Patent Abstract:
A paper towel cabinet includes a first side wall and a second side wall, a pivotally mounted front wall defining a door, a back wall extending between the side walls, and a paper towel tray having an opening to provide access to paper towels. The paper towel cabinet also includes a module assembly comprising a first module having a front surface extending transversely relative to the first side wall and toward the second side wall. When the door is in an open position, the front surface prevents paper towels leaning toward the door from falling out of the cabinet. The cabinet also includes a bar mounted proximate to the opening and having a length extending between the side walls. The bar is positioned between a stack of paper towels and the opening when the stack of paper towels is placed on the paper towel tray.

Full Description:
[0001]    The present application generally relates to paper towel dispensers, and more particularly, to a paper towel cabinet with paper towel module. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Paper towel dispensers are either dispensers that dispense individual paper towels from a roll, and dispensers that dispense paper towels from a folded stack of paper towels. The latter type of dispensers typically include a cabinet that is mounted on a wall at a height that allows dispensing of paper towels to a person standing next to the cabinet. A stack of paper towels is placed in the cabinet such that the stack is oriented vertically inside the cabinet. An opening at the bottom of the cabinet provides access to a paper towel at the bottom of the stack. Paper towels can be manually pulled out of the stack through the opening. The paper towels are folded on top of the each other to form the stack. The fold pattern can be a single-fold, C-fold or multi-fold. The opening is typically an oblong slot having a large center area in order to accommodate various fold configurations and sizes of paper towels. 
         [0003]    The above-described paper towel dispensers have several problems associated with the dispensing of paper towels through the opening. When the height of the stack of paper towels is large, the weight of the stack may cause a bloating of the paper towels at the opening such that a cluster of paper towels are exposed. The bloating may also be caused when the bottom opening does not correspond with the size of paper towels being dispensed from the cabinet. The bloating may allow a user to pull out several paper towels at a time and waste paper towels. The bloating may also cause tearing of paper towels when a user is attempting to pull single paper towels from the stack. In addition to the noted functional disadvantages, bloating of paper towels at the opening is not aesthetically pleasing. When the stack of paper towels is low or almost depleted, the remaining paper towels in the stack may fall out of the opening. When the stack of paper towels is high, the paper towels can tear when being pulled out of the opening because of the friction between the paper towel being pulled out and the bottom of the cabinet at the opening. The tearing of the paper towels is particularly problematic when recycled paper towels are used or when a user&#39;s hands are wet. 
         [0004]    The above-described paper towel dispensers also have a problem associated with the replacement and/or refilling of the paper towel stack. In order to refill the cabinet with paper towels, the face of the cabinet is hinged on one side in order to function as a door. The door can be swung open, thereby allowing a maintenance person to place one or more stacks of paper towels in the cabinet. The paper towel stack typically rests against the back wall of the cabinet. However, depending on the height of the stack, a possibly slight stagger in the paper towels in the stack, and/or the curvature of the paper towel tray, the paper towels may rest against the door of the cabinet. Accordingly, the paper towels can fall out of the cabinet when a maintenance person opens the door to replace the stack or refill the cabinet with one or more stacks of paper towels. 
         [0005]    In view of the above, there is a need for a paper towel cabinet or a module for existing paper towel cabinets that can remedy one or more of the above described problems associated with current paper towel dispensers. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    In accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, a paper towel cabinet includes a first side wall and a second side wall, a pivotally mounted front wall defining a door, a back wall extending between the side walls, and a paper towel tray having an opening to provide access to paper towels. The cabinet also includes a module assembly including a first module having a front surface extending transversely relative to the first side wall toward the second side wall. When the door is in an open position, the front surface prevents paper towels leaning toward the door from falling out of the cabinet. 
         [0007]    In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a paper towel cabinet includes a first side wall and a second side wall, a pivotally mounted front wall defining a door, a back wall extending between the side walls, and a paper towel tray having an opening to provide access to paper towels. The cabinet further includes a module assembly including a first module having a first side surface extending relative to the back wall toward the door, a second side surface generally parallel to the first side surface, a back surface extending between the first side surface and the second side surface, and a front surface extending transversely from the first side surface toward the second side surface. When the door is in an open position, the front surface prevents paper towels leaning toward the door from falling out of the cabinet. 
