An improved towel dispenser includes a rotatable driveshaft mounted in a one-way clutch bearing fitted with a pinion which engages a vertically oriented press bar assembly including at its lower portion a rack which engages the pinion to advance paper towel through a dispensing nip upon pivotable motion of the press bar assembly. A dispensing chute located below the dispensing nip includes a lower shelf configured to direct web forwardly toward the front portion of a dispenser. The gear rack is preferably an internal gear rack integrally formed with a unitary press bar assembly member. The dispensing chute is configured such that an angle between a cutting-blade and the outer lip of the shelf makes an angle with a vertical of at least about 25.

In one aspect, the present disclosure includes a sheet material dispenser including a dispensing mechanism including a drive roller that is configured to engage the sheet material, and a drive motor in communication with the drive roller to drive rotation thereof for dispensing of the sheet material from a discharge. The sheet material dispenser also includes a pressing roller arranged along the drive roller and configured to engage the sheet material between the pressing roller and the drive roller, and a drive belt assembly including a drive belt operatively connected to the drive motor and the pressing roller for transferring power from the drive motor to the pressing roller. Other aspects also are described.

An electronic dispenser for dispensing flexible sheet material. A control circuit receives a plurality of signals and controls dispensing of the sheet material. A tear bar is mounted within the housing for severance of the sheet material. A pivotally mounted pawl member is located proximate to the tear bar such that movement of the sheet material into the tear bar for severance pivots the pawl member from a first position to a second position, such movement causing a signal to be sent to the control circuit. The dispensing mechanism is operative in a first mode to be responsive to a signal from a proximity sensor to dispense a sheet of material, and is operative in a second mode to dispense a next sheet in response to the signal activated by movement of the pawl member to the second position in response to dispensed sheet material being removed from the dispenser.