US3095116A - Cabinet-toilet tissue dispenser - Google Patents

Description

June 25, 1963 D. w. KOLBE CABINET-TOILET TISSUE DISPENSER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 0ct. 6, 1958 FIG. I

INVENTOR DELBERT W. KOLBE ATTORNEY June 25, 1963 Filed Oct. 6, 1958 D. W. KOLBE CABINE' I' IOILET TISSUE DISPENSER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR DELBERT W. KOLBE ATTORNEY June 25, 1963 D. w. KOLBE 3,095,116

CABINET-TOILET TISSUE DISPENSER Filed Oct. 6, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 4

INVENTOR.

DELBERT W. KOLBE ATTORNEY June 25, 1963 D. w. KOLBE CABINET-TOILET TISSUE DISPENSER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 6, 1958 FIG. 9

INVENTOR.

DELBERT W. KOLBE ATTORNEY 3,095,116 Patented June 25, 1963 3,095,116 CABIliET-TOILET TISSUE DISPENSER Delbert W. Kellie, 11349 Palm St. NW., Coon Rapids, Minn.

Filed Get. 6, 1958, Ser. No. 765,370 Claims. {61. 221-151) This invention relates to a new and novel type of apparatus forming a combined cabinet-toilet tissue dispenser. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatus forming a cabinet structure and having a dispenser mounted in the rear portion for retaining a plurality of rolls of toilet tissue therein and dispensing one roll of toilet tissue at a time therefrom.

In service stations, restaurants, and many homes it is frequently a problem to find sufiicient space to store necessary cleaning compounds, soap, brushes, and other equipment used for cleaning restrooms or bathrooms of the aforementioned locations and also at the same time provide facilities for storing rolls of toilet tissue in said restrooms and bathrooms. Further, it has frequently been a problem to find a cabinet which may be used in the aforementioned restrooms and bathrooms that has suiiicient space for storing all the necessary supplies and at the same time utilizes the space in the rear portion of said cabinet without having to remove a number of items in the forward portion when the supplies in the rear portion are to be removed. The cabinet-toilet tissue dispenser of this invention is of a size and shape that may be readily hung in a corner of the rest room or :a similar room in a convenient location for solving the aforementioned problems among others.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide apparatus that serves both as a cabinet and a toilet tissue dispenser. A further object of this invention is to provide apparatus that has shelf space for storing various items, a iousing for retaining a plurality of rolls of toilet tissue, and a mechanism for dispensing a single roll of toilet tissue at a time.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide apparatus wherein the front portion of the shelf can be used for storing miscellaneous items and the rear portion contains a housing for storing a plurality of rolls of toilet tissue, there being closure mechanism formed in the bottom portion of said housing for allowing a single roll of toilet tissue at a time to be dispensed therethrough. Still an additional object of this invention is to provide 'a cabinet-toilet tissue dispenser wherein the dispenser housing is located in the back portion of said cabinet and has a bottom opening, there being operating mechanism in said structure for retaining a plurality of rolls in the housing and for releasing a single roll of toilet tissue upon operation of said mechanism.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a toilet tissue dispenser housing having mechanism including a lost-motion connection for retaining a plurality of rolls of toilet tissue in said housing while at the same time providing for dispensing of a single roll in one operation thereof.

Still an additional object of this invention is to provide a cabinet having a toilet tissue dispenser mounted therein, said cabinet and toilet tissue dispenser having separate members for closing the openings through which items are withdrawn therefrom. the closure member for the cabinet operating mechanism that locks the dispenser housing closure when said cabinet closure member is closed. Still an additional object of this invention is to provide a cabinet-toilet tissue dispenser wherein the toilet tissue dispenser is mounted within the confines of the cabinet, said toilet tissue dispenser housing having a bottom enclosure member and a locking means which Other and further objects are those inherent in the I invention herein illustrated, described in the claims, and

will be apparent as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, this invention then comprises features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

The invention as illustrated by reference to the drawings in which the corresponding numerals refer to the same parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of the cabinet-toilet tissue apparatus of the invention, the door of said cabinet being shown in an open position to illustrate the dispenser housing;

FIGURE 2 is a front sectional view of the invention taken along the line and looking in the direction of the arrows 22 of FIGURE 1 to illustrate the dispenser housing which has a plurality of toilet tissue rolls stored therein and the mechanism for retaining said rolls in position in the housing;

FIGURE 3 is a top sectional view of the invention taken along the line and looking in the direction of the arrows 33' of FIGURE 1 to show the location of the dispenser housing within the cabinet and a roll of toilet tissue stored in said dispenser housing;

