TOWEL DISPENSING SYSTEM AND METHOD

Abstract

The disclosed towel dispensing system and method may be used in combination with washstation having a washbasin and a cabinet disposed substantially below the washbasin or alternatively in a standalone manner. The towel dispensing system may include a towel dispenser capable of dispensing a towel in a cantilevered manner. A towel loading device supplies paper to a towel dispenser from at least one roll of paper and allows the paper rolls to be conveniently and securely stored and loaded.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/198,293 titled “Dispenser That Cantilevers Flexible Sheet Material For Horizontal Presentation” and filed on Nov. 4, 2008, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/206,768 titled “Swingarm Loading Mechanism For Paper Towel Dispensing Systems” and filed on Feb. 3, 2009, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to towel dispensing systems and methods. It more particularly relates to a system and method of dispensing towels in a more efficient and effective manner.

2. Background Art

There is no admission that the background art disclosed in this section legally constitutes prior art.

Paper towel dispensers are widely used in both public and residential restrooms for drying hands after washing with soap and water. Typically in public venues, in both indoor and outdoor settings, disposable paper towels are made available for use as needed. Various systems have been developed for dispensing convenience, including interleaved folded towels that drag out another towel part way from the dispenser when one is pulled away by the user. The free end of the next to be dispensed towel projects several inches from the dispenser, or far enough out for the user to easily grab hold and pull.

Alternatively, paper towels can come in a continuous roll, so that pulling on one and breaking it off partially unrolls the towels from the outside, exposing the next towel for handy taking. Typically, the roll of towels is pre-perforated for ease in tearing off one towel from the roll. Some systems perforate the toweling as towels are consumed. Some systems are power operated, with some of these activated by sensors for no-touch operation. In some dispensers the towels are dispensed from below; in others, from the front. While most dispensers hold the paper towel roll horizontally, some hold the roll vertically.

Still another paper towel dispensing system feeds out the towels from the center of the roll, passing the toweling through a constraining device in the form of a funnel. The towels hang downwardly from the funnel in a compact configuration to enable the user to pull down on the towel manually to disengage it from the funnel.

These various types of dispensing systems all let the force of gravity pull the flexible towels downwards, no matter if they are presented horizontally or not. Thus, for most systems, there must be considerable distance below the dispenser for ease of access. Paper towels for hand drying are not accessed from above, such as the case for facial tissues, because the wet hands from washing drip considerable amounts of water around the general area, which would also wet unused towels still in the dispenser.

This dripping of water is not avoidable, and in typical use, causes the counter area and often the floor between washbasin and wall-mounted towel dispenser to be spattered with water—which in addition to being generally messy and unattractive, can result in dangerously slippery conditions.

Paper towel dispensers are routinely serviced for refilling as the towels are consumed. For public restrooms refilling is usually done by either the owner/operator of the facility or a contract service on a scheduled basis, such as once a week. Such servicing must be easily and quickly accomplished.

In many installations it is of paramount consideration that the period of continuous availability (or number of delivered towels) is predictable, so that there are no unanticipated failures to deliver towels upon user demand. Thus there have been developed various systems to make available for automatic insertion into service a reserve supply of towels, most often a second roll that is fed into place when the first is consumed. Most of these systems are problematic in that they often malfunction, either failing to make the second roll available, or in some way simultaneously feeding towels to users from both rolls so the second never actually achieves any benefit.

There are other known dispenser designs, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,530, titled Multiple Roll Towel Dispenser, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,982, titled Dispenser for Multiple Rolls of Sheet Material, that bring a reserve roll into action, but they are shown with conventional, easily accessed towel dispensers. Many of them, such as the foregoing two patents and U.S. Pat. No. 4,317,547, titled Transfer Paper Towel Dispenser, have a reserve roll considerably smaller than the main roll.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of certain embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a towel dispensing system according to one embodiment of the present invention as normally seen by a user looking down onto the top of an integrated handwashing station with a paper towel presented to a user for drying of the hands;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged partial front elevational view of the top portion of the integrated handwashing station of FIG. 1 showing the towel dispenser of the towel dispensing system;

FIG. 3 is an exploded partially diagrammatic pictorial view of the paper towel dispensing and shaping mechanism of the towel dispensing system of FIG. 1 with the upper paper shaping guide translated upwards from its installed position, as indicated by the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a side sectional diagrammatic view of a portion of the towel dispensing and shaping mechanism of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of the lower paper shaping guide of the towel dispensing and shaping mechanism of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of the lower paper shaping guide of FIG. 6, shown here for illustrative purpose only, cut into a series of sections to make clear the complex curved contour shape of the component;

FIG. 7 is a front pictorial view of another embodiment of the present invention of a standalone towel dispenser with a towel presented to a user for drying of the hands;

FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of another embodiment of the present invention of a towel dispensing system as normally seen by a service person with the towel dispenser cover removed for servicing and the towel loading device moved into position for loading with one roll directly above the holders in a two roll configuration;

FIG. 9 is a pictorial view of the towel dispensing system of the handwashing station of FIG. 8 illustrated with the roll in the backup holder, the end of paper from the roll fed through a set of drive rollers in the towel loading device, and another roll directly above the holders about to be secured rollably in place in its holder;

