Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02357489 2001-09-18
PROCE88 AND APPARATUS FOR
DI8PEN8ING PAPER TOWELB
Fi~ld o! the Invention
The present invention pertains to a process and apparatus
for dispensing paper towels, and particularly to dispensing a
stack of interfolded paper towels. For this application, the
term "paper towel" is intended to broadly cover all sheet paper
products designed to dry or clean surfaces including, for
example, napkins and tissues as well as other items generally
referred to as paper towels.
Individual paper towels are frequently dispensed from a
stack of interfolded or C-fold paper towels. The paper towels
can have a single-fold or multifold construction. A single-fold
paper towel is formed from a rectangular sheet which has one fold
line extending generally parallel to the two side edges of the
sheet. The fold line subdivides the sheet into two sections
which are usually of equal size. The two sections of the sheet
are each generally on the order of eleven inches by five inches.
When stacked, the sections of each paper towel are superposed and
adapted to receive therebetween one section from each of the two
adjacent towels. The fold lines of the two adjacent paper towels
are opposed to the fold line of the first towel. Further, the
two adjacent towels will each receive one section of the first
towel between their overlapping sections.
One form of multifold paper towel is interfolded in a stack
much like a single fold paper towel. These towels include a
plurality of fold lines to define a multiple of overlapping
sections arranged in an accordion style. In a stack, one section
CA 02357489 2001-09-18
of each paper towel is received between a pair of sections of
each adjacent paper towel. Another form of multifold paper towel
is the C-fold'paper towel. A C-fold paper towel is formed from
a single sheet and folded to have a generally C-shaped
configuration. While the towels are stacked for dispensing, they
are not interfolded together.
A stack of paper towels is generally dispensed from an
enclosed bin provided with an elongate opening along its bottom
surface. One section of the bottommost paper towel protrudes
from the opening to be grasped and dispensed by a user. In an
interfolded stack, pulling a paper towel from the bin will cause
the lower section of the next paper towel to protrude from the
opening. In a stack of C-fold towels, a flap of the next towel
is exposed for grasping after the bottommost towel is removed.
However, in either case, multiple towels are occasionally
dispensed when the bottommost towel is pulled out of the opening.
The risk of dispensing multiple towels is particularly acute when
the stack is low, and less weight and friction are available to
hold the remaining towels in the bin.
Interfolded paper towels may also be dispensed from an
opening in the top of an enclosed box. In essentially the same
way, pulling the uppermost paper towel out of the box causes one
section of the next paper towel to protrude from the opening.
However, as the stack becomes smaller, a larger and larger gap
is formed between the opening and the top of the stack. A
plastic element is often used in an effort to prevent the
adjacent paper towels from becoming disconnected. Nevertheless,
disconnection does frequently occur to disrupt the dispensing
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CA 02357489 2001-09-18
process. When this happens, the user must reach through
the opening and pull the next paper towel from the box.
Finally, many dispensers are susceptible to people
purposefully removing an excessive number of paper
towels, and thereby causing waste and loss for the owner.
One such dispenser is formed as a box with an open front
such that the front paper towel is held along its
peripheral edge. The stack is oriented horizontally and
spring biased forwardly toward the opening. With this
construction, a user can push a finger into the
dispenser, against the bias of the spring, and pull out a
bunch of the paper towels.
Summar~r of the Invention
According to one aspect of the invention, there is
provided a process for dispensing paper towels
comprising:
loading a stack of interfolded paper towels into a
housing provided with a slot having a length and a width,
each paper towel in the stack having at least one fold
line and a pair of ends extending generally perpendicular
to said fold line, said stack being loaded so that said
paper towels are substantially flat and so that one of
said ends of each paper towel is generally parallel to
the length of the slot and faces toward said slot; and
dispensing individual paper towels from said stack
through said slot.
According to another aspect of the invention, there
is provided a process for dispensing paper towels
comprising loading a stack of interfolded paper towels
into a dispenser, each said paper towel having at least
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CA 02357489 2001-09-18
one fold line, a pair of ends extending generally
perpendicular to said fold line, a length extending
between said ends and a width, said length being no more
than about ten percent larger than said width, and
dispensing individual paper towels from said dispenser in
a direction generally along said lengths of said paper
towels.
