TOWEL DISPENSER FOR A HYGIENE STATION FOR HUMAN HAND HYGIENE, AND HYGIENE STATION

Abstract

A dispensing device for integration into a hygiene station with hand towels for single use, having a housing with a dispensing opening for dispensing hand towels, a first hand towel store which, in the mounted state, is received in the housing and which, in the original state, has a plurality of hand towels to be dispensed, and a second hand towel store received in the housing and which, in the original state, has a plurality of hand towels to be dispensed. The device incudes a monitoring device that monitors a state of the first and/or second hand towel store and/or an automatic change mechanism for automatically changing from dispensing hand towels from the first hand towel store to dispensing from the second hand towel store, or vice versa. A hygiene station having at least one hygiene product dispensing device for hand hygiene and/or handcare products is also provided.

Claims

1. A dispensing device for integration into a hygiene station for human hand hygiene, for dispensing hand towels, the dispensing device comprising: a housing which has at least one dispensing opening for dispensing hand towels; a first hand towel store which, in a mounted state, is received in the housing and which, in an original state, has a plurality of the hand towels to be dispensed; a second hand towel store which, in a mounted state, is received in the housing and which, in an original state, has a plurality of the hand towels to be dispensed; and at least one of a) a monitoring device configured to monitor at least one state of the first hand towel store and/or of the second hand towel store or b) an automatic change mechanism for automatically changing from dispensing hand towels from the first hand towel store to dispensing hand towels from the second hand towel store, or vice versa.

2. The dispensing device as claimed in claim 1, the first hand towel store is configured as a first endless roll and in that the second hand towel store is configured as a second endless roll.

3. The dispensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dispensing device is configured as at least one dispensing module for modular integration into the hygiene station.

4. The dispensing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the housing has at least one drive mechanism, which is coupled to at least one of the first endless roll or the second endless roll.

5. The dispensing device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the drive mechanism comprises a rotary drive mechanism and is coupled to the first endless roll, the drive mechanism being adapted and configured such that one said hand towel can respectively be dispensed sequentially through the dispensing opening by respectively defined rotating of the first endless roll.

6. The dispensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the monitoring device is provided and has at least one counting unit, by which a number of hand towels already dispensed are counted.

7. The dispensing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the counting unit has at least one counting sensor, with two neighboring ones of the hand towels in a rolled state on the first endless roll being connected to one another by at least one perforation line, the at least one perforation line having at least one numerical marking which is registerable by the at least one counting sensor.

8. The dispensing device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the monitoring device has at least one position sensor and the perforation line has at least one position marking, which is registerable by the position sensor such that the drive mechanism is stoppable in response to at least one said position marking that is registered.

9. The dispensing device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the automatic change mechanism is provided, and the dispensing device further comprises at least one control and/or regulating unit connected to the monitoring device and to the automatic change mechanism, the control and/or regulating unit being configured such that, in response to a threshold value of dispensed hand towels counted by the counting unit, the control and/or regulating unit controls and/or regulates the automatic change mechanism to change the first hand towel store and the second hand towel store from one to the other.

10. The dispensing device as claimed in claim 9, further comprising at least one data transmission interface connected to the control and/or regulating unit, the control and/or regulating unit being configured such that, in response to the counted threshold value of dispensed hand towels, the control and/or regulating unit generates an order signal for a new hand towel store and transmits the order signal to the data transmission interface.

11. The dispensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first hand towel store in the original state is configured identically to the second hand towel store in the original state.

12. A hygiene station for human hand hygiene, comprising: at least one hygiene product dispensing device for dispensing at least one hand hygiene and/or handcare product; and at least one dispensing device as claimed in claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Further details and advantages of the invention will now be explained in more detail with the aid of an exemplary embodiment represented in the drawings, in which:

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective representation of an exemplary embodiment of a dispensing device according to the invention;

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a schematic lateral representation of the exemplary embodiment of the dispensing device according to FIG. 1;

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a further schematic lateral representation of the exemplary embodiment of the dispensing device according to FIG. 1;

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective representation of a driven guide roller of the dispensing device according to FIG. 1;

[0030] FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional representation of the driven guide roller according to FIG. 4;

[0031] FIG. 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional representation of a nondriven guide roller of the dispensing device according to FIG. 1;

[0032] FIG. 7 shows a schematic perspective representation of an endless roll of the dispensing device according to FIG. 1; and

[0033] FIG. 8 shows a schematic perspective representation of an exemplary embodiment of a hygiene station according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective representation of an exemplary embodiment of a dispensing device 10 according to the invention for integration into a hygiene station 12 for human hand hygiene, wherein the dispensing device 10 can dispense hand towels.

