US1951413A - Sheet-dispensing cabinet - Google Patents

Description

' Eren :16 66 33- 26 22 March 20, 1934.

s. N. HOPE 1,951,413

SHEET DISPENSING CABINET Filed March 16, 1932 6' I/IVVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNF Fatenied Mar. 2 0, 1934 UNITED STATES 1,951,413 SHEET-DISPENSING CABINET Samuel N. Hope, Wauwatosa,

Griffith-Hope Company, West Allis,

Wis, assignor to Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application March 16,

3 Claims.

The invention relates to dispensing cabinets for interfolded sheets, such as paper towels, and more particularly to cabinets adapted for household use and of the type in which a dispensing slot is formed in an intermediate portion of the cabinet front wall to receive therethrough the foremost sheet of a pack of sheets resting on edge on the cabinet bottom wall.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved sheet-dispensing cabinet of this general type in which the upper edge of the dispensing slot is defined by a pivotally mounted cover forming the top wall of the cabinet and the upper portion of the front wall, the lower portions of the cover being pivotally secured to the opposite end walls of the cabinet container at an axis permitting the cover to be swung to a freely suspended open position in which the cover front wall is arranged below the cabinet container, thus obviating the necessity for threading the foremost sheet through a restricted space when loading the cabinet, and also avoiding the need for stop means to limit the opening movement of the cover, so as to prevent marring of exterior finished surfaces of the cabinet.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the cabinet container or casing that it can be accurately and economically formed from a single piece of sheet metal.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet-dispensing cabinet embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of the cabinet;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional elevation of an end portion of the cabinet;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the cabinet as it appears when being loaded, the cover being in its freely suspended open position;

Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the sheet metal blank for the cabinet container, and

Fig. 6 is a detail View showing the sheet metal blank for the cabinet cover.

In the drawing, the numeral 10 designates a rectangular box-like container or casing for holding therein a pack of interfolded sheets 11, such as paper towels or the like. The container is constructed of a single piece of sheet metal, the blank for which is seen in Fig. 5, bent to form a front wall 12, a bottom wall 13, opposite end walls 14, a back wall 15, and a forwardly project- 55 ing flange 16 at the upper edge of the back wall.

In Fig. 5, the dotted lines indicate the bending lines of the blan The bottom and rear edges of each opposite end wall 14 are provided with inturned flanges 1'7 and 18 respectively, which are secured as by spot welding 19 to the marginal end 1932, Serial No. 599,100

portions of the bottom wall and back wall. front wall 12 and flange 16 are at opposite ends of the blank, and the opposite end walls 14 are integrally connected to the opposite ends of the front wall panel. The front wall 12 may be suitably embossed for re-enforcing and ornamental purposes, and has a horizontal upper edge curved outwardly to form a smoothly rounded lip 20 at an intermediate part of the cabinet. The back wall 15 is provided with keyhole slots 21, or other suitable apertures, for the reception of screws 22 by which the cabinet may be secured to a room wall 23. lhe upper edge of each end wall 14 is inclined as seen in Figs. 2 and 4.

A cover 25 co-operates with the container 10 and is constructed of a single piece of sheet metal, the blank for which is seen in Fig. 6, bent to form a front wall 25, a top wall 26 and triangula-r opposite end walls 27, the upper edges of the end walls being provided with inturned flanges 28 which are secured as by spot welding to the underface of the top wall 26. In Fig. 6, the dotted lines indicate the bending lines of the blank.

The end walls 27 of the cover overlie the end walls 14 of the container and are provided at their lower and forward ends with elongated ears 29 extending a considerable distance below the lip 20 and abutting against embossments 30 formed in the container end walls 14. The cover is pivotally mounted to the container by rivets 31 passing through the embossments 30 and ears 29, the inner heads of the rivets being disposed within the embossments.

When the cover is in closed position, the rear portion of the cover top wall 26 rests on the flange 16 extending along the upper edge of the container back wall 15, and the opposite end walls 27 of the cover frictionally engage small embossments 32 formed in the upper rear portions of the container end walls 14. The cover is releasably retained in closed position by an angle shaped detent spring 33 secured to the container back wall by rivets 34 and having a rounded upwardly projecting free end portion 35 which is adapted to entera rectangular-opening 36 formed in the cover top wall 26.

The front wall 25 of the cover is embossed for re-enforcing and ornamental'purposes and has a horizontal lower edge curved outwardly to form a smoothly rounded lip 3'7. In the closed: position of the cover the lip 37 is spaced upwardly from the similar lip 20 formed along the upper edge of the container front wall 12 to present between them a horizontally extending slot receiving therethrough the foremost paper towel, as seen in Fig. 2.

