GB2037158A

GB2037158A - A display stand

Info

Publication number: GB2037158A
Application number: GB7943342A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: BERNARDIN DIDIER SARL
Current assignee: BERNARDIN DIDIER SARL
Priority date: 1978-12-18
Filing date: 1979-12-17
Publication date: 1980-07-09
Also published as: DE2950322A1

Abstract

The display stand has a rack (1) of polygonal cross-section pivotably mounted on a support (2) and a plurality of holders (3) suspended from said rack by way of rods (7), the top end of each rod carrying a swivel head (15) engaged in the rack and supported on an inclined face thereof such that the holder (3) has several degrees of mobility. Furthermore, the holder (3) is connected by way of an articulation to the bottom of the rod (7) such that the holder is pivotable with respect to the rod. Each holder is arranged to receive an object (4) to be displayed and locking means (10, 11) are provided to lock the object within the holder. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A display stand The present invention relates to a display stand for displaying a plurality of objects, for example, objects packed in boxes, such as magnetic tape cassettes.

The display, under the best conditions for selling, of objects regularly bought by a wide public is hampered by the incompatibility of two criteria: on the one hand the need for the object on sale to be as readily accessible and easily handled as possible, and on the other hand the need for maximum protection against theft.

The invention seeks to propose a solution which will comply with both criteria and which in addition offers other advantages in respect of appearance and classification.

For convenience of description the embodiment described below relates to the display of magnetic tape cassettes, or more generally of any objects whose intrinsic shape enables them to be fitted into a holder or which are packed in boxes of such a shape. However, the displayed stand can be arranged for the display of other objects.

The display stand described below has numerous characteristics and advantages. At this point it will be simply noted that these characteristics seek to impart the following advantages to an embodiment of the display stand: ~complete accessibility and very considerable spatial manoeuvrability; -a a high degree of protection againsttheft; ~automatic return of the object to its original display position after being release by the user; ~the ability to be produced in large numbers, particularly by a moulding technique; ~ease of classification of the objects, for example by type or by name.

According to the present invention there is provided a display stand comprising a plurality of swing object holders suspended from a rack, each swing object holder comprising a stirrup arranged to receive at least part of an object for display, said stirrup being fastened to the bottom end of a rod whose upper end is in the form of a swivel head cooperating with the said rack, and further comprising means for locking the object in said stirrup.

It is advantageous for the said rack to be in the form of a channel member open at the top and adapted to be closed by a cover, and for the channel member to have a polygonal profile in cross-section of which at least one face is inclined in relation to the horizontal by a predetermined angle. A plurality of aligned apertures permitting the passage of the rods of the swing holders are arranged in the inclined face of the channel member and the swivel heads are supported on the said face.

In an embodiment, the swivel head is shaped to have a rounded nose formed by a double 450 chamfer and a bottom face inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the horizontal. The swivel head is positioned at the top end of the rod such that in the position of rest of the swing holder, in which position the rod is substantially vertical, the said bottom face rests flat on the inclined face of the channel member with the nose directed towards the bottom of the said face and perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the said channel member.

In a preferred embodiment, for the purpose of imparting to the swing holder an additional degree of manoeuvrability about a horizontal axis, the bottom end of said rod is connected by an articulation to the top of the stirrup. This articulation comprises a cross-bar mounted on the rod such that the bottom end of the rod has an inverted T-shaped profile, the cross-bar being rotatably received in a socket of complementary shape provided in the top part of the stirrup.

Embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a rack arm of a display stand of the invention, the rack arm being mounted on a support and provided with a series of swing object holders; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a swing object holder, without an object, of the type attached to the display stand of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an exploded view of the swing holder of Figure 2, showing its different components; Figure 4 shows a section of the swing holder taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 2; Figure 5 shows a section of the rack arm taken on the line V-V of Figure 1; and Figure 6 is a partial side view of the rack arm of Figure 1.

As is shown in Figure 1, a rack arm 1 is mounted on a support leg 2 and carries swing object holders 3. Each swing holder 3 is arranged to hold and display an object 4, of which one face 5 is directed outwards. It should be made clearthatthe angular positions of the display shown in Figure 1 correspond to one embodiment which will be referred to later on.

