US1386814A - Towel-dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

s. VAN DER WYKH TOWEL DISPENSING DEVICE. 1 APPLICATION FILED MAY 7. I917. RENEWED DEC. 30. I920,

Patented Aug. 9, 119210 UNHTED STATES SALLY VAN DER WY K, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

TOWEL-DISPENSING DEVICE.

Application filed May 7, 1917, Serial No. 166,825.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SALLY VAN DER WYK. a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Towel-Dispensing Devices; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in towel dispensing devices and refers particularly to such a device having means for selectively furnishing a clean towel upon the deposit of a coin in the device.

The essential object of my invention is to provide a device of this character which will have novel means for preventing a person from receiving more than one towel and which will have a device in connection with the towel supply rack for receiving the used towels.

A further object ofthis inventionis the provision of a towel dispensing cabinet which may be readily replenished with clean towels and which will have means for displaying a sign when the clean towel rack is empty.

A still further object ofmy invention is to provide an efficient and practical towel dispensingdevice which will be extremely simple and inexpensive in construction and which under no condition will supply more than one clean towel at one operation.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that such changes in the preclse embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawin s I have illustrated one. complete examp e of the physical embodiment of my invention constructed according to the best mode Ihave so far devised for the practical application of the principles of my invention.

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through a toilet cabinet equipped with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the upper compartment of the cabinet illustrating the novel means for selectively supplying clean towels, part being shown in section and part Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1921. Renewed December 30, 1920. Serial No. 434,111.

in Elevation for the purpose of illustration, an

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the rack for receiving the used towels, said rack also acting as a towel magazine.

My invention is used in connection with a suitable toilet cabinet 5 divided into a series of compartments '6, 7 8, 9, and 10, the compartments 6, 9, and 10 pertaining to my invention and the compartments 7 and 8 being used for any desired purpose.

Mounted in the upper compartment 6 is the mechanism for dispensing the towels, comprising a towel bar or receiving rack 11 which has its inner end grooved as at 12 to engage atransverse pin 13 carried by a socket 14 formed on a plate 15 fixed to the wall of the compartment 6. The towels 16 have 'each in one corner thereof a metal bushing 17 for slidable engagement with the bar 11, and as will be apparent from Figs. 1 and 2 the clean towels are carried by said bar which has its outer end socketed as at 18.

to receive a spring dog 19 formed with the lip 20 having one face straight to prevent dislodgement of a towel IWheIl the dog is in normal position and its other face camshaped for the reasons hereinafter stated. These towels are urged outwardly from the bar by the spiral spring 21 coiled around the bar having its inner end bearing against a collar or sleeve 22 and its outer end against a collar or sleeve 23, the collar 23 bearing against the innermost towel as shown more clearly in Fig. 2.

This bar 11 is in connection with a used towel receiving rack or bar 24 by means of a flexible cord or tube 25 having its end 26 detachably secured in the outer end of the bar 11, the flexible cord 25 having its end 26' detachably secured to the bar 24. The bar 24 is detachably secured in the socket 27 of a bracket 28 by means of its flanged end 29 engaging the spring urged gripping socket (not shown) of the socket 27, the same being locked in position by means of a lock 30, the bar 24 acting as a magazine for the used towels and for the delivery of clean towels as will be hereinafter described' The bar 11 is also detachably held in its socket 14 by means of a pivoted hasp 31 engaging the slot in the inner end of the bar as at 32 and locked in lace by means of a lock 33. When it is esired to obtain a clean towel, in case the towels are to be gratis, a finger engaging knob 34 is employed having its shank 35 slidably mounted in a ollar 36, the inner end of the shank engaging and ad: pted to depress a spring finger 37, which will be later described, and when the machine is located in a public service station, a coin controlled mechanisn': is utilized having an entrance slot 38 for the coin in con'ununica-tion with an inclined slot 39 having therein a suitable outlet 44) for the coin.

This coin controlled mechanism is of well known construction comprising a pair of slide members 41 and mounted in the slot 32 and spaced apart to allow entrance therebetween of a coin and pivotally secured to the member 12 is an arm 13 operated by a handle it. The member all carryin a stub arm 15 adapted to engage an arm at formed on a shaft 47 having on its other end an arm as adapted to engage the spring finger 37 in a manner similar to the finger depressing device 35.

Thus it will be seen that when a clean towel is desired, a coin is placed in. the entrance slot 38 and the handle -14 is manipulated which will depress the arm 48, as it will be readily apparent and in turn depress the outer end of the arm 37 freeing a single towel as hereinafter described.

