US2934249A - Toilet seat cover dispenser - Google Patents

Description

April 26, 1960 N. ZAJFMAN TOILET SEAT COVER DISPENSER Filed Aug. 17, 1955 m m mm# 5 m? N M a. W my 7 ENE w giiiiig iatent TOILET SEAT COVER DISPENSER Nuta Zajfman, New York, NY.

Application August 17, 1955, Serial No. 528,948

1 Claim. (Cl. 225-47) This invention relates to improvements in sanitary devices, and washroom accessories and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device whereby as needed, there is dispensed from the device a toilet seat covering means shaped to overlie the seat portion of a toilet seat, so that the same is covered, and bodily direct contact with the toilet seat is avoided.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device in which there is a plurality of toilet seat covers arranged sequentially, one of which at 'a' time may be dispensed from the device, which is disposed in close proximity to a toilet seat, for covering the same, with convenient means for detaching the dispensed toilet seat cover from the undispensed ones re maining in the device, whereby the same may be employed in covering the tangible portions of the toilet seat to avoid direct bodily contact therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toilet seat cover dispensing device in which there is a housing provided with a bar or shaft for extending through the hollow hub of a roll of toilet seat covers in rolled up disposition, the housing having a discharge opening through which the end of the roll of toilet seat covers is extensible for pulling the same out sequentially, and including novel releasable locking means for normally engaging said roll against pulling out, until needed, and novel cutting off means for cutting otf or detaching a pulled out section of the roll, forming a single unitary toilet seat cover for overlying the tangible portions of a toilet seat.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toilet seat cover dispensing device which has a housing mountable either upon the toilet tank directly, or upon a wall adjoining the toilet bowl, and within easy reaching access when in use, from either side thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toilet seat cover dispensing device, in which there is a toothed means normally engaged with a row of openings formed in and along the roll of toilet seat covers in the housing, so as to block undesired pulling out of a toilet seat cover, and in which said toothed engaging means may be pressed or moved to a position at which it is unlocked, and allows a seat cover to be pulled out or dispensed, whereupon it returns to locking position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toilet seat cover dispenser, which may be coin-controlled, so that upon deposit of a coin of predetermined denomination, the locking means is released for pulling out one seat cover, after which it is again automatically returned to locked position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toilet seat cover dispenser, which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture, which is highly gauitaryjand protective of health, and which may be made of a variety of materials, such as wood, metal, plastic, or a combination of such materials.

These and other objects and advantages of the inven tion will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and

in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a toilet or water closet, with my improved seat cover dispensing device mounted adjacent thereto.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the device shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a left end elevational view of the device shown in Figure 2, with a portion of a seat cover partly pulled out therefrom, and indicating in broken lines, the opening motion of the cover member.

-Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view taken substantially on plane 44 of Figure 3, a roll of seat covers being shown in position therein, and indicating in broken lines, an outer positioning of the control knob for release of a cover.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional elevational view than one seat cover pulled out from the dispensin'ghousing.

Figure 7 is a top plan view showing another form of the invention, in which the dispensing housing is mounted at the rear of the toilet seat, for being dispensed in a forward direction instead ,of from the side as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view taken on a plane similar to that of Figure 4, and showing one mode of tight engagement of the shaft with the roll of toilet seat covers, the view being on an enlarged scale.

In connection with the use of sanitary devices, such as toilets, water closets and the like, the utmost of protection against transmission of disease is needed, and the present invention provides means whereby the cover of the seat of the toilet is covered, and thus there is no possibility of transmission of disease to the user. My improved device includes a main housing within which there is a means for carrying a roll of toilet seat covers,

with means for allowing them to be dispensed one by one as needed, and to block dispensing when not desired. Coin controlled locking means may also be provided so that only when a coin is deposited, is it possible to dispense one seat cover. The covers being disposable, and inexpensive, are thus used without any problems at all.

In order to understand clearly the nature of the invention, and the best means for carrying it out, reference may now be had to the drawings, in which like numerals denote similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown, there is a bathroom 10, with a toilet bowl In order to provide a sanitary covering for the toilet seat when in use, I provide a dispensing main housing or the like 30, which includes a floor wall 32 secured to left and right end walls 34 and 36, and to frqutare;

Patented Apr. 26, 1960 define a main chamber 42 which takes up substantially the entire interior of the main housing in the form illustrated. A roof wall 44 is secured to the upper edges of'the walls 34 and'36 andthe rearward wall 40, said walls being somewhat inclined at their upper edges to allow the roof wall'44 to beals'o incl-inedfas seen in the.

views.

To form acover or closure member 46;,Iform cuts. along cut lines 50 inth'e right andleft' endwalls 34' and the hinges 58' are located'at therear of 'the housing, iti

willbe understood that such hingeing ,may also be accomplished elsewhere, as when the housing30 is mounted right against a wall so as-to block such ready upturning of "the cover. In such event, the hingesmay be placed at one end' of the housing, which will be modified to.

make this possible,.or right at the top left' corner of the roofmember 44 as seen in Figure 3, instead'of'therebelow, the hinges being located at the. top. left corner offthe roof member 44 in such event.

