US1809918A - Towel holder - Google Patents

Description

June 16, 1931. c, w THOMPSON 1,809,918

TOWEL HOLDER Filed March 15. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l III] Ill 1 Inmate r,

CharlesWThompwn; A mugr flw l Patented June 1 6 ,1931 i g i I Theohjectof this invention is thecohstruc- 11b and the opposite end to pulley f i u 30 i i The towel holding c'aseof Fig; 8, (30nsistsj of teriorof a cabinet embodyingvmy invention; Fig; 2 is a side'sectional elevation; ofthe same;

*ble length, of toweling jat' its midl'ength there by attaching twoto-welsto thecarriei' witha ti'on ofsa cahinetor holder wherein several hundred towels canybe; disposed for conven ient individual "use=:until-;t-he last one; is-

reached. In carryingmy lHVQDtlOIlTiIltQf feet, the towels are arranged. in groups each consisting: of about fifty towels permanently attached to a fahric carrier-side byside, and

all piledupon a yieldingly'supportedshelf by which they are pressedhpto :present the topmost towelinto convenient reach of its user; this shelf being located intone vertical chamber of the cabinet, fand the usedtowels e e ing into the--other verticallchamb thereof. A x

In the drawings forining part of this spec} j fication, Fig. 1 is a perspective view-of the ex- Fig. 3 is a side sectional 'elevation of the-up per part of the'eahinet showing 1 one of the operative elements a1" difierent posit-ion. Fig; e is a frontksectienal elevation:of the cabinet. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of pne of the towel-groups; Fig; 6 is-i a side View thereof; t Fig. ,7 'is v a sectional 1 detail --view showing the preferred means" for zyieldingly supporting hthe shelf,- Fig, Sjis; aside secs tional elevationi'of a simplified form of the invention.

sides 1 back 2, abbreviated front 3, floor- 4, a

verticalpartition 5 separating the cabinet into chambers 6 and 7,": and a hinged coverf 9 for thjechambenfl Within the chamber 7 is g,he fliotrti Cally slidahle thereinandresiliently supported by meansof sash-springs 11 of well known form attached to the underside go fthe shelf, and having their pring-terminals 12 attached tothe-sides io fithechambei as shown in Fig. 7,-elose1-tothe top -of the ;cha mher; These sashrsprin-gs. ll consist of-apulley 11a rotatably mounted on a spindle" 11b. jUpo'n" the voutside of" said" pulley llgz is; {coiled the tape llc eneendiofwhich isfastened; to said pulley and theother 'endto the side 1; ,;.of the towel holding ease as shown at 1-2. Within'.' the pulley 11a is ja coiled spring lldg i-oneend.

of which is fastenedin the usualwayfto the at each c'orner'of the shelf, and made offsuf- 7 ficient istrlengthio: ,Iiiore than sustaini the T thexsurroundingChamberwalls; i

The towels 15am inhunch'es attached to a "weight of thetowels The top edges, of this shelf are cut awayinorder toens'ure against 7 the towelswed'ging inbetween'theshelfand fabriccarrie'r asshowninfFigs. 5 and 6:

Iprefer to describe the towels as GilCll'fittached atone end to the carrier-and folded v actual'practice to, stitch to the carrier aTdousinglei-lineof stitching. 1 a

Theffibfic carriers 16 have their ends ex :te'nd beyond the'towels asfshowninFigs; 5 I and :6, f these-extensions (or-flaps being p,ro-; v vided with means; for fastening one bunch over at midlen-gth tojpresent its free end close to the carrier; although I find it simpler in to another! ,The fastening means preferred consist "of wellknown forms of, curtainifass teners 19 carried by one flap and eyes 20' in the otherflapi'f The front rec'ess of the shelf fasteners, until the shelffisj alm'ost'incontact withwthe floor 4,;th enthe door Sis-swung ready foruse v To produce a towel, the free end of the topmostone which reaches'just'heyond the frontedge of, the' cover"9,-i-s grasped and pulled I'u-ntil: the full length} of the towel is f releasedil i After useifthe towelfis allowed to used; thespringshelfflri$s, and the chain ofseiled towels descends the chamber 6, until [the entire number is exhausted: Then 7 down upon the, topmost towels zindfasteiied, ashy'the 1ocks'21 shown n F g- 1& h d t pilefofj towels down :in'place; the cabinet is 'hang, inthechamber 6. "As more towels are 7 the towels are released from the fasteners 19 of the shelf 10, removed from the chamber 6 and carried to the laundry.

