US3095998A - Towel dispensing machine - Google Patents

Description

July 2, 1963 J. E. KIENEL 3,095,998

TOWEL DISPENSING MACHINE Filed April 14, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOSEPH E. KlENEL va/61M ATTO RNEY y 1963 .1. E. KIENEL 3,095,998

TOWEL DISPENSING MACHINE Filed April 14, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOSEPH E. KIENEL ATTOR ME! y 2, 1953 J. E. KIENEL 3,095,998

TOWEL DISPENSING MACHINE Filed April 14. 1960 3 SheetsSheet 3 FIG 4 INVENTOR. JOS EPH E KIENEL lay 9 3 ii 7 i i inn asses Patented July 2 1963 3,095,998 TOWEL DISYENEHNG MAQHINE Joseph E. Kienel, Marietta, Ga, assignor, by 3112:: e assignments, to Qailaway Mills Company, La Grange, Ga a corporation of Georgia 7 Filed Apr. 14, 1969, Ser. No. 22,336 7 Ciaims. (Cl. 221-213) This invention relates to a towel dispensing machine and particularly to a machine of that sort for dispensing or vending shop towels and other towels in response to and only as a result of placing a used towel into the machine prior to receiving a clean one.

A considerable number of towels and Wiping cloths and other type fabric articles are used daily by various institutions, factories, shops and other places. These cloths represent a substantial investment and the cost of cleaning and maintaining them is an important factor in the overall overhead cost of an establishment. One of the most diflicult things to contend with in the dispensing of these articles to a number of different personnel at various times of the day is the fact that many towels are never returned or are damaged carelessly to the extent that they cannot be used again. These establishments have been in need of a dispensing apparatus which will police the dispensing of the clean towels according to the return of another dirty towel and in such a manner as to provide safeguards against the varied attempts to cheat the machine through the use of other items than the actual towels themselves. Some personnel are very careless with the use of these towels and either destroy them needlessly, damage them cmelessly or remove them from the premises thereby causing considerable financial loss to the owners. A number of prior art machines have attempted to solve this problem through the construction of a dispensing device employing a receiving portion into which there is placed a dirty towel and a delivery portion from which the clean towel may be removed after having put the dirty towel in the machine. There is nothing new broadly only in the idea of a dispensing machine which employs apparatus for receiving a dirty towel and dispensing a clean one. However, the construction and arrangement and inherent mechanical or electrical fabrication of these other machines is such that they are limited or fail to provide suflicient safeguards against cheating the machines by the ingenuity of the personnel who wish to remove clean towels without using an actual dirty towel of the same fabric. For example, in many of these prior art machines, it is possible to insert pieces of newspaper or waste material or even strips cut from a towel rather than a whole towel itself and these cheating devices are suiiicient to fool the machine to the extent that a new towel will be delivered. Also, the delivery mechanism of many of these machines is undependable in that sometimes it delivers no towels when it should or at times it delivers more than one when it should deliver only one. Such difiiculties and malfunctions as these are suficient to destroy the entire utihty of the machine and to make such machines infeasible to the establishment to invest a large sum of money for the purchase price of a machine.

