US3306494A - Means for dispensing cotton-tipped applicators - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 28, 1967 J. F. CASTNER MEANS FOR DISPENSING COTTON-TIPPED APPLICATORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Dec. 11, 1963 INVENTOR CASTNER JOHN F. @fl/W ATTORNEY BY m 64 Feb. 28, 1967 J. F. CASTNER MEANS FOR DISPENSING COTTONTIPPED APPLICATORS 5 Sheets-$heet 2 Original Filed Dec.

INVENTOR JOHN F. CASTNER ATTORNEY Feb. 28, 1967 J. F CASTNER 3,306,494

MEANS FOR DISPENSING COTTON-TIPPED APPLICATORS Original Filed Dec. 11 1963 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR JOHN F. CASTNER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,306,494 MEANS FOR DISPENSING COTTON-TIPPED APPLICATORS John F. Castner, Reedsburg, Wis, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Hankscraft Company, Reedsburg, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Original application Dec. 11, 1963, Ser. No. 329,661, now Patent No. 3,233,729, dated Feb. 8, 1966. Divided and this application Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 501,116 9 Claims. (Cl. 221-81) This application is a division of my pending application filed on December 11, 1963, US. Serial No. 329,661 on a Means for Dispensing Cotton-Tipped Applicators, now Patent No. 3,233,729.

This invention relates to means by which applicators or swabs are dispensed.

Although the principles of the present invention may be included in various dispensing devices, a particularly useful application is made in a dispensing device which is constructed to receive a series of cotton-tipped applicators which are carded, and which are released and dispensed from such card by such dispenser.

The present invention includes a dispenser which has a manually operatable mechanism that detaches the next swab or applicator from a carded strip of the same, and which thereafter transfers such detached swab or applicator to a place of ready access. contemporaneously, a feeder mechanism advances the carded strip of swabs so that the manually operatable mechanism will act to dispense only one such swab from the carded strip at a time.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide means for dispensing cotton-tipped applicators.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing mechanism for cotton-tipped applicators.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a swath dispenser which may be operated by merely pushing on the cabinet thereof.

Yet another object is to provide a swab dispenser which will dispense individual swabs from a carded strip of such swabs.

Many other advantages, features and additional objects of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

On the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a representative means for dispensing cotton-tipped applicators or swabs, the same being illustrated in horizontal use, provided in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the swab dispensing means of FIG, 1, showing the same as being supported on a vertical support surface;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIIIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an end view thereof;

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged cross-sectional views illustrating the dispensing of a swab, taken along line VV of FIG. 3;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are enlarged fragmentary views of the left end of FIG. 3 illustrating operation of the strip feeder;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a carded strip of swabs or applicators which may be dispensed by the present invention;

FIG. 11 is an end view thereof; and

FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view through the stick portion of a swab.

As shown on the drawings:

3 ice The means for dispensing cotton-tipped applicators includes a swab dispenser for dispensing swabs from a carded strip of swabs or applicators. An understanding of the latter facilitates an understanding of the former. In FIGS. 10-12 there is shown a carded strip of swabs or applicators generally indicated at 15. A strip or tray 16 comprises paper-board or other flexible-resilient sheet material and includes an intermediate portion 17 which comprises a relatively broad base panel, to which there is attached opposite marginal edge portions 18, 18 which comprise relatively narrow integral side panels. As best seen in FIG. 11, the side panels or marginal edge portions 18 are each disposed at an obtuse angle to the intermediate portion 17, and are hinged thereto at a pair of fol-d lines 19, 19. Each of the side panels 18 is provided with a series of uniformly sized and spaced apertures 20. At each of the apertures 20, the panels 18 are provided with a corresponding series of slits 21 which extend from the aperture to the outer edge. The opposite edges 22 which define each slit 21 are closely adjacent to each other.

A series of swab assemblies is indicated at 23, and each swab assembly comprises a stick portion 24, and a pair of swa b portions 25, 25 disposed at the opposite ends of the stick portion 24.

Each of the stick portions 24 or applicator sticks extends through an aligned pair of the apertures 20, an increment 26, 26 thereof extending laterally outwardly of each side of the tray 16. Such increments 26, 26 are engaged by a mechanism described below to remove the individual swabs 23 from the strip 16. By this structure, each swab is disposed at a predetermined fixed position, and thereby reliability of operation of the dispensing mechanism described below is insured.

The cross-sectional configuration of the stick portions 24 may be conventional. However, in FIG. 12 there is shown a special cross-sectional configuration of stick portion. The material is tubular plastic which is internally longitudinally serrated as at 27, and the external surface is provided with corresponding aligned serrations 28.