FIGURE 4 is a bottom view of this invention taken along the line :and look ng in the direction of the arrows 44 of FIGURE 2 to show the trap door and the operator mechanism for holding the plurality of rolls of toilet tissue in position while at the same time allowing one roll at a time to be released from said housing, the trap door being shown in an open position;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the invention taken along the line and looking in the direction of the arrows 5-5 of FIGURE 4 to show the operator mechanism casing and the operator mechanism for retaining the toilet tissue rolls in the dispensing hous- FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the invention taken along the line and looking in the direction of the arrows 66 of FIGURE 4 to show the operator mechanism retaining a roll of toilet tissue above the trap door to be dropped through the trap door, the roll of toilet tissue which drops through said trap door upon the opening of the trap door being shovm in dotted lines;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the invention taken along the line and looking in the direction of the arrows 7-7 of FIGURE 6 to show the slot through which the operator pin of the operator mechanism passes when the trap door is moved to a closed position;

FIGURE 8 is a bottom view of a modified embodiment of the invention, said view illustrating the cabinet door operated locking mechanism for locking the trap door designated 19 includes a cabinet 11 and 'anism casing being mounted to similar to FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary perspective bottom view of a modified embodiment of the invention to illustrate different structure than shown in the first embodiment for slidabl-y mounting the trap door.

The cabinet-toilet tissue dispenser which is generally a dispenser 12. The cabinet 11 has a top wall 13, a bottom wall 14, a backwall 15, a rear wall 16, a side wall 18, a front wall 17, and a door 24 hingedly mounted on the side wall to form a cabinet enclosure. The door has a handle 21 and is mounted on the side wall by hinges 19. A shelf 20 is provided in the cabinet, said shelf being located approximately half way between the top wall and the bottom wall 14, which also serves as a shelf. An appropriate latch mechanism 25 is mounted on the side of the door adjacent the handle 21 and on the bottom portion of the shelf 20 for retaining the door in a closed position.

As may be noted in FIGURE 1, rectangular cutouts 26, 27 are formed in the shelf 20 and bottom wall 14, respectively, so that a toilet tissue dispenser 12 may be mounted in the cabinet and extended downwardly below the bottom wall thereof. The toilet tissue dispenser includes dispenser housing 34, operator mechanism casing 28, operator mechanism 4!}, and appropriate structure to close the lower open end of said dispenser housing. As may be noted in FIGURES 1 and 3 the toilet tissue dispenser housing has a front panel 35, a side panel 36, a rear panel 37, and a back panel 38, the aforementioned panels being connected to forma rectangular opening at the top and bottom thereof. The operator mechanism casing 28 includes a'vertical front wall 29, vertical side wall 30 and appropriate spacers spacing said wall outwardly from the dispenser housing, said operator mechbe spaced from and to enclose the lower portion of the dispenser housing. The structure of the operator mechanism casing will be described hereinafter.

Although the toilet tissue dispenser has been shown in FIGURE 2 to be large enough to hold four rolls of toilet tissue lying in vertical relationship, the axes of said rolls lying in horizontal planes parallel to each other, it is to be understood that the vertical dimensions of the cabinet and dispenser may be of an appropriate size to hold a larger number or smaller number of rolls. Further, it is to be understood that the number of shelves may be varied and also that the relative dimensions of the cabinet and of the toilet tissue dispenser may be varied from those shown.

The skirt 23 formed by extending the vertical walls of the cabinet below the bottom wall 14 is provided to cover the various structural members attached to the bottom of thecabinet which will be described hereinafter. Referring to FIGURES 4-8 inclusive, the dispenser mechanism 40, and the structure for mounting and operating said mechanism will now beset forth. A pair of parallel guideways 47, 48 are secured to the bottom of the cabinet for slidably mounting the trap door 45 that covers the rectangular opening 50 at the bottom of the dispenser housing. The guideway '47 is mounted on the back wall 15 and is spaced downwardly beneath the bottom edge of the back dispenser panel and the bottom wall 14 to form an elongated groove 49a in which one edge of the trap door 45 is slidably mounted. The other guideway 48 is mounted on the bottom wall and has an overhanging flange 48a that extends inwardly toward the guideway 47, said flange being spaced from the bottom wall to form a groove 4% in which the opposite edge of the trap door is slidably mounted. The stop 51 is mounted between the parallel guideways adjacent the sidewall 18 to prevent the trap door frombeing opened too far in one direction, the trap door being prevented from sliding too far in the opposite direction by the depending skirt 23.

