transfer mechanism frame such that the annular surfaces of the spaces projections of the at least one roller guide roller (or pair of spaced apart, coaxial rollers) and the surfaces or faces of projecting portions of the adjacent support at least partially contact or otherwise engage the sheet material being fed from the first supply roll therebetween. The sheet material from the first supply roll further will be fed or directed into frictional engagement with the feed roller, which will pull or drive the sheet material from the first supply roll along a dispensing path toward and through the discharge throat/chute of the dispenser.
When the sheet material from the first supply roll is substantially fully dispensed or exhausted, the projections of the roller (or pair of rollers) of the first guide roller assembly generally will move into corresponding grooves of the adjacent support. This enables the frame to be rotated toward its second position to facilitate transfer of active feeding or dispensing to the second supply roll of sheet material.
Furthermore, while the frame is in its first position and sheet material is being fed or dispensed from the first supply roll of sheet material, the guide roller of the second guide roller assembly will be arranged or located so as to be spaced apart from the feed roller; and generally will have at least a portion of the sheet material from the second supply roll engaged between the guide roller of the second guide roller assembly and one or more projecting portions of the additional frame support that extends between the side supports of the frame; which projecting portions can have an edge portion that at least partially grips and/or penetrates the sheet material so as to hold the sheet material along the at least one guide roller of the second guide roller assembly. For example, a portion or section of the sheet material from the second supply roll can be at least partially wrapped around or otherwise disposed about the guide roller of the second guide roller assembly and held in place by the edge portion of the projecting portions.
Accordingly, when the sheet material of the first supply roll is substantially fully dispensed or exhausted, causing or enabling the frame to be moved, rotated, or pivoted by the biasing member(s) toward its second position by an amount or distance sufficient to move the second guide roller assembly, with the portion of sheet material from the second supply of sheet material disposed thereabout, into engagement with the feed roller, the portion of sheet material disposed about the guide roller of the second guide roller assembly can be engaged against the feed roller so as to facilitate transition of the active feeding or dispensing of sheet material between the first and second supplies of sheet material. For example, the feed roller may at least partially contact or engage the portion of the sheet material disposed about the guide roller of the second roller assembly and separate the sheet material from the projecting portions thereof, e.g., the portions with the edge portion, for feeding the sheet material from the second roll supply along the discharge path toward and out of the discharge chute/throat of the dispenser assembly.
In another aspect, embodiments of the present application can be directed to a method/process for operation of a dispenser assembly. In one example, the method can include feeding/dispensing sheet material from at least one supply of sheet material of a plurality of supplies of sheet material. When the sheet material from the first supply of sheet material is substantially exhausted or dispensed, moving a sheet material transfer assembly to a second position or configuration for feeding sheet material from at least one additional supply of sheet material. For example, when the sheet material from the first supply is fully dispensed, the frame of a transfer assembly can be rotatably biased and thus caused to pivot, rotate, or otherwise move to a second position, wherein at least one additional roller assembly, with sheet material from the at least one additional supply of sheet material received thereabout, is moved into driving engagement with the feed roller of the dispenser, such that the sheet material from the additional supply is engaged between the at least one additional roller assembly and the feed roller to facilitate feeding of the sheet material from the additional supply of sheet material.
Accordingly, with embodiments of the present disclosure, the transfer assembly can allow for substantially seamless transfer of feeding of sheet material between the first supply (e.g., the stub roll) and the second supply (e.g., a main or full roll) of sheet materials without requiring refeeding or manual manipulation of the first or second supply, while also preventing double sheet dispensing.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate the above stated advantages and other advantages and benefits of various additional embodiments by reading the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the below listed drawing figures.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments discussed herein. No attempt is made to show structural details of this disclosure in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamental understanding of the exemplary embodiments discussed herein and the various ways in which they may be practiced. According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the disclosure.