FIG. 10 is a pictorial view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station of FIG. 8 illustrated with both rolls in their respective holders, the end of paper from the lead roll fed through the paper take-up rollers in the towel loading device;

FIG. 11 is a pictorial view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station as shown in FIG. 8, illustrated from its back side of the integrated handwashing station;

FIG. 12 is a pictorial view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station of FIG. 8 similar to FIG. 11, illustrating the towel loading device rotated up into position for normal user operation, the towel dispenser cover replaced, and the end of the lead roll of paper fed through the paper feed guides by the paper take-up rollers in the towel loading device through the paper drive rollers and into the towel dispenser;

FIG. 13 is a pictorial view of the towel loading device and the fixed towel feed mechanism of the towel dispenser of the towel dispensing system of the handwashing station of FIG. 8, illustrating it removed therefrom and with the rolls of paper towel removed therefrom;

FIG. 14 is a diagrammic sectional side view of the components shown in FIG. 13 with two rolls of paper towels in place and paper from the lead roll exiting the paper drive rollers of the towel dispenser;

FIG. 15 is a pictorial view of another embodiment of the present invention of a towel dispensing system, illustrated as normally seen by a user looking down onto the top of an integrated handwashing station with a paper towel presented to a user for drying of the hands;

FIG. 16 is a pictorial exploded view of the towel dispensing system of the handwashing station of FIG. 15, but illustrated as normally seen by a service person with the towel dispenser cover removed for servicing and the towel loading device moved into position for loading with a single roll directly above the holder;

FIG. 17 is a pictorial view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station of FIG. 15, illustrated with the roll in the holders and the end of the roll fed through the drive rollers in the towel loading device;

FIG. 18 is a pictorial view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station as shown in FIG. 15, illustrated from its back side of the integrated handwashing station;

FIG. 19 is a pictorial view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station of FIG. 15, illustrated similar to FIG. 18 with the towel loading device rotated up into position for normal user operation, the towel dispenser cover replaced, and the end of the roll of paper fed through the paper feed guides by the drive rollers in the towel loading device through the paper drive rollers and into the towel dispenser; and

FIG. 20 is a pictorial enlarged view of the towel loading device and the fixed towel feed mechanism of the towel dispenser of the handwashing station of FIG. 15, illustrating it removed therefrom and with the rolls of paper towel removed therefrom.

DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

It will be readily understood that the components of the embodiments as generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the system, components and method of the present invention, as represented in the drawings, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of the embodiments of the invention.

A method and system are disclosed for dispensing towels. According to an embodiment of the invention, the disclosed dispensing system may include or be combined with a washstation having a faucet in communication with a water supply via a water line and a dispensing device adapted to create a mixture of a liquid such as soap with water in the water line.

In accordance with another disclosed embodiment of the invention, there is provided a towel dispensing system for use with a washstation having a washbasin and a cabinet disposed substantially below the washbasin. The towel dispensing system may include a towel dispenser capable of dispensing a towel that is horizontally suspended at least partially over the washbasin to avoid the dripping of water outside the washbasin, and a towel loading device disposed substantially within the cabinet to supply paper to the towel dispenser from at least one roll of paper.

According to another aspect of a disclosed embodiment of the invention, there is provided towel dispenser for use with a washbasin. The towel dispenser may include a cover having a generally U-shaped towel dispensing slot, and a U-shaped guide for forming from a paper roll and dispensing through the dispensing slot a towel that is horizontally suspended at least partially over the washbasin to avoid the dripping of water outside the washbasin.

In accordance with still another disclosed embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of dispensing paper to be used as a towel or other, from a roll of paper. The method may include receiving paper from the roll of paper, forming the paper in a U-shaped configuration, dispensing the U-shaped paper along a path of travel, such as a horizontal path, and suspending the U-shaped paper for removal by a user.

In accordance with yet another disclosed embodiment of the invention, there is provided a towel loading device for use with a washstation having a towel dispenser, a washbasin, and a cabinet disposed substantially below the washbasin. The towel loading device may include a frame having at least one set of roll holders for holding at least one roll of paper and at least one set of drive rollers for feeding the paper from the roll to the towel dispenser, a swingarm connected to the frame, and a pivot disposed at an end of the swingarm to permit rotating the frame for convenient reloading of a new roll of paper on the set of roll holders.

According to yet another aspect of the disclosed embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of loading a paper roll for use by a towel dispenser used with a washstation having a cabinet. The method including rotating a loading device so that a portion of the loading device is disposed outside of the cabinet, removing an expended roll of paper from a holder of the loading device, installing a new roll of paper on the holder of the loading device, inserting an end of the new roll of paper through a set of drive rollers, and re-rotating the loading device so that the loading device is disposed entirely within the cabinet and that the end of the new roll of paper is automatically fed into the towel dispenser.

