Dispenser apparatus for dispensing from a roll of sheet paper product supported by a support arm, a support member pivotally mounted on the support arm and a biasing structure operable to reduce the shock force in the sheet paper product by resisting pivotal movement of the support member.

A sheet product dispenser is provided including a housing including a roll holder configured to receive a product roll, a dispensing mechanism configured to dispense a portion of the sheet product from the product roll, a sensor configured to emit a signal toward the product roll and receive a reflection of the signal from a surface of the product roll, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive an indication of replacement of the product roll, determine a time-of-flight of the signal, and determine an expected time-of-flight (or corresponding distance of travel) of a theoretical signal to a theoretical full product roll. The controller is further configured to compare the time-of-flight (or a corresponding distance of travel) of the signal to the product roll to the expected time-of-flight or distance, and adjust a product depletion curve based on the comparison.

A wiping material dispenser in the form of a spool from which the material can be unwound in a strip. The dispenser includes a housing and a cutting system for cutting the strip pulled manually by a user. The cutting system includes a flexible blade and at least one tooth mounted on a front side of the housing. The flexible blade includes at least one slot positioned opposite the at least one tooth. The flexible blade can be deformed under the pressure of the strip, when a user pulls on the strip from the front side of the housing, so that the at least one tooth protrudes through the at least one slot, comes into contact with the strip pressed onto the flexible blade and tears the strip at a pre-cut line.

A damp sheets dispenser, including a compartment, for housing therein a damp roll, the compartment including: an openable cover, for inserting the damp roll into the compartment therethrough, and for closing the compartment, for dispensing the damp roll therefrom; a slit, for dispensing from damp roll therethrough at the closed state of the compartment; two rotatable cylinders disposed filling the slit, at the closed state of the compartment, for dispensing the damp roll therethrough; at least one sealing, for sealing the openable cover to surfaces of the compartment disposed adjacent thereto, thereby at the closed state, the compartment seals the damp roll housed therewithin, thereby maintaining the damp roll damped.

The invention relates to a device for separating paper sections (74) from a paper web wound onto a paper roll and for allowing easy manual access to the paper web that follows after the separated paper section, whereby the device comprises a cutting cylinder (40), which extends over at least the paper width, and a knife (42) that extends essentially over the entire roller width, whereby the knife (42) comprises a blade (114) and a series of teeth (120, 122, 124, 126), which are arranged spaced apart along the length of the blade, whereby the groups of teeth (120, 122, 124, 126) are separated from each other by cut-outs (128, 130, 132), and whereby the cutting roller (40) is associated with a pressure roller (44), which has a slit-shaped opening (46) and is coupled to the cutting roller (40). In order to be able to cut and dispense paper webs of high strength and elasticity reliably and trouble-free, it is intended that each of the cut-outs (128, 130, 132) comprises two cutting edges (162, 164, 166, 168), which extend parallel to each other and transversely to the longitudinal extent of the knife (42), that at least one of the cutting edges (162, 164, 166, 168) is a cutting edge of a group of teeth adjoining the cut-out, and that the cutting roller (40) comprises along its circumferential surface (134) circumferential grooves (128, 130, 132), each of which corresponds to one of the cut-outs.

The invention relates to a device (10) to dispense paper sections of a predetermined length, comprising a device (26), operated by pulling on an end (74) of the paper web, for separating the paper sections from a paper web (24) wound onto a paper roll (22), and to provide easy manual access to the paper web (24) that follows after the separated paper section has been released, whereby the device (26) comprises at least one cutting roller (40) with a width that corresponds to at least the entire width of the paper web and a knife (42) that extends substantially over the entire side of the roller and protrudes rigidly from a roller shell, whereby associated with the cutting roller (40) is a pressure roller (44), which has a slit-shaped opening (46) that corresponds to the knife and is coupled to the cutting roller via geared wheels (52, 56; 54, 58). In order to be able to cut and automatically dispense paper web of high strength and elasticity in a reliable and trouble-free manner, it is intended that a geared wheel (52, 56; 54, 58), which is coupled to the cutting roller (40) or to the pressure roller (44), is eccentrically coupled to a tension spring (80), that pulling the end (74) of the paper web results in the paper web (24) being stretched tightly over a circumferential surface (72) of the pressure roller (44), and being sectionally cut, while maintaining some uncut strands, by the penetration of the knife (42) from the outside into the slit-shaped opening (46), in order to effect both a severing of the paper section as well as an elongation of the tension spring (80) up to a turn-around point, and that after the turn-around point has been overcome, both the cutting roller (40) and the pressure roller (44) continue to be rotated in opposite directions by the contraction of the tension spring (80) to dispense the paper section and a new paper end.

The invention relates to a device (10) for dispensing paper sections of predetermined length, with a device (26), which is operated by pulling on an end (74) of the paper web, and which separates the paper sections from the paper web (24) wound onto a paper roll (22) and provides easy manual access to the end (74) of the paper web that follows the separated paper section has been released. To allow a reliable and trouble-fee transporting, cutting, and dispensing of paper webs of high strength and elasticity, it is intended that the device (10) comprises a pressure spring (34) that bears upon a circumferential surface (36) of the paper roll (22), whereby a free end of the pressure spring (34) is oriented in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the paper roll (22), whereby the pressure spring (34) is embodied rod-shaped and is connected pivotably to a portion (32) of the housing of the device (10), the pressure spring (34) is pivotable from a vertical operating position to a horizontal service position to release the paper roll (22), and the length of the pressure spring is such that in its pivoted state, one end of the pressure spring projects beyond the edge of the housing of the device (10).

A method of reducing sheet product waste generated during use of a sheet product dispenser in a particular location and over a broad range of usage rates includes designing a dispenser. The design includes determining a desired housing size to obtain a top to bottom height for sheet product roll storage within the housing, dividing the height by two to obtain a maximum roll diameter, locating two roll holders in the housing so that each holder may accept a roll having the maximum roll diameter, positioning a first roll of the maximum roll diameter in a first one of the two roll holders, and positioning a second roll of the maximum roll diameter in a second one of the two roll holders so that two rolls of equivalent length are configured to be dispensed sequentially from the dispenser. The installation and use of two rolls of maximum roll diameter reduces waste. Dispensers formed according to this method are also described.

A dual roll paper towel dispenser, a method of dispensing towel from a dual roll paper towel dispenser, and a method of servicing a dual roll paper towel dispenser are disclosed herein. The dual roll paper towel dispenser can be provided with a dispenser mechanism disposed in a dispenser housing. The dispenser mechanism can include a first drive roller for dispensing paper from an upper first roll of paper and a second drive roller for dispensing paper from a lower second roll of paper. The dispenser mechanism can further include a drive system including a motor for selectively operating the first drive roller and the second drive roller, wherein the drive system powers the motor in a first rotational direction to actuate the first drive roller and powers the motor in a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction to actuate the second drive roller.

A material dispenser comprising a housing, a mounting for a roll of material to be dispensed, and a material level indicator, in which said mounting comprises a first support member for rotationally supporting a first side of a roll of material to be dispensed in a plane, in which said material level indicator comprises an arm rotationally mounted to said dispenser at a pivot point, said arm comprising a visual indicator member at a first end thereof and a lateral abutment axially displaced from said visual indicator member for engaging with said first side of said roll of material, in which said arm is rotatable about said pivot point between a first position in which said arm is substantially parallel with said plane and said lateral abutment traverses said plane, and a second position in which said arm is arranged at an angle to said plane, and said lateral abutment and said visual indicator member are laterally displaced.