US2995846A - Horizontally operating card display device - Google Patents

Description

ug- 15, 1961 R. E. swANK 2,995,846

HORIZONTALLY OPERATING CARD DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 24, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet l DI /0\ H Il III //. HVT/.fW/fA/ l L #SI l l l 47@ l /l l INVENTOR. /P/z///e f fvwm/A# BY www www @nm HTTE/YEYJ' Aug. 15, 1961 R. E. swANK 2,995,846

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HORIZONTALLY OPERATING CARD DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 24, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. AMH/Mo E. fwn/w( HTTORIYE YS' Aug. 15, 1961 R. E. swANK HoRIzoNTILLY OPERATING CARD DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 24, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INV ENTOR. @MHH/ao E fwn/wr HTTR/VEYS Aug. 15, 1961 R. E. swANK 2,995,846

HORIZONTALLY OPERATING CARD DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 24. 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVBNTOR. HMH/M0 E fwn/wr HTTKNEYJ' aired States Patent 2,995,846 HORIZONTALLY OPERATING CARD DISPLAY DEVICE Richard E. Swank, 592 W. Columbia Ave., Battle Creek, Mich.

Filed June 24, 1958, Ser. No. 744,196 7 Claims. (Cl. 40-36) This invention relates to display advertising and it relates particularly to apparatus by which a plurality of panels can be serially moved in a substantially horizontal direction from a storage zone to a display zone Aand then returned, automatically to the storage zone for a repeating of the cycle.

In the iield of advertising, the value of providing motion in an advertising sign and providing for changes in the message appearing on the ladvertising sign has long been appreciated. However, previous apparatus by which a series of panels, each containing a desired message -and/ or image, are introduced successively into a display zone, has been relatively complex and often large and more expensive than the trade would accept. Particularly, in the eld of outdoor advertising, apparatus capable of handling panels of the size which would be needed for outdoor use has been of such character that initial cost and maintenance cost would be too expensive for sufliciently general acceptance to justify developing this type of sign for widespread commercial use. Further, applying the same type of advertising on a smaller scale for indoor use, previous apparatus has not been entirely satisfactory. My Patent No. 2,707,345 and my allowed application Serial No. 570,496 now Patent No. 2,839,856 provide some answers to the problem of successively -introducing a series of panels to an observation zone for indoor use, but the nature of the apparatus is such as to make it impractical for outdoor use.

In the interest of providing continuous improvement in display advertising for indoor use and in order to provide apparatus capable of introducing :a succession of panels into an observation zone for outdoor use, the present invention has been brought forth.

Manufacturers and users of moving displays for both inside and outside use have been continually confronted with two problems which, insofar as I am aware, have not been overcome by existing display devices. The Erst problem involves the provision of a low-cost display apparatus whereby a plurality of display cards can be moved automatically in a predetermined sequence into and out of a display position, such sequence being capable of continuous repetition for long periods of time. The other major problem has been to create such a lowcost display apparatus wherein the display cards can be quickly and easily removed and replaced with a new set of cards having a very low cost.

The rst above-mentioned problem is important to manufacturers of products who prefer to make an outright gift of such a display apparatus to their distributors or -retailers and thereby not only develop goodwill with their retailers but increase their sales at the lretail level. The display apparatus must be convenient to operate and capable of placing upon a counter, a shelf, or in a window and must not require any special installation or arrangement. The most convenient and desirable arrangement is an Vapparatus which can be placed upon a counter and connected to an electrical outlet whereupon it immediately begins to operate.

It is common knowledge that any display including those that have motion, soon lose their eectiveness if they are not changed in some way. On the other hand, a display apparatus which can be changed periodically not only retains its utility but actually tends to create a continuing and increasing source of attraction.

Accordingly, the objects of the invention are:

(1) to provide apparatus for successively introducing a plurality of panels into a display zone;

(2) to provide apparatus, as aforesaid, for effecting successive, substantially horizontal movement of a plu` rality of panels from a storage zone into a display zone, the return of the panels from the display zone -to the storage zone and repeating of the cycle;

(3) to provide apparatus, as aforesaid, which is of relatively simple construction so as to be capable of initial manufacture at a low cost `and capable of maintenance in satisfactory operating condition over a long period of time at a correspondingly low cost;

(4) to provide apparatus, as aforesaid, which is of sufiiciently simple character that it can be sold in a knocked-down form from and by the factory and may be readily assembled into operating condition by the user;

(5) to provide apparatus, as aforesaid, which is of sufficiently simple form that it can be readily adapted for outdoor use and, Where it is intended for outdoor use, will be suiiiciently rugged so as to require, at most, only nominal maintenance over long periods of time;

(6) to provide apparatus, as aforesaid, which cau be readily modiiied for handling display panels of a variety of different sizes and with respect -to which display panels may be readily changed from time to time with only a minimum of inconvenience `and/or cost;

(7) to provide apparatus, as aforesaid, which operates automatically, which is relatively easy to fabricate, which requires a minimum of space for use and operation, which has a Very attractive appearance, which can be provided in a variety of sizes and shapes and, therefore, is adaptable to many forms of use.

Other objects `and purposes of the invention will be apparent to persons acquainted with apparatus of this general sort upon reading the following disclosure and inspection of the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view of a display apparatus embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view substantially as taken along the line II-II of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View taken along the line III-III of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 -is a broken sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V-V of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is fan enlarged fragment of FIGURE 4 showing a modied card supporting structure.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view similar to that appearing in FIGURE 4 and showing a modified construction.

