US3348891A

US3348891A - Towel dispenser

Info

Publication number: US3348891A
Application number: US501535A
Authority: US
Inventors: Schumm Erich
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-10-22
Filing date: 1965-10-22
Publication date: 1967-10-24
Anticipated expiration: 1984-10-24

Description

1967 E. SCHUMM 3,348,891

TOWEL DISPENSER Filed Oct. 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. 52/01 Sum/WM Oct. 24, 1967 E SCHUMM 3,348,891

TOWEL DISPENSER Filed Oct. 22, 1965 2 SheetsSheet 2 IN VEN TOR. [k /CH SCI/(MM BY Mg United States Patent Ofiice 3,348,891 Patented Oct. 24, 1967 3,348,891 TQWEL DISPENSER Erich Schumm, Siegelsbergerstrasse 17, Murrhardt, Wurttemberg, Germany Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 501,535 3 Claims. (Cl. 312-38) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A towel dispenser comprising a housing having a horizontal withdrawal slot in its front wall and a return slot in its bottom wall, a feed roller having a peripheral friction surface, a supply roll and a take-up roll, said rolls positioned and operatively interconnected so that a clean towel wound upon said supply roll passes from said supply roll through said withdrawal slot when a pull is exerted on the towel from the exterior of said housing, said towel driving said feed roller which in turn drives said take-up roll, upon which the free end of the towel is secured, to cause said take-up roll to wind up a portion of said towel equal to the portion which has been withdrawn from said withdrawal slot. Further, a locking device is provided for locking said feed roller at uniform intervals such that only a predetermined length of towel may be withdrawn without releasing said locking device by the operation of a release mechanisms provided on the outside of the housing. Additionally, said housing is provided with a window in the front wall thereof and an advertising device positioned within said housing so as to be visible through said window and means for operatively connecting said advertising device to said feed roller.

The present invention relates to a towel dispenser which comprises a housing in which a towel supply roll is mounted from which One clean towel section after another may be drawn outwardly by hand through a slot in the wall of the housing, while at the same time the towel section which has been previously used will be returned through a second slot into the housing in which it will be wound upon a second roll. This second roll for winding up the soiled towel is driven by a mechanism which controls the clean-towel feed and only permits one new towel section of a certain length to be withdrawn from the supply roll and which then automatically stops the towel feed until a control member is manually operated from the outside of the housing so as to permit another new towel section to be withdrawn from the housing and the previously soiled towel section to be drawn at the same time into the housing and to be wound upon the second roll.

It is an object of the present invention to improve a towel dispenser of the above-mentioned type by structurally and operatively combining the same with an advertising device.

According to the invention, this object is attained by operatively connecting the mechanism of the dispenser which controls the towel feed to the advertising device so that, whenever a clean towel section is being withdrawn from the dispenser housing, an advertisement is displayed and may in addition be illuminated by a light source.

One preferred feature of the invention consists in mouting the advertising device within an upper part of the dispenser housing and in providing the front wall of this housing with a window through which the user of the towel may see the advertisement while drying his hands.

If the advertising device isdesigned so as only to display a single picture, for example, an exchangeable transparent diapositive, the invention provides a light source which illuminates this picture and is switched on for a certain length of time by a time switch either when the control knob for releasing the towel feed is depressed or when thereafter a new towel section is being pulled out of the housing.

More preferably, however, the advertising device according to the invention comprises an advertisement carrier on which a plurality of pictures or advertisements are provided and which is moved so as to display a different advertisement or picture whenever the towel feed is actuated. According to -a very preferred embodiment of the invention, the advertisement carrier is provided in the form of a drum of a polygonal shape, for example, in the form of a hexagonal prism, which is rotatable about a horizontal axis and carries a different picture or advertisement on each of its outer surfaces.

