U.S. patent number 3,650,433 [Application Number 05/009,593] was granted by the patent office on 1972-03-21 for vertically mounted dispenser with slidable cover.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Stanley Works. Invention is credited to John C. Robertson.
United States Patent |
3,650,433 |
Robertson |
March 21, 1972 |
VERTICALLY MOUNTED DISPENSER WITH SLIDABLE COVER
Abstract
A dispenser for replaceable knife blades has a support member
with a shelf portion providing a shelf surface extending generally
horizontally and a cover member which is slidable over the shelf
portion. The cover member is secured in engagement with the support
member and has apertures therein for effecting movement of the
uppermost blade outwardly through the side thereof. As the blades
are dispensed, the cover member slidably descends relative to the
shelf portion.
Inventors: |
Robertson; John C. (Orange,
NJ) |
Assignee: |
The Stanley Works (New Britain,
CT)
|
Family
ID: |
21738608 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/009,593 |
Filed: |
February 9, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
221/65 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
83/0823 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
83/08 (20060101); B65d 083/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;221/65,279,283,287
;312/61,249 ;229/20 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Tollberg; Stanley H.
Claims
Having thus described the invention, I claim:
1. A blade dispenser comprising: a support member having a wall
portion with means for mounting said support member upon a wall or
the like and a shelf portion providing a shelf surface extending
generally perpendicular to said wall portion; and a cover member
dimensioned and configured for sliding movement over and about said
shelf portion, said cover member being of generally U-shaped cross
section and having a front wall extending over said shelf portion,
side walls extending from said front wall to adjacent said support
member wall portion and a top wall extending between said front
wall and side walls, said top wall having an aperture therein for
manual movement of the blades received in said dispenser in a
direction parallel to said front wall, one of said side walls
having an aperture adjacent said top wall for dispensing of blades
therethrough, the adjacent surfaces of said wall portion and said
side walls having cooperating means thereon slidably interengaged
to retain said cover member in assembly with said support member
and to permit sliding descent of said cover member relative to said
shelf portion as blades are dispensed therefrom, said shelf portion
and said cover member have cooperating guide means formed therein;
said guide means comprising a vertically extending rib element
formed on one of the adjacent surfaces and a channel-defining
surface portion formed on the other of the adjacent surfaces and
receiving said rib element for guiding the movement of the cover
member.
2. The blade dispenser in accordance with claim 1 wherein said
interengaged cooperating means comprise laterally projecting rib
elements on one of said adjacent surfaces of said side walls and
said wall portion and channel defining surface portions providing a
channel receiving said rib elements therein on the other of the
adjacent surfaces for sliding movement therein.
3. The blade dispenser in accordance with claim 1 wherein said
shelf portion is adjacent the lower end of said support member wall
portion and is hollow with a first wall providing said shelf
surface, a front wall extending upwardly and outwardly from said
wall portion to adjacent the outer end of said first wall and side
walls extending between said support member wall portion and said
first wall and front wall to provide firm support for said first
wall providing said shelf surface.
4. The blade dispenser in accordance with claim 1 wherein said
mounting means comprises at least one aperture in said wall portion
adjacent the upper end thereof adapted to seat a fastener or the
like secured on a wall.
5. The blade dispenser in accordance with claim 1 wherein said
interengaged cooperating means comprise laterally projecting,
vertically extending ribs on the side edges of said support member
wall portion and flanges on the ends of said cover member side
walls providing a U-shaped channel receiving said ribs for sliding
movement therein.
6. The blade dispenser in accordance with claim 5 wherein said
shelf portion has a vertically extending channel formed in the
outer surface thereof and wherein said cover member front wall has
a vertically extending rib formed thereon and received in said
channel for guiding the movement of the cover member.
7. The blade dispenser in accordance with claim 5 wherein said
flanges on said cover member snap over said ribs on said support
member.
8. A blade dispenser assembly comprising: a support member having a
wall portion with means for mounting said support member upon a
wall or the like and a shelf portion providing a shelf surface
extending generally perpendicular to said wall portion; a
multiplicity of blades supported on said shelf surface; and a cover
member dimensioned and configured for sliding movement over and
about said shelf portion and blades, said cover member being of
generally U-shaped cross section and having a front wall extending
over said shelf portion and blades, side walls extending from said
front wall to adjacent said support member wall portion and a top
wall extending between said front wall and side walls, said top
wall having an aperture therein for manual movement of said blades
in a direction parallel to said front wall, one of said side walls
having an aperture adjacent said top wall for dispensing of the
uppermost of said blades therethrough upon said manual movement,
the adjacent surfaces of said wall portion and said side walls
having cooperating means thereon slidably interengaged to retain
said cover member in assembly with said support member and to
permit sliding descent of said cover member relative to said shelf
portion as said blades are dispensed therefrom, said shelf portion
and said cover member have cooperating guide means formed therein,
said guide means comprising vertically extending rib elements
formed on one of the adjacent surfaces and channel defining surface
portions formed on the other of the adjacent surfaces and receiving
said rib elements for guiding the movement of the cover member.
