US2274866A - Dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

March 3, 1942. w. H. MARTENS DISPENSING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 19, 1940 March 3, 1942. w. H. MARTENS DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Oct. 19, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Flm9 WILL/441 BY Wig/RIMS AE F ORN M Patented Mar. 3, 1942 UNHTED ST DISPENSING DEVICE William H. Martens, Seattle, Wash.

Application October 19, 1940, Serial No. .361,8 83

5 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved sanitary dispensing device and is particularly provided with means for receiving and dispensing sanitary sheet tissues. The use of tissue paper for handkerchiefs or for drying or cleansing the skin, as

when complexion creams and cleansing creams are to be removed, has grown greatly with the improved methods of manufacturing such an absorbent'tissue and the consequent lowering of the sale price.

The majority of the tissues provided on the market are delivered to the consumer in a paper carton which -is designed to dispense the tissues.

However, the exterior of a ma-jority of these cartons is provided with advertising matter and may be placed, and from which e. sheet, -one at a time, may be withdrawn with facility.

A further object of my invention has been the provision of means in such a dispensing container of maintaining :a quantity of folded sheets closely associated with the dispenseropen-ing of the containerso that at all times the quantity of contained sheets will .be properly positioned in avertical arrangement.

A still further object of the invention has been the provision of a spring-pressed follower for automatically compensating for the tissues as they are withdrawn from the container.

Another object of my invention has been the provision, in a dispenser container forinterfolded or stacked absorbent tissue sheets, of means 00- operable with a spring-pressed follower mechanism, to withdraw the follower mechanism, and

also thedevice may have means 'for holding the follower mechanism in an inoperative position during such period as the container is being 1.

charged with a fresh supply of tissue.

Still another object of my invention has been the provision-of latch means cooperable to hold the follower member in its operative pbsition.

Still .a :furtherobject 10f my invention has been the provision in a container of means for receiving used tissue, which, after a certain accumulation has been reached, may be easily removed for the disposal of used tissues from the container.

A further and an important object of the in vention residesin the provision of a crank member for withdrawing the follower member from the urgen'ce of the spring, so that the container can be easily and handily recharged with a quantity of absorbent tissues.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appearby reference to the following specification and the accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated the container embodying a selected form of my invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of the container illustrating the component parts thereof,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an auxiliary container used in connection with my invention,

Figure 3 is a perspectiveview, as though from the rear, of the spring-pressed follower plate and the mechanism associated therewith,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a quantity of the absorbent tissue of the type employed in my invention,

Figure 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the container illustrating the manner of hanging it on a wall or other surface,

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view disclosing the interior arrangement of the container when a quantity of absorbent tissue is provided therein,

Figure 7 is a similar vertical sectional view illustrating the general interior appearance when the follower plate is withdrawn against the urgence of its spring,

Figure 8 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view as though looking down upon the container and is taken on line 8-3 of Figure 6, and

Figure 9 is a similar longitudinal sectional view disclosing aslightly modifiedform of my invention.

Thenumeral ill designates the rear wall of a container having end wall II, a bottom wall [2,

.and a front wall It having a dispenser opening In the container shown in the drawings I provide the intermediate spacer wall l5 which forms a secondary chamber 6 for the reception of an auxiliary removablecontainer IT as illustrated in Figure 2. The auxiliary container I1 is inserted into the chamber l6 and may be withdrawn therefrom by means of the thumb notch l8 provided in the front wall [3 of the container.

The container device includes a. chamber 2| adapted to receive on edge a quantity of tissue sheets folded in the usual manner. Chamber 2| is closed by the lid 24 hinged at 25 which may be opened as shown in Figure? to permit access to the interior of the container or closed as shown in Figure 6 to afford a neat appearance to the container.

A spring-pressed follower plate 20 is fitted into the chamber 2| and has end flanges 22, 22 which are slotted as at 23, 23. The length of the plate 20 is approximately that of the length of the chamber 2| and the height of the plate is substantially the same as the depth of the chamber 2|.

