AU681644B2 - A display system - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

ORIGINAL

Applicant: Title: Filing Date: ADVAL CREATIVE PRINTING (VIC.) PTY. LTD.

A DISPLAY SYSTEM Priority: PL9492 filed 18 June 1993 oo Reference: IRN 332669 o .100 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to the applicant: 1 A DISPLAY STRUCTURE This invention relates generally to product display and information structures, and more particularly to a readily erectable and demountable system providing structures for displaying products for sale and/or related promotional information. The system is applicable to structures for in-store display and promotion of items offered for sale by supermarkets, variety, department and other retail stores, and it will be convenient to hereinafter disclose the invention in relation to that exemplary application. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to that application.

Stores retailing a range of products often adopt display arrangements for short term or temporary highlighting or promotion of particular products.

Typically, those displays include dump bins or shelving for holding the sale or promoted products, accompanied by conspicuous promotional signage adjacent thereto. The displays may be located at ends of product shelving ::2i0 aisles, or in open product display areas or departments.

*A disadvantage with at least some of these display arrangements is their complexity of construction, particularly the signage. The signage typically comprises a framework to which information cards or panels are 5 attached, and the technique for attaching the cards or panels and otherwise constructing the signage has a permanency belying the intended temporary nature of the display. In that regard, nails and staples are used in the signage construction making demounting difficult and time consuming, as well as reducing the prospects for reuse of the signage.

In addition, these displays may have an adhoc appearance, induced by random placement of the cards or panels. Without a present layout of those cards and panels the signage can vary considerably between displays within the same store or area, giving an impression of lack of coordination or continuity within the store layout.

An object of the present invention is to alleviate these disadvantages through the provision of a relatively -2- -3simple display system for products and/or information, Another object of the present invention is the provision of a readily erectable and demountable display system for products and/or information.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a display system for forming a multi-sided, generally hollow, freestanding columnar display structure for displaying products and product information, the display system including: a base panel to form a base of the display structure, the base panel having a planar base portion and a plurality of wall portions for upstanding from the base portion; and a plurality of separate display panels, at least some of the display panels being connection panels each of which incorporates at least one connection slot in which a portion of another one of the display panels is able to be received, whereby the display panels are releasably connected together to form the sides of the display structure supported on and extending upwardly from the base, with each side of the display structure being formed of one or more display panels placed in a substantially vertical orientation over the base, lowermost ones of the display panels being releasably connectable to the wall portions of the base panel so as to support the interconnected display panels on the base, each display panel on each side of the display structure interconnecting with at least one display panel on an adjacent side of the display structure, and the or each display 20 panel on each side of the display structure being displaced in a vertical direction relative to the or each display panel on an adjacent side of the display structure with which it is connected.

Preferably, each display panel is connectable with at least two other display panels. Those other display panels are located on the same or different S" 25 adjacent sides as one another. Preferably, when the panels are connected together the panels in the same side of the display system are vertically spaced apart from one another, Preferably the connection panels incorporate a plurality of slots enabling each connection panel to be releasably connected to a plurality of other display panels. In a particularly preferred arrangement, the display panels are substantially planar with the connection slots located on the peripheral edge of SR; the panel.

KWAWINWOPRODATESPEC64724-g4 -4- It is envisaged that the display panels will be typically used to erect four sided structures, so that the structure is square or rectangular in plan view, with adjacent side walls extending perpendicular to one another. However, appropriate sizing of the connection slots, and flexibility within the panels, will enable five or more sided structures to be erected utilising the display system.

Typically the display panels are composed of any suitable rigid, or at least semi-rigid material. By way of example those panels may be composed of sheet material fabricated from cardboard, plastic, timber or composites thereof.

Preferably the connection panels are arranged to interconnect one another at their respective connection slots. Thus a connection slot of one connection panel is progressively fed along and beyond a connection slot of another panel to achieve panel interconnection. Typically the feeding of one slot along another slot continues until opposing slot ends abut one another. In this way the parels are locked together against relative movement transverse to the feeding direction, which improves rigidity and stability within the resulting erected structure.

The length of the slots may vary depending on the extent of vertical offset desired between adjacent interconnected panels. As a proportion of the dimension of each panel between opposiie side wall edges, into which the slots °open, those slots may have a length varying from less than one quarter to about 20 one half of that panel dimension. Thus, the extent of overlap may vary from less than one half up to a full panel.

Typically the panels are generally of a flat, quadrangular shape and incorporate plurality of connection slots on opposing edges of the panel.

Preferably the base panel incorporates a plurality of fold lines and can be S 25 changed from a collapsed configuration wherein the panel is substantially planar, to an erect configuration wherein the panel provides the planar base portion and

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plurality of upstanding wall portions. Each wall portion preferably has at least one connection slot, and may have a plurality of connection slots located at the peripheral edge of each wall portion, for receiving a portion of a display panel for connection thereto.

Preferably the display system further includes ancillary elements which are rconnectable to the connection panels. Typically these ancillary elements are Sarranged for product display and/or information. These elements may include S KVAWINWORDMKATE SPECI64724.94 -4A header displays, pocket devices carried by or fixed to the panels, dump bins and tray inserts.

