Absorbent sheet dispenser having improved hand sensor performance

Abstract

A hands-free dispenser for dispensing lengths of absorbent sheet products, includes: a dispenser body containing a dispensing mechanism; a hand sensor for detecting the presence of a user's hand in the vicinity of the dispenser; an elongated metallic conductive element having a proximate end in electrical communication with at least one metal surface of the dispenser positioned at a first location relative to the hand sensor, and a distal end in electrical communication with at least one charge receiver positioned at a second location relative to the hand sensor, the second location being at a greater distance from the hand sensor than the first location.

Claims

1. A hands-free dispenser for dispensing lengths of absorbent sheet products, said dispenser comprising: a dispenser housing containing walls enclosing a dispensing mechanism and a battery compartment housing a battery that drives the dispensing mechanism; a hand sensor for detecting the presence of a user's hand in the vicinity of the dispenser; a single elongated metallic conductive element fully contained within said walls of the dispenser housing having a proximate end in direct conductive electrical communication with at least one metal surface of said dispenser positioned at a first location relative to said hand sensor, and a distal end in direct conductive electrical communication only with a negative terminal of the battery compartment positioned at a second location relative to said hand sensor, the second location being at a greater distance from the hand sensor than the first location, the first and second locations both being fully contained within said walls of the dispenser housing, wherein the battery is a charge receiver that draws charge away from the at least one metal surface to the negative terminal of the battery compartment through direct conductive electrical communication with the elongated metallic conductive element.

2. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated metallic conductive element is a wire.

3. The dispenser as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wire is encased in insulating material intermediate proximate and distal ends of the wire.

4. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein only one terminal of the battery compartment is in electrical communication with the at least one metal surface of said dispenser.

5. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein a proximate end of the elongated metallic conductive element is in electrical communication with at least one of a metallized dispenser cover or a metallic pinch roller.

6. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated metallic conductive element is in electrical communication at a proximate end of the conductive element with a metallic pinch roller via a metallic brush.

7. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated metallic conductive element is in electrical communication at a proximate end of the conductive element with a metallized dispenser cover via a metallic spring mounted on the dispenser housing.

8. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wire is in direct electrical communication at a proximate end of the conductive element with a metallized dispenser cover via a metallic spring mounted on the dispenser housing.

9. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elongated metallic conductive element is a flexible metallic plate or leaf.

10. The dispenser as claimed in claim 9, wherein the elongated metallic conductive element is mounted via at least one bracket that is connected to at least one interior surface of said dispenser housing.

11. A hands-free dispenser for dispensing lengths of absorbent sheet products, said dispenser comprising: a dispenser housing containing walls enclosing a dispensing mechanism and a battery compartment housing a battery that drives the dispensing mechanism; a hand sensor for detecting the presence of a user's hand in the vicinity of the dispenser; a single insulated wire fully contained within said walls of the dispenser housing having an uninsulated proximate end in direct conductive electrical communication with at least one metal surface of said dispenser positioned at a first location relative to said hand sensor, and an uninsulated distal end in direct conductive electrical communication only with a negative battery terminal of the battery compartment positioned at a second location relative to said hand sensor, the second location being at a greater distance from the hand sensor than the first location, the first and second locations both being fully contained within said walls of the dispenser housing, wherein the battery is a charge receiver that draws charge away from the at least one metal surface to the negative terminal of the internally exposed battery compartment through direct conductive electrical communication with the elongated metallic conductive element.

12. The dispenser as claimed in claim 11, wherein the wire is in direct electrical communication at a proximate end of the wire with a metallic pinch roller via a metallic brush.

13. The dispenser as claimed in claim 11, wherein the wire has a proximate in direct electrical communication with at least one of a metallized dispenser cover or a metallic pinch roller.

14. A hands-free dispenser for dispensing lengths of absorbent sheet products, said dispenser comprising: a dispenser housing containing walls enclosing a dispensing mechanism and a battery compartment housing a battery that drives the dispensing mechanism; a hand sensor for detecting the presence of a user's hand in the vicinity of the dispenser; a single insulated flexible metallic plate or leaf fully contained within said walls of the dispenser housing having an uninsulated proximate end in direct conductive electrical communication with at least one metal surface of said dispenser positioned at a first location relative to said hand sensor, and an uninsulated distal end in direct conductive electrical communication only with a negative battery terminal of the battery compartment positioned at a second location relative to said hand sensor, the second location being at a greater distance from the hand sensor than the first location, the first and second locations both being fully contained within said walls of the dispenser housing, wherein the battery is a charge receiver that draws charge away from the at least one metal surface to the negative terminal of the battery compartment through direct conductive electrical communication with the elongated metallic conductive element.

15. The dispenser as claimed in claim 14, wherein the flexible metallic plate or leaf has a proximate in direct electrical communication with at least one of a metallized dispenser cover or a metallic pinch roller.

16. The dispenser as claimed in claim 14, wherein the flexible metallic plate or leaf is in direct electrical communication at a proximate end of the wire with a metallic pinch roller via a metallic brush.

17. The dispenser as claimed in claim 14, wherein the flexible metallic plate or leaf is in direct electrical communication at a proximate end of the conductive element with a metallized dispenser cover via a metallic spring mounted on the dispenser housing.

18. The dispenser as claimed in claim 11, wherein only one terminal of the battery compartment is in electrical communication with the at least one metal surface of said dispenser.

19. The dispenser as claimed in claim 14, wherein only one terminal of the battery compartment is in electrical communication with the at least one metal surface of said dispenser.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

(2) FIG. 2 shows a proximate end connection of a wire of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in greater magnification;

(3) FIG. 3 shows a distal end connection of the wire of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in greater detail;

(4) FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of the wire; and

(5) FIG. 5 shows a cross sectional view of a flexible plate or leaf.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

(6) The accompanying figures illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 1, a cassette 20 of a hands-free dispenser 10 having a hand sensor 25 is shown, that incorporates the one version of the improvement of the present invention. That cassette 20 corresponds to the cassette shown in the figures of United States Published Patent Application No. 2007/0234868. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, a conductive wire 30 encased in red plastic 40 is connected at one end to both an aluminum pinch roll 50 (corresponding to the roll 16 shown in FIG. 5 of United States Published Patent Application No. 2007/0234868) via a metallic bracket 60 and a metallic brush 70, and (via the same metallic bracket) to a metallic spring 80 that is in electrical contact with the dispenser cover 90 when this latter is closed. The wire 30 can be mounted on the cassette 20 via brackets 35. Instead of a wire, a metallic plate or leaf 30a can be used within insulation 40a, as is shown in FIG. 5. The particulars of this proximate end connection are shown at greater magnification in FIG. 2. At its distal end 100, the wire 30 is connected to the negative terminal 110 of the battery compartment 120, and hence to the negative side of the batteries when the dispenser is in use, as shown in greater detail in FIG. 3.

(7) The following claims reflect various aspects of the inventors' current contemplation of the present invention, and are presented without prejudice to the possible claiming of the invention differently and/or more broadly in a subsequent PCT application or application filed under 35 USC 111(a), and these claims should not impair the ability of any such subsequent application to claim the priority of the present application under 35 USC 119(e) or any other applicable statute or rule.