US1805619A - Atent office - Google Patents

Description

' May 19,1931.

T. s; FULLER DEVICE FOR DISPENSING PIPE CLEANERS I Filejd March 15, 19511 I I I. 111/11 IIIIIIIIII/(III) IIIIIIIIIIIIIIl/I/III/I I INVENTOR.

' 771500m5 5- FILLER ATTORNEY Patented -May 19, 1931" mom-E FULLER-{F mmewamwmsm V i f nnvren ro'R t a wa -115a V This invention relates to devices for cutting pipe cleaners. e

Among the objects of the presentinventi on,

it is aimed to provide an improved device'for 5 dispensing pipe cleaners-which consists of a casing for containing arollof a-flexible strand constituting the pipe cleaner material and a mechanism for discharging a desired length ofpipe cleaner, and cutting off such discharged length. Theseland other features, capabilities and advantages of the invention will appear from the subjoined'detail description ofone specific embodimentthereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which" F'gure 1 is a perspective view-of the-improved device with a length of pipe cleaner iextendingtherefrom. l a

' Fig. 2-is a side elevation of the same-with one of-the casing walls removed. i

Figure 3 is a section on the 'line 33 of j'ig.

2 withthe removed casing wall in place.:i-

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig.

2 with the removedcasingwall inrplace.

' In this device there is provided a casingl having a plane rear wall'2 and a U-shaped lateral wall-Bland a planeupperwall, These walls 2, 3. and/l may be composed of one piece as illustrated in the present. :in-

" stance as for instanceQLonefOrmed out of bakelite. For this casing 1 in, the present instance, there is provided a cover plate 5 similar in shape to the rear wall 2 and preferably secured to the casingby a frictional metal flange piece 6 secured to the cover 5 and extending into the casing 1 when the cover is in place so that this frictional flange piece 6 will frictionally engage the inner face of the u-shaped lateral wall 3. This frictional flange piece 6, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, when the cover is in place, extends along a part of the inner surface of the upper wall 4 and then continues down along a greater part of the inner face of the U-shaped lateral wall 3. Substantially centrally located of the rear wall 2 there is provided a stub shaft 7 upon which ismounted a reel 8 of usual construction on which is wound the pipe cleaner ma- 5 terial 9 which, instead of being formed of a 1 Application filed'marcilfls, 1930; s r i l n f ias ng plurality of predetermined lengths as" cus tomary today when lmarketing such pipe cleaners, consists of an elongated uncut length. Thispipecleaner material is of the ,usual type such as a flexible strandcomprising a'flexiblewire support on which is secured'an absorbent material such as cotton, "or thelikeg e 1 I f' In the-present instance the free'fend ofthe pipe cleanerjmaterial extends up past thediso 1 charging mechanism consisting essentially of knurledj-wheeldOaloosely mounted on a shaft 111 which journalled inthebracket 12 secured to the upper" end of the casing 1 adjacent to the outlet '13 throughj which the 135- pipe cleaner material 9 passes when being dis pensed. 1 The lateral wall 3 is prov-idedwith opening 'lt toperinit a portion of the surface of the knurled" wheel 10 to project therethrou'gh'to-fbe engaged by' the finger of the F or'prope'rly guidingthelength ofthe material tothe wheel? 10 {there is provided a shield l5'secure'd to the bracket12 and having. an opening 16 just large 1 enough to per- "m'it thematerial 9 to freely pass therethrough and guide the same intoenga'gement with the face of the knurled wheel located inside-of the casing 1. "j I 1 Forf'forming an abutment for impinging S0 thef'pipe cleaner 'materiali9 the knurled 'wheello there is providedthe'block 17.