In a further aspect, the present invention provides a multi-sided display structure formed from a display system as described above.

*e4 a ee *ee KWWINWORDV<ATBSPECI64724.94 To assist the further understanding of the invention, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of zhe present invention. It is to be appreciated that these embodiments are given by way of illustration only and the invention is not to be limited by this illustration.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 illu trates a plan view of display panels of a display system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 illustrates a display structure constructed using the display system Fig. 1; Fig. 3 illustrates an alternative display structure using the display system of Fig. 1; and Figs. 3-7 illustrate alternative display structures using the display system of Fig. 1 and ancillary elements.

Fig. 1 illustrates various components of a display system 10. The system is formed from differing size display panels 11, 12, 13 each of which is substantially :0 flat and is typically formed from cardboard or other rigid or semi rigid material. These display panels are arranged to be erected into multi-sided display structures and the panels are provided in different sizes to increase the construction flexibility of the system 10 to enhance the available range of display structures which can be formed.

In the illustrated arrangement, the display system 10 includes standard panels 11 which are rectangular, commonly sized panels with pairs of slots 14 opening into opposing side edges 15 and 16. The system further includes in-fill panels 12 and base panel 13.

The in-fill panels 12 are also rectangular but narrower than the standard panel 11. A pair of connection slots 14 are provided, opening into one side edge 17 of the in-fill panel 12. The base panel 13 is arranged to form the base, on which the multi sided display structure can be erected. The base panel is also rectangular and is divided into three portions 20, 21, 22 by parallel fold lines 18 and 1 In this way, the base panel includes a central base portion 20 and a pair of wall portions 21, 22 at opposite end regions of the panel. A pair of connection slots 14 are provided in each wall portion, which open into the end edges of the panel. In this arrangement the wall portions are foldable about the fold lines so as to upstand from the base portion.

The depth of the connection slots 14 in the respective panels 11ii, 12 and 13 may vary depending on the extent of vertical offset required. In the illustrated arrangement however the length of the connection slots in each of the panels is substantially the same, though their length, relative to the size of the respective panels varies. The length of the slots in the standard panels 11 are approximately one sixth of the length of that panel dimensions, whereas the length of the connection slots in the in-fill panels 12 are approximately one third of that panel dimensions. In regard to the base panel, the length of the slots is approximately one half the length of the wall portion depth.

Fig. 1 further illustrates a standard panel incorporating an ancillary element. In the illustrated arrangement the ancillary element is in the form of a pocket device 23 secured to hold promotional brochures or leaflets. The system may further include other ancillary elements such as header displays 14, dump trays 25 and frames 26 which are illustrated in Figs. 4-7.

Fig. 2 illustrates a free standing columnar structure 30 formed using the panels of the display system To construct the display structure 30, initially the base panel 13 is folded and positioned with the base S portion 20 on a floor in which the structure is to be erected and the wall portions 21 and 22 upstanding vertically therefrom to commence formation of two opposed side walls of the construction. A first standard panel 11 is then positioned so as to extend vertically between corresponding connection slots 14 in the wall portions 21, 22 of the base panel 13 and the slots in the standard panel are fed along the slots in the wall portions so as to connect the standard panel to both wall portions. A -6second standaird panel 11 is similarly connected to the base panel at the other corresponding slots 14 in the wall portion 21, 22. Thus, a pair of standard panels extend in parallel spaced apart relationship with another, perpendicular to the wall portions 21, 22 of the base panel 13, and commence formation of the other opposed side walls of the columnar structure The third and fourth standard Finels can then be positioned so as to extend between respective corresponding connection slots in the first and second standard panels and be connected to those first and second panels. The third and fourth panels continue erection of the side walls commenced by the wall portions of the base 1 anel.

Further pairs of standard panels can in turn be succesively connected to proceeding panels so as to alternately progressively erect opposing side walls of the structure 30 and that erection can continue until the desired height of the columnar structure is reached. In the illustrated arrangement the structure 30 is above head height with the side walls each containing three or four standard panels.

Fig. 3 illustrates an alternative display structure 31 formed using the display system 10. In this arrangement, two base panels 13 are interconnected to form a simple box shaped stand 31. In construction of the stand 31, each base panel is folded, with one base panel 13 being orientated 900 to the other, such that each respective wall portion of the base panels 13 is connected to both the wall portions of the other base panel thereby interlocking the base panels together. To increase the rigidity of the box, struts (not shown) may be located inside the structure 31.

Fig. 4 illustrates a columnar display structure 32, which is similar to the structure 30 illustrated in Fig. 2 except that it further includes a header display 24 and an in-fill panel 12. The header display is adapted to be connected to the standard panel 11 through the connection slots 14 and in the illustrated arrangement, the header -7display includes connection slots 14. However it should be appreciated that a header display, without connection slots, could be connected to the standard panel 11 solely through the slots 14 located in that panel.

