Abstract: A beehive assembly has a column of hive bodies which are releasably connected to a vertical metal spine. Upper and lower metal pivot members extend between the spine and a post mounted to the ground. The upper pivot members extend away from the post and include a removable handle. Depressing the handle causes the column of hive bodies to ascend into an operating position where the bee colony within the hive bodies is elevated above the ground. Raising the handle brings the hive column to a lowered position for access by a beekeeper. A latch or latches are disposed to secure the pivot members with respect to the post at desired elevations. Springs extending between the post and the spine assist the beekeeper when raising or lowering the hive and cushion the lowering.

Abstract: A beehive assembly has a column of hive bodies which are releasably connected to a sheet metal spine of a sleeve which encircles a post mounted to the ground. The sleeve has a rack which engages a pinion mounted to the post with a handle which rotates the pinion and moves the sleeve and attached beehive vertically. A latching pawl is selectively released by a foot pedal mounted to the post. By turning the crank the column of hive bodies is caused to ascend into an operating position where the bee colony within the hive bodies is elevated above the ground, or is lowered to be accessible by a beekeeper.

Abstract: A beehive assembly has a column of hive bodies which are releasably connected to a vertical metal spine. Upper and lower metal pivot members extend between the spine and a post mounted to the ground. The upper pivot members extend away from the post and include a removable handle. Depressing the handle causes the column of hive bodies to ascend into an operating position where the bee colony within the hive bodies is elevated above the ground. Raising the handle brings the hive column to a lowered position for access by a beekeeper. A latch or latches are disposed to secure the pivot members with respect to the post at desired elevations. Springs extending between the post and the spine assist the beekeeper when raising or lowering the hive and cushion the lowering.

Abstract: A dispenser for wrapped straws has a housing with a hopper with upright plates forming parts of reciprocating assemblies that move outwardly when a front actuator engages a cam plate for axial movement. A composite plunger assembly travels on the cam plate. The plunger assembly has multiple spring loaded ejector members. When the cam plate is advanced one of the ejector members will encounter a straw in the hopper which is by chance positioned to be advanced through an outlet opening. The other ejector members, encountering straws not well positioned for ejection, will be depressed, but will not dispense a straw. A user extracts the one partially protruding straw and returns the cam plate to its initial position which causes the reciprocating assemblies to return to a central position, thereby shuffling the wrapped straws and presenting them again to the plunger assembly for the next dispensing.

Abstract: A dispenser for wrapped straws has a housing with a hopper with upright plates forming parts of reciprocating assemblies that move outwardly when a front actuator engages a cam plate for axial movement. A composite plunger assembly travels on the cam plate. The plunger assembly has multiple spring loaded ejector members. When the cam plate is advanced one of the ejector members will encounter a straw in the hopper which is by chance positioned to be advanced through an outlet opening. The other ejector members, encountering straws not well positioned for ejection, will be depressed, but will not dispense a straw. A user extracts the one partially protruding straw and returns the cam plate to its initial position which causes the reciprocating assemblies to return to a central position, thereby shuffling the wrapped straws and presenting them again to the plunger assembly for the next dispensing.

Abstract: A lid dispenser receives a stack of drink cup lids within a housing tube, such that the frontmost lids extend through a front element opening and are retained by multiple pager assemblies, each of which has a frontwardly extending pager body post. The inside of the pager body has an engaging wall with an inclined surface directed radially inwardly. Flippers are pivoted to the posts and have wings which extend towards the front element, and have interior surfaces which are inclined radially outwardly. The flippers are biased radially inwardly, but are displaceable by a pressure applied axially towards the interior cavity. When adjusted so the pager body posts project radially over the front element opening, each pager body post inside wall is positioned to engage lids which extend from the front element opening, and direct them towards engagement with the pager flippers.

Abstract: A lid dispenser for dispensing a first lid from a plurality of lids includes a housing having an opening therein through which the plurality of lids are dispensed, a door pivotally mounted and positioned frontwardly of the housing, and a claw assembly wherein the claw assembly is coupled to and movable relative to the door. The claw assembly includes a first claw including a first body portion and a first claw surface extending from the body portion, a second claw including a second body portion and a second claw surface extending from the body portion, and a depth stop plate that connects the first claw to the second claw, the depth stop plate including a depth stop spaced apart from the first claw surface and the second claw surface, wherein the depth stop plate defines and maintains the distance between the first claw and the second claw.

Abstract: A traveler has a platform which moves vertically within a carriage. By depressing one of three keys, the platform is depressed against a spring to the depth of one, two or three lids to be dispensed from a stack. With the desired key depressed, the entire carriage moves downwardly within a housing which has cams mounted to its side walls which displace spring mounted side separators which extend inwardly to separate the remainder of the stack of lids from the selected lids. The extended separators urge the selected lids past protruding pagers which support the remainder stack and prevent it from being dispensed. Once past the pagers, the selected lids are presented for one-handed removal by a user at a housing outlet. Constant force springs mounted between the carriage and the housing return the carriage to its initial position once pressure on the selected key is released.

Abstract: A lid dispenser receives a stack of drink cup lids within a housing tube, such that the frontmost lids extend through a front element opening and are retained by multiple pager assemblies, each of which has a frontwardly extending pager body post. The inside of the pager body has an engaging wall with an inclined surface directed radially inwardly. Flippers are pivoted to the posts and have wings which extend towards the front element, and have interior surfaces which are inclined radially outwardly. The flippers are biased radially inwardly, but are displaceable by a pressure applied axially towards the interior cavity. When adjusted so the pager body posts project radially over the front element opening, each pager body post inside wall is positioned to engage lids which extend from the front element opening, and direct them towards engagement with the pager flippers.

