GB2042327A - Display apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A holder 2 is of a substantially Z-shaped or S-shaped cross-section defined by two elongate channels 4, 5. For displaying a panel 3 the holder 2 is mounted by pushing the free end of the limb 6 through a slot 7 in the board 1 until its channel 5 is fully engaged, and then supporting the article to be displayed 3 in channel 4. The holder may extend symmetrically either side of board 1 for double sided displays (Fig. 5, not shown). If the channel 4 is wide, the holder becomes a shelf (21, Fig. 8). If placed on end (20, 26, Fig. 8) it is a shelf end or divider. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Holders This invention relates to holders mountable on display boards and usable for displaying a variety of objects or articles, for instance packaged goods such as seen packets, posters, pamphlets, and advertising literature.

Various devices are known for use in displaying material, such as advertising literature, on display boards. For example, a "pegboard" (consisting of a board with a regular array of holes) is sometimes used in conjunction with pegs (possibly with wire or string stretched between the pegs) to mount literature for display. A disadvantage of this type of arrangement is that it is neither simple nor appealing to the eye.

An object of the present invention is to provide a holder which facilitates the display of materials in an easier and more appealing manner.

With this object in view the present invention provides a holder, mountable on a display board and for displaying materials against said display board, said holder comprising a portion having a substantially Z-shaped or Sshaped cross-section defined by two elongate channels, one of which provides a hook-like portion for engagement through a slot in a display board and the other of which serves for the retention of article(s) to be displayed.

Advantageously the other of said elongate channels is wider than the said one of said elongate channels.

A further elongate channel may be provided adjacent said other two channels such that the holder has a substantially W-shaped crosssection, to provide for retention of articles against both sides of a display board.

Preferably the holder is a plastics extrusion having a degree of inherent resilience.

The invention further comprises display apparatus comprising a display board to which a holder as aforesaid is mounted.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the holder of the present invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view through the embodiment of Fig. 1 and through part of a display board on which said embodiment is mounted; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a form of display apparatus comprising display board having mounted thereon three of the holders of Fig. 1; Figure 4 is a perspective view of part of a further preferred embodiment of the holder of the invention; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional end view through the embodiment of Fig. 4 and through part of a display board on which said embodiment is mounted; Figure 6 is a perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of the holder of the invention;; Figure 7 is a perspective view of a further preferred embodiment of the holder of the invention; Figure 8 is a perspective view of part of another form of display apparatus comprising a display board having mounted thereon the embodiments of Figs. 6 and 7; and Figure 9 is an end view of part of the display apparatus of Fig. 8 the display board having mounted thereon the embodiments of Figs. 6 and 7.

Referring firstly to Figs. 1 and 2, illustrated therein is a first preferred embodiment of holder 2 conforming to the invention, which holder may be made of any suitable resilient material such as an extruded plastics material and is of substantially Z or S-shaped crosssection. The shape of the holder 2 is such as to provide a wide channel 4 and a narrow channel 5 which are defined respectively by parallel limbs 8, 9 and 9, 6.

For displaying material, the holder 2 is mounted on display apparatus comprising a display board which may, for example, be secured to a wall or mounted on a stand. Fig.

3 illustrates a typical display apparatus comprising a display board 1 having mounted thereon three of the holders 2. These holders 2 hold a display panel 3 on which advertising material or other material for display (not shown) is printed. Two of the holders 2 are disposed in respective vertical dispositions adjacent respective opposite upright edges of the display board 1 and the third holder is mounted horizontally adjacent the bottom edge of the display board 1 for supporting the weight of the display panel 3.

As is more clearly illustrated in Fig. 2, each holder 2 is fixed to the display board 1 by virtue of the fact that one channel thereof provides a respective hook-like portion for engagement through respective slot 7 in the display board 1.

To fix the holder 2 to the display board 1, the free end of the limb 6 of the holder 2 is pushed through the slot 7 in the display board 1 and the holder 2 is manipulated (this being facilitated by the natural resilience of the material) until its channel 5 is fully engaged with a portion of the display board 1 to one side of the respective slot 7.

Naturally, if the display board 1 is secured to a wall there must be a sufficient gap between the wall and that portion of the display board 1 on which the holder 2 is to be mounted to allow enough space for manipulation of the holder 2 when mounting it on the display board 1.

The width of the channel 5 corresponds to, or is initially slightly less than, the thickness of the display board 1 so that the holder 2 is securely attached thereto. The outer limb 8 of the holder 2 is of a greater height than the inner limb 9 so that the display panel 3 or other display material is securely held in the channel 5 which is defined by the limbs 8 and 9. In addition, the way in which the holder 2 is secured to the display board 1 ensures that, even in the absence of display material such as the display panel 3, the slot 7 is not visible.

A second preferred embodiment of the holder of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 and is designated generally by the reference numeral 1 0. The various parts of the holder 10 have been designated by the same reference numerals as the holder 2 of Figs. 1 to 3. As is clear from Figs. 4 and 5, the holder 10 has a substantially W-shaped cross-section provided by two wide channels 4, each of which is defined by one of a pair of outer limbs 8 and one of a pair of inner limbs 9, said channels 4 being symmetrically disposed relative to a single central narrow channel 5 defined by the two inner limbs 9.

