US2141216A - Display device - Google Patents

Description

RQ J. MANcUso DISPLAY DEVICE Dec. 27, 193.8.v

Filed oct. 21, 1 93'7 2 sheets-sheet 2' 'l lll fa WVM- 37 NIMH IH II,

In A

. j IVENTOR; Ra-[pjmzfum A i@ H1114 y l Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES `PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY DEVICE Application October 21, 1937, Serial No. 170,257

8 Claims.

'The present invention relates to advertising and display devices and more particularly to a foldable display device and an improved easel for supporting the device in display position.

Foldable display devices are used extensively for advertising or displaying articles of merchandise on sales counters or in store windows, because they can be shipped and stored in fiat or collapsed position and thereafter be folded into display position. A popular foldable display device comprises an upright Wall having foldable steps or shelves upon which articles may be placed, an easel for supporting the upright Wall, and tabs or other means for locking the easel against accidental collapsing thereof. A dilliculty with display devices of this type is that considerable time is required to set up or assemble the device, primarily because the easel must be folded and locked by manual operations. This usually requires thev use of both hands, which in many instances in inconvenient. For example, if the display is assembled in a crowded store Window, access to the easel may be difficult. Upon collapsing the device, manual operations are again necessary to unlock and fold the easel into collapsed position. Frequent insertion of the tabs or operation of the locking means weakens them considerably and ultimately impairs them to such an extent that they are no longer capable of effectively locking the easel in assem-r bled or set up position.

rlhe present invention aims to overcome these difficulties by providing a simple inexpensive display device which is readily folded into display position and may be Acollapsed with equal facility.

The invention further aims to provide an im proved easel construction for the device which is adapted to be automatically guided and locked into supporting position by folding the device into display position.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive foldable display device which is readily assembled and collapsed Without requiring skill or experince.

Another object of the invention is to provide a display device having foldable steps which are rugged in `construction and attractive in appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved easel construction Wnichis guided and locked automatically While setting up the device. p

Another object of the invention is to provide a display member having a foldable member attached thereto, and an easel adapted to be (Cl. L10--124.1)

moved and locked in set up position by the foldable member.

Another object of the invention isto provide an easel having flaps adapted to be folded and guided into locked position Without manual op- 5 lo A further object of the invention is to provide a combined display device and easel constructed of a minimum number of parts which are formed by simple cutting and creasing operations.

Other and further objects of the inventiom Will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment 2g of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specication,

wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective View illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2` is an exploded View taken from the back of the device illustrating the assembly thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3 3 of Fig, 1 showing the easel locked in set up position; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the device and easel while being folded into V set up position.

Described generally, a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a foldable sheet forming an upright wall or display member, a second foldable sheet attachedA to the back of the first sheet, and an easel member carried' by the second sheet adapted to be automatically folded into set up or collapsed position by the 1 second sheet. Preferably, the above parts are made of decorated sheets of cardboard or other V suitable material adapted to be readily cut and creased to provide an inexpensive foldable advertising and display device. Y

Referring again to the drawings there is shown a sheet of material I having an upright card or displaypanel' 2V at the upper portion thereof preferably having advertising matter printed or lithographed thereon.' The lower portion of the sheet may have foldable steps 4, for example two or more, formed by horizontal shelf portions 5 55 and 6 and upright or vertical portions 'I and 8. The panel portion 2 is foldably connected to the shelf portion 5 of the upper step by a suitable crease fold or other articulative means il) and the shelf portion 5 isA foldably connected to the upright portion 'l by a similar crease I0. The shelf portion 6 of the lower step likewise is foldably connected to the upright portion l! by a fold ll and to the upright portion 8 by a fold Il. By creasing the sheet in this manner, the

steps 4 are readily folded out of the plane of the sheet when the device is placed on a counter or in a store window.

In order to enhance the appearance of the device and to strengthen the steps, suitable supplemental steps l2 may be provided at the respective sides of the steps 4. These steps preferably are out of horizontal alignment or staggered with respect to the steps i and provide an attractive border or margin at the sides of the device. The supplemental steps are formed by portions i4 projecting upwardly from theV upright portions l and 8, shelf portions l5 rendered foldable by suitable creases or folds i5, and a slit Il (Fig. 1) defining the inner side edges of the upwardly projecting portions i4 and the shelf portions l5.

