Folded paper towel dispenser
US6315155A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 9, 1999 |
| Grant date | Nov 13, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 9, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA47K10/424
- WIPO fieldFurniture, games
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
The device for dispensing multi-fold paper towels has a housing for holding a generally vertical stack of the paper towels and including a lower portion through which individual towels can be dispensed from the stack. The lower portion includes an elongated opening through which a fold of the bottommost towel can extend and be accessible for a user to grab and pull the bottommost towel from the stack. One side portion of the towels rest on a plurality of laterally spaced ribs or ramps located in the vicinity of the front edge of the opening and inclined at an angle upwardly and forwardly relative to the front edge. These ribs or ramps effectively transfer a portion of the pressure applied by the stack on the bottommost towel toward the rear, thereby reducing the force required to pull the bottommost towel from the stack. The opening preferably is shaped to cause the fold of the bottommost towel to assume a C-like shape and thereby reduce the amount of the fold readily accessible to a user.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.