Patent Publication Number: US-8534472-B2

Title: Spinning tower rack

Description:
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application entitled “Spinning Tower Rack,” Ser. No. 61/243,021, filed Sep. 16, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a spinning tower rack used to exhibit cards or other items on a rotating display. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Greeting card displays in retail stores take many forms and are generally designed to provide the customer with a wide variety of cards and other merchandise preferably in a compact arrangement and in a manner to minimize the space requirements for the display. Most displays are typically presented as successive rows of card shelves along the wall of a store or in back-to-back fashion. The displays include a front panel, rear panel, two side panels and elevating rows of “card slots” such the customer will be able to view as many cards as possible. In such cases, the spacing of the shelves and card slots is constant. Therefore, there is not much flexibility in the manner the cards can be displayed. 
     A disadvantage of such displays is that they take up quite a bit of foot space in the retail stores. Another disadvantage is that the customer must typically move down the length of the display case in order to view all the cards. This length can sometimes cover several feet. 
     It is therefore a need in the card display industry to provide a suitable replacement display device which answers to the wholesale/retail/consumer needs to best promote the sale of the product displayed in a minimal amount of square footage. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a tower rack for holding greeting cards and the like. The tower rack comprises a tower assembly structure having an open first upper end and an open second lower end, wherein the tower assembly structure comprises at least one panel section, wherein the panel section comprises at least one side panel, each side panel having a vertical border on either side of the side panel, wherein the side panel comprises horizontal slits and vertical slits wherein the vertical slits are placed periodically along the vertical length of the panel section; and a base configured to fit snugly around the second open end of the tower assembly structure. 
     The present invention is also directed to a spinning tower rack which comprises a tower assembly structure having an open first upper end and an open second lower end. The tower assembly structure comprises at least one panel section, wherein the panel section comprises at least one side panel, each side panel having a vertical border on either side of the side panel, wherein the side panel comprises horizontal slits and vertical slits wherein the vertical slits are placed periodically along the vertical length of the panel section, wherein the vertical slits are placed periodically along the vertical borders of the side panels, wherein the horizontal slits and vertical slits are placed such that two vertical slits correspond with each horizontal slit, with the vertical slits being placed above and on each side of the horizontal slit. A base is configured to fit snugly around the second open end of the tower assembly structure, wherein the base is a spinning base, the spinning base including a spinning member rotationally connected to a fixed member on the base. The spinning tower rack also includes removable trays, wherein the trays are reversibly attached to the side panels for holding merchandise. 
     The present invention is also directed to a tower rack assembly comprising at least two tower racks fitted onto a common base platform. Each tower rack comprises a tower assembly structure having an open first upper end and an open second lower end, wherein the tower assembly structure comprises at least one panel section, wherein the panel section comprises at least one side panel, each side panel having a vertical border on either side of the side panel, wherein the side panel comprises horizontal slits and vertical slits wherein the vertical slits are placed periodically along the vertical length of the panel section; and a base configured to fit snugly around the second open end of the tower assembly structure. 
     The display described is an innovative design which answers to the wholesale/retail/consumer needs to best promote the sale of the product displayed in a minimal amount of square footage. Its creation features elegance of design, simplicity of assembly, extreme durability and most importantly an uninterrupted view or encumbrance of the product displayed. 
     The objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the spinning tower rack of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view illustrating a first step in constructing the spinning tower rack of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a second step in constructing the spinning tower rack of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a third step in constructing the spinning tower rack of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view illustrating a fourth step in constructing the spinning tower rack of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view illustrating a fifth step in constructing the spinning tower rack of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of a shelf unit for the spinning tower rack. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of a shelf unit for the spinning tower rack. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of a spinning tower rack. 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of the spinning tower rack of  FIG. 9 . 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view illustrating the spinning tower rack of  FIG. 9  with additional component features. 
         FIG. 12  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a third embodiment of a spinning tower rack. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view illustrating the spinning tower rack of  FIG. 12 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-6 , there is illustrated a single spinning tower rack  10  of the current invention, which most generally includes a tower assembly  15 , a cap or top portion  62  and a bottom portion or base  64 . The tower assembly  15  includes a tower prism  20 . The tower prism  20  takes the geometric form of a multi-sided prism tube with open ends  22 ,  24 .  FIGS. 1-6  illustrate the tower prism  20  as a nonagon (9-sided) prism. However, the tower prism  20  may have any number of sides, including 3, 4, 5, etc., or even 0 sides in the case of a cylindrical tube form. As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the tower prism  20  is comprised of three identical panel sections  26  that connect together in a daisy chain fashion to each other. Each panel section  26  is formed with three faceted side panels  26   a ,  26   b , and  26   c connected at borders  28  and  30 . The three faceted panels  26  combine to form the sides of the tower prism  20 . The attachment of the three panels  26  is achieved by overlapping a flap  21  of the vertical edge  32  of one faceted panel  26  with the opposite vertical edge  34  of the next panel  26 . The overlapping flap  21  of vertical edge  32  contains apertures  27  placed along its length that mirrors the vertical placement of apertures  25  of the edge  34 . The tower prism  20  is assembled by applying fasteners  36  through these apertures  25  into the corresponding apertures  27  in the panels  26  such that the vertical edges  32 ,  34  of the panels  26  are joined end-to-end in a manner to generate the appropriate number of sides of the intended shape of the tower prism  20 . The attachment of the panels  26  can also be achieved without fasteners such as in a slot and tab method or another fastenerless method. 
