JP7517766B1 - Sanitary Product Dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

The dispenser (10) has a storage section (21), a delivery mechanism (30, 60), a housing (11), a door (51), a door sensor (55), and a CPU (70). The storage section stores napkins (N). The delivery mechanism delivers the napkins from the storage section. The housing (11) has an outlet (13L, 13R) that delivers the napkins delivered from the storage section by the delivery mechanism. The door is provided so as to be movable between a closed position that closes the outlet and an open position that opens the outlet. The door sensor has a light emitting section (55a) and a light receiving section (55b). The light receiving section is disposed above the outlet within the housing. The door sensor detects that the door is disposed in the open position based on the fact that the emitted light is blocked by the protrusion (56) when the door moves to the open position, and the light receiving section does not receive the emitted light. The door sensor detects that the door is not in the open position when the light receiving portion receives the emitted light. The CPU operates the sending mechanism to send out a napkin through the outlet, and after the napkin sent out through the outlet is taken out by the user, based on the detection that the door is not in the open position, operates the sending mechanism in the opposite direction to the sending out direction to take out the next napkin.

Description

The present invention relates to a sanitary product dispenser that is installed, for example, in a toilet, for providing sanitary products such as sanitary products and pocket tissues.

As women advance into society, their lifestyles have changed dramatically, and as a result, some problems have arisen. One of these problems is related to menstruation, a physical phenomenon unique to women.

During menstruation, women use sanitary products such as napkins and tampons to prevent menstrual blood from leaking. Therefore, women generally carry these sanitary products with them when their period approaches.

The amount of menstrual blood varies from day to day, but if blood-stained sanitary products are left on for a long time, it can cause bacteria to grow and can lead to stuffiness and odor. Therefore, during menstruation, sanitary products should usually be changed every two to three hours.

For example, some restaurants and hotels provide sanitary products in baskets next to the sink in the women's restrooms for female guests whose period comes earlier than expected and who do not have sanitary products with them. Customers who wish to use them can freely take sanitary products from the basket and use them.

This is ideal, but people can take the items home even if they don't need them, taking advantage of the fact that they can be taken out freely. In the extreme, someone who is not on their period could take them all away. This is an unfortunate act that ruins the kindness of the establishments (e.g. restaurants and hotels) that left them there, and it could have the ironic result of people who actually want to use them not being able to do so.

In addition, some people hesitate to use sanitary products when they are simply placed in a basket, as anyone can touch them. For example, in a situation where a pathogenic virus is spreading, touching something that you don't know who has touched before can be very unsettling.

On the other hand, one way to provide sanitary products to women who need them while dispelling such concerns is to use dispensers that contain sanitary products, as described in non-patent document 1.

In fact, some companies have installed such dispensers in private rooms in women's restrooms as part of their employee benefits, allowing female employees who find that their period comes earlier than expected and who do not have any sanitary products with them to use freely.

Sanitary products are usually stored inside the dispenser, and when they are taken out, they are ejected one by one from inside, so the sanitary products are not touched by an unspecified number of people. Therefore, those who wish to use the sanitary products can use them with peace of mind, without feeling any discomfort.

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However, although this type of dispenser dispenses sanitary products one at a time when the user operates it, there is no limit to the number of sanitary products that can be dispensed. Therefore, by repeatedly operating the dispenser, it is possible to dispense any number of sanitary products.

Therefore, as mentioned above, this type of dispenser does not solve the problem mentioned above, as it allows even people who are not on their period to take out and take away an unlimited amount of sanitary products.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to reliably provide sanitary products to users who wish to use them.

In order to achieve the above objective, the present invention takes the following measures:

That is, the sanitary product dispenser of the first aspect of the present invention has a storage section, a delivery mechanism, a housing, a lid member, a detection section, and a control section. The storage section stores sanitary products. The delivery mechanism delivers the sanitary products from the storage section. The housing has an outlet through which the sanitary products delivered from the storage section by the delivery mechanism are discharged. The housing houses the storage section and the delivery mechanism. The lid member is provided so as to be movable between a closed position that closes the outlet and an open position that opens the outlet. The detection section has a light emitting section and a light receiving section that receives light emitted from the light emitting section. The light receiving section is disposed above the outlet within the housing. The detection section detects that the lid member is disposed in the open position based on the fact that the light receiving section does not receive the emitted light because the emitted light is blocked by a part of the lid member due to the movement of the lid member to the open position. The detection section detects that the lid member is not disposed in the open position when the light receiving section receives the emitted light. The control unit operates the sending mechanism to send out the sanitary product through the discharge port, and after the sanitary product sent out through the discharge port is removed by the user, based on the detection unit detecting that the lid member is not positioned in the open position, operates the sending mechanism in the opposite direction to that of sending out to remove the next sanitary product.

A second aspect of the sanitary product dispenser of the present invention is the sanitary product dispenser of the first aspect, further comprising a cylindrical frame member arranged inside the housing so as to surround the outlet and having an opening communicating with the outlet, and a light receiving portion of the detection unit on the outside of the cylindrical frame member above the outlet.

A third aspect of the sanitary product dispenser of the present invention is the sanitary product dispenser of the second aspect, which further has a plate-shaped holding member arranged horizontally and spaced above the cylindrical frame member, and a light receiving unit is attached to the underside of the holding member.

A fourth aspect of the sanitary product dispenser of the present invention is the sanitary product dispenser of the third aspect, further comprising a frame body having a generally U-shaped cross section that holds the light-emitting part and the light-receiving part of the detection unit in an opposing relationship, and the frame body is fixed to the underside of the holding member.

A fifth aspect of the sanitary product dispenser of the present invention is a sanitary product dispenser of the fourth aspect, in which the cylindrical frame member has an insertion hole through which a part of the lid member interposed between the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit passes when the lid member moves to the open position.

The hygiene product dispenser of the present invention ensures that hygiene products are provided to users who wish to use them.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a sanitary product dispenser according to one embodiment of the present invention installed in a toilet cubicle. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the dispenser of FIG. 1 with its front cover open. FIG. 3 is a side view of the dispenser shown in FIG. 2 with the front cover open, as viewed from the right side. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the dispenser of FIG. 1 as seen from the rear side. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting structure of a discharge tray in the housing of the dispenser of FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing an enlarged discharge tray in the housing of the dispenser of FIG. 2. FIG. 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the discharge tray in FIG. 8A to 8C are diagrams illustrating the operation of the discharge tray in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a door of the door unit of FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged front view showing a main part of the door unit in FIG. 2 with the door open. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram for explaining the door opening/closing detection operation of the door unit of FIG. 2. In FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the layout of inventory sensors in the dispenser housing of FIG. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an example of an electronic circuit configuration of the dispenser of FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the history information table.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in Fig. 1, a sanitary product dispenser 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as dispenser 10) has a housing 11 in the shape of a substantially rectangular box. Housing 11 has a rear case 12 and a front case 13. Dispenser 10 is attached to the wall 1 of each private room of a women's restroom, for example, as shown in Fig. 1. Below, the up-down, front-rear, and left-right directions are defined when viewing dispenser 10 from a direction perpendicular to wall 1. Note that the "stacking direction" described below is the up-down direction, and the "discharge direction" is the direction from rear to front.

The sanitary products handled by the dispenser 10 include feminine hygiene napkins, tampons, pocket tissues, etc. The dispenser 10 can also handle other sanitary products, such as paper pants or diapers that are folded up small and wrapped in a package. The dispenser 10 may be designed to fit the size of the sanitary products it handles. The dispenser 10 of this embodiment handles napkins N (Figure 2) and is designed to fit the size of the napkins N.

The rear case 12 has a rear wall 121, a top wall 122, a bottom wall 123, a left side wall 124, and a right side wall 125 integrally. The rear wall 121 is a generally rectangular plate and is arranged close to and parallel to the wall 1 of the toilet stall. The top wall 122 is a generally rectangular plate and extends vertically from the upper end of the rear wall 121 forward. The bottom wall 123 is a generally rectangular plate and extends vertically from the lower end of the rear wall 121 forward. The left side wall 124 is a generally rectangular plate and extends vertically from the left end of the rear wall 121 forward. The right side wall 125 is a generally rectangular plate and extends vertically from the right end of the rear wall 121 forward.

