Towel dispenser

Abstract

The present invention relates to an improved towel dispenser. Embodiments of the present invention provide an improved towel dispenser comprised of a towel receptacle, a receptacle lid, and an adjustable wall mounting mechanism. The towel receptacle comprises a superior and inferior opening and is shaped in a manner that inclines towels stored therein towards the inferior opening. The receptacle lid is mounted such that towels are sealed within the towel receptacle during normal use. The adjustable wall mounting mechanism is utilized to mount the towel receptacle and the receptacle lid in a manner that enables the towel receptacle to be repositioned on a vertical track with ease. This repositioning enables the improved towel dispenser to be reloaded with ease.

Claims

1. An improved towel dispenser for distributing textile towels comprised of: a. a towel receptacle having i. a superior opening, ii. an inferior opening, iii. a tapering semi-conical shape that funnels towels towards said inferior opening, and iv. a flat side that enables said towel receptacle to be mounted on a flat surface; b. a receptacle lid to seal said superior opening during normal use; and c. an adjustable wall mount operable to mount said towel receptacle lid and reposition said towel receptacle between a reloading orientation and a dispensing orientation, wherein said flat side is mechanically connected to said adjustable wall mount.

2. The towel dispenser of claim 1, wherein said towel receptacle has a height of in the range of about 18 inches to about 50 inches, said superior opening has a width in the range of about 16 inches to about 40 inches and a depth in the range of about 6 inches to 30 inches, and said inferior opening has a width in the range of about 4 inches to about 12 inches and a depth in the range of about 2 inches to about 6.

3. The towel dispenser of claim 2, wherein said inferior opening further comprises a rubber grommet operable to prevent towels from falling through said inferior opening, but allows said towels to be pulled through by hand.

4. The towel dispenser of claim 1, wherein said towel receptacle is in said reloading orientation when said towel receptacle is at the lowermost point on a vertical track of said adjustable wall mount.

5. The towel dispenser of claim 4, wherein said towel receptacle is in said dispensing orientation when at the said towel receptacle is at the uppermost point on said vertical track.

6. The towel dispenser of claim 5, wherein said adjustable mount further comprises a locking mechanism, operable to lock said towel receptacle at one or more points on said vertical track.

7. An improved towel dispenser for distributing washable, reusable textile towels comprised of: a. a receptacle for said washable and reusable textile towels having i. a tapering semi-conical shape that tapers towards an inferior opening and allows loose towels to fall towards said inferior opening, ii. a flexible grommet at the inferior opening that prevents said towels from falling out of the inferior opening but allows a towel to be pulled by hand through the flexible grommet, and iii. a flat side that enables said towel receptacle to be mounted at or near a flat surface; b. a receptacle lid to seal a superior opening during normal use; and c. an adjustable wall mount operable to mount said towel receptacle and reposition said towel receptacle between a reloading orientation and a dispensing orientation, wherein said flat side is mechanically connected to said adjustable wall mount.

8. The towel dispenser of claim 7, wherein said towel receptacle has a semi-conical shape.

9. The towel dispenser of claim 7, wherein said towel receptacle is in said reloading orientation when said towel receptacle is at the lowermost point on a vertical track of said adjustable wall mount and is in said dispensing orientation when at the said towel receptacle is at the uppermost point on said vertical track.

10. The towel dispenser of claim 7, wherein said adjustable wall mount includes a roller and carriage structure positioned between guide rails.

11. The towel dispenser of claim 7, wherein said adjustable wall mount further comprises a locking mechanism, operable to lock said towel receptacle at one or more points on said vertical track.

12. An improved towel dispenser for distributing washable and reusable textile towels comprised of: a. a receptacle for said washable and reusable textile towels having i. a tapering body that tapers towards an inferior opening and allows loose towels to fall towards said inferior opening, wherein said towel receptacle has a semi-conical shape, and ii. a flexible grommet at the inferior opening that prevents said towels from falling out of the inferior opening but allows a towel to be pulled by hand through the flexible grommet; and b. an adjustable wall mount operable to mount said towel receptacle and reposition said towel receptacle between a reloading orientation and a dispensing orientation, wherein said body is mechanically connected to said adjustable wall mount.