[0035] The dispensing device 10 is configured as a dispensing module for modular integration into the hygiene station 12.

[0036] The hand towels are configured as cellulose hand towels for single use.

[0037] The basis of the cellulose hand towels is intended to comprise ecologically friendly raw materials such as fast-growing bamboo or straw, or recycled paper, and the energy expenditure during production is intended to be low.

[0038] The dispensing device 10 has a box-like housing 14, which has at least one dispensing opening 14a for dispensing hand towels.

[0039] The box-like housing 14 has an open side, or filling side, which in the mounted state ready for operation is closed, for example, by means of a lid (not shown in FIG. 1), in which case the dispensing opening 14a may likewise be provided in the lid.

[0040] The dispensing device 10 further has a first hand towel store 16, which in the mounted state is received in the housing 14 and which in the original state has a plurality of hand towels to be dispensed.

[0041] The first hand towel store 16 in the original state is configured identically to the second hand towel store 18 in the original state.

[0042] The dispensing device 10 further has a second hand towel store 18, which in the mounted state is likewise received in the housing 14 and in the original state has a plurality of hand towels to be dispensed.

[0043] The first hand towel store 16 is configured as an endless roll 16a, so that the second hand towel store 18 is consequently configured as a second endless roll 18a.

[0044] The first endless roll 16a is arranged below the second endless roll 18a in the mounted state.

[0045] On its side inner faces that are turned toward one another, the housing 14 further respectively has two guide grooves 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e aligned or flush with one another.

[0046] The guide grooves 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e extend along the two side inner wall faces starting from the open side, or a filling side, toward the opposite closed side.

[0047] The guide grooves 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e also have a groove section, which is horizontal in the mounted state, and an inclined groove section following on therefrom, the inclination of which is aligned in the direction of a bottom region 14f of the housing 14 in the mounted state.

[0048] As is shown in FIG. 1, in the mounted state ready for operation, the two endless rolls 16a, 18a are guided in the respective inclined sections of the guide grooves 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e by means of corresponding roll stubs 16b, 16c, 18b, 18c, displaceably therein.

[0049] The dispensing device 10 further has a monitoring device 20 for monitoring a state of the first and second hand towel stores 16, 18.

[0050] Such a state relates in particular to the number of hand towels already dispensed from the first and second hand towel stores 16, 18, or the first and second endless rolls 16a, 18a.

[0051] Alternatively, it may be envisioned that the monitoring device 20 is intended for monitoring the state of the first or second hand towel store 16, 18.

[0052] The dispensing device 10 further has an automatic change mechanism 22 for automatically changing from dispensing hand towels from the first hand towel store to dispensing hand towels from the second hand towel store, or vice versa.

[0053] The housing 14 further has a drive mechanism, which is coupled to the first and second endless rolls.

[0054] In addition or alternatively, the drive mechanism 24 may be coupled to the first or second endless roll 16a, 18a.

[0055] The coupling to the two endless rolls 16a, 18a takes place according to FIG. 1 indirectly via a hand towel feed unit 26, which is connected or coupled to the respective endless roll 16a, 18a via an already unrolled section of hand towels and which is coupled to the drive mechanism 24.

[0056] In addition or alternatively, the coupling may take place directly via the respective two roll stubs 16b, 16c, 18b, 18c of the two endless rolls 16a, 18a, and for example a transmission or belt (not represented in FIG. 1).

[0057] The drive mechanism 24 is configured as a rotary drive mechanism and is coupled to the first endless roll.