The front case 13 has a front wall 131, a top wall 132, a bottom wall 133, a left side wall 134, and a right side wall 135 integrally. The front wall 131 is a substantially rectangular plate having a shape substantially the same as that of the rear wall 121 of the rear case 12, and is arranged parallel to the rear wall 121 of the rear case 12. The top wall 132 is a substantially rectangular plate and extends from the upper end of the front wall 131 toward the rear, perpendicular to the front wall 131. The bottom wall 133 is a substantially rectangular plate and extends from the lower end of the front wall 131 toward the rear, perpendicular to the front wall 131. The left side wall 134 is a substantially rectangular plate and extends from the left end of the front wall 131 toward the rear, perpendicular to the front wall 131. The right side wall 135 is a substantially rectangular plate and extends from the right end of the front wall 131 toward the rear, perpendicular to the front wall 131.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 11 of the dispenser 10 includes a storage section 21 for storing flat napkins N stacked one on top of the other. The napkins N are packaged in a resin exterior material. The rear case 12 has a substantially rectangular opening 12a on the front side for accessing the storage section 21. The opening 12a is a substantially rectangular opening surrounded by the front end of the top wall 122, the front end of the bottom wall 123, the front end of the left side wall 124, and the front end of the right side wall 125.

The front case 13 is rotatably connected to the rear case 12 via two hinges 14. The two hinges 14 connect the front end of the bottom wall 123 of the rear case 12, i.e., the lower edge of the opening 12a, to the rear end of the bottom wall 133 of the front case 13.

The front case 13 closes the opening 12a of the rear case 12 when placed in the closed position of Fig. 1, and opens the opening 12a of the rear case 12 when placed in the open position of Fig. 2. The top wall 122 of the rear case 12 and the top wall 132 of the front case 13 have locking parts 15 for locking the front case 13 to the rear case 12 when the front case 13 is placed in the closed position as shown in Fig. 1. Locking the front case 13 to the rear case 12 can prevent the napkins N stored in the storage part 21 from being touched by someone or being taken out without limit.

As shown in Figure 3, when the front case 13 is in the open position, it is disposed at an acute angle (e.g., approximately 80°) to the rear case 12. Two wires 16 of the same length are stretched between the rear case 12 and the front case 13. The two wires 16 are flexible and linear, and are attached to the left and right sides of the housing 11. Only the right-side wire 16 is shown in Figure 3, and the wire 16 is omitted in Figure 2. Fasteners 16a are fixed to both ends of the wire 16.

Each wire 16 is attached between the rear case 12 and the front case 13 by engaging a fastener 16a at one end with an engagement portion 12b (Fig. 2) provided on the rear wall 121 of the rear case 12 and engaging a fastener 16a at the other end with an engagement portion 13b (Fig. 2) provided on the front wall 131 of the front case 13. The length of the wire 16 is set so that when the front case 13 is opened under its own weight and the wire 16 is stretched between the rear case 12 and the front case 13 as shown in Fig. 3, the front wall 131 of the front case 13 is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the rear wall 121 of the rear case 12.

The fastener 16a of the wire 16 is detachable from the engagement portion 12b of the rear case 12 and the engagement portion 13b of the front case 13. When the engagement of the fastener 16a of the wire 16 with the rear case 12 or the front case 13 is released, the front case 13 can be freely rotated to a desired angle with respect to the rear case 12. The wire 16 is not limited to being made of metal, and may be, for example, a resin wire.

When refilling the dispenser 10 attached to the wall 1 with napkins N or during maintenance, the front case 13 can be opened with the wire 16 tensioned (as shown in FIG. 3) to hold the front case 13 in the open position even if the working space in front of the dispenser 10 is narrow. When the front case 13 is placed in the closed position shown in FIG. 1, the wire 16 is in a slack state within the housing 11.

By arranging the front case 13 at an acute angle to the rear case 12, compared to when the front case 13 is opened at a right angle to the rear case 12, the front case 13 can be held in the open position even in a situation where sufficient working space cannot be secured in front of the dispenser 10. On the other hand, when assembling the dispenser 10, the front case 13 can be opened widely with the wire 16 removed, improving workability. The wire 16 can be attached after the dispenser 10 is installed on the wall 1.

As shown in FIG. 4, three vertical ribs 17C, 17L, 17R extending vertically, two horizontal ribs 18L, 18R extending horizontally, and six substantially elliptical bosses 19 (hereinafter, sometimes collectively referred to as protruding parts 17C, 17L, 17R, 18L, 18R, 19) are provided on the outer surface 121b side of the rear wall 121 of the rear case 12. The protruding parts 17C, 17L, 17R, 18L, 18R, 19 are formed by pressing the rear wall 121 formed of sheet metal. For this reason, the inner surface 121a side of the rear wall 121 of the rear case 12 has a plurality of recesses (not shown) having shapes following the shapes of the protruding parts 17C, 17L, 17R, 18L, 18R, 19. The two horizontal ribs 18L, 18R are bulging parts for receiving the rear end 30R of the discharge tray 30 described later. The boss 19 has a hole through which a screw for fixing the rear case 12 of the dispenser 10 to the wall 1 is inserted.

The three vertical ribs 17C, 17L, and 17R are provided parallel to each other at the center and both sides of the left and right direction of the rear case 12. The central vertical rib 17C is wider than the left and right vertical ribs 17L and 17R. The horizontal rib 18L is disposed between the central vertical rib 17C and the left vertical rib 17L near their lower ends, and the horizontal rib 18R is disposed between the central vertical rib 17C and the right vertical rib 17R near their lower ends. There are gaps between the left end of the left horizontal rib 18L and the left vertical rib 17L, between the right end of the horizontal rib 18L and the central vertical rib 17C, between the right end of the right horizontal rib 18R and the right vertical rib 17R, and between the left end of the horizontal rib 18R and the central vertical rib 17C.

1, when attaching dispenser 10 to wall 1 of a private room in a women's restroom, if the seam between the panels that make up wall 1 protrudes slightly, protruding parts 17C, 17L, 17R, 18L, 18R, and 19 function effectively. In other words, in this case, by fixing rear case 12 to wall 1 by abutting protruding parts 17C, 17L, 17R, 18L, 18R, and 19 that protrude from the back surface of rear case 12 against wall 1 at positions away from the seam of wall 1, dispenser 10 can be fixed to wall 1 without rattling.

As shown in Figure 2, the storage section 21 inside the housing 11 is divided into two storage sections 21L and 21R, which are arranged side by side on the left and right sides inside the housing 11. Hereinafter, when looking at the dispenser 10 from the front, the left storage section will be given the reference symbol 21L, and the right storage section will be given the reference symbol 21R. Since the two storage sections 21L and 21R have approximately the same structure, the left storage section 21L will be mainly described here, and the right storage section 21R will be given the same reference symbol and its description will be omitted.

The storage section 21L is surrounded by two partition plates 22L and 22R on the left and right, a bottom plate 24, and a rear plate 26. The upper end and front side of the storage section 21L are open. The bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L is provided to connect the lower ends of the two partition plates 22L and 22R to the lower end of the rear plate 26. The rear plate 26 is provided to connect the rear ends of the two partition plates 22L and 22R to the rear end of the bottom plate 24. The distance between the two partition plates 22L and 22R, i.e., the width of the storage section 21L in the left-right direction, is slightly larger than the width of the napkins N stored in the storage section 21L. If the size of the napkins N to be handled changes, the distance between the two partition plates 22L and 22R can be changed.

The two partition plates 22L and 22R, the bottom plate 24, and the rear plate 26 of the storage section 21L are fixed to the inner surface 121a of the rear wall 121 of the rear case 12. At this time, the rear plate 26 of the storage section 21L contacts the inner surface 121a of the rear wall 121 of the rear case 12, and the rear plate 26 and the rear wall 121 are arranged parallel to each other. The two partition plates 22L and 22R and the bottom plate 24 have a size that protrudes forward from the opening 12a of the rear case 12. In other words, the length of the two partition plates 22L and 22R and the bottom plate 24 in the front-rear direction is greater than the thickness of the rear case 12 in the front-rear direction (i.e., the protruding height of the top wall 122, the bottom wall 123, and the side walls 124 and 125 from the rear wall 121). 3 with the front case 13 open, the partition plates 22L, 22R (only the right side is shown in FIG. 3) of the storage section 21L and a portion of the front of the bottom plate 24 protrude forward from the opening 12a of the rear case 12. From another perspective, the two storage sections 21L, 21R are provided across the internal space of the rear case 12 and the internal space of the front case 13, respectively.