The handle 55, which extends downwardly from the trap door, is mounted on one end thereof for moving the door from a closed to an open position (see FIGURE 4). A rectangular notch 56 is cut out of one corner of the trap door; the purpose of the notch will be set forth hereinafter. As may be noted in FIGURE 4, the width W of the trap door is larger than the width of the opening 50 of the toilet tissue dispenser; thus the notch portion extends outwardly beyond the opening 50. The wall 29 of the operator casing is spaced outwardly from the panel 35 by a horizontal spacer 61a and vertical spacer 61b such that the dispenser operator member generally designated 62 may be pivotally mounted in the space 65 enclosed by the aforementioned members. A pivot 67 extends through the operator member and is journalled in the front panel 35, there being a Washer or a collar 68 spacing the lever arm 63 of the operator member from said panel 35. The lower end 63a of the lever arm extends downwardly beneath the bottom wall 14 of the cabinet and the upper end 63b extends upwardly above the bottom wall a distance slightly greater than the diameter of the roll of toilet tissue to be placed or stored in the dispenser housing.

A long coil spring 53 extends from the lower end 53a of the lever arm to the handle 55, said coil spring being secured to the lever arm and to the handle by appropriate hook screws 54. The spring 53 has sufficient resiliency so that it will pivot the lever arm 63 about pivot 67 when the trap door is moved in the direction of the arrow 58 to uncover the rectangular opening 56'. In moving the trap door to a closed position, the surface 56a of the notch formed in the trap door will engage the end portion 63a of the lever arm to form a lost motion connection. That is, the trap door may be moved to a threequanter closed position before the notch surface 56a engages the lever arm to rotate it in a direction opposite the pull of spring 53 which tends to move the lever arm in a direction opposite the arrow 75. The purpose of forming the aforementioned lost motion connection will be set forth hereinafter. y

A pair of volute springs 52 each of which include an appropriate box-like casing and an elongated tape 52a are mounted adjacent the skirt 23 and the guideways, while the tape is connected to the trap door 45. The aforementioned connections may be made by a flat head screw 59. The purpose of providing the springs 52 is to provide means for closing the trap door once the handle 55 is released. Although the spring 53 would partially close the trap door, the springs 52 complete the job. Although the springs "52 are volute springs it is to be understood that an appropriate spring such as a coil type spring may be mounted, for example, on the rear panel 37 and connected to the upper surface of the trap door to function similarly as the springs 52.

The operator member 62' includes the previously mentioned lever arm 63 and an operator pin 64 which extends from the upper end of the arm inwardly into the dispenser housing. An arcuate slot 69 is formed in the front panel of the dispenser housing so that the pin 64 may be moved from the nondispensing position (see the dotted line posi tion, FIGURE 6) to the dispensing position (shown in full lines of FIGURE 6) wherein the operator member retains the rolls spaced above said member in position and at the same-time allows one roll to drop through the rectangular aperture 50 when the trap door is moved to an open position. A rectangular slot 70 is formed in the side panel '36 so that the operator pin 64 may be moved through the notch from a non-dispensing position wherein the pin is located in the space 65 to a holding or dispensing position to be extended into the interior portion of the housing.

Thus, it is to be noted that the pin 64 is parallel to the bottom Wall 14 of the cabinet and extends outwardly into the toilet tissue dispenser housing when the trap door is open. Further, it is to be noted that the pivot 67' is located intermediate between the end portion 63a of the dispenser lever arm and the pin 64; thus as the operator member is rotated, the pin moves in the arcuate slot 69 formed in the wall 35 of the dispenser housing. The operator mechanism casing side wall 30 covers the slot 7% and also serves as a stop to prevent the pin 64 from being rotated into the cabinet.

The structure of the preferred embodiment having been set forth, the operation thereof will not be described. First the toilet tissue dispenser is filled with rolls of toilet tissues 31-33 inclusive by inserting them through the top rectangular aperture 50. At this time the trap door is closed and as a result the pin 64 is in the dotted line position shown in FIGURE 6, said pin being moved through the rectangular slot 70 into the space 65. Thus the first roll 31 inserted through the rectangular opening 50 will fall through the lower portion of the dispenser housing to be supported on the top surface of the trap door 45. Of course, it follows that the rest of the rolls inserted into the dispenser housing will be set one above the other.

