US2297075A

US2297075A - Dispenser

Info

Publication number: US2297075A
Application number: US381007A
Authority: US
Inventors: David V Rowland
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1941-02-28
Filing date: 1941-02-28
Publication date: 1942-09-29
Anticipated expiration: 1959-09-29

Description

Sept. 29, 1942. D. v. ROWLAND DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 28, 1941 INVENTOR. David D. Rowland ATTORNEYS D. V. ROWLAND Sept. 29, 1942.

DISPENSER Filed Feb. 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Rowland David BY ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 29, 1942 UNETE. BATS DISPENSER David V. Rowland, Sacramento, Calif. Application February 28, 1941, Serial No. 381,007

.7 Claims.

This invention relates to butter dispensers, particularly for use in restaurants and the like, the principal object being to provide a device for the purpose by means of which individual slices of butter may be cut and dispensed directly onto a serving plate without touching the butter with the hands.

A further object is to provide a portable dispenser for the purpose arranged to be held and manipulated by one hand so that a supply of butter for any diner may be replenished at the table and directly onto his plate without taking the plate away or bringing a supply on another plate.

Another object is to provide a, simple and easily adjusted means for altering the thickness of the slices dispensed.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved dispenser with the dispenser unit in its inopera- K tive or retracted position.

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation of the dispenser showing the dispensing unit in operation and fully advanced.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan on the line of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the dispenser comprises a rectangular open-ended vertical receptable l of a size to slidably receive a standard quarter-pound cube of butter as at 2. A pressure plate 3 urged by a line compression spring 4 bears down on top of the cube, the spring being suspended from a cap '5 which is removably clipped onto the receptacle over the top thereof. A horizontal bar 6 is rigidly secured on and projects from the back wall of the receptacle near the top and is provided at its outer end with a rigid depending handle 'I.

Mounted rigid with the receptacle at the .bottom and projecting below the same on opposite sides are vertically disposed horizontal side flanges 8. These are parallel to the bar 6 and extend forwardly from the front side of the receptacle a distance greater than the width of the same from front to rear. The flanges are flat on the bottom and terminate on a level below that of the lower edge of the handle so that the device may be supported by said flanges in an upstanding position from a table or the like when desired. The flanges are formed with longitudinal horizontal slots 9 immediately below the bottom of the receptacle and which slots extend from the rear wall thereof forwardly to a termination in front of the same a distance approximately equal to said width of the receptacle.

A slide unit engages the slots, said unit comprising a rearwardly facing butter cutting knife [0, a butter supporting plate H spaced from behind the blade relative to the direction of cutting movement of the latter, and connecting strips l2 between said blade and plate disposed laterally out from the flanges 8. The slide unit adjacent the blade and laterally out from said flanges is connected to the ends of a horizontal U-shaped yoke l3 at its rear end and is connected to a centrally disposed upstanding arm l4 parallel to the handle I. This arm projects between said handle and the adjacent wall of the receptacle and forms a finger gri-p member adapted to be engaged by the fingers of the same hand holding the handle. A rod [5 extends between the receptacle and the handle I parallel to the slots 9 and projects through the arm 14 near the top so that the latter is slida-bly supported and guided; the arm and receptacle being connected above said rod by a tension spring I6.

Mounted as a unit with the arm and yoke centrally below the horizontal plane of the latter is a boss I! in which a stem I3 is turnably mounted with a friction fit, said stem being parallel to the slots 9. A knob is is rigid with the stem back of the boss so that it may be readily turned. In front of the boss a forwardly projecting rod 2|] is mounted rigid with but eccentric to the stem while being disposed in a plane parallel thereto. The forward end of the rod is spaced from the cutting edge of the blade iii a distance less than the width of the butter cube.

The arrangement and relative positioning of the parts above described are such that, when the spring 16 is free to act, the arm [4 is moved toward the receptacle, the blade It is ahead of the receptacle, as shown in Fig. 1, and the rod 29 is under and below the receptacle in a butter supporting position, as in Fig. 2. The distance which the butter projects below the slots and the bottom of the receptacle, and which controls the thicknesses of the slices to be cut, depends on the setting of the eccentric rod about its supporting stem l8, as will be evident.