In FIG. 1, there is shown a swab dispenser assembly 29 which utilizes the carded strip 15 of swabs. The dispenser 29 is so constructed that it may rest upon a horizontal surface in the manner shown in FIG. 1, or the same may be supported on a bracket 30 which is attachable to a vertical surface 31 as shown in FIG. 2.

The dispenser 29 includes a cabinet generally indicated at 32 having a dispensing compartment 33 and a storage compartment 34. The compartments 33 and 34 receive carded strips 15 of swabs, there being but one such strip 15 at a time disposed in the dispensing compartment 33. Both of the compartments 33 and 34 are closed by a cover 35 which is pivotally carried on a pin 36 extending through the cabinet 32, the ends of the pin 36a being extended as shown in FIG. 2 for being supported by the mounting bracket 30.

A manually operatable mechanism 36 is movably supported at one end of the cabinet 32, and is operative to detach each swab 23 one at a time and to transfer such detached swab laterally to a place of ready access. To this end, the manually operatable mechanism 36 includes a pair of parallel plunger means 37, 37 which are rigidly joined together at one of their ends by a plate means 38. The cabinet 32 has a lower wall 39 which is apertured to receive each of the plunger means 37, an intermediate plate 40 which is similarly apertured for the same purpose, and which intermediate plate 40 divides the dispensing compartment 33 from the storage compartment 34, and an upper or front side 41. The cabinet walls 39 and 40 thus provide support and guidance for the plunger means 37, the means 36 being manually movable against the force of a return spring means 42, 42 which biases the mechanism 36 to one position. The return spring 42 acts between the intermediate wall 40 of the cabinet 32 and the joining plate means 38 to bias the plungers 37 away from the carded strip 15. Suitable pilot members 43, 43, 44, 44 are provided on the joining plate means 38 and on the intermediate plate or wall 40 respectively for retaining and guiding the ends of the springs 42. The lower wall 39 of the cabinet 32 is suitably apertured to accommodate and to receive such springs 42 and pilots 43. To limit the extent that the springs 42 may move the mechanism 36 in an outward direction, each of the plungers 37 is provided with a snap ring 45 engageable with the interior surface of the cabinet wall 39. Although the joining means 38 may be manually engaged to move the mechanism 36 further into the cabinet 32, the structure disclosed is particularly advantageously operated by having the joining means 38 disposed against the supporting surface such as 31 in FIG. 2. The strength of the springs 42 is such that the end of the cabinet is held in an elevated or spaced position from the joining means 38. Manual force may then be applied to the cabinet 32 in a direction to compress the springs 42. In response to such relative movement, the upper end 46 of the plungers 37 is moved into engagement with the portions 26, 26 of the next carded swab 23, the ends 46 thus comprising portions of the manually operatable mechanism 36 which are movable into the dispensing compartment 33 and engageable with the next carded swab 23 at opposite sides of the strip 16.

The upper or front wall 41 of the cabinet 32 is preferably transparent, to enable viewing of the carded strip in the dispensing compartment 33. In line with the plungers 37, the cabinet wall 41 is provided with an elongated dispensing slot 41 through which the plungers 37 may project for transferring the swab 23 to a place of ready access disposed externally of the dispensing compartment 33. Thecabinet wall 41 is provided with a plurality of coactive fingers 48, 48, 49 which project from the cabinet 32 to receive the swab 23 therebetween. The fingers 48 are disposed at one side of the slot 47, each having a stickreceiving notch 48a, and the finger 49, which preferably is slightly resilient, is disposed at the opposite side of the slot 47.

The manually operatable mechanism 36 is normally in the position shown in FIGS. 1S. In response to movement of the end of the cabinet toward the support surface, the mechanism 36 is received within the cabinet 32 to a greater extent, thereby enabling the ends or portions 46 to engage the portions 26, 26 of the endmost carded swab 23 which resists detachment from the strip 16. Such resistance to detachment causes the lower or adjacent end of the carded strip to be elevated within the dispensing compartment 33 so that the edges of the integral side panels 18 engage the inner surface of the cabinet wall 41 adjacent to the elongated aperture 47. This relationship is best seen in FIG. 6. Further movement of the mechanism 36 causes the portions 22 adjacent to each of the apertures of the strip 16 to yield, thereby releasing such swab as shown in FIG. 7 for further transfer to a position between the fingers 48 and 49 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, so that the same may be manually grasped.

When the strip 16 and the swab 23 separate, the end of the carded strip returns from an elevated position as shown in FIG. 6 to a position substantially against the intermediate wall 40 as shown in FIG. 7. This return movement is set forth more fully below.