According to the disclosed embodiments, the system and method enables the presentation of paper towels for hand drying in the most convenient location, right over the washbasin itself, at a short distance above the basin. Users can most easily take a towel for immediate use, minimizing the dripping of water from their hands after washing, and before the hands are dried by rubbing them with the towel(s). Not only may this be the most convenient and practical way to dry hands with paper towels, but it may also facilitate the location of the dispenser right on the top of the countertop or washstation, with the dispensing slot for the towels a short distance above the countertop itself. As a result, most of the dripped water may fall where it should, right into the washbasin.

According to the disclosed embodiments, the paper towel may be presented with the entire towel visible and accessible for instant grasping and use. The hands may remain over the washbasin, not having to be moved back towards the dispenser and outside of the water catching basin.

According to other features of the disclosed and other embodiments, the towel may be horizontal and exposed for user access, it may not be supported by any mechanical device that would get into the way of the user, impeding access and confidence in grasping the dispensed towel. The towel itself may be self-supporting, actually cantilevered out from the dispenser in a positively curved shape, the sides rising up from the lower middle. This may be a very easily targeted (3-dimensional) and grasped shape. It may also be uniquely friendly, resembling a smile when viewed from in front of the dispenser.

In general, according to the embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method of dispensing paper, such as but not limited to, paper towels from a paper roll. The method includes feeding paper from the paper roll along a path of travel, and forming an end portion of the paper into a generally U-shaped configuration to bow it about its mid section or plane throughout its length as it moves along the path of travel. The movement of the paper is stopped to enable the generally U-shaped portion to be suspended in a cantilevered manner to enable a user to separate the generally U-shaped portion from the roll of paper.

Also, in general, there is provided a dispenser for delivering paper from a roll of paper. The dispenser includes means defining a generally U-shaped paper dispensing slot. A generally U-shaped shaping guide forms from an end portion of the paper roll a generally U-shaped portion of the paper. Paper feeding means such as feed rollers extend the U-shaped portion of the paper through the dispensing slot. The U-shaped portion of the paper is bowed about its mid plane throughout its length to be suspended from the dispensing slot in a cantilevered manner.

In one form of the invention, the generally U-shaped portion comes to rest and extends outwardly from the dispensing slot. A user can then separate the generally U-shaped portion from the paper roll by tearing it therefrom such as at a line of perforations.

While the way the towel is presented to the user may be new and unique, users may immediately understand that grasping and tearing off a towel is still conventional. No new skills or understanding are necessary; in fact, this presentation may make the whole hand drying process quicker and easier, because it may all be completed directly over the sink, where the user had just completed washing their hands. No turning, reaching or moving about may be necessary. This may make the whole handwashing experience easier for those with limited mobility.

Having the dispenser integrated with the handwashing station or countertop may make for a less prominent and more attractive dispenser design. A relatively large roll of toweling may be stored inside the cabinet, with a dispensing head that positions the towels where needed. A large roll of towels may permit significantly longer intervals between replacement with full rolls. This may be an advantage for the servicing of the handwashing station.

Many conventional paper towel dispensing systems or mechanisms may be applied to the present invention with minimal modification, primarily by the addition of the paper shaping support and the curved dispensing slot. Dispensers may be mechanical and user operated, or powered and “no-touch.”

According to at least one of the disclosed embodiments, there is provided a reliable mechanism to insert a second roll of towels into the operational stream fed to users. Both rolls may be conveniently of the same size. A mechanism transports the roll(s) of towels from a location for servicing and refilling that may be convenient and in front of the station to the operational or delivery location back inside the handwashing station.

People do not always like washing their hands; in fact all too often they actively avoid doing so, even in situations when they know they should. So the easier, quicker, more attractive handwashing becomes, the more often it may be done. To that end, having handy handwashing stations right where needed, such as in restrooms, hospital rooms, even restaurant dining rooms, in additional to the usual places, may be beneficial to our general health and neatness.

Walking up to a handwashing station incorporating the present invention, a user may note that everything they need is neatly in one piece. There are no separate dispensers for soap and paper towels. The water faucet may also be capable of dispensing a soap/water mixture, such as the soap and water faucet detailed in U.S. patent application publication 200610101575 A1, titled Dispensing System and Method, and Injector Therefor, and incorporated herein by reference. Conventional water faucets may also be used, but they may require some kind of dispenser for soap, with the usual problems associated with soap dispensers, including gooey messes of soap on the countertop and/or floor. The handwashing station may also include one or more recessed hooks located on one or more sides of the handwashing station, so that a user with a handbag or purse may place the straps over one of the convenient recessed hooks to free their hands while washing.

Servicing of restrooms may well be a major concern of many types of commercial and public organizations. Not only are users prone to be sloppy and mess up the area, but sometimes individuals intentionally “trash” restrooms, not only spreading around paper, soap, water and dirt, but causing physical damage by violently attacking most anything in sight. The easier accessed and more obvious the object, the more prone to damage. Hence having a facility that is both simple, with as few things (faucets, mirrors, towel dispensers, toilets, etc.) to attack, as well as being as tough as possible is most desired. The present invention eliminates or at least mitigates one of those vulnerable subjects of attack, namely, the paper dispenser. Essentially, users may encounter only a curved slot right above the sink that dispenses towels. At the same time, those who service the facility may still have easy access to restock the dispenser(s) with roll(s) of towels as needed. In addition, one of the embodiments of the current invention may provide for a backup roll of towels to provide continuous service to users, even when the lead roll of towels is consumed. Finally, the present invention may make feasible the placement of handwashing stations in public places outside of restrooms, such as in hospital lobbies and restaurant dining rooms, where the ambience includes quality wood furniture and carpeting. Conventional restroom washing installations with separate soap dispensers and towel dispensers, require users to move about, usually flinging soap and water from their hands in their normal haste to wash up.