Generally described, without restriction on the scope of my invention, and as found in the appended claims, and with no particular attention to the use of patent terminology or vernacular, the present machine, similar to all other towel dispensing machines, employs a large cabinetlike affair with a door securely locked but which may be opened for access into the machine for loading, repairing or otherwise exposing the internal parts. The cabinet is divided generally into a receiving section comprising a storage area in which dirty towels are allowed to collect and a dispensing section or area in which there is placed a large size stack of clean towels. A small needle-like loading member protrudes from the upper portion of the outside of the machine near the receiving section and on this member is hung a dirty towel. A narrow, restricted opening is located in the front door of the machine below the dispensing portion and from this opening drops the clean towel after the dirty towel has passed inspection. Behind the member on which the dirty towel is hung and completely closed from access thereto is the receiving and inspection portion and apparatus of the receiving part of the machine which comprises a continuous chain driven about suitablersprocket arrangement and having attached thereto the needle-like member on which the dirty towel is hung. The chain is calibrated in length according to the size lineally of the towel to be examined. The preferred arrangement is that the towel be measured diagonally from corner to corner by the present receiving mechanism. The chain receives the towel and passes beneath a particular plate arrangement directing the leading end of the towel against a first sensing member which trips a first inspection switch and then the towel travels to a second sensing and switch device which completes the inspection and measures the towel. The essence of this that the fabric must be of such body and texture as to engage these sensing devices or otherwise the devices will not actuate the switches. This is to prevent the use of newspaper, towel scraps or other debris to activate the machine. The first switch contact member responds to the movement of the towel and will activate a switch if the body of the towel is sufficient to engage same resiliently. The measuring chain is activated by a self-contained motor transmission which is operated manually from a button on the front of the machine after the person has placed the towel on the needle-receiving member. Through suitable inner-connective relay circuitry, the switches of the first and second sensing members close a latching relay which closes the motor circuit to the delivery or dispensing apparatus now described. In the chamber or portion of the cabinet completely separate from the receiving mechanism, there is a vertically movable dispensing carriage which is movably supported on vertical posts and which comprises a stack contacting delivery frame adapted to rest on the top of and against a vertical stack of clean towels and being counterbalanced thereon by means of suitable weight and pulley arrangement. This frame carries the delivery mechanism for picking up and delivering a towel to the front of the machine and this mechanism comprises a continuous chain member suitably guarded by a cover and having at one position thereon a specially arranged towel pick-up member consisting of a plurality of fine teeth mounted on a flexible back and having the slope thereof and the ends thereof beveled in such a manner as to pick up a towel in one direction and to drop it after changing direction and passing a certain point. One the frame there is mounted suitablemotor and transmission drive for a continuous chain member having the towel pick-up shoe or device thereon, and this motor is activated by the closing of the latching relay from the measuring switch arrangement of the receiving section. The relationship between the frame and the position of the delivery mechanism on top of the stack and resting on the selvage of the towel is such as to provide a novel delivery assuring the positive pick-up of one towel at the time. Various important details will be apparent from a more thorough reading of the specification.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a substantially cheat-proof or fool-proof towel dispensing machine which will inspect and measure an incoming towel before dispensing or delivering a clean one.

A particular advantage of this invention resides in the measuring and inspection apparatus of the receiving seetion of the machine whereby an input towel must be measured, such as diagonally from corner to corner, and must be of such body and thickness to pass inspection or otherwise it will not operate the machine. a

Another object of this invention resides in the particular arrangement of the delivery carriage or mechanism whereby positive contact with the top towel in the stack is maintained and positive'delivery is substantially assured each and every time.

With respect to the incoming inspection arrangement and the receiving portion, it is pointed out there is a particular advantage in the manner of feeding the cloth towel so as to confine it through a feeding channel against a first and a second sensing switch member so that the body and texture of the material fed must be at least equivalent to that of a shop towel or otherwise the measuring wheel will not operate.

Another feature of this invention resides in the details of the pick-up shoe itself, wherein sharp-pointed pick-up members attached to a flexible backaccomplish pick-up only in one direction of movement as the shoe passes against the material and delivery and these pick-up members release by gravity when the direction of the delivery chain changes thereby dropping the towel out of the machine. 7

An additional advantage of this machine resides in the electric circuitry and electro-mechanical devices for accomplishing input-towel inspection and automatic clean towel delivery. 7

Still another feature is the clean towel stack arrangement and delivery arrangement whereby the delivery 'mechanism rests by counter-weights on the top of the stack and lowers as the stack decreases. I

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the machine of this invention with the front cabinet door removed exposing the internal mechanism and with portions thereof broken away to show details.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the machine in FIG. 1 with the front door closed.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the towel pick-up shoe. V

FIG. 4 is .a schematic electrical diagram of the operating circuitry of the machine in FIG. 1 with electro-mechanical elements shown therein. I

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a modified needle 7 pick-up device.

