US3524616A - Base for an upright for forming a stand - Google Patents

Description

18 1970 H. J. MARSCHA 3,524,616

BASE FOR AN UPR IGHT FOR FORMING A STAND FIG; 1

Filed May 29, 1968 H Y A IZI k award rscfia any United States Patent 3,524,616 BASE FOR AN UPRIGHT FOR FORMING A STAND Howard J. Marschak, 855 W. North Ave., Evanston, Ill. 60622 Filed May 29, 1968, Ser. No. 733,136 Int. Cl. F16m 11/20 US. Cl. 248-188.7 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A base for an upright for forming a display stand or the like, which base is formed of a plurality of legs which interlock with the upright by the positioning of the legs in relation to the upright without the use of any extraneous fastening elements.

BRIEF SUMMARY One of the objects of this invention is to provide a base for an upright which forms a display stand or the like, with the base formed of a plurality of legs, which device is packed and shipped in a knocked-down condition in relation to the upright but which legs may be readily detachably secured to said upright to form a supporting base therefor merely by positioning the legs in relation to openings in the upright, and wherein the interlocking may be effected without the use of any extraneous fasten ing or locking means.

Another object of this invention is to provide a structure having the foregoing objects which is very simple and relatively inexpensive to produce and which can be readily assembled on the spot by the user merely by snapping the parts into their proper position. This may be accomplished by an inexperienced person. With the structure forming this invention the display stand may be packed and shipped in a small sized carton and may be readily set up.

Other objects will become apparent as this description progresses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stand formed in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 2 is a view partly in section of the upright with one of the supporting brackets positioned thereon.

FIG. 3 is a view partly in section showing one of the legs (broken away) secured to the upright.

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the inner end of the base portion of the leg, showing the upwardly extending end of the base of the leg, and

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view looking up, showing the four legs secured to the upright.

The invention herein is relatively simple. The upright which forms the vertical supporting member of the stand is a generally square-shaped hollow tubular member, generally indicated at 10, having four sides each designated by the numeral 12. Only a portion of the upright is shown in FIG. 1 as it will be understood that it may be of any height desired and of a two-piece telescoping construction if desired. The bottom of the tubular member10 is open as indicated at 14. A circular opening 16 is provided in each of the sides 12 of the upright. The openings 16 are centrally located in each of the sides 12 and are positioned above the bottom of the upright 10. The four openings 16 are on the same plane.

The four legs, each generally indicated at 18, which form the base are identical in construction and hence only one of them will be described. The leg 18 is preferably formed of a narrow strip of metal and is shaped 3,524,616 Patented Aug. 18, 1970 to form a configuration generally similar to the base and hypotenuse of a right triangle and comprises a base portion 20, a hypotenuse or inclined portion 22 with a curved or rounded corner 24. The hypotenuse is at an acute angle with respect to the base portion. The hypotenuse or inclined portion 22 of the leg is shaped to form a central concavo-convex configuration 26 in transverse section to provide strength to the structure and also to provide an ornamental appearance.

Extending upwardly at substantially right angles from the inner end of the base portion 20 is an upwardly extending end or flange designated by the numeral 28. The upwardly extending end or flange 28 is narrower than the width of the base portion 20. In other words, the opposite sides 30 of the upwardly extending end 28 extend inwardly of the opposite sides 32 of the base portion 20. This provides a recess or notch 34 on the opposite sides of the leg at the juncture of the base portion and the upwardly extending end. The notches or recesses 34 serve an important function as will be hereinafter described.

The hypotenuse or inclined portion 22 is longer than the base portion and extends outwardly beyond the upwardly extending end 28 of the base portion. The inner upper end of the hypotenuse 20 terminates in an upwardly extending lug or ear 36 which is bent up at an angle of approximately 30 with respect to the plane of the hypotenuse 20. The lug or ear 36 is narrower than the width of the hypotenuse 20, as can best be seen in FIG. 1, and said lug has upwardly inclined sides and a rounded top.

To support the tubular upright 10 in a vertically upright position the four legs 18 are interlocked with the upright 10. In securing the legs 18 to the upright 10 the lug or car 36 on the leg is inserted into the opening 16 in the side wall 12 of-the square hollow tube upright 10 and the leg is then tilted downwardly so that the ear or lug 36 will be positioned inside the upright 10, as shown in FIG. 3, engaging the inside of the side wall 12 of the upright. The upwardly extending end or flange 28 of the leg is then inserted into the bottom opening of the upright and this may be readily done by manually urging the base portion 20 outwardly or away from the inclined portion 22 so that the upwardly extending end 28 can be positioned into the bottom opening of the tubular upright. The end 28 of the leg will then rest inside and against the side wall 12 of the upright 10, as best seen in FIG. 3. This procedure is followed with respect to each of the legs. The notches or recesses 34 in the legs permit the four upwardlyextending ends 28 of the legs to be positioned adjacent each other inside the bottom of the tubular upright, as best shown in FIG. 5, and permits the base portion 20 of each leg to be on the same plane or flush with the base portions of the remaining legs. Each leg will be positioned at right angles to the adjacent leg. These legs provide a very firm support for the upright 10. As seen, the legs are readily inserted and interlocked with the base without the use of any extraneous fastening elements and are locked in position merely by positioning of the parts in relation to each other. If it is desired to collapse the stand the legs may be readily removed from the upright by reversing the procedure aforedescribed.

