Title: Low reserve indicator for a paper towel dispenser
Abstract: A paper towel dispenser dispenses towels from a paper supply and includes a dispenser housing a low-reserve indicator mechanism for indicating when a reserve quantity of the paper supply is low. The dispenser housing has a housing wall structure on which the low-reserve indicator mechanism is affixed. The paper supply has vertically super imposed edge portions which form an outwardly facing vertical side of the paper supply. The low-reserve indicator mechanism includes an indicator mounted for movement between a retracted position and an indicating position for establishing a low-reserve indication detectable from outside of the dispenser house. The indicator mechanism also includes a release mechanism adapted to be spring-biased into contact with the vertical side of the paper supply. The release mechanism is released for movement in response to becoming unsupported by a diminishing height of the vertical side of the paper supply to cause the indicator to move to its indicating position.
Patent Number: 6,908,059 Issued on 06/21/2005 to Budz, et al.
| Inventors:
|
Budz; Gregory D. (Sobieski, WI);
Kershaw; Thomas N. (Neenah, WI);
Moody; John R. (Neenah, WI)
|
| Assignee:
|
Fort James Corporation (Atlanta, GA)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
359168 |
| Filed:
|
February 6, 2003 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
242/563; 242/912 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B65H 043/00 |
| Field of Search: |
242/593,563,563.2,912
116/243
312/234
|
References Cited [Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 1738721 | Dec., 1929 | Morin.
| |
| 2601956 | Jul., 1952 | Birr.
| |
| 3273773 | Sep., 1966 | Eder.
| |
| 3292170 | Dec., 1966 | D'Angelo.
| |
| 4204180 | May., 1980 | Usui et al.
| |
| 4760970 | Aug., 1988 | Larsson et al.
| |
| 5765718 | Jun., 1998 | Grasso et al.
| |
| 5884861 | Mar., 1999 | Hosomi et al.
| |
| 6089499 | Jul., 2000 | Robinson.
| |
| 6267321 | Jul., 2001 | Tramontina.
| |
| 6328252 | Dec., 2001 | Neveu.
| |
| 6695247 | Feb., 2004 | Widlund.
| |
| 2002/0113162 | Aug., 2002 | Fournier et al.
| |
| 2004/0035976 | Feb., 2004 | Byrd et al.
| |
Other References
European Search Report dated Feb. 12, 2003, EP0130 9699.
|
Primary Examiner: Walsh; Donald P.
Assistant Examiner: Rodriguez; Joseph C
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/713,317 filed Nov. 16, 2000,
now U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,025, issued Feb. 11, 2003, the entire contents of which
are hereby incorporated by reference.
Claims
1. A paper towel dispenser adapted for dispensing towels from a paper supply,
the dispenser comprising:
a dispenser housing having a housing wall structure forming an inner chamber
configured to support the paper supply such that vertically superimposed edge portions
of the paper supply form an outwardly facing vertical side of the paper supply,
the wall housing structure including an upright wall and a dispensing aperture
at a lower end of the chamber for dispensing towels, the upright wall facing the
vertical side of the paper supply; and
a low-reserve indicator mechanism affixed to the upright wall within the chamber
for indicating when a reserve quantity of the paper supply is low, the indicator
mechanism comprising:
an indicator mounted for movement between a retracted position, and an indicating
position for establishing a low-reserve indication detectible from outside of the
dispenser housing, and
a release mechanism arranged to be spring-biased in a direction of bias away
from the upright wall and into contact with the vertical side of the paper supply,
the release mechanism being releasable for movement in the direction of bias in
response to becoming unsupported by a diminishing height of the vertical side of
the paper supply sufficient to cause an upper end of the vertical side to descend
out of contact with the release mechanism, the release mechanism being operably
connected to the indicator to cause the indicator to move to its indicating position
in response to the release mechanism moving in the direction of bias upon becoming
released.
2. The paper towel dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the indicator is mounted
for rotation about a first horizontal axis.
3. The paper towel dispenser according to claim 2 wherein the release mechanism
is mounted for rotation about a second horizontal axis and is connected to the
indicator by a pin-and-slot connection.
4. The paper towel dispenser according to claim 3 wherein the low reserve indicator
mechanism includes a base member affixed to the upright wall, the indicator and
the release mechanism mounted on the base member.
