US1968833A - Towel servidor - Google Patents

Description

Aug- 7, 1934. A. l. HONDE'VILLE TOWEL SERVIDOR 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 4, 1952 AQLfIon devlle ATTO-RFNEY g- 1934- A. l, HONDEVILLE 1,968,833

TOWEL SERVIDOR Filed Nov. 4, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 A.[. H012 ale ville 5%.. BY .uw

ATTORNEY q U ED STATES Patented Aug. 7, 1934 PATENT OFFICE 1,968,833 TOWEL senvmon TowelvManufac turing Calif., a corporation Comp any, San Francisco,

Application November 4, 1932, Serial N0. 641,183

4 Claims.

This invention relates to public service towels and a cooperating; dispensing apparatus designed to use fabric as distinguished from paper towels. The principal object of my invention is to provide a towel and dispensing arrangement of this a general character so constructed that each suc" oessive user has an individual. towel for his use and it is not necessary for him to have any contact with the towelpreviously used; Also there is no mechanism to beoperated in connection with the dispensing and .-use,of the individual towels and which is liable to get out of order. 4

My improved servidor therefore is far more:

sanitary to use than the continuous roller mounted typeof towel now commonly installed in public lavoratories and the like, in which the soiled portion of the towelmust be engaged and pulled by a subsequent user when exposing a clean portion of the towel for his use. Also in connection with such dispensing it isnecessary for the user to press the knob which controls the dispensing mechanismand which is handled by everybody using the apparatus-another unsanitary feature which I avoid. Also, since I have eliminated the neces the dispensing mechanism, the dispensing apparatus itself is muchsimpler and cheaper to manuafacture and-there is nothing to get out of order. s Further, these continuous long towels are difgofioult and costly to launderwhereas my towel arrangement is such that it may be laundered without anyironing, or the use of anylspecial method or apparatus in connection with-suchlaundering. A further object of theinvention is to produce a simple andinexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed. These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as 0 will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims. 1

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views: Fig. 1 is a perspective view' of my improved servidor equipped with the towel packagea show ing one door open to expose the towel holding spring mounted thereon. I Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is a perspective of the towel supporting and pressing unit of the apparatus detached from the cabinet.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a towel package. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation of a modified form of servidor.

sity of Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a further modified form of towel package.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged section showing ameans for removably attaching the towels of the modified package together.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a towel of said modified package outstretched.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawingsand particularly at present to Figs. 1 to 4, 1 denotes the cabinet of rectangular form and open on the front. This cabinet is slightly wider than the width of the towels 2 (which is practically square) and is somewhat taller than twice the height .of a towel. The upper portion of the front of the cabinet is provided with hinged mirror-doors 3, substantially the height of a towel and normally held closed by suitable catch devices 4. At their upper ends the adjacent edges of the doors meet each other as indicated but for the major portion of their length such adjacent. edges are separated to leave a vertical opening as at 5 wide enough to receive the hand.

- Disposed in the upper portion of the cabinet is a panel 6 mounted at its lower end on a hinge 7 secured to the back wall of the cabinet ona level slightly more than that of the lower edges of the doors. Rigid u-shaped hangers 8 whose legs are, disposed in vertically spaced relation project forwardly from the paneladjaoent the bottom in transversely spaced order. These hangers may be of any of the various standard forms such as are used in connection with'loose leaf binders of different kinds or so that a towel package may be placed on and removed from the hangers at will.

The individual towels 2 are permanently bound together along one edge by rivets 9 or the like and are punched with holes 10 between the rivets to receive one leg of the hangers. Adjacent their opposite edges the towels are provided with a single opening 11 to receive a peg 12 which is mounted in the back of the cabinet adjacent top and centrally of its width and projecting freely through an opening 13 in the panel. Just below the opening 11 each towel is provided with a finger tab 14. a a

The length of the hangers and the depth of the cabinet is sufficient to receive two or more towel packages each one of which is preferably made up of twenty-five towels. In mounting the towel package in place it is engaged with the upper legs of the hanger and extends upwardly therefrom, lying against the panel 6 and disposed between the panel and the doors which are initially- 01.1Chil18 or: tub; and; after 'l'aunderingand dry.tum,-,

opened but which are closed after the towel package is thus in place. The panel is provided with spring means 15 constantly urging it forward and flat springs 16 are mounted on the 5 backs of the doors and extend at a downward zz-clean towel isthen of coursexpartially exposed through thef-openingfi'for asubsequentzuser with- 3 out theilatter having to. touch: a. towel'previously used. When the last: towel .of aepackagehasbeen z :disengaged from-:thwpegand used the weight of thexremaining .-..used towels ofcthe package 1 will. 1 cause .therpackage as a" whole to .slide aboutthe converging angle relative toqeach other to engage the adjacent portions ofathe outermost or front towel to the sides of the opening 5.

