US2198459A - Display case - Google Patents

Description

Pm UI uw 2 n iT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 R. S. POTTS DISPLAY CASE Filed Aug. 4, 1937 April 23, 1940.

April 23, 1940. R, s, P01-Ts 2,198,459

DISPLAY CASE Filed Aug. 4, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Kober* PaTTS \NveNTQf 10 and partitions therefrom to the tray rim, whereby Figure 7 shows a tray underside.

Patented Apr. 23, 1940 i 2,1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY CASE notiert stanley Potts, Bauamt, victoria, Australia Application August 4, 1937, Serial No. 157,263 In Australia August 28, 1936 6 Claims. (Cl. 20G-72) 'Ihis invention relates to display cases, trays, Figure 1 illustrates One 0f my trays 0I!- 2- or containers, adapted to promote the sales of pedestal and having an inner area. goods, particularly those which are covered and Figures 2, 3 and 4 each shows a compartmente including trays which are pivoted on portable bOdy f a modied tray- 5 pedestals, and are adjustable to allow of setting Figure 5 is a sectional diagram of a modled 5 their decks into oblique, horizontal, or other tray. having a terraced deck. p1anes, i Figure 6 shows parts of a tray, having its cover According to this invention a tray has one or fitted With a glaSS Dane1 ShOWn Slid SOme distance more changeable or fixed inner areas or locations, Open.

compartments are made in which to display Figure 8 shows-relatively to Figure 6 and Figgoods, and/or other publicity matter. Such ure "I-a device adapted t0 enable a user t0 regutrays are placeable outside or inside shops-in late the height 0f the glaSS Pane 0f a tray cover fairs, on show grounds, and so on; and travellers over the tray deck.

may treat the trays as portable shop windows, Figures 9 and 10 illustrate partitions, 0f which 15 The trays secure individuality of goods appearthe length can be readily altered by handance Without waste of space. These trays also Fig'uIe 11 ShOWS the upper part 0f a rotatable reduce the labour involved in window and show telescopic pedestal column adapted t0 Support a case dressing; and may be prepared, in advance trayof sales to shopkeepers, manufacturers and These drawings ShOW a pedestal cOlumn l With 20 wholesalers ready to be set in public view. base Wheels 2. and SOCketS 4 carrying brackets 3 For brevity in this specification, trays, display Carrying fittings,` Such aS glaSS Shelves 5. To alcases, and containers, are generally referred to` 10W a tray to be adjustably DiVOted 0n the c01- as trays, and their bases or surfaces to bear umn, the tray Carries an apertuied bracket 0I goodsv and so forth are usually called decks. member l 0n its under Side, and a bolt is passed 25 Decks are flat, recessed, or of other contours, thlOugh the aperture 7*". and are in some cases apertured to facilitate The tray has any Suitable outer rim 6, and

settings of goods of various sizes and forms. In deck 8. and Within the rim, a multidinOuSly cormost instances ordinary air within trays is suit- Iugated, uted, 01 like Wall 9 Suitable fOr Darable; but I provide, in some arrangements, sterititiOn end locating- The tray haS alSO Within 30 lized, warm, cold, dry, moist, or rarefled air, or 1t a Tim 01 Wall l0, Which is Corrugated 01' gas or any suitable liquid, as brine, and under adapted fOr partition end location. pressure when desired, adapted to be discharged Tray fermS are Variable, and include rectanguor changed when desired. Liquid, for example, laiy Circular, OVal, triangular, and S0 0n; and

is fed to the upper part of an inclined tray and the trays are made of any suitable materials, in-

ows by gravity to the lower part, and escapes cluding stainless steel or other metal or alloy, as require@ glass, Celluloid, resinous products, wood, and wire My trays are made for` comprehensive dismesh plays, in some cases of large deck area, for ex- I Iotvlde eenllllg ewen th? (.)uter it? m' 40 ample up to ten square feet. Smaller trays suffice ner u es or e 1 e .n.e or p am par 1 lons for many small goods. Stationers, tobacconists, "2 H respectw'ely to dwlde the deck mtu com' partments, such as A to H in Figure 1, and comconfectloners, Jewellers, grocers, and various partments P to U in Figure 4 In Figures 2 and other tradesmen, sell goods many of which are 3 some compartments are shown subdivided by Small and for thffm an 111011 0f Space over the partitions such as la and la" which connect radeck of a tray Wm sufe I provide however dial partitions, making Figure'2 contain compartfor adjusting the height available to suit large ments J to 0 and Figure 3 Zi and W to Z goods; thus I make a part, as the tray cover, The tray underside-l5, Figure rI is shown `raisablc or lowerable relatively to the deck. strengthened by optional bracing I6.

Accompanying drawings-in which scales dif- The partitions are prominently visible, and fer-illustrate embodiments of the above deare set in any of many positions available, and `scribed and other features of this invention, by extend from an outer rim or wall of the tray to Way of example. Parts shown of simple forms an inner area or location.` are, in practice, variously designed and orna- They are of variable or of xed length, some mented, such details not being claimed. forms carrying caps or sleeves engaging the cor- 55 rugated, or like walls. Partitions are straight, curved, or angular, and of any predetermined dimensions; and are ilexible, bendable, or rigid. Walls and/or partitions are iluted on one or both sides, the'latter enabling partitions to be bridged.

In Figure 2 the walls locating fluted partitions consist of long strips of corrugated or uted material, curved or bent into shape, and their ends meet or overlap. Instead of corrugations or iiutes being arcuate, other contours are obviously usable.

Figure 9 shows a doubled corrugated strip 42, gripping another doubled strip 42, the length of overlap being regulated to produce a partition of required length.

The appearance of any partition is, at will, made uniform along its length, by having thereon sleeves as next described.

