US3666114A

US3666114A - Display rack

Info

Publication number: US3666114A
Application number: US61137A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ardell Davis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-08-05
Filing date: 1970-08-05
Publication date: 1972-05-30
Anticipated expiration: 1989-05-30

Abstract

A self-leveling dispenser and display rack including a support frame, a horizontally displaced platform, a plurality of springs for supporting the platform within the frame. The springs being encased within arcuate support guide members so that the platform is self-leveling under a varying load.

Description

May 30, 1972 United States Patent Davis llllll Ardell Davis, 381 1 De Leon Ave., Tampa,

Primary ExaminerNile C. Byers, Jr.

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frame, a horizontally displaced platform, a plurality of springs for supporting the platform within the frame. The springs being encased within arcuate support guide members so that the platform is self-leveling under a varying load.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 12 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures 2,717,085 Waddington....................t....211/49 X PATENTEDHAY 30 m2 SHET 10F 2 INVENTOR. ARDELL DAVIS ATTORNEY.

PATENTEDHAY 3 0 I972 SHEEI 2 OF 2 FIG.7

INVENTOR. ARDELL DAVIS BY 2 a,

0-14% ATTORNEY.

DISPLAY RACK BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to apparatus for displaying and dispensing stacked articles and particularly to a seIf-level-. ing dispenser which utilizes its support frame to encase the spring balancing means.

Spring leveled dispensing apparatus have been utilized in various forms in the prior art. The most common dispenser of this type is the dish dispensing apparatus found in cafeterias. These dispensers utilize a tubular enclosure extending downwardly through an opening in a countertop or an upper wall in a cabinet. The tubular enclosure usually has a rim by which the enclosure, together with the dispensing apparatus and the dishes supported therein are entirely suspended and supported by the cabinet. Contained within the tubular enclosure is a large coil spring bearing against the bottom of the enclosure and against a dispensing head upon which the dishes are stacked. The spring, thus, accommodates itself to the weight of the dishes stacked in the dispensing head so that the uppermost dish is automatically positioned above the counter top and is readily accessible for use. While this type of single coil spring dispenser is satisfactory for use with circular dishes and the like, it has been found that the conventional tubular type dish dispensing mechanism, powered by a single large diameter spring coil, is unsatisfactory when the support rack is non-circular and fairly large. This is so because the single, centrally located spring tends to tilt and bind at the top when under eccentric load. This binding is usually caused by the shifting of the center of gravity as the various articles to be dispensed are removed from the platform in a non-symmetrical fashion. In addition, the conventional tube type self leveling dispenser commonly incorporates a circular, pan-shaped dispensing platform which rests on the top of the coiled spring with connecting means, such as a chain, extending from the bottom side of the dispensing platform, through the center of the spring, to the base of the tubular enclosure. The purpose of this construction being to keep the dispensing head and the spring within the confines of the tube. As the spring is compressed and decompressed, the dispensing head tends to rub against the side of the tube, this metal to metal contact, in addition to being noisy, increases the friction and decreases the lifting efiiciency of the dispenser. Another common disadvanrage of the prior art self-leveling dispensers is the difficulty in adjusting of the height of the self-dispensing head. The prior art devices commonly provide a screw-type device located at the bottom of the housing which raises or lowers the bottom of the platfonn at the base of the spring. With this type of adjustment device, the articles frequently must be removed before adjustment can be made. Also, accurate leveling at a desired height is difficult and usually done be guesswork.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved self-Ieveling apparatus for displaying and dispensing stacked articles.

A further object of the invention is to provide a self-leveling dispenser which utilizes a plurality of leveling springs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a self-leveling dispenser which utilizes its frame to encase the balancing springs.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a selfleveling display rack and dispenser which is arranged to carry non-symmetrical loads without buckling or tipping.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

The above and other objects not specifically enumerated are accomplished by providing a self-leveling display rack which comprises a plurality of arcuate, hollow, support bars adapted and arranged to provide the dual functions of supporting the horizontally planar support rack and concealing the plurality of springs which are attached to and level the planar rack. The spring tension is adapted to be adjusted such that articles to be displayed are at a predetermined, self-leveling height regardless of their number. The particular height of the articles may be adjusted while the rack remains loaded. The arcuate supports may be U-shaped, arched or vertical and they may have circular, rectangular or other convenient cross section which will freely accomodate the encased spring.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in combination with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a first preferred embodiment of the display rack.

