US3484810A

US3484810A - Freestanding display stand

Info

Publication number: US3484810A
Application number: US696933A
Authority: US
Inventors: Marc Boss
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1968-01-10
Filing date: 1968-01-10
Publication date: 1969-12-16
Anticipated expiration: 1986-12-16

Description

Fired Jam 1o, 196s M. Boss FREESTANDING D'I SPLAY STAND 2 Sheets-heet 1 TTORNEY Dec. 16, 1969 M. Boss (484,810

A. FREESTAND'ING DISPLAY STAND l Filed Jan. 10, 1968 2 sheetsheat 2 INVENTOR. MARC BOSS BY'V TTORNE Y United States Patent O 3,484,810 FREESTANDIN G DISPLAY STAND Marc Boss, 21 Oak Hill Lane, Portola Valley, Calif. 94025 Filed Jan. 10, 1968, Ser. No. 696,933 Int. Cl. A47f 5/10,l A4711 57/06 ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A foldable, freestanding support means for shelving having a pair of vertical standards interconnected by a pair of criss-cross members whereby the vertical standards may be laterally separated any distance within certain limits to accommodate different widths of shelving or to lit into spaces of varyingwidths, and having swivelable feet whereby the interconnected standards may be made to freestand. The shelving is readily adjustable along the vertical extent of the standard by removable shelf brackets to afford different spaces between shelves or to accommodate shelves at varying distances from the floor level. The freestanding support means may be quickly and easily folded with the shelves and shelf brackets removed to facilitate storage, packing and shipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to freestanding display stands and, more particularly, to such a stand which has detachable shelving and shelf brackets and a freestanding shelf bracket support which is adjustable for use and foldable for storage.

Description of the prior art Numerous types of display stands are found in the prior art, some freestanding, some having detachable shelves, some being adjustable, and some being foldable. However, display stands which are freestanding, adjustable in standard separation, and shelf height, and readily foldable for convenient storage or shipment are not found in the prior art.

Display stands which are freestanding for use and foldable for storage are particularly important when display stands `are to be rented and for use in improvised or temporary display rooms such as hotel rooms. For such usage, it becomes important that the display stand be freestanding since attachment to the walls would not ordinarily be permissible. Further, it becomes important for the renter of the display shelves that the same be foldable for convenient storage and transportation since storage space is an important factor in the cost of operating a display stand rental business. i

The criteria mentioned `above are also important where display stands are owned by the exhibitor, and are carried throughout the country for use. The freestanding feature will allow use of the display stand upon any platform without regard to wall or ceiling attachment, and the folding feature allows convenient knock-down and transportation. Further, the adjustable shelving feature allows shelves to be placed at any convenient height and any convenient separation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a primary object of the invention to provide an improved freestanding display stand which is economical, sturdy and versatile.

It is another object of the invention to provide a display stand having vertical standards which are interconnected by a foldable frame structure to make the standards laterally adjustable with respect to one another.

3,484,810 Patented Dec. 16, 1969 It is a further object of the invention to provide a foot structure for the freestanding display stand that is swivelable from a compact or folded position to a freestanding position.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a display stand with open and vertically adjustable shelving that is compact and foldable.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a freestanding, foldable display stand for supporting detachable shelf brackets that can be secured at varying points along the vertical uprights of the display stand supports for supporting shelves. The vertical uprights are provided with a swivelable foot structure at the end portions thereof to permit freestanding, and, further, are interconnected by a foldable criss-cross structure that not only provides lateral support but allows the ready adjustment of standard separation.

It is still a further object of the present invention to allow the shelves to be placed on the brackets either to lie llat or to stand inclined for slant display purposes.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains as the ensuing description proceeds.

The features of novelty that are considered character istie of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The organization and method of operation of the invention itself will best be understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the freestanding display stand of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational rear view of the vertical support structure of the stand of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an elevational end view of the display stand of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational view, partly in cross section, of the shelf bracket and the shelf of the display stand of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Reference is made to FIG. 1 wherein the freestanding display stand of this invention is designated generally by the reference character 20. Display stand 20 is provided with a pair of vertical standards (uprights) 21A and 21B, having

foot members

22A and 22B respectively swivelably attached thereto by

pivot pin members

23A and 23B.

