US3524274A - Card holding and displaying device - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent 3,524,274 CARD HOLDING AND DISPLAYING DEVICE Emerson Glassburn, 1412 E. Hudson St., Columbus, Ohio 43211 Filed July 10, 1968, Ser. No. 743,887 Int. Cl. G09f 1/10 U.S. Cl. 40124.4- 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for holding and displaying greeting cards or the like which include two or more panels hinged or folded together. The cards can be readily positioned on or removed from upright retaining and supporting pins carried by a suitable base. When positioned on the pins, they are displayed in radially outwardly extending positions so that they can be readily observed.

When a person receives a large number of greeting cards, he usually puts them in a pile and to inspect them or shown them he must sort through the pile. The present invention provides a device for holding a large number of cards so that they can be readily observed and any one selected and removed. The device is such that any card may be readily positioned thereon and removed therefrom without disturbing adjacent cards. Also, each card may be swung readily to space its face from an adjacent card so that the face or other panels thereof can be readily observed. The device is simple and inexpensive yet very efiective for the purpose intended.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention and in this drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my device.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing a modification of my device.

With particular reference to the drawing, the device comprises a hollow, substantially cylindrical body 5 which is preferably formed of suitable plastic. The top of this body 5 is closed by an integral dome-shaped wall 6 which has an integral centrally-disposed upwardly projecting knob 7 by means of which the entire device may be lifted and rotated to different angular positions. The body 5 is provided at its lower edge with a supporting skirt 8 which is outwardly flared and is concentric with the body but is of greater diameter so that there is a horizontal annular ledge or shelf 9 provided therebetween and connecting the two portions. Reinforcing vertical ribs 10 may be provided within the body 5 at angularly spaced positions.

Around the annular ledge or shelf 9, I provide a plurality of upstanding pins or tines 11. These pins may be formed integral with the ledge or be formed separately and mounted thereon. In either event, they are at close angularly spaced intervals entirely around the ledge and are spaced radially outwardly from the body 5. Their upper ends 12 are all at the same level, which is spaced substantially below the dome-shaped top 6 of the body. This provides an exposed annular surface 13 above the upper ends 12 of the pins 11 which will engage the inner folded edges ofthe cards and help in guiding them onto the upper ends of the pins.

in using this device, the folded or hinged cards C are positioned on the device by slipping their folded inner 3,524,274 Patented Aug. 18, 1970 edges F over the respective upstanding pins 11. In this operation, the inner folded vertical joints or edges F engage the vertical guide surface 13 of the body 5, and then if the cards are merely dropped bodily, they will slide down over the respective pins until they rest at their lower edges on the ledges or shelf 9. At this time, they will be positioned as indicated in phantom in FIG. 1. They will extend radially outwardly from the body 5 and can be easily observed, and can be swung about the axes of the pins to be positioned for easier reading of each panel. To remove, it is merely necessary to select a card and slide it upwardly off its respective pin. The entire device may be lifted and rotated by the knob 7 to permit access to any supported card.

In FIG. 3, -I have illustrated schematically a modification of my device in which the body 5a is mounted for rotation about the axis of the device to make any supported card more readily accessible. The structure is identical with that previously described except a turntable arrangement is added. This arrangement comprises a flat disc-like base plate 20 which has an integral central upwardly opening tubular socket 21 that rotatably receives a spindle 22. The spindle 22 is integral with the top wall 6a and depends therefrom. It slips into the upper open end of socket 21, until a bearing enlargement 23 thereon engages the upper end of the socket, and rotates therein, permitting rotation of the entire housing 5a, and the cards supported thereon, relative to the base plate 20.

It will be apparent that the above described structure provides a simple and inexpensive device for supporting folded cards in readily observable and accessible positions and that the cards can be easily and quickly positioned thereon or removed therefrom.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A card holding device for holding folded or hinged cards or the like comprising a body portion having an upstanding vertical outer surface and a horizontal ledge projecting outwardly from said surface at an angle so that the upstanding surface extends upwardly therefrom a substantial distance, and a plurality of upstanding pins extending upwardly from said ledge at angularly spaced intervals and spaced outwardly from said upstanding surface, said upstanding surface extending substantially above the upper ends of said pins and serving as a card-guiding surface, said body being substantially cylindrical and being supported by an annular skirt at its lower edge which is joined to said body by said ledge which is in the form of an annular shelf, said pins being angularly spaced around said shelf and being spaced radially outwardly from said cylindrical body.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the body is closed by a dome-shaped top wall, and a knob centrally carried on the exterior of said top wall.

3. A device according to claim 1 including a support for the body, and means for rotatably mounting the body on the support for revolving movement.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 136,810 12/1943 Ranch.

642,277 1/ 1900 Adair. 3,170,260 2/ 1965 Parker 4024 3,341,266 9/1967 Schecter et al. 211-40 X EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner W. I. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner

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