FIG. 2 is a cross section view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a broken cross section view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a broken cross section view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross section view of a square tube.

FIG. 6 is a cross section view along line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a cross section view of a second preferred embodiment of the display rack.

FIG. 8 is broken cross section view along line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a third preferred embodiment of the display rack.

FIG. 10 is a broken cross section view through line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

Similar reference characters refer to similar throughout the several views of the drawing.

parts DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein is shown generally a first embodiment of display rack 10. Display rack 10 has four sides, 12, 14, 16 and 18 which are conjoined at their vertical edges by suitable fastening means such as rivets 20 or brackets (not shown) to form a generally square, open topped column. The sides may be constructed of any suitable rigid material such as plastic, sheet metal, tin or the like, which is of sufiicient strength to support the articles (not shown) to be displayed. Attached to the interior wall 22 of side 12 by rivets 20 are two

U-shaped tubes

26 and 28. The tubes are here shown to be generally square in cross section. However, it is contemplated that the tube be circular or any suitable cross section. Tube 26 is slightly larger than tube 28 and arranged such that the two tubes fit in a touching relationship as shown in FIG. 2. On the interior wall 24 of side wall 16 are fixedly attached by rivets 20, a second set of

U-shaped tubes

30 and 32.

Tubes

30 and 32 are identical and aligned respectively with

tubes

26 and 28.

A cross section of the top end 34 of tube 32 is shown in FIG. 3. Here, side wall 16 is shown riveted to tube 32 by rivet 20. Plug 36 is provided with eye bolt 38 such that plug 36 will hold fixed the end of spring 40. Spring 40 extends within tube 32 as shown by FIG. 2. The end 42 of spring 40 is fixedly attached a flexible, non-elastic cable 44. Cable 44 extends the rest of the way through tube 32 and over pulley 46. Pulley 46 is pivotally attached to the opposite end 48 of tube 32 and is adapted to rotate about axis 50 in response to the movement of cable 44.

As seen in FIG. 4, cable 44 is secured to an article rack 52 which may be of any generalized configuration such that articles may be displayed or stacked. For instance, each rack 52 may have a flat, rigid surface as seen in FIG. 4, or it may have a number of dividing slots 54 such as shown in FIG. 1. The particular construction of rack 52 being a matter of choice governed by the type and shape of the articles to be displayed. Rack 52 may be flat so that the rack hangs freely within the four

side walls

12, 14, 16 and 18 as shown in FIG. 1, or a number of wheels 58 may be attached to the rack bottom 56 by brackets 60 such that the wheels will rollably engage the interior of

side walls

12, 14, 16 and 18 thereby preventing rack 52 from lateral movement. Wheel 58 and bracket 60 may be of any suitable material of either a rigid or resilient nature.

Referring again to FIG. 1 and 2,

U-shaped tubes

26, 28 and 30, each have their own plugs 36, eye bolts 38, springs 40, cables 44, pulleys 46, axis 50 as discussed with reference to tube 32. Also, wheels 58 and brackets 60 are constructed and arranged on the interior of

side walls

12 and 16 as indicated in the FIG. 4.

In operation, the articles (not shown) to be displayed are placed within display rack 10. As more weight (articles) is placed on rack 52, the rack will be forced downward as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 2. Similarly, as the articles are used one by one, rack 52 will rise slowly thereby maintaining a constant level of articles.

The height of rack 52 and the type of material used in spring 40 will be determined by the range of loads display rack will be expected to handle. In addition, the tension within springs 40 can be increased or decreased either by lengthening or shortening cable 44 or re-hooking eye-bolt 38 to a different location along spring 40.

FIG. 6 shows a view through line 6-6 and illustrates one construction wherein

U-shaped tubes

30 and 32 are circular. In FIG. 5,

tubes

62 and 64 are square in cross section. The particular cross sectional configuration being a matter of choice.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, a second display rack embodiment 66 is shown. Rack 66 varies from rack 10 in that the U-shaped tubes are inverted and each is shaped as a book. In this embodiment, four hook shaped

tubes

68, 70, 72 and 74 are attached and aligned on side walls in the same manner described previously. Within the tubes, springs 40 are attached at one end to eye bolts 38 and at the distal end to pins 76 which are fixedly attached to and protrude horizontally from the corners of rack 52 as illustrated in FIG. 8. Pins 76 protrude through slots 78 which extend axially downward along the side walls of the tube legs as indicated by FIG. 7. The pins 76 are of smaller diameter than slots 78 so that rack 52 will freely slide up and down slots 78 in response to the load on the rack.

In addition, it is contemplated that the inverted hook shaped tubes of embodiment 66 could be arches (not shown) which each extend to the ground.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show yet another embodiment in which four hollow

straight tubes

80, 82 and 84 and 86 extend upward and are supported rigidly in a rectangular relationship by

side walls

12, 14, 16 and 18 as in the first and second embodiments. At the top and connecting

tubes

80, 82, 84 and 86 are panels 88 upon which indicia such as advertisements may be placed. The top end of the tubes have plugs 36 and eye-bolts 38 as described above to which are attached springs 40. The other end of springs 40 are attached to pins 76. Pins 76 are attached horizontally to rack 52 which is of the same general construction as described above. As in the previous embodiment, slots 78 are provided in the lower end of the tubes and arranged so that rack 52 will move vertically in response to a varying load. Plugs 36 and eye bolts 39 are arranged such that they may be hooked to a number of places along springs 40 in order to vary the tension in springs 40 and hence the level of rack 52.

In utilizing this invention, it is contemplated that the side walls of this display rack be utilized to carry advertising indicia and the like to describe and advertise the articles being dispensed.

It is also contemplated that the display racks be made of any suitable construction material such as metal, wood or plastic.

It is further contemplated that the tubes in the second and third embodiments be used alone to support the display rack and in that situation the side walls would not be needed for support hence they could be made of a flexible, thin material such as paper or removed completely.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above article without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Now that the invention has been described:

What is claimed is:

1. An automatic leveling display rack comprising: a first and second side wall, said side walls being vertically and fixedly disposed in a spaced relationship by supporting means, said first side wall having a first and second curved tube affixed thereto, said second side wall having a third and fourth curved tube attached thereto, each of said four tubes having resilient means attached to one end thereof and extending into said tubes, the unattached end of said four resilient means being operatively connected to an article rack whereby said article rack is suspended between said walls and arranged to move up or down in response to a varying load placed thereon.

2. The display rack of claim 1 wherein said first and second side walls are in a substantially parallel, spaced relation and wherein said curved tubes are substantially U shaped with the bight of said U-shaped tubes being uppermost.

3. The display rack of claim 1 wherein said first and third curved tubes are slightly larger than said second and fourth curved tubes and further wherein said first and second tubes are arranged in a co-extensive, touching relationship on said first side wall and said third and fourth tubes are arranged in a co-extensive, touching relationship on said second side wall.

4. The display rack of claim 1 wherein said support means comprise a third and fourth side wall conjoined at the vertical edges thereof with said first and second side wall whereby a substantially rectangular column is formed, wherein said article rack is suspended by said resilient means.

5. The display rack of claim 1 wherein said resilient means is a spring of a smaller diameter than said tube, said spring being fixedly attached to said tube and extending into said tube.

6. The display rack of claim 5 wherein said resilient means further comprises a flexible, substantially non-resilient cable attached at one end to the free end of said spring and at the distal end to an article rack.

7. The display rack of claim 6 wherein said tubes are U- shaped with the bight of said U-shaped tubes proximate with the base of said side walls.

8. The display rack of claim 5 wherein each of said tubes have axially extending slots therein through which the free end of said spring is fixed to said article rack.

9. The display rack of claim 6 wherein each of said flexible, non-resilient cables are operatively associated with roller means attached to one end of each of said tubes, whereby said cable will move substantially friction free over said roller means.

10. The display rack of claim 8 wherein said tubes are hookshaped and arranged so that the long leg of said each of said tubes extend to the base of said side walls.

11. The display rack of claim 10 wherein said article rack is pin connected through said slots with said spring whereby said article rack is suspended within said display rack and adapted to move vertically in response to a varying load.

12. The display rack of claim 8 wherein said tubes are archshaped and arranged so that the legs of said arches extend to the base of said side walls.

Claims

7. The display rack of claim 6 wherein said tubeS are U-shaped with the bight of said U-shaped tubes proximate with the base of said side walls.

10. The display rack of claim 8 wherein said tubes are hook-shaped and arranged so that the long leg of said each of said tubes extend to the base of said side walls.

12. The display rack of claim 8 wherein said tubes are arch-shaped and arranged so that the legs of said arches extend to the base of said side walls.