US2661097A - Can stacking display device - Google Patents

Description

ec. 1, 1953 N. PAUL CAN STACKING DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Nov. 8, 1949 INVENTOR. NICHOLAS PAUL Patented Dec. 1, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN STACKING DISPLAY DEVICE Nicholas Paul, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application November 8, 1949, Serial No. 126,217

1 Claim.

The subject of this invention is a novel and valuable display aid unit, in the nature of a one-structure device and which, furthermore, has various unique advantages, aside from its relatively trifling cost of manufacture whether made of metal, plastic or any other suitable material, in connection with its intended use for assistance in arranging window and analogous displays of merchandise of the kind typified by foods as packed in so-called tin cans of conventional type.

As is well known, these cans, before being opened to obtain access to the contents thereof, are characterized by the inclusion of a main body, said body presenting a side wall portion generally of circular cross-section, and oppositely located parallel top and bottom walls with, beyond each of the two last-named walls, an annular formation establishing a shallow recess bounded by such formation.

Merely for purposes of illustration, the cans delineated in the accompanying drawings in connection with now favored ones of the many possible embodiments of the unit of the invention, are all shown as having their side wall portions cylindrical. As will later become clear, any embodiment of the invention, with variations readily suggesting themselves, may be employed with cans and analogous containers having their main bodies so shaped that in cross-section they are non-circularly curved, or polygonal, or partly of straight-line and partly of curved extension, and also with cans or analogous containers which, regardless of the cross-sectional nature of their said main bodies at any level along the heights thereof, may be conical or prismatic or pyramidal and otherwise of types which cross-sectionally vary'in expanse at different points along the height of the can or container.

An object of the invention is to provide a unit or device as above, which, essentially, is not an inbuilt part of a can or the like; which, even though a one-piece structure, is nevertheless free of localized tongues, lips, lugs, fingers, clips and the like, such as the kinds which have to be bent to can-engaging grip; which, consequently, further, will be wholly or substantially wholly consealed when in use pursuant to th invention; which is utilized solely as a display-erecting adjunct and is not, for instance, a coupling means for containers made in sections to be separated and successively discarded during and incidental to consumption or removal from the container of its contents; and which is capable of various individually selectable uses, each for obtaining a different display ensemble of a plurality of cans or containers, and with various of these an sembles dilferent from anythin heretofore proposed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device with all the advantages aforesaid, and which, further, in regard to the ensembles lastmentioned, is adapted to give to the latter appearances markedly different from those previously proposed, with these particularly advantageous in that apparently gravity does not function in the usual way expected, and so of high public interest intriguing value.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a View in side elevation, partially in section, illustrative of a type of can adapted to constitute one of a selected plurality of cans for participating in a display arran ement pursuant to the invention.

Fig. 2 shows the lower portion of one such arrangement which may constitute an exceedingly tall such arrangement of single column type.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one now approved embodiment of the display-aiding unit of the invention, for use in connection with a display like that or including one like that of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a similar view, showing a variation of said unit.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section, taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of still another variation of said unit, with certain parts as elastically temporarily reshaped indicated in dot and dash.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary detail section, taken on the line 1-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 shows the unit of Fig. 6 in side elevation.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing another type of display pursuant to the invention.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of one now approved embodiment of the new unit, for use in connection with a display like that of Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a perspective view similar to a portion of Fig. 9, but showing still another type of display pursuant to the invention.

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of one now favored embodiment of the new unit, as modified for use 'in connection with a display like that of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 9, but showing another type of display pursuant to the invention.

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a modification of the last-mentioned unit to adapt the same for use in connection with a display like that of Fi 13.

Fig. 15 is another view similar to Fig. 9, but showing still another type of display pursuant to the invention.

Fig. 16 is a top plan view of a further modification of units of the general class typified by those of Figs. 10, 12 and 14 to adapt the same for use in connection with a display like that of Fig. 15.

Fig. 1'7 shows the unit of Fig. 16 in side elevation.

Fig. 18 illustratesin perspective one of the various possible modifications of such a unit as that of Fig. 1'7, for use in connection with a dislay having a sub-assembly component analogous to that at the upper part of Fig. 15.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, and by reference numerals, a familiar can 30 of the kind hereinabove first summarized, and as shown by itself in Fig. l, is illustrated, as aforesaid, in the various views for showing some of the possible display arrangements made possible by the invention; the aforesaid rim formations of such a can being designated 3|, 3i, and its aforesaid top and bottom end recesses being designated 32, 32.