5. The paper towel dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the indicator comprises
an indicia-carrying sign, the upright wall configured to expose the indicia when
the sign is in its indicating position, wherein the indicia provides the low-reserve indication.
6. The paper towel dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the dispenser housing
includes a door mounted to be opened and closed, the door forming the upright wall.
7. The paper towel dispenser according to claim 6 wherein the release mechanism
is arranged to be automatically moved counter to the direction of bias in response
to engaging the vertical side of the paper supply upon closing of the door.
8. A paper towel dispenser configured for dispensing paper towels from a vertical
stack of paper towels, the dispenser comprising:
a dispenser housing having a housing wall structure forming an inner chamber
configured to support the stack of paper towels in the stack such that vertically
superimposed edge portions of the paper towels form an outwardly facing vertical
side of the stack, the housing wall structure including an upright wall and a dispensing
aperture at a lower end of the chamber for dispensing towels from the stack, the
upright wall facing the vertical side of the vertical stack; and
a low-reserve indicator mechanism affixed to the upright wall within the chamber
for indicating when a reserve quantity of the stack is low, the indicator mechanism
comprising:
an indicator mounted for movement between a retracted position, and an indicating
position establishing a low-reserve indication detectible from outside of the housing,
and
a release mechanism arranged to be spring-biased in a direction of bias away
from the upright wall of the housing and into contact with the vertical side of
the stack, the release mechanism being releasable for movement in the direction
of bias in response to becoming unsupported by a diminished height of the stack
sufficient to cause the vertical side of the stack to descend out of contact with
the release mechanism, the release mechanism being operably connected to the indicator
to cause the indicator to move to its indicating position in response to the release
mechanism moving in the direction of bias upon becoming released.
9. A paper towel dispenser configured for dispensing towels from a horizontal
roll of paper, the dispenser comprising:
a dispenser housing having a housing wall structure forming an inner chamber
configured to support the roll for rotation about a horizontal center axis of the
roll such that vertically superimposed edge portions of the roll form an outwardly
facing vertical side of the roll, the housing wall structure including an upright
wall and a dispensing aperture at a lower end of the chamber for dispensing towels
from the roll, the upright wall facing the vertical side of the roll; and
a low-reserve indicator mechanism affixed to the upright wall within the chamber
for indicating when a reserve quantity of the roll is low, the indicator mechanism
comprising:
an indicator mounted for movement between a retracted position, and an indicating
position establishing a low-reserve indication detectible from outside of the housing,
and
a release mechanism arranged to be spring-biased in a direction of bias away
from the upright wall of the housing and into contact with the vertical side of
the roll, the release mechanism being releasable for movement in the direction
of bias in response to becoming unsupported by a diminished height of the roll
sufficient to cause the vertical side of the roll to descend out of contact with
the release mechanism, the release mechanism being operably connected to the indicator
to cause the indicator to move to its indicating position in response to the release
mechanism moving in the direction of bias upon becoming released.
10. A paper towel dispenser adapted for dispensing paper towels from a paper
supply, the dispenser comprising:
a dispenser housing forming an inner chamber adapted to support the paper supply,
and including a fixed first section and a hinged second section connected to the
first section by a hinge to open and close the inner chamber, the housing forming
a dispensing aperture for dispensing towel from the paper supply; and
a low-reserve indicator mechanism mounted on the second section and arranged
to be automatically shifted to a retracted position upon contacting the paper supply
in response to a swinging of the second section closed and thereafter automatically
shifted to an indicating position in response to the paper supply being depleted
to a selected reserve amount, for establishing a low-reserve indication detectible
from outside of the housing.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an indicator for alerting users that the paper
reserve in a paper towel dispenser is low.
It is conventional to dispense paper towels from an upright roll, i.e., a roll
whose center axis is oriented vertically. The center of the roll is coreless, so
the paper can be pulled from the inner periphery of the roll, i.e., usually downwardly
through a hole formed in a floor of a dispenser housing. Therefore, the radial
thickness of the roll gradually diminishes from a roll inner periphery toward a
roll outer periphery. Eventually, only a very small radial thickness of the roll remains.
It is also conventional to dispense paper towels from a vertical stack of individual
towels or from a horizontal roll that rotates about a horizontal axis.
