US3166195A - Display device - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 19, 1965 R. E. TABER 3,166,195

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 25, 1963 4 heet 1 INVENTOR Russm ETABER,

ATTORNEYS.

a 1965 R. E. TABER 3,166,195

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 25, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Russeu. ETABER,

ATTORNEYS.

R. E. TABER DISPLAY DEVICE Jan. 19, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 25, 1963 INVENTOR RussELLETAaER,

ATTORNEYS,

Jan. 19, 1965 R. E. TABER 3,166,195

DISPLAY DEVICE Filed June 25, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. RussEu. ETABER,

ATTORNEYS.

United fi fidddldd Patented Jan. 19, 1965 est . 3,166,195 DISPLAY DEVECE Russell E. Taber, 51d Dogwood V alley ll rive NE, Atlanta, Ga. Filedlane 25, 1%3, Ser. No. 2%,335 13 Claims. (Cl. Ell-4'9) This invention relates to a device for displaying packaged merchandise, and more particularly to such a device which is capable of feeding mechandise carried thereby to the front of the shelf or other support.

Retail merchandising, particularly in the food field, has become a rather exacting science in recent years. It is, of course, desirable that the articles of merchandise be attractively displayed; they must be easily visible in relation to adjacent items; and they must be within easy reach of customers or clerks.

In a conventional arrangement, wherein a number of packaged articles are simply stacked in rows on a shelf or counter, the effectiveness of the display decreases as the items in front are removed, because the remaining items are located further back on the shelves.

Past efforts at correcting these disadvantages have developed various devices usingv gravity to feed the remaining articles to the front of the shelf or counter as each front article is removed, while still other efforts have developed spring feeding devices. However, none of these eiforts has been noted for its versatility or adaptability in accommodating more than a single line of products. Furthermore, the spring feeding devices have generally failed to give consistently efficient performance over long periods of time.

till another disadvantage of the prior spring loaded devices was that removal of the front item tended to disengage and topple one or more of the items directly behind it.

With the above disadvantages and objections in mind, it is a primary object of the instant invention to provide a display device which will feed remaining articles to the front of the counter or other support as each front item is successively removed.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a display device which will prevent the remaining articles from being ejected or toppled when one item is removed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an arrangement wherein the sliding friction involved in moving the remaining items toward the front is greatly reduced, thereby permitting the device to accommodate somewhat larger and heavier merchandise.

further object of the invention is the provision of a display device which is easily and inexpensively fabricated, and which can be secured to existing counter space without any modifications of either the device itself or the existing counter space.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a means for keeping the articles carried by the device in proper alignment, and free from interference with adjacent merchandise.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a display device having all of the above mentioned advantages, and which will also accommodate additional layers of merchandise. Ancillary to this last mentioned object, it is another object of this invention to provide such a device which will securely hold the additional mount a multi-convoluted self-recoiling roll.

layers of merchandise so that they will not topple on the intermittent forward motion and sudden stoppage of the assembly.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to the skilled worker in the art as this specification proceeds. Reference will be made to the accompanying drawings showing an exemplary embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the display device of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing a modification of the invention;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view showing the modification of FIGURE 2 from the back:

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing still another modification of the invention;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1 FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view along the line 66 of FlGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view showing a modification of the general arrangement;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of a modification of a portion of the display device;

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of another modification of a portion of the device of this invention; and

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of still another modification of a portion of this invention.

In its broadest aspect, the display device of this invention utilizes a multi-convoluted self-recoiling roll which is freely mounted for rotational movement at the front edge of a shelf or counter. The outer transverse edge of the roll is secured to a back supporting member in a manner described in detail hereinafter. The back supporting member and the attached self-recoiling roll may be pulled or drawn toward the rear of the shelf or counter, thereby uncoiling a portion of the freely mounted roll. A plurality of articles may then be placed on the uncoiled portion of the roll, between the back supporting member and the portion of the roll remaining in its coiled form. When each front article is removed, the self-recoiling properties of the roll will draw the back supporting member, and and all of the remaining articles supported thereby toward the front edge of the shelf.

Turning now to the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1, it will be seen that it comprises a base member having a bottom It and the opposedlongitudinal side walls 11 and 12. The base member may be formed from any available materials, such as plastic or the like, and if desired may be decoratively colored or otherwise finished to enhance the overall appearance of the device. Although in the embodiment shown, the base member is open ended, suitable end plates could of course be supplied. The end plate could be used to carry advertising material, display the price of the merchandise, or the like.

