US2092167A - Dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

p 1937- R. c. KETTLES, JR 2,092,167

DISPENSING DEVICE Filed April 4, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 IIImL Y L Q a) i r m 20 171,871 araZ Gifeliles Jr p 37- R. c. KETTLES, JR 2,092,167

' DISPENSIYG DEVICE Filed April 4, 1935 4Sheets-Sheet 2 ITNESSES INVENTOR lr, Richard Cf/ii/ZZGS Jr ATTORNEY ept. 7, 1937. c KETTLES, JR 2,092,167

DISPENSING DEVICE Filed April 4, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 u WITNESSES INVENTOB ATTORNEY Sept. 7, 1937. R. c. KETTLES, JR

DISPENSING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 4, 1935 INVENTOR CJfeifles J ATTORNEYS? Rickard Patented Sept. '2, i937 STATES FATE. @FFHQE 27 Claims.

This invention relates to dispensing devices and has for an object to provide an improved construction whereby articles may be readily dispensed in succession, the structure being particularly adapted for dispensing interfolded paper towels.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved dispensing device for interfolded or other towels wherein the device must be operated more than once to secure a towel.

A further object of the invention is to provide a towel-dispensing device wherein shutters or guards are formed together with associated mechanism whereby access to the towels can be had only after a specified number of operations of the actuated device.

An additional and further object of the invention is to provide a towel-dispensing or vending device wherein the towels are not moved except by the hands of the user, but guard mechanism associated therewith is moved during the functioning of the device so that at one time it will cover or protect the towels against being grasped by the hands of the user and at another time will expose the lower portion of the towel whereby it may be readily grasped and pulled from the device.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view through a vending device disclosing an embodiment of the invention, the parts being shown in the position they occupy prior to moving of the parts;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to the lower part of Fi ure l but showing the guard or shutter mechanism and associated parts moved to a position for exposing the lower portion of one of the towels whereby the towel may be grasped by the hand of an operator and pulled from the device;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the dispensing device shown in l but with the guard or shutter mechanism raised as illustrated in Fig. 2, the View being on a reduced scale;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through Fig. 2 approximately on the line i-Q, showing the op erating mechanism in top plan;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view through ig. r on the line 5--5, the same being on an enlarged scale;

5a a view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the parts in t-.e positions after three actuations of plunger.

l 6 a fragmentary sectional View through Fig. 4 approximately on the line 6-5, the same being on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 6a, is a view similar to Fig. 6 but showing the parts after the plunger has been actuated three times;

Fig. '7 is a sectional View through Fig. 8 on the line T- l;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view through Fig. '7 on the line 8-8, the same showing most of the parts in rear elevation;

Fig. 9 is a detailed perspective view of a sliding box forl. ing part of the invention.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but on an appreciably large scale with part of the casing broken away;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view through Fig. 10 approximately on the line HIl Fig. 12 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 11, except that the parts are in their retracted position;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 9 but showing certain movable parts connected therewith.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by numerals, I indicates a casing which may be of any size and material, as, for instance, sheet metal. This casing is perferably rectangular in shape as shown in Fig. 3 and is provided with a door 2 which may be hinged as at 3 and held closed by a suitable lock 4. As indicated in Fig. 1, the casing at the bottom is open but shutters or guards 5 and 6 are hingedly mounted at l and 8 and act in .a certain sense as a bottom for the casing. These shutters are actuated by mechanism hereinafter fully described. They are positioned to coact with towel-supporting brackets 9 and H], the respective brackets having depending flanges l l and i2 which form a discharge passageway l3. The respective flanges have cutaway portions I l and IE to form an opening whereby the lower portion l6 of a towel may be grasped by the hand of an operator and pulled from the machine. The flange I2 is also provided with an opening H to accommodate the end of a plunger I8. It will be noticed from Figs. 1 and 2 that the supporting bracket Ill is slightly raised above the supporting bracket 9. This permits the under portion l6 of the lowermost towel of the batch of towels E9 to be readily moved into the passageway l3 when the towels are first inserted. Various interfolded towels may be used but preferably the interfolding as shown in Fig. 1 is used, as the lowermost towel when pulled from the machine causes the under portion it of the next towel to move to the position shown in Fig. 1, so as to be grasped through the notched openings l4 and I5 when the shutters or guards 5 and 6 have been moved upwardly to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be understood that in this form of vending machine the mechanism which is actuated. by the user does not in any way come in contact with or move any of the towels. The towels are merely guarded against being grasped by the user until the actuating mechanism has been actuated suificiently to move the shutters or guards 5 and 6 to their raised positions as shown in Fig. 2, whereupon the towel projecting intothe opening provided by the notches Id and i5 may be grasped and pulled from the machine. This action operates certain mechanism hereinafter fully described whereupon theshutters or guards 5 and E will quickly move down to the position shown in Fig. 1 and thereby no one may grasp the next towel which is now in the same position as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. If the shutters E and 6 were completely removed a person could then pull as many towels from the machine as desired Without operating any mechanism.

