GB2222070A

GB2222070A - Garment display assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2222070A
Application number: GB8819933A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Clive Blass
Original assignee: CIL SYSTEMS Ltd
Current assignee: CIL SYSTEMS Ltd
Priority date: 1988-08-23
Filing date: 1988-08-23
Publication date: 1990-02-28
Also published as: GB8819933D0

Abstract

A garment display assembly comprising a pair of coplanar converging rails (1,2) from which garment hangers (11) can be suspended, the rails meeting at an apex (3) and attachment means (6) for fitting the assembly to another structure (9) so that the rails can project forwardly therefrom. The rails (1,2) can project horizontally forward from the attachment means (6) or downwardly therefrom. The display may be free standing, when the rails (1,2) can be attached to the stand through its apex (3). <IMAGE>

Description

GARMENT DISPLAY ASSEMBLY This invention relates to a garment display assembly which can either be freestanding or can be attached to another structure.

Increasingly, garment retailers are looking for novel ways of merchandising their good and a variety of display stands and garment rails have beer developed over the years. The us way cf displaying garments is for then to be hung on a rail one behind the other or one alongside the other.

Whi5t thi form of display may be satisfactory frc rev ailing point of view, it can be visually uninsparing and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a garment display assembly which can function satisfactorily from the retailing point of view but at the same time present a visually novel a appealing display of the garments hung on it. According to the invention, there 5 provided s garrert display assembly comprising a pair of coplanar converging rails from which garment hangers can be suspended. the rails meeting at an apex and attachmer.

means for fitting the assembly to another structure 5 that the rails project forwardly therefrom.

With this novel assembly of the present invention, garments hung along the length of one rail inters it or interleave with garments hung along the length of the other rail. When viewed from the front, thrs provides e converging display of garments and if a single garment is hung on the apex of the assembly, the converging display of garments hung behind the single carnet at the front tens to concentrate the eye on the garment type being displayed.

Preferably means are provided at the apex of the converging rails from which a single garment hanger only may be hung. With this arrangement, from a visual point of view, all the garments displayed on the assembly converge on the single garment at the front which is the garment intended to catch the eye of a prospective purchaser.

Conveniently, the means provided at the apex comprise 2 nose projecting forwardly therefrom, the nose includr locating means to prevent a garment hanger sliding the end of said nose. The locating means can take any convenient form, such as an upstanding part intermediate the apex where the two rails meet and the free end of the nose portion. In a preferred embodiment, this upstanding part is a ball fixedly attached to the upper surface of the nose, but the same objective can be achieved if an end cap is fitted to the free end of the nose portion. Alternatively, the nose portion can be forme with a slot in its upper surface.

Preferably the attachment means are provided at the end of each ral remote from the apex, the attachment means supporting the rails when mounted on said other structure to which the garment display assembly is te be fitted so that they project forwardly and horizontally therefrom. Alternatively, the attachment means can mount the rails on the other structure so that they project forwardly but downwardly therefrom.

Conveniently, the attachment means are provides at the end of each rail and comprise a saddle hook shape to fit over another rail located at right angles thereto said other rail forming part of the other structure.

Preferably, each rail is straight intermediate its enas but this is not essential. Conveniently, means are provided along the length of each rail to limit axial movement therealong of a hanger suspended therefrom.

The locating means can take any convenient form such as a plurality of balls equidistantly spaced fror eacn other along the length cf each rail and fixedly attached thereto. Alternatively, the location means can be in the foro. of plurality of slots equidistantly spaced from each other along the lertti of each rail. When the converging rails are arranged to extend horizontally from. the other structure to which the display assembly is to be fitted, these locating means can be omitted altogether.They are only important when the converging rails extend downwardly from the other structure to which the display assembly is fitted as they prevent the hangers sliding along the length of the rail and collecting at the bottom of the rail near the apex.

The aspect of the invention just defined relates to a garment display assembly which is adapted to be fitted to another structure such as rail extending between two supports which may form part of a wall-mounted display assembly in a shop, or a freestanding display assembly having support arms extending from it such as may be used in a shop window display. The present invention, however, can be utilised in a freestanding garment display assembly which still uses the principle of the invention, namely the converging garment rails but with these rails being supported on a support structure which is freestanding on the floor.

According to this aspect of the invention, therefore, there 15 provided a freestanding garment di alsp~ay assembly comprising a base with a support extending upwardly therefrom and a pair of coplanar converging rails connected to said support from which hangers can be suspended, the rails meeting at an apex.

In one embodiment, the or each converging rail is attached directly to the upwardly extending support attached to the base. However, the converging rails may be connected to a sub-assembly which is itself attached to the upwardly extending support.

In one embodiment, two supports extend upwardly from the base, the end of each rail remote from the apex being attached directly to a said one of said supports.

In another embodiment, the free end of only one of the converging rails is attached to a support extending upwardly from the base.

In another embodiment, two pairs of converging raiLs are connected to the upstanding support connected to the base, the ends of the rails remote from their respective apices being juxtaposed and the pairs converging rails being coplanar with each other.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a garment display assembly in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the assembly shown ir.

Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of the assembly of Figure 1 with garments hanging on it, and Figures 4A-4C show various embodiments of freestandi display assemblies.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a garment display assembly in the form of a wishbone rail having converging rails 1, 2 which meet at an apex 3. In the illustrated embodiment, the apex comprises a plate 3 attached to the end of the converging rails 1, 2.

However, this plate could be omitted and the rails could meet at a bevelled joint.