When the cabinet is to be loaded, the cover is swung forwardly and downwardly about its pivotal connections 31 to the freely suspended full line position seen in Fig. 4, wherein the cover The front wall extends below the container, the center of gravity of the cover being vertically below the axis of the cover. In swinging the cover from its closed position, only a slight effort is necessary to release it from the detent spring 33. With the cover in its freely suspended open position, a pack of interfolded paper towels is introduced into the container in the manner indicated in Fig. 4, the foremost towel having its depending forward leaf disposed in front of the container front wall 12. When the pack is released, it rests on edge on the bottom wall of the container.

The cover is then swung to its closed position to form the dispensing slot, which then has the first towel protruding therethrough. The lip 37 on the cover has a wide arc of travel permitting it to clear the lower edge of the foremost sheet when the cover is swung upwardly from its suspended open position. The towels in the closed cabinet are withdrawn successively through the dispensing slot in the usual manner.

In the event that a protruding paper towel should become torn oif close to the dispensing slot, it is only necessary to swing the cover to itssuspended open position and place the forward leaf'of the next towel in position to pass through the slot when the cover is again closed.

The cover end walls are spaced from the container side walls by the embossments and 32,

thus preventing marring of the exterior finish of the cabinet by the opening and closing of the cover.

The outward and downward opening of the cover to its freely suspended position provides free access to the cabinet from above and front. so that the cabinet can be easily loaded. Since the lip 3'? of the cover swings to a position below the cabinet and has a wide are of travel, there is no necessity for threading the foremost exposed sheet of the pack through a restricted space. The freely suspended open cover is spacedforwardly from the room wall 23 and requires no stop'means to limit its movement, thus avoiding marring of exterior finished surfaces of the cabinet. Sufiicient frictional retardation may be provided at the pivotal-connections 31 to prevent the cover from swinging too easily in its suspended position.

"What I claim as new and Letters Patent is: 7

1. A sheet-dispensing cabinet comprising a container having opposite end walls and a bottom wall and a front wall which latter wall has an upper edge disposed at an intermediate elevation with respect to the height of the container, and a cover including a top wall and a depending front wall which latterwall forms a continuation of the container front wall, thelower edge of said cover front wall being spaced upwardly from the upper edge of said container front wall to desire to secure by form a horizontally extending" dispensing slot therebetween at an intermediate point in the front wall of the cabinet, said cover having end container when open being adapted to receive therein from above its unobstructed front wall a pack of interfolded sheets having its foremost sheet arranged in front of said container front wall, said cover when swung from said open suspended position to its closed slot-forming position having its slot-forming edge describing an arc of travel which clears the lower edge of said foremost sheet, and the front wall of the closed cover forming the sole means for resisting outward movement of the upper portion of said pack when a sheet is withdrawn through said slot.

2. A sheet-dispensing cabinet comprising a container having a front wall, and a cover having a front wall which latter wall forms an upper continuation of said container front wall, the adjacent edges of said container front wall and cover front wall being spaced to form a horizontally extending dispensing slot'therebetween at an intermediate point in the front wall of the cabinet, said cover having portions at opposite ends pivotally secured to the container at an axis lower than the upper edge of said container front wall, the distance between said pivotal axis and the slot-forming edge of the cover being greater than the distance between said pivotal axis and the forward bottom edge of the container to permit said cover to swing downwardly to a freely suspended open position with the slot-forming edge of the cover front wall lower than the container, said container when open being adapted to receive therein from above its unobstructed front wall a pack of interfolded sheets having its foremost sheet arranged in front of said container front wail, said cover when swung from said open suspended position to its closed slot-- forming position having its slot-forming edge describing an arc of travel which clears the lower edge of said foremost sheet, and the front wall of the closed cover forming the sole means for resisting outward movement of the upper portion of said pack when a sheet it withdrawn through said slot. v I V 3. A sheet-dispensing cabinet, comprising a container having opposite end walls and a bottom wall and a front wall, and a cover having a front wall which latter wall forms an upper continuation of said container front wall, the adjacent edges-of said container front wall and coverfront wall being spaced to form a horizontally extending dispensing slot therebetween at an inte me-. diate point in theofront wall of the cabinet, said cover having portions at opposite ends overlying the end walls of said container and pivotally secured thereto at an axis lower than the upper edge of said container front wall, the distance between said pivotal axis and the slot-forming edge of the cover being greater than the distance between said pivotal axis and theforward bottom edge of the container to permit said cover to swing downwardly to a freely suspended open position with the cover front wall below said container bottom wall, said container when open being adapted to receive therein from above its unobstructed front wall a pack of interfolded sheets having its foremost sheet arranged in front of said container front wall, said cover when swung from said open suspended position to its closed slot-forming position having its slot-forming edge describing an arc of travel which clears the lower edge of said foremost sheet, and the front wall of the closed cover forming the sole SAMUEL N. HOPE. [L.S.]

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