Patent Publication Number: US-6704616-B2

Title: Integrated dispenser and business machine system

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/892,793, filed Jun. 28, 2001, which claims benefit of the Jun. 28, 2000 filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/214,808. U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/214,808 is also hereby incorporated by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispensing a paper product, more particularly it relates to a method and apparatus for automatically dispensing a predetermined amount of a paper product in response to a food order entered into a cash register or other such business machine. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many food service establishments such as fast food restaurants offer service at a counter or in a cafeteria setting. These establishments typically furnish paper products such as napkins, paper towels or other absorbent paper products to their customers for wiping their hands, faces, etc. These paper products are either available in dispensers located throughout the restaurant or presented to the customers at the counter when they receive their food order. Regardless of how the paper products are dispensed to the customer, these restaurants experience needless paper product waste that increases their operating costs. 
     When manual dispensers located throughout the restaurant are used, the management has no control over the number of paper products that each customer takes. As a result, customers can take as many as they wish. Typically, customers take more paper products, for example napkins, than they will use while eating their food order. The customer or the person cleaning the table then discards these extra, unused napkins. Alternatively, the customer may keep the extra napkins and use them elsewhere, such as in their office or automobile. As a result, perfectly clean, unused napkins are wasted or taken for purposes not related to the restaurant that paid for them. 
     In an attempt to prevent the waste of paper products, many restaurants have stopped using manual, customer accessible dispensers, and instead now rely on their cashiers to dispense the paper products. It was anticipated that a cashier would provide a customer with only the fewest number of napkins or sheets of paper towel necessary. Unfortunately, the cashiers do not accurately control the amount of paper product provided to the customer. Moreover, they typically do not provide a commensurate number of napkins or sheets of paper towel for the ordered food. Instead, they just reach for the stack of napkins or paper towels and provide a random number of them to the customer without considering the type of food ordered or the size of the portion. Consequently, when the cashiers are not paying attention or have poor judgment, they also can cause paper product waste by providing the customer with more than they need. Alternatively, they may upset the customers by not providing them with a sufficient number of napkins or sheets of paper towel. Additionally, by requiring the staff to dispense the paper products, the speed of the service provided to the customer is reduced. This can cause the customers to become upset and impatient while in line. Additionally, it may discourage the customers from staying in line and/or returning to the restaurant. 
     Powered dispensers for delivering sheets of paper products can be used. However, these dispensers supply individual sheets of rolled paper products to a user with each operation. Also, some dispensers will not deliver a second sheet until the first sheet has been removed. Additionally, they do not limit how many individual sheets a user can obtain. Instead, individual sheets will continue to be dispensed as long as the hands of the user are sensed and/or the previous sheet has been removed. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,289,929 to Hecker et al. discloses a trading or discount stamp dispenser that is controlled by a cash register. The stamp dispenser is operatively connected to the cash register and dispenses stamps that provide customers with discounts for some or all of the merchandise being sold. The face value and total number of dispensed stamps depend on the total cost of the eligible products entered into the cash register. After all of the eligible sales have been entered by the sales person, a control signal is sent from the cash register to the dispenser and stamps having an aggregate face value equal to the value of the total sale are issued to the customer. The signal provided by the cash register is only based on the total amount of the sale. As a result, the number of issued stamps is also based on the total amount of the sale. The number of issued stamps will change with the number of available denominations or the ability of the stamp dispenser to print different denominations on each stamp. For example, many stamps will need to be delivered when the face value of each stamp is low. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,006,538 to Deutsch discloses a stamp dispenser and an associated cash register. The stamp dispenser can be positioned along side or away from the cash register. The stamp dispenser can also be remotely controlled by the cash register. Like Hecker, the stamp dispenser of Deutsch issues denominational stamps equaling the total cost of the eligible goods entered into the cash register. Deutsch also discloses electronic controls that connect the cash register to the remotely positioned stamp dispenser. The cash register sends a signal to the dispenser that is based only on the monetary value of the sale. Neither Deutsch nor Hecker disclose a cash register which sends a signal to the dispenser which is based on the characteristics of the item ordered—the type of product or the size of the item ordered. 
