US3844230A

US3844230A - Displayer for paperback books

Info

Publication number: US3844230A
Application number: US00333552A
Authority: US
Inventors: H Hudson; G Pleasant; R Scherzer
Original assignee: Gaylord Bros Inc
Current assignee: CROYDON COMPANY
Priority date: 1973-02-20
Filing date: 1973-02-20
Publication date: 1974-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 1991-10-29

Abstract

A paperback book displayer which is relatively simple and compact in form, so as to occupy a minimum of space, with maximum capacity, while being easy to assemble when shipped or transported in a knock-down or partially knock-down condition. In its various forms as disclosed herein, the displayer basically includes one or more towers which are freely rotatable on a vertical central axis with each tower including a multiple series of vertically spaced shelves or platforms arranged in a tier of any desired number of book supporting shelves, and the shelves being disposed horizontally and connected together in vertically spaced relation by rigid, transparent strips which divide the respective shelves into quarter-segments so as to permit ready access to books displayed on the shelves, and at the same time, allowing quick and easy viewing of all the book spines and many of their front covers.

Description

United States Patent 91 Hudson et al.

[ Oct. 29, 1974 DISPLAYER FOR PAPERBACK BOOKS [73] Assignee: Gaylord Bros., Inc., Syracuse, NY.

[22] Filed: Feb. 20, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 333,552

[52] US. Cl; 108/60, 108/103, 211/166 [51] Int. Cl A47b 65/00 [58] Field of Search 108/103, 94, 60; 211/166,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 559,161 4/1896 Brower 108/163 1,401,084 12/1921 Kaylor 211/163 Primary Examiner-Francis K. Zugel Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Robb & Robb [57] ABSTRACT A paperback book displayer which is relatively simple and compact in form, so as to occupy a minimum of space, with maximum capacity, while being easy to assemble when shipped or transported in a knock-down or partially knock-down condition. In its various forms as disclosed herein, the displayer basically includes one or more towers which are freely rotatable on a vertical central axis with each tower including a multiple series of vertically spaced shelves or platforms arranged in a tier of any desired number of book supporting shelves, and the shelves being disposed horizontally and connected together in vertically spaced relation by rigid, transparent strips which divide the respective shelves into quarter-segments so as to permit ready access to books displayed on the shelves, and at the same time, allowing quick and easy viewing of all the book spines and many of their front covers.

2 Claims, 24 Drawing Figures smw 4 PAIENTEUHBI 29 1am FIGQ] DISPLAYER FOR PAPERBACK BOOKS This invention relates to book displayers, and more particularly to displayers of the type intended primarily for library or book-store use or the like in displaying paperback books so that all of the book spines and many of their front covers are conveniently presented to view, and the displayers providing a maximum book capacity while occupying a minimum of space.

' Basically, our book displayer comprises one or more towers of vertically spaced shelves or platforms which are connected together by rigid transparent strips extending from the top to the bottom of the tower and providing a unitary tower assembly, and each tower being rotatably supported on a suitable base or stand permitting rotation of each tower about its vertical axis to allow easy viewing of and quick access to all the books. In addition to connecting the shelves or platforms together in a unitary assembly, the transparent strips serve to divide each shelf into quarter-segments so that the books can be placed in upright position on each shelf in quarter groups, with the spines of all books facing outwardly of the shelf in alternate quarter-group arrangements. Thus, no single book can be lost" or hidden behind others, since all of the book spines can be easily seen at all times, and the face or front covers of at least one book of each quarter-group can also be seen at all times, thereby serving to increase the potential interest of the reader.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a paperback book displayer of the aforementioned type which is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction, easy to assemble, compact in form, and which conveniently lends itself to a modular type of construction and assembly, with add-on capabilities. For example, a single tower unit rotatably mounted on a flat base can be effectively used as a table-top or countertop type of displayer, while multiple-towered units having two or more towers, each rotatably mounted on appropriate supporting stands or bases are better suited for free-standing floor type displayers.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described or will be readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. I is a perspective view of one form of our paperback book displayer having multiple rotatable towers as supported on a spider type floor stand;