13. The towel dispenser of claim 12, further comprising a receptacle lid to seal a superior opening during normal use.

14. The towel dispenser of claim 12, further comprising a flat side that enables said towel receptacle to be mounted at or near a flat surface.

15. The towel dispenser of claim 12, wherein said towel receptacle is in said reloading orientation when said towel receptacle is at the lowermost point on a vertical track of said adjustable wall mount and is in said dispensing orientation when at the said towel receptacle is at the uppermost point on said vertical track.

16. The towel dispenser of claim 12, wherein said washable, reusable towels are Terrycloth towels.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1A shows a rear perspective view of an improved towel dispenser device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 1B shows a rear perspective view of an improved towel dispenser device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 1C shows a rear perspective view of an improved towel dispenser device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an improved towel dispenser device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 3 shows a rear view of an improved towel dispenser device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(6) FIG. 4 shows a first side view of an improved towel dispenser device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(7) FIG. 5 shows a second side view of an improved towel dispenser device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(8) FIG. 6 shows a top view of an improved towel dispenser device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(9) FIG. 7A shows a bottom view of an improved towel dispenser device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(10) FIG. 7B shows a bottom view of an improved towel dispenser device, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(11) FIG. 8 shows the transition from a reloading orientation to a dispensing orientation, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(12) Reference will now be made in detail to certain embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in reference to these embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention. To the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that are included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims. In the following disclosure, specific details are given to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

(13) As shown in FIGS. 1A-7B, embodiments of the present invention provide an improved towel dispenser 100 comprised of a towel receptacle 101, a receptacle lid 103, and an adjustable wall mounting mechanism 106. The towel receptacle 101 comprises a superior opening 102, an inferior opening 104, and a shape that inclines towels stored therein towards the inferior opening 104. The receptacle lid 103 is mounted such that towels are sealed within the towel receptacle 101 during normal use. The adjustable wall mounting 106 mechanism is utilized to mount the towel receptacle and the receptacle lid in a manner that enables the towel receptacle 101 to be repositioned on a vertical track with ease. This repositioning enables the improved towel dispenser 101, to allow the dispenser to be reloaded with fresh towels. The embodiment of FIG. 1C includes window 150 to allow the amount of towels in the receptacle 101 to be viewed from the exterior thereof.

(14) As shown in FIG. 8, present invention may have two primary orientations, a reloading orientation 111, and a dispensing orientation 112. The dispensing orientation 112 is the orientation the dispenser is in during normal usage, wherein a towel may be easily grasped by or dispensed to a user. The dispenser 100 may be set to the dispensing orientation by using the adjustable mounting mechanism 106 to reposition the towel receptacle 101 to the uppermost point on the vertical track. This orientation enables the receptacle lid 103 to properly seal the superior opening of the towel receptacle 101 and prevent any atmospheric particles/debris from entering the towel receptacle 101. The reloading orientation 112 is the orientation the dispenser 100 is in during a reloading process. The dispenser may be set to the reloading orientation 111 by utilizing the adjustable mounting mechanism 106 to reposition the towel receptacle 101 to the lowermost point on the vertical track. This orientation enables an operator to reload the towel receptacle 101 with ease by increasing the operator's accessibility of the superior opening 102 of the towel receptacle.

