MXPA99008314A - Water-resistant roll towel dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

A roll towel dispenser (10) is constructed to inhibit ingress of water into the dispenser cabinet during washdown operations. The dispenser (10) includes a back housing portion (18) for mounting to a planar mounting surface, such as a wall. A front housing portion (20) is closeable on the back housing portion (18) to define an interior compartment and a dispensing slot (34). The front housing portion (20) and back housing portion (18) define a lip (40) and groove (42) arrangement forming a labyrinthine seal when the dispenser housing is closed. A deflector shield (86) is defined at a lower region of the back housing portion (18) to inhibit entry of sprayed liquid through the dispensing slot (34). In addition, the latch mechanism utilized to releasably maintain the front housing portion (20) closed on the back housing portion (18) is constructed to inhibit ingress of liquid. A support structure located in the compartment rotatably supports the roll (26) of towel product for dispensing through the slot (34).

Description

WATER RESISTANT ROLL TOWEL DISTRIBUTOR Background of the Invention The present invention generally relates to a dispenser for a roll fabric product, such as a roll towel product. More particularly, the invention relates to a roll towel dispenser which is resistant to water penetration during routine cleaning procedures.

The distributors of roll towels often provide commercial public facilities that undergo cleaning by "washing". In other words, the installation is cleaned by a high-pressure spray of detergent and water instead of labor-intensive hand washing techniques (and often less complete). Many such facilities, such as industrial facilities for food preparation and public restrooms, can be washed one or more times a day.

, During the washing process, the liquid can penetrate into the cabinet of the towel dispenser. As a result of this, the toall product located inside can be ruined, needing it to be replaced with the consequent waste of the roll. To prevent this from happening, many workers have resorted to removing the distribution before each wash and reassembling it on the wall afterwards.

Synthesis of the Invention The present invention recognizes and refers to the above disadvantages, and to others, of the prior art methods constructions.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved dispenser for a woven roll product.

It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide an improved dispenser for a roll woven product which is water resistant.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved dispenser for a woven roll product having one or more water resistant characteristics.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved dispenser for a roll woven product having a combination of water resistant characteristics.

Some of these objects are achieved by a water resistant roll fabric distributor comprising a back box part adapted to facilitate mounting the dispenser to a mounting surface. The distributed also comprises a front box part pivotally connected to the back of the box. The front box part can be closed on the back box part to define a compartment and a distributor slot through which the woven product extends. A support structure is located in the compartment to rotatably hold the roll of the woven product.

One of the front box part and the back box part defines a perimeter slot. Another part of the front box part and the back box part defines a perimeter lip to be received in the slot. The lip and groove together form a labyrinth seal structure when the front case part is closed on the rear case part.

In some preferred embodiments, the slot is defined on the front box part and the lip is defined on the back box part. In this case, the slot can advantageously define a water deflection buckling on an outer surface of the front box part. In addition, the opposite inner walls of the groove are preferably tapered to define a widened mouth. The lip can define a tapered part having a reduced edge width.

Other objects of the present invention are achieved by a water-resistant roll fabric distributor comprising a back box part adapted to facilitate the mounting of the dispenser on a mounting surface. The dispenser further comprises a front cassette part connected in the form of a pivot to the rear cassette part. The front box part can be closed on the back box part to define a compartment and a distributor slot through which the fabric product extends. A support structure is located in the compartment to rotatably hold a roll of the woven product.

The back box part defines integrally a generally flat back plate and a lower deflect shield. An edge of the baffle shield can define a side d of the distributor slot and is configured to inhibit the ingress of water reflected from the mounting surface inside the compartment.

In the presently preferred embodiments, the deflector shield comprises a first planar portion extending from the backplate at a first predetermined angle and a second planar portion extending from the first planar portion at a second predetermined angle. For example, the second planar part may be located approximately perpendicular to the back plate. In addition, a roller may be located opposite the edge of the deflector shield to define a second side of the distributor slot.

Other objects of the invention are achieved by a water resistant roll fabric dispenser comprising a back box part adapted to facilitate mounting of the dispenser on a mounting surface. The distributed also comprises a front box part connected d pivot to the back box part. The front box part can be closed on the back box part to define a compartment and a distributor slot through which it extends to the fabric product. A support structure is located in the compartment to rotatably hold the roll of the fabric product.

A latch mechanism is provided to keep the front case part closed on the rear case part. The latch mechanism includes a water-resistant releasing button that extends through the front case portion. In the presently preferred embodiments, the water resistant release button includes a button member inserted into the water resistant ring. The water resistant ring is preferably attached to the front case part.

