US3602159A

US3602159A - Display rack

Info

Publication number: US3602159A
Application number: US850942A
Authority: US
Inventors: Howard J Marschak
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1969-08-18
Filing date: 1969-08-18
Publication date: 1971-08-31
Anticipated expiration: 1988-08-31

Abstract

A display rack so constructed that it may be shipped disassembled and may be readily assembled and interlocked without the use of any tools, bolts, nuts or extraneous fastening elements. It is interlocked by merely positioning the parts relative to each other and interengaging the locking elements. The display rack includes a pair of uprights, a base having side members, a detachable shelf member with a detachable kick plate, and means extending between the uprights for supporting the bottom of the display board, which may be an apertured board or the like.

Description

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ATTORNEY DISPLAY RACK BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION ()ne of the objects of this invention is to provide a display rack which may be made of parts which can be packed and shipped or transported in a collapsed condition to occupy a minimum of space and which may be readily assembled and set up without the use of any tools, bolts, nuts, or extraneous fastening elements merely by interlocking the parts relative to each other.

Another object of this invention is to provide a very simple and inexpensive rack which may be readily assembled and set up in a minimum of time and with minimum effort without the use of any tools.

Other objects will become apparent as this description progresses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded forming this invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4.is a sectional view of the panel cap adjacent the end thereof and showing the locking tongues.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a portion of the panel cap with the means for retaining or backing up the display board.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a view showing the shelf of the base member and the side member and the means by which same are interlocked.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a modified form and the manner in which the side member of the base is secured to the upright.

perspective view of the display rack FIG. '10 is a sectional view of FIG. 9 and showing the parts in a locked position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIG. 1 which shows the component elements forming the put-together display rack, the individual components will be referred to generally and then will be subsequently described in detail.

The display rack includes a pair of upright members generally indicated at 12, both of which are of identical construction. A pair of conventional apertured display boards or panels are shown to be supported between the spaced upright members 12. It will be understood that in lieu of the pair a single apertured board or panel may also be used. The inner end of each of the display boards when used in pairs fits into a vertically positioned I-I-shaped strip 16. Slots. 18 are provided along the length of the front of the uprights to accommodate the hooks of shelves 20 which are detachably secured thereto. The display boards 14 are supported in a channel on the rear of the base shelf, generally designated by the numeral 22, which in turn rests on and is secured to the side members 24 of the base.

The base of the display rack comprises the base shelf 22, a pair of side members 24, and a front kick plate 26 which is secured to the side members 24. A panel cap 28 is positioned across the top of the upright members and is locked thereto and this locks the entire unit together.

The display rack is so constructed that it may be readily assembled and interlocked without the use of any tools, bolts, nuts or extraneous fastening elements and it is interlocked by merely positioning .the parts relative to each other and interengag'ing the locking elementsof said parts. Likewise, the display rack may be readily disassembled merely by disengaging the elements from each other without the use of any tools and the parts can be packed in a collapsed condition in a minimum of space either for shipment or for storage. Fastening elements such as bolts, screws or the like are not necessary for assembling the display rack, hence, there is no likelihood of any parts being lost. Each of the component parts fits into place and the rack may be assembled in a relatively short period of time.

The .upright members 12, shown best in FIGS. 1 and 6, are formed of metal. Since both uprights are identical a description of one will suffice. The upright includes a sidewall 30 with a pair of spaced inturned front and

rear walls

31 and 32 at right angles to the sidewall. The front wall 31 of the upright is provided with spaced rectangular-shaped slots 18 substantially throughout the length of the upright. The slots are intended to accommodate the shelves presently to be described. The front and

rear walls

31 and 32 of the uprights are also provided with slots 19 adjacent the top thereof to receive the locking tongues of the panel cap 28. The upright has an L-shaped strip 34 welded or brazed thereto which has a front wall 35 spaced from the front wall 31 or the upright and with said front wall provides a longitudinally extending channel 36, each channel being adapted to receive one side of a display board therein.