The shutters or guards 5 and 6 are connected with mechanism actuated by the plunger i8 upon a knob 26 being pressed inwardly a desired number of times, said knob being rigidly secured to the plunger. In the accompanying drawings the parts have been soformed as to require three pushes onthe knob 20 to cause the shutters 5 and 6 to move upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2. However, the parts could be arranged without departing from the spirit of the invention, whereby one push on the knob 29 would raise the shutters, or some other number of pushes besides three, as, for instance, two or four. Fromexperiments it has been found that to require three pushes on the knob is the most advantageous as it will readily permit any .one to secure as many towels as desired, but will prevent the Waste of towels by reason of the delay and work necessary to secure a towel. When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 it will be necessary to press in the knob 28 and then to release the same. This action must be repeated three times and on the third time the shutters or guards 5 and 6 will be moved automatically to expose the under portion 16 of the lowermost towel. As soon as this towel has: been pulled out by the operator, the parts will be reset or automatically moved back to the positions shown in Fig. 1, so that three more actuations of the knob are necessary to secure a second towel. t will be appreciated that the first two actuations are merely idle movements but are necessary to shift the parts to certain advance positions so that the final or third push will cause .the upward swinging'movement of the shutters as mentioned.

The mechanism of which the plunger i3 is a part is carried by a substantially L-shaped bracket 2! secured to one of the walls of the casing i by any suitable means, as, for instance, screws 22. On the horizontal section or base 2! of the bracket 21 are mounted racks 23 and 24, the rack 23 being what may be termed a power or pushing rack, while the rack 24 is what may be termed a retaining rack. The pushing rack 23 is preferably formed integral with what may be termed a sliding box 215, while the rack 25 has a right-angle base 26 through which extend the retaining screws 27 and 28, said retaining screws extending into or through the base 2 l As shown in the accompanying drawings, each of said racks has three abutments against which the respective pawls 29 and 44 act. The sliding box 25 is provided with a slot 3! acting as a guide for the plunger l8 and with an opening 32 through which a retractile spring 33 extends. This spring has one end connected to the bracket ii in any desired manner, as, for instance, by having a pin 34 riveted or otherwise rigidly secured thereto.

This bracket is provided with an aperture through Which one end of the spring extends, the opposite end of the spring extending through the opening 32 and receiving a retaining pin 35. By this arrangement, whenever permitted spring 33 pulls the sliding box 25 back to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

The sliding plunger i8 is provided with a pin 35 which extends therethrough and acts as an anchor for one end of the respective springs 3i and 38. One end of the spring 3? is connected to the bracket 2i (Fig. 10) so that whenever plunger I8 is moved by pressing on the knob 22 and then released, the spring 3? will automatically return the plunger to its former position. The pawl 29 1s pivotally mounted on the plunger 88 by a suitable pivotal pin 39, and, consequently, moves back and forth with the plunger. A projection it extends from one end of the pawl, 25, and to this projection is connected one end of the spring 38 so that the outer end of the pawl will swing downwardly and engage the rack 23, upon each outward movement of the plunger. A pin ii extends laterally from near the lower end of the pawl 29 so as to engage the cam surface ii of a bracket 58a, wherebythe pawl. is swung upwardly upon its return movement, so as to be out of the way of the pushing rack 23 when the same moves from its inner position shown in Fig. 5a back to its outer position as shown in Fig. 5.

