US3179479A

US3179479A - Display stand

Info

Publication number: US3179479A
Application number: US242988A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gordon L Freedman
Original assignee: FREEDMAN ARTCRAFT ENGINEERING
Current assignee: FREEDMAN ARTCRAFT ENGINEERING; FREEDMAN ARTCRAFT ENGINEERING Corp
Priority date: 1962-12-07
Filing date: 1962-12-07
Publication date: 1965-04-20
Anticipated expiration: 1982-04-20

Description

April 20, 1965 G. 1.. FREEDMAN DISPLAY STAND Filed Dec. 7, 1962 Miam A T TOE/V575.

United States Patent 3,179,479 DISPLAY STAND Gordon L. Freedman, (Iharlevoix, Mich, assignor to Freedman Artcraft Engineering Corporation, Qharievoix, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Dec. 7, 1962, Ser. No. 242,988 4 Claims. (Ci. 312-1403) This invention relates to display stands and more particularly to a display stand which is convertible from a greeting card display stand to a general utility display stand or dump bin.

Greeting cards are now sold in numerous types of stores such as five and ten cent stores, drug stores, variety stores, department stores, etc. Many retail outlets display and sell greeting cards only during the holiday seasons or expand their greeting card operation at this time. One of the problems which confronts a store manager interested in selling greeting cards only during selected seasons is that of storing the large and bulky card display stand in the olf holiday seasons. The stands usually occupy ten to fifteen square feet of floor space which in all stores may be considered in terms of a dollar cost figure. By way of example, assume that a store with one hundred square feet of space is leased for one hundred dollars per month. In this situation, each square foot of floor space costs a minimum of one dollar per month. Otherwise expressed and assuming these cost figures, the stand occupying ten square feet of floor space must return a profit of at least ten dollars per month in order for the store manager to break even on the sale of greeting cards. In many situations, a card display stand is justified two or three months of the year but unjustified during the remainder.

For the obvious financial reasons outlined above, many retail outlets make a practice of selling greeting cards two or three months of the year and storing the card display stand in the basement or elsewhere during the other nonholiday months. Other stores merely refuse to sell greeting cards because of the large space requirement which results in a profit only during a few holiday seasons of the year.

It has been an objective of this invention to provide a card display stand which may be utilized twelve months of the year and which may be easily converted from a card display stand to a general utility display stand. To this end, the display stand of this invention incorporates a two piece construction composed of a base and a convertible top section. The top section may be placed in either of two positions; first in a position in which the greeting card display. rack extends upwardly from the base and secondly in a position in which a general utility dumping or display bin extends upwardly from the base.

Another objective of this invention has been to provide an inexpensive, convertible greeting card display stand which will result ingreater profits to a store utilizing the stand.

Still another objective of this invention has been to provide an improved card display stand which will render the sale of greeting cards profitable in stores which heretofore were unable to sell greeting cards at a profit because of limitations in store floor space.

Still another objective of this invention has been to provid-a two-piece greeting card display rack adapted to be easily converted into a general utility display stand by inverting the greeting card rack and inserting it into the base of the stand.

These and other objectives and adavntages will be more readily apparent from a description of the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the card display ice stand with the card display portion uppermost in the base of stand,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the stand with the card display section extending downwardly into the base and the dump bin extending upwardly,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross sectional view of the upper portion of the card display stand.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, it will be seen that the display stand of this invent-ion comprises a base 10 and a top section 11 which is adapted to be mounted on the base it in either of two positions. In the first position, the top section serves as a card display rack as shown in FIGURE 1 and in the inverted or second position, it serves as a dump bin or receptacle for display of any type of merchandise such as hair curlers, toothpaste, powder, etc. Thus the stand may be set up with the greeting card rack turned up during holiday seasons to provide extra exposure OfwCaTdS. In off-holiday seasons, the unit can be reversed, exposing the dump bin or receptaclejon top.

