Tooth paste dispenser and cover for same

April 12, 1960 n. lipton 2,932,431

TOOTH PASTE DISPENSER AND COVER FOR SAME

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April 12, 1960

N. UPTON

2,932,431

TOOTH PASTE DISPENSER AND COVER FOR SAME

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2,932,431

Patented Apr. 12, 1960

United States Patent Office articles, and of pivotally engaging cover members to fully enclose the frame member and tooth brushing articles supported thereon.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention 5 may appear from the accompanying drawings, the subjoined detail description, and the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention in a form I at present deem preferable.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred 10 embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the lines 2—2 as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan view taken substantially on the lines 3—3 as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan view taken substantially on the lines 4—4 as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a front elevation showing the cover members in open position, and a portion of one cover member being broken away to contract the view.

Figure 6 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the lines 6—6 as shown in Figure 5. Parts are broken away to contract the view.

Figure 7 is a sectional view similar to Figure 6, showing the cover members moved to closed position.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the frame.

Referring to the drawings:

The frame member generally designated 10 is preferably constructed of metal and includes a rear vertical wall portion 11 and a forwardly extending horizontal 30 portion 12 formed integrally therewith.

A curved deflector lip 13 is provided at the forward end of, and is integral with, the horizontal forwardly extending platform or portion 12 that extends forwardly from the rear vertical wall portion 11. Side walls or flanges 35 14 and 15 are formed integrally with and extend upwardly from each side edge of the horizontal portion 12. For manufacturing economy the frame portions 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 may be formed from a single sheet of metal.

Dispensing rollers 16 and 17 are mounted on the forward ends of the side walls or flanges 14 and 15 and extend therebetween. The drive roller 16 is preferably formed of metal and is provided with a knurled, milled or otherwise roughened peripheral surface 18. The idler ₄g roller 17 is provided with a central shaft 19 which turns with the roller. The body of the roller 17 is formed of soft resilient material such as for example, rubber. The shaft 19 extends into apertures 21 (see Figure 8) provided in the side flanges 14 and 15. The drive roller 16 gQ is provided with axial recesses at its opposed ends and these recesses receive stub shafts or pintles 22 fixed in the handles or knobs 24 and projecting through apertures 21α in side flanges 14 and 15. These knobs are manually operable to turn the drive roller 16. From this 55 description it will be understood that the drive roller 16 and idler roller 17 are mounted for rotation about parallel axes and are held against lateral separation. The spacing of the rollers on side flanges 14 and 15 is somewhat less than one-half the sum of their diameters so 5Q that the soft body 20 on the idler roller 17 is normally slightly distorted or compressed by contact with the rough surface 18 of the drive roller 16.

As set forth in my copending application for Toothpaste Dispenser, Serial No. 456,356, filed September 16, 05 1954, the flattened end of a collapsible tube 25 may be inserted upward between the rollers 16 and 17. Turning of the drive roller 16 causes the tube to be fed upwardly between the rollers thereby to pressurize the contents of the tube. If the cap 26 is removed from the tube, tumjq ing movement of the drive roller 16 serves to expel any desired amount of the contents of the tube through the opening normally closed by the cap. The deflector 13

2,932,431

TOOTH PASTE DISPENSER AND COVER FOR SAME

Nat Lipton, Long Beach, Calif.

Application September 6,1955, Serial No. 532,433

Claims. (CI. 222—93)

This invention relates to dispensing apparatus and is particularly directed to improvements in an enclosure for a combined tooth paste dispenser and support for tooth brushing articles. Many proposals have been made for devices to support tooth brushing articles, such as tooth brushes and tooth paste tubes, but such proposals have not met with commercial success since they have generally been too complicated and unsightly and lacking in eye appeal. The present trend therefore is to recess the fixtures which support tooth brushes and tubes of tooth paste into special receptacles placed in the bathroom wall. Devices of this type are expensive and are not adapted to be added to existing bathroom lavatory fixtures.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a novel form of enclosure for a tooth paste dispenser means and a holder for tooth brushing articles, and which enclosure includes two separable cover members that cooperate in closed position to form an attractive enclosure or cover member, and which when in open position provides free access to the tooth brushing articles and to the tooth paste dispenser means.