The plate 3 has a nose portion 4 extending forwardly therefrom and a ball 5 is secured to the upper surface thereof.

Attachment means in the form of a saddle clip 6 are provided at the end of each arm 1, 2. Each clip includes a portion 7 which abuts against the front surface 8 of a cross-rail 9 forming part of a known display system in which a rail is suspended between two uprights. As this known system forms no part of the invention, no further description thereof will be given. It can be seen from the drawings that the arms 1, 2 are attached to the saddle hook portion 7 at an angle so that they extend downwardly in relation to the horizontal. Balls 10 are secured to the upper surface of the rails 1, 2 along the length thereof and the balls are equidistantly spaced from each other. The purpose of these balls is to prevent hangers 11 sliding down the rail and collecting at the bottom thereof.It will be appreciated, that the balls 10 can be replaced with some other suitable means which would achieve the same objective. For instance, slots can be formed along the length of the arms, or pins or pegs can project upwardly therefrom.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 and shows the way in which garments 12 interleave with each other to line up behind a front garment 13 hung on the nose 4. It is this display technique with the converging garments which stack up behind the front garment 13 which really forms the essence of the invention.

The embodiment shown in Figures 1 and 2 can be modified so that the rails 1, 2 extend horizontally outwardly from the saddle hooks 6. With this arrangement, the locating balls or other means 10 can be omitted as the hangers 11 no longer slide down the arms 1, 2.

As aiready explained, the most important feature of the present invention is the novel way the garments are displayed which results from the use of the converging rails 1, 2. The preferred embodiment is shown as an attachment for fixing to a separate rail 9 which forms part of an existing display system such as might be used as a freestanding arrangement in a shop window or as a wall-mounted arrangement. The principle can, however, be used for a freestanding garment display assembly in which case the converging rails 1, 2, need to be attached to some form of support structure extending upwardly from a freestanding base. Examples of suitable structures are shown schematically in Figures 4A-C. Figure 4A shows a base 14 having upstanding pillar 15 therefrom. Two converging display rails 1, 2 connected to each other at apex 5 are attached to the pillar 15 at the end of arm 2 only.

Figure 4B shows an alternative arrangement in which the converging rails 1, 2 which meet at apex 5 are connected at their apex 5 to a horizontally extending support arm 16 itself attached to the pillar 15.

Figure 4C shows an arrangement similar to Figure 42 but with an additional pair of converging display rails la, 2a, coplanar with the first set of converging rails 1, 2, the apices of both said sets of rails beir.

connected to a cross-member 16a which is attached to the top of pillar 15 extending from base 14.

Claims

1. A garment display assembly comprising a pair of coplanar converging rails from which garment hangers can be suspended, the rails meeting at an apex and attachment means for fitting the assembly to another structure so that the rails project forwardly therefrom.

A A garment display assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein means are provided at the apex te receive and support therefrom a single garment hanger only.

3. A garment display assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein the means provided at the apex comprises a nose projecting forwardly therefrom, the nose including locating means to prevent a garment hanger sliding off the end of said nose.

4. A garment display assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the locating means comprises an upstanding part intermediate the apex where the two rails meet and the free end of the nose portion.

5. A garment display assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the upstanding part is provided at the free end of the nose portion and is an end cap whose length is greater than the width of the nose portion.

6. A garment display assembly as claimed in claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the locating means is a ball attached to the upper surface of the nose.

7. A garment display assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein the locating means on the nose comprises a slot formed in its upper surface.

8. A garment display assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1-7 wherein the attachment means is provided at the end of each rail remote from the apex.

9. A garment display assembly as claimed in claim 8 wherein the attachment means support the rails when mourned on said other structure so that they project forwardly and horizontally therefrom.

10. A garment display assembly as claimed in C1G1D b wherein the attachment means support the rails when mounted on said other structure whereby they project forwardly but downwardly therefrom.

11. A garment display assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein each rail is straight intermediate its ends.

12. A garment display assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1-10 wherein each rail is not straight intermediate its ends.

13. A garment display assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein locating means are provided along the length of each rail to limit axial movement therealong of a hanger suspended therefrom.

14. A garment display assembly as claimed in claim 13 wherein said locating means comprises a plurality of balls equidistantly spaced from each other along the length of each rail and fixedly attached thereto.

15. A garment display assembly as claimed in claim 13 wherein said locating means comprises a plurality of slots equidistantly spaced from each other along the length of each rail.

16. A garment display assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the attachment means at the end of each rail comprises a saddle hook shaped to fit over another rail located at right angles thereto.

17. A garment display assembly substantially as herein described wit reference to the accompanyiro drawings.

18. A freestanding garment display asset comprising base With support extending upwardly therefrom and a pair of coplanar converging rails connected to said support, from which hangers can be suspended, the rails meeti at an apex.

19. A freestanding garment display assembly as claimed in claim 18 wherein the or each converging rail is attached directly to the upwardly extending support attached to the base.

20. A freestanding garment display assembly as claimed in claim 19 wherein two supports extend upwardly from the base, the ends of the rails remote from the apex being attached directly to a respective one of said supports.

21. A freestanding garment display assembly as claimed in claim 18 wherein the converging rails are connected to a sub-assembly which is itself attached to the upwardly extending support attached to the base.

22. A freestanding garment display assembly as claimed in claim 18 wherein pairs of converging rails are connected to the upstanding support connected to the base, the ends of the rails remote from their respective apices being juxtaposed and the pairs of converging rails being coplanar with each other.

23. A freestanding garment display assembly substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.