A quantity of tissues, such as is shown in Figure 4, may be placed between the front face of the plate 20 and the inner face of the wall l3, so that the edges 26 of the tissues 21 are positioned in substantial alignment with the opening |4 through which the sheets may be withdrawn.

To the plate 2|] I secure curved, contractible leaf springs 28, 28, as by means of the rivets 29, 29. The springs 28 may have the curved or upturned end 30 to reduce friction when they are in operation in the container. The ends 30 of the spring are normally positioned against the rear wall Ill of the container and the springs constantly urge the plate 20 forwardly in the container.

A crank comprises arms 3| and 32, the longitudinal crank member 33 and trunnions 34 and 35. Member 33 is inserted in the slots 23 in the flanges 22 and the trunnion 34 is mounted for pivotal movement in the wall |5 in the container. The trunnion 35 is also pivotally mounted in the container in wall Attached to the trunnion member 35 is the operating lever 31, which may be angularly disposed to the plane of the member 32. Lever 31 is useful for rotating the crank about its trunnion and causing the crank member 33 to cooperate with the slots 23 to withdraw the follower plate to the position shown in Figure 7, whereupon the angularly disposed lever 31 assumes the position indicated by the dotted lines.

A stop lug or knob 38 may be provided on the outer face of the wall Due to its natural resiliency the lever 31 may be pushed or snapped past lug 38 and by this abutting relationship retain the follower plate in the withdrawn position.

The wall may extend above the general height of the remainder of the container and have holes 40, which are useful for engaging hooks 4| that are secured in the wall or surface 42 to suspend the container.

In Figure 6 I have illustrated the rear wall ID of the container as being provided with an opening 50. A resilient hook 52 has the rearwardly bent portion 54 passed through the opening 50 and the tongue 55 is secured against displacement under the keeper 56. Such hooks 52 may be provided single or in pairs and will have a resiliency permitting them to be engaged over the head or foot of a bed, the arm of a chair or any other convenient structural edge so that the contained tissue will always be handy for use.

Referring now to Figure 9, leaf springs may be secured to the inner faces of the walls H and I5, and these springs are indicated by the numerals 43 and 44 secured to the walls II and I respectively. The purpose of springs 43 and 44 is to retain the plate 20 in the rearward position during such periods as the container is being charged with a fresh supply of folded absorbent tissues. The springs 28 are thus held flexed against their normal urgence.

To charge the container, the follower plate is placed in the position of Figure 7 and a quantity of the sheets are removed from the box or package in which they are delivered to a purchaser. The sheets are stood on their longitudinal edges in the chamber 2| between the inner face of wall l3 and the follower plate. Then the follower plate is released against the urgence of the spring to compress the sheets in the dispensing chamber. Normally this release of the follower plate is accomplished by dislodging the lever 31 from behind the stop lug or knob 38, but it may also be accomplished as shown in Figure 9 by compressing the springs 43 and 44 against the walls II and I5 respectively, thus freeing the plate from the latch action against the ends of the springs.

As tissue is desired it may be withdrawn by grasping the .end 26 and pulling the sheet through the opening l4. As one sheet is withdrawn the space that it occupied is displaced by the forward movement of the follower plate and progressively as the chamber 2| is discharged of absorbent sheets the follower plate automatically compensates therefor.

My device is useful for dispensing the interfolding type of cleansing tissue sheets as well as that which is merely folded and piled in stacks. The opening M in the front wall of the container is shown as being elongated substantially the length of the chamber 2|, but having semicircular or semi-ovate ends, so that only in a portionof its face is the full length of the sheet exposed. This manner of forming the slot is extremely useful to resist accidental slippage or dislodgement of the body of sheets in the con-- tainer and to hold them smoothly against the pressure imparted by the follower plate 20.

