US2202930A - Towel cabinet and dispensing mechanism therefor - Google Patents

Description

June 4 F. e. STEINER 2,202,930

TOWEL CABINET AND DISPENSING MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed Feb. 24, 195 6 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 5./ 2

5 /o 2 fE'A/V QBSTEINEE ATTO S June 4, 1940.

G. STEINER TOWEL CABINET AND DISPENSING MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed Feb. 24, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June4;194o. F.G. TE|NER f 52,202 930 TOWEL CABINET AND DISPENSING MECHANISM THEREFOR Filed Feb. 24, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 3' a mwm Arrmgwsr:

Patented June 4, 1940 TOWEL CABINET AND DISPENSING MECHANISM THEREFOR Frank G. Steiner, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Steiner Sales Company, Salt Lake City,

ration oi Utah Utah, :1. corpo- Application February 24, 1936, Serial No. 65,273

12 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in toweling cabinets and to improvements in apparatus for dispensing toweling, and has among its objectsto provide, a towel dispensing mechanism having a stop mechanism controlled entirely by manipulation of the toweling, to be moved to and released from stop position.

Another object is to so control the toweling that only an amount less than is normally needed is allowed to be withdrawn at one time, thus dispensing toweling in shorter lengths than has heretofore been the practice. This method makes for economy inasmuch as it frequently happens that one only wishes to dry the fingers or the tips of the fingers, and if only a small portion of the clean toweling is available, the person will use that instead of going to the trouble of again manipulating the toweling to obtain more.

Other objects are: to provide a cabinet having casing sections arranged to cooperate to define a front towel dispensing opening; to provide a bottom casing section which can act as a shelfior holding a roll of toweling while the cabinet is being serviced; and to provid a bottom casing section which forms part of the front and bottom of the cabinet.

Another object is to provide a smoothing mechanism including a part which is swingable to facilitate access to the take-up roll, and which cooperates with the bottom section of the cabinet to form a bottom for the cabinet as well as a support for the toweling supply roll.

Features of the invention include all details of construction, along with the broader ideas of means inherent in the disclosure.

Objects, features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description of the drawings forming a part of this application, and

in said drawings Figure l is a front elevation with the cabinet open for servicing; I

Figure 2 is a vertical section on line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical section also on line 2-2 of Figure 1, but with the cabinet serviced and ready to use;

Figure 4 is a vertical section viewed in direction of the arrow from line l-i of Figure 1, but with the cabinet closed, and showing the stop mechanism positioned as during a dispensing operation, and as near the end of that operation;

Figure 5 is a detail view of the stop mechanism viewed as in Figure 4, showing the position of the parts immediately after release of the towel by the user, with the stop lever in its non-stop position to permit more toweling to be withdrawn when pulled;

Figure 6 is a detail view of the stop mechanism viewed as in Figure 4, showing the mechanism in stop position, as at the end of a towel pulling operation but before release of the towel by the user;

Figure '7 is another view of the stop mechanism with the parts positioned as just before kicking of the stop lever to stop position, by the rapidly moving towel-pull-controlled cam or stop;

Figure 8 is a horizontal section through the stop mechanism taken on line 88 of Figure 6; and

Figure 9 is a side view partly in section showing the means for securing the swinging casing sections in closed position.

Numeral 5 generally designates the main casing section of the cabinet. The cabinet is adapted to be attached to the wall by means, not shown, and the casing has a movable upper casing section 3 which forms a part of the top and front of the cabinet. A movable lower casing section 5 forms part of the bottom and front of the cabinet. These casing sections have edges which are cooperable to define a horizontally elongated front towel dispensing opening or slot The lower end of the upper casing section 3 is turned upwardly and inwardly as at 8 to provide a smooth edge. The upper edge of the lower casing is formed, as best shown at 10 in Figure 3, to provide an outwardly faced slanting surface, the prolongation of which is about tangent with the forward part of pinch roll 3 I, later to be described. The upper portion of this lower casing is turned as at M to provide a smooth surface over which the toweling is drawn and thus friction is reduced to the minimum. The upper section has two arms l2 which are pivoted as at 93 to brackets attached to sides iii of the casing. The pivotal arrangement is such that the section is held by gravity in open position, see Figure 1. The lower casing section has arms H pivoted as at 8 to brackets attached to the sides i5. A feature of the invention is the arrangement of the pivoting means for the sections to adapt the upper section to swing upwardly, as shown in Figure 2, and the lower to swing downwardly to give access for servicing the cabinet. When the bottom section is swung its arms ll engage lateral extensions 20 of the casing to limit downward movement to such a position as to form a shelf for a supply roll, while the cabinet is being serviced.

