US2478815A - Combination dispensing and bulk reducing device - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 9, 1949. J. M-FORMAN 2,478,815

COMBINATION DISPENSING AND BULK REDUCING DEVICE Filed Feb. 20, 1945 S'Sh'eets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JUL/USMFORMfi/V hi,sA Zforney.

A 9, 9- Y J. M. FORMAN 2,478,815

COMBINATION IIISPENSING AND BULK REDUCING DEVICE 7 Filed Feb. 20, 1945 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

' JUL/US MFO/ZMfl/V 1949- J. M. FORMAN 2,478,815

COMBINATION DISPENSING AND BULK REDUCING DEVICE Filed Feb. 20, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I IN VE N TOR. Jl/L ll/J M FORM/4A BY 5 I.

106,5 Attorney.

paper towels, have found .universal use,

Patented Aug. 9, 1949 COMBINATION DISPENSING AND BULK 1 REDUCING DEVICE Julius M. Forman, Brooklyn, N. Y.; George Robert Forman administrator of said Julius Forman, deceased This invention relates broadly to dispensing devices, and particularly to combination devices for dispensing utilitarian'articles and for reducing the bulk of dispensed articles after their use, and is especially applicable to towel dispensing devices including means for disposing of used towels and compressing them to reduce their bulk.

Towel cabinets, mainly those for dispensing They, however, present a vexing problem arising from the disposal of used towels. Open containers are usually. provided for their reception. When these containers are filled, they are to be removed,

emptied and replaced. Very often these containers become filled so rapidly, that before they may be removed, emptied and replaced waste towels will litter the premises where the towel cabinet is located, since the towel users seldom take the trouble of reducing the bulk of waste towels by compressing them in the containers.

Speaking broadly, the prime object of the present invention is to provide a combination article dispensing and a used article receiving device, the portion for the reception of used articles being equipped with means for automatically reducing the bulk of used articles, preparatory to their disposal.

A specific object of this inventionis to provide a towel dispensing cabinet having towel supply means adapted to deliver at one time fresh towel .material sufficient for one application or a single use, said cabinet including a receptacle for waste or used towel material, and which receptacle is provided with means for automatically com- 7 pressing such used towel materialwithin the restoring and dispensing fresh towel material and a receptacle for storing and having means to compress used towel material, and wherein said compartment'includes means for making ready for delivery a fresh towel material element of a size suilicient for a single application or use, and other means for ejecting such element from the compartment, and wherein said receptacle for used towel material isprovided with a closable insert opening for used material and a comp on, platio,rm;.enu pped1w th an oper velid for closing the insert opening, and which platform is adapted, when the'lid is in its closing position, to automatically bear against and to compress used towel material Within the receptacle, the closing of the lid and the pressure movement of the platform preceding, in the stated sequence, the delivery of fresh towel material.

The foregoing and numerous other important objects and advantages of the present invention will become more fully understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a front view of one form ofa towel cabinet according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is asection taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. lisa similar'viewlto that of Fig. 2 with the towel compressing platform lowered and the towel delivery mechanism in towel discharging position;

Fig. 5 is atop view, partially in section, along line 5-5 of Fig. 2, with portions of the mechanism removed; a I) Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a towel element as used in connectionwith cabinets shown in the previous figures;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sideielevation in cross section through a cabinet'similar to that shown in Fig. 2, with atmodifiedope'rating mechanism;

Fig. 8 is aifragmental-front elevation, partially in section, of the cabinet shown in Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is :a fragmentalvertical cross sectional view through still another modified form of the cabinet for'use ;in connection with single, plain towel sheets rand I Fig. 10 ,is a fragmental top View, partially in crosssection, of the towel cabinetshown in Fig. 9 with the ,top thereof removed I Referring now specifically to Figs. 1 to 6, in-

,clusive, the illustrated towel cabinet includes two ,superimposed compartments, a smaller. upper ment I!) there is provided a framework of angle bars it extending. upward from a fixed'horizcntal partition H. Guided by, and. operative within the framework-is agmovable support is for the receptio of; asters-p ..tcwel.;,mater al elem nt I9 made of paper tissue and shown in detail in Fig. 6, and comprising elongated, preferably rectangular sheets of towel tissue paper, the short ends 20 of which are folded along lines 2| and are turned against each other so that their inner faces rest against the body of the towel element, as indicated in broken lines in that figure.

