Patent ID: 7967235

Claim:
A dispensing device for automatically transferring a second roll of absorbent material to be dispensed when a first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to a predetermined minimum diameter, said device comprising: a main body having a back portion and first and second side portions; a cover pivotally mounted to said main body and being pivotal between an open loading position and a closed dispensing position; a guide channel on each of said first and second side portions; a support mandrel slidable in said guide channels, said support mandrel having first and second roll holding elements and being automatically movable between a first position for dispensing sheets of absorbent material from the first roll of absorbent material contained on said first roll holding element and a second position for dispensing sheets of absorbent material from the second roll of absorbent material contained on said second roll holding element; a sensor plate pivotally mounted in said dispenser, said sensor plate maintaining said support mandrel in said first position before the first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to the predetermined minimum diameter, and enabling said support mandrel to automatically move to said second position when said sensor plate senses that the first roll of absorbent material has been reduced to the predetermined minimum diameter; and a transfer link pivotally mounted on at least one of said first and second sides on a surface opposite to said guide channels, said transfer link being operatively connected to said sensor plate, said transfer link comprising a projecting element that selectively blocks one of said guide channels to prevent the support mandrel from moving between said first and second positions.