FIG. 2 is a view of the displayer of FIG. 1 as seen in side elevation when observed from any of its four major sides;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view on a somewhat reduced scale;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the upper portion of one tower unit and a portion of its supporting upper spider arm, with a portion of the spider arm broken away and shown in section to expose the pivotal connection of the tower with the arm;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the displayer assembly with some of the towers omitted to better show the details of the spider type supporting stand;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view on a larger scale of one of the shelves or platforms of one of the book supporting tower units, and showing some of the book groups in broken lines when normally arranged thereon for dis- P y;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the shelf or platform of FIG. 7, but on a smaller scale;

FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 99 of FIG. 7, with some of the transparent shelf supporting and divider strips connected thereto and shown in elevation;

FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 10-10 of FIG. 7, as when constituting the bottom shelf of the tower assembly, and showing the bottom cover plate and the bottom stub axle or pintle of the tower unit;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary detail vertical section taken on the line 11-11 of FIG. 7, showing the manner of connecting the bottom cover plate to the bottom shelf or platform;

FIG. 12 is a bottom perspective view of one of the shelves or platforms as depicted in FIGS. 7 to 11;

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary detail view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of the top platform of the tower assembly, and showing the top cover plate therefor and the top stub axle or pintle of the tower unit;

' FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a modified form of our paperback book displayer having two book supporting towers rotatably mounted respectively in upright rectangular frames connected together at right angles to each other and forming a free-standing modular unit with add-on capabilities;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view in side elevation of one of the frames and its tower of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the modular assembly of FIG. 14, with a fragmentary portion of another frame added thereto as one expansion thereof;

FIG. 17 is another top plan view corresponding to FIG. 16, with added frames and towers further extending the basic modular arrangement of FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 1818 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 19 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken on the line 1919 of FIG. 14, showing the manner of connecting the adjoining tower supporting frames together in both their basic and extended arrangements;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a further modified form of our paperback book displayer which has only a single book supporting tower rotatably mounted on a flat base as more particularly suited for table-top or counter-top display use;

FIG. 21 is a view of the displayer of FIG. 20 in side elevation and shown on a somewhat larger scale;

FIG. 22 is a horizontal cross sectional view as taken substantially on the line 22-22 of FIG. 21, and also showing a typical arrangement of the books as on each of the shelves of the rotary tower;

FIG. 23 is a top plan view of the displayer of FIGS. 20 and 22; and

FIG. 24 is a bottom plan view of the displayer of FIGS. 20 to 23.

Like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the various figures of the drawings.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-13, this embodiment of our invention provides a plurality of vertical, multi-tiered towers, preferably four in number but not limited thereto, as generally designated at l, with each of the towers being rotatably mounted on a free-standing supporting stand generally designated 2 to permit free rotation of each tower about its vertical axis independently of each other, as well as revolution of the towers together about the vertical axis of the stand for convenient viewing of and/or access to all books displayed on the respective towers.

As best seen in FIG. 6, the stand 2 includes a fourlegged pedestal base 3 having a central hub 4 formed with a central socket 5 into which is rotatably or tightly, if preferred, seated the lower end of a vertically disposed standard or pole 6 which extends upwardly therefrom. To ensure that the standard 6 is vertical even when the pedestal base 3 rests on an uneven floor, each leg of the base is preferably provided at its outer lower end with an adjustable leveler 7 which may be of any suitable or conventional type, as shown in FIG. 2.

Mounted on the central pole or standard 6 at the upper end thereof is a spider 8 having any suitable number, preferably four but not limited thereto, of radially extended arms 9. At a suitable distance below the upper spider 5 there is mounted on the pole 6 a corresponding lower spider 10 having arms 11 disposed in vertically opposed relation to the respective arms 9 of the upper spider. The tower units 1 are supported between each pair of

opposed spider arms

9, 11 so as to be freely rotatable about the vertical axis of each tower. For this purpose, each tower is provided at its top and bottom respectively with stub axles or

pintles

12, 13 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 10 respectively, said pintles rotatably seating in sockets 14 provided in the opposed faces of the arms of the

respective spiders

8, 10. Sufficient vertical spacing of the spider arms is preferably provided to allow the towers to be mounted on the stand by tilting each tower inwardly toward the axis of the stand and then inserting the upper pintle 12 into the socket 14 of one of the upper spider arms, and thereafter swinging the bottom of the tower inwardly until the lower pintle 13 is aligned with the socket 14 in the corresponding lower spider arm and can then be inserted therein so that the tower is fully retained between the arms.