When it is decided to remove a roll of toilet tissue, the trap door 45 is moved in the direction of the arrow 58, to an open position such as illustrated in FIGURE 4. After the trap door has been moved a suflicient distance, the long coil spring 53 will be stretched sufliciently tight such that it will rotate the pin 64 in the direction of the arrow 75. The length of the spring and the spring characteristics thereof are chosen such that the lever arm 63 will be rotated to the full line position illustrated in FIGURE 6 prior to the time the trap door is opened half way. When the lever 63 and the pin 64 connected thereto have been moved to the dotted line position, the pin 64 will extend underneath the roll 32 and will prevent all the rolls except the one 31 immediately adjacent the trap door from dropping through the bottom rectangular aperture when the trap door is fully open. However, the roll 31 shown in FIGURE 6 will drop through the rectangular aperture of the dispenser housing when the trap door has been opened. A basket 79 may be mounted on the wall 75 by screws 77 to be beneath the cabinet to catch and hold a roll of toilet tissue that falls through the rectangular aperture 56 upon opening of the trap door.

After the roll 71 has been received from the dispenser housing, the trap door may be pushed in the direction of the arrow 57 if resilient means such as spring 52 has not been provided. However, if a resilient means 52 has been provided then upon releasing the handle 55' the aforementioned resilient means will move the trap door to a closed position. As the trap door is moved in the direction of the arrow 57, the surface 56a of the notch 56 will engage the end portion 63a of the operator member and rotate it in a direction opposite arrow 75. The notch is of such length that the trap door will be over half closed before the surface 56a engages the end portion 63a. Further, the spring 53 has spring characteristics which hold the lever arm in the dispenser housing until the trap door is approximately halfway closed. As the end portion 63b of the operator member is pushed in the direction of the arrow 57, the pin is moved in a direction opposite arrow 75 in slot 69. When the pin has been moved adjacent the slot 70, the roll 31 drops downwardly so that it is on the top or in engagement with the trap door 45. Thus the dispenser is set to drop another roll once the trap door is again opened.

One of the advantages of this device is that the cabinet may be mounted in a corner portion of a room by screws (not shown). The forward portion of the cabinet may be used for storing soap, cleanser, and other equipment while the rear portion which is dificult to reach provides storage space for a number of rolls of toilet tissue.

A preferred embodiment of the invention having been described, a modified embodiment thereof will now be set forth. The modified embodiment of the invention generally designated 10%} is the same as the preferred embodiment except for the dilference pointed hereinafter.

The modified embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 8 includes a cabinet 11 and a toilet tissue dispenser 12. On the bottom wall of the cabinet there is mounted a lock housing 101 adjacent the trap door 106. The lock housing is a generally T-shaped body having at right angular offset portion 101:: that is located in the mid-portion of the bottom wall 14. The generally T-shaped housing 101 also includes a guideway portion 18112 on which the guide plate is secured by appropriate screw 109, said screws extending through appropriate apertures in the guide plate 110 and the guideway portion ltllb into the bottom wall. The members 101b and 110, and 109 perform a function similar to members 4-7, 4-8 of the preferred embodiment.

The transverse or right angular offset the lock housing is located adjacent the handle 55 of the trap door 106 when said trap door is in a closed position. The transverse section of the lock housing has an elongated trans-verse aperture 103 located therein, said aperture extending the longitudinal length of said portion. Mounted within the aperture is a lock bar 113. The lock bar has a flange that rests on the shoulder 103a formed in the transverse aperture and has a slanted portion 113a that abuts the trap door when the door 24 is in a closed position. The trap door has a diagonal corner 117 which is slanted to form a complementary angle with the slanted portion 113a of the lock bar.

A cap nut 111 is threaded into the opposite end of the aperture from the shoulder 10312 to retain a coil spring 107 between said cap nut and the lock bar flange 1115. The spring is mounted to have one end retained adjacent the cap nut and the other end fixed to the lock bar flange 115. The spring continuously urges the lock bar to move away from the trap door so that said door may be opened, however, the length of the lock bar and the position of the flange on the lock bar are chosen such that the bar may be moved in the aperture only a distance substantially equal to the length of the slanted portion of the cam surface 10% on the plunger 104. In other words, when the lock bar is mounted in the lock bar aperture to have the flange 115 rest on shoulder 103a, the opposite end of the lock bar from the shoulder is spaced from the cap screw a distance approximately equal to the width of the plunger.

