Costumer

Abstract

A costumer for display of merchandise and the like has two independently vertically adjustable stems in a common housing. Such stems have independent locking mechanisms and cantilevered display arms, whereby such stems may readily be adjusted relative to the housing and each other in accordance with the merchandise exhibited for maximum display utilization and effect.

Description

The present invention relates as indicated to a costumer and more particularly to a costumer having two independently adjustable display stems telescopically received in a common substantially hollow rectangular housing.

Display racks and costumers are widely used in department stores and the like for exhibition of retail merchandise. Costumers are primarily used for display of trend merchandise on the floor and must therefore be readily transportable between departments as needed. Reference may be had, for example, to U. S. Pat. No. 2,604,214 wherein a costumer having a single telescopic stand on a base with casters is disclosed. Such costumer has arcuately movable arms at the top of the telescoping stem for display of merchandise.

However, such single stem vertically adjustable oostumers have limited adaptability to display of coordinated merchandise either by color or type. For example, a display or coordinated clothing such as slacks and sport coats with positioning simulating actual wearing conditions have heretofore been impossible with conventional single stem costumers having single display arm assemblies. Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a costumer readily adapted to the display of coordinated items from both a color and type standpoint. This object is accomplished through the provision of two independently vertically adjustable stem members telescopically received in a common upstanding housing.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a costumer that may readily be converted from one cooperative display arm orientation to another. To accomplish the convertibility object, the independently vertically adjustable stem members are provided with cantilevered display arm assemblies removably secured to the top thereof so that by removing and replacing one or more of such assemblies the costumer display may be varied between straight, waterfall and slant orientations.

It is yet another important object of the present invention to provide a costumer having two independently adjustable stems telescopically received in a common housing, such stems being locked in a plurality of height adjustments relative to the common base and each other so that the costumer may readily be used in different departments and shops.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the following description and the annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, these being indicative, however, of a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the costumer of the present invention showing the two independently adjustable stem members in staggered relative height orientation with the arrows indicating possible stem movements;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation partially broken away showing the locking mechanism for each of the independently vertically adjustable stem members, with the phantom lines indicating other display arm types that may be used with the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation taken along lin 3--3 of FIG. 2 and partially broken away for clarity of illustration.

Referring now in more detail to the drawing and initially to FIG. 1, the costumer of the present invention indicated generally at 10, includes a rectangular base 12 having downwardly extending pedestals 14 at the corners thereof to support the same above floor 16. A vertically oriented, generally hollow housing 18 of rectangular cross-section is rigidly secured at its bottom to base member 12. A decorative trim member 20 having a central rectangular aperture may be superimposed upon base 12 about upstanding housing 18.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the top of vertically oriented rectangular housing 18 has a collar 22 positioned thereon, such collar having a transversely oriented central guide bar 24 extending thereacross to define two rectangular openings 25 of substantially identical cross-sectional configuration. The rectangular substantially hollow housing 18 is divided into two vertically oriented guide compartments 28 by transversely extending partition 26 secured at its opposite sides to opposed walls of housing 18. Openings 25 are slightly smaller in cross-sectional configuration than compartments 28 with which they communicate, as best shown in FIG. 2.

Two rectangular hollow stem members 30, 32 are telescopically received in guide compartments 28, each of such stem members having identical locking mechanisms indicated generally at 34. Since the locking mechanisms are identical, only the mechanism employed with telescopically received stem 30 has been illustrated, but it will be appreciated that stem 32 is provided with the same mechanism operative in the same way. The stems are guided by a sliding fit with the sides of openings 25, and teflon bushings or the like may be employed in such openings to reduce sliding friction.

A display arm assembly 36 is removably secured to the top of each stem member. Such display arm assembly includes a rectangular cap 40 of slightly larger cross-sectional configuration than the stem to allow the former to be slipped over the latter as illustrated in FIG. 2. Set screw 41 is drawn against the stem removably to secure the assembly to the stem.

