MX2008007255A - Supply package for use in an apparatus for dispensing sheet material and an apparatus for dispensing sheet material - Google Patents

Abstract

Supply package and apparatus for dispensing sheet material comprising a housing (82) arranged for receiving a supply of sheet material (1), a feed mechanism (2) for advancing said sheet material through a discharge opening (100) of said housing (82), a motor (3) for driving said feed mechanism (2) and a controller (4) for powering the motor (3) to drive the feed mechanism.

Description

PACKAGE OF SUPPLY FOR USE IN A DEVICE TO DISPATCH MATERIAL OF LEAF AND APPARATUS TO DISPATCH THE LEAF MATERIAL.

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to a supply package for an apparatus for dispensing sheet material according to the preamble of claim 1. In particular, the invention relates to a supply package for use in an apparatus for dispensing a continuous web of sheet material from a supply of sheet material, notably from a supply in the form of a roll, by the use of a motor coupled with a feeding mechanism that dispenses the sheet material with the activation of the motor in dependence of the information stored in a memory circuit in a radio frequency identification tag applied in the supply package. The invention also relates to an apparatus for dispensing sheet material according to the preamble of claim 13.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND Dispatchers to dispatch material from ho a are well known in the art. Dispatchers are operated manually, that is, the material from ho to be fed from the dispenser by manual activation, either directly on paper or in a manually driven, or automatically operated feeding mechanism. In the case where the dispenser is operated automatically, an engine is included in the dispenser to operate a feed mechanism. The present invention relates to a supply package for an automatically operated dispenser that includes a motor and a feeding mechanism. Generally, automatic dispensers for dispensing sheet material can be divided into two separate groups, i.e., dispensers suitable for dispensing individual pre-cut towels that are stacked in a supply in a folded or unfolded form and suitable dispensers for dispensing the sheet material from a continuous roll, whose material is cut into pieces of suitable length. The cutting action can be manual, for example, when cutting with a serrated saw blade, or automatic. In the case where the cutting action is automatic, a blade and a knife drive mechanism are incorporated in the device. An example of an automatic dispenser for material from ho a is known from O00 / 63100. O00 / 63100 refers to an apparatus for dispensing a continuous ribbon of paper from sheet material from a continuous roll, which apparatus comprises a housing having an aperture of discharge, a support for rotatably supporting a roll of paper, a feeding mechanism for advancing the material of ho a and a controller for driving the motor to drive the feeding mechanism. The controller allows the automatic dispatch of a predetermined but still variable paper length. In addition, the controller is used to monitor the use and function of the dispatcher. The controller communicates by means of a bicolor emitting LED of IR with a portable device with an integrated transceiver of IR. The updating of the parameters of the system such as the towel length, the distribution delay and the operation mode are carried out by manually pressing push buttons arranged in a control panel arranged in the dispenser. When dealing with numerous dispatchers to ensure dispatchers are operational and that their supplies of material do not remain empty for unnecessarily long periods of time, it is important that the period of time required for each station's service be as small as possible and that the need for maintenance, such as replacement of supply, is effectively communicated to the management team. The supply of hoa material for dispatchers generally comes in different lengths depending on the individual variation as well as the quality and type of sheet material used. The operation of a system of numerous dispatchers of the type described in WO00 / 63100 can take a long time for an operator, which must ensure that the size of the supply registered in the control system corresponds to the current size of the supply that is loaded in the dispenser. To ensure proper operation, the operator must check the recorded value of the supply size and compare the size with the current size of the spare part, both of which operations are tedious, time-consuming and require attention to not perform erroneously. First, it is common for the lengths of supplies to be observed only on pallets in which individual supplies are provided either in boxes or in packages in which supplies are provided. Supplies are separated from this package material before they are brought to the dispatcher. The operator therefore can not have access to correct information when the dispatcher is replaced. In addition, the update procedure requires a lot of time since the operator must select the operation mode and increase or decrease the size of the registered supply by pressing the push buttons several times. Additionally, the control system of the type described in O00 / 63100 is relatively easy to manipulate, since the control buttons to set the The dispatcher's operational parameters are provided in a control panel in the dispatcher. A risk for unauthorized manipulation of the system therefore exists. Finally, if it is still possible, it may take a long time for an operator to remove a supply which has been in use in a dispenser and therefore is not of original size and use it as a spare in another dispenser, since the Operator may have to access the current length of supply, which may not be possible and enter this data into the system, which requires a lot of time. In US2005 / 0145745, an apparatus for dispensing sheet material according to the preamble of claim 13 are described. The sheet material dispenser described herein includes a controller for automatically controlling the lengths of sheet materials dispensed from a continuous roll by identifying the type of sheet material in the roll and dispensing the appropriate lengths of identified sheet material. The dispenser has a support for rotatably supporting a roll of sheet material carrying identification that refers to the type of sheet material in the roll, and an identifier placed on or adjacent to the dispenser to identify the type of sheet material in the roll. . The identifier can be a radio frequency identification tag (RFID) A processor receives the identifier data, processes the data and generates a command produced, and a controller controls the lengths of the sheet material dispensed from the roll in response to the command produced. In this way, more absorbent products can be shipped in shorter lengths and less absorbent products can be shipped in longer lengths. The dispenser described in US2005 / 0145745 allows efficient management of sheet material resources since the feeding of the sheet material can be adapted to the type of material used and since the dispenser can be programmed to reduce paper waste in a situation different. Even so, the use of complex identifiers such as RFID tags has presented additional problems since this type of identifiers includes components formed of metals, semiconductor plastics and other materials that may require special attention when they are recycled. Recycling is used to reduce the environmental burden of commercial and industrial activities. In the paper industry, recycling is widely spread. For example, it is common to recycle used paper towels for further use as a starting material in the paper industry. The cores used in paper rolls can also be recycled and worry about negative environmental impacts.