The base 16 comprises a rectangular wooden box-like structure having an open top adapted to receive the top section 11 of the stand. The front wall 12 of the base is equipped with a hinged door 13 by means of which access may be gained to a storage compartment area 14 in the interior of the base. The hinged door 13 is mounted so as to swing outwardly and downwardly about lower hinges 15 mounted at the bottom of the door. When open, the door is held or supported in a horizontal plane by a pair of chains i6. Of course, sliding doors or any type of door structure could be used in place of the hinged door construction, illustrated in the drawings.

To support the top section ill of the display rack, an adapter frame 2i) extends around the top of the base portion 10. The adapter frame 2i has a peripheral rabbet 21 in its top inner surface which cooperates with similar rabbets in the top section 11 to form a rabbet joint between the top section of the stand and the base it). To prevent inward collapse of the adapter frame 20, it is supported at the bottom by interior rails 22 which collectively present a top surface 23 flush with the top surface of the side walls.

The top section 11 of the stand includes a rectangular frame 25. It has rabbets 26, 2'7 and around its upper and lower outside peripheral surface which cooperate with the rabbet 21 in the adapter frame 24) to form a rabbet joint with the supporting member 20 irrespective of the position in which the top section 11 of the stand is mounted. When the card display section of the. top section is uppermost, the rabbet 27 forms a rabbet joint with rabbet 21 and when the dumpbin 17 is uppermost, the rabbet 26 cooperates with rabbet 21 to form a rabbet joint with the base of the stand. Thus the

rabbets

26, 27 are socketed within the rabbet 21 of the base and are operative to prevent lateral movement of the top section of the stand relative to the base It and retain it securely on the base.

Referring to FIGURE 3, it will be seen that a bottom panel 3i) extends between the four side walls of the frame 25 so as to form an open recess or dump bin 17 in the bottom of the top portion 11 of the stand. When the top section 11 is inverted, the dump bin 17 is located as shown in FIGURE 2 in the upwardly extending position for reception of articles or merchandise therein. When so located, the bottom panel 3h is supported from beneath by a pair of side supports 31 which extend the length of the stand.

The card display rack includes a pair of

side panels

35, 36 attached to the rectangular frame 25 and between which extend the card supports. The card supports include a plurality of generally horizontal shelves 37 and a plurality of upwardly and rearwardly extending risers 38.

Each of the shelves 37 is connected to the rear of a riser 38 at a point intermediate the ends of the riser 3%. It is also connected to the front of another riser 33 at a point near the bottom of this riser so that the shelves 37 form a plurality of stepped platforms extending upwardly and rearwardly from the front of the display stand. The lowermost riser as is mounted between the frame 25 and the lowermost shelf 37. This shelf 37 is beveled as at on the front edge so as to permit the lowermost riser 38 to extend upwardly and rearwardly at an angle parallel to the other risers 38. The uppermost riser 33 is supported at its rear by a vertically extending support 4t) which is also beveled along its front upper edge 41 to provide an abutment surface for this riser 33.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the stand of this invention is convertible from a greeting card display stand for use in the holiday seasons to a receptacle for general merchandise in other seasons of the year. To convert the stand from a greeting card display stand to a general utility type of display stand, the top section tilt is lifted from the base portion and rotated 186 in the clockwise direction as viewed from the front and then lowered again into the base section. When the greeting card section of the top section is located in the base lit? and the dump bin 17 is uppermost, the base 19 still retains a a large storage area M behind the door lldfor the storage of items such as merchandise similar to that displayed in the dump bin 1'7.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A convertible greeting card fixture comprising,

a hollow rectangular base,

a top section adapted to be mounted upon said base in either of two positions,

said top section including a rectangular frame member,

a vertically stepped greeting card display rack extending outwardly away from said frame member and a horizontal platform extending between the sides of said frame member,

said display rack including a plurality of card supporting steps each of which is located in a different vertical plane from the other steps, said steps being interconnected by generally vertical risers,

said top section in one position on said base having said greeting card rack extending above said base with said platform located below said rack and in the other position having said greeting card rack extending downwardly into said base with said platform over said rack and in horizontal plane.

