DISPLAY CARD FOR ARTICLES OF JEWELRY

Abstract

The display card includes a body situated in a plane. The body has a front surface, a rear surface and a top edge. A first member extends downwardly from the top edge of the body in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from the front surface of the body. A first section extends from the first member in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the body and is adapted to support the article of jewelry. A second member extends from the top edge of the body in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from the rear surface of the body. A second section extends from the second member. The second section is spaced from the plane of the body to form a channel adapted to receive the edge of a rack or stand to mount the display card on the rack or stand.

Description

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING”, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISC

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to merchandise displays and more particularly to card for displaying articles of jewelry.

2. Description of Prior Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98

Cards for displaying articles of jewelry and the like of various sizes, shapes and types have been used. Some of the cards are designed to be free standing, for example on a counter top or shelf. Others are intended to be suspended from a variety of different stands or racks which rest on the floor or on a counter top.

Free standing display cards may be formed of a sheet of a paper product including a portion which is bent to function as a base. An upstanding or inclined body portion of the card may extend from the base. The article of jewelry may be attached to the body portion. Alternatively, the display portion to which the jewelry article may be attached can extend forward from the top edge of the body portion so that it lies in a plane generally parallel to but spaced from the front surface of the body. Other free standing cards may be folded in half to form of an inverted “V” with the jewelry article mounted on one of the sides. In these display cards, the article of jewelry lies against the surface of the card and thus does not appear as it would if it were situated on a person. This is particularly true with respect to earrings which are meant to dangle from the ear lobe and thus swing freely when worn.

Display cards designed to be suspended from a support member, such as a horizontally extending part of a stand or rack, may consist of a body potion formed of a sheet of a paper or plastic product. If the support member is a rod, an opening may be formed in the card body through which the support member extends in order to support the card. Multiple display cards of this type may be supported by a single support member in spaced parallel relation, one behind the other, along the support member. If the support member is the upstanding part of a rack or stand with an exposed edge, the tops of the cards may be bent forward such that the cards are suspended from the support member with a portion of the body of each card extending behind the support member. This allows the cards to be mounted side-by-side along the support member, but the front surface of the body portions of the cards, which may contain graphics or text, are partially hidden by the support member. Moreover, different types of racks and stands require different card structures.

Accordingly, there is a need for a card that displays the jewelry article in a manner such that a perspective purchaser can see how the article would look when worn. In the case of a dangling earring, the card should support the earring in a manner that allows the earring to swing freely. There is a need for a display card which displays the jewelry article in a manner that does not obscure the graphics or text on the body of the card or hide parts of other cards being displayed at the same time. There is a need for a display card which can be mounted on virtually any rack or stand having a horizontally extending support member.

It is therefore a prime object of the present invention to provide a display card an article of jewelry designed to be suspended from the support member of a stand or rack.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a display card an article of jewelry designed to be suspended from any type of horizontally extending support member of a stand or rack.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a display card for an article of jewelry which can display the article in the manner in which it will be worn.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a display card for article of jewelry such as a dangling earring which can display earring in a freely swinging manner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a display card for an article of jewelry which can be displayed without obscuring the text or graphics on the front surface of the body of the card.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a display card for an article of jewelry which does not obscure other display cards.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a display card for an article of jewelry in which the portion of the card to which the article of jewelry is mounted is situated in a plane spaced from the body of the card.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a display card for an article of jewelry which has a simple construction, is inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to use.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above objects are achieved by the present invention which relates to a display card for an article of jewelry including a body situated in a plane. The body has a front surface, a rear surface and a top edge. A first member extends from the top edge of the body in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from the front surface of the body. A first section extends from the first member, preferably from the edge of the first member. The first section is situated in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the body and is adapted to support the article of jewelry. A second member extends from the top edge of the body in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from the rear surface of the body. A second section extends from the second member, preferably from the edge of the second member. The second member is situated in a plane generally parallel to and spaced from the plane of the body so as to form a channel.

The second member also includes a first portion generally parallel to the plane of the body and a second portion situated in a plane inclined outwardly, away from the plane of the body. The second portion of the second member serves as a funnel-like guide for a support member of a rack or stand as the support member is received into the channel.

The first member and the second member extend in substantially opposite directions.

The first member and the second member are substantially coplanar.

The first section of the first member and the first portion of the second member are situated in substantially parallel planes.

The card is adapted to be suspended from a rack or stand having a support member in the form of a horizontally extending part. The channel is adapted to receive the part to mount the card on the rack or stand.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a rack or stand having a horizontally extending part is provided in combination with a display card for an article of jewelry. The card includes a body situated in a plane. The body has a front surface, a rear surface and a top edge. A first member extends from the top edge of the card in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from the front surface of the body. A first section extends from the first member, in particular the edge of the first member. The first section is situated in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the body and is adapted to support the article of jewelry. A second member extends from the top edge of the body in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from the rear surface of the body. A second section extends from the second member, in particular the edge of the second member. A portion of the second section is situated in a plane generally parallel to and spaced from the plane of the body so as to form a channel. The channel is adapted to receive the rack or stand part in order to suspend the card from the rack or stand.

The second section of the second member also includes a second portion. The second portion is situated in a plane inclined relative to the plane of the body. The second portion of the second section is inclined away from the rear surface of the body.

The first member and the second member extend in substantially opposite directions.

The first member and the parallel portion of the second section extend in substantially parallel planes.