Referring initially to FIG. 1 of the drawing and then from time to time to the other figures and details thereof, it is seen that the machine is contained in a large'cabinet 10 having a top 12, a back 14, and sides 16. A front closure door 18 has an open delivery slot in the front thereof and has on the upper left-hand side acovered towel attaching position 22 and a starter button 24 located adjacent thereto. The door 18 is normally closed and locked inpplace so that the machine is completely tamper-proof except through the use of the intended outside controls. V p V The machine 10 is divided essentially into two sections, the receiving section 28 and the delivery section 30. These two. sections are related toeach other through the electrical ,circuitry. and electromechanical operation therebetween whereby the delivery section 30 operates only by and upona signal from electric switch. actuation from the receiving section. In the receiving section 28, there is a towel delivery and measuring chainSZ supported on a drive sprocket 34 and idling .over front and rear sprockets 36, 38, the front sprocket being supported adjacent the front door so that the chain 32 passes in close proximity to the towel attachment opening Attached to the chain 32 is a small protruding needle-like member 40 which protrudes from the outersurface of the chain 32 and passes by the front towel attachment opening and stops near there between successive operations of the machine. A second needle-like member 40 is on chain 32 in the event the first one is missed. The sprocket is driven by a self-contained, conventional electric motor and transmission unit 44 attached to the panel member 45 of the cabinet which separates the receiving section 28 from the delivery section 30. The motor unit 44 is driven by suitable 110 V. AC. electric current through a power line from any available power source. Immediately above the chain, outside the machine on cabinet door 18 there is a towel channeling and guiding device 46 consisting of a slotted plate and housing 47 on door 18 over the chain which causes the towel to become elongated and to assume a substantially straight line delivery after it is fed into the machine on the delivery chain. Within the receiving section beyond the channel guiding housing there is a measuring'and inspection apparatus 48 comprising a first sensing switch device 50 having a movable contact arm 52 pivoted on the machine frame presenting a movable sensing arm above the chain 32. The location of the sensing arm 52 above chain 32 is such that the arm 52 will be contacted by the bulk of the fabric of a towel having the proper thickness. Attached adjacent to sensing arm 50 there is a sensitive micro switch 68 located in the path of the armSi) and connected by suitable circuitry to a latching relay 62 mounted on the inside of the cabinet-machine =10; For the time being the details of the specific electric circuitry will not be recited; however, hereinafter under Electrical Circuitry and Operation this will be discussed fully. A second sensing device 64, identical with device 50, is mounted with its sensing arm 66 in the path of chain 32 at a spaced point inwardly from arm 52. Sensing device ,64 includes a sensitive micro switch 68 in circuitry with switch and the latching relay 62. With this arrangement, both switches 60, 68 must be actuated by the bulk of the towel as chain 32 moves the towel beneath the switch arms 52, 66 in order to complete the verification required to operate the delivery arrangement.

The front 'of the machine has protruding therefrom a manual push switch rod 70part of a starting switch 72 of the sensitive latching micro type, spring-biased normally open but having a conventional latching arrangement whereby it remains closed after operation until un- .latched. Push button 24 is attached to the rod 70.

Chain 32 is provided with a follow-up and switch actuation lug (not shown) protruding therefrom following the travel of the towel and mechanically contacting the switch 72 after the towel has passed inspection to un latch same to cut off the motor sion combination unit 44.

According to the circuitry and electro-mechanical operation which will be described following the description of the delivery section, electrical association and connection between the input section 28 section 30 through the latching rela-y 62 interconnects and relates these sections requiring that the towel pass inspection as to length and bulk beneath the arms 52, 66 before the delivery section will operate to deliver a clean towel. 1

The delivery section 30 comprises a large rectangular space vertically arranged 'onone side of the cabinet and adapted to receive and hold a large stack of towels 73. Resting on top of the towels 73 is the delivery carriage 74 movably supported on vertical post, 76 by means of a loose collar arrangement 78 supporting a frame 80 havmg a triangular presser foot and plate 81 resting on top of the stack with upturned edges 82 coextensive with the towel selvage along one corner thereof. The frame 80 has attached thereto a pair of sprocket'members 83, 84

