GB1598670A

GB1598670A - Display arrangements

Info

Publication number: GB1598670A
Application number: GB1569977A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: United Biscuits Ltd; United Biscuits UK Ltd
Current assignee: United Biscuits Ltd; United Biscuits UK Ltd
Priority date: 1978-04-14
Filing date: 1978-04-14
Publication date: 1981-09-23

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO DISPLAY ARRANGEMENTS (71) We, UNITED BISCUITS (UK) LIM ITED, of 12 Hope Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, a Scottish company, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to the sale of goods and is concerned in particular with display arrangements for holding articles for retail purposes, the articles being in the form for instance of individual bags containing a snack food or confectionery items.

It is common practice to make up such articles, for example bags of salted peanuts, in sealed plastics containers, a number of such bags, say 24, being mounted for display, e.g. in a shop, supermarket or public house, upon a background member of heavy cardboard or similar sheet material. Each bag is detachably secured independently of the others, so that the entire assembly forming the display arrangement, viz. the background member and the bags, can readily be displayed, for instance by being supported in an upright position on a shop counter or by being suspended by the top of the background member, and purchasers can detach the desired number of bags until all have been removed and the display arrangement consists of the background member only, when the retailer replaces the empty card with a new complete one.

Although many kinds of background members and arrangements for detachably securing articles to them have been proposed and put into use, often upon a considerable scale,' it is a continuing problem to devise such a display arrangement which is entirely satisfactory. For example, the goods comprising the articles which are most suited to display for retail purposes in this way are often relatively inexpensive, sales often occurring on impulse, and the goods if perishable must be satisfactorily preserved by the bags for a shelf life which may be of inderminate length. The bags themselves have to withstand being attached to and detached from the card or other background member without coming open and yet they must be made so that the user can open them easily.The background member itself must not disintegrate with time, so as to ensure that even the last item is held securely until it is detached by a purchaser. However, all these and other requirements must be met both reliably and inexpensively, as the value of the product displayed in the bags clearly must be related properly to the cost of the bags and the background member and the cost of assembly of them. A display arrangement of this type would be unacceptable if the cost of the materials and their assembly made the price of the articles unrealistic.

The articles for which the display arrangement is used typically are heat-sealed plastics bags made by feeding measured quantities of the product into a tubular plastics sheet, or into a flat plastics sheet which is made into a tube at the feeding point, heat-sealing it at intervals and severing it at the seals to make individual bags. These are conveniently filled so that at least one end can be flattened, e.g.

after the contents have been shifted away from that end, and the present invention uses this known ability to detachably secure the bags to the background member, as explained below.

In a known form of display arrangement, a background member, e.g. of heavy card, is provided with a series of tongues formed by slits in the background member; each slit takes a shape having an opposed pair of parallel straight sides disposed in the upright position and having their lower ends level, which are joined into a single continuous slit by an upper part in the form of a downward curve. Another known form has the sides joined by an upward curve.A further known form also uses a background member, which in this case is provided with a set of first tongues which, like the known arrangements mentioned earlier, are capable of being pressed out of the plane of the background member, and a set of second tongues each facing a first tongue and capable of overlying and holding the folded portion of the article held by a first and a second tongue, an array of the articles being held on such a background member by having a planar edge portion of greater width than the first tongue folded over it, the folded over portion being held by the second tongue, which overlies the folded portion. In all these known arrangement, the widest parts of the tongues are found between the respective ends of the slits defining them.The present invention is based upon the unexpected discovery that better securement is given if the distance between such respective ends does not constitute the widest part of the tongue.

According to this invention, a planar member is provided for detachably supporting an article by means of a flattened part of the article, which comprises at least one tongue over which the flattened part can be folded and defined by a slit in the member, the slit curving in a single direction from one end to the other and the tongue being attached to the member at a region between the ends of the slit, the tongue having a maximum width greater than its maximum height and including a pair of oppositelyfacing side parts whose free extremities are wider apart than the ends of the slit.

The planar background member, for instance of cardboard or equivalent sheet material, preferably and customarily includes an array of a plurality of tongues. This enables the invention to be made up in the form of cards each carrying, in a securely but detachably held manner, a large number of bags of peanuts or other like articles, in such a way that any one or more can be removed without being damaged and without disturbing the others.

The or each bag is attached to the background member by having its flattened end inserted behind the tongue from above, preferably fully down to the respective ends of the slit, and the bag is then folded forwardly and downwardly relative to the background member over the uppermost edge region of the tongue so as to lie in front of it. We have discovered that, particularly with the tongue restored to the plane of the background member, the flattened end of the bag stays trapped between the respective edges of the slit and the ends of the slit, adjacent the oppositely-facing side parts, exert a locking effect which is sufficient to hold the bag in position, while allowing it to be removed easily and in a satisfactory condition.

