US2730324A - Easel support for counter display box - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 10, 1956 H. S. TAYLOR, JR

EASEL SUPPORT FOR COUNTER DISPLAY BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 29, 1951 INVENTOR hmdd. 150 1044.

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ATTORNEYS Jan. 10, 1956 H. s. TAYLOR, JR

EASEL SUPPORT FOR COUNTER DISPLAY BOX Filed NOV. 29, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a z z a J 411 0 INVENTOR fimzwaaddflqhy i 72401: W6 k mw ATTORNEYB United States Patent EASEL SUPPORT FOR COUNTER DISPLAY BOX Harwood S. Taylor, Jr., Elmira, N. Y., assignor to F. M. Howell & Co., Elmira, N. Y.

Application November 29, 1951, Serial No. 258,885

4 Claims. (Cl. 248-198) This invention relates to easels for display boxes, and more particularly to foldable easels which may or may not be a permanent part of the box.

The object of the present invention is to provide a foldable easel which, when in inoperative position, will lie flat upon the back of the box with its edges parallel with the edges of the box, and when in operative position will form an inclined platform to support the box at an angle.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an easel which may be permanently attached to a box or be readily attachable to, or detachable from, the box.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of practical embodiments thereof, when taken in conjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form a part of, this specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the underside of a display box with an easel embodying the principles of the present invention attached thereto and lying in collapsed form;

Figure 2 is a similar perspective view with the easel set up for use;

Figure 3 is an elevation of the bottom of the box with the easel cut in section along its lines of fold in collapsed form;

Figure 4 is an other elevation of the bottom of the box with the easel cut in section along its lines of fold when in erected form;

Figure 5 is a view of the blank from which the easel is made;

Figure 6 is a bottom elevation of the box with the easel cut in section along its lines of fold when in collapsed form, the easel being detachably connected to the box;

Figure 7 is a vertical section through the box and easel in set-up form; and,

Figure 8 is a view of the modifiedeasel blank for use when detachably-securing the easel to the box.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and first adverting to Figure 5 which shows the blank from which the easel is made, it will be noted that the blank 1 is rectangular in form, as ABCD.

The end portions of the blank are set off from the center portion by score lines EH and KL to form panels 2 and 3 for adhesively attaching the easel to the underside of the box with which it is to be used. Score line EH is spaced from the edge AD the desired width of the attaching panel 2, and the line EH is parallel to the edge AD so that the panel 2 is rectangular. Panel 3 is in the shape of a right angle trapezoid with the line KL non-parallel to the edge BC. The side LC of panel 3 is equal to the short sides AE and DH of panel 2, although this is not necessary but done to acquire symmetry. Side KB is longer than side LC by one-half of the desired height of the easel when set up for use.

A distance equal to the desired height of the easel when set up is then marked off along the edge of the blank inwardly from the point L to give the point G, and

inwardly from the point H to provide the point J. The line FG is made perpendicular to the top and bottom edges of the blank, and the line H is put in parallel to the line KL. The resulting trapezoids EIIH and FKLG are provided with diagonals IH and KG, respectively. This results in panels 4 and 5 which are right angle triangles, panels 6 and 7 which are isosceles triangles, and the center easel panel 8 which is a right angle trapezoid. All of the lines, EH, IH, II, FG, KG, and KL are fold lines and are scored to permit easy folding.

When the easel is to be applied to a box 9, the blank is folded back upon itself along the score lines EH and PG, and the panels 2 and 3 adhesively secured to the bottom of the box. This is the shipping, or knocked-down, position of the easel. The folding along these lines results in an exposed rectangular panel EFGH which is composed of the panels 4, 6 and 8. Due to the shifting of the easel in assuming its set up position (to be described) the easel is mounted on the box to one side of the center, so that the base of the easel will be centered with respect to the side edges of the box when set up for use. It is to be noted, that when the easel is folded along the lines EH and FG, as described, the exposed rectangular panel EFGH includes the panels 4 and 6, and the panels 5 and 7 are folded under with the panel 3 to form another rectangular panel FBCG. It should be noted at this point, that it is not necessary that the panels 6 and 7 be triangular, so long as the opposite sides converge as equal angles.

Thus, three rectangular panels are formed, two being folded under, the panel 2 and the panel FBCG, andone left exposed, the panel EFGH. This permits the easel, in inoperative position, to have all of its side edges parallel to the sides of the box to which the easel is attached.

When it is desired to use the easel to set up the box for display, it is necessary merely to shift the easel as far as possible to the right, as viewed in Figure 1. This causes a hinging action at every one of the fold lines as the various panels change their relative positions. Panel 4 shifts to a position against the bottom of the box in continuation of panel 2 so that the resulting panel AlHD is exactly the same size and shape as panel 3, with the inclined edges KL and IH of the two panels diverging with respect to each other. The panel 6 assumes a position perpendicular to the bottom of the box, as does the panel 7. The triangular panels 6 and 7 then form the sides of the easel to angularly position the base with respect to the bottom of the box. Panel 5 shifts to become part of the resulting base of the easel which assumes the shape of an isosceles trapezoid.

When all of the panels have hinged about their respective fold lines to take their set up positions, the easel is centered with respect to the side edges of the box and forms av very stable support for the box. When the box is set up upon a counter it will be positioned at an angle and its contents will be advantageously displayed.

