US3345119A

US3345119A - Saddler etal bin structure

Info

Publication number: US3345119A
Authority: US
Current assignee: King Seeley Thermos Co
Publication date: 1967-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 1984-10-03

Description

Get. 3, 1967 i w SADDLER ETAL I 3,345,119

BIN STRUCTURE Filed June 1, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,345,119 BIN STRUCTURE Jerry W. Saddler, North St. Paul, and John F. Morrison, St. Paul, Minn., assignors to Whirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 1, 1966, Ser. No. 554,467 8 Claims. (Cl. 312-274) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A bafile positioned adjacent the bottom edge of a front opening ice bin for preventing ice from falling on the floor when the door is opened. The baffle is extended and retracted by the opening and closing of the door This invention relates to bin structures and in particular to a bin structure for storing and providing for facilitated removal therefrom of loose material.

In one conventional bin structure arranged for dispensing loose material such as ice cubes, a front wall is provide-d with an opening selectively closable by a manually operable door. When the user wishes to remove a quantity of ice cubes from the bin he merely opens the door and reaches inwardly through the opening to obtain a desired quantity of the ice cubes and remove them outwardly through the opening. It is desirable to maintain the level of ice cubes in such a bin at approximately the level of the front opening, and it has been found that under such conditions there is a tendency for some of the ice cubes to spill out onto the floor during such a dispensing operation.

The present invention comprehends an improved bin structure having an improved apron means associated with the door means to be disposed for effectively precluding such undesirable spillage as a result of the movement of the door to an open position. Thus, a principal feature of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved bin structure.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of such a bin structure having new and improved means for providing facilitated removal of loose material from the bin structure effectively preventing spillage of the loose material during such removal.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of such a bin structure having new and improved means for defining an apron extending adjacent the bottom of the bin access opening when the door is in open position.

Still another feature of the invention is the provision of such a bin structure wherein the apron means is movably connected to the door means for automatic positioning at the bottom of the access opening when the door is moved to the open position.

A yet further feature of the invention is the provision of such a bin structure including means defining a space for storing multi-unit goods and having a side wall portion provided with an access opening for providing access to the space for removal of the material therethrough, the wall portion defining a lower edge of the opening, closure means for selectively closing the opening, wall means defining a rear edge, means for connecting the closure means to the wall means for positioning the wall means within the space when the closure means is disposed to close the opening and for positioning the wall means to extend from adjacent the lower edge of the opening to outwardly thereof to form an apron thereat with the rear edge of the wall means being disposed to permit free access to the space rearwardly of the lower edge of the opening while effectively precluding spillage 'of the loose material as during removal thereof from the bin.

Other features and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a bin structure embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section thereof taken substantially along line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section similar to that of FIGURE 2, but with the door in the open position;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary section taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the apron means; and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section of the door bracket connector.

In the exemplary embodiment of the invention as disclosed in the drawings a storage structure generally designated 10 is shown to comprise a bin 11 having a front side wall portion 12 provided with an access opening 13 Which is selectively closed by a manually operable closure means, or door, 14. The bin internally defines a collecting space 15 for storing loose material such as ice cubes. The access opening 13 is arranged to provide for removal of the ice cubes I therethrough when desired.

The present invention comprehends an improved structure having a baffle means 16 which defines an apron, as shown in FIGURE 3, at the bottom of the access opening 13 when the door 14 is in an open position providing the desired access to the ice cubes in space 15. More specifically, the baflie means 16 is mechanically connected to the door 14 by a connecting means 17 whereby the movement of the door between its closed and open positions eifects the position of the baffle means with respect to opening 13, as shown in the retracted position of FIGURE 2 and the apron defining position of FIGURE 3.

