US3128914A - Protective enclosure for service station dispensers - Google Patents

Description

April 14, 1964 H. e. BERTRAND PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR SERVICE STATION DISPENSERS Filed July 11. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

HOWAR D G. BERTRAND ATTORNEYS.

April 14, 1964 H. G. BERTRAND PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR SERVICE STATION DISPENSERS Filed July 11. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 74 I58 I56 I54 I56 I64 I. i g/ 84" ago I22 INVENTOR.

was 36 HOWARD e. BERTRAND BY v Ap 1964 H. e. BERTRAND PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR SERVICE STATION DISPENSERS Filed July 11, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. HOWARD G. BERTRAND United States Patent 3,128,914 PRGTECTIVE ENQLGSURE FOR SERVICE STATIGN DISPENSERS Howard G. Bertrand, 127 Butternut Drive, Hatboro, Pa. Filed July 11, 196i, Ser. No. 123,213 20 Claims. (Cl. 222-446) This invention relates to a protective enclosure for service station dispensers and, more particularly, to an enclosure which will protect the various distribution outlets, used in connection with the servicing of a car, from the deleterious effects usually caused by long exposure to outdoor conditions, as well as against operational diflicuties encountered in connection with the low temperatures of winter.

It is known to provide a variety of servicing facilities at service stations. Such well known facilities include dispensing heads for radiator water, battery water and air for inflation purposes.

As now constituted, the service station dispensers are sought to be protected from-normal outdoor exposure by some type of spaced overhead barrier, such as a marginal roof. This structure, however, has not proved to be completely protective and, moreover, has no protective value against the low temperatures of the winter months.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a protective enclosure for service stations dispensers which will combat the deleterious effects of outdoor exposure, as well as fouling tendencies brought about by conditions of low temperature.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a protective enclosurew hich enables the enclosed dispensers to be easily reached when desired and which provides essentially complete protection as soon'as the dispensers are no longer in use.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a protective enclosure which can be easily adapted for use either under extremely cold conditions or in warmer weather.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a protective enclosure for service station dispensers which is uniquely recessed and designed-for efficient and dependable operation, which requires little maintenance and which provides easy access tothe internal elements thereof when maintenance is desired.

The foregoing, as well as other objects of this invention, are achieved by providing a protective enclosure for service station dispensers comprising a recessed protective housing having an open end, a door hingedly, secured to the housing and removeably covering said open end, support linkage associated with said door and-adapted to hold said door in an open position, dispensing elements located in said housing, said dispensing elements adapted to be withdrawn from said housing prior to dispensing and adapted to be replaced therein-subsequent to dispensing, switch means associated with said dispensing elements and adapted to be activated thereby, solenoid means adapted to release said support linkage, said solenoid means and switch means being related electrically in series so that replacement of all of the dispensing elements in said housing will automatically cause said door to close and the solenoid means being deactivated by the closing of said door.

The present invention in its more specific aspects also includes heating elements, easily removeable doors for gaining access to a cabinet housing the necessary connections to the dispensing elements, and a built-in Waste receptacle to which access is easily gained. Furthermore, the housing of the present invention is uniquely shaped in order to facilitate the entry of the connections to the dispensing elements.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational View, with portions broken away for the sake of clarity, of a protective enclosure for service station dispensers embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view, with portions broken away for the sake of clarity, of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2, with portions broken away for the sake of clarity, with the door in the open position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the lines 55 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the lines 6'6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken along the lines 7-7 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 8 is a wiring diagram of a door closing circuit useable in connection with the device of FIG. 1.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, a protective enclosure for service station dispensers embodying the present invention is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. Device 10 basically comprises a supporting frame 12 and a recessed protective housing 14 supported thereon. Door 16 removeably covers an open end of housing 14 and is held in the open position of FIG. 4 by means of support linkage 18.

Dispensing elements 29 (FIG. 4) are positioned within the housing 14 and are adapted to be Withdrawn and replaced therein in accordance with the dispensing needs. Switchmeans 22 are associated with each dispensingelement 20 and are adapted to be activated thereby. Solenoid means 24 (FIG. 3) are adapted to release support linkage 18 when all of the dispensing elements 20 have been replaced in housing 14. It is to be noted that switch means 22 and solenoid means 24 are related electrically in series.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the supporting frame 12 comprises side wall panels 26, front wall panel 23 and rear Wall panel 30.