[0058] The coupling in this case takes place as described above indirectly via the hand towel feed unit 26, which then delivers the hand towels that have been fed in to the dispensing opening 14a for their dispensing.

[0059] In the mounted state, the hand towel feed unit 26 is arranged in the bottom region 14f and in the vicinity of the dispensing opening 14a of the housing 14 and is fastened on a partially dual-level hand towel guide 28.

[0060] FIG. 2 shows a schematic lateral representation of the exemplary embodiment of the dispensing device 10 according to FIG. 1.

[0061] FIG. 2 represents the partially dual-level hand towel guide 28, the hand towel feed unit 26 and the drive mechanism 24 in more detail than FIG. 1.

[0062] The hand towel guide 28 is configured as an arcuate guide, which extends in the shape of an arc from the dispensing opening 14 to the first endless roll 16a and to the second endless roll 18a.

[0063] The hand towel guide 28 is configured as a structural unit and is subdivided into a first guide unit 30 and a second guide unit 32.

[0064] The first guide unit 30 consequently extends from the dispensing opening 14a to the first endless roll 16a and, by means of two arcuate guide rails 30a, 30b, forms a first guide channel 30c.

[0065] The first guide channel 30c opens out at the first endless roll 16a, where the first hand towel section or hand towel strip (indicated by corresponding arrows in FIG. 2) is inserted into the first guide channel 30c.

[0066] In the region of the outlet of the first guide channel 30c, a first so-called starter roll pair is furthermore arranged on the first guide rail 30a in order to improve the free running of the first endless roll 16a.

[0067] Inside the first guide channel 30c, the first hand towel section or hand towel strip extends as far as the dispensing opening 14a, the hand towel feed unit 26 being arranged in between in order to unroll the hand towel section or hand towel strip from the first endless roll 16a and dispense it in a defined way.

[0068] Accordingly, the second guide unit 32 extends from the dispensing opening 14a to the second endless roll 18a and, by means of two further arcuate guide rails 32a, 32b, forms a second guide channel 32c.

[0069] The second guide channel 32c opens out at the second endless roll 16a, where the second hand towel section or hand towel strip (also indicated by corresponding arrows in FIG. 2) is inserted into the second guide channel 32c.

[0070] In the region of the outlet of the second guide channel 32c, a second so-called starter roll pair is furthermore arranged on the second guide rail 32a in order to improve the free running of the second endless roll 18a.

[0071] Inside the second guide channel 30c, the hand towel section or hand towel strip extends as far as the dispensing opening 14a, the hand towel feed unit 26 being arranged in between in order to unroll the hand towel section or hand towel strip from the second endless roll 18a and dispense it in a defined way.

[0072] The hand towel feed unit 26 is formed by a total of four guide rollers 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, which are respectively assigned in pairs on the one hand to the first guide channel 30c and correspondingly to the second guide channel 32c.

[0073] According to FIG. 2, the two guide roller pairs 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d assigned in this way are respectively in contact inside the first and second guide channels 30c, 32c with the hand towel section or hand towel strip to be dispensed.

[0074] A rotational movement of the guide roller pairs 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d is therefore converted into a corresponding rotational movement of the first and second endless rolls 16a, 18a and a corresponding defined linear dispensing movement of an individual paper hand towel at the dispensing opening 14a.

[0075] A guide roller pair 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d is on the one hand respectively formed by a driven guide roller 26a, 26c, which is coupled to the drive mechanism 24 via a transmission.

[0076] Other types of this coupling, for example a belt drive or a chain drive, are likewise conceivable.

[0077] Further, a guide roller pair 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d is on the other hand respectively formed by a nondriven guide roller 26a, 26c, which are coupled to the guide unit 30 via a spring mechanism.

[0078] The function of the dispensing device 10 according to FIGS. 1 and 2 may now be described as follows:

[0079] According to FIGS. 1 and 2, the drive mechanism 24 is configured as a rotary drive mechanism and is coupled to the first endless roll 16a via the hand towel feed unit 26 and the corresponding hand towel strip.

[0080] The drive mechanism 24 is adapted and configured in such a way that a hand towel can respectively be dispensed sequentially through the dispensing opening 14a by respectively defined rotating of the first endless roll 16a.

