Abstract:
A case for displaying model cars contained in a package, the package including a backing and a transparent box attached to the backing for housing a model car. The case includes right and left rails with opposing right and left slots therein. A stop stop ledge extends along the bottom edge of the case. The slots are adapted to receive the side edges of the backings of a plurality of packages containing model cars to form a vertical array for display.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/477,645 filed Jun. 10, 2003. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a display case for collectable model cars.  
           [0003]    Collecting small model cars is a favorite pastime for many people, young and old. One large manufacturer of such model cars is Mattel, Inc. who sells a line of model cars under the registered trademark “Hot Wheels”. These cars come in packages that includes a cardboard backing with printed matter contained thereon, and a transparent plastic box attached to the lower portion of the cardboard backing which contains the model car. Although children tend to remove the car from its packaging in order to be able to play with it, serious collectors leave the car in its original packaging.  
           [0004]    Where the collector has a large number of these model cars, displaying them becomes a problem.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a display case for model cars for model cars contained in their original or replacement packaging.  
           [0006]    The original or replacement package includes a backing and a transparent box attached to the backing for housing a model car.  
           [0007]    The case includes substantially parallel right and left rails with opposing right and left slots therein. A stop stop ledge extends along the bottom edge of the case. The slots are adapted to receive the side edges of the backings of two or more packages to form a vertical display.  
           [0008]    In one embodiment, the display case includes a plate member having inner and outer planar surfaces, a top edge, bottom edge, and right and left side edges. Right and left rails extend along the right and left edges, respectively, of the plate member. Opposing right and left slots extend longitudinally within the right and left rails. A stop ledge extends along the bottom edge of the plate member.  
           [0009]    In another embodiment there is no plate member. The right and left rails are joined at their tops by a handle, at the bottom by the stop ledge, and by a cross-member located in a mid-portion thereof. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a first embodiment of the display case of the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of a first embodiment of the display case of the present invention, taken along line  2 - 2  of FIG. 1;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view, in cross-section, of a first embodiment of the display case of the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of a “Hot Wheels” type model car original packaging;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of a “Hot Wheels” type model car original packaging;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the display case of the present invention showing a plurality of “Hot Wheels” type model car original packages displayed therein;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of two “Hot Wheels” type model car original packages shown in the position they would occupy when placed into the display case of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a replacement package for holding model cars not contained in their original packaging that may be used with the display case of the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of a first embodiment of the display case of the present invention attached to a first type of stand;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of a first embodiment of the display case of the present invention attached to a second type of stand;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 11 is a front elevation view of a second embodiment of the display case of the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 12 is a cross sectional view of the second embodiment of the display case of the present invention, taken along line  12 - 12  of FIG. 11;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 13 is a front elevation view of a third embodiment of the display case of the present invention; and  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 14 is front elevation view of a fourth embodiment of the display case of the present invention 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0024]    The display case  10  of a first embodiment of the present invention includes an elongated plate member  12  having inner and outer planar surfaces  14  and  15 , respectively, a handle  16  located at its upper end, a bottom edge  17 , and right and left side edges  18  and  19 , respectively.  
         [0025]    Substantially parallel right and left rails  20  and  22  are integral with, or attached to, right and left side edges  18  and  19 , respectively, of plate member  12 . Right and left rails  20  and  22  contain opposing slots  21  and  23 , respectively. Preferably, plate member  12  and rails  20  and  22  are made of a transparent plastic.  
         [0026]    A stop ledge member  26  extends between the lower ends of right and left rails  20  and  22 , adjacent bottom edge  17  of plate  12 . Stop ledge member  26  contains a slot  27 , which has substantially the same depth as slots  21  and  23  of right and left rails  20  and  22 . Stop ledge member  26  is attached to right and left rails  20  and  22  and to plate  12 , such as by welding.  
         [0027]    A hole and slot  28 , and a hole  29 , are adapted to receive wall fasteners and extend through plate  12  adjacent its top edge  16  and bottom edge  17 , respectively. Hole and slot  28 , and hole  29 , are preferably beveled to allow the head of the fastener to be recessed flush with the outer planar surface  15  of plate  12 .  
         [0028]    [0028]FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a conventional “Hot Wheels” type package  30 . Package  30  does not, per se, form a part of the present invention. Package  30  includes a cardboard backing  31  having right and left side edges  32  and  34 , respectively, bottom edge  36 , and top edge  38 . An opening  39  is cut into the top edge  38  to allow package  30  to be hung on a retail store display rack.  
         [0029]    A transparent plastic box  40  has a skirt  42  that is removably attached to backing  32  adjacent its bottom edge  36 . Transparent plastic box  40  contains a model car, not shown.  