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view similar to that appearing in FIGURE 7 and showing ran alternate construction.

FIGURE 9 is a fragment of FIGURE 8 showing the mechanism thereof in a different position of operation.

FIGURE l0 is a sectional view substantially as taken along the line X-X of FIGURE 8.

FIGURE ll is au oblique view of lan alternate display apparatus embodying the invention.

FIGURE l2 is a sectional view taken along the line XII- XII of FIGURE 11.

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view taken along the `line XIII-XIII of FIGURE 1l.

FIGURE 14 is a sectional View taken along the line XIV-XIV of FIGURE 13.

FIGURE l5 is a sectional View substantially as taken along the line XV-XV of FIGURE 12.

FIGURE 16 is a sectional view taken along the line XVI-XVI of FIGURE l5.

FIGURE 17 is ra sectional View taken `along the line XVII-XVII of FIGURE 15.

FIGURE 18 is a sectional view taken along the line XVIII-XVIII of FIGURE 15.

FIGURE y19 lis a sectional View similar to that appearing in FIGURE and showing a modier structure.

FIGURE 20 is a sectional viewy taken along the line XX-XX of FIGURE 19.

FIGURE 21 Iis a sectional view similar to that appearing in FIGURE 20 and showing a further modilication.

VFIGURE 22 is a sectional View taken along the line XXII-XXII of FIGURE 21.

FIGURE 23 is a sectional view taken along the line XXIII- XXIII of FIGURE 22.

FIGURE 24 is a broken side elevational view of a panel and a separable hanger therefor.

FIGURE 25 is an exploded, sectional view taken along the line XXV-XXV of FIGURE 24. Y Y

lFIGURE 26 is a sectional view taken along the line XXVI-XXVI of FIGURE 25. Y

In the following description certain terminology will be used tfor convenience of reference but it will be recognized as having no limiting significance unless the context or the express language utilized indicates otherwise. For example, the terms fupwardj downward and derivatives thereof and words of similar import will be understood to refer to vdirections when the apparatus is in its normal position of operation as appearing in the sheets of the annexed drawings. The terms inward, outward and derivatives thereof and words of similar import will be understood to refer to `directions toward and away from the geometric center of the particular apparatus in connection with which such terminology is used. The terms rightward, leftward and derivatives thereof and words of similar import will be understood to refer to directions taken in connection with particular views of the drawings in connection with which said terminology is used. It will also be understood that while the apparatus of the invention is primarily intended for moving a series of advertising panels from a storage position to a display position and the following description will refer to such panels for the purpose of illustrating the invention, there are a wide variety of other uses, such as in the educational eld, to which the apparatus of the invention may be advantageously applied and hence it will be understood that the particular embodiments hereinafter specically illustrated and described are for illustrative purposes only and that the invention is not limited thereto.

General description In general, the invention comprises the provision of a plurality of parallel rails arranged in generally horizontal and parallel positions. The length of said rails is approximately twice the horizontal dimension of the panels to be handled by the apparatus. The panels are each suspended from the rails by means permitting easy travel of said panels in parallel relationship along the respective rails. Means are provided by which the panels are impelled in a desired sequence from one end of the rails, which may be considered a storage zone or position, to the other end of said rails, which may be considered a display zone or position, and means are provided for returning said panels from said display Zone back to said storage zone. The means by which said panels are moved from one zone to the other may involve mechanism acting directly against the panels themselves or in other embodiments it may involve mechanism by which movement of the panels is brought about by suitable tilting of the rails.

Detailed construction It will become apparent that the invention can be expressed in a variety of different embodiments which may be especially selected `for a particular use. For convenience of illustration, initial consideration will be given to a relatively simple embodiment of the invention, after which several alternate structures will be described.

The display apparatus 10 shown in FIGURE l includes a cabinet 11 having a front Wall 12, a top Wall 13 (FIG- URE 4), end walls 15 and 16, a bottom wall 17, and a rear wall I8. The front wall 12 has a display opening 19 near the left end wall '15 (FIGURE l) through which the `display cards or panels 22 can be viewed when in the display zone which is at the leftward end of the cabinet 11 in this particular embodiment. A plurality of elongated elements or rails 23 areV provided with transverse pivot openings 24 near to Vbut spaced from the leftward end of cach (FIGURE 4) through which a pivot rod 26 is slidably received. Said rod 26 is secured to and extends horizontally between the front and rear walls of the cabinet 1I directly above the display zone. The rightward ends of the rails 23 are slidably and respectively disposed within a plurality of guide slots 27 (FIG- URES 2 and 4) in a vertical. guide plate 2S within the rightward end of the cabinet ill. The guide slots 27 and pivot rod 26 are so arranged that the rails 23 slope downwardly rightwardly when the rightward ends thereof are resting in the bottoms of the guide slots 27. The rails slope downwardly leftwardly when the rightward ends of said rails are at the upper ends of said guide slots 27.

A cam shaft 3l (FIGURES 2 and 4), which is preferably substantially parallel with the pivot rod 26, is rotatably supported between and upon the front and rear walls of the cabinet Il directly above the leftward ends of the rails 23. A plurality of cams 32 are secured to and rotatable with the `cam shaft 3l for engaging selectively and sequentially the leftward ends of the rails 23 for the purpose of pivoting said rails about the pivot rod 26 between positions wherein said rails rst slope leftwardly and then slope rightwardly. The cams 32 may be ar ranged so that two of said rails 23 are engaged by their respective cams at any given time. rIhe cam shaft 31 is connected to a motor 33 which is supported upon the external surface of the rear wall I8 for the purpose of rotating said cam shaft, through appropriate gearing, not shown, at a very slow speed.

