US1981388A - Twine-dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 20, 1934. B s PE Y 1,981,388

TWINE DISPENSING DEVICE Filed July 14, 1933 Patented Nov. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TWINE-DISPENSING DEVICE Benjamin S. Perry Providence It. I. Application July 14, 1933, .Seria l No. 680,364

"7 Claims. (o1. 242F142) This invention relates to twine holders and Fig.7 is a perspective view of the lower part of particularly to a device of this type having cutthe device showing a modified form of constructing or severing means for parting a length of tion of the twine-guiding and gripping means. the cordor twine from the ball or package held The present invention is particularly adapted in the holder. for use with twine-holders such as employed in 60 One object of the. invention is to provide a dehomes, oflices, factories and stores for containing vice of the type indicated having means incorand dispen n W pp n win c rd or the like. porated therein or attachable thereto for cutting It is the common practice for the user to draw ofi off a length of the cord or twine after it has been a length of cord or twinefrom the holder with one withdrawn from the holder. v hand and to'cut it off with scissors or a knife 65 th bject of t invention i t provide a held in the other hand.' "This method ofobtaindevice of the type indicated having means for e es ed lengthof twine is quite incenguiding the twine to the cutting or severing'means Vehieht, especially When tying p pa es as the and for holding the end of the twine in position package. must be s 0 t'bet hands 16 to be conveniently grasped in the fingers to draw can be d- 70 off a new length after the first length has been It is an Object of thepresent inven io to p Severed vide a stationary twine-cutter on or. adjacent the Another object of the invention is to pro d holder for severing a length of the twine after it a device of the type indicated having means for has been drawn Off from the hall other pp ydirecting'the twine across the edge of the cutter- The cutter is preferably attached to the tWihe- 75 blade to sever it as it is drawn through the guidholder andby drawing the twine from the S pp yin'g means, package and then across the cuttingedge a suit- Another object of the invention is to provide able length may'be'severed with the use of but one 9, device of the type indicated having a, detachhand." In this mannerthe other handisleft free able cutter-blade which may be removed for t0 hold the package pe rm other duties. In so sharpening or replacement. order to properly out the twine means are pro- Another object of the invention is to provide vide'd for ten i nin nd iding it during the a device of the type indicated having twinev g p a on. guiding means so formed and combined with the Referring fi st 3 and 4 0f he drawcutter-blade as to prevent the accumulation of mg, the twi e-holder 2 herein illustrated is of a 5 lint and dirt liable to clog thecutter and inter common type comp-rising a box-like container {ere t it severing t n, adapted to be secured to the wall by means of Another object of the invention is to provide a screws '3. The box 2 may b open'at its op a device of the type indicated which is adapted for shown or provided with a suitable cover or lid if economical manufacture from sheet-metal parts. desired. The ball B of twine is placed within the 90 Further objects of the invention are set forth box 2 and thetwine 't or other strand material in the following specification which describes sevdrawn off from the center of the ball and passed eral forms of construction of the device, by way through a hole p tu 4 i the front Wall of of example, as illustrated by the accompanying the box to be used as desired.

drawing. In the drawing: Secured to the front wall of the box or holder 2 95 Fig. l is a perspective view of a twine-holder by means ofscrews 6 is a bracket'or support '7. shown with the present improved twine-cutter or The bracket 7 is constituted by a sheet-metal strip severing device mounted thereon and illustrating bentinto angular shape to provide a foot 8 which the method of severing a lengthof the twine; seats against the bottom of the box 2. The verti- Fig. 2 is a side view'of the'twine-severing decal portion of the bracket '7 is offset outwardly at 10 vice; 9 and narrowed at this point to provide a post 10 Fig. 3 is a sectional planview of the same taken which extends upwardly in spaced parallel relaon line 3-3 of Fig. 2; v tion to the front of the box 2. As shown in Fig. 3,

, Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the device the post 10 is formed into a-rcuate shape in crosstaken on line 1-4 of Fig. 3; section for a purpose as later explained. The 105 Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a different form shoulders 11, formed-on the sides' of the vertical of twine-holder with the improved twine-cutter portion or post 10 of the bracket '7 by reducing the applied thereto; width thereof, serve as abutments upon which a Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view showing a modicutter-supporting element 15 rests in the manner nedform of mounting for the cutter-blade; land as later explained. no

observed by reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the draw-.

ing, that the arcuate or bowed portion of the post 10 acts to frictionally engage against the vertical portion 16 of the element 15 to resist any tendency .of the latter to rise thereon. When the cutter-supporting element 15 is sliddown on the post 10 its lower'runners 21 engage against the shoulders 11 on the post to locate the element in position thereon. I

The upper horizontal arm 17 of the cutter-supporting element 15 is provided withan aperture 23 through which the twine. is passed and. guided. At one side of the aperture 23 the arm is provided with a slot or opening 24 forming an entrance to the aperture for facilitating the placing of the twine in the. guide.

