WO2021168592A1

WO2021168592A1 - Hand-towel dispenser

Info

Publication number: WO2021168592A1
Application number: PCT/CH2020/000003
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christian Frei
Original assignee: Noventa Ag
Priority date: 2020-02-26
Filing date: 2020-02-26
Publication date: 2021-09-02
Also published as: EP4110147A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a hand-towel dispenser (1) comprising a drive device (14) which additionally comprises a lever mechanism (200) that rotationally couples the guide roller (25) and the drive roller (13) via a mechanical gearing (20) when a timer control (16) is activated so that, by means of the rotation of the guide roller (25) when a length of fresh towel (6) is unwound, the towel can be drawn via the drive roller (13) and wound onto the used towel roll (11) simultaneously, wherein the lever mechanism (200) can be actuated by means of the timer control (16) via the mechanical gearing (20) after the period of time Δt expires such that the guide roller (25) and the drive roller (13) are rotationally decoupled. The invention also relates to a method for operating the hand-towel dispenser (1), having the additional steps of: - rotationally coupling the guide roller (25) and the drive roller (13) by means of a lever mechanism (200) such that a rotation of the guide roller (25) is produced by additionally unwinding a length ΔL of fresh towel (6) during the period of time Δt so that a towel length ΔL is drawn and wound onto a used towel roll (11) simultaneously via the drive roller (13) and at the same time the timer control (16) is reset and reactivated; and - actuating the lever mechanism (200) by means of the timer control (16) via the mechanical gearing (20) after the period of time Δt expires such that the guide roller (25) and the drive roller (13) are rotationally decoupled.

Description

Towel dispenser

The invention relates to a method for operating a towel dispenser according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a towel dispenser according to the preamble of claim 5.

A towel dispenser is known from document US Pat. No. 6,267,460 B1 GAIDE ET AL, which dispenses a certain length of used towel after the fresh towel has been pulled out, so that a towel loop is formed which enables the user to comfortably dry his hands. A disadvantage of this known towel dispenser, however, is that improper operation, i.e. by repeatedly pulling out fresh towels briefly one after the other and before pulling in the used towel, can form a bottom loop, which subsequently cannot be completely drawn in while the towel is being drawn in.

The invention aims to provide a remedy here. The invention is based on the object of providing a method and a towel dispenser in which it is automatically prevented that a floor loop can be formed.

The invention achieves the stated problem with a method for operating a towel dispenser, which has the features of claim 1, and with a towel dispenser, which has the features of claim 5.

The advantages achieved by the invention are essentially to be seen in the fact that, thanks to the method according to the invention and the towel dispenser according to the invention:

- no floor loop can be formed by improper operation. However, a loop of fabric is always visible. If a fresh towel is pulled out several times, the towel dispenser dispenses a towel at the front and at the same time pulls the used towel back in again, so that the fabric loop formed when the fresh towel is first removed remains the same size.

- When the towel dispenser is not in use, only a small section of fabric is visible that can be pulled Towel dispenser from the front with a clean cloth and a used cloth from the rear, so that the user has enough cloth to dry his hands. The fabric loop formed in this way remains the same size even if a fresh cloth is taken off several times. After a certain time, the towel dispenser pulls in the used towel (dirty towel) so that again only a small section of fabric is visible.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention can be commented on as follows:

In a special embodiment of the method according to the invention, when the user unwinds fresh towel from the fresh towel roll, a spring-loaded drive for the drive device is pretensioned via the guide roller. This achieves the advantage that the drive device, the positioning device and the timing control can be driven via the energy stored in the spring storage device, so that the towel dispenser can be operated without external energy (e.g. electrical energy).

In a further embodiment of the method, when unwinding fresh towel by means of the mechanical gear, a longitudinal section ALv of used towel is unwound from the dirty towel roll and dispensed, so that a towel loop is formed by the longitudinal section AL on the fresh towel and the longitudinal section ALv on the used towel. If no used towel would be given out at the back, the user would have to continuously grasp when pulling out the fabric in order to obtain a suitable towel loop. Due to the parallel output, the cloth can be pulled out without having to touch it. A rear part of the towel loop, which is not used by the user when drying his hands, can be formed by already soiled cloth, so that the user has enough cloth to dry his hands and fresh cloth can be saved.

