Improvements in Racks or Stands for Displaying Goods.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 28th July, 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Racks or Stands for Displaying Goods.
We, MARY ELLEN XANDER and EMANUL K. SHANKEL, both of Pennsburg,
Montgomery Co., Philadelphia, United States of America, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
This invention relates generally to display racks for the exibition of articles
of merchandise in show cases, on shelves or counters, or in show windows of
stores, and more particularly to that class of display racks known as "revolving
display racks or stands" in which the goods to be exhibited are suspended upon
or otherwise secured to parts which are rotated by suitable motors.
The primary object of the invention is to provide a display rack or stand of
the revolving class, in which there are two rotatable members, one within the
other, the inner member to rotate in the opposite direction from the outer
member, the whole structure, including those portions necessary to adapt it to a
motor, to be generally improved, simplified and beautified.
With this object in view, my invention consists in the improved construction,
arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and specifically
pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawing
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a revolving display rack or stand, constructed in
accordance with my invention, in position for practical operation, the upper bear-
ing being shown in dotted lines.
Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of another arrangement, the object
being to illustrate the construction of the rack, the manner of coupling it to
the motor, and the manner of mounting and connecting the two oppositely
rotating members.
Like numerals mark the same parts in both the figures.
In such a motor, a gear wheel is mounted loosely on a shaft 15, and provided
with upwardly projecting pins or points 20, by means of which it is coupled
to one member of the display rack, the shaft 15 being coupled to the other
member, as hereinafter set forth. The shaft 15 which drives one member of the
display rack, rotates in the opposite direction to the rotation of the wheel 18
which drives the other member, thereby causing the two members of the rack to
rotate in opposite directions.
26 indicates the base upon which the motor, and the whole device is supported,
and 27 is the upper bearing-board or support. The base may be the bottom
board of a show-case or window, and the upper bearing-board the top thereof,
when it is desired to build the rack as a permanent fixture, but when the rack is
to be portable, the base 26 and upper bearing-board will be connected by
uprights 28, as shown in Fig. 2 said uprights being adjustably secured by nuts 29.
The outer member of the rack comprises a base-board 31 and a cage, composed
of upright rods or wires 32 connected at intervals by rings 33 and bent inward,
radially at their upper ends, as at 34, meeting at and secured in a hub 35.
Beneath the base-board 31 is a hub or disc 36 provided with a central opening

page_text: through which the shaft 15 passes upward, and with a circular series of holes 37
to receive the pins 20 of the gear wheel 18.
38 indicates a shaft having a socket in it's lower end to fit over the shaft 15,
said socket and the upper end of shaft 15 being angular in cross section, to cause
the two shafts to rotate together. The upper bearing of shaft 38 is a socket in
a plate 39 secured on the under surface of the upper bearing-board or support 27,
and the inner rotary member 40 of my rack, is secured upon the shaft 38 and
rotates therewith in the opposite direction from that of the outer member before
described.
The inner member 40 is preferably of hexagonal, or other polygonal form in
horizontal section, the outer panels being faced with mirrors 41, separated by
uprights 42, in the form of mouldings in the corners..
Suitable hooks 43 and 44, upon which to hang articles to be displayed, are
provided on the rods and rings of the outer member, and the uprights of the
inner member.
With articles upon these hooks, and on the base-board 31 of the outer member,
and the two members rotating in opposite directions, a very handsome display is
made, the mirrors reflecting the image of the articles at numerous angles and
creating quite an attraction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. The combination of a base-board, an upper bearing board supported above
and parallel therewith, a depending socket on the upper face thereof, a motor
mounted on the base-board, a shaft projecting upwardly from the frame of the
motor having an angular upper end, a gear wheel loosely mounted on the shaft
and provided with upwardly projecting points, an inner rotary member of a
display rack, a vertical shaft secured therein journalled at it's upper end in the
depending socket and provided at it's lower end with a socket to fit over the
angular ended shaft, an outer member of a display rack fitting around the inner
member and provided with a hub having openings to receive the points on the
loose gear wheel, the motor being geared to rotate the two members in opposite
directions, substantially as described.
2. A display rack comprising an inner rotary member consisting of a frame or
box polygonal in horizontal cross section, having mirrors on each outer panel
and angle uprights with hooks upon which to display merchandise, an outer
rotary member, surrounding the the inner member, consisting of a cage com-
posed of uprights bent at the top to form radial arms meeting at the centre, a hub
to which to secure the radial arms, rings horizontally arranged to connect the
uprights of the cage, and hooks on the uprights, and rings upon which to display
merchandise, in combination with a motor geared to rotate the two members in
opposite directions, substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of October 1809
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.
Agent for the Applicants.