Fig. 5 illustrates a further alternative display structure 33, where two columnar structures, similar to the structures 30 illustrated in Fig. 2 are interconnected by a header display panel 24, providing a walk through display structure.

Figs. 6 and I illustrate the use of a frame 26 which may be incorporated as part of the display structure. In Fig. 6, the frame 26 is incorporated within a columnar structure 34 and forms the base for the sructure. In this way the frame 26 is used in place of the base panel 13.

Further, the frame is arranged to support a display tray which may be held in position by fastening elements such as screw or rivets if required. Standard panels and in-fill panels are supported in a vertical orientation around the frame and the display structure extends S.130 upwardly from these supported panels. A window 28 is formed in the structure 24. The window 28 is formed by replacing a standard panel with elongate connection elements 29 and provides access to the display tray A further variation is illustrated in Fig. 7 wherein the display structure 35 is formed as a dump bin. In this arrangement the walls of the dump bin are formed from a e. combination of standard and in-fill panels. Again a display tray 25 may be supported within the frame if requred.

30 Typically, demounting of any one of the structures is achieved by reversing the erection procedure described in relation to the display structure The display system of the present invention provides a readily erectable and demountable structure for display of merchandise and related promotional materials and information. The structure has an appearance of stabil.ty, rigidity and permanance, and is readily demountable for storage and re-use as required.

The display system has sufficient flexibility to -8enable the erection of various display structures for different purposes. However, those structures retain a common structual appearance to ensure continuity of product display throughout a store or area.

Variations and/or modifications can be made to the display system and structures described herein without departing from the spirit, or ambit of the invention as defined in the accompanying statement of claim.

o o 0 eo« e *e* -9-

Claims (18)

1. A display system for forming a multi-sided, generally hollow, freestanding columnar display structure for displaying products and product information, the display system including: a base panel to form a base of the display structure, the base panel having a planar base portion and a plurality of wall portions for upstanding from the base portion; and a plurality of separate display panels, at least some of the display panels being connection panels each of which incorporates at least one connection slot in which a portion of another one of the display panels is able to be received, whereby the display panels are releasably connected together to form the sides of the display structure supported on and extending upwardly from the base, with each side of the display structure being formed of one or more display panels placed in a substantially vertical orientation over the base, lowermost ones of the display panels being releasably connectable to the wall portions of the base panel so as to support the interconnected display panels on the base, each display panel on each side of the display structure in'terconnecting with at least one display panel on an adjacert side of the display structure, and the or each display panel on each side of the display structure being displaced in a vertical direction relative to the or each display panel on an adjacent side of the display structure with which it is 20 connected.

2. A display system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each display panel is connectable with at least two other display panels which other display panels are located on the same or different adjacent sides as one another.

3. A display system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the display panels are releasably connectable together such that the panels in the same side of the display system are vertically spaced apart from one another. o• B

4. A display system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the connection panels incorporate a plurality of slots, enabling each connection panel to be releasably connected to a plurality of other display panels.

5. A display system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the display panels are substantially planar.

KV.WINWORXATMSPEC4?724.94

7-r o0 -11 6. A display system as claimed in claim 5, wherein each connection panel includes a plurality of connection slots located on the peripheral edge of the panel. 7. A display system as claimed in claim 6, wherein each display panel is arranged to be connected to another panel such that those panels extend transversely to each other,

8. A display system as claimed in either claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the connection panels are arranged to be connected together at their respective connection slots.

9. A display system as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein a plurality of the connection panels are quadrangular with each panel incorporating a plurality of connection slots on opposing edges of the panel.

A display system as claimed in any c,3 of the preceding claims, wherein the base panel has a plurality of fold lines for folding from a collapsed configuration in which the base panel is planar to an erect configuration in which the panel provides the planar base portion and the plurality of upstanding wall portions.

11. A display systemn as claimed in claim 10, wherein each wall portion i"..oincorporates at least one connection slot in which a portion of a display panel is 20 able to be received to connect the display panels thereto.

12. A display system as claimed in claim 11, wherein each wall portion incorporates a plurality of connection slots located at the peripheral edge of each S. wall portion.

13. A display system as claimed in any preceding claim, and further including one or more pocket device on at least one of the display panels for holding product promotional brochures.

14. A display system as claimed in any preceding claim, and further including at least one tray or bin insert for positioning within the display structure to hold a quantity of product for display.

15. A multi-sided display structure formed from a display system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

16. A multi-sided display structure as claimed in claim 14, including at least i- two columnar structures each formed from the display system and arranged in o K,\WINWORODATESPECh,472-4 cllcU-- Y -12- spaced apart side-by-side relation, and a header display panel connected to the columnar structures at an upper region thereof and extending therebetween.

17. A display system substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A multi-sided display structure substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED: 2 July, 1997 PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Attorneys for: ADVAL CREATIVE PRINTING (VIC.) PTY. LTD. ee **0 o i ABSTRACT A display system is disclosed which comprises a plurality of planar panels 11, 12 and 13, which are able to be releasably connected together through connection slots 14 located on the panels to form multi-sided display structures of various configurations. Figure 2 0e** 0 o o a