US1948326A - Cooky caddy - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 20, 1934.

A. E. BERGQUIST GOOKY CADDY Filed May 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. E. BERGQUIST COOKY CADDY Filed May 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COOKY CADDY strom, Minn.

Application May 25, 1932. Serial No. 613,453

6 Claims.

My invention relates to a means for adjusting the lower layers of a cocky caddy or similar display boxes where the contents of the box may be brought up toward the top or display window quickly and easily.

A feature resides in providing an adjustable bottom which is economical to manufacture, positive in operation, and which is simple in adjustment to bring the contents of the display box up toward the display window and hold the same in displaying position.

A further feature of the adjustable bottom resides in forming the same with elevating strips which automatically pull the supporting members up into operative position to hold the bottom elevated and to provide an elevating means in a cooky caddy or the like display box, wherein the adjustable bottom is inconspicuous and can be attached to boxes now in use without changing the construction thereof.

My adjustable bottom for cocky caddies, cigar boxes, candy boxes and the like, may be made of cardboard and paper or other suitable material and is of a design to be folded flat in the bottom of the display container, taking up a very small space in the bottom of the same when the container is full of layers of cookies or cakes or the like. The adjustable bottom is provided with members which project up into the container which may be engaged when the container is partially empty to lift the adjustable bottom into operative position, the lifting action automatically pulling the supports for the bottom into operative position to hold the same elevated in the display container and the adjustable bottom and lifting means being of an inconspicuous nature so as not to change the appearance of the display case to any material extent. The adjustable bottom and lifting means are made of flat material, thus requiring little space in the container, yet operating to fulfill the desired functions.

It is also a feature to provide an adjustable, foldable bottom for cocky caddies or containers or other containers where the foldable bottom is formed with four supporting members instead of two on opposite sides of the bottom, each of these supporting members being hinged to the main plate of the bottom and it only being necessary that two of the members have operating strips connected therewith. In this construction, the members carrying the operating strips are folded first to the under side of the bottom and then the other supporting members on the opposite sides are folded over these first supporting members so that when the bottom is lifted or adjusted to raise the contents of the container, all four of the supporting members come out into operative position and thereby form a strong, sturdy supporting bottom which will hold a considerable load in containers where it is desirable to do so.

A further feature resides in providing a means for adjusting the bottoms of cigar boxes so as to bring the lower content up toward the cover and into better displaying position. This construction may also be adaptable to candy boxes and the like and it includes a bottom where the supporting members are connected to the under side of the main plate of the bottom with the hinging attachment set in from the outer edge of the bottom plate so that when the supporting members are in operative position, they extend at an obtuse angle from the under side of the adjustable bottom. This places the supporting members anguiarly engaging in the corners so as to form a strong supporting bottom which cannot be easily pushed down by the load, but rather is held in such a manner that the load on the bottom will simply push the supporting members more firmly into place.

These features together with other details and objects will be more fully and clearly defined.

In the drawings forming part of this specification: 5

Figure l is a perspective view of a cocky or cake caddy which may also be used for confections with a display window in the top, part of which is broken away to illustrate my adjustable bottom and elevating means as it would appear in lowermost position in the same.

Figure 2 is a section centrally through the display case, showing in dotted lines the partially lifted adjustable bottom, and in full lines the adjustable bottom elevated up into operating position, showing the manner in which the adjustable bottom raises the lower layers of the contents of the display box up closer to the display window.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of my adjustable bottom removed from the display case, showing the same set up with the supporting members holding the bottom of the same raised in the same manner as it would appear in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a small view illustrating another form of my adjustable bottom, wherein the lifters are secured across the inside of the bottom.

Figure 5 illustrates a perspective of my collaps ible bottom in another form in partially opened position.

Figure 6 illustrates a transverse cross section through a candy box, cigar box or the like, showing another form of my adjustable bottom in operative position to elevate the bottom content of the box when it is desired.

I have illustrated a display case A which may be of any suitable size or design and which is provided with a display window B held by the frame 10 to the top of the display case A. The goods in the display case A are displayed through the window B so that the customer may readily see the cookies or cakes held within the display case A. It is customary to provide the merchant with these display cases A by the manufacturer of the cookies or cakes or confections, and they are sometimes supported on racks, tilted so that the customer can View the cookies or cakes through the windows 13. The window protects the cookies, keeps them fresh in the container A, and yet permits an attractive display of the same.