The display device described above is adapted to be used for advertising purposes and is also adapted to be used as a display stand for supporting articles of merchandise which may be placed on the shelf portions 5, 6 and l5. If desired, the upright portions l and 8 and the upwardly projecting portions iii may be provided with suitable tabs or projections i3 cut or stamped from the sheet which further enhance the appearance of the device. These tabs are at the forward edges of the steps and are adapted to retain the articles on the shelves to prevent them from falling therefrom in the event the device is shaken accidentally. For example, in Fig. 1 several packages I8 containing articles of merchandise are shown retained by the tabs IS.

In order to strengthen the display sheet l Yand to provide means for supporting and locking an easel, about to be described, a second sheet 20 (Fig. 2) of suitable material is Vfoldably connected to the back of the display sheet. This sheet 2i) preferably is substantially rectangular and has its upper portion 2i secured to the back of the display panel '2 by cement, glue, adhesive or other suit-able attaching means. The lower portion of the sheet is folded at 22 to form a horizontal base portion 24 serving as a support and the base portion 2d is foldably secured to the back of the upright portion 8 of the lower step 4 by a foldable flap 25.` The central portion has a flap or foldable` portion 2e cut therefrom which is foldably connected to the base portion 24 Yby a crease 2i and is secured to the back of the upright portion 'i of the upper step. By securing the easel mounting sheet to the panel 2 and the upright step portions 'i and 8, the steps are materially strengthened and are capable of supporting greater weight without collapsing or sagging. Above the cut out portion of the sheet, a depending portion 29 extends downwardly from the upper step (Fig. 3) which is adapted to cooperate with easel aps to guide and lock them into position. Y

The easel member preferably is formed of a Ysheet of material 3i? comprising an upright middle portion 3i adapted to be secured to the back of the iiap or foldable portion Y2t and a wing or easel iiap 32 at each side thereof. The easel flaps are foldably connected to the middle portions 3I Yby creases 34 formed to permit the easel flaps to swing freely and move with very little effort, so that the easel flaps may be folded automatically without manual operations when the display device is set up or collapsed. If desired, only one easel flap may be utilized although two aps are preferred because they form a steadier support for the device and can be provided without material increase in cost. Y

Each of the easel iiaps has a downwardly extending notch or recess 35 adapted to receive and lock the depending portion 29 of the easel mounting sheet and these notches preferably are approximately twice as wide as the thickness of the portion 29 to facilitate entry and removal thereof. Adjacent the back of the notch, each of the flaps 32 is provided with an upwardly projecting ear 35 having a forwardly facing upright edge 37 adapted to engage the back of the depending portion 29 and guide it into the notches. Preferably, the ears are of suiiicient height to enable the edges 31 to engage the depending portion when the device is in either collapsed or set up position, whereby the edges 31 at all times are effective to guide the depending portion. In order to facilitate locking the easel automatically, the notches 35 and the dependingportion 29 are formed to be in substantially vertical alignment whenever the edges 31 of the ears engage the back of the depending portion. Consequently, when the device is being set up, the depending portion is wedged against the edges 3l and is guided into the notches to lock the flaps or Wings 32.

Another feature of the present construction is that the width of the notches permits the easel flaps to be placed in diverging positions with respect to each other (Fig. 2) to form a more sturdy support for the display. A further feature of the easel construction is that the easel flaps have an upwardly facing edge 39 intermediate the crease 34 and the notchr35 adapted to support the horizontal shelf portion 5 (Fig. 3) of the Yupper step to further strengthen the device.

The operation of the easel construction, while placing the device in set up position, is illustrated more particularly in Fig. 4. This is accomplished by holding the collapsed device in upright position with one hand and rotating it slowly by a slight twist of the wrist to swing the easel -naps and cause the edges 31 of the ears to engage the back of the depending portion 29. Thereafter, the device is placed on a suitable surface dil and is gradually lowered to fold the steps 4 and I2 out of the vertical plane of the sheet. During thefoldi'ng of the steps, the depending portion 29 moves downwardly and re-arwardly and engages the edges Y3l' of the ears YSt and wedges or moves the iiaps into position so that the notches 35 are in vertical alignment with the depending portion. Upon further downward movement, the steps lare folded into their desired position, and the depending portion moves downwardly into the notches until the lower edge thereof engages the bottom of the notches. The device is now effectively locked in display V'position and cannot collapse accidentally. All of these operations can be performed by using one hand and take only a few seconds.