It would be desirable for the user to be informed when the paper reserve is low
in dispensers of the above-described types.
Low-reserve indicators have been previously proposed for paper towel
dispensers of the type wherein individual towels are arranged in a vertical stack
(see U.S. Pat. No. 1,738,721), or in a horizontal roll (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,601,956
and 3,273,773). In U.S. Pat. No. 1,738,721, the low reserve indicator includes
a follower roller which rests upon the top of the stack and travels downwardly
as the stack is depleted. The roller is attached by a lever arm to a pointer which
is visible through a window disposed in a upper portion of the dispenser housing.
The pointer rotates as the roller descends, in order to traverse a space between
an "empty" indicia and a "full" indicia. Shortcomings of such an indicator include
the fact that the roller must be manually held in a raised state by an operator
who is loading fresh towels in the dispenser, thus complicating the re-filling
operation. Also, the lever must be relatively long in order to extend between the
pointer and the roller when the roller is at its lowermost state, whereby the expense,
weight, size etc. of the indicator are greater than would be desired.
In each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,601,956 and 3,273,773, a relatively long indicator
arm must be provided in order to extend to an outer cylindrical periphery of a
paper roll U.S. Pat. No. 2,601,956, or in order to extend along and past the entire
longitudinal length of the paper roll U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,773. Such long elements
increase the overall cost of providing a low reserve indicator mechanism.
Also, it will be appreciated that the low reserve indicators described above
are not suitable to a vertically oriented roll, let alone a coreless roll whose
towels are pulled from the inner periphery of the roll.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a low-reserve
indicator which is relatively small in size, weight, and cost.
Another object is to provide a low-reserve indicator which does not have
to be held in a manually raised state during filling of the dispenser.
It is another object of the invention to provide a low-reserve indicator suitable
for use with a vertical stack of paper towels.
Still another object is to provide such a low reserve indicator that is suitable
for use with a horizontal roll of paper.
Yet another object is to provide such a low reserve indicator for a paper towel
dispenser of the type wherein the towels are dispensed from the inner periphery
of an upright coreless roll.
It would also be desirable to provide such an indicator for an upright roll which
is adaptable to rolls of different height and outer diameter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a paper towel dispenser adapted for dispensing
towels from a paper supply, such as a vertical stack or a horizontal roll, for
example. The dispenser comprises a dispenser housing, and a low-reserve indicator
mechanism. The housing has a housing wall structure forming an inner chamber configured
to support the paper supply such that vertically superimposed edge portions of
the paper supply form an outwardly facing vertical side of the paper supply. The
housing wall structure includes an upright wall and a dispensing aperture at a
lower end of the chamber for dispensing towels. The upright wall faces the vertical
side of the paper supply. The low-reserve indicator mechanism is affixed to the
upright wall within the chamber for indicating when a reserve quantity of the paper
supply is low. The indicator mechanism comprises an indicator and a release mechanism.
The indicator is mounted for movement between a retracted position, and an indicating
position for establishing a lower-reserve indication detectable from outside of
the dispenser housing. The release mechanism is arranged to be spring-biased in
a direction of bias away from the upright wall and into contact with the vertical
side of the paper supply. The release mechanism is releasable for movement in the
direction of bias in response to becoming unsupported by a diminishing height of
the vertical side of the paper supply sufficient to cause an upper end of the vertical
side to descend out of contact with the release mechanism. The release mechanism
is operably connected to the indicator to cause the indicator to move to its indicating
position in response to the release mechanism moving in the direction of bias upon
becoming released.
The invention further relates to a paper towel dispenser adapted for dispensing
paper towels from a paper supply, such as a vertical roll, a horizontal roll, or
a vertical stack. The dispenser comprises a dispenser housing and a low-reserve
indicator mechanism. The dispenser housing forms an inner chamber adapted to support
the paper supply, and includes a fixed first section and a hinged second section
connected to the first section by a hinge to open and close the inner chamber.
The housing forms a dispensing aperture for dispensing towels from the paper supply.
The low-reserve indicator mechanism is mounted on the second section and is arranged
to be automatically shifted to a retracted position upon contacting the paper supply
in response to a swinging of the second section closed and thereafter automatically
shiftable to an indicating position in response to the paper supply being depleted
to a selected reserve amount, for establishing a low-reserve indication detectable
from outside of the housing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following
detailed description of preferred embodiments thereof in connection with the accompanying
drawings in which like numerals designate like elements and in which:
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a prior art dispenser.
