Patent attributes
A gravity-feed tissue roll dispenser for a plurality of tissue rolls includes: (a) a housing; (b) a supply turret with a plurality of spindles for mounting a plurality of tissue rolls for dispensing; (c) means for rotatably mounting the supply turret in the housing about a center of rotation such that a vertical line through the center of rotation of the turret defines a biasing sector of the dispenser and the spindles rotate between upper and lower positions, the dispenser also having a dispensing sector adjacent the biasing sector; (d) stop means adapted for securing a loaded spindle in an elevated dispensing position in the dispensing sector of the tissue dispenser, the dispensing position being elevated with respect to a lower limit of travel of the spindle upon rotation of the turret; wherein the stop means are responsive to depletion of the loaded spindle so as to allow rotation of the turret upon depletion of a roll of tissue mounted thereabout; and wherein further the turret and stop means are configured such that when a loaded spindle is secured in the elevated dispensing position: (i) at least two spindles are in the biasing sector of the dispenser and (ii) the number of spindles in the biasing sector is equal to or greater than the number of other spindles of the dispenser, such that when the dispenser is fully loaded with a plurality of like tissue rolls, depletion of a roll in the elevated dispensing position distributes the weight of tissue in the dispenser so as to bias the turret in a dispensing direction.
