Multiple Roll Tissue Dispenser with Automatic Carriage Advancement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multiple roll tissue dispensers face issues with security, sanitation, and operational efficiency, including susceptibility to theft, vandalism, premature roll access, user confusion, and service challenges due to non-intuitive mechanisms and deviations in tissue material qualities.
Innovation Solution
A dispenser assembly with a movable carriage that automatically transitions between positions to dispense rolls sequentially, using a retention member and load bar to facilitate touchless access to subsequent rolls, and a cover for reloading, ensuring secure and sanitary operation with minimal user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple rolls are provided in a fully open or exposed configuration, then users can readily assess the availability of tissue material, but the rolls become susceptible to theft, vandalism, and sanitary contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser divides multiple rolls into separate compartments within an enclosed cabinet, with each roll independently accessible through individual openings. This segmentation allows users to assess and access specific rolls without exposing all rolls to potential contamination or theft.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements an enclosed cabinet structure that contains multiple rolls nested within it. The cabinet acts as a protective outer layer that secures the rolls while still allowing controlled access through openings, effectively nesting the rolls within a protective enclosure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If lock or stop features are used to prevent advancement of subsequent rolls until current roll is depleted, then security and sanitation are improved, but user confusion and improper operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser employs spring-loaded advancement mechanisms that automatically advance rolls without requiring user activation. The system serves itself by using the weight and rotation of depleted rolls to trigger automatic advancement of subsequent rolls through cam-follower interactions, eliminating the need for user confusion about when or how to advance rolls.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-configures the dispenser with multiple rolls in the cabinet before use. The advancement mechanisms are pre-set with springs and cams that will automatically advance the next roll when the current roll depletes, eliminating the need for users to make decisions about when to advance rolls.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If advancement mechanisms require user actuation of housing or feed mechanism, then roll advancement can be controlled, but sanitation is compromised and operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser uses automatic spring-loaded advancement mechanisms that require no user interaction. When a roll depletes, the spring mechanism automatically advances the next roll through cam-follower interactions, maintaining sanitation by keeping the cabinet enclosed while eliminating complex user actuation requirements.
4Productivity
If carriage is movable to allow automatic access to subsequent rolls, then service frequency is reduced and sanitation is maintained, but mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable carriage is equipped with automatic spring-loaded advancement mechanisms that use the weight and rotation of depleted rolls to trigger automatic advancement. The carriage moves along tracks within the cabinet, and the spring-cam system automatically positions subsequent rolls for dispensing without requiring external control, reducing service frequency while maintaining manageable complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A multiple roll tissue material dispenser assembly and method for forming a dispenser configured to dispense respective vertically stacked rolls of tissue material. The dispenser assembly includes a carriage that moveably cooperates with a support frame to allow dispensing access to a second vertically stacked roll of tissue material without outside interference. The carriage supports an actuator assembly that cooperates with a lower roll of tissue material and a channel defined by the support frame to allow selective access to an upper roll of tissue material. Depletion of the lower roll of tissue material effectuates rotation of the actuator to automatically effectuate the gravitationally downward slideable translation of the carriage relative to the support frame to allow access to an upper roll of tissue material supported by the carriage.