US1764352A - Dispensing container - Google Patents

Description

June 17, 1930. G. M. SACERDOTE DISPENSING CONTAINER 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July 14, 1928 G. M. SACERDQTE DISPENSING CONTAINER June '17, 1930.

I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 14, 1928 avwamtoz June 17, 1930. s c oT 1,764,352

DISPENS ING CONTAINER Filed July 14, 1928 s Sheets-Sheet '3 25 Z Z2 Z1 9 25 avwemtoz 25 improved arrangement Patented June 17," 1930 UNITED STATES e'umo m. sacnnno'rn, on NEW YORK, 1v. Y.

DISPENSING CONTAINER Application filed July 14, 1928. Serial No. 292,652.

This invention relates to boxes and containers and more particularly refers to improvements in magazine containers for articles such as pills, tablets, cigarettes, pencils and so forth having a round or substantially round outline.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved type of container for articles having a round or substantially round outline whereby one or more of said articles may be delivered through an opening provided therefor, positively preventing the possibility of clogging or wedg ing of the articles within the container.

Another object is to provide in a dispensing container for round or substantially round articles a novel and improved arrangement for distributin the articles within said container insuring 'ree delivery of said articles at all times, together with means for automatically isolating and dispensing one of said articles each time the container is brought to a predetermined position. I

A further object is to provide a novel and spiral chamber for dispensing containers more particularly adapted to hold articles having a round or substantially round outline, which is applicable in connection with dispensing containers of various types and descriptions, adapted to handle a large variety of products.

A still further object is to provide a box or container .particularly adapted for holding pills, tablets and the like, provided with a spiral chamber in which the pills or tablets may be serially arranged and from which they may be delivered in proper sequence through an opening provided therefor without requiring the necessity of opening the box or container.

Other objects and advantages of the prescut invention will more fully appear as the description proceeds and will set forth and claimed in the appended claims. Various embodiments of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: I Fig. is a plan view of a box or container for p1lls and similar articles, embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan sectional view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a front View in elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the same through line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front sectional 55 view in elevationof the discharging portion of the box;

' Fig 6 is a view in perspective of a similar container adapted for automatic delivery of one pill each time the container is rotated about its shaft; A

Fig. 7 is a front sectional view of the same showing the container about to reach its disch% rging position; V

ig. 8 is a plan sectional view thereof showmg the container in the act of discharging one pill; and y i ig. 9 is a view in perspective partly sectioned of a cigarette dispensing container also embodying my invention.

F igs.. 1 to 5 illustrate a container which, may be produced by inexpensive methods and by the employment of relatively inexpensive materials, particularly adapted for packing pills and similar articles in a form permitting of discharging one or more pills from the container without opening the same; thus preserving the sanitary conditions of the package, at the same time insuring free and controllable delivery of the number of pills or tablets required and preventing spilling of the contents of the'b'ox.

- Referring to said drawings, 10 designates a relatively shallow, preferably round box comprising a rim portion 11 and two'sides 12, 13 connected thereto. The width or depth of the box is determined by the diameter or thickness of the articles to be enclosed-there in, said width or depth being designed to leave a-li ttle clearance when the pills or tablets are enclosed in the box.

The s ace within the box is formed into a spiral clihnnel 14 by a thin band of material 15 spirally arranged within the same; the distance between adjoining coils of the spiral just formed, or in other words the width of the spiral chamber being a trifle larger than the diameter of the pills or tablets, permittin free travel of the same therethrou h.

n the-arrangement shown the spira band rotated in a clockwise direction as arrows 19 in Fig. 1 indicate, the pills tend to travel through the spiral chamber in a counter clock- .wise direction, and will issue one by one from said chamber if wall or rim 11 is open at the outer end of the spiral as shown at 20.

Opening 20is normally closed by a shutter 21 which is pivotally mounted at 22 within the box so as to be tiltable in an outward direction. Said shutter is formed with an arm 23 projecting beyond pivot 22, and a spring 24 hearing against said arm 23 constantly urges said shutter to open to the position 21 shown in dotted lines. I

However shutter 21 is normally held in its closed position by a door 25, abutting against the outer surface of rim or wall 11 and adapted to slide along the same. A suitable .construction to this end may be obtained by pro viding rim or wall 11 with a segmental slot 26 through which may project pins or studs 27 extending from the surface of door 25.