Upon the first actuation of the knob 26 the parts will assume the position shown in Fig. 7, namely, with the end of the pawl 28 against the innermost abutment '53 of the rack 23. The

first part of the movement of the plunger it willpermit the spring 38 to swing the pawl 23 downwardly and then as the plunger continues the lower end of this pawl will engage the abutment 43 and move the pushing rack 23 inwardly a short distance and along with this rack the sliding box 25 and parts carried thereby. As soon as the rack has been moved as far as possible upon the first movement of the plunger it, the retaining pawl i l will engage the first abut-- ment of the retaining rack 2 5. As soon as the parts have been moved to the position shown in Fig. 7, the knob 29 will be released and the knob with the plunger i8 and pawl 29 will move back to the position shown in Fig. 5. The next inward movement of the knob 20 and associated parts will result in the pawl 29 engaging the abutment E6 and pushing the parts a second distance in wardly. The retaining pawl M will then engage the second abutment ii of the rack 24 so as to prevent the return movement of the sliding box 25 and associated parts. However, the plunger I8 may return to the position shown in Fig. 5 and upon a third movement the pawl 25 will engage the third abutment i8 and push the parts outwardly to the position shown in Fig. 5a. When this happens the retaining pawl M will engage the third abutment 39 of the rack 26 so that the parts will be held in the position shown in Figs. 5a, 6a, and 11. The parts will remain in this position until the lowermost towel has been pulled from the machine. As it is pulled from the machine it actuates a lever 5% by swinging the same on its pivotal support 5!. This lever at its outer end is widened and provided with corrugations or teeth 52 whereby when it is pressed against the paper towel, a suificient connection will be made with the towel so that when the towel is pulled downwardly and out of the machine the lever will swing downwardly which will release all the parts as will be hereinafter fully described. Immediately upon the release of all the parts, spring 33 will quickly move the same back to the position shown in Fig. 5. The spring 33 will function to pull the box 25 toward the knob 26 or outwardly and as the box moves it will move the plate 53 and lever 50 so that the parts will assume the position shown in Fig. 12 ready for further actuation. On the third movement of the plunger l8, when the parts are moved to the position shown in Figs. 5a, 6a, and 11, mechanism will be operated for raising the shutters or guards 5 and 6. Upon the swinging of the lever 50 and the consequent release of the Various parts the shutters 5 and 6 will again move downwardly to their guarding position as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be noted that the retaining pawl is mounted on a supporting plate 53 which is rigidly secured to the pushing rack 23 by (Fig. 10) suitable rivets 54, suitable spacing sleeves 55 surrounding these rivets so as to space the plate 53 from the rack 23 and thereby allow the plate 53 to slide in past the bracket 53 as indicated in Figs. l, 6, and 10. It will be noted, however, that the supporting plate 53 moves with the sliding box 25 as if it were integral therewith. The pivotal pin 5| is carried by the supporting plate 53 and extends through the lever adjacent end portion 56, said end portion being positioned so that the upper edge thereof is adapted to engage one end of a pin 51 which pin extends through the pawl 44 (Fig. 13) and projects beyond this pawl on both sides so that one end will be in the path of movement of the end portion 55 and the other end will be in the path of movement of the inclined cam 58. By reason of this construction when the lever 58 is swung downwardly by the paper towel, the pawl 44 will be swung upwardly so as to be released from the abutment 39. When it is swung upwardly far enough to be released, spring 33 will begin to function and pin 5'! will strike the upper surface of the cam 58 so as to be swung upwardly and maintained out of the way of the rack 24 as the parts return to the position shown in Figs. 5 and 6. On the inward movement, namely from the position shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 6a, the cam 58 will swing upwardly as it is part of a plate 53 pivotally mounted at 60 on the retaining rack 24. A small spring 6! is wound around the pivotal support with one end extending through the plate 59 and the other end pressing against the cam 58 so as to normally hold the parts in the position shown in Fig. 6 while permitting the cam 58 to swing upwardly when the pin 5? is moved forwardly. In order to permit a holding or resilient action or pressure of the corrugations or toothed end 52 of lever 50 against the paper towel, lever 50 is provided with an elongated slot 62 for the pivotal pin 5|. Also a spring 63, as shown in Fig. 10, acts against the sliding box 25 and the end of lever 55 to resiliently urge the end of lever 59 against the paper towel. This spring may be given the exact pressure desired to secure ample contact whereby the paper towel will be grasped sufficiently to actuate the parts when pulled.