The means for connecting the towel feed with the movable advertisement carrier may according to the invention be either of a mechanical type or of :an electric type. If they are of a mechanical type, the towel feed mechanism may, for example, be operat-ively connected to the drive shaft of the advertisement carrier so that the latter will be rotated for one particular part of one revolution Whenever another towel section is being pulled out of the dispenser housing. The user of the towel dispenser will therefore see one picture or advertisement before actuating the towel feed and another while drying his hands. The light source for illuminating the advertisements may then be switched on for a certain length of time by means of a time relay.

If the means for connecting the towel feed with the advertisement carrier are of an electrical type, they may consist, for example, of an electromagnet which is energized whenever a new towel section is pulled out of the housing and thereby advances the advertisement carrier by one division. According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the advertisement carrier is connected to an electric motor which is switched on whenever a new towel section is being pulled out of the housing and then drives the advertisement carrier for one com plete revolution by means of a reduction gear and a stepping mechanism. After actuating the towel feed, the user of the towel may then observe all of the pictures or advertisements on the different sides of the advertisement carrier which are advanced in a step-by-step movement. If the advertisement carrier is provided with a light source, the latter maybe switched on and off either by means of a time relay or together with the electric motor. If desirable it is also possible to rotate the advertisement carrier continuously by providing a special shunting switch.

The advertisement carrier may also be actuated indirectly in accordance with the operation of the towel feed by providing a light barrier which is interrupted by the user of the towel and then controls either the light source or an electric drive mechanism for the advertisement carrier or both.

The above-mentioned as well as numerous other features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which- FIGURE 1 shows a vertical section of a towel dispenser according to the invention;

FIGURE la shows a vertical section of a modification of a part of the towel dispenser according to FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 2 shows a front view of the towel dispenser according to FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows a detailed View of the locking device of the towel feed in the locking position;

FIGURE 4 shows the locking device according to FIG- URE 3 in the released position;

FIGURE shows the stepping mechanism which is mechanically driven by the towel feedfor operating the advertisement carrier, as seen in the axial direction of the shaft of this carrier.

FIGURE 6 shows a cross section which is taken along the line VIVI of FIGURE 5 FIGURE'7 shows a stepping mechanism which is similar to the mechanism as shown in FIGURE 5, but is electrically actuated by the towel feed for rotating the advertisement carrier; while,

FIGURE 8 shows a cross section which is taken along the line VIIIVIII of FIGURE 7.

As illustrated particularly in FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the .towel dispenser according to the invention comprises a housing 3, the lower part of which contains a trough 4 in which a large roll 2 of clean toweling may be deposited from which one section after another of the towel 1 may be drawn by hand until the supply on the.

roll 2 is exhausted. The rear wall 5 of the housing 3 may be secured to a wall of a room. The front wall of housing 3 consists of a lower section 6 which is pivotable at its lower end on a hinge 7, and an upper section 8 which is pivotable' at its upper end on a hinge 9. As shown in FIG- URE 2, the upper wall, section 8 may support a mirror 8a and above the mirror a window 8b. The two pivotable

front wall sections

6 and 8 are separated from each other by a narrow horizontal slot 10 through which the towel 1 may be drawn to the outside.

The clean towelsection which is drawn olf the supply roll 2 passes upwardly from the latter behind the lower front wall section 6 of the housing and over a roller 11 and a guide roller 12 through the slot 10 to the outside of the housing where it hangs downwardly in front of the housing and forms underneath it a looseloop which is sufficiently large to permit a person to dry his hands thereon without difficulty. From this loop the soiled towel passes upwardly into the housing 3 through a slot 13 which is provided near the rear wall 5. At the inside of the housing, the soiled towel section is wound up by a roller so as to form a roll 14 of soiled toweling.