- having a continuous delivery chain 85 thereon and operated there around. The delivery chain 85 has attached thereto a delivery of the motor-transmis- V and delivery foot or shoe and pick-up device 86 (FIG. 3) comprising a heavy, flexible backingcloth or material 88 or like metallic material in which is fastened and from which protrudes a plurality of aligned rows of needle-like members 90 inclined rearwardly and bent in the manner shown in FIG. 3 and adapted to pick up the towel by penetration into the fabric as the foot 86 is fed across stack 73 from front to rear and to hold the towel as the chain 85 travels on top from rear to front, releasing the towel by gravity as the delivery-foot device 86 changes direction from top to bottom going from front to rear again. Needles 90 are imbedded in or otherwise attached to the backing material 89 somewhat like the bristles on a hair brush. For long lasting operation, needles 90 are made from a high tensile resilient steel sometimes used in the production of ordinary sewing needles. Shoe 86 is attached to chain 85 by means or" a special bracket 92 of U-shape construction having a chain link 84 attached thereto for attachment into the chain 85. The carriage 74 is counter-weighted through a system of cables 96 attached over pulleys 98 and having counterweights 1% attached thereto so as to maintain a proper balance between the weight of the carriage on top of the stack of towels.

A self-contained combined 110 v. electric motor and transmission unit 110, which is a conventional device obtainable from a number of sources and which occupies only a small space, is attached to carriage 74 and has a shaft 112 which drives the delivery chain 88 in a continuous manner. Fastened on a chain housing 114 near the top thereof there is a bracket 1 16 supporting a switch 118 having a contact arm 120 located on the chain 85 at a spaced interval from the pick-up shoe 86. A switch contact lug member 122 on chain 85 contacts the switch arm 120 operating switch 118 to break the delivery circuit at such time as the shoe 86 has passed the forward position and has dropped a towel. The momentum of the chain 85 and the shoe 86 carries the device on back down to a frontal position where it is ready to pick up another towel from the top of the stack. Delivery is always effectuated one towel at a time from the top of the stack and in view of the relative thickness of a towel and the size and speed of the shoe needles 90 contacting only the top towel in the stack 73, only one such towel 73 is removed from the stack.

The weight of the carriage 74 and the configuration and arrangement to the triangular presser foot and plate 81 on the selvage of the front corner of a towel 73 causes a slight hump or bump at the exposed back of the towel stack causing the top towel to pooc out thereby adding to the positive removal of one and only one towel from the stack each time. This assists the towels in separating from each other.

The front part of the delivery side 30 near the bottom thereof has a flexible chute 130 thereon normally stretched between a bottom roller 132 and a removable top retaining rod 134. A smaller metal chute 136 attached on the front of the housing 114 directs the delivered towel onto the front chute 130 and the towel drops from there out of an opening 138 near the bottom of the front of cabinet 10. The chute 130 provides a barrier between the front opening '138-and the stack of towels 73 thereby resisting the removal of a towel surreptitiously from opening 138.

In the modified pick-upshoedevice 140 shown in FIG. 5, the arrangement is very similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 except that the needle members 142 in the FIG. 5 embodiment are bent near the bottom closely adjacent the surface of the backingmaterial 144 rather than near the end as shown in the FIG. 3 embodiment. The view in FIG. 5 is considerably enlarged to show clearly that the terminal ends of the needles 142 are beveled or inclined in cross-section, thereby assisting the pick-up in onedirection and the drop in the other.

As the delivery of the'towels takes place, the stack 73 diminishes in size and the carriage 74 travels with the 8 stack 73 vertically downwardly until a position at the bottom of the stack 73 is reached, at which time a springbiased contact member 150 is actuated by the carriage foot 81 operating a switch 152 causingthe machine to shut ofi and to light the front red panel light 154 signaL ling visibly that the machine is empty.' Cabinet door 18 is mounted on hinges and mounted near the inner facing of the hinged door there is an electrical interlock 155 comprising a male plug 156 on the door 18 and a female plug on the cabinet proper whereby, as a safety feature, opening door 18 automatically dis-engages the interlock 154 to terminate the electrical current which normally is provided through a conventional electrical line 160 having a conventional plug 162 pluggedrinto any convenient outlet. The machine can be serviced and maintained with towels by inexperienced personnel without danger of electric shock or accidental machine operation during loading. An ordinary electrically operated counter 166 is mounted on the machine and adapted to be energized electrically through a line 167 each time the delivery mechanism delivers one towel. The towelcounter counts continuously each time switch 118 closes thereby providing a convenient method of auditing the operation, the loading count and so forth.

