US2801482A

US2801482A - Display device

Info

Publication number: US2801482A
Application number: US542908A
Authority: US
Inventors: Howard I Goforth; Roy L Yelverton
Original assignee: GOFORTH
Current assignee: GOFORTH
Priority date: 1955-10-26
Filing date: 1955-10-26
Publication date: 1957-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 1974-08-06

Description

Aug. 6, 1957 DISPLAY DEVICE s Sheet-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 26, 1955 PEPE/wen 87-! i 88 o M 4 WH AWN 9 o e 9 2 8 9 I) 3 f a m .J N 5 5 r 6, m a w a a 1 ml? E W S E M How/m0 I- Gamer/v,

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INVENTORS gal? M ATTORNEYS MESSAGE QEPEATER.

H. l. GOFORTH ETAL DISPLAY DEVICE Aug. 6, 1957 Filed Oct. 26, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 4' INVENTORS:

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ATTORNEYS A11g- 1957 H. l. GOFORTH Ei-AL 2,801,482

DISPLAY DE ICE:

Filed Ot. 26, 1955 s Sheets-Sheet s a? 54 v Y 6 INVENTORS: 8 How/v20 l-Cbroemaml E .PoYLYELvEM'oM- ATTORNEYS United States Patent Cfiice 2,801,482 Patented Aug. 6, 1957 DISPLAY DEVICE Howard I. Goforth, Lexington, and Roy L Yelverton, Raleigh, N. C.; said Yelverton assignor to said Goforth Application October 2 6, 1955, Serial No. 542,908 7 Claims. (Cl. 40-126) This invention relates to display apparatuses and, more especially, to a motor actuated construction for displaying facsimiles or replicas of containers, such as milk cartons, frozen food containers or other similar types of commodity containers.

Attempts have been made to produce display devices which are actuated by remote control means to automatically raise and lower an object and then stop the object in lowered position, and to actuate an advertising message repeater during movement of the object. A device of this type is disclosed in the pending application of John J. Geel, Serial No. 396,634, filed December 7, 1953, and entitled Mechanical Display Apparatus, all right and title to which is owned by Howard 1. Goforth, one of the inventors of the apparatus disclosed in the present application. However, such devices have not been entirely satisfactory because of the large number of parts used and the space required to accommodate the parts.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel display apparatus of the aforementioned type which is of compact, economical construction and performs smoothly, and wherein all of the operating parts thereof, with the exception of the message repeater, but including the dynamic speaker of the message repeater may be positioned within a container of, say, the size and shape of a quart-size milk carton, for example.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved article display apparatus which is particularly designed for the display of milk cartons and the like and which includes a vertically reciprocable elevator mounted on an upright framework onto which the open lower end of an empty carton'is secured in such manner that the framework supporting said elevator and the motor for driving the elevator are housed within the display carton when the carton is in lowered position. The improved apparatus also includes a dynamic speaker and electric lamp positioned above the elevator on a stationary platform, both of which are housed in the display carton, but which carton permits sound and light to be emitted therethrough to attract attention to the device while the elevator is being reciprocated by the motor.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which--' Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved display device showing the carton in lowered position wherein it substantially encloses all parts of the display device;

Figure 2 is a diagram of the electrical circuit of the improved display device;

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the improved display device with parts broken away for purposes of clarity;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the improved display device looking at the right side of Figure 3 with portions broken away for purposes of clarity;

1 Figure S'is a sectional plan view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a front elevation on a reduced scale with the carton and elevator skirt for supporting the same and the drive unit housing removed for purposes of clarity;

Figure 7 is a rear elevation similar to Figure 3 but showing the carton in an elevated position just after reaching its uppermost limit.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 (Figure 7) broadly indicates an elevator comprising a platform 11 having a cut-out portion or recess 11a (Figure 5) defined by platform end portions 12 and 13. The platform 11 is mounted for vertical reciprocation on a pair of

upright posts

14 and 15 which are secured at their upper ends by suitable means such as set screws 16 to a stationary upper platform 20. The lower ends of the

posts

14 and 15 are fixed in a base 21. The platform 20 is provided with a rectangular cut-out portion 22 in which is positioned a pulley 23 journaled on a shaft 24 suitably secured to the stationary upper platform 20 and on which pulley 23 the upper portion of an endless bear chain or pliable endless element 25 is positioned for imparting reciprocation to the elevator 10 as will be later described. The lower portion of the chain or pliable element 25 is positioned on a pulley 26 suitably secured to a shaft 27 of reversible electric motor 30. The motor 30 is suitably secured to the vertical flange of an L-shaped bracket 31 by screws 32. The bracket 31 is suitably secured to the base 21 by screws 33 to maintain the motor shaft 27 in proper tically extending apertures 29 through which opposed reaches of the chain 25-loosely extend. Suitable means such as a set screw 34 penetrates the platform 11 to securely engage a portion of the chain extending through one of the apertures 29 to cause the platform 11 to move with the chain 25. As will be observed in Figure 7, the reach of the chain 25 remote from the set screw 34 is free to move upwardly and downwardly through its aperture 29 as the elevator is automatically raised and lowered by the motor 30.