Roller 11 which is driven by the towel 1 when the latter is being withdrawn from the supply roll 2 is connected to a second roller 15 of the same diameter, for example, by a chain 16. All of the rollers are rotatably mounted in lateral bearingplates 17 which are mounted on the side walls of housing 3 and extend parallel thereto. The ends of the shafts of guide rollers 12 and the wind-up roller 14 are rotatably mounted in upwardly extending

slots

18 and 19 in the bearing plates 17 from which they may be easily removed when the supply of clean toweling on roll 2 is exhausted and the soiled towel is wound upon the wind-up roll 14 and both rolls have to be exchanged for new rolls. Due to its own weight and the traction which is exerted upon the towel 1, the guide roller 12 presses the towel firmly against the drive roller 11, the outer surface of which is provided with a knurled layer, of rubber or plastic so as to insure that this roller will be turned without slipping by the towel 1 when the towel is pulled through the slot 10 toward the outside of the housing.

Due to its own weight, the wind-up roller 14 presses the soiled towel which is already wound thereon against the roller 15 which is positively driven by the'roller 11 and likewise provided with an outer friction coating of rubber or plastic so as to grip the towel surface without slipping and wind the towel upon the roller 14 which then increases in diameter and is thereby moved upwardly in the direction of the slots 19 in the bearing plates 17 in which the trunnions of roller 14 art rotatable and slidable. Therefore when a section of the towel 1 is pulled out of the slot 10 of the housing, roller 11 is driven which, in turn, drives the roller 15. The rotation of this roller is directly transmitted to the toweling on the wind-up roller 14 which is thereby further wound up on roller 14. Since the two

rollers

11 and 15 have an equal outer diameter, the same length of toweling which is drawn off the supply roll 2 is also wound up again on the wind-up roller 14. Consequently, the towel loop outside of the housing 3 on which a person may dry his hands always remains of the same length.

In order to prevent a waste of clean toweling, the length thereof which may at each pull be drawn out of the housing through the slot 10 may be limited, for example, to 8 or 10 inches, by the provision of a locking device as illustrated in FIGURES, 3 and 4. This locking device consists of a rocker 21 which is pivotable about a pivot pin 22 which is rigidly secured to one of the bearing plates 17, and of a pawl 23 which is secured to the shaft of roller 11 and is thus normally rotated when roller 11 is driven by the towel 1. Rocker 21 is bifurcated and has two

arms

24 and 25 between which'the pawl 23is located. The rocker arm 24 has on its inner side a detent 26 which is operatively associated with another detent 27 on pawl 23. When the detent 27 on pawl 23 engages upon the detent 26 on the rocker arm 24, as shown in FIGURE 3, pawl 23 is locked and prevented from rotating in the counterclockwise direction and, since the pawl 23 is rigidly secured to the roller 11, the latter is likewise locked and, in turn,

prevents the towel 1 from being withdrawn from the hous-.

ing 3. If a new section of the towel 1 is to be withdrawn through the slot 10, it is therefore necessary first to pivot the rocker 21 to the releasing position, as shown in FIG- URE 4, in which its detent 26 disengages from the detent 27 on pawl 23 so that the latter together with roller 11 can then rotate in the direction of the arrow 28, that is, in the direction in which the new towel section is then withdrawn. For pivoting the rocker 21 to its releasing position, the towel dispenser according to the invention is provided with a control member 29'which consists of a substantially horizontally slidable rod which extends through the lower front wall 6 of the housing and carries a push button on its outer end. When thispush button of the con trol member 29 is depressed, rocker 21 is pivotedto its releasing position as shown in FIGURE 4 and thereby disengages from pawl 23. Rocker 21 is mounted with such an amount of friction on its nonrotatable pivot pin 22 that, after it has been pivoted to its releasing position but is no longer acted upon by the control member 29, it cannot pivot back to its locking position merely because of its own gravity. For pivoting the rocker 21 from its releasing position according to FIGURE-4 back to its locking position according to FIGURE 3, the inner side of the other rocker, arm 25 is provided with a cam surface; When,

a further pull is then exerted upon the towel 1 and pawl 23 is further rotated. by roller 11 in the direction of the arrow 28, the pawl engages upon and presses against the, rocker arm 25 and thereby pivots therocker 21 back to its.

locking position. Consequently, if the push button on the control member 29 is no longer depressed after the rocker 21 has been pivoted to its releasing position, pawl 23 can carry out only one complete revolution and'will then again be locked by its engagement with the detent 26 on the'first rocker arm 24 and will thereby prevent the towel 1 from being withdrawn for any distance, greater than the,

length of the circumference of the roller 11.