The toweling dispensing mechanism of the cabinet is mounted on vertically placed plates 25,

suitably secured as by bolts to the rear wall 26 of the casing. Mounted between and supported by these plates is a dispensing mechanism including a measuring or feed roll 30 and a pinch roll 3| engageable therewith and mounted in the usual manner in slots 32. A take-up roll is shown at 33 and the soiled towel roll is shown at 34. The axle or trunnions of roll 34 moves in usual slots 35 in plates 25 and a brace rod 36 connects the plates as shown. The feed roll 30 and takeup roll 33 are geared by the usual chain indicated by dotted lines at 40 in Figure 4 to move in unison.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3: another feature of the invention relates to the arrangement and action of a pivoted plate which forms part of means for smoothing out used toweling before it reaches the take-up roll. Said smoothing means comprises a bracket member having a portion back-turned to provide a smoothing edge 4|. The plate 43 is pivoted as at 44 to depending arms 45 of the plates 25. This plate 43 is thus adapted to swing from an operative smoothing position of Figure 3 to the position of Figure 2. The pivoting means of the lower casing section and of this plate are so related that when the bottom section 5 is swung outwardly to form a shelf, and when the plate 43 is swung forwardly, its bottom edge 46 forms kind of a back stop against which the supply roll engages. The pressure of the supply roll, due to its tendency to move rearwardly down the inclined portion of the section 5, holds the plate 43 in its position of Figure 2. The plate 43 is curved as at 48 and provides smoothing bends 49-56 related, when in smoothing position, to the smoothing bend 4| in the manner shown in Figure 3.

The plate 43 is adapted to be swung forwardly, as in Figure 2, to facilitate access to the take-up roll, and when in this position its upper edge 50 lies at a point intermediately of the rolls 30 and 33. It is again noted that the weight of the roll acting on the bottom edge 46 tends to hold the plate 43 in this position, while the cabinet is being serviced.

A very important feature of this invention relates to a method for controlling or limiting withdrawal of toweling solely either by a pull on the toweling or by manual control such that force applied by the user in dispensing toweling acts to limit or stop towel withdrawal and such that the limiting means is released to permit further withdrawal, just as soon as application of such force by the user ceases. There is no intention, therefore, to entirely limit the invention to any particular method of feed because feeding control can be accomplished by means other than a pull on the toweling. However, in

this embodiment, which is also claimed, the stop mechanism is controlled only by a pull on the toweling and is adapted to be moved to stop position by a pull and to remain in stop position while pull continues, and is further adapted to be automatically released when the pull on the toweling ceases.

Referring now principally to Figures 4 and 8 inclusive: One form of stop mechanism, which functions as broadly stated herein, includes what may be referred to as a cam disk 66, see Figure 1, having a camming portion 6|, one end 62 of which acts as a stop. Operatively associated with this cam is a rock lever 63 pivoted midway of its ends, as at 64, and having at its upper end a head 65 and at its lower end a head 66 acting as a stop. A prolongation of the stop face 62 of the cam 6| passes through the center of rotation 67 of the cam disk 60 or slightly to the right of it.

Secured to the cam disk (or forming an integral part of it) is a disk 68 having a wiper and stop finger 69 engageable with a yieldably held stop roll journaled in an arm ll pivoted at 12. Spring 13 urges the arm toward the disk 68 and a stop i4 limits arm movement in reverse direction, see Figure 7. This device acts as a cushion as well as a cam-reversing device.

The cam is considered to represent any element to which force is applied by a pull on the toweling, or to which force is applied during dispensing. The rock element 63 is so weighted at its bottom by head 66 that it moves automatically to non-stop position shown in Figures 5 and 7. Any means may be used for moving it to non-stop position.