Owing to the depth of the container A so as to provide a cocky or confection container adapted to supply the dealer with a quantity of cookies or cakes, when part of the contents of the display A have been sold and removed from the same, the lower layers are not conveniently positioned to show or be displayed through the window B, therefore I provide an adjustable bottom C with i 1 elevating means in the form of the flat strips 11 so that the bottom C may be drawn up into operative position in the container A to raise the contents thereof up toward the Window 13, as illusrated in Figure 2. The adjustable bottom C is formed with a plate-like member 12 which may be rectangular or of a shape to fit the bottom of the container A. This plate 12 may be formed of cardboard or other suitable light weight material and of a sheet nature so that it will take only a very small space in the bottom of the container A when it is folded together. This permits the adjustable bottom to be folded so fiat into the bottom of the container A that it will not disturb the filling of the container with cookies or cakes or the confection for which the display case is designed.

Connected to the sides of the plate 12, I provide adjustable supports 13 which may be formed integral with the plate 12 so as to hinge along the sides 14 with the plate 12. When the plate 12 and the supports 13 of the bottom C are made of cardboard they may be formed integral and scored along the hinging points 14 so that the supporting members 13 may be folded under the plate 12 as illustrated in Figure 1. This permits the adjustable bottom 0 to be folded fiat in the bottom of the container A. Then the contents of the container may be filled upon the same.

I provide lifting and adjusting strips 11 which may be stapled at 15 or otherwise secured to the free edge 16 of the supports 13 while the strips 11 are sufiiciently long to project the desired distance above the folded bottom C as illustrated in Figure 1. Thus when the contents of the display container A become sufficiently low as to be not readily visible through the window B, the merchant simply reaches into the container, engages the upper ends of the strips 11, lifting the remaining contents in the container A and the strips 11 will automatically pull the free edges 16 of the supports 13 out into the position illustrated in Figure 2 with the supports 13 adjacent the side walls 17 of the container A and thus supporting the cookies or cakes D elevated as illustrated in Figure 2. The strips 11 act to automatically raise and simultaneously adjust the side supports 13. This is due to the leverage by the attachment of the strips 11 adjacent the free edge 16 by the staples 15 or with the strip 11 extending across the inside of the plate 12 and the supports 13, as illustrated in Figure 4. In the construction illustrated in Figure 4, the strip 11 may be continuous instead of in two separate boxes like illustrated in Figure 3, and in this construction of Figure 4, the strip 11 may be attached to the inside of the respective parts 12 and 13 by gluing o1 otherwise. It will be apparent, however, that the strips 11 are free from the edge 16 to their outer free engaging end 18. Thus the leverage provided to these strips 11 extends from the free edge 16 to the engaging end 18. The dotted lines in Figure 2 show the bottom C in the act of being elevated when the ends 18 are engaged by the merchant. It will also be noted that the free edges 16 of the bottom 0 act to rest upon the bottom 2c of the display container A, digging into the same with suificient engagement to prevent the supports 13 from slipping toward each other and permitting the bottom C to fold after it has been elevated. This also is a feature of advantage and importance in my adjustable bot tom for cocky caddies and the like.

The simplicity of my adjustable bottom with the economy of manufacture owing to the fact that it can be made of paper or other similar cheap material, together with the inconspicuous nature of the same makes this means of supporting the lower contents of a display case such as A of primary importance as well as the fact that it may be readily attached to the present cooky caddies or confection display boxes without making it necessary to change the construction or form thereof. The adjustable bottom operates positively and accomplishes the desired support ing means to firmly hold the contents of the display container A closer to the display window .3 and to overcome the appearance of an almost empty display case.

In Figure 5, I have illustrated the bottom C of a different form where the plate 12 is provided with supporting members 13, the free edges of which are adapted to be brought into operative position to raise the bottom C by pulling on the strips 11. The operation of the strips 11 pulling the supports 13 into right angular position in relation folded in its flat state, the supports 13 which 32 carry the strips 11 are first folded against the under side of the bottom plate 12. Then the outer supports 13 are folded over the supports 13. This permits the bottom C to lie fiat in a small space in the bottom of the container A. In this construction, when the strips 11 are pulled to raise the bottom C, all of the supporting members namely 13 and 13' are automatically moved into operative position and extend virtually at right angles to the plate 12. This will be quite apparent rom Figure 5 which shows the bottom C in partially open position and shows the manner in which the members 13 are being pulled into right angular position with the plate 12 and simultaneously opening into operative position the supporting members 13.

