Supports: cabinet structure – For sheet material – In roll form
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-27
2003-06-17
Hansen, James O. (Department: 3637)
Supports: cabinet structure
For sheet material
In roll form
C312S034800
Reexamination Certificate
active
06578936
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to roll web dispensers and more particularly to continuous roll towel dispensers in which a portion of the dispensed web is grasped by the hands of the user to actuate the dispensing of a clean unused length of web material.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Continuous roll towel dispensers in which a loop of towel material is fed out of a slot adjacent the front bottom edge of the dispenser and returned into the dispenser through a rear slot have been known for many years. Generally the user of these devices would grasp the edges of the front of the loop adjacent the top of the loop as it exits the dispenser slot and pull down to dispense a clean unused portion of towel. Depending on the extent of usage of the exposed loop by the prior user a person grasping the towel edges to dispense a clean portion may contact the used portion of the towel with the undesired effect of possible contamination from the prior user.
PRIOR ART
Over the years various attempts have been made to present to a subsequent user a clean portion of towel to be grasped for the purpose of dispensing a full length of clean unused towel. These have involved sophisticated powered devices, time delay releases, retracter mechanisms and the like which sometimes malfunction. U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,231 shows a dispenser of this type in which the used towel is retracted into the dispenser housing and a blister like downward protrusion of the cabinet is used to hold the edges of a clean portion of towel away from the cabinet bottom so the next user may grasp clean towel to pull out a length sufficient to dry the hands. This is an expensive and complicated way to try and ensure the next user does not grasp used towel to dispense a clean portion. None of the prior art has successfully addressed this problem in a simple and economical fashion.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly it an object of the present invention to provide a simple effective presentation of clean unused towel to a new user for actuation of the dispenser by pulling down on the towel loop with out having to use previously used towel.
It is another object of the invention to prevent ordinary use of a portion of the clean unused towel dispensed by a user for the next user to grasp to dispense another unused length of towel.
It is yet another object of the invention to prevent contact with the used towel and surfaces touched thereby by a user triggering the dispensing of a clean unused towel segment.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shield adjacent the clean towel dispensing slot to inhibit hand contact with the extreme upper portion of dispensed towel.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a shield with apertures at the edges of the dispensed towel web to allow a subsequent user to grasp clean unused towel.
These and other and further objects are achieved in an embodiment of the invention in which a tab is extended downwardly from the front edge of the clean towel dispensing slot a distance sufficient to provide a clean segment of towel for a subsequent user to grasp through apertures at the ends thereof to dispense a new length of unused towel without having to contact the used towel.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2144087 (1939-01-01), Von Schlegell
patent: 4856854 (1989-08-01), Nishiyama et al.
patent: 5820231 (1998-10-01), Schön
patent: 465802 (1950-06-01), None
Hansen James O.
Wright Robert O.
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