Still further objects of the invention are achieved by an agu-resistant paper product dispenser comprising a back box part and a front box part which can be closed on the back box part to define a compartment and a distributor slot through d which extends the paper product. A support structure is located in the compartment to hold the paper product.

One of the front box part and the back box part defines a perimeter slot and another of the front box part and the back box part defines a perimeter labi to be received in the slot. The lip and the groove form a labyrinth seal structure when the front box part is closed on the back box part.

In addition, the back box part integrally defines a generally planar back plate and a lower deflector shield. The lower deflector shield extends one dimension inward toward the distributor slot.

The dispenser further comprises a latch mechanism for holding the front case part closed on the rear case part. A latch mechanism includes a water-resistant release button that extends through the front case portion.

Other objects and features and aspects of the present invention are provided by various combinations of subcombinations of the described elements, which are discussed in more detail below.

Brief Description of the Drawings A complete and enabling description of the present invention, including the best mode thereof for one with ordinary skill in the art, is more particularly set forth in the remainder of the description, including reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a roll fabric dispenser of the present invention "mounted on a wall during a washing process; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a roll fabric dispenser of Figure 1 with its drawer open to reveal various internal components there; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a roll fabric dispenser of Figure 1 as viewed from the back; Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view as taken along lines 4-4 of Figure 3; Figure 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the groove lip combination of the Figure forming a labyrinth seal; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of Figure 4 illustrating the use of the prior art of a sealing gasket; Figures 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views similar to that of Figure 4 illustrating alternative embodiments of the lip and groove combination; Figure 7 is a transverse sectional view as taken along line 7-7 of Figure 3; Figure 7A is a view similar to that of Figure 7 illustrating an alternative latch mechanism; and Figure 8 is a partial transverse sectional view of the lower box of the dispenser of the Figure illustrating certain internal components thereof.

The repeated use of the reference characters in the present description and in the drawings is for the purpose of representing the same or analogous features or elements of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Modalities It should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of only exemplary embodiments, and that it is not intended to limit the broader aspects of the present invention, the broader aspects of which are involved in the constructions of example Many prior art distributors for a roll towel product have not proved to be adequately water resistant. The penetration of water can be especially problematic when the dispenser is installed in a facility that can be cleaned by washing as described above. The present invention provides an improved dispenser for a roll towel product that is relatively immune to liquid penetration during routine washing procedures.

Figure 1 illustrates a water resistant roll towel dispenser 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention. In particular, the distributor 10 is mounted on the wall 12 of an installation subject to frequent washing. As shown, the washing process is carried out in this case by a worker 14 using a high-pressure rod 16 Despite the impact of water on his cabinet, the distributor 1 contains a number of characteristics which facilitate the resistance to penetration of the liquid.

Additional details of the dispenser 1 can be seen in Figure 2. The dispenser cabinet 1 is primarily constructed in two parts, a generally planar rear drawer part 28 and a molded front drawer part 20. Referring now also to Figure 3, the back box part 18 is configured to allow direct mounting on the wall 12. The front box part 20 can be closed around the pivot 22 on the back box part 18, thereby defining an interior compartment. A latch mechanism including a release button 24 s provides for maintaining the front case part 2 releasably in the closed position.

As seen in Figure 2, the interior compartment contains a roll 26 of towel product. The roll 2 is rotatably supported in this case by using a pair of opposing arms one of which is indicated at the point 28 connected in a pivot to the back box part 18 Each of said arms will generally carry a proper spindle to be inserted inside. of the cylindrical core of the roll 26. U skilled in the art will appreciate that several other structures can be used to maintain a roll with core or without core depending on the demands of a particular application.

The fabric 30 delivered from the roll 26 passes around a drum 32 before exiting through a distributor slot 34 (Figure 8) defined at the bottom of the dispenser box. In the illustrated mode, distributor 1 is constructed as a "do not touch" distributor in which the user obtains product sections by pulling directly on the tail. For brevity, the structural details of the "do not touch" mechanism will not be described in detail here. A preferred way of constructing such a distributor, however, is described in copending application serial number 08 / 206,781 assigned to the present assignee and incorporated herein by reference Preferably, the glue will extend through a slot 34 for a sufficient length to facilitate grasping by the user without the need to turn the "emergency" supply pin 36. When the user pulls the fabric collet into this In this manner, the drum 32 is caused to rotate 32. As a result of this, a retracted blade located within the drum 32 will be extended to cut a predetermined length of the product. The unit is designed to leave a queue through slot 34 so that the next user can repeat the process. The windows 38 and 40 can be provided in the front box part 20 so that maintenance personnel can quickly assess the need to change the roll 26.