The rear end of the door is formed with an outwardly projecting lug 28 by means of which the door may be moved in one or the other direction. In its normal position shown in Fig. 3 the door entirely conceals opening '20, forcing shutter 21 to-obstruct the same against the action of spring 24; When the door is moved away from said position, in a counterclockwise direction with reference to Fig. 2, shutter 21 is gradually allowed to swing outwardly to the position shown in dotted lines at 21, opening a passage for a pill 18' which can thus be discharged from the box.

As long as the door is retained in its open position, all the pills or tablets contained in the downwardly directed tract of the spiral I, chamber leading to opening 20 will be discharged one by one through said opening, thelr rate of discharge being regulated by the extent to which shutter 21 has been allowed to project outwardly more or less opening or. strangling the passage as will be understood; so that when the desired number of pills or tablets has been discharged the flow of the same can be promptly stopped merely by :hghtly moving door inits closing direc-' lOIl.

The path of the pills or tablets being discharged f rom the spiral chamber is delimited by a partition 29 forming a stop for the spiral chamber preventing the pills or tablets contamed therein to travel beyond opening 20 in a circumferential direction.

The type of container described is operated by rotating it between two fingers in the direction pointed out by the arrows 19, stopping it with the arrow 30 in correspondence of opening 20 pointing downwardly, when sliding door 25 to its open position. A mode of operation which is somewhat easier to undertwo parallel sides 33, 34, the box thus formed being rotatably mounted at its central point ,35 on a yoke or support 36.

As shown in Fig. 6 said yoke or support provides a means of holding the device between the finger of one hand with the palm of the hand directlynnderneath' the lower end of the yoke or support, so that the box or container may be easily rotated about a shaft in the direction pointed out by arrows 37. I

The device illustrated is designed for automatic discharge of one pill or tablet each time the box is rotated one revolution. Like in the previous case the inside of the box is formed into a spiral chamber 38. by a spiral band 39 starting at a circumferential point 40 and running inwardly along a spiral course leadingto central shaft 35. Near the outer end of the spiral band the rim or wall 32 is provided with an opening 41 large enough to permit one pill or tablet to pass through.

In correspondence of said opening the ex treme outer tract of the spiral chamber is; obstructed by an ejector 42 which consistsv of a crank lever structure pivotally mounted at 43 where its radially directed member 44 meets the inner wall 45 of said outer tract. Said crank lever structure also comprises an arm 46 extending from its pivotal point of attachment along said inner wall in the direction of the rotation of the box that is, in the case illustrated, in a clockwise direction.

Radial member or arm 44 is bent rearwardly to form a segmental tract 47 and is then bent outwardly in a substantially radial direction to form a lug 48 projecting beyond the outer surface of rim or wall 32.

The frame or yoke 36 has a substantially rectangular section embracing the box, said structure being composed of'two side members 49 joined by two transversal bridge members 50, 51. The lower bridge member 51 has one of its edges bent inwardly in a substantially radial direction to form a lug 52 projecting in the path of lug 48.

By virtue of this construction it isapparent that when the box is rotated in a clockwise direction as opening 41 passes across lug 52,lug 48 will come to meet lug 52'; and as the rotation'of the box continues lug 48 will be held stationary compelling the crank lever member of which it "is a part to move angularly about its pivot 43 in a counterclockwise direction, until the outer edge of lug 48 will "clear the inner edge 'of lug 52 and the crank lever member will be free to snap back into its normal position by the action of a clears opening 41 towards the rear until the outlet thus provided'for the end pill or tablet is sufficient to allow the discharge of said pill or tablet through said outlet. At the same time arm 46 which also moves angularly about pivot 43 together with arm or member 44, will act as an ejector forcing the pill or tablet outwardly through opening 41, as Fig. 8 clearly shows,

It is obvious therefore that each time the box completes one revolution a pill or tablet is automatically discharged therefrom falling into the palm 55, directly underneath, of the hand holding. the frame or yoke 36.

