Feather dispensing unit

Sept. 29, 1953

P. W. BEHR

2,653,744

FEATHER DISPENSING UNIT

Filed Sept. 1, 1948

<img file="US2653744A_D0001.tif" />

Patented Sept. 29, 1953

2,653,744

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,653,744 FEATHER DISPENSING UNIT Philip W. Behr, Kew Gardens, N. Y. Application September 1,1948, Serial No. 47,160

Claim.

My invention relates to a portable apparatus for dispensing and inserting feathers, down, and other suitable filling materials into a pillow, cushion or comforter, for increasing the contents thereof.

The average household article containing filling material scon becomes compressed and loses its resiliency and buoyancy. These articles are normally discarded, or their contents totally replaced with new feathers or down, by factory methods.

I have discovered that the resiliency and buoyancy of used pillows as an example, may be restored by insertion into the used pillow of a supplementary portion of new feathers, and accordingly it is the primary object of my invention to provide a device containing feathers or down for this purpose.

It is a problem, however, for the average housewife to insert the supplemental unit of feathers into the pillows and it is among the further objects of my invention to provide a dispensing device containing feathers having a reduced neck portion for insertion into an opened edge of the pillow or article; to provide means for retaining the neck of the dispenser within the pillow opening while dispensing its contents; to provide means for readily opening the dispenser longitudinally as it is pushed through the pillow opening, and to enable the foregoing to be accomplished without difficulty by a housewife.

I accomplish these and other objects Of my invention and obtain my new results as will be apparent from the device described in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the claim, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my dispenser open at the neck portion thereof.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the neck portion closed.

Fig. 3 illustrates my dispenser in perspective with its neck portion inserted through an opening in the pillow, and dispenser-retaining means positioned inside the pillow for holding the neck portion within the pillow,

Fig. 4 illustrates a perspective view of my dispenser largely pushed through the pillow opening, with my dispenser-opening-tab for releasing the contents as the dispenser is gradually pushed into the pillow.

Fig. 5 is a plane elevation of the upper portion of a modified form of dispenser.

In Fig. 1, reference numeral 10 designates my dispenser made of readily collapsible, inexpensive (CI. 226—43) material, such as paper or other suitable substance. For purposes that will hereinafter become clear, a thin plastic material is preferable for the body of the dispenser that may be heat-sealed, ⁵ and readily torn in a predetermined manner when desired. My dispenser is provided with a reduced neck portion I ί for insertion into the opening made in a pillow.

The upper wall of the dispenser may be suit¹⁰ ably slotted which slots are transversely positioned with respect to each other as at 12 and 13, and a strip of shape-retaining material 14 inserted therethrough, to be employed for the dual purpose of acting as a retainer for the dis¹⁵ penser, when inserted inside the pillow, and for keeping the folded end 15, of the dispenser in closed position as shown in Fig. 2, where the ends 16 and 17 of the strip are illustrated as being bent over to keep the end of the dispenser from ²⁰ opening.

The retaining strip 14 may be made of a section of flat wire covered with paper, or some equivalent construction capable of performing a _r similar function. Instead of inserting the strip ²⁵ through openings 12 and 13 it may be transversely glued or otherwise affixed to the dispenser wall.

Running longitudinally of the dispenser and preferably along the middle of one face 18 thereof, is a strip of material 19 which is affixed to the 30 face ! 8 of the dispenser in such a way that pulling the free end or tab 20 of the strip will cause the dispenser face ! 8 to be longitudinally severed, and along the line 21, causing a longitudinal opening 22 to appear as shown in dotted lines in 35 Fig. 4, which opening releases the contents of the dispenser in the pillow.

In operation, the dispenser is employed as follows: The two ends 16 and 17 of the retaining strip 14, as shown in Fig. 2, are opened and the 40 end 15 of the neck 11 of the dispenser 10, is unrolled, as shown in Fig. 1.

A pillow 25 shown as an example is then opened as at 26 at one of its seams 27, and the neck and retainer strip 14 with ends 16 and 17 45 inserted through opening 26 and straightened out as shown in Fig. 3. The neck 11 of the dispenser is provided with tapering sides 11«, so as to cause the neck to be wedged in the pillow opening 26, preventing escape of the contents. Meanwhile 50 the tab 20 is permitted to be positioned externally of the pillow rendering it accessible for the dispenser-serving operation.

As the contents of the neck portion of the dispenser fall into the pillow, the tab 20 is pulled 55 longitudinally in the direction towards the un2,653,744 opened portion thereof, allowing the contents to be released. As the dispenser empties, it is pushed further into the opened pillow, until the desired amount of the contents is released, the dispenser and pillow at this point appearing as shown in Fig. 4. The closed end ίθα of the dispenser may then be shaken thoroughly and the empty container removed slowly, as it is shaken, to insure that the contents are completely freed and in the pillow. 10

The severed dispenser may be entirely forced into the pillow opening retaining the tab 20, the remaining end of which may be heat-sealed for its entire width, as at 21α, as shown in Fig. 1, to permit the dispenser to be removed by the per- 15 manently affixed portion 21 a. The retainer ends are bent back, to permit withdrawal, and the pillow opening is sewn shut. Finally the pillow is shaken and “pumped up” until the added feather contents are distributed throughout.

In Fig. 5, the dispenser 30 is shown provided with parallel side edges 31, the edges being tapered as indicated by 32 at the neck portion 33, to facilitate entry in the pillow opening.

One material for making the dispenser, found 25 on the market is a copolymer of polyvinyl chloride and polyvinyl acetate. Other materials having similar properties may be used. The strip 19 may be of similar material but preferably of heavier weight, and differently colored to render 30 it easily visible. The strip is heat-sealed to the outer wall 18 of the dispenser which wall will become severed when the free tab 20 is pulled back upon itself. One of the methods of heat-sealing employs electronically produced heat for this 35 purpose.

Instead of the heat-sealed strip, a string 34 adhesively secured to the inside of the wall 35 of the dispenser can be utilized. The edge 36 of the neck 33, may be notched as at 37 to facilitate 40 the wall severing. The end 38 of the string is externally positioned, as is tab 20 in Fig. 3, when the neck portion is inserted into the pillow opening, to facilitate the severing operation.

Throughout the specification and claim where 45 “pillow” is used, the word is intended to embrace any article containing “feathers” which word is used to embrace any resilient type of loose filling material or combination thereof, as for example, feathers, down, kapok, etc. 50

I have thus described my invention, but I desire it understood that it is not confined to the particular forms or uses shown and described, the same being merely illustrative, and that the invention may be carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention, and, therefore, I claim broadly the right to em5 ploy all equivalent instrumentalities coming within the scope of the appended claim, and by means of which, objects of my invention are attained and new results accomplished, as it is obvious that the particular embodiments herein shown and described are only some of the many that can be employed to attain these objects and accomplish these results.