         [0030]    The distance between the interior base walls of slots  21  and  23  is substantially the same as the width of the cardboard backing  31  of package  30 , i.e., the distance between right and left side edges  32  and  34  of package  30 . This allows the side edges  32  and  34  of a first package  30  to be inserted into slots  21  and  23  and slid downwardly until the bottom edge  36  thereof comes into abutment with the bottom of slot  27  of stop ledge member  26 . A second package  30  can likewise be inserted into slots  21  and  23  and slid downwardly until its bottom edge  36  comes into abutment with the upper surface of clear plastic box  40  of the first package  30 . FIG. 7 shows the position two packages  30  would occupy when so inserted into slots  21  and  23 , display case  10  being omitted from the drawing for sake of clarity. Additional packages  30  may be inserted into slots  21  and  23  until no more can be added. The gap between the outer planar surface  15  and the underside of the horizontal portion of rails  20  and  22 , which gap forms slots  21  and  23 , is selected to accommodate the total thickness of backings  31  for the number of packages  30  to be displayed. FIG. 6 illustrates a display case  10  made of transparent plastic containing three packages  30 .  
         [0031]    In the event a collector has removed his model cars from their original packaging and wishes to display them in display case  10 , or has non-“Hot Wheels” type model cars, a replacement package or “garage”  130  can be used to replace the original packaging. As shown in FIG. 8, replacement package  130  has a transparent plastic box  140  adapted to receive a model car, not shown, in the same manner as with box  40  of original package  30 . A backing  142  is adapted to be removably attached to the backside opening of transparent plastic box  140 , such as by snap fitting or hinge means. Backing  142  has the same width (the distance between right and left sides  144  and  145 ) as original package  30 , but its height (the distance between top and bottom edges  146  and  147 ) can be substantially the same as, or only slightly greater than, the corresponding height of plastic box  140 .  
         [0032]    Herein whenever the word “package” is used, it is intended to include both original package  30  and replacement package  130 , and whenever the work “backing” is used it is intended to include both cardboard backing  31  of package  30  and backing  142  of replacement package  130 .  
         [0033]    Display case  10  can be made from plastic, wood, metal, etc. It is preferred to make display case  10  from plastic, and most preferably from a transparent plastic. Where display case  10  is made from plastic, it can be extruded with plate member  12 , and right and left side rails  18  and  19  being integral i.e., a single piece.  
         [0034]    While a preferred form of the display case  10  is intended for mounting on a wall, table top or floor displays may be made by attaching a suitable stand member. FIG. 9 shows a stand  50  attached to the base of display case  10 . FIG. 10 shows a stand member  60  attached to the back of the upper portion of display case  10  by a suitable hinge member  62 . Stand member  60  is of the type used with picture frames.  
         [0035]    [0035]FIGS. 11 and 12 show a display stand  110  which is an alternative embodiment of display case  10 . The display case  110  of the present invention includes an elongated plate member  112  having inner and outer planar surfaces  114  and  115 , respectively, a handle  116  located along its upper portion, and right and left side edges  118  and  119 , respectively.  
         [0036]    Right and left rails  120  and  122  extend outwardly from the outer planar surface  115  of plate  112  along the right and left side edges  118  and  119  thereof, respectively. Right and left rails  120  and  122  contain opposing recesses into which opposing right and left flexible strips  125  and  127 , respectively, are press fit. The space between the outer planar surface  115  of plate  112  and the inner exposed surfaces of flexible strips  125  and  127  form right and left slots  121  and  123 , respectively.  
         [0037]    A stop ledge  126  extends outwardly from the outer planar surface  115  of plate  112  across its bottom edge  117 . The height of stop ledge  126  above planar surface  115  is substantially the same as the height of right and left rails  120  and  122  above planar surface  115 .  
         [0038]    A hole and slot  128  and hole  129  for receiving wall fasteners extend through plate  112  adjacent its top and bottom edges  116  and  117 . Hole and slot  128  and hole  129  are preferably beveled to allow the head of the fastener to be recessed flush with the outer planar surface  115  of plate  112 .  
         [0039]    “Hot Wheels” type packages  30  can be inserted into display case  110  in the same manner as with display case  10 , or they can be inserted by pressing the edges  32  and  34  of a package  30  against flexible strips  125  and  127  one at a time to thereby cause flexible strips  125  and  127  to bend inwardly and permit edges  32  and  34  to be inserted into slots  121  and  123 .  
         [0040]    Display case  110  can be attached to stand members  50  or  60 , as discussed above relative to display case  10 .  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 13 shows a third alternative embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, wherein elements identical to those shown in FIG. 1 have the same reference numbers but increased by  200 , the handle  216  and right and left rails  220  and  222  are formed as an integral unit, and the elongated plate member (shown as  12  in FIG. 1) has been omitted. Stop ledge member  226  is attached to the lower ends of right and left rails  220  and  222 , and a strengthening cross member  202  extends between rails  220 , 222  at a mid-portion thereof and is attached thereto. Right and left rail members  220  and  222  can have the construction of either the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 or the embodiment shown in FIG. 11.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 14 shows a fourth alternative embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, wherein elements identical to those shown in FIG. 1 have the same reference numbers but increased by  300 , only right and left side rails  320  and  322  and stop ledge member  326  are present. The rails  320 ,  322  and stop ledge member  326  are attached to a wall by fasteners extending through fastener receiving tabs  304 . Right and left rail members  320  and  322  can have the construction of either the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 or the embodiment shown in FIG. 11.  
         [0043]    Handles  16 ,  116  and  216  can either be permanently attached to the rest of the display case or may be removable.  
         [0044]    It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments of this invention without departing from the underlying principles thereof. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims.