EP2626849B1

EP2626849B1 - A foldable advertising post

Info

Publication number: EP2626849B1
Application number: EP12461504.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Wojciech Radzki
Original assignee: Drukarnia "ellert" Sp Z Oo
Current assignee: Drukarnia "ellert" Sp Z Oo
Priority date: 2012-02-11
Filing date: 2012-02-11
Publication date: 2014-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2032-02-11
Also published as: DK2626849T3; PL2626849T3; EP2626849A1

Description

The object of the invention is a foldable advertising post for displaying advertising banners, posters and other advertising information.
There are known advertising posts made of various materials, such as paper, plastic or metal, having various shapes and designed for displaying advertising or other information in form of banners, posters, leaflets etc. Posts made of cardboard may be produced in small batches at a small unit cost. Such posts must comprise support elements, which provide their stability and allow transition between a transport configuration and a working configuration.
A Polish patent PL 65495 presents a mechanism for automatic deployment of advertising posts, which have a semi-elliptical cross-sectional shape. The mechanism is located inside the post and comprises an expanding element and a supporting element, which are both connected to the walls of the post. The expanding element has a shape of a quadrangle divided by a folding line and comprises openings close to the folding line. The supporting element has a shape of a quadrangle folded in half along a folding line, and at both sides of that folding line has cutouts next to bends which connect it to the walls of the post. The mechanism further comprises compressing rubber bands which pass through the openings and cutouts and thereby join both elements together.
A European patent EP 2078299 presents a foldable display. The display comprises internal parallelepiped expanding part, which is fixed by its two walls to both walls of the display and has a rubber band connected to two walls opposing the walls fixed to the display. The expanding part facilitates expansion of the display from a transport configuration to a working configuration.
A Polish patent application PL 117866 presents a display stand in form of a post comprising internal expanding ribs of an oval shape. One longer side of each expanding rib is coupled with a first wall of the display body by means of elastic bars.
A European patent application EP 1909248 presents a display stand in form of a post which comprises an internal magnetic mechanism for self expansion of the stand.
A PCT application WO 2010/019086 presents a stand made of two elements of stiff material, which are coupled along their edges. The stand has a form of a post and comprises internal blocking element which allows forming of a flat transport configuration or a working configuration, wherein the blocking element comprises a first part slidably coupled with a second part.
A PCT application WO 2009/039608 presents a display in form of a post, comprising two side walls mounted on a base, which has at least one element for positioning the walls in a working configuration. There are flaps mounted along the internal edges of the post, for fixing the post in a stable working configuration.
A Brazilian patent application BRPI0502306A presents a foldable advertising post, having two walls, which in a transport configuration are adjacent to each other substantially along the whole internal surface, and in the working configuration are adjacent to each other only by vertical side edges. It comprises expanding elements with a compressing rubber band. The expanding element is attached at the edge between two adjacent walls and comprises two parts fixed to each other, wherein each part in the working configuration has a cross-sectional shape of a triangle.
The aim of the invention is to provide an advertising post with a simple expanding mechanism to facilitate expansion of the post and its stable position in a working configuration.
The object of the invention is a foldable advertising post, having at least two walls, which in a transport configuration are adjacent to each other substantially along the whole internal surface, and in the working configuration are adjacent to each other only by vertical side edges, and comprising at least one expanding element with a compressing rubber band, the expanding element attached at the edge between two adjacent walls. The expanding element comprises two parts fixed to each other, wherein each part in the working configuration has a cross-sectional shape of a triangle, wherein the first arm of the triangle is adjacent to the first arm of the other part, the second arm has two layers, wherein the external layer is joined via a hinge with the first arm and the internal layer is joined via a hinge with the third arm and the layers are movable with respect each other while the expanding element is transformed from the working configuration to the transport configuration, in which the angle between the first arm and the third arm reaches the value of substantially 180⁰, and wherein the compressing rubber band is attached to holders formed near the opposite edges of the second arm, thereby exerting a force biasing shortening of the length of the second arm and reducing the angle between the first arm and the third arm.
Preferably, the post comprises two walls made of a material which can bend into an arc while folding from the transport configuration to the working configuration.
Preferably, the walls have horizontal bending lines formed.
Preferably, the walls are made of cardboard and/or carton.
Preferably, both parts of the expanding element are made of cardboard.
Preferably, both parts of the expanding element have the same dimensions.
Preferably, the dimensions of one part of the expanding element are different than the dimensions of the second part.
Preferably, the third arm of one part is longer than the third arm of the second part.
Preferably, the expanding element comprises one compressing rubber band, the ends of which are attached to the first holders of the first and second part and the middle portion of which passes via the second holders of the first and second part.
Preferably, the expanding element comprises individual compressing rubber bands for each of the parts, the ends of which are attached to holders of the particular part.
One advantage of the invention is that the new construction of the expanding element allows easy expansion of the post from a transport configuration to a working configuration, wherein it provides stability for the post.
The object of the invention is shown by means of exemplary embodiments on a drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the advertising post viewed from the top, with an expanding element.
Fig. 2A-2B show the expanding element in a front view and in a back view.
Fig. 3 shows an exemplary blank forming one part of the expanding element.
Fig. 4A-4C show consecutive stages of compressing the expanding element in a cross-sectional view, wherein Fig. 4A shows the expanding element in a working configuration - fully expanded, Fig. 4B shows the expanding element in an intermediate configuration - during compression, and Fig. 4C shows the expanding element in a transport configuration - flat.
Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of the advertising post in form of a prism with stiff side walls.

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the post viewed from the top, with an expanding element 10. The main walls 11, 12 of the post are made preferably of a material which can bend into an arc while expanding from a transport configuration to a working configuration. The walls of the post may be also made of stiff materials and have bending lines which allow its expansion to a form of a prism as shown in Fig. 5. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 the post is made of two identical cardboard blanks 11, 12, which are stiff enough to provide stability of the post in the working configuration and have a grammage selected depending on the size of the wall. The individual blanks are joined together by flaps along the height of the post. Inside the post there is placed at least one expanding element 10, which is fixed to the internal surface of at least one wall 11, 12 of the post.
The post may further comprise horizontal bending lines 13 perpendicular to the height of the post, allowing to fold the post in the transport configuration to decrease its transport length.
Figs. 2A-2B show the movable expanding element viewed from two opposite sides. The expanding element 10, made preferably of cardboard, comprises two components 100, 200, preferably identical, made of cardboard blanks shown in Fig. 3. The components 100, 200 are fixed still by their first arms 121, 221, for example by adhering these arms along their whole surface. The expanding element 10 comprises fasteners 131, 132, between which, inside the construction of the expanding element 10, a compressing rubber band 20 extends. The movable expanding element 10 facilitates transforming the post between the transport configuration and the working configuration and stabilizes the post in the working configuration. The expanding element 10, if made of cardboard, can be manufactured in small batches at low unit cost, and provides high stability.
In the embodiment shown, the expanding element comprises a single rubber band 20, the ends of which are attached to the first holders 131, 231 of individual blanks and the middle portion of which passes through the second holders 132, 232, which provide support for the middle portion of the rubber band. Other embodiments of the expanding element are also possible, comprising for example individual rubber bands for each component of the expanding element, wherein each band is attached at one side to the first holder 131, 231 and at another side to the second holder 132, 232, which in such a case should have a protrusion for attachment of the band, similar to that of the holder 131, 231.
Fig. 3 shows an exemplary blank of one component of the expanding element. Preferably, the blanks 100, 200 forming the expanding element 10 are identical and have a rectangle-like shape. The blank 100 has three bending lines 111, 112, 113, dividing the blank to four areas 122A, 123, 121, 122B forming the arms 121, 122, 123 of the expanding element 10 assembled to the working configuration, wherein the arm 122 is double-layered and formed by overlapping areas 122A, 122B. Near the first external bending line 111, a first holder 131 is formed, and near the second external bending line 113, a second holder 132 is formed.
In order to assemble the expanding element 10 from the blanks 100, 200, the individual areas 121, 122A, 122B, 123 of each blank are bent inwards along the bending lines 111, 112, 113 such as to form a triangular cross-section, wherein the area 122A forms the internal layer of the arm 122 and the area 122B forms the external layer. Next, the external sides of the arms 121 are joined together, to form the expanding element 10 having the form shown in Fig. 2A, 2B. Next, the rubber band 20 is attached to the expanding element 10, such that the ends of the band 20 are attached to holders 131 of each component and the middle of the band passes through the holder 132. The expanding element is fixed to the inside of the walls 11, 12 of the post such as to fix the external sides of the external layers 122B of the arm 122 to the internal side of the walls 11, 12. In a particular embodiment, only one component 100 may be fixed to the internal side of the wall 11 by its external layer 122B of the arm 122, while the arm 222 of the second component 200 may be free.
Figs. 4A-4C show consecutive stages of folding the extending element in a cross-sectional view, wherein Fig. 4A shows the extending element in a working configuration, Fig. 4B shows the extending element in an intermediate configuration, i.e. while folding to the flat transport configuration shown in Fig. 4C. In the drawing, walls 121, 221 have been shown slightly offset from each other in order to improve clarity of the drawing, but in the real embodiment these walls are adjacent to each other, e.g. by adhesion. Similarly, the layers 122A, 122B and 222A, 222B of the double-layered walls 122, 222 can in the real embodiment be more adjacent to each other than as shown in the drawing. In the working configuration, the extending element, in the cross-section, has a shape of two triangles adjacent to each other by the first arms 121, 221. The second arm 122, 222 of each triangle is double-layered, wherein the external layer 122B, 222B is joined by a hinge with the first arm 121, 221 and the internal layer 122A, 222A is joined by a hinge with the third arm 123, 223. The internal layers 122A, 222A are movable with respect to the external layers 122B, 222B when the extending element is transformed from the working configuration to the transport configuration, in which the angle between the first arm 121, 221 and the third arm 123, 223 increases to the value of approximately 180⁰. The compressing rubber band 20 is attached to the holders 131, 132, 231, 232 shaped in the vicinity of the edge of the second arm 122, 222 such as to exert a biasing force causing shortening of the second arm 122, 222. Therefore, in the working configuration, the angle between the first arm 121, 221 and the third arm 123, 223 has the smallest value, which depends on the length of the third arm 123, 223 and of the internal layer 122A of the second arm 122, the edge of which touches the corner between the external layer 122B of the second arm and the first arm 121. This position in the working configuration is biased by the force of the rubber band 20. In order to fold the post to the flat transport configuration, the external ends of the external layers 122B, 222B of the second arm 122, 222 must be pressed towards the first arm 121. This will cause increase of the angle between the first arm 121 and the third arm 123 and lengthening of the second arm 122, until the triangles are folded flat, i.e. such that the angle between the first arm 121 and the third arm 123 achieves the value of substantially 180⁰, as shown in Fig. 4C. Thereby, the walls 11, 12 of the post which are fixed still to the external layers 122B, 222B of the second arms 122, 222 are also folded flat. In such configuration, the biasing force of the rubber band 20 is too small to cause folding of the extending element 10 to the working configuration, and the user of the post should expand the walls 11, 12 to cause expansion of arms of the triangles forming the expanding element, until the force exerted by the rubber band 20 will be sufficient to draw the layers of the second arms 122, 222 towards each other, thereby shortening them and leading to the position of the working configuration.
Other embodiments are possible as well, wherein the components 100, 200 of the expanding element 10 are not symmetrical, e.g. the third arm 123 of one component is shorter than the third arm 223 of another component, in order to achieve smaller convexity of one wall of the post with respect to the other wall.

