US3544181A - Showcase construction - Google Patents

Description

1970 RCA. SCHOTTLAND 3,544,181

SHOWCASE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 24. 1968 ROBEQTA. SCHOTTLA ND BY /%4% ATTOR N EYS US. Cl. 312-114 United States Patent 3,544,181 SHOWCASE CONSTRUCTION Robert A. Schottland, Ashland, Ky., assignor to Castle Showcase Co., Ashland, Ky., a partnership Filed July 24, 1968, Ser. No. 747,273 Int. Cl. A47f 3/00 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A simplified showcase construction wherein the glass wall panels are received in essentially rigid plastic extrusions, the extrusions being configured to receive and cushion the end edges of the glass panels as well as their opposite marginal side edges, the plastic extrusions or mounting members being of a width to be received in U-shaped channels defining the supporting frame of the showcase, the mounting members in a preferred embodiment each defining a longitudinal glass receiving cavity offset laterally with respect to the longitudinal center line of the mounting member, whereby abutting channel-shape frame members may be overlapped at their abutting ends and the positions of the mounting members received therein reversed so as to bring their longitudinal cavities into axial alignment in spite of the offset relationship of the channel-shaped frames.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The edges of a sheet of glass are relatively fragile as compared to its surfaces and in the mounting of sheets of glass care must be taken to cushion their edges against shock. The problem of shock intensifies as the size and Weight of the sheets increases, and numerous expedients have hitherto been proposed for mounting sheets of glass to cushion them against shock.

Various types of mastics have been employed to cushion the edges of the sheet. Such mastics, which include conventional glazing putty, are useful only where the sheets of glass are relatively small; and even here mastics have been found unsatisfactory where the mounted glass must be transported from one location to another. This is due to the fact that the glass will bottom in transit, the relatively sharp edges of the glass cutting through the mastic and hence contacting the supporting frame, thereby losing the cushioning effect. In this connection, it should be explained that when a sheet of glass is cut, it does not break ofl square to form a planar end edge lying at right angles to the surfaces of the sheet. Rather, the cut edge is usually somewhat curved in cross section having a pointed edge at one side which is literally razor sharp and hence can readily cut through the supporting mastic.

While it has been proposed to wrap the edges of the sheets with tape or other protective materials and/or seat the edges of the sheet on rubber strips or other resilient cushioning material, such expedients have not fully solved the problem. If the glass sheets are relatively heavy, they still have a tendency to bottom, and while supporting wood shims or other forms of shims may be employed to support the weight of the glass, the problem of providing a uniform shock resisting cushion still exists.

ice

The instant invention seeks to overcome the mounting difiiculties enumerated above by providing a mounting in the form of a continuous sling in which the glass panels are effectively suspended, the sling comprising a plastic mounting member formed from an essentially rigid yet resilient plastic material configured in such a way as to securely yet resiliently mount the sheets and at the same time preventing the razor like edges of the sheets from cutting into the mounting. The present invention also eliminates the need for edge wrapping or other time consuming manual operations, the user having only to insert the plastic mounting members in a channel-shaped supporting frame followed by the insertion of the glass sheets.

RESUME OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a mounting member for glass sheets and the like comprising a plastic extrusion formed from a plastic material which is essentially rigid but nonetheless capable of flexing under impact. While the specific material from which the mounting members are formed does not constitute a limitation on the invention, the so-called rigid vinyl plastics, such as polyvinyl chloride, has been found to be Well suited for the purpose.

The mounting members are of generally rectangular configuration and are formed with relatively thin walls, although the thickness of the walls will be determined by the size and weight of the glass panels with which the mounting members are used. In a typical construction for showcase purposes, the Walls of the members will have a thickness of from about .020".O40".

. Each extrusion comprises a pair of opposing side walls interconnected intermediate their opposite ends by a transversely disposed supporting member having a longitudinally extending rib which is preferably semicircular in cross section, the rib underlying a longitudinal cavity defined by an opposing pair of flanges integrally secured to the side walls by wall-forming sections extending inwardly from the ends of the side wall panels in parallel relation to the supporting member.