Although the use of RFID tags can improve the efficiency and level of service of the dispatchers, it is important that an easy and efficient recycling can be guaranteed. By introducing an RFID tag into the core as already suggested in US2005 / 0145745, the recycling of the core element becomes difficult. The fact that the central element is made of paper can lead consumers to try to recycle the core along with other formed paper products, which can lead to the RFID circuit that includes metals, semiconductors and plastics to contaminate the material. Paper and complex circuits are destroyed in the paper recycling process, which is negative in a recycling aspect. It is also known that RFID circuits in waste material can influence the function of adjacent equipment in a intended manner.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to provide a dispenser supply package that allows the efficient and accurate handling of spare supplies, so that the estimated time consumption to handle large numbers of dispatchers is reduced and where the risk to enter inaccurate data in the system is low. A further object of the invention is to provide a supply package for its use in a dispenser, whose supply package allows easy and efficient recycling. These two objects are achieved by a supply package according to the characterization portion of claim 1. According to the invention, the supply package includes a supply of sheet material and a support element which is attached to the supply of material in such a way that it can be released from the supply of sheet material before the supply of sheet material is emptied, the support element can therefore be transferred between different supplies of sheet material and be arranged to cooperate with a connector device disposed in the apparatus for locating the supply of sheet material in a dispensing position in the apparatus. The support element includes a radio frequency identification tag, which includes an antenna and a memory circuit, whose antenna is adapted to communicate with a radiofrequency identification base station disposed in the dispatcher, and whose memory circuit contains adapted stored information. to be read by a controller in the dispatcher. Since the support element is releasably attached to the supply of sheet material, the support element can be reused to carry additional supplies, which reduces the environmental load of the support in the sense of conventional life cycle analysis. In the case where the support element is reused in the current form, that is to say that it is not recycled as starting material, but is joined to a new supply of material from ho a, the radio frequency tag has to be unblocked from a state which defines the supply as empty before the label is reused. The use of a support that can be attached to the supply of sheet material at a later stage of the manufacturing process of the material supply of ho a, preferably after the supply of sheet material is complete, which in the case of having to do with a stack of paper towels, it can mean that the stack includes the intended number of paper towels and in the case where it has to do with a roll of paper, the roll is formed in its intended size. The subsequent attachment of the support element to the supply of sheet material means that it is possible to use a more limited number of support elements than the current number of supplies of sheet material since the support element can be reused repeatedly. Therefore, it may be advantageous to join the support element immediately before packaging the supplies for delivery to the consumers. In a preferred embodiment, the support element intended for a supply of sheet material in the form of a roll of sheet material wrapped in a core, has a cylindrical outer shell and two end portions. In this case, the support element is preferably constituted by at least one end cap releasably inserted in the core at one of the end portions to provide a support for the core in a connector device disposed in the dispenser. It is also possible, in the case where a coreless roll is used to provide a support element which engages the roll in a side portion thereof at a central position to form the axis of rotation of the roll. The support element can extend through the full width of the roll along the axis of rotation so that it projects on both sides of the roll to form a support for the rotation of the roll at both ends of the support element, or it can be formed by two separate support elements each being inserted into opposite lateral portions of the roll. In this case, it is sufficient that one of the support elements includes an RFID tag. In the case where the supply of sheet material is constituted by a roll with or without a core, it is generally preferable that the support member includes a roll engaging portion which, during use, extends into the roll further. beyond the end faces of the roll and a projection portion extending away from the end face to constitute a support to be carried by a connector device, for example, in the form of a carrier, arranged in the dispenser. In the case where the supply of sheet material is in the form of a solid or roll without a core, having a cylindrical outer shell and two end portions, the support member is preferably constituted by an adapter having a first adapted end to be attached to the connector device and a second end which includes a flat surface coated with adhesive by which it is adapted to be attached to the end portion of the roll. In the case where the supply of sheet material is in the form of a coreless roll, having a cylindrical outer shell and two end portions, the support member is preferably constituted by an adapter having a first end adapted to be attached to the connector device and a second end including a projection, which preferably has a cone shape, the projection is inserted into a central opening provided in the end portions of the roll. Alternatively, the sheet material supply may take the form of a stack of sheets in a cartridge containing one or more stacks of sheets. In a preferred embodiment, the support element is the cartridge or at least part of the cartridge, preferably the lower portion inside the cartridge. In one embodiment, the sheet material supply is in the form of a bundle of a continuous length of paper web folded into an accordion shape of sheet material. A plurality of such bales can be placed one above the other and connected to each other by connection means which can be provided in the form of an adhesive connecting an end portion of a bale with the beginning of the next bale. The invention also relates to a dispenser for dispensing sheet material. A dispenser according to the invention uses a controller to drive a motor coupled to a feed mechanism for feeding the sheet material, which controller is provided with a radio frequency building base station (RFID) having an antenna which is adapted for communication with an antenna on a radio frequency identification label applied in the supply package. When the supply is loaded into the dispenser, the RFID base station downloads the information stored in a memory circuit arranged on the RFID tag. The apparatus includes a connector device for locating the supply of sheet material to receive from the sheet material supply disposed in a releasable manner the support element carrying a radio frequency identification tag. In a further embodiment of the invention the support member after the supply of sheet material has been exhausted, can be automatically collected by the dispenser for recycling. In the case where a roll with a core is used, an automatic separation of the core and the support element can take place. This separation can be effected by pushing the core in the axial extension of the core away from the support element while maintaining the position of the support element. This can be done by a lever actuated when a controller arranged in the dispenser has concluded that the roll is empty. In the case where a split core is used, it is possible to separate the core from the support element only by allowing the split core to fall from its active position when the last piece of sheet material is removed and the two or more pieces forming the core separate. In one embodiment, the support element can have a coupling portion, which has a short conical portion with its narrow end engaging the core, the support element can be released by allowing the core parts to fall as soon as the last layer of the sheet material is removed. The support element can after its release from the nucleus fall into a compartment of separate storage in the dispenser. In the case where a roll without core is used, the support element can only be dropped into a storage compartment when the support member is released from the paper. In this case, it is advantageous to form the support element with a cone-shaped roll coupling portion. The controller can then use the information downloaded to determine the drive routines for the motor arranged to feed the sheet material. As an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the RFID tag memory may contain the following information: The control data is used in a conventional way to ensure reliable and secure communication. A status field can be used to check whether the roll is empty or not. An ID field is used to identify the particular supply or type of supply used in the dispenser. A Size field can be used for information on the size of the supply. The Size field can be updated continuously or alternatively only contain information about the size of the supply when the supply is complete. A quality field can be used to indicate the type and quality of the sheet material. In the last developed embodiment of the invention, the RFID tag memory can only make use of an ID field where the identity of the roll or the type of roll is stored as a code. In this case, the controller must be provided with a memory or communication link where information regarding the size of a supply of the type or identity of supply that has been identified by the information read from the ID field on the RFID tag is stored. . In another modality, the memory of the label of RFID can only make use of a Size field from which the RFID base station can read the information regarding the size of the supply, where after the controller can adapt the drive routines for the engine accordingly. The Preference Size field can be continuously updated from the RFID base station as the controller generates information about the amount of sheet material that has been shipped.

