US540535A - Display-front for boxes - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

E. L. CHAPFIN. DISPLAY FRONT FOR BOXES.

No. 540,555. P5555555 June 4.- 1895.

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INVENTOH I A7TOHNEY.

UNKTED STATES .PATENT V @FFIQE.

EDWARD L. CHAFFIN, O'F HELENA, ARKANSAS.

DlSPLAY-FRON T FOR BOXES.

I SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 540,535, dated June 4, 1895.

' I Application filed February 13, 1895. serial natsaleo. on; model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, EDWARD L. OHAF N, of Helena, in the county of. Phillips and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and Improved Display-Front for Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in the show fronts of boxes, especially to that class of boxes or receptacles in which crackers, nuts, cakes, .dried fruits and other small articles are contained, the front being a display front, and the object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the front may be divided into two sections, the upper section being a drop section,and to provide the drop section with end guards whereby when the said section is dropped downward so as to expose the contents of the box the said contents will not spillout at the ends of the section.

Another object of this invention is to pro vide an automatically operating fastening or locking device for the drop section, and to construct the entire front in such manner that it may be secured toany desired boxor receptacle.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a displaybox having the improvement applied thereto, the drop-section of the front being open. Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation of the said box, the front being closed. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, the drop-section of the front being open; and Fig.4 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

In carrying out the invention any form of box A may be employed to receive the article to be displayed. Preferably, however, the box is made rectangular in general contour, as shown in the drawings, and is provided with an open front. The open front of the box, however, is adapted to be closed by a display front piece 13, and the said front piece, is made in two sections, an upper section b and a lower section b. Ordinarily the two :sections are of equal width, whereby the display front is divided into two equal parts. Each section of the display front comprises a frame 10 involving in the upper section a top bar and two side bars, and in the lower section a bottom bar and two side bars, the side bars of the upper and lower sections being in registry; and in the frame of each of the sections a transparent pane 11 is preferably secured in any suitable or approved manner. I

The displayfrontB may be secured to the front of the receptacle A by means of screws or other fastening devices, so that it may be removed entirely at any time, the fastening devices being located in the lowersection only, and may consist, as shown in the drawings, of two set screws 12, and the opposing edges of the transparent pane 11 are preferably incased in or bordered by metallic strips 12, or strips of any anyfother material, the object of the strips being to prevent the hand of the operator from being cutor injured by the rough edges of the glass, since glass is the material usually employed for the transparent ane.

p The two sections b and b of the display front are connected at their ends by means of hinges, preferably spring hinges, and each hinge consists of a knuckle 13 which is secured to the lower section b, and a knuckle 14 secured to the upper section b where it joins the lower one, the two knuckles of each hinge being connected by a suitable pintle, as shown in Fig. 3, and any form of spring is employed to exert a closing influence upon the hinge.

At each end of the upper section b of the display front a plate 15 is adjustably secured, and each of the said plates represents in shape the segment of a circle, one straight edge being the inner edge and the other straight edge being brought in engagement with the inner face of an end bar of the upper section b, and at the lower straight edge of each plate 15 a horizontal inwardly-extending flange 16 is formed, set screwslZbeing passed through slots 18 forin'edfin the flanges of the plates and into the frame of the upper section, whereby when the display front is attached to boxes of varying lengths the plates 15 may be adjusted inward or outward, as occasion may demand, and owing to the cylindrical upper edges of these plates they will readily pass within the receptacle A when the upper section b of the display front is closed, as shown in dotted linesin Fig. 2; and when the said upper section is brought downward to a horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, these plates 15, which are practically guard plates, will prevent the contents of the receptacle from spilling over the ends of the drop 1 section Z) of the front. Ordinarilyin the construction of this form of a front, plain hinges are used, which necessitates holding the front down to a position which will admit of the contents of the receptacle being removed.

The drop section is held in its upper or in its lower position through the medium of a locking device 0, which is of a spring character. A locking device is pivoted at each end of the upper or drop section b of the front upon a screw 19, or its equivalent, located preferably at about the central portion of the said ends.

Each locking device is made of a spring material, as for example wire, and is bent upon itself to form an eye to receive the stud or screw 19, twin shanks 20, a second eye 21 near its lower end, and a fork 22 at its lower extremity, as is best shown in Fig. 3.

A stud or pin 23 is secured to the outer side edge of the side pieces of the lower or fixed portion of the adjustable front convenient to the upper edge; and the said studs are made to pass between the members of the locking device. When the drop section of the display front is carried to its horizontal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, enabling the contents of the box to be removed, the studs will have entered the lower eyes 21 of the fastening devices and the said drop section will be held in its open position; and when the drop section is closed or carried to its vertical position, shown in Fig. 2, the fastening devices will be drawn upward, and the studs when the section has reached its closed'position, will enter between the members of the fork 22,and will serve to hold the drop section in vertical alignment with the lower section of the front and in closed engagement with the receptacle. Thus it will be observed that this display front may be attached to any form of box to which it is adapted in an expeditious and convenient manner; and also that the drop front may be opened and left open without any support from the hand, the fastening devices 0 serving to hold the drop section in open or in provided with a stud or pin and the other section having a fastening device secured thereto and provided with seats engaging the stud on the other section when the drop section is in either a horizontal or vertical position, and securing the drop section in either of the said positions, as and for the purpose specified.

2. Adisplay front for boxes or other receptacles constructed in two sectious,one section having a hinged connection with the other section and adapted to drop to a horizontal position, or to be held in a vertical position, guard plates located at the ends of the drop section and a locking device comprising parallel spring members provided with communicating seats, the said locking device being pivotally connected with one of said sections, and a stud or pin located upon the other section and adapted to engage either of said seats, substantially as shown and described.

3. A display front for boxes orother receptacles, the same comprising two sections having a hinged connection, the upper section being a drop section and the lower section being provided with fastening devices for attachment to the receptacle, guards located at the ends of the drop section, and a locking device comprising parallel spring-members pivoted to the drop section and receiving between them a stud or pin located upon the fixed section, the said spring members being bent outwardly from each other at a predetermined point forming an opening or eye adapted to receive the stud when the movable section is in the horizontal position, and the ends of the said spring members forming a fork to engage said stud when the movable section is in a vertical position, as and for the purpose specified.

EDWARD L. CIIAFFIN.

Witnesses:

ANDREW JOHNSON, J 0s. L. SOLOMON.

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