This holder 10 can also be fitted to the display board 1 by passing one of its outer limbs 8 through the slot 7 in the display board 1 and manipulating the holder 10 until the appropriate part of the display board 1 is fully engaged in the channel 5. Again, natural resilience of the material of the holder 1D facilitates its mounting on the display board 1. Of course, since the holder 10 has two channels 4 which, when fitted to the display board, are disposed one at each side of display board 1, the holder 10 can only be used on a display board 1 which is mounted on a stand, or on a partition wall or in other environments wherein access is available to both sides of the display board 1. Display material or articles may, therefore, then be displayed on both sides of the display board 1.

Two further preferred embodiments of the holder are illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 respectively. Again, both embodiments are made of slightly resilient material, such as an extruded plastics material.

The holder illustrated in Fig. 6 is designated generally by the reference numeral 20 and has a substantially Z-shaped or S-shaped cross-section, similar to the holder 2 of Figs.

1 to 3. The holder 20 comprises a wide channel 21 defined by respective parallel limbs 22 and 23, and a narrow channel 24 defined by respective parallel limbs 23 and 25. The channel 21 of the holder 20 is several times wider than the corresponding channels 4 of the holders 2 and 10. The outer limb 22 has substantially the same height as the limbs 23 and 25.

The holder illustrated in Fig. 7 is designated generally by the reference numeral 26 and is of configuration and dimensions substantially identical to the holder 20 of Fig. 6, providing a wide channel 27, defined by respective parallel limbs 28 and 29, and a narrow channel 30, defined by respective parallel limbs 29 and 31. The channel 27 has substantially the same width as the channel 21 of the holder 20. However, the holder 26 differs from the holder 20 in that the outer limb 28 of the holder 26 has a downwardly-extending portion 32 so that the base of the channel 27 and the outer limb 28 together have a Tshaped cross-section.

Since the channels 21 and 27 of the holders 20 and 26 respectively have a substantially greater width than each corresponding channel 4 of the holders 2 and 10, the holders 20 and 26 can be used for displaying packaged material such as, for example, seed packets, as will be described later.

For displaying material, the holders 20 and 26 are mounted on a display board, said display board either being secured to a wall or mounted on a stand, as already described in relation to the preceding embodiments.

Fig. 8 shows a typical arrangement of the holders 20 and 26 on part of a display apparatus comprising display board 33, these holders 20 and 26 being mounted thereon in an identical manner to the way in which holder 2 is mounted on the display board 1, as is illustrated in Fig. 2.

The display board 33 can either be secured to a wall or mounted on a stand, part of a typical stand 34 being shown in dot-dash outline. From Fig. 8 it can be seen that two of the holders 20 are mounted in horizontal dispositions spaced apart and adjacent to the bottom edge of the display board 23. One of the holders 20 is mounted in a respective vertical disposition to the left of and at a higher level than the left hand one of the horizontal holders 20, and one of the holders 26 is mounted in a vertical disposition at the same height as the holder 20 just described but at a disposition between the two horizontal holders 20. It will be understood that further vertical holders 20 and 26 and corresponding horizontal holders 20 can be arranged in similar manner, in alignment with those shown, according to the width of the display board. This arrangement permits display of packaged material as is illustrated in Fig. 9. Shown in this latter Figure, in end view, is part of the display apparatus of Fig.

8, the display board 33 which is mounted on the stand 34, only part of which is shown. On each side of the display board 33 are mounted the respective holders 20 and 26.

For display purposes, retained within the channels of the holders 20 are packets 35 such as seed packets, each of which is disposed in a vertical disposition.

From Fig. 9 it will be readily appreciated that should the packets 35 tilt forwards towards the outer limb 22 of the holder 20, the side edges of the front packet 35 will come into contact with the limbs 22 and 32 of the vertically disposed holders 20 and the portion 32 of the limbs 28 of the vertically disposed holders 26 and, thus, the packets 35 will be prevented from falling forward over limb 22 and out of the holder 20.

Although the invention has been described with reference to holders manufactured by extrusion from plastics material, the holders of the invention may, of course, be manufactured in any desired fashion from any suitable material, e.g. sheet metal, preferably with a degree of inherent resilience.

Claims (7)

1. A holder, mountable on a display board and for displaying materials against said display board, the holder comprising a portion having a substantially Z-shaped or S-shaped cross-section defined by two elongate channels, one of which provides a hook-like portion for engagement through a slot in a display board and the other of which serves for the retention of article(s) to be displayed.

2. A holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the other of said elongate channels is wider than the said one of said elongate channels.

3. A holder as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein a further elongate channel is provided adjacent said other two channels such that the holder has a substantially W-shaped crosssection, to provide for retention of articles against both sides of a display board.

4. A holder as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each said channel is defined by two adjacent limbs of which one limb has a downwardly-extending portion such that the limb and its adjacent channels' base together have T-shaped cross-section.

5. A holder as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the holder is a plastics extrusion having a degree of inherent resilience.

6. A holder substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, or in Figs. 4 to 5, or in Fig. 6, or in Fig. 7, or in Figs. 6 to 9.

7. Display apparatus comprising a display board to which is fitted a holder as claimed in any preceding claim.