Sheet dispensing device

March 23, 1965 j. w. carlson 3,174,643

SHEET DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Oct. 24, 1960

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JOHN W CARLSON

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ATT'YS

United States Patent Office

3,174,643

Patented Mar. 23,. 1965

3.174,643

SHEET DISPENSING. DEVICE

John W. Carlson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Speec-O-Print Business Machines Corporation, a corporation of Illinois

Filed Oct. 24,1960, Ser. No. 64,340

Claims. (Cl. 221—41)

This invention, in general, relates to devices for dispensing sheets of paper and the like from a container. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in devices for dispensing sheets- of paper and the like from a container in which the sheets-of paper or the like are stacked in superposed relationship. An important aspect of the invention is concerned with improvements in sheet dispensing devices for storing and dispensing light-sensitive paper.

Known devices for dispensing sheets of paper from a stack of paper contained in the devices include those which are essentially a closed container having a narrow slit in one wall through which the paper is dispensed by a dispensing mechanism. One of. the problems observed in the devices utilizing the narrow slit is that paper which is curled at the edges will not dispense readily through the narrow slit. Also, in the case of devices for storing and dispensing light-sensitive paper, the narrow slit admits a small amount of light into the interior of the container which can gradually deteriorate the photographic qualities of the paper.

Briefly, this invention relates to sheet dispensing devices in which are stored sheets of paper or the like in stack form. A sheet dispensing means functioning within the container in which the paper is stored and operable by a handle or the like accessible on the outside of the container is employed to push one sheet at a time from the stack toward a wall of the container through which the sheet is dispensed. This wall is a downwardly sloping wall pivotally hinged to the top wall of the container and converging with the bottom wall of the container to form in cross-section an acute angle. By making the pivotable wall light in weight, it can be raised by the sheet dispensed a sufficient amount to permit the sheet to pass between the pivotable wall and the bottom wall of the container. In the aspect of the invention related to the storage and dispensing of light-sensitive paper, the junctures of the various walls of the container are constructed.. so as to be substantially light-tight.

It is an object of this invention to provide improvements in the construction of containers for the dispensing of sheets of paper from said containers.

Another object of the invention is to provide improvements in sheet dispensing devices for storing and dispensing light-sensitive, papers.

Another object of the invention is to provide improvements in the openings of containers through which lightsensitive paper is dispensed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an economical device for dispensing sheets of paper and the like from a stack stored in the container.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the description of the invention, a specific embodiment of which is illustrated in the drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sheet dispensing device constructed in accordance with the invention wherein the lid of the device is closed;

FIG. 2 is a similar perspective view with the lid open;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the dispensing end of the sheet dispensing device of FIG. 1 with the corners of the flexible sheet edge turned back for purposes of better illustration;

FIG. 4 is a broken, cross-sectional view taken on section 4—4 of FIG.l; and-

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on section 5—5 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawing, the sheet dispensing device designated generally by the numeral 1 is an essentially closed container in the position illustrated in FIG. 1. It is made of light gauge sheet metal or the like with a bottom wall 2, a side wall 3, a rear wall 4 and. a. side wall 5, the latter three walls being disposed at substantially right angles to the- bottom wall. The top-wall of the container consists of a lid 7 having downwardly depending side flanges 8 and 9 which overlap walls 3 and 5, respectively, when the lid is closed. The front or forward. edge of lid 7 has a slightly, downwardly offset section !©, the offset of which is preferably a distance at least equal to the thickness of. the flexible strip 12. The flexible strip 12 is preferably a single strip of flexible material, such as a heavy fabric, plastic sheeting or the like; In the case of containers for photo-sensitive paper, it is preferred that the flexible strip 12 is lightimpermeable. The flexible strip 12 is-tightly bonded, to the offset segment 10 of the lid 7 along one side thereof and tightly adhered along the other side thereof to- the front wall i 1. This flexible strip serves as a hinge which pivotally connects the front wall 11 to the lid 7. Instead of the unitary flexible strip 12, there may also be used a plurality of flexible strips spaced along the juncture between the lid 7 and the front-wall 11 to form· a- hinge similar to that given by the unitary flexible fabric strip 12. Other well-known hinge connections can also be used in place of the fabric strip 12, although, in general, such hinges are substantially more light-permeable than is the hinge made by the unitary: fabric strip 12. when it is made of light-impermeable material.

The foremost edge 14 of; the lid 7 and its offset, segment 1® is bent downwardly to form a downwardly sloping strip 14· along the front edge of the lid.. The slope of the strip 14 makes it approximately parallel with, the front wall 11 when· the latter is in the. closed position as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. The uppermost edge 17 of the front wall 11 overlaps, the sloping strip 14. of the lid 7. This overlapping relationship keeps, the front wall 11 in substantially the. same angular relationship to the lid 7 when the lid 7 is raised as shown in FIG.. 2, as these parts have when the rounded, 180; degree reverse, bend lips 15 and 16 of the front wall and: bottom wall, respectively, are in contacting relationship as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The foremost or front edge of the bottom wall 2 has a. slightly upturned strip. 13 forming a converging juncture with the front wall Π. In a preferred form of the invention, the rounded edge of the front, wall. 1.1 slightly overlaps the rounded edge of the strip 13 of the bottom wall 2, because this relationship gives a better seal against, the admission, of light in the container 1 than does the instance where the rounded edges 15 and 16 are substantially coextensive.