L In the operation. offthisdischarge mechanisrn the pressure of tl'ie' finger cf the user on the wheel 10 will frictionally impinge the 7 material 9' against' the shoe 'or block 17 so t-hat when the wheel 10 ;is'thereupon rolled =or turned by thefinger while'still exercising such pressure, the material 9 willbe effectively fed upward and outward through the opening 13. After the freeend of the "H12,-

terial 9 extends sufliciently from the "casing i 1 sothatthe user can grip same, he may wish to pull- "the" material out instead of: operating thewheel10. In'order'lto facilitate such 5 pullingaction and prevent the sameybeing opposed by the wheel 1Q; there is provided a jspring 18 extendinggupwardly from the lower end of: the; vbracket 12 and resiliently pressing the; Wheeli10. putwardly so; that: it will isub- 1 stantiall liberate the material 9 to permit it to be reely drawn from the casing 1.

After the desired length of material 9 has been discharged or fed out of the casing 1, before the same is ready for use as a pipe cleaner, it will be necessary to cut off such length. In the present instance, a shearing mechanism is provided consisting of the blade 19 pivotally connected at 20 to the upperend of the bracket 12 and having an arm extending away from-the discharge opening 13 toward the opening 21 throu h which the finger piece 22 formed on the lade 19ex tends. a

In the present instance the bracket 12 is provided with an extension 23 extending along the lower face'of the blade 19 and secured beyond the opening 21to the rear wall of the casing 1. On this extension 23 there is :formed a stud 24 on which is mounted the coiled end 25 of aspring arm 26, the free end of which extends over into engagement with the projection 27 extending downwardly from the-blade 19. This spring arm 26 functions resiliently to maintain the blade 19 clear of the material 9 so that the finger piece 22 rests against the rear wall 2 as shown in "Figs. 1, 8 and 4. g

he blade 19 is provided with a shearing i0 0! cutting edge 28 as particularly illustrated in Fig. 3. This cutting edge 28 is inclined relative to the rear wall 2 in order tofacilitate this shearing actionwhen the blade 19 is moved forwardl toward the cover 5 in this shearing operation. Obviously, to operate this shearing mechanism, it is only necessary to press the finger piece 22 forwardly toward the cover 5 against the tension of the spring arm '26 when the shearing edge 28 will engage the material 9 to cutoff the same just below the opening 13. Releasing the finger ieoe 22 the spring arm 26 will return the lade 19, where the finger piece will again as a check pawl to prevent reverse rotation 'of'the wheel 10. If the wheel were not so protected, the strand 9 might be caused to eed back upon the reel 8 and require r'ethreadin'g through the shield 20 and opensaid casing, an abutment disposed adjacent to said opening, a feeding wheel disposed opposite to said abutment to receive the free end of the pipe cleaner material and co-operating with said abutment to feed a length of said material through said opening when said feeding wheel isoperated, a shearing blade pivotally mounted in said casing, said shearing blade having a knife edge disposed adjacent to said opening in position to engage and cut off the, length of material discharged when said shearing blade is operated, and a spring for engaging said shearing blade normally to maintain it out of cutting position.

2. In a pipe cleaner dispenser, the combination with a casing, of a reel mounted in said casing for supporting a strand of pipe cleaner material, there being an opening in said casing, an abutment disposed adjacent to said opening, a feeding wheel disposed opposite to said abutment to receive the free end of the pipe cleaner material and co-operating with'said abutment to feed a length of said material through said opening when said feeding wheel is operated, a shearin blade pivotally mounted in said casing, sai shearing blade having a knife edge disposed adjacent to said opening in position to en' gage and cut off the length of material discharged when said shearing blade is operated, a spring for engaging said shearing blade normally to maintain it out of cutting position, and a second spring co-operating with said feeding wheel to permit the free withdrawal of said pipe cleaner material through said opening when said feeding wheel is not operated.

THEODORE S. FULLER.

in 21. a a It will also appear from the foregoing that the cutting edge 28 of the blade 19 cooperates with the bracket 12 to affect the "shearing action on the strand 9 when the blade 19isactuated.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications inay beg'made to the details of 3 -mmtisn withoutdepamg ftomthe

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