The elongated portion 10 1c of the lock housing extends at right an les to the transverse section ltlla and lies in substantially the same line as the guideway portion 10 1b. The elongated section 101a extends from the oflfset to within close proximity of the door 24 and has a longitudinal aperture 102 formed therein. The aperture crosses the transverse aperture 1'03 and extends slightly beyond said aperture. A plunger 104 is mounted in the longitudinal aperture to extend into the door aperture 125.

The longitudinal aperture has enlarged diametric portion 162a in which a strong coil spring 18 is mounted, said coil spring bearing against a washer 110 on one side and against the annular flange 1G9 which is formed integral with the plunger on the opposite side. The aforementioned annular flange besides serving as a seating surface for the spring, also prevents the spring (which is in compression) from forcing the plunger out of the longitudinal aperture since the flange bears against the end Wall portion of the enlarged diametric portion. The opposite end of the plunger forms the cam port-ion 104a which has a raised cam surface 104]) therein. When the plunger is forced inwardly in the direction of the arrow 57, the aforementioned cam surface 1 24b engages a portion of the cam follower surface 1513b to move the lock bar in the portion 101a of the diagonal corner 117 to lock the trap door in a closed position. When the door 24 is opened, the spring 1% moves the plunger in a direction opposite arrow 57 to dis FIGURE 6, the

engagethe'cam surface from the cam follower surface. thus permitting spring 197 to move the lock bar a sufficient distance to unlock the trap door. V

The plunger has a door engaging or pointed portion ltMc which is forced outwardly into the space 125 by springltlts when the door 24 is opened and thus unlocks the trap door as previously described. When the door 24 is closed, the pointed portion is moved out of the space 125 by the door 24 forcing it in the direction of arrow 57 to lock the trap door. The distance traveled by the plunger upon opening or closing the door is slightly greater than the length of the slanted portion of the lock arm. That is the plunger has to move a distance great enough so that the slanted portion will be moved from abutting engagement with the diagonal corner of the trap door to a position where it fully clears the path of travel of the trap door.

By using he aforementioned modified embodiment 106, the door 24 may be locked in a closed position thus providing structure wherein a single lock in the door 24 will lock the trap door in a closed position. Similarly when the door 24 is unlocked and moved to an open position, the mechanism locking the trap door will be unlocked. Thus, structure is provided for locking the dispenser at the same time and with the same lock as the cabinet is locked. This feature is especially important where the cabinet-toilet tissue dispenser is to be used or hung in public restrooms and it is desirable to lock both cabinet and the dispenser in a single operation.

' In public restrooms, for example, it may be desirable to leave an extra roll of toilet tissue in a location where it may be easily spotted or it may be desirable to provide a roll of toilet tissue in an accessible location without requiring the trap door to be unlocked. In order to accomplish the aforementioned objective, the aforementioned basket 79 may be provided. As is illustrated in basket 79 is mounted directly beneath the dispenser housing so that upon opening the trap door a roll of toilet tissue will fall directly into the basket. Thus the basket will serve two purposes, one being a means for catching the rolls of toilet tissue as it is dispensed and second as means for storing an extra roll in plain sight.

Instead of mounting the basket '79 in the wall, the cabinet may have a back or rear wall that depends a sufiicient distance below the trap door and skirt so that the basket may be secured thereto. In such "an event the cabinet-toilet tissue dispenser the bottom opening of housing along with the cabinet would be sold as a single unit.

A further modified embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGURE 9. It may be particularly desirableto use this modification of the invent-ion in the event that the cabinet dispenser housing structure is made of etal. In place of the guideways 47, 48 of the first embodiment, a mounting bracket 151 may be used. The mounting bracket is generally rectangular shaped in cross section but rounded at the corners. A rectangular section is cut out of one of the side walls of the mounting bracket to form an elongated rectangular aperture 14-5. The mounting bracket is secured to the trap door 15%) by appropriate means (not shown) such as screws. The door bracket 152, which is of a similar shape and size as the mounting bracket also has a metal strip cut out of it to form an aperture 154-, the door bracket being secured to the trap door so that the aperture 154- therein will face the aperture 154 of the mounting bracket.

A slide member 153 which in cross section is generally shaped to form two spaced oppositely faced U-shaped members, connected at the central portion by a web 1531;. The legs 153a of the 'U-shaped member on one side of the slide member are parallel to the legs on the opposite side. The leg 153:: of each of the U-shaped members which lies in the same plane is mounted in the hollow portion of the mounting bracket. Similarly the other two legs of the U-shaped members are mounted in the hollow portion of the door bracket. The flange portions 151a, 152a of the respective brackets extend inwardly over the U-shaped legs to be adjacent the central web portion of the slide member.