A-dynamic speaker 35-is secured to the lower surface of the upper stationary platform 20, as by screws 36, and light 40, of sufi'icient intensity to emit light through a waxed paperboard carton or container C carried by the elevator 10, is mounted on the upper surface of the staas shown in Figure 7, to its lowered position, as shown in Figure 3, a substantially upright trip rod 41 is provided for reversing the direction of rotation of the motor 30 (Figures 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7). The trip rod 41 loosely penetrates the movable platform 11 and its upper end is. loosely received in an aperture 43 provided in the stationaryplatform 20. The lower end of rod 41 is loosely received in an aperture 42 provided in the base 21 as shown in Figures 5 and 7. Spaced upper and lower collars or abutments 44. 45 are fixedly secured to the upper and lower portions of the trip rod 41. The

collars

44, 45, are adapted to be engaged by the upper and lower surfaces, respectively of the movable platform switch R to an upper or lower position. The trip plate 50 has its free end encircling the trip rod 41 between a pair of spaced and fixed washers 46 to move a contact 3 52 (Figure 2) insulatably secured to the trip plate 50 selectively in or out of engagement with

contacts

53 and 54 to reverse or change the flow of current in the motor 30.

A conventional U-shaped lock spring 51 is provided on the trip plate 59 for alternately maintaining the contact 52 in engagement with the

contacts

53, 54 after the platform 11 moves out of engagement with the

respective collars

44, 45. As will be observed in Figure 7, upon the elevator being moved to its uppermost position, the upper surface of the platform 11 engages the collar 44 to elevate the trip rod 41 to move the trip. plate 50 upwardly and the contact 52 downwardly out of engagement with contact 53 andinto engagement with contact 54 to reverse the flow of current through the motor 30 as will be later described. It should be noted that movement of the trip plate 50 in one direction imparts movement to the contact 52 in an opposite direction. The lock spring 51 for the trip plate 50 holds the contact 52 in engagement with the contact 54 while the elevator 10 descends from an elevated position, substantially as shown in Figure 7, to the lowermost position shown in Figure 3.

To maintain the carton C on the elevator 10 while the elevator is reciprocating, a housing or skirt 60 encircles the platform 11 and has upturned lower ends or flanges 61 in which the lower edges of the open bottom of the carton are received. The skirt or housing 60 is secured to the movable platform 11, by any suitable means such as screws 62 penetrating the platform 11 adjacent the chain and by screws 64- penetrating the sides of the platform end portions 12 and 13. To enclose the motor and the other components in the lower portion of the display device and to hide the same from view when the elevator is in raised position (Figure 7 a drive unit housing 65 encircles the lower portion of the device and is suitably secured, as by screws 66, to the base 21. It will be observed in Figure 3 that the container-supporting skirt 65 is of a larger size than the drive unit housing 60 so as to telescopically receive the drive unit housing 60 when the elevator 10 is lowered.

A cam-like projection or finger 70, extending from the lower surface of the elevator 10 and having a smoothly curved portion 70a (Figure 7), is provided for breaking the circuit to the motor 30 upon the elevator 10 being returned to its lowered position (Figure 3). The projection 70 engages a switching plate or lever 71, of a start-and-stop switch S, provided with a conventional locking spring 75 for moving a contact 72 out of engagement with a contact 73 and into engagement with a contact 74 to open the circuit as will be observed in Figure 3. The reversing switch R is insulatably secured on the base 21 and has an angle clip 76 insulatably mounted thereon which insulatably supports the switch S.

In Figure 2 is shown an electrical circuit for the device wherein a suitable conductor plug 80 has main conductors 81, 82 connected thereto, the conductor 81 leading to one side of a field coil 3 in the motor 30 and the conductor 82 leading to the contact 73 which contact is normally in engagement with the contact 72 when the elevator 10 is moving.

