US2415911A

US2415911A - Time controlled container

Info

Publication number: US2415911A
Application number: US561443A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rubane Charles
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1944-11-01
Filing date: 1944-11-01
Publication date: 1947-02-18
Anticipated expiration: 1964-02-18

Description

Feb. 1s, 1947.

-c. RUBANE "2,415,911

TIME CONTROLLED- CONTAINER n Filed Nov. 1,71944 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1/@NMR 7mm/515 XYZ/EAM:

W- Anm/my Feb-18,1947." RBANE 2,415,911

I TIM CONTROLLED CONTAINER Filed Nov. 1, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MMWR.

AraH/VEY Patented Feb. 18, 1947 Zarsen,

TIME CONTROLLED CNTAINER Charles Rubane; Chicago, Ill.

Application November 1, 1944; Serial No. 561,443

(Cl. l- 273) 8 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in time lcontrolled containers and more particularly to a container for cigarettes or the like adapted to be unlocked at predetermined intervals to permit opening.

The object of the present invention is to provide a container of the character referred to with novel means for retaining said container closed and locked for predetermined periods of time.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container having a hingedly mounted cover with means operatively associated with said cover for locking said cover in closed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container of the kind described with. a time controlled locking mechanism embodying means to prevent operation of the timing mechanism when the container has been unlocked but not opened and to restore such mechanism to operation immediately upon closing said container.

' Another object is to provide a container having time controlled locking means therein which is controlled by manipulation of the cover into opened and closed positions and hence is entirely automatic in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a time controlled mechanism for a container wherein the power source for said mechanism, 'such as a spring motor, is retained against operation while the container cover is open and is wound during the movement of the container cover into closed position.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which by way of illustration show preferred embodiments and the principle thereof, and which is considered to be the best mode contemplated for applying that principle. Other embodiments of the` invention embodying the same or equivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled inthe art without departing from the present invention and the purvlew of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a cigarette container embodying features of the present invention.

. Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the con tainer, showing parts of the housing insection to illustrate the controlled mechanism thereinv contained.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional detail View taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View taken on line 4 4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged transverse detail sectional view taken on line 5'5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is .an enlarged transverse sectional detail view similar to Figure 5, taken on line 6-6 of Figure 2. n

Figure 7 is a view lsimilar to Figure y2 by showing the parts in an unlocked position'.

Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating another type of cigarette container embodying the feature of the invention.

Referring particularly to the-form of the invention as applied to the container of the type best illustrated in Figure l, said container preferably includes two substantially alike members Il and I2 hingedli7 connected, as at I3, along complemental edges so as to be movable towards and away from each other into a container opened or closed position. A manually operable latch I4 of any conventional construction may be provided on the casing member l I to cooperate as cigarettes from spilling therefrom when the container is opened.

It should be understood at this time that although a cigarette container is illustrated in the drawings and described herein as one type of container suited to the use of the present invention, other types of containers better suited for other goods or articles may be similarly provided with the time controlled locking mechanism of the present invention.

Referring again to the disclosure in Figure 1, it will be noted that the casing member II is considerably longer than the cover member I2 and is provided at the end extending beyond the end of the cover member I2, with a suitable housing Il which contains the time controlled mechanism. The time controlled mechanism, best illustrated in Figures 2 to '7 inclusive, is entirely contained within the housing I1 and it includes a locking pin I8 adapted normally to project through a suitable opening I9 in the inside wall 2| of said housing so as to engage in an aperture 22 provided in an end wall 23 on the cover member I2 when the container is closed. Engagement of the locking pin I8 in the aperture 22 prevents opening of the container even though the manual latch elements M-IS are rendered ineffective.

. The time `controlled mechanism previously reclockworks suitable for actuating the present ,Y mechanism constitutes no part of the invention,

the detailed `structure thereof will tnot be `described further herein and it is suiicient to note only that said clockworks is located within and adjacent one end of the housing :I1 and includes the usual winding stem 25 (Fig. 3) which extends outwardly of the clockwise casing into the interior of the housing l1. A pinion 26 is iirmly secured on the extending end of rthe key-wind stem 25 'and this pinion is adapted to mesh at all times with ka vtoothed wheel-21 rmlymounted upon a shaft 28 suitably journalled, .as at 29, within the housing l1.

The toothed wheel A21 has a portion of its peripheral margin projecting througharslot 3l 'provided therefor in the housing wall'2 l. Obviously rotation of the :toothed wheel 21 in either direc- .tion will impart rotation 4to the pinion `26 and the winding shaft .225 upon which it is .mounted Accordingly, rotation of the toothed wheel in one direction will operateto wind the clockworks 24 and the rotation lin the'other direction will im .part no functional movement to saidclockworks.

