JPH0514575B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a towel dispensing machine, and more particularly to a towel dispensing machine in which towels can be attached and detached, transported, and stored in a cassette. .

[Conventional technology] Conventionally, towels are pulled out in a lube shape,
You wipe your hands with the front part of this loop-shaped towel, and after use, you pull out the unused part of the towel to a predetermined length and roll up the used part, keeping the loop at all times. The gift is known.

In such a towel dispensing machine, a supply roller around which unused towels are wound and a take-up roller around which used towels are wound are arranged above and below, and a roller that can freely rotate and move up and down between them is arranged vertically. A pair of upper and lower drive rollers are arranged in an interlocking relationship, with the upper drive roller being in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the unused towel, and the lower drive roller being disposed in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the used towel. There is.

Therefore, when an unused towel is pulled out, the take-up roller is rotated via the pair of upper and lower drive rollers in an interlocking relationship, and the used towel can be wound up.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the straight line connecting the axes of the supply roller and the take-up roller and the straight line connecting the axes of the pair of upper and lower drive rollers are on the same axis.

Therefore, when an unused towel that has been pulled out in a loop is pulled downward, the downward load applied to the unused towel acts perpendicularly toward the axis of the drive roller located on the upper side.

When this phenomenon occurs, the load applied vertically downward is greater than the rotating force of the unused towel, so the rolled unused towel cannot be rotated, the drive roller cannot rotate, and the unused towel cannot be rotated. You will not be able to extend your legs.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In the present invention, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an unused towel is wound into a roll and is rotatably supported between the left and right side plates of the dispensing machine main body. A supply roller, a take-up roller which is rotatably supported between left and right side plates vertically below the supply roller and around which an unused towel is wound, and an upper and lower roller 1 which is rotatably and vertically supported between the left and right side plates. The drive rollers located on the upper side are in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the unused towel, and the drive roller located on the lower side is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the used towel. A structure is adopted in which the straight line connecting the axes of the supply roller and take-up roller is located closer to the back plate side of the main body than the straight line connecting the axes of the supply roller and take-up roller.

[Function] When the above structure is adopted, the axes of the supply roller and take-up roller are offset, so the downward load when unused towels are pulled out is not applied perpendicularly to the axis of the drive roller. The rotational moment applied to the rolled unused towel effectively functions to rotate the unused towel and also rotate the drive roller.

[Example] The details of the present invention will be described below based on the example shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 and subsequent figures illustrate one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the main parts.

The towel dispensing machine according to the present invention is comprised of a main body 1 fixed to a wall, a cassette 2, and a cover 3 shown in FIG. 2 that can be opened and closed.

The main body indicated by reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 is formed in the shape of a housing from synthetic resin or metal plate,
It has an open structure at the front and bottom.

This main body 1 has a top plate 4, a back plate 5, and left and right side plates 6, 6, and hinge halves 7, 7 are fixed to the left and right sides of the front edge of the top plate 4.

A notch 8 into which the top end of the cover 3 is fitted is formed at the upper end of the left and right side plates 6, 6, and below this notch 8 is an L to which an unused towel supply shaft side, which will be described later, is attached. A letter-shaped notch 9 is formed.

The front end of this notch 9 is a tapered part 9a that widens toward the end, and this tapered part 9a is continuous with a direct part 9b extending in the horizontal direction, and the innermost end of the straight part 9b is a vertical part 9c. It is becoming.

Further, substantially the same notch portions 10 are formed at the lower ends of the left and right side plates 6,6.

The entrance end of this notch 10 is also a tapered part 10a, and this tapered part is continuous with a straight part 10b extending in the horizontal direction, and a vertical part 10c is continuous with the innermost end of the straight part 10b. .

A winding shaft side of a used towel, which will be described later, is attached to this notch 10.

Note that the vertical portions 9 formed on the left and right side plates 6, 6
c and 10c are arranged perpendicularly on the same straight line.

On the other hand, the cutout portions 9 and 10 of the left and right side plates 6 and 6
A long hole 11 is formed along the vertical direction on the back side of the vertical portions 9c and 10c.