Above the position of the wind-up roller 14 for the soiled towel, the housing 3 contains a gear mechanism for the operation of an advertisement carrier.

According to the particular embodiment of the invention as illustrated, this advertisement carrier consists of a drum 30 of a shape of a hexagonal prism which is intermittently rotatable about a horizontal axis behind the window 817 and each side of which carries a picture or advertisement which is preferably exchangeable. The upper part of housing 3 also contains an electric light source, not shown, for illuminating the respective advertisement behind the window 8b. The end walls 31 of the drum 30 are mounted on a shaft 32, the opposite ends of which may be inserted from above into bearing members 33 which are secured to the side walls of housing 3. One of the end walls 31 of drum 30 carries a control disk 34 from which six pins 35 project at equal distances from each other and also at equal distances from the axis of the drum. Each of these pins 35 may also carry a roller. These pins 35 are operatively associated with a control arm 36 which is connected to a driving gear and designed so as to turn the drum for a certain distance during one sixth of one revolution, but to rotate idly during the remainder of each revolution. The shaft 37 of the control arm 36 also carries a gear wheel 38 which forms the last wheel of a gear unit. In order to stop the drum 30 at the proper position after being turned for one sixth of a revolution by the control arm 36, the peripheral surface of the control disk 34 is provided with six equally spaced recesses 39 into which a holding spring 40 is adapted to engage successively.

The towel dispenser as previously described permits the advertisement carrier 30 to be easily inserted and removed or exchanged for another when the upper front wall 8 of the housing is pivoted upwardly about the hinge 9. When the soiled towel is completely wound upon the wind-up roller 14 and the upper front wall 8 of the housing is then pivoted upwardly, roller 14 may be lifted out of the slots 19 in the bearing plates 17 and be removed from the front of the housing without interfering with any part of the advertising mechanism.

As illustrated in FIGURES 1, 5 and 6, gear wheel 38 is in mesh with an equal gear wheel 41 which is rigidly secured to a chain wheel 43 and rotatable about the same axis 42. This chain wheel 43 is connected by a chain 44 to another chain wheel 43 of the same size which is rotated in the same direction as the roller 15 and the feed roller 6 housing and is driven by a driving roller which is connected to the stepping mechanism.

The light source which is provided at the inside of the upper part of the housing in which the advertisement carrier is located is switched on and off together with the electric stepping mechanism for the advertisement carrier when the towel feed is actuated.

When the knob on the control member 29 is being depressed or a towel section is being pulled out of the 11 when a section of the towel 1 is being pulled out of the housing 3. Since the transmission ratio between shaft 37 of roller 11 which carries the pawl 23, and the gear wheel 38 is 1:1, the control arm 36 is turned for one complete revolution whenever a new towel section is pulled out of the housing 3, and thereby it advances the advertisement carrier to its next division so that a new advertisement appears in the window 811 of the upper front wall 8 of the housing. The light source may already be switched on by the operation of the pushbutton on the control member 29 via a time relay.

The same results as above described may also be attained if in place of the stepping mechanism a speed reduction gear with a ratio of 1:6 is provided between the driving

unit

11, 15 and the shaft 32 of the advertisement carrier 30.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate another modification of a driving mechanism for the advertisement carrier. The gear wheel 38 carrying the control arm 36 may in this case be driven by an electric motor 47 through a

reduction gear

48, 49, 50, 51, and 52. The electric motor 47 may be switched on by conventional means including electric contacts which may be actuated either when the pushbutton on the control member 29 is depressed or when a section of the towel is being'withdrawn or by the actuation of a light barrier by the person using the towel, and it may be switched off by similarly conventional means after the advertisement carrier 30 has carried out one complete revolution; for example, by a limit switch which may be actuated by the control disk 34. Therefore, at each actuation of the towel feed the advertisement carrier 30 will be advanced in a step-by-step movement until all six advertisements have been ShOWn through the window 81).

