US2761231A

US2761231A - Signalling device using store customer's service numbers

Info

Publication number: US2761231A
Application number: US350023A
Authority: US
Inventors: George R Hess
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1953-04-21
Filing date: 1953-04-21
Publication date: 1956-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 1973-09-04

Description

7 Sept. 4, 1956 H 2,761,231

SIGNALLING DEVICE USING STORE CUSTOMERS SERVICE NUMBERS Filed April 21, 1953 W W/ 4s INVENTOR 660065 6. HES 8) 6 BY HHHHWHHHHFiiiii {in ATTORNEY United States Patent SIGNALLING DEVICE USING STORE CUSTOh IERS SERVICE NUMBERS George R. Hess, Washington, D. C.

Application April 21, E53, Serial No. 350,023

3 Claims. (Cl. 40-19.5)

This invention is a signalling device for use in stores or other establishments where goods are sold or dispensed to numbers of customers or patrons, having for its primary object to provide means of simplified construction for the support and maintenance of customer tags in regular or proper order, to be selected successively by the customers to determine the order in which they are to be waited upon or served by the attendants of the establishment.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a signalling device of this character which simplifies the application of the tags to the rack as well as to enable the tags to be readily removed therefrom by a customer or patron, the arrangement being such as to minimize the opportunity of the tags becoming mixed, confused or disordered.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a signalling device of the character generally stated which is of extremely simple construction, which may be manufactured, installed and maintained at a minimum of cost, which involves the use of but few separate and relatively inexpensive parts, and which will prove highly practical and efiicient in use.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending application Serial No. 208,543, filed January 30, 1951, for Rack for Store Customers Service Numbers.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with others which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all as will be described more fully hereinafter, illustrated in the drawings, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely through a conventional store counter and illustrating as applied thereto a signalling device involving the present invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken transversely through the track and showing the manner in which the track is supported and a customer tag is maintained thereby,

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary perspective view of track and support and illustrating a slight modification,

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing a further modification, and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a signalling device showing a still further modification of the invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, 6 indicates a counter or other support and from which rise the supporting posts 7 for the track indicated generally at 8. The posts 7 will be maintained in upright position in spaced parallel relationship to one another and will be suitably secured at their lower ends in the counter or other support '7. These posts will be maintained in spaced relationship transversely of the counter, and the posts support between them the inclined track as indicated at 8. To this end, one of the posts will be longer than the other as shown. Each of the posts is provided at its "ice upper end with a laterally deflected arm portion 9, from which depend connecting bars 10 for the track 8. These bars may be secured at their upper ends to the arms 9 and at their lower ends to the track or rail 8 in any desired manner, screw threads being illustrated in the present instance. It will be observed that the supporting bars 10 are of reduced diameter for a purpose to be hereafter detailed.

it will be observed that the track or rail 8 constitutes a relatively straight elongated member as shown in Fig. l, and is so supported by the standards or posts 7 as to incline downwardly from the rear end of the counter or support 6 to the forward edge thereof. The outer or. for ward end of the track 8 is curved upwardly as at 11 constituting a depressed or pocket portion 12. It will also be observed that the lower or forward end of the track is entirely free and unobstructed, and the same is true of the upper or rear end of the track or rail.

The customer number or identifying tags are indicated at 13, and in the present instance comprise relatively small rectangular plates of cardboard, metal or any other suit able material, each of which is provided near its upper end with a transverse opening 14 of a diameter sufficiently in excess of the transverse diameter of the rail or track 8 to permit free sliding movement of the tags upon the rail or track. The upper portions of the tags are cut away to provide slots 15 of restricted dimension as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. It will be understood that an appreciable number of tags 13, all of substantially identical shape and construction, will be used in connection with the rack, and these tags will be numbered progressively as will be obvious.

In the use of the device, the attendant will apply the tags to the rear or elevated end of the rail or track 8 in numerical order, and the weight of the tags causes them to gravitate to the pocket 12 where their further gravitational movement will be arrested. The customers or patrons will successively remove the tags from the upturned and unobstructed end 11 of the rail or track. As the customers or patrons are successively waited upon by the attendant, their tags will be surrendered, and the attendant will immediately place them in regular order upon the upper unobstructed rear end of the rail 8 Where they will gravitate to the lower end of the track for further use. In this manner the tags are kept in numerical order or succession at all times.

In Fig. 3 of the drawing a slight modification is shown, wherein the track or rail 8 near its rearward or upper end is provided with an irregularity or depression 16.;

This depression will normally maintain a tag against gravitation, and thus will maintain the tag in elevated position and therefore in plain view of the waiting customers or patrons as well as the attendant or clerk. The patrons, as well as the clerk, are thus made aware of the number of the customer being served so that all may judge of the order in which the other customers may expect to obtain the service. As soon as the customer whose number is indicated by the arrested tag has been waited upon, the clerk has merely to touch the elevated tag with sufiicient force as to enable it to clear the depressed portion 16, whereupon it will immediately gravitate to its proper position down the track. The tag of the next succeeding customer or patron will then be placed over the free end of the elevated track and will be similarly arrested by the depressed portion 16.

