US2062802A - Display appliance - Google Patents

Description

De.1, 1936. D. v. WALKER 'l y `2,062,302

DISPLAY APPLIANGE Filed Jan. "r, 193e Patented Dec. l, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in display appliances and more particularly to racks for displaying bolts of cloth or piece-goods. Y In explanation of the invention,l it may be '5v stated that according to the general practice, bolts or rolls of piece-goods are generally stocked on shelves or racks behind a sales counter, this practice requiring the transfer of the bolts or rolls to the counter for display of the goods to a prospective customer. After the customer has inspected a few of the bolts the counter becomes crowded, with the result that the bolts of piecegoods are difiicult to handle and are not so maintained as to be displayed properly.

Attempts have been made to devise counter 'racks-or the like on which a bolt of cloth may be held in display position, but such attempts have not been entirely successful for numerous reasons,` among which may be noted faulty design of the racks, complexity of construction, and difliculty in manipulation, all of which has legislated against such racks coming into common usage.

Accordingly, among the objects of the present invention may be noted the provision of an improved counter rack for displaying bolts or rolls of cloth goods or,`as more commonly designated,

piece-goods, which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior constructions above noted; the provision of a counter rack on which bolts of piecegoods may be positioned for display and from which the b olts may be removed ina simple manner; the provision of a counter rack of the above character on'which a desired number of bolts of piece-goods may be arranged in such manner that any one or a plurality of the bolts may be removed from the rack without disturbing the bolts remaining on the rack; the provision of a counter rack of the character under consideration which is simple and inexpensive in construction and installation, rugged and durable in use, sightly in appearance, and which well fullls the ends for which it is intended.

Other objects will' be inpart obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating an embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a counter or like supporting surface equipped with a rack in accordance with the invention, a bolt of piecegoods beingpartially illustrated in display position thereon;

. Fig. 2 is a partial Fig. 1;

section along lines 2-2 of Fig. 3 is a partially separated view of the rack anchoring strip in relation to a grooved counter top;

Fig. 4 is a section along lines 4--4 of Fig. l.

In the drawing wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout the various views, reference character I0 designates a supporting surface such as a counter top which is generally horizontally disposed, but not necessarily so, as the racking facilities to be hereinafter described could well be applied to an inclined supporting or display surface. In carrying out my invention I propose to provide the counter top with spaced, longitudinally extending grooves I I, I2, the grooves being disposed in parallel relation and extending for any desired length of counter. The said grooves provide longitudinally extending recesses, preferably rectangular in cross section, for the reception of a pair of anchoring strips generally designated I3, I4, of which the strip I3 seats in counter groove I I and the strip I 4 seats in counter groove I2. EBy reference to Fig. 4, each such strip, which may be fabricated from metal, includes an edge flange portion 20, an integral underlying portion 2l from which depends a rectangular channel formed bythe side walls 22, 24 and the bottom connecting wall 25, with an opposite edge flange A2li extending from the channel wall 24. The said edge or flange portions 2U, 26 are formed to extend in the same horizontal plane and are adapted to lie flush on the top surface of the counter I0 when the channel portion of the strip is laid in a groove such as groove I3 of the counter, the depth of the channel portion being such that with the edge flange portions 20, 26 engaging flush on the top surface of the counter, the bottom wall 25 of the channel may seat substantially against the bottom wall of the counter groove. 4

The width of the edge flange 20 is substantially greater than the width of the' integral underlying portion 2`I of the strip, so that a substantial width of the flange 20 extends on to the top counter surface. The flange portions 20, 26 of a strip are each pro-vided with openings as at 2'I for the reception of nails or screws-28 which extend into the counter and thus function to securely position a channel strip within a counter groove. As will be more clearly seen from Fig. 3, the inwardly extending portion of the flange 20 and the related underlying portion 2| form an overhang designated 30, such overhang extending for .an appreciable distance over the open side or mouth of the channel portion of the strip.-

By reference to Figs. 1 and 2, the anchoring strips I I, I2 are oppositely formed; that is to say, if anchoring strip I3 is regarded as a left-hand strip, with the overhang 30 extending towards the center line of the counter I0, then the companion strip I4 will be a right-hand strip, with its overhang 30 similarly extending toward the center of the counter.

In the overhang 30 of each of said strips I provide notches 3|, preferably tapered towards their base portions, the notches of one strip being transversely .aligned with the notches of the other strip. Aligned with each notch 3| I provide holes 32 through the adjacent wall 22 of the channel portion of the strip, said holes registering with short bores or recesses 33 formed in the relatively outer wall of the counter grooves. It will be understood from the foregoing description that the opposed anchoring strips I3, I4 are provided with aligned openings 32 through a side wall of the channel portions of the strips, and that the counter top is provided with aligned recesses 33 behind the said channel openings 32.

