US2636417A - Tilting mikror for continuous towel - Google Patents

Description

April 1953 E. MATHEWS TILTING MIRROR FOR CONTINUOUS TOWEL CABINETS Filed Oct. 19. 1951 INVENTOR EnwAao L. MATHEWS ATTORNEYS mag-pm Patented Apr. 2 8, 1953 TILTIN G MIRROR FOR CONTINUOUS TOWEL CABINETS Edward L. Mathews, Norfolk, Nebr.

Application October 19, 1951, Serial No. 252,093

3 Claims.

This invention relates to continuous towel cabinets, of the type wherein a cabinet is mounted upon the wall of a room, and is adapted to contain an elongated, rolled, cloth towel, successively following clean portions of which are withdrawn from the cabinet by successive users.

More particularly, the invention has reference to a tilting mirror adapted to be incorporated in a cabinet of the type stated.

A cabinet for dispensing rolled toweling is conventionally mounted upon a Wall surface so that the bottom end of the cabinet is approximately shoulder high. This has been found to be the optimum position for users, the position being one which enables the user to dry his or her hands and face with maximum ease.

Many cabinets of the character referred to are provided with mirrors. However, it is obvious that if the bottom of the cabinet is shoulder high, and if as is customary the entire lower half of the cabinet is covered by the toweling being dispensed therefrom, a mirror mounted upon the upper half of the cabinet will generally be located at too great a height for convenient use. Only tall persons, accordingly, can avail themselves of the mirror mounted upon the cabinet.

It is accordinglyan important object of the present invention to provide a tilting mirror construction adapted to be embodied in a rolled toweling dispensing cabinet, and so mounted and arranged relative to the cabinet as to be usable by persons of average or less than average height.

Another important object is to provide a tilting mirror attachment as stated which can be substituted for the mirror already provided upon the cabinet, without requirement of modification or redesigning of the cabinet.

Still another important object is to provide a tiltingmirror as stated which can be manufactured at relatively low cost, and can be mounted upon the dispensing cabinet in a minimum time.

A further important object is to provide a tilting mirror as stated which will be durable, rugged, and substantially tamper-proof.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of acabinet for dispensing rolled toweling equipped with a tilting mirror attachment formed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the front portion of the cabinet, taken on line 2-2 of Figure l; and g Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the mentarily.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a conventionally constructed cabinet I0 is illustrated, the

cabinet being of a type used for dispensing rolled toweling and being generally mounted upon the wall of a room at shoulder height, as illustrated in Figure 1.

conventionally, the cabinet in is provided with a mirror attachment disposed in a vertical plane, the conventional mirror not being shown.v Such a mirror is provided with rearwardly extending ears extended through horizontal top and bottom rows of slots l2, and through side slots formed in the front Wall of the cabinet II].

In accordance with the present invention, the conventional vertically arranged mirror is removed, exposing the horizontal and vertical rows of slots l2. Then, a support is secured to the front wall of the cabinet It], said support being formed from a single piece of metal material bent to shape, and including a top plate [4 disposed in a horizontal plane and formed to a generally elongated, rectangular configuration as best shown from Figure 3.

The top plate M is formed, along its rear edge, with a plurality of spaced, rearwardly extending ears [6 adapted to be inserted inthe top row of slots [2 of the dispensing cabinet It.

Formed upon the front edge of the top plate I l, and extending from end to end of said top plate, is a top backing flange l8, which is bent downwardly from the blank of metal material from which the support is formed, and is disposed at an acute angle to the top plate M, as best shown from Figure 2. The top backing flange I3 is formed with a plurality of slots 20, for a purpose to be made presently apparent Integral with the top plate [4 at opposite ends of said top plate, and extending downwardly from the top plate at right angles thereto, are side plates 22 of triangular ordownwardly tapering formation. The side plate 22 at one side of the support has-a rearwardlyextending ear 24 disposed adjacent its upper edge, said ear 2d ex tending from the back edge of the side plate associated therewith and being receivable in a side slot of the cabinet [0. The other side plate 22 has an ear 24 disposed near its lower end- (see Figures 2 and 3), the 'ear 24 of the second side plate being. extended through a suitable slot formed in the cabinet III, in the same manner as the ear 24 at theopposite side of the mirror support.

Formed upon the front edges of the respective side plates 22 are side backing flanges 26, said backing flanges 26 being arranged at right angles to their associated side plates, so as to be coplanar with the top backing flange :8 and hence disposed, together with said top backing flange, in a plane inclined from the vertical.

In the respective side backing flanges 26, slots 28 are formed.

The top and side flanges, and the associated top and side plates it and 22, cooperate to provide a mirror support generally designated 2-9, said mirror support being adapted for mounting upon the front wall of a cabinet it as a substitute for the mirror attachment conventionally provided upon such a cabinet.

Attachable to the mirror support 29 is a rectangular mirror frame 30, having a peripheral inwardly extended retaining flange 32. Formed integrally with the topand bottom portions of the mirror frame 3d, and extending rearwardly from the mirror frame, are ears 34, extendable through the slots 26 and through the bottom row of slots I2 of the cabinet respectively, so as to secure the mirror frame to its associated support and cabinet.

After the cars 3 are extended through the slots 20 and if, said ears are bent downwardly as illustrated in Figure 2, so as to fixedly connect the mirror frame to the support 29 and cabinet l8.

Formed upon the side portions of the mirror frame 30, and extending rearwardly therefrom, are side cars 35, receivable in the slots 28 of the side backing flanges 26 of the mirror support 29. After the ears 136 are extended through the slots 28, they are bent laterally, so as to cooperate with the ears 34 in effecting a rigid connection between the mirror frame and its associated support.

When the mirror frame is secured to the support as in the manner discussed above, the peripheral retaining flange 32 of said mirror frame will be disposed in an inclined plane parallel to and spaced slightly forwardly from the inclined plane in which the backing flanges i8, 26 lie. A mirror 38 is disposed in the space between said parallel planes, so as to be supported against the backing flanges, while being held against intentional or accidental separation from the mirror frame by the peripheral retaining flange 32.

I believe it will be obvious that after the mirror is mounted in the manner discussed above, it will be so disposed as to be readily accessible to persons of average or less than average height, as distinguished from vertically disposed mirrors generally provided upon cabinets of the character described, which are available only to persons of considerable height.

It is also believed to be an important characteristic of the invention that the device illustrated and described is readily substituted for the mir-' rors conventionally provided upon cabinets of the character referred to, without modification or redesigning of said cabinets, the construction which I have devised being one which permits the substitution to be carried out with ease and considerable speed. Further, once the device is mounted upon a dispensing cabinet in the manner described, it will be secured permanently to said cabinet, and will not be readily removed by tamperers.

It is believed clear that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to'be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor changes in construction that may be permitted Within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

i. In a tilting mirror attachment mountable upon a dispensing cabinet having a vertical front wall in which a plurality of slots is formed, a support having a back edge extending in a vertical plane and adapted to engage said front wall throughout its length, said support having a front edge disposed throughout its length in a plane inclined from the vertical; ears spaced longitudinally of said back edge and extending laterally therefrom for extension through said slots to secure the support to said front wall, the front edge of said support having a plurality of slots spaced longitudinally thereof mirror-retaining means including a generally rectangular, open frame having rearwardly extending ears spaced peripherally thereof and extendible through the slots of the support to secure the frame to the support in parallelism with the inclined front edge of the support; flanges on the front edge of said support and on said frame respectively, said flanges being arranged in parallel, inclined planes; and a mirror held between said flanges in an inclined position parallel to the planes in which the flanges are disposed.

2. As an article of manufacture to be mounted upon a towel dispensing cabinet having a vertical front wall, said wall having horizontal top and-bottom slots, a tilting mirror attachment comprising a support having a back edge ex-- tending in a vertical plane and adapted for engagement throughout its length with said front wall, said support having a front edge disposed throughout its length in a plane inclined from the vertical; ears spaced longitudinally of said back edge and extending laterally therefrom for extension through the slots of said top row to secure the support to the front wall of the cabinet, the front edge of the support having a plurality of slots spaced longitudinally thereof; mirror-retaining means including a generally rectangular, open frame havingrearwardly extending ears spaced longitudinally of its top and bottom edges, the ears of the top edges of the frame extending through the slots of the support and the ears of the bottom edge extending through the bottom row of slots of the cabinet, to secure the frame to the cabinet and support respectively, in parallelism with the inclined front edge of the support; flanges on the front edge of said support and on said frame respectively, said flanges being arranged in parallel,

in an inclined position parallel to the planes in which the flanges are disposed.

3. As an article of manufacture to be mounted upon a towel dispensing cabinet having a vertical front wall, said wall having vertically spaced, horizontally extending top and bottom rows of slots and spaced side slots, a tilting mirror attachment comprising: a support formed from a single blank of material shaped to include a plates integral with anddepending from the op posite ends of the top plate and having'ears inclined planes; and a mirror held between said flanges extending from their rear edges engageable in the side slots, the rear edges of the top and side plates being disposed in a common, vertical plane,

flanges; and a mirror disposed in the space between the retaining and backing flanges in an inclined plane parallel to the planes of the retaining and backing flanges.

EDWARD L. MATHEWS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,631,193 Eustis June 7, 1927 1,883,834 Turner Oct. 18, 1932 1,908,147 Hoegger May 9, 1933 2,142,321 Maley Jan. 3, 1939 2,469,923 Jones May 10, 1949

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