US2669409A - Container holder - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY-S n wl rli.

Feb. 16, 1954 H. PARSONS CONTAINER HOLDER Filed Jan. 3, 1952 Feb. 16, 1954 H. PARSONS CONTAINER HOLDER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 3, 1952 ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 16, 1954 UNITE o STATES ear am OFFICE" GQNTA INER HQLDER, Herberti L. BarsonsNew Brunswick, N; J. rn icat'ionilann rs 1 52a,.scria Nmzfiml (Cl. M t -15.4)

1 2 Claims.

This 'ivention relates to. container holding apparatus and is directed particularly to 1m: provementsiin apparatus of this type for hold n ice creamcontainers infixed position in. a. refrigerating compartment.

Ice l cream is usualh packaged, in, two. andonehalf gallon containers.- at .the time of manufacture and the filled containers distributed. to retailers where they are stacked in horizontalrectangular refrigerators in rows of, two each, two. high in each refrigerator compartment. Ice cream is dispensed. from the tonv container of. each, stack by scoops, dips or the like-as required.

In, dispensing the. ice cream it, is the. usual practice to dip; with the right hand while hold.- ing. a. cone or receptacle in. the left hand and unless the ice creamocontainer isiheld firmly in some manner when the iceoreamiis being dipped it will rotate or Wobble. This makes it. very diflicultfor. the clerk. to dip, the ice cream and results in considerable inconvenience, irritation and, inefficiency. Furthermore, the sidewalls of the refrigeratorv are,.as.a rule, coveredwith frost and, ice from. a position at the. bottom! of the rubber frostring tothe bottom of. the refrigeratorc When the, containen rotates o1; wobbles against, the sidewall, the ice or frost isfreq-uently knocked, into 111183168 cream; container which is obviously quite detrimental to the product. It is apparent, therefore, thatsuitable..meansvmust, or desirably should, beprovided toholdvthe con.- tainer firmly at. all times;

Also, the depth of. theusualrefrigeratoi: compartment is excessive for: the height. of the two containers and as a. consequence the-topoithe top container of. a stacl; is nominallyv positioned somewhat below the-rubber frost ring Thisre quires the clerk to extend his arm into therefrig erator )Zurtheu than is necessary, which, results in discomfort and possible injury to; the clerk causecl by, rubbing his armor: elbow against h K051391017 iced. sidewall of the-refrigerator, par.- ticularly when the ice cream. is low. in. the con.- taine-It. It also. requires, in the case of, newly delivered. containers. in which the ice cream, is frequently too hard or unworkable, that the top of therefrigerator. he leftaopenor completelymff so that. the-ice cream may softenpriortQ-cligping or dispensing: The refrigerator losses incurred by this. practice result in excessive use; of: the compressor and motor and rcduccd service; liie. Furthermore, when; loading the refrigerator; the excessive depth thereof frequently: results in the tt ndant d ppi he; container the; rei acrater: bott m t e by: cau in an mpact wh h is quiteidetrin ental.

A primary object-oi the present invention is the provisionof a simple and. relatively inexpensive appfiltatusi which will. firmly and positively. hold. ice cream containers in fixed position in; a. refrigerator compartmentso that they caninot rotate, shift, wobbleor otherwise move when ice cream is beln" dipped therefrom.

A further object of the invention is the pro vision of,- a, container holding. apparatus which will positively grip the top-of aL container-with: a substantially constant unyielding pressure to hold; it in, fixed non-rotativeposition and. which will. simultaneously. support the sidesof the con.- tainen and also of a, second container on which the first. container may r est, so. that the walls of. the containers will not be crushed: or bulged out.

A still further object of the: invention is. the provision of; a, container. holding apparatus' of rigid construction which forms a. partial en:- closure for a container or containers and which is provided with; open} spaces on. opposite sides of a containen or containers, through which the hands ot a clerk may pass. in inserting or rernoving the containers.

Still another object.v of the; invention is the provision of acontainer holding apparatuswhich will actas; abrakimdwice when. a container is inserted thcreintoi in. a slightly tilted. positio thereby avoiding the detrimental and. frequently damaging. imnact. on. the bottom. of the refrigerator. caused by dropping the container.

A, iurther object of the invention. is the provision. of a. container holding; apparatus which will hold a; container in. listed elevated. position, in a refrigerator comhartment whereby the ice cream adjacent theto-p portion of the container will become slightly. soften-for ease in dispensing and. whereby the ice cream; may be dispensed with greater facility and ease and without dislodging andknocking; ice oirfrost. from the sidewalls; at the refrigerator into the; open; icecream container.

These and other ohjectsand. advantages ofthe invention will become. more apparent by referonce. to: the accompanying drawings illustrating greferred embodimentsof the-invention;

Inl such drawing:

Fig; 1 is=asideielevational view of one-form of container holding.- device; according to the invention positioned in a refrigerator compartment, the latterbeinashewnin broken lines;

h s; 2 1.51 t nol nv ew-oi the ntainerholde insu ance oilfiell.

Fig. 3 is an end View thereof; FJ-ia. 431s: are enlarged; sectionala view; Off a. portion of the device showing the mounting of the toggle clamp assembly;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the portion of the device shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a top view of the toggle clamp assemy;

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of the clamping member;

Fig. 8 is an end view similar to Fig. 3 of a modified form of the invention.

In the drawings the numeral ID designates a freezing compartment of a refrigerator ll, having the usual insulated walls l2 and rubber frost ring l3. The refrigerator I! may be of suitable type in general use for the storage of ice cream and similar containers and will usually include a plurality of adjacent compartments separated by intervening partitions. Ice cream containers, designated herein by the numeral M are arranged in the freezing compartment in stacks of two, the lower container I i of each stack usually, but not always, being an inverted empty container. At the present time such containers are made of cardboard or similar material and are readily susceptible to crushing, bulging or other deforming forces.

In one preferred form the device of the invention consists of a supporting base structure [5 on which the containers rest and clamping and supporting elements It rigidly secured to the base structure I5 and extending upwardly therefrom on opposite sides of a stack of containers. The elements is form a partial enclosure for a stack of containers and serve to positively clamp the containers to the base structure and simultaneously support the sidewalls thereof against bulging or crushing.

The base structure 55 consists of a base member I! and supports 8. The base member I! preferably, though not necessarily, consists of a flat steel plate approximately V of an inch in thickness and of such shape and size as to be readily insertable into and removable from the freezing compartment.

of containers in the usual refrigerator compartment it will be appreciated that the size may be varied to accommodate one or any desired number of stacks.

The base plate I! is supported in spaced relation to the bottom of the refrigerating compartment by the supports 18, desirably formed of wood, and secured to the base plate in any suitable manner such as by screws or the like. Three such supports may desirably be used, spaced as 4 shown, and with the spaces between the supports preferably left open to permit access thereto and free circulation of air under and around the base member.

The base plate I! is supported at a height above the bottom of the refrigerator compartment such that the top portion of the top container I4 is positioned in the warmer area of the refrigerator slightly above the bottom edge of the rubber frost ring l3. This facilitates dispensing by bringing the container within easy reach of a clerk and further by permitting the ice cream at the top of a newly inserted container to soften. It also eliminates the possibility of ice or frost being knocked from the sidewalls of the refrigerator compartment into the container when the ice cream is being dispensed as well as the discomfort and possible injury to the clerk occasioned thereby.

The clamping and supporting elements l6 con- While the base member 11, as shown, is designed to support two adjacent stacks sist of uprights l9, toggle clamps 24 and guides 40. The uprights l 9 are arranged in pairs to accommodate each stack of containers, the uprights of each pair being mounted in diagonally 0pposite corners of the stack receiving half sections of the base in spaced apart relation so as to be disposed on opposite sides of a stack of containers positioned therebetween. Uprights 19 are preferably formed of rigid steel rods or bars screw threaded at their lower ends as at 20 for threaded engagement with threaded bushings 21 welded or otherwise secured to the underside of the base plate l1. Uprights 19 project above the base plate [1 a distance substantially equal to the height of two stacked containers I4 and by virtue of their threaded engagement with the bushings 2| may be adjusted for small variations in height of such containers.

Adjacent the top portions thereof the uprights l9 are provided with toggle type clamps 24 adapted to'be positively moved into unyielding pressure engagements with the opposite top edge portions of the top one of a stack of containers to hold them against rotation and lateral shifting movement while ice cream is being dispensed. In a preferred construction the clamps 24 each consist of a toggle lever 25, a clamping member 26 and a locking arm 21.

The toggle levers 25 are pivotally mounted as at 28 in slotted end portions 29 of the uprights l9 and have transversely flattened, curved end portions 30 provided with elongated apertures 31 and retained therein in any suitable manner as by washers 32 and. pins 32a secured to the locking arms. Handles 33 are provided at the upper ends of the locking arms for the convenience of a clerk in swinging the toggle'levers 25 to and from their locking positions.

The clamping members 26 are pivotally connected, as at 34, to intermediate portions of the toggle levers 25 and are preferably curved inwardly around the pivotal connections 28 in order to secure the desired toggle action. Clamping plates 35 are secured to the upper ends of the clamping members 26 in any suitable manner, as by welding, and may desirably comprise substantially horizontally disposed mounting portions 36 and downwardly extending locking portions 31 desirably connected to the mounting portions 36 by intermediate curved portions 38.

In the operation of the clamps 24 the clerk grasps the handle 33 of the locking arm 2'! and pulls upwardly thereon to swing the toggle lever 25 in a counter clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4. This raises the clamping member 26 so that the locking portion 31 thereof may be swung inwardly over the top edge portion of the top container of a stack. The clerk then pushes down on the locking arm to swing the toggle lever 25 in a clockwise direction thus bringing the clamping plate 35 into positive unyielding pressure engagement with the top edge portion of a container, such clockwise swinging movement being continued until the clamp is in locked position.

The pressure exerted by the clamps 24 may be varied as desired by adjusting the uprights l9 up or down in the manner hereinbefore described. Such pressure, however, should be a positive unyielding pressure of sufficient magnitude to securely grip the containers in order to prevent rotation or other movement thereof while ice cream is being dispensed.

