US3430877A - Towel holder - Google Patents

Description

United States Fatent o" 3,430,877 TOWEL HOLDER Edward Berlet, 9 Adrian Ave., Apt. 58, Bronx, N.Y. 10463 Filed Sept. 7, 1967, Ser. No. 670,507 US. Cl. 24255.2 Int. Cl. B65 19/00 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Summary of the invention My holder comprises a frame having an elongated member with first and second vertical legs secured to opposite ends of the member and extending downward therefrom. Each leg has a bar receiving opening. A horizontal bar extends between the legs and has one end slidable in one of the openings. Means secured to the other end of the bar and cooperating with the other opening has a first position at which the bar is locked in the frame and a second position at which the bar can be slid through the other opening until the means is disengaged from the one opening and is free to have a roll of towels slid therearound onto the bar; the bar can then be returned to its original position and locked into the frame to hold the roll in position for use, and by means of a threaded nut, the side pressure can be increased or decreased.

Brief description of the drawings In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded View of certain parts thereof;

FIG. 3 is a detail side view of the parts of FIG. 2 in assembled form;

FIG. 4 is a side view of my invention; and

FIG. 5 is a detail end view of a portion of my invention as taken through 5-5 in FIG. 3, with portions removed for the sake of clarity.

Detailed description of preferred embodiment Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, there is shown a flat elongated member lying in a horizontal plane and having fiat legs 12 secured to each end and extending vertically downward, these legs lying in parallel vertical planes which are perpendicular to the direction in which member 10 extends.

Each leg has a centrally disposed enlarged section 14. One section has a circular hole 16 therein; the other has a horizontal slot 18. If desired, these sections 14 can be set inward of the main body of each leg. The section 14 including the slot 18 has four equidistantly spaced projections 50; two such projections being spaced above the slot 18 and two projections being spaced below the slot, as shown in FIG. 5.

An elongated bar 22 has one shallow threaded end 24 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 which extends through hole 16 and receives a nut 26. The shallow thread on 24 allows the nut 26 to be hand tightened. The other end 28 of the bar is externally" threaded and is provided with an axial bore 30 which rotatably receives a bolt 32. Bolt 32 extends axially through a coil spring 34 and through an internally threaded member 36.

More specifically, the member 36 includes an end cap having a central through bore 42 through which the shank of the bolt 32 extends. The internally threaded portion of member 36 threadedly engages the threaded end 28 of the bar 22. Provided in a substantially flat locking member 40 is a threaded passage 38 which engages the threaded end of the bolt 32. The locking member 40 is sized to slide through the slot 18 when the member 40 is oriented in a horizontal plane.

In operation, when it is desired to mount a roll of towels 44 on the towel holder of the invention, the member 40 is rotated until it is aligned with the slot 18. The bar 22 then is moved toward the left until the member 40 passes through the slot 18. The bar is moved downwardly to a position as indicated by the dashed line position of FIG. 1 and the towel roll 44 is mounted thereon (i.e., the bar 22 extends axially through the towel roll). The member 40 is passed through the slot 18 until the juxtaposed leg 12 abuts the end cap of the member 36. The locking member 40 is rotated to a vertical position to prevent the member from again passing through the slot 18, thereby to securely lock the roll of towels 44 on the holder. In this latter position, the member 40 is received between the upper projections 50 and the lower projections 50 to prevent the accidental rotation of the member to the unlocked position.

It is specifically emphasized that the present construction provides means for selectively varying the tension of the legs 12 on the roll 44 thereby to control the freedom of movement of the roll. More particularly, the spring 34 bears against the head of the bolt 32 at one end and against the end cap of the member 36 at the other end. Additionally, the inner edge of the locking member 40 bears against the outer surface of the righthand leg 12, as shown in FIG. 3. Accordingly, as the member 36 is tightened on the end 28 of the bar 22, the spring 34 is compressed between the head of the bolt 32 and the member 36. As a result, an increased inwardly directed biasing force is applied to the right-hand leg 12 by means of the member 40 which is rigidly connected with the bolt 32 via the above-noted threaded connection, thereby causing the leg 12 to restrict the freedom of rotation of the roll 44. On the other hand, if it is desired to decrease the pressure on the roll 44, the member 36 is rotated in the opposite direction.

Accordingly, a towel holder has been described in which a roll of towels easily may be mounted and the pressure on the roll selectively varied to obtain a desired freedom of movement of the roll.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings, rny protection is to be limited only by the terms of the claims which follow.

Having thus described my invention, I'claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A paper towel holder comprising a frame having an elongated horizontal member and opposed legs depending from the respective ends of said member, a respective opening in each of said legs, a substantially horizontal towel supporting bar, one end of said bar being slideably received through the opening in one of said legs, means on said one end of said bar for preventing movement of said one end through the corresponding opening in said one leg, rotatable locking means on the other end of said bar movable between a first position wherein said locking means is slidable through the opening in said other leg and a second position wherein said locking means bears against the outer surface of said other leg, and adjustable biasing means for resiliently biasing said locking means toward said bar to bias said other leg inwardly when said locking means is in said second position to exert a selective pressure on a roll of towels received between said legs.

2. A paper towel holder as in claim 1, in which the slot in said other leg comprises an elongated opening, and said locking means comprises a fiat elongated member sized to slide through said elongated slot when said locking means is in said first position, and to extend above and below said slot to engage said outer surface of said other leg when said locking means. is in said second position.

3. A paper towel holder as in claim 1, in which said biasing means includes a cap threaded on said other end of said bar, a bolt having a head at one end and a threaded portion at the other end received within said bar andhaving said threaded portion extending through said cap, said threaded portion threadedly engaging said locking means,

4 and a spring received between the end of said cap and the head of said bolt to bias the head of said bolt away from said cap, whereby said locking means is biased inwardly towards said bar.

4. A paper towel holder as in claim 1, in which said other leg is provided with outwardly directed extensions sized and positioned to receive said locking means therebetween when said locking means is in said second position to prevent the accidental movement of said locking means to said first position.

5. A paper towel holder as in claim 3, in which the spring is a coil spring and the tension on said spring is varied by rotating said cap on said bar, thereby to adjust the pressure on the roll of towels.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 813,128 2/ 1906 Williams. 1,101,862 6/1914 'Lie'beck 242-55.2 1,431,513 10/1922 Cox 287113 X 1,693,877 12/1928 Uttz 242-552 2,348,071 5/ 1944 Johnstone 287-113 FOREIGN PATENTS 28,857 1904 Great Britain.

GEORGE F. MAUTZ, Primary Examiner.

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