In another embodiment of the method, when the used towel is drawn in and wound onto the dirty towel roll under step B), the guide roller is locked in place to prevent fresh tissue from being unwound from the fresh towel roll, so that the towel loop can be completely drawn in. In order to the advantage can be achieved that when the towel dispenser is inactive, there is no towel loop, so that the fresh towel is stored in the towel dispenser and protected from soiling.

In a special embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention, it comprises a portioning device by means of which the guide roller can be locked so that no fresh towel can be unwound from the fresh towel roll when the guide roller is locked.

In another embodiment of the towel dispenser, the drive device comprises a reverse gear, by means of which the drive roller can be driven in rotation, so that used cloth can be drawn in and wound onto the dirty cloth roll in a first direction of rotation of the drive roller and used cloth can be unwound from the dirty cloth roll in a second direction of rotation of the drive roller is.

The invention and further developments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the partially schematic representations of an exemplary embodiment.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the inventive

Towel dispenser without the front side wall of the housing;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective illustration of the receiving device for the fresh towel roll of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1

Towel dispensers;

3 shows a perspective illustration of the receiving device for the fresh towel roll of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1

Towel dispenser viewed from the rear; 4 shows a side view of the mechanical transmission of the embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 in the starting position and viewed from the inside to the outside;

5 shows a side view of the mechanical transmission of the embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 in the starting position and viewed from the outside in;

6 shows a side view of the mechanical transmission of the embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 during normal dispensing of fresh towels and viewed from the inside out;

7 shows a side view of the mechanical transmission of the embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 during normal dispensing of fresh towels and viewed from the outside in;

8 shows a side view of the mechanical transmission of the embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 in the end position of the normal dispensing of fresh towels and viewed from the inside to the outside;

9 shows a side view of the mechanical transmission of the embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 in the end position of the normal dispensing of fresh towels and viewed from the outside in;

10 shows a side view of the mechanical transmission of the embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 during the retractive dispensing of fresh towels and viewed from the inside out;

11 shows a side view of the mechanical transmission of the embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 during the retractive dispensing of fresh towels and viewed from the outside inwards; 12 shows a side view of the mechanical transmission of the embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 in the end position of the retractive dispensing of fresh towels and viewed from the inside to the outside; and

13 shows a side view of the mechanical transmission of the embodiment of the towel dispenser according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 in the end position of the retractive dispensing of fresh towels and viewed from the outside inwards.

The embodiment of the towel dispenser 1 according to the invention shown in FIGS. 1-13 essentially comprises: a receiving device 5 with a tray 7 for inserting a fresh towel roll 8 and a guide roller 25, whereby when the towel dispenser 1 is used, fresh towel 6 from the roll of fresh towels 8 is unwound; a dirty cloth roller 10, which is rotatably arranged in the towel dispenser 1 and to which one end of the fresh cloth 6 is attached, so that used cloth 9 can be wound up into a dirty cloth roll 11 when it is drawn into the dirty cloth roller 10; a drive device 14 comprising;

- A drive roller 13 which is rotatably mounted in the towel dispenser 1 and is pressed against the dirty cloth roller 11 so that the

Dirty cloth roller 11 for winding up and drawing in used cloth 9 can be driven in rotation by the drive device 14,

- A mechanical gear 20 coupled to the drive roller 13 with a spring-loaded drive 15 which can be pretensioned by rotating the guide roller 25 when the fresh cloth 6 is unwound;

- a mechanical timing control 16 (see below: normal

Output, step 7), which can be activated by rotating the guide roller 25 via the mechanical gear when unwinding fresh cloth 6 and by which after a period of time At the

Spring-loaded drive 15 is activated for driving the drive roller 13 via the mechanical transmission and used cloth 9 is wound onto the dirty cloth roll 11; - A lever mechanism 200 which, when the timing control 16 is activated via the mechanical gear 20, rotatively couples the guide roller 25 and the drive roller 13, so that by rotating the guide roller 25 when unwinding fresh cloth 6, cloth is drawn in simultaneously via the drive roller 13 and onto the Soil roll 11 is wound up (see below: Retractive output); wherein the lever mechanism 200 is actuated by means of the timing control 16 after the period At has elapsed via the mechanical transmission 20, so that the guide roller 25 and the drive roller 13 are rotatively decoupled.