According to a further aspect of the invention,
there is provided a process for dispensing paper towels
comprising providing a stack of interfolded paper towels
within a housing having a slot which is narrower along a
medial portion than at each end portion, each said paper
towel having at least one folded line and a pair of ends
extending generally perpendicular to said fold line, said
paper towels being substantially flat in said stack, and
removing paper towels one at a time from one end of the
stack in a direction generally perpendicular to said
stack and to said ends of said paper towels remaining in
said stack.
Brief Description of the Drawing's
Figure 1 is a front view of a dispenser in
accordance with the present invention.
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the dispenser.
Figure 3 is a front view of the dispenser with a
paper towel partially dispensed.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the dispenser with
a paper towel which is further dispensed.
Figure 5 is a front, elevational view of a
dispensing
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CA 02357489 2001-09-18
element of the dispenser.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a second dispenser in
accordance with the present invention.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of a third dispenser in
accordance with the present invention.
Figure 8 is a rear, elevational view of the third dispenser.
Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX
of Figure 8.
Figure l0 is a perspective view of the third dispenser with
a partially dispensed paper towel.
Figure 11 is a partially broken, perspective view of a
fourth dispenser in accordance with the present invention..
Figure 12 is a top plan view of a partially folded, single-
fold paper towel.
Figure 13 is an enlarged, partial end elevational view of
a stack of single-fold paper towels.
Detailed Description of Present Invention
A dispenser 10 (Figs. 1-5) in accordance with the present
invention has a housing 12 with a rear wall 14, bottom wall 16,
and a pair of side walls 17, 18, which collectively define an
inner cavity 19 into which a stack of paper towels 20 is placed.
A dispensing element 21 is slidably mounted for vertical movement
in cavity 19: Dispensing element 21 has a top face 23 which
overlies the stack of paper towels 20, a front face 25, and a
pair of side braces 27 (seen only in the modified embodiment of
Fig. 6). Top face 23 include notches 29 along its sides to
receive guideways 31 mounted along the inner surfaces of side
walls 17,, 18. Of course, other guiding arrangements could be
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CA 02357489 2001-09-18
used.
The paper towels 20 are loaded into housing 12 in an
interfolded stack (Figs. 1 and 13). Paper towels 20 are
preferably single-fold towels, although multifold towels may also
be used. A single-fold paper towel 20 (Figs. 12 and 13j is
formed of a single sheet 22 of material having two opposite side
edges 24, 26, and two opposite end edges 28, 30. Sheet 22
includes a fold line 34 extending parallel to side edges 24, 26,
preferably along the midpoint of the sheet; although, if desired,
the fold line could be off center. Fold line 34 defines two
equal sections or layers 36, 38. The folded towel-20 (i.e., with
sections 36,38 superposed] includes a fold side 40, an edge side
42, and a pair of ends 44, 46.
The stacked paper towels 20 are interfolded with one another
(Fig. 13). For example, paper towels 20a, 20b, 20c are folded
in the stack such that sections 34, 36 of each towel are
superposed. Towel 20a receives one section 36b, 34c from the two
adjacent towels 20b, 20c between its two sections 34a, 36a. Fold
lines 34b, 34c are positioned on the opposite side of the stack
from fold line 34a. Section 34a is then received between
sections 34b, 36b of paper towel 20b, and section 36a is received
between sections 34c, 36c of paper towel 20c. The stack is
loaded into housing 12 such that the ends 44 (or 46) of the
paper towels 20 face front wall 25 of dispensing element 21.
Paper towels 20 are dispensed through a slot 50 extending
transversely across front face 25 of dispensing element 21 (Figs.
1 and 3-5). Slot 50 lies adjacent top face 23 in order to
dispense the uppermost paper towel of the stack. The lower edge
CA 02357489 2001-09-18
51 of slot 50 is contoured so as to define a narrow medial
portion 52, a pair of enlarged end portions 54, 56, and
transition portions 58, 60. In particular, lower edge 51
includes generally horizontal end segments 62, 63, a generally
horizontal medial segment 68 offset from the end segments, and
inclined transition segments 65, 66 interconnecting the end and
medial segments. In one preferred example, the height H1 of
medial portion 52 is .250 inches and the height HZ of end
portions 54, 56 is .500 inches. Further, in this example end
segments 62, 63, transition segments 65, 66, and medial segment
68 are 1.375 inches, .353 inches, and 2.500 inches; respectively.