Electrical Circuitry and Opei'ation The complete electrical circuitry of this device is shown in FIG. 4 and comprises a pair of switch and switch contacts 60, 68 on the measuring member, as described hereinbefore, connected by suitable circuitry through the first coil 172 of the relay station 62, which in turn is connected to the latching switch 174 controlled bythe ofi coil 176 number 2. One side of the line 160 is 178 and the other side is 180. In accordance with this arrangement the circuit to the motor drive 110 of the delivery remains open until such time as the switch 174 is closed through the relay 62 by the actuation of the switches 60, 68 by the measuring member 32. Measuring member 32 is inactive until such time as the towel 73 is placed on the needle-point front and the start button 72 is pushed manually by the person delivering the towel to close a circuit 181 through motor 44. The closing of both switches 60, 68 completes a circuit in relay coil 172 from one side of the line 178 through circuit 182 to the other side 180. According to the operation of the conventional latches of relay 62, the circuit 184 through switch 174 closes upon the energization of coil 172 and remains closed with the switch armature of switch 174 latched mechanically in place until the subsequent energization of off coil 176 releases the latch. This occurs when chain lug 122 on chain strikes switch 118; After switches 60, 68 had closed, motor 44 was stopped by the action of the lug on chain 132 manually hitting push switch 72 to unlock the latched armature. The closing of switch 174 started motor which caused chain 85 to deliver a clean towel. Following the towel delivery, the opening of switch 118 and unlatching of switch 174 returns the machine to initial position. The actuation of spring contact by carriage foot 8 1 switches the switch 152 from L for left, to R for right, thereby permanently opening circuits 181 and 182 preventing further operation of the machine until it is loaded again. The switching from L to R closes a circuit from one line side 178 through 188 through 182 to the other side of the line thereby energizing light 154 to signal Empty.

The condition of the machine according to the condition of various switches is summarized in table form as follows:

171111; 721741186068 open; 152 Left and remains so. Empty: 72-174-118-60-68 open; 152 Right.

7 The sequence of operation and condition of switches is shown in the following table:

Normal O O O O O C Machine Loaded With Towels-Ready to Run. 0 O O 0 C Start Button Pushed. O O C 0 0 Dirty Towel Hits First Sensing. O O C C C Dirty Towel Hits Second Sensing. C O C C C Relay Closes, Starts Clean Motor. V C O 0 O 0 Dirty Towel Passes First Sensing; C O O O 0 Dirty Towel Passes Second Sensing. C 0 O 0 0 Dirty Towel Chain Releases Start Button. C C O O 0 Clean TowelChain Hits Stop Micro. Normal 0.--. O 0 O 0 O C Machine Coasts to Release Stop Micro.

0-Open.

CCl0sed.

If no towel in, sequence is 0, I, VII, 0. 7

It short towel in, sequence is 0, I, II, V, III, VI, VII, 0 (IV and VIII are omitted).

It empty, sequence is 0, I, (start switch closed, but circint open at empty Mioro).

