Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding – With supply coil replenishment
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-09
2003-07-15
Nguyen, John Q. (Department: 3654)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding
With supply coil replenishment
C242S560100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06592067
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the field of paper roll dispensers. In particular it relates to a carousel dispensing system for paper towels adapted to dispense paper from a plurality of rolls. This invention relates to the field of proximity sensors. In particular it relates to the field of phase-balance proximity sensors.
BACKGROUND
As is readily apparent, a long-standing problem is to keep paper towel available in a dispenser and at the same time use up each roll as completely as possible to avoid paper waste. As part of this system, one ought to keep in mind the person who refills the towel dispenser. An optimal solution would make it as easy as possible and as “fool-proof” as possible to operate the towel refill system and have it operate in such a manner as the least amount of waste of paper towel occurs. This waste may take the form of “stub” rolls of paper towel not being used up.
Transfer devices are used on some roll towel dispensers as a means of reducing waste and decreasing operating costs. These transfer devices work in a variety of ways. The more efficient of these devices automatically begin feeding from a reserve roll once the initial roll is exhausted. These devices eliminate the waste caused by a maintenance person when replacing small rolls with fresh rolls in an effort to prevent the dispenser from running out of paper. These transfer devices, however, tend to be difficult to load and/or to operate. Consequently, these transfer devices are less frequently used, even though they are present.
The current transfer bar mechanisms tend to require the maintenance person to remove any unwanted core tube(s), remove the initial partial roll from the reserve position, and position the initial partial roll into the now vacant stub roll position. This procedure is relatively long and difficult, partly because the stub roll positions in these current paper towel dispensers tend to be cramped and difficult to get to.
In order to keep a roll available in the dispenser, it is necessary to provide for a refill before the roll is used up. This factor generally requires that a “refill” be done before the current paper towel roll is used up. If the person refilling the dispenser comes too late, the paper towel roll will be used up. If the refill occurs too soon, the amount of paper towel in the almost used-up roll, the “stub” roll, will be wasted unless there is a method and a mechanism for using up the stub roll even though the dispenser has been refilled. Another issue exists, as to the ease in which the new refill roll is added to the paper towel dispenser. The goal is to bring “on-stream” the new refill roll as the last of the stub roll towel is being used up. If it is a task easily done by the person replenishing the dispensers, then a higher probability exists that the stub roll paper towel will actually be used up and also that a refill roll be placed into service before the stub roll has entirely been used up. It would be extremely desirable to have a paper towel dispenser which tended to minimize paper wastage by operating in a nearly “fool proof” manner with respect to refilling and using up the stub roll.
As an enhancement and further development of a system for delivering paper towel to the end user in as cost effective manner and in a user-friendly manner as possible, an automatic means for dispensing the paper towel is desirable, making it unnecessary for a user to physically touch a knob or a lever.
It has long been known that the insertion of an object with a dielectric constant into a volume with an electrostatic field will tend to modify the properties which the electrostatic field sees. For example, sometimes it is noticed that placing one hand near some radios will change the tuning of that radio. In these cases, the property of the hand, a dielectric constant close to that of water, is enough to alter the net capacitance of a tuned circuit within the radio, where that circuit affects the tuning of the RF signal being demodulated by that radio. In 1973 Riechmann (U.S. Pat. No. 3,743,865) described a circuit which used two antenna structures to detect an intrusion in the effective space of the antennae. Frequency and amplitude of a relaxation oscillator were affected by affecting the value of its timing capacitor.
The capacity (C) is defined as the charge (Q) stored on separated conductors with a voltage (V) difference between the conductors:
C=Q/V.
For two infinite conductive planes with a charge per unit area of &sgr;, a separation of d, with a dielectric constant ∈ of the material between the infinite conductors, the capacitance of an area A is given by:
C=∈A&sgr;/d
Thus, where part of the separating material has a dielectric constant ∈
1
and part of the material has the dielectric constant ∈
2
, the net capacity is:
C=∈
1
A
1
&sgr;/d+∈
2
A
2
&sgr;/d
The human body is about 70% water. The dielectric constant of water is 7.18×10
−10
farads/meter compared to the dielectric constant of air (STP): 8.85×10
−12
farads/meter. The dielectric constant of water is over 80 times the dielectric constant of air. For a hand thrust into one part of space between the capacitor plates, occupying, for example, a hundredth of a detection region between large, but finite parallel conducting plates, a desirable detection ability in terms of the change in capacity is about 10
−4
. About 10
−2
is contributed by the difference in the dielectric constants and about 10
−2
is contributed by the “area” difference.
Besides Riechmann (1973), other circuits have been used for, or could be used for proximity sensing.
An important aspect of a proximity detector circuit of this type is that it be inexpensive, reliable, and easy to manufacture. A circuit made of a few parts tends to help with reliability, cost and ease of manufacture. Another desirable characteristic for electronic circuits of this type is that they have a high degree of noise immunity, i.e., that they work well where there may be electromagnetic noise and interference. The circuit will perform better in more locations. It will have acceptable performance in more areas of application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention comprises to a carousel-based dispensing system for paper towels, in particular, which acts to minimize actual wastage of paper towels. The invention comprises means for holding and positioning at least first and second rolls of paper with respect to each other, means for dispensing paper from the first roll, means for dispensing paper from the first and second rolls simultaneously when the first roll reduces to a predetermined diameter of paper, means for positioning the depleted first roll for replacement without the necessity of removing the second roll and means for dispensing from the second and replacement rolls simultaneously when the second roll reduces to a predetermined diameter of paper.
The proximity sensor embodiment comprises a circuit according to a balanced bridge principle where detection is based on detecting a phase difference, which depends upon the amount of detected capacitance difference or change of capacitance in a region of detection.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2193759 (1940-03-01), Birr
patent: 2839345 (1958-06-01), Engel et al.
patent: 2859814 (1958-11-01), Berney
patent: 2930663 (1960-03-01), Weiss
patent: 3007650 (1961-11-01), Burton
patent: 3269592 (1966-08-01), Slye
patent: 3288387 (1966-11-01), Craven, Jr.
patent: 3384280 (1968-05-01), Summersby
patent: 3628743 (1971-12-01), Bastian et al.
patent: 3635417 (1972-01-01), Kajiwara et al.
patent: 3636408 (1972-01-01), Shuman
patent: 3717191 (1973-02-01), Graham, Jr. et al.
patent: 3730409 (1973-05-01), Ratti
patent: 3743865 (1973-07-01), Riechmann
patent: 3850356 (1974-11-01), Abe et al.
patent: 3858951 (1975-01-01), Rasmussen
patent: 3917191 (1975-11-01), Graham, Jr. et al.
patent: 4099118 (1978-07-01), Franklin et al.
patent: 4106684 (1978-08-01), Hartbauer et al.
patent: 4148442 (1979-04-01), Baumann et al.
Broehl Joshua Michael
Denen Dennis Joseph
Hayes Robert James
Knittle John Joseph
Linstedt Brian Kenneth
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Georgia-Pacific Corporation
Nguyen John Q.
LandOfFree
Minimizing paper waste carousel-style dispenser apparatus,... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Minimizing paper waste carousel-style dispenser apparatus,..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Minimizing paper waste carousel-style dispenser apparatus,... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3044018