Towel support I8 is intended to automatically move in upward direction, as the stack of towel elements diminishes, for which purpose a conically shaped spiral spring 22, resting upon partition l1, bears against the lower face of support 18 and urges the latter upwards.

Framework IE not only serves for guiding towel support l8 but also for guiding the stack of towels resting thereon. The upper ends of front frame members It are cut at an angle as shown at H in Fig. 3, to render free only one of the towel elements, that is the uppermost element for its future removal, as will be presently explained.

Lower compartment intended for the reception of used or waste towel material, constitutes a spacious receptacle provided with a generous waste towel insert opening 23, preferably flanged by arcuated side members 24. Between these side members operates a lid 25, which is normally in open position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. This lid is adapted to close insert opening 23 and forms an operative extension of pressure platform 26 arranged in receptacle H. The platform is intended to move in downward direction against discarded towel material placed into the compartment, but its actuating mechanism is so arranged hat the platform cannot operate until lid 25 closes insert opening 23 in the manner indicated in full lines in Fig. 4. At the front of compartment N there is provided a door structure 21 which may be unlocked and swung open for the removal of compressed waste towel tissue.

Within the cabinet there is provided a combination mechanism for operating platform 26 and for dispensing a single towel element from the top of the stack of elements superimposed upon support 3. This combination mechanism is preferably actuated from without the cabinet by either a suitable hand lever 28, or a foot-operated instrumentality, not shown, the latter being employed when the cabinet is intended to be placed on the floor. With lever 28 or its equivalent is associated an operating shaft which may be of the straight shaft type, such as employed with the construction shown in Figs. '7, 8 and 9, where partition I1 is disposed above the fulcrum of the lever, or may assume a crank form 28', as is the case in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5. In either case the operating elements controlled by the shaft and lever 28 or its equivalent are symmetrically disposed near each side of the cabinet.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 5, these,

operating elements comprise gear racks 29 in the form of channels, which latter are guided along vertical rods 30 extending from the bottom of receptacle II to about midway of compartment ID. A vertical partition 30' extends between the side walls of the cabinet adjacent to frontal guide angle bars l6, and secured to the inner face and near the upper edge of that partition, just above gear racks 29, are brackets 30" for securing in place the upper ends of rods 30. These gear racks are engageable by gear segments 3| keyed to shaft 28'. Also keyed to the shaft is a lever combination 32 composed of short lever 33 and an L-shaped longer lever 34, which latter terminates in a transverse engaging pin 35. Suepended at 36 from the top and about the middle of compartment ID are levers 31 provided with broadened ends from which extend two parallel pins 38. Between these pins are engaged legs 39 of an inverted U-shaped ejector lever 40 pivoted at 4|. The top or cross member 42 of this U- shaped lever serves as a hinge support for a towel ejector 43 in the form of a plate which is adapted to engage an individual towel element by one of its bent-down flaps or ends 20, as indicated in Fig. 4. Levers.3'lv are normally urged by springs 44 towards the back of the cabinet, and take with them, by means of pins 38, U-shaped ejector lever 4|], thereby normally keeping ejector 43 in rearward position against the back of the cabinet, at which position it is ready to engage and move forward another towel element when hand lever 28 is operated and actuates lever combination 32.

It will be noted from Figs. 2 and 4 that gear segment 3| is so arranged in respect to lever 34 of lever combination 32 that before that lever is brought from its full-line position shown in Fig. 2 to the full-line position shown in Fig. 4, the segments operate gear racks 29 and move them nearly to the lowermost point of their travel. During the movement of lever 34 from its broken line position in Fig. 4 to its full-line position, gear segment 3| brings gear rack 29 to its lowermost position, and at that moment ejector lever 40 is moved to its outermost position as towel ejector 43 delivers the towel to without the cabinet.

Gear racks 29 are fixedly united at 45 with platform 26, which latter is normally supported in elevated position by at least two helical springs 46 operative upon guide rods 30. The tension of these springs may be adjusted by the adjustment of collars 41.

Lid 25, normally swung open when platform 26 is in its uppermost position, is pivoted at 48. Fixedly associated with lid 25 is a slotted lever 49, in the slot of which operates a pin 50 passing through the forked end 5| of bell lever 52, which is pivoted at the side edge of platform 26 at 53 and from which pivotal point extends short leg 54 of hell lever 52. The free end of lever leg 54 terminates in an open fork 55. The movement of bell lever 52 is limited by suitable stops 54 with which leg 54 alternately contacts.