The cabinet 32 is provided with a pair of side walls 50, 51, the inner surfaces of which in the dispensing compartment 33 comprise means adjacent to each of the swab ends for aligning the carded strip 15 with the manually operatable mechanism 36.

The return spring means 42, 42 biases the manually operatable mechanism 36 in one position as explained above, which mechanism 36 is thus operative to detach the swab 23 from the strip 16 when such mechanism 36 is moved to a second position against the force of the spring means 42. The spring means 42 thereafter act as a return spring and returns the mechanism 36 to such one position after the mechanism 36 has been manually moved to such second position.

In order that the swab dispenser 29 may be operated a number of times to displace or dispense successive swabs 23, there is provided a strip feeder generally indicated at 52. The strip feeder 52 is movably supported by the cabinet 32 and is operated by the joining means 38 of the mechanism 36 reciprocably in one direction against a bias to advance the carded strip 15 automatically after each swab 23 has been individually detached therefrom.

The strip feeder 52 includes a feeder bracket 53 best seen in FIG. 8 which is pivotally supported on a pin 54 carried. in the cabinet sides and 51. A torsion spring 55 has an end 56 which acts against the cabinet 32 and an end 57 which acts against the feeder bracket 53 to pivotally bias the same to the position shown in FIGS. 5-7. A similar length of spring 58 is also provided on the pin 54 to serve as a spacer, thereby effecting centering of the feeder bracket 53. The joining means 38 has a plunger 59 which is receivable through a further aperture in the bottom wall 39 of the cabinet 32, and which engages the feeder bracket 53 as shown in FIG. 7 to pivot the same from its normal position there illustrated to the position illustrated in FIG. 8. Such pivoting is opposed by the feeder spring 55 which is thereby loaded so that when the mechanism 36 is released, the spring 55 will return the feeder bracket from the position shown in FIG. 8 (in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 8) to its original position.

An elongated finger 60 is yieldably supported on the feeder bracket 53. The elongated finger 60 preferably comprises a spring finger having a sharp tip 61 which extends through a further aperture in the intermediate plate 40 for engagement with the lower surface of the strip 16. In this embodiment, the spring finger 60 is pivotally supported on the feeder bracket 53 by means of a pin 60a, and in addition to the yieldability of the spring finger 60 itself, further yieldability is provided by a biasing spring 62 which acts between the feeder bracket 53 and the finger 60 to bias the finger 64) in a clockwise direction. The biasing spring 62 thus acts between the feeder bracket 53 and the spring finger 60 to bias the spring finger 60 toward the carded strip 15, the biasing spring being yieldable in response to any excess pivoting of the feeder bracket 53 as explained more fully below.

In a dispensing operation, the feeder 52 does not begin to function during the initial engagement and elevation of the swab described above for FIG. 6, and does not begin to function until after the swab 23 has been detached as shown in FIG. 7. At this point, the plunger 59 engages the feeder bracket 53 as shown in FIG. 7. During the remaining inward movement of the manually operatable mechnism 36, which elevates the swab 23 to the place of ready access between the fingers 48 and 49, the feeder bracket is pivoted from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 8. In the condition shown in FIG. 3, the biasing spring 62, here illustrated as being an extension spring, has no tension on it. In this condition, the finger 60 is substantially coplanar with the intermediate wall 40, and may slightly engage the carded strip 15. However, as the feeder bracket 53 pivots in a clockwise direction, the finger 60 is elevated so that the point 61 thereof slides along the undersurface of the carded strip 15 by an amount equal to the spacing between a pair of successive apertures 20 in the strip 16. This engagement raises the end of the strip 16 a second time from the position shown in FIG. 7 to the position shown in FIG. 8 into engagement with the lower surface of the cabinet wall 41. The feeder mechanism 52 is so sized and dimensioned with respect to the carded strip 15 as to effect the grasping of an increment of the proper size to be fed as it is pivoted in one direction. It is somewhat more difficult to control the amount of resistance to elevation, or rather the point at which a certain resistance to elevation will begin, owing to the fact that the cotton tips 25 cannot be dimensioned precisely. Thus, movement of the point 61 in a vertical direction by an adequate amount is built into the structure shown, and any excess movement in that direction is taken up by yielding of the spring 62. Thus, after each swab has been transferred to a place of ready access, the spring finger 60 is retracted to grasp an increment to be fed, and while being so retracted, the same is loaded or biased concurrently with the loading or biasing of the feeder spring 55.