The slits defining the tongues can have a wide variety of shapes within the scope of the requirements defined above, but preferably the or each tongue has a maximum width, i.e.

between the free extremities of the side parts, which is 2 to 3 times greater than its maximum height, i.e. from the lower region where the tongue is attached to the remainder of the background member up to the uppermost edge region of the tongue. The maximum width of the or each tongue is preferably at least 4/3 of the distance between the respective ends of the slit.

The slit defining a tongue curves, i.e. the slit itself is made along a line which curves in a single direction from one end to the other; the degree of curvature can be different in different parts of the slit. In an especially preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one part of a slit has zero curvature. The slit is thus straight in one or more parts.

Even more preferably, the slit consists of a number of straight portions, i.e. sections of zero curvature, which join either at points or by means of curved portions. This leads to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the display arrangement of the invention, wherein each side part of a tongue is defined by two or more adjacent straight sections at either side of the tongue, thus being in the form of a tab or side tongue. The or each complete tongue also is preferably symmetrical about a notional centre-line.

The present invention also comprises a display arrangement according to the invention, wherein the background member has a plurality of the tongues and an array of articles are detachably held by the tongues by having a flattened portion of a bag comprising or containing the article located behind the tongue and within the slit defining it. A preferred relationship between the card or other background member and the bags is given where the thickness of a flattened portion of a bag is less than that of the background member. The invention also consists in a background member per se for a display arrangement according to the invention.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference is made to the accompanying drawing, wherein: Fig. 1 shows part of a preferred form of background member, with some of an array of tongues formed therein; Fig. 2 shows a detail on an enlarged scale of one of the tongues; and Fig. 3 shows a complete display arrangement from which some of the articles have been removed.

Referring to Fig. 1, a planar background member 10 is formed from stiff heavy-gauge cardboard or similar sheet material and has a hole 11 formed centrally near the top for suspending the display arrangement formed from the member 10 and the goods i.e. the articles detachably attached to it. The face of the member 10 may be printed with any desired design or information related to the goods carried upon it.

A plurality of tongues 12, e.g. 24 tongues 12 arranged in 3 vertical rows of 8 tongues each, 4 of each of 2 rows only being shown are made in the member 10 by slits 14 punched our otherwise formed through the cardboard or other sheet material constituting the background member 10. Each tongue 12 serves to support one article (though larger articles can be attached to two or more tongues, if desired) and each article, e.g. a sealed plastics bag 16 of peanuts, can be detached without disturbing the others and without becoming torn open or otherwise becoming damaged.

Fig. 1 shows at 15 how a bag 16 is affixed.

The upper flattened end 17 of the bag 16 is placed behind the selected tongue 12 or the tongue 12 is located in front of the flattened part 17 of the bag 16, the tongue 12 being pressed forward slightly out of the plane of the member 10 or the adjacent part of the latter being bent rearwardly relative to the tongue 12. The bag 16 is preferably inserted until its upper extremity is fully down at the ends of the slit 14 defining the tongue 12, as shown.The main part of the bag 16 containing the peanuts or other contents is clear of the tongue 12 and is then folded about the upper edge 18 of the latter so as to hang in the position shown at 19 on the left in Fig. 1 in chain-dotted lines, e.g. when the card is supported or suspended in a generally upright position, so that when a bag 16 is attached it overlies and conceals the tongue 12 and also, in a full card, it overlies part of the bag beneath it. The tongue 12 is preferably displaced relative to the adjacent parts of the background member as little as possible when the bag 16 is being affixed and preferably is restored to its original condition by being pressed back into the plane of the remainder of the member 10.

Referring to Fig. 2, a preferred form of slit 14 is shown. In this, no material is removed from the cardboard forming the background member 10, but if desired the slit can be a slot having spacing between its adjacent edges over at least part of its length, if so desired. A slit is preferred for securing the kinds of plastics bags described above, which are made of material which even in the double thickness of a bag is thinner than that of the member 10. The slit 14 is composed of a continuous sequence of individual sections or slits 21, 22, 23 and 24, as explained below, and the slit 14 and therefore the tongue 12 defined by it has its maximum width, a, represented by side parts in the form of an oppositely-facing, outwardly-directed pair of side tabs 20, 20.These side tabs 20, 20 are formed by respective end slits 21, which extend upwardly and away from each other to merge into side slits 22; these in turn merge into intermediate slits 23 which define the rest of the side tabs 20 with the slits 21 and 22, the junctions being slightly curved. Finally, the inmost ends of the intermediate slits 23 are joined by a transverse slit 24 which defines the aforementioned upper edge 18 of the tongue 12. Between the respective lower ends of the slits 21, which are the extremities of the overall slit 14, the tongue 12 is joined to the remainder of the background member 10 over the lower region 25 of the tongue 12. According to the invention, this has a length, b, which is less than the maximum width, a, of the tongue 12 itself, represented by the distance between the free extremities of the side tabs 20, 20 i.e.

the side slits 22 in the embodiment shown.