On any partition, as on ends 43, I set at will, a rubber or other sleeve 43B or cap of any desired length which is allowed to project when desired so that the partition shall fit into its place snugly.

Modified partition elements 42, 44, grip together and also allow of length adjustment by hand. Short partitions can usually, however, be made from longer ones by cutting. When metal strips are used, they will often, in practice, be thicker than is illustrated.

A1 in Figure l, A2 in Figure 2, A4 in Figure 3, and A3 in Figure 4 are examples of inner locations or areas surrounded by compartments.

Any desired area---A1 for example-is permanently xed on the deck, while any inner area- A3 for example-is from time to time varied in position on the deck and held by partitions of suitable length.

A5 in Fig. 5 is an inner area of the deck formed by a removable base 3| surrounded by an inner frame 31a. Base 3l rests on suitable supports, such as ledges 3|, and may comprise a handle 3|b to facilitate its removal and replacement. When the base 3| is removed, a hand may be thrust through the opening A5 for the insertion or the removal of goods onto or from the tray or for the displacement of partitions without lifting the cover. Such an inner part is advantageous to exhibit valuable wares, such as jewellery, which may then be easily removed from the tray at intervals for safe storage, or other purpose.

A tray cover is movable, or is xed. It has a slidable pane of glass or the like for example, or the cover can be lifted off and replaced, allowing of inserting and/or removing goods on the tray deck. The cover has in some cases sliding panes which overlap, and air-tightness of panes is secured. as by rubber gaskets.

Means are provided to connect a tray body and its cover adjustably. A cover--of sheet metal for example-may be used, having relatively deep walls or sides 21, and being provided along the upper edges of opposite sides with grooves 2B to receive opposite edges of a slidable glass pane 25. In opposite walls 21, there are disposed spaced holes or sockets 29, selected pairs of holes being engageable by tray body projections I8- shown more clearly in Figures 7 and 8. By disengaging the projections I8 from one pair of holes and engaging them into another pair, the height of the cover top may be varied for the purpose of providing the necessary space for accommodating on the deck goods of different heights. In the case illustrated by Figure 8 the body carries spaced apart bolts I8, the ends |8a of which pro- .lect from guides or sheaths I9, the bolts being pressed outwardly by springs 2U. The bolts have handles or'grips 2| nger pressure on which retracts the bolts and disengages ends I8 from holes or sockets 2l in the tray cover sides 21. The cover is shown in Figure 6 in full lines and the tray body 28 in broken lines, and some of the wall tlutings 9 are illustrated.

In the case shown by Figure 5 the covering pane 25 is movable, for example sliding in grooves 26, and will allow a user to have ready access to the tray contents. 23* is a rubber or like suitable gasket adjacent to the pane to keep the tray top air and/ or liquid tight.

Figure 5 shows also terraced decks 32, 33, 34, which provide dlierent depths under the top 25 to allow of exhibiting goods which occupy widely different heights. Partitions 35 will, in practice, have upper edges at any height desired. In this tray rim 36 shows a. slide or door. Inner walls 31 of terrace surfaces may be transparent or translucent so that light from lamps or illumined tubes diagrammatically shown at 38 may enter the compartments. Another means of iray illumination is shown at 24 (see Fig. l).

I illustrate shelving 39 at a tray back.

A supply pipe to regulate air, gas, or liquid in a tray has in some cases perforations Lo feed re.- spective compartments, and may have a connection to a pump or exhaust means.

Pluggable sockets 40, 4|, in suitable positions allow of pipe connections whereby to introduce and withdraw air. gas, or liquid. Such a connection is marked 3U in Figure 4. A supply tube is shown by broken lines 22 in Figure 4 and has inlets 23 to diilerent compartments.

In Figure 1l, a pedestal 45 is engaged telescopically by a pillar 48, for easy rotation of which ball bearings 41 are shown resting upon a collar 46 supported by tube 45. Member 48 can be fixed as by a clamp having a handle 5|.

For tray pivoting, a yoke 45 is shown, with a bolt 5D passed through it. The bolt also passes through hole 1l, or the like, and when the tray plane has been adjusted, the pivoting elements are iixed as by a clamp having handle 52.

I claim by United States Letters Patent:

1. A display tray, comprising a deck for supporting the goodsto be displayed, a boundary ange surrounding said deck and having corrugations on its inside, an inner frame disposed on said deck at right angles thereto and having corrugations on its outside, said frame encircling part of the area surrounded by said boundary flange and being spaced from the latter, and a plurality of radial partitions removably inserted into corresponding corrugations of said boundary iiange and inner frame to form radial compartments.

2. A display tray, as claimed in claim l, in which said inner frame is movable with respect to said deck and is heldin place thereon by means of said radial partitions.

3. A display tray, as claimed in claim l, in which said radial partitions are provided with corrugations, comprising further a bridging partition removably inserted into corresponding corrugations of two of said radial partitions to subdivide the radial compartment formed by the latter.

4. A display tray, as claimed in claim 1, in which said radial partitions are of variable length, whereby they may be inserted between differently spaced pairs of corrugations.

5. A display tray, as claimed in claim l, in which said inner frame is movable with respect to said deck and is held in place thereon by means of said radial partitions, the latter being oi variable length.

6. A display tray, comprising a terraced base for supporting the goods to be displayed, an outer boundary ange surrounding said base and having corrugations on its inside, an inner boundary iiange for each of the terrace decks, each of said inner anges having corrugations on its outside and a plurality of angularly directed partitions stepped in accordance with the terrace formation of the base and recessed to accommodate said inner boundary anges, each of said partitions being removably inserted into corresponding corrugations of said outer ange one of each of said inner anges, respectively.

ROBERT STANLEY POTIS.

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