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, this is in no way to be construed as any sort of limitation therein since various alterations, changes, elirninations, substitutions, variations and devia tions may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

V I claim:

1. Apparatus for dispensing cloth towels one at a time from an opening in the front of a cabinet containing a vertical stack of horizontally disposed towels, means forming a towel passageway in front of the stack of towels leading upwardly from said opening on the interior of the cabinet, a carriage mounted for vertical movement in said cabinet and including contact means resting by gravity on top of said stack of towels, towel pickup means having teeth for catching the fabric of a towel, means mounting said pickup means on said carriage for movement of said teeth relative to said carriage around an endless path with said teeth extending outwardly from the central portion of the space enclosed by said endless path, said path including a towel discharge zone extending above said towel passageway and a towel entraining zone extending in proximity to the top towel of the stack at a point below and to the rear of said towel discharge zone and to the rear of said contact means on said carriage, and means for advancing said teeth completely around said path, said teeth passing downwardly and rearwardly into said towel entraining zone to contact the top towel in the stack, said teeth passing rearwardly in said towel entraining zone to entrain the top towel, said teeth passing upwardly and forwardly carrying the entrained towel toward the front of the cabinet with a portion of the towel trailing loosely behind said teeth, said teeth passing downwardly into said towel discharge zone in a forwardly direction and passing outof said towel discharge zone in a rearwardly direction whereby the reversal in direction within said'towel discharge zone causes the trailing portion of a towel entering said zone to flip over toward said toward passageway under the influence of gravity and exert a force for disengaging the towel from said teeth.

' 2. Apparatus for dispensing cloth towels one at a time from an opening in the front of a cabinet containing a vertical stack ofhorizontally disposed towels, means forming a towel passageway in front of the stack of towels leading upwardly from said opening on the interior of the cabinet, a carriage mounted for vertical movement in said cabinet and including contact means resting by gravity on top of said stack of towels, towel pickup means having teeth for catching the fabric of a towel, means mounting said pickup means on said carriage for movement of said teeth relative to said carriage around an endless path with said teeth extending outwardly from the central portion of the space enclosed by said endless path, said path including a towel discharge zone extending above said towel passageway and a towel entraining zone extending in proximity to the top towel of the stack at a point below and to the rear of said towel discharge zone and to the rear of said contact means on said carriage, and rotary drive means operating continuously in one direction of rotation for a period sufiicient to advance said teeth completely around said path, said teeth passing downwardly and rearwardly into said towel entraining zone to contact the top towel in the stack, said teeth passing rearwardly in said towel entraining zone to entrain the top towel, said teeth passing upwardly and forwardly carrying the entrained towel toward the front of the cabinet with a portion of the towel trailing loosely behind said teeth, said teeth passing downwardly into said towel discharge zone in a forwardly direction and passing out of said towel discharge zone in a reanwardly direction whereby the reversal in direction within said towel discharge zone causes the trailing portion of a towel entering said zone to flip over toward said towel passageway under the influence of gravity and exert a force for disengaging the towel from said teeth. a V V V 3. Apparatus for dispensing cloth towels one at a time from an opening in the front of a cabinet containing a vertical stack of horizontally disposed towels, means forming a towel passageway'in front of the stack of towels lead ing upwardly from said opening on the interior of the cabinet, a carriage mounted for vertical movement in said cabinet and including contact means resting by gravity on top of said stack of towels, towel pickup means having teeth for catching the fabric of a towel, means mounting said pickup means on said carriage for movement of said teeth relative to said carriage around an endless path with said teeth extending outwardly from the central'portion of the space enclosed by said endless path, said path including a towel discharge zone extending above said towel passageway and a towel entraining zone extending in proximity to the top towel of the stack at a point below and to the rear of said towel discharge zone and to the rear of said contact means on said carriage, means for ad-, vancing said teeth completely around said path, said teeth passing downwardly and rearwardly into said towel entraining zone to contact the top towel in the stack, said teeth passing rearwardly in said towel entraining zone to entrain the top towel, said teeth passing upwardly and forwardly carrying the entrained towel toward the front of the cabinet with a portion of the towel trailing loosely behind said teeth, said teeth passing downwardly into said towel discharge zone in a forwardly direction and passing out of said towel discharge zone in a rearwardly direction whereby the reversal in direction within said towel disi charge zone causes the trailing portion of a towel entering said zone to flip over toward said towel passageway under the influence of gravity and exert a force for disengaging the towel from said teeth, and a towel support on said carriage disposed inwardly of and conforming in contour to the downward and forward portion of the path of said teeth in said towel discharge zone. 7

