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Abstract

 Device for supporting an article having an aperture therein which comprises a stand (10) having a plurality of arms (18) extending radially outwardly from an upstanding column (25). Each arm (18) has an upstanding outer end portion (21) and has associated therewith a rod (23) arranged to co-operate with the corresponding arm (18) to provide a loop. Each rod (23) is movable longitudinally relative to the outer end portion (21) of the corresponding arm (18) so that an article can be located on the arm (18) and suspended thereon. Movement of each rod (23) away from an outer end portion (21) of a corresponding arm (18), thereby to permit removal from or location on the corresponding arm (18) of an article, is restrained by a selectively operable locking mechanism (42) until the mechanism is operated to permit movement of a said rod (23).
The invention is suitable for supporting belts for clothing, a buckle of each belt being located on a selected arm whereby the associated belt is suspended therefrom.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a device for supporting an article having an aperture therein.

[0002] It is known to provide stands for displaying articles of clothing having buckles,- such as belts, wherein each stand comprises a boss and a plurality of arms extending radially outwardly of the boss, the arms being adapted to receive the buckles of the belts so that each arm extends through one or more buckles to suspend the belts therefrom.

[0003] A disadvantage of such stands is that, while they may satisfactorily display belts suspended thereon, they do not prevent unauthorized removal of belts therefrom.

[0004] According to the present invention, there is provided a device for supporting an article having an aperture therein, the device comprising a support adapted to extend through the aperture of the article so that the article is suspended from the support, means adapted to prevent removal of the article from the support, the said means and the support being adapted for relative movement to permit insertion of an article on and removal of the article from the support and means for restraining said relative movement so that the article is moved from the support only when the restraining means is operated to permit said relative movement.

[0005] The removal prevention means may be adapted to co-operate with the support to provide a loop. The removal prevention means may comprise an elongate bar adapted to be moved relative to the support. The bar may have a rectilinear central longitudinal axis and may be adapted to. be moved in a direction parllel to the axis.

[0006] The restraining means may comprise a blocking device adapted removably to engage the bar to restrain movement of the bar in the said direction.

[0007] The restraining means may include a lock adapted to receive a key so that when the key is turned in the lock, the blocking device is moved to permit movement of the bar in the said direction.

[0008] Following is a description, by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, of one method of carrying the invention into effect.

[0009] In the drawings:-

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a device in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-section on the line A-A of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view of part of the device;

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view of the device prior to operation thereof for removal of an article therefrom;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 wherein a key has been inserted in the device prior to operation thereof for removal of an article therefrom; and

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to FIGURES 4 and 5 showing operation of the device for removal of an article therefrom.

[0010] Referring to the drawings, there is shown a device 10 for supporting an article having an aperture therein. The device comprises a cylind_- rical boss 11 comprising a circular base 12 and a circumferential wall 13 upstanding from the base 12. The base 12 is provided with a tapped central axial aperture 14 and the wall 13 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial apertures 15 and an upper radial aperture 16 of smaller diameter than the apertures 15. The apertures 15 have received therein inner end portions of tubular members 17, the tubular members 17 extending radially outwardly from corresponding radial apertures 15. The tubular members 17 have secured to outer ends thereof arms 18, each arm comprising an elongate portion 19 having an inner limb 20 upstanding from one end portion of the arm 19 and an outer limb 21 upstanding from an outer end portion of the arm 19. The inner limb 20 of each arm 19 is welded to an outer end surface of a corresponding tubular member 17. The outer limb 21 of each arm 19 has an aperture 22. Each tubular member 17 has received longitudinally therein a rod 23, the dimensions of each of the rods being greater than the combined length of a corresponding tubular member 17 and elongate portion 19 of the arm 18 associated therewith but being less than the distance from the central longitudinal axis of the boss 11 to the outer limb 21 of each arm 18. The rods 23 are movable longitudinally of the corresponding tubular member 17 and through the aperture 22 of the outer limb 21 of the corresponding arm 18.

[0011] The aperture 14 in the base 12 of the boss 11 is received on an upper end portion of a spindle 24. The spindle 24 is located axially in a bore 26 in an upper end portion of a tubular stand 25. The spindle 24 is provided in a midportion thereof with a circumferential groove 27. The stand 25 is provided with a tapped recess 28 in which is received a screw 29 an inner end portion of which is located in the groove 27 of the spindle 24 thereby to locate the spindle rotatably axially in the stand 25 so that an upper end portion of the spindle 24 extends beyond an adjacent end portion of the stand 25. The upper end portion of the spindle 24 is screw-threaded and is thereby adapted to engage the tapped aperture 14 in the base 12 of the boss 11. A washer 30 is located on the stand 25, the end portion of the spindle 24 extending through an aperture of the washer. The boss 11 is located so that the screw-threaded end portion of the spindle 24 is received in the tapped aperture 14 of the base 12 of the boss 11 and the boss 11 is screwed onto the spindle 24 so that the washer 30 is located between the boss 11 and the stand 25. The boss 11 is secured to the spindle 24 by a nut 31 which is screwed onto an end of the spindle 24 extending inwardly of an inner surface of the base 12 of the boss 11.

[0012] The circumferential wall 13 of the boss 11 is provided on an inner surface thereof with a recess (not shown) containing a helical spring (not shown) adapted to co-operate with a ball 32 to urge the ball radially inwardly of the boss 11.

[0013] A boss 11 is adapted to co-operate with a cylindrical head 33 having an outer circumferential recessed wall 34, a circumferential rim 35 extending radially outwardly above the wall 34, a circumferential inner wall 36, an upper surface 37 and a lower surface 38. The outer surface 34 is provided with a circumferential groove 39. The lower surface 38 is provided with a radial groove 40 adapted to receive longitudinally a portion of any one of the rods 23.