Conductors

83 and 86 complete the circuit from the contact 72 to the other side of the field coil 1 of the motor 30. A message repeater 85 is connected in the motor circuit by

conductors

86, 84 and to which message repeaterSS is connected the dynamic speaker by

conductors

87, 88. The light positioned on the upper stationary platform 20 is connected in circuit by

conductors

90, 91.

Suitable conductors

92, 93 connect a normally open switch 76 in the circuit to the

contacts

72, 74 which are normally out of engagement with each other during the movement of the elevator 10.

For reversing the direction of rotation of the motor 30, shade or reversing coils u and d are provided to which are secured

respective conductors

95 and 94 having their other ends secured to the

respective contacts

53, 54. The

contact 52 is connected, by the conductor 96, to the field coil f to complete the circuit for the shade coils u and d.

In normal operation of the device, the flat portion a of the projection 70 would initially be in engagement with the switching lever 71 to hold the contact 72 (Figures 2 and 3), by means of the locking spring 75, in engagement with the contact 74. In this position, when the switch 76, which is placed in a conspicuous place on the floor, is stepped upon to close the same, the circuit will be completed to energize the motor 30. At this instant, the circuit is closed to simultaneously energize the message repeater 85, the speaker 35, and the light 40 and the elevator starts to move upwardly, since the shade coil u, which controls rotation of the motor 30 for imparting upward movement to the elevator 10, is energized by engagement of contacts 52 and 53.

Upon the elevator 10 moving a slight distance upwardly the projection 70 moves out of engagement with the switching lever 71 to permit the locking spring to move the contact 72 into engagement with the contact 73 (Figure 2) to thus complete a circuit to the motor 30 by bypassing the normally open switch 76. Upon the elevator 10 reaching its uppermost position the upper surface of the elevator contacts the collar 44 of trip rod 41 to move the trip plate 50 upwardly, to move the contact 52 downwardly out of engagement with the contact 53 and into engagement with the contact 54, and to change the direction of rotation of the motor 30 by switching the current from the coil u to coil d. Upon the elevator 10 returning to its normal lowered position the lower surface of the movable platform 11 engages the collar 45 on the trip rod 41 to move the trip plate 50 downwardly, to move the contact 52 upwardly out of engagement with the contact 54 and into engagement with the contact 53, and to close the circuit to the coil u in preparation for the next upward movement of the elevator 10.

Upon the elevator 10 returning to its lowered position, the projection 70 extending from the lower surface of the movable platform 11 will again engage the switching plate 71 to move the contact 72 out of engagement with the contact 73 and into engagement with the contact 74 to stop the device, since the trip switch 76 in circuit therewith will now normally be open. This completes the operation of the automatic reciprocation of the elevator 10.

The reversible electric motor 30 may be of any desired construction and is shown in Figure 2 as being an inductance type motor provided with the field coil 1 and the pair of reversing or shade coils a and u. When the coil 1 is energized, the coils d and u are selectively energized through inductance in the usual manner.

It is thus seen that there is provided a novel arrangement of a housing 65 for encircling, and hiding from view, the motor 30, the start-and-stop switch S, the reversing switch R and associated parts during vertical movement of the container facsimile C and wherein the container is so supported on the elevator 10 as to telescope over the drive unit housing 65, thereby providing a neat appearing and compact display device and in which ample room is provided to accommodate a commercially available type of dynamic speaker and a lamp for illuminating a translucent container facsimile of the approximate size of a quart-size milk carton.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

We claim:

1. An improved display device comprising a base, vertically positioned guide rods secured to said base, an elevator mounted for reciprocatory movement on said guide rods, a reversible electric motor mounted on said asoncsa base, a stationary platform secured to the upper end of said guide rods, a first pulley supported by said platform, a second pulley provided on the end of the shaft of said electric motor, an endless element connecting said pulleys, means securing one reach of said endless element to the elevator so as to move the elevator therewith, means for automatically reversing said elevator upon the same reaching its uppermost position, and means for automatically stopping said elevator upon returning to its lowermost position.

2. A device according to claim 1 where n said elevator is provided with a skirt depending therefrom and encircling the same with upturned lower end portions for receiving the open end of a container for supporting the same during reciprocatory movement of said elevator.