WhenV it is desired to collapse the device, the

Ypanel portion 2 is held by one hand and is lifted.

The step portions thenV fold into the vertical plane of the sheet and the depending portion is raised out of the notches to automatically unlock the easel flaps and permit them to be folded into iiat position. These operations are so simple that they can be performed rapidly by inexperienced persons.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a simple, inexpensive display device formed of a minimum number of sheets adapted to be shaped by cutting .and creasing operations which do not require complicated machinery. 'I'he device is readily set up and collapsed and automatically operates the easel, thereby eliminating hand operations heretofore required to fold and lock the easel. The easel locking parts .are not subjected to severe bending strains and are not damaged or impaired while setting up or collapsing the device. In addition, the device is attractive in appearance, rugged in construction and can readily withstand any rough usage to which it may be subjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts here'- in without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and without sacricing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, the ccmbination of a foldable display member having a downwardly depending portion at the back thereof, and an easel member operatively hinge-d to said foldable member and freely movable with 're-- spect thereto, said easel member having a notch therein for receiving said downwardlydepending portion and having .an upwardly extending por'- ticn adjacent the back side of said notch adapted to engage the back of said depending portion and automatically guide said depending portion into said notch while said foldable member is being folded into display position.A

2. In a device of the class described, the: combination of a foldable display member having a downwardly depending portion on the back thereof, and a pair of easel members operatively hinged to said foldable member and freely movable with respect thereto, said easel members each having a notch therein for receiving said downwardly depending portion and having an upwardly extending portion adjacent one side of said notch adapted to engage and automatically guide said depending portion into saidv notch while said foldable member is being folded into display position, said notches being positioned in sad easel members with respect to said depending portion so that said easel members are adapted to extend rearwardly obliquely with respect to said foldable member while in display position.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a foldable sheet providing a display wall, a second sheet foldably attached to the back of said iirst sheet and having a downwardly depending portion, and a third sheet attached to and carried by said second sheet having a freely movable hinged easel flap, said flap having a notch and a projecting portion for engaging and automatically guiding said downwardly depending portion into said notch when said first sheet is folded into display position.

4. In a device of the class described', the combination of a foldable display member, a second member having upper and lower portions thereof secured to the back of said display member and having aflap cut from the central portion and foldable out of the plane of said second member, the upper end of said iiapA being attached to the back of said first member, said second member having a downwardly depending portion .above said flap, and a third member secured to the back of said flap, said third member having a foldable easel flap provided with an upwardly facing notch .adapted to receive said downwardly depending portion.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a display member having creases whereby said member is adapted to be folded to provide at least three upright portions spaced by alternate horizontal portions to form a plurality of steps, .a second member having the upper portion thereof secured to the upper upright portion and having the lower portion thereof foldably attached to the lower upright portion, said second member having a flap cut from the central portion thereof, foldable out of the plane thereof, and attached to the intermediate upright portion of said rst member, said second member having a portion depending downwardly from the upper upright portion, and a third member secured to said ap having an easel flap provided with a notch for receiving said downwardly depending portion of said second member.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a display member creased to be folded to provide three vertical walls spaced by alternate horizontal shelves, a second member having the upper portion thereof secured to the upper vertical wall and having the lower portion thereof foldably attached to the lower lvertical wall, said second member having a nap formed from the central portion thereof, foldable out of the plane thereof, and attached to the intermediate vertical wall of said first member, said second member having a portion depending downwardly from the upper vertical wall, a third member secured to said flap having an easel flap providedv with a notch for receiving said downwardly depending portion of said second member, and an upwardly extending ear adjacent the notch for engaging the back side of said depending portion to guide it into the notch.

'7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a foldable display member having a plurality of steps at the middle thereof and a plurality of steps at the respective sides thereof, said steps at the sides being out of horizontal .alignment with respect to said steps at the middle of said display member, a second member foldably attached to the back of said foldable member having a downwardly depending portion, and a third member secured to said second member, said third member having an easel iiap provided with a notch adapted to receive said depending portion when said'i-lrst member is folded into display formation.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a foldable display member having a plurality of steps and upwardly extending portions at the forward edges of the steps, a second sheet foldably attached to the back of said rst sheet and having a downwardly depending portion, and a third sheet attached to and carried by said second sheet having a freely movable hinged easel flap, said flap having a notch and an upwardly extending ear adjacent the notch for engaging said depending portion of said second sheet and guiding it into said notch.

RALPH J. MANCUSO.

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