On the opposite side of the box 25 to the rack 23 there is provided a pin 64 which continually contacts with the shutter-actuating lever 55. This lever is pivotally mounted at 66 on a turnedup ear preferably integral with the base 2i. A link Bl is pivotally mounted at 68 on the lever and has a second link 69 pivotally connected to the outer end thereof, said second link having a foot 10 (Fig. 8) rigidly secured to the shutter 6 by any suitable means, as, for instance, screws H. The parts are so proportioned that when the pin 64, as shown in Fig. 1, is moved a certain distance by the actuation of the plunger i8 for the first time, no movement of the lever 65 will result. Likewise, the second movement of the plunger IE will produce no results as far as the lever 65 is concerned. However, the third movement will cause the pin 64 to strike the inclined end 72 of the lever 65 and force the same downwardly as viewed in Fig. 1, whereupon links 67 and 69 will be pulled upwardly and will swing the shutter 6 upwardly on its pivotal mounting 8. This shutter at one end is provided with a bracket 13 having a slot 14 for accommodating a pin 15 carried by a bracket 16 rigidly secured to the shutter 5. This provides an articulated connection between the two shutters so that when the shutter 6 is swung upwardly shutter 5 will also be swung upwardly an equal distance as shown in Fig. 2. This exposes the notch caused by the cutaway portions M and I5, and will disclose the lower portion l6 of the lowermost towel whereupon it may be grasped and removed from the machine. It will be understood that the interfolded towels I9 will function in the usual manner so that when the lowermost towel is pulled out of the machine the next towel will take the lowermost position and will be moved so that the lower part will be arranged as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive. Notwithstanding the fact that when one towel is pulled out the next towel takes its position, said next towel cannot be grasped because the guards 5 and B will have moved down to their functioning position shown in Fig. l and will prevent anyone from grasping the towel.

In order that the sliding box 25 may properly slide without shifting its position, the base 2| is provided with a slot Tl, and in this slot is positioned the extension 18 of a plate 19, whereby when screws 80 are placed in position the parts will be clamped together and yet the box 25 allowed to slide as the extension 18 is of a desired thickness to permit the screws 89 to be screwed down tight and yet allow for a sliding movement of the respective parts. The base 2| also is provided with a slot 8|, which permits the lever 50 to swing downwardly a sufficient distance to release the various mechanisms as heretofore set forth. It will be understood that the pawl 44 is given a normal tendency to swing downwardly by reason of the spring M.

It will be observed by reason of the mechanism set forth that the actuation of the knob 20 will not in any way afiect any of the towels and will not feed the towels from the machine but will expose the under part of the lowermost towel when properly actuated. It will also be seen that when the knob has been pressed three times and a towel not removed, any additional pressure or movement of the knob will not injure or affect any of the parts, but will merely produce an idle reciprocation of the plunger l8. If the plunger should be actuated when the device is empty, the shutters 5 and 6 will move upwardly and will remain in'that position. However, by manually or with some instrument moving the lever 59, the shutters or guards 5 and B will be lowered and then .a new batch of towels may be inserted by opening the door 2. It will be understood that when a .new batch of towels is inserted the new batch will have the lowermost towel positioned as shown in Fig. 1, or if there is already a supply of towels in the machine the lowermost towel of the new batch must be manually interfolded with the other towels so that the towels will automatically feed downwardly after each removal of a towel. It will also be noted that the pin 38 really acts as an abutment to prevent the plunger it from being pulled out of place. Further, it will be noted that the mechanism does not in any sense move the towels but that the towels move the mechanism and if the mechanism were eliminated the towels could be pulled out one at a time.

A brief statement of the manner and sequence of operation will now be given. Starting with the parts in the position of Fig. 1, the shutters. or guards 5 and 6 will be in obstructing position and will prevent the user gaining access to the leading lower edge of the towel which would otherwise be accessible between notches l4 and 5 at the lower end of the chute l3 (see also Fig. 3) Button 25 is now pushed inward once to shift the rack or ratchet box 25 and associated mechanism which might be termed a multiple mechanism assembly one step inwardly. The box is retained in this position by retaining pawl id engaging the outermost shoulder of the retaining rack 24 (see Fig. 7) The button is released, it returns outward under spring action and is again pressed inwardly manually. With this second operation the shifting pawl 29 engages the second shoulder 46 of rack 23 and moves the rack box inward a further or second step where it again retained by the holding pawl 54 engaging middle shoulder 47. After release of the button and outward return of it, it is pressed inward manually a third time whereupon the rack box will be moved inward'a third step. By