3. An improved display device comprising a base, ve tically positioned guide rods secured to said base, an elevator mounted for reciprocatory movement on said guide rods, a reversible electric motor mounted on said base and having its shaft extending between said guide rods, stationary platform secured to the upper ends of said guide rods, a first pulley supported by said pl orrn, a second pulley provided on the end of the shaft of said electric motor, an endless element connecting said pulleys, means securing one reach of said endless element to the elevator so as to move the elevator therewith, a first housing secured to the base enclosing the motor and the lower portions of the guide rods, a second housing secured to said elevator and telescopically receiving said first housing, the second housing having means for securing the lower open end of a display container thereon, means for automatically reversing said elevator upon the some reaching its uppermost position, and means for automatically stopping said elevator upon returning to its lowermost position.

4. An improved display device comprising a base, vertically positioned guide rods secured to said base, an elevator mounted for reciprocatory movement on said guide rods, a reversible electric motor mounted on said base and having its shaft extending between said guide rods, a stationary platform secured to the upper end of said guide rods, a first pulley supported by said platform, a second pulley provided on the end of the shaft of said electric motor, an endless element connecting said pulleys, means securing one reach of said endless element to the elevator so as to move the elevator therewith, a first housing secured to said base and enclosing the lower side portions of the device, a second housing secured to the elevator and telescopically receiving the first housing when the elevator is in lowered position, means provided adjacent the lower end of the second housing for retaining a display container thereon in upright position to be simultaneously moved with the elevator, means for auton'iatically reversing said elevator upon the same reaching its uppermost position, and means for automatically stopping said elevator upon returning to its lowermost position.

5. An improved display device comprising a base, an elevator supporting framework secured to said base, an elevator mounted for vertical movement on said framework, a skirt surrounding said elevator and depending downwardly therefrom, said skirt havin upwardly turned lower edges adapted to receive the open end of a container for supporting the same during movement of the elevator, a reversible electric motor mounted on said base and having a shaft extending between said elevator supporting framework, a pulley mounted on the end of said motor shaft, a stationary platform secured to the upper end of said elevator supporting framework, a pulley supported by said stationary platform, a pliable endless element connecting said pulleys together, means connecting one reach of the endless element to the elevator, said motor having a field coil, and first and second shade coils,

a manually operable normally open first switch interposed in an electrical circuit to said field coil, a reversing switch interposed in an electrical circuit to said shade coils and having means for completing a circuit to the first shade coil for driving said elevator in one direction to elevate the container positioned thereon and means engageable by said elevator as it approaches raised position for moving said reversing switch to complete the circuit to the second shade coil to reverse the direction of rotation of said motor and to return the elevator to lowered position.

6. An improved display device comprising a base, an elevator supporting framework secured to said base, an elevator mounted for vertical movement on said framework, a housing surrounding said elevator and depending downwardly t erefrom, said housing having means to receive the open end of a container for supporting the sat. e during movement of the elevator, a reversible electric motor mounted on said base and having a shaft extending between said elevator supporting framework, 2. first pulley mounted on the end of said motor shaft, a stationary platform secured to the upper end of said elevator supporting framework, a second pulley supported by said stationary platform, a pliable endless element connecting said pulleys together, said elevator having a pair of spaced apertures therein to receive opposite reaches of the endless element, means penetrating one of the apertures to con. set one reach of the endless element to the elevator, said motor having a field coil and first and second shade coils, a manually operable normally open first switch interpose in an electrical circuit to said shade coils and having means for completing a circuit to the first shade coil for driving said elevator in one direction to elevate the container positioned thereon, means engageable by said elevator as it approaches raised position for moving said reversing switch to complete the circuit to the second shade coil to reverse the direction of rotation of said motor and to return the elevator to lowered position.

7. An improved display device comprising a base, an upright framework secured to said base, a platform mounted for vertical movement on said framework, a housing surrounding said platform and depending downwardly therefrom, said housing having upwardly turned lower ends adapted to receive the open end of a container for supporting the same during movement of the platform, a reversible electric motor mounted on said base and having a shaft extending therefrom horizontally to said base, a first pulley mounted on the end of said motor shaft, a stationary platform secured to the upper end of said upright framework, a second pulley supported by said stationary platform, a pliable endless element connecting said pulleys together, means operatively connecting one reach of said endless element to said movable platform, said motor having a field coil and first and second shade coils, a manually operable normally open first switch interposed in an electrical circuit to said field coil, a reversing switch interposed in an electrical circuit to said shade coils and having means for completing a circuit to the first shade coil for driving said movable platform in one direction to elevate the container positioned thereon, means engageable by said elevator as it approaches raised position for moving said reversing switch to complete the circuit to the second shade coil to reverse the direction of rotation of said motor and to return the movable platform to lowered position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS