Display device for garment racks
United States Patent 11 1 Fyvolent 1 Apr. 29, 1975 DISPLAY DEVICE FOR GARMENT RACKS [76] Inventor: David B. Fyvolent, 3830 Central Ave. St. Petersburg. Fla. 33711 [22] Filed: July II, I973 {21] Appl. No.2 378.338  
 [52] U.S. CI. 206/4412; 206/4534; 206/806;  
  248/123. 248/364 [51] Int. Cl 865d 6S/I6; 365d 75/58 [58} Field of Search 206/4534, 45.31, 45.14.  
 206/44 R. 44.l2, DIG. 806; 248/364, 214, I23, 331. 325; 431/296; 40/138; 240/69 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 674.956 5/1901 Buschmann 431/296 1.368 184 2/1921 Merck 248/123 1.424.573 8/1922 Larson 431/296 1.856.349 5/1932 Bigelow 40/138 2.034.353 3/1936 Pierson t r r v r 248/214 2.461187 4/1949 Cappcr 40/138 2.705.385 4/1955 Markward 248/364 3.183.348 5/1965 Porter 240/69 3.330850 7/1967 Lawson et al 248/364 3.554.384 5/1968 Denatale 206/4531 Primary ExuminerWi1liam T. Dixson. Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm.lohn J. Hart [57] ABSTRACT A device for displaying additional stock and advertising information above merchandise hung on racks and comprising a display stand constituted of a platform or receptacle located above the merchandise on the rack and maintained in such position by a standard having a hook-like portion that rests on the rack rod and a weight that is located below the rod and is greater than the combined weight of the platform or receptacle and the stock displayed therebyv 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures DISPLAY DEVICE FOR GARMENT RACKS THE INVENTION This invention relates to devices for displaying material such as advertising matter and small miscellaneous stock, and more particularly to a displaceable unit provided with means for supporting the material to be displayed such as a platform or shelf, casing or receptacle, all of which will hereinafter be referred to as a receptacle.&#34;  
  The principal object of the invention is to provide a displaeeable unit for providing additional usable space for any desired purpose above a rack provided with a rod for the hanging of merchandise, such as garments.  
  Another object of the invention is to provide a display unit which is of simple and inexpensive construction, and which may be easily and quickly installed on a garment rack to provide an attractive medium for the display of any material, and which may readily be displaced on or removed from the rack as desired.  
  Other objects of the invention, as well as the features of novelty thereof, will become apparent from a perusal of the following description, when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
  FIG. 1 is a front perspective elevational view of a display unit embodying the invention, the view indicating how the unit is mounted on a garment rack bar;  
  FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the unit shown in FIG. 1; and  
  FIG. 3 is a side view of the unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.  
  In the drawings, the reference numeral indicates generally the display receptacle of the unit which may have any suitable configuration providing an attractive appearance for the display of any material, such as advertising matter. stock. etc. in the form of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the display receptacle is a rectangular container composed of a front wall 11, a rear wall 12, side walls 13 and 14, and top and bottom walls 15 and 16, respectively. All of said walls are of sufficient thickness, say of the order of A inch. to provide a rigid container structure. The side, top and bottom walls are of equal width, and such width is substantially less than the dimensions of the front and rear walls to provide a container of substantially greater height than depth. The side walls 13 and 14 extend upwardly from the bottom wall 16 a distance less than the height of the front and rear walls. ll, 12, respectively, to provide relatively large openings 17 and 18 through which the merchandise or stock may be readily inserted into the display container 10. The walls of the container 10 are shown constructed entirely of transparent material which preferably is any suitable plastic material known to the art. The plastic walls are connected together in a known manner so as not to provide prominent edge joints and to afford an attractive medium for the display of the articles inserted into the container without obstruction to the customers visual inspection thereof.  
  Connected centrally to the bottom wall 16 of the display container, is the upper end of a depending standard 20 constituted of an elongated, rigid plate of a suitable plastic material and of a width equal to the width of the bottom wall 16; the standard being disposed at right angles to the length of said bottom wall. The standard 20 is provided in its upper end portions with a slot 21 having a configuration such as to form in such upper end portion a hook-like member 22 adapted to be inserted over or hung onto the merchandise supporting bar 23 of a conventional form of garment rack. In the embodiment shown. the slot 21 is formed with two inclined edges 24,24 extending upwardly in spaced relation from the open end of the slot and spaced apart a distance substantially greater than the diameter of the rack bar 23 to permit ready insertion of the latter into the slot. The upper inner end of the inclined edge 24 is connected to the lower end of a substantially vertical slot edge 25 which is continued at its upper end into inner end 26 of the slot. The inclined edge 24&#39; is substantially shorter than the combined lengths of the edges 24,25 and inclines upwardly in a curved manner to the inner slot end 26. The edges 24&#39; and 25 are also spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the rack bar 23. The inner end 26 of the slot 21 is substantially semi-circularly shaped and has an inner radius slightly greater than the radius of the exterior of the rack bar 23. Extending through the slot 21 and disposed at right angles of the sides of the standard 20, is a sleeve-like member 30 that is arcuatelyshaped in cross-section and the inner concaved side of which is formed to seat on the rack bar 23. The radius of the inner side member 30 is only slightly greater than that of the exterior of the rod 23 so that it may readily seat on the latter with a relatively snug fit. The member 30 is made of any suitable plastic material and is permanently secured in any suitable manner at the center of its outer convex side to the plastic material of the standard 20 at the inner end 26 of the slot 21. The member 30 has a length sufficient to prevent any sidewise oscillating movement of the standard 20 on the rod 23 such as might otherwise occur during the use of the garment rack or due to other causes. The member 30 and the connection thereof to the standard 20 are made more rigid and secure by means of relatively nar row sections of arcuately-shaped members 31,31, the inner ends of which are permanently secured in any suitable manner to the sides of the standard 20, and the inner surfaces of which are permanently secured in any suitable manner to the underlying surface portions of the member 30.  
  Provided on the lower end portion of the standard 20 is a weighted member 35 of cylindrical form. The member 35 is composed of two aligned cylindrical portions of equal length and weight, one on each side of the standard and bound together and to the standard by a bolt and nut connection 36. The weighted member 35 may be made of any suitable material such as lead and has a weight greater than the combined weight of the display container 10 and of the articles which will be placed on display in such container. The longitudinal center of the weighted member is aligned with the longitudinal center of the rod 23 when the unit is mounted on such rod, the center of the inner end 26 of the slot, and the center of the line of connection between the standard 20 and the display receptacle 10.  
 It will be understood from the foregoing that the unit of this invention can readily be mounted on the merchandise supporting rod 23 of a garment rack to provide additional usable space for the display of articles above the garments mounted on the rack. When so mounted, the display container 10 of the unit will always be maintained in vertical position by the weighted member despite the handling to which the rack is subjected during usage, thereby providing a steady support for the displayed articles. The member 30 will restrict the movements of the unit to pivotal movements in a vertical plane and will present sidewise oscillating movements of such member in the normal use of the rack. It will be noted that the lengths ofthe member 30 projecting from the sides of the standard are greater than the lengths of the portions of the weighted member 35 projecting from such standard sides. Thus, the ends of the member will function as stops for the placement of garment hangers on the rod 23 and maintain them at such distances from the sides of the standard 20 that the garments hung on the rod 23 will not materially effect the operativeness of the weighted member to accomplish its intended purposes. The clear transparent form of the container 10 provides an attractive clear visual view at all angles for the articles display thereinv While I have hereinabove described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, or the scope of the appended claims.  
 I claim:  
  1. A display unit for providing additional space for the display of material above merchandise mounted on a rod, comprising an upright standard having means intermediate its top and bottom ends to releasably mount it on a merchandise supporting rod, a display receptacle mounted on the upper end of said standard and located above the merchandise hung on said rod when said standard is mounted on said rod, and a weighted member on the standard spaced below said mounting means and having a weight greater than the combined weight of said display receptacle and the articles to be displayed therein. said upright standard being composed of an elongated rigid plate arranged with respect to said display receptacle so as to be disposed at right angles to the merchandise rod when the unit is mounted on the latter, said mounting means constituting a hook-shaped member formed in said elongated plate by a slot opening in one longitudinal edge thereof, and said display receptacle having a bottom wall connected to the upper end of said rigid plate, the line of connection thereof being located so that said bottom wall projects equal distances from the sides of said plate, the upper end of said slot opening and said weighing member being aligned with the central part of such line of connection.  
  2. A display unit as defined in claim 1, in which said display receptacle is a rectangular container having a bottom wall equal in width to the width of said rigid plate, and having side walls provided with enlarged openings through which articles may be inserted into or removed from the container.  
  3. A display unit as defined in claim I, in which said display receptacle and said rigid plate are constituted of plastic material.  
  4. A display unit as defined in claim 1, including a concave member extending through said slot and having its upper convex surface connected to the upper end of said slot opening, the inner concave surface of said member being configured to seat on the merchandise supporting rod and to prevent oscillating movement of said standard on said rod.  
  5. A display device as defined in claim 4, including a pair of concave members each at its inner end engaging one side of said standard, and connected at its inner side to the outer surfaces of said first mentioned concave member.