GB2196773A - Display units for room planning and toys - Google Patents

Abstract

Display unite for displaying three dimensional scenes comprise interconnecting wall units adapted to form two or more walls of a room on a reduced scale, and modules adapted to be joined to the inner surface of the wall. The wall units have a constant height but may have different widths. Reversible corner units are provided for joining one or more interconnected wall units to form a convex or concave corner. The interconnection between wall units and corner units can be by tongue and groove contours, on the vertical edges. The modules may carry a tongue 32 on their rear surface adapted to engage a horizontal groove 5 or in the surface of the wall units. Kits of parts for constructing the display units comprise interlocking wall units and modules which may be contained in a box forming a floor unit. The units and modules may be used to display kitchen or other room layouts, office, workshop or laboratory layouts or used as a toy. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Display units This invention relates to display units for displaying three dimensional scenes and to kits of parts for constructing such units.

When designing the interior of offices kitchens workshops and similar rooms it is customary to prepare two dimensional drawings which indicate the proposed layout of fixtures and fittings. These drawings are usually shown to the person authorising the work or the future user of the premises in order that they can approve the suggested layout or request changes. If any changes are required redrawing is necessary which can cause delays.

Although such layout drawings may include perspective views of the scene it is very difficult for many people to visualize the completed work in three dimensions from a two dimensional drawing. For this reason people are often disappointed when the work is completed.

The present invention provides a convenient and portable method of providing three dimensional displays and kits for constructing them.

The displays can easily be altered so that the final layout for an office, kitchen etc. can be settled at a single visit or conference. Furthermore the display units-may be manufactured in large quantities at low cost for use as toys for children.

According to the present invention there is provided a display unit for displaying a three dimensional scene comprising interconnecting wall units adapted to form two or more walls of a room on a reduced scale and modules adapted to be joined to the inner surface of the wall. There is also provided a kit of parts for making the display -units comprising interconnecting wall units and modules.

The interconnecting wall units have the same height but differ in width so that by a suitable choice of units a considerable range of wall lengths can be displayed. Preferably the widths differ by a factor of two. Using a set of wall units on scale of one tenth it is possible, if the smallest units are 10 mm width to create a wall with an accuracy of 100 mm. A kit containing a set of wall units to simulate up to 12 metres of wall may easily be carried as a portable unit.

The kits of interconnecting wall units include reversible corner units which have an overall square cross section of the same thickness as the other wall units. The reversible corner units allow right angle joins between blocks of interconnected units to simulate both convex and concave corners. Angle units may also be included which allow wall angles greater or less than 90 degrees to be simulated.

The method of interconnecting the wall units may involve any known technique for making rigid joints which can easily be dismantled.

Tongue and groove joints, dovetail joints, interlocking dowels or if the wall units are made from resilient material, press fixing joints may be used. For convenience it is preferred that no tools are needed to interconnect and disassemble the wall units so that changes can be made easily to scenes by hand.

The modules are preferably attached to the wall units by means of a groove cut in the surface of the wall unit. Such an arrangement ensures accurate location of the fitting unit in a vertical plane. If a wide range of wall mounting positions are required then the wall surface may be perforated in a grid pattern and the fitting unit carrying suitable protrusions which engage the perforations. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the modules carry tongues which rigidly engage horizontal grooves cut in the surface of the wall units.

The materials used to produce the display units will depend upon the quantity required.

Small numbers may be directly fabricated from wood, metal or polymeric materials but larger numbers may be more conveniently and rapidly produced by moulding from a synthetic polymer composition. For rapid moulding thermoplastic or thermosetting polymers may be used.

In general most thermoplastic synthetic polymers are suitable such as polystyrene polyolefins, polyvinyl esters, polycarbonates, cellulose esters acrylic polymers and copolymers such as ABS. Other materials such as thermosetting resins such as phenol formaldehyde urea formaldehyde melamine formaldehyde and other condensation polymers. The polymers may be used alone or they may contain fillers which reduce the cost and increase the strength ot the final product. In order to reduce weight cellular materials may be used such as polystyrene foam or rigid polurethane foam.

The surface of the wall units may be painted or varnished or may have a thin sheet of material, such as wood or syntheic resin veneer laminated to it. This form of construction is preferred when the wall units are fabricated from a material, such as wood or foam, which have a surface that is easily marked.

The display unit will usually be carried as a kit of parts comprising different width interconnecting wall units, reversible corner units and modules. The case in which the kit is carried may conveniently have a surface, internal or external, which can be used as a base on which three dimensional scenes can be erected. For example a kit may contain enough wall units to simulate some or all of the wall area of a domestic kitchen and the modules may represent fittings such as cupboards, draw units, cookers, sink units, etc.

on the same scale as the wall units.