A set of upper and lower drive rollers 1 is provided in this elongated hole 11.
2 and 13 are fitted with both ends rotatably supported.

The structure of the drive rollers 12, 13 is shown in FIG.

The driving rollers 12 and 13 each have a belt-like sandpaper 14 wound spirally at a predetermined pitch around each roller having a predetermined diameter.

Each drive roller 12, 13 has small diameter shafts 15, 16 and 17, 18 protruding from both ends thereof.

The small-diameter shafts 15 and 17 are fitted into elongated holes 11 formed in the side plate 6, respectively, and are rotatable in through-holes 19a formed above and below an elongated support plate 19 located outside the side plate 6. is fitted to the support plate 1
9 is fixed from the outside with screws 20.

The role of the screw 20 is to prevent the support plate 19 and the shafts 15, 17 from being separated, and the shafts 15, 17 are rotatably supported by the support plate 19.

Further, the other shafts 16 and 18 are also rotatably fitted through the elongated holes 11 into the through holes 19a of the elongated support plate 19 located outside the other side plate 6.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 3, elongated protrusions 19b are formed on the inner surfaces of the left and right support plates 19, 19, in which through holes 19a are formed above and below.

The width of the protrusion 19b is approximately equal to the width of the elongated hole 11, and is slidably fitted into the elongated hole 11 to linearly guide the drive rollers 12 and 13 in the vertical direction.

Incidentally, gears 21 and 22 are respectively fixed to the shafts 16 and 18 on the outside of the support plate 19 by screws 23.

Also, a gear 21 is provided on the outside of the right support plate 19,
U-shaped support frame 2 with 22 sandwiched from both sides.
4 is fixed by screws 25, 25.

A gear 2 is attached to this support frame 24 by a screw 25a.
7 is rotatably supported, and this gear 27 is meshed with upper and lower gears 21 and 22.

Therefore, when either gear 21 or 22 rotates, the other gear is rotated in the same direction via gear 27. That is, drive rollers 12 and 13 are rotated in the same direction.

Note that the drive rollers 12 and 13 are not in contact with each other, but are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance above and below.

By the way, there is a notch 10 between the left and right side plates 6, 6.
A guide bar 26 is horizontally suspended above the guide bar 26 . This guide bar 26 not only reinforces the main body 1 but also guides the towel that is pulled out as will be described later, and has the role of keeping the width of the towel loops at a predetermined interval or more.

On the other hand, the cassette 2 has a grip 28 formed in a substantially U-shape as shown in FIG.
are integrally formed. The forming angle of this support frame 29 is over 180 degrees.

At the lower end of the grip 28, a support frame 30 forming an arc of small diameter is formed at a predetermined distance apart over an angular range of 180 degrees or more.

The axial directions of the support frames 29 and 30 are parallel and perpendicular to the grip 28.

Note that the distance between the axes of the support frames 29 and 30 is approximately equal to the distance between the notches 9 and 10.

Further, the diameter of the support frame 29 is approximately equal to the diameter of the unused towel wound into a roll, and the diameter of the support frame 30 is approximately equal to the diameter of the used towel when winding is started.

An unused towel 31 is fitted into the large diameter support frame 29. The unused towel 31 is wound in advance around a supply roller 32, and a shaft 32a that is fitted into the vertical portion 9c of the notch 9 is protruded from both ends of the supply roller 32.

In addition, a winding roller 3 is attached to the small diameter support frame 30.
3 is fitted with the tip of an unused towel 31 wrapped several times.

A shaft 33a is provided protruding from both ends of the winding roller 33, and this shaft 33a is guided into the vertical portion 10c of the notch 10 formed in the side plates 6, 6.

Since the support frames 29 and 30 are each formed in the shape of an arc extending over 180 degrees, the unused towel 31
and a winding roller 3 around which the tip of the towel is wound several times.
3 are fitted together, the open ends are elastically deformed in the opening direction and then returned to their original positions to ensure secure clamping.