For clarity, in the illustrations in the drawings, conventional driving and paper handling mechanisms are not shown. Only enough such detail is included to make the operating mechanism understandable. The paper feed rollers may be either mechanically or motor driven, either manual or automatic (microprocessor controlled) in operation. The swingarm may be either mechanically operated with service person actuation, or electronically with microprocessor and electric motor driving mechanisms. About the only items that may normally be automated and self-powered would be the mechanism that responds to a user's request for dispensing (position sensor or electrical switch) and the drive mechanism that actually delivers towels to users—for both the lead roll and when needed, the backup roll—and the means to detect when the lead roll is out of towels, and to initiate the switch. Also, the two terms, “roll” as applying to roll of paper towels, and “roller” as applying to paper handling mechanism that squeezes and pulls on the paper to hold and propel it along its path from paper roll into the paper shaping mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, an embodiment of the present invention as normally seen by a user looking down onto a countertop and washbasin is shown. The towel dispensing system may include a towel dispenser 12 disposed on top of a countertop 14 and adjacent to a washbasin 16 and a water faucet 24 of a handwashing station 15 having a cabinet 84. The towel dispenser 12 may include a towel dispensing sensor 26 on its top or other convenient location to activate the dispensing through a curved or generally U-shaped towel dispensing slot 22 in a cover 28 of a towel 20 suspended horizontally over a portion of the washbasin 16.

Therefore when a user has finished washing his/her hands, with wet hands the user may wave a hand over the towel dispensing sensor 26, and the paper towel 20, ready for use, may be dispensed directly over the washbasin 16 to reduce the dripping of water on the countertop 14. The towel 20 may extend out of the towel dispensing slot 22 at the front of the relatively small and inconspicuous cover 28 of the towel dispenser 12.

The paper towel may be dispensed and stay horizontal without bending down in response to the force of gravity due to the shape of the dispensed towel, since the towel itself may be no different than a standard paper towel. In fact certain embodiments of the present invention may be used and often will be used for a variety of readily available paper towels. The shape of the dispensed ready for use paper towel 20 may be very close to the shape of the towel dispensing slot 22. The portion of the towel 20 extending outwardly from the dispensing slot is generally U-shaped and is bowed downwardly about its mid section throughout its length to enable it to extend in a cantilevered manner.

It should be noted that for various size and proportion of paper towels, and for towels with different stiffnesses, the best shape curvature, shown in FIG. 2 to be elliptical, may vary with the ratio of width 13 to depth 17 of towel dispensing slot 22 varying. In general, the flatter the ellipse, the less resistance the towel may have to being bent by gravity. Also, the longer the towel is in proportion to its width, the deeper the ellipse may be. Because it is intended that the presented towel will be used immediately, there may be no expectation that the towel should maintain its horizontal position indefinitely.

Interestingly enough, the set taken by most paper towels when they remain on the roll for an extended period of time may actually help maintain the rigidity of the presented towel, but only when the set is downwards. That is, by “memory”, the end of the towel may try to curl down, to return to the circular shape it had on the roll before being drawn off for use. The closer the individual section of towel was to the core of the roll, the sharper the curve it may have, and the stronger the memory. If the direction of rotation of the roll is reversed, the curve may be upwards and working to weaken the rigidity of the presented towel.

Technically, the presented towel may be cantilevered out from the towel dispenser. We may associate cantilevered construction with rigidity and strength, resistance to bending. In most cases, cantilevered structures, such as architectural balconies and monoplane wings, may be constructed with inherently rigid materials, such as wood and aluminum. In the embodiments of the present invention, the cantilevering occurs where the material may be quite flexible and pliable and in sheet form, made to exhibit flexibility in use. However, paper toweling does have some resistance to compression and tension in the horizontal plane, which may make this generally U-shape configuration resistant to gravity.

The shape of the towel dispensed by the embodiments of the present invention may be stable and may resist considerable force when touched or prodded in various directions and at various locations. It may have the ability to recover from being distorted within a surprisingly wide range of movement. Gravity may actually help maintain the cantilevered towel. As noted in this description, the towel may be held within fairly close shape within the dispenser. If deformation from the curved shape is too pronounced at the dispensing end, the shape may collapse immediately.

Most critical may be the restraint of the sides or upper margins of the curved towel. As a matter of fact, the same general U-shape and forming system may work for very large sheets of industrial materials such as metal, rigid plastic or other. This may be used to facilitate the stacking of material coming directly from forming, without ancillary means to support it for positioning in stacking. The material may be unrolled and cut, and allowed to drop and flatten in place on a stack or moving bed.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of views of the towel shaping and feed mechanism of the towel dispenser 12 is shown. The towel shaping and feed mechanism may include a paper take-up roller set 94, a paper drive roller set 98, a paper feed guide set 108, a paper shaping guide set 106, and a paper roll spindle 36 for a roll of paper 100.