The mounting member is adapted to be received in a U-shaped supporting frame member with the bottom ends of the side Walls seated against the bottom surface of the channel and with the wall forming sections outermost, preferably in general alignment with the outermost edges of the channel shaped frame member. The cavity defining flanges are spaced apart so as to just nicely receive and cushion the marginal side edges of a piece of glass inserted therein, with the end edge of the glass seated on the semicircular rib of the underlying supporting member.

The glass is thus spaced upwardly from the bottom of the channel in the frame member by means of the transverse supporting member and its longitudinal rib. The rib serves a dual function of supporting the end edge of the glass sheet in such a Way that its sharp edge does not cut into the mounting member, and at the same time it strengthens and reinforces the transversely disposed supporting member. Being formed from plastic, the parts nonetheless are capable of flexing and bending sufliciently to absorb shock.

While the instant invention will find particular utility in the manufacture of showcases and similar articles which the instant invention.

are factory assembled and shipped to the user in assembled condition, the principles of the instant invention are also applicable to in situ installations and the mounting members of the instant invention may be utilized in conjunction with window glass, show windows or like installations. j 7

By providing channel-shaped supporting frame members to support the mounting members, it is also possible to effect simple corner joints simply by overlapping the ing members will bring their longitudinal cavities into alignment in spite of the fact that the channel members in which they are received are offset with respect to each ,other.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a prespective view of a showcase embodying FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a length of a mounting member.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view'taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the corner assembly shown in FIG. 5.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated an exemplary showcase lhaving a base 2 on which a paneljsupporting frame is mounted, the panel supporting frame comprising horizontally disposed frame members 3 and vertically disposed .frame members or corner posts 4; Glass panels 5 are supported by the frame members to define the walls of the showcase, and a suit- The vertical frame members or corner port 4 are preferably of identical construction so that the entire frame I structure may be fabricated from the same frame-forming stock. Thus, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 6, the members 4 j are each configured to define U-shaped channels 16 and 17 having an intermediate channel member 18 defining the base of channel 17 and also the inner channel member of channel 16, the channel 16 having an outer channel member 19 and a base channel member 20 which extends to define the outer member of channel 17. An inner channel member 21 integrally connected to channel member 18 defines the inner side of channel 17.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the channels 7, 16 and 17'will be of equal width and the vertical frame members 4 are adapted to seat in the channel 7 in themanner illustrated in FIG. 2, the channelmembers 19 and 20 being juxtaposed to the inner surfaces of outer channel members 9 of the horizontal frame 3, with the channel member 18 projecting inwardly and the channel member 21 juxtaposed to the innermost surface of the adjoining inner channel member 8 of the horiztonal frame 3. To this end, it will be understood that the end edge of the channel member 8 abutting the channel member 18 will be cut away so that the channel memchannel member 9 projects downwardly beyond the intermediate channel member 10 where it serves, as a base for a second channel 11 having an outer channel member 12,.the channel 11 serving to receive the edge of a bottom panel 13 (FIG. 6) for the showcase which may be formed from wood, composition board or the like. The

bottom panel may be conveniently secured to the base 2 or used as a mounting means for legs or the like which support the showcase.

All four sides of the horizontal frame members 3 may be formed from a single length of materiaLsuch as ex truded aluminum, the intermediate channel member 10 and the outer channelmember 12 being severed to remove triangular areas having their apices abutting the channel member 9 at what will be the corners of the frame, whereuponthe channel member 9 will be bent at right angles at the cut outs to define the corners, the severed 7 may be employed at the top of the showcase to support the counter top 6, in which event it will be inverted so that the channel 11 will project inwardly so as to engage the marginal edges of the counter top 6, the counter top being supported on the intermediate channel member 10 with the outer channel member 12 forming a marginal band overlying the marginal edges ofthe counter top;

ber 18 may project inwardly so as to place member 21 inside channel member, 8. Metal screws 31 or similar fastening means extend through" channel members 9 and 20 to secure together the horizontal and vertical frame members at each corner of the; case.