The cloth bolt engaging and holding element proper is preferably in the form of a V-shaped bracket element 36 which may be fabricated of rod stock, the legs of the bracket being offset laterally as at 31 and terminating in beveled or pointed ends 38. The width of the free ends of the bracket element 36 is normally greater than the distance between the anchoring strips I3, I4, but the bracket element has considerable spring action whereby the legs thereof may be urged towards each other so thatthe offset ends 31 thereof may extend into the channel portions of the anchoring strips. In order to mount the bracket element or elements in position to display a bolt of cloth disposed thereon, the legs of a bracket are pressed together so that the ends thereof may extend into the strip channel portions, and the points 38 of the bracket are inserted into the holes 32 in` the channels. Upon release of the bracket legs, the inherent spring action thereof causes the legs to spring away from each other so that the points 38 arey pro'- jected through the holes 321 and into the recesses 33 of the counter as indicated in Fig- 2, with the tapering notches 3l, in which the body portions of the legs are received, exerting a wedging action thereon, thereby securely anchoring the brackets to the anchoring strips and in generally upright position with respect to the counter top By reference to Fig. 1 the upper or apex portion of a bracket may extend into the hollow core of a bolt of cloth or, if the bolt is provided with a solid core, may project between the core and an adjacent layer of cloth whereby the bolt of cloth is held in upright position on the counter. It will be understood that any desired number of brackets may be so anchored in the anchoring strips I3, I4, such being limited only by the numberl of anchoring notches 3| and holes 32 and 33.

The above described arrangement has many advantages in use. In the rst place, bolts of cloth are racked directly on the counter and in display position so that a prospective customer may view the cloth of the bolts without requiring a clerk to handle the bolts or to transfer the bolts to the counter from a shelf behind the counter. Further, the piece-goods of a bolt may be viewed and handled without disturbing the bolting arrangement. Again, where the goods of one bolt has been substantially depleted, such bolt may be removed merely by .springing the ends of the bracket towards each other, thus to withdraw the bracket from its anchoring relation in the strips I3, I4; or the bolt may be merely lifted from a bracket and another bolt threaded thereon. It will be notable further that the addition or removal of a bolt of cloth may be accomplished without disturbing any of the other bolts, as each bracket is anchored individually in the strips I3, I4. With the arrangement being such that one or a large number of bolts of cloth may be attractively displayed, and where it is desired that a relatively few bolts of cloth be shown, all unused brackets may be removed individually, thus overcoming disadvantageous display features of racks having permanently secured brackets or equivalent bolt holding devices.

While in the foregoing I have described the in vention as embodying anchoring strips which are set into grooves in the counter top, it is to be understood that the anchoring strips may be mounted bodily on the top surface of the counter to form raised anchoring rails for the brackets 33 and, with such a raised raill arrangement, the edge or flange portions 20,126 may be substantially eliminated or may be bent over to lie flush against the walls 22, 24 of the channel portion of the strip, thus to reinforce the strip. All such and other variations and modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

I claim:

1. In a. display appliance, the combination of a supporting surface, parallel anchoring strips secured thereto, the strips each including a channel and a double thickness flange portion overseating in said notches and its end portions extending into the channel recess and cooperating with the relatively outer wall of the channel.

2. In a display appliance, the combination of a supporting surface, parallel anchoring strips channel and a double thickness flange portion overhanging said channel, the overhanging portions of said strips being provided with aligned notches and the channel portions being provided with related apertures through a wall thereof, and at least one bracket extending between said anchoring strips with its ends extending through said apertures and passing through said notches.

3. In a display appliance, the combination of a supporting surface, parallel anchoring strips secured thereto, each of said strips including a channel and a double thickness flange portion overhanging said channel, aligned notches formed in said overhanging portions of said strips, and the wall of each channel being provided with openings in alignment with said notch, and at least one bracket extending between said strips and including leg portions, the distance between the free end of said leg portions being greater than the distance between said strips, the leg portions of said bracket being movable towards each other for insertion into the channel portions of said strips and being thereupon expansible whereby the ends thereof may pass through said aligned openings and notches.

4. In a display appliance, the combination of a supporting surface provided with parallel grooves, anchoring strips seated in said grooves, each of said strips including a channel portion,

. secured thereto, each of said strips including a a portion overhanging said channel portion, and edge flanges, said edge anges engaging flush with the top of the supporting surface, the overhanging portion of each channel being provided with spaced notches, with the notches of the channels being transversely aligned, and the wall of each channel being provided with openings aligned with said notches, and at least one bracket member extending between said anchoring strips, said bracket having laterally offset end portions, said end portions extending into the channels and projecting through the openings thereof, and said bracket adjacent said end portions engaging in said notches.

5. In a display appliance, the combination of a supporting surface provided with parallel grooves, the relatively outer Wall of each groove having spaced recesses, anchoring strips seated in said grooves, each of said strips including a channel portion, a portion overhanging said channel portion, and edge anges, said edge flanges engaging the top of the supporting surface. the overhanging portion of each channel being provided with spaced notches, with the notches of the channels being transversely aligned, and the relatively outer Wall of each channel being provided with openings aligned with said notches and registering with the recesses of the grooves, and at least one bracket extending between said anchoring strips, said bracket including leg portions with laterally oiset ends, said ends extending into said strip channels and projecting through the apertures thereof and into the groove recesses, with the leg portions of said bracket adjacent said ends seating in said notches.

DAVID V. WALKER.

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