US2408902A - Container for pencil leads and the like - Google Patents

Description

G. L. BECKSTROM CONTAINER FOR PENCIL LEADS ANBKTHELIKE,

Filed May l5, 1944 Patented Oct. 8, 1946 f CONTAINER VTHE LIKE. i Garfield L. Becks'tro'm:, Chicago,.Ill., assigner to v Autopoint Company, Chicago, a corpora@n l f tion of nlinois 4 Application May 15, 1944, serial No. 535,630`

2 Claims. (c1. '20s-,56)

This invention relatestov a container for mechanical pencil leads and the like, and morepar- Leads for mechanical pencils and the like areA small, more or less easily breakable, and somewhat dicult to pick up when dropped on the floor or other surface. Among the objects .of this invention is to provide, for such leads, a container that is convenient to carry around, that Ywill prevent the leads from becoming inadvertently spilled, and that may be easily manipulated for tilting one or more leads through a slot into position to be easily grasped when a new lead is desired.

A further object is to provide a lead container having Va pair of hollow, relatively rotatable, telescoping members with slots that maybe brought into registry for dispensing leads by a simple tilting action, and whichv slots may be moved out of registry when the dispensing of a lead is not desired.

A still further object is to so construct such container as to increase the tendency of the leads to project at an angle through the registering slots when the container is tilted a small amount from a vertical position, to enable the easy grasping of a lead.

Another object is to provide novel means for limiting the relative movement of the slots into and out of registry with each other.

Still another object is to provide novel means for normally holding the telescoping member against longitudinal separation, and yet permit such separation upon the application of a slight pull of one with relation to the other, for purposes of replenishment and the like.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities, inherently possessed by my invention,`will later more fully appear.

My invention further resides in the com-bination, construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and while I have shown therein a preferred embodiment I wish it understood that the same is susceptible of modification and change without departing from the spirit of this invention.

In the drawing:

Fig- 1 is a. side elevation of a .pencil-lead container embodying my invention and showing the despensing slots open.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

' 3 isaview similar tov Fig. 1, but showing? the dispensing slotclosed. n, l l .y

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of Fig. 1.

. l Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5 5.-

of Fig. 2. d p Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line 6 6 of yFig. 3 but showing Athe parts in open-slot position. l d f Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the inner rotatable hollow member. p

Fig. 8 is a side elevation-of the outer hollow member of thecontainer. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical section on the line 9?-9 of Fig, 8.

Fig. 10 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 7. Referring in detail to the drawing my container for mechanical pencil leads and the like comprises an outer hollow member I and an inner hollow member 2 rotatably mounted there.-

in. .The outer member is formed with an elongated slot 3 and the inner member is formed with an elongated slot 4, these members being so constructed that they can be rotated a limited below and in alinement with slot 3 is a rib orprojection 9 over the upper end of which extends the lower end of the slot 4 of the inner member.

Intermediate of its length the inner member 2 is formed on its outer surface with an annular bead l0 which is seated in the annular groove Il formed around the inner surface of the outer member I. By reason of the slot 4 and the resiliency of the material of the walls of the inner member the bead I0 may be caused to Iseat Within the groove Il or be removed therefrom by a longitudinal pull on the inner member with relation to the outer member, thus normally holding these parts together and permitting their rotation one with relation to the other.

The inner surface I2 of the bottom I3 of the outer member is inclined or beveled outwardly and downwardly away from the side containing the slot 3, so that there is a tendency for the bottom ends of the leads to assume the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 2 when the slots are -'lJN11 i-:o Y STATE-s PATENT OFI-ical l enable easy grasping of one of such leads. seenA` in Fig. 2`the inclined or beveled .bottomI I2is such as to cause the lead to lean at an an'gle across thev shoulder or edge I4 at the inside of the bottom 4 end of slot 3 thus throwing the lead (one or more) into an easy position for grasping.

The Width of the increased portion of thai bottom end of the slot 4 is such that when the.

inner member 2 is rotated in a clockwise direction (the outer member remaining stationary) tothe position shown in Fig. 5, the slots will be both closed, While when rotated as far as it will go in the opposite direction the slots will be in registry and completely open. This limit of movement to closed or open position of the slots is controlled bythe striking of one edge or the other of the enlarged bottom end of slot'lI against onevside or the other ofl the projection or rib 9, thejslots being shown closed in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, andopenin Figs. 1 and 6. In other Words when the-'right hand edge I5 of the enlarged portion 5 of the bottom endofslot 4 (as viewed in Figs. 3 and 5) strikes the adjacent side I6 of rib or projection 9 the slots will be closed,'and when the edge I'I of slot 4 strikes side I8 of rib 9 the slots will be open (see Fig. 6). This opening for closing of the slots is effected by partially rotating the inner member in' one orthe other direction within the outer member, which may be readily accomplished by grasping ther top I9 and adjacent gripping ridges of the inner member 2.

' The inner and outer members Will preferably be :made of plastic materia1 although any other suitable material may be used if desired.

' It 'is thus'se'en that I havev provided a container and dispenser for leads for mechanical pencils and the like in which the leads may be stored, and- When one is desired the slots can -be brought 4 into registry to open them, and a lead be caused to extend at an angle in easy grasping position by merely tilting the top of the container toward the slots. New leads may be introduced into the container by pulling the inner member out of the outer members to'free bead I0 from groove II.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim:

l: A containerfor leads for mechanical pencils and the like, comprising a pair of hollow telescoping members each closed at one end and each having a longitudinally extending slot extending to the open end thereof, said members Ibeing movable with relation to each other to bring the slots intoand out ofjregistry to open and close the same, one of said members having a shoulder positoned at the inner closed end of its slot and anV inclinedbottom slanting away from the slot. saidshoulder being spaced from the bottom a distance not less than the Width of the container, the slanting bottom Atending to cause the leads to assumeV a tiltedposition toward the slot when the container is held upright.

2. A container for leads for mechanical pencils and the like, comprising a pair of hollow telescoping members each closed at one end and each having a longitudinally extending slot, said members lbeing rotatable with relation to each other to bring the slots into and out of registry to open and close the same, one of said members having a shoulder positioned at the inner closed end of its slot and an inclined bottom slanting downwardly away from the slot, the slantingbottom tending to cause the leads to assume a tilted posi-' tion toward the slot and against the shoulder when the container is held upright, and said shoulder being spaced from the lower remote end of the bottom a distance substantially one-half the longitudinal inner dimension of the container to retain the tilted leads against fallingthrough the slots when these'slots are in registry.

GARFIELD L. 1 BECKSI'ROM.

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