Alternatively, the controller can download information about the size of the supply and then perform calculations that determine the resulting size of supplies without updating the Size field In this case, it is preferred that a State field be updated from No Vacuum to Empty, when the calculations show that the supply is empty. Preferably, the controller is arranged to include a control function which upon detection that the supply is empty, update a status field provided in the memory circuit from a value indicating that the supply is not present. empty, to a value that the supply is empty and that the control function prevents updating the value of the status field as soon as it has assumed that the value indicates that the supply is empty. The information downloaded from the memory of the RFID tag according to the described modes can be used by the controller to prevent the motor from driving the feed mechanism with an empty roll. This saves energy and cost to maintain the operation of the dispatchers. This is the particular importance when the motor is driven by batteries, which is usually the case. To ensure such a long run time of the dispensers without the need to replace batteries frequently unnecessarily, the drive of the motor when the supply is empty should be avoided. A form that allows the motor to drive the feeding mechanism depending on the information stored in a memory circuit on the radio frequency identification label is to avoid in this way that the motor is activated when the supply is empty. Another way that allows the motor to drive the feeding mechanism depending on the stored information of a memory circuit in the radio frequency identification tag can be to prevent the motor from being driven when the supply is not suitable for use in the type of Dispatcher in which the supply is loaded. This can be particularly critical when the dispenser is of the type that contains individual material towels or large individual ones., which are stacked one on top of the other and possibly bend and connect with each other to allow the dispatch of one towel at a time. In this case, the drive mechanism is often adapted to the type of towels and the shape in which they are folded. The motor must therefore prevent it from operating the feed mechanism when the controller has not identified that an adequate type of supply has been installed in the dispenser. A further example of allowing the motor to drive the feed mechanism in dependence on the information stored in a memory circuit in the radio frequency identification tag may be to allow the controller to drive the motor at different speeds depending on the quality of the material in he supply A final example of allowing the motor to drive the feeding mechanism and independence of the information stored in a memory circuit may be to adapt the length of a continuous paper web dispensed from the sheet material depending on how much material remains in the supply. In this way, it may be possible to discharge a first comfortable length until the supply is almost empty and then discharge a shorter length while awaiting the replacement of the roll. The memory circuit of the RFID tag can be used in accordance with different modalities of only one ID field, only one length field, only one status field and various combinations such as a length field combined with a status field , a state field combined with an ID field, a combined length field with an ID field, the ID field, combined length and state, or any other combination of the field mentioned in the above. According to one embodiment of the invention, the dispenser may additionally include a separate detector arranged to detect when the supply is empty. This type of detector is not necessary when the individual variation of the size of supplies in the same type of supply is small, so that the size which is determined from the RFID tag is accurate enough or when the value of the size stored in the supply explains the individual variation by individually assigning a value when the supply is full. However, if there is a large individual variation within the same type of supply and where this variation is not explained when the supply is packaged, a detector can be used to determine exactly when the supply is empty. In the case where a sensor is used, the controller may allow the dispatch of the sheet material even after the calculations indicate that the supply is empty. After this, the preference status field may be updated from "non-empty" to "empty" and the engine may be blocked from the additional operation. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the sensor can be an optical detector arranged to detect the optical appearance of the sheet material whereby the optical detector can be arranged to produce output signals depending on whether the sheet material is empty or not. It is also possible to use a mechanical detector in the form of a switch or a mechanical arm that detects the level of supply to detect whether the supply is empty or not. To ensure good signal quality between the RFID base station and the RFID tag without the need for excessive power consumption and / or the antenna size of the label and the base station, the position of the label and the base stations is of importance. In a preferred embodiment, the dispenser is used to dispatch sheet material from a roll containing a continuous paper web of sheet material. In this case, the housing includes a support member that allows the rotation of the roll about an axis of symmetry of the roll. The antenna of the radiofrequency identification base station, in order to ensure close contact with the tag, is preferably mounted in the housing within an area arranged in close contact with an axial extension of the symmetry ee. This close contact can advantageously be achieved in a dispenser that includes a support surface arranged to support an end portion of a core on which the supply of sheet material is wound when mounting the radio frequency identification base station antenna on the surface of support within an area corresponding to an axial extension of the core. Preferably, the antenna of the radiofrequency identification base station is essentially two-dimensional and extends in a plane which is essentially perpendicular to an axis extending along an axis of axial length of the core when mounted in accommodation. However, it is also possible to arrange antenna in three dimensions, for example as an arrangement or as a spirally wound antenna. In the case where the dispenser is provided with an optical detector to determine the paper cut, the sheet material supply preferably includes a marker which is covered with the sheet material when the supply is not empty and whose label is exposes when the supply is empty, the marker has optical characteristics different from the sheet material that allow an optical detector to detect an empty supply. In the case where the supply of sheet material is in the form of a roll of sheet material applied to a core, the core can advantageously constitute the marker by having an optical characteristic different from that of the sheet material. In order