Automatic elevation adjuster stands

2,802,575

Aug. 13, 1957

W. S. HARRISON

AUTOMATIC ELEVATION ADJUSTER STANDS

Filed June 5, 1953

Sheets-Sheet 1

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2,802,575

Aug. 13, 1957

W. S. HARRISON

AUTOMATIC ELEVATION ADJUSTER STANDS

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INVENTOR.

W/LL/AM S. DAee/5ON

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/1 ΓΤΟ/ΕΑ/£Υ$

2,802,575

Patented Aug. 13, 1957

United States Patent Office

2,802,575

AUTOMATIC ELEVATION ADJUSTER STANDS

William S. Harrison, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada;

Wallace H. Jeune and George Woodburn, executors of said William S. Harrison, deceased

Application June 5,1953, Serial No. 359,757

Claims. (Cl. 211—51)

The present invention'pertains to a stand from which articles are dispensed and particularly flat articles which may be stored in a stack, such as . newspapers or magazines. The shelf, supporting .such , articles to be dispensed is adjustable automatically in elevation to the extent necessary to maintain the top of such a stack of articles at substantially a constant elevation above the ground or equivalent stand-supporting surface.

It :has been found from experience that more newspapers or magazines can be sold under any given- set of conditions. if such: publications are' rendered available in a stack, and the upper surface of the stack is at a height such that a prospective customer can remove a copy of the publication from the top of the stack without stooping and ds able to scan the subject matter on the exposed upper surface of the publication easily. To secure this result it is psychologically important to have the upper surface of the stack of publications within : a reasonably small variation ’ from an optimum elevation above the ground or stand-supporting surface which is between about three feet and three feet, six inches.

The previous^; practice has been to utilize a newsstand having a shelf at a fixed height above the bottom of the stand, such as perhaps slightly under three feet, and then to stack publications on such shelf to a height of six or eight inches and continually-replenish the supply of publications as they are depleted. Such procedure, however, requires excessively frequent attention to prevent the supply becoming exhausted.

It is the object of the present invention to . provide 45 a newsstand having a vertically movable publication storage shelf,' the elevation of which will be adjusted automatically substantially in direct relationship to the numwas possible to have on a fixed shelf while maintaining the top of the stack at approximately the optimum height, the top of such a stack on the movable shelf will automatically be located at a substantially constant height under all shelf loading conditions.

In accomplishing the foregoing object it is also my purpose that the newsstand be of simple and economical construction, pleasing in appearance and involving structure of rugged character having no objectionable maintenance problems. It is also an object in such a newsstand to conceal the supporting mechanism for the movable shelf, both to enhance the appearance of the newsstand and to protect the shelf supporting mechanism from damage, and exposure to the weather.

In the fabrication of the present newsstand most of the components can be made from conventional materials by a simnle manufacturing process, and the stand can be assembled and-disassembled readily if desired. Moreover it can be easily and securely anchored in place, but also can be released and removed with little trouble.

In general the stand of the preferred type includes four tubular corner posts having their lower ends intercon10 :2 nected in definitely spaced relationship, 'preferably defining the corners of a.rectangle. The lower ends .of these posts may be interconnected by spreader tubes carrying a shelf, for example. The tubes will interconnect 5 the posts to maintain their proper spacing, and the shelf may assist in maintaining the rectangular relationship of the spreader tubes.

Spaced_; above the 'bottoms of the posts is a vertically movable shelf supported from the posts by its corners. The -supporting mechanism for each corner includes a slide received within the corner post and resiliently supported from the post by a spring received within it. Such spring is stressed by the weight of the movable shelf and articles placed on it, and the springs are selected so that their spring characteristics correspond approximately to the weight of the articles to be carried by the movable shelf. In other words, neglecting the weight of the shelf, which will be light, each spring will be deformed 'through a given distance-by a stack of articles on the movable shelf of a thickness approximately one-quarter of such distance, so that the four springs in the four corner posts will be altered in.length by an amount approximately equal to the change in height of the stack Of publications above the movable shelf supporting them.

Additional features and objects of the present invention are 'pointed out in the following detailed description of the newsstand illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

³⁰ Figure 1 is a top perspective view of the newsstand.

Figure :2 is a vertical sectional view through one corner post of the newsstand taken on line 2—2 of Figure 3, the remainder of the. newsstand being broken away, and 'Figure 3 is a horizontal section through a.corner ⁸⁵ portion of the newsstand taken on.line 3—3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a top perspective view of a corner.portion of the newsstand with parts broken away, Figure 5 is a top perspective view of a spring. and spring supporting structure of the newsstand with parts broken ⁴⁰ away, Figure-6 is a top perspective view of a. slide with parts broken away, receivable between'but in concentric relationship with the spring of Figure 5 and the tubular post of Figure 4, and Figure 7 is a top perspective view of a corner portion of the movable sheet including a part adapted to fit between the slide of Figure 6 and: the' spring of Figure 5 in concentric relation therewith.

Together Figures 4, 5, 6 and 7 illustrate cooperating and Figure 8 is a top 'perspective view showing .such parts in assembled relationship with sections thereof broken, away to reveal the coaction of these parts.

