Patent ID: 8336803

Claim:
A towel dispenser, comprising: (a) a housing for receiving toweling comprising a roll of paper towels, the housing comprising (i) a main body, and (ii) a loading door that is configured to rotate relative to the main body between, (A) a closed position, in which the housing is configured to extend toweling there from, and (B) an open position, in which the housing is configured to receive toweling therein, (iii) wherein the loading door comprises a towel carrier having a curved surface defining a cavity configured to receive the roll of paper towels such that the roll of paper towels rolls and slides on the curved surface during unwinding; (b) a sensor; and (c) a motor assembly configured, (i) to cause a leading edge of the toweling to be extended from the housing such that a line of perforations in the toweling, along which a user tears the toweling, is located downstream of the sensor, and (ii) to cause the toweling to be retracted into the housing after the leading edge has been extended; (d) wherein the sensor senses a leading edge of the toweling during retraction of the toweling by the motor assembly; and (e) wherein the sensor is configured to cause the motor assembly to cease retracting the toweling into the housing as a function of the sensing of the leading edge of the toweling during retraction of the toweling into the housing.