The take-up roller set 94 may include a plurality of lower take-up rollers, such as lower take-up roller 60, mounted on a lower take-up roller spindle 38 and a plurality of upper take-up rollers, such as upper take-up roller 46, mounted on upper take-up roller spindle 40 to drive the paper to the paper feed guide set 108.

The drive roller set 98 may include a plurality of lower drive rollers, such as lower drive roller 58, mounted on a lower take-up roller spindle 42 and a plurality of upper take-up rollers, such as upper take-up roller 48, mounted on upper take-up roller spindle 44 to drive the paper to through the paper shaping guide set 106 and out the towel dispensing slot 22.

The paper feed guide set 108 may include a plurality of lower feed guides, such as lower feed guide 54, and a plurality of upper feed guides, such as upper feed guide 56, to guide the paper to the drive roller set 98.

The paper shaping guide set 106 may include a lower paper shaping guide 50 and an upper paper shaping guide 52 for forming the paper into U-shape towel 20 for dispensing out of towel dispensing slot 22.

The ready for use paper towel 20 may be ramped up into the U-shape that it exits the dispenser through the towel dispensing slot 22, which may be formed by passing it through the lower paper shaping guide 50 and the upper paper shaping guide 52. The separation between the two guides may be fairly small, dependent upon the toweling material used. Towels come in varying thicknesses and degree of flexibility. Some may require smaller separation to maintain stability of the presented towel 20, others may be less critical and allow for greater separation of the two guides.

Again as noted earlier for FIG. 3, for clarity, so that the transition area of the paper towel is not hidden, one component of the towel dispensing mechanism, the upper paper shaping guide 52, has been translated upwards from its installed position, as indicated by the arrows.

The paper may be fed into the space between the paper shaping guides by a set of powered rollers, the four upper drive rollers, such as upper drive roller 48, and the four lower drive rollers, such as lower drive roller 58. These rollers may be located at intervals along the upper drive roller spindle 44, and the lower drive roller spindle 42.

Guiding the paper into this set of rollers may be two sets of feed guides, the four lower paper feed guides, such as lower paper feed guide 54, and the four upper paper feed guides, such as upper paper feed guide 56. Positioning the paper for entry into the feed guides may be the paper take-up roller set 94. The paper may be unrolled from a continuous strip, roll of paper towels 100, which is held in place on the paper roll spindle 36.

Note that in this figure and other figures of the drawings, no indication of perforation of paper is shown. Of course the paper may be perforated from side-to-side across the toweling where it is intended for the presented piece to be torn off by the user. Exactly where this perforation should be located along the length of the toweling may be somewhat dependent upon the characteristics of the toweling and the size and proportions of the individual towels. The range of locations may be from just outside of the towel dispensing slot to somewhere inside the slot or dispenser, out of sight and out of range from being accidentally wetted by users. The latter location may be preferable in most installations.

FIG. 4 gives more clarity to some of the details not immediately evident in FIG. 3. Note that this section is somewhat idealized, as it is nominally through the center of the towel dispensing mechanism, but shows a number of components (54, 56, 46, 60, 48, 54) which are not on the centerline, as shown in FIG. 3, but could be. The continuous strip of paper towel, from roll 100, may be drawn up, being unwound and guided, first by passing through the paper take-up roller set 94 including the four upper paper take-up rollers, such as the upper paper take-up roller 46, which may be adjacent to the four lower paper take-up rollers, such as the lower paper take-up roller 60.

As noted in the description associated with FIG. 3, the paper may be fed into the shaped space created by the gap between the lower paper shaping guide 50 and the upper paper shaping guide 52. While passing through this complex shape, the paper may transition from its flat or simple curved shape into the U-shape that it emerges with from the towel dispensing slot. As shown here, on the centerline this narrow passage may be a straight line, but extending outwardly on either side, it transitions to an S-curve or ogive, raising the edges from the middle.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the complete lower paper shaping guide 50 is shown. FIG. 5 shows the lower paper shaping guide 50 in its full form. FIG. 6 illustrates the progress of the shape and contour of the paper shaping guide 50 from front to back. The guide is shown here, for illustrative purpose only, cut into a series of sections to make clear the complex curved shape of the component. The sections are numbered from front (adjacent to the towel dispensing slot 22) to rear (adjacent to the drive roller set 98): first section of lower paper shaping guide 64, second section of lower paper shaping guide 66, third section of lower paper shaping guide 68, fourth section of lower paper shaping guide 70, and fifth section of lower paper shaping guide 72.