v The lower arm 18 of the element 15 is formed on one side with a curvededge 27 from which projectsv a lateral ear 25 bent over in-the form of a loop as indicated in Figs. 1, 4 and 6. The upper inwardlyprojecting portion of the bent ear 25 is formed with a curved edge 26 which overlies and conforms to the shape of. a corresponding edge 28 on the under part of the ear,- thus forming a double guard and guide for the edge of the cutter-blade or knife 30, to be later described, which rests on the arm 18'. As shown in Fig. 4, the ear 25 is preferably offset or depressed at 29 beneath the level of the arm 18 so that the edge 28 underlies the blade 30 at a slight distance therebelow. The edge 26 of the upper bent portion of the ear 25 is likewise spaced above the top of the blade 30 and due to this construction a vent or opening is provided at either side of the cutting edge of the blade "30 so that lint and dust cannot. collect between the blade and the edges of the guard.

The knife 30 is constitutedby a substantially rectangular hardened blade sharpened on one or both edges as at 31. A safety-razor blade may be employed as the cutter but preferably a blade of smaller size is used. The cutting edge 31 of the blade or knife 30 extends outwardly from' the curved edge 27 of the arm 18 at an angle to the edges of the guard 25 to provide a relatively acute V-shaped opening or notch 32 into which the twine may be drawn to present it to the edge of the knife. z

The knife or blade 30 is secured to the arm 18 of the element 15 by means of an overlying sheetmetal retainer or. plate 35 of substantially the same shape as the blade. As shown in Fig. '3, the bladeBO and retainer 35 are of wedge-shape in plan view with their lateral edges converging toward the cutting edge 31 of the blade. The retainer 35 is provided with tabs or ears 36 and 37 on its lateral and rearward edges which are passed through slits in the arm 18 and bent over on the underside thereofto secure the blade 30 to the arm. The side tabs 36 prevent lateral movement of the blade 30 while the tab 37 prevents its rearward displacement; The blade 30 is thus-secured firmly to the arm 18 of the supporting element 15 to prevent it from sliding or slipping out of place. With the blade 30 fastened in place asdescribed the folded car 25 which overlapsits forward end and extends rearwardly along its sharpened edge provides a safety element or guard to prevent the users hand from contacting with the blade.

The above described severing device operates in use as follows: A ball B or other type of supply-package of cord, string or twine is placed in the holder 2 and the leading end of the twine threaded through the aperture 4 in the front of the holder. The twine isthen entered into the guide-opening 23 in the arm 1'7..by passing it laterally through the slot 24. The end of the twine t is thus held suspended from the upper arm 1'7 of the cutter-supporting element 15.

When it is. desired to detach a portion of twine from the ball B the suspended end of the strand t is grasped in the manner as illustrated in Fig. 1 and drawn downwardly to measure off a suitable length. After the required length has been drawn off from the ball B the twine is entered in the V-shaped slot 32 between the cutting edge 31 of the blade 30 and the curved edges 26 and 28 of the guard 25 on the lower arm 18. The end is then drawn forwardly to cause the vstrandto be wedged by the guard 25 against the cutting edge 31 of the blade 30, whereupon the lengthibeyond the blade will be cut off squarely without tendency to fray-the severed ends. The wedging action of the guard 25 upon the twine tends to hold it taut during the cutting operation .to prevent it from unwinding from the supply-package. After the length has been severedthe end of the'twine still attached to the ball isretainedby the guard 25, thus leaving a portion suspendedv between the upper arm 17. and lower arm'18 'in convenient position to be grasped fordrawing off another lengthwhen required.

Fig.5 of the drawing illustrates the twine-cutter or severing device applied. to a twine-holder of different type. In holders of this latter type conical packages C of cord or twineare held in a horizontal position and the'end of the strand is drawn off over the smaller end of the cone. The holder 40 as herein illustrated comprises a circular back-plate 41 which maybe fastened to a wall orother support by means of screws 42'. Em-

bodied in the back-plate 41 are means in the form.

of spring-fingers, not herein shown, which grip the interior of the tube 0 upon which the twine is wound to hold the package C firmly in place; Extending forwardly from the back-plate 41 is a lower horizontal arm 43 which is bent upwardly at its forward extremity to provide a post 44 having a; punched hole or aperture 45, through which the strand draws to the cutter.

The twine-cutter or severing devicemay embody a blade-supporting element 15 such as first described'mounted on the post 44 by slidingfits runners 20 and 21 down therealong; the post 44 being preferably of curved or arcuate shape in J cross-section with its convex surface binding against the upright portion 16 of the element 15 to retain the latter in place. It will-be noted that in the construction of. the twine-holder shown in Fig. 5' the bracket 7 used with the box 2 is dispensed with. and the device mounted directly on the holder.