Adjustable upon lever 52 is a collar 56 to which is attached one end of an over-center spring 51, its other end being held by pin 58. Fork 55 is adapted to be operated by lever 33 of lever combination 32, and due to the arrangement of overcenter spring 51, the movement of bell lever 52 will be assisted when it is swung by lever 33 and fork 55 to either of the two full line positions shown in Figs. 2 and 4. By this movement of the levers lid 25 is brought either to an open or closed position.

It will be noted from Fig. 2 that before gear segment 3| engages gear rack 29 lever 33 swings bell lever 52 from the full line position into the dotted line position, which latter corresponds to the full line position in Fig. 4. Thus lid 25 is brought to a closing position before platform 26 commences its downward or pressure movement. In other words not only the surface of the platform, but also the area of the lid is employed for compressing waste towel material within compartment I I. Similarly, after platform 26 reverts to its uppermost position, bell lever 52 is operated by lever 33 to swing lid 25 to its open position.

In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, and also in the modified form disclosed in Figs. 7 and 8, a paper towel eleme t s ch as shown n h s 61s preierabiy employ However. any.- o her. type of towel elem nts may e c nven ently substituted. in which case t e on t ucti n of the towel ejec or may h v t be a t red. In F gl l ctor 4311s shown to engage the edge of, the folded flap .20, however the ejector may be so arranged that it will slip between the flap and the body of the towel material and will engage the latter along folding line 2i with practically the same ultimate effect.

Referring now to the modified form disclosed in Figs. 7 and 8, the cabinet again is composed of an upper compartment Ill and a lower oompartment or receptacle It, for accommodating waste towel tissue inserted through opening 23. The exterior appearance and arrangement of this embodiment is very similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1, the only changes being found in the interior operating mechanism. Attention is directed to fixed partition I1, the counterpart of partition 5?, which is placed somewhat higher than the latter and which serves for the attachment thereto at 59 of guide rods 60, along which operate guide sleeves 6i secured topressure platform 62; the latter being normally supported by helical springs 53. Pressure platform 62 is again equipped with an operative lid 64 which isadapted to close insert opening 23-- of receptacle ll. Lid is pivoted at (5'5, from which pivot extends. a

slotted lever 55 secured to the lid. The slot of the lever is engaged by. pin; 61 on bell lever 88', the short leg 69 of which terminates in a forked end it. An over-center spring; device H, in engagement with pin 61 isadapted to; swing lid 8% to either its opening or closing position when bell lever 68 is actuated.

The movement. of platform 62 in downward direction is induced bythe operation of a symmetrically disposed pair of arcuate pressure levers 72, one at each side of the cabinet. These levers-are secured to an operating shaft 13* extending from side to side of the cabinet and'projecting through one side. thereof. The projecting shaft extension iscngaged by the hub of hand operated lever is, or an equivalent foot, lever, not shown. Keyed tothe shaft is also lever 'liwhichengages: fork end iii of the short leg portion 69 of-the bell lever. The shaft carries another lever 16 which is adapted to engage a lever combination 1'! byway of pin 18, extending from short lever 19 of that lever combination. From longer lever 80 of the latter projects pin 81, which is intended 'to engage ejector lever 82 of theaforedescribedinverted'U- shapecl construction." Lever combination TI- is pivoted at 83 while ejector lever 82- is pivoted at 534. The upper connecting bar 85 0? ejectorlever 62 serves as pivot for ejector plate-.86.

It is to be noted that thedownwardly-directed flange of partition I! serves. as supportforpivots as and M of, respectively; thebell'combination i7 and ejector lever 82; andithat-operating' shaft is is mounted below that partition.

Resting upon partition Il" is-a conicaltspring 6'5 which bears against. the under. surface: of movable towel support; 88, which is. guided in a framework-consisting of 'uprightangles 89 welded to partition H1. These angles alsoguide towel support 88 as well; as t'owelelements l9 resting upon the support. The frontand' rear guide angles 89 a in y bra e 89.. E 8.

Attention is. again; invited tostheupperiend of front angle 89in Fig; 8; the -.front web ofrwhich is tapered at 90 so thatwonly the. uppermost. towel element; may; be dispensed; bye. elector. 86. The

6 ejector leverarrangement 82 is normally held in its full line position by a spring 9|.

