US2982419A - Spring-lift combination display shelf - Google Patents

Description

May 2, 1961 R. A. sHlI-:Ls 2,982,419

SPRING-LIFT COMBINATION DISPLAY vSHELF FiledFeb. 17, 1958 Z 1Ca a 5 T 17 I 1@ 1s @/W/w l Val? ,L zo 1o zo rl g I N MIM 15 INVENTOR.

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in the appended claim. A structure constituting a pre- United States arent- 2,932,419.` A srRnvG-Lrrr coMnrNArroN DISPLAY SHELF Robert A. Shiels,l Cincinnati, Ohio, assgnor to The Mead Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Feb. `17, 195s, ser. No. 715,707 1 claim. (ci. al1-49) This invention relates to a spring-liftl combination dis play shelf and divider or separator for a stack of columnar articles, such as bottled or canned goods, which 2,982,419 j. ,lstsefed May 2r 1961.

separators biased to elevated position'and lower loaded ones in horizontal position.

numerals designate likevparts, numeral 1,is a base of aj l rack to which is attached the bottom rfreefends of the are' stacked in superimposed layers for display'in stores,

and it particularly pertains to a pivoted supportfor carrying a readily detachable bottom which is a divider or'separator ,between two stacked layers. The support for said divider or separator is pivoted to a vertical wall of. 'a building or to an upright of a rack. One or any lnumber of pivoted supports may be provided disposed in vertical spaced apart relation in position to be pulled down in a horizontal plane over the top of an underlying layer of goods for another layer of the stack to be laid thereon.

The invention is an improvement over application Serial No. 701,421, filed December 9, 1957, now Patent No. 2,950,820, and the shelf is provided with a back stop against which `the support or divider rests when said support is biased to elevated position from a horizontal plane above an underlying layer of the goods `after the top layer of goods is removed. The stop is disposed so that the support is pivoted to a predetermined angle or positionabove the horizontal plane to be held spaced from the wall or upright to which the support isfpivoted. The stop for each shelf is so disposed that all of the shelves are parallel when in their elevated positions.

The detachable` disposable divider or separator for the support may be used with any type of pivoted support lift divider or separator* unit which is simple in co'nstruction and eicient in operation. y vAnother object of the invention is a spring-lift unit `in which-the divider and separator unit is provided with Ya back stop when biased to elevated position.

Another object of the invention'is a spring-lift unit which is held spaced from the uprightsupport to which Further objects, and objectsrelating to details of construction and economies of operation, will readily appear from the detailed description to follow. In one instance, the objects of the invention have been accomplished by the device and means set forth in the following specificalfhe inventionis clearly defined and pointed out ferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, in which:

j Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rack embodying the invention, showing several upper unloaded dividers or legs 2 of an upright holding means connectedY at their top ends by a cross piece 3, said upright being form'ed of a, U-shaped tubular metal pipe. t

'i A plurality Aof. framemembers, each comprising a part or support 4 pivoted to aback strips, is fastened to the upright by any suitable means, such as screws 6, projecting through said back strip 5. The part 4 is a metal rod or lwire with a main portion 7 having its opposite ends bent into parallel legs 8, terminating in terminals 9, bentv inwardly toward each other'to be disposed substantially parallel to the main portion 7. These terminals 9 are each pivoted to a pair 'of spaced lugs 10 on a clip 11 that is fastened as by"welding to the'opposite ends of the back strip 5. The ends of the terminals 9 are preferably screw threaded for receiving cap nuts 12 for holding said terminals assembled.

A cylindrical torsion spring 13 is mounted on each of the terminals 9 with one end 14 in contact with underside of a leg 8 and its opposite end 15 in contact with clip 11. The spring is given any degree of torsion for that both of said legs 8 will rest against these back stops 1-6 when the pivoted member is'biased to elevated position.

Each of the legs 8 is provided with a spring linger 17 having one end 18 fixed thereto as by welding and its opposite free end 19 disposed along the said leg 8 and carrying an angle piece 20. These spring fingers 17 are preferably disposed on the opposite ends of the support along the outer sides of the legs 8.

A detachable bottom unit 21 of cardboard is mounted on top of the -pivoted support, and has a downwardly and outwardly extending apron 22 on its front side and opposite ends for extending over and beyond the saidY front side and opposite ends ofthe pivoted support, its opposite or rear side being free of said apron. The main body portion of thebottom unit 21 is of an area about equal to the area of the support. The opposite ends of Y the detachable bottom unit are interposed between the legs 8 of the pivoted support and the spring fingers 17 with the` angle piece 20 overhangingvthe opposite ends l of the main body of said bottom unit. With the spring lfingers 17 thus disposed, the end portions of the apron 22'are held in position at their proper angle. The detachable bottom 2=1 can be printed on itstop side and on the overhanging apron with advertising. The display shelf is adapted for use with any bottled and canned goods, and particularly those which are sold in cartons. The top surface of the bottom member can be marked with transverse and longitudinal lines to set oi square portions corresponding with the cartons. The under# layers of the stacked goods are covered with a clean and neat separator which is easily replaced by a new one when it has become worn and dirty. The necks of the bottles of an underlying layer of the stack are covered and con '1 J cealed by the overhanging apron and blends in with the cartons of the stacked goods so that they are displayed to their fullest advantage and `with a neater appearance.

The display rack andrshelves may b e of a different size. One size is made to accommodate conventional sized bottled-goods, and the largerfsize-is-for king size bottles.

lIt is understood that there may ;be various changes in details of construction` without departing 'from the spiritof the invention, and, therefore, the invention is claimed broadly as indicatedby the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, 'Whatl claim as new and useful and desire to securefby-United States Letters Patent, is: r

, Afcombination display shelf anddivider ,for rows of tiers 01E-stackedcolumnar articles comprising a horizontally extending rectangular base, .an'inve'rted vertically extending U-shaped holding member-having the' free; ends ofr its legs aiiixed to oneedge-portion of sad base, `a plurality of transversely extending back st ripsaxed tov thelegs of said holding member in vertically spaced rela-Y tion, a plurality of supports each havinga main portion, a leg extending from each end of 4 said main portion toward one ofsaidrback strips and havingits free end pivotally connected to its respective back strip, said support and said back strip deiining an unobstructed space therebetween with said back strip, and said support being disposed outside the cross. sectional area of said rows of stacked articles when saidk support is disposed ina substantially horizontal position, means for biasing each of the supports to elevated position adjacent said holding member, and a pair of back stops affixed to each back strip, the legs of said supports abutting said back stop when said supports are biased to elevated position, said back strips and said supports being disposed outside of a stacking area formed therebetween, a divider removably mounted on each of said supports and having an outwardly and downwardly extending vapron extending over the front and sides of said support, and spring fingers attached to each of the legs of each support and each having an angular free end portion overhanging its associated leg. Y

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS.

955,883 Joiner Apr.v 26, 1910 1,269,577 Bolander June 18, 1918 1,606,065 Eveleth Nov. 9, 1926 1,972,532 McMillan Sept. 4, 1934 2,120,610 Howard June 14, 1938 2,379,916 Harden May 29, 1945 2,469,776 McGee May l0, 1949 2,474,337 Sutherland June 28, 1949 .2,637,445 Patterson May 5, 1953 2,716,495 Prevette Aug. 30, 1955

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