to ensure a good quality of communication between the label and the base station when the supply of sheet material is in the form of a roll having a cylindrical outer shell and two end surfaces, it is advantageous to apply the radio frequency identification label on a central portion of at least one of the end surfaces. In the case that the core is provided with at least one end cap, it is advantageous to apply the identification tag on an end cap. The invention also relates to a system for be aware of the need to fill empty supplies in sheet material dispensers whose system includes a set of dispensers as described above, where the set of appliances includes a number of groups of appliances where each group of appliances includes a wireless transmission link communicating with a base station, the base station is connected by signals to a server unit arranged to be aware of the need to fill the individual devices in the set of apparatuses. Since dispatchers of the type described above are usually operated on batteries, they do not have access to electrical and data networks. In the case where a group of dispatchers, whose group can be composed of a single dispatcher, has access to a wireless transmission link with a base station, separate threads are not required for the individual dispatchers. The base station can connect to a server through existing data networks. By organizing the system in this way, it is not necessary to rebuild existing data communication networks when such a system is implemented in, for example, large office buildings. The dispenser can be controlled according to a method for dispensing the sheet material from a dispenser, which method includes the following method steps performed by a controller comprised in the Dispatcher: - use a radio-frequency identification base station included in the controller to communicate with an antenna on a radio frequency identification label applied to a supply of leaf material; downloading information from a memory cell disposed on the radio frequency identification tag to the radio frequency identification base station; and allow the motor to drive the feeding mechanism in dependence on the information downloaded. In preferred embodiments, the controller can also ensure that the following method steps, alone or in combination: An optical detector that detects the optical appearance of the material so that the optical detector produces output signals depending on whether the supply of sheet material is empty or not, whose output signals are used by the controller. - The controller blocks the additional operation of the motor when a signal indicating that the supply of sheet material is empty has occurred. - The controller includes a control function which with the detection that the supply is empty, update a status field provided in the memory circuit from a value indicating that the supply is not empty to a value that the supply is empty and that the control function prevents the discharge of the status field value as soon as it has assumed that the value indicates that the supply is empty. The control is aware of the amount of material fed into it from the supply and retrieves the information indicating the size of the supply from the memory circuit on the radio frequency identification label applied to the sheet material supply. - The controller calculates the amount of sheet material remaining in the supply by reducing the size of the supply with the amount of the sheet material fed from the supply. The radiofrequency identification base station transmits a value representing the amount of sheet material remaining in the supply to the radio frequency identification label and that value is recorded in a field of the memory circuit representing the remaining size of the supply. The controller, with the detection that the supply is empty, transmits a signal indicating that the supply is empty to the radio frequency identification label for storage in its circuit. memory BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS One embodiment of the invention will be described in detail in the following, with references to the following drawings, wherein: Figure 1 shows a schematic drawing of a dispenser according to the invention provided with a supply of sheet material in the form of a roll of paper, Figure 2 shows a system for being aware of the need to fill empty supplies in sheet material dispensers according to the invention, Figure 3 shows a memory map of a label of commercially available RFID suitable for this application, Figure 4 shows a suggested distribution of memory addresses according to one embodiment of the invention, Figure 5 shows the housing of a state-of-the-art dispatcher in which a controller can be mounted according to the invention, Figure 6 shows a sectional view of a dispenser according to Figure 7a-c, Figure 1 ra 7a shows the position of a RFID transponder in the side wall of the housing, Figure 7b shows alternative positions of the antenna, Figure 7c shows a coordinate system for defining the proper placement of the antenna, Figures 8 a-i show a supply of sheet material according to different embodiments of the invention, Figures 9 a-b show flow diagrams for methods for dispensing sheet material according to the invention.

MODALITIES OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 shows an apparatus for dispensing material from ho to comprising a housing (not shown) arranged to receive a supply of sheet material 1, a feeding mechanism 2 for advancing the sheet material through a discharge opening (not shown) of the housing, a motor 3 for driving the feeding mechanism and a controller 4 for driving the motor to drive the feeding mechanism. The supply of material 1 from ho to is provided in the form of a continuous paper web provided as a roll. The feed mechanism 2 can be arranged as shown in Figure 1 as an output shaft 2 of the engine 3, whose output e is directly or indirectly by the coupling means coupling the roll. Other types of drive mechanisms are well known in the art. For example, it is common to use transmission means between the motor and the coupling means which engages the supply for dispensing the sheet material. The controller 4 includes a control unit 5 which communicates with a motor control block 6, an RFID base station 7 in the form of a transceiver and a user interface 8. The motor 3 is connected to a power supply 9. The control of the operation of the motor 3, that is to say the determination of the execution time for the motor to be able to allow a certain dispatch of the paper from the supply with a request to feed the sheet material, the optional control of the speed of actuation of the motor. motor, is performed by the motor control 6 using input data from the control microunit 5. The communication between the motor 3 and the motor control can be bidirectional where the signals of the motor control are transmitted to the motor 3 and the feedback signals of for example a rotary encoder 14 determine the angular displacement of the output shaft of the motor to determine the length of the sheet material dispensed during the operation of the motor.

