US3126101A - katterjohn - Google Patents

Description

March 24, 1964 c. M. KATTERJOHN 3,126,101

DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed Feb. 3. 1961 INVENTOR.

March 1, c. M. KATTERJOHN DISPLAY APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 3. 1961 i .1 w a a J N r JP g I 9 9 z z s m a 1 f a 2 y. 2 3 7 J W mw/ United States Patent 3,126,101 DISPLAY APPARATUS Charles M. Katterjohn, R0. Box 463, Henderson, Ky. Filed Feb. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 86,909 Claims. (Cl. 211-176) This invention relates to display apparatus and, in particular, to such apparatus including suspension racks from which trays are hung.

One object of this invention is to provide a display apparatus and a tray suspension rack therefor consisting of a frame having corner posts where are provided at intervals along their heights with means for suspending article-holding trays by the pivoted swinging bails or hooks with which such trays are equipped.

Another object is to provide a display apparatus and tray suspension rack therefor of the foregoing character wherein the corner posts are equipped with multiple vertically-spaced notches which receive the pivoted swinging bails of the trays, either placing the trays in horizontal positions or in tilted positions for facilitating display and customer selection of the goods, such as loaves of bread, on the trays.

Another object is to provide a display apparatus and tray suspension rack therefor of the foregoing character wherein the corner posts are composite, in that they include main posts of Wood or other suitable material slotted or grooved to receive notched bars of metal or the like containing the previously-mentioned tray sus pension notches, thereby reducing the cost and weight of the tray as well as facilitating manufacture, assembly and disassembly thereof.

Another object is to provide a display apparatus and tray suspension rack therefor of the foregoing character wherein a pair of corner posts is interconnected by upper and lower horizontal tie members to form a rack side unit, two such units being detachably interconnected by horizontal cross members perpendicular to the tie members so as to facilitate assembly and disassembly of the rack and to enable its being packed,stored or transported in the minimum space.

Another object is to provide a display apparatus and tray suspension rack therefor of the foregoing character which has attachable and detachable side shelves removably secured to the corner posts of each rack side unit, for' facilitating display and customer selection of other articles such as baked goods of smaller size than bread loaves.

Another object is to provide a display apparatus and tray suspension rack therefor of the foregoing character wherein supporting clips are provided for engagement with the front and rear top members of the rack and in turn support an inclined auxiliary article-supporting device which adds to the display capacity of the rack by enabling articles to be placed in inclined positions on the top of the rack.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be come apparent during the course of the following descrip tion of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a mainly-front perspective view of a display apparatus including a tray suspension rack, according to one form of the invention, with a tray shown suspended therefrom in a forwardly-inclined position;

FIGURE 2 is a mainly-side perspective view of the display apparatus including the tray suspension rack shown in FIGURE 1, but with a pair of trays shown suspended therefrom in oppositely-inclined positions;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevation of the display apparatus and tray suspension rack shown in FIGURES 1 and 2;

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section thereof taken along the line 4-4 in FIGURE 3;

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FIGURE 5 is a horizontal section thereof taken along the line 55 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the upper end of one of the notched tray suspension bars inserted in the corner posts of the tray suspension rack of FIGURES l to 4 inclusive;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged cross-section through the upper front cross member of the tray suspension rack of FIGURES 1 and 2, showing in side elevation one of the auxiliary support holding clips and the inclined front panel of the auxiliary article support; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary side elevation of one of the side shelves showing its manner of attachment to the corner post of one of the side units.

Referring to the drawings in detail, FIGURES 1 to 5 inclusive show a display apparatus, generally designated 9, according to one form of the invention as including a tray suspension rack, generally designated 10, adapted to serve for the suspension of trays, generally designated 12, such as bread trays used'by baking companies for delivering bread to their dealers. Such trays may be of any suitable type, such as the type described and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 859,437 filed December 14, 1959, for Nestable Stacking Tray. The tray 12 is shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 1 and a pair of such trays 12 in FIGURE 2.

Each tray 12 consists of an elongated article holder 14 of panel form made from resilient sheet material, such as fiber board, with a bottom panel 16 and integral end panels 18 which normally spring outward away from one another into inclined positions relatively to the bottom panel 16 when the elongated approximately U-shaped side bails 20 pivoted to the bottom panel 16 are swung outward away from the end panels 18, as shown in FIG- URE 1. For compact stacking when loaded with loaves of bread or other articles in trucks, the trays 12 are compacted by moving the end panels 18 toward one another into vertical positions parallel to one another and perpendicular to the bottom panel 16, at the same time moving the bails 20 toward one another so that they swing over the ends of the'end panels 18 and hold them in their closed positions. The tray 12 is then loaded with the articles to be transported, such as loaves of bread, and successive trays 12 can be stacked upon one another while so loaded. The trays 12, when emptied of their contents, may be stacked in nested compact positions for return to the bakery by pulling outward on the bails 20 so as to release the opposite ends of the panels 18 which, by their resilience, thereupon swing away from the bottom panel 16 into their inclined positions shown in FIG- URE 1. A multiplicity of such trays 12 may then be nested with and stacked upon one another for compact storage and transportation. For display of the goods, such as loaves of bread, the trays 12, with their loaves or other articles to be displayed, are also moved into the nesting position described above, with the bails 20 separated from engagement with the end panels 18, and the bails 20 hung on the rack 10 in the manner described below in connection with the operation of the invention.