From the arrangement of platform pressure lever '52, lid operating lever 15, ejector actuating lever i6 and the bell lever arrangement 68 for closing lid 6d, it will beob-served that when shaft #3; is operated by hand lever 14, first lever 15 will actuate the bell lever arrangement 68 and bring lid 6:; to a closing position; thereupon pressure lever 12 will engage the top of pressurev platform 62 and depress the latter to the position indiecated in broken lines. When platform 62 is. fully depressed, then lever, 16. will, engage pin 18 of lever combination 11, whereupon: pin 8i of lever so will propel ejector lever 82. in outward direc-,- tion to the position shown in broken lines in Fig; '7, at which moment ejector will deliver the topmost towel element; to without: the cabinet. When hand lever M is released the ejector mechanism will assume its full-line position.first,fbe:- fore pressure platform 62 will rise to its full-line position, whereupon lid 64 is brought again to its opening position by lever 15.

Another embodiment of the present invention will be found in Figs. 9 and 10, wherein towel support 92 is of substantially awedge-like construction, with its towel element supporting surface 93 being inclined. In consequence of that incline, towel elements 94 are also inclined. The rest of the structure, inoluding'the ejector levers and the mechanism for compressin the platform in the lower compartment, not shown, remains substantially the same as-that explained in conheotion with the structure seen in Figs. 7 and 8, th only exception being the towel ejector and the shape of the towel elements 94.

These elements constitute; preferably plain sheets of towel tissuewhich; are: intended to: be frictionally engaged by ejector 95. The latter is pivoted on bar 95 and is provided at its front end with a friction member 91. Thatmember normally reposes by gravity upon the uppermost towel element of the stackof towels carried'bysupport 92. Associated. with ejector S5 is a stop r lever 98 adapted to alternately contact back stop 99 and front stop lt ll. When-hand lever lill is actuated, first the mechanism for. depressing the pressure platform in lower compartment H. op.- erates in themanner described inrconnectior-r with: Figs. 7 and 8, whereupon leverlli. comes into en'-- gagement with lever combination I! and causes; ejector lever N32 to move ,to its dotted lineaposi tion. During this movement of ejector lever 32 friction member 91' causes the ejection of a'toweli element in the manner shown in broken lines in Fig. 9.. The towel element is'propelled about :half way to; without the cabinet-,xand when" in that position stop lever 98 engagesfrontstop mi and swings ejector 95 upwards; and: awayvfrom the ejected. towel elements, thus: freeing thelatter;

Referring nowto Fig. 10,.secured' tobar QB -are adjustable collars N33 and: loose'collars' it, and between. the collarsare: provided. springs which urge loose collars-I04 againstthe hubs of ejector 95. Thus when: front-stop lllll: causes ejector 95, to assume its upswing; broken 2 line position, shown at the right-hand upper corner of Fig. 9, collars [04 will retain the ejectonin'that elevated position until ejector'lever' l IlZrevertsto its full-line position. At-thattmomentistopt lever 98; abuts with stop pin 99 whereby: thetejector: is caused to swing down1andinto engagement-with: the .next" uppermost towel; element.

In the foregoing description explaining. the dif ferent embodiments: of 'thepresenainvention; the

same basic principle prevails, that is the combination of a device for dispensing unused articles with means for reducing the volume of used articles, prior to the dispensation of an unused article.

The purpose of illustrating and describing three forms of cabinets, two forms of towel tissue and a variety of operating mechanisms, manifestly implies that the mechanism for ejecting articles, the mechanism for compressing used articles, and the combination of the two mechanisms operative in the sequence indicated, are subject to changes, improvements and modifications, and that the type of the articles to be handled, that is compressed and ejected may also vary. For the above reason it is to be understood that the specific disclosures are by no means intended in a restrictive sense, since similar devices may be designed for handlin different articles intended to be used and discarded and compressed in volume after use.

Summarizing, the present invention resides in the basic principle of providing an article dispensing device in combination with volume reducing means for dispensed and used articles, and a combination mechanism in such device for effecting the delivery of articles for use and for effecting the compression of discarded articles. Thus, while the illustrations presented show a few specific embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that changes, impro vements and modifications may be made, without departing from the broad scope of the invention as claimed below.

I claim:

1. In a towel dispensing device, a cabinet having two compartments, a supply of towel material in one of the compartments, the other compartment serving for the reception of used towel material, a towel dispensing mechanism arranged within the cabinet and having means for discharging a sufficient portion of fresh towel material for a single application or use, a compressing mechanism having means for compressing used towel material within said other compartment, common actuating means for both the dispensing mechanism and the compressing mechanism, and means for causing the operation of said compressing mechanism prior to the deliv-: ery of fresh towel material by said dispensing mechanism.