Removably journaled between the oposingside walls 11 and 12 is the axle or retainingpin 13. As will hereinafter become apparent, theaxle 13 serves to loosely This purpose can be equally well served by either a single axle or pin extending all the way between theopposing sides 11 and 12, by a pair of fixed stub axles or pins, journaled respectively in thesides 11 and 12, or in some cases by the complete elrnination of the axle in favor of a barrier surface against which the coiled portion of the selfrecoiled portion of the self-recoiling roll bears.

Mounted for free rotational movement about theaxle 13 is a multi-convoluted self-recoilingroll 14. A method for making the self-recoilingroll 14 is described in a copending application, Serial No. 164,372, entitled Method of Making a Self-Coiling Sheet. Extensive experimentation has shown that a polyester film such as .0075 inch Mylar manufactured by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.,

processed as taught in the above noted application, may

be extended and recoiled almost indefinitely without fatigue. As explained in that application, such material will always tend to return to its coiled state.

For purposes of this invention, theroll 14 must be of a width which will fit between the side walls ill and 12, and must have a length slightly greater than the length of the bottom 16)..

It should be noted that theconvoluted roll 14 has inner andouter surfaces 14a and 1415 respectively. Theback supporting member 15 is secured to the inner surface 14a of theroll 14 adjacent its outer transverse edge as clearly shown in the drawings. The back supporting member E is provided with arearwardly extending foot 16. In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 through 4, the rearwardly extending foot is simply a flange at the bottom of the back supporting member. in the embodiment shown in FTGURE 5, the rearwardly extending foot is a wedge block 17, secured to the back supporting member as at 18 and tothe outer transverse edge of theroll 14 as at 19.

The arrow designated 2'8 in FTGURE 5 indicates the direction of primary tension when the roll or coil 14- is extended. That is, the self-recalling properties of the roll tends to pull the back supporting member directly toward the coiled portion of the roll, and a plurality ofarticles 21 may be securely engaged therebetween. The

cooperation of the self-coiling tendencies of the roll 1d and the rearwardly extending foot in: or 17 produces a very important secondary direction of tension, as indicated' by thearrow 22. In other words, the tendency of theroll 14 to coil up may also be considered as a tendency for the outer edge of the roll to curl. his

curling tendency, acting through the rearwardly extend ing foot in or 17, tends to press theback supporting member 15 against a large portion of the surface of anarticle 21 carried by the device. This pressing of a back supporting member against a large portion of the surface of an article carried by the device will significantly increase the overall friction between any two packages, and will greatly reduce the tendency of the remaining articles to topple when the front-most article is removed. As shown in FIGURES l and 5, when the front-most package is pulled forward and upward, the only friction between it and the second package is where the bottom rear edge of the package slides up the face of the package behind it; and by virtue of the construction just described, there is very little tendency for this action to pry up the second package causing it to pop free.

FIGURES 1 and 5 also illustrate an arrangement wherein the device of this invention may be utilized to display a second layer of similar items. In this embodiment, a second multi-convoluted self-recoilingroll 23 is utilized. The outer transverse edge of thisroll 23 is fastened by staples or the like to theback support member 15 at a point spaced upwardly from the base af the back support member by a distance at least equal to the height of a article carried by the device. Theroll 23 may then be unrolled, and a plurality ofarticles 24 engaged between the coiled portion and the back support member. Vertical support forthe second row ofarticles 24 is provided by thearticles 21 in the lower row. The tension of theroll 23 is sufficient to hold thearticles 24 in place when removal of an article Zia causes an intermittent for- .ward and stop motion of the back support member. It