Each display card 22 (FIGURES 4 and 5) is comprised, in this embodiment, of a rectangular sheet 3a having a pair of metallic stiffening elements 37 and 33 extending along and secured to the upper and lower edges of each sheet. Each such card is similarly supported from the rails 23 and hence a description of the support of one thereof will suffice as a description 0f ail. A U- Vshaped support bracket 39 has a pair of substantially coex- tensive legs 41 and 42 which are pivotally secured to the sheet 36 by means of the pivot pin 43 which extends through said legs 4I and 42 near the lower ends thereof and through the upper edge of the sheet 36. A roller y44 is rotatably supported on and by a shaft 46 which ex tends between the legs 41 and i2 near the upper ends thereof. The roller 44 rides on one of said rails Z3.

A U-shaped guide bracket 47 (FIGURES 3 and 4) has substantially parallel legs 4S and 49 which are secured near their lower ends to the upper edge of sheet 36 near the rightward end thereof. The guide bracket 47 is arranged to slidably receive that one of the rails 23 upon which a given roller 44 is supported, and said guide bracket 47 is of sufficient vertical length that it does not interfere with the pivotal movement of the rail 23 extending therethrough as long as the upper edge of sheet 36 remains in a substantially horizontal position. The sup- .port bracket 39 is preferably connected to the sheet 36 so that the card 22 is in a balanced, horizontal position when a given roller 44 is supported on its respective rail 23.

A bumper strip 52 (FIGURE 4) is mounted upon the internal surface of the left end wall 15 for engagement by the leftward edges of the display cards 22 when they move into the display position. A card positioning plate 53 may be pivotally supported upon the ridge 54 of a block 55 (FIGURE 4) which ridge is substantially parallel with the pivot-rod 26 (FIGURE 4), so' that the ridge S4 is slightly closer to the leftward than -to the rightward end of the positioning plate Thus, the rightward end of the positioning plate 53 will tend to move downwardly against the bottom wall 17 of the cabinet. Accordingly, as the display cards 22 move leftwardly along their respective rails 23 the lower edges of said cards engage the raised letward end of the positioning plate 53 whereby oscillations of said card about the axis of its roller are dampened and said card is held in a selected posi-tion.

Further, or alternate dampening and positioning can be obtained by means of a curved metallic sheet 66 (FIG- URE 4), one edge of which is mounted upon a bar 67 secured to and extending between the lfront and rear walls 12 and l18, respectively, near their upper ends. The lower surface of the sheet 66 is engaged by the upper ends of the guide brackets 47 as their corresponding cards 22 move into the display zone. Vertical adjustment of the rightward end of the sheet 66 is eiected by means of screws such as that shown at 68.

The alternate support bracket 57 (FIGURE 6) has front and rear legs 58 and 59 which are pivotally engageable with the upper edge of a flat sheet 61 and rotatably support a roller 62 in substantially the same manner as set forth above with respect to the support bracket 39. However, a pair of arms 63 and 64 are secured to and extend sidewardly from the rear leg 59 substantially parallel with the plane deined by the sheet 61 and perpendicular to the vertical extent of the leg 59. Said arms 63 and 64 preferably curve near their outer ends toward the rail 23 upon which the roller 62 is supported for the purpose of preventing more than a minimum amount of movement of the support bracket 57 hence the sheet 61 around a vertical axis. Thus, the arms 63 and 64 on the alternate support bracket 57 serve the same purpose as the guide bracket 47 on the card 22.

Operation The display apparatus is prepared for operation by mounting a plurality of display cards 22 upon the rails 23 and connecting the motor 33 to a source of electrical energy. In order to mount the cards, the top wall 13 of the cabinet 11 is removed and the rightward ends of the rails 23 are pivoted into a substantially vertical position after which each rail is received through the support bracket 39 and guide bracket 47 on a display card 22. Said rails are than pivoted back into their substantially horizontal positions where their rightward ends are disposed within the `guide slots 27 IWithin the guide plate 28. The top wall 13 is returned into position and operation can be immediately commenced.

As the cam shaft 31 is rotated at a very slow speed by the motor 33, the cams 32 engage one after the other of the rails 23 in a predetermined sequence whereby said rightward ends of said rails 23 are rst moved upwardly and then downwardly within the guide slots 27. The rightward end of any given rail 23 is in its downward position, when such rail is not engaged by its cam and the display card 22 supported thereon will be in the storage zone at the rightward end of such rail. As the right end of such rail is raised by its appropriate cam 32, the display card 22 supported thereon will move to the leftward end of such rail in the display zone. The display card 22 will remain in the display zone until its corresponding cam 32 again permits the rightward end of the rail to drop. In this particular embodiment, the cams 32 are arranged on the cam shaft 31 so that there is at least one display card 22 in the display position at all times. However, it will be recognized that this arrangement can be varied as desired or required simply by changing the speciiic positions of the cams 32. It will also be recognized that the number of display cards 22 can be varied substantially simply by vary- 6 ing the number of rails 23 and cams 32 for operating same.

The display cards 22 can be easily and quickly exchanged for a new set by removing the top wall 13 and removing and replacing the display cards in a manner substantially as set forth above with respect to the initial positioning of the display cards 22 upon the rails 23. The bumper 52 and positioning plate S3 are engaged by each display card 22 as it moves leftwardly into the display position thereby dampening any oscillations which tend to occur as a result of the movement of the particular display card into the display position, The dampening sheet 66 serves a similar purpose by engaging the bracket 47 as its card moves into the display ZODB.