The swing holders 3 can, of course, be attached by their stirrups in such a manner that the face 5 of the object displayed extends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rack 1. It will be noted that each swing holder3 comprises a stirrup 6 suspended from the rack 1 by a rod 7. Figure 3 shows the components of a swing-holder 3, namely the support rod 7, a back 8, a cover 9 of the stirrup, a cam 10 for locking the object to be displayed a key 11 for operating the cam 10, and a part 12 for closing a socket 13 as described below.

The support rod 7 associated with the stirrup 6 comprises a bar 14 carrying a swivel head 15 at its upper end and a cross-pin 16 at its lower end. The cross-pin 16 is disposed asymmetrically to the foot of the bar 14. The advantage of this arrangement will be described below.

The back 8 and the cover 9 of the stirrup 6 are moulded to have complementary profiles for receiving rotatablythe locking device 10, 11, and are secured together, for example, by adhesive bonding.

It will be noted that the back 8 is stiffened by honeycomb ribbing 17 and also has longitudinal grooves 18 arranged to receive an anti-theft signal device known as a "magnetic aerial". The top of the back 8 is shaped so as to form the socket 13 into which the pin 16 fits and also to permit oscillation through a maximum angle of the rod 7 about the pin 16. This fit may be releasable, the pin 16 being only slightly forced elastically into its socket 13 and able to be easily removed therefrom, or it may be perma nent, the socket 13 being closed by a suitably shaped insert 12. In the first case the stirrup can be unfas tened from its support rod 7, whilst in the second case the entire swing holder 3 can be detached from the rack 1.It should be clearly understood that the object displayed, for example a cassette, can always be extracted when required, by releasing the locking device 10,11.

Figure 4 shows the pin 16 fitted in its socket 13 after the closure insert 12 has in this case been placed in position.

The horizontal asymmetry of the pin 16 in relation to the end of the bar 14 constitutes a foolproof device preventing the person handling a stirrup from fitting it the wrong way round, that is to say, refer ring to Figure 3, with the bar 14 presented before the pin 16.

Referring furtherto Figures 1,2, 5, and 6, a description will now be given of certain details of the rack arm 1 and of the swivel heads 15.

The rack arm 1 comprises a channel 19 which is closed by a cover 20. This arrangement is pivotally mounted on the support leg 2; for this purpose the base 21 of the leg 2 ends in an inclined face 22 and is extended by a pin 23 which passes through a sleeve 24 fastened to the rack arm 1. The end of the sleeve 24 has an inclined face 25 which rests on the inclined face 22 of the base 21. In conventional manner the pin 23 is surrounded by a coil spring 26 fastened at one end to a button 27 and at the other end to the rack 1. After any pivotal displacement, in the direc tion of one of the arrows F, of the rack 1, the latter is returned by the spring 26, the inclined faces 22 and 25 cooperating in orderto bring about the return to the original position.

The channel 19 has an open polygonal profile in cross-section with a bottom 28 flanked by two inclined faces 29. In these inclined faces 29 are pro vided openings 30 whose shape is suitable for posi tioning of the suspension rods 7. As can be seen from Figure 6, each opening 30 is extended upwardly by a slot 31 which terminates at the edge of the inclined face 29. The cover 20 has an inverted U shape, and when it is placed in position on the channel 19 the edges of its side faces 35 close the access to the slots 31. The distance between these openings 30 is chosen such that the lateral man oeuvrability of adjacent objects is not hindered, and the openings 30 of faces 29 facing one another may in addition be offset in relation to one another. The cover 20 can be fixed on the channel 19 by any known means, for example by screws, as shown at 32 in Figure 5.