The cap 40 includes a top wall 42 having a central guide bore 44. Display arms 46, provided with spaced hanger reception notches 48 along the top surface thereof, are welded as indicated at 50 to one side of cap 40. The cantilevered position of the display arm relative to cap 40 may be varied on different assemblies to extend downwardly as illustrated in full lines at 51 or to extend outwardly or upwardly as illustrated in phantom lines at 52 and 54, respectively. A variety of different display orientations may be achieved by interchanging the different types of display arm assemblies on adjacent stem members.

Referring now in detail to FIGS. 2 and 3, the locking mechanism includes a vertically oriented actuating rod 56 extending through telescoping member 30. Such rod is guided for rectilinear vertical movement by being slidingly received in vertically spaced guide bores 44 and 58, the latter being provided in end plate 60 on telescopic member 30. A rectangular plate 62 is welded to the bottom of actuating rod 56, such plate being provided with two laterally spaced slots 64. A shaft 66 is freely slidably received in each of such slots 64, such shafts having rollers 68 connected to each end thereof to define two opposed roller assemblies 69.

A camming element 70 with a central bore 72 is slidably received on actuating rod 56. Such camming element includes two downwardly extending identically formed wedges 74, such wedges having camming surfaces 76 transversely oriented to the longitudinal dimension of frame 18 and bearing against rollers 68.

The top of camming element 70 is provided with a socket 78 which receives the lower end of coil spring 80. The other end of such spring bears against shoulder 82 formed by washer 83 on actuating rod 56, whereby such spring normally biases camming member 70 downwardly. Thus contiguous wedge members 74 are likewise urged downwardly and the outwardly diverging wedge camming surfaces 76 thus force each of the roller pairs 69 into engagement with opposed walls of guide compartments 28, specifically into engagement with partition 26 and the side walls of housing 18. Such camming member thus normally maintains the telescopic stem 30 in locked position since the roller pairs are in positive engagement with such opposed side walls of housing compartment 28.

The top end of actuating rod 56 is externally threaded as illustrated at 90 cooperatively to mate with tapped aperture 92 in knob 94. The top of such knob is provided with a vertically oriented socket 96 adapted to receive support leg 98 on sign member 100.

To release the locking mechanism, knob 94 is pulled upwardly resulting in slight oppositely directed rotation for roller pairs 69 along the opposed side walls of guide compartments 28. Such rotation through the tangential contact of the rollers and wedge surfaces 76 causes camming member 70 to move upwardly against the bias of spring 80, thereby releasing the roller pairs for slight inward movement along elongated slots 64. Such roller pairs are not then in positive engagement with the opposed sides of guide compartments 28 and as long as the knob is held in its upwardly pulled position, telescoping stem member 30 may be selectively vertically adjusted relative to rectangular frame 19. As soon as knob 94 is released, spring 80 urges camming member 70 downwardly resulting in the wedges 74 camming roller pairs 69 outwardly into positive locking engagement with the side walls of the housing compartment 28. Therefore, by simply pulling upwardly on either of the knobs 94 on telescoping stem member 30, or 32, either of such members may be vertically adjusted to the desired relative orientation to both the other member and the base member and the knob then released to lock the stem in position.

In operation, the costumer is transported to the desired department or shop for display purposes. The best display arm orientation is then selected according to merchandise to be exhibited and the proper display arm assemblies then connected to the tops of the telescopic stems 30,32. Such stems are then independently vertically adjusted to the desired orientation by pulling upwardly on knobs 94 and subsequently positioning the stems as desired relative to each other and the frame 18. The merchandise is then positioned on the arms 46 for completion of the display.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A costumer for display of merchandise or the like comprising a base, a housing extending upwardly from said base, said housing being divided into two compartments by interior partition means defining opposed walls in each compartment, two independently vertically adjustable stems, the bottom portions of which are respectively telescopically received in said compartments, locking means independently carried by each said stem selectively engaging opposed walls of said compartments to lock said stems at desired vertical positions, and means on said stems to support the merchandise displayed.

2. The costumer of claim 1, wherein each of the means to display the merchandise comprises a display arm assembly including a cap removably secured to the top of the stem and a cantilevered arm connected to said cap, such cantilevered arm having notches to receive hangers or the like.

3. The costumer of claim 2, wherein the cantilevered arms are connected to the cap at different relative inclinations for different assemblies, whereby the cooperative display arm orientation may be varied by selectively interchanging different display arm assemblies.