Such a kit enables a salesperson to simulate a kitchen layout in a customer's home without the delays involved when using a draughtsman. The demonstrated layout can easily be altered to show alternatives and to make changes. For record purposes the final layout may be simply recorded by means of photography.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a single interconnecting wall unit for use in the display units according to the invention, Figure 2 shows the upper portion of a set of wall units interconnected to form a wall, Figure 3 shows a reversible corner wall unit, Figure 4 shows a set of wall units interconnected to form a wall with two right angle corners, Figure 5 shows a module designed for use with the wall units, and Figure 6 shows a display unit according to the invention using the modules and the wall units.

A wall unit, see Figure 1, has a wall face 1, on a comparatively thin rigid material. To enable the wall units to be interconnected one vertical edge carries a tongue 2, and the other a matching groove 3. The wall unit has a smooth upper surface 4 and lower surface, not shown. So that modules can be accurately fitted on the wall surface 1 in a vertical plane it carries two horizontal grooves 5 and 6.

The wall units can be interconnected to form walls having an accurate scale, see Figure 2, by fitting together the unit 1 with a series of units 12, 13, 14, having different widths. In the preferred embodiment the units differ in width from each other by a factor of two. Units 12 and 13 are each half the width of unit 11 while unit 14 is half the width of unit 12.

The reversible corner unit, see Figure 3, has an overall square cross section of the same thickness as the wall units with which it is interconnected. On one vertical edge it carries a tongue 22 and on the adjacent edge a groove 23. It has a smooth upper surface 24 and lower surface, not shown. The two remaining vertical edges, not shown carry horizontal grooves, 25 and 26, at the same vertical positions as those on the wall units.

The reversible corner units allow convex or concave corners, see Figure 4, to be made between wall units or assemblies of wall units. In the case of a concave corner the reversible corner unit engages two wall units so that they meet at the line 29 and their respective horizontal grooves 5 and 6 meet. In the case of a convex corner the wall surface continues to the corner between vertical edges 27 and 28 of the reversible corner unit. The grooves 25 and 26 in the edges 27 and 28 form a continuation of the grooves 5 and 6 in the wall units.

A module, see Figure 5, consists of a rigid body 31, representing a wall fitting item on the same scale as the wall units having a tongue 32, on its rear surface 33. The module may carry indicia on its upper surface 34 to represent a hob, sink etc. The front surface, not shown, may also carry indicia representing drawers, cupboard handles etc. The tongue 32 may be an integral part of the rigid body 31 or may be inserted into a slot 35, within the body 31.

A three dimensional representation of a kitchen, see Figure 6, shows two walls with a right angle corner between them. The walls have been assembled to scale using a series of wall units and joined by a reversible corner unit. A series of modules have been attached to the walls by inserting their respective tongues 32 in either the upper horizontal groove 5 or the lower horizontal groove 6. A supplementary module 40, simulating a fan unit, is attached to the under surface of the module 31. Such supplementary modules may be attached mechanically by pins or similar fixings.

While the invention has been illustrated with an embodiment for simulating kitchen layouts it is equally possible to use the display unit to simulate laboratory, workshop, office or other room layouts where items of equipment and/or furniture are located against or attached to the wall.

The display units can be manufactured in large quantities from polymeric materials as educational toys allowing rooms to be assembled and furnished.

Claims (12)

1. A display unit for displaying a three dimensional scene comprising interconnecting wall units adapted to form two or more walls of a room on a reduced scale, and modules adapted to be joined to the inner surface of the wall.

2. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 in which the wall units have a constant height but differ in width by a fixed amount.

3. The display unit as claimed in claim 2 in which the wall units differ in width from each other by a factor of two.

4. The display unit as claimed in claim 3 in which the wall units include reversible corner units.

5. The display unit as claimed in claim 4 in which the reversible corner units interconnect to form a right angle joint between sets of interlocking units.

6. The display unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the wall units interconnect by means of tongue and groove contours on their vertical edges.

7. The display unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the wall units carry one or more horizontal grooves.

8. The display unit as claimed in claim 7 in which the modules carry a tongue on their rear surface adapted to engage the horizontal grooves.

9. The display unit as claimed in claim 1 and as herein described.

10. A kit of parts for constructing a three dimensional display as claimed in any of the preceding claims comprising interconecting wall units, reversible corner units and modules.

11. A kit of parts as claimed in claim 11 including a container having a surface adapted to form a floor for the three dimensional display.

12. Kits of parts as claimed in claim 10 and as herein described.