(15) In the present invention, the towel receptacle 101 may be comprised of plastic, metal, wood, or any material rigid enough to allow substantial compression of the towels within the towel receptacle without causing the towel receptacle to break or expand. Substantial compression here may be defined here as the amount of compression within the towel receptacle when the towel receptacle is carrying a maximum load of towels. The maximum load of towels may be the maximum volume of towels that the towel receptacle is operable to hold. For example, the maximum load may be in a range of about 20 to about 40 hand towels having a width of about 12 inches and a height of 24 inches. In order to minimize user error, the maximum weight that the system can hold may be significantly more (e.g., about 10% to 30%) than the weight of a maximum load of towels the towel receptacle is operable to hold.

(16) As shown in FIG. 1, the towel receptacle 101 comprises a shape that causes the towels stored therein to be inclined towards the inferior opening 104 of the towel receptacle, enabling the distribution of cloth towels from the inferior opening. While the towel receptacle 101 is shown to have a semi-funnel shape, the shape may be a polyhedron, ellipsoid, cylinder, a cone, or a mixture thereof. The shape of the towel receptacle 101 may comprise a flat side 105 or edge utilized to attach the towel receptacle 101 to the adjustable mounting mechanism 106 adjacent to a wall. In some embodiments, the shape of the towel receptacle 101 may be to resemble half a funnel (i.e., semi-conical) with a flat side 105 that's utilized to install the adjustable mounting mechanism 106. As shown in FIG. 2, in such embodiments, the towel receptacle 101 may have a superior opening 102 with a radius 114 in a range of about 8 inches to about 24 inches (e.g., about 11 inches, about 15 inches or any value therein) that narrows linearly to a radius 115 of about 2 inches to about 6 inches (e.g., about 4 inches, or any value therein) at the inferior opening 104. In some embodiments, the superior opening 102 may have a width in the range of about 16 inches to about 48 inches (e.g., about 22 inches, about 30 inches, about 40 inches, or any value therein) and a depth in the range of about 6 inches to about 30 inches. In some embodiments, the inferior opening 104 may have a width in the range of about 4 inches to about 12 inches (e.g., about 6 inches, about 10 inches, or any value therein) and a depth in the range of about 2 inches to about 6 inches. In some embodiments, the dispenser 100 may have a height of about 18 inches to about 50 inches wherein the height is determined by the distance 113 between the inferior opening 104 and superior opening 102. For example, the conical-shaped towel receptacle 101 may have a height of about 30 inches with a superior opening 102 with a radius 114, e.g., of about 12 inches that narrows linearly to a radius 115, e.g., of about 3.5 inches at the inferior opening 104. In some embodiments, the volume of the towel receptacle 101 may be expanded by adding an extension (e.g., a semi-cylinder portion to the upper end of the towel receptacle 101). This increase in volume within the towel receptacle 101 allows for more towel capacity.

(17) In the present invention, the towel receptacle 101 comprises a superior opening 102 for reloading, and an inferior opening 104 for dispensing. Both the superior and inferior openings may be shaped to have polygonal, ellipsis, semi-ellipsis or a mixture thereof, wherein the size of each opening may be construed from one or more dimensions. The dimension(s) may depend on the desired shape of the opening(s) for a particular towel receptacle and may include the length of a side, chord, radius, arc, or even one or more angle in the shape. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a towel receptacle with a semi-conical structure, both openings (102 and 104) may have a semicircular or semi-ellipsis shape wherein the dimension that dictates the size of the opening may be the radius (114 and 115) of the circle.

(18) As shown in FIG. 1, the inferior opening of the towel receptacle may include a grommet 109 to aid in retaining the towels in the dispenser. The grommet 109 may be comprised of polymeric material, such as rubber, silicone, PTFE, or other such materials. The grommet 109 may provide an opening having a radius of about 2 inches to about 6 inches (e.g., about 3 inches, about 3.5 inches, or any value therein). In some embodiments, the inferior opening 104 may be the grommet 109 or completely sealed except for the grommet, wherein the grommet is the only opening available through which to dispense towels. In some embodiments, the device may alternatively utilize a gasket in place of the grommet 109.