Positioned adjacent the lower surface of supporting frame 12 are a plurality of supply wells 32 which containthe various items to be dispensed, such as water and air. The supply Wells 32 are held in place by horizontal angle member 34 which is bolted in place in a well known manner. Emerging upwardly from each supply well 32 is a supply conduit 36 with associated adaptive collar 38. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the upper end of supply conduit 36 is telescoped within sleeve 40 of bumper ball 42. The bumper ball 42 has an annular opening, and thus the conduit 36, as shown in FIG. 3, may project therethrough until appropriately received in dispensing element 20.

Itis to be noted that rear wall panel 30 is removeably secured to side wall panels 26 in such a manner that it may easily be removed for servicing purposes. Moreover, front wall panel 28 possesses a large central opening which is covered by a door 44 which is hingedly SB? cured to the front panel via hinges 46. Door 44 may be opened and closed as desired by grasping knob 48. A lock (not shown) may be provided if deemed desirable.

The door '44 is a generally rectangular panel but includes an upper cut out section 50' to permit access to waste receptacle 52 positioned immediately behind the door 44. The waste receptacle is of a generally parale lelepiped configuration having front, rear and side panels, and a base where desired. The rear panel 54 is of a height slightly greater than the lower edge of section 50. Accordingly, the side panels of the waste receptacle taper downwardly along their upper edge in moving from the rear panel 54 to section 50. It is to be noted that upper end 58 is open in order that the waste material may be placed in the waste receptacle 52. A door 68 is positioned against the inner surface of front wall panel 28 and is hingedly secured thereto along its upper horizontal edge by hinges 62. The door 60 may be pushed backwardly to be pivoted about an upper horizontal axis in order to give access to waste receptacle 52. Backward movement of the door 60 is limited by abutment of the lower horizontal edge 64 of the door 68 against rear panel 54. The hinges 62 may be spring biased so that the door 60 will immediately return to the generally vertical position of FIG. 1 as soon as it is released. The door 60 cannot be pivoted forwardly from the position of FIG. 1 because lower horizontal edge 64 abuts against the interior surface of front wall panel 28 of support frame 12. The hinges 62 may be secured to front wall panel 28 via bolts 66 in a well known manner.

Housing 14 is positioned upon support frame 12 and is held thereon in a well known manner. As shown in FIG. 3, housing 14 comprises an outer chamber 68 and an inner chamber 70.

The outer chamber 68 includes a base 72 with appropriate openings for passage of supply conduits 36. Outer chamber 68 further comprises side walls 74, rear wall 76 and front frame 78 comprising upper section 80, lower section 82 and side sections 84. A top wall 86 is also provided for outer chamber 68.

Inner chamber 7 8 is positioned within the outer chamber 68 and supported thereby. The inner chamber 70 possesses an open outer end which essentially coincides with the front opening of outer chamber 68 and defined by front frame '78. Inner chamber 78 further comprises a downwardly sloping top wall 88, slightly upwardly sloping base wall 90 and frontwardly sloping rear wall 92. Appropriate side walls 94 are also provided. As best shown in FIG. 3, the forwardly sloping rear wall 92 permits the supply conduit 36 to be bent essentially for a full right angle in considerably less spacing from rear wall 76 than would be possible if the rear wall 92 of the inner chamber 70 was positioned generally parallel to the rear wall of the outer chamber.

Door 16, as shown in FIG. 2, comprises top frame 96, bottom frame 98 and side frames 100. A pane of glass 102 is secured behind the frames of door 16 in a well known manner. Thus, the contents of the inner chamber 70 may be viewed at all times to the benefit of both the user and the service station owner. The door 16 is hingedly secured to top wall 86 of outer chamber 68 along its top frame 96 by means of horizontal hinge 104 secured to top wall 86 and top frame 96 in a well known manner.

As shown in FIG. 3, the door 16 may be held in the open position by means of support linkage 18. This linkage is of a generally arcuate shape and is fastened to a side frame 100 of the door 16 through the medium of a bracket 106. Bracket 106 is basically T-shaped with the base 108 being fastened to a side frame 100 of the door 16. Leg 110 of the bracket 106 includes an opening which facilitates the securement of one end of support linkage 18 thereto. The support linkage 18 slideably passes through an opening 112 in a side section 84 and front frame 78 of outer chamber 68. Secured adjacent free end 114 of linkage 18 is a bearing pad 116 for a purpose which will be explained in detail hereinafter. The linkage 18 also possesses notches 118 which are complementary to lower edge 120 defining opening 112. Thus, the door 16 may be held in the open position by merely opening the door sufficiently so that lower edge 120 interfits in one of the notches 118. It is accordingly seen that the door 16 may be easily closed by merely forcing support linkage 18 upwardly for a small 4 distance such that the notch 118 is unseated from lower edge 120. Immediately, the weight of the door 16 will cause it to pivot downwardly to the closed position.