9. The blade dispenser assembly in accordance with claim 8 wherein
said interengaged cooperating means comprise laterally projecting
rib elements on one of said adjacent surfaces of said side walls
and said wall portion and channel defining surface portions
providing a channel receiving said rib elements therein on the
other of the adjacent surfaces for sliding movement therein.
10. The blade dispenser assembly in accordance with claim 8 wherein
said shelf portion is adjacent the lower end of said support member
wall portion and is hollow with a first wall providing said shelf
surface, a front wall extending upwardly and outwardly from said
wall portion to adjacent the outer end of said first wall and side
walls extending between said support member wall portion and said
first wall and front wall to provide firm support for said first
wall providing said shelf surface.
11. The blade dispenser assembly in accordance with claim 8 wherein
said interengaged cooperating means comprise laterally projecting,
vertically extending ribs on the side edges of said support member
wall portion and flanges on the ends of said cover member side
walls providing a U-shaped channel receiving said ribs for sliding
movement therein.
12. The blade dispenser assembly in accordance with claim 11
wherein said cooperating guide means are provided by a vertically
extending channel formed in the outer surface of said shelf portion
and a vertically extending rib formed on said cover member front
wall and received in said channel for guiding the movement of the
cover member, and wherein said blades have a recess in the front
edge receiving said rib on said cover member front wall.
13. The blade dispenser assembly in accordance with claim 11
wherein said flanges on said cover member snap over said ribs on
said support member.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A number of tools utilize replaceable blades for suitably
configured handles, thus permitting the user to maintain an
effective cutting edge in the tool which he employs at relatively
low cost. In many commercial and industrial establishments, such
cutting tools are widely employed for opening packages, cutting of
paper board, trimming of wood, or the like. As a result, the
consumption of blades is relatively high and the blades must be
changed quite frequently.
Although various types of dispensing devices or storage devices are
available for such replaceable blades, generally there remains a
need for a dispenser which may be located readily in any convenient
location to provide a large supply of blades wherever needed.
Moreover, it is necessary that the blades be readily dispensed from
the storage device, and that the device be relatively inexpensive
and preferably disposable so that the purchaser or user is not
subjected to the requirement for refilling the dispensing
device.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a blade
dispenser which may be conveniently and readily mounted upon walls,
columns or the like, for dispensing a relatively large quantity of
blades and which is facile in operation.
It is also an object to provide such a dispenser which is
relatively simple and economical to manufacture and which is also
attractive in appearance.
Another object is to provide such a dispenser which provides a
visual indication of the amount of blades remaining therein so as
to indicate approaching exhaustion of the supply of blades.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has now been found that the foregoing and related objects may be
readily attained in a blade dispenser assembly comprising a support
member having a wall portion provided with means for mounting the
support member upon a wall or the like and a shelf portion
providing a shelf surface extending generally perpendicular to the
wall portion. A cover member is dimensioned and configured for
sliding movement over the shelf portion for sliding movement of the
cover member relative to the support member. The cover member has a
front wall extending over the shelf portion, side walls extending
from the front wall extending to adjacent the wall portion of the
support member and a top wall extending between the front wall and
the side walls.
The top wall of the cover member has an aperture therein for manual
movement of the blades received in the dispenser in a direction
parallel to the front wall and one of the side walls has an
aperture adjacent the top wall for dispensing of blades
therethrough. The adjacent surfaces of the support member wall
portion and the side walls of the cover member have cooperating
means thereon interengaged to retain the cover member in assembly
with the support member and to permit descent of the cover member
relative to the shelf portion as blades are dispensed
therefrom.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the interengaged cooperating means is comprised of
laterally projecting rib elements on one of the adjacent surfaces
of the side walls of the cover member and the wall portion of the
support member, and channel-defining surface portions on the other
of the adjacent surfaces providing a channel which receives the rib
elements for sliding movement therein. In its usual aspect, this
arrangement is provided by laterally projecting, vertically
extending ribs on the side edges of the support member wall portion
and flanges on the ends of the cover member side walls providing
the U-shaped channel. To facilitate engagement and to minimize the
likelihood of inadvertent disengagement, the flanges on the cover
member desirably snap over the ribs on the support member.
A particularly desirable and economical structure is provided by a
support member wherein the shelf portion is adjacent the lower end
of the support member wall portion and is hollow with its top wall
providing the shelf surface. A front wall extends outwardly and
upwardly from the wall portion to adjacent the outer end of the
wall providing the shelf surface and side walls extend between the
wall portion, shelf surface wall and front wall to provide firm
support for the wall providing the shelf surface and to translate
stresses and load to the wall portion. The mounting means may
comprise one or more apertures in the wall portion adjacent the
upper end thereof adapted to seat fasteners or the like secured on
a wall.
To guide the movement of the cover member relative to the support
member and to facilitate proper location of the blades within the
dispenser, the shelf portion and cover member have cooperating
guide means formed therein. Vertical extending rib elements are
formed on one of the adjacent surfaces thereof and channel-defining
surface portions are formed on the other of the adjacent surfaces
to receive the rib elements. The preferred version of this
structure employs the vertically extending channels in the outer
surfaces of the shelf portion and vertically extending ribs on the
inner surface of the cover member front wall. When the blades
received within the dispenser have cooperating recesses in the
adjacent edge, the ribs on the cover fit thereinto and serve to
ensure proper placement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a blade dispenser assembly
embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the dispenser assembly of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and to an
enlarged scale;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view thereof;
FIG. 5 is a front view thereof with a portion of the cover member
broken away to reveal internal construction;
FIG. 6 is a front view thereof with the cover member in a lowered
position as the result of dispensing of blades therefrom; and
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the finger of a
user (fragmentarily illustrated) dispensing a blade from the
dispenser.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS
Turning now in detail to the attached drawings, a blade dispenser
assembly embodying the present invention is comprised of a support
member generally designated by the numeral 2, a cover member
generally designated by the numeral 4 and a multiplicity of knife
blades 6 received therein. As will be pointed out in detail
hereinafter, the blades 6 are dispensed through the dispensing
aperture 8 in the side of the cover member 4 by manual movement
thereof through the finger aperture 10 in the cover member.
The support member 2 has a vertically elongated wall portion 12
with a planar portion 13 and a rearwardly extending peripheral
flange 14. Vertically extending ribs 16 on the rear surface of the
wall portion 12 rigidify the structure and cooperate with the
flange 14 to provide a high degree of structural strength.
Laterally projecting, vertically extending ribs 18 are provided on
the outer surfaces of the flange 14 along the sides of the support
member 2, and a pair of mounting apertures 20 are provided in the
planar portion 13 adjacent the upper end thereof so that the
support member 2 may be suspended by nails or the like on a wall,
beam or similar support surface. Adjacent the lower end thereof,
the support member 2 has a hollow shelf portion formed by the wall
22 which extends perpendicularly to the wall portion 12 to provide
the shelf surface upon which the blades 6 are placed, the front
wall 24 which extends outwardly and upwardly from the bottom end of
the wall portion 12 to the outer end of the shelf wall 22, and side
walls 26 which extend between the periphery of the wall portion 12
and the shelf wall 22 and side walls 26. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4,
the shelf portion is formed with a pair of arcuate recesses or
channels 28 extending vertically at the front edge of the shelf
wall 22 and in the forward vertically extending portion of the
front wall 24.
The ribs 16 on the wall portion 12 extend the full depth of the
shelf portion from the rear surface of the wall portion 12 to the
front wall 24 to greatly enhance the strength thereof, and the
apertures 20 are circumscribed by reinforcing ribs as seen in FIG.
1. In this manner, the wall portion 12 does not have the planar
portion 13 extending into the area of the shelf portion and is
defined in that area only by the flange 14 and ribs 16. It can be
seen that the side walls 25, front wall 24 and ribs 16 provide a
firm support for the shelf wall 22 and distribute the stresses to
the wall portion 12. Although the support member 2 with the
rigidified hollow shelf portion and rigidified planar portion 13
may be molded as a single piece, it provides a strong, stress
distributing support for the blades 6 seated on the shelf or upper
surface of the wall 22.
The cover member 4 is configured and dimensioned cooperatively with
respect to the shelf portion and has a pair of vertically
extending, generally L-shaped side flanges 30 extending about the
sides of the peripheral flange 14 of the support member 2. The top
web 32 extends between the side flanges 30 adjacent the planar
portion 13 of the support member 2. The side walls 34 converge
towards the front wall 36 and an outwardly projecting flange 38
extends about the lower end of the side walls 34 and front wall 36.
The top wall 40 extends between the top web portion 32, side walls
34 and front wall 36; there is no bottom wall. The top wall 32 has
the elongated finger aperture 10 therein which extends to one side
wall 34, and the dispensing aperture 8 is provided in the other
side wall 34 adjacent the top wall 32. The L-shaped side flanges 30
each have three inwardly projecting rib elements 42 spaced along
the free ends thereof to define U-shaped channels 44 receiving the
guide ribs 18 on the support member flanges 14. The rib elements 42
are formed in line with the apertures 46 in the front legs of the
flanges 30 to permit molding of the cover member 4 as a integral
unit. A pair of vertical ribs 48 formed in the front wall 36 slide
in the arcuate channels 28 of the shelf portion for guiding
movement, and terminate below the top wall 40 to provide a spacing
for the uppermost blade 6 to slide thereby.