The towel dispenser 1 also includes a portioning device 17 (see below: normal dispensing, step 6), by means of which the guide roller 25 is temporarily locked so that when the guide roller 25 is locked, no fresh towel 6 can be unwound from the fresh towel roll 8.

The drive device 14 also includes a reverse gear, by means of which the drive roller 13 can be driven in rotation so that used cloth 9 can be drawn in in a first direction of rotation of the drive roller 13 and wound onto the dirty cloth roll 11 (see below: retractive output, step 3) and in a Second direction of rotation of the drive roller 13, used cloth 9 can be unwound from the dirty cloth roller 11 (see below: normal output, step 2).

An embodiment of the method according to the invention for operating a towel dispenser 1 is described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 6-13. Essentially, the process comprises the following steps:

A) A user unwinds fresh towel 6 from a fresh towel roll 8 arranged in a towel dispenser 1, i) during the unwinding of fresh towel 6 via the first guide roller 25 and a mechanical gear 20, a mechanical timing control 16 arranged in the towel dispenser 1 (see below : Normal output, step 7) is activated; and ii) the dispensing of fresh towel 6 is stopped by locking the guide roller 25 by means of a portioning device 17 (see below: normal dispensing, step 6) after dispensing a towel length AL of fresh towel 6 from the fresh towel roll 8; and

B) Pulling in and winding up the used cloth 9 onto a dirty cloth roll 11 by means of a drive roller 13 which is driven by a drive device 14 arranged in the towel dispenser 1 after a period of time At determined by the timing control 16 has elapsed, the drive device 14 via the mechanical gear 20 after The expiry of the time period At is activated by the timing control 16, the following steps being carried out between step A) and step B) (see below: Retractive output):

- Rotary coupling of the guide roller 25 and the drive roller 13 by means of a lever mechanism 200, which is activated when the timing control 16 is activated via the mechanical gear 20, so that during the expiry of the time period At, a rotation of the guide roller 25 by additional unwinding of a cloth length AL on Fresh cloth 6 causes a cloth length AL to be drawn in simultaneously via the drive roller 13 and wound onto a dirty cloth roller 11 and at the same time the time sequence control 16 is reset and reactivated; and

After the time period At has elapsed, actuation of the lever mechanism 200 by means of the time sequence control 16 via the mechanical gear 20, so that the guide roller 25 and the drive roller 13 are rotatively decoupled.

When the user unwinds fresh towel 6 from the fresh towel roll 8, a spring-loaded drive 15 for the drive device 14 is pretensioned via the guide roller 25. Furthermore, when unwinding fresh towel 6 by means of mechanical gear 20, a longitudinal section ALv of used towel 9 is unwound from dirty towel roll 11 and dispensed, so that a towel loop 12 is formed by longitudinal section AL on fresh towel 6 and longitudinal section ALv on used towel 9 will. When the used cloth 9 is drawn in and rolled up onto the dirty cloth roll 11 in step B), the locking of the guide roll 25 results in the unwinding of fresh cloth 6 from the fresh cloth roll 8 is temporarily prevented so that the towel loop 12 can be completely drawn in (see below: normal output, step 9).

Starting position / waiting position (Fig. 4 and 5):

(1) The first gear wheel 101 or the first guide roller 25 (output roller) is held at the top in the rest position by means of springs (not shown) which are attached to the first and second levers 211 and 212.

(2) The second lever 212 is disengaged from the rocker 219 of the eighth gear 108 at position A.

(3) The sixth gear 106 is kept out of engagement with the fourth gear 104 (“loading wheel motor”) via the fourth and fifth transmission levers 214 and 215.

(4) The eighth gear 108, which is mounted on the rocker 219, is kept out of engagement with the third gear 103 (positioning wheel) via the third lever 213.

(5) The slider 216 has been pushed to the right (FIG. 4) by the first lever 211. As a result, the third gear 103 (portioning wheel) is released for one rotation.

Normal output (Fig. 6 - 9):

(1) When pulling fresh cloth 6 (Fig. 1), the first guide roller 25 (Fig. 2) (output roller) with the first gear 101 is pulled down (Fig. 6: arrow E) and the first gear 101 begins to rotate and drive the second, third, fourth and fifth gears 102,103,104,105.

