US3383012A - Tissue dispenser - Google Patents

Description

y 14, 1968 I R. ADELL 3,383,012

4 TISSUE DISPENSER Filed Oct 31, 1966 I NVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,383,012 TISSUE DISPENSER Robert Adel], 1525 Ardmoor Drive, Birmingham, Mich. 48010 Filed Oct. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 590,938 7 Claims. (Cl. 22146) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A holder for tissue dispensers comprising a container portion having a dispensing opening therein and a bottom portion pivota-lly connected thereto, the portions being molded from a plastic material as a single element. The top of the container is provided with a pivoted cover positioned over the opening. A means to releasably lock the bottom portion to the container portion.

This invention relates to dispensers and particularly to a dispenser having an aperture from which tissue is removably enclosed by a hinged cover.

While various dispensers have been provided heretofore in the art for supporting a box of tissue which is removed seriatim therefrom, the dispenser of the present invention is novel in that a hinged cover is employed to seal the opening and protect the tissues,. Containers have been provided for the tissues heretofore having a slot from which individual tissue is removed. The tissues are exposed until they are used and the present invention provides a closure element which protects the exposed tissue from dirt and grime until it is to be removed from the container. The dispenser of the present invention is made in two molds, one for producing the container portion having a hinged bottom which supports the box of tissue, the other for producing the hinged cover. The bottom may support the container on a table or bench or it may be attached to a support such as a door, dash panel, back of a seat or other portion of a vehicle body. It is to be understood that the container portion may be furnished without the cover when employed in areas free of dust and grime. The relation of the parts is such that after the molding the material of the hinges will have memory to move the bottom to open position and the top beyond closed position.

Accordingly, the main objects of the invention are: to provide a container having a hinged bottom, a top having an opening and side walls molded as a unit; to provide a unit container having a hinged bottom with a top having an opening through which tissues are wit-hdrawn which is closed by a hinged cover which is urged downwardly against the top of the container by the memory in the hinge material; to mold a unit container having side walls and a top with an opening therein and a hinged bottom having side flanges which swing upwardly into closed locked position with the bottom edge of the container portion, and in general, to provide a container which is simple in construct-ion, which may have a cover for the top opening and which is economical of manufacture.

Other objects and features of novelty of the invention will be specifically pointed out or will become apparent when referring, for a better understanding of the invention, to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a container embodying features of the present invent-ion;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIGURE 1 taken on the line 22 thereof;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged broken view of the structure illustrated in FIGURE 2, taken within the circle 3 thereof;

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FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of the structure illustrated in FIGURE 2, taken within the circle 4 thereof, and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIGURE 1, taken on the line 55 thereof.

In the drawings, a container 8 is illustrated of a size and dimensions for receiving and enclosing a box of tissue. The container has a hinged cover 9 which is raised to expose a top opening 12 through which a tissue extends which is retained clean and sanitary by the closed cover. The opening 12 is provided in a convex top 13- of the container portion from which side walls 14 and 15 and end walls 16 downwardly extend. A bottom 17 is secured by a hinge portion 18 to the bottom of the side wall 14 with a flange 19 thereabout which engages the inner surface of the side walls 14 and 15 and the end walls 16 when in closed position. The side wall 15 has a reinforcing releasing flange 21 near the bottom from which a locking flange 22 extends downwardly. The locking flange has sloping faces 23 and 24 which extend into a recess 25 in the bottom flange 19 opposite to the flange adjacent to the hinge 18. The recess 25 is formed by sloping faces 26 and 27 in the outer face of the flange. When the locking flange 22 is mated with the recess 25 and reinforced by the flange 21, the bottom 17 will be secured along the side 15 in closed position as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

The container portion is molded from a suitable plastic material which provides resiliency to the hinge portion 18. The bottom 17 is illustrated in dot and dash line to show it extending at right angles from the wall 14 during the molding operation.The wall of the container herein illustrated is approximately .10 inch in thickness while the hinge portion is of substantially less thickness. It is to be understood that the thickness of material will vary with different materials and size of containers so that the invention is not limited to the particular dimension mentioned.

