Abstract:
A display board displays a tablet dispenser by utilizing a clip which grips the exterior housing of the dispenser, the clip including a press fit portion extending rearwardly of its base such that it fits tightly in an aperture in the board, the clip farther including a spring placed between the press fit portion and the base to urge the dispenser housing away from the board, thereby stabilizing its attachment thereto.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to apparatus for displaying tablet dispensers and, more particularly, to a display board for displaying fanciful containers for storing candies in tablet form.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to means for displaying fanciful tablet dispensers such as the well-known tablet dispensers used to dispense PEZ® candies.  
         [0003]     PEZ® candy dispensers typically comprise an exterior housing and a tablet storage receptacle coaxially displaceably mounted in the housing. The storage receptacle includes a spring biased to press a stack of tablets stored in the receptacle upwardly towards a dispensing end of the receptacle. The housing itself can take various shapes. When the receptacle is filled with a stack of tablets, the uppermost tablet is disposed in a dispensing position above the housing and between two upwardly extending side wall portions of the receptacle. A cover for the receptacle carries a fancifully designed handle portion. The handle portion is designed to operate using one finger of a hand, for instance, the thumb if desired, to pivot the cover about a transverse axis to bring the cover into an open position exposing the uppermost tablet, which then rests in a dispensing position. Tablet dispensers contemplated by the present invention have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,295,579, 4,966,305 and 5,984,285, all of whose disclosures are herein incorporated by reference.  
         [0004]     The housing, tablet storage receptacle and associated mechanism are all standard. The housings and handle portions are what differ as between different dispensers. The handle portions are often designed to replicate well known figures, such as Santa Claus, and literally hundreds of such designs have been provided.  
         [0005]     Inasmuch as children constitute the major consumers of PEZ® candy tablets, it is natural that they would want to collect containers comprising different housing and handle portion designs. A further natural outgrowth is that the children would want to display their collections, particularly on display boards capable of being mounted on a wall.  
         [0006]     There have been previous attempts to fill this need. A wall-mount display board suitable for displaying BARBIE®-type dolls is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,820. The dolls are held by M-shaped doll grips provided with snap- or press fit members suitable for being snap-fitted in apertures in the display board itself. The press fit members on the doll grips, however, often permit the dolls being displayed to rotate or otherwise move with respect to the display board.  
         [0007]     It is thus the primary object of the present invention to provide a convenient and improved apparatus for securely displaying PEZ® candy tablet dispensers and other items of similar shape and design.  
         [0008]     It is a further object of the present invention to provide such display apparatus wherein the apparatus facilitates attaching and removing the dispensers or other items in a convenient manner.  
         [0009]     It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such display apparatus with gripping clips wherein the clip itself stabilizes the attachment of the dispenser housing or other item with respect to the display board. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is an elevational view of a display board illustrating the display of one type of PEZ® tablet dispenser in accordance with my invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view from the rear of the type of PEZ® tablet dispenser illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the dispenser being gripped by a first embodiment of a clip suitable for use in my invention.  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view from the front of the tablet dispenser shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a top elevational view of the clip illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 3 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a clip suitable for use in my invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a top elevational view of the clip illustrated in  FIG. 5 .  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a vertical sectional view of the tablet dispenser illustrated in  FIGS. 1, 2  and  3  being gripped by the clip illustrated in  FIG. 4  and thereby attached to a display board.  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is a plan view partially in section of the dispenser and clip illustrated in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is a view, also partially in section, similar to  FIG. 8 , but illustrating the method of inserting the dispenser into the releasable gripping means of the clip illustrated in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of different type of candy dispenser being gripped by the type of clip illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 .  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a still different type of candy dispenser for which the type of clip illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6  is suitable. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0021]     Referring to the drawings, my invention comprises a display board  10  of any desired shape suitable for displaying one type of fanciful PEZ® tablet dispenser  12  used to dispense PEZ® candies. The board  10  itself is preferably made of 6 mm Sintra® expanded or foam polyvinyl chloride, a composite obtainable from Alcan Composites, 208 West Fifth Street, Benton, Ky. Holes or apertures  14  preferably 5 mm in diameter are punched or drilled in the board  10  at spacings chosen to display the dispenser  12  most effectively.  
         [0022]     The PEZ® dispenser  122  is fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,295,579 and 4,966,305, and the texts and drawings thereof are, as previously mentioned, incorporated herein by reference. As such, each dispenser  12  comprises an exterior housing  16  (see  FIGS. 2, 3  and  7 ) having a dispensing end  18  (see  FIG. 7 ) and further comprising a pair of side walls  20  joined by front and rear walls  22 ,  24  (see  FIGS. 2 and 3 ). Each of the front and rear walls  22 ,  24  comprises a centrally disposed protruding portion  26 ,  28  extending the vertical length of the housing  16  from its base  30  (see  FIGS. 2 and 7 ) to its dispensing end  18 .  