     An object of the present invention includes overcoming the deficiencies of the prior art and providing a controlled amount of a paper product to a customer for limiting waste. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a paper dispenser control system which causes a paper product dispenser to deliver a precise, predetermined amount of a paper product to a customer. The predetermined amount is based on the size of the item ordered, the type of food ordered and/or the total number of items. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide an integrated dispenser and business machine system that will control the amount of paper product delivered to the customer without occupying the time and attention of the clerk. 
     Other objects of this invention will appear in the following specification and claims, reference being made now to the accompanying drawings. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An aspect of the present invention relates to a system for dispensing a predetermined amount of a paper product based on a food order inputted into a business machine at a food service establishment. The system includes a business machine, such as a cash register, linked to a powered paper product dispenser. According to the present invention, each menu item available at the establishment is assigned a number that represents the total number of napkins, sheets of paper towel or amount of other absorbent paper products that a normal customer may need while consuming the ordered item. This assigned number is stored within a memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM) or a random-access memory (RAM). A microprocessor contained within either the powered paper product dispenser or the integrated business machine retrieves a command from the memory when a food item key on the business machine is pressed. The microprocessor then provides a signal to a dispenser motor that in turn rotates a feed roller that delivers the predetermined amount of the paper product to the customer. The system controls the dispensing of the paper product in order to reduce the number of needlessly wasted unused napkins or paper towels. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of paper product dispensing system including a business machine and an automatic paper product dispenser; 
     FIG. 2 is a side diagrammatic view of the dispenser of the present invention with the cover in a closed position and showing a sheet of a paper product being dispensed; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a type of paper product dispensed by the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is block diagram of the paper product dispensing system coupled to a business machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the paper product dispensing system coupled to a business machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic overview of an integrated business machine and paper product dispensing system  10  which can be used in the food service industry for delivering a predetermined amount of a paper product to a food service customer. For example, when an order for a cup of coffee is entered into the business machine, a single sheet or napkin will be dispensed. Whereas, when an order for an ice cream cone is entered, three or four sheets of paper or napkins will be dispensed. 
     These paper products can include any known absorbent paper product used in the food service industry by a customer before, during or after a meal. These absorbent paper products include rolls of paper towel sheets, stacked sheets of paper towel, stacks of folded napkins, bundles of folded napkins and rolls of folded napkins  90  which are wound on a central core, such as those formerly produced by “GP TISSUE” under the name “ROLL NAP” and illustrated in FIG.  3 . Both the rolled paper towel sheets and rolled folded napkins  90  are separated by tearing lines, such as rows of prescored perforations. By using a perforated, rolled sheet material, the rolled paper products can be separated easily from the remainder of the roll along a substantially smooth edge after being dispensed. For convenience and clarity, the above-discussed paper products will be hereinafter referred to as “paper products” and each sheet or napkin will be referred to as a “paper product sheet.” 
     System  10  includes a business machine  20 , such as an electronic cash register  20 , a point of sale terminal or similar machine into which a customer&#39;s food order is entered at a counter in a food service establishment. For simplicity, the following discussion will be directed to a cash register. However, the discussed principles are equally applicable to other known business machines. System  10  also includes a paper product dispenser  30  which is electronically linked to, and cooperates with, the cash register  20  for providing a predetermined number of paper product sheets to customers after their food orders have been processed. 
