Improvements in Display Tablets.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 27th Nov.,
1897
Improvements in Display Tablets.
I, EDWARD JAMES JUTZ, Gentleman, residing at No. 2728 Madison Street, in
the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, U.S.A., 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:
My invention relates to improvements in display tablets; and it consists of
the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter shown,
described and claimed.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a display tablet constructed in accordance with
the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken approxi-
mately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken
approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 parts being broken away. Fig. 4 is a
view in perspective of one of the slats or placards parts being broken away and
other parts being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken
approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of
one of the price-list cards. Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken approxi-
mately on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6 after a card has been placed in position for use
upon the slat or placard.
Referring by numerals to the drawing, the head-board 10 has notches 11 cut
from its lower edge and the pins 12 are inserted from the end edges of the head-
board 10 into said head-board and through the slots 11.
The webs 13 are doubled upon themselves and lines 14 of stitches, staples on.
rivets secure the webs together at suitable distances apart to form pockets or loops
The extreme upper parts 18
in which the slats or placards 15, 16 and 17 rest.
of the webs are in the form of loops, which loops are placed in the notches 11 and
the pins 12 are inserted through said loops, thus forming a connection between
the webs and the head-board, and the webs aepend downwardly from
said head-board. The slats or placards 15 are formed by taking four
of the strips 19, placing said strips together in the form of a hollow square,
placing the plugs 20 in the ends of said hollow square and securing said strips to
said plug. Thus is produced a slat or placard having four equal faces.
The slats or placards 16 are formed by taking three of the strips 19 and placing
said strips together in the form of an open triangle and placing the triangular
plugs 21 in the ends of said open triangle and securing said strips 19 to said plugs,
thus forming a slat or placard having three equal faces.
The slats or placards 17 are formed by using a single strip 19, which strip
produces a slat or placard having two equal faces. Any desired matter may bo
written, printed, painted or stenciled upon the faces of the slats or placards 15,
16 and 17 and then said slats or placards are placed in the loops formed by the
Different matter will
webs 13 as required to display the desired ones of the faces.
appear upon each of the faces, and the matter displayed is changed by turning the
desired one or ones of the placards to display the different faces.
The open screw-eyes 22 are inserted into the ends of the slats or placards and
closed screw-eyes 23 are inserted into the ends of the head-board 10. The cords 24

page_text: have their lower ends attached to the lower ones of the open screw-eyes 22 and said
cords extend upwardly through the intermediate screw-eyes 22 and through the
screw-eyes 23 and then downwardly. When it is desired to remove and replace
one of the slats or placards, the cords may be removed from the open screw-eyes 22
and said slat or placard removed from the loops of the webs 13 and another slat
or placard inserted without removing the cord from the other open screw-eyes,
or displacing or disarranging the other slats or placards.
When it is desired to fold the rack up, the upper ends of the cords 24 are pulled
downwardly. The closed screw-eyes 23 form bearings or pulleys for the cords 24
and the slats will be drawn upwardly into a bundle. When it is desired to dis-
connect the slats from the head-board the pins 12 are removed.
In making up the rack, the slats or placards used may be either flat, as 17, or
triangular, as 16, of square or rectangular, as 15. The rack may be composed
entirely of one or two kinds of slats, or they may be mixed, as desired. The
McGill fasteners 25, or light spring-cotters, are, or may be inserted through the
webs 13 and through the slats or placards, as shown in detail in Fig. 5.
The saw-cuts 26 and 27 are formed from the faces of the slats or placards, as
shown in detail in Fig. 7, said saw-cuts being inclined inwardly and away from
each other, and the ends of the price-list cards 28 are inserted in said saw-cuts as
required to hold said cards in position relative to the slats. The price-list cards 28
consist of the large card 29 having horizontal slits 30 and 31, and the small
cards 32 are placed in vertical positions in front of the card 29 with their upper
and lower ends inserted in said slits 30 and 31, respectively, as shown in Fig. 6.
Letters, figures and signs are printed, or painted, upon the cards 32 and by
arranging and combining said cards 32, prices may be indicated. The head-
board 10 is designed to have printed, painted or stenciled upon it the name of the
dealer, the nature of his business and the location, such as "John Smith, Groceries,
310 S. Tenth St." The slats or placards are designed to have printed or stenciled
or painted upon their faces the names of the commodities which are for sale, such
as potatoes, cabbage, etc., and the price-list cards are designed to indicate by the
arrangement of the cards 32 upon the cards 29 the prices of the articles named
upon the slats. The racks are designed for displaying advertising matter, price-
lists and for other similar purposes.
When the stock of a particular class of goods is exhausted, the corresponding
slat or placard is removed from the rack.
The webs 13 are necessarily flexible and preferably elastic. By using elastic
webs the same loops will receive and hold slats of different sizes and shapes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
I claim is:
1. In a device of the class described, a head-board having notches cut in its
lower edge, webs doubled upon themselves and stitched together at intervais as
required to form loops, the upper ends of said webs being placed in said notches
and secured in position by means of pins inserted from the ends of said head-
board through said webs, slats or placards removably inserted in the loops formed
by said webs, open screw-eyes inserted in the ends of said slats or placards,
closed screw-eyes inserted in the ends of said head-board and cords attached to
the screw-eyes of the lower one of said slats or placards and extending upwardly
through the intermediate ones of said slats or placards and through the closed
screw-eyes in the ends of said head-board, substantially as specified.
2. In a device of the class described, a slat or placard having saw-cuts 26 and 27
formed from its face, the card 29 having the horizontal slits 30 and 31 placed in
position with its ends in said saw-cuts 26 and 27, the small cards 32 having letters
or figures printed upon their faces, and placed in position with their ends in said
slits 30 and 31, substantially as specified.
3. In a device of the class described, the head-board 10 having the notches 11

page_text: formed in its lower edge, the webs 13 doubled upon themselves and secured
together at intervals by the stitching 14 forming loops, the pins 12 inserted from
the ends of said head-board through the upper ends of said webs, slats inserted in
said loops, fasteners inserted through said webs and through said slats, said slats
having saw-cuts 26 and 27 formed in their faces to receive the ends of price-list
cards, substantially as specified.
Dated the 27th day of August, 1897.
HIGDON, LONGAN & HIGDON,
Agents for Applicant.