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG.
1, depicting an upright coreless roll of paper towels disposed within the dispenser,
and a low-reserve indicating mechanism according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a bottom front perspective view of a low reserve indicator mechanism
according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a rear top perspective view of the indicator mechanism depicted in
FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a bottom front perspective view of a release portion of a release
mechanism according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of an indicator sign of the indicator mechanism.
FIG. 7 is a front bottom perspective view of a pusher member of the indicator mechanism.
FIG. 8 is a front bottom perspective view of a base member of the indicator mechanism.
FIG. 9 is a front bottom perspective view of a supporting portion of a release
mechanism of the indicator mechanism.
FIG. 10 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the dispenser
of FIG. 1 with the indicator mechanism associated with a first roll of paper towels;
FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 after the indicator mechanism has indicated
that the remaining quantity of towels in the roll is low.
FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 10 wherein the dispenser contains a roll of
paper towels having a smaller outer diameter than the roll of FIG. 10.
FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken through two components of the low reserve
indicator mechanism.
FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view of a sidewall of the dispenser taken in the direction
of arrow A in FIG. 2, when the low reserve indicator mechanism indicates that the
remaining quantity of paper towels on the roll is low.
FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 10 showing an alternative form of indicator mechanism.
FIG. 16 is a front elevational view of a paper towel dispenser of the type which
dispenses towels from a vertical stack, the dispenser containing a low reserve
indicator according to the invention.
FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line 17-17 in FIG. 16
showing the low-reserve indicator in a retracted position.
FIG. 18 is a view, similar to FIG. 17, after a release mechanism of the indicator
has been released in response to the paper stack descending below a predetermined level.
FIG. 19 is a view similar, to FIG. 17, of a dispenser of the type which dispenses
towels from a horizontal roll.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a paper towel dispenser
10 which dispenses
towels from a paper supply in the form of a coreless roll
16 of paper towels
from an inner periphery
12 of the roll. The dispenser housing includes an
upright side wall
18, a floor
20, and a cover
21, together
forming an internal chamber
14 for housing the roll
16. The floor
20 includes a central opening
22 through which the towels can be dispensed.
A rear side of the dispenser is to be affixed to a wall
24, so that the
central opening
22 is spaced from the wall. In a conventional manner, the
dispenser is split into front and rear sections
26,
28 about a vertical
parting line, and the dispenser is hinged at
30 along a vertical side of
the parting line, to enable the generally semi-cylindrically shaped front section
26 to be swung open about that hinge, whereby a roll
16 can be inserted.
Afterwards, the centermost towel is pulled partially down through the opening,
and the front section is closed
26, whereupon the dispenser is ready to
dispense. A releasable latch
31 of any suitable type is provided for securing
the housing sections
26,
28 a closed state.
As the roll
16 becomes depleted, its radial thickness t becomes gradually
diminished. In order to warn a user or custodian when the remaining number of towels
in the roll reaches a low state, the low-reserve indicator
40 is provided.
A first embodiment of the indicator
40, depicted in FIGS. 2-11, comprises
an upper housing
50 (FIG.
8), a pusher member
60 (FIG.
7),
a release mechanism
70 including a release arm
80 (FIG. 9) and a
release slide
90 (FIG.
5), and an indicator in the form of a sign
100 (FIG.
6).
The upper housing or base
50 (FIG. 8) is adapted to be fixed to an underside
26a of the dispenser, e.g., by a double-backed adhesive (not shown)
which can be attached to a top wall
52 of the upper housing
50. Depending
downwardly from the top wall
52 are two identical parallel side walls
54,
each including a pair of horizontal guide slots
56, a curved, generally
vertical guide slot
58, and a pivot hole
59. The slots
56
and
58 of each side wall
54 are horizontally aligned with respective
slots of the other side wall
54. Also depending from the top wall
52
is a leg
53 adapted to support a rear end of a coil spring
69, as
will be discussed.