When this spring finger 37 is depressed, its outer downturned arm 4-9, which is forked as at 5() and has centrally therebetween a tooth 51, engages the extreme outer end of the spring dog 19 depressing the dog and with it the lip 20 to permit a single towel to pass thereover and abut against the inner face of the arm 49; as will be apparent, the space between the lip 20 and arm 49 being only sufficient for asingle towel. lVhen the lever 44 is returned to neutral position the spring linger 37 will again resume normal position, freeing the outermost towel as before described and allowing the operator to withdraw the same from the uppermost cabinet for use. After usage thereof, the same is allowed. to drop into the lower compartment 10 which is equipped with a pair of inwardly swinging doors 53 to allow the soiled towel to fall into the conuaartment 10 and at the same time prevent its unauthorized removal.

When. it is desired to replenish the supply of clean towels and to remove the used towels, the flexible cord 25 is detached from both racks 11 and 2 the used towels are secured upon the rack 24 by means of the collars 54 and 55; the collar 54 being fixed thereon and the collar 55 being detachably secured or held in place by chains 56 having a spring 57 intermediate thereof as shown in Figs. 1 and 3; and the clean towels are placed upon the rack 11 by inserting the reduced end 58 of the bar 24; having the clean towels thereon and sliding the same on to said bar 11 ,as will be obvious, the cam stace of the lip 20 allowing the towels to pass thereover. The empty rack 2+1 is then replaced in its socket 27 and the flexible cord 25 replaced and the machine is ready for use again.

In order to let the public know when the supply of clean towels is exhausted, one side of the cabinet near its top has therein a window 59 and further a sign (it) is employed carried by a chain 61 having its ends secured to the collars 22 and 23 as shown by Figs. 2 and 8. This sign is so retained by chain '61 as to at all times keep its front face parallel with a sight opening (32 in the front of the cabinet so that when the last clean towel is removed from the upper cabinet it will be discernible through the sight opening 62, as more clearly shown in Fig.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing it will be readily appreciated that the bar 11 is always retained in place unless for pur pose of repair, and when the towel supply man brings clean towels upon a bar 24 and removes the soiled ones with another bar 21, the bar which he brings with clean towels taking the place of the one removed with soiled towels as before described.

I claim:

1. A towel dispensing cabinet having a rack mounted therein. towels having bushings in one corner thereof slidably mounted on the rack, spring means intermediate the innermost towel and the inner end of said rack. a spring dog fixed in the outer end of the rack to prevent unauthorized dislodgment of the towels, and means for depress ing the dog to selectively supply said towels.

2. A towel dispensing cabinet having a rack mounted therein, clean towels having bushings in one corner thereof slidably mounted on the rack, means intermediate the innermost towel and the inner end of the rackfor urging the towels toward the end of the rack, a spring dog in the outer end of the rack for prei'enting unauthorized dislodgment of the towels, and a spring finger adapted to operate upon the spring dog to selectively supply clean towels.

3. A toweldispensing device having a rack mounted therein, towels carried by the rack, a spring stop intermediate the outer end of the rack and the outermost towel, a spring finger adapted to operate upon said stop when disposed to selectively permit the removal of towels from the rack, and a coin controlled device for depressing the spring finger.

4. A towel dispensing cabinet having a rack mounted in the upper portion. thereof,

said rack being adapted to slidably mount clean towels. and means operating upon the rack for selectively supplying the towels carried by the rack, a second rack detacl'iably mounted in the lower end of the cabinet, a

aeesie flexible connection between both racks to permit the used towels to drop to the bottom 1 of the cabinet to engage the last named rack,

- cabinet to engage the last named rack, said last named rack being adapted to be removed with the used towels secured thereupon as substantially described.

6. In a towel dispensing device, a clean towel rack, means acting thereupon for selectively supplying clean towels, a used towel receiving rack, and means carried by thelast named rack for retaining the used towels thereon in order that they may be removed in one bundle, said last named rack also performing the functions of a clean towel magazine substantially as described. 1'

7. A towel dispensing device comprising a clean towel compartment and a soiled towel compartment, a towel rack in each of said compartments, means operating upon the rack in the clean towel compartment for supplying clean towels, means connecting the two towel racks to permit engagement of the soiled towels with the rack in said soiled towel compartment, and an empty sign following the innermost towel for indicating when the clean towel rack is empty, substantially as described.

8. A towel dispensing device comprising a rack adapted to-receive a supply of clean towels, a recess formed in the outer end of said rack, a spring dog having its inner end fixed in said recess and its outer end projecting outwardly of said rack through a slot therein communicating with said recess, said dog retaining towels on said rack, a follower head slidably mounted on said rack intermediate the inner end thereof and the innermost towel on said rack, an expansile spring coiled about said rack intermediate said follower head and the inner end of said rack whereby the follower head is urged outwardly, and means operable upon said spring dog whereby one towel at a time is permltted to pass over the end thereof projecting through said slot, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

SALLY VAN DER WYK.

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