Abstract: A traveler has a platform which moves vertically within a carriage. By depressing one of three keys, the platform is depressed against a spring to the depth of one, two or three lids to be dispensed from a stack. With the desired key depressed, the entire carriage moves downwardly within a housing which has cams mounted to its side walls which displace spring mounted side separators which extend inwardly to separate the remainder of the stack of lids from the selected lids. The extended separators urge the selected lids past protruding pagers which support the remainder stack and prevent it from being dispensed. Once past the pagers, the selected lids are presented for one-handed removal by a user at a housing outlet. Constant force springs mounted between the carriage and the housing return the carriage to its initial position once pressure on the selected key is released.

Abstract: A dispenser is adjustable to contain beverage container lids of various sizes. A housing has a front element with an opening. Pager assemblies are mounted in slots which extend radially outwardly from the opening. A stack of lids is inserted into the housing through the opening, and the pager assemblies allow a single lid to be extracted from the stack by the pivoting of a door containing two claws which engage the frontmost lid. To reconfigure the dispenser for a different lid size, a template is positioned frontwardly of the housing front element, and the pager assemblies are adjusted to abut the template, thereby configuring the pager assemblies in the proper position. The claws on the lid are then replaced with claws which are configured to the new lid shape.

Abstract: A molded plastic housing is mounted within an opening of predetermined size in the front wall of a cabinet beneath a counter top. Evenly spaced parallel grooves in the top wall of the housing receive dispensing modules constructed with peripheral pairs of upwardly protruding fins which are spaced distances which are multiples of the spacing between the parallel grooves. Each module, be it a napkin dispenser, a straw or stir stick dispenser, other box-like unit, may be inserted at any location within the housing. The volume within a single housing may thus be occupied by many different dispensing modules, or by multiple modules of the same type. Differentiated dispensing cavities may be formed by one or more dividers having a single upwardly extending fin which engages within a housing groove, and a lower base which engages the housing lower wall. A transparent face plate has two rearwardly extending ears which are flexible to extend into the housing on either side of the dispensing modules.

Abstract: The lid dispenser of the present invention has four rods which extend from the front to the rear and which support and guide the lids. The rods are connected at the front to individual lid dispensing pagers, and are supported at the rear in arcuate tracks in an adjustment ring. The front pagers are also mounted in an adjustment ring with arcuate tracks. Both adjustment rings have serrated or ridged cylindrical edges, which allow the click-positioning of the rings at a desired position to force the rods and pagers into an evenly spaced radial position. Three plastic claws are flexibly supported on a support member which is mounted for front-to-back movement on cover guide rods. Each claw member is connected by flexible bands to positionable fasteners which are fixed in radial slots in the support member which allow some radial movement of the claws as they engage a cover. By use of such a dispenser in convenience stores and the like contact by customers with lids other than those dispensed is avoided.

Abstract: A trough-like support piece extends within a supply tube in a housing and supports a stack of beverage container lids. A spring biases a plate to urge the stack frontwardly to engage against a plurality of spring-loaded members which extend from the housing frontwardly of the plate. A cover is hinged to the housing and has two guide rods which extend rearwardly toward the lids. Three plastic claws are flexibly supported on a support member which is mounted front-to-back movement on the guide rods. A pull rod extends from the support member through the cover and is biased rearwardly by a spring. Each claw member is connected by flexible bands to claw stops, and the claws are thus positioned to engage with the frontmost lid of the stack. A user by pulling on the dispensing handle causes the claws to move frontwardly to extract a single lid and drop it onto inclined supports removal by a user.

Abstract: A door latch formed of transparent elastic plastic is disclosed. The latch has an elastic plastic band with a base segment adapted for mounting on a door and a catch segment flexibly attached to the base segment and extending angularly outward therefrom to project transversely beyond the base segment. The band also has a striker segment flexibly attached to the catch segment and extending angularly outward therefrom and transversely to a position outlying the base segment, and also a return portion flexibly attaching the striker segment to the base segment. The band is adapted to flexibly deform when pressed against a door jamb to selectively engage the jamb. The latch may also have a stiffening rib of plastic material rigidly affixed to the base segment within the band to act to restrict the deflection of the band when the band is pushed against a door jamb. This latch is useful as a transparent latch for a transparent display case.

Abstract: A plastic latch for latching a first surface to a second, substantially coplanar, surface is disclosed having a flexible plastic band with a planar attachment segment adapted for attachment to the first surface, an upper arcuate segment extending upwardly from the attachment segment, a planar first segment depending from the upper arcuate segment and substantially parallel to and longer than the attachment segment, a lower arcuate segment extending from the flex segment beneath the upper arcuate segment, and an engaging segment extending upwardly from the lower arcuate segment parallel to the flex segment and in substantial alignment with the attachment segment. A connecting segment flexibly connects the engaging segment to the attachment segment and extends towards the flex segment. A projecting nub is located on the engaging segment and is adapted to engage beneath the projecting ledge extending from the planar surface when the first surface is placed in contact with the second surface.

Abstract: A latch for a transparent display box is disclosed having a flexible plastic band with a planar attachment segment adapted for attachment to the inside front surface of the lid. An upper arcuate segment extends upwardly from the attachment segment, and a planar flex segment depends from the upper arcuate segment and is substantially parallel to and longer than the attachment segment. A lower arcuate segment depends from the flex segment beneath the upper arcuate segment and an engaging segment extends upwardly from the lower arcuate segment parallel to the flex segment and in substantial alignment with the attachment segment. A projecting nub on the engaging segment is adapted to engage in a hole in the base when the lid is closed on the base. The flexing of the arcuate segments and the flex and engaging segments enables the nub to move inward from the inside surface of the front of the box when the lid is closed to allow the nub to engage in the hole.