Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
"A dispenser for small bar-shaped objects"
The invention relates to a dispenser for small bar-shaped
objects such as pins, tooth picks, and screws, having a
container for storing the objects. The container has base
surfaces inclined towards a gap, and a dispensing support is
enclosed by the container and :is received in the gap. The
upper edge of the support has a first groove to receive an
object to be dispensed. The support and container are
relatively movable such that the container can assume a raised
position in which at least one of the small objects can slide
from a base surface onto the support, and a lowered dispensing
position in which the loaded support is raised relatively to
such a height that the object can be taken off.
In a dispenser of this kind for toothpicks (DT-Gbm
lS 19 83 160), the support with its receiving groove must raise
itself far above the lowered container, so that one is able to
pick up the discharged toothpick by han~. Even a recess
provided in the longitudinal centre of the receiving groove
to facilitate toothpick withdrawal does not alter this.
However, a support surmounting the container is subject to
contamination by dust deposit as well as by contact with the
fingers when the toothpick is taken off. Since the support of
this known dispenser is raised above the container in the
starting or unoperated position, a particularly heavy
contamination of-the receiving groove must be expected.
Another disadvantage of the known dispenser is that the groove
must always be loaded before a toothpick can be withdrawn.
This means prior raising and subsequent lowering of the container.
In view of this double movement, -the operation of the dispenser
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is complicated and difficult to understand without special
instructions.
The objec-t of this invention is therefore to provide
an improved dispenser wherein the small object to be withdrawn
is easy to pick up, and the support is accommodated in a
largely protected way.
According to the present invention there is provided
a dispenser for small bar-shaped objects such as pins,
toothpicks and screws, comprising:
(i) a container for storing a bulk supply of the
objects, said container having a top wall with
an opening therein, said container having a
base wall which is inclined downwardly towards
a gap,
(ii) a dispensing support enclosed by the storage
container and positioned in said gap, the support
having an upper edge provided with a first
groove to receive objects to be dispensed, the
support having a second groove which is aligned
with the first groove and which is inclined
downwardly in the direction away from the flrst
groove.
the storage container and dispensing support being relatively
movable such that the container may assume a relatively
raised loading position in which at least one of the objects
can slide from the inclined base wall onto the upper edge of
the support to rest in the first groove therein, and a lowered
dispensing position in which one end portion of the objec~
lying in the first groove is pushed downwardly by part of the
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container into the second groove such that the other end
portion of the object then projects upwardly through the top
wall openin~.
The object lying on the support can be picked up
easily without the storage container or the support being
touched. The support does not have to emerge at all from out
of the container. In this way, an hygienic presentation of
the small objects is made possible, and the discharge
magazine is protected from contamination.
A further advantageous feature is the provision of
tension springs acting between the container and the support,
for keeping the container continuously in a loaded position
so that it only has to be pressed down for the withdrawal
of the object.
It has also been found that, by providing the
storage space of the container with a partition, the same
dispenser may be used for small objects of varying length.
In another form, the container is held stationary
on a base plate and the support is raisable by means of a
hand lever projecting outwards, in order to thus achieve
the relative movement required between storage container and
support.
Further characteristics and details of the invention
will be apparent from the following description of dispensers,
for small bar-shaped objects, shown in the accompanying
drawing, wherein:-
Fig. 1 is a cross-section taken along a line I-I
of Fig. 2 of a first embodiment;
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Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken along line
II-II of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, as in Fig. 2, of
a modified embodiment;
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through a dispenser
with movable discharge magazine, and
Fig. 5 is a side view of a discharge magazine
modified for nails or screws.
With the embodiment according to Figs. 1 and 2, a
dispensing support in the form of an upright plate, with a
receiving groove 3 on the upper edge, is mounted on a base
plate 1. A storage container 5 encloses this support 2, i.e.
with clearance along the sides and without clearance at the
ends. This results in the formation along the sides of the
support of storage spaces 6 which at the base are bounded by
surfaces 7 sloping towards the centre. ~uide walls 8 slidably
abut against the support 2 and form a feed gap occupied by the
support. The storage container 5 is sealed at the top by a
cover 10. This is provided with a discharge opening 11
aligned with the support, this opening being at least wide
enough for a small object to pass through. Several small
bar-shaped objects 12 such as pins or toothpicks are shown
in the figures. The cover 10 is slipped on so that the
storing space is easily accessible for filling. However, so
that this cover does not inadvertently come off, locking or
arresting abutments (not illustrated) are provided to act
between an edge of the cover edge and the container wall.
In order to give the storage container 5 a more appealing
appearance, its vertical side walls 15 are extended downwards
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by supplementary walls 16 so that the observer sees a
rectangular container. It has also proved appropriate to
make the container walls transparent so that the contents
of the storage space are clearly visible. In Figs. 1 and 2,
the dispenser is in the dispensing position. This therefore
means that the storage container 5 has been lowered onto the
base plate 1. In this position, the cover 10 has been completely
or almost completely lowered to the level of the groove 3
of the support 2. In order now to permit a small object 12'
in the receiving groove 3 to be withdrawn, the support 2 is
provided in one end section with a second inclined groove 17
sloping downwardly towards one end of the support (Fig. 2)
and which in its form is a continuation of the receiving groove.
