Patent Publication Number: US-2006000335-A1

Title: Rolled paper dispenser with sensor

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
      This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 093119243, filed on Jun. 30, 2004.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The invention relates to a dispenser, more particularly to a rolled paper dispenser with a sensor.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a conventional tissue dispenser  1  includes a housing  11 , a paper cutter  12 , a large feed roller  13 , and a small feed roller  14  in contact with the large feed roller  13 .  
      The housing  11  defines a receiving chamber  15 , and includes left and right sidewalls  111 ,  112 , each of which has a support seat  16  projecting from an inner face thereof. The support seats  16  of the left and right sidewalls  111 ,  112  are aligned so as to support a roll of paper  2 . A dispensing hole  17  is formed on a bottom portion of a front wall  113  of the housing  11 , and extends from the front wall  113  toward the receiving chamber  15 . The large and small feed rollers  13 ,  14  are connected pivotally to the left and right sidewalls  111 ,  112  above the dispensing hole  17 , and are disposed in generally parallel relationship with the support seat  16 . A gear  131  is provided between each end of the large feed roller  13  and a corresponding left or right sidewall  111 ,  112 .  
      The paper cutter  12  is located under the small feed roller  14 , and has two opposite ends fixed on the left and right sidewalls  111 ,  112  of the housing  11 . The paper cutter  12  has a main body  121 , and a serrated section  122  extending downwardly from the main body  121  toward the dispensing hole  17 .  
      A knob  18  is connected movably to the right sidewall  112  of the housing  11 . A curved serrated strip  19  is connected to the knob  18 , and meshes with the gear  131  so that the knob  18  can operate the large feed roller  13  to rotate in a single direction through the meshing action of the curved serrated strip  19  and the gear  131 .  
      To prepare the tissue dispenser  1  for use, the left or the right sidewall  111 ,  112  of the housing  11  is removed so as to enable mounting of the roll of paper  2  on the support seat  16 . Paper wound around the roll of paper  2  is then pulled, and is fed between contact surfaces of the large and small feed rollers  13 ,  14  so that a section of the paper extends through the dispensing hole  17 . Next, the knob  18  is pulled downwardly so as to rotate the large feed roller  13 , thereby resulting in another section of the paper rolling into the dispensing hole  17 . The knob  18  may be continuously operated until a desired length of paper comes out of the dispensing hole  17 , after which the free end of the paper is forced sideward so as to be cut by the blade portion  122 .  
      The conventional tissue dispenser  1  makes use of the knob  18  to roll out the paper, and the blade portion  122  to cut the paper. However, when the tissue dispenser  1  is disposed in a public place, the knob  18  is easily contaminated with germs. Furthermore, when the paper is pulled at an unsuitable angle, an irregular cut of the paper may be obtained. If the hands of the user are wet during this operation, which is typically the case, the remaining portion of the paper may become wet due to surface tension, thereby adversely affecting the sanitation of the paper. Moreover, the knob  18  has to be pulled down during each use, thereby rendering the conventional tissue dispenser  1  inconvenient to use.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a rolled paper dispenser that can automatically roll out paper into a dispensing hole.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a rolled paper dispenser that can enhance the sanitation of the paper prior to exiting the dispenser.  
      According to this invention, a rolled paper dispenser comprises a main housing having a dispensing hole, a first roller mounted removably within the main housing and adapted to support a roll of paper, a paper feeding unit including a pair of contacting second rollers mounted rotatably within the main housing for advancing the paper from the roll of paper, a drive unit disposed within the main housing and connected to the paper feeding unit, a paper cutter disposed within the main housing adjacent to the dispensing hole, and a sensor unit disposed within the main housing and connected electrically to the drive unit to activate the second rollers through the drive unit so as to control advancement of a section of the paper to the dispensing hole. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional tissue dispenser;  
       FIG. 2  is a sectional side view of  FIG. 1 ;  
       FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a rolled paper dispenser according to the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a sectional side view of the preferred embodiment in an assembled state;  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view to illustrate an alternative form of support arms of the preferred embodiment; and  
       FIG. 6  is a fragmentary sectional view of a fastening unit of the preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the preferred embodiment of a rolled paper dispenser  300  according to the present invention is shown to comprise a main housing  31 , a first roller  32 , a paper feeding unit  34 , a drive unit  35 , a paper cutter  36 , and a sensor unit  37 .  
      The main housing  31  has a dispensing hole  333 , and includes a rear casing  312 , a base casing  33 , and a front casing  311 .  
      The front casing  311  has left and right first sidewalls  3112 ,  3113 , and a front wall  3111  between the first sidewalls  3112 ,  3113 . A central portion of the front wall  3111  is formed with an opening  3114 . The opening  3114  is surrounded by lip pieces  3116 . A transparent plate  3115  is removably connected to the front wall  3111  to cover the opening  3114 . An advertising article  5  may be disposed behind the transparent plate  3115  and clamped between the transparent plate  3115  and the lip pieces  3116  around the opening  3114 . The front casing  311  further has a bottom flange  311   a  projecting from the first sidewalls  3112 ,  3113  and the front wall  3111  for connection with the base casing  33 , and a top end  311   b  connected detachably to a top end  312   b  of the rear casing  312 . The bottom flange  311   a  defines a cutout portion  3118 .  