this third and final movement, the pin. 64 carried by the rack box, will have been moved to the Fig. 2 position Where it no longer locks the guards or shutters in guarding position, but

comes against the #2 end of the member 65 to lift the shutter or guarding means to a position at which access is afforded to the first towel. The final inward shift of the rack box will alsohave contacted serrated part 52 of member 58 against the towel. Upon movement of the towel der the influence of spring 33. The pawl id will position.

tiple operations.

be kept lifted by the pin 51, riding over the top of the cam track and during the initial motion of restoration of the parts the shutters or guarding means 5 and 6 will be again shifted to blocking The operation can nowbe repeated. By the foregoing mechanism operating as described, repetitious manual operations or pressing of the operating button 2!? are required to set up the multiple multi-step mechanism by mul- It is only after these multiple step operations of the multi-step mechanism have reached the last phase that the guarding means are shifted to a position to afford access to a new towel. Upon withdrawal of the towel the towel movement releases the multi-step mechanism to ly retain the shutters or guards 5 and 6, which by gravity move downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1. When the mechanism is all removed except the shutters, it will merely be necessary for a person to push the shutters up with the hand and then grasp the towel and pull the same downwardly, thus removing one towel and causing the next towel to be moved to a position to be removed. In addition, when the hand is moved away from the shutters they will automatically move down by gravity to the position shown in Fig. 1. This action could be repeated as desired but each time it would be necessary to manually raise the shutters. Where such a free use of the towels is not desired, the mechanism is to be used and may be set as above described to require three operations before a towel can be removed. a

I claim:

1. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfo-lded towels in sequence, comprising a casing having a discharge outlet through which towels are moved as they are dispensed and into'which outlet the leading edge of each towel is withdrawn by the withdrawal of the preceding towel which is interfol'ded therewith, said casing having sloping guiding bottom portions to guide the leading edges of successive towels to such outlet, a guarding structure arranged adjacent said outlet and positioned to normally prevent a person grasping a towel projecting into said outlet, hand-operated means for moving said guarding structure toexpose that part-of the towel projectin to the outlet whereby the towel may be grasped and pulled from the cabinet and locking means for the guarding means to lock it in normal position, said locking means being unlocked by the hand-operated means prior to the shift of the guarding means.

2. In a dispensing cabinet, a casing, means for supporting in said casing a plurality of interfolded paper towels adapted to be dispensed in sequence, means adjacent said supporting means forming adcwnwardly extending discharge passageway, said towels being positioned so that the lowermost towel will have a part thereof extending into said passageway, said means forming said passageway having a notch for exposing said extending part, whereby it may be grasped and the towel pulled from the casing, a pair of guards normally covering said notch, hand-operated means for moving said guards for exposing said notch, means for returning said guards to cover said notch, said means including means in frictional contact with a towel and operated by a towel upon the manual withdrawal thereof for causing said guard returning means to operate.

3.,A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded paper towels, comprising a casing having an opening through which one edge portion of one of the towels to be dispensed extends, a guard normally preventing access to said opening, and means for moving said guard for exposing said opening, said last means. including a manipulable member and mechanism operatively connected to. said manipulable member intermediate said member and the guard operating the guard after a plurality of repetitious and discontinuous operations of the manipulable member to move the guard to opening exposing position.

4. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded paper towels, comprising a casing adapted to receive towels to be dispensed, means for supporting said towels in said casing, said means being provided with a dispensing opening through which the leading edge of one towel projects before withdrawal and through which the leading edge of a following towel projects upon manual withdrawal of the preceding towel, a guard for normally preventing access to said opening, and means for moving said guard for exposing said opening, said last mentioned means having a hand-operated member, and means intermediate the hand-operated member and guard for requiring a plurality of repeat and discontinuous operations of the hand-operated member to be effected before the guard can be moved to expose the opening.

5. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded paper towels in sequence, comprising a casing having downwardly sloping bottom portions defining therebetween an elongated discharge opening transversely extending across the casing at the bottom thereof, said bottom portions of the casing defining the discharge opening also forming a towel-supporting structure for supporting a stack of interfolded towels in said casing so that part of the lowermost towel will extend to a point adjacent said opening in position to be grasped, and a pair of pivotally mounted articulated guards hingedly mounted on the exterior of the cabinet at opposite sides of said opening on axes which extend parallel to the transversely extending discharge opening, said guards normally completely preventing access to said discharge opening, said guards when in their lowermost position preventing access to said towel but when moved upwardly to their upper position providing free access to the lowermost towel.

6. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing towels, comprising a casing having a dispensing opening in its bottom extending across the casing and through the bottom thereof, said casing having sloping bottom portions extending to said opening for guiding the towels thereto and for supporting a stack of towels, a guard structure normally preventing access to said opening, said guard structure being movable from said access preventing position to a position exposing said opening and means in contact with and operated by the movement of a towel through said discharge opening for returning such guard structure to access preventing position.

'7. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded paper towels in sequence, comprising a casing provided with means for supporting a stack of towels, said means having a pair of parallel notched members through which the towels are adapted to be dispensed, the notches in said notched members permitting access to the lower part of the lowermost towel, a pivotally mounted guard structure normally preventing access to said notches, said guard structure being pivotally mounted so that when in one position access to said notches will be prevented and when in a second position said notches will be exposed so that the lower portion of the lowermost towel may be grasped and pulled, mechanism for controlling the movement of said guard structure, towel controlled means operative upon movement of a towel for conditioning said guard structure controlling mechanism so that the guarding structure shifts to the first mentioned position upon withdrawal of a towel, and means controlled by repetitious and discontinuous operations of a manually controlled member forconditioning said guard structure controlling mechanism so that the guarding structure shifts to the second mentioned position.

8. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded towels, comprising a casing having a passage through which towels may be manually pulled one at a time, a movable guard structure carried by the casing and associated with said passage for normally preventing access to the towels in the casing, and hand-operated means for moving said guard structure to access-permitting position, said means having a hand-actuated member and multi-step mechanism requirmore than one discontinuous and repetitious actuation of said hand-actuated member to cause said guard structure to move to access-permitting position.

9. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded paper towels in sequence, comprising a casing having a dispensing outlet, a towel-supporting structure for supporting a stack of interfolded towels in said casing so that a part of the lowermost towel will extend to a point adjacent said opening in position to be grasped and removed, said towel supporting structure comprising sloping bottom portions with their lower edges spaced apart and defining the edges of the aforesaid dispensing outlet, a guard structure normally preventing access to said dispensing outlet, manually actuated means for shifting the position of said guard structure so as to expose part of the lowermost towel whereby it may be grasped and removed and means in contact with and set into operation by movement of a towel through said dispensing opening to cause the guard structure to be returned to access blocking position each time a towel is moved upon withdrawal thereof.

10. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded paper towels in sequence, comprising a casing having a dispensing outlet, a towel-supporting structure for supporting a stack of interfolded paper towels in said casing in position so that the leading edge part of the lowermost towel will after withdrawal of a preceding towel always extend to a point adjacent said outlet in position to be grasped and removed, a guard structure normally preventing access to said lowermost towel in the outlet, and manually actuated means for shifting the position of said guard structure away from the outlet so that said lowermost towel may be grasped and removed, said means including a reciprocating hand actuated member and operatively connected means for compelling repetitious and discontinuous operations of said hand actuated member to cause said guard structure to move once away from the outlet.

11. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded paper towels in sequence, comprising a,

casing having a dispensing outlet, means for supporting towels in the casing so that the lowermost towel will project into said outlet, a guard structure normally preventing access to the towel projecting into said outlet, manually actuated means for moving said guard structure to permit access to said towel, means to hinder access to said towel, including devices intermediate the manually actuated means and guard structure which require repetitious operations of the manually for causing the guard structure to be returned to access blocking position.

12. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded paper towels in sequence, including a casing having a support for a stack of towels, said support having means forming a passageway having parallel walls, said walls being formed with aligned notches, the lowermost of said stack of towels projecting between said walls and suf- 10 ficiently into said passageway to permit a person to grasp the towel by passing part of the hand through said notches, whereby the towel may be removed by a downward pull, a pair of hingedly mounted guards, there being one guard on each side of said notched walls and normally presenting access thereto, and a hand-operated member for swinging said guards to expose the notches in said walls whereby a towel may be grasped and pulled from the casing, and a member actuated upon towel movement upon manual withdrawal of a towel for causing said guards to be returned to access blocking position whereby the aforesaid hand operated member must be again manipulated before a second towel can be removed.