All of the

gear wheels

48, 49, 50, 51, and 52 of the reduction gear according to FIGURES 7 and 8 are rotatably mounted on a plate 54 which is secured to one side wall of the housing. This plate 54 also carries one of the bearings 33 for the shaft 32 of drum 30.

Instead of being provided in the form of a rotatable drum, the advertisement carrier may also be provided in the form of an endless band which runs over one or more guide rollers and past a window in the front wall of the housing 3 or when the person using the towel steps between a light barrier, acoustic advertisements may also be produced simultaneously with the visual advertisements.

The preferred arrangement of the advertisement carrier within an upper part of the housing 3 requires the height of the housing to be extended accordingly. The distance between the withdrawal slot 10 from the upper end of the housing is therefore also increased. If the apparatus is mounted on a wall at such a height that the withdrawal slot 10 will be located at a level which is within easy reach of a towel user, the advertisement area may be located at such a high level that the advertisements may no longer draw the towel users attention or may even be hard to read.

It may, therefore be advisable to provide the withdrawal slot at a higher level of the housing. If the towel dispenser is designed as previously described, this would, however, only be possible if at least the feed rollers 11 and thus also the guide rollers 12 intermediate the feed roller and the withdrawal slot would be mounted at a higher level. However, the result of such an arrangement would be that the space which would then be available for inserting and mounting the roller for the soiled towel within the housing and for removing the filled roller therefrom would be too small.

According to the modification of the invention as illustrated in FIGURE 1a, it is possible to provide the Withdrawal slot 10 at a higher level of the housing without changing the location of the feed roller 11 by mounting the guide roller 12 which presses the towel section against the feed roller 11 on the lower arm of a rocker or pair of rockers 12b which is pivotable about the axis of a pair of pivot pins 12c which are rotatable in the bearing plates 17, and by providing a second guide roller 12a which is mounted above the first guide roller 12 on the upper arm of the rocker 12b in a similar position with respect to the withdrawal slot 10 as the roller 12 is mounted in the embodiment according to FIGURE 1. In order to permit the wind-up roller 14 for the soiled towel to be easily inserted or removed, the pair of pivot pins on the rocker or pair of rockers 12b may be removably inserted or hooked into the slots 18 in the bearing plates so that the rocker or rockers together with both guide

rollers

12 and 12a may then be easily removed.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, I wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is:

1. A towel dispenser comprising a housing having a window and a horizontal withdrawal slot in its front wall and a return slot in its bottom wall, a feed roller rotatably mounted within said housing substantially parallel to said withdrawal slot and having a peripheral friction surface, means for rotatably mounting a supply roll and a wind-up roll in different horizontal positions spaced from each other within said housing, said supply roll having a clean towel wound thereon, said towel being adapted to pass from said supply roll to said feed roller and to engage firmly with a part of said peripheral friction surface thereof and then to pass from said feed roller through said withdrawal slot to the outside of said housing and to form a loose loop underneath said housing and then to pass through said return slot back into said housing, the free end of said towel being adapted to be secured to said wind-up roll so as to be would thereon, so that when a pull is exerted on said towel outside of said housing, said towel is withdrawn from said supply roll and thereby drives said feed roller, locking means for locking said feed roller at uniform intervals of its revolution and for thereby permitting only a predetermined length of said towel to be withdrawn through said withdrawal slot when a pull is exerted upon the outer part of said towel, means accessible from the outside of said housing for releasing said locking means, means for operatively connecting said feed roller to said wind-up roll so that, when a certain length of said towel is being withdrawn through said withdrawal slot and said feed roller is thereby rotated, a corresponding length of said towel is simultaneously wound upon said wind-up roll, an advertising device within said housing behind said window, and driving means for operatively connecting said advertising device to said feed:

roller, in which said advertising device comprises a rotary member rotatably mounted within said housing and having a peripheral surface with advertisements thereon, said driving means comprising an electric motor and a reduc-' tion gear connecting said motor to said rotary member, and switch means operatively connected to said feed roller for switching on said motor so as to rotate said rotary member for one revolution thereof, and for then switching 011 said motor.