         [0008]    In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a paper towel cabinet includes a first side wall and a second side wall, a pivotally mounted front wall defining a door, a back wall extending between the side walls, a paper towel tray having an opening to provide access to paper towels, a front surface extending transversely relative to the first side wall toward the second side wall, and a bar mounted proximate to the opening and having a length extending transversely relative to the side walls. The bar is disposed between the stack of paper towels and the opening when the stack of paper towels is placed on the paper towel tray. When the door is in an open position, the front surface prevents paper towels leaning toward the door from falling out of the cabinet. 
         [0009]    Features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the disclosure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  illustrates a side perspective view of a paper towel cabinet. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the cabinet of  FIG. 1  and a module according to a first embodiment of the disclosure. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the cabinet of  FIG. 1  and a module according to a second embodiment of the disclosure. 
           [0013]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the cabinet of  FIG. 1  and a module according to a third embodiment of the disclosure. 
           [0014]      FIGS. 5A-5C  are top, front and side elevational views of a module according to the third embodiment of the disclosure. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6  is a view of a paper towel tray of the cabinet of  FIG. 1  with the module of  FIGS. 5A-5C . 
           [0016]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the cabinet of  FIG. 1  and a module according to a fourth embodiment of the disclosure. 
           [0017]      FIGS. 8A-8C  are views of a paper towel tray of the cabinet of  FIG. 1  with a module according to the fifth embodiment of the disclosure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0018]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a paper towel cabinet  10  is shown having a pair of side walls  12   a  and  12   b , a back wall  14 , a top wall  16 , and a front wall connected to one of the side walls  12   a  and  12   b  with one or more hinges in order to function as a door  18 . The cabinet  10  further includes a paper towel tray  20  for supporting a stack of paper towels. The paper towel tray  20  has an opening  22  for dispensing paper towels. The side walls  12   a  and  12   b , the back wall  14 , the top wall  16 , the door  18  and the paper towel tray  20  define the interior of the cabinet  10  in which a stack of paper towels can be housed and accessed from outside the cabinet  10  through the opening  22 . The paper towel cabinet  10  may include an adapter  24  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) mounted therein for accommodating a stack of paper towels having a width that is smaller than the internal width of the cabinet  10 . The adapter  24  includes a pair of side walls  24   a  and  24   b  connected with a back wall  24   c . The adapter  24  can be mounted in the cabinet  10  by the back wall  24   c  being mounted to the back wall  14  of the cabinet. 
         [0019]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a module  30  according to the first embodiment of the disclosure is shown. The module  30  is in the form of an angle or a generally L-shaped bracket that can be attached to one of the side walls  12   a  and  12   b  and/or the back wall  14  of the cabinet or to one of the side walls  24   a  and  24   b  of the adapter  24 . In the example shown in  FIG. 2 , the module  30  is attached to the side wall  24   a  of the adapter  24 . When an adapter  24  is not used in the cabinet  10 , the module  30  can be attached to one of the side walls  12   a  or  12   b  and/or the back wall  14 . The module  30  can be attached to the cabinet  10  or adapter  24  by welding, with an adhesive, with fasteners, or by other known methods and devices that can provide a secure attachment of the module  30  to the cabinet. In the example shown in  FIG. 2 , the module  30  includes a first side surface  32  extending generally parallel with the side wall  24   a  and a front surface  34  extending generally transverse to the first side surface  32  and toward the side wall  24   b . The module  30  can be constructed in one piece with the adapter  24 . Accordingly, the module  30  may only include a front surface  34  that is in one piece with the side wall  24   a  and extends transverse to the side wall  24   a . When a stack of paper towels is placed in the cabinet  10 , the paper towels are bound in a generally rectangular region defined by the module  30 , the back wall  24   a , the paper towel tray  20  and the side wall  24   b . The stack of paper towels can be placed in the cabinet  10  by first inserting one side of the stack at an angle relative to the front surface  34  inside the area defined by the module  30  and the back wall  24 . The opposite side of the stack is then moved toward the back wall  24   c  or  14  to fully place the stack of paper towels in the cabinet  10 . The weight of the stack of paper towels is supported by the paper towel tray  20 . The stack of paper towels can lean on the front surface  34  to prevent the stack from falling out of the cabinet  10  when the door  18  is opened. 
