Towel dispenser with anti-free wheel mechanism

Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding – With drive mechanism

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C242S564300, C192S01700D, C074S133000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06206322

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to towel dispensers that dispense towel, such as paper towel and the like. In particular, the invention relates to a towel dispenser having an anti-free wheel mechanism associated therewith to prevent towel from being manually pulled out of the dispenser. The invention is particularly useful for paper towel dispensers in order to prevent excessive use of paper towel and thereby avoid paper waste.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Roll paper towel dispensers are well known. They are most commonly found in and around lavatories, bathrooms, wash sinks and the like to enable users to dry their hands and other body parts after washing. Paper towel dispensers are typically mounted onto a wall to permit user access thereto, with the dispensers being manually actuated by the user to dispense a desired length of paper towel from a paper towel roll. One drawback of many conventional paper towel dispensers is that the towel can be manually pulled from the dispenser by a user without actuating the dispensing mechanism typically provided therefor, thereby leading to excessive use of paper towel and thus paper waste.
One prior art paper towel dispenser that incorporates a device to prevent a user from pulling towel from the dispenser is U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,125 to Tucker et al. This device utilizes what is referred to as an anti-milking hook 130 that engages with a dispensing roll 30 and prevents rotation thereof when a user attempts to pull paper towel from the dispenser. This device also utilizes a pivotally mounted lever connected to a drive mechanism that causes paper towel dispense during both a downstroke and a return stroke of the lever.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,084,598 to Antone describes a paper towel dispenser having an idler gear 33 with a finger 34 that permits discharge of paper towel only when a wheel 29 is rotated.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 2,622,873 to Wenneche discloses a paper towel dispenser that utilizes a yoke 46 that permits a predetermined amount of paper towel to be pulled from the dispenser and thereafter locks the dispenser to prevent further dispense until the yoke is again actuated.
Additional dispensers that are designed to control paper towel dispense and/or prevent pulling of paper towel from the dispensers are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,865,395; 3,266,338; 4,192,442; and 3,107,957.
While these towel dispenser designs are adequate for their intended purposes, a continuing need exists for an improved towel dispenser that prevents excessive use of towel, such as paper towel, and thereby avoid paper waste.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an improved towel dispenser for dispensing roll towel material, such as paper towel, cloth towel and the like, that is designed to prevent excessive use of the towel and thereby avoid towel waste. In particular, the towel dispenser of the invention includes an anti-free wheel mechanism incorporated therein to prevent the towel material from being pulled out of the dispenser without activating a dispensing mechanism. By preventing towel material from pulled out of the dispenser, excessive towel useage is prevented, thereby preventing towel material wastage.
In one embodiment in accordance with the invention, a towel dispenser is provided. The dispenser includes a housing, and a dispensing mechanism associated with the housing for dispensing towel stored within the housing. The dispensing mechanism includes a dispensing lever that is moveably supported by the housing whereby the lever is moveable from a first position to a second position and from the second position back to the first position, and a dispensing gear that is rotatably supported by the housing. The dispensing gear is in driving engagement with the dispensing lever and is rotatable thereby in a first direction. A latch is connected to the dispensing lever and is moveable therewith when the dispensing lever moves between the first and second positions. The latch is engaged with the dispensing gear to prevent rotation thereof in the first direction when the dispensing lever is at the first position.
These and various other advantages and features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages and objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying description, in which there is described a preferred embodiment of the invention.


REFERENCES:
patent: 1084598 (1914-01-01), Antone
patent: 1975414 (1934-10-01), Wade
patent: 2004431 (1935-06-01), Fitz Gerald
patent: 2164673 (1939-07-01), Yarian
patent: 2584212 (1952-02-01), Lanegan et al.
patent: 2622873 (1952-12-01), Wenneche
patent: 2830810 (1958-04-01), Colburn et al.
patent: 3010338 (1961-11-01), Layton
patent: 3045885 (1962-07-01), Dahlin et al.
patent: 3059982 (1962-10-01), Dahlin
patent: 3107957 (1963-10-01), Batlas et al.
patent: 3127121 (1964-03-01), Babin
patent: 3266338 (1966-08-01), Layton et al.
patent: 3606125 (1971-09-01), Tucker et al.
patent: 4192442 (1980-03-01), Bastian et al.
patent: 4664304 (1987-05-01), Wendt et al.
patent: 5061232 (1991-10-01), Bloch et al.
patent: 5294192 (1994-03-01), Omdoll et al.
patent: 5400982 (1995-03-01), Collins
patent: 5526973 (1996-06-01), Boone et al.
patent: 5865395 (1999-02-01), Wei

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