The pusher member
60 (FIG. 7) includes a top wall
62 disposed beneath
the top wall
52 of the upper housing
50, a pair of side walls
64
disposed parallel to, and inside of, the side walls
54 of the upper housing,
and a front pusher arm or wall
65 depending downwardly from a front end
of the top wall
62 and side walls
64. The pusher arm
65 includes
an aperture
66 for accommodating movement of the sign
100, as will
be explained. Projecting outwardly from the exterior surface of each of the side
walls
64 are two guide pins
67. Those guide pins
67 are slidably
received in respective horizontal slots
56 of the upper housing
50
to define a pin-and-slot connection to enable the pusher member to slide relative
to the base. A pivot hole
68 is situated at a rear end of each side wall
64 to support the release arm
80 of the release mechanism
70.
Depending downwardly from a front end of the top wall
62 is a leg
76
that supports a front end of the spring
69. It will be appreciated that
the spring
69 yieldably biases the pusher member toward the center of the
housing for reasons to be explained.
The release arm
80 (FIG. 9) includes a bottom wall
82 and two side
walls
84 extending upwardly from the bottom wall
82. The bottom wall
82 includes a rearwardly facing portion
83 which extends generally
upwardly and rearwardly to enable the release arm to be cammed upwardly upon engaging
a roll of paper towels when the dispenser is closed, as will be explained. Each
side wall
84 includes a guide slot
86 extending in a generally front-to-rear
direction. A front end of each guide slot
86 is open, whereas a rear end
87 thereof is closed. Each side wall
84 includes a hole
88
aligned with a respective pivot hole
68 of the push plate
60, whereby
an axle rod
89 (FIG. 12) can be inserted through the holes
68,
88
to establish a pivot connection enabling the release arm
80 to pivot up
and down. The front end of the release arm
80 is thus able to move up and
down. One or more torsion springs
91 (see FIG. 12) are provided at the axle
89 to yieldably bias the release arm for counter-clockwise rotation as viewed
in FIG.
12.
The release slide
90 (FIG. 5) includes side walls
94 and a connector
92 interconnecting rear ends of the side walls
94. Projecting outwardly
from a rear end of each side wall
94 is a guide projection in the form of
a rectangular-shaped pin or lug
96 that is slidably disposed in a respective
slot
86 of the release arm
80 to define therewith a pin-and-slot
connection. A projection in the form of a guide pin
97 projects laterally
outwardly from each side wall
94 at a location forwardly of the guide pin
96. The guide pins
97 extend through respective guide slots
58
of the upper housing
50 to define therewith a pin-and-slot connection. Formed
in the side wall
94 forwardly of the guide pin
97 is a slot
98
of generally U-shape. The slot
98 includes a central apex portion
98a
and front and rear portions
98b,
98c extending
generally upwardly from the apex portion.
The sign
100 (FIG. 6) includes a body
102 having a pair of laterally
projecting pivot pins
104 mounted in respective ones of the pivot holes
59 of the upper housing to enable the sign
100 to swing between a
rear (retracted) position (FIG. 10) and a forward or indicating (extended) position
(FIG.
11). The sign also carries pins
106 disposed in the slots
98
to form therewith a pin-and-slot connection. A front face
108 of the sign
100 carries indicia, such as the word "LOW" which is visible to a user or
custodian when the sign is in the forward position (see FIG.
14).
To enable the indicia to be visible, the front section
26 of the dispenser
housing is preferably formed of a transparent material, such as a tinted acrylic.
Alternatively, a window could be formed in the housing section
26 through
which the indicia could be seen.
The operation of the low-reserve indicating mechanism will now be explained with
particular reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. In operation, a coreless roll
16
of paper towels is mounted in an upright state within the cavity
14 of the
dispenser. When the front half
26 of the dispenser is then closed, the indicating
mechanism (which is fixed to the underside
26a of the front half
26 of the dispenser) approaches cylindrical outer periphery of the roll
16. In this state, the pusher member
60 will be in its right-most
position, i.e., closest to the center of the dispenser, under the urging of the
spring
69 (see FIG.
13). Also, the release arm
80 will be
in its lowermost position, due to gravity; aided by the force of the torsion spring
91. As a result, the inclined rearwardly facing portion
83 of the
bottom wall of the release arm
80 of the release mechanism
70 abuts
an upper edge
16a of the roll
16 and is cammed upwardly thereby.
Hence, the release arm
80 is caused to pivot upwardly against the bias of
the torsion springs
91 about a pivot axis defined by the axle
89.