The lengths of the different segments may of course be varied.
Also, the~dimensions of the slot may vary depending upon the
size, bulk and weight of the paper.
To begin dispensing the paper towels 20, a user pulls the
uppermost paper towel 20 from slot 50. To aid in starting the
dispensing process, cutouts 70, 71 are provided in top face 23
adjacent end portions 54, 56~(Figs. 2-4). In this way, the user
can reach into one of the cutouts 70, 71 and pull out the first
paper towel 20. Once the first towel is removed, the remaining
towels will be successively pulled partially out of the slot 50
with the removal of each towel.
The stack of paper towels is placed in housing 12 with the
ends 44 (or 46) facing front face 25. As seen in Figure 3,
dispenser 10 has a paper towel 20d partially removed from the
stack. Paper towel 20d is initially removed primarily through
end portion 54. Generally, corner 74 along edge side 42 of
section 36 is grasped and pulled by a user. This pulling action
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CA 02357489 2001-09-18
tends to cause section 36 to shift in a rotative type movement
as the section is pulled through slot 50; although significant
variability of the towel's movement during dispensing can occur.
The diagonally opposed corner 76 tends to move toward the far
side wall 17 and thereby gradually pull the fold line 34 along
with it. This action, in turn, rolls the lower section 38 up
against top face 23 as paper towel 20d is removed. Paper towel
20d is also being slid outward through slot 50 while it is being
rolled and rotatively shifted.
To ensure that corners 76, 78 clear side wall 17, the width
to depth ratio of the paper towel 20 should be limited. For
paper towel having a basis weight of about 23-25 pounds, the
width to depth ratio of the paper towel should not be more than
about 1:1.1 (Fig. 12); that is, the distance D1 from end to end
(i.e., 40 to 42) should be no more than about ten percent longer
than the distance D2 from side to side (i.e., 44 to 46).
Accordingly, if a paper towel has a width (i.e., side to side)
of 5 inches, then its depth (i.e., end to end) should not be more
than about 5.5 inches. With regard to lighter weight paper, the
width to depth ratio can be larger than 1:1.1; that is, the paper
towels can be formed with a larger depth D1 as compared to the
width D2. The depths of the paper towel can, however, be smaller
than the maximum limits. Towels which are significantly deeper
than the maximum aspect ratio for a given paper risk being jammed
as they are dispensed, which can lead to ripping or excessive
crinkling of the towel.
As the paper towel begins to dispense out slot 50, the bulk
of the initial portion of the towel usually pulls through~one of
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CA 02357489 2001-09-18
the end portions 54 or 56 (Fig. 3). As the pulling continues,
the paper towel extends across the remainder of the slot. Medial
portion 52 is narrowed to prevent more than one towel from being
dispensed when the lead towel is pulled by the user. The
intersection of transition segments 65, 66 with medial segment
68 are rounded to avoid catching or ripping the paper towel being
dispensed.
As the paper towels are removed from dispenser l0,
dispensing element 21 slides downward along guideways 31. In
this way, dispensing element 21 continually rests on the
uppermost paper towel: This application of weight on the towels
maintains sufficient frictional forces between the interfolded
paper towels so that one section 36 of the next paper towel is
partially pulled out with the removal of the uppermost paper
towel.
More specifically, as the bottom section 38d of the
uppermost paper towel is rolled over and slid toward slot 50, top
section 36e of the next paper towel 20e is rolled over and slid
with it. This concurrent movement of the two towels continues
essentially until the overlying sections begin passing through
slot 50. At this point, the narrowed medial portion 52 and
transition portions 58, 60, and the frictional contact with the
underlying paper towel sections, tends to resist the concurrent
movement of the two towel sections. Paper towel 20d therefore
begins to slide relative to towel 20e so that only a portion of~
the next towel extends outside of slot 50 when towel 20d has been
completely removed (Fig. 4). As can be appreciated, the next
towel 20e will be dispensed in the same way as towel 20d, except
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that the movement will be in the opposite direction due to the
towels being interfolded in an alternating manner.
