GB2096099A

GB2096099A - Continuous towel cabinet

Info

Publication number: GB2096099A
Application number: GB8109686A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: David Kennedy Engineers Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: David Kennedy Engineers Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 1981-03-27
Filing date: 1981-03-27
Publication date: 1982-10-13
Also published as: GB2096099B

Abstract

A continuous towel cabinet 10 has an arrangement of rollers 14, 15, 16, 19 for allowing clean towel to be withdrawn and for soiled towel to be rerolled, and a device for metering the length of clean towel which may be withdrawn at any one time. The metering device operates on a cycle defined by two revolutions of one of the rollers 14 during which a pin eccentrically mounted on one end of said one roller engages during the first revolution a first flange 28 on a plate 25 mounted for vertical movement to lift the plate from a lowered release position into an intermediate position where it is held by interengagement of holding means on said one roller and the plate, then engages during the second revolution a second flange 29 on the plate to lift the plate into a raised stop position in which it is held for a fixed period of time by engagement of a sucker 30 carried by the plate with a fixed sucker 31, and finally engages a stop 43 on the plate which precludes further rotation of said one roller and thereby further withdrawal of clean towel until the suckers disengage allowing the plate to fall to its release position. The holding means which prevents the plate 25 for falling from its intermediate position after the pin 38 has disengaged from flange 28 and before it has engaged lower flange 29 comprises a projection 39 on the plate which slides over a peripheral ramp on the rotating roller while the plate is in the intermediate position but can pass through slot between the ends of the ramp during vertical movement of the plate. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Continuous towel cabinets This invention relates to continuous towel cabinets.

It is usual to provide a continuous towel cabinet with a device for metering the length of clean towel which may be withdrawn at any one time. The action of withdrawing a length of towel sets the device into a condition which prevents the withdrawal of a further length of towel until a short period of time has elapsed. The device then releases itself whereupon a further length of towel may be withdrawn to repeat the cycle.

British Patent Application No. 2043592 relates to a continuous towel cabinet having a metering device comprising a plate which is vertically movable between a raised stop position and a lowered release position. A pin fixed to a gear wheel rotated by the roller over which clean towel is withdrawn describes a circular path during one revolution of the gear wheel. During this movement the pin raises the plate to its stop position in which a sucker on the plate engages a fixed sucker for a preset period of time and a flange on the plate blocks further rotation of the gear wheel and hence the withdrawal of clean towel. When the suckers disengage, the plate drops and the gear wheel is again able to be rotated through one revolution.

An object of this invention is to provide a similar metering device in which the pin performs two revolutions during each cycle and the gear wheel of the above described arrangement is omitted.

According to the invention a continuous towel cabinet comprises a holder for a roll of clean towel, an arrangement of rollers for allowing clean towel to be withdrawn and for soiled towel to be rerolled, and a device for metering the length of clean towel which may be withdrawn at any one time, the device comprising a plate mounted for vertical movement in a first stage between a lowered release position and an intermediate position and in a second stage between the intermediate position and a raised stop position in which a sucker carried by the plate engages a fixed sucker thereby holding the plate in its stop position for a period of time after which the suckers disengage allowing the plate to fall to its release position, movement of the plate in the upward direction being effected by a pin eccentrically mounted on one end of the roller or one of the rollers over which clean towel is withdrawn whereby the two upward vertical movements of the plate are effected by the pin during two consecutive revolutions of said one roller, and means are provided interengaging between the plate and said one roller which maintain the plate in its intermediate position until the plate is raised by the pin to its stop position.

Preferably said interengaging means for maintaining the plate temporarily in its intermediate position is a projection on the plate and an arcuate portion on the roller around which the projection slides whilst the plate is in its intermediate position, the arcuate portion being arranged so that it does not pre clude the pin from effecting upward vertical movement of the plate or the return movement of the plate to its release position.

It is also preferred that one of the suckers has an adjustable air release valve thereby allowing the period of time during which the plate remains in its raised stop position to be varied.

The arrangement of rollers may include a belt or chain drive between said one roller and the roller or one of the rollers over which passes the soiled towel being rerolled. By way of example, a specific embodiment in accordance with the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a continuous towel cabinet, one side wall of the cabinet being removed; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the metering device of the continuous towel cabinet of Fig.

1; the plate being in its lowered release position; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the metering device in a condition in which the plate is about to be raised by the pin during its first revolution; Figure 4 is a similar view to Fig. 3 of the metering device in its condition in which the plate is about to be raised further by the pin during its second revolution; and Figure 5 shows the plate of the metering device in its raised stop position.