     The present invention can be used with any type of automatic paper product dispenser. However, for clarity of explanation, it will be discussed as it relates to an automatic dispenser for rolled paper products. The principles discussed below are equally applicable to other automatic paper product dispenser for rolled, stacked or otherwise arranged paper product sheets. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a powered paper product dispenser  30  such as that disclosed in the U.S. patent applications Ser. Nos. 09/081,637 and 09/453,794 to Formon et al., titled “PAPER TOWEL DISPENSER” and that disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/604,811 to Formon et al., titled “Paper Towel Dispenser With Powered Transfer Mechanism” filed on Jun. 28, 2000, which are all hereby expressly incorporated by reference. However, other powered paper product dispensers can also be integrated and used within the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the dispenser  30  includes a feed mechanism  37  mounted within a housing to deliver the paper product sheets in single or multiple incremental segments. In a preferred construction, feed mechanism  37  includes a feed roller  32  and a pressure roller  33  which are respectively mounted on axles  35 ,  36 . In use, feed roller  32  is driven by an electric motor  50  mounted within the dispenser  30 . When the paper product is fed into a nip  51 , rotation of the feed roller  32  causes the paper product sheet to be advanced through a discharge opening  52  in the housing. 
     In order to control the amount of paper product fed so that the proper amount is delivered, dispenser  30  employs a length detector  48  (shown in FIG. 2) that establishes the amount of paper product fed during the dispensing cycle, each time the motor  50  is activated. The length detector  48  may be, for example, an encoder, either electromechanical or optical, that outputs a pulse for each increment of paper product to be dispensed. The encoder can be programmed to make any number of counts per revolution. For example, the encoder could be designed to make 32 counts per revolution. The length detector  48  may be coupled to a microprocessor  53  or a logic circuit  54  used to control the operation of the motor  50  and feed roller  32 . An alternative to encoding the successive incremental displacements of the paper product sheets is to detect the difference in transmissivity of the paper product when a perforation line crosses an optical interrupter as discussed in the above mentioned U.S. patent applications to Formon et al. which are incorporated by reference. 
     When an encoder is employed to dispense the proper amount of paper product, the microprocessor  53  may count the number of pulses generated by the length detector  48  and continue to operate the motor  50  until the proper number of pulses has been counted. For example, when the perforation lines are four inches apart for each napkin on the roll and the signal for dispensing three napkins has been provided to the microprocessor  53 , the microprocessor  53  will operate the motor  50  and the feed roller  32  until the number of pulses that correspond to twelve inches of the paper product are counted. As used herein, the term “microprocessor” includes both microprocessors and microcontrollers. Microcontrollers useable as microprocessor  53  are available from PIC. The specific microcontroller used will depend on the specific requirements of the dispenser. These requirements can include the Input/Output pins and the amount of memory needed. 
     Because different forms of paper products have different sheet lengths when rolled on a core, the length of the dispensing cycle and the appropriate number of pulses for dispensing a single sheet will also differ. Therefore, the dispenser  30  can be adjusted so that different rolls of products can be accurately delivered to the customers. For example, a dispenser which is setup to dispense a rolled paper towel that is nine inches between perforation rows can be adjusted to accurately dispense folded napkins  90  which are rolled on a core with only four inches between each row of perforations. The adjustment for accommodating a different size paper product can be inputted by a dial, a switch, a button or other known means so that the microprocessor will count the predetermined number of pulses for the length and number of sheets of the fed product and deliver the proper number of sheets to the customer. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, the cash register  20  according to the present invention includes a keypad  21  with individual function, numeric and/or menu item keys  22 . Each of these keys  22  is mapped or otherwise linked to a program in a memory  23 , such as a RAM or a ROM, as is known in conventional cash register technology. The program in memory  23  includes a list of different information or commands that are assigned to each of the keys. These commands may include the price of the item, the name of the item and a predetermined number of paper product sheets to be dispensed to the customer that is based on its size and/or food type. As used herein, “food” includes both solid and liquid food. For example, a regular hamburger may be assigned the number “1” (or a corresponding number of pulses) which means that the dispenser  30  will only be operated long enough to deliver one sheet of the paper product to the customer. Whereas, a triple cheeseburger with many toppings will be assigned the number “3” (or a corresponding number of pulses). The number “3” means that three sheets of paper product will be delivered to the customer. Also, the “jumbo size” of a menu item may be assigned more sheets than the standard size of the same menu item. The assigned number for each item is inputted into the memory  23  or another memory within the system  10 , such as a memory chip in the dispenser  30 , before the item is introduced into the menu. Other commands can also be assigned to each key and stored within one of these memories. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 4, the cash register  20  also includes a well-known microprocessor  24  that receives the assigned information for a depressed key from the memory  23  and sends a signal or data to an appropriate location within the restaurant via a RS-232 data port  26  or a network port on the cash register  20 . For example, the microprocessor  24  can send the stored data concerning the price of the item to another memory chip in the cash register  20 ; it can send the name and other information about the item to a food preparation station so that the order can be filled. The microprocessor  24  contained within the cash register  20  can also send a signal or data to the dispenser  30  via a data transfer line  40  or remote control using known sensors, such as infrared sensors. Data transfer line  40  extends from a RS-232 data port on the cash register  20  to a similar port  31  on the dispenser  30 . The signal or data from microprocessor  24  can be interpreted by the microprocessor  53 , or it can carry commands to the logic circuit  54  within the napkin dispenser  30  that cause the activation of the motor  50  and the delivery of the predetermined number of paper product sheets to the customer. 
