초록 ▼

A dual roll paper towel dispenser, a method of dispensing towel from a dual roll paper towel dispenser, and a method of servicing a dual roll paper towel dispenser are disclosed herein. The dual roll paper towel dispenser can be provided with a dispenser mechanism disposed in a dispenser housing. Th

A dual roll paper towel dispenser, a method of dispensing towel from a dual roll paper towel dispenser, and a method of servicing a dual roll paper towel dispenser are disclosed herein. The dual roll paper towel dispenser can be provided with a dispenser mechanism disposed in a dispenser housing. The dispenser mechanism can include a first drive roller for dispensing paper from an upper first roll of paper and a second drive roller for dispensing paper from a lower second roll of paper. The dispenser mechanism can further include a drive system including a motor for selectively operating the first drive roller and the second drive roller, wherein the drive system powers the motor in a first rotational direction to actuate the first drive roller and powers the motor in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to actuate the second drive roller.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A dual roll paper towel dispenser comprising: (a) a dispenser housing constructed to receive a first roll of paper and a second roll of paper wherein the first roll of paper and the second roll of paper are vertically arranged so that the first roll of paper is located vertically above the second

1. A dual roll paper towel dispenser comprising: (a) a dispenser housing constructed to receive a first roll of paper and a second roll of paper wherein the first roll of paper and the second roll of paper are vertically arranged so that the first roll of paper is located vertically above the second roll of paper when the dispenser is mounted on a wall, and comprising a dispenser opening for dispensing paper from the first roll of paper and the second roll of paper;(b) a first mandrel for holding the first roll of paper within the dispenser housing and a second mandrel for holding the second roll of paper within the housing; and(c) a dispenser mechanism comprising: (i) a first drive roller and a first nip roller for dispensing paper from the first roll of paper through the dispenser opening;(ii) a second drive roller and a second nip roller for dispensing paper from the second roll of paper through the dispenser opening; and(iii) a single motor for powering the first drive roller and the second drive roller, the single motor rotating in a first rotational direction to power the first drive roller, the single motor rotating in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to power the second drive roller. 2. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser housing comprises a front wall containing the dispenser opening, and side walls including a door for servicing the dispenser. 3. A dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the dispenser mechanism is located in a space within the housing between a deepest part of the first roll of paper and a deepest part of the second roll of paper and between the front wall of the housing and both the first roll of paper and the second roll of paper. 4. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising: (a) a sensor for detecting the presence of an object and generating a signal;(b) a power supply for powering the dispenser mechanism; and(c) a control circuit for receiving the signal from the sensor and controlling the power supply to the dispenser mechanism. 5. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein paper from the first roll of paper is fed downwardly through the first drive roller and the first nip roller, and paper from the second roll of paper is fed upwardly through the second drive roller and the second nip roller. 6. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising: (a) feeder assembly for assisting loading of paper from the second roll of paper to between the second drive roller and the second nip roller. 7. A dispenser according to claim 1, further comprising: (a) first chute constructed to deliver paper front between the first drive roller and the first nip roller to the dispenser opening; and(b) a second chute constructed to deliver paper from between the second drive roller and the second nip roller to the dispenser opening. 8. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the dispenser is constructed to dispense paper from the first roll of paper through the dispenser opening while paper from the second roll of paper is located between the second drive roller and the second nip roller. 9. A dispenser according to claim l, wherein the dispenser is constructed to dispense paper from the second roll of paper through the dispenser opening while the paper from the first roll of paper is located between the first drive roller and the first nip roller. 10. A dual roll paper towel dispenser comprising: (a) a dispenser housing constructed to receive a first roll of paper on an upper mandrel and a second roll of paper on a lower mandrel;(b) a dispenser mechanism comprising: (i) a first drive roller for dispensing paper from the first roll of paper;(ii) a second drive roller for dispensing paper from the second roll of paper; and(iii) a drive system including a motor for selectively operating the first drive roller and the second drive roller, the drive system powering the motor in a first rotational direction to actuate the first drive roller, the drive system powering the motor in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to actuate the second drive roller. 11. The dual roll paper towel dispenser of claim 10, further comprising: (a) a paper sensor for detecting and generating a signal when the first roll is empty and when the second roll is empty;(b) a power supply for powering the dispenser mechanism motor; and(c) a control circuit for receiving the signal from the sensor and controlling the power supply to the dispenser mechanism motor, the control circuit including a motor direction setting. 12. The dual roll paper towel dispenser of claim 11, wherein: (a) the control circuit sets the motor direction setting to the first rotational direction until the first roll of paper has been detected as being empty and then sets the motor direction setting to the second rotational direction to dispense from the second roll of paper. 