Fig. 6 of the drawingillustrates a modified form of construction for mounting the cutterblade on its support. --In this embodiment of the invention the blade 48 hasa different contour with its endsof arcuate shape adapted to be en gaged by a. pair of spaced ears 49-.punched from the lower arm 18. and bent over tooverlie the blade. The ears 49 are curved. on-theirsides with the radius of curvature considerably less than the radius of the arcuate ends of the blade 48. When the blade 48 is slipped into place beneath the ears 49 the edges of their curved portions bind against the edges of the blade at four points to hold the blade from sliding or slipping out of place on its support. The last described construction thus provides an extremely eflicient yet inexpensive method of mounting the cutterblade.

In Fig. 7 there is illustrated a modified form of the guard for the twine-cutter or severing device. In this embodiment of the invention a flange 52 is bent up from one side of the lower arm 18 of the blade-supporting element 15. The guard-flange 52 is shaped to curve outwardly away from the cutting edge 31 of the blade 30 to provide a reentrant mouth for guiding the twine against the blade. A relatively narrow slot 53 extends longitudinally of the flange 52 with its edges overlapping or straddling the sharpened edge of the blade 30 throughout a portion of its length; it being noted that the edges of the slot 53 are spaced away from the top and bottom of the blade so as to provide for the escape of lint or fibers formed by the cutting operations.

The method of operation of the device constructed in accordance with the last described embodiment is substantially the same as before explained. The twine is drawn off from the supply-package and into the opening or notch 32 between the flange 52 and the cutting edge 31 of the blade 30 where it is wedged against the edge of the blade and tensioned as it is severed. After the severing operation a length of the twine remains below the arm 17 for grasping in the fingers at the next operation.

It will be observed from the foregoing that the present invention provides a particularly simple and efficient twine-cutter for the purposes specified. The parts of the device are constructed from sheet-metal stampings to render them economical to manufacture whereby the complete article may be sold at a comparatively low price.

As a feature of the improvement the present invention provides means for positively gripping the twine during the severing operation to prevent it from being drawn oif from the supplypackage; and the device also operates to maintain a short length of twine suspended from the supply in convenient position to grasp in the fingers at repeated cutting-off operations.

As a further feature of improvement the double guard for the cutter-blade, besides acting to guide the twine against the sharpened edge of the blade, also serves to guard the blade to prevent accidental contact of the operators fingers therewith.

By the use of the present improved device only one hand is required to draw off a length of twine and sever it and thus the other hand is left free to perform other duties. The invention thus provides for greater convenience of operation resulting in a saving of time and effort.

While I have herein shown and described several preferred embodiments of the device, by way of example, it is obvious that other modifications may be made in the structure and arrangement of its parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, without limiting myself in this respect, I claim:

1. In a device of the type indicated, the combination of a holder for a ball or package of twine or the like, means to guide the twine as it draws from the ball or package, a cutter spaced from said guiding means and comprising a sharpened blade disposed in a plane at right-angles to the path of the twine as it leads through the guiding means, and a guard extending opposite the side of the cutter blade in inclined relation to the edge thereof.

2. In a device of the type indicated, the combination of means for holding a ball or package of twine or the like, means for guiding the twine as it draws from the ball or package, a cutter spaced at a distance below the guiding means and disposed in a plane at right-angles to the path of the twine as it leads through the guiding means, and'a guard for the cutter having parallel faces disposed on opposite sides of the cutter in inclined relation to the sharpened edge thereof.

3. In a device of the type indicated, the combination of a holder for a ball or package of twine or the like, a pair of spaced arms mounted on the holder, one'of said arms provided with a guide for the twine as it draws off from the ball or package, a cutter-blade mounted on the other arm and disposed in a plane at right-angles to the path of the twine as it leads through the guide, and a guard having parallel guiding faces disposed on opposite sides of and at an inclination to the sharpened edge of the cutter-blade.

4. In combination, a holder for a ball orpackage of twine or the like, a post on the holder, a. cutter-supporting element having means engaging the post to attach it to the holder, said supporting element having a guide through which the twine leads as it draws off from the ball or package, acutter-blade on the supporting element arranged in spaced relation to the twine-guide and disposed in a plane at right-angles to the path of the twine as it leads through the guide, and a guard on the supporting element overlapping the sides of the blade and inclined to the sharpened edge thereof.

5. In a twine-cutter, the combination of a U- shaped element having opposite parallel arms disposed in diiferent planes, one of said arms being formed with an opening for guiding the twine, a guard on the opposite arm having opposite parallel guiding faces, and a blade supported on the second arm with its sharpened edge projecting between the opposite guiding faces of the guard in inclined relation thereto.

6. In a twine-cutter, the combination of a support formed with projecting angular ears having arcuately-shaped portions, and a blade having arcuately-shaped ends engaging the arcuate portions of the ears at four points to hold the blade in fixed position on the support.

7. In a twine-cutter, the combination of a plate-like support having a portion bent at rightangles thereto and extended in a flange diverging from the lateral edge of the support, said flange formed with a longitudinal slot, and a cutterblade mounted on said support with one end of its sharpened edge projecting into the slot of the flange at an angle to the edges thereof.

BENJAMIN S. PERRY.

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