Patent Publication Number: US-5289926-A

Title: Display rack

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Pat. No. 2,324,232 discloses a one-piece die cut cardboard blank constructed and arranged to form a terraced display rack. While this display rack is satisfactory for its intended purpose, the blank is not folded and interconnected to form card-receiving slots. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     After considerable research and experimentation, the display rack of the present invention has been devised which comprises, a one-piece die cut cardboard blank constructed and arranged to be folded and interconnected to form a plurality of stepped items-receiving slots forming a display rack for trading cards, such as baseball and football cards. 
     In one embodiment, the die cut blank is substantially rectangular, whereby a straight sided rack is formed when the blank is folded and interconnected, and, in another embodiment, the die cut blank is substantially trapezoidal, whereby a convergent sided rack is formed, when the blank is folded and interconnected. In the second embodiment, a plurality of display racks can be positioned in side-by-side relationship to form an enclosure resembling a stadium. A base board having upwardly extending tabs is provided for holding the display racks in side-by-side relationship. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention showing one side and the rear of a rack; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the front of the rack a shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the die cut blank before being folded and interconnected to form the display rack of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged, side elevational view illustrating the folding and interconnecting of the portions of the blank to form the rack of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the terraced rack having cards mounted in the stepped slots; 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan elevational view of the terraced rack shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of the terraced rack shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the rack shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the display rack of the present invention; 
     FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the die cut blank before being folded and interconnected to form the display rack of FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a plurality of the display racks shown in FIG. 9 placed in side-by-side relationship to form an enclosure resembling a stadium; and 
     FIG. 12 is a rear elevational view of one of the display racks of FIG. 11 mounted on a base board employed to hold the display racks of FIG. 11 in side-by-side relationship. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the terraced display rack 1 of the present invention comprises a one-piece die cut cardboard or plastic blank folded and interconnected to form a plurality of stepped slots 2 for receiving trading cards 3, such as football or baseball cards, as shown in FIG. 5. The rack is held in the erected position by a support structure 4, including a back wall 5, and integral forwardly extending divergent side walls 6. Finger openings 7 are formed in the side walls to facilitate handling the rack 1. 
     The one-piece die cut blank from which the rack shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is formed is illustrated in FIG. 3, wherein it will be seen that the back wall 5 has integral side walls 6 extending laterally outwardly therefrom and hingedly connected thereto along score lines 5b. The bottom edges 5a and 6a of the back and side walls are coextensive and engage the surface upon which the rack is supported. Locking slots 6b are provided at the bottom edge portion of the side walls 6. The opposite or upper edge of the side walls 6 are provided with inclined spaced step portions 6c having inclined riser portions 6d, the space between adjacent steps 6c forming locking slots 6e. 
     The remainder of the one-piece die cut blank as shown in FIG. 3 comprises a plurality of variably spaced, parallel, score lines 9, delineating a plurality of panel portions 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, 10f, 10g, 10h, 10i, 10i, 10k, 10L, 10m and 10n of various widths, adjacent panels being hingedly connected along the score lines 9. 
     As will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the rack is erected by turning the side walls 6 inwardly and the blank is folded so that the panels 10a, 10d, 10i and engage the step portions 6c and the panel 10L is folded underneath the side walls 6 and engage the lower edges thereof. The panels 10b, 10c; 10e, 10f; and 10h, 10i are inserted into the locking slots 6e and are held therein by tabs 6f provided on the leading edge of each step 6c and insertable through corresponding apertures 11 formed in the panels 10c, 10f and 10i. The panels 10m and 10n are similarly inserted into locking slot 6b on the bottom edge of the side walls 6 and held therein by the free end of the panel 10n engaging an abutment 12 provided on one wall of the locking slot 6b. 
     When erected, as shown in FIG. 5, the panels 10b, 10c; 10e, 10f; 10h, 10i provide the stepped slots 2 for receiving the cards 3 to be displayed. 
     FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate another embodiment of the card display rack 1 wherein the one-piece blank is cut so that the lateral edges 13 and 14 of the panels 10a . . . 10k are progressively inwardly extending to provide panels of different length whereby the substantially trapezoidal-shaped terrace rack la is formed when the blank is folded and interconnected as described hereinabove in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. 
     By the construction of the trapezoidal-shaped rack 1a, an individual rack can be provided for displaying the cards as described hereinabove, with regard to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8, or a plurality of similarly configured racks 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1g and 1h can be arranged in side-by-side relationship to form the octagonal structure shown in FIG. 11 resembling a stadium. 
     To hold the racks 1a . . . 1h in side-by-side relationship, a base board 15 is provided having upwardly struck tabs 15a adapted to engage the inwardly facing surfaces of the beck wall 5 and side walls 6 of the rack, to thereby prevent the racks from shifting laterally on the board. Indicia 16 representing a playing field is pasted or printed on the upper surface of the base board 15. 
     From the above description, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that the one-piece die cut blank of the present invention can be easily folded and interconnected to provide a rack having terraced card receiving slots or pockets 2 so that all of the cards 3 are readily viewable while mounted on the rack, and the configuration of the plurality of racks to form a stadium having a simulated playing field enhances the enjoyment of viewing the cards in the environment of the particular game card, whether baseball or football. 
     It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herewith shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the subjoined claims.