The two partition plates 22L, 22R each have a locking piece 23L, 23R at its front end to prevent the napkin N from falling forward. The locking pieces 23L, 23R are integral with the partition plates 22L, 22R, respectively, and have a structure in which the front ends of the partition plates 22L, 22R are partially bent at approximately right angles in directions facing each other. The locking pieces 23L, 23R are disposed inside the front case 13 when the front case 13 is disposed in the closed position. The locking pieces 23L, 23R extend approximately parallel to the opening 12a of the rear case 12.

The vertical length of the locking pieces 23L, 23R is shorter than the vertical length of the partition plates 22L, 22R. Therefore, there is a portion between the lower ends of the locking pieces 23L, 23R and the bottom plate 24 where the locking pieces 23L, 23R are not present, and several napkins N near the lower end in the stacking direction can move forward via this portion. The discharge openings 13L, 13R of the front case 13 when placed in the closed position shown in Figure 1 are below the lower ends of the locking pieces 23L, 23R.

On the bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L, there is a discharge tray 30 for discharging multiple napkins N stacked vertically in order from the bottom end in the stacking direction. The napkin N1 at the bottom in the stacking direction is placed on the discharge tray 30 in a state of contact. Among the multiple napkins N stacked on the top surface 31 of the discharge tray 30, the napkin N1 at the bottom in the stacking direction that is in contact with the top surface 31 is an example of a "sanitary product" within the scope of the claims.

Each of the two storage sections 21L, 21R can store, for example, 20 to 30 napkins N stacked together. In order to prevent the napkins N stacked in each storage section 21L, 21R from bulging upward, a weight member 40 is placed on top of each napkin N at the top end in the stacking direction.

Figure 2 shows the state where no napkins N are stored in the left storage section 21L. Therefore, in Figure 2, the discharge tray 30 is visible at the bottom of the left storage section 21L. Meanwhile, the right storage section 21R shows a state where six napkins N are stored in a stack, with a weight member 40 placed on the topmost napkin N. Therefore, the discharge tray 30 at the bottom of the right storage section 21R is not visible. The weight member 40 has a weight equivalent to, for example, two or three napkins N.

Door units 50L, 50R are provided at positions facing the front of the bottom plate 24 of each storage section 21L, 21R. When the front case 13 is closed, the left and right exhaust openings 13L, 13R of the front case 13 face the front of each door unit 50L, 50R. When the front case 13 is closed, the exhaust openings 13L, 13R are at approximately the same height as the inner surface 24a of the bottom plate 24 of the storage sections 21R, 21L.

That is, when the front case 13 is closed, each door unit 50L, 50R is disposed between the lower end of the storage section 21L, 21R and the discharge opening 13L, 13R of the front case 13. Each door unit 50L, 50R has a door 51 (Fig. 2) that is pushed open by a napkin N. The door 51 is an example of a "lid member" in the claims. Because the left and right door units 50L, 50R have the same structure, the left door unit 50L will be described here as a representative, and a description of the right door unit 50R will be omitted.

The dispenser 10 having the above structure moves the discharge tray 30 forward in response to a valid provision request from the user, and discharges the lowest napkin N1 among the napkins N stored in the storage sections 21R, 21L through the door units 50L, 50R and from the discharge openings 13L, 13R (Figure 1) of the front case 13.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the discharge tray 30 provided at the bottom of the storage section 21L is a substantially rectangular plate. The discharge tray 30 has a vertical wall 32 protruding toward the upper surface 31 of its rear end 30R. The vertical wall 32 is provided across the entire width of the discharge tray 30 in the left-right direction. The vertical wall 32 has a flat pressing surface 32a extending in the vertical direction on its front surface. The pressing surface 32a is a surface that is substantially perpendicular to the upper surface 31 of the discharge tray 30. The height of the pressing surface 32a from the upper surface 31 of the discharge tray 30 to the upper end of the vertical wall 32 is less than the thickness of one napkin N, and is preferably about 80% to 100% of the thickness of the napkin N. In addition, the vertical wall 32 has a curved surface 32b on its rear surface that bulges backward from the upper end of the pressing surface 32a.

The thickness of napkins N varies depending on the manufacturer. The dispenser 10 of this embodiment can make the discharge tray 30 replaceable so that multiple types of napkins N of different thicknesses can be handled. In other words, a discharge tray 30 having a vertical wall 32 with a protruding height according to the thickness of the napkin N can be selected and used. Alternatively, the vertical wall 32 can be made removable from the discharge tray 30, and a vertical wall 32 with a height according to the thickness of the napkin N can be selected and attached to the discharge tray 30.

The discharge tray 30 has a flat lower surface 33 that is in surface contact with the inner surface 24a of the bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L. The upper surface 31 of the discharge tray 30 is a cylindrical surface that converges from its rear end toward the tip 30F. The upper surface 31 and the lower surface 33 of the discharge tray 30 are connected and converge toward the tip 30F of the discharge tray 30.

The discharge tray 30 has two racks 34L, 34R and a slide protrusion 35 on its lower surface 33. The discharge tray 30 includes a vertical wall 32, racks 34L, 34R, and slide protrusion 35, and can be integrally molded from resin. The racks 34L, 34R are arranged parallel to each other at a distance from each other on the left and right sides of the lower surface 33, and extend in the front-rear direction. The racks 34L, 34R have a plurality of teeth arranged in parallel at a constant pitch in the longitudinal direction. The length of the racks 34L, 34R in the front-rear direction is slightly shorter than the overall length of the discharge tray 30. The slide protrusion 35 is a protrusion having a substantially oval cylindrical shape, and is arranged between the two racks 34L, 34R and extends in the front-rear direction. The protruding height of the slide protrusion 35 from the lower surface 33 is slightly greater than the thickness of the bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L.

7 and 8, there is a drive mechanism 60 for driving the discharge tray 30 back and forth under the bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L. The discharge tray 30 and the drive mechanism 60 are an example of a "sending mechanism" in the claims. The drive mechanism 60 has two pinions 62L, 62R (only the left pinion 62L is shown in Figs. 7 and 8) fixed coaxially and axially spaced from each other on a single rotating shaft 61 extending in the left-right direction, and a stepping motor 64 for rotating the rotating shaft 61 in both forward and reverse directions. As shown in Fig. 6, the pinions 62L, 62R are attached in a state where a part of them protrudes into the storage section 21L through the slits 37L, 37R provided through the bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L, respectively.

The bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L to which the discharge tray 30 is attached has two slits 37L, 37R for partially receiving the pinions 62L, 62R of the drive mechanism 60 arranged below the bottom plate 24, and a slit 38 for receiving the slide protrusion 35 so that it can slide in the front-rear direction. The three slits 37L, 37R, 38 extend in the front-rear direction through the bottom plate 24. The slit 38 for receiving the slide protrusion 35 is provided between the slits 37L, 37R. The length of the slit 38 is sufficient so as not to impede the movement of the discharge tray 30 in the front-rear direction.

When attaching the discharge tray 30 to the bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L, the bottom surface 33 of the discharge tray 30 is opposed to the inner surface 24a of the bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L, and the slide protrusion 35 protruding from the bottom surface 33 is inserted into the central slit 38 of the bottom plate 24. In this state, the bottom surface 33 of the discharge tray 30 comes into contact with the inner surface 24a of the bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L. Also, in this state, the pinions 62L, 62R of the drive mechanism 60 mesh with the two racks 34L, 34R protruding from the bottom surface 33 of the discharge tray 30, respectively.

After this, a plate 39 for preventing the discharge tray 30 from slipping out is attached to the slide protrusion 35 of the discharge tray 30 from the outer surface 24b side of the bottom plate 24 of the storage unit 21L. The width of the plate 39 in the left-right direction is greater than the width of the slit 38. For this reason, when the plate 39 is attached to the tip of the slide protrusion 35 in the protruding direction that protrudes through the slit 38 to the outer surface 24b side of the bottom plate 24 of the storage unit 21L, the discharge tray 30 is prevented from slipping out upwards, and the discharge tray 30 is slidably attached to the bottom plate 24 of the storage unit 21L.

The plate 39 has two pins 39a protruding from its upper surface. The plate 39 has an insertion hole 39b for inserting the screw 2 between the two pins 39a along the front-rear direction. The plate 39 also has two protrusions 39F, 39R protruding outward in the longitudinal direction from both ends in the front-rear direction. The protrusions 39F, 39R are detected by limit sensors 75F, 75R (FIG. 13) described later.

The slide protrusion 35 of the discharge tray 30 has two pin holes 35a that respectively receive two pins 39a of the plate 39. The slide protrusion 35 has two pin holes 35a along the front-rear direction, and has a screw hole 35b between these two pin holes 35a for screwing in the screw 2.