The bars 14 terminate attheirtop end in heads 15 whose profile is defined by the function that they are to fulfil, namely to return the swing holder 3 to its original position, with the face 5 outwards, whatever the position in which it has been released. For this purpose the head 15 has the shape of a truncated cylinder having a flat top face and a rounded nose 33 defined by a double 450 chamfer which projects beyond the bar 14. The head 15 is disposed at the top of the bar 14 such that the bottom face 34 of the head 15 is parallel to the inclined face 29 of the channel 19 when the bar 14 is vertical.When the head 15 is pushed slightly towards the interior of the rack, because of the articulation pin 16 of the stirrup 6 on its suspension rod 7, the stirrup 6 can be manoeuvred with a high degree of liberty. When the holder is released in any position, the head 15 comes back into contact with the inclined face 29, on which, because of its shape, it tends to roll so as to return to the stable position in which its face 34 rests flat on the inclined face 29 of the channel 19.In order to prevent the nose 33 from remaining in unstable equilibrium against the vertical face 35, with the swing holder inverted at 1800, this face 35 is provided, in line with the axes of the openings 30, with vertical ribs 36 having the shape of cylindrical sectors, which prevent the nose 33 from stopping in precarious equilibrium and effect its return to the original position (Figure 5).

The back 8 and the cover 9 of the stirrup 6 are so shaped as to enclose at least partially the object 4, which can be introduced into them by retracting the locking cam 10. Lateral wedging of the object can be effected by means of suitable stops.

As already mentioned, the locking device is composed of a cam 10 of cylindrical course, which is mounted for rotation on the base of the stirrup 6 about a pin 37 and is adapted to be operated from outside by means of a key 11.

The cross-section of this cam has a relatively wide curved extension 38 which at the end of the locking movement is applied against the facing surface of the object displayed, its edge 39 taking up a position such that elastic self-locking is achieved, which can be overcome by operating the key 11 in the opposite direction. This key 11 has a profiled tubular extension 41 which can be engaged on a tail 42 provided on the cam 10 and having a complementary profile.

A stop 40 is provided on the side face of the cover 9 limits the rotation of the key 11.

The top part 43 of the rotational guides of the key and of the cam forms a seat for the object in the unlocked position.

In Figure 1 the swing object holders 3 are arranged in an angular disposition, that is to say are inclined to the longitudinal axis of the arm 1 of the rack. This angular positioning is obtained automatically by off-setting by a determined angle the axis of sym metryoftheswivel head 15 in relation to the plane perpendicular to the bottom articulation pin 16.

The arrangements that have been described above, taken together, clearly show the perfect mobility of each of the swing holders in every plane for the purpose of examining the object displayed, together with effective anti-theft protection achieved by simple means.

In the embodiment described above it has been assumed that the swing holders could not be detached from the rack, the object being extracted from them by unlocking the cam.

It may be pointed out that in modified embodi ments the invention enables all or part of a swing holder to be detached from the rack on which it is suspended. Thus, for example, the holder can be detached at the articulation 16. In Figure4the pin 16 is shown enclosed in the socket 13 in the stirrup, this socket being closed, after insertion of the pin, by the insert 12. This socket may however also be left open, thus enabling the stirrup to be detached from its suspension. As an alternative, provision may also be made for the whole of a swing holder to be extracted from the rack, either for example through a buttonhole-shaped opening 30 or by providing at these openings weakened zones capable of being broken by traction applied to the whole swing holder. In orderto ensure the desired protection against theft, it is obvious that in such cases the object displayed would necessarily be provided with an antitheft insert of a known type, or with a "magnetic aerial", accommodated in the grooves 18 in the back 8 and operating an acoustic alarm on passing an electronic protection barrier.

All the components of the display stand may be made of the most diverse materials (plexiglas, plastics materials, for example) and shaped by machining and/or moulding processes according to the particular application intended and the nature of the objects displayed.

The display stand of the invention lends itself to numerous modifications, which are all included in the present invention.

Claims

1. A display stand for a plurality of objects comprising at least one suspension rack mounted on a support and capable of spatial mobility, and a plurality of swing object holders suspended from said rack, each object holder having a stirrup arranged to receive at least part of an object to be displayed and having means for locking said object in the said stirrup, each stirrup being fastened to the bottom end of a rod whose upper end is in the form of a swivel head cooperating with the said rack, wherein said rack comprises a channel member open at the top and arranged to be closed by a cover, the crosssection of the channel member having a polygonal profile of which at least one face is inclined in relation to the horizontal by a predetermined angle and has a plurality of apertures through which rods of the swing holders extend, the swivel heads being supported on the said face.

2. A display stand as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said swivel head has a rounded nose formed by a double 450 chamfer and a bottom face inclined with respect to the horizontal by said predetermined angle, each swivel head being arranged at the top end of the respective rod such that in the position of rest of the respective swing holder in which the rod is substantially vertical, said bottom face rests flat on the inclined face of the channel member with the nose directed towards the bottom of the said face and perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the said channel member.

3. A display stand as claimed in claim 2, wherein each swivel head is substantially in the form of a truncated cylinder having parallel top and bottom faces inclined with respect to the horizontal by said predetermined angle.

4. A display stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the apertures in said channel member are each extended to the free edge of the channel members by way of a slot, and wherein when the cover is mounted on the channel member access to said slots is prevented thereby.

5. A display stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the cross-section of the channel member has a symmetrical polygonal defined by a horizontal base and an inclined face extending from each side of the base, and wherein said cover comprises two vertical lateral faces, one on each side of the channel member, each lateral face of the cover having internal ribs aligned with the axis of said apertures and arranged to prevent each swivel head taking up a rest position with its nose against one of the said lateral faces.

6. A display stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the said rod is connected by an articulation at its bottom end to the top of the said stirrup in orderto imparttothe said swing holder an additional degree of manoeuvrability about a horizontal axis.

7. A display stand as claimed in claim 6, wherein said articulation comprises a cross-bar mounted on the bottom end of the rod to form an inverted T-profile and a socket formed in the top part of the stirrup and arranged to rotatably receive the cross bar.

8. A display stand as claimed in claim 7, wherein said cross-bar is in the form of a pin attached laterally to the bottom part of the said rod and disposed longitudinally asymmetrically in relation to the rod.

9. A display stand as claimed in claim 7 or 8, further comprising an insert arranged to close said socket after the insertion of the cross-bar, the shape of the insert being adapted to the profile of the said socket and being arranged to permit free oscillation of the stirrup relative to the rod.

10. A display stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the said stirrup is formed of two profiled parts joined together and respectively forming the back and cover, the two parts having extensions for their assembly and for accommodating said locking means, the back having local stiffening ribbing and also longitudinal grooves adapted to accommodate an anti-theft means.

11. A display stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the swivel head is angularly offset with respect to the longitudinal axis of the rack whereby the swing holders are arranged at a predetermined angle to the longitudinal axis of the rack.

12. A display stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said locking means is accommodated in the bottom part of the stirrup and comprises a cam having a cylindrical course, which is mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis and adapted to be operated from outside the stirrup, the crosssection of the cam having a curved extension which, at the end of the locking movement, is arranged to engage the facing surface of the object and effecting elastic self-locking thereof.

13. A display stand as claimed in claim 12, wherein said cam is provided, in the direction of its axis of rotation, with a tail of profiled section which is adapted to cooperate with the sleeve, of complementary internal profile, of an operating key introduced through a side window provided in the corresponding face of the said stirrup, the rotation of the key being limited by a stop.

14. A display stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the apertures provided in the inclined faces of said channel member are arranged to permit the passage of the said swivel heads in a given position.

15. A display stand as claimed in any of claims 1 to 13, wherein predetermined weakened zones are formed in the inclined faces of the channel member and are arranged to be broken by traction applied to the swing holder.

16. A display stand as claimed in claim 10, wherein the anti-theft means comprises an insert which is arranged to operate an alarm signal on passing a protection barrier.

17. A display stand as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said rack is adapted to be mounted for horizontal pivoting about a vertical support and has return means arranged to return itto its initial position.

18. A display stand as claimed in claim 17, wherein said return means comprises a return spring, a first sleeve fastened to the rack and a second sleeve fastened to the support, wherein a respective one of two cooperating faces is formed on each sleeve, each said face being inclined at an angle to the vertical.

19. A display for displaying a plurality of objects substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.