US1653286A - Sanitary toothpick dispenser - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 20, 1927. 1,653,286

- F. v. HUGGINS l I SANITARY TOOTHPICK DISPENSER Fig] VW? l f@ x21- CJ* N INVENTOR FAH/VK MHUGG/NS k//r/vfss I l Patented Dec. 270, 1927.

. gUNITED STATES PATE-NT OFFICE;

FRANK V. HUGGINs, or RnnLANns, CALIFORNIA.

vSANITARY roo'rnrIoK nIsrnNsER.

Application filed February 19, 1923.` SeralNo. 619,903.

This invention relates to means for dispensing tooth picks and it comprises an appliance that may be conveniently placed upon cashiers desks in hotels, cafs, and

other like places, and may be caused to deliver tooth picks singly. Heretofore, tooth picks have been offered to the public by placing a dish in the form of a tooth pick tray or glass holding such articles, upon counters where the tooth picks would be accessible and oftentimes greatly fingered by the public before being entirely dispensed, and an object of this invention is to provide simple means for dispensing tooth picks by revolution of a shaft so that they can be obtained separatelyk from a pack without the other picks contacting with the pick obtainers fingers.

An object of this invention is to provide means whereby tooth picks may be dispensed to the public with a minimum amount of handling or fingering.

Another vobject is to provide a device of the hereinbefore stated character that is simple, sanitary, economical of construction and neat in appearance.

Another object is to provide means where-v by one or more tooth picks, and other` like articles may be dispensed from a container without handling of them by the public.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompanying drawing, the subjoined detail description and the appended claim.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a tooth pickk dispenser constructed in accordance with this invention and mounted upon a table or counter, a fragment of which is shown.

Fig. 2 is a section on irregular line v2-m2, Fig.

Fig. 3 is a section on line :v3- m3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan view with the follower and tooth picks omitted.

Fig. 5 is a view analogous to Fig. 1 showing detachable clamps instead of screws for holding the dispenser adjacent the edge of a counter.

The dispenser 1 is provided with base side lugs a, through which screws b, extend toy securely fasten the dispenser upon a table or counter c, or other suitable place and comprises a container or hopper 2 to hold tooth picks 3. The lower end of said hopper 2 is provided with an orifice or slot 4 elongated vertically and through which tooth picks are fed in single file to the dispensingA shaft 5- which isprovided with a gate depressions or recesses 6.

The shaft 5 is journalled in the side walls 7, 8, of the dispenser and has hand wheels 9, 10, secured to its ends by means of screws 11. The hand wheels 9, 10, are adjustable on a shaft 5 and are positioned so that theends 12, 13, thereof abut the side walls 7, 8 respectively, and thereby preventr end-wise movement of the shaft 5. This construction also permits of adjustment of the shaft 5 soy that the elongate recesses 6 may be properly plurality of elonpositioned to receive tooth picks fromk the orifice 4.

The lower end of the hopper 2 has inclined walls 14, 15, which serve to uide the tooth picks into the orifice 4. A fo lower 16 which may be of any suitable heavy material serves as a cover for the compartment .v 2 so that the fingers of persons cannot be l. inserted into the container to reach or finarticles in the hopper.

In practical operation the hopper 2 is filled with tooth picks, and the follower 16 is placed on the top thereof to force thetooth as an indicator to show the height of the picks towards the discharge orifice 4. The f shaft 5 is then rotated by rotating either of the hand wheels 9, 10 in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. 1. The tooth pick 3 will be forced through the orifice 4 by gravity and the weight of the follower 16, and will then be received in the vrecess 6 and carried forward by rotation of the shaft 5 and will be discharged by gravity onto the inclined non-retaining discharge chute 18, the discharge end of which extends over the edge of the table c, and is ldevoid of tooth pick retaining means, so that tooth picks discharged onto the chute 18 will fall to the lioor and not lie on the counter to be handled and left there for other persons to pick up and use. By providing the lower end of the hopper 2 with the vertically elongated slot 4 the tooth picks will be fed one by one to the recesses 6 and thereby avoid jamming of theshaftl.`

I claim:

A tooth pick dispenser comprising a hopper adapted to hold tooth picks, the lower end of said hopper having inclined Walls and provided with a vertically elongated slot through Which tooth picks are adapted to be fed in single tile; side Walls to said hopper; a shaft having a uniform diameter `throughont its length jonrnalled in said side Walls and provided `with recesses adapted means to A.secure said hand Wheels to said shaft so that the ends of said wheels abut said side Walls and prevent endwise movement of said shaft; a non-retaining discharge chute adapted. to receive tooth picks from said shaft and discharge them from said dispenser; means to secure said disdis enser to a support so that the discharge of said chuteI extends beyond the edge Aof said support so that tooth picks discharged fromv said chute Will not fall upon said support; and a follower adapted to close the top of said hopper and fall down the side. VWalls to hold the tooth picks in place.

In. testimony whereof, I haveherennto set my hand` at Redlands7 California, this 13th day of February,y 19275.

y FRANK V. HUGGINS.

Images