Ordinarily the absorbent sheets are of soft material which permits them to be rufiled or crumpled as they are withdrawn without injury. The curved restrictions of the slot at its end tends to prevent the accidental removal of more than one sheet at a time by reason of the firm manner in which the body is held against its following pressure.

Whether the container is full or nearly empty makes no difference in its operation because of the body of sheets within the container are always firmly held against the inner face of the wall I3 and stretched more or less tightly across the opening l4. As the sheets are used they may be disposed of by being placed in the container H which is removable from the chamber I6. After a sufiicient quantity of used tissue has accumulated, the container may be emptied into any suitable disposal means that is convenient for such use.

While I have described my invention in connection with the ordinary soft, absorbent tissues that are commonly used, it is to be understood that my invention is equally serviceable for the dispensing of paper towels, paper napkins, paper cups or any other type of article that may be stacked or piled one upon the other, changes and alterations in the structures described in the foregoing specification may be made without departing "from the spirit of my invention and from the scope of the subjoined claims, the same being construable as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

1. In a dispenser container designed for dispensing sheet material or the like, which container is generally rectangular and has a bottom, front and back side walls and end sections that are joined together to define the walls of a box having the general form of a right rectangular prism, said box forming a chamber for the reception of a quantity of stacked sheet material to p be dispensed, one wall thereof having an intermediate elongated dispensing slot, a follower member positioned in said chamber between the rear portion of a pack of sheet material dispensed therein and the back wall thereof and having rearwardly directed end flanges each having a longitudinal slot, springs engaging the rear Wall of the box for urging the follower member against the pack of sheet material, a crank journaled in the end sections of said container and having its throw member disposed in the slots of the end flanges of the follower member to permit the withdrawal of the said follower against the urgence of the springs, and a lever associated with said crank for swinging it in its journals.

2. In a dispenser container designed for dis pensing sheet material or the like, which container is generally rectangular and has a bottom, front and back side walls and end sections that are joined together to define the walls of a box having the general form of a right rectangular prism, said box forming a chamber for the reception of a pack of sheet material on edge to be dispensed, one wall thereof having an intermediate elongated dispensing slot, a follower member positioned in said chamber between the rear portion of a pack of sheet material disposed therein and the back wall thereof, said follower member having leaf springs secured intermediate of their ends to the follower member and having their free ends disposed against the wall of the chamber opposite said slotted side wall, said springs urging the follower member against the pack of sheet material, a crank journaled in the end sections of said container and having its throw member coupled to the follower member to permit the withdrawal of the said follower against the urgence of its springs, and a lever associated with said crank for swinging it in its journals.

3. In a dispenser container designed for dispensing sheet material or the like, which container is generally rectangular and has a bottom, front and back side walls and end sections that are joined together to define the walls of a box having the general form of a right rectangular prism, said box forming a chamber for the reception of a pack of sheet material on edge to be dispensed, one wall thereof having an intermediate elongated dispensing slot, a follower member positioned in said chamber between the rear portion of a pack of sheet material disposed therein and the back wall thereof, a spring resting against the rear wall of the box for urging the follower member against the pack of sheet material, a pair of arms each journaled in an end section of said container and coupled to the follower member to withdraw the said follower against the urgence of its springs, and means associated with said arms for swinging them in their journals.

4. In a container adapted for dispensing material sheet by sheet fram a pack of folded sheets disposed on edge, a follower plate having a pressure face substantially equal to the size of the pack of material to be pressed, slotted end flanges on said plate directed away from the pack of material being pressed, means including a crank passed through said slots for withdrawing the follower plate from said pack, and means operable against a wall of said container for constantly urging said follower plate against said pack.

5. In a container adapted for dispensing material sheet by sheet from a pack of folded sheets disposed on edge in said container, a follower plate having end flanges directed away from said pack of sheet material, expansible means operable against a wall of said container urging said follower plate toward the pack of sheet material, and means coupled to said end flanges for withdrawing the follower against the urgence of the expansible means.

WILLIAM H. MARTENS.

Images