US3172539A

US3172539A - Display rack

Info

Publication number: US3172539A
Application number: US254361A
Authority: US
Inventors: Elmer G Rulf
Original assignee: Eldon Manufacturing Co Inc
Current assignee: Eldon Manufacturing Co Inc
Priority date: 1963-01-28
Filing date: 1963-01-28
Publication date: 1965-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 1982-03-09

Description

March 9, 1965 RULF 3,172,539

DISPLAY RACK Filed Jan. 28, 1963 6 INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 3,172,539 DISPLAY RACK Elmer G. Rulf, Brookfield, Wis., assignor to Eldon Manufacturing Co., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Jan. 28, 1963, Ser. No. 254,361 8 Claims. (Cl. 21159) This invention relates to a display rack.

For the purpose of this exemplification, the merchandise to be displayed is shown as a sack provided with a handle. The rack is designed to be shipped flat in knockdown form and it is readily erected to provide a simple and very effective display in which the merchandise to be sold is rendered prominent and the rack is inconspicuous.

A basic frame has the form of an inverted U with legs having their free ends turned rearwardly to provide feet. Angled bars detachably connected with the frame extend forwardly to provide forward legs and feet, the angles being such that the frame is preferably tilted slightly to the rear. The connection of the forward legs to the legs of the frame preferably includes a cross bolt spanning the frame and without which there would be no connection whatever between the legs of the frame.

The legs of the frame are transversely bored at appropriate intervals to receive transverse pins which anchor the arms upon which the handles of the sacks of merchandise are supported. Each arm has the form of an endless flat loop with an intermediate bight which has portions extending behind one of the pins and then forwardly thereof and around the leg of the frame. By simply holding the arm at a slightly raised angle with respect to the frame, the pin is readily inserted and thereupon the greater the load imposed on the arm, the more tightly will the arm and the pin be anchored to the stand.

A wire clip extending across the upper end of the frame has hook portions engaged with the respective legs and has an intermediate upward loop which cooperates with the top bar of the frame to hold a display card which may contain advertising or price information.

In some instances, it may be desired that arms be provided at both sides of the frame. In such a case, the frame is preferably designed to stand vertically and a pair of oppositely projecting arms may be anchored by each pm.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a display stand embodying the invention, a single item of merchandise being shown in position on one of the arms.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective separately showing the card-retaining clip.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detail view on an enlarged scale showing the anchored portion of one of the arms and a fragment of the frame portion of the stand.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detail plan view of the parts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, the upright portion of the stand being illustrated in section.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing a modified embodiment of the invention in which the frame is upright and two oppositely projecting arms are provided.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the modified embodiment of FIG. 5.

A display stand embodying the invention comprises a frame portion 8 which may be upright as shown in FIG. 5 but preferably is only approximately so, having a slight rearward inclination as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The frame has the form of an inverted U with a transverse bar at 10 and

legs

12 and 14, the latter preferably having rearwardly curving feet at 16, which may be equipped with rubber tips 18.

The supplemental legs 20 and 22 are detachably connected with

legs

12 and 14 respectively, as by means of cross bolt 24 and shorter bolts 26 provided with wing nuts 28. The legs 20 and 22 project forwardly at an oblique angle and may have rubber tips 18 at their ends. With the legs 2%) and 22 detached, the frame 8 is nearly planiform for shipping purposes.

Projecting over the longer legs 20 and 22 of the stand are the arms 30 which support the merchandise to be displayed. In the particular display shown, the merchandise comprises a bag 32 having a handle 34 of sufficient extent to be engaged with one of the arms 30.

Each of the arms preferably comprises a closed loop which may be made of wire having generally

parallel strands

36 and 38 shown, and an upwardly tilted outer end loop 40. The spacing between the

strands

36 and 38 is sufficient to accommodate one of the

legs

12 or 14 of the stand. Beside the leg, the

respective strands

36 and 38 have curved bights at 46 and 48, extending downwardly and thence forwardly and connected across the front of the leg at 50. In the bights provided by the downward curves at 46 and 48 is a pin 52 for which the leg portion of the stand is provided with an opening 53 as best shown in FIG. 4. The pin can be pushed through the opening to release the arm only when relieved of the thrust of the arm, as by lifting upwardly the free end of the arm. Similarly, to assemble the arm, the arm is held at a slight upward angle so that its portion 50 is free of thrust on the leg. This displaces the bights 46 and 4-8 out of engagement with the pin 52, thereby permitting the pin to slide freely into the opening and to be centered with respect to the leg 12. Light as the arm is, the weight of its free end, even without merchandise load, imposes cramping stress on the pin to anchor the pin.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show how a pair of the arms may be assembled on a single pin 52 to project in opposite directions from the frame portion of the device.

The advertising or price display card 54 may conveniently be clamped against the cross bar 10 of the frame portion of the device by means of a spring clip generically designated by reference character 56. This clip comprises a wire or the like 58 which is formed intermediate its ends to provide an upwardly extending loop 6% which engages the card 5 and holds it erect. The wire 58 is kept from turning by reason of the fact that the

hooks

62 and 64 which engage around the respective legs 12 and 14- have terminal portions extended downwardly at 66 and 68 and thence curvilinearly to provide a vertically offset hook at '70 and 72, thus stabilizing the wire to hold the loop 60 in the desired plane. The arrangement is such that the spring clip 56 can readily he slid to and from the indicated position by moving it in the plane of the frame 8, the respective hooks moving axially of the legs with which they are to be engaged or from which they are to be disengaged.