Eventually, the release arm
80 comes to rest on the upper surface
16b
of the roll
16, as shown in FIG.
10.
It will be appreciated that the release mechanism accommodates rolls of varying
height (i.e., longitudinal length), because of the ability of the release arm
80
to pivot upwardly. That is, the extent to which the release arm swings upwardly
will be dependent upon the height of the roll
16. The greater the roll height,
the greater will be the distance by which the release arm
80 swings upwardly.
When the front pusher arm
65 of the pusher member
60 abuts the
outer periphery
16c of the roll
16 it may be pushed radially
outwardly thereby, against the bias of the spring
69, by a distance dependent
upon the diameter of the roll
16. In the embodiment according to FIGS. 10-11,
a roll
16 of maximum diameter has been installed, whereby the pusher plate
60 has been displaced to its maximum outer position wherein the guide pins
67 of the pusher member
60 are disposed at the front end of the guide
slots
56 of the base.
If the roll
16 had been of a smaller outer diameter, as depicted in FIG.
12 wherein a smaller diameter roll
16′ has been installed, the pusher
member
60 would not have been displaced radially outwardly (i.e., to the
left) as far as in FIGS. 10 and 11. Also, the guide pins
96 of the release
portion
90 would be situated farther outwardly (to the left) in the slots
86 of the release arm
80 in FIG.
12. Thus, the reason for
making the release mechanism
70 of two parts
80 and
90 is
to enable rolls of different outer diameter to be accommodated.
In any event, it will be appreciated that since the release arm
80 is
mounted
on the pusher member
60, the final position of that release arm
80
is dependent upon the final position of the pusher member
60.
In the state shown in FIG. 10, the guide pins
106 of the sign are captured
in the rear portion
98c of the guide slots of the release slide
90,
and the sign
100 is held in the rear (retracted) position.
As towels are removed from the inner periphery
16d of the roll,
the radial thickness t of the roll diminishes. Eventually, the inner periphery
reaches the lowermost portion
82a of the bottom wall
82 of
the release arm
80, whereafter an inclined, forwardly facing portion
85
of the release arm
80 contacts the upper rear edge
16e of
the release arm
80. Eventually, the thickness t′ is so thin, e.g.,
one-eight of an inch, that the upper front edge
16a of the roll travels
radially outside of a front end of the surface portion
85. Accordingly,
the release arm becomes unsupported and drops downwardly about the axis of the
pivot pins, due to gravity (see FIG.
11). As that happens, the release slide
90 swings downwardly with the release arm, whereupon the guide slots
98
force the guide pins
106 of the sign
100 forwardly until the sign
comes to rest in the forward position, so that the user or custodian can see the
"LOW" indicia (see FIG.
14).
It will be understood that since the release arm
80 is mounted on the
pusher
plate
60 and moves together therewith, the distance between the pusher arm
65 and the roll-contacting point on the bottom wall
82 of the release
arm
80 will remain essentially constant during the towel dispensing phase,
regardless of the horizontal location of the pusher member
60, i.e., regardless
of the outer diameter of the roll. Thus, the sign
100 will always provide
a low reserve indication in response to the same value of t′.
It will be appreciated that the low-reserve mechanism according to the present
invention enables a user or custodian to be warned of a low-reserve state of an
upright roll of paper towels in a dispenser. Furthermore, the low-reserve mechanism
automatically adjusts to the height and outer diameter of the upright roll.
Also while it has been mentioned that springs can be provided to bias the release
arm
80 downwardly, it may be possible to dispense with those springs and
rely upon gravity alone if the design is such that insufficient friction will be
generated that could cause the release arm to become hung-up.
It will also be appreciated that the feature of the invention wherein the low-reserve
mechanism automatically adjusts to the roll diameter is optional. That is, the
release mechanism, instead of being formed of two relatively movable parts
80,
90, could be formed of a single member, as shown in FIG.
15. That
is, FIG. 15 shows an indicating mechanism
40′ wherein the release
mechanism
70′ comprises a single element pivotably connected to a
stationary upper housing
50′ which also carries a pusher member
65′
that abuts the outer periphery of the roll
16. The release mechanism
70′
carries the guide slots
98′ in which the guide pins
106′
of the sign
100′ slide. The indicator mechanism accommodates a roll
of a given outer diameter and does not possess the ability to accommodate rolls
of different outer diameter as does the mechanism of FIGS. 1-14.