The tray suspension rack 10 consists generally of a pair of side'units22 disposed parallel to one another and each consisting of a pair of front and rear composite corner posts, generally designated 24 and 25, the upper and lower ends of which are interconnected by side cross members 26 and front and rear cross members 27 and 29, the side cross members being secured thereto in any suitable way, as bymortise and tenon joints (not shown). The corner posts 24 and 25 are drilled near their upper and lower ends in line with the front and rear cross members 27 and 29 for the passage of threaded studs 31, the inner ends of which are seated in the cross members 27 and 29 and the forward end portions of which extend through the corner posts 24 and 25 and carry wing nuts 33. The composite corner posts 24 and 25 in turn consist of elongated wooden posts 28 (FIGURES 3 and 4) which are provided with longitudinal grooves 39 extending the major part of their lengths and having depths less than the thicknesses of the posts 28.

Secured snugly in the longitudianl grooves 30 of the posts 28 are elongated thin bars or plates 32, preferably of metal such as steel, each having notches 34 disposed at intervals along its length. Each notch 34 (FIGURE 6) is of inverted L-shaped form with a mouth 36 at the outer end of the horizontal top portion 38 thereof and a vertical portion 40 extending downwardly therefrom and having a recess 42 in the lower end thereof adapted to receive the bail 20 of a tray 12, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

The notches 34 of each set in the four corner posts 24 and 25 are conveniently arranged on the same horizontal level, but their spacings are so arranged that the trays 12 can be inclined at suitable angles of tilt when the forward portions of the bails 20 are hooked into the notches 34 in the front posts 24 located on a level below the notches 34- in the rear posts 25. If, however, the user desires to place the trays 12 with the bottoms 16 thereof horizontal, he merely hooks the horizontal portions of the bails 29 into notches 34 on the same horizontal level in the front and rear corner posts 24 and 25.

The display capacity of the display apparatus 9 may be supplemented by means of an auxiliary display structure, generally designated 40, consisting of front and rear panels 42 and 44 joined to one another at their upper edges along a common line of junction 46 and diverging downwardly away from one another with their forward and rearward edges 48 (FIGURE 7) resting in recesses 50 between the inverted channel portions 52 and upwardly-inclined inwardly projecting supporting portions 54 of supporting clips, generally designated 56, the channels 58 of which rest upon the upper edges of the front and rear cross members 27 and 29.

Loaves of bread or other articles may be placed upon the inclined front panel 4-2 and also, if desired, on the rear panel 44 and thereby increase the display capacity of the apparatus.

The display or carrying capacity of the display apparatus 9 may also be increased by the use of attachable and detachable shelves 60, one of which is shown in side elevation in FIGURE 8, and in perspective in FIGURE 1. Each shelf 69 consists of a supporting bar 62 which on its upper corner edges is rabbeted at 64 to receive the rearward edge 66 of a shelf plate 68, the two being secured to one another in any suitable way such as by an adhesive or fasteners (not shown). The supporting bar 62 below the rabbet 64 is drilled horizontally as at 7i? to receive a clamping bolt 72, the forward end portions of which passes through a bore 74 in a horizontal clamping bar 76, the bore 74 being aligned with the bore 70. The clamping bar 76 preferably has an upper edge portion 78 disposed on the same level as the bottom of the rabbet 64 so as to permit the lower surface of the shelf plate 68 to rest thereon in a horizontal position. A nut 80 and washer 82 are mounted upon the threaded portion of the bolt 72 for effecting clamping engagement of the bars 62 and '76 with opposite sides of the front and rear corner posts 24 and 25.

In the use of the display apparatus 9 of the invention, the display rack it] is assembled by placing the side units 22 laterally apart from one another with a distance sligthly greater than the lengths of the front and rear cross members 27 and 29, so that their studs 31 may be passed through the drilled upper and lower ends of the corner posts 24 and 25, whereupon the wing nuts 31 are applied to the projecting ends of the studs 31 and tightened. This procedure causes the display frame 22 to be assembled into the ready condition shown in FIGURES 1 l and 2 from a knocked down or demounted condition for compactness of packing, transportation or storage.

The user then suspends the trays 12 from the rack 10, preferably with the loaves of bread or other articles resting upon the tray bottoms 16 in inclined display positions, by swinging the inverted U-shaped bails 20 so as to hook them into notches 34 on different levels in the front and rear corner posts 24 and 25, as shown in FIGURE 1. For display on both front and rear sides of the frame 10, such as when the frame 10 is free-standing in a passageway, the trays 12 may be placed in alternating oppositelyinclined sequence as shown in FIGURE 2, by selecting front notches 34 which are higher than rear notches 34 for the tray 12 immediately below the tray 12 previously placed in position.