         [0020]    The front surface  34  can be configured to extend from the top wall  16  to the paper towel tray  20 . Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 2 , the height of the front surface  30  may be such that only a portion of the stack of paper towels can lean on the front surface  34 . In the latter configuration, the module  30  can be positioned in the cabinet  10  so that the front surface  34  provides direct leaning support for a portion of the stack of paper towels. However, this partial leaning support may be sufficient to prevent the entire stack of paper towels from falling out of the cabinet  10  when the door  18  is opened. In the example shown in  FIG. 2 , the front surface  34  is closer to the paper towel tray  20  than to the top wall  16 . When a stack of paper towels extends above the front surface  34 , a portion of the stack that is above the front surface  34  most likely remains positioned with the rest of the stack and will not independently lean on the door  18  due to friction between the paper towels and the relative height of the portion extending above the front surface  34  as compared to the height of the entire stack. When the stack is depleted to a level such that the stack is below the front surface  34 , the likelihood of the stack leaning against the door  18  may be very slim to none because the center of gravity of the stack is very near the paper towel tray  20 . Accordingly, a module  30  having a front surface  34  that is shorter than the height of the cabinet and positioned so as to support only a portion of the paper towel stack can provide the function of preventing the entire stack of paper towels from falling out of the cabinet when the door  18  is opened. 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , a module  130  according to the second embodiment of the disclosure is shown. The module  130  includes a pair of side surfaces  132   a  and  132   b , a front surface  134  that is connected to the side surface  132   a  and extends toward the side surface  132   b , and a back surface  136 . The front surface  134  and the side surface  132   a  form a generally L-shaped area for receiving a stack of paper towels. The back surface  136  and/or any of the side surfaces  132   a  and  132   b  can be attached to the cabinet  10  or the adapter  24  by welding, with an adhesive, with fasteners, or by other known methods and device that can provide a secure attachment of the module  130  to the cabinet  10 . The entire module  130  may be supported on the paper towel tray  20  without being attached to any part of the cabinet  10 . 
         [0022]    When a stack of paper towels is placed in the cabinet  10 , at least a portion of the stack of paper towels is bound by the module  130 . The stack of paper towels can be placed in the module  130  by inserting one side of the stack in the region defined by the front surface  134 , the side surface  132   a  and the back surface  136 . The opposite side of the stack is then placed in the module  130 . The stack of paper towels can lean on the front surface  134  to prevent the stack from falling out of the cabinet  10  when the door  18  is opened. 
         [0023]    The front surface  134  may extend from the paper towel tray  20  to the top wall  16  to provide leaning support for the entire stack of paper towels. Alternatively, the front surface  134  may only extend partially between the paper towel tray  20  and the top wall  16  in order to provide leaning support to only a portion of the stack of paper towels placed in the cabinet. However, as described above with respect to the module  30  of the first embodiment, providing direct leaning support to a portion of the stack of paper towels may be sufficient to provide leaning support to the entire stack of paper towels. 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 4 , a third embodiment of the disclosure is shown to have a first module  230   a , which is similar to the module  30  of the first embodiment, and a second module  230   b . Accordingly, parts of the first module  230   a  are referred to with the same reference numbers as the same parts of module  30 . Referring also to  FIGS. 5A-5C , the second module  230   b  includes a pair of side surfaces  232   a  and  232   b  and a bar  233  that is fixedly or rotationally mounted to the side surfaces  232   a  and  232   b  and extends therebetween. The bar  233  may be mounted to the side surfaces  232   a  and  232   b  with fasteners  235  so as to enable a maintenance person to remove the bar  233  for repair or replacement with another bar. Each of the side surfaces  232   a  and  232   b  can be connected to a corresponding side wall  24   a  and  24   b  of the adapter  24  or to the corresponding side wall  12   a  and  12   b  of the cabinet  10 . Alternatively, the second module  230   b  may also include a back surface  234  that connects the side surfaces  232   a  and  232   b  and can be attached to the back wall  24   c  of the adapter  24  or the back wall  14  of the cabinet  10 . The module  230   b  is mounted inside the cabinet  10  near the opening  22  such that the bar  233  is positioned above the opening  22 . The distance between the bar  233  and the opening  22  may be determined based on a variety of factors, such as the weight, size, thickness, and texture of each paper towel. The module  230   b  can be mounted in the cabinet without the module  230   a.    
