U.S. patent number 3,831,743 [Application Number 05/317,931] was granted by the patent office on 1974-08-27 for selectable multi-compartment magnetic dispenser.
Invention is credited to Robert M. Leedy.
United States Patent |
3,831,743 |
Leedy |
August 27, 1974 |
SELECTABLE MULTI-COMPARTMENT MAGNETIC DISPENSER
Abstract
A dispensing container for magnetizable articles, such as clips,
nails, nuts, bolts and similar metallic articles, is provided
wherein such container has a plurality of compartments for housing
magnetizable articles of different types or sizes, and which are
retained by a magnet disposed adjacent an outlet opening of each
compartment, so that all housed articles may be selectively removed
by the user as desired. Such container may also be provided with a
movable top which closes the outlet opening of all compartments
except the one selected by the user for removal of a particular
desired magnetizable article.
Inventors: |
Leedy; Robert M. (Short Hills,
NJ) |
Family
ID: |
23235880 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/317,931 |
Filed: |
December 26, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/338; 206/350;
206/818; 220/525; 221/212 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
83/02 (20130101); Y10S 206/818 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
83/02 (20060101); B65d 083/00 (); A45c
011/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/1R,DIG.33,56AC
;220/20 ;221/212 ;312/35 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Dixson, Jr.; William T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Kelly, Jr.; Wm. F.
Claims
I claim:
1. A dispensing container for magnetizable articles of different
size or weight comprising:
a. a hollow cotainer provided with a plurality of compartments
having an outlet opening at the end of each said compartment for
the withdrawl of magnetizable articles from any selected
compartment, and
b. a magnet disposed adjacent the opening at the end of each said
compartment and having sections of varying cross-sectional area, to
produce a corresponding increased magnetic field at the outlet
opening of each compartment to which each said magnet section is
adjacent for retaining magnetizable articles of increased size or
weight at each separate compartment outlet for removal by the
user.
2. A dispensing container for magnetizable articles of different
size and weight as set forth in claim 1 wherein a closure member is
provided at the end of said container having an opening with an
area approximating that of the compartment outlet opening and said
closure member being operable to align said closure member opening
with the outlet opening of any selected compartment for removal of
magnetizable articles therefrom by the user.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Dispensing containers for magnetizable articles have been utilized
for many years but their utilization has heretofore been restricted
to more or less one type of magnetizable article, such as paper
clips or the like as shown in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,528
granted Aug. 24, 1964, since selection of a desired article from a
conglomerate mixture within a unitary compartment would be tedious
and time consuming.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
It is accordingly the primary object of the present invention to
provide a dispensing container for magnetizable articles, wherein
such container is divided into a plurality of individual
compartments for housing different types and sizes of magnetizable
articles, with each such compartment having an interior of
decreasing cross-sectional area in the direction of the compartment
opening, and wherein the individual type articles within each
compartment are retained at such compartment opening by a magnetic
field, for selective removal by a user as desired.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a
dispensing container for housing different types or sizes of
magnetizable articles, having a plurality of separate and distinct
compartments with the articles within each compartment held at the
opening thereof by a magnetic field, and wherein such container is
provided with a movable closure member having an opening therein
and operable by the user to align such closure member opening with
any selected compartment opening for removal of the housed
magnetizable articles therefrom.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a
dispensing container for magnetizable articles of different types
or sizes having a plurality of separate and distinct compartment
openings at their top, with a magnet disposed adjacent such opening
having a progressively increasing cross-sectional area, with a
separate such area aligning with each compartment opening for
retaining magnetizable articles thereat requiring different
strength magnetic fields until removed by a user.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a
dispensing container for magnetizable articles of different types
or sizes having a plurality of separate and distinct compartments
with an opening at their top, and a movable closure member having
an opening therein and operable to align such closure member
opening with any selected compartment opening, and a magnet carried
by said movable closure member in alignment with the opening
therein and simultaneously movable into alignment with any selected
compartment opening, to retain the magnetizable articles at the
latter until removed by the user.
Still further objects of the present invention will become obvious
to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying
drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view taken on the line 1--1 of FIG. 2 and
showing one embodiment of the dispensing container for magnetizable
articles which the present invention may take;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the dispensing container as shown in FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 4 and
showing a modification which the dispensing container may take;
FIG. 4 is a top view of the dispensing container as shown in FIG.
3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the magnet as employed in the
modification of the dispensing container shown in FIGS. 3 and
4;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of FIG. 7 and
showing a still further modification wherein the magnet is affixed
to and hence movable with the rotatable head of the dispensing
container;
FIG. 7 is a top view of the dispensing container shown in FIG.