My invention may also be applied in connection with articles such as cigarettes, pencils and so forth, having an elongated shape and a circularor. substantiallycircular section. By way of example in Fig. 9 I illustrate a cylindrical cigarette container 60.

closed at the two ends by two disks or flanges 61, 62 and formed into a longitudinal spiral chamber 63 by a web or band 64. Like in theprevious case the wall of the container is provided with an opening in the form of a longitudinal slot 65 at a point in proximity of the outer end of the spiral band or web 64.

In correspondence of said point a crank member 66 isprovided, pivoted on a shaft 67 extending longitudinally of the container, said crank member being formed with a radially extending lug 68 and with an'ejecting arm 69.

The container is rotatably mounted on a supporting frame having two uprights 70, one at each end, and is operated by means-of a knob 71 rotated on the containers shaft as will be understood.

Like in the previous case each time the container completes one revolution lug 58 strikes against a catch such as shownat 72 ejecting the outermost cigarette 73 contained in the .spiral chamber or magazine in the manner previously explained. The supporting frame 1s preferably provided with an apron member 74 extending between the two uprights 70. receiving the cigarette thus discharged and retaining it untilit is removed by the user.

It will be understood that a device embodying my invention may either be made of the refillable or non-refillable type as may be desired. For instance in the case of boxes intended for use in connection with medicinal specialties it may be preferable in many cases to close the box entirely except for the small outlet provided for the pills or tablets co ntained therein,.while in the case of a cigarette dispensing device or the like it may be preferable 'to make one of the ends of the container detachable so as to expose the spiral chamber and permit the refilling thereof.

It will also be understood that while for the sake of simplicity I make use of gravity for discharging the articles from the container, it is within the scope of this invention to provide means for gradually forcing the articles along the spiral chamber towards the outlet providedtherefor if desired; such an arrangement being especially suitable when the articles contained in the spiral chamber have an angular outline preventing their rolling out of their own account. In this case the outlet neednot necessarily be at thev periphery of the container but may be provided at or near the center thereof, if deslred,

in which case the articles will be made to travel in an inwardly instead of in an outward direction through the spiral chamber.

The inventive idea lends itself to numerous applications each calling for some specific structure which may differ in its constructional details from those shown without departing from the scope of the invention. The drawings will therefore be understood. as being intended for illustrative purposes only and not in a limitingsense. a

I accordingly reserve myself the right to carry my invention into practice in all those ways and manners which may enter, fairly, into the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A container of the class described com; prisingtwo substantially parallel side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said end of said chamber, the width of said cham ber substantially corresponding ,to the transverse dimension. of said artidlesfand the distance between said two side wallssubstantially corresponding to the dimension of said articles in a direction at right angle to said transversal dimension.

2. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel side walls and a' peripheral -wall extending therebetween. a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a tubular chamber adapted to retain in serialarrangement articles to be discharged fromsaid container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the discharging end of said chamber, the width of said chamber substantially corresponding to the transversal dimension ofsaid articles, and the dis-' tance between said two side walls substantial- 1y corresponding to the dimension of said articles In a direction at rightangle said isn transversal dimension, and means controlling said outlet.

3. A container of the class-described comprising two substantially parallel side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the discharging end of said chamber, the width of said chamber substantially corresponding to the transversal dimension of said articles, and the distance between said two side walls substantially corresponding to the dimension of said articles in a direction at right angle to said t'ransversal dimension, and a spring actuated member controlling said outlet.

4. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebe tween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a Spiro-tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, and an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the discharging end of said chamber, the width of said chamber substantially corresponding to the transversal dimension of said articles, and the distance between said two side walls substantially corresponding to the dimension of said articles in a direction at right angle to said transversal dimension.

5. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a spiro-tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the outer end of said chamber, the width of said chamber substantially corresponding to the transversaLdi mensionof said articles, and the distance between said two side walls substantially corresponding to the dimension of said articles in a direction at right angle to said transversal dimension, and means controlling said outlet.

6. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a spiro-tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the outer end of said chamber, the width of said chamber substantially corresponding to the transversal dimension of said articles, and the distance between said two side walls substantially corresponding to the dimension of said articles in a direction at right angle to said transversal dimension, and a spring actuated member controlling said outlet.

7. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a Spiro-tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the outer end of said chamber, a supporting frame, and means for rotatably mounting said container upon said frame, on an axis running transversely of said side walls.

8. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel sidewalls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a Spiro-tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the outer end of said chamber, a supporting frame,

means for rotatably mounting said container upon sald frame, on an axls running transversely of said slde walls, a member controlling said outlet, and means inte al with container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the .outer end of said chamber, a supporting frame, means for rotatably mounting said container upon said frame, on an axis running transversely of said side walls, a spring actuated member normally closing said outlet, and means integral with said frame, forcing said member open against the action of its spring, when said container reaches a predetermined position while it is being rotated in the discharging direction in relation-to said frame.

10. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a Spiro-tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said con tainer, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the outer end of said chamber, a supporting frame, means for rotatably mounting said container upon said frame, on an axis running transversely of said side walls, a pivotally mounted spring actuated member normally closing said outlet, and a catch integral with said frame, forcing said member open against the actionof its spring, when said container reaches a predetermined position while it is being rotated in the discharging direction in relation to said frame.

11. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel-side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the discharging end of said chamber, the width of said chamber substantially correspondin to the transversal dimension of said articles, and the v distance between said two side walls substantially corresponding to the dimension of said articles in a direction at right angle to said ,transversal dimension, and a member controlling said outlet, said member comprising means for ejecting through said outlet, one of the articles within said chamber when said member is moved in a predetermined direction.

12. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel side walls and .a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container,an outlet through one of the walls ofsai'd container,

5 through said outlet one of the articles within registering with the discharging end of said chamber, the width of said chamber substantially corresponding to the transversal dimension of said articles, and the distance between said two side walls substantially corresponding to the dimension of said articles in a direction at r' ht angle to said, transversal dimension an a spring actuated member normally obstructing said outlet, said member comprising means for ejecting said chamber, when said member is moved to its discharging position against the action of its spring.

13. A container of the class described com-' a prising two substantially parallelside walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a spiro-tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles tdbedischarged from said container,

an outlet through one of the 'walls of said container, registering with the outer end of said chamber, a supportingframe, means for rotatably 'mounting ,said container upon said frame, onan axis running transversely of said side walls, an ejector controlling said outlet, and means integral with said frame, op-

erating said ejector when-said container reaches a predetermined position while it is being rotated in the discharging direction in relation to said frame.

14. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming aspiro-tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the outer end of said chamber, ,a supporting frame, means for rotatably mounting said container upon said frame, on an axis running transversely of said side walls, a spring actuated ejector normally obstructin said outlet, and means in- ;tegral with said rame, operating said ejector against the action of its spring, todischarge through said outlet one of the articles contained within said chamber when said container reaches a predetermined position while it is being rotated in the discharging direction in relation to said frame.

15. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a spiro-tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the outer end of said chamber, a supporting frame, means for rotatably mounting said container upon said frame, on an axis running transversely of said side walls, a pivotally mounted spring actuated ejector normally obstructing said outlet, and a catch integral with said frame,

operating said ejector against theaction of its spring, to discharge through said outlet one of the articles containe within said chamber when said container reaches a predetermined osition while it is being rotated in the discharging direction'in relation to said frame.

16. A container of the class described com-.

prising two substantially parallel side walls and a peripheral wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a s'pi-rotubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container,-registering with the outer end of said chamber, a supportlng frame, meansfor rotatably mounting said contalner upon said frame, on a horizontal axis running transversely of said side walls, and means for gravitationally discharging the outermost article within said chamber, when said container reaches a predetermined position while it is being rotated in the discharging direction in relation to said frame. I Y

17. A container of the class described comprising two substantially parallel side Walls and a peripheral Wall extending therebetween, a partition extending between said two side walls, forming a Spiro-tubular chamber adapted to retain in serial arrangement articles to be discharged from said container, an outlet through one of the walls of said container, registering with the outer end of said chamber, a supporting frame, means for rotatably mounting said container upon said frame, on a horizontal axis running transversely of said side walls, a pivotally mount-' ed spring actuated ejector normally obstructing said outlet, and a catch integral with said frame, operating said ejector against the action of its spring, to discharge through said outlet one of the articles contained within said chamber when said container reaches a predetermined position while it isbeing fotated in the discharging direction in relation to said frame. I

GUIDO M. SACERDOTE.

Images