The guides 40 are carried by the uprights l9 and form therewith a substantially rigid structure which partially but not completely encloses the stacked containers l4. Guides 40 are formed of fiat metal strips or plates, preferably of steel and consist of horizontal bracket members ii mounted on the uprights l9 and vertical guide members 42 carried by the brackets 4|. The brackets ll extend laterally and inwardly from the uprights l9 and are preferably curved on the arc of a circle having a radius approximately 4, of an inch greater than the radius of a con tainer.

The brackets ll of opposed uprights I 9 are designed to partially enclose a container l4 so as to leave between opposed ends thereof a space of sufficient extent to permit the hand of a clerk to pass therebetween to facilitate insertion or removal of a container. Aside from this the length of such brackets may be varied to enclose more or less of the circumference of a container.

The guide members 42 are secured to the inner faces of the brackets 4| in laterally spaced relation thereon for snug engagement with the opposite side wall portions of a container positioned. between a pair of uprights l9. Such guide members engage and effectively support the walls of the containers, particularly a lower empty container, against crushing and bulging due to the weight of the upper filled container and also due to the pressure of the clamps 24. Such guide members further serve to guide inserted containers into correctly stacked alignment one above the other. Also by slightly tilting a container when it is being inserted the guide members 42 may be made to act as brakes thereby making it easier for an attendant to insert a container without dropping it with consequent possible damage to the bottom of the refrigerator.

The embodiment of the invention thus far described is designed to be removably mounted in an existing refrigerator compartment. In the modified embodiment shown in Fig. 8 the device is constructed as an integral part of the refrigerator. For this purpose the uprights 19 are permanently secured to the bottom 43 of a refrigerator compartment in any suitable manner such as by welding or the like and a container supporting base plate 44 slidably mounted on the uprights l9 and vertically adjustable thereon to accommodate small variations in height of the containers by a plurality of screw lifts 15. The screw lifts 45 may be rotatably mounted in a member 46 secured to the bottom 49 of the refrigerator compartment and screw threadedly engage a threaded boss 41 of the base plate id. Squared portions 48 are provided at the top of the screw lifts 45 for cooperation with any suitable mechanism or tool for individual or simultaneous rotation of the screw lifts to raise or lower the base plate 44.

In the operation of the device a first container which may be a full container or an inverted empty container is inserted between the guides lfi from the top and lowered to the base member ll (Figs. 1-7) or M (Fig. 8). In the event a full container is used it may desirably be tilted when introduced so as to obtain the advantage of the braking action afforded thereby the guide member 42. A second container is then inserted in a similar manner on top of the first container. The guide members 42 guide the containers into correctly aligned and stacked relation and simultaneously brake the fall thereof. When the containers are thus stacked the clamps 24 are placed in clamping position as previously described to secure the containers in fixed position for dispensing ice cream.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides an improved device for holding containers such as ice cream containers in nonrotatable, non-shiftable position for dispensing ice cream. The particular arrangement of uprights, guides and clamps, secured to a base, provides a substantially rigid structure which partially encloses and supports the side walls of a container to prevent crushing or bulging thereof and which grips the containers with a positive unyielding pressure to hold them against rotation, lateral shifting or other movement while ice cream is being dispensed therefrom.

While I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention various modifications thereof will most likely occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates and may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is indicated in the attached claims.

I claim:

1. A container holder comprising a base memher, a pair of spaced substantially vertically disposed uprights extending upwardly fro-m said base member, a plurality of transversely disposed substantially arc'uate shaped brackets mounted on each of said uprights and extending laterally and inwardly therefrom to receive and partially enclose a container positioned therebetween, the opposing ends of said brackets being spaced a substantial distance from each other, a plurality of substantially vertically extending laterally spaced guide members secured to said brackets adapted to bear against a container for engaging opposite sides of a container positioned therebetween to support the container against lateral shifting movement, and clamping means pivoted on toggle levers pivotally mounted on said uprights and engageable with the top edge portions of a container for securing the container in fixed position.

2. A container holder comprising a supporting base adapted to be positioned in a refrigerator compartment in spaced relation to the bottom thereof, a pair of uprights threadedly mounted in said base and extending upwardly therefrom in spaced apart relation, a plurality of arcuate bracket arms mounted in vertically spaced relation on each of said uprights and extending laterally and inwardly therefrom, the opposing ends of said bracket arms being spaced a substantial distance from each other, a plurality of laterally spaced vertical guide members secured to said bracket arms adapted to bear against a. container for engaging opposite wall portions of a container positioned therebetween to support the container against lateral shifting movement, and toggle type clamping means pivoted on toggle levers pivotally mounted on said uprights adjacent the upper ends thereof and adapted to engage the top edge portions of a container with a positive unyielding pressure.

HERBERT L. PARSONS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 619,237 Soule Feb. 7, 1899 1,532,913 Major Apr. 7, 1925 1,636,562 lick July 19, 1927 1,741,563 Graham Dec. 31, 1929 1,828,249 Hammond Oct. 20, 1931

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