6.
Referring now to the drawing in detail, the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1 comprises a container 5 which may be of any configuration
but is therein shown as cylindrical, and having a closed bottom 6
and a removable cap-shaped top 7. Such top has a narrow depending
edge 8 which forms a telescopic connection with a reduced wall
thickness 9 of the container 5, so that the outside surface of such
container is smooth at the juncture of the top 7 therewith, with
such top 7 being rotatable relative to the lower portion of the
container 5.
The interior of the container is provided with a receding
cross-sectional area in the direction of the top 7, by the
provision of a ring-shaped member 11 having its cross-sectional
area progressively decreasing from that of the diameter of the
container 5, to that of the inner diameter of the opening in a
ring-shaped permanent magnet 12 disposed adjacent the
telescopically engaging ring-shaped top 7, when the latter is
affixed to the container 5, as shown in FIG. 1. Partitions 13 and
14 are disposed interiorly of the container 5 to divide the latter
into a plurality of compartments 15 for housing different types or
sizes of magnetizable articles, which egress through the opening at
the upper end 8 each compartment.
The rotatable top 8, as shown in FIG. 2, has its top surface closed
except for a sectional opening 16 provided therein and shown as of
quadrantal configuration, which opening is movable into alignment
with any selected one of the open ends of the interior compartments
15, simply by the user rotating the cap-shaped top 8 about the
container 5. Magnetic articles within the selected compartment are
accordingly retained at the compartment opening, by the adjacent
quadrantal section of the ring-shaped permanent magnet 12 until
such articles are removed by the user as desired. It is also within
the scope of the present invention to slightly modify the permanent
magnet 12 by making it in the form of only the arcuate section
which is movable into alignment with any selected compartment 15
and securing such arcuate section to the underside of the rotatable
top 7, since all other unselected compartments are in any event
closed by the rotatable top itself and the magnetic field is needed
only at the open compartment.
The modification of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4
and 5, differs from that of the preceding modification in that the
container 25 is provided with a telescopically engaging cap-shaped
bottom 26 which is removable for filling the various compartments
27 with different size and shaped magnetizable articles. Also, the
ring-shaped permanent magnet 28 in this modification is of variable
strength by the provision of sections of increasing cross-sectional
area, which may be randomly disposed or progressively as shown in
FIG. 5 and positioned beneath the rotatable top 29.
Each separate and distinct cross-sectional magnet area is
accordingly positioned in alignment with a different one of the
compartments 27, so that magnetizable articles of different weight
and hence requiring a progressively greater magnetic field may be
housed within the container 25 and retained at each compartment
opening by its required magnet section. Moreover, in this
modification the rotatable top 29 comprises a flat disc which may
be of plastic material and having an upwardly projecting rib 31
graspable by the user for rotating the disc top to align its
quadrantal opening 32 with a selected one of the desired
compartments 27. Also, such quadrantal opening 32 is itself
provided with a closure member 33 hingedly secured at its apex to
the rotatable top and forming a snap fit with the latter when
closed.
In FIG. 6 and 7, the modification therein shown comprises a
cylindrical container 41 likewise divided by partitions 42 and 43
into a plurality of compartments and having a rotatable cap-like
top 44 similar to the structure shown in FIG. 1. However, a
permanent magnet in the form of magnetic tape 45 surrounds the top
of container 41 and may be secured to the underside depending
annular surface of the top 44 and hence rotatable therewith, or
preferably is secured to the outer surface of the container 41
itself, so as to remain in a stationary position with the top 44
rotatable thereon. The rotatable top 44 is likewise provided with a
quadrantal opening 46 movable by the user into any desired opening
from the inner compartments 47. Also, if desired, the magnetic tape
45 may comprise an arcuate strip secured to the underside edge of
the top 44 in alignment with the quadrantal opening 46, and thus
movable therewith into position above any selected compartment
opening.
It should thus become obvious to those skilled in the art from the
foregoing that a dispensing container for magnetizable articles has
been herein shown and described wherein such container is divided
into a plurality of compartments for housing and dispensing a
plurality of magnetizable articles of different size or weight.
Moreover such dispenser is provided with a closed movable top
except for an opening of approximately the same area as that of the
open end of the compartment, and with such movable top being
operable to align such top-opening with any selected one of said
container compartments, for removal of the magnetizable articles
contained in such selected compartment by a user as desired.
Although several embodiments of the present invention have been
herein shown and described, it is to be understood that still
further modifications thereof may be made without departing from
the spirit and scope of the present invention as herein
claimed.
* * * * *