As the spring finger 60 is retracted, there is a tendency for the carded strip to move in a reverse direction. To prevent any reverse movement thereof of any consequence, there is provided a pawl 63 supported on the cabinet wall 41, and having a pair of fingers or curved ends 64 which extends down between a pair of carded swabs 23, preferably between two swabs 23 which follow the one being dispensed. The pawl 63 comprises spring material which urges the carded strip toward the intermediate wall 40. If the carded strip 15 tends to move in a reverse direction, the curved ends 64 butt into the next swab to be dispensed and limit any such reverse movement to a negligible amount. Thus the pawl 63 is operative on the carded strip 15 when the feeder 53 moves to grasp the next increment of the strip 16, and to hold the carded strip 15 substantially stationary. The yieldable finger means 64 are thus receivable between a pair of swabs 23 on the strip 16 and are operative on a succeeding carded swab. However, as the manually operatable mechanism 36 is released, the feeder spring 55 acts through the feeder bracket 53 to shift the spring finger 60 in a counterclockwise direction, thereby advancing the carded strip 15. As such advance takes place, the swab which engages the pawl fingers 64 forces such pawl fingers upwardly as shown in FIG. 9, and the advancing movement of the strip c011- tinues until the next succeeding swab 23 engages the sides of the plungers 37 as shown in FIG. 9. As the mechanism 36 is released further, the plunger 59 detaches itself from engagement with the feeder bracket 53, the feeder spring 55 continuing to bias the next swab 23 against the plungers 37 until such plungers 37 have been returned nearly entirely to the normal position shown in FIG. 5. As the ends 46, 46 clear or move past such next swab 23, the feeder spring 55 resumes the feeding movement of the carded strip, shifting it a further amount which is substantially equivalent to the diameter of the stick portion 24 of the swab 23. Such final shift completes one dispensing cycle. This operation may be continued as long as there are swabs to be dispensed within the dispensing compartment 33.

The spent or empty strip 16 continues to advance as shown in FIG. 8. To accommodate such movement, the lower end of the cabinet is provided with an aperture generally indicated at 65 through which the strip 16 may pass. The means which defines such aperture 65 includes a cutting edge 66 best seen in FIG. 9 against which the protruding end of the strip 16 may be deflected and thus torn at will.

Although various minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted here-on all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A swab dispenser, comprising in combination:

(a) a cabinet receptive of a carded strip of swabs;

(b) a pair of parallel plungers receiving said strip therebetween, said plungers being reciprocably supported by said cabinet intermediate their ends, and being engage-able with the next carded swab at opposite sides of the strip at one of their ends for detaching and dispensing such next carded swab;

(c) means rigidly joining said plungers together at their other ends, said joining means being disposed outside of said cabinet for engagement with a support surface; and

((1) spring means disposed at least partially outside of said cabinet and acting between said cabinet and said joining means and biasing said plungers in a direction away from the carded strip.

2. A swab dispenser, comprising in combination:

(a) a cabinet receptive of a carded strip of swabs;

(b) a manually operata-ble mechanism movably supported by said cabinet at one end thereof, said mechanism including movable means engageable with the endmost carded swab for detaching said swab from the carded strip, and for transferring said swab to a place of ready access;

(0) a pivotably biased feeder bracket supported for pivoting about a stationary axis on said cabinet, and pivotable in one direction by said manually operatable mechanism against its pivotal bias; and

(d) a spring finger having a sharp tip remote from said axis yieldably supported on said feeder bracket for slight digging engagement by said tip with the strip for advancing the next swab to a dispensing position in response to pivoting of said feeder bracket in the direction of its bias.

3. A swab dispenser, comprising in combination:

(a) a cabinet receptive of a carded strip of swabs;

(b) a pair of parallel plungers receiving said strip therebetween and having means outside of said cabinet rigidly joining said plungers together at one of their ends, said plungers being reciprocably supported by said cabinet intermediate their ends, and being engageable with the next carded swab at opposite sides of the strip at their other ends for detaching and dispensing such next carded swab;

(c) a strip feeder supported on said cabinet for advancing the next carded swab to a dispensing position; and

(d) means on said joining means extending into said cabinet for operating said strip feeder.

4. A swab dispenser, comprising in combination:

(a) a cabinet receptive of a carded strip of swabs;

(b) a manually operatable mechanism movably supported by said cabinet at one end thereof, said mechanism including movable means engageable with the endmost carded swab for detaching said swab from the carded strip, and for transferring said swa-b to a place of ready access;

(0) a pivotally biased feeder bracket supported for pivoting about a stationary axis on said cabinet, and pivotable in one direction by said manually operatable mechanism against its pivotal bias;

(d) an elongated resilient spring finger having a sharp tip remote from said axis, said finger being pivotally supported on said pivotable feeder bracket, said tip being slightly penetrable into the strip for advancing the next swab to a dispensing position in response to pivoting of said feeder bracket in the direction 0pposite to its bias; and

(e) a biasing spring acting between said feeder bracket and said pivotal spring finger and biasing said spring finger tip in a direction toward said strip, and said spring being yieldable in response to any excess pivoting of said feeder bracket to limit the penetration of said tip into said strip.