2. A towel dispenser comprising a housing having a window and a horizontal withdrawal slot in its front wall and a return slot in its bottom wall, a feed roller rotatably mounted within said housing substantially parallel to said withdrawal slot and having a peripheral friction surface, means for rotatably mounting a supply rolland a wind-up roll in different horizontal positions spaced from each other within said housing, said supply roll having a clean towel wound thereon, said towel being adapted to pass from said supply roll to said feed roller and to engage firmly with a part of said peripheral friction surface thereof and then to pass from said feed roller through said withdrawal slot to the outside of said housing and to form a loose loop underneath said housing and then to pass through said return slot back into said housing, the free end of said towel being adapted to be secured to, said windup roll so as to be wound thereon, so that when a pull is exerted on said towel outside of said housing, said towel is withdrawn from said supply roll and thereby drives said feed roller, locking means for locking said feed roller at uniform intervals of its revolution and for thereby permitting only a predetermined lengthof said towel to be withdrawn through said withdrawal slot when a pull is exerted upon the outer part of said towel, means accessible from the outside of said housing for releasing said locking means, means for operatively connecting said feed roller to said wind-up roll so that, when a certain length of said towel is being withdrawn through said withdrawal slot and said feed roller is thereby rotated, a corresponding length of said towel is simultaneously wound upon said wind-up roll, an advertising device within said housing behind said window, and driving means for operatively connecting said advertising device to said feed roller, said advertising device comprising a drum having a polygonal peripheral surface and a control shaft mounted within said housing so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis, each side of said polygonal surface being adapted to carry a different advertisement in which, said housing has side walls, a bearing member on the inner side of each of said side walls, said shaft carrying said drum removably mounted within said bearing members, said driving means comprising gear means having at least one gear wheel and a control arm on said gear wheel, and a stepping 3. A towel dispenser comprising a housing having a a window and a horizontal withdrawal slot in its front wall and a return slot in its bottom wall, a feed roller rotatably mounted within said housing substantially parallel to said withdrawal slot and having a peripheral friction surface, means for rotatably mounting a supply roll and a windup roll in different horizontal positions spaced from each other within said housing, said supply roll having a clean towel wound thereon, said towel being adapted to pass from said supply roll to said feed roller and to engage firmly with a part of said peripheral friction surface thereof andthen to pass from said feed roller throughsaid Withdrawalslot to the outside of said housing and to form a loose loop underneath said housing and then to pass through said return slot back into said housing, the free end of said towel being adapted to be secured to said windup roll so as to be wound thereon, so that when a pull is exerted on said towel outside of said housing, said towel is withdrawn from said supply roll and thereby drives said feed roller, locking means for locking said feed roller at uniform intervals of its revolution and for thereby permitting only a predetermined length of said towel to be withdrawn through said withdrawal slot when a pull is exerted upon the outer part ofsaid towel, means accessible from the outside of said housing for releasing said locking means, means for operatively connecting said feed roller to said wind-up roll sothat, when a certain length of said towel is being withdrawn through said withdrawal slot and said feed roller is thereby rotated, a corresponding length of said towel is simultaneously wound upon said wind-up roll, an advertising device within said housing behind said window, and driving means for operatively connecting said advertising device to said feed roller, said advertising device being located within the upper part of said housing, said window being located in said front wall I above said withdrawal slot comprising at least one rocker having a lower arm and an upper arm, means for removably and pivotably mounting said rocker within said housing above said feed roller, a first guide roller rotat- 1 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,666,288 4/1928 Helmrich 312-38 1,715,172 5/ 1929 Ollerenshaw 40-52 1,720,218 7/1929 Jones et al. 312-38 1,790,182 1/ 1931 Trinks 312-38 2,368,167 1/1945 Sheram 40-53 2,636,417 4/1953 Mathews 312-38 X 2,879,121 3/1959 Kirkell 312-38 3,222,112 12/ 1965 Bahnsen 312-38 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner.