The elongated length of the slide member, the door bracket, and the mounting bracket is substantially equal to the length of the side of the door to which they are attached. Appropriate stop means are provided on the brackets and the slide members so that when the trap door is moved to an open position the door bracket will not slide off the end of the slide member nor will the slide member slide completely out of the mounting racket. Further the stops are located such that when the door is moved from a closed position to an open position, the door bracket is freely slideable with respect to the slide bracket a distance substantially equal to one half of the length of the slide bracket. At the time that the door has been moved a distance substantially equal to one half of the length of the slide member then the stop on the slide member will engage a stop on the door bracket. When the aforementioned steps have engaged one another, the further opening of the door bracket will cause the sliding bracket to move in the mounting bracket. The slide bracket is freely slideable in the mounting bracket a distance substantially equal to one half of the length of the door and thus the slide member may be moved that distance within the mounting bracket before appropriate stops engage one another to prevent further movement (in a trap door opening direction) of the slide member with respect to the mounting bracket. The door bracket and slide bracket in conjunction with one another slide outwardly to form a track out beyond the outer end of the mounting bracket a distance approximately equal to the length of the door. Thus the trap door may be opened even though the guideways thereof which slidably mount the trap door are enclosed in mounting bracket members that are substantially equal to the length of the trap door.

Another feature of the invention not previously mentioned is the space for storing. various cleaning items along with rolls of toilet tissue, in the cabinet dispensing housing of this invention is an aid for improvng the sanitary conditions in restrooms and in other locations in which it is used. All of the previously mentioned cleaning compounds and cleaning aids may be stored in the cabinet while rolls of toilet tissue are stored in an unexposed location and still be readily accessible instead of the prevalent practice of setting the various items in a corner of the room and, for example, leaving extra rolls of toilet tissue on top of a Water tank used for flushing the toilet. To leave the various aforementioned articles in the open in public places is unsanitary for, amongst other reason-s, people of questionable sanitary habits may contaminate said articles.

It is to be understood penser housing panels have been provided, the panels 37, 38 need not be used if the panels 35 and 36 are connected directly to the walls 16, 15 respectively. This is especially true if the cabinet and dispenser housing structure is made of metal. If the structure is to be used, for example, in public restrooms it may be desirable to provide a toilet tissue dispenser housing which would retain, for example, six to eight rolls of toilet tissue and at the same time have three or vfour shelves. Further, it is to be understood that even though an operator casing has been provided at the outer lower portion of the dispenser housing, it is to be understood that it would be possible to mount said structure within the dispenser housing by enlarging the internal dimensions of said dispenser housing. Additionally, resilient means other than coil springs may be used provided they perform the same function. Still further it is to be understood that the aforementioned structure may be made from wood, sheet metal or other appropriate materials.

As many widely apparently different embodiments of that even though separate disthis invention may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific embodiments herein.

What I claim is:

1. In a combination, a cabinet having a door providing access to the interior of the cabinet, said cabinet having a Wall With an aperture formed therein, a dispenser housing mounted in said cabinet, said housing having an opening adjacent said aperture, closure means for closing the open end of said dispenser housing, dispenser means for dispensing a single item When said closure means is open and locking means for locking said closure means until said door is moved from a closed position.

2. The combination of claim 1 further characterized in that the closure means includes a trap door and that the lock means includes a lock housing mounted on a Wall of the cabinet, said lock housing having a transverse means for locking the trap door and means operating said transverse means alternately between a locking and a non-locking position, said locking means having a portion extending into the position normally occupied by the closed door of the cabinet.

3. Apparatus suitable for storing items of a first variety and both storing and dispensing items of a second variety comprising a cabinet having a side, back and the cabinet within a substantial distance having both a top inlet opening and a bottom discharge ing, said bottom Wall being of sufficient area intermediate the access opening and the dispenser housing to permit storing various items therein, closure means movably mounted on the cabinet between positions for alternately closure means between a closed and an open position, said closure means being a door slidably mounted on the bottom wall for movement between a closed position and 3 further characterized in that said connecting means includes means for providing a lost motion connection to permit the door being partially opened before the lever is moved about its pivot and that there is provided resilient means mounted on the 5. Apparatus for storing and dispensing items com-.

prising a cabinet having a plurality of Walls joined together to form an enclosure with an access aperture formed therein, said cabinet having a discharge opening formed in the bottom portion thereof, a vertically extending dispenser housing mounted in said cabinet to extend above said cabinet discharge opening and having a dispenser housing discharge opening coextensive with said cabinet discharge opening, means mounted on the cabinet for movement to alternately open said discharge openings to permit an item to be discharged therethrough and closing said openings, means mounted on said cabinet and extending horizontally into said dispenser housing above the dispenser housing discharge opening for alternately retaining all the items thereabove in the dispenser housing when the closure means is moved to an open position and permitting an item retained thereabove to be deposited on the closure means when the closure means is moved to a closed position and means for connecting the closure means to the retaining means to operate the retaining means in the aforementioned manner, said closure means including a door and guideways secured to the cabinet to mount said door for translatory movement.

