US1634804A

US1634804A - Display rack

Info

Publication number: US1634804A
Application number: US698350A
Authority: US
Inventors: William H Stansfield
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1924-03-11
Filing date: 1924-03-11
Publication date: 1927-07-05
Anticipated expiration: 1944-07-05

Description

1,634,804 July 1927' w. H. STANSFIELD DISPLAY RACK Filed March 11, 1924 ZSheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Jul 5,1927. 1,634,804

W. H. STANSFIELD v DISPLAY RACK Filed March 11, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y INVENTOR J Patented July 5, 1927.

1 UNITED" STATES WILLIAM H. STANSFIELD, oE-nUBnnm NEWYoR DISPLAY anon.

' Application filed March 11, 1924, Serial No. 698,350..

This invention relates to display racks for use in stores and show rooms for supporting articles to be displayed.

One object of the invention is to produce a rack of this character which may be shipped in knock-down form and may be readily set up or taken down by an unskilled workman.

, Another object of'the invention is to produce a rack of this. type which may be set upv in a, large variety of ways for supporting different articles, or for enabling different groupings of articles to be produced.

Another object of the invention is to produce a display rack of this character, the parts ofwhich are detachable or adjustable, and which is strong and rigid when set up in operating condition.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention. comprises the novel and improved features, constructions and combinationsof parts hereinafter-described and particulaly pointed out in-the claims,the advantages of which will be readily under stood and appreciated by those skilled in the art.

The invention will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention in its preferred form, and the following detailed description of the constructions therein shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l'is a view in front elevation of a display rack embodying the invention;

Fig.2 is a View partly. in side elevation and partly in section, taken substantially on.

the:l1.ne22 of Fig. 1;;

-Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating one.

ofthe clamps for securing the parts of the rack together, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig.1, with the parts .Ofv the clamp only partially tightened;

. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3;, show ing the parts of the clamp completely tightened;

Fig. 5 is. adetail sectional. view taken substantially on theline 5,5 of Fig. 3; and.

' Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating one of the clamp members. In the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings of. this application, the display rack comprises a pair of uprights or

posts

2,3. series of

crossbars

3,4 and 5 connecting these uprights. andlatlerally. extending bars 6 located at the base of the rack and a r, ranged toengage-the floor or other surface upon which the rack is placed to support the bars 2 1n upright positions.

The bars 6 are inserted at their inner ends between two parallel side plates of a bracket 8, and are secured in. any suitable manner between these Plates. The brackets 8 are provided with sockets lOfat the base. thereof to receive the crossbar 3 which connects the lower ends of the uprights 2 The brackets 8, are also provided with sockets 12 located immediately above the sockets 10 to receive the second crossbar 4. located above the crossbar 3'and parallel therewith, the crossbars 3 and i" being preferably positioned com paratively close together. i The base bars 6 are preferably arranged at a slight angle to each other as clearly'shown in Fig. 2 to insure the firm supporting of the rack upon the supporting surface. f i v The crossbars 3', 4L and 5 are connected with uprights 2, so that they may be quickly andreasily attached to or detached from the uprights to locate the Crossbars in any desired position. In the construction shown, the crossbars are connected to the uprights by clamps comprising relatively movable clamping jaws preferably carried by the crossbars and arranged to. embrace the uprights 2. Each of these clamps, in the present form of the invention, compr1ses"opposed clamping members 14 mounted on opposite sides of the end of a crossbar, and at-.- tached to the crossbar by a bolt 16, passing through an opening in oneof the clamping members and through openings in the cross bar, and threaded into the other clamping member. Each of the clamping members is provided with lateral flangesrl8 overlapping the sides of the crossbar and fitting rather closely thereto to prevent theclamping members. fromv turning on the crossbar. The clamping members areprovidedwith clamping jaws 20 which embrace the uprights or posts 2 and arrangedto grip the post. to. secure the end ofthe crossbar to. the post.

Each of the clamping jaws is provided at its outer end with a; lip 22 arranged to overhang: the outer side of the post 2, and spaced;

from the; adjacent edge of; the corresponding flange 18 toform a recess into which the post Zfits closely.

Whenthe bolt 16 is. loosenechthe clamping, members, are loosened relatively to the crossbar on which they are mounted, and the clamping jaws 20 are freed from gripping ra ati onit the c rre pond ng P95? 2y Ti-slitoning of the bolt 16 clamps the clamping members tirn'ily on the crossbar, and also relatively actuates the clamping jaws to grip the corresponding post The clamping members are preferably constructed so that the tightening of the bolt 16 will tend to hri g; the clamping jaws QO slightly closer together than the width of the post 2, which is engaged between the jaws. In the particular construction shown, this result is accomplished by forming the inner surface of each of the clamping members which engages the crossbar, and inner surface of the clamping jaw which constitutes an extension of the former surface slightly concave on an arc :lrom the inner end of each clamping member to the lip 22.

This manner of connecting the crossbars with the uprights 2 enables the crossbars to be very readily attached to or detached tifrom the uprights, and also enables the crossbars to be adjusted to any desired position lengthwise of the uprights. By a comparatively slight turning of the bolt 16 the clamping jaws are freed from clamping engagement with the corresponding upright 9, allowing the ready adjustment of the crossbars longitudinally of the uprights '2, or permitting the removal of the crossbars from the uprights longitudinally oi: the uprights. The construction of the clamping members enables the clamping jaws to be very quickly and etliciently actuated to clamp the cros. Jars to the uprights. It is also to he noted that the clamping jaws are so constructcd as ellectively to prevent, any relative angular movement of the crossbars and uprights in the common plane of these bars or in directions transverse to this plane. The parts of the clamps are so constructed that the clamping jaws may be separated Sulliciently to allow the uprights 2 to be disengaged from between the clamping jaws by a movement of? the clamp transversely of the upright.

