TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to media holders and more particularly to holders configured for display of a selected media.

BACKGROUND ART

U.S. Patents directed to media storage include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,366,904; 4,498,583; 4,609,231; 4,629,067; 4,695,103; 4,781,292; 4,826,020; 4,911,506; and 5,027,950.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present invention is directed to apparatus for storing media (e.g. business cards, baseball cards, compact discs, computer diskettes, address forms, photographs, index cards) and displaying a selected one thereof.

Apparatus in accordance with the invention are characterized by a striking member slidably mounted beneath pivotally mounted frames each configured to carry and display media and each defining an abutment member. Movement of the striking member in first and second opposed directions, by a user of the invention, successively contacts the abutment members to flip the frames for viewing thereof.

In accordance with a feature of the invention the center of gravity of each frame is arranged above its pivot axis to facilitate pivoting.

In a preferred embodiment each abutment member comprises a pair of oppositely directed hooks and the striking member comprises a wire bail. Each frame defines a window to receive the hook of an adjacent frame for compact nesting thereof.

In a preferred embodiment the frames are mounted in a base which defines an inclined rest to position the frames for viewing of the media therein.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a preferred media holder embodiment in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view along the plane 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view along the plane 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view along the plane 4--4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the area within the line 5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view along the plane 6--6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 illustrating another preferred bail embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 3 further illustrating the bail embodiment of FIG. 7.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

A preferred media holder embodiment 20, in accordance with the present invention, is illustrated in the isometric view of FIG. 1. The holder 20 includes a plurality of frames 22 each configured to hold four business cards (two cards back to back) and pivotably mounted in a base 24. A user of the holder 20 moves the tab 26 along the base 24 to successively flip each frame 22 from one end of the base 24 to the other and, in particular, cause a selected frame, e.g. frame 22a, to be positioned for display of the cards therein.

In the holder embodiment 20, each frame 22 defines a pair of apertures 27 with inward directed ears 28 about the perimeter thereof which are alternately offset to facilitate receiving pairs of business cards therebetween. Frame embodiments in accordance with the invention may be configured to hold various types of media (e.g. baseball cards, compact discs, computer diskettes, address forms, photographs, index cards) and dimensioned to hold any number of frames 22. Embodiments of the invention are particularly suited for economical fabrication from a variety of polymers.

Thus, the teachings of the invention provide compact storage for a plurality of media with quick access to and display of a selected one thereof.

The preferred embodiment is now described in detail with initial reference to FIG. 1, FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 which are respectively enlarged sectional views along the planes 2--2, 3--3 and 4--4 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 which is a sectional view along the plane 6--6 of FIG. 1. The base 24 is seen in FIG. 1 to define inclined rests 30', 30" at opposing ends which place the frames 22 in viewing positions. FIGS. 2, 6 illustrate that each frame 22 defines pivot pins 32 extending from opposite sides thereof which are pivotally inserted into holes (34 in FIG. 1) in the base sides to define an axis about which the frame pivots. This allows each frame to pivot from a position 22' defined by rest 30' to a position 22" defined by rest 30".

FIG. 6 further illustrates the T shaped tab 26 shown in FIG. 1 is one part of a carrier 40 which receives base rails 41 to be slidably mounted therealong (although not shown, the carrier 40 may comprise a plurality of mated parts to facilitate installation in the base 24). Oppositely directed tabs 26 extend outward through slots 42 (best seen in FIG. 1) defined in the base 24. A striking member in the form of a resilient wire bail 44 is transversely mounted in the carrier 40. Urging the tabs 26 in the direction of the slots 42, therefore, causes the carrier 40 and attached bail 44 to successively pass underneath the frames 22. The T shape defined, in the preferred embodiment, by the tabs 26 provides a convenient surface for the fingers of a user to contact. However, it should be understood that, in general, the tabs may define a variety of surfaces to facilitate manipulating the frames 22.

Each frame 22 is shown in FIG. 3 to define an abutment member in the form of a pair of oppositely directed hooks 50',50" descending from the frame axis. The lower edge of each frame 22 terminates in a cylindrical contour 51 which is coaxial with the pivot pins 32 and the frame axis. The frame 22 is configured to place its center of gravity 52 above the frame axis. Thus when the bail (striking member) is in position 44A and moving in direction 54 in FIG. 3 it engages the hook 50' (abutment member) of a frame in the rest position 22'. Further carrier 40 movement brings the bail 44 to position 44B which urges the frame to the upright position 22U. Still further movement of the bail past position 44B (e.g. to position 44C) moves the frame center of gravity 52 past its axis and momentum and gravity pull the frame to the rest position 22" atop other frames 22B, 22C. It is apparent that when the bail 44 (e.g. from position 44c) is moved opposite direction 54 in FIG. 3 it engages hooks 50" to move the frames from rest position 22" to rest position 22'.

The frames 22 may also be manually pivoted without use of the carrier 40 and bail 44. In this case, it is possible to place the bail in a position 44D where the hooks 50" are directed away from it. To allow the bail 44 to re-engage the hooks, each hook 50 defines a shoulder 55 which urges the resilient bail 44 downward as the carrier 40 moves the bail in the direction 56, e.g. to a position 44E.

Each frame defines a window 58 to receive, in the rest position, the upward extending hook of an underlying frame to permit compact nesting of the frames. Thus in FIG. 1 hooks 50' and hooks 50" are shown nested below windows 58.

As seen in FIGS. 1, 4 the base 24 defines notches 60 in ribs 62 which receive the frame contours 51 for transverse support thereof as the bail 44 urges the hooks 50', 50" to flip frames between positions 22', 22". This support facilitates the use of relatively low strength materials configured in thin cross sections for space saving considerations. FIG. 5, which is an enlarged view of the area within the line 5 of FIG. 4, illustrates that the ribs 62 may define tabs 63 to resist upward movement of the cylindrical contours 51. Openings 64 (best seen in FIG. 1) are defined by each frame to receive the ribs 62 as the frames nest against rests 30',30".

Although in the preferred embodiment 20, a bail 44 engages oppositely directed hooks 50', 50", it is apparent that other configurations of striking members can be devised to engage other configurations of frame abutment members within the teachings of the invention.

An example of another preferred striking member embodiment is shown in FIG. 7 which is a view similar to FIG. 6. In this embodiment, two bails 70', 70" are arranged to respectively strike hooks 50', 50" (the bails 70', 70" could be defined by a single wire). This embodiment is further illustrated in FIG. 8 which is a view similar to FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 shows that the bail 70' engages the hook 50' further from the frame axis (defined by cylindrical contour 51), as shown by bail positions 70'A, 70'B (for clarity of illustration, bail 70" is removed in this view). This striking member embodiment may increase the percentage of force imparted by the moving bail that is converted into rotational force in the frames 22.

The preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, specifically defines rests in the form of inclined planes (30', 30" in FIG. 1). But, it should be understood that the invention generally teaches rests defined by other structures (e.g. legs, ribs, bosses) to support the frames 22 at any angle which facilitates viewing thereof.

From the foregoing, it should now be recognized that a media holder has been disclosed herein especially suited for search and display of a selected media. The preferred embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, dimensional variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve an equivalent result, all of which are intended to be embraced within the scope of the appended claims.