6. Apparatus for storing and dispensing a plurality of articles comprising a cabinet having a cabinet door aperture, means for holding a plurality of articles and selectively dispensing one of said articles at a time, said cabinet having a second aperture through which said article is dispensed, said dispenser means including an open ended housing that opens through said second aperture, said dispenser housing having a Wall with an arcuate slot formed therein a substantial distance above the second aperture, manually operated closure means mounted on the cabinet for movement between an opened position and a closed position for alternately opening said second an article and supporting in a closed position the next article to be dispensed and means connected to the closure means operable for disposing the next article to be dispensed onto the closure means after said closure means has been moved to a closed position, said disposing means including a vertically extending and a horizontal support member extended through said slot into the central portion of said housing, said lever being mounted on the exterior of said housing and havthe dispenser housing, spaced from the dispenser housing to and most of the lever arm.

7. Apparatus for storing and dispensing a plurality of articles comprising a cabinet having a cabinet door aperture, and means for holding a plurality of articles and selectively dispensing one of said articles at a time, said cabinet having a second aperture through which an article is dispensed, said dispenser means including an open ended housing that opens through said second aperture and manually operated closure means for alternately opening said second aperture to dispense an article and supporting in a closed position the next article to be disconnected to the closure means inpivotally said casing being enclose said slot 8. Apparatus for storing and dispensing a plurality of articles comprising a cabinet having a cabinet door aperture, means for holding 'a plurality of articles andselectively dispensing one of said articles at a time, said cabinet having a second aperture through which an article is dispensed, said dispenser means including an open ended housing that opens through said aperture and manually operated closure means mounted on the cabinet for movement between an opened and a closed position, said closure means including a door, for alternately opening said second aperture to dispense an article and supporting in a closed position the next article to be dispensed, and means connected to the closure means including a vertically extending lever arm pivotally mounted on the dispenser housing operable for disposing the next article to be dispensed onto the closure means after said closure means has been moved to a closed position, said lever arm having a lower end adjacent the closure means, and said means'for disposing the next article to be dispensed having a lost-motion connection between the lower end of the lever arm and the door which comprises a notched portion in the door adjacent the lever arm and resilient means connecting one end of said lever arm to the door.

9. Apparatus for storing and dispensing a plurality of articles comprising a cabinet having a cabinet door aperture, and means for holding a plurality of articles and selectively dispensing one of said articles at a time, said cabinet having a second aperture through which said articles are dispensed, said dispenser means including an open ended housing that opens through said second aperture and manually operated closure means mounted on a cabinet for movement between an opened and a closed position for alternately opening said second aperture to dispense an position the next article to be dispensed, and means connected to the closure means including a vertically extending lever arm pivotally mounted on the dispenser housing operable for disposing the next article to be dispensed onto the closure means-after said closure means has been moved to a closed position, said dispenser housing having an arcuate slot formed therein a substantial distance above the second aperture, said disposing means article and supporting in a closed including a horizontal support member extended through said slot into the central portion of said housing, said lever arm being mounted on the exterior of said housing and having an upper end mounting said support member for movement in said slot.

10. Apparatus for storing and dispensing a plurality of articles comprising a cabinet having side, back and bottom walls connected together, said cabinet having a front access aperture to permit storing materials in the interior of the cabinet, a vertically extending dispenser housing for holding articles to be dispensed mounted in the cabinet Within close proximity of the back wall, spaced a substantial distance away from said access aperture and having both a top inlet opening and a bottom discharge opening, said cabinet having a bottom charge opening coextensive with the dispenser housing discharge opening, said bottom wall being of sufiicient area intermediate the access opening and the dispenser housing to permit storing various items therein, closure means movably mounted on the cabinet between positions for alternately closing said cabinet discharge opening and permitting an article to be dispensed to be discharged therethrough, and means extending into the dispenser housing, connected to the closure means and operated by the closure means for alternately retaining all the articles in the dispenser housing other than the article to be discharged when the closure means is moved to a discharge position and permitting the thus retained articles to move downwardly in the dispenser housing upon the closure means being moved to a closed position, the connection between the retaining means and the closure means being a spring of a length and having spring characteristics to form a lost-motion connection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 965,574 Evans July 26, 1910 1,044,682 Melchert Nov. 19, 1912 1,210,520 Oliver Jan. 2, 1917 1,641,783 Rothchild et a1. Sept. 6, 1927 1,719,826 Aldrich July 9, 1929 2,546,597 Harris Mar. 27, 1951