It will be recognized that use of the alternate support bracket V57 does not alter the operation of the display apparatus 10.

Alternate structure The alternate display apparatus 71 (FIGURE 7) diiers from the display apparatus 10 of FIGURE 4 primarily in that the rails 72 are pivoted at their extreme rightward ends at points within the storage zone by means of the horizontal pivot rod 73. The cam shaft 74 is disposed Iwithin the cabinet 76 in approximately the same relative location as the cam shaft 31 of FIGURE 4. However, the cams 77 mounted upon and rotatable with the cam shaft 74 are substantially larger than the cams 3'2 of FIGURE 4, in order to provide the necessary pivotal movement of the rails 72. Resilient means, such as the spiral spring 78, are connected between the leftward ends of the rails 72 and a block 79 secured to the interior surface of the end wall Stb for the purpose of holding each rail 72 in continuous and positive engagement with the periphery of its respective cam 77. Each cam 77 is arranged so that `its corresponding rail 72 slopes downwardly rightwardly toward the storage zone when the cam follower 82 is on the high dwell 83 of the cam 77, and said rail slopes downwardly leftwardly toward the display Zone when the follower 82 is on the low dwell 84 of the cam 77. The display card 86 may Vbe substantially identical with the display card 22 shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

The further alternate display structure (FIGURES 8 and 9) resembles the alternate display apparatus 71 (FIGURE 7) in that the card supporting rails 91 are pivoted at their rightward ends upon a pivot rod 92. However, in this particular embodiment, all of the rails 91 are interconnected and, therefore, are pivoted simultaneously around the rod 92. The leftward ends of the rails 91 (FIGURE 8) are connected to a crossbar 93 (FIGURE 10) from which the arm 94 (FIGURE 8) extends in a direction substantially parallel with the lengthwise extent of the rails 91. Said arm 94 is connected by resilient means, such as the spring 96, to the upper wall 97 of a cabinet 98 in which the rails 91 are disposed and the pivot rod 92 is supported. The spring 96 continuously urges the rails 91 into their raised position wherein they slope downwardly rightwardly toward the display zone.

Said rails 91 each have a notch 99 (FIGURES 8 and 9) in their upper surfaces adjacent to their leftward ends into which the leftward roller 101 secured to each display card 102 is receivable when said display card is in the storage position. The notch 99 prevents rightward movement of the corresponding display card 102 even when its rail 91 is in its raised position. Each display card 102 has a leftwardly extending finger 103 which .is engageable by one of the cam plates 104 secured to the crossrod 106 which is in turn secured to the piston rod 107. Said piston rod 107 lis connected to a piston'lGS disposed within a pressure cylinder 109. The piston 198 is continuously urged upwardly by a spiral spring 111 disposed within the cylinder i109 under the piston 108. The piston 108 has a bleed opening 1'12 and the cylinder i109 has a Vbleed opening 113 in its upper end. The one-way bleed opening 112 is substantially larger than the two-way bleed opening 113 and is upwardly sensed so that as the piston 108 is moved downwardly, air can move into that portion 110 of the cylinder 109 above the piston 108.

The L-shaped actuating rod 116 includes a lvertical arm 117 which slidably extends through an opening in the crossbar 93. A spiral spring -118 is sleeved upon the vertical arm 117 between the crossbar 93 and the head 119 on the upper end of the vertical arm 117. The spring 118 urges the horizontal arm 121 of the actuating rod 116 against the crossbar 93. The horizontal arm 121 is disposed so that it is engageable withthe crossrod 106 on the piston rod 107 when the actuating rod 116 is moved downwardly. The spring 96 between the crossbar 93 and the cabinet 98 is substantially stronger than the spring 118 on the vertical arm 117. Thus,. when the actuating rod 116 is urged downwardly, the spring 1181s substantially compressed before the spring 96 is materially stretched. Accordingly, spring 118 provides a lost motion action between the actuating rod 116 and the crossbar 93.

The alternate display structure 90 is operated by supporting a display card 102 upon each of the rails 91. The actuating rod 116 is then engaged by suitable means and urged downwardlyY so that it engages the crossrod 106 and moves the piston 108 downwardly fwithin the cylinder 109 until the rails 91 slope downwardly leftwardly as appearing in FIGURE 9. As indicated above, the spring 118 will be substantially completely compressed between the crossbar 93 (FIGURE l0) and the head 119 on the vertical arm 117 when the rails 119 reach the leftwardly sloping position of FIGURE 9. The spring 111 within the cylinder 109 will be compressed beneath the piston 108. Because of the lost motion action provided by the actuating rod 116, the display cards 102 can move into storage position at the lettward ends of the rails 91 without any interference between the ngers 103 on said display card and the cam plates 104. Thus, the leftward rollers 101 on the display cards '102 will be disposed within the notches 99 in said rails 91.

