US2474076A

US2474076A - Dispensing container

Info

Publication number: US2474076A
Application number: US716703A
Authority: US
Inventors: Claude H Thompson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1946-12-17
Filing date: 1946-12-17
Publication date: 1949-06-21
Anticipated expiration: 1966-06-21

Description

June 21, 1949. c. H. TH 'MPsoN DISPENSING ponumnn Filed Dec. 17, 1946 CLAUDE H. THOMPSON,

(Ittomeg Patented June 21, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in dispensing containers for paper and like sheet material which is usually supplied in roll form.

Broadly stated, the invention contemplates a dispensing container of the type providing an effective dirt and dust-proof housing for a roll of paper or like material which is required to be kept in clean condition prior to withdrawal, that is moreover so constructed as to permit ready reloading of a roll as well as simple withdrawal of the paper in desired lengths, and whose design is such that it may be simply and inexpensively manufactured.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of a dispensing container incorporating simple and effective means for holding the free end of the paper in position such that the edge portion thereof resulting from a preceding tearing-on" operation may be readily grasped and withdrawal of paper from the roll accordingly facilitated.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a dispensing container for sheet material, such as paper usually supplied in roll form, L

of the type wherein withdrawal of the paper in desired length is effected by drawing the free end of the sheet from the roll in upward direction and tearing the same against a tearing or cutting edge provided on the container cover, for example, which incorporates novel means to hold the free end of the paper in position such that its edge portion. forms an upstanding lip capable of being readily grasped so as to facilitate withdrawal of the paper from the container.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a dispensing container for a roll of paper of the type wherein the paper is drawn upwardly from the roll and over the top edge of the container front wall, which is provided with means operating more or less automatically to hold the free end portion of the paper against the inside face of the container front wall in such manner that the edge portion of the paper which extends over said top edge forms an upstanding lip which may be readily grasped to effect withdrawal of a desired length of paper from the roll.

The above and other objects and features of advantage of the invention will appear from the following description, taken with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a perspective view of a dispensing container according to the invention which illustrates the hinged mounting of the cover and the manner in which a desired length of paper is severed from the roll as by tearing thesame against a cutting or tear-oil edge provided on the cover front flange;

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view looking into an end of the container body, the view illustrating one form of holding means effective to hold the free end of the paper so that its edge portion forms an upstanding lip which may be readily grasped so as to facilitate paper withdrawal;

Fig. 3 is a section taken along line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similar section through the container with the cover in raised position, the view illustrating the action of the holding means on the free end of the paper; and

Fig. 5 is a similar section illustrating modified form of holding means.

Referring to the drawings, a dispensing container according to the invention comprises an open top container body generally designated III which is closed at its top by a hinged cover H. Preferably, the container body is of integral, onepiece construction and includes a front wall l2, end walls 53 and I4, and a bottom of wall l5. By reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the end walls carry integral attaching tabs 18, I! which are preferably in-turned as shown and are pierced to provide suitable openings 18 through which an attaching screw may be passed, thereby to secure the container against a vertical supporting surface such as a wall functioning as a rear wall closing the container body.

The bottom wall 15 is formed as a horizontal continuation of the front wall l2 and extends rearwardly for the full depth of the container body. Preferably, the inner end or edge portion of the bottom wall is inclined upwardly as by gently curling the same along an arc of large radius, and its depth dimension is such that the inner edge of the bottom wall engages against the front faces of the attaching tabs I6, I! somewhat above the bottom edge thereof, whereby the bottom wall leans against and is thereby effectively supported along its rear edge by said flaps. Due to this inward support, no positive connection of the bottom wall to either the end walls [3, M or said attaching tabs is provided, and the fabrication of the container body is accordingly simplified.

The cover I l is shown to be hingedly connected to the rear top corners of the container end walls l3, 14 by means of hinge pintles I9, 20 which are preferably formed as integral tangs initially extending outwardly from the cover at its rear corners. In assembling the cover on the container body, the tangs are bent downwardly and thence inwardly through pivot holes 2| provided in the box ends as shown, with the result that the inbent ends of the tangs are masked from view. The cover II is moreover provided with end flanges 22 which lap the end walls l3, [4 of the container, and with a front flange 23 which laps the container front wall and whose lower horizontal edge 24 provides a cutting or tear-off, against which a desired length of paper drawn from the roll mjayrbe torn.

It willbe understood that the container as herein contemplated will have the proper interior dimensions as to house the roll of paper *or like sheet material to be dispensed desire'tl lengths. The closed construction of the container maintains the paper roll in 'leaneon'dition prior to use, and the swingicover permits simple re-loading as well as ready access to the free end of the paper therein. Whenit'isdesired to sever a length of paper from the roll, the :cover' I l manuallyii'aised, *andthe free' 'end' of the paper is grasped and drawn upwardlyian'd then rover the top 1 edge ifof i the :container 'fr'ont wan; l2. 7 Upon 'lowering of the cover to itsclosed position, :the desired :length of paper "may -b'e severed by tearing i it against the cutting bedge -fl o'fithe' cover top flange :23, the cover being meantime held 'irrclosedfpositien.

To insure easy -w-ithdrawal of the paper from the roll, it is of advantage that the roll be mountedso: that it' 'oan turn freely withinl the i'container as the =paper i is withdrawn. =:However, thiS fr'ee mounting :of *the :ir'o'll :intro'du'ces thedisadvanta'ge that the free end thereofrha's .fa tendency, when thecover is'raisd, :toJcur1'ba'ckon the roll or otherwise fall away from'ithe top-edgeof th'e cohtamer front '=wa1l, so "that it roannot be readily grasped. To .overcome -t'his 'rdisadvantage, "the invention 'providesmeansfor holding the free'en'd v of the paper :against the inneriface of the :container front wall: and: adjacent 'its1top'*edge,'- with tliei'result 'thatnthe-" edgei portion thereofg i. e. the portion immediately adjacent the torn edge of thje paper, provides a substantially upstanding "lip which may berread'ily grasped bythe fingersgso astofacilitatepap'er withdrawal.

:"As. seen in Figs .12,:3 and wfsu'cnholding means ill-ustrativ'ely takes the form: of a 'swing -'b'ail having a holding zbar or rodfporti'on t2t extending substantially'theifulhwidth of the'container front wall 12 and

end legs

21, 28 which extend' 'to the Trear L of the container I and parallel --'to the 'con tainehendWalls (3,14. The' e'nds of the'legs -zl, -28xarez angu'larly oifs'et tmpr ovide trunnions l 30 which .are passedthrough aligrie'd 'openings' pr'o- *vided for their reception in the end Walls, sai'd :openings \being located adjacent the 'rean Vertical edges "of the end walls and substantially above :the container bottom t5. 'EI-he lengthtofvth'eileg's to hold the free endof :ythe paper 1 against said inner: face 9 in both the closed-and open positions m the cover. When the: cover is-raiseditmeffect paper withdrawal, the edge portion of the paper strip extending over the top edge of the container front wall has a tendency to move rearwardly, i. e. to coil itself on the roll within the container. However, consequent to the action of the holding bar in securing the free end portion of the paper, its edge portion can move rearwardly by only a limited amount, and in actual practice will assume a position somewhere between the dotted kand full line ipositionsf thereof, shown in Fig. 4. "When so "positioned, the aforesaid edge portion forms a substantially upright grasping lip which can be readily grasped to effect withdrawal of a Cd'esired length of the paper from the roll. Due to the swing. mounting of the holder, it may swing "aW ajy''from the' container front wall as the paper isgdrawn invupward*direction from the roll, and hence imposes no substantial restriction to paper Withdrawal.

Referring to Fig. 5, illustrating a modified form :of mean's 'for ho'ld'ing the r freeenilof the paper against the "inner face :of "the i container front wan, :sueh mp'rises a .=straig htway extend ing bar u o'fi omewhat greater length'than tne'widthprthe"container and "whose. ends proij-ec't thro'u'g h "openings *or slots 3 3 r formediin the end walls 13 v I 4. Said -sIots are-downwardly ineline'd to the 5 front wallfias shown,With'the result that the-'ro'd tends to moveby gravitytoit's lowermost position, :in wnich it" engages zagai'n'st the i-nner fa'ce "or the -=container *front wall and somewhat bel ow the (top edge thereof, whereby substantially the same holding action is' 'obtained 'as w'i'th the bail-type io'f rholdin'grmeans. 'As' with i th prior described fty pe, upward withdrawing m n iniparte'd to thefree end dft'he palp'e'r eff 5 limited separating": movement of the holdingba'r =relative to paperg'andhence-the holding bar poses no restriction l-"to "the free withdrawal of tl ie "paper 'in desired 'lengths. ion the "other hand, the holding bar functions similarly to tlie prior idescribed-"bail type holding means in sec'uring the fre'e end "of the paper against the I inner face of the container fr'ont -wa11 and relatively rcldse to' thetop': edge'the'reof over which the? paper istlrawngso that the ed'gegp'c'irtion ofithe paper ay provi'de a siibstantiallv upright grasping lip serving to facilitate-pa erwithdrawal.