JAMES L. KOHNEN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A TOWEL DISPENSER COMPRISING A HOUSING HAVING A WINDOW AND A HORIZONTAL WITHDRAWAL SLOT IN ITS FRONT WALL AND A RETURN SLOT IN ITS BOTTOM WALL, A FEED ROLLER ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID WITHDRAWAL SLOT AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL FRICTION SURFACE, MEANS FOR ROTATABLY MOUNTING A SUPPLY ROLL AND A WIND-UP ROLL IN DIFFERENT HORIZONTAL POSITIONS SPACED FROM EACH OTHER WITHIN SAID HOUSING, SAID SUPPLY ROLL HAVING A CLEAN TOWEL WOUND THEREON, SAID TOWEL BEING ADAPTED TO PASS FROM SAID SUPPLY ROLL TO SAID FEED ROLLER THROUGH SAID FIRMLY WITH A PART OF SAID PERIPHERAL FRICTION SURFACE OF AND THEN TO PASS FROM SAID FEED ROLLER AND TO ENGAGE WITHDRAWAL SLOT TO THE OUTSIDE OF SAID HOUSING AND TO FORM A LOOSE LOOP UNDERNEATH SAID HOUSING AND THEN TO PASS THROUGH SAID RETURN SLOT BACK INTO SAID HOUSING, THE FREE END OF SAID TOWEL BEING ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO SAID WIND-UP ROLL SO AS TO BE WOULD THEREON, SO THAT WHEN A PULL IS EXERTED ON SAID TOWEL OUTSIDE OF SAID HOUSING, SAID TOWEL IS WITHDRAWN FROM SAID SUPPLY ROLL AND THEREBY DRIVES SAID FEED ROLLER, LOCKING MEANS FOR LOCKING SAID FEED ROLLER AT UNIFORM INTERVALS OF ITS REVOLUTION AND FOR THEREBY PERMITTING ONLY A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF SAID TOWEL TO BE WITHDRAWN THROUGH SAID WITHDRAWAL SLOT WHEN A PULL IS EXERTED UPON THE OUTER PART OF SAID TOWEL, MEANSA ACCESSIBLE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF SAID HOUSING FOR RELEASING SAID LOCKING MEANS, MEANS FOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID FEED ROLLER TO SAID WIND-UP ROLL SO THAT, WHEN A CERTAIN LENGTH OF SAID TOWEL IS BEING WITHDRAWN THROUGH SAID WITHDRAWAL SLOT AND SAID FEED ROLLER IS THEREBY ROTATED, A CORRESPONDING LENGHT OF SAID TOWEL IS SIMULTANEOUSLY WOUND UPON SAID WIND-UP ROLL, AND ADVERTISING DEVICE WITHIN SAID HOUSING BEHIND SAID WINDOW, AND DRIVING MEANS FOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID ADVERTISING DEVICE WITHIN SAID ROLLER, IN WHICH SAID ADVERTISING DEVICE COMPRISES A ROTARY MEMBER ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND HAVING A PERIPHERAL SURFACE WITH ADVERTISEMENTS THEREON, SAID DRIVING MEANAS COMPRISING AN ELECTRIC MOTOR AND A REDUCTION GEAR CONNECTING SAID MOTOR TO SAID ROTARY MEMBER, AND SWITCH MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID FEED ROLLER FOR SWITCHING ON SAID MOTOR SO AS TO ROTATE SAID ROTARY MEMBER FOR ONE OF REVOLUTION THEREOF, AND FOR THEN SWITCHING OF SAID MOTOR.