As illustrated in FIGURE 5, the b-afiie means 16 includes a wall portion 18 having a downturned rear edge 19 and a downturned rounded front edge 20. At the op posite ends of the wall portion 18, the baffle means 16 is provided with

upstanding baffle Walls

21 and 22, respectively, each having a coaxially aligned opening 23 spaced substantially from wall 18 adjacent an outturned edge 24. Each of

walls

21 and 22 are further provided with a rearwardly opening slot 25 adjacent wall 18 and opening through edge 24. A pair of pivot posts 26 is provided, one post being secured to each inner end wall 27 of the bin 11 for reception in the slots 25. As shown in FIGURE 4, the posts may be provided with a suitable grommet 28 for pivotally motmting the baflle means 16 on the posts 26 in the slots 25. As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the posts 26 are disposed rearwardly adjacent the lower edge 29 of the front wall 12 defining the opening 13.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the lower edge 29 of opening 13 may be provided with a bumper 30 to be engaged by a corresponding bumper 31 on the door 14 in the closed position of the door. The door is hingedly mounted on the front wall 12 of the bin by a suitable hinge 42 at the upper end of the door, the hinge being secured to the front wall 12 at the upper edge portion 32 of opening 13. The door may be provided with a suitable handle 33 for facilitated movement thereof between the open and closed positions. As shown in FIGURE 3, the handle 33 may abut the front wall 12 to retain the door in the open position as during removal of ice cubes from the bin.

As indicated briefly above, the baflle means 16 is arranged to be automatically positioned to define an apron at the lower edge 29 of the opening 13 when the door 14 is in the open position. To this end, a pair of links 34 is provided, each having a first end portion 35 having a turned end 36 pivotally received in one of a pair of brackets 37 secured to the rear surface 38 of the door by suitable means such as screws 39. The opposite end portion 40 of each link 34 is provided with a turned end 41 which passes through the opening 23 in the associated

walls

21 and 22 for free pivotal movement therein.

In the retracted position of FIGURE 2, the battle means 16 is disposed in space 15 rearwardly adjacent opening 13. The level of ice cubes I may be below or above the level of the Opening lower edge 29, as shown in FIGURE 2. When the user wishes to remove a quantity of ice cubes from the storage space 15, he merely opens the door 14 by swinging it on hinge 42 upwardly to the open position of FIGURE 3. The front wall 12 is inclined herein so that the door 14 rests thereon in the fully opened position to hold the door open for facilitating the removal of the ice cubes from space 15. In moving the door from the closed position of FIGURE 2 to the open position of FIGURE 3, the bracket 37 swings the link end 36 in an arcuate path about the hinge axis of binge 42 from the solid line position of FIGURE 2 to the dotted line position of FIGURE 3. In doing so, the link end 41 pivots the baffle means 16 from the retracted solid line position of FIGURE 2 tothe apron forming forwardly disposed dotted line position thereof wherein the wall portion 18 rests on the bumper 31 with the rear portion 19 disposed within the bin storage space 15 and the front edge 20 disposed forwardly outwardly of the opening 13. As shown in FIGURE 3, the wall portion 18 is inclined upwardly and outwardly of the storage space 15 as a result of the disposition of the post 26 and the bumper 31 as well as the arrangement of the link 34 in the fully open position of the door 14.

In the forwardly disposed position, the baffie means 16 elfectively defines an apron overlying the lower edge 29 of the access opening 13 for effectively preventing spillage of the loose material, herein ice cubes, during opening of the door and the removal of the material from the storage space 15. In addition, the

walls

21 and 22 at the opposite ends of the apron forming wall 18 effectively preclude spillage of the loose material past the ends of the wall portion 18. As shown in FIGURE 3, the apron effectively defines an upward extension of the lower edge 29 of the front wall so that the level of ice cubes in the collecting space may be above the level of the opening lower edge 29 for convenient removal thereof while yet the ice cubes will not spill outwardly from space 15 when the door 14 is in the open position.

When the door 14 is moved to the closed position, the bafile means 16 moves back downwardly into the storage space 15 through the stored ice cubes therein to the retracted position of FIGURE 2 as a result of pivotal movement thereof about the axis of post 26 effected by the link 34. Where the loose material comprises ice cubes or the like, the baffle means 16 effectively conducts melt and chipped ice therefrom back into the storage space 15 rather than allowing it to fall onto the floor in front of the bin.

