Automatic towel dispenser

An automatic towel dispenser whose housing contains a washing and a drying chamber for an endless towel which can pass therethrough and has a cleaned section available for use and extending from the housing between a delivery slot and an inlet slot of the housing. The towel is movable from the inlet slot to the washing chamber and from the drying chamber to the delivery slot, and the housing also contains a first supply chamber for variably stacking a plurality of soiled towel sections and a second supply chamber for variably stacking a plurality of cleaned towel sections. The washing chamber has at least one wash and at least one rinsing tub through which the towel can pass in the form of loops. The dispenser is further provided with a water feed valve and a water discharge valve connected to the washing chamber. The water feed valve is actuatable at the start of a washing cycle and the water discharge valve is actuatable on completion of the washing cycle. Still further, the dispenser is provided with means for flooding the wash tub and the towel therein, the flooding means being actuatable upon completion of a washing cycle.

The invention relates to an automatic towel dispenser having a housing 
containing a washing and a drying chamber for an endless towel passable 
therethrough and having a cleaned section available for use extending 
outside the housing between a delivery slot and an inlet slot, 
respectively, formed in the housing, the endless towel being movable from 
the inlet slot to the washing chamber and from the drying chamber to the 
delivery slot, the housing also containing a first supply chamber for 
variably stacking a plurality of soiled towel sections of the endless 
towel therein, the first supply chamber being located between the inlet 
slot and the washing chamber, as viewed in travel direction of the towel, 
and the housing further containing a second supply chamber for variably 
stacking a plurality of cleaned towel sections of the endless towel 
therein, the second supply chamber being located between the drying 
chamber and the delivery slot, as viewed in travel direction of the towel, 
the soiled towel sections, after emptying of a given quantity of the 
cleaned towel sections, being movable through the washing and drying 
chambers, while washing and drying processes are set into operation, and 
being depositable in the second supply chamber for cleaned towel sections, 
the washing chamber having at least one wash tub and one rinsing tub 
through which the endless towel can pass in the form of loops, and 
including a water feed valve and a water discharge valve connected to the 
washing chamber, the water feed valve being actuatable at the beginning of 
a washing cycle, and the water discharge valve at the end of the cycle by 
switching or control members. 
Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,295,955. In that device, 
however, especially during very long intervals between individual washing 
and drying processes, residues of the washing medium or agent, such as 
soap or the like, are deposited in the wash tub and on the towel or on the 
walls, the drain pipe and the drain valve, and become encrusted there. In 
the case of the towel, this can cause discoloration and difficulties in 
dissolving these residues in the subsequent washing process. In the wash 
tub per se and in the drain and the valves, this can cause interference 
with smooth functioning such as clogging of the drain especially. 
Furthermore, bacteria and mold can form. 
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide and automatic towel 
dispenser as well as a method of operating the same which avoids the 
disadvantages of heretofore known devices of this general type wherein 
deposits of washing medium or agent occur. 
With the foregoing and other objects in view, there is provided, in 
accordance with the invention, in an automatic towel dispenser having a 
housing containing a washing and a drying chamber for an endless towel 
movable therethrough and having a cleaned section available for use 
extending outside the housing between a delivery slot and an inlet slot, 
respectively, formed in the housing, the endless towel being movable from 
the inlet slot to the washing chamber and from the drying chamber to the 
delivery slot, the housing also containing a first supply chamber for 
variably stacking a plurality of soiled towel sections of the endless 
towel therein, the first supply chamber being located between the inlet 
slot and the washing chamber, as viewed in travel direction of the towel, 
and the housing further containing a second supply chamber for variably 
stacking a plurality of cleaned towel sections of the endless towel 
therein, the second supply chamber being located between the drying 
chamber and the delivery slot, as viewed in travel direction of the towel, 
the soiled towel sections, after emptying of a given quantity of the 
cleaned towel sections, being movable through the washing and drying 
chambers, while washing and drying processes are set into operation, and 
being depositable in the second supply chamber for cleaned towel sections, 
the washing chamber having at least one wash tub and one rinsing tub 
through which the endless towel can pass the form of loops, and including 
a water feed valve and a water discharge valve connected to the washing 
chamber, the water feed valve being actuatable at the beginning of a 
washing cycle, and the water discharge valve at the end thereof, an 
improvement therein which comprises means for flooding the wash tub and 
the towel disposed therein, the flooding means being actuatable upon 
completion of a washing cycle. 
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the flooding means 
comprise at least one spray device, by which the walls of the washing 
chamber and the towel are sprayed with water after the washing cycle has 
been completed. 
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a 
method of operating the automatic towel dispenser which comprises flooding 
the wash tub and the towel therein upon completion of a washing cycle by 
at least once filling the wash tub with flooding medium and subsequently 
emptying the wash tub. 
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the method comprises 
moving the towel, even if only slightly, during the flooding of the wash 
tub and the towel therein. 
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the method 
comprises moving the towel in direction of passage thereof through the 
automatic towel dispenser. 
In accordance with an modification, the method comprises moving the towel 
cyclically back and forth. 
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the automatic 
towel dispenser comprises means for mechanically cleaning the washing 
chamber disposed in the washing chamber, the flooding means and the 
cleaning means being effective simultaneously. 
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the method comprises 
actuating mechanical cleaning means, such as brushes, cylinders or rollers 
or the like in the washing tub during the flooding of the tub and the 
towel. 
Other features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are 
set forth in the appended claims. 
The invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since 
various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without 
departing from the spirit of the invention and from the scope and range of 
equivalence of the claims.

