US2786610A

US2786610A - Powdered soap dispenser

Info

Publication number: US2786610A
Application number: US463413A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert R D Milligan
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-10-20
Filing date: 1954-10-20
Publication date: 1957-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 1974-03-26

Description

March 26, 1957 R. R. D. MILLIGAN POWDERED SOAP DISPENSER Filed Oct. 20, 1954 I N VENTOR ///SATTORNEY United States Patent POWDERED SOAP DISPENSER Robert R. D. Milligan, Portland, Ind.

Application October 20, 1954, Serial N0.'463,413

2 Claims. (Cl. 222-430) This invention relates to a powdered soap dispenser, and has for one of its objects the production of asoap dispenser which is primarily for home use, and which will fit flat against the wall or other support and at the same time provide suificient clearance for the fingers of an operator to be inserted under the actuating plunger for operation thereof.

A further object of this invention is the production of a simple and efiicient powdered soap dispenser having a valve for tightly sealing the discharge opening and to thereby prevent leakage and sifting out of the powdered materials when not in use, and also to prevent the entrance of steam or other forms of moisture into the dispenser.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear throughout the following specification and claims.

In the drawing:

:Figure l is a front elevational view partly in section, showing the improved soap dispenser;

Figure 2 is :a bottom plan View thereof, partly in section;

Figure 3 is a central vertical sectional view thereof, the cover being shown in elevation;

Figure 4 is a rear elevational view of the dispenser;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the valve element;

Figure 6 .is a top plan view of the valve;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of valve.

-By referring to the drawing, it will be seen that 10 designates the hollow casing of the dispenser which is provided with an open top, the open top being closed by a lid 11. The casing 10 is provided with a relatively fiat rear wall 12 which is preferably inset slightly from the flat side ribs 13, and the top rib 14, the

ribs

13 and 14 being in the same plane to fit snugly and flat against the wall or other support W. A suitable hanger screw 16 is preferably carried by the wall W, and its head is adapted to fit within a T-shaped slot 17, which is formed in the rear face of the depending boss 18 of the casing 10, as is shown in Figure 3. The boss 18 is located near the bottom of the casing 10 as shown. A hanger screw or pin 19 passes through the aperture 20 in the wall 12 near the top of the casing to anchor the casing 10 flat against the wall W, or other support. It will be noted that both the hanger screw or pin 19 and the hanger screw 16 are concealed in the rear of the casing. The cover 11 fits over the top of the casing and shields the screw 19 from view after the screw has been placed in position. In mounting the casing upon the wall W, the T-shaped slot 17 is slipped down over the head of the hangerscrew 16 and the screw 19 is secured in position, thereby anchoring the casing firmly upon .and fiat against the wall W.

The casing 10, at its lower end is provided with a rear downwardly and forwardly extending wall 21 which merges into a depending discharge nozzle 22 formed by the fiat front wall 23 and the converging downwardly ex 2,7 86,610 Patented Mar. 26,1957

tending side walls 24. The nozzle 22 is provided with a flat bottom wall 25 having a centrally located discharge or dispensing aperture or port 26. The downwardly and forwardly inclined .wall 21 spaces the bottom wall 25 forwardly of the supporting wall W, so as to provide adequate clearance for the fingers of an operator while operating the plunger 27 which supports the valve 28 here inafter described.

The plunger 27 extends vertically through'the dispensing aperture or port 26, and carries the valve 28. This valve preferably consists of two truncated cones with their apexes joining and formed of one piece of rubber or other resilient or desired material to provide a tightly sealing valve. The valve 28 which is double acting, is fixed to the plunger 27, and the plunger 27 is provided with a depending knob 29 against which the valve 28 abuts, as shown; The two coniforms or portions 28 and 28', which define reverse cone-like portions, are arranged so that one is above and the other is below the aperture or port 26, and the junction of the two coniforms of the valve 28 is smaller than :the aperture 26, the opposite ends of the coniforms being larger than the aperture or port 26 to facilitate the opening and closing of the aperture or port 26 as the plunger 27 is reciprocated therethrough. The plunger 27, the valve 25; and depending knob 29, all constitute a valve member.