When fixing the plate 39 to the slide protrusion 35, the two pins 39a of the plate 39 are inserted into the two pin holes 35a of the slide protrusion 35, respectively, and the plate 39 is aligned with the slide protrusion 35. Then, the screw 2 is inserted through the insertion hole 39b of the plate 39, which is coaxially overlapping with the screw hole 35b of the slide protrusion 35, and screwed into the screw hole 35b of the slide protrusion 35. This fastens the plate 39 to the slide protrusion 35.

In this state, when the stepping motor 64 is rotated to rotate the pinions 62L, 62R, the racks 34L, 34R meshed with the pinions 62L, 62R move back and forth, and the discharge tray 30, which is integral with the racks 34L, 34R, moves back and forth. The movement of the discharge tray 30 in the back and forth direction is limited by the engagement between the slide protrusions 35 and the slits 38, and the discharge tray 30 can move between the standby position shown in Figures 6 and 7 and the discharge position shown in Figure 8. The limit sensor 75R detects that the discharge tray 30 is positioned at the standby position, and the limit sensor 75F detects that the discharge tray 30 is positioned at the discharge position.

For example, the discharge tray 30 placed in the standby position shown in Fig. 7 is moved forward (to the left in the figure) by rotating the pinions 62L, 62R counterclockwise in Fig. 7. Then, when the limit sensor 75F detects the protrusion 39F at the tip of the slide protrusion 35 of the discharge tray 30, the rotation of the pinions 62L, 62R is stopped, and the discharge tray 30 is stopped at the discharge position shown in Fig. 8.

On the other hand, the discharge tray 30 placed in the discharge position shown in Fig. 8 is moved backward (to the right in the figure) by rotating the pinions 62L, 62R clockwise in Fig. 8. Then, when the limit sensor 75R detects the protrusion 39R at the rear end of the slide protrusion 35 of the discharge tray 30, the rotation of the pinions 62L, 62R is stopped, and the discharge tray 30 is stopped in the standby position shown in Fig. 7.

6 and 7, the rear end 30R of the discharge tray 30 is inserted into the rectangular escape hole 26a provided in the rear plate 26 of the storage section 21L. When the discharge tray 30 is placed in the standby position and its rear end 30R is inserted into the escape hole 26a, the pressing surface 32a of the vertical wall 32 of the discharge tray 30 and the inner surface 26b of the rear plate 26 of the storage section 21L are arranged to be approximately flush with each other. In this way, by arranging the pressing surface 32a of the discharge tray 30 placed in the standby position to be flush with the inner surface 26b of the rear plate 26 of the storage section 21L, it is possible to prevent the napkins N stored in the storage section 21L from getting caught on the vertical wall 32 of the discharge tray 30.

The rear end 30R of the discharge tray 30, which protrudes rearward through the escape hole 26a in the rear plate 26 of the storage section 21L, is disposed in a recess on the inner side of the horizontal rib 18L provided in the rear wall 121 of the rear case 12. In other words, the horizontal ribs 18L, 18R of the rear case 12 are disposed in positions facing the escape holes 26a provided in the rear plates 26 of the storage sections 21L, 21R, respectively.

In addition, since the discharge tray 30 has a curved surface 32b on the rear side of the vertical wall 32, even if the vertical wall 32 comes into contact with the rear plate 26 when the discharge tray 30 moves rearward toward the rear waiting position and the rear end 30R of the discharge tray 30 enters the escape hole 26a, the curved surface 32b slides against the edge of the escape hole 26a, thereby preventing the discharge tray 30 from getting caught in the escape hole 26a.

When the discharge tray 30 is moved forward from the standby position shown in Figures 6 and 7 to the discharge position shown in Figure 8 with napkins N stored in the storage section 21L, the rear end of the napkin N1 at the bottom in the stacking direction resting on the upper surface 31 of the discharge tray 30 is pushed forward by the pressing surface 32a of the vertical wall 32 of the discharge tray 30. At this time, the second napkin N2 resting on the bottom napkin N1 is in a position above the movement path of the pressing surface 32a of the vertical wall 32, and remains in place without being moved forward. Also, at this time, the tip of the second napkin N2 abuts against the rear end of the case 52 of the door unit 50L, restricting its forward movement. Then, the front end of the napkin N1 pushes against the door 51 of the door unit 50L, causing the door 51 to open and the discharge tray 30 to stop at the discharge position as shown in Figure 8, and the front end of the napkin N1 partially protrudes from the discharge opening 13L of the front case 13.

A user can pull out the napkin N1 from the storage section 21L by pinching and pulling the tip of the napkin N1 protruding from the discharge port 13L. At this time, the second napkin N2 overlapping the lowest napkin N1 pulled out by the user is supported from below by the upper end of the vertical wall 32 of the discharge tray 30 and remains behind the door unit 50L. Therefore, even if a user holds the door 51 open using a tool or the like after pulling out the first napkin N1 and tries to illegally pull out the second napkin N2 through the discharge port 13L, the napkin N2 cannot be accessed.

After the user pulls out the napkin N1, the door 51 of the door unit 50L closes under its own weight. When the door 51 moves from the open position, the sensor output of the door sensor 55 (FIGS. 10 and 13) described later becomes bright, the pinions 62L and 62R rotate in the reverse direction, and the discharge tray 30 moves backward toward the standby position. When the discharge tray 30 returns to the standby position, the second napkin N2, which was supported from below by the vertical wall 32, falls under its own weight and rests on the upper surface 31 of the discharge tray 30. As a result, the rear end of the napkin N2 faces the pressing surface 32a of the vertical wall 32. After this, by performing an operation similar to the discharge operation of the napkin N1 according to the user's request, the multiple napkins N stored in the storage section 21L can be provided one by one through the discharge port 13L.

As shown in Figure 9, the door 51 of the door unit 50L is formed into a generally rectangular plate that is long in the left-right direction. The length of the door 51 is slightly greater than the left-right width of the napkin N, and the width of the door 51 in the short direction is slightly greater than the thickness of the napkin N. In this case, the thickness of the napkin N is assumed to be the thickness of the thickest napkin N available commercially. As shown in Figure 2, the door unit 50L has a case 52 that is generally rectangular in shape and long in the left-right direction. The case 52 is an example of a "frame-shaped tubular member" as defined in the claims.

With the front case 13 in the closed position, the case 52 is in approximate contact with the inner surface 131a of the front wall 131 of the front case 13 so that the front opening 54F surrounds the outside of the discharge port 13L. The door 51 is attached in a position that opens and closes the rear opening 54R of the case 52, and fits with some play inside the case 52. The case 52 is large enough to allow the napkin N to be inserted through the openings 54R and 54F.

The door 51 has a pivot shaft 53 extending in the longitudinal direction at a position offset toward one end in the short side direction (the upper end side in the figure). Both ends of the pivot shaft 53 protrude outward in the left and right directions slightly beyond the overall length of the door 51. The case 52 rotatably holds the pivot shaft 53 of the door 51 near the upper end of the rear opening 54R. The door 51 can rotate freely around the pivot shaft 53. In other words, the door 51 is positioned in the closed position shown in FIG. 7 due to its own weight.

When the door 51 is placed in the closed position shown in Fig. 7, the rectangular opening 54R at the rear of the case 52 is mostly blocked. That is, in this state, the discharge opening 13L of the front case 13 is blocked by the door 51. When the door 51 is pushed forward by the front end of the napkin N in the discharge direction and rotated to the open position shown in Fig. 8, the opening 54R of the case 52 is opened. That is, when the door 51 is pushed forward by the tip of the napkin N1 as shown in Fig. 8, it rotates around the pivot 53 toward the open position, and after the napkin N1 is pulled out by the user, it rotates under its own weight to the closed position shown in Fig. 7.

As shown in Figure 10, a door sensor 55 for detecting when the door 51 has been rotated to the open position is provided on top of the case 52 of the door unit 50L. The door sensor 55 is fixed to the underside 58a of a substantially rectangular retaining plate 58 that is disposed substantially horizontally and spaced apart above the case 52 by two supports 57. In other words, the door sensor 55 is provided between the case 52 and the retaining plate 58. The door sensor 55 has a light-emitting unit 55a, a light-receiving unit 55b, and a frame body 55c. The door sensor 55 is an example of a "detection unit" as defined in the claims, and the retaining plate 58 is an example of a "retaining member" as defined in the claims.

The door 51 that fits inside the case 52 has a protrusion 56 that is detected by the door sensor 55. The protrusion 56 is an example of a "part of the cover member" as described in the claims, and protrudes approximately perpendicularly from the front surface 51a of the door 51. The case 52 has a slit-shaped insertion hole 52a through which the protrusion 56 passes when the door 51 is opened. The insertion hole 52a is located opposite the light-emitting portion 55a and the light-receiving portion 55b of the door sensor 55. As shown in FIG. 10, the protrusion 56 of the door 51 inserted into the insertion hole 52a is positioned between the light-emitting portion 55a and the light-receiving portion 55b.

The frame 55c of the door sensor 55 has a generally U-shaped cross section and holds the light emitting unit 55a and the light receiving unit 55b facing each other so that the light emitted from the light emitting unit 55a can be received by the light receiving unit 55b. The frame 55c holds the light emitting unit 55a and the light receiving unit 55b so that the optical axis of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 55a and received by the light receiving unit 55b is parallel to the left-right direction. The door sensor 55 is, for example, a photointerrupter.

11, when the door 51 rotates from the closed position indicated by the two-dot chain line to the open position indicated by the solid line, the protrusion 56 blocks the optical axis between the light-emitting element 5a and the light-receiving element 55b of the door sensor 55. This causes the output of the door sensor 55 to become dark, and it is detected that the door 51 has been rotated to the open position. In contrast, when the door 51 moves from the open position described above toward the closed position indicated by the two-dot chain line, the protrusion 56 no longer blocks the optical axis of the door sensor 55, and the output of the door sensor 55 becomes bright, making it possible to detect that the door 51 has been rotated toward the closed position.

The frame 55c holding the light receiving unit 55b has a U-shaped cross section, is fixed to the lower surface 58a of the holding plate 58, and is disposed above the case 52, so that outside light that may cause noise rarely enters the light receiving unit 55b of the door sensor 55. In the first place, the door sensor 55 is disposed inside the housing 11 covered by the front case 13, and the possibility of outside light entering the housing 11 when the front case 13 is closed relative to the rear case 12 is extremely low.

The only possibility is that external light may enter the housing 11 through the exhaust ports 13L, 13R of the front case 13. However, the case 52 of the door units 50L, 50R arranged behind the exhaust ports 13L, 13R is cylindrical with a length in the front-to-rear direction, and the door 51 is provided at the opening 54R located rearward away from the exhaust ports 13L, 13R. Therefore, even when the door 51 is rotated to the open position, it is difficult for external light to enter the housing 11 through the exhaust ports 13L, 13R.

1, the dispenser 10 is attached, for example, above a toilet paper roll attached to the wall 1 of a toilet stall, and is positioned at eye level of a user sitting on the toilet seat. Therefore, even if the toilet door is open and outside light enters the stall, it is unlikely that the outside light will be directed diagonally upward through the outlets 13L, 13R, and the possibility of the outside light entering the light receiving unit 55b of the door sensor 55 is extremely low.

As shown in Figure 12, an inventory sensor 27 is attached to the inner surface 122a of the top wall 122 of the rear case 12 above the storage section 21L. The inventory sensor 27 has a light-emitting section 27a that emits light substantially downward toward the uppermost napkin N in the stacking direction stored in the storage section 21L (or the upper surface 42a of the reflector 42 of the weight member 40), and a light-receiving section 27b that receives light reflected by the upper surface 42a of the reflector 42 of the weight member 40 (or the napkin N). The inventory sensor 27 has the light-emitting section 27a and the light-receiving section 27b arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

The inventory sensor 27 detects the time from when light is emitted from the light-emitting unit 27a until it is reflected by the upper surface 42a of the reflector 42 of the weight member 40 and received by the light-receiving unit 27b, and calculates the optical path length of the light based on this time to detect the height position of the weight member 40. This makes it possible to detect the number of napkins N stored in the storage section 21L with high accuracy. Even if the weight member 40 is not present, the number of napkins in stock can be detected by detecting the light reflected by the surface of the napkin N at the top end in the stacking direction.

By mounting such a reflective inventory sensor 27 above the storage section 21L, it is possible to accurately detect the number of napkins N in stock. Furthermore, by mounting the inventory sensor 27 in this position, it is not necessary to place sensors adjacent to the storage section 21L in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions, and the size of the dispenser 10 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions can be reduced.

In addition, in the dispenser 10 of this embodiment, the rear plate 26 of the storage section 21L has an escape hole 26a that receives the rear end 30R of the discharge tray 30, and the rear wall 121 of the rear case 12 has horizontal ribs 18L, 18R, so that the front-to-rear size of the housing 11 can be reduced while ensuring sufficient stroke in the front-to-rear direction of the discharge tray 30.

In addition, the dispenser 10 of this embodiment has space below the bottom plate 24 of the storage section 21L to place the drive mechanism 60 that drives the discharge tray 30, thereby reducing the size of the housing 11 in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions.

In this way, by making the depth of the housing 11 as thin as possible, it is possible to secure sufficient space in the limited toilet, particularly between the user sitting on the toilet seat and the dispenser 10. This allows the user to feel no particular sense of oppression even when using the toilet in which the dispenser 10 is installed.

In addition, in the dispenser 10 of this embodiment, the operating noise of the stepping motor 64 of the drive mechanism 60 is very small, so even when the stepping motor 64 is operating when napkins N are discharged from the dispenser 10, the operating noise is barely audible, so that a person in an adjacent cubicle will not notice that the dispenser 10 is being used.

Next, the electronic circuit configuration of the dispenser 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
The dispenser 10 includes, as electronic circuits, a CPU 70 , a recording medium reading unit 72 , a communication unit 74 , a memory 76 , and a storage device 78 , all of which are connected to one another via a bus 71 .

The dispenser 10 includes a display 4, a human presence sensor 6, a user information reader 8, an inventory sensor 27, a door sensor 55, and limit sensors 75F and 75R, all connected by a bus 71. There are two sets of the inventory sensor 27, the door sensor 55, and the limit sensors 75F and 75R, each corresponding to one of the two storage sections 21L and 21R, but only one set is shown here for simplicity.

The memory 76 stores a control program 76a and has a writable data area 76b.

The communication unit 74 can communicate with the management server 300, an advertising server (not shown), etc. via a communication network 100 such as the Internet.

The control program 76a is a program for controlling the overall operation of the dispenser 10, and may be stored in advance in the memory 76, or may be read from an external recording medium 73 such as a memory card via the recording medium reading unit 72 and stored in the memory 76. The control program 76a cannot be rewritten by the user. On the other hand, the writable data area 76b is an area for storing rewritable data.

The CPU 70 is a computer that controls the operation of each part of the circuit according to a control program 76a stored in the memory 76. The CPU 70 corresponds to the "control unit" in the claims.

The storage device 78 consists of, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive) or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and has an image data storage unit 79.

The image data storage unit 79 stores image data, such as video or still images, for advertisements from sponsors or for explaining how to use the dispenser 10.

The image data is displayed via the display 4. The image data is displayed for approximately two minutes each time the user enters the toilet cubicle, and is not displayed for any longer than that. This prevents the user from becoming engrossed in staring at the image data displayed on the display 4 and staying in the toilet for too long. The display time of the image data is not limited to two minutes, and may be displayed at all times while the user is in the cubicle, for example.

For effective display within two minutes, the length of the image data is, for example, about 15 seconds. The types of image data are, for example, about two types, such as an advertisement and an explanation of how to use the dispenser 10. In other words, when displaying image data from the display 4, two types of image data, each about 15 seconds long, are displayed repeatedly within the two minutes.

When new image data is to be registered in the image data storage unit 79, the external recording medium 73 on which the new image data is recorded is read by the recording medium reading unit 72, and the new image data is written to the image data storage unit 79. Alternatively, the communication unit 74 may obtain image data from the management server 300, an advertisement server (not shown), or the like, via a communication network 100 such as the Internet, and the obtained image data may be written to the image data storage unit 79.

The display 4, the human presence sensor 6, and the user information reading unit 8 are provided on the front wall 131 of the front case 13, as shown in FIG. 1. The human presence sensor 6 and the user information reading unit 8 are provided integrally as a sensor unit 7.

The human presence sensor 6 is realized, for example, by an infrared sensor, and detects a user entering a toilet stall and outputs a detection signal A. The output detection signal A is sent to the memory 76 via the bus 71.

In response to the detection signal A being sent to the memory 76, the control program 76a starts displaying the image data stored in the image data storage unit 79 on the display 4. In addition, the control program 76a may use the communication unit 74 to receive image data of an advertisement distributed from an advertisement server (not shown) via the communication network 100, and start displaying the received image data of the advertisement on the display 4.

In this way, since the dispenser 10 can display advertisements from the display 4, a business providing napkins N through the dispenser 10 can implement a business model in which the business can continue to provide napkins N free of charge to users by recruiting advertising sponsors, earning advertising revenue by displaying advertisements on the display 4, and using a portion of that revenue to purchase napkins N and refilling the dispenser 10, repeating this cycle.

Next, we will explain an example of how a user can request the dispenser 10 to provide napkins N.

The method by which a user makes a request C for napkins N to the dispenser 10 is not particularly limited in this specification, but for example, the user can make the request by inputting user information from the user information reading unit 8 (reading method), or by installing a dedicated app AP on a user device 151 such as a smartphone and using this dedicated app AP via the management server 300 (app method).

First, the method of requesting provision C of napkins N using the reading method will be explained below.

When making a request C for napkins N using the reading method, the user can input user information from the user information reading unit 8 using either the contactless method or the contact method.

An example of contactless user information input is the application of NFC technology. In this case, the user information reading unit 8 is an NFC-compatible receiver, and the user holds an NFC-compatible card 150 (e.g., a transportation card, an ID card such as an employee ID or a student ID, a credit card, an IC card such as a cash card) or a user device 151 (e.g., a smartphone) over the user information reading unit 8. The user information reading unit 8 reads information j (e.g., a card number, a device number, etc.) from the NFC-compatible card 150 or the user device 151. The user information reading unit 8 outputs the read information j as user information uj to the memory 76 via the bus 71. In this way, when NFC technology is applied, it can be used not only with the NFC-compatible card 150 but also with a user device 151 such as a smartphone.

Another example of contactless user information input is the application of wireless technologies such as beacons and RFID. When a beacon is used, the user information reading unit 8 is a beacon receiver, and the user brings the beacon device 152, which transmits the beacon identification information ID, close to the user information reading unit 8. The user information reading unit 8 receives the beacon identification information ID, and outputs the received beacon identification information ID to the memory 76 via the bus 71 as user information uj.

When using RFID, the user information reading unit 8 is an RFID reader, and the user brings the RFID tag 153 close to the user information reading unit 8. The user information reading unit 8 receives the RFID identification information id, and outputs the received RFID identification information id as user information uj to the memory 76 via the bus 71.

Another example of a contactless method is the use of a QR code (registered trademark) 154. In this case, the user information reading unit 8 is a QR code reader, and the user causes the user information reading unit 8 to read the QR code 154 in which specific information is embedded. The user information reading unit 8 then obtains specific information q from the QR code 154, and outputs this specific information q as user information uj to the memory 76 via the bus 71.

Another example of a contactless method is the use of biometric authentication. In this case, the user information reading unit 8 is a biometric authentication device. The biometric authentication device authenticates the biometric information r of the user U and outputs the authenticated biometric information r to the memory 76 as user information uj. Examples of the biometric information r include fingerprints, palm shapes, retinas, irises, faces, and vein patterns. For example, when facial authentication information is used as the biometric information r, the user information reading unit 8 is a facial authentication device, and the user U turns his or her face toward the user information reading unit 8. The user information reading unit 8 then acquires facial feature information and outputs this facial feature information to the memory 76 via the bus 71 as user information uj.

On the other hand, an example of contact-type user information input is the use of a magnetic card 155. In this case, the user information reading unit 8 is a magnetic reader, and the user has the magnetic card 155 read by the user information reading unit 8. The user information reading unit 8 then obtains magnetic information p, such as a card number, from the magnetic card 155, and outputs this magnetic information p to the memory 76 via the bus 71 as user information uj.

Another example of the contact method is the use of fingerprint information. In this case, the user information reading unit 8 is a fingerprint reader, and the user U places his/her finger on the user information reading unit 8. The user information reading unit 8 then reads fingerprint information v and outputs this fingerprint information v as user information uj to the memory 76 via the bus 71.

Yet another example of the contact method is the use of a non-NFC compatible IC card. In the case of a non-NFC compatible IC card 156, since information cannot be read in a non-contact manner, the user information reading unit 8 is an IC card reader, and the user has the user information reading unit 8 read card information w, such as a card number, stored in the IC card. The user information reading unit 8 outputs this card information w as user information uj to the memory 76 via the bus 71.

When user information uj is output to memory 76, control program 76a recognizes the user information uj as a provision request C.

Next, the method of requesting provision of napkins N (C) using the app method will be explained below.

When making a request C for napkins N using the app method, the user must first install a dedicated app AP on their user device 151, such as a smartphone or tablet.

There are no particular limitations on the method of installing the dedicated app AP, but for example, the business providing napkins N through the dispenser 10 notifies the user by attaching a sticker on which information (e.g., a QR code (registered trademark) or a barcode) indicating a site (e.g., the management server 300) for downloading the dedicated app AP is printed to the housing 11, or by displaying information indicating this site on the display 4. Then, following this notification, the user uses his or her user device 151 to access the site, download the dedicated app AP, and install it.

After the dedicated app AP is installed, the user can register by inputting user information uj from the user device 151 in accordance with the dedicated app AP, and then request the provision of napkins N. In response to this request, a provision request C is generated based on the user information uj in the management server 300 of the dedicated app, and the generated provision request C is transmitted via the communication network 100, received by the communication unit 74, and output to the memory 76 via the bus 71.

The control program 76a judges the validity of these supply requests C. To this end, the control program 76a first outputs the supply requests C, together with the dispenser identification information d assigned to the dispenser 10, from the communication unit 74 via the communication network 100 to the management server 300 and stores them.

In this manner, provision requests C are output from all dispensers 10 to the management server 300 together with the dispenser identification information d. As described above, the provision request C includes user information uj. Also, as will be described later, when the dispenser 10 correctly provides a napkin N in response to the provision request C, OK information indicating that the napkin has been provided is sent to the management server 300 by the control program 76a via the communication unit 74.

On the other hand, if the control program 76a determines that the provision request C is invalid, or if the napkin N is not provided due to a malfunction of the dispenser 10, the control program 76a sends NG information indicating non-provision to the management server 300 via the communication unit 74.

Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 14, the management server 300 can manage a history information table 310 that accumulates records R consisting of the time t at which a provision request C was sent, user information uj corresponding to the provision request C, dispenser identification information d of the dispenser 10 that sent the request, and a status sa indicating whether the request has been provided or not.

The control program 76a accesses the management server 300 via the communication unit 74 and determines the validity of the provision request C by referring to the history information table 310 managed in the management server 300.

The criteria for determining validity are not limited to the above, but may be such that if a predetermined time (e.g., two hours) or more has passed since the user who made the request C was last provided with a napkin N, the request is determined to be valid (first criterion), and/or if the number of napkins N provided to the user during a predetermined period (e.g., the past month) has not reached a predetermined number, the request is determined to be valid (second criterion).

Regardless of which of these criteria is adopted, the control program 76a refers to the history information table 310 managed by the management server 300 to determine the validity of the provision request C. For example, records R related to the user information uj associated with the provision request C are extracted from the history information table 310, and further narrowed down to records R whose status sa is "OK." By referring to these narrowed down records R, the control program 76a can determine the validity of the provision request C, since it is possible to ascertain the most recent time that a napkin N was provided to this user, as well as the number of napkins N provided in the past month.

Below, a specific example is described with reference to Figure 14 in which the control program 76a determines whether the latest provision request C satisfies the first judgment criterion. Here, the predetermined time used as the first judgment criterion is two hours.

In the example of FIG. 14, record R115 is the latest provision request C. Record R115 indicates that the user information uj is "B2346" and the time t at the time of the request is "20230804142341", that is, 4 Aug. 2023, 14:23:41.

14, the record in which the user information uj is "B2346" and the status is "OK" is record R107. Therefore, the time when the user who made the request in record R115 most recently received a napkin N from the dispenser 10 is the time t recorded in record R107.

The time t of record R107 is "20230804093529", or 9:35:29 AM on August 4, 2023.

The time t indicated by record R115 is 4 hours, 48 seconds, and 12 seconds after the time t indicated by record R107, which is more than the predetermined time of 2 hours. Therefore, the control program 76a determines that the provision request C of record R115 satisfies the first judgment criterion.