The towels which even when fresh are limp and unironed and will not tend to slip or sag downwardly or outwardly of themselves into the opening 52 -The-- peg 12 aids in thus supportinghthe;towels and also prevents the entire package of towels as a 15 unit from possibly slipping-down:from-=between;?

the panel and springs 16 without necessitating;v the use of very heavy springs.

In operation it is only-'necessar'yfo'r theuser to grasp the exposed towel by thertipuand :pull w the same forward. The towel will thus be disengaged from thenpeg and the springs 16 and.- will be drawn throughthe opening 5"between the :doors,.thuszexposingxthe entire .area of thetowel, from thetop tov thehangen'foruse. :After using.

the towel it isemerely let go andthe towelwill.

then: drop .and hang down in the lower portion of the cabinet andagainsta previously used towel of the package as indicated in'Fig. 1; The next are therefore held outstretched:

. -From-the-foregoing description it will be readilyseenthat I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set-forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the de- -vice,fstil1 in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure'fro'm 'the spirit of the invention, as defined by the .app'endedclaims.

Having. thus described rny invention"wh'at I claim as new-and: useful and desi're to'secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. A towel servidor-comprising an open front cabinetto'conta-ima plurality of individual towels,

a panel thecabinet; hinge means mounting said panel along its lower'edge to the back of the cabinet; hanger elements projecting from the paneladjacent its hinged edge, the towels along one edge having openings 'slidably engaging'said elements, means on the cabinet holdin'gthe-towels inan upstanding positionfrom s'aid edge and exposing a certain portion of the" foremost towel -hangers tooccupy a position on'.the'f.lower legs hand engagement, means acting of the hangers asshown viniFi'g. 2;:.-.The package.

amay be easily laundered, itIbeing only--:necessary torplacethe same in. amordinary .washing:.ma-

' vsire'drfiat :outstretched;form twithout; ironing.

.31: the servidor is essentially the-same as :thatabove 1 .arated and in connection, together asra package..

described. .Thectowels' 2:: however .may be sepaAlso-the-lower .legs ofrthehangersi 8a are in the form of rods l7 whichldepends'some distance of the cabinet la is opened and is attached to o'r formed 'with -a-depending chute 18 which runsthrough -the floor and .isconnected to'the.

laundry-chute of the building. This'structure is particularly adapted for hotel, hospital-and, similar-use; Of course-the towel packages first described may also be-used in connectionfiwith this-apparat'us if desired. ln-"Figs. 6 we amodifid-form of towel pack-v age is shown. This is intended forsuse 'wheu it isdesired to iron thetowels in' order'that they maylpresent more attractive appearance -w-theiri-initially:loweredges having holes engaging theaupperlegs of the hanger elements prior to which-case the-towels must ofcourse be separate ed to be folded centrally of its =ends= and'pro- Tofacilitate ironing opera- -tio1'1sif--such:towe1 2a is of double length adapt tourge =the panelfor-w'ardly about its'hinge as an axis.

2. A- structure as iii-claim 1, in which-said hangerelementscomprise U-shaped members transversely-spacedand set with their legs in veringengaged 'with- 'the"upper*"legs ofsaid -elements.

3. A- structure as in claim 1; in' which said hanger elements comprise rods projecting forwardly from--thepanel in transversely spaced relation and formed at their forward-endswith downward extensions-spacedfrom *the back of thepabinet'and unattached at their lower ends.

4. A towel servidor-comprising acabinet to "contain a plurality of 'individualtowels'and having'a' v'ert-ical'opening in front to 'expose a portion of the foremost-to'welya panel iii-the cabinet toengage the rearmost-towel; means to urge thepanelforwardly'against the" towels so as to maintain the same in an upstanding position, and hanger elementsa'for the :towels". :proj'ecting forwardly oitthepanel. from adjacent its lower edge. and :spacedapart.transversely; each hanger 1 comprising a Ushaped-member;,disposed'with its legs inverticall-y-spaced relation;-.-the towels." along use of the. towels.

... (AUGUST HONDEVILLE.

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