US2527178A - Dispensing container - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 24, 1950 F. s. ELSAESSER DISPENSING CONTAINER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 13, 1947 1 N V EN TOR. EMA 1f 31725141 35212 F. s. ELSAESSER DISPENSING CONTAINER Oct. 24, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1947 INVENTOR. v fkmkjfiwsaz Qf/ m Patented Oct. 24, 1950 UNl'iED STATES PATENT @FEECE Claims.

This invention relates to a dispensing container for use in restaurants and the like for holding silverware for distribution to customers.

One of the problems in restaurants and other eating establishments is the handling of silverware, knives, forks and spoons, both prior to the distributions thereof to customers and after they have been used and are to be returned to the kitchen for cleaning. In the interest of sanitation it is desirable that the silverware be not handled after cleaning before the use thereof by the customers and particularly that the parts of said silverware beyond the handles be not touched.

Another difficulty is that of handling the silverware between the dining room and kitchen as well as the handling of the said silverware during the actual cleaning thereof, all of which is labor and time consuming and therefore an expensive operation in conducting a restaurant and the like. The dispensing container of the present invention overcomes or minimizes the foregoing objections.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide a dispensing container or receptacle for silverware for use in a restaurant or the like in which used silverware may be placed for cleaning purposes and said silverware subsequently dispensed to the individual user.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a container to accomplish the foregoing object that can be arranged to prevent inadvertent displacement of the silverware and subsequently arranged to permit ready removal of the silverware.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a dispensing container for silverware that when open arranges the silverware to prevent displacement from the container while when closed prevents the removal of the silverware from the container and at the same time may be utilized in the usual dishwashing machine so that the said silverware is cleaned while within the container and said silverware can be dispensed from the said container without being handled except by the dispenser to the customer.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention should be readily apparent by reference to the following specification considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and it is to be understood that any modifications may be made in the exact structural details there shown and described, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from or exceeding the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing container or receptacle of the present invention showing same closed.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the container of Fig. 1 showin same open to permit removal of the content.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the open container of Fig. 2 as seen from the open end thereof or the left hand end of said Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view through the open end of the container as seen from line 4-4 on Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional View through the closed container as seen from line 5-4: on Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view through the closed end of the container as seen from line 66 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the top and adjacent side of the container illustrating particularly the latch for looking the cover in closed position and seen from line l! on Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly in elevation, illustrating particularly the handle whereby the container may be transported or carried.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a container showing a modification therein to the extent that the. container may be partitioned if desired.

Throughout the several views of the drawings similar reference characters are employed to denote the same or similar parts.

To accomplish the objects set forth above use is made of a box it! of a length in excess of the longest piece of silverware to be placed therein which is generally the knife with said box com prising a bottom ll and upstanding sides l2 and I3. The sides It! and it may be integral with the bottom and merely upwardly bent therefrom as may'one end It from said bottom. In other 1 words the box IQ comprises a bottom ll two longitudinal sides i2 and I3 and an end it each integral with one another or formed from the same blank. The vertical edges of the end [4 are secured in any suitable or desirable manner to the adjacent vertical edges of the sides 22 and I3, which, for convenience, is shown in the drawings as a weld l5 extending the full length of said height of the end wall and side wall edges, This construction results in the box having an open top and an open end which will be referred to as 3 the front end of the box while the end l4 will be referred to as the closed end of the box.

The end edge of the box bottom I at the front end thereof is illustrated as turned on itself at intervals to provide hinge eyes If; that cooperate with aligned alternate hinge eyes H at the lower end of a box front l8. In other words the box H] is adapted to have its open end closed by a hinged front |8. The vertical and upper edges of the front l8 are each provided, respectively, with a flange I9, and 2| whereby the box sides l2 and I3 are respectively embraced by the vertical flanges l9 and 20 with said horizontal flange 2|, at the upper end of said front l8, overlying the bottom between said box sides.

Extending through the aligned front hinge eyes |6 and box bottom hinge eyes I1 is a hinge pin 22 whereby said front l8 may be swung from an open to a closed position as will later be made clear.