My bottom C may be made in a form where the supporting members 13 are positioned with their hinging points 30 set or spaced inside of the edge 31 of the bottom plate 12, as illustrated in Figure 6. When the supports 13 are connected to the under side of the plate 12 in this manner, by pulling on the strips 11, which are attached to the supports 13, they are pulled out with their edge 16 positioned in the corner of the container A and with the hinging point 30 spaced in from the sides of the container. Thus, the pulling on the strips 11 move the members 13 into a greater than right angle or an obtuse angular position in relation to the bottom plate 12. This construction as illustrated in Figure 6 provides a very strong and substantial means for holding the bottom plate 12 elevated from the bottom of the container A, thus holding the contents thereof in better displaying position and more acceptable to the customer. This form of the bottom C may be used with particular advantage for cigar boxes, candy boxes or even other box constructions where it is desirable to provide an adjustable bottom such as C which may be elevated and when in elevated position, the supports will extend angularly so as to lock the bottom against dropping or slipping. These are material advantages in the construction of an adjustable bottom, is simple in manufacture and accomplishes very desirable results.

Heretofore, various means have been designed to bring the lower contents of the display cases toward the display window B but they have had a different nature, have not accomplished the same results nor been of a construction economical to manufacture in the sense I have pointed out heretofore, such as is found in my adjustable bottom for these display cases. It is also apparent that as the contents of the display case A is sold, the customer cannot so readily see the same because it is down low in the container, nor can the merchant remove the contents as easily as where it is held elevated by my simple inexpensive adjustable bottom. Other bottoms that have been used heretofore having an adjustable nature did not always hold the contents remaining in the display case such as A, firmly and in place, or were too complicated to adjust quickly. My adjustable bottom overcomes these disadvantages and is positive as Well as being economical.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have set forth the best embodiment of my adjustable bottom and have illustrated a form of construction which may be made economically and applied to a particular use in cooky caddies and the like, nevertheless, the same may be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those set forth wherein the same features are accomplished within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A cooky caddy adjustable bottom including, a plate-like member adapted to lie flat on the bottom of a full cooky caddy, a pair of supporting members pivoted at a point spaced from the edge of said member normally folded under said plate,

and lifting members for said supporting members adapted to automatically lift the free edges of said supports into position to raise said plate, and thereby raise the contents of the cooky caddy when said lifting members are pulled upward.

2. An adjustable bottom for display boxes adapted to contain cookies, cakes, confections and the like held in layers in the display box including, supporting members spaced inwardly of the edges of the bottom adapted to be normally folded under said bottom, and elevating strips extending from the free edges of said supporting members and above said bottom when it is folded in the bottom of the display case, whereby when said elevating strips are engaged, the remaining contents in the bottom portion of the display case is elevated and said supporting members are automatically unfolded and moved into operative position to support the contents in the display case elevated into the upper portion of the same.

3. A foldable cardboard bottom for display cases adapted to contain cookies, confection and cakes in layers in the display case, said bottom including a plate-like member adapted to extend below the bottom-most layer in the display case, oppositely disposed supporting legs spaced from opposite edges of said bottom formed on said plate adapted to fold beneath the same when the display case is filled, and means secured to said 105 supporting legs to permit the same to be automatically unfolded and moved into operating position to support said plate elevated from the bottom of the display case when a part of the contents of the display case has been removed.

4. An adjustable bottom for display boxes including, a bottom plate, supporting members hingedly attached with the hinging point set in marginally from the edge of said plate, and means for raising said bottom by members attached to 115 said supporting members to draw the free edge of said supporting members into locking position with said supporting members extending in a position greater than a right angle from said bottom plate.

5. An adjustable bottom for cocky, candy, cigar, and the like containers including, a bottom plate, members for holding said bottom plate elevated from the bottom of a container adapted to receive said bottom, said bottom being adapted to be normally folded in a fiat state and having elevating members hingedly attached thereto spaced inwardly from the marginal edge of said plate, and means for lifting and simultaneously moving the free edges of said supporting members to cause said supporting members to extend at greater than a right angle and support said bottom plate elevated and rigidly positioned in a container adapted to receive said adjustable bottom.

6. A foldable, adjustable bottom for containers, including, supporting members hingedly attached to said bottom, the hinging points of said supporting members being spaced inwardly from the marginal edge of said bottom, and means 149 connecting with the free edge of said supporting members to automatically expand the same into operative position when said bottom is raised.

ARTHUR E. BERGQUIST.

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