Foot members

22A and 22B extend forwardly (as viewed in FIG. 1) when stand 20 is in position for display purposes. Immediately to the rear of

foot members

22A and 22B, and detachably secured thereto, are auxiliary foot members 25A and 25B, best seen in FIGS. l and 3, and to be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Vertical standards

21A and 21B are each provided with a plurality of openings 26 in the form of a row along the forward facing vertical extent for detachably receiving the shelf support brackets 27, and with elongated slots'28A and 28B along the rearward facing vertical extent for slidingly receiving the

end attachment members

29A and 29B of criss-cross means 30 which forms a horizontally extensible connection means.

Criss-cross means 30 comprises two

cross bars

31 and 32 which are pivotally interconnected by a pivot pin 33. In addition, one end portion of

cross bars

31 and 32 is each pivotally connected to

vertical standards

21A and 21B by pivot pins 34A and 34B, and the other end portion of

bars

31 and 32 is each connected to

end attachment members

29A and 29B which are slidingly disposed in

slots

28A and 28B. Connected in this manner, it is seen that the lateral standard separation is adjustable between a fully closed and a fully open position, an intermediate position being shown in dashed outline in FIG .2.

For locating and attaching shelves 36 to display stand 20, it is necessary to rst detachably secure shelf support brackets 27 to each standard as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. Shelf support brackets 27 are made from heavy wire and comprise an upper portion 27A and a lower portion 27B. The diameter of the wire is such that it will fit into openings 26 in the front facing portion of the standards much like a peg board attachment. The retained end portion of the upper portion 27A is turned upwardly aproximately 90 as shown best in FIG. 4 for insertion through opening 26 and for resting on the rearward facing vertical extent of the standard. Welded to the bottom of lower portion 27A and near the retained end portion is a cross member 37 that is adapted to rest against the forward facing vertical extent of standard 21. The opposite end of upper portion 27A, also referred to as the free end, is' turned upwardly approximately 90 to engage a cross bar 36A located on the underside of shelf 36. The length of upper portion 36A is carefully selected in accordance with the total shelf width so that the distance between the rearwardly facing surface of the free end bend is a selected distance from the forwardly facing extent of the standard. This distance is also referred to as the accommodation length.

Lower portion 27B of bracket 27 is secured, as by welding at portion 27C, to the free end of portion 27A, and the extremity of the retained end portion of lower portion 27B is bent upwardly for resting against the forward facing extent of the standard, and then outwardly for insertion into one of openings 26 to firmly secure the bracket to the vertical standards.

When a pair of shelf support brackets 27 are connected to

vertical standards

21A and 21B in the manner illustrated, shelf 36 may be placed horizontally to rest on upper portion 27A where it is secured against displacement away from the standards by the 90 bend in the free end of upper portion 27A which engages a transverse member 36A. Additional shelves 36 may be located on additional vertical support bracket 21. A vertically extending retaining wall 36B is formed at the rear edge of the shelf to prevent articles from dropping behind the stand.

Shelves 36 and shelf support brackets 27 are constructed in such a manner that they may be placed in an inclined position by merely turning the shelf so that the retaining edge 36B normally forming the rear edge of shelf 36 now rests on the bend portion of the free end of upper portion 27A, and the edge normally forming the front edge of the shelf rests against the forward facing extent of the vertical standards at a point which is above where upper portion 27A is attached to standard 21.

It is now readily seen that the accommodation length of upper portion 27A determines the degree of shelf inclination, and the accommodation length is selected to provide a given shelf inclination. Once the proper accommodation length has been selected, transverse bar 36A is positioned such that the distance from the forward facing surface of bar 36A to the rearwardly facing surface of edge 36B is equal to the accommodation length f the upper portion. In this manner the free end bend in upper portion 27A retains the shelf in the horizontal and the inclined position.

The

foot members

22A and 22B, which are pivotally secured to the lower end of

vertical standards

21A and 21B, may be positioned as shown in FIGS. l and 3, or may be pivoted out of the way as shown in dotteddashed lines of FIG. 3 to facilitate storage or shipment of display stand 20. The rear support (auxiliary foot) members 25A and 25B are also constructed of wire and are removably insertable into

opening pairs

28A and 28B at the lower portion thereof to provide additional stability when the display stand 20 is in a freestanding condition. These members are also fastened in the peg board style. -Rear support members 25A and 25B may easily be removed from

standards

21A and 21B by withdrawing them from the

openings

28A and 28B respectively.

To collapse display stand 20, after the shelves and shelf supports have been removed, it is only necessary to move

standards

21A and 21B towards one another, remove rear support members 25A and 25B and to rotate

foot members

22A and 22B into the folded position shown in FIG. 3. When setting up display stand 20,

standards

21A and 21B are separated as much as con-y sistent with available space,

foot members

22A and 22B are rotated in the normal position, and rear support members 25A and 25B are inserted. Thereafter, shelf support members 27 are inserted into openings 26'at a height which is commensurable with the desired shelf height.

Thus, a freestanding, collapsible display stand has been described wherein the shelves may be placed at vvarious locations along the vertical standards in either a horizontal or inclined position. Further, foot members are provided on the standards which can be swiveled or pivoted into a position to allow the standards to freestand. Further, the standard separation may be varied to allow accommodation in available display space, and the display stand may be readily set up for display purposes or it may be readily folded for storage or shipment.

It should be noted that while the display stand has been described as a preferred embodiment, details of the display stand could well be modified from that specifically shown and described, and, accordingly, the foregoing description of one embodiment of the invention for one particular purpose is not to be construed in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. A freestanding display stand, comprising:

a plurality of vertical standards;

horizontally extensible connection means interconnecting each pair of adjacent standards whereby said standards are movable between a folded position and an extended position, said connection means including a pair of cross members pivotally interconnected to one another at their center portions, one end of each cross bar being pivotally connected to one of said pair of adjacent standards and the other end of each cross bar being pivotally and longitudinally slidably connected to the opposite one of said pair of adjacent standards;

shelf support brackets removably and adjustably mountable on each of said standards;

shelves supportable upon said brackets, said shelves and brackets including means to secure said shelves to said brackets against dislodgement in a direction perpendicular to the plane defined by said plurality of standards; and

foot means connected to said standard to freestandingly support the same, said foot means including a first foot member which is rotatably connected to the lower portion of each standard and is rotatable between a folded position in which said foot member extends along said standard and an operating position in which said foot member extends forwardly of said standard, and a second foot member which is removably connected to each standard to extend at an angle relative thereto and rearwardly of said standard. t 2. A freestanding display stand in accordance with claim 1 in which said standards have openings for engaging said shelf support brackets and in which each shelf support bracket comprises an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion being disposed substantially horizontally and having an upwardly extending rear edge for passing through an opening in said standard and for engaging the rearward facing surface of said standard and an upwardly extending front edge for engaging said shelf, said lower portion being disposed at an inclination with respect to said upper portion and having one end4 connected to said upper portion proximate the front edge thereof, and having the other end first bend upwardly to extend vertically and to engage the forward facing surface of said standard and then bend rearwardly and horizontally to engage an opening in said standard.

3. A freestanding display stand in accordance with claim 2 in which a cross member is connected to said upper portion and is disposed to engage the forward facing surface of said standard just below said upper portion to secure said upper portion against rearward displacement.

4. A freestanding display stand in accordance'with claim 2 in which said upwardly extending front edge is located a selected distance from the forwardly facing extent of said standards to engage one edge of said shelf for supporting said shelf in an inclined position of a predetermined degree of inclination, said shelves having air upwardly extending edge which forms the rear edge of the shelves when disposed in a horizontal position and the front edge of the shelves when disposed in an inclined position.

5. A freestanding display stand in accordance with claim 4 in which the means to secure said shelves against dislodgement from said brackets comprises a means forming a part of said shelves for engaging said upwardly extending edge of said upper portion.

6. A freestanding display stand, comprising:

a plurality of vertical standards;

horizontally extensible connection means interconnecting each pair of adjacent standards whereby said standards are movable between a folded position and extended position, said connection means including a pair of cross members pivotally interconnected to one another at their center portions, one end of each cross bar being pivotally connected to one of said pair of adjacent standards and the other end of each cross bar being pivotally and longitudinally slid ably connected to the opposite one of said pair of adjacent standards;

foot means swivelably connected to the lower portion of each standard and movable between a folded position in which said foot member extends along said standard and an operating position in which said foot member extends at a predetermined angle to and forwardly of said standard, said foot member including an integral stop means for engaging said standard so that said foot member must be rotated at least from its folded position before engaging said standard in supporting relationship as it assumes said operating position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 674,271 5/1901 Knapp 211--179 2,891,680 6/1959 MacAleese 108-28 X 2,906,486 9/1959 Bellon et al 108-28 X 2,912,119 11/1959 Robinson 108-28 2,919,034 12/1959 Levy 108-1 2,971,657 2/1961 Zadek 108--28 X 3,018,101 1/1962 Mir et al 248-346 X 3,167,037 1/1965 Madson 108-28 X JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. XR.

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