The upper end of the box side l3 is likewise turned on itself to provide spaced hinge eyes 23 adapted to be aligned with alternate hinge eyes 24 on a cover or lid 25. Extending through said aligned hinge eyes 23 and 24 is a hinge pin 26 to permit swinging movement of the cover or lid 25. The end edges of the cover or lid are downwardly bent to provide flanges 21 and 2B and the longitudinal edge of the cover or lid 25, op-

posite the hinge lugs 24, is similarly downwardly bent to provide a flange 29. The cover end flanges 21 and 28 are adapted to embrace the box ends l4 and IS with said flange 28 engaging and holding the movable front IS in a closed position.

The lid or cover 25 is adapted to be locked in 1 its closed position for which purpose a latch mechanism, indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 30, is provided. The latch mechanism 30 may take any suitable or desirable form such, for example, as illustrated in the drawings and comprising a latch pin 3| having its one end outwardly bent, as at 32, to provide a handle for operating same. The latch pin 3| is slidable through suitable guides 33 integral with and upstanding from a latch base 34. The other end of the latch pin 3| is adapted to be inserted through a suitable aperture 35 formed in a latch lug 36 integral with and upstanding from the box side |2. In order to accommodate the box latch lug 36 the cover or lid 25 is provided with an elongated aperture 31 through which projects the latch lug 36 to have its aperture above the cover or lid 25. The latch pin 3| is adapted to be retained in its latched and unlatched positions for which purpose the latch base 34 provides looking lugs 38 and 39 that cooperate with an ear 40 on the latch pin.

In order to carry the container when closed and for transportation, for example between the kitchen and dining room, there is provided a carrying handle 4| comprising the handle proper 42 and end attaching arms 43 and 44. Any suitable or desirable means may be employed for securing the handle to the box bottom H such,

as for example, screws 45 and 46. As will later be made clear the handle 4| serves an additional purpose that'of assisting in positioning the box ready for disbursement therefrom and for this purpose the handle 4| is located adjacent the open front end of the box.

The operation of the dispensing container of the present invention is as follows:

Assuming that the container, in the condition as.illustrated in Fig. 1, has just been returned from the kitchen to the dining room and is there.-

fore filled with clean silverware, the container upon reaching the waiters supply station has the latch pin 3| actuated to unlock the lid or cover 25. The said lid or cover is then opened or actuated from its closed position in Fig. 1 to its open position in Figs. 2 and 3 at which time the outer surface of the lid or cover 25 is in substantial contact with the outer surface of the box side I3. The actuation of the cover or lid 25 to this position released the box or container front |8 so that it may now be swung on its hinge pin 22 to open said front end of the box or container. The said front I8 is moved to the position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 which is slightly inclined beneath the box or container bottom I I. It is at this point that the second purpose of the handle 4| comes into play since it engages the outer surface of said movable box front I'B for retaining it in the position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 whereby the open front end of the box or container is elevated above its support. By this construction the waiter can readily reach the silverware in the box or container and can readily see the silverware therein.

After the box or container has been exhausted of its silverware it is used by the waiter for receiving the dirty silverware after it has been used by the restaurant customers. The waiter places the dirty silverware in the box or container with the handlles of the knives, forks and spoons toward the open end thereof. Upon filling the said box or container the front H3 is first closed whereupon the lid or cover 25 is closed for looking the front in its closed position and then the latch pin 3| is actuated to lock the lid or cover in the closed position. The box or container with its used or dirty silverware is now sent to the kitchen.

The box with its silverware is now placed in a soaking tank, passed through a dishwashing machine and subsequently rinsed. In order that the silverware within the container may be properly treated for cleaning the box bottom and sides are each profusely perforated as indicated at 41. The box movable end I8 and cover or lid 25 are similarly profusely perforated. By this construction the soaking solution has ready access to the silverware as has the usual cleaning Sprays of the dishwashing machine so that the silverware within the box or container is completely and thoroughly cleaned without removal therefrom. Since the movable end l8 and cover or lid 25 are securely locked in position the silverware is not lost or discharged from the box or container whether the box is set on one of its longitudinal sides, top, bottom or one of its ends and this positioning of the box will be dictated by the particular dishwashing machine being used so that the maximum amount of surface of the silverware is presented to the cleaning sprays. In particular instances only selected ones of the box or container top, bottom, sides or ends may be perforated depending on the positioning of the sprays whether from the top and bottom or the sides of the dishwashing machine.

