Abstract:
An improved display stand is disclosed which holds periodicals such as newspapers and magazines. The periodicals are placed on a bottom plate which is inside a U-shaped hood supported by a support which is inclined. A hinged lid is provided which can be easily opened and closed. The lid is kept shut by gravity. In addition, the angle at which the support is inclined prevents the periodicals from falling out of the display stand. The display stand is economical to construct and easy to fabricate because it is comprised of a minimum number of parts.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to display stands and, more specifically, to a display stand used to display and make readily accessible to the public newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     In the past, a variety of display stands have been used for the purpose of selling periodicals such as newspapers to the public. Such display stands typically have a locking device which may be opened by inserting coins into a mechanism. As a result, the newspapers are secured and protected from external elements by a lid which is locked shut. However, in the case of a display stand used for offering newspapers, magazines or other periodicals to the public free of charge, the lid must stay shut without the benefit of a locking mechanism. In addition, some means must be provided for the purpose of preventing the periodicals from spilling or falling out of the display stand. The latter problem can be solved through the use of a display stand that is orientated (sloped or inclined) in such a manner to prevent periodicals from falling out of the stand. Moreover, a lid may be mounted on the display stand which uses gravity to stay shut. Such a lid would allow access to the public while still protecting the contents of the display stand from external elements. 
     Since the distribution of periodicals such as newspapers requires a large number of display stands, it is important that a display stand used for this purpose be both easy to construct and economical to fabricate. As such, a display stand is needed which may be easily constructed with a minimum number of parts. Such a display stand must be both functional and attractive and must have the capacity to hold a large number of periodicals. 
     Accordingly, a need exists for a display stand used for offering a large number of periodicals such as newspapers to the public free of charge which provides ready access to the public while protecting its contents from external elements. Another need exists for a display stand that is easy to construct and economical to make. A further need exists for a display stand that is orientated to prevent periodicals from falling out of the stand. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of this invention to provide an improved display stand. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide an improved display stand that can be used to offer periodicals such as newspapers to the public free of charge which provides ready access to the public while protecting the periodicals from external elements. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved display stand that holds a large number of periodicals and is economical to fabricate and easy to construct. 
     It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved display stand that is orientated in such a way to prevent periodicals from falling out of the stand. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, a display stand for holding a plurality of periodicals such as newspapers or magazines is disclosed. The periodicals are placed on a bottom plate which is inside a U-shaped hood supported by a support which is inclined. A hinged lid is provided which can be easily opened and closed. The lid is kept shut by gravity. In addition, the angle at which the support is inclined prevents the periodicals from falling out of the display stand. The display stand is economical to construct and easy to fabricate because it is comprised of a minimum number of parts. 
     The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following, more particular, description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display stand which is an embodiment of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the display stand of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the display stand of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the display stand of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the display stand of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the display stand of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the display stand of FIG. 1 taken along the line 7--7 in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 6. 
     FIG. 8 is a planar view of the lid and hinged top portion of the display stand of FIG. 1 taken in the direction of the arrows 8--8 shown in FIG. 2. 
     FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the hinged top portion of the display stand of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of the hinged top portion of the display stand of FIG. 1 taken along the line 10--10 in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 9 with the lid shown attached to the hinged top portion by a rivet. 
     FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the lid of the display stand of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 12 is a rear elevational view of the backside of the display stand of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the backside shown in FIG. 12. 
     FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the bottom plate of the display stand of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 15 is a front elevational view of the bottom plate shown in FIG. 14. 
     FIG. 16 is a right side view of the bottom plate shown in FIG. 14. 
     FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view of the bottom plate shown in FIG. 14 taken along the line 17--17 in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 14. 
     FIG. 18 is a front elevational view of the hood of the display stand of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 19 is a side elevational view of the hood shown in FIG. 18. 