A plastic mounting member is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting member comprising a spaced apart pair of side walls 22 and 23 interconnected by a transversely disposed. supporting member 24 having a longitudinally extending semicircular rib. 25 projecting upwardly toward the opposing inturned flanges 26 and 27 which define a longitudinal cavity 28 therebetween overlying the rib 25. The flanges 26 and 27 are connected to-the wall forming sections 29 and 30 respectively, projecting inwardly from the ends of the side walls 22 and 23.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wall forming section 29 is of a greaterwidth than the section 30 thereby offsetting the cavity 28 with respect to the longitudinal center line of the mounting member, in which event the rib 25 will also be offset so as to underlie the offset cavity 28. It is also preferred that the flanges 26 and 27 incline inwardly relative to each other in the manner illustrated in FIG. ,4 so that upon insertion of the glass, the flanges will be flexed outwardly to firmly engage the opposite sides of the glass.

The manner in which the mounting members are fitted in the channel-shaped frame members 3 and 4 can be best seen in -FIGS. 5 and 6, ;it being understood that the mounting members will simply be pressed into the channels, their width being such that they will be snugly received therein. Preferably, the length of the channels will be such that the end edges of the wall forming sections 29 and 30 will abut at the corners of the case, al-

though contact is not required and the adjoining mounting members may be spaced apart a short distance without impairing their effectiveness.

In order to maintain the longitudinal cavities of both the horizontal and vertically disposed mounting members in alignment even though the channels in the supporting frame members are oflset laterally with respect to each other, it is only necessary toreversethe position in which they are inserted in thechannels. Thus, as will be clearly apparent from FIG. 5, the mounting members in the horizontally disposed frame members 3 arepositioned with the wider wall jforming sections 29 outermost, whereas the mounting members inserted in the vertical frame members 4 are positioned with the narrower wall forming sections 30 outermost. By making a the difference in width between the wider and narrower wall forming sections 28 and 29 substantially equal to the lateral offset of the channels in the horizontal and vertical frame members relative to each other, the longitudinal cavities 28 in the mounting members will be brought into planar alignment and hence positioned to receive the adjacent edges of the glass panels 5.

FIG. also serves to illustrate the manner in which the semicircular ribs cushion the end edges of the glass. As previously indicated, when the glass panels are cut, the glass breaks at an angle to define an edge 31 which is extremely sharp. It will be evident that the semicircular rib 25 is so arranged that it supports the major extent of the inclined end surface of the glass and yet is not directly contacted by the sharp edge 31 to the extent that such edge will cut into either rib 25 or the supporting member 24.

'As should be evident, the dimensions of the parts do not constitute a limitation on the invention and may be varied in accordance with the strength requirements for any given application. Generally speaking, where an essentially rigid vinyl plastic is used to form the mounting members, a wall thickness of .020" is suitable for use with the glass sheets having a thickness up to A". As the thickness of the glass increases, it is desirable to increase the Wall thickness of the mounting members. For example, excellent results have been obtained using a wall .thickness of .030" for /8" glass, .035" for glass, and .040" wall thickness for glass over in thickness. It will be understood, of course, that where large areas of glass are involved, it may be desirable to increase the relative thickness of the members, particularly the bottom mounting member used to support a vertically disposed sheet of glass.

It will be evident that modifications may be made in the invention without departing from its spirt and purpose. Various such modifications have already been discussed and others will undoubtedly occur to the skilled worker in the art upon reading this specification. For example, where the longitudinal channels in the horizontal and vertical supporting frame members are in axial alignment, as opposed to being offset in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2, the wall forming sections 29 and 30 may be of equal width with the cavity 28 and underlying rib 25 medially disposed between the side walls 22 and 23. Similarly, the specific form of the frame members may be changed and different configurations may be employed for the horizontal and vertical members.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A unitary mounting member for a sheet of glass, said mounting member being formed from an essentially rigid yet resilient plastic material and comprising a pair of opposing side walls, a transversely disposed supporting member interconnecting said side walls intermediate their opposite ends, with the ends of said side walls projecting freely beyond said supporting member in one direction, said supporting member having a hollow rib of semicircular cross section extending lengthwise thereof intermediate said opposing side walls, a pair ofwall forming sections extending inwardly from the opposite ends of said opposing side walls and terminating inwardly in a pair of spaced apart inturned flanges lying on opposite sides of said lengthwise rib, said flanges projecting freely inwardly toward said rib with said rib and said flanges defining a longitudinal cavity adapted to receive the marginal edge of a sheet of glass with the end edge of the glass sheet seated on said rib and the inner surfaces of said flanges juxtaposed to the opposite surfaces of said glass sheet, said flanges. being initially slightly inclined toward each other and spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the glass sheet engaged between said flanges, the said wall surfaces, supporting member, rib and flanges coacting to flexibly suspend said glass sheet for multidirectional displacement in the absence of rigid clamping, whereby the glass sheet is at all times free to move and flex relative to the mounting member even when the mounting member is twisted or flexed.