In addition, since it is believed that the above specific explanation will also enable one to understand how to determine whether or not the second judgment criterion is met, an explanation using specific examples for determining whether or not the second judgment criterion is met will be omitted.

If it is determined that the supply request C is valid, the control program 76a outputs a drive command to either the stepping motor 64 of storage unit 21L or the stepping motor 64 of storage unit 21R.

Normally, the control program 76a outputs drive commands alternately to the stepping motor 64 of the right system and the stepping motor 64 of the left system in order to alternately discharge napkins N from the discharge outlet 13R of the right system and the discharge outlet 13L of the left system. In other words, if a drive command was output to the stepping motor 64 of the right storage unit 21R in response to the previous provision request C and napkins N were discharged from the discharge outlet 13R, the control program 76a outputs a drive command to the stepping motor 64 of the left storage unit 21L in response to the current provision request C in order to discharge napkins N from the discharge outlet 13L.

However, as described below, if a malfunction such as a discharge blockage occurs in either system, the control program 76a outputs a drive command only to the stepping motor 64 of the system that is operating normally until the malfunction is resolved. This provides redundancy to the dispenser 10 in that, even if a malfunction occurs in one system, the dispenser 10 can continue to discharge napkins N from the other system that is not malfunctioning, thereby allowing the dispenser 10 to continue providing service.

For example, when a drive command is output to the stepping motor 64 of the left system, the control program 76a drives the left stepping motor 64 to rotate the pinions 62L, 62R of the left drive mechanism 60 in the forward direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7). This causes the discharge tray 30, which is located in the standby position, to start moving forward. When the discharge tray 30 moves from the standby position, the output of the limit sensor 75R changes from dark to light, and the control program 76a recognizes that discharge of the napkin N1 has started.

After driving the stepping motor 64, the control program 76a continues to rotate the pinions 62L and 62R in the forward direction until the output of the limit sensor 75F becomes dark, and at the point when the output of the limit sensor 75F becomes dark, the control program 76a recognizes that the discharge of the napkin N1 is completed based on the change in the output of the limit sensor 75F from light to dark.

In this state (the state shown in FIG. 8), the user receives the napkin N1 by pinching the tip of the napkin N1 protruding from the discharge outlet 13L and pulling out the napkin N1. When the napkin N1 is pulled out from the discharge outlet 13L, the door 51 rotates to the closed position due to its own weight, and the output of the door sensor 55 changes from dark to light. Based on the change in output of the door sensor 55 from dark to light, the control program 76a recognizes that the napkin N1 has been pulled out from the discharge outlet 13L by the user.

After this, the control program 76a drives the left stepping motor 64 to rotate the pinions 62L, 62R of the left drive mechanism 60 in the reverse direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 8). After driving the stepping motor 64, the control program 76a continues to rotate the pinions 62L, 62R in the reverse direction until the output of the limit sensor 75R becomes dark, at which point the stepping motor 64 is stopped.

The control program 76a recognizes that the dispensing of the napkin N1 has been completed successfully based on the output of the limit sensor 75R changing from light to dark, and transmits the dispenser identification information d and OK information from the communication unit 74 to the management server 300 via the communication network 100.

The management server 300 receives the dispenser identification information d and the OK information, and writes "OK" into the status sa (i.e., blank) of the latest record R in the history information table 310 that corresponds to this dispenser identification information d.

If napkin N1 is ejected correctly, it will operate as described above.

Next, we will explain what happens if napkin N1 is not ejected correctly.

For example, if the left stepping motor 64 is driven to rotate the pinions 62L and 62R in the forward direction, and the door sensor 55 remains light while the limit sensor 75F becomes dark, the control program 76a determines that an ejection abnormality has occurred due to a jam of the napkin N1, etc.

Normally, immediately after driving the stepping motor 64, the tip of the napkin N1 pushes the door 51 to rotate to the open position, and the door sensor 55 goes dark. However, if the door sensor 55 remains lighted and the limit sensor 75F goes dark after driving the stepping motor 64, this means that the door 51 has not rotated to the open position even though the discharge tray 30 has moved to the discharge position.

In such a case, the control program 76a determines that an abnormality has occurred in the discharge of the napkin N1, stops the driving of the stepping motor 64, and instead discharges the napkin N1 from the other system, while notifying the maintenance worker that an abnormality has occurred in the discharge. In response, the maintenance worker goes to the target dispenser 10 and takes appropriate recovery measures.

Alternatively, if the limit sensor 75F becomes dark while the door sensor 55 remains light after driving the stepping motor 64, the control program 76a drives the stepping motor 64 in the reverse direction to rotate the pinions 62L and 62R in the reverse direction and return the discharge tray 30 to the standby position. Then, after the limit sensor 75R becomes dark, the control program 76a rotates the pinions 62L and 62R in the forward direction again to move the discharge tray 30 toward the discharge position and retry discharging the napkin N1.

If the napkin N1 is normally discharged from the other system, or if the napkin N1 is normally discharged after a retry, the control program 76a transmits the dispenser identification information d and OK information to the management server 300 via the communication unit 74, and in response, the management server 300 writes "OK" in the status sa of the latest record (i.e., blank) corresponding to this dispenser identification information d in the history information table 310.

If the napkin N1 is not normally discharged from the other system, or if the napkin N1 is not normally discharged after a retry, that is, if the napkin N1 cannot be normally discharged from either of the two systems, the control program 76a transmits the dispenser identification information d and NG information to the management server 300 via the communication unit 74.

In response, the management server 300 writes "NG" into the status sa of the most recent record (i.e., blank) in the history information table 310 that corresponds to this dispenser identification information d.

Next, we will explain the inventory management of napkins N in storage sections 21L and 21R.

When napkins N are normally discharged from storage sections 21L and 21R, the number of napkins N stored in storage sections 21L and 21R is reduced. Dispenser 10 is equipped with an inventory sensor 27 for determining the number of napkins N in storage sections 21L and 21R. The inventory sensor 27 is provided in each of storage sections 21L and 21R.

The inventory sensor 27 has a light-emitting unit 27a and a light-receiving unit 27b. Light emitted from the light-emitting unit 27a is reflected by the upper surface 42a of the reflector 42 of the weight member 40 and received by the light-receiving unit 27b. The inventory sensor 27 outputs a detection signal M based on the time from when light is emitted from the light-emitting unit 27a to when it is received by the light-receiving unit 27b.

For example, when one napkin N is discharged from storage section 21L and the inventory count decreases by one, weight member 40 lowers by the thickness of the napkin N. In this case, the optical path length of the light emitted from light-emitting section 27a, reflected by upper surface 42a of reflector 42 of weight member 40, and received by light-receiving section 27b is approximately twice the thickness of the napkin N. Control program 76a calculates the change in optical path length based on detection signal M and can detect that one napkin N has been discharged.

The control program 76a can display the thus determined number of napkins N in stock for each storage section 21L, 21R on the display 4. The control program 76a can also notify the management server 300 of the number of napkins N in stock for each storage section 21L, 21R via the communication unit 74.

In response to this, for example, when there is a dispenser 10 having storage units 21L, 21R where the inventory quantity falls below 2 or 3, the management server 300 can request the inventory replenishment worker to replenish the dispenser 10 with napkins N. In addition, the control program 76a can also request the inventory replenishment worker via the communication unit 74 to replenish the dispenser 10 with napkins N.

In response, an inventory replenishment worker goes to the dispenser 10, unlocks the lock 15, opens the front case 13, and replenishes the storage sections 21L and 21R with napkins N. Then, when replenishment is complete, the worker closes the front case 13 and locks the lock 15. This allows the service of providing napkins N to continue for users who want them.

As mentioned above, the replenished napkins N can be purchased using a portion of the advertising revenue obtained from advertising sponsors in response to advertisements displayed on the display 4.

As described above, the dispenser 10 of this embodiment can provide users with napkins N free of charge, which is extremely useful for users who do not have napkins N, for example, when their period begins unexpectedly.

Moreover, the napkins N provided are stored in the housing 11 before being provided and are not touched by an unspecified number of people, so the user can use the provided napkins N with peace of mind.

In addition, the dispenser 10 according to this embodiment does not provide an unlimited number of napkins N in response to a request from a user, but only provides them after confirming the validity of the request. Therefore, a large amount of napkins N is not taken away at once, and the stock is always managed to be sufficient, so that napkins N can be reliably provided to users who really need them.

Furthermore, the dispenser 10 of this embodiment has various features from the perspective of hardware design, as described below.

