Abstract: A beverage advertising display is provided with a motorized simulation of a liquid pouring out of an aluminum beverage can and provided with a battery compartment for easy access and replacement of batteries. The liquid pouring simulation is achieved by rotating a tapered ribbon affixed by a disc to a rotatable shaft on a motor. The disc is concentrically affixed to a circular surface area at the top end of the ribbon. The battery compartment holds a pair of batteries inside a pair of cavities in the bottom section of the beverage container. A double-ended spring clip rotatably mounted between the cavities holds the batteries therein, provides electrical contact between the batteries to power the motor, and provides easy access to replace the batteries.

Abstract: A foldable display stand includes a wall blank having substantially flat wall panels connected end to end foldably relative to each other to define a continuous wall structure. The wall blank is convertible to a flattened state for storage and transportation and an expanded display state in which a number of wall panels cooperatively bound a polygonal display space. Each of two side wall panels has a flap foldable inwardly to place the flaps in juxtaposition so as to form a polygonal shelf within the display space. The shelf and rear wall panel are interconnected by shelf tabs fitting releasably within a slot in the rear wall panel. A removable tray is supported on the polygonal shelf and braces the interior of the continuous wall structure. The tray is releasably secured within the display space. The display stands are modular and may be releasably vertically stacked. Openings in the continuous wall structure are formed of a geometrical configuration to receive articles having a similar configuration.

Abstract: A tapered liquid container which is nestable with other like empty containers and a collector for receiving empty containers in nested relationship. The container has a tapered side wall, a large bottom end, and a small top dispensing end. A closable large bottom opening and a closable small top opening is formed in the bottom and top ends, respectively. A bottom closure seals the bottom opening and is removable when dispensing the liquid. A top closure is provided for sealing the top opening and is removable to permit liquid to be emptied. The collector includes an upper portion having a tapered socket for receiving an inverted empty container body with the top and bottom closures removed to permit draining of residual liquid. The tapered socket holds the container securely to permit successive containers to be inserted into the open bottom end when the bottom closure is removed of a preceding container. The containers are thus nested for consolidation and draining of residual liquid.

Abstract: A display unit simulating a flying object and having an electric motor mounted on a support structure, a rotatably driven member drivingly engaged on the driven shaft of the motor, the driven member has a hole located adjacent its periphery, a thin, tempered wire of a small diameter is attached at one end to the driven member and the flying object is attached to the other end of the wire. One end of the wire is formed as a crank portion which is inserted loosely in the hole in the member whereby when the driven member is rotated, the wire is not bodily rotated around the member but is more slowly swung around, and the object assumes a flying fluttering motion due to the vibrations through the wire from the motor. The object is drivingly rotated in a swinging and erratic motion around the unit but at much slower rate of rotation than the motor shaft and member.

Abstract: A container for dispensing and draining liquid held therein is disclosed wherein the container is nestable with like containers prior to filling and after the liquid therein has been dispensed. The container comprises a body including a longitudinal axis, a side wall, a large bottom end, and a small top dispensing end. The side wall tapers from the bottom end to the top end of the container to define a tapered liquid defining space having inner and outer side wall surfaces and bottom and top openings at the top and bottom ends. The top end of the container is adapted to receive a readily removable top cap and the bottom end is adapted to receive a readily removable tear-type bottom closure. During initial manufacture, the bottom end is left open so that the containers may be nested for shipment to the filling point.

Abstract: An adjustable width display shelf is provided that can be detachably mounted on the inside surface of a transparent door panel. The display shelf includes first and second separate shelf units each including a horizontal shelf for supporting products. Each of the horizontal shelves has a relieved area providing a variable width horizontal hand access opening. A product retainer wall is provided on each of the shelf units having a generally vertically extending inner periphery with the inner peripheries being in opposed spaced facing relation to each other to define a variable width vertical product access opening. An interconnect structure is provided to permit moving the shelf units toward and away from each other to adjust overall width and includes a guide on one of the shelf units and a guideway on the other of the shelf units for adjustably receiving the guide means. An attachment means is mounted on the shelf units for detachably securing the shelf units to the inside surface of a door panel.

Abstract: A product display shelf that can be detachably mounted on the inside surface of a transparent door panel of a cabinet in the unused space between the inside of the panel and the interior shelves of the cabinet. The display shelf has a horizontal shelf for supporting products; a back wall; suction-type attaching devices on the back wall for securing the shelf to the door panel inside surface; and a product retainer in spaced relation to the back wall. A plurality of vertical access openings are provided in the product retainer and spaced in close proximity to each other and a plurality of horizontal access openings are provided on the horizontal shelf and spaced in close proximity to each other. The vertical and horizontal access openings are dimensioned to provide an access space through which fingers may be conveniently inserted for placing products on and removing them from the horizontal shelf.