It will be observed, particularly with reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing, that the slot 15 in the upper end of the tag is sufliciently wide to clear the sides of the supporting bars 10 for the track 8, in order that the gravitation or sliding movement of the tags will not be arrested or impeded.

Fig. 4 of the drawing shows a further modification,

wherein the supporting post for the upper end of the track 8 will be formed integral therewith. It will be understood that the supporting post for the lower end of the track will be identical with the construction shown in Fig. 1. In this form of the invention, the track 8 is narrowed or restricted in width as shown at 17 to permit of entry of this portion of the track through the slot 15 in the upper end of the tag. It will be understood that the tags will be applied to the track by inserting the portion 17 through the slot 15 and then moving the tag lngitudinally of the rail so that the enlarged opening 14 will engage the full width rail 8 and slide to its destination as described above.

Fig. shows a further modification wherein the rail. is in the form of a loop with a free and unobstructed high end indicated at 18, a low or pocket portion 1 9 and an up turned and unobstructed lower end 20. In this form of the invention, the customer may thread or apply his tag to the rod instead of requiring the clerk to do so. The tag so applied will slide down the body of the loop, indicated at 21 to eventually come to rest either in the pocket portion 19 or against such tags as may have accumulated at the lower portion of the loop. As in the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be seen that both ends of the track are free and unobstructed to permit the ready insertion or removal of the tags without difficulty.

Theoretically, each tag returned by the customers or patrons will be immediately threaded by the clerk onto the track to maintain sequence of numbering of all of the tags. Therefore, by this construction the last tag on the track will bear the last used number and, since the numbers will be imprinted on both sides of each tag, the clerk need only to glance at the number appearing on the last tag on the track to ascertain the next number tag to call out for customer service. This makes unnecessary a shuffling by the clerk of return tags in order to establish and maintain the numerical sequence before threading said returned tags onto the track, which shuffling would require additional time of the clerk to accomplish this result. Therefore, it Will be apparent that by the arrangement here disclosed all tags will be in their numerical sequence on the track at any given time, excepting those tags which have been abstracted or removed by the Waiting customers, and hence there will always be a sufiiciency of available tags over and above the number of waiting customers. This same result is accomplished by the structure shown in Fig. 5, except that the customer himself, or the clerk, reapplies his tag to the track when his turn to be served arrives.

The tags in the present instance, are disclosed in their simplest and most inexpensive form, that is, of cardboard, thin metal, or synthetic material provided with a suitable opening sufficiently large to permit the same to be slidingly accommodated by the track. However, it will be understood that the tag may be provided with a hook, loop or other device to be slidingly engaged with the track.

I claim:

1. In a signalling device using customer service tags, comprising a track formed of an elonagted rail, standards supporting said rail in inclined position with both ends of said rail free and unobstructed, a depressed portion in said rail, and tags having openings therein of a size in excess of the transverse dimension of said rail to receive and to gravitate upon the latter and to rest in said depressed portion, whereby the tags may be applied to one end of the rail and successively removed from the other.

2. In a signalling device for customer service tags, comprising a track formed of an elongated rail, standards arranged in spaced parallelism adjacent to said rail, arms projecting laterally from said standards and overlying said rail, a bar secured to and depending from each of said arms, the lower ends of said bars rigidly secured to said rail with the ends of said rail free and unobstructed, tags having openings therein of a size in excess of the transverse dimension of said rail to be supported by and slidably engaged thereon, the said tags adapted to be applied to one end of said rail and removed from the other, and each of said tags having a slot extending from the upper edge thereof to and communicating with the opening therein, each of said slots being of a width in excess of the lateral dimension of said supporting bars, whereby to permit said tags to slide freely from one end of the rail to the other.

3. In a rack for customer service tags, a track comprising an elongated rail, standards supporting said track in elevated position with one end disposed above the other and with both ends free and unobstructed, a tag having an opening near its upper end of a size in excess of the transverse dimension of said rail to slidably move upon the latter, and a depressed portion in said rail adjacent the upper end thereof to be engaged by the walls of said tag openings to arrest the movement of the latter longitudinally upon said rail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 878,193 Derr Feb. 4, 1908 1,371,305 Hanney Mar. 15, 1921 2,036,762 Lindstrom Apr. '7, 1936 2,208,152 Bradhord July 16, 1940 2,285,745 Ritter Iune 9, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 819,684 France Oct. 23, 1937 162,103 Austria 52111. 25, 1949