The width a of the tongue 12 also is greater than the height c, which is the distance between the lower region 25 and the upper edge 18. Preferably, as shown, a is from 2 to 3 times greater than c. Also, a is greater than b, preferably being in a ratio of at least 4/3, as shown. The shape of the parts of the slit 14 represented by the slits 23, 24, 23, particularly the central portion of width b, is not so important as the outer portions and those parts represented by the slits 22 and 21.

Preferably, the slit 14 either is made up of component slits which have zero curvature, as in the straight slits 21-24 shown, which join at points or by means of small curved parts as illustrated, or it always curves, the overall shape curving in the same direction from one end to the other, i.e. away from one end of the region 25 and round the tongue 12 and back to the other. In this way, the side and lower parts of the side tabs 20, 20, i.e. the slits 21 and 22, exert the most effective trapping or locking action upon the bag located in the slit 14.

It has been found that provided the slits 14 are shaped and arranged in the way described and particularly if the invention is carried out in accordance with the preferred embodiment illustrated and described the bags 15 remain securely in place during assembly and transport and when on display for retail sale, such as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Moreover, it is unnecessary to provide any subsidiary tongues cooperating with the tongues 12 by providing a form of interlock, which simplifies manufacture and assembly.

Also, it is usually unnecessary to provide any form of additional attachment, such as pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, to the back of the card, though this can be provided if desired. Such adhesive tape serves to hold the articles more securely until detachment occurs or serves primarily to maintain the tongues in the plane of the card or other sheet material forming the background member. If it is preferred to use some form of additional attachment, for instance where relatively heavy industrial articles are concerned, the optimum arrangement is for the plurality of tongues to be disposed in straight rows, a strip of the adhesive tape being applied over each row of tongues.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A planar member for detachably supporting an article by means of a flattened part of the article, which comprises at least one tongue over which the flattened part can be folded and defined by a slit in the member, the slit curving in a single direction from one end to the other and the tongue being attached to the member at a region between the ends of the slit, the tongue having a maximum width greater than its maximum height and including a pair of oppositely-facing side parts whose free extremities are wider apart than the ends of the slit.

2. A member according to claim 1, wherein an array of a plurality of tongues is provided in the member 3. A member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the or each tongue has a maximum width 2 to 3 times greater than its maximum height.

4. A member according to any preceding claim, wherein the maximum width of the or each tongue is at least 4/3 of the distance between the slit ends.

5. A member according to any preceding claim, wherein different parts of the slit have different curvatures.

6. A member according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one part of the slit has zero curvature.

7. A member according to any preceding claim, wherein the slit comprises a number of sections of zero curvature joined at points or by means of curved portions.

8. A member according to claim 7, wherein each side part of a tongue is defined by two or more adjacent straight sections at either side of the tongue.

9. A member according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each tongue is symmetrical about its centre-line.

10. A member according to any preceding claim, comprising a cardboard sheet.

11. A member according to any preceding claim, wherein no material is removed from the member in forming the or each slit.

12. A member according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the slit defining a tongue comprises a slot.

13. A display arrangement comprising a member as defined in any preceding claim and an array of articles to be displayed, wherein the member has a plurality of the tongues and the array of articles are detachably supported by the tongues by having a flattend portion of a bag, comprising or containing the article, located behind the tongue and within the slit defining it.

14. A display arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the thickness of a flattened portion of a bag is less than that of the member.

15. A display arrangement according to claim 13 or 14, comprising pressure-sensitive adhesive tape secured to the rear of the member to hold the articles until detachment occurs.

16. A display arrangement according to claim 15, wherein the plurality of tongues are disposed in straight rows and a strip of the adhesive tape is applied over each row of tongues.

17. A planar display member for a display arrangement according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

18. A display arrangement according to claim 13, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. additional attachment, for instance where relatively heavy industrial articles are concerned, the optimum arrangement is for the plurality of tongues to be disposed in straight rows, a strip of the adhesive tape being applied over each row of tongues. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A planar member for detachably supporting an article by means of a flattened part of the article, which comprises at least one tongue over which the flattened part can be folded and defined by a slit in the member, the slit curving in a single direction from one end to the other and the tongue being attached to the member at a region between the ends of the slit, the tongue having a maximum width greater than its maximum height and including a pair of oppositely-facing side parts whose free extremities are wider apart than the ends of the slit.

2. A member according to claim 1, wherein an array of a plurality of tongues is provided in the member

3. A member according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the or each tongue has a maximum width 2 to 3 times greater than its maximum height.

10. A member according to any preceding claim, comprising a cardboard sheet.