It -is a feature of the present invention to provide means `whereby `winding of theclockworks is accomplished automatically. To :this .end the container cover member I2 -isprovided on itsfend wall 23 with fa rack segment l32 located with -respect to the vhinge i3 vand .toothed wheel 2J', so as to, cooperate with the latter `when the cover member l2 is .moved :relative to the 4casing member l l into opened or closed position. Thus it will be .apparent when the :cover member .l2 is `swung from open position intoits closed position the rack segment -32 will mesh with the toothed wheel 21 and impart 4rotation thereto in a-direction to wind the clockworks 24. When .the cover member is opened, the relative movement `of Athe .rack .segment :3:2 will rotate rthe toothed wheel 21 in theopposite direction, but, as previously explained, no .operative movement vof the clockworks .is eiectedby this rotation. f

The time v,controlled mechanism is particularly intended to enable the -user to regulate 4the .period of operation whereby the container, when closed, will remain locked until vthe expiration of a predetermined period of time, such as forexample, periods of one-half an hour, one hour, one and one-half :hours or -two rhours. Accordingly, 4time controlled means is contained within the .housing l1, .which has manually adjustable means .readily accessible to the Auser while -the container is open -.only,.actuableto-.set said mech- .an-ism to operate for -a predetermined period fof time." To this end `the wall -2l -of the housing Ill ils-provided withan .elongated slot 33 having suitable indicia such ,as the time period markings 34 associated therewith. A nager-piece or pointer 35 extendsoutwardly through the slot 33 and has itsv downwardly turned free end portion disposed in close association with the indicia 34.

The pointer 35, `preferably constitutes an eX- tension projecting substantially at .right angles 4 to a sleeve 36 slide-bly mounted upon a. rigid guid frame 31 arranged within the housing l1. The sleeve 3E has a pin 38 extending upwardly therefrom providing a bearing for a bell crank lever 3Q which lever is movable with the sleeve 36 and is freely rotatable in a horizontal plane about the pivot pin 38. One arm 4I of the bell crank lever 39 is adapted to rest at all times between shoulders or pins42`, provided onthe inner end of the loclning pin I8. .A spring Y43 associated with said arm'normally retains the locking pin in its locking position. The other arm 44 of said bell crank lever 39 extends rearwardly of the pin 38, as best -shownin Figure 2, and provides means whereby the bell crank may be engaged and moved against the action of the Spring 43 about its pivot pin 38 to carry the locking pin i8 out of locking engagement with the aperture 22 in the member I2.

The means provided to move the bell crank 39 in the manner described hereinabove is actuated byoperation-oi theclock mechanism 24. To this end, said clock mechanism yincludes a driven shaft vt5 .having a worm gear 46 iirmly secured thereon and adapted .to mesh with a rack 41 provided on a carriage generally indicated at 48. The carriage'48 is formed with `an elongated intermediate body Aportion 'having the rack 41 formed on its -underface and two leg portions 49, each termihating in a bearing -5 vslidably mounted upon a rigid `guide rod 5l. A spring "52 preferably "mounted around the guiderod 51 normally bears against one ofthe bearings 50 'soias Vto urge the carriage d8 into the extreme Vright hand 'position 'illustrated in Figure 2. 'The spring `52 `also bears upon the upper face of one of the leg portions 49 so as to hold the rack 41 .in mesh with the pinion. The upper face 'of the 'carriage 48 has a pin or other projection 53 adjacent an end which is adapted to engage the arm 44 on the bell crank lever 39 when said carriage 48 `is moved to the left, as illustrated in Figure '7, to thereby cause said'bell crank to 'move about its pivot 38 and retract the locking pin I'S.

Movement ofthe carriage 48 from the position shown in Figure 2 into a position corresponding to that 'shown-in'Figure 7 is effected, during operation of the clockworks. Obviously the clockworks, when in operation, will continue to operate Auntil such time as further operation is prevented `due to the predetermined setting of the time control mechanism represented by the pointer 35. This control or stopping of the operation of the clockworks is effected through setting of the pointer 35 because theparticular position at which the pointer '35 -is located determines the distance which the carriage 48 may travel before the stop pin '53 thereon strikes the arm 44 of the bell crank 39. As soon as the bell crank 39 .has .rotated suiiiciently to move the inner end of thelocking pin i8 against a stop 54 within the housing I1, .further movement of the carriage is prevented. VConsequently binding friction between the rack 41, which is now held against further movement, and the worm gear 46 meshing therewith, prevents further rotation of said worm gear 45 and thereby brakes the .clock mechanism. The mechanism and operationV described hereinabove constitutes the means whereby the icontainer is unlocked at the .expiration of .a predetermined period of time 'so that it may be opened upon actuation of the manual latch 114-415. It should be evident at this time that such time interval may be varied at will upon moving the pointer 35 so as to increase or .decrease the distance the carriage must travel before engaging and actuating the bell crank 39.

As soon as the container is opened, movement of the rack segment 32 imparts rotation to. the toothed wheel 21 in a direction reverse to that in which said toothed wheel rotated while the container was being closed. Such rotation of the toothed wheel is effective to momentarily disengage the rack 41 from the worm gear 46 whereupon said carriage 48 is returned to its initial position due to the action of the spring 52. The

clockworks is thereby relieved of the binding aci tion of said rack and, unless other holding means is provided, is again free to resume operation. It is, however, desired that the clockworks be prevented from operation while the container is open. Consequently, additional means is provided to restrain said clockworks against operation until such time as the container is again closed.

