US1983861A - Rotary display apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 11, 1934.

J. MAAS 1,983,861

- ROTARY DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 //W/vr02 Ju/fan Mans.

Dec. 11, 1934.

J. MAAS 1,983,861

ROTARY DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed Nov. 14, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 hwavmz Jo //'4/7 Mada.

QrraP/vm Patented Dec. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Julian Maas,

St. Louis, Mo.

Application November 14, 1931, Serial No. 575,021

Claims.

This invention relates generally to display apparatus and, more particularly, to a certain new and useful improvement in display apparatus of the rotary type.

My invention has for its prime objects the provision of an advertising or display apparatus incorporating a rotary article-carrying member for the display of the articles to be advertised in conjunction preferably with a rotary indiciacarrying member for attracting attention to the articles displayed; the provision of supporting and actuating means for said rotatory members comprising an oscillatory electric fan of standard type; and the provision of a neat, compact, inexpensive and readily portable advertising or display apparatus of the character set forth.

And with the above and other objects in View, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings (2 sheets) Figure 1 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of a display apparatus of my invention;

Figure 2 is a top-plan View, partly broken away and in section, of the apparatus; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged and partly broken away side elevational View of the apparatus.

Referring now more in detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, A designates an oscillatory electric-fan of any suitable type and construction, which includes,,as is customary, a base 1, a motor casing 2 mounted for oscillation on the base 1, an annular series of blades 3 mounted for rotation on and with the motor shaft, and means comprising a housing 4 having suitable mechanism contained therein for oscillating the casing 2 on the base 1.

Such fan-oscillating means is, in practice, capable of various embodiments not pertinent to my present invention; hence for my present purpose it suffices here merely to say that one form of the fan-oscillating means may include, as here shown, a vertical shaft 5 axially shiftable in the housing 4 and adapted for driven connection in suitable manner with the fanmotor shaft (not shown), the shaft 5 projecting, in the present instance, from the upper side of the housing 4 and having a terminal knurled head or handle 6 for manipulating the shaft 5, whereby the fan-oscillating mechanism may be rendered fully operative when the shaft 5 is shifted inwardly of the housing 4, or the oscillating mechanism may be rendered nonoperative when the shaft 5 is shifted outwardly or upwardly relatively to the housing 4. Other details of the fan-oscillating mechanism being well known in the art, further description thereof is omitted.

B designates a frame or spindle-support including a vertically-disposed bar 7 attached by means of a pair of suitably spaced brackets 8 to the side of the casing 2 oppositely the blades '3, which side of the casing 2 will descriptively be referred to as the front side of the apparatus. From the bottom of the bar 7 forwardly extends an arm 9 carrying a stepbearing 10, and from the top of the bar '7 also forwardly extends an arm 11 having a throughbearing 12 in registration with the bearing 10.

Rotarily supported in the lower bearing and journalled through the upper bearing 12, is a spindle 13 provided with a set-collar 14 for, in spindle-retaining manner, engaging the underside of the bearing 12. Intermediately on the spindle 13, is mounted a preferably widefaced gear 15 meshing with a pinion 16 mounted on the shaft 5 intermediate the housing 4 and the shaft-head 6, the face of the gear 15 being of sufficient width for continuing in mesh with the pinion 16 as the latter is vertically shifted on and with oscillation-controlling manipula- 2) tion of the shaft 5.

On the upper frame-projecting end of the shaft 13, is formed or turned a flanged head 1'7 supporting an article-carrying display member in the form preferably of a circular disclike table 18, which is attached to the head 17 preferably by a suitable fastening element or counter-sunk-head screw 19 for rotation of the table 18 by and with the spindle 13 on motordriven actuation thereof through the shaft 5, pinion 16, and gear 15.

Attached by suitable fastening elements 20 to the frame-bar '7, is a horizontally and forwardly extending arm 21 laterally spaced from the spindle 13 and carrying on its front-end a pair of inwardly projecting longitudinally spaced lugs or brackets 22, in and through which is rotarily mounted a shaft 23 disposed in the vertical plane of the spindle 13.