It has been found that if the silverware is thoroughly rinsed after cleaning and this rinsing is effected by hot water or other liquid medium the silverware may be allowed to dry within the container and which drying is effected in a very short time. The container is then returned to the dining room and set up at the waiters supply station as above described.

In restaurants silverware for each customer is generally used in sets consisting of a knife, 2.

l l l fork, a teaspoon, and a tablespoon with some times two or more of said pieces constituting the set. The waiter upon gathering up the silverware after use by the customers placed said silverware, in sets, in the box or container so that the said sets are practically complete when returned from the kitchen. Furthermore by placing the said silverware in the box or container with the handles thereof at the open end of the box or container the waiter need'touch no portion of said silverware except said handles wherefore the silverware is touched by no" one, except the handles thereof, between the cleaning of said silverware and use by the customer. The silverware being in sets in the boxor container eliminates the need, as was ,prior practice, of having a plurality of pans each containin the separate silverware items and requiring the waiter to pick a piece from a plurality of containers.

If desired the box or container may be provided with one or more partitions such as illustrated in Fig. and indicated 'by the reference numeral 48. Said partitions would be secured in any suitable or desirable manner either by welding, as the sides and closed end of the box are secured to one another, or, by suitable brackets 39. By this construction different pieces of the silverware may be separated from one another such for example as knives and forks in one compartment, teaspoons and tablespoons in another compartment or separate compartments for the knives, forks, teaspoons and tablespoons may be provided. I

The foregoing description has been of a box or container having a movable end as well as a movable lid or cover, it is conceivable however that the box or container may have two fixed ends and sides with only a movable and releasably securable lid or cover with each of the box sides and bottom and the lid or cover profusely or selectively perforated as illustrated in the drawings and obtain the same results as from the preferred construction above described.

From the foregoing it is believed now evident that there has been provided a dispensing container for accomplishing the objects initially set forth.

What is claimed is:

1. In a container for silverware and the like for holding said silverware while being cleaned and from which the cleaned silverware is dispensed comprisin a bottom, permanently positioned side walls upstanding from two opposed sides of said bottom, a permanently positioned back wall upstanding from one end of said bottom between said side walls, a front wall hingedly connectedto the other end of said bottom, said front wall being swingable to a position upstanding from said bottom to be across said walls, a, cover hingedly connected to the upper end of one of said permanently positioned walls arranged when closed to lock the front wall in its upstanding position, certain of said bottom,

side walls, front, and back walls, and cover being provided with perforations to afford cleaning fluid to enter the container, means for locking the cover in its closed position, said front wall, when the cover is open, being adapted to be swung to a position to depend below the bottom and slightly inwardly of the end of the bottom, and an abutment downwardly projectin from the bottom inwardly of the end thereof to which the front is hingedly connected for engagement by said front to position same below the bottom Cal 6 and inwardly inclined with respect thereto for supporting the container with its'bottom upwardly inclined to afford easy access to the interior of. the container.

2. In a container for silverware and the like for holding said silverware. while being cleaned and from which the cleaned silverware is dispensed comprising a bottom, permanently positioned side walls upstanding from two opposed sides of said bottom, a permanently positioned back wall'upstanding from one end of said bottom between said side walls, a front wall hingedly connected to the other end of said bottom, said front wall being swingable to a position upstanding from said bottom to be across said side walls, a cover hingedly connected to the upper end of one of said permanently positioned walls arranged when closed to lock the front wall in its upstandin position, certain of said bottom, side walls, front and back walls and cover being provided with perforations to afford cleaning fiuid to enter the container, means for locking the cover in its closed'position, said front wall, when the cover is open, being adapted to be swung to a .position to depend below the bottom and slightly inwardly of the end of the bottom, and a U-shaped handle comprising a handle portion and arms which have their free ends secured to the bottom to downwardly project from the bottom inwardly of the end thereof to which the front is hingedly connected for engagement by said front to position same below the bottom and inwardly inclined with respect thereto for supporting the container with its bottom upwardly inclined to afiord easy access to the interior of the container. .1