' 4. Apparatus for dispensing cloth towels one at a time from an opening in the front of a cabinet containing a vertical stack of horizontally disposed towels, means forming a towel passageway in front of the stack of towels leading upwardly from said opening on'the interior of the cabinet, a carriage mounted for vertical movement in said cabinet and including contact means resting by gravity on top of saidstack of towels, towel pickup means having ,teeth forcatching the; fabric of "a towel, means mounting said pickup means on said carriage for movement of said teeth relative to said carriage around an endless path with said teeth extending outwardly from the central portion of the space enclosed by said endless path, said path including a towel discharge zone extending above said towel passageway and a towel entraining zone extending in proximity to the top towel of the stack at a point below and to the rear of said towel discharge zone and to the rear of said contact means on said carriage, and means for advancing said teeth completely around said path, the outer end portions of said teeth being inclined outwardly in the direction of movement of said teeth, said teeth passing downwardly and rearwardly into said towel entraining zone to contact the top towel in the stack, said teeth passing rearwardly in said towel entraining zone to entrain the top towel, said teeth passing upwardly and forwardly carrying the entrained towel toward the front of the cabinet with a portion of the towel trailing loosely behind said teeth, said teeth passing downwardly into said towel discharge zone in a forwardly direction and passing out of said towel discharge zone in a rearwardly direction whereby the reversal in direction within said towel discharge zone causes the trailing portion of a towel entering said zone to flip over toward said towel passageway under the influence of gravity and exert a force for disengaging the towel from said teeth.

5. Apparatus for dispensing cloth towels one at a time from an opening in the front of a cabinet containing a vertical stack of horizontally disposed towels, means forming a towel passageway in front of the stack of towels leading upwardly from said opening on the interior of the cabinet, a carriage mounted for vertical movement in said cabinet and including contact means resting by gravity on top of said stack of towels, towel pickup means having teeth for catching the fabric of a towel, means mounting said pickup means on said carriage for movement of said teeth relative to said carriage around an endless path with said teeth extending outwardly from the central portion of the space enclosed by said endless path, said path including a towel discharge zone extending above said towel passageway and a towel entraining zone extending in proximity to the top towel of the stack at a point below and to the rear of said towel discharge zone and to the rear of said contact means on said carriage, means for advancing said teeth completely around said path, said teeth passing downwardly and rearwardly into said towel entraining zone to'contact the top towel in the stack, said teeth passing rearwardly in said towel entraining zone to entrain the top towel, said teeth passing upwardly and forwardly carrying the entrained towel toward the front of the cabinet with a portion of the towel trailing loosely behind said teeth, said teeth passing downwardly into said towel discharge zone in a forwardly direction and passing out of said towel discharge zone in a rearwardly direction, and towel guide means mounted on said carriage for vertical movement therewith, said towel guide means having a surface located adjacent said discharge zone and extending away from said path to guide the towel 01f said teeth and into said towel passageway.

6. Apparatus for dispensing cloth towels one at a time from an opening in the front of a cabinet containing a vertical stack of horizontally disposed towels, means forming a towel passageway in front of the stack of towels leading upwardly from said opening on the interior of the cabinet, a carriage mounted for vertical movement in said cabinet and including a foot resting by gravity on a front portion of the top of said stack of towels, said foot being of a size to bear upon a major portion of the area of the top towel in the stack, towel pickup means having teeth for catching the fabric of a towel, means mounting said pickup means on said carriage for movement of said teeth relative to said carriage around an endless path with said teeth extending outwardly from the central portion *of the space enclosed by said endless path, said path including a towel discharge zone extending above said towel passageway and a towel entraining zone extending in proximity to the rear edge of the top towel of the stack at a point below and to the rear of said towel discharge zone and to the rear of said foot on said carriage, .and means for advancing said teeth completely around said path, said teeth passing downwardly and rearwardly into said towel entraining zone to contact the top towel in the stack, said teeth passing rearwardly in said towel entraining zone to entrain the top towel, said teeth passing upwardly and forwardly carrying the entrained towel toward the front of the cabinet with a portion of the towel trailing loosely behind sm'd teeth, said teeth passing downwardly into said towel discharge zone in a forwardly direction and passing out of said towel discharge zone in a rearwardly direction whereby the reversal in direction within said towel discharge zone causes the trailing portion of a towel entering said zone to flip over toward said towel passageway under the influence of gravity and exert a force for disengaging the towel from said teeth.