The controller 4 is arranged to allow the motor 3 to drive the feed mechanism 2 depending on the information stored in a memory circuit 10 in a radio frequency identification tag 11 applied in the supply of sheet material 1. The RFID base station 7 therefore collects information from a memory circuit 10 in a radio frequency identification tag 11 that establishes communication between an antenna 12 included in the base RFID station 7 and an antenna 13 included in the tag 11. of RFID. The base RFID station 7 downloads information from the memory circuit 10 of the RFID tag 11. The downloaded information is then processed by the control micro-unit 5 and used to create control signals for the motor control block 6. The downloaded information can be stored in a non-volatile memory arranged in the controller. Optionally, the dispenser is provided with an optical detector 15, 16 which can be constituted by a light-emitting diode 15 and a detected light of the detector 16 reflected in the supply of material from h to alternatively reflected by an empty supply. An optical microscope 17 is arranged to separate signal values from the detector to establish whether the supply is empty or not. The optical interface is connected by signals to the control microunit. To facilitate the detection of whether the supply of sheet material is empty or not, the sheet material supply may include a marker M (see Figures 8b and 8c for illustrative examples) which is covered with sheet material when the supply is not empty and whose marker is exposed when the The supply is empty, the marker has different optical characteristics of the sheet material that allow an optical detector to detect an empty supply. The dispatcher may also optionally include a communication interface 8a which according to a preferred embodiment supports a wireless communication between the communication interface and a base station. The user interface is shown in the embodiment in FIG. 1 constituted by a button 18 and two LEDs 19, 20. The push button 18 activates the paper feed in the case where a valid paper roll is inserted and is not inserted. empty . In Figure 2, a system to be aware of the need to fill empty supplies in material dispensers has been shown. The system includes a set of dispatchers 20 according to the invention as defined above. The set of apparatuses includes a number of groups 21a, 21b of apparatuses where each group 21a, 21b of apparatuses includes a link 22a, 22b of wireless transmission communicating with a room base station 23. A base station 23 room is available to communicate with one or more groups of apparatuses, typically one or more groups of apparatuses arranged in a single room. The wireless transmission link may be of any known type. The wireless communication link includes a transmitter or transceiver 24 arranged in each group of dispatchers, whose transceiver communicates with a transceiver receiver 25 in the base station. Each room base station 23 is connected by signals to a server unit 26. The server unit 26 can be arranged as a set of floor base stations 27 each being connected to a main server 28. A floor base station 27 acts as a link port for a network and connects to one or more room base stations with a main server 28. The communication between the room base stations 23 and the base floor stations 27 can be wireless or wired. The server 28 or the server unit 26 is arranged to be aware of the need to fill the individual devices in a set of apparatuses. A commercially available label suitable for use in conjunction with a dispenser according to the invention is the Emmapn 4450 label supplied by EM Microelectronic. This tag is configured to communicate with an Emmarm EM4095 base station supplied by EM Microelectronic. Both circuits are well known by people with experience in the technique and will not be described in more detail. In Figure 3, a memory map of the label is shown. The memory, the first address, word 0, constitutes the password, the second address, word 1, constitutes the word of protection and the third address, word 2 constitutes the control word. The control word includes 32 bits assigned as follows: 0-7 First Word read 8-15 Last Word read 16 Password check On / Off 17 Read After Writing On / Off 18-31 User available On means bit set in logic "1" Off means bit set in logic "0" The protection word includes 32 bits assigned as follows: 0-7 First Word Read Protected 8-15 Last Word Read 16-23 First Word Written hindered 24-31 Last Written Word impeded The password is written only with no read access. The identification word of the device and the words of the serial number can only be read with Laser programming and can not be altered. The user data is available between address 3 and address 31 arranged as 32 bits per memory address. In Figure 4 a suitable way to allocate memory spaces is described. The different addresses contain the following contents: Password, Protection word, Control word, Roll paper status, Product ID, Production date; Paper length or Number of sheets, Weight calculation factor, Contact information and / or customer link, User information, Device serial number, Device identification. The weight calculation factor provides a map between the amount of sheets used or the length used and the weight of the sheet material consumed. Figure 5 shows the housing of a dispenser of the state of the art in which a controller according to the invention can be mounted. The figure shows a perspective view of a sensor-operated electrical dispatch device 80 in the form of a paper towel dispenser with integrated paper roll. Dispatcher device 80 has a housing 82 comprising a canopy cover 84 and a rear panel 86 that can be attached to a mounting wall (not shown). The cover 84 is rotatably secured to the rear panel 86. The awning-type cover 84 comprises an upper side 88, a front side 90, a lower side 92 and side surfaces 94, 96. Generally, the surface of the awning-type cover 84 is closed, is smooth and bright with the individual sides 88, 90, 92 being at different angles with respect to each other, so that a characteristic and dynamic appearance is obtained. In particular, the upper side 88 tilts slightly towards the viewer at an angle of preference around 8 degrees, so that the placement or abandonment of objects such as cigars and other cylindrical objects is avoided. An intermediate transition area 98 is provided between the upper side 88 and the front side 90 and is inclined towards the mounting wall so that the optical appearance of the awning-type cover 84 correlates with a removal opening 100 for the towel removal arranged in the lower part of the front side 90. The housing 82 shown in FIGURE 5 is a housing for an electrically operated dispatch device with sensor activation. For the visual indication of the removal aperture 100 and for the location of a sensor field 101, two recesses 102, 104 that run hopzontally are provided on the front side 90 of the cover 84. These are semicircular and protruding type notches that divide the dispenser housing 82 in the gold section, so that a balanced appearance is obtained. The recesses 102, 104 designated as notches of semicircular cross section have a radius selected so that a perfect cleaning of the surface of the housing is obtained. In addition to the informative nature of the recesses 102, 104 as notches, they also increase the rigidity of the component, in particular the front side 90. To avoid a direct view towards the removal opening 100, the section 106 of the surface of the housing in which the removal opening 100 is provided also inclines towards the mounting wall (not shown). The back panel 86 is completely enclosed by the awning-type cover 84, so that it is not visible in the assembled state. A complete ring (not shown) on the back side of the dispenser ensures a gap of approximately 2.5 mm from the mounting wall, so that splashed water, condensation, etc. it can run unimpeded and not enter the dispenser 80. FIGURE 6 shows a cross section through the electrically operated dispatch device 80 according to FIGURE 5. The dispatch device 80 can have a capacitive sensor 108, which in the modality it is arranged directly behind the front side 90. In particular, the capacitive sensor 108 has a two-dimensional electrode 110 and a counter-electrode 112 disposed behind a sensor field 101 which is particularly emphasized by the notches 102 and 104 running horizontally on the front side. The disposition of the capacitive sensor 108 on the front side allows considerably more user-friendly handling compared to the prior art dispensing devices, since the sensor does not necessarily have to be arranged on the side. The electrodes 110, 112 run in parallel or approximately parallel to the sensor field 101 in at least some areas. The sensor field 101 can cover the entire width of the housing. Also, the sensor field may be in the area of the front and side splice surfaces 90, 96 of the housing 82 and in the area of an edge of the housing 82. The capacitive sensor 108 is connected to an evaluation circuit arranged in a printed circuit board. A connector device 116 in the form of a carrier extending from the rear panel 86 is provided and supports a roller 118 for receiving a roll of towels, in particular a roll of paper (not shown). For dispensing a section of the roll from the removal opening 100, a feed mechanism 120 is provided.

