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.

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.

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.