US2423207A - Ice-cream cabinet - Google Patents

Description

July 1, 1947. R. J. SHARP I2,423,207

' YICE CREAM CABINET Y Filed oct. 6, 1944 RENWICK J. SHARP, mx/ENTOR.

patented July 1,

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 2,423,207 ICE-CREAM CABINET Renwick J. Sharp, Guatemala, Guatemala. Application Getober 6, 1944, Serial No. 557,422

(Cl. 22u-,47)

1 Claim. 1

VThis invention relates to improvements in ice cream cabinets and the like.

Hitherto it has been the usual practice to construct ice cream cabinets with horizontal tops and so to arrange their chambers as to support the contained receptacles in upright positions. The result is that the attendant finds it necessary to bend the body in an uncomfortable manner to reach down into the containers to obtain access to their contents, particularly when it becomes necessary to reach down to the bottom portions of nearly empty containers.

Another defect of these structures has resided in the iactt-hat in opening their lids the operator must use one of his or her hands, which it is often inconvenient for an Vattendant to do, owing to having both vhands inuse when serving foods to customers.

Also, due to the upright position in which the food-containing chambers of the cabinets have heretofore been arranged, when the delivery-man deposits the cartons or" ice cream into these chambers he is apt to drop them with a sufficient impact to cause the cartons to rupture, whereas, if the cartons descended along inclined surfaces this danger would be obviated.

It is the object of this invention to overcome the above mentioned defects in a simple, inexpensive manner.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention will hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a preierred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. l is an end elevation of a multiple ice cream cabinet, parts being shown in section in order to illustrate interior structures more clearly.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the upper side of the cabinet end portion shown in Fig. 1, the direction in which the observer is looking being indicated by the line 2-2 on Fig. l. Parts of the cabinet not needed to illustrate the invention are broken oli.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 2, viewed from line 3 3 of the latter View.

Fig. i is a rear elevation oi the end portion oi the cabinet shown in Figs. 1 and 2, viewed from line 1i-i of the former view, the cabinet being broken ofi adjacent to the unit shown.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail taken on line 5--5 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the cabinet body l differs from the usual construction in that each of its containing chambers 8 are inclined veniently to reach and remove the contents of the containersA le in said chambers, particularly when the containers become nearly empty.

Communicating with the rear side por-tion of the chamber `3 is shown a conventional refrigerating means 3:1;

Each containing chamber 8 is furnished With a slidable cover Il -to the upper end of which is connected at l2 one end of a iiexible tractive connection E3, said connection `passing over an fantiiriction pulley I4, which is rotatably mounted in any suitable manner, being shown furnished with a pintle l5 carried by a yoke I6, said yoke having a shank lGa extending loosely through a downwardly deflected part Il of the lining or cover platef, said plate having also a downwardly directed ilange i8 to which said shank is adjustably attached, as for example by screwthreading thereinto. This screwthreaded connection permits the pulley lli to sway from full line to dotted line position as shown in Fig. 4 when the foot-operable crank is operated to shift the sldable cover, the flanges 16:1: of the yoke contacting the deflected part ll to limit to an extreme movement such swaying action.

Said part Il' defines a recess which countersinks the pulley to a considerable extent so that a large, friction-reducing pulley may be used without its presence causing an objectionable projection.

The lower run 13a of the connection is secured to the iree end of a swingable operating arm 2U, the opposite end of said arm or movement multiplying lever being xed to the rear end of a horizontal rock shaft 2l, bearings 22 and 23 for which are carried by the cabinet body l. The front end of said shaft 2i has fixed to it the aforementioned foot-operable crank 24 partly housed in a suitable alcove 25. By the arrangement above described thefoot-operable crank 24 may be utilized to cause the connection i3, i3d to pull the cover l i up the inclined surface on which it rests, thus uncovering the chamber 8 with less movement of the crank 2d by the foot than the distance traversed by the lid in uncovering the opening in the chambers 3 hereinafter described. When the operator removes his foot from the crank 24 said cover will gravitate back to the closed position, this movement being assisted by a pair of springs 2S, these springs being located in grooves 2 positioned laterally in the cover guides 28, being anchored as shown in Fig. 2.

The foot-operable crank 24 is shown located so close to the lower end of the cabinet that it is operable by the toe portion of the foot of a person while the heel of the same foot is resting upon a oor which supports the cabinet.

In order to provide for obtaining access to the chamber 8 and container Il] therein without always operating the crank 24, the slidable cover Il is provided with a spacious opening 30 which is normally closed by a lid 3l hinged to the upper part of the cover at 32, an elastic bumper 33 arresting the upswing of said cover in the position indicated in Fig. l, after it passes the center of gravity in moving to its open position.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the subject matter claimed.

What is claimed is:

In a cabinet having its top wall inclined downwardly toward the front and provided with a material receiving chamber opening through said top wall, a cover slidable on said top wall from a forward chamber-closing position to a rearward position for opening said chamber, a rock shaft journalled horizontally on the lower part of said cabinet, a foot-operable crank fixed to one end of said shaft and disposed at the front of the cabinet, a lever having a radial length substantially greater than that of said crank xed to the opposite end of said rock shaft and arranged to 4 swing in a vertical plane rearwardly of the cabinet, a flexible element trained for movement over the upper rear portion of the cabinet and connecting the free end of said lever with said slidable cover whereby foot-operated movement of said crank will cause greatly increased arcuate movement at the free end of said lever to pull the exible element sufciently to effect full opening slide of the cover, means yieldingly urging said cover to forward closed position, said top Wall being provided with a channel directed forwardly from its rear wall and having undercut grooves at each side of the channel, said cover being slidable in said channel and grooves, a tension spring fastened in each of said grooves and to the cover to resiliently urge the cover to chamber-closing position, said cabinet having a recess in its lower front portion Within which said foot crank is housed, and a pulley rotatably mounted on the upper rear portion of the cabinet to guide said flexible element thereover.

RENWICK J. SHARP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,380,011 Pelc et al May 31, 1921 1,424,373 Nilsson Aug. 1, 1922 1,485,439 Klages Mar. 11, 1924 1,358,503 Beatty Nov. 9, 1920 1,290,401 Stewart Jan. "I, 1919 1,315,143 Masters Sept. 2, 1919 1,164,583 Drapalik Dec. 14, 1915 1,420,293 Smith June 20, 1922

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