When it is desired to dispense a slice of butter onto a dish, the dispenser is lifted by the handle I, while certain fingers of said hand extend to also engage about the arm M. The dispenser is held so that the receptacle is directly over the plate onto which the butter is to be dispensed, and hand pressure is then exerted to draw said arm l4 toward the handle. With such movement of the arm the blade I is drawn through the butter at the level of the bottom of the receptacle, the rear wall of which forms a stationary blade cooperating with the moving blade H] at the determination of the cutting stroke. At the same time the rod 20 is gradually withdrawn from under the butter, while the plate II is advaneed to support the main cube at the level of the out after the cut slice S has dropped of its own weight clear of the path of movement of the slide as s wn in F 3- 7 When the slice has been dispensed the hand pressure on the arm M is released and the spring it; pulls the arm back to its original position. The plate H and blade l0 then move elear oi the butter while the rod 20 returns to a pesition under the same. As soon as the plate and blade clear the latter drops of its own weight or by the pressure of the spring 4, and becomes then again supported by the rod in position for the next dispensing operation.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as subst n a y fil s he ob e of th n on as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction f thedevice, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure irorn the spirit of the invention, as denned'by th app nd a Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by L t rs Pa e s:

l, A portable butter dispenser comprising an upstanding tubular receptacle to hold a cube of butter in slidable relation, a handle mounted rigs id with the receptacle whereby the latter may be lifted an held in dispensing position, said handle extending in substantially the same direction as the receptacle and bei g spaced from one side thereof, means to support the cube below the lower edge of the receptacle a predetermined dis-. tance, a cutting blade mounted for sliding movement across the receptacle immediately below the said lower edge thereof and means to thus slide the blade and including an actuating element mounted in position between said receptacle and handle whereby said element can be grasped and actuated by the fingers of the same hand grasp ing the handle.

2. A portable butter dispenser comprising an upstanding tubular receptacle to hold a cube of butter in slidable relation, a handle mounted rig-. id with the receptacle whereby the latter may be lifted and held in dispensing position, said handle being substantially parallel to and spaced from one side of the receptacle, means to sup.- port the cube below the lower edge of the receptacle a predetermined distance, a cutting blade mounted for sliding movement immediately below the lower edge of the receptacle and across the same in a direction toward and from the handle and means to thus slide the blade including an upstanding finger grip arm operatively connected to the blade and disposed between the handle and the adjacent side of the receptacle.

3. A portable butter dispenser comprising an upstanding tubular receptacle to hold a cube of butter in slidable relation, a handle mounted rigid with the receptacle whereby the latter may be lifted and held in dispensing position, said handle being substantially parallel to and spaced from one side of the receptacle, means to support the cube below the lower edge of the receptacle a predetermined distance, a cutting blade, means mounting the blade for sliding movement immediately below the lower edge of the receptacle from a point clear of the side of the receptacle opposite the handle to the side adjacent the handle, an upstanding finger grip arm rigid with and operatively connected to the blade and disposed between the handle and adjacent side of the receptacle and a spring urging the arm to- 1 ward the receptacle and normally causing the blade to be held clear of said opposite side of the receptacle.

4. A portable butter dispenser comprising an upstanding tubular receptacle to hold a cube of butter in slidable relation, a handle mounted rigid with the receptacle whereby the latter may be lifted and held in dispensing position, said handle being substantially parallel to and spaced from one side of the receptacle, means to support the cube below the lower edge of the receptacle a predetermined distance, a cutting blade, means mounting the blade for sliding movement immediately below the lower edge of the receptacle from a point clear of the side of the receptacle opposite the handle to the side adjacent the handle, a U-shaped horizontally disposed yoke whose ends are connected to the blade laterally out from the receptacle and projecting toward the handle, a finger grip arm rigid with and upstanding from the yoke centrally thereof between the handle and the adjacent side of the receptacle, and a tension spring between the arm adjacent its upper end and the receptacle and urging the arm toward said receptacle to normally maintain the blade clear of the opposite side of the receptacle.

5. A structure as in claim 4, with a guide member rigid with the receptacle with which the arm is slidably engaged adjacent its upper end.

6. A butter dispenser comprising an upstand- 111 tubular receptacle to hold a cube of butter in lidable relation, a cutting blade mounted for movement across the cube immediately below the receptacle, a rod normally projecting under the receptacle at right angles to the blade, and means meunting said rod for rotation about an axis parallel but eccentric thereto.

7. A structure as in claim 6, in which said rod mounting means includes a boss mounted rigid with and a predetermined distance in front of the blade, a stem parallel to the rod and turnable in the bgss, a connection between the end of the rod farthest from the blade and the adjacent end of the stem to maintain the rod eccentric to tile stem, and a knob on the opposite end of the s cm.

DA I ROW A D-