Specifically, when installing an unused towel in the cassette 2, a slack portion 31a of a predetermined length is formed between the support frames 29 and 30, and a loop of a predetermined length is formed below the take-up roller 33. 31b is formed. Furthermore, considering the hygiene of the towel, the entire towel is placed in a plastic film bag or shrink-wrapped before being delivered to the user.
The packaging is designed to be easy to transport from a logistics standpoint and to prevent damage.

On the other hand, the cover 3 is formed in the shape of a casing with the back side and bottom open, and has a size that is large enough to cover the outside of the notch 8 and below at the upper ends of the side plates 6, 6.

A hinge half 34, which is combined with the above-mentioned hinge half 7 to form a set of hinges, is fixed to the side edge side of the upper surface of the cover 3.

As is well known, the hinge halves 7 and 34 are attached to the main body 1 so as to be openable and closable by arranging their respective cylindrical parts on the same axis and fitting pins 35.

A shaft 36 is rotatably supported at the lower ends of the left and right side plates of the cover 3. A hook 37 is fixed in the middle on the inner side of the shaft 36 on the inner side of the side plate, and this hook 37 is fixed in the half-clockwise direction in FIG. It is given the habit of turning in the direction.

Further, a lever 9 is fixed to the outer end of the shaft 6 on the outside of the side plate. Therefore, when the lever 39 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 2, the hook 37 compresses the spring 38 and is rotated clockwise. When the cover 3 is closed in this state and the lever 39 is released, the hook 37 is moved to the side plate 6. A pin 40 protruding from the outer surface of the
The cover 3 is locked in the closed position.

Next, a method of using the towel dispensing machine according to the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

When the unused towel 31 reaches the user, it is attached to the cassette 2 and packed as described above.

The user unpacks the package, rotates the lever 39 clockwise in FIG. 2, removes the hook 37 from the pin 40, and opens the cover 3.

With the cover 3 open, hold the grip 28 of the cassette 2 and bring it close to the open side of the main body 1 with the unused towel 31 sandwiched between the large-diameter support frame 29 facing upward.

Then, the shaft 32a of the supply roller 32 is inserted into the notch 9.
It is guided into the notch 9 through the tapered part 9a.

At the same time, the shaft 33a of the winding roller 33 is
is guided into the notch 10 via the tapered portion 10a.

This state is the state shown in FIG.

At this time, the drive rollers 12 and 13 are descending downward due to their own weight, but the take-up roller 33 hits the lower drive roller 13, and the drive rollers 12 and 13
push up.

In this state, as shown in FIG.
Lead to 0c.

In this way, the shaft 32a is attached to the vertical portion 9c.
When a is guided into the vertical portion 10c, the shafts 32a and 33a remain in their respective vertical portions 9 even when pulled toward the front.
Can't get out of c, 10c.

Therefore, by grasping the grip 28 of the cassette 2 and pulling the cassette 2 toward you, the support frames 29 and 30 are elastically deformed and separated from the unused towel 31 and the take-up roller 33.

In addition, use the cassette 2 to store unused towels 31.
When the towel is attached, the slack portion 31a of the towel between the upper and lower support frames 29 and 30 is removed as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
is in contact with the outside of the guide bar 26.

On the other hand, when the cassette 2 is removed, the unused towel 31 located on the upper side contacts the upper drive roller 12, and the lower drive roller 13 contacts the take-up roller 33, as shown in FIG.

Also, as shown in Fig. 6, in this state, the shaft 3
The straight line connecting 2a and 33a is the drive roller 12, 1
Although it is parallel to the straight line connecting the centers of 3, the axis 32
a and 33a are closer to the front.

On the other hand, when the cassette 2 is removed, the slack part 33a
is almost on a straight line as shown in FIG. 6, the loop 31b becomes longer from the state shown in FIG. 5 to the state shown in FIG. It becomes easy to use.

In this state, the cover 3 is closed, and the lever 39 is turned to hook the hook 37 onto the pin 40, thereby locking the cover 3.

This state is the state at the start of use.

When the user pulls the front side of the loop 31b downward from this state, a rotational moment is generated in which the distance from the shaft 32a to the position where the unused towel 31 is sent out is the length of the arm, and the unused towel 31 is transferred to the supply roller 32. and rotated clockwise.