13. A method of dispensing towel from a dual roll paper towel dispenser comprising: (a) arranging a first roll of paper on a first mandrel and arranging a second roll of paper on a second mandrel, wherein: (i) the dispenser is mounted on a wall;(ii) the first roll of paper and the second roll of paper are located within a dispenser housing having a dispenser opening in a front wall of the housing;(iii) the dispenser includes a dispenser mechanism comprising a first drive roller and a first nip roller, and a second drive roller and a second nip roller; and(iv) paper from the first roll of paper is located between the first drive roller and the first nip roller, and paper from the second roll of paper is located between the second drive roller and the second nip roller; and(b) dispensing the paper from the first roll of paper through the dispenser opening or dispensing the paper from the second roll of paper through the dispenser opening by using a single motor to power the first drive roller and the second drive roller, the single motor rotating in a first rotational direction to power the first drive roller, the single motor rotating in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to power the second drive roller. 14. A dual roll paper towel dispenser comprising: (a) a dispenser housing, constructed to receive a first roll of paper and a second roll of paper wherein the first roll of paper and the second roll of paper are vertically arranged so that the first roll of paper is located vertically above the second roll of paper when the dispenser is mounted on a wall, and comprising a dispenser opening for dispensing paper from the first roll of paper and the second roll of paper;(b) a first mandrel for holding the first roll of paper within the dispenser housing and a second mandrel for holding the second roll of paper within the housing;(c) a dispenser mechanism comprising: (i) a first drive roller and a first nip roller for dispensing paper from the first roll of paper through the dispenser opening;(ii) a second drive roller and a second nip roller for dispensing paper from the second roll of paper through the dispenser opening; and(iii) a single motor for powering the first drive roller and the second drive roller; and(d) a cam stop and roller gear located on the upper and lower drive rollers, the cam stop comprising: (i) a lock having a driving surface and a locking surface,(ii) a pivot pin adjacent to the lock, wherein the lock and pivot pin are on a first surface of the cam stop; and(iii) a post on a second side of the cam stop, wherein the second side is opposite the first side;wherein the cam stop interacts with the roller gear of the dispenser, the roller gear including: (i) a ring opening; and(ii) a slot constructed between the ring opening;wherein the roller gear drives the cam stop by the slot of the roller gear interacting with the post of the cam stop; andwherein the cam stop is free to rotate about the pivot pin with limitations imposed by the slot on the roller gear and the lock. 15. A dispenser according to claim 14, further comprising: (a) a sensor for detecting the presence of an object and generating a signal;(b) a power supply for powering the dispenser mechanism; and(c) a control circuit for receiving the signal from the sensor and controlling the power supply to the dispenser mechanism. 16. A dispenser according to claim 14, wherein paper from the first roll of paper is fed downwardly through the first drive roller and the first nip roller, and paper from the second roll of paper is fed upwardly through the second drive roller and the second nip roller. 17. A dispenser according to claim 14, further comprising: (a) feeder assembly for assisting loading of paper from the second roll of paper to between the second drive roller and the second nip roller. 18. A dual roll paper towel dispenser comprising: (a) a dispenser housing constructed to receive a first roll of paper on an upper mandrel and a second roll of paper on a lower mandrel;(b) a dispenser mechanism comprising: (i) a first drive roller for dispensing paper from the first roll of paper;(ii) a second drive roller for dispensing paper from the second roll of paper; and(iii) a drive system including a motor for selectively operating the first drive roller and the second drive roller, the drive system powering the motor in a first rotational direction to actuate the first drive roller, the drive system powering the motor in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to actuate the second drive roller; and(c) a drive gear train including a first drive gear, a second drive gear, an upper roller gear and a lower roller gear, the first and second drive gears being mounted to a shaft of the motor, the upper roller gear being mounted to a shaft of the upper drive roller and being operated by the first drive gear, the lower roller gear being mounted to a shaft of the lower driver roller and being operated by the second drive gear. 19. The dual roll paper towel dispenser of claim 18, further comprising: (a) an idler gear intermeshed with the first drive gear and the upper roller gear such that the upper roller gear rotates in the first rotational direction when the motor is operated in the first rotational direction. 20. The dual roll paper towel dispenser of claim 19, wherein the second drive gear is intermeshed with the lower roller gear such that the second drive gear rotates in the first rotational direction when the motor is operated in the second rotational direction. 21. The dual roll paper towel dispenser of claim 18, wherein: (a) torque from the motor shaft is only transmitted to the first drive gear when the motor is driven in the first rotational direction; and(b) torque from the motor shaft is only transmitted to the second drive gear when the motor is driven in the second rotational direction. 22. The dual roll paper towel dispenser of claim 21, wherein: (a) the first drive gear includes a first one-way clutch bearing mounted to the motor shaft; and(b) the second drive gear includes a first one-way clutch bearing mounted to the motor shaft.