For example, the dispenser 10 uses a stepping motor 64 as a power source for dispensing the napkins N, thereby achieving quiet operation, so that the user can use the dispenser 10 without being noticed by people outside the toilet stall.

In addition, the dispenser 10 has a stepping motor 64 disposed below the storage sections 21L and 21R, an inventory sensor 27 disposed above the storage sections 21L and 21R, and the rear plate 26 of the storage sections 21L and 21R has an escape hole 26a that receives the rear end 30R of the discharge tray 30, so that the dispenser 10 can be made thin, and a user can use the toilet and dispenser 10 without feeling a sense of oppression even when entering a toilet stall in which the dispenser 10 is installed.

In addition, the dispenser 10 has two outlets 13L, 13R for discharging napkins N, and if it becomes impossible to remove napkins N from one outlet, napkins N can be discharged from the other outlet. This means that there is an extremely high probability that the user will be able to receive napkins N, and napkins N can be provided with high reliability.

In addition, the dispenser 10 discharges the napkin N1 by pressing the rear end of the napkin N1 in the discharge direction with the flat pressing surface 32a of the vertical wall 32 at the rear end 30R of the discharge tray 30. Therefore, even if the accumulated posture of the napkin N in the storage sections 21L and 21R is distorted, the rear end of the napkin N1 can be aligned in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction, the discharge posture of the napkin N1 can be stabilized, and clogging of the napkin N1, which may cause the napkin N1 to be unable to be discharged, can be suppressed.

In addition, since the dispenser 10 is equipped with a drive mechanism 60 that drives the discharge tray 30 using a rack and pinion mechanism, there is no need to apply frictional force to the napkin N to discharge it, as in a mechanism that discharges the napkin N by contacting a discharge roller with the napkin N, and stable discharge is possible regardless of the outer packaging material of the napkin N.

In addition, the dispenser 10 is equipped with door units 50L, 50R behind the discharge outlets 13L, 13R of the front case 13, and the door units 50L, 50R are equipped with doors 51 that open and close the rear opening 54R of the rectangular frame-shaped case 52. Therefore, even if someone tries to illegally remove napkins N through the discharge outlets 13L, 13R, the door 51 is difficult to see and difficult to open, which is expected to have the effect of preventing such illegal attempts.

In addition, the dispenser 10 is designed so that when the user pulls out the napkin N1 discharged from the discharge outlets 13L, 13R and the door 51 closes under its own weight, the discharge tray 30 moves from the discharge position to the standby position. Therefore, if the user leaves the door 51 open after pulling out the napkin N1 in an attempt to illegally remove the next napkin N2, the discharge tray 30 will remain stopped at the discharge position, and the napkin N2 resting on the vertical wall 32 of the discharge tray 30 will not be able to be removed.

In addition, the dispenser 10 is provided with a door sensor 55 for detecting the opening and closing of the door 51 above the door units 50L, 50R having the door 51 for opening and closing the outlets 13L, 13R, so that the light receiving unit 55b of the door sensor 55 is located above the outlets 13L, 13R. Therefore, even if the door of the toilet in which the dispenser 10 is installed is open and external light enters the housing 11 through the outlets 13L, 13R, it is possible to prevent a malfunction in which the external light enters the light receiving unit 55b and the door 51 is erroneously detected as being in the closed position.

If external light were to enter the light receiving portion 55b of the door sensor 55 and erroneously detect that the door 51 is in the closed position even though it is open, the sensor would erroneously determine that the napkin N discharged through the discharge outlets 13L and 13R has been removed by the user, and would move the discharge tray 30 backward toward the standby position. In this case, the next napkin N would be placed on the upper surface 31 of the discharge tray 30 in the standby position, making it possible to access the next napkin N through the open door 51, and thus making it possible to illegally remove the napkin N. Therefore, arranging the door sensor 55 above the discharge outlets 13L and 13R as in this embodiment is effective from the perspective of preventing fraud.

Furthermore, the dispenser 10 has a structure that prevents external light from entering the light receiving portion 55b of the door sensor 55. In other words, the door sensor 55 is attached to the outside of the case 52 of the door unit 50L, 50R, and the case 52 is configured in a frame shape surrounding the outside of the discharge outlet 13L, 13R, so that external light that may enter the door sensor 55 is blocked by the case 52. In addition, since the door sensor 55 is fixed to the lower surface 58a of the holding plate 58 arranged horizontally at a distance above the case 52, even if there is external light that enters the housing 11 and is diffusely reflected, it can be blocked by the holding plate 58. Furthermore, the door sensor 55 has a frame body 55c that holds the light emitting portion 55a and the light receiving portion 55b in a state where they are opposed to each other, so that the frame body 55c can block external light that enters the light receiving portion 55b.

Therefore, according to the dispenser 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to prevent unlimited removal of napkins N, and it is possible to reliably provide napkins N to users who wish to use them.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified in various ways in the implementation stage without departing from the gist of the invention. The embodiments may also be implemented in appropriate combination, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combinations selected from the multiple constituent elements disclosed. For example, if the problem can be solved and an effect can be obtained even if some constituent elements are deleted from all the constituent elements shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which these constituent elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

1...wall, 4...display, 6...motion sensor, 7...sensor unit, 8...user information reading section, 10...dispenser, 11...housing, 12...rear case, 12a...opening, 121...rear wall, 13...front case, 13L, 13R...discharge port, 131...front wall, 14...hinge, 15...lock section, 16...wire, 18L, 18R...horizontal rib, 21, 21L, 21R...storage section, 22L, 22R...partition plate, 23L, 23R...locking piece, 24...bottom plate, 24a...inner surface, 26...rear plate, 26a...escape hole, 26b...inner surface, 27...inventory sensor, 27a...light emitting section, 27b...light receiving section, 30...discharge tray, 30R...rear end, Description of the Related Art 31...upper surface, 32...vertical wall, 32a...pressing surface, 33...lower surface, 34L, 34R...rack, 35...slide protrusion, 37L, 37R, 38...slit, 39...plate, 40...weight member, 42...reflector, 42a...upper surface, 50L, 50R...door unit, 51...door, 52...case, 52a...insertion hole, 53...rotating shaft, 54R, 54F...opening, 55...door sensor, 55a...light emitting portion, 55b...light receiving portion, 55c...frame, 56...protrusion, 57...pillar, 58...holding plate, 58a...lower surface, 60...driving mechanism, 62L, 62R...pinion, 64...stepping motor, 70...CPU, Limit sensors 75R, 75F; memory 76; control program 76a; communication network 100; management server 300; and napkins N, N1, N2.

Claims (5)

A storage section that stores sanitary products;
a delivery mechanism for delivering the sanitary product from the storage section;
a housing that includes an outlet for discharging the sanitary product sent out from the storage unit by the sending mechanism, and that houses the storage unit and the sending mechanism;
a cover member that is movable between a closed position that closes the exhaust port and an open position that opens the exhaust port;
a detection unit having a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit that receives light emitted from the light-emitting unit, the light-receiving unit being disposed above the exhaust port within the housing, the detection unit detecting that the cover member is disposed at the open position based on the fact that the light-receiving unit does not receive the emitted light as the emitted light is blocked by a part of the cover member when the cover member moves to the open position, and detecting that the cover member is not disposed at the open position when the light-receiving unit receives the emitted light;
a control unit that operates the sending mechanism to send out the sanitary product through the outlet, and operates the sending mechanism in a direction opposite to that of the sending out to take out the next sanitary product based on the detection unit detecting that the lid member is not positioned at the open position after the sanitary product sent out through the outlet is taken out by a user;
A hygiene product dispenser having a a cylindrical frame member disposed inside the housing so as to surround the periphery of the exhaust port and having an opening communicating with the exhaust port;
The light receiving portion of the detection unit is provided on the outer side of the cylindrical frame member above the discharge port.
The hygiene product dispenser of claim 1. The apparatus further includes a plate-shaped holding member disposed horizontally above and spaced from the cylindrical frame member,
The light receiving unit is attached to a lower surface of the holding member.
3. The hygiene product dispenser of claim 2. The detector further includes a frame having a substantially U-shaped cross section that holds the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion of the detector in a facing state,
The frame is fixed to the lower surface of the holding member.
4. The hygiene product dispenser of claim 3. the cylindrical frame member has an insertion hole through which the portion of the cover member interposed between the light-emitting unit and the light-receiving unit passes when the cover member moves to an open position;
5. The hygiene product dispenser of claim 4.

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