The upright 10 forms a vertical upright for a stand for supporting and/or displaying merchandise. The sides 12 of the upright are provided along the length thereof with pairs of spaced openings 40 into which is inserted a shaped wire bracket or supporting member generally designated by the numeral 42. The spaced openings 40' are staggered in relation to the spaced openings 40 on the adjacent sides 12. Thus, the openings 40 on the diametrically opposite sides are on the same plane.

The supporting member 42 is integrally formed of wire and is shaped to the configuration shown, which comprises a pair of spaced sides 44 connected at the outer end by an arcuate-shaped end 46. The inner ends of the sides 44 then extend inwardly as at 48 and then upwardly as at 50 and terminate in oifset ends 52. Each of these supporting brackets 42 is attached to the upright by inserting the offset ends 52 into the openings 40 of the upright by holding the bracket vertically and then after they enter the openings the bracket is tilted downwardly to a substantially horizontal position, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The ends of the offset ends 52 will engage the side wall 12 of the upright, as shown in FIG. 2, to secure the bracket to the upright 10.

The supporting brackets 42, as well as the legs 18 are shipped in disassembled relation to the upright 10 and may be readily inserted and connected to the upright, and may also be removed therefrom if desired. The merchandise is supported and/ or hung on the supporting brackets.

While the invention is shown in connection with a square-shaped upright it will be understood that it is equally applicable to other shaped uprights, including a circular shaped upright. If used for a circular upright the upturned ends or flanges 28 would preferably be shaped to have substantially the same radius as the radius of the upright.

While the legs 18 are shown and described as formed of a strip of metal, it will be understood that the legs may be formed of wire or any other material. If formed of wire, the wire is formed to provide a pair of spaced wire members connected together to form a single leg, with the spacing of a width substantially that of the strip of metal shown.

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A base for a generally square-shaped upright, which upright has an opening in the bottom thereof, a plurality of spaced openings in said upright positioned above the bottom of said upright, a plurality of leg members detachably secured to said upright to support the upright in a vertical position, each of said leg members formed of a narrow strip of metal or like material having a base portion and an inclined portion forming an acute angle, with the inner end of the base portion having an upwardly extending end substantially at right angles to the base portion, which end enters the bottom of the upright, said inclined portion of said leg member having an upturned lug which enters the opening in the upright and engages the inside wall of said upright, said upwardly extending end having a width less than the width of said base portion to permit the upwardly extending ends to be positioned adjacent each other inside said square-shaped upright to permit a plurality of legs to be positioned with each leg at right angles to the adjacent legs and with the base portions on the same plane substantially flush with respect to each other.

2. A structure as set forth in claim 1 in which the leg members are each formed by a narrow strip of metal.

3. A structure as set forth in claim 2 in which the base portion is notched adjacent its upwardly extending end so that the notched portions of adjacent legs are contiguous.

4. A base for a tubular upright which upright has an opening in the bottom thereof, a plurality of spaced openings in said upright positioned above the bottom of said upright, a plurality of leg members detachably secured to said upright to support the upright in a vertical position, each of said leg members formed of a narrow strip of metal or like material and having a base portion and an inclined portion forming an acute angle, with the inner end of the base portion having an upwardly extending end substantially at right angles to the base portion which end enters the bottom of the upright, said inclined portion of said leg member having an upturned lug which enters the opening in the upright and engages the inside wall of said upright, said upwardly extending end having a width less than the width of said base portion to provide a notch between the base portion and the upwardly extending end to permit the upwardly extending ends to be positioned contiguous to each other inside said tubular upright to permit a plurality of legs to be positioned in spaced relation to each other and with the base portions on the same plane substantially flush with respect to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,591,110 7/1926 Willson 248 2,209,650 7/1940 Garcia 108150 2,919,878 1/1960 Nathan 248-l58 3,080,067 3/ 1963 Lind 248188.8 3,281,102 10/1966 Hobson 21l177 3,325,017 6/1967 Tucker 211177 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,377,485 9/1964 France.

168,389 8/1959 Sweden.

MARION PARSONS, 111., Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 211177

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