Claims (1)

1. 3. APPARATUS SUITABLE FOR STORING ITEMS OF A FIRST VARIETY AND BOTH STORING AND DISPENSING ITEMS OF A SECOND VARIETY COMPRISING A CABINET HAVING A SIDE, BACK AND BOTTOM WALLS CONNECTED TOGETHER, SAID CABINET HAVING A FRONT ACCESS APERTURE TO PERMIT STORING MATERIALS IN THE INTERIOR OF THE CABINET, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING DISPENSER HOUSING FOR HOLDING ARTICLES TO BE DISPENSED MOUNTED IN THE CABINET WITHIN CLOSE PROXIMITY OF THE BACK WALL, SPACED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE AWAY FROM SAID ACCESS APERTURE AND HAVING BOTH A TOP INLET OPENING AND A BOTTOM DISCHARGE OPENING, SAID CABINET HAVING A BOTTOM DISCHARGE OPENING COEXTENSIVE WITH THE DISPENSER HOUSING DISCHARGE OPENING, SAID BOTTOM WALL BEING OF SUFFICIENT AREA INTERMEDIATE THE ACCESS OPENING AND THE DISPENSER HOUSING TO PERMIT STORING VARIOUS ITEMS THEREIN, CLOSURE MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED ON THE CABINET BETWEEN POSITIONS FOR ALTERNATELY CLOSING SAID CABINET DISCHARGE OPENING AND PERMITTING AN ARTICLE TO BE DISPENSED TO BE DISCHARGED THERETHROUGH, AND MEANS EXTENDING INTO THE DISPENSER HOUSING CONNECTED TO THE CLOSURE MEANS AND OPERATED BY THE CLOSURE MEANS FOR ALTERNATELY RETAINING ALL THE ARTICLES IN THE DISPENSER HOUSING OTHER THAN THE ARTICLE TO BE DISCHARGED WHEN THE CLOSURE MEANS IS MOVED TO A DISCHARGE POSITION AND PERMITTING THE THUS RETAINED ARTICLES TO MOVE DOWNWARDLY IN THE DISPENSER HOUSING UPON THE CLOSURE MEANS BEING MOVED TO A CLOSE POSITION, SAID RETAINING MEANS INCLUDING AN ELONGATED VERTICALLY EXTENDING LEVER ARM PIVOTALLY SECURED TO THE DISPENSER HOUSING INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID LEVER ARM, THE LOWER END OF THE LEVER ARM EXTENDING INTO THE CABINET DISCHARGE OPENING, A HORIZONTAL MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE UPPER END OF SAID LEVER ARM AND BEING OF A LENGTH TO EXTEND INTO THE MIDPORTION OF SAID HOUSING, THE LEVER ARM IN A VERTICAL POSITION HAVING THE UPPER END THEREOF SPACED FROM THE CLOSURE MEANS IN A CLOSED POSITION APPROXIMATELY A DISTANCE EQUAL TO THE HEIGHT OF THE ARTICLE TO BE DISPENSED, AND MEANS FOR CONNECTING THE LOWER END OF THE LEVER ARM TO THE CLOSURE MEANS TO PIVOT SAID LEVER ARM TO MOVE THE HORIZONTAL MEMBER INTO THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID HOUSING PRIOR TO THE CLOSURE MEANS BEING MOVED TO A FULLY OPEN POSITION TO PREVENT MORE THAN ONE ITEM BEING DISCHARGED FOR EACH OPERATION OF THE CLOSURE MEANS BETWEEN A CLOSED AND AN OPEN POSITION, SAID CLOSURE MEANS BEING A DOOR SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON THE BOTTOM WALL FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A CLOSED POSITION AND AN OPEN POSITION AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE LOWER END OF THE LEVER ARM TO MOVE SAID LEVER ARM AND THE HORIZONTAL MEMBER OUT OF THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE HOUSING UPON SAID DOOR BEING MOVED TO A CLOSED POSITION.

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