While a paper shaping guide forming the dispensed towel into a curved U-shaped configuration is discussed above, it is envisioned that the paper shaping guide may be of the constructed to form the dispensed towel into other shapes, such as a V-shape, a W-shape, a boxed U-shape, or other suitable shape.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station 15 appearing after the arrival of a service person has begun the process of replenishing towels is shown. The first thing the service person may do is remove the towel dispenser cover 28 after unlocking it by inserting a key (not shown) in a towel dispenser lock 82. The cover may be lifted up directly above it's installed position to reveal and give access to the paper shaping drive roller set 98. Not shown, but also protected from public access by the cover, may be a switch that the service person can operate that controls a towel loading device 80, unlatching it from a secured in-service position, to swing down and out front of the handwashing station 15 in an arc of about 144°. The latching mechanism, as well as the mechanism that causes the arm to swing forward and back may be either electric (self-powered) or purely mechanical, with motive power provided by the service person either indirectly through a gear mechanism or by direct hand manipulation.

The towel loading device 80 with its various components may now be easily accessed for service. In normal operation, the first thing a service person may do is to remove the empty towel roll(s) and determine what to do with any partially used-up roll, which may include re-attaching for continued use or transfer to a different location. Here we see the towel loading device 80 without a roll installed, so that the various components are clearly visible. For reference, positioned directly above the two backup roll holders, such as holder 86, may be the backup roll 96, a standard roll of paper towels that may be installed to function as the backup roll. The backup roll holders may be attached at the ends of the backup roll holder fingers, such as finger 122. These fingers may be flexible enough to allow the service person to physically bend one or both of them away from the centerline so that they can place the core of the paper roll so that it may be held in place by the roll holders when they spring back into place, so it may rotate on them with a small but sufficient amount of friction to keep the roll from accidentally unrolling.

Two lead roll holders, such as holder 88, may be attached at the ends of the lead roll holder fingers, such as finger 120. A set of drive rollers 92, the take-up roller set 94, as well as a paper feed guide 90 may be all attached to the drive roller holder fingers, such as finger 118.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station 15 during additional steps in the loading or re-loading sequence of the towel loading device 80 are shown. The backup roll 96 may be positioned on the two backup roll holders, such as holder 86, which may hold it in place. The end of the backup roll paper 96 may be fed into the set of drive rollers 92, and the rollers operated just enough to feed the paper part way into the paper feed guide 90. In this part of the operation, this set of rollers may be driven electrically at the command (such as by the means of a switch) of the service person, who by looking, may readily see where the end of the paper is through the open construction of the feed guide.

Positioned directly above the two lead roll holders 88, may be the lead roll 100, a standard roll of paper towels that may be installed to function as the lead roll.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station 15 during additional steps in the loading or re-loading sequence of the towel loading device 80 from those shown in FIG. 9 are shown. The lead roll 100 may be positioned on the two lead roll holders 88, which may hold it in place. The end of the lead roll paper 100 may be fed into the paper up-take roller set 94, and the rollers operated by the service person just enough to get a good purchase on the paper with the paper projecting out the other side by fess than an inch.

Referring now to FIG. 11, a view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station 15 during the same step in the loading or re-loading sequence of the towel loading device 80 as shown in FIG. 10, but viewing the handwashing station 15 from the back is shown. This is not a view that anybody would normally see (the handwashing station removed from being attached to the wall) but it is included here to disclose the operation of the mechanisms. The paper shaping guide set 106 may be seen in its usual position, attached inside the towel dispenser cover 28. Of special interest here is a pivot 112 of the towel loading device 80, which may be positioned in the interior of the handwashing station 15 so that operation of the towel loading device 80 with attached towel rolls does not contact any of the other parts or components of the handwash station (such as the tall washstation cabinet 84 or the P-trap 110) as it moves back and forth through its arc. The P-trap 110 may be oriented 90° to the conventional front-to-rear, so it may clear the towel loading device 80. The pivot 112 may be attached to a suitable fixed support (not shown) and to a suitable actuating (drive) mechanisms (not shown) to activate the various mechanisms of the system of the embodiments of the invention. A swingarm 114 of the towel loading device 80 may be connected at one end to the pivot 112 and at the other end to a spreader 116, which may carry at opposite ends the fingers that support the towels and the paper feed mechanism. The paper feed guide 108 of the towel dispenser 12 may receive the paper toweling when fed to it by the towel loading device 80. At the upper or exit end of the paper feed guide set 108 may be the paper shaping drive roller set 98 that force the paper into the paper shaping guide set 106.

Referring now to FIG. 12, a view of towel dispensing system of the handwashing station 15 when the service person has returned the towel loading device 80 to its operational position, back up inside the handwashing station 15, is shown. As noted above, the paper up-take roller set 94 of the towel dispenser 12 may be operated to drive the paper into the receiving end of the paper feed guide set 108, and hence to the paper shaping drive roller set 98 and on to the paper shaping guide set 106 as may be best seen in FIG. 14. Actually, the service person may replace the towel dispenser cover 28 with the paper shaping guide set 106 with the end of the paper just protruding from the take-up roller set 94 before having the paper move the rest of the way into the paper feed guide set 108 and beyond.

Referring now to FIG. 13, a pictorial view of the towel loading device 80 without any paper rolls installed is shown with all the parts previously discussed clearly visible. The paper feed guide set 108 and the paper drive roller set 98 of the towel dispenser 12 are also shown to demonstrate the interface between the towel loading device 80 and the towel dispenser 12.