To load the dispenser, dispensing element 21 is lifted or
removed from housing 12 and the paper towels are inserted. In
this embodiment, the front and top of housing 12 are open to
facilitate loading of the paper towels. Nevertheless, a top wall
or stop may be provided along the top of the housing to prevent
removal and possible loss of dispensing element 21. Since the
lower paper towels are exposed when the housing is loaded, this
embodiment is susceptible to a user digging into the stack and
removing a bunch of the towels. Accordingly, this embodiment is
especially suited for use by employees, such as by a check out
clerk to wipe the scanner at a grocery store.
In an alternative embodiment (Fig. 6), the front face 25'
of dispensing element 21' may be extended to completely cover the
front of the housing 12' when fully loaded to prevent users from
pulling out a bunch of towels from the middle or bottom of the
stack. This dispenser 10', of course, would need to be mounted
on the edge of a counter or provided with an opening 80 in the
counter 82 to receive the extended front face 25'. The use of
an opening 80 in the counter would ordinarily be used when the
dispenser 10' is built integrally into the counter top.
In another dispenser 110 (Figs. 7-10), which is preferred
for any usage, a housing 112 is provided with a top wall 113,
front wall 115, bottom wall 116, and a pair of side walls 117,
118 to define a cavity 119 for receiving paper towels 20. A slot
150 is provided in front wall 115 adjacent bottom wall 116 for
dispensing the paper towels. As with the earlier embodiments,
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the paper towels are arranged such that their ends .4 4 ( or 4 6 )
face front wall 115. Slot 150 has the same configuration as slot
50, except that it is inverted; that is, the contoured edge 151
is along the upper edge of the slot instead of the lower edge.
The dispensing operation is the same, except that it also is
reversed. The lower section 38 of the bottommost paper towel 20
is grasped and pulled by the user. Further the upper section 36
rolls over and slides along bottom wall 116 as the towel is
pulled out.
A rail 153 is mounted along bottom wall 116 to accommodate
the additional weight of the stack on the towel being dispensed
in dispenser 110 (Figs. 7-9). Rail 153 is centrally mounted on
bottom wall 116 to extend from front to back. Rail 153
preferably has a triangular configuration, although, other shapes,
such as semi-circular, could be used. Rail 153 causes the bottom
portion of the stack to be bowed over the rail. In this
embodiment, the stack tends to shift or rock slightly about rail
153 as the alternating paper towels are removed from the
dispenser. To enable the paper towels to be dispensed smoothly,
rail 153 is spaced from front wall 115. In the preferred
example, rail 153 is spaced .500 inches from front wall 115 and
provided with a sloped front end 155 inclined at an angle of
about 45 degrees.
The rear side of housing 112 is preferably left open to
provide for easy loading of the paper towels 20 (Figs. 8 and 9).
Nevertheless, a rear wall or hinged rear door (not shown) could
be used to provide a closed container. Of course, a door for
loading paper towels could be provided along any of the walls of
CA 02357489 2001-09-18
the housing. The door could also be provided with a locking
mechanism of known construction, if desired.
Dispenser construction 10 or 110, could also be oriented
horizontally rather than vertically. In this arrangement, slot
50 or 150 could be oriented upward, downward or along a side of
the dispenser. As an example, dispenser 210 receives a
horizontal stack of paper towels 20. The stack is biased to
advance the towels toward slot 250 by spring 255. Spring 255
presses on plate 257 which, in turn, presses on the last paper
towel in the stack to be dispensed. Alternatively, the dispenser
210 could be placed on an incline and a weight used to bias the
paper towels toward the slot 250. Also, when a dispensing
element is used (not shown) , the spring biases the dispensing
element toward the stack.
The above discussion concerns the preferred embodiments of
the present invention. Various other embodiments as well as many
changes and alterations may be made without departing from the
spirit and broader aspects ~ of the invention as defined in the
claims.
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