As shown in the drawings of this application, the racl: is provided with a. series oi supporting bars 2% for engaging beneath and supporting articles to be displayed upon the rack. As shown in the drawings, these bars 2d are attached to the upper two crossbars 5 and extendlaterally therefrom. These supporting bars are secured upon the body of the rack by means of clamps preferably having the same construction as the clamps securing the crossbars to the uprights, and in the drawings the corresponding parts of all these clamps are indicated by the same reference numerals. The clamping memhers are mounted on the supporting bars an, as shown, and embrace and grip the upper crossbars. By removing a supporting bar 2% from a crossbar and turning the same through a quarter of a revolution, the clamp carried thereby may be placed in position to receive one of the upright posts 2. Thus the supporting bars 24; may be attached, either to the crosshars or to the up right posts, as desired, andmay be arranged to extend transversely of the body of the rack, as shown in the drawing, or may be located so that they extend from the crossbars or the bars 2 substantially in the common plane of the upright bars and crossbars.

The present display .dUk may be shipped in knockdown form so that it occupies very little space in shipment, the crossbars then being detached from the upright bars 2 and disengaged from the brackets 8, and the supportingbars 2i also being detached. In selling up the racle the crossbars 8, 4i and 5 are. p reterably attached to the upright post 2, and the brackets ll with the laterally extending base bars 6 are applied to the crossbar 3, this -rossbar being engaged in the sockets ll). The crossbar 4C is then engaged in the sockets l2 and its ends secured to the post 2. This completes the setting up of the rack, except for the attachment of the supporting bars These supporting bars may be up plied at any desired point on the rack and clamped in position. that the rack may be quickly and easily set up by any unskilled person. Practically all the mechanical operation that is required in setting up the rack is the tightening of the bolts 16, which may be conveniently per- :lormed by means oi a suitable socket wrench. The disassen'lbling of the parts of the no]; also may be just as easily and conveniently accomplished without the exercise of any mechanical skill. The parts of the rack are also capable of a large variety of adjustments, and the relative adjustment of the parts is ctlected with great ease and convenieac Any des red number of erossbars may be employed, and these crossbars may be located at. any desired height. The supporting bars 24- may be attached to the crosshars 5 so that they extend horizontally from the bars, but for supporting some special articles the supporting bars may be attached to the crossbars so that they extend vertically from the erossbars.

The various bars of which the rack is made up are preferably of polygonal cross-section to secure regidity. In the best form of the invention which has been devised, these bars are of rectangular cross section and may be made of hollow metal tubing.

One of the principal advantages secured in the present construction is the high degree oi rigidity and strength of the rack rendering it capable of supporting heavy loads and enabling it to stand up well with long continued use. This is due chiefly to the construction provided for securing the bars of the rack together.

The present construction enables a large Thus is will be seen llll ' poses;

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular construction and arrangement of parts of the illustrated embodiment of the invention, but that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the claims.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention and having specifically de scribed a device embodying the invention in its preferred form, what is claimed is:

1. A display rack structure comprising two bars of similar polygonal cross-section, a clamp mounted on one of the bars for clamping the same to the second bar, said clamp comprising opposed clamping members, each having lateral flanges for engaging the sides of the first bar, jaws carried by said clamping members for embracing the first bar, and a bolt extending through the clamping members and first bar for holding the clamping members to the first bar and for relatively actuating the clamping members to clamp and unclamp the bars.

2. A display rack structure comprising two.

angularly arranged bars adapted to be connected together, a. clamp mounted on one of the bars and arranged to embrace the second bar to connect the bars together, comprising opposed clamping members, each having lateral flanges for engaging the sides of the first bar, jaws carried by said clamping members for embracing the first bar, and a bolt extending through the clamping members and through the first bar for connecting the clamping members to said bar and for relatively actuating the clamping members to clamp and unclamp the bar, the parts of the clamp being separated even when in limited clamping positions.

3. A display rack structure comprising two bars arranged angularly with relation to each other and adapted to be connected together, a clamp mounted on one of the bars and arranged to embrace the second bar for clamping the bars together, comprising opposed clamping members mounted on the first bar and having jaws arranged to embrace the second bar, and a bolt extending through the clamping members and through the first bar for securing said members to the first bar, and for relatively actuating the clamping members to clamp and unclamp the bar, the clamping members being constructed to tend to cause the contraction of the jaws closer than the width of the second bar by the actuation' of the bolt.

4. A display rack structure comprising two angularly arranged bars adapted to be connected together, a clamp mounted on one of the bars and arranged to embrace the second bar to connect the bars together, comprising opposed clamping members, and a bolt extending through the clampingmembers and through the first bar for connecting the clamping members to said bar and for relatively actuating the clamping members to clamp and unclamp the bar, the parts of the clamp being separated even when in limited clamping positions.

Signed at New York city, New York, this 3rd day of March, 1924.

WVILLIAM H. STANSFIELD.