US2928704A - Display cabinet - Google Patents

Description

March l5, 1960 M. l. RAPPAPORT DISPLAY CABINET Filed April 30, 1958 DISPLAY CABINET Maurice I. Rappaport, Cleveland Heights, h10

Application April 30, 1958, Serial No. 731,900

1 Claim. (Cl. 312123) This invention relates to display apparatus and more particularly to a display cabinet assembly which will effect economies in the use of lloor space and which will effectively exhibit articles carried by the display cabinet.

it is among the objects of my invention to provide a display` cabinet in the form of vertically-disposed panel structures pivotally connected to each other so that one panel may be arranged at an angle with respect to the next adjacent panel and thus render the entire assembly stable and self-supporting.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a display cabinet in accordance with the preceding object wherein the vertically-disposed panels include unitary box-like enclosures having opaque and transparent areas to facilitate the display of articles within the enclosure so that the articles may be viewed from both sides of the vertical panel.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a display device in accordance with the preceding object wherein each of the vertical panels includes a pair of spaced vertically-disposed channels to adjustably and piv otally support a transparent walled cabinet structure between the channels.

Further objects and advantages relating to compact folding for shipment, efficiency in use and economies of manu-facture will appear from the following description and the appended drawings wherein- Fig. l is a perspective view of a display device made according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of an enclosure forming a part of my display device;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the details of the enclosure of Fig. 2 and the mounting of the enclosure on vertical supporting channels;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of a modification of the enclosure wherein one side section of the enclosure is hinged and provided with a lock; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective View with parts broken away illustrating the clamping interlock between the vertical channel supports and the enclosure.

Referring to the drawings. Fig. 1 illustrates a display assembly comprising three vertically-disposed panels 5, 6 and 7. Each panel preferably includes a pair of vertically-disposed channel members 8 and 9 which are connected to each other by cross members such as 10. The channels 8 and 9 are constructed as shown in cross section in Fig. 3so as to provide an open re-entrant groove on the sides of the channels 8 and 9 which face each other. As will appear later in this description, the open grooves on the sides of the vertical channels 8 and 9 co-operate with supporting clamps which mount the enclosures indicated in their entirety as at 11, 12, 13 and 14. In the vertical panel assembly 7 the enclosures 11 and 12 are supported as indicated at 11a, 11b, 12a and 12b. The cabinet sections 11 and 12 will be referred to herein as vertical enclosures inasmuch as they are constructed so as to provide horizontal shelves indicated at 11e and 12e. The enclosures 13 and 14 forming a Patented Mar. l5, 1960 part of the vertical panel the vertical channel members as at 13a and 14a. In addition to the interconnection between the enclosures 13, 14 and the vertical channels, each of the enclosures 13 and 14 is preferably held in adjusted position by braces such as 17 and 18.

The enclosure 11 will be described here in considerable detail and it will be understood as the descriptiony proceeds that the enclosures 12, 13 and 14 are constructedV in substantially the same manner.

In all forms of my invention I have provided an enclosure which includes a pair of complementary, deepdrawn plastic sections 20 and 21 made of methyl-methacrylate often referred to as Plexiglas The advantages of this material with respect to its strength and clarity are well-known and have been utilized in the aircraft and thus serves as the window for the examination of -articles arranged within the enclosure.

The peripheral llange of each of the sections 20 and 21 is embraced by a metal channel member 22 which forms a frame around the peripheral edge of the section. A relatively large metal channel indicated in its entirety as at 23 provides spaced flanges 24 and 2.5 for mounting the channel frames 22. Bolts or similar fasteners 26 extend through the channel 22, the llange of the section 20 and thence through the flange 24 of the channel Z3. A similar fastener 27 is employed to secure the complementary section 21 to the main channel 23. The web of the channel 23 is suitably apertured at spaced intervals to receive the shank of a clamping member indicated in its entirety as at 30. The clamping assembly includes a bolt having a T-shaped head 31 and a nut 32 threaded on the shank of the bolt. A spring 33 biasing the head 31 toward the portions 8a is arranged between the head 31 and the bottom of the channel 8 as best shown in Fig. 3.

The inturned lips 8a of the channel 8 (also channel 9) are serrated as best shown in Fig. 5 to receive the underside of the head 31 of the clamping assembly. It will be noted that if the nut 32 is loosened and the clamping bolt pressed inwardly of the channel against the spring 33 it will be freed of the serrations on the lips 8a and thus the clamping assembly may be slid vertically in the supporting channel 8. When the enclosure such as 11 or 12 has been arranged vertically in the panel 7 to its desired position the nut 32 may be drawn up tight and thus securely clamp the enclosures in place. Thus the box-like girder construction of the enclosures adds rigidity to the vertical panel assembly and the advantage of the inherent structural-strength of the deep-drawn plastic material is fully realized.

In mounting the enclosures 13 and 14 the clamping assembly indicated at 13a `is utilized somewhat in the fashion of a pivot or trunnion. Thus the enclosure 13 may be swung about the pivot axis at 13a to the position shown and the nut 32 then drawn up. Additional support for the enclosure 13a inits tilted position is provided by the brace 17, the lower end of which is adjustably clamped to the vertical channel 8 as above described. Similarly, the enclosure 14 is swung about the pivot 14a and then clamped in the position shown and thereafter braced by means of the member 18.

The enclosure 13 provides a display which may be viewed from the underside thereof and the enclosure 14 5 are adjustably supported in This arrangement is particularly effective for museum Y displays where a large number of people are expected to move along the display assembly so that the eye .of the average viewer is substantially midway between the inclined transparent surfaces of the enclosures 13 and 14. In the same way objects displayed onthe horizontal shelves 11C in the cabinet 11 may be viewed from either side ofthe vertical panel 7. This greatly conserves space as compared to the prior art museum display cabinets and the objects within the cabinets-are well illuminated f by the usual outside lighting. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that fluorescent tubes or the like may be carried within the enclosures to supplement other lighting.

My invention is well suited for the display of merchandise and in Fig. 4 I have shown a modification of the display cabinet wherein theY channel 23a is connected to i out departing from the scope of 4the invention as defined in the following claim.'

What is claimed is:

A display cabinet comprising a plurality of vertically disposed panels pivotally secured to each other on vertical axes adjacent adjoining edges, at least one of said panels being swung on its said vertical axis with respect to an adjacent panel to be disposed at an angle to said adjacent panel, each of said panels including vertically extending t side members, display enclosures mounted between said side members, each enclosure comprising a rectangular frame fitting between the side members, yeach of said frames having at flange portions around the edge of the frame, a pair of deep-drawn, transparent plastic sections, one of said transparent plastic sections being mounted on one side of said rectangular frameand secured to the llange portions thereof and the other of said transparent plastic sections being secured tothe opposite side of said rectangular frame along `the flange portions of said opposite side whereby said plurality of panels` are self-supporting and `the transparent plastic sections may be viewed from either side of the vertically disposed panels.

`References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 452,377 Kean May 19, 1891 541,216 Shenley e June 18, 1895 l929,074 Brown e-; July 27, 1909 1,019,384 Walz s Mar. 5, 1912 1,516,281 Eisner Nov. 18, 1924 2,345,650 Attwood Apr. '4, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 41,668V Norway July 2o, 1925

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