As noted above, the dispenser 10 included several features to inhibit the ingress of the liquid into the box compartment. For example, the agu will often enter the cabinet of many prior art distributors in the interface of the respective box parts. As shown in Figure 4, the present invention greatly reduces the potential for liquid entry into this place using a labyrinth seal structure. 38. The seal structure 38 comprises a perimeter lip 4 received in a perimeter groove 42. In this case, the labi 40 is defined around the perimeter of the back box part 18, while the slot 42 is defined around the perimeter of the front box part 20.

The additional details of the sell structure 38 are apparent with reference to Figure 4A. As can be seen, the opposite walls of the slot 42 converge from an enlarged mouth 44. Similarly, the lip 40 defines a tapered part 46 having a reduced edge width. This configuration allows the lip 40 to be easily received in the slot 42 despite slight misalignments between the rear case part 18 and the front case part 20. In addition, the tangential contact between the respective tapered surfaces generally improves the degree of sealing that can be achieved.

In this case, the groove 42 is formed in a pan 48 that extends around the perimeter of the front drawer part 20. This bending advantageously functions to deflect the sprayed liquid out of the dispenser box. As a result of this, it is even less feasible for the liquid to penetrate into the cabinet than would otherwise be the case.

As a contrast, Figure 5 illustrates a prior art technique that has been used to make a distributor gabinet relatively resistant to liquid penetration. In this case, the edge of the front box part 5 is simply received in a channel 52 defined around the perimeter of the back box part 54. A rubberized packer 56 is located in the channel to provide a seal between the interior of the cabinet and the environment Even though this arrangement is generally effective to provide the desired seal, the use of a packing can be problematic in several aspects. The present invention advantageously eliminates the need to provide the packing.

Figures 6A and 6B illustrate alternative constructions of the labyrinth seal structure with which the dispensing cabinets of the present invention can be equipped. In the embodiment of Figure 6A, the lip 40 is received in a groove 58 defined around the perimeter of the front case part 60. The groove 58 is formed in a buckling 6 which, in contrast to the buckling 48, extends around of the interior surface of the front box part 20.

In the embodiment of Figure 6B, a lip 64 s is formed by the edge of the front box part 66. The lip 6 is received in a groove 68 defined around the perimeter d the back box part 70. Preferably, the lip 64 and slot 68 are tapered as in the embodiments discussed above to facilitate alignment and improve sealing.

Figure 7 illustrates a preferred latch mechanism which can be used to keep releasably closing the front case part 20 on the rear case part 18. As shown, the latch mechanism includes a spring member 72 attached to the latch part. front case 20. The spring member 72 includes a pin part 72 engages a clamp 76 defined in the back case part 18. The latch mechanism can be released when a user presses the release button 24.

To prevent ingress of the liquid, the release button 24 is configured having a button member 7 inserted into a polymeric ring 80. As shown, the button member 78 is attached to a spring member 72. The ring 80, for on the other hand, it is attached to the front box part 20 and therefore seals the hole through which the button member 78 extends.

Figure 7A illustrates a latch mechanism essentially identical to that of Figure 1, except that the ring in this case takes the form of a polymer boot 8 glued or otherwise attached to the inner surface of the front case part 20 Instead of a separate boot member 78, it will also be appreciated that the fittings can be constructed in which the button member is integrally formed of a spring member 72.

Figure 8 illustrates in greater detail the displacement path taken by the fabric 30 from the roll 26 to the distributing groove 34. It can be seen that the rear case part 18 is in this case configured as an internal back plate 84 to which it is attached. has attached a layer 85.

As shown more clearly in Figure 3, the layer 85 serves to cover the various mounting holes and the like defined in the back plate 84 as it is formed. As such, the layer 85 can be drilled in only the specific holes needed in a particular application. The remaining holes remain covered, thereby further improving the resistance to liquid penetration.

The back plate 84 extends integrally within a lower deflector shield 86. The deflect shield 86 includes a first planar portion 88 leaning from the back plate 84 at a predetermined angle. A second planar part 90 extends integrally from the first planar part 88 by a second predetermined angle. In this case, the second planar part 90 is essentially perpendicular to the back plate 84.