- 13. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded paper towels in sequence, comprising a casing, a support in the casing for supporting a stack of towels, said support having a pair of parallel extensions forming a passageway, said extensions being provided with aligned notches for exposing one of the towels therethrough, a pair of guards having their lower edges near the lower edge of said notches whereby access to the notches is prevented, and hand-operated means for moving said guards so that said notches will be exposed, said hand-operated means including a reciprocating member, means for transmitting power from said reciprocating member to said guards for moving the same to expose said notches, and a lever actuated by said reciprocating member and displaced into contact with the towel which projects between such extensions, said lever being moved by said towel upon movement of the towel upon withdrawal, and means effective upon such towel created movement of the lever to initiate release and reset of the guards whereby another manipulation of the means for moving the guards must be efiected before a second towel can be dispensed.

14. A towel dispensing apparatus for interfolded towels and the like, including in combination a cabinet for holding a supply of towels, a discharge passage in said cabinet through which towels are individually manually withdrawn from a supply within the cabinet, means at said discharge passage adapted normally to block access to the leading edge of a towel within said passage and movable to establish access thereto and means for causing access to be established by movement of the foregoing means, said last mentioned means including a manipulable member and means controlled therefrom and eifective only after a plurality of repeated and discontinuous 5 operations of the manipulable member for bringing about the establishment of access by movement of the blocking means from access blocking position.

15. A towel dispensing apparatus for inter- 7 folded towels and the like, including in combinationa cabinet for holding a supply of towels, a discharge passage in said cabinet'through which towels are individually manually withdrawn from a supply within the cabinet, means at said discharge passage adapted normally to block manual access to the leading edge of a towel within said passage and movable to establish access thereto, a towel operated tripping member operated by towel movement upon manual withdrawal of a towel, means for causing access to be blocked by the foregoing blocking means, means for moving said. access blocking means to establish access to a towel, and means under the control of said towel. operated trip for returning said access blocking means to its normal position. 7

16. A towel dispensing'apparatus for interfolded towels and the like, including in come bination a cabinet for holding a supply of towels, a discharge passage in said cabinet through which towels are individually manually withdrawn from a supply within the cabinet, means at said discharge passageadapted normally to block manual access to the leading edge of a towel within said passage and movable to establish access thereto, means for causing access to be established by movement of the foregoing means, said last mentioned means including a manipulable member and means controlled therefrom and effective only after a plurality of repeated and discontinuous operations of the manipulable member for bringing about the establishment of access by movement of the block ing means from access blocking position, a towel operated tripping member operated by towel movement upon manual withdrawal of a towel, and mechanism adapted to be released by said tripping member for returning said blocking means to its normal blocking position.

17. In an interfolded towel dispensing apparatus wherein towels and the like are manually withdrawn from an interfolded supply of units within a casing, comprising in combination with an outlet chute for the units, guarding means the multi-step mechanism to original position 7 7 whereby after reset, multi-step operations are again required as "a condition precedent to further towel withdrawal.

19. A towel dispensing cabinet for interfolded units such as towels wherein the units are individually manually withdrawn from an access portion thereof, and including in combination, means to normally block access to the leading edges of a unit whereby manual access and manual withdrawal is prevented, means including a manually manipulable member and repeat mechanism between it and the blocking means for causing unblocking only after repeat operations of the repeatmechanism' induced by repetitious manual operations of the manipulable member. g r

20. A closed dispensing cabinet for interfolded units such as towels or the like having a discharge passage, with the usual storage for units from which units may be manually withdrawn and including in combination, means to block manual access to a unit at said passage, means to shift said blocking means to. a position in V which a unit is accessible for manual with drawal, means in contact with a unit being withdrawn operating to restore the blocking means to its access blocking position.

21. A towel dispensing cabinet for individual interfolded towels having a discharge passage and an access portion through which a leading edge of a towel projects so that an individual towel may be manually withdrawn from the cabinet and comprising in combination, guard means for rendering said towel at said access portion accessible and inaccessible, and means to cause the automatic shift of the guarding means to the last mentioned position including a tripping initiating means in contact with a towel in the passage, said means being thus brought into operation by towel movement itself upon withdrawal of a towel.