     FIG. 20 is a cross sectional view of the hood shown in FIG. 18 taken along the line 20--20 in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 18. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a display stand, generally designated by reference number 10, is shown that may be used for the purpose of distributing periodicals such as newspapers or magazines to the public. The display stand 10 is comprised of a hood 12, lid 14, hinged top portion 16, bottom plate 18, backside 24 (see FIGS. 7, 12, and 13) and a support means consisting of an angled support 20 and a straight support 22. FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the display stand 10. Note that the angled support 20 is bent during fabrication to form an angle designated by reference number 26. FIGS. 3 and 4 are top and bottom plan views, respectively, of the display stand 10. 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 are rear and front elevational views, respectively, of the display stand. FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the display stand 10 taken along the line 7--7 in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 6. The straight support 22 is attached to the angled support 20 by preferably welding two elongated flanges 21 and 23 to the angled support 20. Furthermore, the angled support 20 is attached (preferably welded) to the backside 24 of the display stand 10. The straight support 22 and angled support 20 are preferably made out of sheet metal. The lid 14 is operably attached to the hinged top portion 16 which is itself attached (preferably welded) to the hood 12. Due to a hinge 28 (see FIG. 10) incorporated into the hinged top portion 16, the lid 14 may be easily opened and closed. Because the hood 12, hinged top portion 16, and lid 14 are inclined due to the angle 26, the lid 14 is kept shut by gravity. The angle 26 is preferably fifty-three degrees. Periodicals may be placed on top of the bottom plate 18 which is attached (preferably welded) to the hood 12. The periodicals will not fall out of the display stand 10 because the bottom plate 18 is also inclined due to the angle 26. 
     FIG. 8 is a planar view of the lid 14 and hinged top portion 16 taken in the direction of the arrows 8--8 shown in FIG. 2. A front elevational view of the hinged top portion 16 is shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is a cross section view of the hinged top portion 16 taken along the line 10--10 in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 9. The lid 14 is preferably attached to the hinged top portion 16 by rivets 30. Note that in FIG. 10 the lid 14 is shown attached to the hinged top portion 16 by a rivet 30. The hinged top portion 16 consists of an upper part 32 and a lower part 34. The upper part 32 is attached (preferably welded) to a top part 42 of the hinge 28. In a similar manner, the lower part 34 is attached (preferably welded) to a bottom part 44 of the hinge 28. In addition, the lower part 34 has aperatures 40 for the rivets 30 which secure the lid 14 to the hinged top portion 16. Note that any other suitable fastening means such as nuts and bolts may be substituted in place of the rivets if desired. Top and side flanges 36 and 38, respectively, are used to attach (preferably weld) the hinged top portion 16 to the hood 12. 
     Referring to FIG. 11, the lid 14 consists of a window 48 fabricated out of a generally rectangular-shaped sheet of material which can be bent as shown and an elongated block 46 that fits between the two upper ends of the sheet. Both the window 48 and elongated block 46 have aperatures 50 for the rivets 30 which hold the lid 14 to the hinged top portion 16. The window 48 and block 46 are preferably made out of a transparent material such as polycarbonate, or the like. 
     A rear elevational view of the backside 24 is shown in FIG. 12. FIG. 13 is a bottom view of the backside 24. The backside 24 consists of a generally rectangular-shaped sheet of material with rounded upper corners having an upper flange 52 and side flanges 54 used to attach (preferably weld) the backside 24 to the hood 12. The rounded upper corners of the backside 24 are shaped to fit the inside surface of the upper end of the hood 12 shown in FIG. 18. The backside 24 is preferably fabricated from sheet metal. 
     FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the bottom plate 18. A front elevational view of the bottom plate 18 is shown in FIG. 15. In addition, FIG. 16 is a right side view of the bottom plate 18. FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view of the bottom plate 18 taken along line 17--17 in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 14. The bottom plate 18 is a sheet of material (preferably sheet metal) having a rectangular shape. It has a rear flange 60, flanges 56 on both sides and a folded portion 58 at its front end. The bottom plate 18 is secured to the hood 12 by attaching (preferably welding) its flanges 56 to the hood 12. 
     A front elevational view of the hood 12 is illustrated in FIG. 18. FIG. 19 shows a side elevational view of the hood 12. Finally, FIG. 20 is a cross sectional view of the hood 12 taken along line 20--20 in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 18. Note that the inside surface at the upper end of the hood 12 is contoured to fit the upper end of the backside 24 (see FIG. 12). The hood is fabricated by bending an essentially rectangular-shaped sheet of material (preferably sheet metal) to the shape of an inverted U as shown in FIG. 18. It has a folded portion 62 which extends across its top front end, down the front ends of the two sides and partially across its bottom end. 
     The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 through 20 is easily fabricated from sheet material (preferably sheet metal) using a minimum number of parts. It has the capacity to hold a significant number of periodicals such as newspapers which will not fall out of the display stand 10 because it is inclined due to angle 26. The public has access to the periodicals by means of the lid 14 which may be easily opened. Gravity keeps the lid 14 shut, thereby protecting the periodicals from external elements. 
     While the invention has been particularly shown and described in reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be undersood by those skilled in the art that changes in the form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.