US3379172A

US3379172A - Combined water bottle and brush holder

Info

Publication number: US3379172A
Application number: US548172A
Authority: US
Inventors: Britton H Doyle
Original assignee: Nashua Corp
Current assignee: Nashua Corp
Priority date: 1966-05-06
Filing date: 1966-05-06
Publication date: 1968-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 1985-04-23

Description

April 23, 1968 B. H. DOYLE COMBINED WATER BOTTLE AND BRUSH HOLDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 3, 1966 Z 223 67? '8 or BR|TTON H. DOYLE April 23, 1968 B. H. DOYLE COMBINED WATER BOTTLE'AND BRUSH HOLDER 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed May 6, 1966 i il zmv-ewfioi' BR\TTON H. DOYLE 3 Sheets-Sheet April 23, 1968 B. H. DOYLE COMBINED WATER BOTTLE AND BRUSH HOLDER Filed May a, 1966 znwewzi'oy BQITTON H. DOYLE III, I [I I I I I I I I United States Patent 3,379,172 COMBINED WATER BOTTLE AND BRUSH HOLDER Britten H. Doyie, Nashua, NIL, assignor to Nashua Corporation, Nashua, N.H., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 6, 1966, Ser. No. 548,172 8 Claims. (Cl. 118267) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is a water supply means for gummed tape dispensers, in the form of a water bottle combined with a brush holding portion, the combination being attachable to a tape dispensing apparatus. The water bottle has an upstanding hollow structure for holding a supply of water and a horizontally extending brush holding portion connected thereto. Water is automatically admitted to the brush holding section for wetting the brush as need arises, the supply of water to the brush section being automatically cut-off when water has reached a given level in the brush holding section. An additional upstanding chamber is provided with a hole therein through which the combination water bottle and brush holder may be conveniently filled with a supply of water without removing the brush.

This invention relates to water supply means for tape dispensing apparatus, and in particular to such a water supply means in which the water bottle and the water box for containing the brush of the tape dispensing apparatus are combined.

In the conventional tape dispensing apparatus, for example, the kind used in shipping rooms where lengths of tape are dispensed with their gummed side moistened, the problem of maintaining a suflicient supply of water in the box that contains the moistening brush has not been too satisfactory. In some instances, the box is relatively small and the Water supply thereof is exhausted fairly rapidly. In other instances, where the water box has been fastened into the tape dispensing apparatus itself, inadequate methods of filling the water box have been provided, and the operation of filling the box has been a time wasting procedure. In still further instances, supply bottles have been used which do contain a larger quantity of water, and these have been attached to the machine in a removable manner, so that they can be removed, then filled, and replaced on the machine. However, in these cases the bottle may either be broken; or, at the place where they are attached, leaks may develop which are messy. A further inconvenience has arisen in those instances where the tape dispensing machine, as a whole, has needed to be transported from one location to another. In many such cases, water has spilled out of its container, and consequently a clean-up job has been required.

It is the general purpose of this invention to supply a combined water bottle and brush box which is relatively simple to make, and easy to use, both for filling the bottle and for replacing it on the machine when filled; and one which minimizes any spilling of the water if the tape machine is moved from one spot to another.

Therefore, among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a combined water bottle and brush box for a tape dispensing machine; the provision of means for providing a source of water supply to a tape dispensing machine which is simple to manufacture and easy to use; the provision of means for providing a water supply to a tape dispensing machine, in which a water bottle and a brush for holding a moisten- 3,379,172 Patented Apr. 23, 1968 ice ing brush are combined; the provision of a combined water bottle and brush holder of the above classes which is relatively impervious to fracture when subjected to the normal handling encountered in the use of such a water supply means; the provision of a combined water bottle and brush holder for a tape dispensing machine which is readily detach-able from the machine for the purposes of filling it and cleaning and yet which is easily filled and reattached to the machine; and the provision of a water bottle of any of the above classes which at least minimizes, if it does not completely eliminate, spilling of the water when the machine is moved. Other objects and advantages will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invent-ion accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of the various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is an illustrative view showing the overall configuration of the embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the FIG. 1 embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the FIG. 1 embodi- =ment, taken in the direction of sight lines 33 thereon;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the FIG. 1 embodimerit, taken in the direction of sight lines 4-4 thereon;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a FIG. 1 embodiment, taken in the direction of sight lines 5'5 thereon;