When the loaves of bread or other articles have been sold, the operator removes the empty trays 12 from the rack 10 by lifting the bails 20 upward and at the same time swinging them toward one another outward through the entrance openings 36 of the notches 34. The empty trays 12 may then be stacked in a pile and returned to the bakery or other establishment for another load of bread loaves or other articles. The attachment of the shelf 60 has been sufficiently described in connection with its construction and a suitable number of such shelves may be arranged one above the other to project outwardly from the side units 22, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 8.

The setting up and loading of the auxiliary article display structure 40 has also been described above in connection with its construction and, accordingly, no further description is needed. It will be evident that the auxiliary display structure 40 may be detached from the display frame It) by lifting upward upon it so as to remove the lower edges 48 of the front and rear panels 42 and 44 from engagement With the recesses 40 of the clips 56.

What I claim is:

l. A display apparatus comprising an open-centered frame structure including two pairs of upright corner members disposed in laterally-spaced relationship at the corners of a central space of approximately rectangular cross section and including vertically-spaced approximately horizontal upper and lower cross members interconnecting the upper and lower portions respectively of said upright members, said corner members along their inner sides having a plurality of vertically-spaced notches therein with entrance openings facing inwardly into said space, and a plurality of approximately rectangular trays disposed in said space, each tray having upstanding articleretaining elements secured thereto at opposite ends there of, each tray having suspension elements pivotally connected thereto on opposite sides thereof and extending upwardly therefrom and swingable outward relatively thereto into suspended engagement with said notches.

2. A display apparatus, according to claim 1, wherein said suspension elements comprise approximately inverted U-shaped bails having elongated longitudinal portions engaging said notches and having transverse portions connected to the opposite ends of said longitudinal portions and extending downwardly therefrom into pivotal connection with said trays.

3. A display apparatus comprising a frame structure including a plurality of upright corner members spaced laterally apart from one another and vertically-spaced approximately horizontal upper and lower cross members interconnecting the upper and lower portions respectively of said upright member; a plurality of clips having recessed portions resting upon said cross members in laterally-spaced relationship and having vertical suspension portions extending downwardly from said recessed portion and having supporting portions projecting inwardly from said suspension portions toward the center of said frame structure, and a display structure including a pair of plates having upper edges connected to one another, said plates diverging from one another downwardly from their place of connection with their lower edges resting upon said supporting portions of said clips, said suspension portions being a multiplicity of times longer than the thickness of said plates whereby the lower edges of the top surfaces of said plates are disposed a substantial distance below the top edges of said upper cross members so that said upper cross members provide abutments extending upwardly from said lower edges of said plates so as to prevent displayed articles from sliding downwardly off said plates.

4. A tray suspension rack comprising an open-centered frame structure including two pairs of upright composite corner members disposed in laterally-spaced relationship at the corners of a central space of approximately rectangular cross-section and including vertically-spaced approximately horizontal upper and lower cross members interconnecting the upper and lower portions respectively of said upright members, said composite corner members along their inner sides having a plurality of verticallyspaced notches therein with entrance openings facing inwardly into said space, said corner members including elongated posts having elongated grooves therein extending therealong on the inner sides thereof and elongated bars secured in said grooves, said notches being disposed in said bars.

5. A tray suspension rack, according to claim 4, wherein said notches are of approximately inverted L-shaped form including elongated substantially vertical slots having substantially shorter horizontal entrance openings near the upper ends thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Claims (1)

1. A DISPLAY APPARATUS COMPRISING AN OPEN-CENTERED FRAME STRUCTURE INCLUDING TWO PAIRS OF UPRIGHT CORNER MEMBERS DISPOSED IN LATERALLY-SPACED RELATIONSHIP AT THE CORNERS OF A CENTRAL SPACE OF APPROXIMATELY RECTANGULAR CROSS SECTION AND INCLUDING VERTICALLY-SPACED APPROXIMATELY HORIZONTAL UPPER AND LOWER CROSS MEMBERS INTERCONNECTING THE UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS RESPECTIVELY OF SAID UPRIGHT MEMBERS, SAID CORNER MEMBERS ALONG THEIR INNER SIDES HAVING A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY-SPACED NOTCHES THEREIN WITH ENTRANCE OPENINGS FACING INWARDLY INTO SAID SPACE, AND A PLURALITY OF APPROXIMATELY RECTANGULAR TRAYS DISPOSED IN SAID SPACE, EACH TRAY HAVING UPSTANDING ARTICLERETAINING ELEMENTS SECURED THERETO AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, EACH TRAY HAVING SUSPENSION ELEMENTS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED THERETO ON OPPOSITE SIDES THEREOF AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFORM AND SWINGABLE OUTWARD RELATIVELY THERETO INTO SUSPENDED ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID NOTCHES.

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