Referring now to FIG. 14, a cross-section of the towel loading device 80 shown in FIG. 13 with a pair of paper rolls installed is shown. As shown here, the paper 124 from the lead roll 100 may be drawn by the second set of drive rollers 94 through the paper feed guide set 108 of the towel dispenser 12 to the paper shaping drive roller set 98 to be fed into the paper shaping guide set 106. Only after the lead roll 100 is drawn down and the last of paper 124 passes out of the system, may the first set of drive rollers 92 act to feed the paper 126 from the backup roll 96 the rest of the way through the paper feed guide 90 to the take-up roller set 94 to seamlessly (so far as the user is concerned) switch paper sources from roll to another. This switch from lead roll to backup roll may be triggered by a sensing mechanism (not shown), either mechanical or electronic, that may be located to detect the presence of paper just exiting the paper shaping drive roller set 98. When no more paper comes out, it may be determined that the roll being drawn down is empty. This same sensing mechanism may be useful for automatically positioning the paper in ready to deliver mode, so that the system may be ready to immediately deliver paper to a user when requested. Such a positioning may occur after servicing and reloading.

It should be noted here that the present invention, consisting of a paper delivery system up to the paper drive rollers 98, may be applicable to dispensers that are more conventional, in that they deliver the towels in a flat, non-curved shape. Of special note is the lead and backup roll portion of the system, which also may be applicability to essentially conventional (appearing so to users) paper dispensers, that stand alone and are wall mounted. Referring to FIG. 14, such a system may have the components, including the paper rolls, drive rollers and paper feed guides, all part of a system oriented so the axis of rolls 127 may be oriented substantially vertically, with the arrow pointing down, toward the delivery point, where the towels exit the dispenser. Of course such a system may not have the specialized components shown here.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an alternative embodiment of the present invention in the form of a stand alone towel dispenser 212 is shown. The towel dispenser 212 may include a case 232 having sufficient size to enclose a typically-sized roll of paper and a towel dispensing sensor 226 for activating the dispensing through a curved or U-shaped towel dispensing slot 222 in the case 232 of a horizontally suspended towel 220. As far as the user is concerned, towel dispenser 212 may work in a manner similar to that of the integrated towel dispenser 12 shown in FIG. 1.

Referring now to FIG. 15, a pictorial view of a short handwashing station 121 is shown. The only difference visible from the outside is that the short washstation cabinet 128 is a little shallower than the tall washstation cabinet 84 shown in FIG. 1. The latter may be extended downwardly to fully enclose the double rolls. The towel dispensing system shown in FIGS. 16 through 20, which is another embodiment of the present invention, may utilize a towel loading device 131 holding a single large roll of paper towels instead of two smaller rolls. Obviously, this embodiment may be housed in the larger cabinet if desired for standardization for cost or appearance concerns. The single roll system may be obviously less complex than the double roll system.

Referring now to FIG. 16, a view of towel dispensing system of the short handwashing station 121 with the towel loading device 131 swung out approximately 160° for servicing is shown. A big roll 130 may be positioned directly above the big roll holders, such as holder 132, which may be attached to the end of the big roll holder fingers, such as finger 148. The towel loading device 131 may have only one set of drive rollers, such as drive roller 134, which may be attached to the ends of the drive roller holder fingers, such as finger 146.

Referring now to FIG. 17, a view of towel dispensing system of the short handwashing station 121 with the big roll 130 positioned on the roll holders 132 and the paper 136 of the big roll paper 130 fed into the drive rollers 134 is shown. The drive rollers 134 may be operated by the service person just enough to get a good purchase on the paper with the paper projecting out the other side by less than an inch.

Referring now to FIG. 18, a view of towel dispensing system of the short handwashing station 121 during the same step in the loading sequence of the towel loading device 131 as shown in FIG. 17, but viewing the short handwashing station 121 from the back is shown.

Referring now to FIG. 19, a view of towel dispensing system of the short handwashing station 121 when the service person has returned the towel loading device 131 to its operational position, back up inside the handwashing station is shown. The drive rollers 134 may be operated to drive the paper into the receiving end of the paper feed guide set 108 of the towel dispenser 12, with the operation very similar to that described for the towel loading device 80 of FIG. 12.

Referring now to FIG. 20, a pictorial view of the towel loading device 131 without any paper rolls installed is shown with all the parts previously discussed clearly visible. The paper feed guide set 108 and the paper drive roller set 98 of the towel dispenser 12 are also shown to demonstrate the interface between the towel loading device 131 and the towel dispenser 12.

From the description above, a number of features of the present invention may be present in the disclosed and other embodiments of the present invention. One or more of these features may include, but are not limited to the following for the integrated soap dispensing system:

(a) The operation of the system by users may be as simple, as quick and as effective as possible. This is important because most users do not consider hand washing a pleasant experience to be indulged in for pleasure, like showering. The system may minimally obtrude on the appearance of the handwashing station which also makes it more attractive to users and those who must maintain it.