The new unit shown in Fig. 3, and various ones of which may each be located as indicated by the broken line showings in Fig. 2, is marked 33. The unit 33 is simply a strip of resilient metal, plastic or other suitable material, curled to define a nearly closed when by its own resiliency expanded to maximum normal diameter. This diameter is that of a can-end recess 3!; and the width of said strip is about that but preferably not greater than twice th depth of such recess. Thus, with a unit 33 at a location between two cans 30 when arranged upright and with the crests of their coadjacent rim formations 3| in precise registry, these two cans will be locked in unidirectional columnar rigidity by reception of half the width of the unit 33 in each of the coadjacent recesses 32.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the unit here shown, and as a whole designated 33*, is roughly of trifoliate outline, having three curvilinear cutouts 34, alike and equally spaced, having at its peripheral portions which alternate with said. cut-outs an oppositely swelled flange component .35, and having intermediate the outer limits of its central main thinner portion a finger-hole 36. Such a unit may be made of wood, plastic, or other suitable material, and one desirably of some resilient flexibility at said thinner portion opposite the said cut-outs; so that, with the main diametral dimension of the unit such as to fit almost lock-tight in an end recess 3! of a can, this consequent merely upon manually forcing the unit into said recess, the unit may be readily removed from the recess by squeeze thereon exerted between a finger in the hole 36 and say another finger or fingers of the same hand against the inner ends of one or two or perhaps all three of said cut-outs.

Referring to Figs. 6-8, the unit here shown, and as a whole designated 33 is adapted to have operational-use characteristics analogous to those just explained in. connection with Figs. 4 and 5. This unit, which may well be made of a resilient plastic, is shown as comprising two main wider 4 arcuate strips 31, 31, and two inner narrower arcuate strips 38, 38. As the unit is illustrated. it is not a unitary or one-piece molding, as it could well be; but the ends of the strips 38 are secured to the strips 31 near their ends, as by aperturing the latter strips and rounding the ends 39 of the strips 38, so that these rounded ends may be locked in said apertures as by dabs of a plastic cement as indicated at 40 in Fig. 7 in the case of one of the four such joinders.

Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, the unit here shown, and as a whole designated 33, comprises a lower main strip 4|, and two like upper partially projected strips 42, 42. All of these strips are of a uniform thickness about equal to the depth of a can end recess 32; and the two opposite ends of each strip are rounded to a curvature matching that of the inside of an end rim formation 3| of a can, while each strip is of a maximum length equal to about that of the insid diameter of such an end rim formation at apoint well down in a recess 32.

Such a unit, and this comment is true also of those units shown in Figs. 12, 14, 16 and 18, ideally would be made of plastic, and molded as one-piece structures; although the same, as they are for example shown, particularly so far as the units of Figs. 10, 12 and 14 are concerned, maybe taken as illustrative of a method of fabrication according to which each of the different can-end engaging elements of a unit are separately shaped and then secured together, as by use of a suitable plastic cement, when they are molded from a plastic material.

Referring to Figs. 11 and 12, here, where the unit shown is as a whole designated 33*, the same comprises as its lower member a disk 44, w1th three upper strips 45, 45, 45, partially overlappingly secured to the disk. The three strips are shown as of like shape and size and of uniform thickness about equal to the depth of a can end recess 32; with the two ends of each strip rounded to a curvature matching that of the inside of an end rim formation 3| of a can, while each strip is of a maximum length equal to about that of the inside diameter of such an end rim formation at a point well down in a recess 32. The disk 44 is circular according to the diameter last-named; and is of about the same thickness as a strip 45.

Referring to Figs. 13 and 14, the unit here shown, and as a whole marked 33 is in effect a replica of the unit 33 of Fig. 10, except that only one strip partially projected from a lower strip, the latter here designated 4P, is present; said projected strip being indicated at 42.

Referring toFigs. 15 to 17, the unit here shown, and which as a whole is designated 33 has parts 44 and 46, 46 corresponding, respectively, to the parts 44 and to two of the three parts 45 (Fig. 12), with said parts 46 aligned across the disk M and both downwardly outwardly inclined. In the present case, for instance, the strips 43 are illustrated as downwardly inclined at different angles to the horizontal and also as differentially presentrelative to overlapping relationship with the d1sk44. To minimize chance of visual detectron of the presence of this unit in a multi-can (118121 843 meirely 1relatively tiny wedge-like connec mg-ma eria rtions 4 shown in Fig. 17. po 1 need be used as In Fig. 18, a unit 33 is shown, which, having four members 44 and 46 46 46 with the disk 44 and any of said parts 46 corresponding respectively, to the part 44' and to either of the parts 46, 45, illustrates a variation such that there are included in the unit more than two of the inclined upper strips, and also a variation wherein all of said strips which are present are downwardly outwardly inclined at the same angle, and further a variation wherein all of said strips have the same extent of overlap relative to the underlying disk M A further possible variation within the invention would be, for instance, a placement of the upper strips or equivalents, relative to a lower member which, for example, is a disk of an outline matching that of an end recess of a can, such that said upper strips or equivalents are differently angularly spaced one from another.

It is to be understood that the edges of the cam stacking display device may be beveled or otherwise shaped for a true fit within the top and bottom flanges of the can.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A display unit for stacking cans, comprising a pair of spaced wide, resilient strips, each being outwardly arcuate, a pair of narrow resilient, inner strips connected to the wide strips adjacent outer ends thereof, said inner strips being oppositely concave whereby pressure together bends the outer strips inwardly.

NICHOLAS PAUL.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,654,346 Ogden Dec. 27, 1927 1,759,390 Brandt May 20, 1930 1,868,269 Beadle July 19, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 810,438 France Mar. 22, 1937

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