As the downward pressure on the actuating rod 116 is released, the spring 96 will pull the leftward ends of the rails 91 upwardly. The bleed openings 112 and 113 in the piston 108 and cylinder 109 are arranged so that the piston 108 willrbe urged upwardly by the spring 111 in the cylinder 109 and thus tend to follow the leftward ends of the rails 91 upwardly a short distance until the fluid, such as air, within the upper end of the cylinder 109 is compressedY and resists further upward movement of the piston 108. The rails will continue to move upwardly until they reach theirrFIGURE 8 position. The air compressed within the upper end of the cylinder 109 by the spring 111 will slowly bleed out through the opening 113, thereby permitting the cam plates 104 to move upwardly. Because of the fact that the cam plates 104 are staggered at different elevations, they will engage and raise the fingers 103 on the display cards 102 one at a time, thereby disengaging the rollers 101 from the notches 99 and permitting the display cards to roll downwardly rightwardly into the display position. This will terminate one operation of the complete apparatus.

In order to initiate another operation of the display structure 90, the actuating rod 116 is again moved downwardly until it engages the cross rod 106 on the piston rod 107 and again depresses the piston 108 thereby cooking it and at the same time permitting the display cards 102 to roll leftwardly into their storage positions. When the downward pressure on the actuating rod 116 is released, the rails 91 are returned upwardly by the spring 96 until they reach their FIGURE 8 position after which the release and rightward movement of the display cards 8 102 are eiected by means of the cam plates 104 in the same manner as described above.

The alternate display apparatus 126 shown in FIGURES 11 to 18, inclusive, includes a cabinet 127 having a display opening 128 at its leftward end. As shown in FIG- URES l1 and 13, said cabinet 127 has a top wall 129, a bottom wall 1131, a right end wall 132, a iront wall 133, a rear wall 134 and a left end wall 136. A plurality of rails 137 are secured within and extend lengthwise of the upper end of the cabinet 127. A plurality of display cards 138 (FIGURE l2) are disposed within said cabinet 127, and each card has a downwardly opening channel 139 secured to its upper edge in which a pair of spaced rollers 141 are rotatably supported -for rotatably engaging the upper edge of :a rail 137.

Each channel 139 has on its upper surface and near its leftward end, as appearing in FIGURES 16 and 18, a pair of spaced upwardly extending cam edges 142 and 143 which slope leftwardly downwardly. The cam edge 143 is engageable with a downwardly extending ange 144 on a leaf spring 146 which is secured to the left end wall 136 of the cabinet 127 near its upper end. As shown in FIGURE 17, theV rear cam edge 143 slides under the flange 144 whereby rightward movement of the display card 138 associated therewith is positively prevented. However, the front cam edge 142, which is higher than the rear cam edge 143, disposed upon the next adjacent display card 138 is also engageable with the ange 144 for effecting the disengagement of said iange with the rear cam edge 142. Thus, the rear cam edge of a display card in the display zone is disengaged from its respective leaf spring 146 by the front cam edge 142 on the next adjacent display ca rd as such adjacent display card moves into the display zone at the leftward end of the cabinet 127.

Each channel 139 also houses within its upper end a plunger 147 having an integral loop 148 which extends upwardly through a slet 149 in the web 150 of the channel 130. A spring 151, which etxends between and is secured to the loop 148 and a hook 152 secured -to the channel 139 near the leftward end thereof, urges the plunger 147 leftwardly beyond the leftward end of the corresponding channel i139. Accordingly, when a display card 138 is moved into its leftward position, as appearing in FIGURE 17, whereby the leaf spring 146 hooks over the cam 143, the plunger 147 is urged rightwardly thereby placing the spring 151 under tension. Thus, when a given leaf spring y146 is disengaged from the cam 143, the plunger 147 tends to propel the display card 138 rightwardly along the rail 137 which is supporting it.

The display card 138 supported upon the rearwardmost rail 137a cannot be released by the cam edge 142 on an adjacent display card. Thus, a lever 155 is pivotally supported by Imeans of a 4bracket 156 secured to the left end wall 136 so that said lever extends from a point frontwardly of the front rail 137b to a point rearwardly of the rear Irail 137a. The rearward end of the lever 155 extends under the rear leaf spring 146e which, as shown in FIGURE 18, has a downwardly extending cam edge 157 engageable by the rearward end of said lever 155. The frontward end of the lever 155 is er1- gageable by `an element 158 secured to and extending upwardly from the channel on the front display card la in place of a front cam 142 which would serve no useful purpose. Thus, engagement of the frontward end of the lever 155 by the element 158 as the front display card 138g moves leftwardly into the display'zone, causes the rearward end of the -lever 155 to engage the rear spring 146a and disengage it from the front cam 142 on the rear display card. A spring 159, which extends between the rearward end of the lever 155 and the left end wall 136, urges the rear end of the lever leftwardly.

As shown in FIGURES 13 and 14, a plurality of substantially parallel and upright actuating bars 161 are pivotally supported at their lower ends upon a pivot ro i which is secured within the cabinet 127 near the junction of and parallel with the bottom wall 131 and end wall 132. Each actuating bar 161 has rotatably supported thereon between its upper `and lower ends a cam follower 163 which is engaged by a cam 164 supported upon the horizontal cam shaft 166. Said cam shaft 166 extends between and is rotatably supported upon the front and rear walls of the 'cabinet 127 in :a position substantially parallel with the pivot rod 162. There is a cam 164 supported upon the cam shaft 166 for each actuating bar 161. The cam shaft 166 and its cams 164 are disposed slightly closer to the display zone of the cabinet 127 than is the pivot rod 162. Thus, when a cam follower 163 engages the low dwell of its cam 164, the actuating bar 161 slopes toward the display Zone of the cabinet 127, `as shown in FIGURE 14 in solid lines. However, when the cam follower 163 is engaging the high dwell 168 of its cam 164, said actuating bar 161 is in a substantially vertical position as shown at 1615: in broken lines. It will be seen that the drop from high dwell to low dwell on the cam 164 is radial and sheer, thus permitting rapid movement.

The cam follower 163 is urged toward the display Zone and into its solid line position of FIGURE 14 by resilient means, such as the spring 169 which is connected at its upper end `to the actuating bar 161 and at its lower end :to a nut 172 which is threadedly engaged by the substantially horizontal screw 173. The screw 173 is disposed transversely of and just above the pivot rod 162 where it is supported at its one end upon the bearing 174 secured to the end wall 132. The opposite end of the screw 173 is rotatably supported upon a bracket 176 secured upon the bottom wall 131. The screw 1173 is rotated by engaging the screw head 177 whereby the nut 172 is moved dong the screw therebyl adjusting the tension on the spring 169.

In this particular embodiment a V-shaped element 179 extends through a slot 181 (FIGURE 14) in the web 159 of the channe` 139 on each display card 138 and is arranged so that the free end of its lower leg 183 is engageable by the upper `end of the actuating bar 161 for the purpose of driving the display card into the display position. The V-shaped element 179 is pivoted around its apex which is disposed within the slot 181. This arrangement is made necessary by the fact that the actuating arms 161 will normally be moved rather slowly back into their cocked position and will, therefore, `arrive at such position after their corresponding display cards have been returned to the storage position.

A plurality of display cards 138 `are supported upon the rails 137 (FIGURE 12) so that they will roll freely from one end thereof to the other. When operation commences, all of the display cards 138 will be disposed in the storage zone at the rightward end of the display cabinet as appearing in FIGURE 11 adjacent to the actuating bars 161 appearing in FIGURES 13 and 14. Upon rotation of the cam shaft 166 at very slow speed by the motor 165, a rst one of ythe cams 164 will rotate into a position where the cam follower 163 engaged thereby will drop od of the high dwell 168 onto the low dwell 167, such drop being assisted by the spring 169 and thereby imparting to the actuating bar 161 a rapid movement from its broken line position 16M in FIGURE 14 to its solid line position. In so moving, the upper end of the actuating bar 161 will engage the adjacent end of the V-element 179 on the corresponding display `card 138 and thereby cause such display card to move rapidly along its corresponding supporting rail 137 until it reaches the display zone. As the display card 138 closely approaches the display zone, the rear cam edge 143 thereon will slide under the corresponding leaf spring 146 until the flange 144 on said leaf spn'ng drops over the rightward end of the cam edge. Simultaneously, the leftward end of the plunger 147 (FIGURE 17) will engage the left end wall 136 and cause such plunger to move rightwardly thereby extending the spiral spring 151 and placing it under tension. The particular display card involved will remain in this display position, where it can be viewed through a display opening 128 (FIGURE 11), from either side in this particular embodiment.

In the meantime, the cam shaft 166 will continue to rotate slowly until another cam 164 will reach the position where its corresponding cam follower 163 will be moved rapidly from the high dwell 168 to the low dwell 167 thereby permitting its corresponding actuating bar 161 to engage and move rapidly its corresponding display card into the display position. As this second display card moves into- =the display position, its rear cam edge 143 will engage its corresponding leaf spring 146 and be engaged by the flange 144 thereon. However, and simultaneously, its forward cam edge 142 will engage and raise the leaf spring 146 which is presently engaging and holding the lirst display card in its display position. Since the front cam edge 142 is higher `than the rear cam edge 143 `on each display card and, further, since cam edges are uniform throughout the display cards, engagement of the first leaf spring by the front cam edge 142 on the second display card will disengage the leaf spring from the first display card. This will permit the spring 151 on such first display card to cause its connected plunger 147 to move the display card to the storage position at the rightward end of the `cabinet: 127 as appearing in FIGURE 11.

This sequence of operations will continue to be performed by each adjacent display card until the rearwardmost display card has reached the display position as appearing in FIGURE 16. However, the next display card .to be moved into display position will be the front display card -138a which, obviously, is not `adjacent to the rear display card and therefore, cannot release the rear display card from the display position in the above described manner. However, the front display card has an element 158 which engages the forward end of the lever 155 thereby `causing lthe rearward end of the lever to move rightwardly and thereby raise the leaf spring 146:1 engaging the rear display card whereby said display card is released. The spring 159 returns the lever 1'5'5 to its cocked position as soon as the front display card 138a is moved out of its display position.

The display panels 138 may be held at the leftward or storage end of the cabinet 127 (FIGURE `14) by -a magnet 184, which is supported upon the end wall 132 to attract la second magnet supported upon the left end of each channel 139 associated with a panel 138.

Under some conditions, it may be advantageous to provide rails similar to those shown at 137 in FIGURE 15, which are bent downwardly and arcuately between their ends so that panels supported thereon will tend to move toward `the center of such rails. Thus, by using magnets having means for selectively reversing either their posi- .tions or their polarity, it is possible to repel panels supported upon said rail from one end thereof and attract them toward the other end thereof. The larcuate rails are provided for the purpose of `storing potential energy which is utilized to yovercome the initial inertia of the panels.