     In operation, when a customer orders a particular menu item, the corresponding key on the cash register  20  is pressed. The microprocessor  24  within the cash register  20  responds by executing a software routine. Initially, the microprocessor  24  utilizes the identification of the particular key that was pressed to access a table within a memory that contains the information about that ordered item. This information concerning the predetermined number of paper product sheets that are to be delivered is then accessed and interpreted by the microprocessor  24 . The information is then sent to the microprocessor  53  or the logic circuit  54  within dispenser  30 . Typically, the stored information concerning the number of paper product sheets to deliver will be in the form of how many pulses should be delivered to the dispenser motor  50  in order to dispense the predetermined amount of paper product. As discussed above, the predetermined number of pulses can correspond to the distance between rows of perforations for the specific product being dispensed. 
     The microprocessor  53  (or logic circuit  54 ) is connected to the motor  50  and controls its operation. The microprocessor  53  sends an activation signal to the motor  50  and instructs it to drive the feed roller  32 . The motor  50  and feed roller  32  continue to operate and cause the paper product to be dispensed until the predetermined number of pulses have been counted, such as by the length detector  48 . When the predetermined number of pulses has been counted, the motor  50  and the feed roller  32  are stopped and the dispensed number of sheets are torn off and provided to the customer. The motor  50  can also be operated in a reverse direction so that any dispensed sheets that are not torn from the roll can be returned into the dispenser  30  so that they are not needlessly soiled or ripped. The motor  50  and feed roller  32  will then remain at rest until another menu item has been selected, and information for that selection has been provided. It is also contemplated that the amount of paper product for each selected item be stored in a memory and the total amount of paper product for the ordered items be dispensed at a single time after the order has been completed, not after each item has been individually entered, as discussed above. 
     Both of the microprocessors  24 ,  53  operate in a conventional manner. Specific implementations of these microprocessors are well known to those skilled in the art, and include for example, integrated circuits manufactured by INTEL. The microprocessors can be functionally connected to a memory chip; program controls for the microprocessors are stored in the memory. 
     The above-described invention relates to a method and device for dispensing a preset amount of a paper product that is based on the menu items ordered. The number of paper product sheets that are dispensed with each of the above-discussed food items is merely exemplary and does not limit the invention. While the invention has been described in the manner presently conceived to be most practical and a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be apparent to persons ordinarily skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereof within the scope of the invention, which scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the claims such as to encompass all equivalents, devices, and methods. For example, the microprocessor and memory that stores all of the information concerning the number of sheets to dispense can both be located within the dispenser  30 . In this embodiment, the microprocessor  24  would merely send a signal to the microprocessor  53  that contains the name of the ordered item. The microprocessor  53  would then access a memory chip in the dispenser  30  and obtain the information regarding the number of sheets that should be dispensed and/or the related number of pulses that should be counted. The microprocessor would then drive the motor  50  for the proper length of time so that the predetermined number of sheets was dispensed. The operation and timing of the motor  50  and the other parts of the invention would be the same as discussed above.