      The rear casing  312  has a bottom end  312   a,  the top end  312   b , left and right second sidewalls  3122 ,  3123 , and a rear wall  3121  between the second sidewalls  3122 ,  3123 . Left and right support arms  3124  project forwardly from the rear wall  3121 . One end of each support arm  3124  that is distal from the rear wall  3121  is formed with a groove  3125 . The rear wall  3121  is formed with two spaced-apart tongue pieces  3126 .  
      The first roller  32  is mounted removably within the main housing  31 , and is adapted to support a roll of paper  4 . The first roller  32  is supported by the support arms  3124 , and is received removably in the grooves  3125  in the support arms  3124 .  
      In this embodiment, the opening  3114  and the transparent plate  3115  are provided on the front casing  311  to facilitate clamping of the advertising article  5 . Since this structure is not pertinent to the present invention, a detailed description of the same will be dispensed herewith for the sake of brevity. Furthermore, each support arm  3124  in this embodiment may be replaced by a projecting ear  6 , which projects from one of the second sidewalls  3122 ,  3123 , as shown in  FIG. 5 , or any other suitable configuration that can provide the same function as the support arms  3124 . Moreover, while the front and rear casings  311 ,  312  have a rectangular cross-section in this embodiment, they may have any other polygonal shape according to the present invention.  
      The base casing  33  is inserted partially into and is attached removably to the rear casing  312  adjacent to the bottom end  312   a.  The bottom flange  311   a  of the front casing  311  is connected pivotally to the base casing  33 . The base casing  33  has a bottom wall  331 , and a surrounding wall  332  extending upwardly from a peripheral edge of the bottom wall  331 . Two spaced-apart partition walls  3311  extend upwardly from a central portion of the bottom wall  331 , and define therebetween the dispensing hole  333 . The partition walls  3311  have a height lower than that of the surrounding wall  332 . The surrounding wall  332  includes a rear section engaged tightly to the tongue pieces  3126 , and two opposite lateral sections having top edges formed respectively with a plurality of grooves  3321 .  
      Two pivoting ears  334  project downwardly and respectively from two opposite ends of the bottom wall  331  of the base casing  33  proximate to the dispensing hole  333 , and are connected pivotally to the protrusions  3119  that protrude from the bottom flange  311   a  of the front casing  311  toward the cutout portion  3118 , so that the front casing  311  can rotate relative to the base casing  33 .  
      To engage the front and rear casings  311 ,  312 , a fastening unit  7  is provided. The fastening unit  7  includes a projection  71  that projects downwardly from the top end  311   b  of the front casing  311 , and a resilient hook  72  provided on the top end  312   b  of the rear casing  312  to engage resiliently the projection  71 . The resilient hook  72  is disposed within a receptacle  73 , which is connected to the top end  312   b  of the rear casing  312 . The resilient hook  72  has a main section  721  fitted in the receptacle  73 , and an engaging section  722  extending upwardly from one end of the main section  721 . When the top end  311   b  of the front casing  311  is pushed against the top end  312   b  of the rear casing  312 , the engaging section  722  engages the projection  71 , as best shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6 .  
      To disengage the front and rear casings  311 ,  312 , a key  74  is inserted into a hole at the top end  311   b  of the front casing  311  so as to press downwardly the engaging section  722  so that the engaging section  722  is released from the projection  71 , thereby allowing separation between the front and rear casings  311 ,  312 .  
      In this embodiment, the base casing  33  is first connected to the rear casing  312 , after which the front casing  311  is connected to the base casing  33  so that the front casing  311  is pivotable relative to the base casing  33  as described above. However, the construction of the main housing  31  should not be limited only thereto so long as the connection between the front casing  311  and the base casing  33  can facilitate installation and replacement of the roll of paper  4 . For example, the front and rear casings  311 ,  312  may be directly and pivotally connected to each other at their bottom portions, or the front casing  311  may be connected non-pivotally to the rear casing  312 .  
      The paper feeding unit  34  includes a pair of second rollers  341  mounted rotatably on the base casing  33  and located above the dispensing hole  333 . Each second roller  341  has a contact surface  3411 , and two opposite ends  3412  inserted rotatably into the respective grooves  3321  in the surrounding wall  332  of the base casing  33 . The contact surfaces  3411  of the second rollers  341  are in contact with each other such that when one of the second rollers  341  rotates in a first direction, the other one of the second rollers  341  is brought to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction. As such, an end of paper wound around the roll of paper  4  can pass between the second rollers  341  and advances into the dispensing hole  333 . To enhance the traction of the second rollers  341 , rubber pads may be sleeved on the second rollers  341 , or the contact surfaces  3411  may be provided with ribs and grooves. The paper feeding unit  34  may further include other rollers (not shown) so that the paper of the roll of paper  4  may roll over the other rollers prior to entering the dispensing hole  333  to position the paper more effectively. In this embodiment, the second rollers  341  have the same diameter. However, in other embodiments, they may have different diameters.  