The leaf spring and cam edge arrangement shown in FIGURES 17 and 18 for the purpose of holding the display cards -in the display position or zone may be replaced by the alternate structure appearing in FIGURES 19 `and 20. More specifically, each rail 186 has at its leftward or display end a notch 1.87 into which (the leftward roller H88 is received so that the axis of `such roller is below the upper edge of the rail, thereby preventing the spring operated plunger from moving the display card out of the `display position. A cam shaft 189 which is parallel with the axis of the roller 188 is supported upon and within lthe cabinet 127 between the front and rear walls thereof, so that it is just below and rightwardly of the notch 187. A cam i191 is mounted upon the cam shaft 189 adjacent to the notch 187 on each of the rails 186.. When the cam 191 engages the roller 188, such roller will be lifted out of its notch 187 whereby the spring actuated plunger i147 can then move Ithe display card out of its display position. The cam shaft 189 is `driven by any convenient means, such yas an electric motor 192, which is synchronized with the motor 165 rotating the cam shaft 166 yby conventional means not shown. Thus, one display card 193 will be discharged from the display position in a predetermined relationship with the movement of another display card out of the storage position, such latter movement being eiected by means such `as that shown and described above with respect to FIGURE lli.

FIGURES 2l, 22 and 23 show further modiications applicable lto the display apparatus 126 wherein the plunger 147 as well as the cam :and spring arrangements described with such apparatus 126 can be replaced. A plurality oi wide-angled, V-shaped members 196 are mounted upon the left end wall 197 of a display cabinet 194 similar to that shown at 127 in FIGURE 1l adjacent to the top wall 198 thereof. Each V-member 196 is pivotally secured to the end wall 197 by a pair of pins 199 which loosely extend through openings in said membersv at the apexes thereof. The V-mernbers 196 are arranged so that the adjacent ends of two adjacent display cards 201 can strike against the opposite ends of a single V-mernber and cause it to pivot about its apex. Furthermore, any one of the display cards 201 except the front and rear display cards can engage and pivot simultaneously two adjacent V-members 196. Shallow notches 202 4are disposed in the upper edge of Veach rail 203 near the `leftward end thereof above the display zone. As the first or front display card 201a is moved into display position along the rail 203, its leftward roller d drops into the notch 202 in its rail 203 and the leftward end of the display card 201a engages one end of the front V-member 196s. This causes the rearward end of the V-rnember 196g to be pivoted rightwardly as appearing in FIGURE 22. Movement of the display card 201:1 may be accomplished as by means of the actuating structure appearing in FIGURES 13 and 14. The notch 202 is sufiiciently deep to prevent the display card 201er from accidentally moving back out of the display position. The second display card 20117 is now moved leftwardly toward the display position in the sequence of operation and as it approaches the leftward end wall 197 engages the rearward end of the front V-member 196a and the rontward end oi the second V-member 196i?. The impact of the second display card 201b is suicient to pivot the front V-member 196a, thereby sending the front display card 201a back along its corresponding rail 203 into the stor- -age position. At the same time, the display card 201b causes the second VV-member 196b to assume the broken line position shown in FIGURE 22 wherein it is now prepared to be engaged and operated by the next display card 201 in the display apparatus, whereby the second display card 2011i) will be returned to its storage position.

It will be recognized that, under some circumstances and especially where heavy duty conditions exist, it may be advisable to provide rollers in the bottom of the cabinet 194 for the purpose of augmenting or even replacing the rollers 188 in supporting the panel 193. In such case, guide means would be provided near the upper edges of said panels 193 for maintaining the desired spacing therebetween.

rlhe display panel 206 (FIGURES 24, 25 and 26) may be substantially identical with the display panel 22, except that the display panel 206 is supported by an easily separable hanger 208 which may remain in substantially continuous engagement with the rail or rod 209. The hanger 208 is comprised of an elongated channel member 211 which embraces and extends along at least a portion of the upper edge of the beading 212 on the panel 206. 'Iihe channel member 211 has an elongated rear ange 213 (FIGURE 26) provided with an opening 214 which is aligned with the opening 216 through the upper edge of the panel,` when the upper beading 212 is snugly 12 the channel member 211 and substantially parallel therewith. A paper fastener 217 or similar device may be inserted through the openings 214 and 216 for the purpose of securing the panel 206 with respect to the hanger 208.

A support bracket 21S (FIGURE 25) having a roller 219 and being generally similar to the support bracket 39 (FIGURE 5) is secured in any convenient manner, as by Welding, to the rear iiange 21'3 of the channel member 2111 near one end thereof. A guide bracket 231, which may be substantially identical to the guide bracket 47 in FIG- URE 4, is secured by means, such as Welding, tothe rear flange 213 near its other end. The rail 209 is received through the brackets 218 and 221 to engage and support tthe roller 219. It is essential to the satisfactory operation and movement of the display panel 206 along the rail 209 that the axis of the roller 219 be vertically directed above the center of mass of the display panel 206, including the hanger 208, when the upper beading is substantially horizontal. Because lthe hanger 208 is almost entirely on one end of the panel 206, it is equally essential that the support bracket 218 is oiset from the center line 222 of the display panel 206 toward said one end. It follows, therefore, that the distance between the opening 216 in the display panel 206 and said center line 222 is critical for any given lhanger 208, if proper balance is desired. Thus, it will be apparent that panels ovarious sizes, shapes and weights can be supported by a given hanger 208 as long as the opening 216 is properly located to obtain the desired baiance when the panel is supported by the roller 219. Furthermore, as long las the distance between the opening 216 and the center line 222 is maintained, panels having equal moments of rotation on both sides of the center line 222 will always remain balanced when assembled with the hanger 208.

As shown in FIGURES 25 and 26, the beading 212 includes a metal strip 223 which is folded with a portion of the upper edge of the card 224 to stien same lengthwise thereof. 'I'he opening 216 extends through both the card 224 and the metal strip 223. A beading 226, preferably similar to the beading 212, is provided along the lower edge and may be provided along the side edges oi the card 224. The display panel 206 is supported upon and moved along the rail 209 by the hanger 208 in substantially the same manner as set vforth above with respect to the display panel 22 shown in FIGURE 4.

It will become apparent from the above that the invention can be characterized by and embodied in a variety ol different constructions. For example, instead of cards 01 panls, Various types of articles can be suspended from the :rails and moved between storage and display positions Thus, although particular preferred embodiments of th invention have been disclosed in detail above for illustra tive purposes, it will be understood that variations oi modifications of such disclosures, which lie within th scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for successively moving a plurality o: panels from a storage zone in a predetermined sequencl into a display zone, the combination comprising:

a plurality of horizontally disposed, substantially paral lel, elongated rails and means for supporting said rails am holding said rails against movement in the direction of thi longitudinal axis thereof;

support means on each of said rails and slidable longi tudinally therealong;

means connecting a panel to each of said suppor means whereby said panels are each supported on one o said rails for sliding movement horizontally therealong power operated means for causing said panels to mov in a predetermined sequence from one longitudinal ent of said rails to the other longitudinal end of said rails said last-named means consisting of a plurality of device associated with the'rst-named ends of said rails for lif1 ing said `ends suiciently with respect to the respectiv last-named ends of each thereof that a panel supported on a rail so lifted will travel by gravity from said rstnamed end to said last-named end, and further means associated with said rails for lifting said last-named ends upwardly with respect to said first-named ends of said rails whereby panels are moved by gravity from said last-named ends to said first-named ends.

2. An apparatus for successively moving a plurality of panels from a storage zone ina predetermined sequence into a display zone, the combination comprising:

a plurality of horizontally disposed, substantially parallel, elongated rails and means for supporting said rails and holding said rails against movement in the direction of the longitudinal axis thereof;

support means on each of said rails and slidable longitudinally therealong;

means connecting a panel to each of said support means whereby said panels are each supported on one of said rails for sliding movement horizontally therealong;

power operated means for causing panels to move in a predetermined sequence from one longitudinal end of said rails to the other longitudinal end of said rails, said last-'- named means consisting of means for moving one end of each of said rails vertically with respect to the other end, respectively, of each of said rails whereby a panel supported on and by Ia selected rail so moved can be caused to travel by gravity from the higher end of said rail at a given time fto the lower end of said rail.

3. A display apparatus comprising: a frame structure; a plurality of elongated and substantially horizontal elements pivotally supported upon said frame structure for movement about horizontal axes, said elements being clisposed at all times substantially within spaced parallel planes; `a plurality of display panels; means engaging each of said panels and supporting same upon one of said elements, each panel being suspended from and movable along its respective element into and out of a position of display and each panel being substantially one of said planes; and means effecting sequential pivotal movement of said elements about said axes, whereby said panels are moved into and out of said position of display.

4. The structure of claim 3 wherein said elements are pivotally supported for movement about a single axis disposed above said display position, said axis being near to but spaced from one end of each of said elements; and wherein said means effecting sequential pivotal movement of said elements includes a cam shaft having a plurality of cams supported thereon and engageable with said one e1111d of said elements, and means for rotating said cam s aft.

5. The structure of claim 3 wherein said elements are pivotally supported about a single horizontal axis near one end of each, said axis being above said position of display; and wherein said means effecting pivotal movement of said elements includes a cam shaft having a plurality of cams supported thereon and engageable respectively With said elongated velements near the other ends thereof, and means effecting rotation of said cam shaft.

6. An apparatus `for successively moving a plurality of panels from a storage zone in a predetermined sequence into a display zone, the combination comprising:

a plurality of horizontally disposed, substantially parallel, elongated rails and means for supporting said rails and holding said rails against movement in the direction of the longitudinal axis thereof;

support means on each of said rails and slidable longitudinally therealong, said support means including a sube stantially U-shaped element having a pair of spaced, substantially coextensive legs pivotally secured near the free ends thereof to said panel near one edge thereof;

a roller rotatably supported upon and between said legs for rotation about an axis substantially parallel with the pivot axis of said legs;

guide means secured with respect to said panel and engageable with said rail for retaining said panel substantially within a plane including said rail;

power operated means for causing panels to move in a predetermined sequence from one longitudinal end of said rails to the other longitudinal end of said rails.

7. An apparatus for successively moving a plurality of panels from a storage zone in a predetermined sequence into a display zone, the combination comprising:

a plurality of horizontally disposed, substantially parallel, elongated rails and means for supporting said rails and holding said rails against movement in the direction of the longitudinal axis thereof;

support means on each of said rails and slidable longitudinally therealong, said support means including a substantially U-shaped member having a pair of spaced, substantially coextensive legs pivotally secured near their free ends to said panels near one edge thereof, the pivot axis of said legs being slightly closer to one end than the other end of said edge;

va roller rotatably supported upon and between said legs for rotational movement about an axis substantially parallel with said pivot axis, said roller being engaged with said rail and said rail extending between said legs;

a guide element secured tosaid panel near said one end of said edge and slidably engageable with said rail whereby said rail and said panel are retained substantially within the same plane;

power operated means for causing said panels to move in a predetermined sequence from one longitudinal end of said rails to the other longitudinal end of said rails.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 595,129 Newner Dec. 7, 1897 728,446 Day May 19, 1903 737,815 Bailey r.-- Sept. 1, 1903

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