US2564806A - Display case - Google Patents

Description

Allg- 21, 1951 H. c. HOLDERLE ETAL 2,564,806

DISPLAY CASE Filed-Jn. 2o, 195o INI/,ENTOR THE/f2 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 21, 1951 DISPLAY CASE Harvey C. Holderle, Frederick S. Holderle, Frederick W. Holderle, and Carl L. Holderle, Rochester, N. Y.

Application January 20, 1950, Serial No. 139,753

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a display case for candy, cookies, and other merchandise, and has for its purpose to afford a practical and efficient construction that is more sanitary than heretofore, eliminates waste, facilitates caring for the case, and enables a more eiective and attractive display of mechandise.

The usual practice has been to provide a display case with permanent transparent front walls through which the merchandise in the interior of the case can be inspected, and such structures have resulted in diiiiculties in cleaning the interior of the case and have required complicated trays or other structures for holding the candy or other contents in accessible position within the case for dispensing, and it is a purpose of the invention to afford a construction in which a display case has a removable closure at the front consisting of a receptacle adapted to contain a supply of mechandise for display purposes, the receptacle in turn having a transparent cover that permits a customer to observe the merchandise within the closure receptacle while inside the display case there may be provided suitable containers or bins from which the candy, cookies, or other goods can be removed. With such a, construction, there is little waste because the contents of the closure receptacle can be removed and utilized and there is less waste of merchandise than where it is stored in bulk within the display case in contact with a xed transparent front wall and subject to atmospheric dust and moisture.

The invention has the further advantage that the candy does not come in contact with the interior of the display case so that the latter can be kept in a more sanitary state, and the candy does not require so much handling since the closure receptacles constituting the front wall can easily be moved from one location to another without removing the candy, or removed to permit emptying the receptacles and cleaning them whenever required, Which is considerably simpler and quicker than with prior types of display cases having fixed transparent front walls that require cleaning on both the exterior and interior while in position. A further advantage is that the receptacles can be taken to the stockroom for relling, thus eliminating the necessity of handling the candy several times, and can also be moved to different locations in the case when it is desirable to make certain candy more prominent than others.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of (Cl. S12- 117) 2 parts that will appear clearly from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claim following the specication.

In the drawings: l Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical sectional vie taken through a display case and showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, a closure receptacle being illustrated in full lines in locked position in the case, and in dotted lines in a position it assumes while being removed from the case;

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the display case with one closure receptacle in position, and the others removed, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, the

Istructure includes a base l to which is suitably attached a sheet metal covering comprising the bottom of the case and including a channel extending longitudinally of the case at the front and defined by a vertical portion 2 and a rear inclined wall 3. Mounted on the bottom and base at suitable intervals are a series of uprights or Vsupports 4 including vertically inclined forward edges 5, while 6 designates the top wall of the case supported by the uprights 4 and having attached thereto a longitudinally extending metal channel including an inclined top wall 1, an inclined front wall 8, and an inclined rear wall 9.

The channels just described extend longitudinally of the display case at the top and bottom of the front opening, such opening being closed by a series of removable closure receptacles which are adapted to be positioned in juxtarelation to each other with their tops and bottoms in said channels, thus closing the front of the case and at the same time affording a pleasing display of merchandise corresponding to what is contained within the case.

In order to accomplish this, each closure receptacle comprises a body portion or container l0 preferably made of sheet metal and including a bottom Il, inwardly bent iianges I2 at its front along the sides, and flange members I3 secured within the container along its sides opposite said flanges I2 and affording guideways to receive a slidably removable glass or transparent cover I4 which can be removed from the receptacle when it is desired to clean and refill the latter. The receptacle I0 includes an end wall I that is inclined in relation to its back wall II, see Fig. 1, and a portion I6 perpendicular to the wall I5, whereby the receptacle when in operating position nts in the bottom channel between the front vertical portion 2 and the rear inclined wall 3 of the channel, while the upper end of the closure receptacle ts between the front and rear walls 8 and 9 of the upper channel.

The distance between the top Wall of the upper channel and the bottom Wall of the lower channel is somewhat greater than the overall length of the closure receptacle, so that the latter can be moved endwise to permit its insertion in or removal from the channels, and when in position, the upper end of the receptacle lies behind the front wall 8 of the upper channel and is locked against forward movement therein. Assuming the closure receptacle to be in the operating position shown in Fig. 1, it can be removed by rst sliding it upwardly into the upper channel until the lower portion of the receptacle is raised enough to clear the front portion 2 of the lower channel, whereupon the closure receptacle can be tilted in the manner shown in dotted lines in Fig. l and withdrawn by a downward movement from the upper channel to permit its displacement from the case. On its bottom wall II, the closure receptacle is provided with a handle Il which can be gripped from the rear through the interior of the case, and the receptacle can thus be gripped and positioned in or removed from the case through the interior of the latter and from the rear without difculty. It will be understood that candy, cookies, or other mechandise can be kept in removable bins or containers within the case and these can be moved to such position in the case as to permit removal or insertion of one or more of fthe closure receptacles when required.

Each closure receptacle such as described above vis adapted to contain a supply of candy or other merchandise for display through the transparent cover I4 which is inserted by an endwise sliding movement in the guideways formed by the flanges I2 and I3 after the container is lled with the candy or other merchandise. The receptacle can then be inserted as already described in the channels at the top and bottom of the opening at the front of the display case by rst engaging the upper end of the receptacle in the upper channel and sliding it upwardly therein as far as it will go, after which the lower end of the receptacle can be swung inwardly until it engages the rear inclined wall 3 of the lower channel. The receptacle can then be moved down- 'wardly into interlocked engagement with the lower channel and is retained in such position against accidental removal. Whenever desirable or necessary, the receptacle can be removed and -its contents emptied by sliding the transparent cover I4 endwise. The contents can then be sold or otherwise salvaged, the receptacle cleaned iand refilled with merchandise before repositioning at the front of the case. In this fashion the display case always has a multiplicity of displays of merchandise at the front of the case in a fresh state to indicate to the customer the merchandise within the case and which can be dispensed from suitable containers. The case may be closed at the rear by suitable sliding doors, not shown, that may be supported on suitable tracks I8 at the top and engage against an upstanding Wall I9 at the bottom, as usual in display case construction, the structure and supporting means for the doors at the rear of the case constituting no part of the present invention.

While the structure has been described with reference to the details herein disclosed, the invention is not restricted to the exact form herein set forth, and this application is intended to cover such modifications or departures as may come within the purposes of the improvement and the scope of the following claim.

We claim:

A display case having an opening therein, supporting means comprising metal channels at the top and bottom of the opening, and a closure comprising a receptacle having inclined front and rear Walls, a horizontal bottom wall, a vertical wall connecting said front and bottom walls, and a transparent removable cover, the receptacle being positionable in said channels by a combined swinging and endwise movement, the top channel including retaining means engageable with the front and rear inclined surfaces of said receptacle and the bottom channel including vertical and inclined walls engaging said vertical Wall and inclined rear wall of the receptacle respectively, and a horizontal bottom wall supporting said horizontal bottom wall of the receptacle and preventing bodily movement of the receptacle laterally of the opening, the distance between the top of the upper channel and the bottom of the lower channel being somewhat greater than the length of the receptacle to permit endwise movement of the latter when in the channels, the space between the bottom of the upper channel and the top of the bottom channel being unobstructed and permitting removal of the receptacle through the rear of the display case, and a handle on the rear surface of the receptacle permitting the receptacle to be positioned or removed from the rear through the interior of the case.

HARVEY C. HOLDERLE. FREDERICK S. HOLDERLE. FREDERICK W. HOLDERLE. CARL L. HOLDERLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 570,795 Gimnich Nov. 3, 1896 729,684 Sherer June 2, 1903 1,222,687 Sherer Apr. 1'7, 1917

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