Permanently secured at the bottom of the upright by welding or otherwise is a side member 24 which has an inwardly extending horizontal flange 38 at the top which is short of the length of the side member and which is provided with three spaced rectangular-shaped slots 39. The front of the side member 24 has a front inwardly extending flange 40 provided with three rectangular-shaped slots 41. The upper edge of the side member projects forwardly of the front flange to form a lip 42. The kick plate 26 is adapted to be interlocked with the side members. The kick plate has a front wall 44 and rearwardly extending inverted L-shaped hook members 45 which are adapted to be inserted into the slots 41 in the flange 40 of the side members to lock the kick plate thereto. The top of the kick plate is provided with a rearwardly extending flange 46 which terminates short of the opposite ends of the kick plate.

I The shelf 22 which forms the top of the base member has a downwardly turned front flange 48 which is inclined forwardly at an obtuse angle, best shown in FIG. 8, which then inclines inwardly as at 49 and then upwardly as at 50. The rear of shelf 22 has a downwardly extending rear flange 52 which continues rearwardly as at 53 and then upwardly as at 54 to form a channel 55 to receive the lower edges of the two display boards 14. The display boards therefore rest on the rear end of the shelf 22 and are supported thereby.

Locking members 58 (FIG. 8) are struck out or formed from the metal forming the base shelf 22 adjacent the outer edges of the shelf and these locking members are adapted to enter the rectangular-shaped slots 39 in the flanges 38 when the shelf is positioned to rest on the flanges 38 of the side members and locked with said side members, such as when the bottom shelf is moved rearwardly, i.e., in the direction of the uprights. The channel 55 of the bottom shelf will then be positioned in vertical alignment with the vertical channels 36 of the uprights 12 adjacent the bottom thereof so that the display board or boards 14 will rest therein. When the display boards are positioned in the channel 55 they will lock the shelf 22 and prevent its withdrawal and/or removalfrom the sides 24. The shelf 22 has no downwardly extending sides but rests on the flanges 38 of the side members 24. The central H-shaped strip 16 is positioned so that the bottom thereof rests in the bottom shelf 22 and when positioned midway of the length of the bot tom shelf will receive the inner edges of each of the two adjacent display boards to support same firmly therein.

The panel cap 28 is provided with a top wall 60 and spaced downwardly depending flanges 62 and the flanges each have adjacent their ends a pair of spaced

struckout tongues

64 and 65 which extend inwardly of the flanges adjacent the edges thereof (FIG. 4). When the panel cap is positioned over the uprights the tongues 64 will enter square-shaped slots 19 at the top thereof and lock therewith. Tongues 65 will engage the edge 31a of the flange 31. The panel cap 28 is provided with spaced Vshaped depressed tongues 66' formed from the wall 60, best shown in FIG. 5, which are positioned to extend rear wardly of the display boards so that said tongues 66 provide additional retaining or backing up support for the tops of the display boards. The centrally positioned tongue 66 engages the rear of the upright H-shaped strip 116 to support it at the top thereof. In lieu of the tongues a right angled strip may be secured to the panel cap which forms with the flange 62 a channel for receiving the top edges of the display boards.

When the parts are assembled they are connected and interlocked, as explained. Each part tends to lock the preceding part in place. The panel cap 28 is the last part to be connected and interlocked and when interlocked it locks the entire unit together and supports the display boards in a firmly secured position.

The shelves 20 are secured to the front walls 31 of the uprights 12. The shelves 20 are each provided with rearwardly extending hooks 66a which are adapted to be inserted into two adjacent slots 18 to lock the shelves to the front of the uprights. The spaced slots in the uprights permit the shelves to be positioned at any desired elevation and locked in such position.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show a modification in which the side members 24 of the base are detachably secured instead of being welded or otherwise permanently secured to the uprights. In the modification the upright designated by the numeral 12 has a front wall 68, the lower portion of which is provided with spaced slots 71. The sidewall 69 of the upright has a tit 70 formed therein. L-shaped hook members 72 extend rearwardly of the side members 24' and they are adapted to be inserted into the slots 71 to lock the side members to the uprights. The hook members 72 of the side member are inserted into the slots 71 at an inclined angle, as shown in full lines in FIG. 9, so that the uppermost hook member 72 is clear of the tit 70, and then the side member is lowered and swung into alignment at right angles to the front wall 68 of the upright, as shown in FIG. 10, in which the uppermost hook member 72 is directly under the tit 70, which prevents the side member from being raised and prevents it from becoming disengaged from the upright as long as it is positioned perpendicular to the front wall 68 of the upright. To disengage the side member from the upright the side member would have to be swung outwardly, as shown in full lines in FIG. 9, so that the uppermost hook member 72 could clear the tit 70.

