Stacking tray display

• US 4,981,224 A
• Filed: 11/15/1989
• Issued: 01/01/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PNC Bank National Association (The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The Howard Marlboro Marketing Incorporated
• Inventors: Rushing, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Blair M.
• Application Number:
  US07/437,443
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 211/126, 211/188, 211/194, 211/186, 211/128, 312/106, 312/144, 312/114
• US Class Current: 211/126.12
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 87/0223 Shelves stackable by means of poles or tubular members as distance-holders therebetween

Abstract

A modular stacking display including trays and support posts extending between the trays so as to space one tray above the other. The support posts each have an H-shaped cross-section which are friction fit into T-shaped slots in the trays so as to thereby interlock the trays. When two modular stacking display units are arranged side-by-side, at least one support post is commonly shared therebetween and sidewalls of adjacent trays are flush against each other.

Claims

1. A stacking display, comprising:

a plurality of trays, each of said trays having a base with sidewalls extending perpendicular to said base from a periphery of said base, said sidewalls having generally flat outer faces so that a respective one of said outer faces can be positioned in substantially face-to-face contact with a complimentary outer face of another sidewall;

a plurality of elongated support posts each having an H-shaped cross-section;

interlocking means for interlocking said elongated support posts with said trays, said interlocking means including T-shaped slots within said sidewalls which are accessible from outside of said sidewalls, said support posts and said T-shaped slots being slidably engageable with each other so that pairs of adjacent T-shaped slots from adjacent trays together form an H-shape into which an end portion of a respective one of said support posts is insertable for locking together said adjacent trays, said respective one of said support posts having an opposite end portion for locking together another pair of said trays in the same manner and for locking both of said pairs of trays in a spaced relationship from each other; and

means for stopping said support posts from inserting beyond a predetermined distance in at least one of said T-shaped grooves, said stopping means including a stopping wall dividing at least said one T-shaped groove.

2. A display as in claim 1, wherein said sidewalls of each of said trays include two sidewalls parallel to each other and another sidewall extending perpendicularly between said two sidewalls.

3. A display as in claim 2, further comprising:

means for holding an advertising sign, said holding means including a groove extending in said base between said two sidewalls and extending parallel to said another sidewall.

4. A display as in claim 2, wherein said two sidewalls include a first portion having a trapezoidal shape cross-section, a second portion having a right triangular cross-section, and a third portion having a rectangular cross-section which is closer to said base than is said first and second portions.

5. A display as in claim 1, further comprising:

means for strengthening said T-shaped grooves to maintain integrity of said T-shaped grooves over repeated insertion and removal of said support posts.

6. A display as in claim 1, wherein said strengthening means includes reinforcing walls extending under a top surface of the base and adjacent said T-shaped grooves, further comprising:

an area defining a space for accommodating two H-shaped support posts with an H-shaped cross-section underneath said base such that said two support posts do not protrude through a plane defined across bottom edges of said sidewalls.

7. A display as in claim 1, further comprising:

at least two stacking display units arranged side-by-side each having pairs of trays with sidewalls which are adjacent to and flush against each other, said two stacking display units sharing at least one of said support posts which spaces apart said pairs of trays from each other, said two stacking display units each having a plurality of said support posts and said interlocking means.

8. A display as in claim 7, wherein said sidewalls which are adjacent to and flush against each other also have outer surfaces which are complimentary in shape to each other.