Improvements in Hangers or Hanger Devices, applicable for Soap and other Articles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Jan., 1899-Accepted, 25th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hangers or Hanger Devices, applicable for Soap
and other Articles.
I, EDMUND RUENIUS, of Grand Rapids, in the County of Wood, and State of
Wisconsin, United States of America, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:
The invention relates to improvements in soap hangers.
The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of devices for
hanging soap, and to provide a simple and inexpensive soap hanger, adapted to
hold a cake of soap of any desired form in convenient position for ready use
and of preventing the same from falling to the floor or being carried away.
The invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrange-
ment of parts, as hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying
drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a soap hanger, constructed in accordance
with this invention.
Figure 2 is a detail sectional view of the soap, the catch being removed.
Figure 3 is a detail view, showing the tube, cap and washer separated.
Figure 4 is a detail view illustrating the manner of applying the catch to the
tube of the soap.
Figure 6 is a sectional view showing a handle applied to the cake of soap.
Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures
of the drawings.
1 designates a cake of soap, preferably in the form of a ball, but any other
desired shape may be employed, and the cake of soap is provided with a tube 2,
around which it is molded and which is provided with an enlarged inner end 3,
forming shoulders and serving as an anchor to prevent the tube from being with-
drawn from the cake of soap. The tube, which extends from the center to the
periphery of the soap, is provided at its inner end with an interior annular
groove 4, adapted to be engaged by spring arms 5, of a catch 6.
The spring catch 6, which is constructed of a single piece of resilient metal,
is provided at its top with an eye 7, formed by doubling the metal, and the sides
or arms 5, which have their terminals 8 bent outward at right angles, are adapted
to swing outward and engage the groove 4, of the tube. The catch is engaged by
a disk or washer 9, located adjacent to the eye 7, and adapted to hold the same
closed at the bottom, but the disk or washer 9 may be enlarged to form a knob or
handle 10, as illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawing.
The engaging end 8 of the arms 5 are retained in the groove of the tube by an
elastic cap 11, fitting over the outer end of the tube and provided with an annular
portion or plug 12, extending into the outer end of the said tube. The cap, which
has its outer face curved, is provided with a central opening 13 to receive the catch,

page_text: and it is compressed when the catch is engaged with the tube, whereby it
exerts a constant outward pressure which serves to hold the ends 8 firmly in
engagement with the groove. In Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings, the
catch is illustrated in the act of being introduced into the tube, and the sides are
compressed and adapted to spring into engagement with the groove.
The eye of the catch is linked into one end of a chain 14, which passes over a
sheave or pulley 15, of a bracket 16, and a weight 17 is attached to the other
end of the chain and is adapted to counterbalance the weight of the soap and hold
the cake normally elevated. The bracket is hollow or tubular and is designed to
be secured to a wall or any other suitable support, the weight being concealed
within the hollow or tubular portion, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1 of the
accompanying drawing. The sheave on pulley is journaled at the upper end of
the bracket, which is provided at its top with an opening for the passage of the
chain, and at the bottom of the opening the bracket is provided with a curved
flange or lip 18, presenting a lower concave face and adapted to be engaged by a
ball or stop 19, to limit the upward movement of the soap. The lip or flange 18 is
provided with a perforation to receive the chain, and the ball or stop 19 is suitably
secured to the latter.
The soap is held in an elevated position by the weight and is always conveniently
arranged for instant use, and when a cake of soap has been used up, a new cake
may he readily applied to the chain.
The invention has the following advantages:
The soup hanger is simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction and
it is adapted to be readily mounted on a wall, washstand or other suitable support,
and the bracket may, if desired, form a portion of such washstand. The soap
is prevented from collecting dirt through contact with a soap dish, washstand or
other supporting surface, and it cannot slip from the hands of the user and fall on
the floor. The device also effects a saving of the soap and prevents the same from
being lost or carried away, and it will be obvious that the device may be employed
for hanging brushes, billiard chalk and various other articles.
Changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be
resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of
this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. In a device of the class described, the combination with supporting means,
of a tube desigued to be imbedded in the article to be suspended, forming, an
anchor to engage the same and provided with an interior shoulder, a catch having
spring arms engaging the shoulder and connected with the supporting means,
and a compressible elustic cap fitting over the outer end of the tube and engaging
a catch, whereby the arms are maintained firmly in engagement with the said
shoulder, substantially as described.
2. In a device of the class described, the combination with supporting means,
of a tube designed to be imbedded in the article to be suspended, a catch connected
with the supporting means and detachably engaging the tube, and an elustic
compressible cap fitting over the outer end of the tube and engaging the catch,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In a device of the class described, the combination with supporting means,
of a tube having its lower end enlarged and provided with an interior groove, a
catch engaging the groove and connected with the supporting means, and an
elastic cap extending over and fitting within the outer end of the tube, said cup
being capable of being compressed and of engaging the catch, substantially as
and for the purpose described.
4. In a device of the class described, the combination with supporting means,
of a tube designed to be imbedded in the article to be suspended, a catch engaging

page_text: the tube and connected with the supporting means, an elastic compressible cap
arranged at the outer end of the tube, and a knob or handle mounted on the outer
portion of the catch, cubstantially as described.
Dated this 2nd day of January 1899.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.