The feed mechanism 120 comprises an extractor roller 124 disposed on an opposite shaft 122 in which a drive roller 128 is disposed, also on an ee 126. In a space 130 formed between the extractor roller 124 and the driving roller 128, inserts a paper tape to be transported (not shown), and is passed out through the removal opening 108 during the operation of the extractor roll 124 For paper separation, a cutting edge 132 is provided which in the embodiment shown here is designed as a bent section of sheet metal with a cutting edge formed by a serrated design at an edge 133 of the folded section of the ho a material. The teeth provided on a longitudinal edge 133 of the cutting edge are preferably designed with different lengths. The transported paper tape is passed along an arc-shaped guide surface 139 in the direction of the removal opening 100. In the embodiment shown here according to FIGURE 6, a torque is transmitted by means of motor 136 which can be driven using the electrical activation device 114. The motor 136 has on the output side a gear 138 which interacts by means of an additional gear 140 with a gear 142 arranged on the shaft 122 of the extractor roller 124.

In addition, a power supply unit 144 is provided that can be designed either battery driven or electric powered. Together with the arrangement of the cutting edge 132 or the cutting edge, it should be noted that the latter is disposed inside the housing, so that if someone reaches contact with the removal opening 100 with the cutting edge 132, it is excluded or at least to a large extent excluded. Figure 7a shows the position of an RFID transponder in housing. The figure shows a section of the inside of a side wall 94. A carrier 116 is arranged to contain a roller 118 in a recess 115 of the carrier. The carrier 116 thus constitutes a support member which allows the rotation of the roller 118 around an axis of symmetry 152 (FIG. 7b) of the roller. The antenna 12 of the radiofrequency identification base station 7 is mounted in the housing within an area 154 arranged in close contact with an axial extension of the axis 152 of symmetry. It is suitable to arrange the antenna 12 so closely at the position on the roller 118 where the RFID tag is attached. Since it has been shown to be advantageous to place the RFID tag on an end portion 166 on a core 165 or on the central portion of an end portion of a roller, in the case where the roller does not includes a core, the area 154 where the antenna 12 is placed should be arranged in close contact with an axial extension of the axis 152 of symmetry. To be in close contact with an axial extension, the distance R from the axis of symmetry to the antenna in the radial direction must be less than twice the distance Z in the axial extension along the axis of symmetry of the roller, from the end of the core, or optionally in the case where the core is provided with an adapter at its end portion whose adapter is provided with the RFID tag, from the adapter. That is, R < 2Z, must support the position of the antenna. In the case where the roller 118 is not provided with the core, the distance must be measured from the side wall of the roller. In this case, the RFID tag is preferably joined at a central location of the side wall. In figure 7 b two alternative antenna positions are described. According to a first alternative, the antenna 12 'is placed in or on the carrier. According to a second alternative, the antenna 12"is placed on or on the side wall 92 of the housing In figure 7c, the coordinates explaining the radial direction along which the distance R and the distance Z are measured in the axial extension along the axis of symmetry of the roller In Figures 8 a - 8 i different alternatives for proper placement of the RFID tag on the supply of the sheet material are shown. The supply is in the form of a roller having an outer cylindrical shell 162 (FIG. 8 c) and two end surfaces 160 defining the external structure of the supply. In each case, the radio frequency identification tag 11 is applied to a support element placed in a central position of at least one of the end surfaces. The position of the label must be close to the axis of symmetry of the roller. In the case where a roller is used, the antenna should be placed in an adapter or support element 164 placed in one of the end portions 166 of the core 165. The label should also be placed near one of the end portions of the core. In the case where a core is not used, the antenna must be centrally placed on the end surface 160 of the core. By "centrally" it is intended herein that part of the label should cover the axis of symmetry of the supply. It is possible, in the case where a coreless roll is used to provide a support element which engages with the roll on a side portion thereof at a central position to form the axis of rotation of the roll. The support element can extend across the entire width of the roll along the axis of rotation so that it projects on both sides of the roll to form a support for the rotation of the roll at both ends of the support element, or it may be formed by two separate support elements each being inserted into opposite lateral portions of the roll. In this case, it is sufficient that one of the support elements includes an RFID tag. In Figure 8a the tag 11 is placed on or within a support member or adapter in the form of an end plug 164 releasably inserted in a core 165 in one of the end portions 167. The end plug 165 is used to provide a support for the core 165 in a connector device, which can be provided in the form of a carrier 116. In Figure 8b the label 11 forms an end cap. In FIG. 8c the support element 164 including an RFID tag 11 is attached to a central portion of the end surface 160 of a coreless supply. In Figure 8d, a support element which is constituted by the adapter having a first end 167 adapted to be attached to the connector device 116 and a second end 168 including a flat surface P coated with adhesive is accordingly adapted to be attached to the end portion 166 of the roll. In Figure 8e, one embodiment of a support element which is suitable for a roll without a core or solid it is shown where the first end 167 is formed of a plate 169 flat and where the second end 168 is a projection 170 centrally placed. The support element carries an RFID tag 11. The flat surface P carries an adhesive. In Fig. 8f, another embodiment of a support element which is suitable for a coreless or solid roll is shown where the first end 167 is formed of a flat plate 169 and where the second end 168 is a recess 171 centrally placed in the center. the