The rapid rotation of the roll 30 due to withdrawal of the toweling from the position shown in Figure 5 causes the cam 6| to engage the head 65 and kick the lever 63 to the stop position shown in Figure 6. Just before the parts 62- 66 reach the positions of Figure 6, the finger 69 engages the roller 10 and moves the lever against the action of its spring, away from the pin 14, as shown, thus conditioning the yieldable stop, so that on release of force (applied by pull on the toweling) the cam-stop 6| is pushed in counterclockwise direction (or in a direction opposite that in which it moves to stop position) thus automatically releasing the stop lever 63 so that it again assumes the initial position of Figure 5, in which the apparatus is again conditioned to permit withdrawal of more toweling.

Another feature of the invention is the means by which the amount of towel withdrawal is so controlled that only an amount less than is normally needed can be withdrawn at each pulling operation. This control of the amount is obtained by substantially reducing the diameter of the measuring roll 3|], however this roll may be controlled. This short-length dispensing scheme is an economy measure which results in a substantial saving of toweling. It is based on the well-known propensity of the majority of human beings to follow lines of least resistance, and to exert themselves as little as possible (in this case) even to the extent of using a smaller amount of toweling, if they find it necessary to exert themselves to get a larger amount. Figure 5 shows the stop in normal position (or substantially normal position) and before pull on the toweling or immediately after release of the toweling. Figure 7 shows the parts during application of dispensing force, and Figure 6 shows the parts in stop position, and so held by pull on the toweling.

Another feature is that the center of gravity of the supply roll lies inwardly of the pivot 44 of plate 43, so that the weight of the supply roll tends to hold the plate in operative position, and

further that, as the toweling is unwound, the roll is moved rearwardly to keep its center of gravity back of the pivot.

In Figure 9 has been shown a device for securing the upper lid or casing section 3 in closed position. To this end, the upper section 3 is provided with brackets 60, with which latches 8| pivoted at 82 to the sides l5 engage, as shown in Figure 9. Each latch has a lift-pin 83 accessibly projecting through slot 84. The lower casin member 5 is held in position by having the lower edge of the upper casing member engage it as shown in Fig. 3.

The upper casing member is provided with a pair of pinch roll kick-off brackets 85, the function of which is to kick the pinch roll from its upper position at 86, in the slot 32, to its lower position when the top lid is closed. This assures that the pinch roll will be placed in proper posi tion. This device is used for the reason that the person who services the cabinet often inadvertently leaves the roll in its upper position so that the mechanism will not operate. The kick-off position of the bracket 85 is shown in Figure 3.

I claim as my invention:

1. A toweling dispensing cabinet having mechanism for dispensing toweling including a take-up roll, means within the cabinet for smoothing the used toweling as it passes toward the take-up roll including an element having a'smoothing means portion and having a portion which acts to support a toweling supply roll when the smoothing means portion is operatively positioned, and pivoting means for said element located below the center of gravity of a supply roll "when placed on said supporting portion, whereby the weight of the toweling tends to hold the smoothing means in smoothing position.

2. A toweling dispensing cabinet having mech anism for dispensing toweling including a takeup roll, said cabinet having a lower section forming parts of the front and bottom thereof, pivoting means for said lower section adapting it to swing to give access for servicing the cabinet, means within the cabinet for smoothing the used toweling as it passes toward the take-up roll including an element having a smoothing means portion and having a portion which cooperates with said lower section to complete the formation of the bottom of the cabinet, means pivoting said element to allow it to move to a non-smoothing position which facilitates access to the take-up roll, the pivots for said lower section and for said element being so related that said lower section can be swung outwardly and downwardly to form a shelf for a toweling supply roll while the cabinet is being serviced, and said element being so arranged relatively to said lower section that when said element is swung away from smoothing position a part of it is disposed as a stop against which the supply roll on said lower section may engage, and so that said roll may act by gravity to secure the element in the position which facilitates access to the take-up roll.

3. A cabinet having a mechanism for dispensing'toweling, said cabinet having a lower section forming part of the front and bottom thereof, pivoting means for said lower section adapting it to swing downwardly to give access for servicing the cabinet, said pivoting means comprising a pair of arcuate brackets each fixed at one end to said lower section and pivoted by the opposite end to the cabinet, and means on the cabinet at the bottom thereof with which the concave sides of said arcuate brackets engage to limit downward swinging of the lower section to dispose the same as a shelf for supporting a supply roll of clean toweling while the cabinet is being serviced.