'FIG. 6 is an end elevation, partly in section, illustrating the bottle with a brush in place therein;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation, in section, of the bottle, taken in the direction of sight lines 77 on FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is an illustrative view of the brush shown in FIG. 6, given to illustrate certain elements of construc- 'tion thereof.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings, and in the drawings dimensions of certain of the parts may have been modified and/ or exaggerated for the purposes of clarity of illustration.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the combined water bottle and brush box of this invention comprises a hollow structure having a brush holding section illustrated generally by numeral 2 (the brush being omitted in this dnawing) and a water containing compartment or bottle indicated generally by numeral 4. Sections 2 and 4 are joined together to provide a unitary hollow structure in which the interior of section 4 opens into the interior of section 2. The structure is preferably made of synthetic molded plastic of the kind having high impact strength such as nylon or one of the polypropylene group. If it is made of plastic, other plastics having the required characten istics of high impact strength, ease of molding, and dimensional stability may be used if desired.

Referring first to the box section 2, this comprises a generally rectangular box having the side walls 6 and 10, a bottom 12, and the end wall 8. What otherwise would be the top is molded to have an opening 14 which is adapted to receive the brush of the tape dispensing machine. The top of the box rises upwardly as indicated by numeral 16 and is met by

upstanding portions

18 and 20 of the face walls 6 and 10, and an end wall 22 to close the box structure at this end. A hole 24 is provided in the face 16 to be used for filling the bottle.

The bottle section 4 comprises an upstanding, generally fiat, hollow structure having the

side walls

26 and 28, the

3 bottom 34}, and top 32.

End walls

34 and 36 are provided to form a totally enclosed structure which is molded as an integral whole with the water box 2. The forward end 34 of water bottle 4 is open to the brush box 2 as shown by numeral 38.

For ease in handling the entire structure, a hand grip is provided by providing elongated apertures 40 and 42 in each of the

Walls

26 and 28 where indicated, the aligned edges of these apertures are being joined by transversely extending partition 44 which is contiguous with the edges of the apertures, the ioint being airtight.

For rigidity and strength, another pair of apertures 46 and 48 are provided in approximately a central portion of the bottle 4, the edges of these apertures being joined by a transversely extending partition member 56 which is contiguous with the said edges, the joint being airtight.

In order to give rigidity to the entire structure, particularly as to the joint between the brush section 2 and the bottle 4, a generally diagonally extending reinforcing structure indicated generally by numeral 52 is provided,

this structure also being hollow and extending from the face 26 of the water bottle to the face of the brush box section. Structure 52 comprises the top and

bottom faces

54 and 56, the side 58 and end 59, the side 53 being shown as having a bend therein, but could be straight if esired. The interior of structure 52 communicates with the brush box 2, and also communicates with the water bottle 4.

Referring now to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, there is shown the water bottle with a brush inserted in the brush section 2, the brush and the brush holder cooperating with the water bottle to produce the kind of water control that is desired.

As shown in P16. 8, the brush 62 (thus indicated gen erally) comprises a brush holder proper 64 and the brush 66 being held therein. Brush holder 64 is a generally U- shaped sheet metal clip (although, if desired, it may be made of suitable molded plastic) having the

outstanding legs

68 and 70. The upper edge of leg 68 is rolled over as shown to provide an inverted U-shaped section which snaps over the upper edge of the opening 14 in the brush section. The upper edge of the leg 70 is first turned down- Wardly as shown at numeral 74 and then is reversed on itself to curl upwardly and forwardly as shown by numeral 76 to provide a shield, and also so that the brushes comprising the individual brush 66 will be in general forced in a direction toward the water bottle structure. The bight 78 of the U-shaped frame is formed upwardly and inwardly in order to provide two longitudinal pockets which are adapted to receive the bottom edges of the brushes which make up the total brush 66.

Brush 66 comprises two substantially flat brushes, each brush being maintained in conventional manner at the bottom ends of the brush filaments by means of the clip, the bottom ends resting in the channels formed between the upstanding inwardly turned bight 78 and the corresponding face of the U-shaped frame. The top ends of the two brush sections meet.