     The tower prism  20  may be comprised of any suitable number of panel sections  26  with each panel section  26  having any suitable number of prism sections or facets. For ease of manufacturing, it is preferred that the number of panel sections  26  be evenly divisible by the number of sides of the fully-assembled tower prism  20 . This allows each panel section  26  comprising the tower prism  20  to contain the same number of panel sections. For example, the nonagon tower prism  20  shown in  FIGS. 1-6  contains three panel sections  26  with each panel section  26  containing three side panels  26   a ,  26   b ,  26   c . An octagonal tower prism (not shown) would contain two panel sections, with each panel section containing four prism panels. However, any combination is possible and is envisioned by the present invention. In versions with only one panel section, the panel section includes prism panels corresponding to the number of sides of the fully-assembled tower prism and further includes an attachment section. In yet other versions, the tower prism may extrude as a single unit. 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 2-4 , each panel  26  of the tower prism  20  comprises horizontal slits  38  and vertical slits  40 . The horizontal slits  38  are placed periodically along the vertical length of the side panels  26   a ,  26   b , and  26   c . The vertical slits  40  are placed periodically along the vertical borders  28  and  30 . The horizontal slits  38  and vertical slits  40  are placed such that two vertical slits  40  correspond with each horizontal slit  38 , with the vertical slits  40  being placed above and on each side of the horizontal slit  38 . The panel sections  26  can be made of any rigid material but are preferably made of a plastic material. Other materials include polycarbonate, wood, tin, steel, and cardboard. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 ,  5 , and  6 - 8 , the tower assembly  15  further comprises trays  44  or other attachments reversibly attached to the tower prism  20  for holding merchandise. The trays  44  are comprised of a single piece of material and are preferably plastic, but may be made of other materials as described above with respect to the panels  26 . The trays  44  may also be formed of shaped wire. 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 7-8 , the trays  44  include a front surface  46 , a bottom flap  48  with a flange  50 , and two side flaps  65 , with each side flap  65  containing a side hook  54 . The trays  44  are attached to the tower prism  20  by inserting side flaps  65  into the vertical slits  40 , sliding the tray  44  downward so that the hooks  54  engage the portion of the panel section  22  underneath the vertical slits  40 , and inserting the flange  50  into the horizontal slit  38  (illustrated by arrow  56  in  FIG. 6 ). 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 8 , the pocket tray  44   a  may also be comprised of more than a single compartment for holding merchandise. Tray  44   a  is divided into two tiered pockets or compartments  58 ,  60  to display the merchandise. Tray  44   a  could also be configured to contain three or four compartments and or tiers. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-3 ,  5  and  6 , the tower rack  10  may also include a cap  62  and/or a base  64 . The cap  62  and the base  64  may be configured to fit snugly around the first and second open ends  22 ,  24  of the tower prism  20 , respectively. Alternatively, the cap  62  and/or base  64  may be configured to insert within the open ends  22 ,  24  of the tower prism  20 . In the latter case, the cap  62  and base  64  may have lower recessed portions, which insert snugly within the open ends  22 ,  24  of the tower prism  20 . The extended portions are either flush with the outer perimeter of the tower prism  20  or extend beyond it. Whether the cap  62  and/or base  64  are configured to fit around the ends  22 ,  24  of the tower prism  20  or insert within the open ends  22 ,  24 , the cap  62  and base  64  are secured to the tower prism  20  using any type of fastener known in the art. Preferably, sheet metal screws are used for fastening. The cap  62  and base  64  may alternatively be secured by friction fit only. 