4. In a towel cabinet, the combination with a roll which is forcibly moved by the user for dispensing toweling, a member movable by said roll and providing a first stop shoulder, a rock element providing a second stop shoulder adapted to be moved into the path of the first shoulder when said element is moved and adapted to be engaged by the first shoulder as the member con- 3 overlap and tinues to move, said rock element being held in stop position by the forced action of the first stop on the second, initial engagement of the member with the rock element moving the rock element to stop position, said rock element having means to automatically move it to non-stop position.

5. A device of the class described comprising a roll which is forcibly moved for dispensing, and having a first stop, a second stop, rockable into stopping relation with the first stop and automatically movable away from that position, and means rotated by the roll for rocking the second stop into the path of the first, the first stop being adapted to hold the second in stop position only as long as force continues to be applied to the roll.

6. A device of the class described comprising a roll, a disc on the roll having a peripheral lug one end of which acts as a stop, a rocking element having a stop normally out of the path of the lug, said lug being engageable with said rocking element to move it to bring its stop into stopping position, said lug engaging the stop of theroc king element to retain the latter in stop position until rotative force on the roll ceases, and means causing said rocking element to automatically move away from stopping position when the application of force on the roll ceases.

7. A towel dispensing mechanism having a roll which is forcibly rotated when the towel is fed, a stop mechanism for the roll including a pivoted stop normally gravity-held in non-stop position, means operated by the roll for kicking the stop element to stop position against the action of gravity, said means having a stop shoulder into the path of which the pivoted stop moves when kicked, the engaged relation of the stops being such as to prevent gravity release of the pivotal stop as long as rotary force on the roll continues.

8. In a commodity dispensing apparatus, a member forcibly moved during dispensing and having a first stop shoulder, a pivoted rockable element having a shoulder at one side of its pivot adapted to be moved into the path of the first shoulder and to be engaged thereby, when the pivoted element is rocked, and means movable with the member for engaging the rockable element at theopposite side of its pivot and moving said element to cause said shoulders to be engaged, the said rockable element being thereafter held in shoulder-engaged position while application of force to said member is continued, and means for automatically moving said rockable element to disengage the shoulders when the application of force to said member ceases.

9. A towel dispensing cabinet having towel dispensing means and soiled toweling takeup means, each including a roller, said rollers being spaced apart in a direction transverse to their axes, a member for supporting a toweling supply roll and having means cooperative with a part on the cabinet for smoothing the soiled toweling on its, way to the takeup roll, means pivoting said member to move independently of said dispensing and soiled toweling takeup means, said member being movable away from said part and from a wall of the cabinet to increase the space to facilitate passage of the toweling toward the takeup means for connection therewith, and a second independently pivoted member adapted to cooperate with the first member to complete the formation of the bottom of the cabinet and to form a front wall of the cabinet, and disposed to swing to a level below the first mentioned member and to support a supply roll with one side against the first member to hold the same in said spaced relation, and said first member having a portion which, when the member is'moved to the limit of its spaced position, is disposed to prevent accidental passage of the toweling between said rollers, as it is pushed by the operators fingers through said increased space, to be connected with the soiled towel takeup roll.

10. A towel dispensing cabinet having a soiled towel takeup means, a member having a soiled towel smoothing portion and a clean towel supporting portion, means mounting said member for motion independently of said takeup means and so that only the gravity action of the clean toweling on said supporting portion holds said smoothing portion in smoothing position.

11. A towel dispensing cabinet having towel dispensing means, and a soiled towel takeup means, a member having a clean towel supporting portion and a soiled towel smoothing portion cooperative with the part on the cabinet for smoothing the soiled toweling on its way to the takeup roll, means pivoting said member to move independently of said dispensing and soiled towel takeup means, and so that only the gravity action of the clean towel on said supporting portion holds said smoothing means portion against the towel and in cooperative relation with said part on the cabinet.

12. A towel dispensing cabinet having towel dispensing means, soiled towel takeup means, a member for supporting a towel supply roll and having means cooperable with a part on the cabinet for smoothing the soiled towel on its way to the takeup means, means pivoting said member to move independently of said dispensing means and soiled towel takeup means, said member being movable away from said part and from a wall of the cabinet to provide space to facilitate passage of the soiled towel toward the takeup means, said dispensing and takeup means including two rolls which are spaced apart, and said member having a portion which, when said member is moved to facilitate passage of the towel, lies in such spaced relation to the spaced rolls as to prevent passage of the soiled toweling therebetween after the towel has been passed through said space.

FRANK G. STEINER.

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