By providing the channels in this way, the brushes are separated at their bottom edges, with the result that water can flow readily down this channel and wet the brushes uniformly and rapidly.

At the bottom of the U-shaped brush clip 64 there are provided outwardly bent portions 82 which are so dimensioned that when the clip is inserted in the box section 2, these portions will space the sides of the clip from the interior walls of said box section.

Extending longitudinally with and from the edge of clip side 68 is a tab 84, this tab being approximately in length the same as the thickness of the bottle section 4.

In use, the total brush including clip is inserted in the opening at the top of the box section 2 and pushed downwardly until the rolled. over sections 72 and 74 snap over the inwardly protruding edges of the box section. As this is done, it will be noticed that the tab 84 overlies the bottom portion of the opening between the face 34 of the bottle section and the box section. At the same time, it will be noticed that the clip as a whole lies close to the bottom of the box section, and thus there is a barrier provided lengthwise of the box section.

The purpose of thus providing this barrier is to prevent spilling of water. While this construction is not necessary, it will be found advantageous in view of the following: after the bottle has been filled and it is then positioned horizontally on the machine, it may be that the water contained therein will slosh back and forth. The result of this is that the water may tend to spill over the Opening of the top of the box section. By providing the tab 84 which overlies a portion of the opening between the bottle section and the box section, and having the brush holder itself overly the opening between the reenforcing structure 54 and the box section, both in the form of barriers but still permitting a controlled flow of water to the box section, any tendency of the water to slosh back and forth and to spill out of the box section is greatly minimized.

It is essential, for proper operation, that all joints between the various parts be made airtight. This can readily be accomplished in the molding operation, and the various walls, ends and faces are preferably integrally molded to each other. The reason for this is that when the combined box and bottle are filled with water, and the structure is turned into a generally horizontal position as shown in FIG. 1, water will tend to flow from the bottle 4 into the brush box 2 and then out through the opening 14. It would do this, except for the fact that as it does, a partial vacuum is created between the level of the water in the bottle 4 and top 32, this vacuum preventing outward flow of the water in the container from the opening 14. However, in use, the brush which will be inserted in the brush box 2 will gradually soak water up from the box and apply it to tape as tape passes over the brush. As it does so, the level of water in box 2 is gradually decreased until an air opening is created when the water level falls below the junction of face 34 of the bottle with the wall 10 of the brush box. At this point, air will be permitted to flow into the bottle to relieve the vacuum, and the water will again rise in the brush box 2 until this air opening is closed.

In order to use the device, it is removed from the machine, and with or without the brush being contained therein, it is filled by means of the hole 24. After this is done, the container as a whole may be safely placed in horizontal position back on the tape dispensing machine.

It is to be noticed that the bottom of the brush box 2 and the bottom face of the reinforcing structure 50 are co-planar, and thus there is a substantially broad platform on which the total structure can rest. Also, if in a tape dispensing machine, a slot is provided into which the reinforcing structure 52 may slide smoothly but snugly, then this fiit will tend to maintain the structure in place on the machine. For further assistance, in fastening the structure to a tape dispensing machine, a stud may be applied on the machine, which is adapted to fit into the aperture 48-50. A simple catch on the outer end thereof will hold the container against the side of the tape dispensing machine.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved. and other advantageous results attained.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or ten minology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense, and it is also intended that the appended claims cover all such equivalent variations as come within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention what is claimed is:

1. A combined water bottle and brush holder for a tape dispensing machine, comprising a unitary hollow molded structure having a generally upstanding bottle portion and a generally horizontal brush-receiving box portion, the interior of the box portion connecting to the interior of the bottle portion by means of a passage way positioned below the top of the bottle portion, the box portion being provided with an Opening in its top adapted to receive a brush, and the bottle portion being an air-tight container entirely closed except for the opening provided by the passage-way, whereby, when water in the box portion fills the passage-way, air is prevented from flowing into the bottle portion, but air is permited so to flow when the water in the box portion is at such level that the passage-way is at least partially open, and including an upstanding chamber at one end of the box portion, said chamber having walls which are continuations of walls of the box portion, one of said walls being provided with an opening above the top of the box portion for filling the water bottle with fluid.