The following description is provided as an enabling teaching of embodiments of this disclosure. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that many changes can be made to the embodiments described, while still obtaining the beneficial results. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the embodiments described can be obtained by selecting some of the features of the embodiments without utilizing other features. Accordingly, those who work in the art will recognize that many modifications and adaptations to the embodiments described are possible and may even be desirable in certain circumstances. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure and not in limitation thereof.
The supply rolls 28 and 26 generally will be rotatably coupled to the dispenser housing 14, for example, using one or more supports 30 and 32. As shown in
Additionally, as shown in
In one embodiment, the feed roller 40 can be manually driven, for example, an operator can actuate a knob or lever other suitable portion to drive movement/rotation of the feed roller 40 (not shown). Additionally, or in the alternative, the feed roller 40 can be automatically driven by a drive mechanism 48 (e.g., as shown in
The drive mechanism 48 of the feed roller 40 generally can comprise a motor 56, such as a DC motor (e.g., a brush or brushless DC motor), an AC motor, stepper motor, servo motor or other similar motor or actuator. The motor 56 can be powered by a battery pack or other power source arranged at least partially within or along the dispenser housing 14. As shown in
U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 15/173,970, 15/185,776, and 15/185,937, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, show example arrangements of integrated and other drive mechanisms for driving the feed roller 40. However, any suitable driving mechanism, arrangement, or configuration can be employed to drive the feed roller for feeding or dispensing sheet material, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
The dispenser 10 further can include one or more cutting mechanisms configured to cut, perforate, tear or otherwise enable the sheet material to be severed or separated from the supply of sheet material. In one example, a cutting mechanism can be disposed along or within the feed roller 40 and can be movable therewith to cut or perforate the sheet material 12 as it is dispensed. Additionally, or in the alternative, the cutting mechanism can include a tear bar 54, with a jagged or serrated edge, that is arranged along or adjacent the discharge chute 44 to allow a user to tear off a desired amount or length of sheet material 12 after it is dispensed. U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 15/185,776, 15/185,937, and 15/173,970, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, provide example cutting mechanisms that can be used in the present disclosure; though any suitable cutting mechanism can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Additionally, the dispenser 10 can include one or more monitoring systems (not shown) in communication with the first 26 and/or second 28 supply rolls, which monitoring systems can be operable to detect a remaining amount of sheet material for one or both of the supply rolls, for example, such as a monitoring system shown and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/922,157, which is incorporated by reference herein as if set for in its entirety.
As further shown in
The frame 106 generally is rotatably or pivotably mounted along the housing 14 so as to move the sheet material transfer assembly 100 between the first and second positions as needed to facilitate transfer of the feeding and/or dispensing of the sheet material between the first and second 26/28 supply rolls. In addition, the frame 106 can be pivotably or rotatably biased, by one or more biasing members 112, such as a torsion spring(s) or other suitable biasing member(s) or mechanism(s), in a desired or selected direction, e.g., the biasing member(s) 112 can bias or urge the frame 106 toward its second position 104, as indicated in
The frame 106 further generally comprises a series of supports, arms, or other members 114, 116, 118. These frame supports can include a pair of opposing side supports/arms 114, 116 that are rotatably/pivotably coupled to the side portions 20/22 of the housing 14. The series of frame supports further can include one or more additional supports, for example, one or more cross-wise members 118, extending between the side supports 114 and 116. The side supports 114 and 116 each can have a body 120, 122 with a generally rectangular cross-section, however, the side supports 114 and 116 can have any suitable shape or configuration, such as a circular, square, triangular cross-section, etc., without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The bodies 120/122 of the side supports can be angled and/or can have one or more sloped/angled portions 121/123 (
The biasing member(s) 112, e.g., torsion spring(s), may contact, engage, or otherwise be in communication with the bodies 120/122 of the supports 114/116. Each side support 114, 116 further can be coupled to the first guide roller assembly 108 at a first end 114A/116A, and to the second guide roller assembly 110 at a second end 114B/116B of the side supports 114/116, such that the first and second guide roller assemblies 108/110 extend at least partially between, and are rotatable with respect to, the side supports 114, 116, as generally indicated in
Additionally, as shown in
The guide roller body 132 further can have a series of spaced projections or sections 134 provided therealong and which at least partially define a series of notches or grooves 136. The projections or sections 134 can include a series of disk-like or substantially cylindrical portions spaced along the body 132, and can have an annular or circumferential surface 138 configured for at least partially contacting or otherwise engaging the sheet material 27. The ends 132A/132B roller body 132 also can be rotatably coupled to the first ends 114A/116A of the side supports 114/116.