3. In a container for silverware and the like for holding said silverware while being cleaned and from which the cleaned silverware is dispensed comprising a" bottom, permanently positioned side walls upstanding from two opposed sides of said bottom, a. permanently positioned back wall upstanding from one end of said bottorn between said side walls, a front wall hingedly connected to the other end of said bottom, said front wall being swingable to a position upstanding from said bottom across said side walls, a cover hingedly connected to the upper end of one of said permanently positioned walls arranged when closed to lock the front wall in its upstanding position, certain of said bottom, side walls, front and back walls, and cover being provided with perforations to afford cleaning fluid to enter the container, means for locking the cover in its closed position, comprising an axially shifta ble latch pin carried by the cover, and an apertured latching lug receiving the shiftable latch pin and upstanding from one of the permanently positioned walls other than the one to which said cover is hingedly connected, said front wall, when the cover is open, being adapted to be swlung to a position to depend below the bottom and slightly inwardly of the end of the bottom, and an abutment downwardly projecting from the bottom inwardly of the end thereof to which the front is hingedly connected for engagement by said front to position same below the bottom and inwardly inclined with respect thereto for supporting the container with its bottom upwardly inclined to afford easy access to the interior of the container.

4. In a container for silverware and the like for holding said silverware while being cleaned and from which the cleaned silverware is dispensed comprising a bottom, permanently positionedsi'de walls upstanding from two opposed sides of said bottom, a permanently positioned back wall upstanding from one end of said bottom between said side walls, a partition between the side walls and upstanding from the bottom, a front wall hingedly connected to the other end of said bottom, said front wall being swingable to a position upstanding from said bottom to be across said side walls, a cover hingedly connected to the upper end of one of said .permanently positioned walls arranged when closed to lock the front wall in its upstanding position, certain of said bottom, side walls, partition, front and back walls and cover being provided with perforations to afford cleaning fluid to enter the container, means for locking the cover in its closed position, said front wall, when the cover is open, being adapted to be swung to a position to depend below the bottom and slightly inwardly of the end of the bottom, and an abutment downwardly projecting from the bottom inwardly of the end thereof to which the front is hingedly connected for engagement by said front to position same below the bottom and inwardly inclined with respect thereto for supporting the container with its bottom upwardly inclined to afford easy access to the interior of the container.

5. In a container for silverware and the like for holding said silverware while being cleaned and from which the cleaned silverware is dispensed comprising a bottom, permanently positioned side walls upstanding from two closed sides of said bottom, a, permanently positioned back wall upstanding from one end of said bottom between said side walls, a front wall hingedly connected to the other end of said bottom,

said front wall being swingable to a position upstanding from said bottom to be across said side walls, a cover hingedly connected to the upper end of one of said permanently positioned walls arranged when closed to lock the front wall in its upstanding position, certain of said bottom, side walls, front and back walls and cover being provided with perforations to afford cleaning fluid to enter the container, means for locking the cover in its closed position, said front wall, when the cover is open, being adapted to be swung to a position to depend below the bottom and slightly inwardly of the end of the bottom, and a U-shaped handle comprising a handle portion and arms which have their free end secured to one of said bottom and front to project therefrom and adapted to engage the other of said front and bottom to position the front below the bottom and inwardly inclined with respect thereto for supporting the container with its bottom upwardly inclined to afford easy access to the interior of the container.

FRANK S. ELSAESSER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 362,948 Galbreth May 17, 1887 476,150 Knight May 31, 1892 489,711 Mandioni Jan. 10, 1893 645,344 White Mar. 13, 1900 1,003,583 Burgess Sept. 19, 1911 1,477,930 Bartholomew Dec. 18, 1923 1,582,655 Anderegg Apr. 27, 1926

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