The first section of the first member and the first portion of the second member are situated in substantially parallel planes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF DRAWINGS

To these and to such other objects that may hereinafter appears, the present invention relates to a display card for articles of jewelry as described in detail in the following specification and recited in the annexed claims, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the display card of the present invention and an upstanding part of a display rack or stand upon which the display card may be mounted;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display card of the present invention showing the display card mounted on the upstanding part of a display rack or stand upon which the display card is mounted;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view showing the side of the display card of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the top of the display card of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an elevation view showing the front of the display card of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is an elevation view showing the back of the display card of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiment of the display card of the present invention, generally designated 10, is designed to display an article or articles of jewelry, shown in the drawings as a pair of earrings 12. The card is structured to be mounted on a rack or stand, generally designated 14, and in particular on a horizontally extending part 16 of rack or stand 14, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as an upstanding wall 18 with an edge 20.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-6, card 10 includes a substantially planar, rectangular body 22. Body 22 has a front surface 24, a rear surface 26 and a top edge 28. A first member 30 extends from the top edge 28 in a direction generally perpendicular to and spaced front surface 24 of body 22.

A first section 32 extends downwardly from first member 30, in particular from front edge 33 of first member 30. First section 32 is situated in a plane substantially parallel to and spaced from the plane of body 22. In the preferred embodiment, holes 35 are provided in first section 32 such that earrings 12 can be suspended from first section 32 as illustrated I FIGS. 1 and 2.

A second member 34 extends from the top edge 28 of body 22 in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from the rear surface 26 of body 22. First member 30 and second member 34 extend in substantially opposite directions and are preferably substantially coplanar.

A second section 36 extends downwardly from second member 34, in particular from edge 38 of second member 34. Second section 36 includes a first portion 36a which is substantially planar and situated in a plane generally parallel to the plane of first section 32. First portion 36a of second section 36 is also substantially parallel to body 22. Second section 36, second member 34 and the upper portion of the back surface 26 to form a channel 42, as best seen in FIG. 3.

Second section 36 also includes a portion 36b situated in a plane inclined relative to the plane of body 22, as best seen in FIG. 3. Portion 36b of second member 34 is inclined away from the rear surface 26 of body 22 so as to act as a guide for edge 20 of the rack or stand wall as edge 20 is received into channel 42 in a funnel-like fashion.

First member 30 and second member 34 extend in substantially opposite directions. First member 30 and second member 34 are also substantially coplanar.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, card 10 is adapted to be mounted on a horizontally extending part 18 of rack or stand 14 with the edge 20 received in channel 42 so as to suspend the card from the rack or stand.

While only a single preferred embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed for purposes of illustration, it is obvious that many modifications and variations could be made thereto. It is intended to cover all of those modifications and variations which fall within the scope of the present invention, as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A display card for an article of jewelry, said display card comprising a body situated in a plane, said body having a front surface, a rear surface and a top edge, a first member extending from said top edge in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from said front surface of the body, a first section extending from said first member, said first section being situated in a plane substantially parallel to said plane of the body and being adapted to support the article of jewelry, a second member extending from said top edge of said body in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from said rear surface of said body, and a second section extending from said second member, spaced from said plane of said body to form a channel.

2. The display card of claim 1 wherein said first member has an edge and wherein said first section extends from said edge of said first member.

3. The display card of claim 1 wherein said second member has an edge and wherein said second section extends from said edge of said second member.

4. The card of claim 1 wherein said second section comprises a first portion extending in a plane substantially parallel to said plane of said body and a second portion inclined relative to said plane of said body.

5. The card of claim 4 wherein said second portion is inclined away from said rear surface of said body.

6. The card of claim 1 wherein said first member and said second member extend in substantially opposite directions.

7. The card of claim 1 wherein said first member and said second member are substantially coplanar.

8. The card of claim 4 wherein said first section of said first member and said first portion of said second section are situated in substantially parallel planes.

9. The card of claim 1 adapted to be mounted on a rack or stand having a horizontally extending part, said channel being adapted to receive the rack or stand part so as to suspend the card from the rack or stand.

10. In combination, a rack or a stand having a horizontally extending part and a display card for an article of jewelry adapted to be mounted on said rack or stand, said display card comprising a body situated in a plane, said body having a front surface, a rear surface and a top edge, a first member extending from said top edge in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from said front surface of the body, a first section extending from said first member in a plane substantially parallel to said plane of the body and being adapted to support the article of jewelry, a second member extending from said top edge of said body in a direction generally perpendicular to and away from said rear surface of said body, a second section extending from said second member, said second section being spaced from said plane of said body so as to form a channel adapted to receive said rack or stand part.

11. The combination of claim 10 wherein said first member has an edge and wherein said first section extends from said edge of said first member.

12. The combination of claim 10 wherein said second member has an edge and wherein said second member extends from said edge of said second member.

13. The combination of claim 10 wherein said second section comprises a first portion situated in a plane substantially parallel to said plane of said body and a second portion inclined relative to said plane of said body.

14. The combination of claim 13 wherein said second portion of said second section is inclined away from said rear surface of said body.

15. The combination of claim 10 wherein said first member and said second member extend in substantially opposite directions.

16. The combination of claim 10 wherein said first member and said second member are substantially coplanar.

17. The combination of claim 13 wherein said first section of said first member and said first portion of said second section are situated in substantially parallel planes.