2. The mounting member claimed in claim 1 wherein said longitudinal cavity is offset laterally with respect to the longitudinal center line of said mounting member.

3. The mounting member claimed in claim 1 wherein said lengthwise rib has a cross-sectional diameter substantially equal to the Width of said cavity at its juncture with said wall forming sections.

4. The mounting member claimed in claim 3 wherein the wall surfaces of said mounting member, including said supporting member, said rib, and said flanges, have a thickness of from about .020" to about .040".

5. In a showcase or like structure comprising horizontal and vertical frame members interconnected at their ends to form a glass receiving frame, said frame members having walls defining U-shaped channels therein, the improvement which comprises unitary glass receiving mounting members inserted in said channels, each of said mounting members being formed from an essentially rigid yet resilient plastic material and comprising a pair of opposing side walls, a transversely disposed supporting member interconnecting said side walls intermediate their ends with the ends of said side walls projecting freely beyond said supporting member in one direction, said supporting member having a hollow rib of semicircular cross section extending lengthwise thereof intermediate said opposing side walls, a pair of wall forming sections extending inwardly from the opposite ends of said opposing side walls and, terminating inwardly in a pair of spaced apart inturned flanges lying on opposite sides of said lengthwise rib, said flanges projecting freely inwardly toward said rib with said rib and said flanges defining a longitudinal cavity adapted to receive the marginal edge of a sheet of glass with an end edge of the glass sheet seated on said rib and the inner surfaces of said flanges juxtaposed to the opposite surfaces of the glass sheet, said flanges being initially slightly inclined toward each other and spaced apart by a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the glass sheet engaged between said flanges, the said wall surfaces, supporting member, rib and flanges all being of a uniform thickness of from about .020" to .040 and coacting to flexibly suspend said glass sheet for multidirectional displacement in the absence of rigid clamping, whereby the glass sheet is at all times free to move and flex relative to the mounting members even when the said frame members are twisted or flexed.

6. The structure claimed in claim 5 wherein the ends of said vertical frame members overlap the ends of said horizontal frame members so that the longitudinal axes of their respective channels are offset laterally with respect to each other by the thickness of the channel walls, wherein the longitudinal cavities in said mounting members are offset laterally with respect to the longitudinal center lines of said mounting members by a distance equal to the thickness of said channel walls, and wherein the mounting members inserted in the laterally ofl'set channels are in end-to-end reversed position with respect to the mounting members inserted in the remaining channels, whereby to bring the longitudinal axes of the cavities in the mounting members into planar alignment irrespective of the oflFset relationship of the channels in which they are inserted.

7. The structure claimed in claim 6 wherein both the vertical and the horizontal frame members are of the same configuration, each such frame member having a pair of channels formed therein lying at right angles to each other, wherein the showcase has upper and lower horizontal frame members, wherein one of the channels in each of said lower frame members is positioned to receive an edge of a bottom wall for said showcase, and wherein one of the channels in each of said upper frame 7 I V 8 I members is positioned to receive an edge of a counter top 2,872,266 2/1959 Holderle 312-114 X for said showcase. t 3,346,310 10/1967 Diack 312--114 X References Cited I 3,363,390 1/1968 Crane .1 52-627 X UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1963 Adell 52-627 X 1,104,868 7/ 1914 Bolin 5 NILE C.BYERS, 111., Primary Examiner 1,162,722 11/ 1915' Jacobson 52-627 1,488,095 3/1924 Connell 52'494 US. Cl. X.R.

2,190,263 2/1940' Gerland 52--627 52627

Images