plate 169. The support element carries an RFID tag 11. The flat surface P carries an adhesive. In Figure 8g, one embodiment of a sheet material supply is in the form of a bale 171 of a continuous length of folded sheet-like accordion-type paper web. In Figure 8h, the bundle of material of ho a is covered by a wrapper 172 which carries a support element 173 carrying an RFID tag 11. Figure 8? shows a supply of sheet material having the shape of a coreless roll, having an outer cylindrical shell 162 and two end portions 166. The support element 164 is constituted by an adapter having a first end 167 adapted to be attached to the connector device 116 and a second end 168 that includes a projection, which is preferably a projection in cone shape that is inserted into a central opening 174 provided in the end portions 166 of the roll. Figures 8 a-9 b describe alternative embodiments of a method for dispensing sheet material from a dispenser comprising a housing arranged to receive a supply of sheet material, a feeding mechanism for advancing the sheet material through a discharge opening of the housing, a motor for driving the feeding mechanism and a controller for driving the motor to drive the feeding mechanism. According to a first embodiment which is shown in Figure 9a, the following steps are performed by the controller: In a first step S10 of the method, use a radio frequency identification base station included in the controller to communicate with an antenna in a radio frequency identification tag applied in the supply of sheet material. In a second method step S20, download information from a memory cell disposed on the radio frequency identification tag to the radio frequency identification base station. In a third step S30 of the method, allow the motor to drive the feeding mechanism in dependence on the information downloaded.

In a second embodiment of the invention as shown in Figure 9b, the apparatus further includes an optical detector which in a fourth method step S40 detects the optical appearance of the sheet material whereby the optical detector in a fifth S41 of The method produces output signals depending on whether the supply of sheet material is empty or not. In a sixth method step S50, the controller blocks the additional operation of the motor when a signal indicating that the supply of sheet material is empty has occurred. The controller may further include a control function which with the detection that the supply is empty, which in a seventh method step S51 updates a status field provided in the memory circuit from a value indicating that the supply is not it is empty, up to a value that indicates that the supply is empty and that the control function in the seventh method step is prevented from updating the value of the status field as soon as it has assumed the value indicating that the supply is empty. This can be done by using a "command on" that verifies if the registered status value is empty (logical value 1) or if the calculated status value is empty (logical value 1). As soon as the stored value is empty (logic value 1), updating the value . In a further embodiment of the invention, the controller performs the following method steps: The controller may be aware of an optional method eighth step S60 of the amount of sheet material fed from the supply; and retrieves in a ninth step S61 of optional method the information indicating the size of the supply of the memory circuit in the radio frequency identification tag applied in the sheet material supply. In one embodiment of the invention, the controller calculates the amount of sheet material remaining in the supply by reducing the size of the supply with the amount of sheet material fed from a supply in the ninth method step S61. In a tenth step S70 of the optional method, the radiofrequency identification base station can optionally transmit a value representing the amount of sheet material remaining in the supply to the radio frequency identification tag and that the value is recorded in a field of the radio frequency identification. memory circuit representing the remaining size of the supply. In an eleventh step S71 of optional method, the controller, with the detection that the supply is empty, can transmit a signal indicating that the supply is empty towards the radio frequency identification tag for storage in its memory circuit. The invention preferably makes use of an RFID tag that recovers its power for operation from the RFID base station.

Claims (23)

1. CLAIMS 1. Supply pack for use in an apparatus for dispensing sheet material (1) in the form of pre-cut towels or a roll or a bundle of a continuous length of continuous tape folded accordion type, the supply package includes a supply of sheet material (1) in the form of pre-cut towels or a roll or a bundle of a continuous length of tape of continuous paper folded accordion type and a support element which is attached to the supply of sheet material (1) in a form such that it can be released from the supply of sheet material (1) before the supply of sheet material (1) is empty, the support member is further arranged to support the supply of sheet material in a connector device (116) arranged in the apparatus for locating the material supply of ho a (1) in an office position in the apparatus, characterized in that the support element includes a radio frequency identification tag (11), which it includes an antenna (13) and a memory circuit (10), whose antenna (13) is adapted to communicate with a radio-frequency identification station (7) arranged in the apparatus, and the circuit (10) which contains information stored adapted to be read by a controller in the device.
2. 2. The supply package according to the claim 1, wherein the supply of ho material is in the form of a roll wrapped in a core (165), having an outer cylindrical shell (162) and two end portions (166), characterized in that the support element is constituted by at least one end plug (164) releasably inserted in the core (165) in one of the end portions to provide a support for the core (165) in the connector device.
3. The supply package according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material supply is in the form of a solid or coreless roll, having an outer cylindrical shell (162) and two end portions (166), characterized because the support element is constituted by the adapter having a first end (167) adapted to be attached to the connector device (116) and a second end (168) that includes a flat surface (P) coated with adhesive which is adapted accordingly to be attached to the end portion (166) of the roll.