22. A towel dispensing cabinet for individual interfolded towels having an access portion beyond which a leading edge of a towel projects so that an individual towel may be manually withdrawn from the cabinet, guard means for automatically rendering said access portion accessible and inaccessible, said means for rendering said access portion accessible including a manipulable member and means intermediate said member and guarding means which is fully set only by repetitious operations of the manipulable member to a position to effect shift of the guard means to a position in which the access portion is accessible so that a towel may be withdrawn.

23. A dispensing apparatus for units such as towels, including a guarding means which is shiftable to block manual access to the leading edge of a unit and to a position in which access is afforded to the leading edge of a unit, and including in combination, control mechanism for the guarding means to discourage wastage of units, said mechanism including means for causing the guarding means to be shifted from blocking position to unblocking position before a unit can be withdrawn, and means operative during withdrawal of a unit and brought into action by movement of a unit upon manual withdrawal thereof to cause the guarding means to be shifted back to the position to block withdrawal of a following unit, the aforesaid means for causing the shifting from blocking to unblocking position comprising a manually manipulable member and means controlled thereby and operative to shift said guarding means to unblocking position only upon discontinuous and repetitious operations of the manually manipulable member.

24. A towel dispensing apparatus for interfolded paper towels and the like, wherein towels are individually manually withdrawn from a supply within a cabinet, including in combination, means to block manual access to the leading edge of a towel and for establishing access thereto and control mechanism for said last mentioned means, said mechanism including step-by-step means operated by repetitious and necessarily discontinuous operations of a manually operable member for moving said blocking means to bring about access to a towel and means called into action by and upon towel movement during towel withdrawal for causing the control mechanism to bring about blocking of access by the blocking means, said last mentioned means being operative to restore said step-by-step means to its initial position.

25. A dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded paper towels in sequence, comprising a casing, said casing having a pair of downwardly sloping bottom portions for supporting a stack of towels, said bottom portions at their lower edges being spaced apart and defining an outlet for the towels which extends transversely across the casing at the bottom thereof, movable guard means coacting with said casing portions defining the outlet for normally preventing suificient access to said outlet to permit a towel to be pulled therefrom, a manipulable member and a multistep mechanism between said member and said guard means, said multi-step mechanism being operative to move said guard means to permit access to said outlet only by repetitious operations of the manipulable member.

26. In a dispensing cabinet for interfolded paper towels, comprising a casing with a transversely extending outlet opening through its bottom, and means for supporting a stack of interfolded towels in such relation therein and with the towels interfolded so that one towel will draw the leading edge of a following interfolded towel through said bottom outlet in position for manual withdrawal, movable blockingmeans extending across the casing and pivotally mounted parallel to the transversely extending outlet opening for blocking access to the leading edge of a towel and for also afiording access to a towel upon movement of said blocking means so that it can be manually withdrawn, and after withdrawal of the towel for blocking access to the leading edge of a following towel, and including in combination locking means to initially lock the blocking means in access blocking position, said locking means being also effective to again lock the blocking means when a towel is withdrawn and when the blocking means blocks access to a following towel, a manipulable member which is freely operable at all times, and means operated thereby for unlocking the locking means and for also shifting the blocking means so that access is afforded to a towel so that it may be manually withdrawn, and means to cause the locking means to again lock the blocking means to prevent manual withdrawal of a following towel until aft-er a further unlocking and shifting is eifected by the freely operable manually manipulable member.

27. In a dispensing cabinet for dispensing interfolded towels in sequence, a closed casing, means for maintaining in said casing a plurality of interfolded units to be dispensed, said means including sloping bottom portions of said casing with the lower edges of said portions spaced apart to afford a delivery passage in the casing bottom through which the units are delivered, a movable guard acting to normally prevent grasping a unit and being adapted to be moved to expose the leading edge of said advanced unit, mechanism including a manually manipulable member for moving said guard to expose said advance unit whereby the unit may be readily grasped and removed, means for returning said manually manipulable member to its original position after an operation thereof, and other means eifective to return said guard to access blocking position.

RICHARD C. KE'ITLES, J R.

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