(2) The fourth and fifth levers 214 and 215 rotate so that the sixth gear 106 meshes with the fourth gear 104 (transmission gear). This thus rotates the seventh gear 107 in a clockwise direction (FIG. 7), which drives the drive roller 13 (winding roller), so that the cloth is dispensed from the back of the dirty cloth roller 11 (FIG. 1).

(3) The eighth gear 108 is blocked on the outside via the second lever 212 so that it does not mesh with the third gear 103 in the current state.

(4) The fifth gear 105 is connected to the spring-loaded drive 15 of the

Drive device 14 (spring motor) connected and rotates in

Counterclockwise (Fig. 7), ie "back", so that the spring of the Spring accumulator drive 15 is biased (the spring motor loaded). Due to the translation, 20% more energy is charged than is theoretically required.

(5) The slide 216 is pushed backwards by the third gear 103 (portioning wheel) via the cam 217 (FIG. 8: position B).

(6) The third gear 103 (portioning wheel) now turns until it hits the stop (Fig. 8: Position C) and the movement, i.e. the dispensing of fresh towel 6, is stopped.

(7) The tenth gear 110 (timer control) is driven over approx. 240 ° until the toothing slides out of the eleventh gear 111.

(8) The spring 120 (FIG. 9) pulls the tenth gear 110 further until the small toothing 112 (FIG. 2) of the tenth gear 110 engages with the rotary damper 113 (FIG. 8). The spring 120 then pulls the tenth gear 110 further until the small toothing 112 of the tenth gear 110 now also disengages from the rotary damper 13. This time is regulated by the rotary damper 113 and the spring tension.

(9) If the tenth gear 110 runs out of the gear of the rotary damper 113, the sixth gear 106 is released from the engagement of the fourth gear 104 by the lever 213 and the stop pawl 221 (detent not visible) from the seventh gear 107 from the Intervention resolved. This triggers the feed of the fabric. The sixth lever 218 blocks the delivery of material for a short time so that the feed can be fully carried out. The material is drawn in by the spring-loaded drive 15, which drives the drive roller 13 (FIG. 1) in a clockwise direction.

(10) If the fabric is pulled before the time-stop function has expired, the dispenser switches to the retractive function, which is explained below.

Retractive output (Fig 10 - 131:

(1) As long as the teeth of the rotary damper 113 (damper teeth) are in mesh with the small teeth 112 of the tenth gear 110, the eighth gear 108 is brought into engagement with the third gear 103 by spring force (not shown). (Even if there is no movement.) The lever 213 allows this movement.

(2) If the fabric is now pulled, the first and second levers 211 and 212 rotate and block the rocker 219 of the eighth gear 108 at position D, see above that this eighth gear 108 is not pushed out of engagement by the acting force.

(3) In contrast to the normal dispensing (seventh gear 107), the twelfth gear 114 now rotates in the opposite direction of rotation, i.e. counterclockwise (Fig. 11) and pulls in the material which is dispensed in the same ratio at the rear.

(4) During the rotation of the third gear 103 (portioning wheel), the rack 220 (FIG. 13), which is held by the rocker 219 of the eighth gear 108 on the thirteenth gear, which is rotatably coupled to the third gear 103 on the same axis, follows promoted above. As a result, the tenth gear 110 (timing element) is always set to the beginning of the time-stop function and the time runs down again.

Although various embodiments of the present invention are present, as described above, these are to be understood in such a way that the various features can be used both individually and in any desired combination.

This invention is therefore not simply limited to the above-mentioned particularly preferred embodiments.