7. Apparatus for dispensing cloth towels one at a time from an opening in the front of a cabinet containing a vertical stack of horizontally disposed towels, means forming a towel passageway in front of the stack of towels leading upwardly from said opening on the interior of the cabinet, a carriage mounted for vertical movement in said cabinet and including contact means resting by gravity on a front portion of the top of said stack of towels, a first sprocket mounted on said carriage above said towel passageway for rotation about a horizontal axis, a second sprocket mounted on said carriage above a rear portion of said stack of towels for rotation about a horizontal axis, an endless chain passing around said sprockets, a towel pickup shoe attached to said chain and extending outwardly from said chain, said shoe having teeth projecting therefrom for catching the fabric of a towel, and means for rotating one of said sprockets to move said teeth through an endless path, said path including a towel discharge zone where said teeth move past said first sprocket and a towel entraining zone where said teeth move past said second sprocket, said teeth passing downwardly and rearwardly into said towel entraining zone to contact the top towel in the stack, said teeth passing rearwardly in said towel entraining zone to entrain the top towel, said teeth passing upwardly and forwardly carrying the entrained towel toward the front of the cabinet with a portion of the towel trailing loosely behind said teeth, said teeth passing downwardly into said towel discharge zone in a forwardly direction and passing out of said towel discharge zone in a rearwardly direction whereby the reversal in direction within said towel discharge zone causes the trailing portion of a towel entering said zone to flip over toward said towel passageway under the influence of gravity and exert a force for disengaging the towel from said teeth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,571 Fischer Aug. 20, 1889 1,285,187 Hotaling Nov. 19, 1918 1,293,200 Ritz Feb. 4, 1919 2,196,769 Horgan Apr. 9, 1940 2,602,535 Bird July 8, 1952 2,653,693 Dosberg Sept. 29, 1953 2,713,931 Russell July 26, 1955 2,781,839 Moore May 14, 1957 2,819,817 MacKenzie Jan. 14, 1958 2,887,204 Giuliano May 19, 1959 2,913,828 Bloxham Nov. 24, 1959 2,926,814 Utiger Mar. 1, 1960

Claims (1)

1. APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING CLOTH TOWELS ONE AT A TIME FROM AN OPENING IN THE FRONT OF A CABINET CONTAINING A VERTICAL STACK HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED TOWELS, MEANS FORMING A TOWEL PASSAGEWAY IN FRONT OF THE STACK OF TOWELS LEADING UPWARDLY FROM SAID OPENING ON THE INTERIOR OF THE CABINET, A CARRIAGE MOUNTED FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT IN SAID CABINET AND INCLUDING CONTACT MEANS RESTING BY GRAVITY ON TOP OF SAID STACK OF TOWELS, TOWEL PICKUP MEANS MOUNTING TEETH FOR CATCHING FABRIC OF A TOWEL, MEANS MOUNTING SAID PICKUP MEANS ON SAID CARRIAGE FOR MOVEMENT OF SAID TEETH RELATIVE TO SADI CARRIAGE AROUND AN ENDLESS PATH WITH SAID TEETH EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE SPACE ENCLOSED BY SAID ENDLESS PATH, SAID PATH INCLUDING A TOWEL DISCHARGE ZONE EXTENDING ABOVE SAID TOWEL PASSAGEWAY AND A TOWEL ENTRAINING ZONE EXTENDING IN PROXIMITY TO THE TOP TOWEL OF THE STACK AT A POINT BELOW AND TO THE REAR OF SAID TOWEL DISCHARGE ZONE AND TO THE REAR OF SADI CONTACT MEANS ON SAID CARRIAGE, AND MEANS FOR ADVANCING SAID TEETH COMPLETELY AROUND SAID PATH, SAID

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