     Referring to FIGS.  1  and  3 - 6 , the tower rack  10  may also include a spinning base  64 . The spinning base  64  includes a spinning member  66  rotationally connected to a fixed member  68 . The spinning member  66  is configured and dimensioned to fit snugly within the lower open end of the tower prism  20 . The tower prism  20  is fastened to the spinning member  66  so that the tower prism  20  contacts the spinning member  66 , but not the fixed member  68 . The tower prism  20  can be fastened to the spinning member  66  by any means known in the art, but fastening with sheet metal screws is preferred. The weight of the tower prism  20  is supported entirely by the spinning member  66  of the spinning base  64 . This is enabled through the combination of the friction fit between the tower prism  20  and the spinning member  66  and the fasteners. A spinning tower rack  10  that includes a spinning base  64  is capable of rotating around the longitudinal axis of the tower prism  20 , wherein the spinning member  66  and the tower prism  20  rotate as a unit with respect to the fixed member  68  of the spinning base  64 . The tower prism assembly may also be hung on a vertical display pole and base rather than base  64 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 10 and 12 , with respect to other embodiments of the tower rack, the spinning tower racks  10  may further include spinning caps  70  and a header  72 . The spinning cap  70  contains the same structural elements as the cap  62  except that it further comprises a locator pin  74 . The locator pin  74  is either fixedly or rotationally attached to the top-center of the spinning cap  70 . The locator pin  74  is received in a locator-pin receiving hole  76  in the header  72 , the latter of which serves as the uppermost portion of the spinning tower rack  10 . The locator pin  74  and locator-pin receiving hole  76  are coordinately structured so that the locator pin  74  can spin freely within the locator-pin receiving hole  76 . A “lazy Susan”-type ball bearing  78 , illustrated in  FIG. 12 , may be inserted around the locator pin  74  and between the spinning cap  70  and the header  72  to help the spinning cap  70  to rotate freely with respect to the header  72 . A spinning tower rack  10  comprising a spinning base  64 , a spinning cap  70 , and a header  72  are capable of spinning around the longitudinal axis of the tower prism  20 . The spinning member  66  of the spinning base  64 , tower prism  20 , and spinning cap  70  rotate as a unit with respect to the fixed member  68  of the spinning base  64  and the header  72 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 9-13 , the tower rack  10  may include more than one tower rack  10 . In such versions, multiple tower racks  10 , each with its own spinning member  66  and spinning cap  70 , are housed within a common fixed base  64  and header  72 . The number of tower racks  10  housed within the common fixed base  64  is virtually unlimited and may range from 2 to 14 or more. Preferably, the configuration of the tower rack  10  within the base  64  is no more than two deep at any one point so that each tower rack assembly  15  can be accessed. 
     The spinning tower rack  10  may further include a lower intermediate spinning member and an upper intermediate spinning member (not shown). The lower intermediate spinning member is positioned between the spinning member  66  and the fixed member  68 . The lower intermediate spinning member is rotationally connected to both the spinning member and the fixed member. The upper intermediate spinning member is positioned between the spinning cap  70  and the header  72 . The upper intermediate spinning member is rotationally connected to both the spinning cap  70  and the header  72 . The upper intermediate spinning member may contain locator-pin receiving holes for receiving the locator pin of the spinning caps  70 . The upper intermediate spinning member may also itself include a locator pin for inserting in the locator-pin receiving holes of the header  72 . However, other rotational connections known in the art may be used. The combination of the primary spinning unit (spinning member  66 , tower prism  20 , and spinning cap  70  in combination) and upper and lower intermediate spinning members  70 , 72  are referred to herein as a secondary spinning unit. 
     The spinning tower racks  10  described herein may further include support posts. These support posts are preferred in versions combining primary and secondary spinning units and provide support between the upper and lower intermediate spinning members. The support posts also provide a means of rotating the intermediate members with respect to the fixed members. 
     The spinning tower rack  10  may include informational displays  80  for displaying information such as branding, graphical images, etc. The informational displays  80  may be incorporated into the header  72 , as shown in  FIG. 11 , or the fixed member  68  of the spinning base  64 . The informational displays  80  may also be placed on the top of the cap  62  as shown in  FIG. 6 . In yet other versions, the spinning tower rack  10  may display information such as branding, graphical images, etc. on the outer surface of the tower prism  20  itself. 
     The spinning tower rack  10  may further include casters on the bottom of the base  64  (not shown). 
     Any version of any component or method step of the invention may be used with any other component or method step of the invention. The elements described herein can be used in any combination whether explicitly described or not. 
     As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. 
     Numerical ranges as used herein are intended to include every number and subset of numbers contained within that range, whether specifically disclosed or not. Further, these numerical ranges should be construed as providing support for a claim directed to any number or subset of numbers in that range. For example, a disclosure of from 1 to 10 should be construed as supporting a range of from 2 to 8, from 3 to 7, from 5 to 6, from 1 to 9, from 3.6 to 4.6, from 3.5 to 9.9, and so forth. 
     The devices and methods of the present invention can comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of the essential elements and limitations described herein, as well as any additional or optional steps, ingredients, components, or limitations described herein or otherwise useful in the art. 
     It is understood that the invention is not confined to the particular construction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described, but embraces such modified forms thereof as come within the scope of the following claims.