At its spindle-adjacent end, the shaft 23 carries a bevel gear 24 having hub-wise end engagement with the adjacent bracket 22 for meshing with a complementary bevel gear 25 mounted on the spindle 13 intermediately of the gear 15 and bearing 12 for rotary actuation of the shaft 23 by and with actuation of the spindle 13.

Into the front end of the shaft 23 is threaded a screw 26, on which is mounted, between a screw-carried washer 27 and the end of the shaft 23, a member 28 preferably in the form of a disc, as shown, which carries suitable indicia or attention attracting markings 29, the disc 28 being disposed in visual adjacence to and preferably in front of and below the tablemember 18 for attracting attention to articles displayed thereon, as presently appearing.

In use and operation, the articles, as 30, to be displayed are deposited on the table 18, and the disc 28 is provided with indicia, markings, or other sign-providing characters, as 29, :suitable for the purpose of attracting attention to the articles displayed on the table. The fanmotor being suitably motivated, the :shaft :5 is rotarily driven for, in turn, rotating the spindle 1'3 and its supported table 18, and, concurrently therewith, also rotating the shaft 23 and its carried disc 28, the table-carried articles 30 being rotated by and with the table 18 for ensuing exposure or presentation on all their sides to the view of the spectator.

In the particular embodiment shown, the shaft 5, when manipulated inwardly of the housing 4, has operative connection also with the oscillating mechanism for swinging the fan A from side to side, the fan-carried frame B and its supported table 13 and disc 28 being thereby not only rotarily actuated, but likewise swung or translated from side to side while so rotating, for thus augmenting the attention-attracting motion of the table 18 and disc 28.

Actuation of the discs 18 and 28 does not in the slightest affect proper rotary actuation of the fan-blades 3, which concurrently with actuation of the discs 18 and 28 perform their usual function, and hence the utility of the fan is greatly increased.

More particular uses of my invention will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the display or advertising-art and need not here be further welt upon. It will be seen, however, that a highiy effective attention-attracting display may be eifected by the apparatus of my invention. The apparatus is simple, strong, sturdy, and withal may be cheaply manufactured, and is readily portable from place to place for use in show-windows, show-cases, and the like as may from time to time best serve the intended purpose.

It will be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of the apparatus may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A display apparatus comprising, in combination, a rotatory article-carrying display member, a rotatory indicia-carrying display member co-actuable with the first display member, and means including a motor-driven mechanism of the oscillatory fan type for affording both support and motivation of said display members.

2. A display apparatus comprising, in combination with an electric fan, including its motorcasing, a frame mounted on the casing, a rotatory article-carrying display member, a rotary indicia carrying display member, frame-carried means including a spindle supporting the article-carrying member and a shaft supporting the indicia-carrying member, means for operative'ly connecting the spindle with the fanmechanism, and other means operatively connecting the shaft with the spindle for concurrent actuation of said display-members on and with motivation of the fan mechanism.

.3. A display apparatus comprising in combination, a motor-driven mechanism of the oscillatory fan type including a rotative member associated with the oscillatory mechanism of the fan, a table-providing rotatory display member for carrying the articles to be displayed, a signproviding rotatory display member visually adjacent said table member, a spindle for supporting the table-member, a shaft for supporting the sign-member, means operatively connecting the shaft and the spindle, and means including a gear on the spindle and a pinion on the rotative member of the fan-mechanism meshing with the gear for con-current actuation of the display members on and with motivation of the fanmechanism.

4. A display apparatus comp "ising, in combination, a rotatory article-carrying display member, a rotatory indicia-carrying display member co-actuable with the first display member, and means including a motor-driven mechanism of the fan-type for affording both support and mo- 'tivation of said display members.

5. In a display apparatus, in combination, an upstanding base, a motor-casing mounted for oscillation on the base in a horizontal plane, a spindle support fixed on, and relatively to the base oscillatory with, the casing, a vertically disposed spindle mounted for rotation on the support, a display-member fixed on the spindle and rotatable in a horizontal plane spaced upwardly from the plane of oscillation of the casing, motor-driven mechanism of the oscillatory fan type associated with the base and casing and including a vertically disposed rotary shaft having driven connection with the motor shaft for oscillating the casing and said support relatively to the base, and a driving-connection between the shaft and spindle for effecting rotary actuation of the display-member concurrently with oscillation thereof with the casing and said support.

JULIAN MAAS.

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