It can be seen that the inner edge of the second planar part 90 defines one side of the distributing groove 34. The opposite side of the distributing groove 34 is defined in this case by a longitudinal roller 92.

The shield 86 functions to deflect the liquid which may otherwise enter the inner distributor compartment 10 through the slot 34. This is illustrated in FIG. 8, where it is effectively deflected or sprayed from a relatively high reflected pressure. from the stop 12. The shield 86 will deflect the liquid spray from virtually any spray angle, except from a vertical spray directly into the slot 34.

Figure 8 also illustrates an arched guard member 94 located on the front of the drum 32 to inhibit access to the cutting blade by maintenance personnel. In addition, a support for an auxiliary towel roll is provided. This support may comprise a pair of opposing arm members attached to guard member 94 such as arm member 96.

It can be seen that the present invention provides a water resistant roll fabric dispenser which satisfies the various objects set forth above. Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, modifications and variations may be made to those with ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is more particularly established in the claims. annexes In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the various modalities may be exchanged in whole or in part. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the foregoing description is given only as an example and that it is not intended to be limiting of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims (39)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S

1. A water resistant fabric distributor that includes: a back box part adapted to facilitate mounting the distributor on a mounting surface; a front box part connected pivotally to said rear box part, said front box part being able to be closed on the rear box part to define a compartment and further defining a distributor slot through which the product of the box extends. tissue; one of said front box part and said back box part defines a perimeter groove and another said front part and said back box part defines a perimeter lip to be received in said groove, said lip forming a groove. labyrinth seal structure when part of the front box is closed on said part of the back box; Y a support structure located in a compartment to rotatably hold a roll of tissue product.

2. A distributor as claimed in clause 1 characterized in that said groove is defined on said front box part and said lip is defined on the back box part.

3. A distributor as claimed in clause 2 characterized in that said groove defines a water deflection pan on an outer surface of said front box part.

4. A distributor as claimed in clause 1 characterized by the opposite inner walls of said groove are tapered to define a widened boc.

5. A distributor as claimed in clause 4 characterized in that the lip defines a tapered part having a reduced edge width.

6. A manifold as claimed in clause 1 further characterized in that it comprises a latch mechanism for holding said front case part closed on the rear case part, said latch mechanism includes a water resistant release button extending to through said cash part.

7. A dispenser as claimed in clause 6 characterized in that said water resistant release button includes a button member inserted into a water resistant ring.

8. A dispenser as claimed in clause 1 characterized in that said rear box part integrally defines a generally planar rear plate and a lower deflector shield, said lower deflector shield extends in an inward direction towards the distributor slot.

9. A dispenser as claimed in clause 8 characterized in that said deflecting shield comprises a first planar portion extending from said rear plate at a first predetermined angle and a second planar portion extending from the first planar portion at a second angle. predetermined.

10. A distributor as claimed in clause 9 characterized by said second planar part is located approximately perpendicular to said rear plank.

11. A distributor as claimed in clause 9 characterized in that one edge of said second planar part defines one side of the distributor slot.

12. A water resistant roll fabric distributor comprising: a back box part adapted to facilitate mounting the distributor on a mounting surface; a front box part connected pivotally to said rear box part, said front box part being able to be closed on said back box part to define a compartment and further define a distributor slot through which the product of the box extends. tissue; said back box part integrally defining a generally planar rear plate and a lower deflector shield, an edge of said deflector shield defining one side of said distributor slot and being configured to inhibit the ingress of water reflected from said mounting surface into said compartment; and a support structure located in a compartment to rotatably hold a roll of the fabric product.

13. A distributor as claimed in clause 12 characterized in that said deflected shield comprises a first planar portion extending from said rear plate at a first predetermined angle and a second planar portion extending from said first planar portion at a second predetermined angle. .

14. A distributor as claimed in clause 13 characterized in that said second flat part is placed approximately perpendicular to said rear plate.

15. A distributor as claimed in clause 12 further characterized in that it comprises a rod located opposite said edge of said deflector shield to define a second side of said distributor slot.

16. A dispenser as claimed in clause 12, characterized in that one of said front drawer part and said back drawer part defines a perimeter groove and another one of said front drawer part and said back drawer part defines a lip of perimeter to receive »» said groove, said lip and the groove form a labyrinth seal structure when said front box part is closed on the back box part.

17. A distributor as claimed in clause 16 characterized in that said groove is defined on said front box part and said lip is defined on a back box part.

18. A distributor as claimed in clause 17, characterized in that said groove defines a water deflection pan on an outer surface of said front box part.