Claims

A foldable advertising post,
- having at least two walls (11, 12), which in a transport configuration are adjacent to each other substantially along the whole internal surface, and in the working configuration are adjacent to each other only by vertical side edges,

- and comprising at least one expanding element (10) with a compressing rubber band (20), the expanding element (10) attached at the edge between two adjacent walls (11, 12)

- wherein the expanding element (10) comprises two parts (100, 200) fixed to each other, wherein each part in the working configuration has a cross-sectional shape of a triangle,
characterized in that

- the first arm (121) of the triangle is adjacent to the first arm (221) of the other part (100, 200),

- the second arm (122, 222) has two layers, wherein the external layer (122B, 222B) is joined via a hinge with the first arm (121, 221) and the internal layer (122A, 222A) is joined via a hinge with the third arm (123, 223) and the layers (122A, 222A, 122B, 222B) are movable with respect to each other while the expanding element is transformed from the working configuration to the transport configuration, in which the angle between the first arm (121, 221) and the third arm (123, 223) reaches the value of substantially 180⁰,

- and wherein the compressing rubber band (20) is attached to holders (131, 132, 231, 232) formed near the opposite edges of the second arm (122, 222), thereby exerting a force biasing shortening of the length of the second arm (122, 222) and reducing the angle between the first arm (121, 221) and the third arm (123, 223).
The foldable advertising post according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises two walls (11, 12) made of a material which can bend into an arc while folding from the transport configuration to the working configuration.
The foldable advertising post according to claim 1, characterized in that the walls (11, 12) have horizontal bending lines (13) formed.
The foldable advertising post according to claim 1, characterized in that the walls (11, 12) are made of cardboard and/or carton.
The foldable advertising post according to claim 1, characterized in that both parts (100, 200) of the expanding element (10) are made of cardboard.
The foldable advertising post according to claim 1, characterized in that both parts (100, 200) of the expanding element (10) have the same dimensions.
The foldable advertising post according to claim 1, characterized in that the dimensions of one part (100) of the expanding element (10) are different than the dimensions of the second part (200).
The foldable advertising post according to claim 1, characterized in that the third arm (123) of one part (100) is longer than the third arm (223) of the second part (200).
The foldable advertising post according to claim 1, characterized in that the expanding element (10) comprises one compressing rubber band (20), the ends of which are attached to the first holders (131, 231) of the first and second part (100, 200) and the middle portion of which passes via the second holders (132, 232) of the first and second part (100, 200).
The foldable advertising post according to claim 1, characterized in that the expanding element (10) comprises individual compressing rubber bands (20) for each of the parts (100, 200), the ends of which are attached to holders (131, 132; 231, 232) of the particular part (100, 200).