(b) The system may be unique in its dispensing of a horizontally suspended paper towel substantially over the washbasin to avoid the dripping of water on the floor and/or countertop of the handwashing station.

(c) The system may also be unique in that the towel loading device provides secure, convenient, and easy storage and reloading of the paper rolls.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it is to be understood that various different embodiments are possible and are contemplated within the true spirit and scope of the appended claims. There is no intention, therefore, of limitations to the exact abstract or disclosure herein presented.

Claims

1. A towel dispensing system for use with a washstation having a washbasin and a cabinet disposed substantially below the washbasin, comprising:

a towel dispenser capable of dispensing a towel that is horizontally suspended at least partially over the washbasin to avoid the dripping of water outside the washbasin; and

a towel loading device disposed substantially within the cabinet to supply paper to the towel dispenser from at least one roll of paper.

2. The towel dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the towel dispenser includes a shaping guide for forming the dispensed towel into a curved configuration.

3. The towel dispensing system of claim 2, wherein the towel dispenser includes a set of drive rollers to drive the paper from a first roll of paper through the shaping guide.

4. The towel dispensing system of claim 3, wherein the towel dispenser includes a feed guide for guiding the paper from the first roll of paper to the set of drive rollers of the towel dispenser.

5. The towel dispensing system of claim 4, wherein the towel loading device includes a set of take-up rollers for driving the paper from the first roll of paper through the feed guide and to the set of drive rollers of the towel dispenser.

6. The towel dispensing system of claim 3, wherein the towel loading device includes a set of drive rollers and a feed guide, the set of driver rollers of the towel loading device drive the paper from a second roll of paper through the feed guide of the towel loading device to the set of drive rollers of the towel dispenser.

7. The towel dispensing system of claim 1, wherein the towel dispenser includes a sensor for activating the dispensing of the towel.

8. A dispenser for delivering paper from a roll of paper comprising:

a cover having a generally U-shaped paper dispensing slot; and

a generally U-shaped shaping guide for forming from an end portion of the paper roll a generally U-shaped portion of the paper;

feed rollers for extending the U-shaped portion of the paper through the dispensing slot; and

wherein the U-shaped portion is bowed about its mid plans throughout its length to be suspended from the dispensing slot in a cantilevered manner.

9. The towel dispenser of claim 8, wherein the shaping guide includes a lower paper shaping guide and an upper paper shaping guide for forming the dispensed towel into a curved configuration.

10. The towel dispenser of claim 8, further including a set of drive rollers to drive the paper from the paper roll through the shaping guide.

11. The towel dispenser of claim 8, further including a feed guide for guiding the paper from the paper roll to the set of drive rollers of the towel dispenser.

12. The towel dispenser of claim 8, further including a sensor disposed on top of the cover for activating the dispensing of the towel.

13. The towel dispenser of claim 8, further including a lock disposed on the cover for locking the cover to a washstation containing the washbasin.

14. A method of dispensing paper from a roll of paper, comprising:

feeding paper from the roll of paper along a path of travel;

forming an end portion of the paper into a generally U-shaped configuration to bow it about its mid section as it moves along the path of travel; and

stopping the movement of the paper to enable the generally U-shaped portion to be suspended in a cantilevered manner to enable a user to separate the generally U-shaped portion from the roll of paper.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein feeding paper from the roll of paper includes driving the paper using a set of take-up rollers through a feed guide.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the paper driven through the feed guide is provided to a set of drive rollers.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the forming the paper in a U-shaped configuration includes driving the paper through a shaping guide using a set of drive rollers.

18. A towel loading and dispensing device for use with a washstation having a towel dispenser, a washbasin, and a cabinet disposed substantially below the washbasin, comprising:

a towel dispenser;

a frame including at least one set of roll holders for holding at least one roll of paper; and

at least one set of drive rollers for feeding the paper from the roll to the towel dispenser.

19. The towel loading device of claim 18, further including a feed guide for guiding the paper from a first set of drive rollers to a second set of drive rollers, and the frame including a swingarm having a pivot at the end thereof for conveniently reloading a new paper roll on the roll holders.

20. The towel dispensing system of claim 18, wherein when the paper from a first roll of paper is expended, paper from a second roll of paper is provided to the towel dispenser.

21. A method of loading a paper roll for use by a towel dispenser used with a washstation having a cabinet, comprising:

rotating a loading device so that a portion of the loading device is disposed outside of the cabinet;

removing an expended roll of paper from a holder of the loading device;

installing a new roll of paper on the holder of the loading device;

inserting an end of the new roll of paper through a set of drive rollers; and

re-rotating the loading device so that the loading device is disposed entirely within the cabinet and that the end of the new roll of paper is automatically fed into the towel dispenser.

22. The method of claim 21, further including:

removing a second expended roll of paper from a second holder of the loading device;

installing a second new roll of paper on the second holder of the loading device; and

inserting an end of the second new roll of paper through a second set of drive rollers.

23. The method of claim 21, further including:

removing a partially expended roll of paper from the holder of the loading device;

installing the partially expended roll of paper on a second holder of the loading device; and

inserting an end of the second new roll of paper through a second set of drive rollers.