5. A dispenser for dispensing individual swabs from a carded strip of swabs, comprising in combination:

(a) a cabinet having means defining a compartment;

(b) a series of swabs having central stick portions detachably secured to one side of a card and extending beyond its edges, and disposed in said compartment;

(0) means defining an elongated discharge aperture in one wall of said cabinet adjacent to said one side of said card at one end of said compartment;

(d) a return spring;

(e) a manually operatable ejector mechanism movably supported by said cabinet at said one end of said compartment, said mechanism having an external actuator portion projecting out of said cabinet through a wall opposite to said one wall thereof, and having a pair of internal plunger portions yieldably biased by said spring to a rest position out of engagement with said swabs, said internal plunger portions being manually movable from said rest position into engagement with said stick portion of the endrnost carded swab in said compartment at opposite edges of said card to detach said swab entirely from said card and to transfer it through said elongated discharge aperture.

6. A dispenser according to claim 5, in which said external actuator portion of said ejector mechanism cornprises an elongated strip for supporting said dispenser at said one end thereof, and joining said pair of internal plunger portions together.

7. A dispenser according to claim 5, which includes a strip feeder pivoted on said cabinet and actuated by a further plunger secured to said manually operatable mechanism for advancing said strip, said further plunger in said rest position being spaced somewhat further from said strip feeder than the space between said internal plunger portions and said endmost carded swab for delaying pivoting of said strip feeder until said swab has been detached.

8. A dispenser according to claim 7 in which said strip feeder acts directly on said card, pivoting in one direction in response to the action of said further plunger, and in an opposite direction for advancing said strip; and a pawl supported on said cabinet and comprising yieldable finger means having an end portion receivable between swabs on the carded strip for acting directly on the stick portion of a succeeding swab during pivoting of said feeder in said one direction for holding the carded strip substantially stationary.

9. A dispenser according to claim 7, in which said strip feeder includes (a) a feeder spring loaded during initial pivoting of said feeder by said further plunger, and the unloading of which advances said strip; and (b) a spring finger pivoted on said feeder and loaded with said feeder spring, said spring finger having a sharp tip for slightly digging into the material of which said card is made to preclude slippage during advance of said strip.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 892,820 7/1908 Forney 221-74 1,068,791 7/1913 Mack 22197 X 1,208,701 12/1916 Trenner.

1,289,112 12/1918 Byer 221-254 X 2,056,560 10/1936 Boden 22174 2,269,963 1/1942 Wappler 221--279 X 2,402,391 6/1946 Goddard 221-279 X 2,537,300 1/1951 Casey et a1 221-97 X 2,979,726 4/1961 Carlzen et a1. 221-74 X 3,134,502 5/1964 Kusznier 22174 3,165,230 1/1965 Hahn 22173 3,167,107 1/1965 Ustin et al. 22169 X 3,173,728 3/1965 Sheer 22125 X FOREIGN PATENTS 318,803 9/1929 Great Britain.

ROBERT E. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

KENNETH N. LEIMER, Examiner. 1

Claims (1)

1. A SWAB DISPENSER, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A CABINET RECEPTIVE OF A CARDED STRIP OF SWABS; (B) A PAIR OF PARALLEL PLUNGERS RECEIVING SAID STRIP THEREBETWEEN, SAID PLUNGERS RECEIVING SAID STRIP PORTED BY SAID CABINET INTERMEDIATE THEIR ENDS, AND BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH THE NEXT CARDED SWAB AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE STRIP AT ONE OF THEIR ENDS FOR DETACHING AND DISPENSING SUCH NEXT CARDED SWAB; (C) MEANS RIGIDLY JOINING SAID PLUNGERS TOGETHER AT THEIR OTHER ENDS, SAID JOINING MEANS BEING DISPOSED OUTSIDE OF SAID CABINET FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH A SUPPORT SURFACE; AND (D) SPRING MEANS DISPOSED AT LEAST PARTIALLY OUTSIDE OF SAID CABINET AND ACTING BETWEEN SAID CABINET AND SAID JOINING MEANS AND BIASING SAID PLUNGERS IN A DIRECTION AWAY FROM THE CARDED STRIP.

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