19. A manifold as claimed in clause 12 characterized in that it comprises a latch mechanism for holding said front case part closed on the back box part, said latch mechanism including a water resistant release button extending through the latch mechanism. said front box part.

20. A dispenser as claimed in clause 19 characterized in that said water resistant release button includes a button member inserted into a water resistant ring.

21. A water resistant roll fabric distributor comprising: a back box part adapted to facilitate mounting the distributor on a mounting surface; a front box part connected d pivot to said back box part, said front box part being able to be closed on said back box part to define a compartment and also define a distributor slot through which the product of the box extends; cloth; a latch mechanism for maintaining said front case part closed on said rear case part, said latch mechanism includes a water resistant release button extending through said front case part; Y a support structure located in the dich compartment to rotatably hold a roll of said woven product.

22. A dispenser as claimed in clause 21 characterized in that said water resistant release button includes a button member inserted into a water resistant ring.

23. A dispenser as claimed in clause 22 characterized in that said water resistant ring is attached to said front box part.

24. A dispenser as claimed in clause 21 characterized in that one of said front drawer part and said back drawer part defines a perimeter groove and another of said front drawer part and said back drawer part defines a lip of perimeter to be received in said groove, said lip and groove form a labyrinth seal structure when said front case part is closed on the rear case part.

25. A distributor as claimed in clause 24 characterized in that said groove is defined on the front box part and said lip is defined on the back box part.

26. A distributor as claimed in clause 23 characterized in that said groove defines a pande that deflects with water on an outer surface d said front box part.

27. A manifold as claimed in clause 21 characterized in that said back box part integrally defines a generally planar back plate and a lower deflector shield, said lower deflector shield extending in an inward direction towards the distributor slot.

28. A dispenser as claimed in clause 27 characterized in that said deflected shield comprises a first planar portion extending from said rear plate to a first predetermined angle and a second planar portion extending from said first flat portion to a second angle. predetermined.

29. A water resistant paper product distributor comprising: a back box part; a front box part that can be closed on said back box part to define a compartment further defining a distributor slot through which s extends the paper product; one of said front box part and part of the rear box define a perimeter groove and another said front box part and said back box part define a perimeter lip to be received in said groove said lip and groove form a labyrinth seal structure when said front box part is closed on the back box part; said back box part defines integrally a generally flat back plate and a lower deflect shield, said bottom baffle shield extending in an inward direction towards the distributor slot; a water resistant latch mechanism for maintaining said front case part closed on said back box part; Y a support structure located in said compartment to hold said paper product.

30. A distributor as claimed in clause 29 characterized in that said groove is defined on a front box part and said lip is defined with said back box part.

31. A dispenser as claimed in clause 30 characterized in that said groove defines a water deflecting pande on an outer surface of said front box part.

32. A dispenser as claimed in clause 29 characterized in that said latch mechanism includes a water resistant release button.

33. A dispenser as claimed in clause 32 characterized by said water resistant release button includes a button member inserted into a water resistant ring.

34. A dispenser as claimed in clause 33 characterized in that said water resistant ring is attached to said front box part.

35. A dispenser as claimed in clause 29 characterized in that said deflect shield comprises a first planar portion extending from said back plate to a first predetermined angle and a second planar portion extending from said planar portion at a second predetermined angle.

36. A distributor as claimed in clause 35 characterized in that said second flat part is located approximately perpendicular to said base plate

37. A distributor as claimed in clause 35 characterized in that an edge of said second planar part defines one side of the distributor slot.

38. A manifold as claimed in clause 37 further characterized in that it comprises a rod located opposite said edge of said deflection plate to define a second side of said distributor slot.

39. A distributor as claimed in clause 29 characterized in that it also comprises a planar cap juxtaposed to an outer surface of said base plate. SUMMARY A roll towel dispenser was constructed to inhibit the ingress of water into the distributed cabinet during the washing operations. The dispenser includes a back box part for mounting to a planar mounting surface, such as a wall. A part of the front box can be closed on the. part of the back box to define an interior compartment and a distributor slot. The front box part and the back box part define a lip and slot arrangement forming a labyrinth seal when the dispenser box is closed. A deflector shield is defined in a lower region of the back box part to inhibit the entry of sprayed liquids through the distributor slot. In addition, the latch mechanism used to releasably maintain the closed front box part on the back box part was constructed to inhibit the ingress of liquid. A support structure located in the compartment rotatably holds the roll of towel product for distribution through the slot.