Georgia-pacific Corporation

Movats Incorporated

Georgia-pacific Consumer Operations LLC

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Georgia-pacific Consumer Products LP

Bruce T Boone

John Stephen Formon

John A McMennamy

Michael R Kilgore

Gregory D Budz

James B Christensen

Jonathan R Aumann

Steven Nafziger

Thomas A Rak

James H Jenkins

David Gahris

Paul Dowd

Forrest Starnes McCanless

Andrew R Morris

Michael A Susi

Will Isaksson

A powered dispenser for dispensing individual sheet segments from a continuous roll of sheet material provided with spaced tear lines comprises a powered feed mechanism, a releasable, powered drive mechanism, a powered transfer mechanism, a pair of web sensing sensors, a capacitive sensing system providing automatic sensitivity adjustment, and control circuitry. A dual power supply system provides a mechanical lock-out functionality, and the control system is protected from electrostatic build-up on the surface of the feed roller. The web sensor, and an antenna plate of the capacitive sensing system, are provided on respective printed circuit boards mounted in overlying relation. Utilizing signals received from the pair of web sensors and the capacitive sensing system, the control circuitry senses the presence of a user to activate the powered drive mechanism, and prevents further dispensing of the sheet material until a previously dispensed segment is separated from the roll. The web sensors detection of a leading edge of the sheet material initiates a predetermined interval of sheet material advancement providing a proper placement of successive tear lines. Various approaches may be utilized to accommodate inadvertent sheet 'tabbing' scenarios. The web sensors, together with the control circuitry, are also used to detect the depletion, or absence, of a working roll of sheet material, whereupon the control circuitry controls the powered transfer mechanism to automatically transfer the web feed supply from a depleted working roll to a reserve roll. The powered transfer mechanism may include a motor driven transfer bar, or provide motor driven release of a spring biased transfer bar. Another arrangement allows for ready release of a roll core, and drop of the same into an open dispenser cover for removal.

Apparatus and methods usable in connection with dispensing flexible sheet material from a roll

A product metering napkin dispenser includes a housing defining a storage magazine for receiving a stack of folded napkins and a metering member that penetrates the stack in order to segregate a predetermined number of napkins from the remainder of the stack for dispensing. Preferred embodiments include gravity feed napkin dispensers. In various embodiments the metering member may include: a pivoting plate cooperating with a hinged trap door support surface; a rotating semicircular disk co-rotating with a support disk; or a reciprocating jaw assembly urging napkins through an aperture.

Metering napkin dispenser

A dispenser for sequentially dispensing web material from a primary web roll and then a reserve web roll. The dispenser senses the presence of the primary web directly at the feed nip defined by two feed rollers and introduces the leading edge of the reserve web roll to the feed nip immediately after the trailing end of the primary web roll passes through the feed nip. The movement of one feed roller relative to the other feed roller actuates the transfer mechanism which introduces the reserve web to the feed nip.

Automatic web transfer mechanism for flexible sheet dispenser

Bicycle gear

Helical bicycle pedal spindle

A dispenser for dispensing sheet material from a roll has a storage section wherein at least one reserve roll can be stored on a storage mandrel until depletion of a supply roll positioned on a dispensing mandrel in a dispensing section. Upon depletion of the supply roll, the user may pivot and remove the roll core from the dispensing mandrel. Upon return of the dispensing mandrel to its dispensing position, under a spring bias, the dispensing mandrel displaces and thereby releases a spring arm holding the reserve roll in the storage position against the bias of a spring urging the reserve roll toward the dispensing section. Upon release, the spring pushes the reserve roll onto the dispensing mandrel for dispensing. The dispenser housing has an inner frame member slidable within an outer frame member between a nested position wherein respective ends of the storage and dispensing mandrel are adjacent each other and dispensing and roll transfer can occur, and a protruded position wherein space is provided between respective ends of the storage and dispensing mandrels to allow reloading of the storage and dispensing sections.

Apparatus for dispensing rolled flexible sheet material

A dispenser for flexible sheet material rolls in which a first roll is supported in a dispensing position, a second roll is supported in a reserve position and a roll transfer apparatus is operative to transfer the second roll to the dispensing position upon depletion of sheet material from the first roll with the supporting arrangement for the roll in the dispensing position being rotatable with such roll and thereby subject to significantly reduced friction effects. The described dispenser organization also includes a novel arrangement for retaining the cores and spindles of spent rolls within the dispenser until the closure cover is opened for replenishing the dispenser with fresh rolls whereupon, by opening the cover, the spent residual roll elements are automatically deposited into the opened cover that forms a receptacle from whence the elements can be retrieved for disposal and following which the dispenser organization is automatically returned to its operative condition in a single step upon simply closing the closure cover. In order to retard the fall of a roll to the dispensing position, and thereby avoid injury or unpleasant surprise to a user and reduce noise upon roll transfer, a star wheel may be mounted to be contacted and rotated by a falling roll.

Dispenser for flexible sheet material

A dispenser for flexible sheet material rolls in which a first roll is supported in a dispensing position, a second roll is supported in a reserve position and a roll transfer apparatus is operative to transfer the second roll to the dispensing position upon depletion of sheet material from the first roll with the supporting arrangement for the roll in the dispensing postion being rotatable with such roll and thereby subject to significantly reduced friction effects. The described dispenser organization also includes a novel arrangement for retaining the cores and spindles of spent rolls within the dispenser until the closure cover is opened for replenishing the dispenser with fresh rolls whereupon, by opening the cover, the spent residual roll elements are automatically deposited into the opened cover that forms a receptacle from whence the elements can be retrieved for disposal and following which the dispenser organization is automatically returned to its operative condition in a single step upon simply closing the closure cover.

A load measuring apparatus is, in preferred embodiments, pre-assembled in a ready-to-use, portable assembly and comprises a load bearing body providing a deformable link between a shaft housing (such as a valve operator) and a shaft which moves relative to the housing, and which deformable, load bearing body functions as the support for a shaft engaging element of the invented device; and also comprises strain gauges measuring the deformation of the load bearing body, which deformation is related to the thrust of the shaft; load measuring apparatus operating in association with a signal conditioning device and display/recording device by which measurements are conveyed and interpreted; in the preferred embodiment, the load measuring apparatus includes an overload shear washer incorporated to prevent damage to the shaft housing by shearing away and allowing continued, unblocked movement of the shaft.

Quickly installed load measuring apparatus and associated system

A load measuring apparatus is, in preferred embodiments, preassembled in a ready-to-use, portable assembly and comprises a load bearing body providing a deformable link between a shaft housing (such as a valve operator) and a shaft which moves relative to the housing, and which deformable, load bearing body functions as the support for a shaft engaging element of the invented device; and also comprises strain gauges measuring the deformation of the load bearing body, which deformation is related to the thrust of the shaft; load measuring apparatus operating in association with a signal conditioning device and display/recording device by which measurements are conveyed and interpreted; in the preferred embodiment, the load measuring apparatus includes an overload shear washer incorporated to prevent damage to the shaft housing by shearing away and allowing continued, unblocked movement of the shaft.

An apparatus and method for achieving variable observation angles by a single transducer rotationally and pivotally mounted with a housing; and for utilizing the variable angle transducer to detect and trace the distance of unseen objects within a casing from the transducer by moving the transducer within its housing which is held stationary against the casing; and for determining the angle of observation between the transducer and the observed object; and thereby accurately determining the relative position and orientation of the object within the casing.

Growing community of inventors

Acworth, GA, United States of America

Bruce T Boone