Claims

1. Procedure for operating a towel dispenser (1) with the following steps:

A) a user unwinds fresh towel (6) from a fresh towel roll (8) arranged in a towel dispenser (1), with i) during the unwinding of fresh towel (6) via a first guide roller (25) and a mechanical gear (20 ) a mechanical timing control (16) arranged in the towel dispenser (1) is activated; and ii) the dispensing of fresh towel (6) is stopped by locking the guide roller (25) by means of a portioning device (17) after dispensing a towel length AL of fresh towel (6) from the fresh towel roll (8); and

B) Drawing in and winding up the used cloth (9) onto a dirty cloth roll (11) by means of a drive roller (13) which is driven by a drive device (14) arranged in the towel dispenser (1) after a period of time At determined by the time sequence control (16) has elapsed is activated, the drive device (14) via the mechanical transmission (20) after the time period At has elapsed by the timing control (16), characterized in that the following steps are carried out between step A) and step B):

- Rotary coupling of the guide roller (25) and the drive roller (13) by means of a lever mechanism (200), which is activated when the timing control (16) is activated via the mechanical gear (20), so that a rotation occurs during the lapse of the time period At of the guide roller (25) by additionally unwinding a length of cloth AL on fresh cloth (6) causes a length of cloth AL to be drawn in simultaneously via the drive roller (13) and wound onto a dirty cloth roll (11) and, at the same time, to reset and reactivate the timing control ( 16) takes place; and

- Actuation of the lever mechanism (200) after the time period At has elapsed by means of the timing control (16) via the mechanical gear (20), so that the guide roller (25) and the drive roller (13) are rotatively decoupled.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that when unwinding fresh cloth (6) from the fresh cloth roll (8) by the user via the guide roller (25), a spring-loaded drive (15) for the drive device (14) is biased.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when unwinding fresh cloth (6) by means of the mechanical gear (20) a longitudinal section DI_n of used cloth (9) is unwound from the dirty cloth roll (11) and dispensed so that a towel loop (12) is formed by the longitudinal section AL on the fresh towel (6) and the longitudinal section ALv on the used towel (9).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when drawing in and winding up the used cloth (9) on the dirty cloth roll (11) under step B) by locking the guide roller (25) an unwinding of fresh cloth (6) is temporarily prevented by the fresh towel roll (8) so that the towel loop (12) can be completely drawn in.

5. Towel dispenser (1) comprising: a receiving device (5) with a tray (7) for inserting a fresh towel roll (8) and a guide roller (25), wherein when using the towel dispenser (1) via the guide roller (25) fresh towel (6) can be unwound from the fresh towel roll (8); a dirty cloth roller (10) which is rotatably arranged in the towel dispenser (1) and to which one end of the fresh cloth (6) can be fastened, so that used cloth (9) when drawn in on the dirty cloth roller (10) becomes a dirty cloth roll (11) is windable; a drive device (14) comprising:

- A drive roller (13) which is rotatably mounted in the towel dispenser (1) and can be pressed against the dirty cloth roller (11) so that the Dirty cloth roll (11) for winding up and drawing in used cloth (9) can be driven in rotation by the drive device (14),

- A mechanical gear (20) coupled to the drive roller (13) with a spring-loaded drive (15) which can be pretensioned by rotating the guide roller (25) when unwinding fresh cloth (6);

- A mechanical timing control (16) which can be activated by rotating the guide roller (25) via the mechanical gear when unwinding fresh cloth (6) and by which, after a period of time At, the spring-loaded drive (15) for driving the drive roller (13) can be activated via the mechanical gear (20) and used cloth (9) can be wound onto the dirty cloth roll (11); characterized in that the drive device (14) additionally comprises a lever mechanism (200) which, when the timing control (16) is activated via the mechanical gear (20), rotatively couples the guide roller (25) and the drive roller (13) so that through Rotation of the guide roller (25) when unwinding fresh cloth (6) can be drawn in simultaneously via the drive roller (13) and the cloth can be wound onto the dirty cloth roll (11); whereby the lever mechanism (200) can be actuated by means of the timing control (16) after the time period At has elapsed via the mechanical gear (20), so that the guide roller (25) and the drive roller (13) are rotatively decoupled.

6. towel dispenser (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the towel dispenser (1) comprises a portioning device (17) by means of which the guide roller (25) can be locked, so that when the guide roller (25) is locked, no fresh towel (6) can be unwound from the fresh towel roll (8).

7. towel dispenser (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the drive device (14) comprises a reverse gear, by means of which the The drive roller (13) can be driven in rotation, so that in a first direction of rotation of the drive roller (13) used cloth (9) can be pulled in and wound onto the dirty cloth roll (11) and in a second direction of rotation of the drive roller (13) used cloth (9) from the dirty cloth roll (11) can be unwound.