         [0023]     As shown in  FIG. 7 , a magazine or storage receptacle  32  is coaxially displaceable inside the housing  16 . The storage receptacle comprises a dispensing end and includes a coil spring  34  biased to press a stack of tablets  36  stored in the receptacle  32  upwardly towards the dispensing ends  18  of the receptacle  32  and the housing  16 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , an uppermost tablet  36   a  rests against a bridge  37  having an extension  39  that act as a spring and achieves a dispensing position above the housing  16  and between the two upwardly extending side walls of the receptacle  32 . A cover  38  pivotally supported at the dispensing end of the receptacle  32  carries a handle  40  that may be operated by one finger of a hand, for instance the thumb, to pivot the cover  38  about a transverse axis defined by a pivot pin  44  to bring the cover  38  into an open position exposing the uppermost tablet  36   a  as it rests in the aforementioned dispensing position.  
         [0024]     The cover  38  has a skirt  46  at the rear thereof and, on pivoting the cover  38 , the skirt  46  passes between the two upwardly extending side walls of the receptacle  32  to engage the uppermost tablet  36   a  to push it forwardly between the upper edge  18  of the housing  16  and the lower edge of the bridge  37 , thus enabling the tablet  36   a  readily to be removed from the dispenser  12 . Upon releasing the finger from the handle  40 , the cover  38  will return automatically to its closed position under the bias of the spring  39  (the aforementioned extension of the bridge  37 ). The coil spring  34  will then press the false bottom  48  upwardly to bring the succeeding tablet  36   b  to rest at the bridge  37 .  
         [0025]     As previously mentioned, the housing  16 , tablet storage receptacle  32  and associated mechanism are all standard. It is the handle portion  40  that differs as between different dispensers. It is modeled to replicate cartoon and other fanciful figures (see  FIG. 1 ), and that is what causes collectors to desire, to collect and to want to display them.  
         [0026]     Each tablet dispenser  12  is removably attached to the board by a clip  50  which is releasably adapted to grip the exterior housing  16  of the dispenser. See  FIG. 1 .  
         [0027]     A first embodiment of a clip  50   a  suitable for use in this aspect of my invention is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4  and  7 - 9  and comprises a base portion  52  as well as the means to grip the exterior housing  16 . In this first embodiment, the clip  50   a  comprises a pair of arms  54 ,  56  extending forwardly of the base portion  52 . (In the description herein, directions are assumed to be relative to a viewer looking at a board  10  oriented vertically, that is, for example, mounted on a vertical surface.) Each arm  54 ,  56  extends the full width of the respective side wall  20  of the housing  16 . Each arm comprises a gripping end  58  positioned, generally, at right angles to the respective arm  54 ,  56 . Each gripping end  58  grips the front wall  22  of the housing  16  on each side of the forwardly protruding, centrally disposed protruding portion  26 , as shown. When a collector desires to insert a tablet dispenser  12  into a clip  50   a , the sloping side walls of the protruding portion  28  on the rear of the dispenser  12  (see  FIG. 9 ) interact with the complementary slope of the gripping ends  58  to spread the arms  54 ,  56  apart, as shown in  FIG. 9 .  FIG. 8 , of course, illustrates the dispenser  12  fully inserted in the clip  50   a . Inasmuch as the clip  50   a  is made of plastic, the arms  54 ,  56  can be easily spread apart to release the dispenser  12 , when desired.  
         [0028]     The clip  50   a  further comprises a press fit portion  60  extending rearwardly of the base portion  52 :. See  FIG. 4 . The press fit portion  60  comprises a central cylindrical stem  62  mounting four groups of six longitudinally oriented (that is, longitudinally oriented along the stem  62 ), integrally molded, generally rectangular, bendable planar fins  64 . The fins extend a distance slightly larger than the diameter of the aperture  14  in the display board  10 , such that when the stem  62  is pressed into the aperture  14 , an interference fit is obtained. This securely attaches the clip  50   a  and the tablet dispenser  12  to the display board  10 .  
         [0029]     A spring  66 , comprising an arcuate member  68 , is disposed between the press fit portion  60  of the clip  50   a  and the base portion  52  thereof. Again see  FIG. 4 . The arcuate member  68  has ends  70  that contact the forward surface  72  of the display board  10 . See  FIGS. 8 and 9 . In this manner the spring  66  is biased to urge the dispenser  12  away from the display board  10 . This prevents rotation of the dispenser  12  with respect to the forward surface  72  of the display board  10  and thus, stabilizes its attachment thereto.  
         [0030]     As shown in  FIGS. 4, 8  and  9 , the arcuate member  68  comprises a pair of reliefs  74 , one disposed on each side of the press fit portion  60  and adjacent the base portion  52  of the clip  50   a . The reliefs  74  facilitate bending of the arcuate member  68  when the press fit portion  60  is pressed into the aperture  14  in the board  10 .  