At the laundry, the bunches of towels are released from each other and washed inde towels down against the upward push of the spring shelf, and to protect them from dust.

I have found that it is advisable to roughen i the top surface of the shelf 10, as by afiixing sandpaper thereto, in order that when the shelf has been nearly emptied, a pull upon the topmost one therein will not withdraw all the remaining ones atthe same time.

With this arrangement, I am enabled to carry a supply of between four hundred and five hundred towels fully protected until used. c The upper section of the chamber 6 is cut away at an angle in orderto give free access to the towels as each is being used.

Although I have described thetowels as stitched to the carrier all the way across, I find this is not absolutely necessary but they may be stitched for a part-of the distance; an by stitching one towel from one edge, and theadjacent one from the opposite edge, two towels can be used simultaneously by two persons side by side.

The only trouble with the construction above described is that the soiled towels are exposed to view. To obviate this defect, I construct the cabinet as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, wherein each towel after its use is drawn down out of sight. For this purpose, the chamber 6 is permanently enclosed by a curved front 25, and has a door 26 in its lower front for the removal of the used towels,

and the cover 9 has an opening 27 above the top edge of the partition 5.

After a towel has been withdrawn and used, it is permitted to fall upon the curved front 25, its inner end being, of course, still attached with the others to its carrier 16. To enable such towel to be drawn down through the opening 27 out of sight, a horizontal rod 29 carried by arms 30 pivotally supported by the cabinet sides at 31, is swung up to a position close to the rear edge of the opening 27, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that, when the end of the topmost towel is seized to be withdrawn through this opening, it will be pulled out beneath the rod. Then, when the rod is forced down to its normal position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, this towel will be carried down with the rod to hang suspended within the chamber 6. i I

For the actuation of the arms 30, they are connected by rods32 with levers 33 pivot ally supported by the sidesl at 34, the front ends of the levers being connected by rods 35 with a treadle 36 near the bottom of the case, whereby a depression of the treadle will swing the rod 29 up to its uppermost position, and a release of the treadle will rmit it to descend; tension springs 37 bemg provided for aiding the latter movement. 11 order normally to keep the opening 27 closed, a sheet metal gate 40 is provided which is supported on arms 41 pivoted at 31 and retained closed by springs 42. When the arms 30 are swung up to present the rod 29 in its upper position, the arms 41 and gate 40 are pressed back to leave the opening 27 clear.

In this preferred form of the invention, the partition 5 does not descend to the floor 4, but leaves spacebeneath it for the accumulating used towels to spread over into the chamber 7, after the shelf 10 has risen in proportion. The partition does not connect at its edges with the sides 1 throughout its height, but at its lower portion only, in order to allow spaces for the parts 30, 33, and 41. A thin artition spaced from each side 1, as 44 in ig. 4, may be provided for keeping the towels from interference with such parts.

Iprefer to have the plate 40 hinged to the arms 41 at 45, and to have its outer edge remain between the cover 9 and the board 46 7 against which the pile of towels is upwardly pressed; the arms 41 being actuated by means of rods 47 connected with the levers 33. The cover 9 being hinged at 48 to the curved front 25, when itis opened it'swings up with it the plate 40 and thereby removes the latter out of interference with the introduction of the clean towels into the chamber 7. By thus con trollingthe arms 41 and plate 40, the latter does not start to return to normal until after the rod 29 has moved away therefrom.

.An oil plunger resistance 49 of well known construction is provided for keeping the rod 29 from a too sudden return to normal.

Instead of having the shelf 10 fitting the sides of the chamber 7, as shown in Fig. 8, it is slidably controlled by vertical ways 50; and two only of the sash springs 11 are provided.

a What I claim as my invention is:

1. A towel holder comprising a case to hold clean and used towels, means dividing said case into separate compartments alongside each other for said clean and used towels, supporting shelf means adapted to force clean towels upwardly in said case, and means to draw used towels downwardly in said case,

said last-mentioned means embodying a lever located outside of said case. p

' 2. A towel holder comprising a case having a chamber for individual clean towels and another chamber for used towels. shelf means to support clean towels adapted to be automatically actuated by the act of the user in withdrawing a towel to thereby force clean towels upwardly in said-case, and means to draw said towels downwardly, after being f whereby a towel may be withdrawn through said opening in such a position that when said rodmoves away from said opening it. will: draw the latter-mentioned towel into used, into said chamber for used towels. I

3. A towel holder comprising a case embodying a clean towel chamberand a used 1 towel. chamber, a cover for said cleantowel Chamber, means to force said clean towels upwardly against said cover, said case having an opening adjacent said cover through" which a clean towel may be drawn, a gate for said opening, means to open said gate when a clean towel is desired, and mechanism to draw a used towel downwardly after it is used.

4. A towel holder comprising a case embodying a' clean towel chamber and a used towel chamber, a coverfor said cleantowel chamber, means to force said clean towels up-' anism to draw said used towel downwardly.

5. A. towel holder comprising a case, a cover for saidcase, said case having an opening through which a clean towel may be drawn, an arm supported by said case, a rod attached .to said arm, means for swinging said arm to present said rod ad acent sa1dopening, means for moving towels within the case towards said cover whereby the topmost towel may be withdrawn through said opening in sucha position that when said. Ifod.

moves away from said opening the towel withdrawn will be drawn into said case by said rod.

6. A towel holder comprising a case, a cover for said case, said case havingan opening'through which a cleantowel may be drawn,a gate for said opening, an armsupported by said case, a rod attached to said arm, means for swinging said arm topresent said rod ad a-cent sald opemng, means for moving towels wlthin the case towards SELlCl cover wherebythc topmost towel be withdrawn through said opening in such a positionthat when said rod moves away rod movesaway from said opening.

7. A towel holder comprlsmg. a case d1- case having an openingthrough which a towel may be drawn, a plurality of arms piv' otally supported by said case, a horizontal rod connected to said arms; means to swing said arms to present sald rod ad acent said opening, means for moving towels within one 0t said chambers toward said cover one of said chambers.

8. A towelholder" comprising a two-chamhere d case, one chamber for, clean towels and I one for used towels, a shelf slidable in one of said chambers, a cover for sald latter chamber, means for counterbalancing said shelf against the weight of a multiplicity of towels laid thereon whereby as one of said towels is withdrawn the pile moves upwardly and comes n contact with sald cover, said means embodying a sash springs 9. A towel'holder comprising a. case di vided into two chambers by a vertical partition, a cover closing the top of the rear of said, chambers, an opening being provided above the; top ofsaidpartition, arms pivotally supported by the case having a horizon;

vtal rod heldv at their free ends, means for the swinging of said arms to present said rod close beyond sald'opening, and means for pressinga pile of towelswithin the rear chamber up to said cover, whereby the topmost towel can be withdrawn through said opening beneath said rodwhen the latter is in its u .ermost iosition and after use can .be dragged down within the front ofsaid chambers bythe' return of said rod to nor- }ing, adaptedtobe moved away from the V latter when the horizontal rod swings to its uppermostposition, and toreturn when the rod swings back ,to normal. 11.. A towel holder as set forth in claim 9, whereina gate is provided for closing said opening, and swinging arms for carrying said gate.

12.. A towel holder as set forth in claim 9, wherein the vertical partition is spaced *lIlVQIliZiOIl I'llIVB hereunto set my hand this 28thfdayof January, 1928. I CHARLESW. THOMPSON.

vided into a plurality ofchambers by a partition, a cover for one of said chambers, said

Images