With'out further analysis, it will besee'n theta dispensing :rc on'tainer a's d'escribed achieves ithe abover stated and other objects of 'the invention inpractical'rand eliective manner. A dispensing container -.characterized as :in the foreg'oing can be readily and inexpensively:manufactured;'sinee its: simple "design lends itself'to quantity-produc- "tion, Moreover, a dispensing "container incorporating means iof the general-typedescribed or zholdingithe free 'end ofu the paper in position siich .tt'liat itsterminal edge portion forms a gra'sping dip irepresents fan eextre'mely p'rac'tical yet simple improvement in -dispensing containers"of the tt pe lierein'fcontemplated. ;les manymhangesconld:beimadeinicarrying out the :above reconstructions without '"departing from theiascope of thefinvention';itis intended that all container body to a vertical supporting surface which serves to close the rear of the container body, and a bottom wall integral with said front wall and being inclined upwardly in its rear edge portion so as to bear against the front faces of the attaching tabs and thereby derive support from said tabs.

2. A dispensing container for a roll of paper and like strip material, comprising a one-piece container body having a front wall, end walls integral with the front wall, attaching tabs integral with the end walls providing for attachment of the container body to a vertical supporting surface which serves to close the rear of the container body, and a bottom wall integral with the front wall and extending rearwardly to said attaching tabs, the rear edge of said bottom wall leaning against the front faces of said tabs but being devoid of any physical securement with said tabs and with said end walls.

3. A dispensing container for a roll of paper and like strip material, comprising a one-piece container body having a front wall, end walls integral with the front wall, attaching tabs integral with the end walls providing for attachment of the container body to a vertical supporting surface which serves to close the rear of the container body, and a bottom wall integral with said front wall and extending to said attaching tabs, said bottom wall in its rear portion being inclined upwardly by an amount such that its rear edge engages against the front faces of the tabs above their bottom edges.

4. A dispensing container for a roll of paper and like strip material, comprising an open top container body including front and end walls and a cover hingedly connected to said end walls, the cover having a depending front flange adapted to lap the container front wall and whose lower edge provides a tear-off edge for the paper which is drawn upwardly from the roll and over the top edge of the container front wall, and a holding member extending substantially from end to end of the container body and mounted so as to move under its own weight into engagement with the inner face of the front wall adjacent the top edge thereof, said member being operative to hold the free end of the paper in substantially upright position against said face whereby its edge portion forms an upstanding grasping lip.

5. A dispensing container for a roll of paper and like strip material, comprising an open top container body including front and end walls and a cover hingedly connected to said end Walls, the cover having a depending front flange adapted to lap the container front wall and whose lower edge provides a tear-off edge for the paper which is drawn upwardly from the roll and over the top edge of the container front wall, and a longitudinal holding member extending substantially from end to end of the container and being mounted for swinging movement about an axis extending through said end walls adjacent the rear edges thereof to a position in which it leans under its weight against the inner face of said front wall and adjacent the top edge thereof, said holding member being operative to hold the free end of the paper in substantially upright position against said face so that its edge portion forms an upstanding grapsing lip.

6. A dispensing container for a roll of paper and like strip material, comprising an open top container body including front and end walls and a cover hingedly connected to said end Walls, the cover having a depending front flange adapted to lap the container front wall and whose lower edge provides a tear-off edge for the paper which is drawn upwardly from the roll and over the top edge of the container front wall, and a longitudinally extending holding member having its ends extending through slots formed in said end walls adjacent the top edges thereof, said stops being inclined downwardly to said front wall, whereby the holding member is movable by gravity into a position such that it holds the free end of the paper against the inner face of the container front wall and adjacent the top edge thereof.

7. A two-part dispensing container for a roll of paper and like strip material, one part comprising an open top container having front and end walls and a bottom wall, the other part comprising a cover providing a closure for said open top including a hinge for connecting itself to the container body, the hinge comprising integral tangs on the cover at its rear corners providing hinge pintles, said tangs being bent downwardly from the plane of the cover and outwardly of the end walls of the container body and thence inwardly so as to extend through pivot holes provided in the upper rear corners of said end walls.

CLAUDE H. THOMPSON.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,122,672 Winter Dec. 29, 1914 1,514,399 Steiner Nov. 4, 1924 1,713,857 Rapp May 21, 1929 1,917,376 Lee July 11, 1933 2,177,430 Greiser Oct. 24, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 381,649 Germany Sept. 22, 1923