will of course be apparent that if the articles being carried by the device are relatively small, additional similar layers may be addedin place after each front article has been removed. There is no movement of any of the remaining articles. 'By the same token, as each front article is removed, the remaining articles become spaced farther back from the front of the counter. On the other hand, the self-recoilingroll 14 rotates about a fixedaxle 13. Therefore, when each front article is removed, theback supporting memher 15 and the remainingarticles 21 are pulled toward theroll 14 and the front of the counter. Herein lies a very important facet of this invention. When extended, a cross section of theroll 14 would appear as shown in FIGURE 6. That is, the transverse cross section will have a somewhat bow shape, touching the bottom 1% at substantially only thepoints 25 and 26. Since thearticles 21 themselves all test on theextended roll 14, the only friction involved in the above noted sliding action will be the friction between thepoints 25 and 2d and the bottom in. It will of course be apparent that this is substantially less than the friction between the bottom of a series of packages and the bottom of a base member itself, such as is common in conventional devices A second embodiment of the invention has been shown in FTGURES 2 and 3. In this embodiment, theroll 14 is .mounted for free rotation in a mounting bracket including abase portion 27, and a pair ofupstanding arms 23 and 2%, each of these arms terminating in an inwardly extending stub axle 3%. As best seen in FIGURE 3, therearwardly extending foot 16 of theback supporting member 15 is provided with a pair ofvertical axles 31, each of which loosely mounts a relatively narrow multiconvoluted self-recoilingroll 32. The outer transverse edges of therolls 32 are secured to theupstanding arms 28 and 2.9 of the mounting bracket. As theback supporting member 15 is withdrawn away from the mounting bracket, the rolls 3?; aresimilarly extended, forming flexible side walls serving to maintain articles carried by the device in proper alignment, and to keep them from interfering with adjacent merchandise.

The simplest form of the display device of this invention would involve the mounting bracket of FIGURES 2 and 3, a multi-convoluted self-recoilingroll 14, and aback support member 15 with a flange id, but without tnenarrow rolls 32 and their respective mountings.

Still another modification of the invention is shown in FIGURE 4. In this embodiment, theroll 14 is mounted on thestub axle 33 formed on the end of the parallel rods 34-. Therods 34 are secured to the channel shapedbrackets 35 and 36, by means of which the entire device may be mounted to a counter or the like.

FIGURE 7 shows still another modification of the display device of this invention. This modification (which may be conveniently employed with virtually all of the modifications discussed above) involves the mounting of the multi-convoluted self-recoiling roll at the top of an an inclined plane. As will be seen from examining FIG- URE 7, the articles 3'7 throughfii'd are substantially resting on theplanar surface 33. By virtue however, of the inclined plane 39, thearticles 46 and 41, as they are moved toward theroll 14, are raised. By virtue of this arrangement, each article as it arrives at the front-most position, will project slightly above the remaining articles, and may be more easily removed by a customer.

As pointed out earlier in this specification, the axle mounting theroll 14 may in some cases be replaced by a barrier surface against which the coiled portion of the rollld bears. Three exemplary embodiments of such a barrier surface as shown in FIGURES 8, 9 and 10. In the modification of FIG. 8, the barrier surface comprises acurved portion 42 having a rearwardly extendingflange 43 by means of which the barrier can be mounted on a shelf or the like. At the base of thecurved portion 42, just above the top surface of theflange 43 is a slot 44, through which is passed the outer transverse edge of theroll 14. It will now be apparent that as theback support 15 1s drawn rearwardly, the roll is withdrawn through the slot 44, whilethe coiled portion of theroll bears against thesurface 42.

The modification of FIG. Q includes a base member (similar to that shown in FIGURE 1) having a bottom 45, and opposed side falls 46 and 47. Theside walls 46 and 47 respectively terminate in theinturned flanges 48 and 49. The bottom edges of theseflanges 48 and 49 are spaced from the bottom 4-5, forming a slot through which theroll 14 may pass, while the coiled portion of theroll 14 bears against the flanges.

FIG. 1G shows theroll 14 housed in a rigid tubeihe member having alongitudinal opening 51 through which the roll id may be extended, and aflat portion 52, by means of which the member may be secured to a counter. The tube-like member 56 is slitted near each end, and the segments 53 and 54 formed thereby are depressed toward the center of the member to hold the roll 14- in position.

It will of course, be understood that any of the hereinabove described modifications of the display device of this invention may be easily used with conventional, existing counters or shelves. For example, thebase members 16, 11, 12 of FIGURES 1 and 5 may be secured to a counter by means of screws, adhesive, or any other suitable manner. In the case of the embodiment of FIGURES 2 and 3, only thebase portion 27 of the mounting bracket need be secured to the counter. And finally, in the case of the modification of FEGURE 4, thebrackets 35 and 36 may be secured to the counter. For most commercial usages, it has been found that a layer of double coated pressure sensitive tape is extremely convenient and effective for securing the display device of this invention to a shelf or counter.