It is to be noted that the impact of door 16 against front frame 78 is cushioned by virtue of elongated rollers 122 fastened to the front frame 78 in a well known manner. Moreover, air cylinder 124 is operatively associated with the door 16, as shown in FIG. 7. Chamber 126 of air cylinder 124 possesses an opening through which a piston is introduced into the cylinder 124. Piston rod 138 projects outwardly from the cylinder 124 and is secured to a bracket 132, similar in construction to bracket 106 which in turn is secured to a side frame .100 of the door 16, as indicated in FIG. 5. The other end of the chamber 126 is secured to the base of outer chamber 68 of housing 14 through associated linkage 134, '136 and '138.

-It is to be noted that the linkage 18 may be easily separated from top wall 86 so that the door 16 may be separated from the housing, if desired, in the Summer months. However, it is quite likely that service stations will desire to maintain the door 16 in place during the Summer for purposes of protection from outdoor exposure. It is to be further noted that a heater is secured to the base of support frame 12 to prevent freezing conditions from reaching supply wells 32. A second heater 137 (FIG. 3) may be secured beneath base wall 90 of inner chamber '70 for a similar purpose. It is to be further noted that a light source 139 with appropriate electrical connections is secured exteriorly of top wall 88 of inner chamber 70. A transparent or translucent panel 14-2 is secured to top wall 88 by L-shaped brackets 144 in such a manner as to be spaced from the light source 139. An appropriate opening for the panel 142 is provided in top wall 88.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, a switch 146 may be secured against rear wall 92 in the inner housing in order to control light source 139. It is of further interest to note that a braking system employing hydraulic liquids may be substituted for the air cylinder 124 and its associated system in order to slow the closing of door 16.

As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the dispensing means assembly 148 comprises a dispensing element 20 secured to the free end of supply conduit 36 which is telescoped for a short portion within a sleeve 40 communicating with bumper ball 42. In a well known manner, the dispensing element 20 is grasped by the user and pulled from its seated position of FIG. 3 to be withdrawn from the inner chamber 70 and used for the purpose intended. As shown in FIG. 3, a valve handle 150 is appropriately secured immediately behind the dispensing element 20 in order to control the flow of the material to be dispensed through dispensing element 20.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, this withdrawal action is facilitated by four peripherally arranged rollers 152, 154, 156 and 158.

These rollers are each revolvably seated in a support plate 160 which is afiixed to rear wall 92 of inner chamber 14 by bolts 162. The support plate 160 has formed there in a central cut-out portion 164 in the form of a cross. Each of the aforementioned rollers is revolvably seated in a leg of the cross so that rollers 152 and 156 rotate about a horizontal axis and rollers 154 and 158 rotate about a vertical axis.

As best shown in FIG. 6, bumper ball 42 comprises a forward semi-cylindrical section 166 and a rearward tapered section 168.

It is to be noted that rearward portion of supply conduit 36 is maintained in a backward tension such that when the user releases a dispensing head 20, the dispensing means assembly will immediately move backwardly to eventually return to the position of FIG. 3 in a gentle manner.

An important aspect of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6, which shows the details of plate 168' and its securement to rear wall 92. Plate 161) is in reality U- shaped wherein legs 170 thereof abut against rear wall 92 and wherein the bridging portion 172 thereof possesses the central opening 164 as previously discussed. A complementary opening 174 for conduit 36 and associated sleeve 40' is formed in the wall 92. Bridging'portion 172 also includes two pairs of closely spacedfingers 176 defining slots 178 therebetween which receive pins 181 that revolva bly support the rollers 152, 154, 156 and 158. Immediately positioned behind the fingers 176 is a hearing plate 182 which lies generally parallel to the bridging portion .172. Plate 182 includes openings therein in order that it may be slidably received on the stems of bolts 162. The lower portion of plate 182 is essentially locked in place by means of lock nut 184 threaded on the stem of lower bolt 162 in bearing engagement against the plate 182 in such a manner that lower pin 180 will at all times be held in the seated position in its slot 178. A slight amount of play between the plate 182 and the nut 184 obtainedby adjustment thereof is however necessary in order that the upper end of the plate 182 may move in the manner as will be described hereinafter.

As shown in FIG. 6, nuts 186 maintain the bolts 162 in place. As previously discussed, the upper portion of plate 18-2 is slidably received in the stem of upper bolt 162. However, a coil spring 188 is telescoped about the stem of upper bolt 162 to bias the upper portion of the plate 182 forwardly, thereby tending to maintain the upper pin 180 in the upper slot 178. An appropriate washer 2190 is also secured behind the plate 182 within the coil spring 188.