A recess 18 is provided at the transition point from this
slanting groove 17 to the receiving groove 3. As seen in
Fig. 2, a pushing-down projection 19 is provided on the
inner surface of the cover 10 above the slanting groove 17.
When the container is lowered, this projection serves for
pressing down one end portion of the small object 12', located
in the receiving groove, into the slanting groove, whereby its
other end portion is raised and projects far above the
cover and the support. A small object offered in this way
can be picked up easily with the fingers and withdrawn from
the container without the support or its receiving groove 3
being touched.
The support 2 does not become visible even in the
dispensing position. It can even remain considerably below
the discharge opening if a pushing-down projection 19 is
present. If this projection 19 is done away with, and if
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one uses a slotted edge 20 provided above the slanting groove
17 for holding the small object down, the receiving groove -
although coming closer to the cover and although perhaps
entering the discharge openiny 11 - does not raise itself
above the cover even in this case.
Once the small ohject 12' has been removed, the
container should be raised to such an extent that another
small object slides from the storing space into the groove 3,
so that another subseqent lowering of the container can again
bring this small object 12' into the dispensing position
(Fig. 1 and 2).
In order to avoid a loading action having to be
carried out before each dispensing action, another specific
embodiment seen in Fig. 3 provides a device which always
brings the storinq container into the loading position so that
only a mere pressing down is required for the withdrawal of
a small object. For this purpose, the support 2 is provided
on both sides with bearing faces 22 directed downwards.
The guide walls 8 are also provided with further bearing faces
23 on the bottom. Tension springs 24 are mounted on these
bearing faces 22, 23, pulling the movable container upwards
and keeping it in the loaded or working position. If the
container is then pressed down by hand (into the dotted
position), the small object 12' received by the receiving
groove 3 is pushed, by the slotted edge 20, into the inclined
position and thus into the withdrawal position.
An insert partition wall 26, which is shown dotted
in Fig. 2, enables the use of a dispenser in simple manner
for small objects of varying length. This insert wall limits
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or reduces the storing space on the non-tapered side
according to the length of the inserted small objects. This
prevents the small stored objects from shifting and not
reaching the area of the inclined surface 17. The insert wall
26 can be made stable hy adequate width. It is positioned
according to the desired partitioning of the s~orage space.
For fixing these separating walls, inserting slots (not shown)
can be provided in the container and/or support walls.
~ith the hitherto known dispensers, the storage
container is movable in relation to the fixed support.
According to another development, the relative movement
between the two dispenser parts required for the loading and
discharging of a small object can also be achieved by the
storage container being stationary and the support carrying
out the necessary lifting motions. This type of dispenser is
illustrated in Fig. 4. In a storage container 35 stationarily
fixed on the base plate 31, which is essentially constructed~
like the storage container 5, the two sliding surfaces 37 and
guide walls 38 are again present. In the starting position,
a raisable support 32 is situated between these guide walls,
the surface of this support being, as before, provided with
a receiving groove 33, and also a slanting groove 47. This
movable support 32 is pulled into the starting and loading
position respectively hy means of the tension springs 54.
A lift arm 55 acts on the bottom edge 39 of this support, e.g.
by means of a roller 56. This lift arm is swingably supported
in the container housing at 57 and its free end 58 projecting
outwards can be pressed down by hand in order to raise the
support 32 within the guide walls 38 until the small object 12'
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lying in the receiving groove 33 is tilted upwards (dotted
position) by a holding-down edge 50 of the cover 40. If the
arm 55 is released, the springs 54 pull the support back into
the starting and thus the loading position. The receiving
groove 33 now lies slightly below the concurring sliding
surfaces 37 so that one of the small objects lying in the
storage space can drop into the receiving groove.
In a dispenser for bar-shaped small objects with heads,
such as nails and screws, these are inserted in such a way
that the head 62 lies at that end of the support which is
remote from the slanting groove. In this case the receiving
groove 60 (Fig. 5) is shortened by a recess 61 in order to
safeguard a proper positioning of the small objects in the
receiving groove. The sliding surfaces 7 and 37 respectively
could also be provided at this point with respective
indentations and/or recesses ~not shown). The discharge slot
11 or 41, and perhaps the guide 8 or 38 must also he widened
correspondingly at this point.
Small ball-shaped objects can also be dispensed with
the illustrated dispenser. If a dispenser as shown in
Fig. 1 - 4 is used for this purpose, the whole length of the
receiving groove is filled and several balls are raised and
discharged at the same time. In this case, it must be possible
to raise the receiving groove at least up to the level of the
discharge opening in order to permit the balls to be picked up.
If the number of discharged halls is to be reduced, this can
be achieved by shortening the receiving groove, as shown for
example in Fig. 5 at 61.
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The push-down projection for tilting of -the small
object can also be mounted on the adjoining inside wall of
the storage container itself. Finally, o-ther spring elements
such as rubber springs, tension elements or similar may be
provided instead of the illustrated coil springs. With a
dispenser according to Fig. 3, the spring elements may also
be inserted between the base of the storage container and
the base plate if the springs are pressure-loadable. It may
be advantageous to construct the base plate with a large
surface in order to improve the stability of the dispenser.
The surfaces thus created can be used for advertising purposes.
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