The details of the towers 1 are best illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 13, wherein each tower comprises a plurality of vertically spaced shelves or platforms 15 of rectangular, preferably square, outline and formed of any suitable rigid material capable of supporting the weight of the books which are to be displayed thereon, such as high impact styrene having a matte (vapor honed) finish on the upper and side faces. In forming the shelves, reinforcing ribs 16 are provided on the upper face thereof and are extended radially outwardly from near a central aperture 17 at 90 to each other, but terminating about one-half the distance to the respective outer marginal sides of the shelf. Outwardly beyond the ribs, the shelf is slotted, as at 18 in alignment with each rib, as shown in FIG. 8, with the ribs and slots dividing the shelf into quarter-segments. The marginal sides of each shelf are preferably flanged, with the flanges preferably extending slightly above the upper flat surface of the shelf as at 19, and extending a greater distance downwardly below the flat shelf surface as at 20.

Each quarter-segment of each shelf is also slotted at 21 near the outer marginal edge, with the respective slots extending parallel to the marginal edge along alternate margins around the shelf. On the lower face of the shelf, radially extended ribs 16' corresponding to ribs 16 are provided and terminate at the center of the shelf in the form of a hub 22 having the central aperture 17, while the outer ends of the ribs 16' divide and join with parallel double ribs 24 respectively bordering the slots 18. Additional ribs 25 also are provided on the lower surface of the shelf around the margins of the respective slots 21, and all of the

ribs

24 and 25 are notched as at 26 to receive screw fasteners 27 for fixed anchoring the shelf to flat supporting strips 28 with which a series of shelves are assembled in vertically spaced tiers to form each tower unit 1. The supporting strips are preferably made of transparent rigid plastic material and extend through the

slots

18 and 21 of each shelf from the bottom to the top of the tower as clearly seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6.

If desired, the ribs 16 of the top shelf or platform 15 may be removed and the upper face covered by a cover plate or a plastic cover sheet 29 adhesively or otherwise applied thereto to present a better appearance in cases where the top of the displayer is near or below eyelevel. Also, the bottom of the bottom shelf can be covered, as by a cover plate 30 which can be attached by screw fasteners 31 to bosses 32 formed on the bottom of the shelf as seen in FIGS. 10 and 11.

In displaying the books on the tower shelves, they are preferably grouped in quarter-groups in side-by-side relation, with all of the book spines upright, and with the spines of alternate quarter-groups facing outwardly of the tower but presented to view at alternate sides of the tower, as indicated in broken lines at B in FIG. 7. Thus, the spines are all easily seen without being obstructed by any part of the tower, while the cover face of the outermost book of each quarter-group can be readily observed through the clear shelf-supporting strips 28 which extend vertically through the marginal slots 21 of each shelf or platform 15. The raised flange 19 which extends around the margin of each shelf serves as a book restraining lip and minimizes accidental displacement of the books should the tower be rotated too vigorously while examining the various books.

Referring now to the modified form of the displayer as shown in FIGS. 14 to 19, the towers, generally designated 1, are exactly the same as in the form previously described in the foregoing, but each tower is rotatably supported by a generally rectangular upright panel-like frame unit 33 consisting of hollow metal tubing, preferably rectangular in cross section, defining a pair of laterally spaced

upright side members

34,34 which are suitably joined, as by welding, to upper and lower

horizontal members

35, 35. An intermediate horizontal supporting frame member 36 is also provided and serves to support the lower end of the tower 1.