An object is to provide novel removably hinged cover members of simple manufacture, and which can be easily and quickly removed from the frame member to permit effective cleaning of the cover members and frame, and then be easily and quickly replaced on said frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel means for integrating the side walls of the cover members with the side walls of the frame member, and to further so construct the base area of the cover members that the dispenser unit when in closed position will occupy a minimal space on a bathroom wall.

A further object is to provide a novel frame structure of narrow width and sufficient depth so that the outer edges of the cover members therefore, when moved to open position, will not obstruct or interfere with the manual rotation of the knobs or handles for actuating the dispenser mechanism to dispense the contents of a collapsible tube.

A still further object is to provide a novel device of this type in which the cover members are substantially duplicates and separate and meet along a middle line or along a central plane of symmetry in closed position.

Yet another object is to provide a novel device of this type in which novel means are provided on the duplicate cover members for retracting the tooth brush handles and thereby avoid interference of such handles with the tooth paste tube, upon movement of the cover members towards closed position.

Also another object is to provide novel cover members which, when moved to closed position, act to compact the depending free ends of tooth brushing articles in a rearward direction relative to the base portion of said cover members.

Still another object is to provide a frame member capable of being attached to a wall and which serves the multi-purpose of pendently supporting tooth brushing

2.032,481 causes the collapsed portion 27 of the tube to be deflected inwardly and downwardly.

The horizontal portion 12 of the metal frame 10 is provided with a series of spaced apertures 28 for receptionof handles 29 of tooth brushes generally designated 30, The apertures 28 are so arranged in portion 12 that when the handles 29 of tooth brushes 30 are inserted therethrough, the bristles 31α thereof will extend forwardly of the rear wall portion 11, and in spaced relation depthwise in rear of deflector 13, thereby positioning the knobs 24 in an extreme forward position on frame 10 in order to permit access thereto for the manual rotation thereof, as hereinafter pointed out. The vertical portion 11 of the frame 10 may be provided with circular openings 31 and 32 and elongated openings 33 and 34 for reception of suitable fastening means, not shown, and which means extend through these apertures to rigidly arid detachably secure the frame to a supporting bracket or wall, not shown.

In accordance with my invention, cooperating removably hinged cover members 35 and 36 are detachably mounted on the frame and in closed position these cover members serve to provide an enclosure for the tube 25 and tooth brushes 30 when the dispenser apparatus is mounted on the supporting bracket or wall. As shown in the drawings, each of these cover members is provided with a top wall 37, a side wall 38, a front wall 39, and a bottom wall 40. The top wall 37, front wall 39, and bottom wall 40 are joined by smoothly curved portions so that one merges into the other. The upper portions of the side walls 38 are substantially vertical while the lower portions thereof taper inwardly as indicated in Figure 4. The top, front and bottom walls 37, 39 and 40 respectively of each of the cover members 35 and 36 terminate in edges 67 which extend forwardly when cover members 35 and 36 are in open position to permit access to the tooth brushing articles. Inasmuch as the cover members are in open position when the dispenser is being operated, knobs 24 are positioned sufficiently distant from the rear vertical wall portion 11 of frame 10, so that the forwardly protruding edges 67 of the cover members 35 and 36 will not obstruct free access to and easy rotation of knobs 24 by the hand of the operator when dispensing the contents of a collapsible tube. A hinge assembly 41 including spaced apertured ears or tabs 43 connects the rear edge 42 of the cover member 35 to one side edge of the frame portions 11 and 12. A similar hinge assembly connects the rear edge 44 of the cover member 36 to the other side edge of the frame portions 11 and 12. Pins or pintles 61 and 62: are positioned in cover member 35 in vertically spaced relationship along the rear edge 42 thereof, and pins or pintles 63 and 64 are positioned in cover member 36 in vertically spaced relationship along the rear edge 44 thereof (Fig. 5). The apertured tabs 43 which extend from the horizontal portion 12 at the side edge of frame ¹⁰ are adapted to receive one end each of the pins 61 and 63 of cover members 35 and 36 respectively, the other end of each of said pins 61 and 63 being fixedly embedded in its associated cover member. Apertured tabs 43 which extend from the vertical wall 11 of frame 10 are adapted to receive one end each of pins 62 and 64 of cover members 35 and 36 respectively, the other end of each of said pins 62 and 64 being fixedly embedded in its associated cover member. Adjacent each of said pins are slots 65 in the walls 38 which receive the spaced apertured tabs 43 therein and into each of which slots 65 an associated pin projects, leaving the free old of each pin spaced from the lower portion of its associated slot 65 so as to permit the pins 61, 62, 63 and 64 to be inserted in said apertured tabs 43, The hinge assemblies 41 are both vertical and hence the cover members 35 and 36 are removably hinged or pivotally mounted tb swing about parallel laterally spaced axes. The swinging edge 45 on the cover member 35 engages and overlaps ·&lt; 4 the swinging edge 46 on the cover member 36 and the top, front and bottom wall portions of the cover members 35, 36 terminate in such swinging edges 45, 46 which meet throughout their length along a central plane of sym5 metry when the cover members are in closed position.

