US2045013A - Illuminated case for toilet articles - Google Patents

Description

1% 23, 1936,, HOWLAND 2,045,013

iLLUMINATED CASE FOR TOILET ARTICLES Filed on. 50, 19:53

Patented June 23, 1936 UNITED A PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to storage cases or receptacles for small articles of use in toilet service; and the objects of my invention are: First, to devise a unique dust-proof receptacle for small articles of frequent personal use, designed to be ornamental as well as useful in its convenient place of repose on the dresser, the mantle or the work table; second, to produce a toilet case sheltered by means of a housing and adapted to swing on a pintle in opening and closing; the housing being provided with an automatically operative retainer latch adapted to hold the case in its normal open or closed position; third, to provide for illuminating said toilet case a lamp mounted on the housing of the case and provided with a reflecting shade adapted to throw the light down into the case when it is open, the lamp being adapted to illuminate the work table and the room, also, to some extent.

All of these objects have been attained in my present invention; and my new illuminated case for toilet articles illustrated in the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification, is a practical device embodying the aforesaid novel means and other new and useful details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts, all of which together with their functions, will be described in detail with reference to said drawing and will be definitely pointed out in the claim that follows the description, so that any person skilled in the art may be enabled to construct and use this device.

In said drawing, Figure I is a side view in elevation of my toilet case shown closed in its housing surmounted by its shaded lamp, and showing two of the posts that connect the upper part of the housing with the base thereof.

Figure II is a side view in perspective of my illuminated toilet case standing open, showing its housing and shaded lamp adapted to throw its rays down into the open toilet case.

Figure III is a plan'view of a hexagon housing for the toilet case, if preferable in construction, which if used would have a post at each angle.

Figure IV is a fragmentary view partly in sec tion of the base of the housing of the toilet case and the quasi post attached to the swinging case to be used as a handle. This view shows in detail the construction and the method of operation of the spring-pressed, automatic retainer latch installed in the base of the housing and adapted to hold the toilet case open or closed.

Figure V is a full side view in elevation of the electric lamp and its standard here detached from the case housing and showing a part of the electric wire which passes up through the standard to the lamp.

With reference to said drawing, similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The swinging toilet case I provided with its post-like handle la and its pintle lb, is strongly installed and sheltered in its housing, which is composed of an upper horizontal plate 2 and a base-plate 3 of the same general shape as the upper plate 2 and securely bound parallel thereto by means of the fixed posts 3a, 3a which are rigidly fastened in the base-plate 3 and the upper plate 2 parallel therewith.

Upon the central part of the upper horizontal plate is securely and rigidly fastened a lamp standard i, up through the middle of which runs an electric wire 4a to the lamp-socket 5 and the lamp 5a installed thereon, from which pends a switch-chain 5b. And upon the lamp 5a is fastened the reflecting shade 6 by means of a wire clip Ba.

A vertical perforation with its counterbore has been made up through the base-plate 3 directly in line with center of the post-like handle la while standing in its normal position of rest when the toilet case is fully closed. And in this perforation and its counterbore are installed the springpressed automatic retainer latch comprising the oval-headed plunger 1, its actuating spring 8 and the abutting plate 9 covering the counterbore and adapted to hold said spring and plunger in their operative positions. The plunger 1 has been provided with a detaining collar 1a designed to limit the upward movement of said plunger in the boring to a predetermined position above the surface of said base-plate. The spring-clip 6a is fastened in the top of the reflector shade 6 and is adapted to support the shade upon the lamp 5a in its normal service position. The base-plate 3 is provided with felt feet 15 securely attached thereto and adapted to prevent the scarring of surfaces upon which the illuminated case may be set; and the post-like handle la is provided with a latch-socket H in its lower end adapted to receive the spring-pressed retainer-latch I when the toilet case is in its normal, closed position.

My illuminated case for toilet articles may be designed in the form of a hexagon, or other desirable shape. And for the purpose of economy in fabrication or otherwise, it should be understood that minor changes of detail may be used Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and claim.

Now, having described the various features of my invention, the detail construction, arrangement, purposes and method of operation, I wish to explain that those features and combinations of my invention that I consider new and repre sentative of utility and eificiency, on which I desire Letters Patent granted to me, I have hereinbelow set forth and specifically described in the following appended claim:

I claim:--

In a portable toilet case adapted to hold small articles, as hereinabove described: a housing composed of an upper horizontal plate and a lower base-plate securely held parallel thereto by means of posts of predetermined length rigidly fastened in both said plates; a swinging cylindrical receptacle of predetermined size, adapted to fit closely between said parallel plates inside said posts and provided with pintle hinges anchored in said upper and lower plates; a post-like handle resembling said rigid posts and securely fastened to the outside of the swinging receptacle in a predetermined position relative to the positions of said rigid posts; a latch-socket in the lower end of said post-like handle; and a spring-pressed retainer-latch installed in said base-plate, coincident with said latch-socket when said receptacle is closed, the latch being adapted to engage said latch-socket to impede automatically the swinging toilet receptacle from opening too easily and, also, designed to contact the lower edge of the open receptacle to impede the receptacle from closing too easily when fully open.

HERBERT H. HOWLAND.

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