(19) In the present invention, the receptacle lid 103 has a shape and size complimentary to the superior opening 102 of the towel receptacle and is intended to seal the towels within the towel receptacle and prevent atmospheric particles or debris from entering the towel receptacle during normal use. In some embodiments, the receptacle lid 103 is fixed at the tip of the adjustable wall mounting mechanism. This enables the superior opening 102 of the towel receptacle to be exposed for a reloading process when the towel receptacle is repositioned further below via the adjustable wall mounting mechanism 106.

(20) As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention comprises an adjustable wall mounting mechanism 106 that's utilized to mount the receptacle lid 103 and towel receptacle 101. The adjustable mounting mechanism 106 may be comprised of two parts, a fixed mount 107 and an adjustable mount 108. The fixed mount 106 is operable to fix the receptacle lid in place such that, during normal usage, the superior opening 102 is sealed by the receptacle lid such that ambient materials and debris may not enter the towel receptacle. The fixed mount 107 may be based on brackets, screws/nails, adhesives, or any mounting mechanism operable to firmly affix the receptacle lid 103 in place. The adjustable mount 108 is operable not only to mount the towel receptacle onto a flat surface, but to adjust the position of the towel receptacle on a vertical track. The adjustable mount 108 may be a roller/carriage (e.g., ball bearing carriages, sleeve bearing carriages, track roller carriages, roller bearing carriages, track rollers, etc.) with guide rails, linear motion shaft, positioning slides, or any mounting mechanism that may reposition the towel receptacle on the vertical track. For example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the adjustable mount may be a sliding traveler 108B operable to support a load (i.e., a towel receptacle), a track 108A operable to be mounted on a flat surface and provide a track (i.e., a vertical track) that may support the drawer profile and the corresponding load, and between ball bearings the track 108A and the traveler 108B operable to enable the traveler 108B to move freely and easily within the track 108A. The adjustable mount 108 may further comprise a motor operable to automatically reposition the towel receptacle at the press of a button. For example, the adjustable mount may be powered by an electric motor belt drive mechanism that is operable to reposition the dispenser 101 between a reloading orientation and dispensing orientation.

(21) As shown in FIG. 8, the adjustable mount 108 may further comprise a locking mechanism 113, operable to lock the towel receptacle 101 in place at points on the vertical track. The points may be the uppermost and/or the lower most points on the vertical track, such that the towel receptacle 101 may be locked in either the dispensing orientation or reloading orientation. In some embodiments, the receptacle may be locked into position at any point along the vertical track. In some embodiments, the locking mechanism 113 may be inherent in the adjustable mount, wherein the locking occurs naturally due to limitations of the mount (i.e., the upper and lower boundaries of the drawer slides/rails). In some embodiments, the locking mechanism 113 may be an integrated component of the adjustable mount, wherein the locking may be controlled manually such as with a hand brake, switch, or by applying force to the adjustable mount in a particular manner (i.e., push-to-open). For example, an adjustable mount may comprise a ball bearing carriage and guide rails system with a hand brake, wherein the ball bearing carriage may support the towel receptacle and lock it in place via the hand brake anywhere on the guide rails. In other embodiments, the locking mechanism 113 may be a component separate from the adjustable mount, such as a simple tab operable to lock the towel receptacle and the adjustable mount and hold it at a specific point.

(22) The shape of the present invention 100, along with its ability to be easily repositioned into a reloading orientation 111, vastly reduces the amount of effort and time an operator must expend in order to reload the towel receptacle 101. The shape of the towel receptacle 101 enables the dispenser to utilize gravitational force to advance the towels towards the inferior opening 104, enabling any cloth towel to be easily dispensed/grasped from the inferior opening 104 of the towel receptacle 101, regardless of the orientation of the towel. In other words, the shape of the towel receptacle 101 enables the dispenser to be easily loaded with towels 110 without the need to fold, roll, or arrange the towels in any particular manner.

(23) It should be understood that the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.