         [0031]     The clip  50   a  shown in  FIGS. 1-4  and  7 - 9 , is preferably molded in nylon 6/6 material and is obtainable from Micro Plastics, Inc., Highway 178 th  North, Flippin, Ark. 72634, as its Item Number 22WHA500075 wire/cable holder.  
         [0032]     A second embodiment of a suitable clip  50  is illustrated as clip  50   b  in  FIGS. 5 and 6 .  
         [0033]      FIGS. 10 and 11  illustrate other types of PEZ® candy dispensers. These dispensers are particularly adapted to being held by the clip  50   b .  FIG. 10  illustrates a dispenser  12   a  in the form of a ball point pen. Other than its exterior shape, however, it functions the same as the dispenser  12  and albeit equipped with a differently designed handle mechanism  40   a , it contains a similar interiorly disposed dispensing mechanism. As shown in  FIG. 10 , the clip  50   b , like the clip  50   a , is adapted releasably to grip or grasp the tablet dispenser  12   a  intermediate the base  30   a  and the dispensing end  18   a  of its housing  16   a.    
         [0034]     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the clip  50   b  comprises as its base member a first curved member  76 . A catch  78  is attached to one end  80  of the first curved member  76 . A second curved member  82  is hingedly attached at one end  84  to the other end  86  of the first curved member  76 . A hook  88  is disposed at the other end  90  of the second curved member  82 . The hook  88  is adapted to engage and be retained by the catch  78  at the one end  80  of the first curved member  76 . The first and second curved members  76   82  enclose the tablet dispenser  12   a , as shown in  FIG. 10 . Thus, by releasing the catch  78  from the hook  88 , the tablet dispenser  12   a  can be inserted within or released from the clip  50   b  and thus, be retained by or removed from the display board  10 .  
         [0035]     The clip  50   b  also comprises a press fit portion  60   b  extending rearwardly of the base portion or first curved member  76 . As in the case of the clip  50   a , the press fit portion  60   b  comprises a central cylindrical stem  62   b  mounting four groups of six longitudinally oriented, integrally molded, generally rectangular, bendable planar fins  64   b . See  FIG. 5 . The fins  64   b  extend a distance slightly larger than the diameter of the aperture  14  in the display board  10 , such that when the stem  62   b  is pressed into the aperture  14 , the same interference fit is obtained. This securely attaches the clip  50   b  and the tablet dispenser  12   a  to the display board  10 .  
         [0036]     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a spring  66   b  comprising an arcuate member  68   b  is disposed between the press fit portion  60   b  of the clip  50   b  and the base portion, that is, the first curved member  76 . The arcuate member  68   b  also has ends  70   b  that contact the forward surface  72  of the display board  10  as in the case of clip  50   a  illustrated in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . In this manner the spring  66   b  is also biased to urge the dispenser  12   a  away from the display board  10  while it is attached thereto. This also prevents rotation of the dispenser  12   a  with respect to the forward surface  72  of the display board  10  and thus, stabilizes its attachment thereto as in the case with dispenser  12  and clip  50   a.    
         [0037]     As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the arcuate member  68   b  also comprises a pair of reliefs  74   b , one disposed on each side of the press fit portion  60   b  and adjacent the first curved member  76  or base portion of the clip  50   b . The reliefs  74   b  facilitate bending of the arcuate member  68   b  when the press fit portion  60   b  is pressed into the aperture  14  in the board  10 .  
         [0038]     The clip  50   b , illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , is also molded in nylon 6/6 material and may also be obtained from Micro Plastics, Inc., Flippin, Ark. 72634.  
         [0039]     The fins  64  and  64   b  of clips  50   a  and  50   b  are described as rectangular, but of course, they could be fabricated in other shapes as long as they create an interference fit with the aperture  14 .  
         [0040]      FIG. 11  illustrates a still further type of candy dispenser  12   b . The dispenser  12   b  is in the form of a flashlight. Again, other than its exterior shape, dispenser  12   b  functions the same as the dispensers  12  and  12   a , but with a still differently shaped handle mechanism  40   b . The interiorly disposed dispensing mechanism, however, is substantially the same. As shown in  FIG. 11 , the clip  50   b  is adapted releasably to grip or grasp the dispenser  12   b  intermediate the base  30   b  and the dispensing end  18   b  of its housing  16   b.    
         [0041]     As in the case of the dispenser  12   a , the curved members  76  and  82  of the clip  50   b  enclose the dispenser  12   b . See  FIG. 11 . Similarly, by releasing the catch  78  from the hook  88 , the tablet dispenser  12   b  can be inserted within or released from the clip  50   b  and thus, be retained by or removed from the display board  10 .