[0081] For the defined rotation of the first endless roll 16a, the feed unit 26 may in turn be correspondingly driven via the drive mechanism 24.

[0082] This control may, in particular, take place on the basis of rotational speed or rotational angle.

[0083] The hand towel dispensing may be monitored by means of the monitoring device 20 (cf. FIG. 2), which monitors the state of the first and second endless rolls 16a, 18a.

[0084] Such a state relates in particular to the number of hand towels already dispensed from the first endless roll 16a.

[0085] Such a state also relates to the number of hand towels already dispensed from the second endless roll 18a, if the latter is currently being used for dispensing hand towels.

[0086] In order to determine the number of hand towels already dispensed from the first or second endless roll 16a, 18a, the monitoring device 20 has a counting unit 20a by which the number of hand towels already dispensed can be counted.

[0087] The counting unit 20a in turn has a counting sensor, by means of which the number of dispensed hand towels can be registered.

[0088] For this purpose, two neighboring hand towels inside the hand towel strip or in the rolled state on the first endless roll 16a have a perforation line by which they are connected to one another, the perforation line in turn having a numerical marking which can be registered by the counting sensor.

[0089] The monitoring device 20 furthermore has a position sensor 20b.

[0090] Accordingly, the perforation line further contains a position marking, which can be registered by the position sensor 20b in such a way that the drive mechanism 24 can be stopped in response to a registered position marking.

[0091] For this purpose, the dispensing device 10 further has a control and regulating unit (not shown).

[0092] In addition or alternatively, the dispensing device 10 may be connected by cables or wirelessly to a control and regulating unit.

[0093] Further, the control and regulating unit is also connected to the monitoring device 20 and to the drive mechanism 24, and can drive or regulate these as described above.

[0094] The control and regulating unit continuously evaluates the number of hand towels dispensed from the first endless roll 16a, and compares this with a stored threshold value.

[0095] As soon as the number of dispensed hand towels has exceeded this threshold, the control and regulating unit controls or regulates the automatic change mechanism 22, to which it is likewise connected.

[0096] For this purpose, the automatic change mechanism 22 decouples the drive mechanism 24 from the guide roller pair 26a, 26b that is assigned to the first guide channel 30c, so that no further hand towels can be unrolled from the first endless roll 16a.

[0097] Subsequent to this, the automatic change mechanism 22 couples the drive mechanism 24 to the guide roller pair 26c, 26d that is assigned to the second guide channel 32c.

[0098] The control or regulating is therefore carried out in such a way that the change mechanism 22 changes from dispensing hand towels from the first hand towel store or first endless roll 16a to dispensing hand towels from the second hand towel store or second endless roll 18a.

[0099] Further hand towels can then correspondingly be unrolled sequentially from the second endless roll 18a, and monitored as described above in connection with the first endless roll 16a.

[0100] The dispensing device 10 furthermore has a data transmission interface, which is likewise connected to the control and regulating unit.

[0101] The data transmission interface is configured as a radio data transmission interface.

[0102] The data transmission interface may, in particular, be configured as a WLAN and/or Bluetooth interface.

[0103] The control and regulating unit is furthermore adapted and configured in such a way that, in response to the counted threshold value, it generates an order signal for a new hand towel store or a new endless roll 16a, 18a and transmits the order signal to the data transmission interface.

[0104] By the configuration as a radio data transmission interface, the dispensing device 10 may in addition be connected to a backend server or a cloud service, which may in turn be connected to a relatively large number of further dispensing devices.

[0105] By this structure, each individual dispensing device (not shown) may be optimized insofar as, for example, software updates can be implemented automatically (keyword: maintenance over the air).

[0106] FIG. 3 shows a further schematic lateral representation of the exemplary embodiment of the dispensing device 10 according to FIG. 1.

[0107] This figure shows the case of a problem with the hand towel delivery, the first endless roll 16a additionally having been removed here.

[0108] In order to remedy this problem, the hand towel guide 28 may be partially tilted out so as to ensure better access for correcting the problem.

[0109] For this purpose, the hand towel guide 28 has a hinge 28a, via which it is rotatably coupled to the two side inner walls of the housing 14.

[0110] For the release, the hand towel guide 28 additionally has a release lever 34, by means of which the hand towel guide 28 can be locked or released.

[0111] As may likewise be seen in FIG. 3, this arrangement also allows the paper web of the second endless roll 18a to be accessible by tilting the hand towel guide 28 upward. A paper jam or another problem may thus be corrected easily.

[0112] FIG. 4 shows a schematic perspective representation of a driven guide roller 26a, 26c of the exemplary embodiment of the exemplary embodiment of the dispensing device 10 according to FIG. 1.

[0113] The guide roller 26a, 26c is formed by a hollow-cylindrical aluminum body, the lateral face of which has a rubber coating.

[0114] The rubber coating may optionally be fully continuous radially and axially.

[0115] Alternatively, the guide roller 26a, 26c may also have a plurality of continuous rubber rings axially separated from one another.

[0116] Fitted at the respective two ends of the hollow-cylindrical aluminum body, there are two axle stubs by means of which the guide roller 26a, 26c can be mounted on the housing side walls.

[0117] The guide roller 26a, 26c also has a gearwheel at one end, via which it can be coupled to the drive mechanism 24 (cf. for example FIG. 1).

[0118] FIG. 5 shows a schematic cross-sectional representation of the driven guide roller according to FIG. 4.

[0119] The inner connecting regions at the two respective ends of the hollow-cylindrical aluminum body with the two fitted axle stubs are represented in more detail therein.

[0120] For the mutual axial and radial securing, the two axle stubs are respectively fastened via a pin to the hollow-cylindrical aluminum body.

[0121] The gearwheel is likewise connected, or coupled, via a pin to one of the two axle stubs for mutual axial and radial securing.

[0122] FIG. 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional representation of a nondriven guide roller 26b, 26d of the exemplary embodiment of the exemplary embodiment of the dispensing device according to FIG. 1.

[0123] The nondriven guide roller 26b, 26d is substantially equivalent to the driven guide roller 26a, 26c according to FIGS. 4 and 5, the essential difference being however that the nondriven guide roller 26b, 26d does not have a rubber layer.

[0124] FIG. 7 shows a schematic perspective representation of an endless roll 16a, 18a of the exemplary embodiment of the dispensing device according to FIG. 1.

[0125] The endless roll 16a, 18a has a hollow cylindrical cardboard core, on which an endless strip of perforated single-use hand towels is wound so that an endless roll 16a, 18a with its final diameter is formed.

[0126] Fitted loosely at the two ends of the endless roll 16a, 18a, there are respectively two roll stubs 16b, 16c, 18b, 18c by which the endless rolls 16a, 18a can be guided displaceably in the corresponding guide grooves 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e in the side inner faces, in order to compensate for the diameter reduction during the unrolling.

[0127] The displacement takes place automatically by the force of gravity because of the inclination of the guide grooves 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e.

[0128] FIG. 8 shows a schematic perspective representation of an exemplary embodiment of a hygiene station 12 according to the invention for human hand hygiene.

[0129] The hygiene station 12 has a dispensing device 10 as described above.

[0130] The hygiene station 12 may further have a reception container 12a with a reception volume for used hand towels and a reception opening 12b for introducing used hand towels into the reception container 12a.

[0131] It may furthermore be envisioned that the hygiene station 12 has a shredding device in the region of the reception container 12a for shredding used hand towels, which in the mounted state is arranged between the reception opening 12b and the reception volume.

[0132] The hygiene station 12 further has a hygiene product dispensing device 12c for dispensing a hand hygiene and handcare product.

[0133] The hand hygiene product may, in particular, be in the form of a disinfectant.

[0134] In addition or alternatively, the hygiene product dispensing device may be adapted to dispense a hand hygiene or handcare product.

[0135] According to FIG. 8, the hygiene station 12 is configured as a hygiene station 12 fastened rigidly on a wall.

[0136] Alternatively, the hygiene station 12 may also be configured as a mobile hygiene station 12 and be coupled to a corresponding roll stand, roll frame or roll-guided holder.