Referring now to the FIGURE of the drawing, there is shown therein the 
automatic towel dispenser I according to the invention having a housing 1 
with a washing chamber 2 and a drying chamber 3 provided therein. An 
endless towel 4, that is to be passed through the chambers 2 and 3, has 
cleaned towel sections 5 thereof, which are either ready or to be made 
ready for use, that extend between a delivery slot 6 and an inlet slot 7 
on the outside of the housing 1. Between the inlet slot 7 and the washing 
chamber 2, as viewed in the direction of travel of the towel 4 represented 
by the various arrows shown thereon, a supply chamber 8 for the variable 
or alternating stacking of several used towel sections is provided. 
Between the drying chamber 3 and the delivery slot 6, a supply chamber 9 
for the variable or alternating stacking of several clean towel sections 
is also provided. After the supply chamber 9 is sufficiently empty or the 
supply chamber 8 is sufficiently full, the towel dispenser is set into 
operation and a suitable number of soiled towel sections from the supply 
chamber 8 is initially passed through the washing and drying chambers 2 
and 3 and then deposited in the supply chamber 9 for clean toweling. 
The washing chamber 2 is made up of a wash tub 2a and a rinsing tub 2b, 
through which the towel 4 is conveyed in the form of at least 
approximately vertical loops and over deflection rollers 10. At the outlet 
from the wash tub 2a, squeezing cylinders 10a are provided, and at the 
outlet from the rinsing tub 2b, squeezing cylinders 11. Heating rods 13 or 
the like are provided for heating the washing solution 12 in the wash tub 
2a. A partition 14 is disposed between the wash and rinsing tubs 2a 2b, 
respectively. 
After passing the squeezing cylinders 11, the towel 4 arrives in the drying 
chamber 3, wherein it is guided in the form of loops over deflection or 
reversing rollers 3a. A blower 15 with a heater 16 is provided in an upper 
region of the drying chamber 3, and blows drying air in the direction of 
the arrows 17 onto the towel 4. Through an intake or induction shaft 19 
separated by a partition 18 from the drying chamber 3, the drying air is 
sucked upwardly from below to the blower 15 and is there blown out again 
into the drying chamber 3. The drying air is thus circulated 
countercurrent to the travel of the towel 4. A pair of transport rollers 
20 advances the dried towel 4 through an inlet slot 21 into the supply 
chamber 9, depositing the towel 4 therein in the form of loops. If fresh 
toweling is required, either, by pressing a suitable actuation switch, a 
pair of rollers 22 is set in motion for a given amount of rotation or by 
manually pulling down the towel section 5, fresh toweling is drawn out 
through the slot 6, whereby the fresh toweling located in the supply 
chamber 9 is taken from the lower layers thereof amd drawn upwardly 
through an unfolding shaft 23 and, if desired or necessary, past an 
ironing device 24 and further on to the rollers 22 and out through the 
slot 6. 
Both in the wash as well as in the rinsing tub 2a and 2b, respectively, 
vane wheels 25 are provided on both sides of the towel 4 below the liquid 
level and are rotatable at high speed and thereby stir up the washing 
solution 12 as well as the rinsing liquid and set the liquid and the towel 
4 in motion, relative motion between the washing liquid 12 and rinsing 
liquid, respectively, and the towel 4 being producible thereby, which 
assures intensive cleaning of the towel 4 while simultaneously preserving 
it. 
After the washing and drying process is ended, the washing solution 12 is 
drained out of the wash tub 2a through a drain valve 26a and, 
advantageously, also the rinsing liquid from the rinsing tub 2b through a 
drain valve 26b. 
In order to remove any remaining adherent washing medium, a spraying device 
27 can then be set into operation or/and a water feed valve 28 can be 
opened so that fresh water can run into the wash tub 2a at least. The 
rinsing tub 2b can also be filled with water while the valve 26a or also 
the valve 26b remains closed. The flooding of at least the wash tub 2a 
accomplished thereby causes those washing medium residues, which would 
otherwise be deposited on the towel 4 or the wash tub 2a and possibly also 
on the rinsing tub 2b and the drain lines and the valves, to be flushed 
away. It may also be advantageous if, during the flooding, motion of the 
transport and the squeezing cylinders occurs so that there is also a 
mechanical movement which promotes washing-out of the washing medium or 
agent. It may further be of advantage if the vane wheels 25 are 
additionally actuatable during the flooding.