During this rotation, a downward vertical force is naturally applied to the unused towel 31, but the supply roller 32
and the drive roller 12 are not on the same axis, so
All the downward force is not applied to the drive roller 12,
A component force is generated in the horizontal direction.

Therefore, the drive roller 12 is reliably rotated as the unused towel 31 rotates.

When the drive roller 12 is rotated, the gears 21, 2
Drive roller 13 located on the lower side via 7 and 22
is rotated in the same direction as the drive roller 12, and the take-up roller 33 in contact therewith is rotated clockwise in FIG.

Accordingly, the used looped towel is wound up by a length approximately equal to the length that was pulled out.

Thereafter, the same operation is repeated, and the used towels are sequentially wound up on the take-up roller 33, and as the diameter of the wound towel increases, the drive roller 1
2 and 13 are pushed upward, and the supply roller 32
side and the drive roller 12 are always in contact, and the drive roller 13
The towel is always in contact with the rolled up towel, and the towel is fed out and wound up.

Because the towel is wound up as much as it is unrolled,
The loop length L always remains the same.

When all the unused towels have been used in this way, the diameter of the rolled up used towels is larger, so the cassette 2 is moved to the large diameter support frame 29 in the opposite direction from when the towels were attached. The towel is brought close to the main body 1 with the cover 3 facing downward, the used towel is sandwiched between the large diameter support frame 29, and the supply roller 32 is sandwiched between the small diameter support frame 30.

At this time, the towels that are pulled out and forming a loop are folded inside the respective support frames 29 and 30.

After installing the cassette 2 in this way, the shaft 3
When 2a and 33a are pulled out from the notches 9 and 10,
The towel can be removed from the main body 1 very easily.

When taking out the used towel, the user does not touch the used towel with his/her hands, so it is extremely hygienic.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but includes within its scope various modifications, design changes, etc. without departing from the technical idea of the present invention.

[Effects] As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, the structure in which the axis of the rolled unused towel and the axis of the drive roller are shifted from each other is adopted. The load is not applied perpendicularly to the axis of the drive roller, but effectively functions as a rotational moment for the roll of unused towels, ensuring that unused towels are fed out and used towels are wound up. be able to.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure explains one embodiment of the present invention.
The figure is an exploded perspective view, the second figure is a perspective view of the cover, and the third figure is a perspective view of the cover.
The figure is an exploded perspective view of the drive roller, and FIGS. 4 to 7 are side views for explaining the operation. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Main body, 2... Cassette, 3... Cover, 6... Side plate, 9, 10... Notch, 11... Long hole, 12, 13
... Drive roller, 26 ... Guide bar, 28 ... Grip, 29, 30 ... Support frame, 31 ... Unused towel,
311a... slack portion, 31b... loop, 32... supply roller, 33... winding roller.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A supply roller in which an unused towel is wound into a roll and rotatably supported between the left and right side plates of the dispensing machine main body, and a roller that rotates between the left and right side plates vertically below the supply roller. A drive roller located on the upper side includes a take-up roller that is freely supported on its shaft and around which the used towel is wrapped, and a set of interlocking drive rollers that are rotatably and vertically supported between the left and right side plates. The rollers are in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the unused towel, the drive roller located on the lower side is in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the used towel, and the straight line connecting the axes of the upper and lower drive rollers is the axle center of the supply roller and take-up roller. A cassette-type towel dispensing machine characterized by being located closer to the back plate of the main body than the straight line connecting the two. 2 Vertical notches into which both ends of the supply roller and the take-up roller are fitted are formed on the same axis of the left and right side plates of the dispensing machine main body, and are vertically opposed, and the upper ends of these notches are located on the front side of the side plates. The two ends of the pair of upper and lower drive rollers are fitted into elongated holes vertically formed in the left and right side plates so that they can move up and down and rotate freely. According to claim 1, the vertical elongated hole is formed at a position closer to the back plate of the dispensing machine main body than the vertical notch into which the supply roller and take-up roller are fitted. A cassette type towel dispensing machine.