Towel dispensing apparatus

Claim 1

IN A TOWEL DISPENSER OF THE CONTINUOUS TYPE HAVING A HOUSING WITH A DOOR THEREON AND HAVING A LOOP OF TOWELING THAT EXTENDS ALONG AN EXIT PATH ADJACENT SAID DOOR FROM A CLEAN TOWEL SUPPLY WITHIN THE HOUSING TO AN EXPOSED POSITION ACCESSIBLE TO A USER, AND THENCE ALONG A RETURN PATH WITHIN THE HOUSING TO SOILED TOWEL TAKE-UP MEANS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A MEASURING ROLLER WITHIN SAID HOUSING AND ADJACENT SAID DOOR FOR DISPENSING INTO SAID LOOP ALONG SAID EXIT PATH, AND INTO USE POSITION EXTERIORLY OF SAID HOUSING, A PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF CLEAN TOWELING WHEN SAID ACCESSIBLE PORTION OF SAID LOOP IS PULLED BY A USER; A PAIR OF ROLLERS ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE INSIDE OF SAID DOOR AND RESPECTIVELY DISPOSED ABOVE AND BELOW SAID MEASURING ROLLER WHEN SAID DOOR CLOSED, TO INSURE THAT SAID TOWELING WILL AT ALL TIMES BE IN FIRM CONTACT WITH SAID MEASURING ROLLER AND THUS PREVENT SLIPPAGE OF THE TOWELING WITH RESPECT TO SAID MEASURING ROLLER; LOOP RETRACTION AND STORAGE MEANS WITHIN SAID HOUSING, INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED SUPPORTS HAVING A PORTION OF THE TOWELING IN SAID RETURN PATH SUSPENDED THEREACROSS, AND A WEIGHT RESTING UPON SAID SUSPENDED PORTION OF SAID TOWELING BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTS, SAID WEIGHT HAVING A NORMAL POSITION WELL BELOW SAID SUPPORTS AND NORMALLY PULLING THE TOWELING IN SAID RETURN PATH DOWNWARDLY BETWEEN SAID SUPPORTS FOR STORING THEREBETWEEN AND WITHIN SAID HOUSING A SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF SAID LOOP, SAID WEIGHT BEING RAISED TO AN ELEVATED POSITION BY SAID SUSPENDED TOWELING AND AT LEAST A PART OF SAID STORED PORTION OF SAID LOOP BEING WITHDRAWN FROM SAID HOUSING ALONG SAID RETURN PATH AND ADDED TO THE LOOP EXTERIORLY OF SAID HOUSING IN RESPONSE TO THE PULL BY A USER UPON SAID ACCESSIBLE PORTION OF SAID LOOP, THEREBY TO PROVIDE EXTERIORLY OF SAID HOUSING AN ACCESSIBLE LOOP PORTION OF SUBSTANTIAL LENGTH; TIME DELAY MEANS ACTUATED IN RESPONSE TO THE OPERATION OF SAID DISPENSING MEANS; AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE ACTUATION OF SAID TIME DELAY MEANS FOR RETAINING SAID WEIGHT IN ITS SAID ELEVATED POSITION DURING THE TIMING OUT OF SAID TIME DELAY MEANS.