2. A combined water bottle and brush holder for a tape dispensing machine, comprising a unitary hollow molded structure having a generally upstanding bottle portion and a generally horizontal brush-receiving box portion, the interior of the box portion connecting to the interior of the bottle portion by means of a passage-way positioned below the top of the bottle portion, the box portion being provided with an opening in its top adapted to receive a brush, and the bottle portion being an airtight container entirely closed except for the opening provided by the passage-way, whereby, when water in the box portion fills the passage-Way, air is prevented from flowing into the bottle portion, but air is permitted so to flow when the water in the box portion is at such level that the passageway is at least partially open, said bottle portion being an elongated container having a generally flat configuration and having the top and bottom walls, end Walls, and side walls, said box portion being attached to one end wall adjacent the bottom wall, and said passage-way comprising an opening in said one end Wall at the place of attachment, said side walls and end walls rising vertically when the box portion is horizontal.

3. The combined water bottle and brush holder of claim 2 in which said box portion is approximately at right angles to said side walls, and is attached to the bottle portion adjacent an end of the box portion.

4. The combined water bottle and brush holder of claim 3 including a pair of aligned openings in said side walls, the edges of one of said openings being joined to the edges of the other of said openings by a continuous loop of material integrally attached to the edges with an air-tight joint, said loop lying adjacent to, but below, said top wall whereby said loop, in conjunction with adjacent portions of the side walls and a portion of the top wall, forms a handle for the structure.

5. The combined Water bottle and brush holder of claim 3 including a reinforcing structure extending between the box portion and the bottle portion, said structure comprising a chamber enclosed by walls which are integrally joined to adjacent walls of the box portion and bottle portion, said chamber lying below the top of the box portion and being a continuation of said opening in said one end wall.

6. The combined Water bottle and brush holder of claim 3 including a reinforcing structure extending between the box portion and the bottle portion, said structure comprising a chamber enclosed by walls which are integrally joined to adjacent Walls of the box portion and bottle portion, said chamber lying below the top of the box portion and being a continuation of said opening in said one end wall; and including a pair of aligned openings in said side Walls, the edges of one of said openings being joined to the edges of the other of said openings by a continuous loop of material integrally attached to the edges with an air-tight joint, said loop lying adjacent to, but below, said top wall whereby said loop, in conjunction with adjacent portions of the side Walls and a portion of the top wall, forms a handle for the structure.

7. The combined water bottle and brush holder of claim 6 in which the bottle portion, box portion and the reinforcing structure together comprise a unitary onepiece structure molded of a shape-retaining synthetic plastic, all connections between adjacent walls thereof being integral and air-tight.

8. A combined water bottle and brush holder, and a brush structure therefor, for a tape dispensing machine, comprising a unitary hollow molded structure having a generally upstanding bottle portion and a generally horizontal brush-receiving box portion, the interior of the box portion connecting to the interior of the bottle portion by means of a passage-way positioned below the top of the bottle portion, the box portion being provided with an opening in its top adapted to receive the brush structure, and the bottle portion being an air-tight container entirely closed except for the opening provided by the passage-way, whereby, when water in the box portion fills the passage-Way, air is prevented from flowing into the bottle portion, but air is permitted so to flow when the water in the box portion is at such level that the passage-way is a least partially open; the brush structure comprising an elongated fiat brush, an sheet metal generally U-shaped elongated clip for holding the brush in an upright position in the brush-receiving box portion with the ends of the brush fibers projecting above the top of the said box portion, said clip having a tab extending laterally from one end thereof adjacent the bottom, whereby, when said clip with its brush is fitted in place in said box portion, the tab and the bottom portion of the clip provide a partial closure for said passageway to minimize surging of fluid in the water bottle and said box portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 257,295 5/1882 Davis 118-267 521,250 6/1894 Willits 118-267 1,726,089 8/ 1929 Uttz 118-264 1,864,263 6/1932 Tharrington 120-59 2,188,962 2/1940 Sengbusch 120-59 2,431,573 11/1947 Manley 120-59 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,249 5/ 1902 Great Britain. 275,517 8/ 1927 Great Britain. 235,342 3/1945 Switzerland.

DANIEL BLUM, Primary Examiner.