The side supports 144 of the support arm 146 further can be coupled to one or more biasing members 149, e.g., tension springs or other suitable biasing members (e.g., torsion springs, etc.) to urge the surfaces/faces 153 into engagement with the sheet material 27, e.g., engaging the sheet material 27 between the portions 134/150 of the roller 130 and the support arm 146. The support arm 146 further can be rotatable or otherwise moveable between a series of positions 145, e.g., a raised/disengaged position, to facilitate loading of the first supply of sheet material 26, e.g., to load the stub roll for dispensing thereof (
With the sheet material received between the guide roller 130 and the support arm 146, the biasing member 149 may cause the support arm 146 to engage the guide roller 130 through the sheet material 27 received therebetween so as to urge the frame 106 (to which the guide roller 130 is attached) towards its first position 102. Accordingly, the stiffness, spring constant, etc., of the biasing member(s) 149 can be selected to allow the support arm 146 to overcome the biasing of the frame 106 due to the biasing member(s) 112. The support arm 146 further has one or more mechanical stops 155 in communication therewith that stop movement of the support arm 146 (e.g., due to urging by the biasing member 149) such that when the first supply of sheet material has been fully dispensed and the portions 134/150 interlink/intermesh, the frame 106 is allowed to move towards the second position 104. For example, the mechanical stops 155 can include one or more surfaces or portions that engage (e.g., a portion 155A of the member or its arms can engage a portion 155B of the dispenser housing, such as a portion of side wall 20/22, etc.) to stop movement of the support arm and allow the frame 106 to rotate to its second position 104 when the first supply of sheet material 26 is exhausted.
In an alternative embodiment shown in
According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the body 152 (or bodies 156) of the guide roller(s) can be formed from plastic materials, such as acrylonitrile buedione styrene (“ABS”) plastic or other suitable plastics or polymeric materials, though the body 152 (or bodies 156) of the guide rollers can be formed from any suitable material, such as a metallic material, e.g., aluminum, stainless steel, etc., with a rubber and/or an anti-static plastic disposed thereabout, though any suitable materials, e.g., wood or other composite or synthetic materials, or combinations thereof can be employed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
Additionally, as shown in
The frame 106, which is generally biased by the biasing member 112 toward the second position 104, further presses or otherwise engages the sheet material 27 between the guide roller 130 and the member 146 as the sheet material 27 is fed in the first position 102; however, when sheet material 27 runs out or is substantially fully dispensed and is absent from between the guide roller 130 and the support arm 146, the biased frame 106 will pivot, rotate or otherwise move, such that the projecting portions 134/150 of the roller 130 and support arm 146 are at least partially received within the corresponding notches 142/136 of the support arm 146 and roller 130 in an intermeshing or interlinking arrangement.
The mechanical stop features 155 further can stop rotation or movement of the support arm 146 past a prescribed position, such that when the projections 134/150 are intermeshed or interlinked, the frame 106 is allowed to rotate a sufficient amount to move to its second position 104, i.e., such that second roller assembly can engage the second supply 29 of the sheet material against the feed roller 40. In one embodiment, the surfaces/portions 155B that are positioned along the dispenser housing will engage at least a portion (155A) of the member 146 or a portion attached thereto to stop or prevent the member 146 from further engaging the frame 106 to its first position 102, when the second supply of sheet material 27 is exhausted and no longer between the member 146 and guide roller 130, so as to allow the frame 106 to rotate towards and to the second position 104, e.g., under force of the biasing member(s) 112.
As generally illustrated in
The body 172 of the guide roller 170 can be formed from a plastic material, e.g., ABS plastic or other suitable plastic or polymeric material; or a metallic material (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel, etc.) with a rubber or anti-static plastic disposed therealong though the body 172. The guide roller 170 can be formed from any suitable materials, such as wood, synthetics, composites, etc., however, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The guide rollers 130 and 170 can generally be formed from the same materials, though the rollers can be formed from different materials without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
With the sheet material transfer system 100 in its first position/configuration 102, at least a portion of the sheet material 29 from the second supply roll 28 of sheet material can be at least partially received about the guide roller 170 of the second roller assembly 110. For example, the sheet material 29 can be substantially wrapped around and held in place about the circumferential surface 173 of the guide roller 170. Further, in one embodiment, at least a portion of the sheet material 29 can be engaged by one or more projecting portions 180 arranged along the support 118. For example, the one or more projecting portions 180 can have a portion or edge 182 that at least partially penetrates or otherwise engages the sheet material 29 to hold the sheet material 29 along the guide roller 170.
As shown in
Accordingly, with the transfer assembly 100 in the first position 102, sheet material 27 can be fed from the first supply roll 26 through the presses arrangement of the guide roller 130 and support 146 into engagement with the feed roller 40 such that activation and/or rotation thereof draws the sheet material from its supply roll 26 and dispenses the sheet material 27 along a dispensing path through and out of the opening 46 of the discharge chute 44 (
When the sheet material 27 of the first supply roll 26 has been substantially fully dispensed, the projecting sections 134 of the first roller assembly 108 will be enabled to at least partially received within the notches 142 of the member 146, allowing the frame 106 to rotate, pivot, or otherwise move under force or tension of the biasing member 112 toward its second position 104 (
As generally shown in
In addition, movement of the frame 106 from the first portion 102 to the second position 104 can activate a notification mechanism (e.g., an LED, light bulb or other indicator displayed along the housing of the dispenser) or otherwise trigger an alarm to indicate that the first supply roll 26 (e.g., the stub roll) has been fully dispensed.
Accordingly, with embodiments of the present disclosure, an operator can load the first and second supply rolls 26/28 into the dispenser assembly onto support arms 35 and 33, respectively. For example, the first supply 26 can include a “stub roll” that includes a supply roll that has been at least partially dispensed and the second supply 28 can include a new or full roll of sheet material. Upon loading of the supply rolls 26/28, the sheet material 27 from the first supply 26 can be fed through the projecting portions 134/150 of the roller 130 and member 146 into engagement with the feed roller 40, such that the frame 106 is in its first position 102 and the first supply (“stub roll”) is ready for active dispensing. With the sheet material received between the portions 134/150, the biased member 146 further may engage the biased frame 106 towards the first position 102.
After the first supply 26 of sheet material is completely exhausted, the absence of sheet material between portions 134/150 will allow portions 134/150 to interlink/intermesh, thereby allowing the frame 106 to move towards its second position 104 (e.g., under force or tension of biasing member 112), wherein the roller 170 engages the sheet material from the second supply of sheet material against the feed roller 40 to allow for dispensing thereof. The mechanical stop features 155 can prevent/stop movement of the biased support arm 146 to allow the frame 106 to be moved to the second position 104 by the biasing member 112. As a result, the transfer assembly 100 can provide a generally automatic transfer of active dispensing of the sheet material to the second supply 28 of sheet material once the first supply 26 is fully exhausted without necessarily requiring manual sheet material or sheet material path manipulation.
The foregoing description generally illustrates and describes various embodiments of this disclosure. It will, however, be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the above-discussed constructions and systems without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as disclosed herein, and that it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as being illustrative, and not to be taken in a limiting sense. Furthermore, the scope of the present disclosure shall be construed to cover various modifications, combinations, additions, alterations, etc., above and to the above-described embodiments, which shall be considered to be within the scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, various features and characteristics as discussed herein may be selectively interchanged and applied to other illustrated and non-illustrated embodiment, and numerous variations, modifications, and additions further can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.