Referring to the drawings, a continuous towel cabinet comprises a back portion 10 to which a front lever 9 is hinged. The back portion 10 incorporates two side walls 11 (only one of which is shown) from which a clean towel bin 1 2 is hung. Between the side walls 11 extend an arrangement of rollers which allow clean towel to be withdrawn into a loop 1 3 below the bin 1 2 and for soiled towel to be taken up into the cabinet and rerolled.At the upstream end of the towel path, the towel passes upwardly over a roughened metering roller 14, around a guide roller 1 5 and then downwardly into the loop 1 3. At the downstream end of the towel path, the soiled towel is rerolled on a roller 1 6 mounted in generally upwardly extending grooves 1 7 in the side walls 11 and which is driven by another roughened metering roller 1 9 through the outermost turn of the towel which has been rerolled.A toothed belt or chain drive 20 interconnects adjacent ends of the metering rollers 14, 1 9 which are of a similar diameter so that the length of soiled towel taken up onto the roller 1 6 is similar to the length of clean towel withdrawn at the front of the cabinet, whereby the size of the loop 1 3 remains constant. As the diameter of the roll of soiled towel increases the roller 16 slides up the grooves 1 7. A division plate 50 is provided between the rolls of clean and soiled towel, the ends of the plate being received in slots in the respective side walls 11 of the cabinet.

To limit the length of clean towel which may be withdrawn at any one time, there is provided a device for stopping rotation of the metering roller 14 after it has turned through two revolutions. This stop device is associated with the opposite end of the roller 14 to the end engaged by the drive belt or chain 20 and comprises a plate 25 mounted for vertical sliding movement between guide bars 26 provided on the adjacent side wall 11. The lowered release position of the plate 25 is determined by a slot 27 engaged by the mounting shaft 48 of the roller 14.

Upward movement of the plate 25 is effected in two stages by a pin 38, eccentrically mounted on the adjacent end of the roller 14.

During one revolution of the roller 14, the pin 38 engages an upper flange 28 on the plate 25 thereby raising the plate from its lowered release position (Fig. 3) to an intermediate position (Fig. 4). During the next revolution of the roller 14, the pin engages a lower flange 29 on the plate 25 to lift the plate from its intermediate position to its stop position (Fig.

5) in which a sucker 30 carried by the plate engages a fixed sucker 31. The plate 25 is then held in its raised stop position for a predetermined period of time which may be varied by an adjustable air release valve provided by one of the suckers. In this embodiment the upper fixed sucker 31 has an air release hole open to its stem 35 having a chamber housing a pad of foam rubber which is partially compressed by a screw 36. The screw 36 has a longitudinal flat to allow air to escape from the chamber. The degree of compression of the pad determines the rate of discharge of air from between the suckers 30, 31 and thus the period of time during which the plate 25 remains in its raised stop position. When the suckers disengage, the plate 25 falls under gravity and pressure of a spring 37 (Fig. 1) into its release position.

To prevent the plate 25 falling from its intermediate position (Fig. 4) during the period of rotation of the roller 14 after the pin 38 has disengaged from the flange 28 and before it engages the lower flange 29, the plate has a projection 39 which passes through a slot 40 in the periphery of the roller during the first stage of upward movement of the plate and then travels around the peripheral surface of the roller. The projection 39 passes through a second slot 41 in the periphery of the roller during the return movement of the plate to its release position. A ramp 42 prevents the projection 39 falling through the second slot 41 between the first and second stages of upward movement of the plate.

After the plate 25 has been raised to its stop position (Fig. 5), the roller 14 can still rotate until the pin 38 engages a flange 43 on the plate thereby precluding further withdrawal of clean towel. When the suckers have disengaged and the plate has returned to its release position a further length of clean towel may be withdrawn into the loop 13. The cycle of operation will then be repeated.

Claims

1. A continuous towel cabinet comprising a holder for a roll of clean towel, an arrangement of rollers for allowing clean towel to be withdrawn and for soiled towel to be rerolled, and a device for metering the length of clean towel which may be withdrawn at any one time, the device operating on a cycle defined by two revolutions of one of the rollers during which a pin eccentrically mounted on one end of said one roller engages in turn a first flange on a plate mounted for vertical movement to lift the plate from a lowered release position into an intermediate position where it is held by interengagement of holding means on said one roller and the plate, then a second flange on the plate to lift the plate into a raised stop position in which it is held for a fixed period of time by engagement of a sucker carried by the plate with a fixed sucker, and finally a stop on the plate which precludes further rotation of said one roller and thereby further withdrawal of clean towel until the suckers disengage allowing the plate to fall to its release position.

2. A continuous towel cabinet as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the holding means on said one roller for maintaining the plate temporarily in its intermediate position is an arcuate portion of the roller over which a projection on the plate slides whilst the plate is in its intermediate position.

3. A continuous towel cabinet as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the arcuate portion has two slots to allow the projection on the plate to pass therethrough respectively during the upward movement of the plate into its intermediate position and during the return downward movement of the plate.

4. A continuous towel cabinet as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the projection on the plate passes over the return slot in the arcuate portion during rotation of said one roller whilst the plate is in its intermediate position, and the arcuate portion is provided with a ramp to prevent the projection passing through the return slot at this time.

5. A continuous towel cabinet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said one roller is the roller or one of the rollers over which clean towel is withdrawn.

6. A continuous towel cabinet substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.