turning now to the drawing and particularly , fig1 - 7 thereof , there is seen a preferred embodiment of a display rack according to the instant invention , generally depicted as 10 . the external components of the display rack 10 comprise a back panel 12 , right side panel 15 , left side panel 17 , top panel 20 , bottom panel 22 , and front 25 . except for side panels 15 and 17 , each of which is cut to slant inward moving upwardly from front to back , beginning at a point approximately 1 / 4 the length of the panel from the top , all the external faces appear to be substantially rectangular . the front 25 is comprised in turn of a front bottom panel 27 , above which are four display rows 30 . each display row 30 comprises two front panels 33 , each front panel 33 being capable of retaining two display pads 35 . the display pads may be of the type for displaying silverware 35a or one or more may of a type containing promotional text 35b . those of the type for displaying silverware 35a , may have a plate 37 affixed thereto in order to provide minimal information such as the name of the pattern being displayed , or the name of the manufacturer . the interior construction of the stand can be seen in fig8 . it is comprised of four essentially rectangular shelves 40 each separated from the one below by spacing panels 43 . the uppermost of the shelves 40 is also separated from the top panel 20 by a spacing panel 43 . it should be noted that the front edge 45 of each spacing panel 43 is slanted back at an angle of about 40 ° from the vertical . the front panels 33 slant back at this same angle when in the closed position . the front panels 33 rotate on hinges 50 as will be described hereinafter . the extremities of the rotation are the fully closed position , shown in fig1 as 33a and the fully opened position , in which they rest horizontally , shown as 33c . when the front panels 33 are fully horizontal access is had to the interior shelves 40 . the relationship of the half - shelves 60 , shelves 40 and front panels 33 is better seen in the cut - away sections of fig1 and 11 . turning now to fig1 - 22 , the interior storage and display section and the components thereof can be seen . the features of this section allows prospective purchasers easy access to and view of both boxed and unboxed ( open stock ) tableware that is available for purchase . upon each shelf rests two half - shelves 60 , as is seen in fig9 . each half - shelf 60 is comprised of an essentially rectangular flat rest 70 having two essentially rectangular legs 72 72 depending perpendicularly from the shorter ends of the rectangle . the area beneath each half - shelf 60 is used for storage of and easy access to boxed sets of tableware 62 offered for sale , whether as individual or multiple place settings or as hostess sets or serving sets . each half - shelf 60 , in turn , accommodates two tableware trays 65 65 which can be used for the presentation of individual items of open stock tableware . each tray 65 is divided into six compartments 67a - 67f as shown in fig1 so that it can accommodate a variety of sizes and shapes of tableware utensils for display and sale . some of the special features of the display pads 35 are seen in fig1 , and 15 - 17 . each display pad is 35 is removably attached to the front surface of the front panel 33 via minute hook and eye attachment strips , such as velcro pads 80 80 located on the back surface of the display pad , which co - act with velcro pads ( not shown ) on the front surface of the front panels . other mechanisms for achieving easy detachability and replacement without the necessity of tools , such as snaps , magnets , hooks and the like as are well known in the art may alternatively be used . in addition to the means for attachment provided , each display pad 35 fits so that when vertical it rests on a lip 34 set in the front panel to accommodate the display panel . thus the display pad 35 fits in a well in the front panel 33 so that it appears to be attractively integral thereto . the front panels are fabricated of formed styrene for lightweight durability . because of their detachability , the display pads 35 are easily exchangeable and can be moved about to accommodate changes in the tableware line , a need for different colors to harmonize with a changed color scheme , a change in the groupings of tableware being offered for sale , or to replace worn or damaged pads . furthermore each individual display pad is formed of a unitary section of molded material which is flocked to present an elegant appearance without running the risk of tearing or wrinkling as can occur when fabric is used . forming the display pad 35 as a unitary structure not only enhances the appearance thereof but , having an integral bottom rest 83 , also avoids the problem of the bottom rest separating from the display pad , as it ordinarily may do after extended use . such separation is not only unsightly but also allows the tableware to intrude into the gap and possibly fall therethrough . tableware is retained on the front of the display pads 35 by means of a co - acting pair of clips 90 90 . each clip 90 is comprised of a body 93 and a head 95 . the body 93 is hollow , being in the shape of a tubular cylinder which is open at the bottom and tapers inwardly toward the top . the body 93 is fabricated of resilient material . preferably it is fabricated of thermal plastic elastomer 67 shore a durometer plus colorant . in the preferred embodiment it is fabricated from multiflex tpe a 6221 plus colorant . perpendicular to the top of the body 93 is the head 95 which is cone shaped . a pair of retainers 100 100 are fitted upward through corresponding holes 105 105 in the display pad 35 so that the nub 103 of each retainer 100 , being too large to pass through hole 150 , is held against the back surface of display pad 35 . the stem 108 of each retainer 100 engages the hollow portion of each clip 90 via a friction fit so that the clips are held in a spaced apart relationship such that a tableware item or stack of tableware items can be inserted therebetween . the resiliency of each clip bodies 93 is sufficient to allow easy insertion and removal of tableware items between pairs thereof , yet there is sufficient rigidity so that , combined with the retention effects of the heads 95 , the tableware items will be held firmly in place when the front panel is manipulated . fig1 and 14 show the operation of the hinge which allows the front panel 33 to rotate from fully closed position 33a to fully open position 33c . in the fully opened position , the front panel 33 uses a minimal amount of space inside of the display rack so that , in turn , the maximum amount of space remains for storage of the open stock and boxed merchandise . centrally attached to the rear surface of the front panel 33 , and essentially perpendicular thereto is pentangular shaped hinge 50 which is attached to a side panel via mated male / female parts at a pivot point ( shown generally as 51 ) where either the hinge 50 or the side panel may contain the male part . the location of the pivot point 51 together with the pentangular shape of the hinge 50 allows the front panel 33 to retract into position when open so that is uses minimal storage space , thus maximizing the merchandisable space for open stock and product boxes . on the hinge is a thin semicircular cutout 53 in which rides adjustable pin 55 which is also seated in the side panel . turning the adjustable pin 55 will , depending upon the direction in which it is turned , tighten or loosen the tension on the hinge 50 . this clutch mechanism controls the rotation of the hinge , and hence the front panel 33 , so as to control the amount of fall of the front panel 33 . while this invention has been explained with reference to the structure disclosed herein , it is not confined to the details set forth and this application is intended to cover any modifications and changes as may come within the scope of the following claims :
an improved display rack for the commercial display of tableware comprising a back panel , having two side panels attached thereto , a plurality of full shelves in parallel relationship to one another , each abutting the back panel and side panels , at least one rotatably hinged front panel corresponding to each full shelf , each front panel positioned so that a bottom edge is aligned with a corresponding full shelf , a display pad detachably affixed to at least one front panel , at least one hinge rotatably affixing each front panel to the rack , and at least one retainer for retaining tableware on the front of the display pad for display thereof .