Patent ID: 8220684

Claim:
Apparatus for dispensing paper toweling having a tail from a roll of paper toweling, said apparatus having a toweling exit opening and comprising, in combination: a dispenser housing having a housing front and defining a housing interior in communication with said toweling exit opening; a rotatable, elongated toweling support roller within said housing interior for receiving and supporting toweling extending from a roll of paper toweling in said housing interior; a tear blade fixedly connected to said dispenser housing and including a cutting edge, said tear blade positioned adjacent to said exit opening, spaced from said toweling support roller and extending lengthwise along said toweling support roller; and toweling guide structure operatively associated with said toweling support roller and with said tear blade movable between a first condition wherein said toweling guide structure maintains toweling transported by said toweling support roller out of engagement with said tear blade and a second condition wherein said toweling guide structure allows engagement of the toweling transported by said toweling support roller with said tear blade, said toweling guide structure moving from said first condition to said second condition responsive to a manually exerted pulling force on the tail of the toweling extending from said exit opening in a direction moving said toweling and said toweling guide structure away from said toweling support roller and toward said tear blade, and said toweling guide structure returning to said first condition responsive to severance of said toweling by said tear blade, said toweling guide structure including a plurality of flexible fingers engageable by said toweling, said plurality of flexible fingers spaced from one another and including distal end portions alternatively movable toward or away from said tear blade, sail tear blade defining spaced blade openings extending inwardly from said cutting edge for receiving said flexible finger distal end portions when said toweling guide structure is in said second condition.