US2207515A - Partition clip - Google Patents

Description

W. HUEGLIN, JR

PARTITION CLIP July 9, 1.940.

Filed June 5, 1957 NEY lulll Patented July 9, 1940 PARTITION CLIP William Hueglin, Jr., Tenay, N. J.

Application June 5, 1937, Serial No. 146,560

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a clip for mounting partitions in display trays or counters for forming compartments, such as are used, for example,

.f in the display of small articles of merchandise v, sections or shams.

in stores. l

The counters are ordinarily formed of floor sections commonly called false bottoms, shams, platforms, cleats or trays, hereinafter called floor These floor sections or shams are supported upon a suitable base within an enclosing fence or rail, and for the purpose of exhibiting the merchandise in separate tray-like compartments they have been subdivided by par-- tition walls mounted in various ways. In some cases, both longitudinal and transverse partition walls have been inserted between the floor sections to make compartments or trays of the same size as the floor sections. The more common practice, however, has been to have the floor sections extend from front to rear of the counter, with deep partition walls between them, and to subdivide these spaces transversely by shallow partition walls which are mounted on the surface of the floor sections by clips and extend across the licor sections between the projecting surfaces of the deep, fore and aft partition walls. Various type of clips for this purpose have been proposed and used, and an important object of the present invention is to provide a clip which may be firmly anchored in the floor tosecurely support and hold the partition, and which at the same time will permit the partitions to be assembled in a great variety of positions so that the user may readily form compartments or trays in a great variety of dimensions.

In general, the clip, according to my invention, comprises a base or partition-supporting member from which a plurality of ears project upward to engage the partition, and a plurality of anchorage feet project downward to engage the floor sections or shams. It will be understood that the floor sections or shams are provided with perforations or recesses at proper spacing to receive the anchorage feet. In a preferred form, the partition-engaging ears are two in number and are made resilient so as to permit the partition to be sprung into the space between them and resiliently held therein by friction, and the anchorage feet are two in number and are resilient so as to grip between them the material intervening between two perforations or recesses in the floor sections or shams. Further important details of construction and use will be apparent from the description of an embodiment tion.

(Cl. S12-140.3)

of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a perspective view, with parts in section, of a counter subdivided into compartments by partitions supported and held by clips T5 Figure 7 is a detail perspective view, with parts I20 in section, illustrating the construction of one of the oor sections by which the bottom of the tray may advantageously be formed for use in conjunction with the clips of the present inven- R'eferring in detail to Figure l, the floor boards I 0 are mounted on strips or sills II. Perforations or recesses I2 are spaced at constant intervals along each edge of theoor board section, and if the sill members I I are secured under these perforations or recesses I2, the sill members are preferably, though not necessarily, channeled or routed as at I3 to provide free space beneath the perforations I2. For certain purposes, as will be explained later, it is desirable that the line of perforations I2 be spaced from the edge of the floor section IIJ at a distance equal to half the distance between the perforations within the line. In accordance with the usual practice the floor sections may be covered with a layer of felt, as indicated at I4.

The clip, as illustrated in detail in Figure 5, comprises a base portion I5, -preferably of one single layer of sheet metal, from which a pair of resilient ears I6 project upward to engage a partition I'I, and from which a pair of feet I8 project downward to engage the licor material intervening between two of the perforations I2, as shown clearly in Figures 3 and 4. Figure 4 shows the clip anchored in two perforations of the same floor section, whereas Figure 3 shows the clip anchored in two perforations in adjoining floor sections. By having the line ci' perforations I2 along each edge of a floor section spaced inward from the edge a distance equal to one half of the space between perforations of the same line, the same clip may be inserted to support either a longitudinal partition, as illustrated in Figure 3, or a transverse partition, as illustrated in Figure 4. When mounted as shown in Figure 3 the clip not only supports the partition, but also locks together the two adjoining loor sections. The channels I3 formed in the iioor sills may advantageously be made somewhat wider than the diameter of the iioor perforations, so as to permit the anchorage feet I8 of the clip, when longer than the thickness of the floor board, to spring under the edge of the perforation to provide more secure anchorage.

With reference to the details of the clip itself, it will be seen from Figure 6 that this may be stamped from a rectangular blank of sheet metal, practically without waste. All parts of the clip may be integral. The base portion l5 extends along the entire width of each ear I6 and projectsr beyond the planes of the ears to the lines I9, from which the feet i8 are bent downward. This design or construction provides a clip of a high degree of stability, strongly resisting any tend-v ency 'to rock, tilt or turn in any direction. The ears i5 are turned upward approximately at right angles into two approximately parallel planes, whereas ne feet i8 are turned downward approximately at right angles into two approximately parallel planes, the latter planes being more widely spaced and generally parallel to the planes of the ears i6. The base I5 acts as a stop to arrest the clip as it is being inserted in the floor and hold it in true upright alinement, and it furthermore provides a seat for the partition Il, which is to be embraced by the ears I6. While, in a sense, the ear portions I6 may be regarded as cach comprising a pair of ears united at their outer or free ends, the invention in itsbroader aspect is not strictly limited to their being thus united. In a broad sense, it is immaterial how many ears are employed, so long as they are at least two in number and are adapted to embrace between them the partition which they are to support. On the other hand, a speciiic and preferred feature of the invention resides in the continuity of the metal across the outer top of each ear, since this construction establishes an inverted U-shaped brace or truss in a plane .at an angle to the plane of the base, and thus contributes to the rigidity of the base member against bending, and at the same time strengthens the engagement of the ears with the partition.

It will, of course, be understood that in manufacturing the clip, sheet metal of proper strength and thickness should be selected, according to the requirements of a particular use. Hardening or tempering to the required degree of resilience may obviously be employed.

With reference to Figure l, it will be quite apparent that the partitions extend longitudinally and transversely of the tray, and compartments of variousI dimensions and proportions may be formed by proper selection and location of the various partition units. While I have illustrated the formation of the tray floor in sections or units, it is obvious that any other type of oor construction for such trays is equally adaptable to the use of the clip by arranging the anchorage perforations or recesses in lines of any desired directions with proper spacing' of the perforations to receive two anchorage feet of the clip Wherever it may be desired to mount it. Ordinarily, two or more clips are employed for each partition, and these of course must be properly alined with each other in order to receive the partition. The principle of having the anchorage feet of each clip widely spaced, and engaging in two perforations instead of one, aiTords a very firm and positive alinement of the partition-embracing ears of successive clips in the Same line, and even makes perfectly feasible the use of a single clip on relatively short lengths of partition without fear of the partition being angularly displaced under any ordinary conditions of use.

I claim:

1. A partitioned display counter equipment comprising in combination a iioor member having a line of spaced recesses, and a partitionsupporting clip mounted thereon, said clip having a floor-engaging base portion with a pair of partition-engaging earsy bent upward from said base portion approximately at right angles thereto into approximately parallel relation to each other,

and a pair of resilient anchorage feet bent downthe other, and a partition-supporting and iioori section-locking clip mounted over the junction of said floor members, said clip having a iioor-engaging base portion with a pair of partition-engaging ears bent upward approximately at right angles from said base portion into approximately l l parallel relation to each other, and a pair of resilient anchorage feet bent downward approximately at right angles from said base portion but inclined toward each other and spaced apart a distance slightly less than the space between a l recess in one of said floor members and a recess in the adjacent floor member, to resiliently hold the adjacent floor members together.

WILLIAM HUEGLIN, Ja.

Images