The various means and mechanisms actuated while opening the container are best illustrated in Figures 4 and 5; As there shown, the shaft 28, carrying the toothed wheel 21, also carries a cam element 55 arranged to cooperate at certain times with a pawl 56 pivotally secured at 51 to an arm 58 extending outwardly beyond one edge of the carriage 48. The pawl 56 is mounted to the arm 58 in such manner that it is free to swing outwardly and upwardly, relative to said arm, but is prevented from swinging inwardly and upwardly so as to thereby provide in eiect a substantially rigid construction for certain purposes. It will, therefore, be noted upon reference to the disclosure in Figure 5 that rotation of the shaft 28 in a clockwise direction, as when closing the container, will cause the cam 55 thereon to strike against, lift and pass beneath the pawl 56 without aiecting the position of the carriage 48. However, when the shaft 28 is rotated in an anticlockwise direction while opening the container, the cam 55 rides beneath the pawl 56 and thereby elevates the same and consequently raises the carriage 48 sufficiently to disengage its rack 41 from the worm gear 46. As soon as the carriage 48 returns to its initial position, the locking pin I8 also returns to its initial locking position due to the influence of the spring 43.

The means to prevent undesired operation of the clockworks while the container is open also is actuated when the shaft 28 is rotated in an anti-clockwise direction. As best shown in Figure '7,.such means includes a second cam 59 carried on said shaft 28 and arranged to cooperate` with a vlever 6| for moving said lever into frictional engagement with the driven shaft 45 with suicient pressure to prevent said shaft from rotating. The pressure of the lever 6| is relieved immediately upon the cover member I2 being moved into its closed position whereupon the operation of the clockworks commences.

It should be evident at this time that a very compact and a practical mechanism has been providedto eiect time controlled locking of a container and that the mechanism is such as to enable its relative parts to be adjusted easily and quickly to vary the time of operation to suit the requirements of the user.

In Figure 8 another type of container has been illustrated wherein the time controlled mechanism is contained entirely within a cover member 62. This mechanism is controlled in its operation by a rack segment 83 carried on the body portion 64 of said container. In other respdcts, the time controlled mechanism there illustrated is identical to that described hereinabove and like numerals identify corresponding parts.

Although exemplary forms of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the invention is Acapable of embodying .a wide variety of modications without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Lock mechanism comprising a locking element, means normally retaining said locking element in locking position, a, spring motor, means operable by said spring motor to move said locking element to unlocking position and to stop the motor, means rotatable in one direction to wind said motor, and means actuable when the motor Winding means is rotated in the other dlrection to cause the locking element to assume its normal locking position and enable the motor to operate.

2. A time controlled container including a casing member and a cover member hingedly mounted thereon, a housing arranged within one of said members, a locking element in said housing norm-ally engaged in the other member When the container is closed, a spring motor in said housing operable to move the locking element into unlocking position, means operable to wind said motor during movement of the cover member into closed position, and means to hold said motor inoperative while the container is open.

3. A time controlled container including a casing member and a cover member hingedly mounted thereon, a housing arranged Within one of said members, a locking element in said housing normally engaged in the other member when the container is closed, a spring motor in said housing operable to move the locking element into unlocking position, means operable to wind said motor during movement of the cover member into closed position, and means to hold said motor inoperative when the locking element is in unlocking position.

4. A time controlled container including a casing member and a cover member hingedly mounted on the casing member, a locking element in one of said members normally engaging the other member when the container is closed, a spring motor, means operable to render the motor operative when the container is locked in closed position, slidable means movable by operation of said motor to move the locking element into unlocking position after a predetermined period of motor operation, means effective when the locking element is in unlocked position to stop the motor, and selective means actuable to vary the period of motor operation.

5. A time controlled container including a casing member and a cover member hingedly mounted on the casing member, a locking element in one of said members normally engaging the other member when the container is closed, a spring motor, means operable to render the motor operative when the container is locked in closed position, slidable means movable by operation of said, motor to move the locking element into unlocking position after a predetermined period of motor operation, means effective when the locking element is in unlocked position to stop the motor, and means to hold the motor against operation when the 'container is open.

6. A time controlled container including a casing .member and a cover member hingedly mounted on the casing member, a locking element in one of said members normally engaging the other member when the container is closed, a spring motor, slidable means movable by oper` ation of said motor to move the locking element into unlocking position and stop the motor whereupon the container may be opened, and means eiective While opening said container to return the slidable means to its initial position.

7. A time controlled container including a casing member and a cover member hingedly mounted on the casing member, a locking element in one of said members normally engaging the other member when the container is closed, a spring motor, slidable means movable by operation of said motor to move the locking element into unlocking position and stop the motor whereupon the container may be opened.

8. A time controlled container including a casing member and a cover member hingedly mounted on the casing member, a locking element in one of said members normally engaging the other member when the. container is closed, a spring motor, slidable means movable by operation of said motor to move the locking element into un- A5 locking position and stopy the motor whereupon REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the l15 fue of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 580,736 Smith Apr. 1,3, 1897 20 1,746,854 Evensen Feb. 11, 1930 2,016,534 Blackwell et al Oct., 8, 19,35