4. The supply package according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material supply is in the form of a coreless roll, having an outer cylindrical shell (162) and two end portions (166), characterized in that the Support element is constituted by the adapter having a first end (167) adapted to be attached to the connector device (116) and a second end (168) including a projection, which preferably has a cone shape, the projection is inserted into a central opening provided in the end portions of the roll.
5. The supply package according to claim 1, characterized in that the supply of sheet material is in the form of a bundle of a continuous length of continuous paper tape folded accordion type of the sheet material.
6. The supply package according to claim 1, characterized in that the supply of sheet material is in the form of a stack of folded or unfolded sheets.
7. The supply package according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the bale or stack is contained in a cartridge carrying the support element.
8. The supply package according to any of claims 1-7, characterized in that the supply package (1) includes a marker (M) which is covered with sheet material when the supply is not empty and when the marker it is exposed when the supply is empty, the marker has optical characteristics different from the sheet material that allow an optical detector to detect an empty supply.
9. 9. The supply package according to the claim 8, characterized in that the supply of sheet material (1) is in the form of a roll (161) of the sheet material applied to a core (165) and in that the core (165) constitutes the marking (M) and has a different optical characteristic of the sheet material.
10. 10. The supply package according to claim 8, characterized in that the support element (164) includes a marking (M) which is covered with sheet material when the supply is not empty and whose marker (M) is exposed when the supply is empty, the marker has optical characteristics different from the sheet material that allow an optical detector to detect an empty supply.
11. The supply package according to any of claims 1-10, characterized in that the memory cit (10) includes a portion of read and write memory arranged to receive a signal indicating the remaining size of the supply or a signal indicating that the supply is empty from the radiofrequency identification base station to update the memory cit (10).
12. 12. The supply package according to any of claims 1 - 11, characterized in that the apparatus for dispensing the material of ho comprises a housing (82) arranged to receive a supply package, a feeding mechanism (2) for advancing the sheet material through an opening (100) of housing discharge, a motor (3) to drive the feed mechanism (2) and a controller (4) to drive the motor (3) to drive the feed mechanism (2), where the controller (4) ) includes a station (7) radio frequency identification base provided with an antenna (12) adapted to communicate with an antenna (13) In a radio-frequency identification tag (11) applied in the supply package, the controller (4) is arranged to allow the motor (3) to drive the feeding mechanism (2) in dependence on the information stored in it. a memory cit (10) in the radio frequency identification tag (11) applied in the supply package.
13. An apparatus for dispensing sheet material comprising a housing (82) arranged to receive a supply package, a feeding mechanism (2) for advancing the sheet material through an opening (100) for discharging the housing , a motor (3) for driving the feeding mechanism (2) and a controller (4) for driving the motor (2a) to drive the feeding mechanism (2), where the controller (4) includes a station (7) radio frequency identification base with an antenna (12) adapted to communicate with an antenna (13) and a label (11) of radio frequency identification applied in the supply package, the controller (4) is arranged to allow the motor (3) to drive the feeding mechanism (2) depending on the information stored in a cit (10) of memory in the label (11) of radio frequency identification applied in the supply package, characterized in that a connector device for locating the supply of sheet material is arranged in the housing to receive from the supply of material from ho to a supporting element disposed in a releasable manner bearing a radio frequency identification tag (11).
14. An apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the controller (4) includes a control function that allows the updating of a status field provided in the memory cit (10) from a value indicating that the supply is not it is empty, up to a value indicating that the supply is empty and that the function of the control is arranged to avoid updating the value of the status field as soon as it has assumed that the value indicates that the supply is empty.
15. 15. An apparatus according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the controller (4) is arranged to: - be aware of the amount of sheet material fed from the supply; retrieving information indicating the size of the supply from the memory circuit (10) on the radio frequency identification label applied in the sheet material supply (1).
16. 16. An apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that the controller (4) is arranged to calculate the amount of sheet material remaining in the supply by reducing the size of the supply with the amount of material from ho to fed from the supply .
17. An apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that the controller (4) is arranged to transmit a signal indicating the remaining size of supply to the radio frequency identification tag to update its memory circuit.
18. 18. An apparatus according to any of claims 13-17, characterized in that the controller (4) is arranged to transmit a signal indicating the empty supply to the radio frequency identification tag for storage in its memory circuit.
19. 19. An apparatus according to any of claims 13-18, characterized in that the controller (4) It is arranged to block the additional operation of the motor (3) when a signal indicating that the supply of sheet material (1) is empty has occurred.
20. 20. An apparatus according to any of claims 13-19, characterized in that the antenna (12) of the radiofrequency identification base station (7) is essentially two-dimensional and extends in a plane which is essentially perpendicular to an axis (152) extending along a longitudinal ee of the core (165) when mounted in the housing (82).
21. 21. An apparatus according to any of claims 13-20, characterized in that the supply package includes a supply of sheet material (1) and a support element which is attached to the supply of sheet material (1) in such a way that it can be released from the material supply of ho a (1) before the supply of the sheet material (1) is empty, the support member is arranged to cooperate with a connector device (116) disposed in the housing (82) to locate the supply of sheet material (1) in a dispatch position in the apparatus.
22. 22. A system to be aware of the need to fill empty supplies in dispensers of sheet material, the system includes: - a set of apparatus according to any of claims 13-21, wherein the set of devices (20 ) includes a number of groups (21a, 21b) of devices where each group of devices includes a link of transmission (22a, 22b) communicating with a base station (23), the base station (23) is connected by signals to a server unit (26) arranged to be aware of the need to refill the individual devices in the set of devices.
23. 23. A system according to claim 22, characterized in that the transmission link (22a, 22b) is wireless.