Numerous modifications in this invention will of course suggest themselves to the skilled worker in the art. Accordingly, while the invention has been described in terms of several specific embodiments, no limitation is intended except insofar as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A display device comprising a multi-convoluted self-recoiling roll having an inner and outer surface, mounting means for said roll permitting free rotation thereof, and a back support member secured to the inner surface of said roll adjacent the outer transverse edge of said roll, said back support member having a rearwardly extending foot at its lower extremity, whereby the selfrecoiling properties of said roll cause said back support member to press against a large portion of the surface of an article carried by said device.

2. The display device claimed in claim 1 including a base member having a bottom and opposed longitudinal side walls, and wherein said mounting means for said roll comprises an axle journaled between said side walls.

3. The display device claimed in claim 1 including a second mullti-convoluted self-recoiling roll, the outer transverse edge of said second roll being secured to said back support member at a point spaced upwardly from the base thereof by a distance at least equal to the height of an article carried by said device.

4. The display device claimed in claim 3 wherein said rearwardly extending foot comprises a flange at the bottom of said back support member.

5. The display device claimed in claim 1 wherein said mounting means for said roll comprises a mounting bracket, said bracket including a base portion having a pair of upstanding arms, each of said arms terminating in an inwardly extending stub axle.

6. The display device claimed in claim 5 including a pair of additional multi-convoluted self-recoiling rolls, means on said back support member for freely mounting each roll of said pair, the outer transverse edges of said rolls being secured respectively to the upstanding arms of said mounting bracket, whereby as said back support member is moved away from said mounting bracket, said pair of rolls serve to align articles carried by said device.

7. The display device claimed in claim 1 wherein said mounting means for said multi-convoluted self-recoiling roll comprises a pair of spaced apart generally parallel rods, corresponding ends of said rods terminating in inwardly extending stub axles, and means for spacing said rods from the surface on which said device may be used.

8. A display device adapted to be mounted on a shelf and the like comprising a multi-convoluted self-recoiling roll, axle means mounting said roll for free rotation thereabout, and an inclined plane, said axle means being mounted on the upper end of said inclined plane, and a back support member secured to the outer transverse edge of said roll, said back supporting member having a rearwardly extending foot at its lower extremity, whereby the self-recoiling properties of said roll cause said back support member to press against a large portion of the surface of an article carried by said device.

9. The display device claimed in claim 1 wherein said mounting means for said roll comprises a barrier surface against which said roll bears.

10. The display device claimed in claim 9 wherein said barrier surface comprises a bearing surface having a slot adapted to accommodate the outer transverse edge of said roll, and means for securing said bearing surface to a counter and the like.

11. The display device claimed in claim 9 wherein said barrier surface comprises a tube-like member having a longitudinal opening, and means for securing said member to a counter and the like, whereby said roll may be extended through said longitudinal opening, with the coiled portion of said roll maintained within said tubelike member.

12. The display device claimed in claim 11 wherein said tube-like member includes means for maintaining said roll therein.

13. The display device claimed in claim 1 including a base member having a bottom and opposed side walls, and wherein said mounting means for said roll comprises an inturned flange on the end of each of said side walls, the bottom edge of each said flange being spaced from said bottom to form a slot, whereby said roll may be extended through said slot, while the coiled portion of said roll bears against said flanges.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,647,743 8/53 Cook 267l 2,852,143 9/58 Taber 2l1-495 FOREIGN PATENTS 89,079 4/ 37 Sweden. 5 3 0,454 12/ 4-0 Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. A DISPLAY DEVICE COMPRISING A MULTI-CONVOLUTED SELF-RECOILING ROLL HAVING AN INNER AND OUTER SURFACE, MOUNTING MEANS FOR SAID ROLL PERMITTING FREE ROTATION THEREOF, AND A BACK SUPPORT MEMBER SECURED TO THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID ROLL ADJACENT THE OUTER TRANSVERSE EDGE OF SAID ROLL, SAID BACK SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING A REARWARDLY EXTENDING FOOT AT ITS LOWER EXTREMITY, WHEREBY THE SELFRECOILING PROPERTIES OF SAID ROLL CAUSE SAID BACK SUPPORT MEMBER TO PRESS AGAINST A LARGE PORTION OF THE SURFACE OF AN ARTICLE CARRIED BY SAID DEVICE.

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