The present invention can also be used to provide a low-reserve indication for
towel dispensers of the type in which towels are dispensed from a paper supply
in the form of a vertical stack or a horizontal roll. In that regard, attention
is directed to FIGS. 16-18 depicting a dispenser housing
200 of the type
which dispenses paper towels
202 disposed in a vertical stack. The dispenser
includes a fixed first section
204 that is fixed to a wall (not shown),
and a hinged second section (door)
206 that is connected to the first section
204 by a hinge (e.g., along an upper edge or a vertical side edge) to open
and close a chamber formed by the dispenser housing. The stack of towels
202
(preferably interfolded towels) is supported such that at each end of the stack,
vertically superimposed edge portions of the towels form a vertical side
208
that faces in a horizontally outward direction. The housing also forms a dispensing
aperture at a lower end of the chamber for dispensing towels one-at-a-time.
A low-reserve indicator mechanism
210 according to the invention is affixed
within the chamber to an upright wall
212 defined by the door
206
for indicating when a remaining (reserve) quantity of towels in the stack is low.
The indicator mechanism includes a base member
214 affixed to the upright
wall
212, an indicator
216 mounted to the base member
214
for rotation about a horizontal axis
215a, and a release mechanism
218. The base member is similar to the previously described upper housing
50 in that it includes a pair of parallel side walls
220a,
220b. The indicator
216 includes a sign
222 that bears
the indicia "LOW", and a crank arm
234. The release mechanism comprises
pair of parallel arms
218a (only one arm being depicted) interconnected
by a pin
240.
The side walls
220a,
220b of the base member
214
are situated between the arms
218a, and the indicator
216
is situated between the side walls
220a,
220b. The
pin
240 is slidably and rotatably disposed in identical first slots
242
formed in respective side walls
220a,
220b and is spring-biased
in a direction of bias by tension springs
244 (only one shown), each of
which extends between the pin
240 and a fixed joint
246 on a respective
side wall
220a,
220b.
The crank arm
234 of the indicator
216 is pivotably connected to
respective ones of the arms
218a by respective pin-and-slot connections,
and defined by a pin
250 that extends through a second slot
252 formed
in a respective side wall
220a or
220b.
In use, an operator opens the door
206, inserts a new stack of paper towels
202, and re-closes the door. When the door is closed, the arms
218a
of the release mechanism engage the vertical side
208 of the stack and
are pushed to the retracted position shown in FIG. 17, against the bias of the
spring
244. Simultaneously, the indicator
216 is swung to a position
shown in FIG. 17 wherein the sign
222 is spaced from a window
256
formed in the wall
212. When the stack of towels becomes so depleted that
the vertical side
208 of the stack descends to a level below the arms
218a,
the arms
218a are released and swung by the springs
244 to
a release position shown in FIG. 18 in a direction causing the sign
256
to be swung toward the window
256 in order to expose the "FULL" indicia
as shown in FIG.
16.
The low-reserve indicator
210 can also be used in connection with a conventional
dispenser that dispenses towels from a roll of paper towels
260 which rotates
about a horizontal axis
262, as shown in FIG.
19. The towels are
separated form the roll
240 by the user, e.g., by forcing the paper against
a conventional cutter (not shown) formed on the dispenser housing. The paper in
the roll has vertically superimposed edge portions that form a vertical side
264
that is contacted by the legs
218a of the release mechanism in the
manner disclosed above. When the roll is depleted to such an extent that the vertical
side
264 descends below the point of contact with the legs
218a,
the "LOW" indicia of the sign
222 becomes visible outside of the dispenser
housing. The wall
266 shown in FIG. 19 could be a side wall of the dispenser
housing. The legs
218a could be automatically pushed to the retracted
position in response to the application of a force thereto from the roll
260
as the roll is being loaded.
The low-reserve indicator is small light-weight, inexpensive and can be automatically
placed in a retracted state in response to the loading of paper, or closing the dispenser.
It will also be appreciated that the low-reserve indicator
210 could assume
many different configurations for achieving its intended advantages.
Although the present invention has been described in connection with preferred
embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that additions,
deletions, modifications, and substitutions not specifically described may be made
without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the
appended claims.
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