US2684179A - Cigarette dispenser - Google Patents

Description

July 20, 1954 D. SACHS CIGARETTE DISPENSER Filed Oct. 18, 1952 IN VEN TOR. fiAV/D JAJAJ' has Patented July 20, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to cigarette dispensers.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cigarette dispenser which will deliver a cigarette upon the turning of a manually operable dial and which at the same time serves as an attractive humidor for the cigarettes remaining therewithin.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cigarette dispenser in which the cigarettes are gravity fed in a novel manner to a delivery chute upon the turning of a conveyor roller.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cigarette dispenser of the above type which may be conveniently used as a paper weight, and which is provided with a transparent door which reveals at all times the supply of cigarettes remaining within the dispenser.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a cigarette dispenser of the above type which includes novel means for feeding the cigarettes one at a time.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a cigarette dispenser bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, has a minimum number of parts, is compact, pleasing in appearance, easy to operate and efiicient in use.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a cigarette dispenser embodying the features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ratchet mechanism, shown partly in section to thereby disclose the interior construction.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown a cigarette dispenser, referred to collectively as l0, including a base having a hollow center |2 in which is disposed a bar of lead l3.

A rectangular housing I4 is secured at its lower end |5 to the base II in any suitable manner, with the front and rear walls It and I! respectively rearwardly inclined, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 2. The side walls I8 and IQ of the housing It curve rearwardly at each end, the housing being open at its top portion intermediate the upper curved portions of the side walls providing a window 20. A curved closure 2| of transparent plastic or other suitable material fits snugly within window 20 and is pivotally mounted upon pins 22 secured to and extending inwardly from each of the side walls l8 and i9 adjacent the lower edge of window 20, substantially as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. The upper edge of the closure 2| is formed with a downwardly e"- tending flange 23 adapted to resiliently engage the upper edge of rear wall whereby to retain the closure in position and to normally close the top of the housing. However, upon upward displacement of the flange 23, the closure 2| may be rotated outwardly to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, whereby to provide access to the interior of the housing for a purpose to be hereinafter referred to.

A downwardly inclined partition 24 is secured in suitable manner to the rear wall |1 intermediate its ends and serves to divide the housing |4 into upper and lower compartments 25 and 26 respectively, the partition 24 terminating short of the front wall It whereby to provide a passage way 21.

The side walls It! and i9 directly below the partition 24 are formed with laterally aligned bearings 28 and 29 respectively rotatably mounting the ends 30 and 3| of the conveyor roller 32, the end 3| extending outwardly beyond the wall l9 a substantial distance for a purpose to be hereinafter referred to.

The roller 32 around its periphery is provided with three equidistant semi-cylindrical grooves 33 extending substantially the length thereof and each adapted to receive a cigarette 34 therewithin, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the wall IS on the outer side thereof surrounding the bearing 29 is formed with a circular plug 35 having three equidistant openings 36 intermediate the end 3| and the periphery thereof.

A knob 31 of substantially the same outside diameter as the plug 35 is secured to the outer end of the roller end 3| adjacent the plug 35 and is provided with an annular opening 38 housing a spring 39 surrounding the end 3| and secured at one end to the knob 31.

The other end of the spring 39 is bent into an ear 4D and extends into the openings 35 to engage the sides of the latter and to thereby normally prevent angular rotation of the roller 32. It will be noted, however, that when the knob 31 is rotated manually in a clockwise direction a sufficient amount, the ear 40 will snap out of one of the openings 36 into the next one thereby indicating to the user by sound and feel of the knob 31 that the knob 3'! has been rotated a sufficient amount in a manner to be hereinafter referred to.

A ski-shaped chute 4! having a central opening 42 is secured in suitable manner to the rear wall I? intermediate its bottom and the partition 24, the chute 4| extending parallel to the partition 24 and outwardly of the housing I4 through an opening d3 in the front wall 16 intermediate the curved lower ends of side walls I3 and 13, substantially as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In operation, the closure 2| is swung into an open position and the pack of cigarettes emptied into the compartment 25, the roller 32 preventing displacement of cigarettes 34 through the passage way 21. It will be noted that the roller 32 extends above the surface of partition 24 and is freely spaced from the front edge of the latter whereby to permit clockwise rotation of the roller past said edge.

Due to the engagement of car 40 at all times with one of the openings 36, one of the grooves 33 will always lie above the partition 23 and contain a cigarette 34 forced therein by the weight of the other cigarettes.

Upon manual rotation of the knob 3'! in a clockwise direction, the groove 33 containing the cigarette will rotate downward past the partition 24, with the ear 16 snapping into the next clockwise opening 35, thus indicating to the user that the roller has been rotated a sufficient amount to deliver one cigarette. At this point the cigarette will dro freely out of groove 33 onto chute 41, following the course indicated by the dotted arrow in Fig. 2, where it will be retained by the curved ends of the chute above the base I I.

With the closure normally in the closed position, it is apparent that the dispenser will serve as a convenient humidor for the cigarettes, as well as a dispenser. The dispenser will not topple over due to the weight of the lead slab l3, and may also be used as a paper-weight.

While various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall lie within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of my invention, what is claimed is:

A cigarette dispenser comprising an upstanding housing of elongated length, a base secured to the bottom of said housing, a removable cover for the top of said housing, a downwardly inclined partition secured to the rear wall of said housing and extending forwardly and downwardly, said partition terminating short of the front wall of the housing whereby to provide a passageway between a first compartment above said partition and a second compartment below said partition, a roller .pivotally mounted in the side walls of said housing below said passageway with the upper surface of said roller extending upwardly into said passageway whereby to close the same, said roller having a plurality of longitudinal recesses each adapted to receive a cigarette, a plurality of cigarettes disposed in said upper compartment and resting freely upon said inclined partition, manually operable means for rotating said roller a fixed amount to deliver one of said cigarettes, said housing having a second opening intermediate the front wall thereof and said base, and a chute extending downwardly and forwardly from the rear wall of said housing below said roller, said chute extending outwardly of said second opening, said means for rotating the said roller a fixed amount comprising an elongated shaft secured to the said roller and extending outwardly therefrom through the said housing at one side thereof, the said shaft being disposed along the longitudinal axis of the said roller, whereby rotation of the said shaft will rotate the said roller, the side wall of the said housing surrounding the said shaft having a lurality of radial grooves equal in number to that of the said recesses in the said roller, a knob secured to the end of the said shaft adjacent the said grooves and having an annular opening surrounding the said shaft and in alignment with and oppositely disposed to said grooves, and a spring surrounding the said shaft within said annular opening, one end of the said spring being secured to the said knob and the other end of the said spring being bent into a loop adapted to resiliently engage one of the said grooves, in order to retain the said roller in any one of a plurality of cigarette receiving positions of the said roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,630,949 Kelly May 31, 1927 1,746,501 Stamas Feb. 11, 1930 1,827,501 Alland Oct. 13, 1931 1,903,450 Goodman Apr. 11, 1933 1,913,324 Altinger June 6, 1933 2,553,671 OBrien May 22, 1951 2,587,225 Rossi 1 Feb. 26, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 6,120 Great Britain of 1888 146,920 Great Britain Jan. 12, 1904 326,088 Great Britain Mar. 6, 1930

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