The plunger 27 extends upwardly into the casing .10 vfor a desired distance, and this plunger 2'] is provided with a circular socket 30 in the upper end thereof, as shown in Figmres 5 and 6, to accommodate both depending

ends

31 and 32 of the spring 33. The spring 33 preferably is formed of spring wire and includes a portion 34 which extends horizontally across the back of the casing 10 and then downwardly in parallel relation flat against the exterior of the rear wall 12 of the casing 10, thereby defining depending parallel portions 34 These depending portions 34* then pass through the rear wall 12, thereby defining forwardly extending converging arms 35, which meet directly above the circular socket 30 to locate the depending

ends

31 and 32 of the spring 33 in the socket 30. The spring is secured by some suitable temporary means to hold it in assembly with the plunger, such as adhesive tape, or other temporary means, until the dispenser is installed on a wall or other suitable support, when the crosswise portion 34 of the spring will bear against the wall W, which gives the added advantage of taking up any small l-ooseness under the head of screw 16, which obviously cannot be tightened otherwise after assembly.

This novel form of spring construction set forth above anchors the spring 33 firmly in engagement with the casing 10, and anchors the upper end of the plunger 27 against sidewise motion in any direction, While allowing vertical reciprocating motion. In case of obstruction of the flow of the powdered soap or other similar materials, the plunger 27 may be raised to a mid-position, with respect to the dispensing aperture or port 26, and rotated, using the

ends

31 and 32 of the spring 33 as a pivot and thereby loosen the caked or lumpy soap material and permit the powdered soap or other material to flow out through the aperture or port 26. The knob 29 of the plunger 27 may be grasped, and the plunger 27 may be revolved on its axis to loosen the material if desired. The conical valve 28 always guides itself to its seating position when realeased due to the action of the sprin 33. Since the aperture or port 26 is circular and the

portions

28 and 28* are arranged upon the plunger 27 with one portion above and one below the aperture or port 26, in the bottom of the container 10, the portion 28 will close the aperture or port 26 when the plunger 27 is moved down, and the other portion 28 will close the aperture or port 26 when the plunger 27 is moved up, the

aperture or port 26 being open when the

portions

28 and 28 are in a mid-position.

The present dispenser is constructed to harmonize with the usual bathroom fixtures, and may be easily cleaned. It is adapted to fit fiat against the wall or support to which it is attached and the fastening means or elements are both concealed, the casing being constructed to provide sufiicient clearance for the fingers of an operator to be inserted under the plunger 27 to operate the plunger and to receive simultaneously the powdered cleanser or soap. The valve 28 itightly seals the dispensing aperture or port 26, to prevent leakage and sifting out of the powdered soap or other similar materials when not in use, and to prevent entrance of steam or other moisture which would tend to solidify the cleansing powder stored in the casing 10. The valve 28 provides means for agitating the powdered material to unclog the aperture or port 26 to relieve caking, lumping or clogging. The structure defined herein provides a dispenser which is economical to manufacture so that it may be sold at a price to encourage volume sales in the domestic market. Because of the flat surfaces and rounded corners, the casing will be easy to clean. The parts and design are well suited to volume production by molding of ceramics, plastics,

or glass. The parts may be die-cast of various non-corrosive metals, or they may be stamped from sheet metal within the'spirit of the invention.

As is shown in Figure 7, the valve 36 may be constructed of tow separate reversed cones 37 and 38, which are then secured together at their apexes in any desired manner when fixed to the plunger 39. This structure may facilitate assembly.

It should be understood that certain detail changes may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, so long as such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new 1s:

1. A dispenser of the class described comprising a hollow casing having a dispensing port, a valve member carried by said casing to open and close said port, said casing having a flat rear Wall, a spring passing transversely across the exterior of said rear wall, said spring having depending portions fitting flat against the rear outer face of said wall, said depending portions converging toward a point in line with said valve member, said valve member being rotatably connected to the converging portions of said spring in a manner to vautomatically hold said valve member in a closed position when said valve member is released and at the same time to facilitate the rotation of said valve member to relieve clogging of the contents of said casing adjacent said dispensing port.

2. A dispenser "as defined in claim 1, wherein the converging portions of said spring have depending ends, the valve member having a circular socket in the upper end thereof for receiving said depending ends to provide a rotatable connection between said spring and valve member.

Harris Aug. 4, 1903 Cook Feb. 12, 1952