As shown in FIG. 15, the lower side of the upper frame member 35 and the upper side of the intermediate frame member 36 are respectively drilled or punched to provide sockets 37 for the respective upper and lower stub axles or

pintles

12, 13 of the tower 1, and the tower can be assembled in its frame in the same manner as the towers are assembled in the spider arms of the displayer previously described herein. To make the tower assemblies of FIGS. 14-19 free-standing, the frames of two or more tower units are connected together at right angles to each other, as best shown in FIGS. 14, 16, 17 and 19, with their abutting side members 34 joined in any suitable manner, as by means of screw fastenings or clamping bolts 38 extending through punched or drilled apertures 38' in the frame members.

It will be understood from reference to FIGS. 16 and 17 that the two-towered unit of FIG. 14 represents a basic modular unit having add-on capabilities by which the basic unit can be extended to any desired extent by connecting thereto additional tower supporting frames disposed in zig-zag relation as illustrated, to infinity.

A further modified form of our invention, as shown in FIGS. 20 to 24, is more particularly applicable as a displayer for table-top or counter-top use. In this form, only one book supporting tower l is provided and has the same basic tower structure except that it has fewer shelves or platforms l5, and the top pintle or stub axle 12 of the displayer towers is omitted as not needed. Instead, the tower is rotatably mounted by its lower stub axle or pintle 13 in a socket 39 provided in a rectangular flat base 40 of a size that is sufficient to stabilize the tower in its vertical position, with the books B displayed in quarter-groups on each shelf as shown in FIG.

While the specific details of our invention have been shown and described herein, the invention is not confined thereto as various changes and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A displayer for displaying paperback books, comprising a plurality of platforms or shelves of rectangular outline disposed in vertically spaced horizontal positions in register with each other on a common central axis and forming a multi-tiered book supporting tower, each of said shelves having one set of slots formed therein and extended parallel to the marginal edges of the respective shelves and located substantially midway of one quarter-segment of each shelf at alternate sides of the tower and also having a second set of slots extended inwardly from the middle of each marginal edge of each shelf for approximately one-half the distance from the marginal edges to the center of the respective shelves, with the slots of the respective sets being in vertical registry with the corresponding slots of all the shelves, a plurality of flat, substantially rigid, transparent supporting strips extended through each set of aligned slots from the top to the bottom of the tower, anchor means for connecting the respective shelves to the supporting strips aforesaid in the zones of the respective shelf slots, said supporting strips being so arranged as to divide each shelf into quartersegments of sufficient size to receive quarter-groups of books in upstanding position on the respective shelves and with the spines of each book of successive quartergroups on the same shelf facing outwardly of the tower in alternate fashion about the sides of the tower, and means for rotatably supporting the tower to permit rotation thereof about its central vertical axis to permit unobstructed viewing of all books when displayed on the shelves of the tower.

2. A displayer as defined in claim 1, wherein the anchor means comprises screw fasteners detachably interconnecting the shelves to the supporting strips.

Claims

1. A displayer for displaying paperback books, comprising a plurality of platforms or shelves of rectangular outline disposed in vertically spaced horizontal positions in register with each other on a common central axis and forming a multi-tiered book supporting tower, each of said shelves having one set of slots formed therein and extended parallel to the marginal edges of the respective shelves and located substantially mid-way of one quarter-segment of each shelf at alternate sides of the tower and also having a second set of slots extended inwardly from the middle of each marginal edge of each shelf for approximately onehalf the distance from the marginal edges to the center of the respective shelves, with the slots of the respective sets being in vertical registry with the corresponding slots of all the shelves, a plurality of flat, substantially rigid, transparent supporting strips extended through each set of aligned slots from the top to the bottom of the tower, anchor means for connecting the respective shelves to the supporting strips aforesaid in the zones of the respective shelf slots, said supporting strips being so arranged as to divide each shelf into quarter-segments of sufficient size to receive quarter-groups of books in upstanding position on the respective shelves and with the spines of each book of successive quarter-groups on the same shelf facing outwardly of the tower in alternate fashion about the sides of the tower, and means for rotatably supporting the tower to permit rotation thereof about its central vertical axis to permit unobstructed viewing of all books when displayed on the shelves of the tower.