Dual roll sheet product dispenser with compact design

Abstract

Dual roll sheet product dispensers of a compact design are provided herein. A sheet product dispenser comprises a first roll holder for a first product roll and a second roll holder for a second product roll. A housing includes a base portion and a cover that is movable relative to the base portion to define an open position and a closed position. A chassis is mounted between the first roll holder and the second roll holder and movable between a retracted position and an extended position. The chassis is movable to the extended position when the cover is in the open position. The chassis includes a first dispensing mechanism and a second dispensing mechanism.

1 . A sheet product dispenser comprising:
 a first roll holder configured to support a first product roll;   a second roll holder configured to support a second product roll;   a housing including a base portion and a cover, wherein the cover is movable relative to the base portion to define an open position and a closed position; and   a chassis movably mounted between the first roll holder and the second roll holder and movable between a retracted position and an extended position spaced apart from the retracted position, wherein the chassis is at least partially outside of the base portion when in the extended position, wherein the chassis is movable away from the base portion to the extended position when the cover is in the open position.   
     
     
         2 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the chassis comprises:
 a first dispensing mechanism comprising a first drive roller, wherein the first dispensing mechanism is configured to receive sheet product of the first product roll and dispense a portion of the sheet product of the first product roll; and   a second dispensing mechanism comprising a second drive roller, wherein the second dispensing mechanism is configured to receive sheet product of the second product roll and dispense a portion of the sheet product of the second product roll.   
     
     
         3 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein, when the chassis is in the retracted position, a user is unable to insert or remove a full size first product roll into the first roll holder or insert or remove a full size second product roll into the second roll holder, wherein, when the chassis is in the extended position, the user is able to insert or remove the full size first product roll into the first roll holder or insert or remove the full size second product roll into the second roll holder. 
     
     
         4 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein, when the chassis is in the retracted position, a first opening between a top edge of the base portion and a top edge of the chassis defines a first width that is less than a diameter of a full size first product roll and a second opening between a bottom edge of the base portion and a bottom edge of the chassis defines a first width that is less than a diameter of a full size second product roll, wherein, when the chassis is in the extended position, the first opening between the top edge of the base portion and the top edge of the chassis defines a second width that is greater than or equal to the diameter of the full size first product roll and the second opening between the bottom edge of the base portion and the bottom edge of the chassis defines a second width that is greater than or equal to the diameter of the full size second product roll. 
     
     
         5 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the first roll holder is mounted within the base portion at a first position, wherein the second roll holder is mounted within the base portion at a second position, wherein the first position is vertically above the second position. 
     
     
         6 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 5 , wherein the first roll holder is vertically aligned with the second roll holder. 
     
     
         7 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the chassis is movable from the retracted position to the extended position in a direction that is perpendicular to a plane corresponding to a wall that the sheet product dispenser is mounted on or within. 
     
     
         8 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the chassis automatically moves to the extended position as the cover moves to the open position. 
     
     
         9 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 8 , wherein the chassis is biased to the extended position. 
     
     
         10 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 8 , wherein the cover defines a chassis movement feature that is configured to interact with the chassis to cause movement of the chassis from the retracted position to the extended position. 
     
     
         11 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 10 , wherein the chassis comprises a chassis member with a curved first surface and a flat second surface, wherein the chassis member is configured to transition between a first position and a second position, wherein the chassis member is biased to the first position, wherein, when the chassis member is in the first position and the cover is in the closed position, the chassis movement feature is configured to run along the curved first surface during movement of the cover to the open position to cause the chassis to move to the extended position, wherein, when the chassis member is in the first position, the chassis is in the retracted position, and the cover is in the open position, the chassis movement feature is configured to push against the flat second surface during movement of the cover back to the closed position to cause the chassis member to pivot to the second position. 
     
     
         12 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 11 , wherein the chassis defines a guide pin and the chassis member defines a guide slot, wherein interaction of the chassis member guide pin within the guide slot guides transitioning of the chassis member between the first position and the second position. 
     
     
         13 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the chassis is configured to move to the extended position in response to receiving user input. 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the chassis is movably mounted in a center of the base portion. 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 16 , further comprising a controller and a plurality of conductive sensors distinctly positioned relative to a front surface of the cover, wherein a capacitance of each of the plurality of conductive sensors is measurable by the controller, wherein the controller is configured to:
 sense a relative capacitance of the plurality of conductive sensors;   determine an instance in which the relative capacitance indicates that a user is present within a sense zone relative to the cover, wherein the sense zone is vertically lower than the chassis and vertically above a bottom edge of the cover; and   cause, in response to determining that the user is present within the sense zone, a dispense operation to occur.   
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to:
 operate the sheet product dispenser to cause a dispense to occur according to parameters associated with the following: a dispense speed, a delay time period, a dispensed sheet length, and a type of dispense operation,
 wherein the dispense speed includes one of a low speed, a medium speed, and a high speed, 
 wherein the delay time period includes one of a short delay and a long delay, 
 wherein the dispensed sheet length includes one of a short length, a medium length, and a long length, 
 wherein the type of dispense operation includes a hang mode and a hand sense mode; 
   receive user input of a selection from among a plurality of selectable preset operation modes, wherein the plurality of selectable present operation modes includes at least a first operation mode, a second operation mode, and a third operation mode,
 wherein, in the first operation mode, the controller is configured to operate the sheet product dispenser according to the following first set of parameters: the medium speed, the short delay, the medium length, and the hand sense mode, 
 wherein, in the second operation mode, the controller is configured to operate the sheet product dispenser according to the following second set of parameters: the high speed, the short delay, the long length, and the hang mode, 
 wherein, in the third operation mode, the controller is configured to operate the sheet product dispenser according to the following third set of parameters: the low speed, the long delay, the short length, and the hand sense mode; and 
   cause operation of the sheet product dispenser in accordance with the selection from among the plurality of selectable preset operation modes.   
     
     
         22 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1 , wherein the first drive roller is movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is closer to a first pinch roller than the second position, wherein the first drive roller is biased toward the first pinch roller, wherein the second drive roller is movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first position is closer to a second pinch roller than the second position, wherein the second drive roller is biased toward the second pinch roller. 
     
     
         23 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 22 , wherein the first drive roller is driven by a gear or a belt that is pivotable about a first pivot point on the chassis to enable movement with the first drive roller, wherein the second drive roller is driven by a gear or a belt that is pivotable about a second pivot point on the chassis to enable movement with the second drive roller. 
     
     
         24 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1  further comprising a cover switch configured to sense when the cover moves from the closed position and a controller, wherein the controller is configured to:
 determine, based on data received from the cover switch, an instance in which the cover moves from the closed position; and 
 cause, in response to determining that the cover moved from the closed position, operation of the first dispensing mechanism to prompt a user to load sheet product therein. 
 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 1  further comprising a vibration sensor configured to sense vibration of a tear bar, wherein the tear bar is configured to vibrate during removal of a dispensed portion of the sheet product from the first product roll or a dispensed portion of the sheet product from the second product roll. 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . A sheet product dispenser comprising:
 a first roll holder configured to support a first product roll;   a housing including a base portion and a cover, wherein the cover is movable relative to the base portion to define an open position and a closed position; and   a chassis movably mounted to the base portion and movable between a retracted position and an extended position spaced apart from the retracted position, wherein the chassis is at least partially outside of the base portion when in the extended position, wherein the chassis is movable away from the base portion to the extended position when the cover is in the open position.   
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . A sheet product dispenser configured for mounting to or within a wall, the sheet product dispenser comprising:
 a first roll holder configured to support a first product roll;   a second roll holder configured to support a second product roll;   a housing including a base portion and a cover, wherein the cover is movable relative to the base portion to define an open position and a closed position; and   a chassis comprising:
 a first dispensing mechanism comprising a first drive roller, wherein the first dispensing mechanism is configured to receive sheet product of the first product roll and dispense a portion of the sheet product of the first product roll; and 
 a second dispensing mechanism comprising a second drive roller, wherein the second dispensing mechanism is configured to receive sheet product of the second product roll and dispense a portion of the sheet product of the second product roll, 
   wherein the housing is sized such that a full size first product roll and a full size second product roll fit within the housing when the cover is in the closed position, wherein the housing defines a volume of 1500 in. 3  or less, wherein the full size first product roll defines a diameter of at least 6.5 in., a width of 9.8 in. or less, and provides 500 feet or more of sheet product, wherein the full size second product roll defines a diameter of at least 6.5 in., a width of 9.8 in. or less, and provides 500 feet or more of sheet product.   
     
     
         34 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 33 , wherein the housing has a height of 15 inches or less and, when mounted in a recessed manner within the wall, extends 4 inches or less outwardly from the wall. 
     
     
         35 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 33  further comprising a movably mounted chassis between the first roll holder and the second roll holder, wherein the chassis is configured to move from a retracted position to an extended position to enable loading of a replacement full size first product roll or a replacement full size second product roll, wherein a distance between the retracted position and the extended position is 1.5 inches or less. 
     
     
         36 . The sheet product dispenser of  claim 33 , wherein the full size first product roll defines a diameter of at least 6.7 in., a width of 8.2 in. or less, and provides 550 feet or more of sheet product, wherein the full size second product roll defines a diameter of at least 6.7 in., a width of 8.2 in. or less, and provides 550 feet or more of sheet product. 
     
     
         37 . (canceled) 
     
     
         38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . (canceled)