A main roller shaft 60.. is reduced atits' ends 62'and? 64, to allow them to extend through the bearing openings;

66. and 68 formed through the end walls 34 and 36Jof' themain housing, so as to turn.fr'eelytherein. Amine olined' access slot 70 may be formed through wall; 34' above and communicating with hearing opening '66, toallow the main roller shaft 60 to be inserted'and removed'.

when the top cover 46 is uplifted, the slot 70 extending to out line Stl as seen. best in Figures 3. and 4;

The main roller shaft 60 is itselflmadea sufficiently large in diameter intermediate its reduced ends 62and 64; as to fit snugly inside the hollowtu-bularhub 72 on which theroll of toilet seat coverv members 74 is carried, so that the main roller shaft. 60 turns. with the rollof toilet seat covers 74, and when the main roller shaft 60'is blocked against turning, then the.roll'of' toilet'seat covers 74' cannot turn either. Thissnug fit may also he achieved by shaping the. roller shaft 60 with serrations; ribs or corners for good engagement: with the paper: hub 72.

' A brake or detent wheel or. disc.30' is mounted on the rightward end64 of the main roller shaft 60, for'turning therewith, being keyed thereto as shown inFigure The'disc 80 has a: number of detent holes'82 formed around its marginal perimeter, therethrough; to receive a=detent plunger'shaft 84 mounted slidably in'an opening 86' formed through wall 36 ofthe main; housing. A spring88biases the collar 90 on, the shaft84, and hence the shaft 84 itself which is movable with collar'90, left.- wardly, as seen in Figure 4, for engagement inany'of the" holes' 82 with which it is brought into registry, thus blocking. further turning of the disc 80and' hence ofthe' seat cover roll 74. A pull knob 94 can be pulled to the right, as seen in Figure 4; to allow the detent disc- 80 to. turn freely, while a seat cover. is pulled out, and then" is" automatically restored to locked position when re'-' leased. blocking further dispensing or wasting of' seat covers;

A guidingroller 109 is. mounted at" the" upper'edge' 54 of the front lower wall 38; as seen in Figure 5, to allow the: seat covers to be pulled out easily. A front closure wall 102 which may be of 'metal, plastic; clear or transparent plastic, glass or the like, is slidablydisposed in grooves 104formed in the edges of thefront wall' opening," that'is' to say, in the'front'marginsof the side or endwalls'34 and-36, to allow it to be slidahl'y moved vertically to' cl oserl positionor opened up. The-wall 102 has a top flange 106, overlying roof 44, and a lower outstanding flange 108'to facilitate tearing oif'a single seatcover along its scored tear lines 110. Figure 6 shows how each seat cover section 74 between score lines, has an opening 116 formed therein to overlie the opening in the toilet seat when placed thereon after being torn off. Figure 7 shows how the orientation of the openings is changed when at rear of toilet; In this form, the main housing 30a'may be mounted at the rear of. the toilet bowl just forwardly or below the flush tank 24a, which may be forwardly recessed-as 'at'.25a,.to..rnore easily receive the housing 3011.,

Referring now to Figure 8, it is seen that here is a further modificationof.thesinvention, in showing means for enhancing the grip of the shaft 60a on the roll 74 of toilet seat covers. Here it is seen that the shaft 60:: extends through the hollow tubular hub or core 72 of the roll of toilet seat covers,,74,.and is provided with an axial slot.130 forming bifurcations as shown. bifurcated portion of theshaft 60a extends inside the tubular core-72 of the toilet seat cover roll 74 leftwardly of. apertured wheel 80, which is keyed at 65 to. shaft.

60a. The spacing collar or washer 132 is disposed to the right of wall'. 34 of the main housing, and is provided with an opening 134' to receive thebifurcated shaft left end portion 130. The opening 134 has. a diametralintegral. wedge portion 136' extending across it, so as.t0v

extend. into the slot between. the bifurcations of the.

shaft 6011. The spacing collar orwasher. 132 is thus carried by the shaft 60a with the central'wedge portion 136" between the bifurcations of the shaft 60a- The wedge 136thus presses'the bifurcations apart, and tightly causes: them to grip the tubular hub 72 so as to cause the roll 74 and the shaft 60a to surely turn together. The opening 66a in Wall 34 is also. enlarged to allow the reduced: bifurcations to turn freelytherein while expanded. sut: ficient clearance or play is left in the various parts.as. seen in Figure 8;; to allow easy insertion and removal with the aid. of slot 70 also..

Although I have describedmy invention in specific terms, it'will be understood that various. changes may be made in size,.shape, materials and arrangement without tially, spaced'fromthe outer surface thereof,.for cutting,

oif a seat cover at a time from said roll, andso that when said cover is severed, a substantial leadingmarginal edge portion of the next unsevered seat cover extends outwardly from said chamber for being grasped by hand when another seat cover is to be dispensed, detent means constructed and arranged for blocking turning of said roll of toilet seat covers,,spring means for biasing said detent means into extended blocking position, said detent means being constructed and arranged for being moved. by hand to retracted unblocking position as needed, to allow dispensing of a seat cover, and wherein there is an apertured wheel carried on said main shaft for turningtherewith, said.roll,of toilet seat covers comprising a continuous Series. of interconnected toilet seat covers in sheet form wound around' a tubular hollow core member hub, said main shaft bing bifurcated where itextends through said. seat cover. roll hub, wedge means constructed and arranged for extending intothe space'between said bifur= cations to expand them totightly-engage'againstsaid toilet seat cover-roll hub, to secure said hub for turning aperture ofisaid aperturedzwheel toiblock:turning-thereof The.

and of said seat cover roll, and when pulled to retracted position disengages thercwith, allowing dispensing of a seat cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 585,070 Yeakel June 22, 1897 711,981 Lankenau Oct. 28, 1902 794,748 Shaw July 18, 1905 6 Scott June 30, Christi-an Jan. 31, Rundell Oct. 6, De Waide June 6, Perrin June 13, Salsman Feb. 27, Myers July 3, Brick Aug, 18, McArthur May 21,

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