It may be desirable to have the easel separate from the display box so that a quantity of easels may be shipped separately from the boxes, or an easel in folded form may be placed inside the top of each box so that it may be removed and attached to the bottom of the box when the box is to be displayed. Such a form is shown in Figures 6 to 8, inclusive, of the drawings.

In this form, the blank 10 is considerably longer than the one previously described, but the additional length is taken up by the end panels 11 and 12. Panels 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 remain the same in shape and size. The end panels are made sufiiciently long so that when the blank is folded upon score lines EH and FG the panels will overlap one another to form a flattened tube. The

overlapping portions of panels 11 and 12 are joined together by adhesive or other suitable means.

This display box 13, with which this form of the invention is to be used, is cut on its bottom to form four attaching tabs 14. These tabs are spaced apart transversely of the box sufiiciently to overlie the top and bottom edges of the turned-under portion of the easel, and spaced longitudinally so that they will engage only the panel formed by the overlapped end panels 11 and 12. This latter is necessary so that the other panels will be free to swing about their fold lines to assume their diflerent positions.

In using this form of the invention, the end panel side of the easel has one edge slipped under two of the tabs 14, and the other two tabs are-lifted to allow the other edge of the easel to drop flat against the box bottom. The last-mentioned pair of tabs are then released and they will spring into overlapping engagement with the easel. When attached to the box, the easel is used in exactly the same manner as was described in connection with the first form.

While two practical embodiments of the invention have been disclosed herein, it will be understood that this is merely by way of example, and the invention may take other forms within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A blank for an easel for displaying articles comprising, a rectangular sheet having a transverse line of fold perpendicular to its edges and a line of fold spaced from the first line of fold and inclined with respect thereto to form a central panel, a line of fold oppositely inclined with respect to said first inclined line of fold, the two inclined lines of fold at equal angles with respect to one side edge of said sheet'and forming between them a side panel, a line of fold perpendicular to the edges of the sheet intersecting said oppositely inclined line of fold at the side edge of the sheet and forming with said second inclined line of fold a right angle triangular converter panel, the hypotenuse of the right angle triangle and one side of the side panel being common, an inclined line of fold meeting the side edge of the sheet at a common point with said first perpendicular line of fold forming a second right angle triangular converter panel identical to the first, and a line of fold oppositely inclined to said last mentioned inclined line of fold to form a second side panel identical to the first, the remaining end portions of the sheet forming end panels for attaching the easel to the article to be displayed.

2. A blank from which an easel for supporting an article in an inclined position may be folded comprising, a rectangular sheet having two spaced transverse. lines of fold perpendicular to the long sides of the sheet dividing the sheet into three rectangular sections, one end section of said three being subdivided by a line of fold extending from the intersection of the fold line bounding said section and one long edge of said sheet to the opposite long edge of .the sheet at an angle to said boundary fold line to form a right-triangular converter panel and another line of fold oppositely inclined extending from the intersection of said last mentioned line of fold with the said opposite long edge of the sheet to the said one long edge to form between said inclined lines of fold an isosceles triangular side panel, and the center of said three sections being sub-divided adjacent to the fold line between the center section and remaining section by two fold lines identically inclined and positioned with respect to the fold line between the center section and said other side section as are the inclined fold lines on said first-mentioned end section to the said boundary fold line to form converter and side panels on said center section identical to those on said firstmentioned end section.

3. A collapsible easel for displaying an article in an inclined position comprising, a pair of end panels, one being rectangular and the other having an inclined edge, both said panels being secured to the article to be displayed, a right triangular converter panel hingedly connectedalong one right angle side to one edge of said rectangular end panel, a side panel of isosceles triangular shape hingedly connected along one inclined edge to the hypotenuse edge of said converter panel, said converter and end panels adapted to swing about their respective hinge connections to lie parallel to and upon the end panel to which said converter panel is connected when the easel is collapsed, and said converter panel to lie in the plane of the end panels and said side panel at right angles thereto when the easel is erected, a second side panel of isosceles triangular shape hingedly connected along one inclined end to the inclined edge of the other said end panel, a second right triangular converter panel hingedly connected along its hypotenuse side to the other inclined edge of the said second side panel, said second side and converter panels adapted to swing about their respective hinge connections to lie in the plane of said other end panel and form continuations thereof when the easel is collapsed, and said second side panel to be perpendicular to the end panel to which it is attached and said second converter panel to be perpendicular to said second side panel and overlying said other end panel when the easel is erected, and a base panel having the shape of a right angle trapezoid having its right angle side edge hingedly connected to the right angle side of said second converter panel and its inclined side edge hingedly connected to the remaining inclined side of said first mentioned side panel.

4. A collapsible easel for displaying an article in an inclined position comprising, end panels for attaching to the underside of the article to be displayed, one being rectangular and the other having an inclined side, a converter panel hingedly connected to one edge of said rectangular end panel, said converter panel being of such shape that when the converter panel and the end panel to which it is attached lie in the same plane their combined outline is similar to that of the end panel having the inclined side, a base panel of right angle trapezoidal shape, a converter panel hingedly connected to the right angle edge of said base panel of such shape that the combined outline of the two panels form an isosceles trapezoid, and side panels having inclined side edges hingedly connected respectively to the first-mentioned converter panel and one edge of the base panel and to the second-mentioned converter panel and the inclined side of the end panel.

Stone Jan. 1, 1918 Gray July 30, 1929

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