The front wall IT has at each end -thereof' triangularshaped end walls 18 which overlap the downwardly sloping front edges. 19 of: the side wall 5 and the wall 26 to give a better sealed juncture against the admission of light. A portion of the end wall Ϊ8 overlaps the flange 8 of , the lid 7 when the front wall 11 is in the downwardly sloping position. Lid 7 is hinged to rear wall 4 by a pair of hinges 29. Recesses 21 are placed in the upper edge of the rear wall 4 to accommodate the plates of hinges 20.

The ejecting mechanism by means of which the sheet material is dispensed from the top of the stack forms no part of the present invention except insofar as it may form a part of the entire combination. It is fully de3,174,643 scribed in my copending application Serial No. 838,249, filed September 4, 1959, and does not need to be described in detail here for an understanding of the present invention. However, it will be described briefly here in order that a complete understanding of the device may be had.

One side of the lid 7 has a vertically disposed wall 22 offset to the rear of the front edge of the front wall 11. The wall 22 has a semicircular recess 23 which fits over and receives a cylindrical shaft 24 when the lid 7 is in the closed position. A push-pull operating handle 25 is connected to the shaft 24. The shaft 24 is positioned in a guide channel formed between the side wall 3 and the parallel wall 26.

A bracket 27 bias downwardly depending ears 28 pivotally mounted on- the shaft 24 so- that the bracket 27 is pivotable on the shaft 24 and can be raised and lowered with respect to the bottom wall 2 of the container 1. The shaft 24 telescopes over a shaft 29 fixedly mounted on the rear wall 4 and extending inwardly at right angles thereto. The latter shaft functions as a guide for the reciprocal movement of the shaft 24 and the parts attached thereto. A compression spring 30, placed about the shaft 24, acts under compression against the vertical wall 31 through which the shaft 24 extends and the ear 28 of bracket 27. The bracket 27 is retained from being pushed off the shaft 24 by a washer 32 welded or brazed on the end of the shaft 24.

Another bracket 33 is mounted on the other end of the bracket 27 by means of loose-fitting rivets 34, which permit the bracket 33 to pivot slightly with respect to the bracket 27. The bracket 33 has a pair of rearwardly bent beads 35, each forming an elongated opening serving as a journal with axle 36. Longitudinally serrated rollers 37 are friction fitted on axle 36. When the bracket 33 moves in a rearward direction, the rollers 37 and axle 36 slide in the elongated bearings formed by beads 35 away from the front edge 38 of the bracket 33. In this position, the axle and rollers rotate in the journal bearings. When the bracket 33 is moved in a forward direction, the axle 36 and the rollers 37 shift toward the edge 38 whereupon the serrations on the rollers 37 catch on the edge 38 and preclude rotation of the rollers. In this relationship, the rollers frictionally engage the uppermost sheet in the container 1 and push it toward the front wall 11. The front or foremost edge of the paper is guided by the converging walls 11 and/or 13 toward the juncture of the lips 15 and 16. The front wall 11 raises slightly under the pressure of the paper and the paper exits from the container 1.

The container 1 is loaded with sheets, such as lightsensitive paper, by raising the lid 7 and the bracket 33 on pivotally mounted bracket 27. A stack of sheets is placed in the container. The side wall 5 and the wall 26 have mounted thereon blocks of pliable material, such as a foam synthetic plastic, foam rubber and the like. The spacing between pliable blocks 39 and 40 is slightly less than the length of the sheets placed in the container. The stack of sheets is bent at the middle and the downwardly hanging ends are inserted between the pliable blocks 39 and 40. The stack is then permitted to settle so that the edges of the sheets are in contact with the blocks 39 and 40. The pliable blocks 39 and 40 function to hold the stack of sheets in the container when the top sheet of the stack is dispensed in the dispensing cycle previously described.

For sake of illustration, assume that the distance between blocks 39 -and 40 accommodates sheets of legal /1.

size paper. In order to also provide for dispensing from •the container 1 of ordinary letter size paper, there is provided a removable insert plate 41, a portion of which is slit on three sides to form an upstanding wall 42 by bending upwardly the slit section. The wall 42 has a block of pliable material 43 similar to the blocks 39 and 40 and is spaced a distance from the block 40 slightly less •than the length of a letter size sheet. The block 43 functions with relation to letter size paper in the same manner as the block 39 functions with relation to legal size paper. The plate 41 has a recess 44 cut out along an edge thereof to accommodate the block 39 when the removable plate 41 is inserted in the container 1.

The foregoing specific embodiment of the invention herein described and illustrated is but one example of various modifications of sheet dispensing devices contemplated by this invention, the scope of which is defined in the following appended claims.