An offset portion 29 is formed in the top 13 of the container to form a recess 31 parallel to the top opening 12. A flange 32 which is joined by a hinge portion 33 to the cover 9 is secured within the recess 31, as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 4. The flange 32 is disposed approximately from the side flange 34 when molded as a unit with the cover so that when the flange 32 is secured in the recess 31 the memory in the material of the hinge portion 33 will attempt to urge the cover to a posit-ion beyond the closed position so that it will always be retained in closed position. A front side 3-5 on the cover is provided with a projecting flange 36 which may be engaged by the finger to raise the cover. The sides 34 and 35 are joined to end walls 37 which are of arcuate shape at the bottom to mate with the concave top 13.

It will be noted that the end 39 of the flange 19 adjacent the hinge portion 18 slopes toward the hinge portion 18 and that the end 41 of the wall 14 of the container portion also slopes toward the hinge portion to reduce the length thereof. Since the bottom 17 is molded when disposed in extension of the bottom edges of the walls 14, 15 and 16 the memory in the material of the hinge portion 18 urges the cover to open position. This will occur when the releasing flange 21 is raised to move the locking flange 22 from the recess 25 along the flange 19 of the bottom. It will be noted in FIGURE 5 that the bottom 17 has extending edges 42 which engage the bottom edges of the end wall 16 and the locking flange 22 when the flanges 19 engage the inner surface of the walls. The extensions 42 limit the movement of the bottom 17 beyond the plane of the end walls which is also true of the hinge portion 18. The bottom 17 is provided with a pair of apertures 44 by which it may be secured 3 directly to a Wall, a door of a vehicle or to any other surface. An aperture 45 may be provided in the bottom for receiving a finger for releasing the bottom from closed position when the bottom is unattached. With this arrangement a closed container is provided for a box of tissue or the like, which is maintained sealed Within the box by the cover 9 so that the available tissue is not subject to dirt or grime.

What is claimed is:

1. In a dispenser, a single molded clement having a container portion and a bottom, the container portion having side walls, end walls and a top wall with an Opening through the latter from which articles may be removed, a hinge joining the bottom to the container portion permitting the bottom to swing into closed position with the container portion, side flanges are provided on the bottom which engage the inner surface of the walls of the container portion wherein the outer face of the flange of the bottom opposite to that having the hinge portion has a recess therein and the end of the wall of the container adjacent thereto has a locking flange which engages the recess and locks the bottom to the container portion.

2. In a dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the bottom is limited in its inward movement into the container portion by the oppositely disposed hinge and locking recess and by edges projecting beyond the end flanges of the bottom.

3. In a dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the ends of the side and bottom adjacent to the hinge slope toward the hinge to reduce the width thereof.

4. In a dispenser as recited in claim 1, wherein the wall of the container portion having the projecting edge has a flange extending outwardly thereof for reinforcing the projecting edge and providing means for releasing it from the recess in the flange of the bottom.

5. In a dispenser, a single molded element having a container portion and a bottom, the container portion having side walls, end walls and a top wall with an opening through the latter from which articles may be removed, a hinge joining the bottom to the container portion permitting the bottom to swing into closed position with the container portion, wherein an offset portion forms a recess in the top adjacent to the opening, and a cover for said opening having a hinged and an extending flange which is secured in said recess, the cover, hinge and flange being molded as a unit in such relation to each other as to have the memory in the hinge urge the cover to closed position.

6. In a dispenser as recited in claim 5, wherein the flange is disposed at a greater angle to the cover when being molded than when secured to the top so as to substantially increase the closing force of the cover.

7. In a dispenser as recited in claim 6, wherein the top of the container portion is concave and the mating edges of the lid are arcuately formed to mate with the concave surface of the top.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,106,108 1/1938 Parsons 22162 XR 2,604,205 7/1952 Patterson 22162 XR 2,854,134 9/1958 Humphrey 22146 XR 3,223,281 12/1965 Larkin 221-61 XR WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner.

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