With the frame erected as shown in FIG. 1, the stand will carry a very heavy load of merchandise without tending to tilt and without any tendency for the goods to slide forwardly on the supporting arms 30. Yet an item can easily he slid from the free end of the arm across the slightly elevated loop portion 40 at its outer end. It is an interesting fact that when the device is in use the stand is hardly visible and the floor space required is scarcely more than is required by the goods to be merchandised.

No tools are required either to erect or dismantle the stand. Three wing nuts on the

bolts

24 and 26 connect the legs. The several arms are mounted on pins which are fixed in position by the weight of the respective arms, without fastening devices. The entire stand can be shipped in a carton having thickness only slightly greater than the thickness of the bar stock used in making the frame and it requires only a few moments of time to erect the stand in condition for use.

I claim:

1. In a display stand, the combination with a transversely pierced upright leg and a pin disposed transversely of said leg and freely movable to and from position therein wherein said pin has projecting ends, of an arm for supporting merchandise to be displaced on said stand and comprising an endless fiat loop of Wire having a bight remote from the leg and laterally spaced portions extending across the ends of the pin at opposite sides of the leg and thence around and beneath said pin, said loop further having a mutual connection between said portions forwardly of the leg and engaged with the leg beneath said portions.

2. A display stand comprising a frame in the form of an inverted U having a top bar and laterally spaced legs with terminal feet and provided intermediate the cross bar and feet with transverse openings at intervals, pins having a length materially exceeding the width of the respective legs and loosely fitted in said openings with their ends projecting from the legs, and merchandisesupporting arms projecting outwardly from respective legs and each having bight portions hooked over the projecting ends of said pins and thence extending forwardly and hooked in front of respective legs, together with supplemental leg means connected with the legs of said frame and projecting outwardly therefrom beneath said arms to support the frame in a generally upright position.

3. A display stand according to claim 2 in which the supplemental leg means comprises a pair of bars having end portions substantially parallelling the respective legs first mentioned and other portions extending forwardly therefrom, and bolts connecting the bars to the legs, one of which bolts extends transversely between the legs, the bolts having readily detachable manually operable nuts.

4. A merchandise display stand comprising the combination with a generally upright frame including a top cross bar and supporting legs, of outwardly projecting legs detachably connected with the legs first mentioned adjacent the lower ends thereof and constituting means for holding the frame generally upright, the legs first mentioned being provided with transverse openings at vertically spaced intervals, and arms projecting forwardly from each of the first mentioned legs above the outwardly projecting legs and constituting means for the support of merchandise, the arms comprising flat loops having laterally spaced portions each of which has a downwardly curving bight, the respective bights embracing one of said legs between them and having an inter connection constituting a forwardly disposed bight engaging the last mentioned leg forwardly thereof, said last mentioned leg having pins extending transversely through said openings and reciprocable therein to and from positions wherein each pin has its ends engaged in bights of said laterally spaced arm portions, each such pin having its ends holding the bight of an arm engaged thereby and being held frictionally in position in said leg by said arm and merchandise supported thereon.

5. A display stand for merchandise, said stand cornprising a frame having a top bar and generally upright legs supporting the top bar, means for holding the frame in a generally upright position, the legs being provided at vertically spaced intervals with transverse holes, cross pins in the respective holes, and oppositely projecting arms mounted in pairs upon the respective legs, the arms of each pair being engaged with the ends of one of the cross pins, each such arm having a first bight portion extending over and around the end of across pin and a second bight portion engaged with the leg beneath the cross pin.

6. A display stand according to claim 5 in whicheach such arm is made of wire and includes strands laterally spaced to receive the leg between them, each of the two strands having the bights first mentioned and engaged with opposite ends of the cross pin and the said bights having a connection in front of the leg providing the bight second mentioned.

7. A merchandise display stand comprising a generally upright frame with a top cross bar and legs, merchandise-supporting arms projecting from the legs, and means coacting with said frame for holding a display card thereto, said means comprising a spring clip having double integral hook portions on each end slidably engaged with the legs of the frame and having an intermediate loop portion resiliently biased toward thecross bar of the frame for clamping engagement with a display card confined between the cross bar and the loop portion.

8. A clip detachably engageable with the legs of a merchandise display stand having a crossbar supported on such legs, the clip comprising wire means transversely spanning the space between legs and provided with an upward loop engageable with the cross bar intermediate the legs, the ends of said wire means having leg-engaging bights open to pass the cross bar and slidable downwardly upon said legs, and being further provided with second bights offset vertically fromthe bights first mentioned and integrally connected therewith and slidable on said legs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 18,539 7/32 White 24-73 595,064 '12/97 Herbst 248-243 834,057 10/06 Hoerlein 211-178 1,128,419 2/15 Dear 248317 1,954,935 4/34 Karnes 248243 2,122,833 7/38 Black 211-l 2,629,574 2/53 Stevens 248-221 2,644,688 7/53 Roberge 272-57 FOREIGN PATENTS 807,410 1/59 Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Examiner.

Claims

5. A DISPLAY STAND FOR MERCHANDISE, SAID STAND COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING A TOP BAR AND GENERALLY UPRIGHT LEGS SUPPORTING THE TOP BAR, MEANS FOR HOLDING THE FRAME IN A GENERALLY UPRIGHT POSITION, THE LEGS BEING PROVIDED AT VERTICALLY SPACED INTERVALS WITH TRANSVERSE HOLES, CROSS PINS IN THE RESPECTIVE HOLES, AND OPPOSITELY PROJECTING ARMS MOUNTED IN PAIRS UPON THE RESPECTIVE LEGS, THE ARMS OF EACH PAIR BEING ENGAGED WITH THE ENDS OF ONE OF THE