Towel dispensing system including a bracket and water-resistant container with a handle
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing towel dispensing systems lack a convenient and secure method for suspending a roll of towels from a support surface, making one-handed retrieval difficult and prone to the container being pulled off during use.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a container with a handle and a bracket that mounts to a support surface, allowing the container to be suspended with the dispensing opening facing towards the ground, featuring a lid with teeth for easy sheet separation and a bracket that secures the container in place, enabling one-handed towel retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a towel dispenser is mounted on a wall without a secure suspension mechanism, then it is simple to install, but the container can be pulled off during use and one-handed retrieval is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
A bracket serves as an intermediary component between the wall and the container. The bracket includes a mounting plate with mounting holes for wall attachment and a container-receiving portion that secures the container body, providing stable suspension without requiring direct wall mounting of the container itself.
2Ease of operation
If the dispensing opening faces upward, then the container structure is simple, but two-handed operation is required and towels may fall out
Solution Approach 1:
The dispensing opening is inverted to face downward instead of upward. The lid is configured with a downward-facing opening that allows towels to be dispensed in a downward direction, enabling one-handed operation and preventing towels from falling out due to gravity assisting containment.
3Ease of operation
If towels are dispensed from a roll without sheet separation features, then the dispensing mechanism is simple, but sheets cannot be easily separated for use
Solution Approach 1:
The lid is provided with teeth or ridges that locally concentrate stress at specific points along the towel sheet. These localized features facilitate easy tearing and separation of individual sheets from the roll without requiring complex mechanical cutting mechanisms.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Systems and methods for dispensing towels. In one embodiment, the system includes a container configured to receive a roll of towels, and a bracket configured to mount to a support surface. The bracket engages the container to alternately suspend the container from the support surface in a first orientation and in a second orientation that is different than the first orientation.