As seen in FIG. 4, the blades 6 have a cutting edge 50 adjacent the
wall portion 12 and a pair of arcuate recesses 52 adjacent the
front wall 36 of the cover member, 4.
The configuration of the blades 6 will dictate to a large measure
at least the internal configuration of the blade dispenser since it
is desirable to provide relatively snug support for the blades 6 to
prevent shifting. However, economy of construction will normally
dictate that the external configuration conform reasonably closely
to the internal configuration of the cover member and thus the
blades received therein.
In operation of the illustrated dispenser, the user inserts a
finger into the aperture 10 as is seen in FIG. 7. Since the only
resistance to lateral movement of the top blade 6 is provided by
the weight of the cover member 4 which is carried thereby and the
frictional resistance between the top blade and the blade adjacent
thereto, a relatively minor amount of force will cause the blade 6
to move outwardly of the dispensing aperture 8 in the cover member
4. Inadvertent contact with the cutting edge 50 of the blade 6
during the dispensing operation is minimized since that cutting
edge is disposed rearwardly adjacent the wall or support
surface.
After the blade 6 has been dispensed, gravity will cause the cover
member 4 to slide downwardly on the support member 2 so that the
top wall 40 is now resting upon the top blade 6 in the remaining
stack. As the blades are dispensed, the cover member 4 continues to
descent relative to the support member 2 as indicated in FIG. 6 of
the drawing. This provides a visual indication of the number of
blades remaining within the dispenser so as to alert the user as to
the need for obtaining or requisitioning another dispenser to
replace that currently being employed. If so desired, one or more
indicia may be provided on the planar portion 13 to serve as an
indication of the supply remaining and a reminder of need for
obtaining a new dispenser.
Various other forms of guide means may be employed to interengage
the cover member 4 and support member 2 and to guide the cover
member 4 in its vertical descent upon the support member. For
example, the guide channels can be provided in the peripheral
flange 14 and the ribs provided on the side flanges 30 of the cover
member 4. The advantages to the illustrated embodiment are rather
apparent in providing for simplicity of molding, a reasonable
degree of tolerance and snap fit during assembly.
The shelf portion may vary in shape and in construction; as
previously indicated, its shape will generally be determined by the
shape of the blades since it is desirable to maintain fairly close
conformity between the blade receiving recess and the blades
themselves to minimize shifting. The illustrated construction for
the shelf portion offers significant advantages from the standpoint
of stress and load distribution to the vertical wall portion and
enables the fabrication of the support member in a single molding
operation. The cantilever effect of the front wall combines with
the vertical ribs and side walls to provide a very rigid structure
with relatively low consumption of material.
The means employed for supporting the dispenser assembly on a wall
or the like may vary widely and may include hook elements along the
side or upper edges of the support member, suitably configured
channels in the rear surface of the support member or apertured
bosses on the rear surface of the support member to which a wire or
other supporting means may be secured. The pair of apertures
utilized in the illustrated embodiment are easily provided during
the molding operation and require no separate manufacturing step;
in addition, the pair provides positive locating means to prevent
shifting of the dispenser on the wall.
As has been indicated above, the cover member and support member
may be readily fabricated from the synthetic plastic materials by
conventional molding operations. However, it will be appreciated
that the elements of the assembly may also be fabricated by
stamping from sheet metal, thermoforming of synthetic plastic sheet
material, machining from thicknesses of material including wood,
etc. Molding offers significant advantages in terms of cost and
ease of manufacture. Various plastics may be employed depending
upon the nature of the molding operation. For injection molding
processes, synthetic thermoplastics are conventionally employed,
such as impact polystyrene, ABS, polyethylene, nylon etc.
Although the dispenser of the present invention may be constructed
so as to be refillable with a new supply of blades, the economy of
construction and the simplicity of mounting favor its use as a
disposable dispenser. In this manner, the dispenser serves as the
package for shipment of a quantity of blades and protects the
cutting edges thereof from injury as well as protects persons from
possible injury. The large number of blades received therein may be
inserted at the factory in suitable equipment and the possibility
of injury is greatly reduced while at the same time ensuring that
the blades are properly mounted within the dispenser.
Thus, it can be seen from the foregoing detailed specification and
the appended drawings that the present invention provides a novel
blade dispenser which may be conveniently and readily mounted upon
walls, columns or the like to dispense a relatively large quantity
of blades. The dispenser is facile in operation, attractive in
appearance and relatively simple and economical to manufacture. In
addition, the dispenser provides a visual indication of the amount
of blades remaining therein so as to alert the user to a supply of
only a few blades and the necessity for obtaining a new
dispenser.
* * * * *