While the principles employed in the newsstand illustrated in the drawings may be utilized in newsstands of other shapes, the stand of rectangular shape will be found to be of greatest utility. It includes four tubular corner posts 1 interconnected by spacer tubes 10 preferably disposed at or adjacent to the lower ends 60 of the posts. While such spacer tubes /may have their ends butt welded directly to the posts 1, it is preferred that the adjacent ends of adjacent tubes 10 be welded or otherwise secured to a sleeve 11 of a size to receive snugly : the lower end of a post . 1. . Such post end. may in turn be welded to the sleeve .11 if desired.

The rectangular frame formed by -the tubes 10 and sleeves 11 may have its upper side covered by a. metal sheet 12 constituting a lower storage shelf. The edges of such sheet may be bent downward to form flanges fitting about the tubes 10, and such flanges, preferably extend beyond the center of the tubes as shown in Figure 2, so that they will snap beyond the greatest width of the

2,802,575 ' 3 base frame to retain the sheet 12 resiliently in place. At spaced locations the lower sides of tubes 10 may have in them screw-receiving holes through which screws 13 may be inserted for the purpose of securing the base frame to a floor F on which the stand rests. Access to such screws is afforded by holes 14 in the upper sides of the tubes 10, which preferably are substantially larger than the head of a screw 13 so that a screw driver may be inserted readily through them. The sheet 12 will cover such holes both to improve the appearance of the stand and to protect them against entrance of moisture and foreign material.

The corner posts 1 preferably are three and one-half to four feet in length so that their upper ends may be substantially at or slightly above the uppermost position of the movable shelf 2 and the top of the stack of articles to be carried by it for dispensing. The shelf is supported by its corners from the posts and such support may be afforded by brackets 20, each formed of a metal strip. The central portion of such a strip may be formed as a loop 21 with the portions of the strip adjacent to such loop being in face-to-face engagement. The end portions 22 of each strip may be disposed at a right dihedral angle received beneath the corner portion of a shelf and behind downturned flanges 23 formed along the edges of the shelf. The bracket portions 22 are then secured to the end portions of such flanges by rivets 24 or equivalent securing devices as shown in Figure 3.

Extending lengthwise of each post and opening at its upper end is a slot 15 of a width to receive the intermediate portion of a bracket 20 adjacent to its loop 21. Preferably the bracket loop in each instance is engaged with a slide tube 16 having a reasonably snug sliding engagement within the post 1, as shown best in a comparison of Figures 6 and 7 with Figure 8. The loop 21 of the bracket 20 may be slid into the upper end of the slide tube 16, which upper end has in it a slot 17 of a size to receive the portion of the bracket adjacent to its loop. When assembled, as shown in Figure 8, the bracket loop 21 and the slide tube 16 may be secured together, if desired, such as by welding their upper edges.

The shelf supporting structure slidable within the post 1, which, as shown and described, is composed of the bracket 20 and slide 16, is resiliently supported from the post 1 by a spring received within the post. While such spring could be of the compression type having its lower end carried by the post and the shelf comer supporting structure resting on its upper end, it is preferred that the spring be of the tension type as illustrated in the drawings. Such a spring 3 of spiral type may have an external diameter somewhat less than the internal diameter of the bracket loop 21 so that the spring may extend through such bracket loop as shown in Figures 2,. 3 and 8.

The lower end of the spring will be connected to the lower portion of slide tube 16, such as by a loop 30 on the lower end of the spring being engaged over a tab 18 bent inward from the wall of the slide tube. The upper end of the spring will be suspended from the post 1, for example by a loop 31 formed on the upper end of the spring being secured in an eye 32 in the bottom of a flanged plug 33 shown in Figures 2, 5 and 8. The lower portion of this plug will fit snugly in the upper end of the post 1, and its flange may abut the upper post end so as to cover it. By forming the upper portion of the plug of rounded or approximately hemispherical shape a neat finish on the upper end of each post is obtained.

It will be evident that the weight of the shelf 2 and any load which it may carry will be transmitted through the bracket 2©, slide 16, spring 3 and plug 33 to the post 1, as shown in Figures 2 and 8. Consequently the load of the shelf will hold the plug 33 down into the upper end of the post. If it is desired to enable the shelf 2 to be removed, the plug will not be secured to the post, in which event the shelf can merely be lifted upward from its position of

Figures 2 and 8, whereupon the bracket loop 21 will lift the plug out of the post and the spring 3 will retain the bracket, slide 16 and plug 33 together. Alternatively, of course, the plug 33 may be secured permanently to the upper end of the post, such as by welding.

As the load on shelf 2 is increased, such as by stacking further newspapers or periodicals on it, the slide 16 will be urged downward in the post 1 at each corner of the shelf, as indicated in broken lines in Figures 1 and 2. ) It is desirable for springs 3 supporting the comers of the shelf to be selected such that the spring characteristics have a definite relationship to the loading of the shelf 2. The shelf may be made of light material such as aluminum alloy sheet so that its weight and the weight of the brackets • 20 and slide tubes 16 will be small. The elevation of the shelf 2 will be adjusted automatically to keep the top of the stack of publications at approximately a constant elevation irrespective of the height of the stack above the shelf 2 if the characteristics of each spring 3 are such that ¹ the spring will be stretched a given distance by an increase in load equal to one-quarter of the increase in thickness of the stack of publications on the shelf 2. Since there are four springs supporting the shelf, the four springs will therefore each be stretched a distance equal to the in' crease in the height of publications added to the shelf. Conversely, of course, each of the four springs will contract a distance equal to the thickness of a publication or publications removed from the shelf 2 as they are dispensed.