Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to display racks for displaying a plurality of inanimate objects and more particularly to a display rack comprised of a plurality of interconnected supports having a tongue-and-groove connection system along top and bottom edges thereof so that a plurality of the supports can be releasably interconnected for varying the size of the display rack. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Relevant Art 
         [0004]    Display racks have been a common form of displaying a plurality of relatively small inanimate objects such as golf balls, figurines, petite glassware, spools, or the like, for many years. The racks typically include a plurality of support shelves on which the objects being displayed are positioned. 
         [0005]    Some support racks are enclosed in a box-like structure and may even include a glass cover over the front to protect the objects being displayed. The racks are typically made in various sizes to accommodate different numbers of objects being displayed. 
         [0006]    One problem with such display racks is that a fixed number of locations are defined on the display rack and as a collection of objects grows, additional box-like structures must be purchased to add to an original collection. The display rack itself in the prior art has not been adjustable in size, i.e., they are of a fixed size and they cannot be added to or subtracted from. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, there is a need in the field of display racks for a rack that can be varied in size so that an increase or decrease in the number of objects being displayed can be accommodated without buying additional complete display racks. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The display rack of the present invention consists of a plurality of substantially identical component parts that can be releasably interconnected to create larger or smaller display racks. Each component of the display rack includes a vertical plate-like member having a connection system that is complementary to the connection system on an adjacent component so that a display rack may begin with a single component but additional components can be added interconnecting one component to an overlying or underlying component. 
         [0009]    Each component has one of various systems for displaying objects depending upon the type of object to be displayed. For example, the back plate may have a plurality of horizontally projecting pins to display spools of thread or the like. The back plate may also support a horizontal shelf on which objects can be positioned and the shelves themselves may have indentations, holes, upstanding pins, embossments or the like for positively positioning the objects to be displayed. 
         [0010]    By way of example, a shelf on a back plate may include a plurality of aligned indentations in which a golf ball can be releasably seated so that the ball does not easily roll off the shelf and will remain in position for display. The spacing of the indentations is predetermined so that the aesthetic of the display is as desired. 
         [0011]    The top or uppermost component in an aggregate of such components defining a display rack in accordance with the invention may have a top flange or overhang along the top edge thereof for decorative purposes. Similarly, the bottommost support component may have a flange or horizontal projection along its lower edge which may or may not serve also as a shelf for displaying objects. 
         [0012]    The bottommost component may be stood on its own on a horizontal support surface such as a table or the like. Normally, however, a selected number of the components would be interconnected and hung on a vertical support surface such as a wall by providing a connection system on the rear of the uppermost component for receipt of a nail or other hanger on the wall. 
         [0013]    Other aspects, features and details of the present invention can be more completely understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the drawings and from the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is an isometric looking at the front of a display rack in accordance with the present invention having two releasably interconnected components. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is an isometric similar to  FIG. 1  showing the display rack of  FIG. 1  with an additional intermediate display component. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is an exploded isometric of the display rack shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a section taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a fragmentary front elevation of the rack of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a fragmentary rear elevation of the rack of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is an isometric of a display rack in accordance with the present invention showing various systems for supporting objects to be displayed. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0021]    A display rack  10  in accordance with the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1  to include two component supports  12  and it will be appreciated with the description following that any number of component supports could be incorporated into the display rack. When assembled as shown in  FIG. 1 , the two component supports define a completed rack with two display shelves  14  for inanimate objects  16  such as golf balls. The display rack shown in  FIG. 1  has an uppermost support component  12   u  and a bottommost support component  12   b  even though as seen in  FIG. 2 , for example, an intermediate support component  12   i  could be positioned between the uppermost and bottommost components to add a third display shelf  14 . 
         [0022]    Referencing  FIG. 3 , the three component supports  12  shown in  FIG. 2  are separated. The intermediate support component  12   i  can be seen to include a plate-like back  18  that has a horizontal groove  20  routed or otherwise formed in a front face thereof near the bottom edge of the back plate. A relatively thin display shelf  14  has its rear most edge inserted into the groove and is retained therein either frictionally, with adhesive or with other suitable means. The shelf itself is provided with a plurality of indentations  22  formed in a top surface thereof at equally spaced locations with the indentations being provided to releasably retain inanimate objects  16  to be displayed in the rack at the predetermined locations. For example, in the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , the indentations  22  form a segment of a sphere so that a golf ball or other spherical object could be placed or seated in an indentation to keep the ball from rolling off the shelf. 
         [0023]    Immediately below the shelf  14  on the front face of the support component  12 , a tongue-and-groove connector  24  is formed so that a forwardly projecting tongue  26  is defined by a rearwardly projecting groove  28  immediately thereabove and a lower edge  30  of the back plate  18 . The tongue and the groove are defined by substantially horizontal surfaces  32  and substantially vertical surfaces  34  but as is probably best appreciated by reference to  FIG. 4 , the substantially horizontal surfaces are in reality sloped slightly downwardly and rearwardly from the front face of the back plate toward the rear of the back plate. The substantially vertical surfaces are similarly slightly inclined upwardly and rearwardly from the front face of the back plate toward the rear face. It will therefore be appreciated a front lip  36  is defined at the upper front edge of the tongue  26  and an inner corner  38  in the bottom rear edge of the groove  28 . The lip is positioned higher than the inner corner for a reason to be explained hereafter. 