2. A convertible greeting card fixture comprising,

an open top rectangular base having four vertical side walls and a horizontal bottom wall,

a top section adapted to be mounted upon said base in either of two positions, said top section including a rectangular frame member adapted to be supported near the open top of said side Walls,

a card rack including a pair of rack side walls attached to and extending vertically from two opposite sides of said rectangular frame member, a plurality of parallel card supporting steps interconnected by risers supported between said rack side walls, said steps all being located at different vertical level Hi. a horizontal platform extending between the four sides of said frame member,

said top section in one position on said base having a' bottom edge of said rectangular frame supported upon said base such that said greeting card rack on tends upwardly from said base, and in the other position having an opposite edge of said frame member supported upon said base such that said platform is uppermost and said rack is suspended downwar from said frame and is telescopically received within said hollow base.

3. The greeting card fixture of claim 2 wherein the pppcr edges of said vertical side walls are rabbeted and said edges of said rectangular frame are also rabbeted to form a rabbet joint between said frame and said base.

4. A convertible greeting card fixture comprising,

an open top rectangular base having front and rear vertical walls, a pair of side walls, and a horizontal bottom wall,

a door mounted upon said front wall for access to a storage area within said base,

a top section adapted to be mounted upon said base in either of two positions, said top section including a rectangular frame member adapted to be supported near the open top of said walls,

a card display rack including a pair of rack side walls attached to and extending vertically from two opposite sides of said rectangular frame member, a plurality of parallel card supporting steps interconnected by risers supported between said rack side walls, said steps all being located at different vertical levels sequcntially changing in elevation from front to rear,

:1 horizontal platform extending between the four sides 7 of said frame member,

said top section in one position on said base having a lower portion of said rectangular frame engaged with and supported upon said base such that said greeting card rack extends upwardly from said base with said steps rising in elevation from front to rear, and in the other position having another portion of said frame opposite said lower portion supported upon and engaged with said base such that said platform is uppermost and said rack is suspended downwardly from said frame so as to be telescopically received and stored within said hollow base, said steps being progressively lower from front to rear whe said rack is in stored position within said base so as to maximize the useful storage space accessible through said door on the front of said base.

References Cited by the Examiner UNl'l'ED STATES PATENTS 747,741 12/03 Marsh.

965,237 7/10 Shaffer 312-126 1,651,905 12/27 Pitt 312-126 1,672,633 e/zs Vogel 312-l26X FOREIGN PATENTS 779,661 7/57 Great Britain.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. CHANCELLOR E, HARRIS, Examiner.

Claims

1. A CONVERTIBLE GREETING CARD FIXTURE COMPRISING, A HOLLLOW RECTANGULAR BASE, A TOP SECTION ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED UPON SAID BASE IN EITHER OF TWO POSITIONS, SAID TOP SECTION INCLUDING A RECTANGULAR FRAME MEMBER, A VERTICALLY STEPPED GREETING CARD DISPLAY RACK EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM SAID FRAME MEMBER AND A HORIZONTAL PLATFORM EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SIDES OF SAID FRAME MEMBER, SAID DISPLAY RACK INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CARD SUPPORTING STEPS EACH OF WHICH IS LOCATED IN A DIFFERENT VERTICAL PLANE FROM THE OTHER STEPS, SAID STEPS BEING INTERCONNECTED BY GENERALLY VERTICAL RISERS, SAID TOP SECTION IN ONE POSITION ON SAID BASE HAVING SAID GREETING CARD RACK EXTENDING ABOVE SAID BASE WITH SAID PLATFORM LOCATED BELOW SAID RACK AND IN THE OTHER POSITION HAVING SAID GREETING CARD RACK EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY INTO SAID BASE WITH SAID PLATFORM OVER SAID RACK AND IN HORIZONTAL PLANE.