2. In a device for dispensing utilitarian articles including means for reducing the bulk of such article after their use, a cabinet having a compartment for accommodating a supply of unused articles and another compartment for the reception of used articles, a combination cooperating mechanism in the cabinet for dispensing unused articles and for simultaneously reducing used articles received in the cabinet and being operative from without the latter, said mechanism comprising means for supporting a supply of unused articles in such a manner as to facilitate the dispensing of one such article at a time, and means for compressing used articles prior to dispensing an unused article, and means for ejecting a single unused article from said supply of articles.

3. In a towel dispensing cabinet, a supply compartment for unused towels, a receptacle beneath said compartment and having a closable opening for the reception of used towels, a movable support for a stack of towels in said compartment and means for facilitating the removal of the uppermost towel from the stack, means operativefrom without the cabinet for dispensing such uppermost towel one at a time, a movable platform mounted in said receptacle and having an operative lid for closing the opening of said receptacle, and a lever mechanism actuated by said operative means for successively moving said lid to its closing position and for depressing said platform and the closed lid each time said towel dispensing means are operated, thereby compressing used towels within the receptacle.

4. In a towel dispensing cabinet, a supply compartment for unused towels including a movable support for a stack of towels and means for facilitating the removal of the uppermost towel from the stack, a receptacle below said compartment and having a closable opening for the reception of used towels, means for compressing used towels in the receptacle, means for closing said opening, and means, operative from without the cabinet, for simultaneously actuating said closing, said compressing and said towel removal means so that before a towel reaches its discharging position, first said closing means and next said compressing means become actuated.

5. In a towel dispensing cabinet, a supply compartment for unused towel tissue provided with an opening for the passage to without of a portion of said tissue, means for dispensing such portion of tissue from said compartment through said opening, a receptacle directly below said compartment for the reception of used towel tissue, means for reducing the bulk of used tissue within the receptacle, said tissue dispensing means being operatively connected with said used towel tissue reducing means, and single actuating means for simultaneously operating both of these tissue manipulating means.

6. In a towel tissue-dispensing cabinet, as set forth in'claim 10, said supply compartment being provided with an operative support for unused towel tissue, said support being adapted to place in position for ejection an amount of fresh towel tissue sufficient for a single application or use, said towel tissue dispensing means comprising an ejector adapted to engage and to propel without the supply compartment such towel tissue for a single application or use; said receptacle being provided with a closable opening for receiving used towel tissue, the means for reducing the bulk of used towel tissue within the receptacle comprising a movable platform having an operative lid for closing the opening of the receptacle, said platform being adapted to compress the contents within the receptacle while the lid is in closed position.

7. In a dispensing cabinet for towel tissue in the form of sheets, a supply compartment and a waste receptacle; said compartment containing a movable support for a stack of towel sheets, and a sheet-ejecting mechanism adapted to dispense a single sheet at one time, such sheet being the uppermost sheet of the stack, and means operative from without the cabinet for actuating said mechanism;"said receptacle having an opening for facilitating the insertion of used towel sheets, a platform for compressing used towel sheets in said receptacle and having a lidfor closing said opening; platform actuating means, including a lever arrangement for closing said lid prior to the movement of the platform, said platform actuating means being'operative with, but moving in advance 'of said sheet electing mechanism, and being adapted to depress the platform while its lid is closed, thereby compressing waste towels over the largest possible area. within the receptacle.

8. In a dispensing cabinet for towel tissue, upper and lower compartments, the upper compartment serving as supply source for fresh towel tissue and comprising a spring-induced, movable and guided tissue support; the lower compartment serving as receptacle for used towel tissue and including a spring-supported, depressible platform having a movable lid, the latter bein adapted to close an insert opening for used towel tissue provided at the top of the receptacle; an operating mechanism within the cabinet, actuating means for the mechanism disposed exteriorly to the cabinet, said operating mechanism comprising a lever combination having means for first closing the lid of said platform, other means for moving the latter, while the lid remains in closing position, against used towel tissue container in the receptacle, thus compressing the tissue, and still other means for engaging: and dispensing from the upper compartment a single towel tissue element.

9. In a device for dispensing fresh towel tissue REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA Number Name Date 1,657,364 Bartlett Jan. 24, 1928 1,853,926 Parfett Apr. 12, 1932 2,354,349 Polsen July 25, 1944

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