Iclaim: I

l. A display rack comprising a plurality of spaced uprights each having a sidewall and a front wall at right angles to said sidewall and a longitudinal channel parallel with said front wall and forwardly of the rear of said sidewall, said channel adapted to support a display board therebetween, a base which includes a plurality of side members each attached to an upright and extending forwardly thereof, said side members each having a sidewall and an inwardly extending horizontal flange at right angles to said sidewall and a front flange, each said flange having spaced openings, a kick plate having rearwardly extending hook members to engage said front flange openings to detachably secure said kick plate to said side members at the forward end thereof, a bottom shelf adapted to rest on said horizontal flanges and having locking members adapted to engage said openings in said horizontal flanges of said side members to secure said shelf to said side members, means extending between the side members above the bottom of said side members on which the lower end of the display board rests, and a cap member detachably secured to the top of said uprights to extend across the top of the display board; said uprights at the front thereof and a shelf having rearwardly extending hooking member engaging the openings in the front wall of the uprights to detachably secure said shelves to said uprights. c8

2. A display rack as set forth in claim 1 in which the front wall of the upright is provided with a plurality of spaced openings adjacent the bottom and a projection is provided in said uprights immediately above the top opening and in which the rear of the side members forming the base have rearwardly extending locking members which engage the slots in the front wall of the uprights and in which the locking members are inserted into said slots at an inclined angle and when the side members are moved perpendicular to said front wall of the uprights the side members will be locked by the tit in the uprights to prevent the sidemembers from being moved upwardly in relation to the uprights.

3. A display rack as set forth in claim 1 in which the uprights have an opening adjacent the top thereof and in which the cap member has tongues entering said openings and locking therein to detachably secure said cap to said uprights.

4. A display rack as set forth in claim 1 in which the means extending between the side members of the base for receiving the lower edge of the display board is a channel formed at the rear of the shelf member so that when the lower edge of the display board is in said channel the shelf will be locked against forward movement and when the cap member is attached to said uprights the display board will be locked in a secured position in said display rack with the interconnecting parts interlocked.

5. A display rack as set forth in claim 1 in which a pair of display boards are supported between a pair of uprights and an H-shaped member is positioned between the inner ends of the pair of display boards to centrally support the display boards.

6. A display rack as set forth in claim 1 in which the cap member has depressed tongues to engage the rear of the display board adjacent the top thereof to support same.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. j, 02, 59 Dated August 31, 1971 1nventor(s) Howard J. Marechak It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 13, after "uprights" insert have slots line 26, "tit" should read projection Signed and eealed this 12th day, of December 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents RM PO-105O (10-69) a u s, sovsnnmzm' Pmmmo orncs; was chase-an,

Claims

1. A display rack comprising a plurality of spaced uprights each having a sidewall and a front wall at right angles to said sidewall and a longitudinal channel parallel with said front wall and forwardly of the rear of said sidewall, said channel adapted to support a display board therebetween, a base which includes a plurality of side members each attached to an upright and extending forwardly thereof, said side members each having a sidewall and an inwardly extending horizontal flange at right angles to said sidewall and a front flange, eaCh said flange having spaced openings, a kick plate having rearwardly extending hook members to engage said front flange openings to detachably secure said kick plate to said side members at the forward end thereof, a bottom shelf adapted to rest on said horizontal flanges and having locking members adapted to engage said openings in said horizontal flanges of said side members to secure said shelf to said side members, means extending between the side members above the bottom of said side members on which the lower end of the display board rests, and a cap member detachably secured to the top of said uprights to extend across the top of the display board; said uprights at the front thereof and a shelf having rearwardly extending hooking member engaging the openings in the front wall of the uprights to detachably secure said shelves to said uprights. c8

2. A display rack as set forth in claim 1 in which the front wall of the upright is provided with a plurality of spaced openings adjacent the bottom and a projection is provided in said uprights immediately above the top opening and in which the rear of the side members forming the base have rearwardly extending locking members which engage the slots in the front wall of the uprights and in which the locking members are inserted into said slots at an inclined angle and when the side members are moved perpendicular to said front wall of the uprights the side members will be locked by the tit in the uprights to prevent the side members from being moved upwardly in relation to the uprights.