[0014] The head 33 is provided with a central longitudinal bore 41 in which there is received a barrel lock 42 having a spindle 43 depending therefrom. The lock 42 has a slot 44 for receiving a key 45, the slot 44 being adjacent the upper surface 37 of the head 33. The spindle 43 of the lock 42 has a depending lower portion thereof which is screw threaded and is adapted to receive a nut 46. The spindle 43 carries a blocking bar 47 having an aperture (not shown) at one end portion thereof for receiving the spindle 43 of the lock 42. The blocking bar 47 is located on the spindle 43 and is secured thereto by the nut 46 so that the longitudinal axis of the blocking bar 47 extends radially of the spindle 43. The outer wall 34 of the head 33 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses 48, each adapted to receive the ball 32.

[0015] The dimensions of the head 33 are such that the head is received in the boss 11 with the rim 35 seating on an upper surface of the boss 11, the circumferential groove 39 being located radially inwardly of the small bore aperture 16 in the circumferential wall 13 of the boss 11 and the recesses 48 extending opposite a circumferential portion of an inner surface of the wall containing the ball 32.

[0016] The head 33 is retained in the boss 11 by means of a pin 49 which is inserted in the small bore aperture 16 so as to extend into the groove 39. The upper surface 37 of the head 33 is provided with an indexing mark 50 located on an axis extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the groove 40. The groove 40 is arranged such that when the head 33 is rotated in the boss 11 so that the indexing mark is adjacent a selected one of the rods 23 and the blocking bar 47 does not extend across the groove 40, the selected rod may be moved axially inwardly of the groove 40 towards the longitudinal axis of the head 33.

[0017] The barrel lock 42 is arranged such that the spindle 43 can be rotated relative to the head 33 only on insertion of the key 45 in the slot 44 and can be withdrawn from the slot 44 only when the blocking bar 47 extends across the groove 40. In this position of the blocking bar 47, the blocking bar prevents insertion of a rod 23 longitudinally of the groove 40, the longitudinally axis of the slot 44 in a plane parallel to the upper surface 37 of the head 33 is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the blocking bar 47.

[0018] Referring now to FIGURES 4 to 6 of the drawings, the head 33 of the device 10 is rotatable relative to the boss 11 on an axis co-axial with the longitudinal axis of the spindle 43 of the lock 42. As the head 33 moves relative to the boss 11, the groove 40 of the head 33 is successively located adjacent inner ends of the rods 23 by the ball 32 which successively engages the recesses 48. However, the rods 23 cannot be moved inwardly of the boss 11 because an adjacent end wall of each rod will either engage the outer surface 34 of the head 33 or will engage an outer end wall of the blocking bar 47.

[0019] When it is required to locate on an arm 18 an article having a buckle, such as a belt, the head 33 is rotated until the indexing mark 50 is adjacent a rod 23 associated with the arm as shown in FIGURE 4. The key 45 then is inserted in the slot 44, as shown in FIGURE 5. The head 33 is then held in the position shown in FIGURE 5 and the key 45 is turned so that the slot 44 is in line with the indexing mark 50 on the head 33. The movement of the key 45 results in the blocking bar 47 being moved from the position shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 in which the blocking bar extends across the groove 40, through 90° to the position as shown in FIGURE 6. The rod 23 adjacent the groove 40 then is moved in a longitudinal direction inwardly of the groove 40. Movement of the rod 23 provides a gap between an outer end portion of the rod 23 and an outer limb 21 of the arm 18 corresponding to the selected rod 23 as shown in FIGURE 2. The buckle of the belt then can be hooked over the outer limb 21 of the arm 18 and moved longitudinally of the elongate portion 19 and located thereon so that the belt is suspended from the elongate portion 19 of the arm. Alternatively, the buckle of a belt already suspended from the elongate portion of the arm may be moved axially of the elongate portion 19 and unhooked from the outer limb 21 thereby to remove the belt from the arm 18.

[0020] The displaced rod 23 then is moved axially in a direction out of the groove 40 so that the outer end portion of the rod 23 extends through. the aperture 22 of the outer limb 21 of the corresponding arm 18. The head 33 the is held while the key 45 is turned in a reverse direction so that the slot 44 is at right angles to the index mark 50 on the head 33, as shown in FIGURE 5. In this position the blocking bar 47 extends across the groove 40 and prevents movement of the selected rod 23 inwardly of the head 33. The key 45 then is removed from the head 33, as shown in FIGURE 4.

Claims

1. A device for supporting an article having an aperture therein, the device comprising a support adapted to extend through the aperture of the article so that the article is suspended from the support, means adapted to prevent removal of the article from the support, the said means and the support being adapted for relative movement to permit insertion of an article on and removal of the article from the support and means for restraining said relative movement so that the article is removed from the support only when the restraining means is operated to permit said relative movement.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the removal prevention means is adapted to co-operate with the support to provide a loop.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the removal prevention means comprises an elongate bar adapted to be moved relative to the support.

4. A device as claimed in Claim 3 wherein the bar has a rectilinear central longitudinal axis and is adapted to be moved in a direction parallel to the axis.

5. A device as claimed in Claim 4 wherein the restraining means comprises a blocking device adapted removably to engage the bar to restrain movement of the bar in the said direction.

6. A device as claimed in Claim 5 wherein the restraining means includes a lock adapted to receive a key so that when the key is turned in the lock, the blocking device is moved to permit movement of the bar in the said direction.

Drawing