A flat strip of spring steel 47 (Figs. 5-8) is secured to the rear wall portion 11 of the frame 10 between the pairs of upper and lower spaced tabs 43 by means of fasteners 48. The opposed ends 49 and 50 of this 10 spring steel strip are bent to form spring tension means which engage flat portions on the cover members to hold fliem in their open position as shown in Figure 6, or in closed position as shown in Figure 7. In open position, the spring ends 49 and 50 engage flat surfaces 15 51 and 52 formed by a boss 75 on the outer side surface of the cover members and in closed position these spring ends engage the flat surfaces 53 and 54 respectively. Flat surfaces 53, 54 are recessed a slight distance 70 from the rear edge of the side walls 38 so as to accom20 modate the spring ends 49, 50 when the cover members are in closed position. The flat surfaces 51, 52, 53, and 54 are preferably slanted or canted to some extent to more effectively ensure that the cover members 35 and 36 remain fully open or fully closed. From the foregoing 25 it will be seen that the cover members 35, 36 are of simple manufacture, and that they may be easily and quickly removed from the frame members 10 by merely lifting a cover member upwardly when in open position, so as tb remove its pivot pins 61, 62 or 63, 64 (as the 30 case may be) from its associated ears or tabs 43 (the slots 65 permitting such upward movement), thereby enabling the cover members to be effectively cleaned, as well as providing full access to the frame member for cleaning purposes. The cover members may be as easily 35 and quickly replaced on the frame member.

Each of the cover members are provided with an aperture 55 which is shaped to receive and provide clearance around both the knobs 24 and the frame flanges 14 and 15, when the cover members are in closed posi⁴⁰ tion. The horizontal portion 12 of frame 10 (Figs. 3 and 8) is cut out or recessed as at 66 on each side or edge thereof between the rear point of juncture of frame flanges 14, 15 with portion 12 and the upper pair of tabs 43, so as to receive sections 69 of cover members 45 35, 36 (Figs. 1 and 3) when said cover members are swung into closed position, and in such closed position the outer side wall surface of the cover members 35, 36 is substantially in vertical alignment with the outer surface of the flanges 14, 15, thereby integrating the side 50 walls of the cover members and the frame member by bringing them into juxtaposition with each other, and thus reducing to a minimum the width of the unit so that it will occupy a minimal space on a bathroom wall. The knobs or handles 24 are not solid but are provided 55 with apertures 56 so that air may circulate into and out of the enclosure formed by the cooperating closed covers 35 and 36. Apertures 56 in handles 24 also serve to provide clearance for the terminal points of shaft 19, as more particularly pointed out in my copending applica60 tion for Toothpaste Dispenser, Serial No. 456,356, filed September 16, 1954, now abandoned. This construction is best shown in Figure 1.

In order to provide a pleasing appearance, the front walls 39 of the cover members taper downward and 65 rearwardly toward the wall on which the device is mounted. As best shown in Figure 2, the front walls 39 are slanted rearwardly to such an extent that the tube 25 does not hang vertically but is crowded toward the rear when the cover members are closed. The front 70 walls 39. formed by the opposed cover members tapers rearwardly at the base so that the enclosure has a maximum depth near the upper end thereof and a minimum depth near, the lower end. The cover members serve, by reason Of said taper, to urge and retain the tube 25 75 in an inclined position, as shown in Figure 2. The tube,

2,932,431 the tooth brushes is made possible by means of the vent openings 56 in the turning knobs 24.