Abstract: A display unit for point of sale advertising comprises a stationary object, such as a real or simulated flowering plant, mounted on a support, such as a flowerpot, and a flying object, such as a simulated butterfly, operated by driving apparatus so as to move in a randomly undulating and randomly reversible orbit around the plant, as would a real butterfly. The driving apparatus comprises an electric motor having a motor housing stationarily mounted on the flowerpot, a stator including a stationary field coil electrically energizable by alternating current mounted in the motor housing, and a rotor in the form of a bipolar permanent magnet rotatably mounted on an upright magnetizable metal shaft on the motor housing. The driving apparatus further comprises a thin resiliently flexible length of piano wire having its lower end mechanically connected to and rotatable by the permanent magnet rotor and having the simulated butterfly mechanically connected to its upper end.

Abstract: According to the invention, a collapsible display module has a wall blank with wall panels connected end to end foldably relative to each other to define a continuous wall structure. The wall blank is convertible between a flattened state wherein it can be readily stored and transported, and an expanded display state wherein pairs of opposed, facing panels bound a storage space. Flaps with associated teeth are foldably associated with the panels of one wall panel pair. The flaps on the one wall panel pair have teeth that can be meshed in mutually overlapping relationship to define a shelf for placement of display articles.

Abstract: According to the invention, a collapsible display module has a wall blank with wall panels connected end to end foldably relative to each other to define a continuous wall structure. The wall blank is convertible between a flattened state wherein it can be readily stored and transported, and an expanded display state wherein pairs of opposed, facing panels bound a storage space. First and second flaps associated with each of the wall panels of one wall panel pair interconnect and define spaced shelves for placement of articles to be displayed.

Abstract: An electrical connector attached to the end of a wire and for releasable engagement with an electrically conductive cylindrical pin at the end of a fixture-mounted fluorescent tube comprises an insulating handle on which is mounted a resilient metal electrically conductive plate. The plate includes a barbed portion which fits into a slot in the handle thereby securing the plate to the handle. The wire is frictionally secured to the barbed portion of the plate within the slot. The plate also includes an outer portion having coplanar prongs on opposite sides of a narrow-throated pin-receiving and engaging aperture which extends inwardly from an outer edge of the plate. The prong edges bordering the aperture make electrical contact with the pin. A slit extending from the aperture and between the prongs facilitates temporary displacement of the resilient prongs from their common plane in opposite directions to enable widening of the aperture throat sufficiently to accommodate pin passage.

Abstract: Each tray of a multiple tray display rack is formed from a single blank of kraftboard and has a single thickness bottom wall and a double-thickness side wall extending up from each edge of the bottom wall. An outer layer of each side wall is directly connected to the bottom wall around a bend line, and the inner layer is joined to the outer one around a fold line along the top edge of the side wall. The trays are supported in vertically spaced relation by four rods, each confined in one corner of each tray, inwardly adjacent to a flap that extends from an outer layer of one side wall at the corner and is bent around the corner to be sandwiched between the layers of the other side wall at the corner. Each rod is secured in its corner by the inner layers of the side walls that meet at the corner. Each inner layer has tabs projecting from its lower edge and received in closely fitting slots in the bottom wall whereby the inner layer is secured in flatwise proximity to its outer layer.

Abstract: An integrally formed spring clip support for supporting articles and including an elongated steel support member having a plurality of clips formed along its length and which are partially punched from the support member to form integrally formed clips that resiliently engage an article to be displayed. The clips are formed with an arcuate, spring-like portion integrally attached to the support and about which the clip pivots.

Abstract: A knock-down display rack assembly for displaying articles at a point of purchase, including a base having a plurality of recesses, a plurality of center posts, a plurality of containers each having an open upper end and also having a center post receiving member having upper and lower ends for detachable engagement of the ends of the center posts. The containers may thereby be stacked, along with the posts, vertically on one another, the lower end of the center posts receiving member also being insertable in the recesses in the base so as to provide a plurality of stacks of containers on a single base.

Abstract: A seamless aluminum container of the type used for beer, soft drinks, edible goods or the like is provided which container is adapted to be manually axially collapsed to a smaller size when its contents are exhausted, the container collapse being accomplished without the need of any apparatus for guiding the container sidewall collapse and without the aid of any mechanical or fluid pressure device. The container sidewall is shaped to provide a number of similar annuli each of concave axial cross section, adjacent annuli being separated by a peripheral, outwardly angled ridge. Manual axial forces collapse adjacent about an interposed ridge to form a collapsed container approximately one-fifth the size of the original container.