         [0024]    A similar tongue-and groove connection  24  is formed near the top edge of the back plate in its rear surface so that the tongue  26  overlies the groove  28  but again the substantially horizontal surfaces  32  are inclined slightly rearwardly and downwardly while the substantially vertical surfaces  34  are inclined slightly rearwardly and upwardly identically to those in the front face of the back plate. The tongue-and-groove connection in the top of the back plate is therefore complimentary to the tongue-and-groove connection in the bottom of the back plate so that, while not illustrated, the tongue-and-groove at the top of one intermediate support component  12   i  can be received in the tongue-and-groove connection of a next adjacent upper identical intermediate support component  12   i  such that the back plates of both intermediate support components are co-planer. As will be appreciated, any number of intermediate support components can therefore be interconnected and suspended from each other with the rearwardly and downwardly inclined surfaces in the tongue and the groove of each connector encouraging a positive interconnection by gravity. Further, if one were to try to horizontally remove an intermediate component from an interconnected intermediate component, it could not be easily separated unless the lowermost component was pulled upwardly and forwardly which is restricted by the display shelves  14 . This is due to the fact that the above-defined lip of the tongue  26  is higher than the inner corner of the groove  28 . If the support components are made of a soft wood or plastic they can be snapped together or apart but typically the support components are interconnected or supported by sliding one component longitudinally of the other. 
         [0025]    Looking again at  FIG. 3 , an uppermost component  12   h  of the display rack  10  is shown to be very similar to an intermediate component  12   i  in that it has a lower tongue-and-groove connector  24  along the lower edge of the back plate  18  and in the front face thereof and the connector is immediately beneath a shelf  14  mounted on the back plate as described above with the shelf having a plurality of indentations  22 . The top edge of the back plate in the uppermost support component, however, does not include a tongue-and-groove connector as in the intermediate components. A horizontal overhang plate or flange  40 , however is secured to the top edge of the back plate of the uppermost component along its rear edge for decorative purposes so that the overhang plate or flange  40  overlies the shelf  14  on the uppermost support component of the display rack. 
         [0026]    Similarly, the bottommost component  12   b  of the display rack  10  has a tongue-and-groove connector  24  formed along its top edge in the rear face thereof but no tongue-and-groove connector along the bottom edge. A bottom wall or flange  42  of the bottommost support component, however, is connected to the bottom edge of the back plate  18  of the bottommost component so that the bottom wall or flange projects forwardly and horizontally from the lower edge of the back plate. Rather than having a shelf in the bottommost component, the bottom wall or flange  42  serves as a shelf in the display rack and has a plurality of aligned indentations  22  formed therein. 
         [0027]    It will be appreciated from the above that the display rack  10  will preferably include an uppermost support component  12   u , a bottommost support component  12   b  and one or more intermediate support components  12   i  that are interconnected with each other and/or to an uppermost support component or a bottommost component depending upon the number of components desired for the display rack. As mentioned above, the tongue-and-groove connectors  24  on the support components cooperate with each other in supporting and interconnecting the support components so they can best be separated by sliding one component longitudinally of the other. 
         [0028]    It will also be appreciated that any number of intermediate support components  12   i  can be provided as by adding or subtracting from an existing display rack. Further, as shown in  FIG. 1 , there does not need to be an intermediate support component, but rather the bottommost component  12   b  can be connected directly to the uppermost component  12   u  if a two-shelf display rack were desired. 
         [0029]    As will be appreciated, a display rack  10  with multiple components is vertically suspendable from a vertical surface such as a wall. When suspending the display rack from a vertical support surface, one or more notches  44  ( FIG. 6 ) could be formed in the rear of the uppermost component  12   u  to receive a nail or other fastener projecting from the vertical support surface. If the recess was of the type illustrated in  FIG. 6  where it included a relatively large circular opening  46  near its bottom to receive the head of, for example, a screw and a relatively thin neck  48  projecting upwardly therefrom smaller than the head of the screw, a very positive interconnection of the display rack with the vertical support surface can be obtained. 
         [0030]    While the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1-6  illustrates one form and use of the display rack in accordance with the present invention, the systems incorporated into the display rack for releasably but positively positioning objects being displayed could be varied. 
         [0031]    For example, in  FIG. 7 , the uppermost component  12   u  of the display rack  10 , which is shown as being taller than the intermediate  12   i  and bottommost  12   b  components, also includes a plurality of horizontally disposed cylindrical pins  50  projecting forwardly from the back plate  18  on which objects such as spools of thread, or the like could be displayed. Also, on the top surface of the shelf  14  of the uppermost component, a pair of rectangular embossments or raised areas  52  are provided which might cooperate, for example, with a recess in the bottom of a figurine that might be displayed on the shelf. On the shelf of the intermediate component  12   i , a plurality of holes  54  are formed through the shelf through which other inanimate objects such as might have a larger upper body than a lower body might be positioned so that the lower body could be dropped through the hole but the larger upper body would be supported above the shelf. On the bottom wall  42  of the bottommost support component  12   b , a plurality of upstanding pins  56  are provided which again, for example, might be used to support spools of thread, yarn or the like or other similar objects for display. 
         [0032]    It will be appreciated from the above, that while several embodiments of the invention have been illustrated, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that other variations could be made to the shelves, the bottom wall, or the back plates for displaying objects of different configurations and the invention is not intended to be limited to those few possibilities illustrated. Further, while one particular tongue-and-groove system for interconnecting adjacent support components has been illustrated and has been felt to work very well, other systems might also work for interconnecting the support components in co-planer relationship in any manner so that they are not easily separated. 
         [0033]    Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood the disclosure has been made by way of example, and changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Technology Category: 1