The baffle means 16 and mechanical connecting means 17 are extremely simple and economical of construction while yet providing the highly desirable apron forming bafile means discussed above. The bafile means 16 and interconnecting structure 17 may be readily installed and removed from the bin structure as desired as for maintenance, cleaning or replacement.

While we have shown and described one embodiment of our invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed is defined as follows:

1. Structure for storing and providing for facilitated removal therefrom of loose material, comprising:

means defining a space for storing multi-unit goods and having a side wall portion provided with an access opening for providing access to said space for removal of the material therethrough, said wall portion defining a lower edge of said opening;

closure means for selectively closing said opening;

wall means defining an edge; and

means connecting said closure means to said wall means for positioning said wall means within said space across said access opening at said lower edge to maintain the loose material inwardly of said access opening when said closure means is disposed to close said opening, and for positioning said wall means to extend from adjacent said lower edge of said opening to outwardly thereof to form an apron thereat with said edge of the wall means being disposed inwardly of said opening to permit substantially free access to said space rearwardly of said lower edge of said opening while effectively precluding spillage of the material as during opening of said closure means and removal of said material from said space.

2. The structure of claim 1 further including means for movably mounting said wall means on said side wall portion adjacent said opening.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said wall means includes an inner portion disposed within said space when said wall means is in said apron forming position.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said wall means extends downwardly into said space in said apron forming position to direct back into said space material dropped thereagainst during removal of material from said space.

5. The structure of claim 1 further including upstanding wall portions from said wall means at an end thereof for precluding spillage of the material past said end.

6. The structure of claim 1 including means for pivotally mounting said wall means on said space defining means.

7. The structure of claim 1 further including means for hingedly mounting said closure means on said space defining means at an upper edge of said opening.

8. The structure of claim 1 including means for mounting said closure means on said space defining means to space said closure means substantially from said lower edge of said access opening when said closure means is disposed to permit access through said opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,050,252 1/1913 Thorson 312274 2,378,114 6/ 1945 Van Dont 312-276 2,555,122 5/1951 Gallo 312274 3,246,939 4/ 1966 Petkwitz et al 312274 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. STRUCTURE FOR STORING AND PROVIDING FOR FACILITATED REMOVAL THEREFROM OF LOOSE MATERIAL, COMPRISING: MEANS DEFINING A SPACE FOR STORING MULTI-UNIT GOODS AND HAVING A SIDE WALL PORTION PROVIDED WITH AN ACCESS OPENING FOR PROVIDING ACCESS TO SAID SPACE FOR REMOVAL OF THE MATERIAL THERETHROUGH, SAID WALL PORTION DEFINING A LOWER EDGE OF SAID OPENING; CLOSURE MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY CLOSING SAID OPENING; WALL MEANS DEFINING AN EDGE; AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID CLOSURE MEANS TO SAID WALL MEANS POSITIONING SAID WALL MEANS WITHIN SAID SPACE ACROSS SAID ACCESS OPENING AT SAID LOWER EDGE TO MAINTAIN THE LOOSE MATERIAL INWARDLY OF SAID ACCESS OPENING WHEN SAID CLOSURE MEANS IS DISPOSED TO CLOSE SAID OPENING, AND FOR POSITIONING SAID WALL MEANS TO EXTEND FROM ADJACENT SAID LOWER EDGE OF SAID OPENING TO OUTWARDLY THEREOF TO FORM AN APRON THEREAT WITH SAID EDGE OF THE WALL MEANS BEING DISPOSED INWARDLY OF SAID OPENING TO PERMIT SUBSTANTIALLY FREE ACCESS TO SAID SPACE REARWARDLY OF SAID LOWER EDGE OF SAID OPENING WHILE EFFECTIVELY PRECLUDING SPILLAGE OF THE MATERIAL AS DURING OPENING OF SAID CLOSURE MEANS AND REMOVAL OF SAID MATERIAL FROM SAID SPACE.