      The paper feeding unit  34  further includes a paper guide unit  342  mounted pivotally inside the base casing  33  proximate to the second rollers  341 . The paper guide unit  342  is movable toward and away from the second rollers  341 , and includes a guide bar  3421  substantially parallel to the partition walls  3311 , and two guide arms  3422  that extend outwardly, curvedly and respectively from two opposite ends of the guide bar  3421  and that are connected pivotally to the lateral sections of the surrounding wall  332  of the base casing  33 . The guide bar  3421  can be moved toward the second rollers  341  so as to push the paper to a position between the second rollers  341 .  
      The drive unit  35  is mounted on the surrounding wall  332  of the base casing  33 , and is connected to the paper feeding unit  34 . The drive unit  35  includes a motor  351 , a driving gear  352  connected to the motor  351 , and a driven gear  353  meshed with the driving gear  352  and connected to one of the second rollers  341 .  
      The paper cutter  36  is mounted on one of the partition walls  3311  of the base casing  33 . The paper cutter  36  includes a blade portion  361  extending into the dispensing hole  333  and having a serrated edge to facilitate cutting of the paper of the roll of paper  4 .  
      The sensor unit  37  is disposed within the main housing  31 , and includes a contact type sensor. The contact type sensor includes a contact member  371  having one end  3711  extending into the dispensing hole  333  and the other end  3712  connected electrically to the drive unit  35  through a control unit  39  mounted within the base casing  33 . One of the partition walls  3311  that is distal from the rear section of the surrounding wall  332  is formed with a notch  3312 . The contact member  371  is inserted into the notch  3312 , and the one end  3711  of the contact member  371  is disposed proximate to the blade portion  361 .  
      When a section of the paper of the roll of paper  4  is pressed against the blade portion  361  to effect cutting, the blade portion  361  contacts the one end  3711  of the contact member  371 , and a signal is sent to the control unit  39 . The control unit  39  activates the drive unit  35  to drive the second rollers  341  to rotate. When the second rollers  341  rotate, another section of the paper is advanced into the dispensing hole  333 . In this embodiment, the mechanism to feed the paper of the roll of paper  4  is the contact type sensor, but should not be limited to this particular type of sensor.  
      The sensor unit  37  further includes a light sensor  373  (see  FIG. 3 ) mounted within the base casing  33  and connected electrically to the drive unit  35  through the control unit  39 . The light sensor  373  projects light through a sensor opening  311   c  in the front wall  3111  of the front casing  311 . When a user&#39;s body or hand is sensed by the light sensor  373 , a signal is transmitted to the control unit  39  so that the drive unit  35  drives the second rollers  341 , thereby advancing another section of the paper into the dispensing hole  333 .  
      The control unit  39  includes a control switch (not shown) to energize the drive unit  35  upon receiving a signal from the contact type sensor  372  or the light sensor  373 , and an adjustment switch (not shown) to adjust the length of the paper that is fed into the dispensing hole  333 .  
      To power the drive unit  35  and the sensor unit  37 , a power supply unit  38  is provided in the main housing  31 , and is connected electrically to the drive unit  35  and the sensor unit  37 . In this embodiment, the power supply unit  38  includes a battery seat  381  disposed in the base casing  33 , and a plurality of batteries (not shown) mounted on the battery seat  381  for supplying electricity. The power supply unit  38  may also include a power plug used for connection to a wall socket to supply the required drive power.  
      The front casing  311  may be detached from the rear casing  312  and the base casing  33  by inserting a key  74  into the hole at the top end  311   b  of the front casing  311  in order to load the batteries on the battery seat  381  and to mount the roll of paper  4  on the first roller  32 . After mounting the roll of paper  4 , the paper of the roll of paper  4  is pulled downwardly, and the guide bar  3421  is pushed rearwardly so that the paper is moved to a position between the second rollers  341 . The front and rear casings  311 ,  312  are then closed. When the light sensor  373  produces a signal, the drive unit  35  rotates the second rollers  341 , which in turn advance a section of the paper of the roll of paper  4  into the dispensing hole  333 .  
      When the paper is pressed against the blade portion  361  of the paper cutter  36 , the contact member  371  is moved so that a signal is sent to the drive unit  35 , thereby effecting operation of the second rollers  341  to feed the paper into the dispensing hole  333 .  
      From the aforementioned description of the preferred embodiment, it is apparent that through the sensor unit  37 , the paper can be fed automatically into the dispensing hole  333  for use such that the rolled paper dispenser  300  of the present invention is not only convenient to use, but also can enhance the sanitation after washing of the hands. Further, since the rolled paper dispenser  300  of the present invention has a simple structure and is easy to assemble, production costs and the assembly time may be minimized. Finally, the length of the paper dispensed from the dispensing hole  333  may be controlled, and unnecessary waste of paper is prevented.  
      While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.