As shown in FIG. 6, the bumper ball 42 is essentially seated in its position of non-use. When the dispensing element 20 has been used and is returned to the inner chamber 70, the conduit 36 is drawn backwardly into inner chamber 71 as has been previously discussed.

As it is drawn backwardly, bumper ball 42 eventually reaches the position of FIG. 6, but the force of return will carry it a bit further to the left of the position of FIG. 6 so that the rollers 152 and 156 thereshown will be forced backwardly. Roller 156, however, is essentially prevented from lateral movement by the lock nut 184. Therefore, substantially the entire backward force will be exerted upon the pin 80 which is secured to upper roller 152. This in turn will cause the upper portion of the plate 182 to pivot about its lower edge or to move backwardly against the force of coil spring 188.

In this manner, plate 182 contacts switch means 22, thereby closing the switch. Each dispensing element 28 is adapted to activate a switch 22 and the switches 22 are arranged electrically in series, as shown in FIG. 8. When all of the dispensing elements have been returned to the storage position of FIG. 3, all of the switches 22 are closed, as indicated in FIG. 8. As further shown in FIG. 8, the solenoid 24 is also placed in series electrically with switch 22.

Thus, when all of the dispensing elements have been returned to storage position, a circuit is completed and solenoid 24 accordingly is activated. This activation consists of forcing solenoid plunger 1% outwardly of solenoid 24 to move upwardly against bearing pad 116 which is secured to the lower edge of linkage 1-8. Upward movement of solenoid plunger 190 in turn forces the free end 114 of linkage 18 upwardly so that notch 118 is unseated from lower edge 12!). When this occurs, the weight of the door 16 immediately forces the door to close. The rate of such closing is controlled by the air cylinder 124.

When the door 16 has closed, contact button 192 thereon meets the contact element 194 of microswitch 196 shown in FIGS. 3 and 8. Microswitch 196 is so constituted that the meeting of contacts 192 and 194 causes the switch to be opened, thereby opening the circuit of FIG. 8.

This in turn deactivates the solenoid 24 so that the plunger is caused to return into the solenoid by an associated spring which is secured thereto in a well known manner. As soon as the door 16 is opened by a-prospective user, the contacts 192 and 194 no longer touch and thus the switch 196 is closed. When the user grasps a dispensing element 20, the associated switch 22' is opened and the circuit of FIG. 8 is accordingly no longer a closed one. Therefore, the solenoid 24- remains inactivateduntil all of the dispensing elements 20 have been returned to the storage position. Thus, the notch .118 of the linkage 18 may be seated in lower edge 1242 in order that the door 16 will remain open.

It is thus seen that a protective enclosure for service station dispensers is provided which will afford substantial continuous protection for the various dispensing elements. As soon as the service station dispensers are no longer in use, as when the last dispensing element is replaced in the protective enclosure, the hinged door will be released to close to protect the dispensing elements. Thus, the abovefreezing temperatures maintained inside the enclosure by the attached heaters will not be substantially lowered.

A further significant aspect of the present invention is the forwardly sloping rear wall 92 which permits the sup ply conduit 36 to be bent essentially for a full right angle in considerably less spacing from rear wall 76 of the outer chamber than would be possible if the rear wall 92 of inner chamber 70 was positioned generally parallel thereto. Thus, the protective enclosure may be more compact than otherwise.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the.

present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. -It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A protective enclosure for a service station dispenser containing at least one dispensing element, said enclosure comprising a recessed protective housing having an open end, a door hingedly secured to the housing and removeably covering said open end, support linkage and solenoid means associated with said door and adapted to hold said door in an open position, at least one dispensing element located in said housing, said dispensing element adapted to be withdrawn from said housing prior to dispensing and adapted to be replaced therein subseq-uent to dispensing, switch means associated with said dispensing element and adapted to be activated thereby upon return of said element to said housing, said solenoid means adapted to release said support linkage upon activation by said switch means, said solenoid means and switch means being related electrically in series so that replacement of said dispensing element in said housing will automatically cause said door to close and the solenoid means being deactivated by the closing of said door.

2. The invention of claim 1 including a supply conduit associated with said dispensing element and a bumper ball operatively secured to said supply conduit.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said support linkage has one end fastened to said door and has engageable notches formed therein adapted to be seated in a frame defining said open end.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein said bumper ball is adapted to activate said switch means when said dispensing element is returned to said housing.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said solenoid means includes a plunger adapted to be forced against said linkage when said solenoid means is activated, whereby said linkage is unseated from said door frame fo initiate the closing of said door.