         [0025]    Referring to  FIG. 6 , the paper towel tray  20  of the cabinet  10  is shown with the module  230   b . The opening  22  is defined by a first edge  40  and a second edge  42  that are spaced apart from a first side  44  of the paper towel tray  20  to a second side  46  of the paper towel tray  20 . The bar  233  is positioned so as to extend along the opening  20  from the first side  44  to the second side  46  and between the first edge  40  and a the second edge  42 . In the example shown in  FIG. 6 , the bar  233  is shown to be approximately half way between the first edge  40  and the second edge  42 . Preferably, the opening  20  is divided by the bar  233  into two substantially similar sized smaller openings from which each paper towel can be pulled out the stack of paper towels housed in the cabinet  10 . If the bar  233  is placed too close to the first edge  40 , the portion of the opening  22  that will be between the bar  233  and the first edge  40  may be too small for pulling out a paper towel. The small opening may cause tearing in the paper towels and prevent the edge of the next paper towel in the stack to be pulled out from the opening  22 . Furthermore, the portion of the opening  22  between the bar  233  and second edge  42  may be too large such that a user can intentionally or unintentionally pull a large number of paper towels from the opening  22 . Similarly, if the bar  233  were placed too close to the second edge  42 , the portion of the opening  22  between the bar  233  and the second edge  42  may be too small for pulling paper towels out of the opening  22 . Additionally, the portion of the opening  22  between the bar  233  and the first edge  42  may be too large so that a user can intentionally or unintentionally pull a large number of paper towels from the opening  22 . 
         [0026]    When the stack of paper towels is placed in the cabinet  10 , the stack may at least partially rest on the bar  233 . Accordingly, the weight of the stack may be at least partially supported by the bar  233 . The weight of the stack of paper towels may also be partially supported by the paper towel tray  20 . The bar  233  may be generally circular or have a curved cross-section so as to provide a curved contact surface between itself and each paper towel at the bottom of the stack of paper towels. The curved surface of the bar  233  can reduce the resistance encountered by a user when pulling a paper towel out of the stack of paper towels. The bar  233  may be fixed to the side surfaces  232   a  and  232   b  such that it cannot rotate when each paper towel is being pulled out of the opening  22 . Accordingly, each paper towel slides over the bar  233  while being pulled out of the stack of paper towels. However, the bar  233  may be rotational relative to the side surfaces  232   a  and  232   b  so that it freely rotates when each paper towel is being pulled out of the opening  22 . 
         [0027]    As described above, the weight of the stack of paper towels may be partially supported by the bar  233 . The weight of the stack of paper towels, however, depends on the number of paper towels that are in the stack. As the stack of paper towels is depleted, the weight of the stack is reduced. Accordingly, the frictional force between the paper towel at the bottom of the stack and the bar  233  is reduced and may cause more than one paper towel to fall out or be pulled out of the opening  22 . Additionally, when the stack is nearly depleted, the stack becomes light relative to the force by which a user pulls out a paper towel from the bottom of the stack. Accordingly, pulling a single paper towel may lift, flip, and/or move the stack so as to disorient the stack relative to the opening  22 . The disorientation of the stack may cause the entire stack to fall out of the opening  22 , or position the stack such that the remaining paper towels of the stack can be pulled out together. To prevent the stack from being disoriented in the cabinet  10  when nearly depleted, a weight (not shown) that can be placed on top of the stack of paper towels. Accordingly, as the stack of paper towels is depleted, the change in the total weight of the stack of paper towels and the weight may not be significant. Thus, even when the stack of paper towels is nearly depleted, the action of pulling a paper towel from the stack may not disorient the stack inside the cabinet  10 . Instead of using a weight, known biasing mechanisms such as a spring-loaded plate can be used to press down on the stack of paper towels. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 7 , a module  330  according to the fourth embodiment of the disclosure is shown. The module  330  is similar to the module  130  except that it includes a bar  333  extending between the side surfaces  132   a  and  132   b . Accordingly, parts of the module  330  are referred to with the same reference numbers as the same parts of module  130 . The bar  333  may be directly connected to the side surfaces  132   a  and  132   b . Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the module  330  includes support surfaces  335   a  and  335   b  extending below side surfaces  132   a  and  132   b , respectively. The bar  333  is rotationally or fixedly attached to the brackets  335   a  and  335   b  with fasteners so as to enable a maintenance person to remove the bar  333  for repair or replacement with another bar. The function of the bar  333  is similar to the function of the bar  233  of the third embodiment discussed above. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIGS. 8A-8C , a module  430  according to a fifth embodiment of the disclosure is shown. The module  430  includes a bar  433  for mounting near the opening  22  of the paper towel tray  20  as described above. Referring to  FIG. 8A , the bar  433  may be positioned at the opening  22 . The bar  433  may rest on the paper towel tray  20 . Alternatively, the bar may be maintained by a groove or an indentation (not shown) in the paper towel tray  20  that is configured to receive all or a portion of the bar  433 . Referring to  FIG. 8B , the bar can be fixedly or rotationally mounted to the side walls  12   a  and  12   b  of the cabinet by using brackets or known mounting hardware such as a variety of fasteners. The noted mounting hardware is generally shown in  FIG. 8B  with reference number  435 . For configurations where the bar is fixedly mounted to the cabinet and is not to be removed, the bar  433  can be welded or mounted with adhesives to the side walls  12   a  and  12   b  of the cabinet (not shown). Referring to  FIG. 8C , the bar  433  can be rotationally or fixedly mounted to the paper towel tray  20  by using brackets or known mounting hardware such as a variety of fasteners, which are generally shown in  FIG. 8C  with reference number  437 . Although not shown, the bar  433  can also be welded to the paper towel tray  20  or fixedly attached thereto with an adhesive. Similarly, the bar  433  can be mounted to the back wall  14  by the devices and methods described above. 
         [0030]    Although the above embodiments are described separately, they can be used in combination if desired. For example, the module  130  of the second embodiment and the module  230   b  of the third embodiment can be mounted together in a paper towel cabinet. In another example, the module  30  of the first embodiment can be provided with a lower support surface similar to the support surfaces  335   a  and  335   b  of the module  330  for supporting a bar that extends along the opening as described above. In yet another example, the module  430  of the fifth embodiment, which includes a bar  433  and may include mounting hardware  435  or  437 , can be mounted inside the cabinet either alone or with one of the modules  30 ,  130  or  230   a.    
         [0031]    The cabinet  10  is described has optionally having the adapter  24  to accommodate paper towels that have a smaller width than the width of the cabinet. However, the cabinet  10  may not require the adapter  24  in cases where the paper towels are size to properly fit in the cabinet  10 . Accordingly one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the components of the disclosed modules that couple, connect or engage with the certain parts of the cabinet can similarly couple, connect or engage to similar parts of the adapter. 
         [0032]    The orientation of the various surfaces of the above-described modules may vary depending on the type of cabinet or application of the module. For example, the front surface of each module may be oriented at a right angle relative to the side surface to which it is connected. Alternatively the front surface may be oriented at a different angle relative to the side surface depending on the size, shape and internal angles of various parts of the cabinet. Furthermore, although the terms “surface” and “walls” are used herein to describe the components of the cabinet and the modules, any of the surfaces and walls may be formed by a flat or curved surface and may be constructed from a mesh, a plurality of rods or elongated elements forming a lattice, woven strings, wires, or any other geometrical and material configuration that can provide the functionality of the surfaces and walls described herein. For example, the front surface of each of the above described modules can be formed by a wire mesh. In another example, the front surface of each of the above described modules can be formed by one or more vertically, horizontally or diagonally oriented rods that provide leaning support to a stack of paper towels. 
         [0033]    The modules described above which include a front surface for providing leaning support to an end portion of a stack of paper towels may include a second front surface located laterally opposite to the first front surface to also provide leaning support to the opposite end portion of the stack of paper towels. However, having a second front surface may make the loading of paper towels difficult as the paper towels would have to be inserted in the module from a narrow opening in front of the module. Accordingly, the second front surface may be narrower than the first surface or not provided at all. 
         [0034]    The above-described modules can be mounted inside existing paper towel cabinets in order to prevent the stack of paper towels from falling out of the cabinet when the front door of the cabinet is opened. Furthermore, new paper towel cabinets can be constructed with the disclosed modules separately incorporated therein or constructed integrally therewith. 
         [0035]    While a particular form of the disclosure has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited, except as by the appended claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0