6. The invention of claim 5 wherein an air cylinder is associated with said door to retard the rate of closing thereof when said linkage is unseated.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein said protective enclosure is positioned upon a supporting frame.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein a waste receptacle is formed within said supporting frame.

9. The invention of claim 1 wherein said protective housing includes a frontwardly sloping rear wall whereby conduits extending backwardly from said dispensing elements may be bent for a full right angle within a small space.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said protective housing is positioned within an outer chamber.

11. The invention of claim 1 wherein said door includes a transparent portion and wherein a light source is associated within said housing.

12. The invention of claim 1 wherein heaters are associated with said housing.

13. The invention of claim 1 including a bumper ball adapted to actuate said switch means upon return of said dispensing element to said housing, said bumper ball being associated with said switch means, said bumper ball being adapted to urge pivoted plate means against said switch means upon return of said dispensing element to said housing.

14. A protective enclosure for service station dispensers containing more than one dispensing element, said enclosure comprising a recessed protective housing having an open end, a door hingedly secured to the housing and removably covering said open end, support linkage and solenoid means associated with said door and adapted to hold said door in an open position, at least two dispensing elements located in said housing, said dispensing elements adapted to be withdrawn from said housing prior to dispensing and adapted to be replaced therein subsequent to dispensing, switch means associated with said dispensing elements and adapted to be activated thereby upon return of all of said elements to said housing, said solenoid means adapted to release said support linkage upon activation by said switch means, said solenoid means and switch means being related electrically in series so that return of all of said dispensing elements in said housing will automatically cause said door to close and the solenoid means being deactivated by the closing of said door.

15. The invention of claim 14 including a supply conduit associated with each dispensing element and a bumper ball operatively secured to each said supply conduit.

16. The invention of claim 15 wherein said door is held in an open position by means of associated support linkage, said support linkage having one end fastened to said door and having engageable notches formed therein and adapted to be seated in a frame defining said open end.

"17. The invention of claim 16 wherein said bumper ball is adapted to activate said switch means when said dispensing element is returned to said housing.

18. The invention of claim 17 wherein said solenoid means includes a plunger adapted to be forced against said linkage when said solenoid means is activated, whereby said linkage is unseated from said door frame to initiate the closing of said door.

19. The invention of claim 18 wherein an air cylinder is associated with said door to retard the rate of closing thereof when said linkage is unseated.

20. The invention of claim 14 wherein said protective housing includes a frontwardly sloping rear wall whereby conduits extending backwardly from said dispensing ele ments may be bent for a full right angle within a small space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,740,748 Read Dec. 24, 1929 2,181,521 Reade Nov. 28, 1939 2,541,352 Ginter Feb. 13, 1951 2,545,063 Wolfe Mar. 13, 1951

Claims (1)

1. A PROTECTIVE ENCLOSURE FOR A SERVICE STATION DISPENSER CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE DISPENSING ELEMENT, SAID ENCLOSURE COMPRISING A RECESSED PROTECTIVE HOUSING HAVING AN OPEN END, A DOOR HINGEDLY SECURED TO THE HOUSING AND REMOVEABLY COVERING SAID OPEN END, SUPPORT LINKAGE AND SOLENOID MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID DOOR AND ADAPTED TO HOLD SAID DOOR IN AN OPEN POSITION, AT LEAST ONE DISPENSING ELEMENT LOCATED IN SAID HOUSING, SAID DISPENSING ELEMENT ADAPTED TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM SAID HOUSING PRIOR TO DISPENSING AND ADAPTED TO BE REPLACED THEREIN SUBSEQUENT TO DISPENSING, SWITCH MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID DISPENSING ELEMENT AND ADAPTED TO BE ACTIVATED THEREBY UPON RETURN OF SAID ELEMENT TO SAID HOUSING, SAID SOLENOID MEANS ADAPTED TO RELEASE SAID SUPPORT LINKAGE UPON ACTIVATION BY SAID SWITCH MEANS, SAID SOLENOID MEANS AND SWITCH MEANS BEING RELATED ELECTRICALLY IN SERIES SO THAT REPLACEMENT OF SAID DISPENSING ELEMENT IN SAID HOUSING WILL AUTOMATICALLY CAUSE SAID DOOR TO CLOSE AND THE SOLENOID MEANS BEING DEACTIVATED BY THE CLOSING OF SAID DOOR.

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