GB2199980A - Display panels - Google Patents

Abstract

A display panel 10, particularly for displaying information in an estate agent's office, includes a plurality of rear-illuminable display screens 11, each associated with a literature-receiving pocket 13 disposed at least partially being an adjacent screen 11. Several display panels 10 may be connected together in a variety of angles by link plates (31) Figs 3 and 4 (not shown). <IMAGE>

Description

DISPLAY DEVICE This invention relates to a display device for use, for example, in an establishment such as an estate agent wherein the items for sale are not physically present, but are illustrated or described, as by photographs.

The present invention provides a display device including a plurality of diplay stations each comprising a translucent illuminable screen and an associated literature pocket, each pocket being at least partially disposed behind the illuminable screen of that or an adjacent screen.

Preferably the pocket is disposed behind a screen directly beneath the one screen, so that a mouth of the pocket is beneath the one screen. A sheaf of sheets each relating to an item displayed on the screen can be disposed in the pocket with an upper part of a front of one of the sheets visible beneath the screen.

The device can be in the fqrm of a relatively thin panel and can have one or more further display screens in addition to the said one screens. A plurality of display panels of this type can be connected together, as by vertically hinged joints, to form free-standing arrangements.

As a second feature the invention provides a panel display device having on top and bottom faces, adjacent each of two vertical edges, a pair of connector formations engageable by complementary linkage members to form rigid and/or hinge joints with adjacent similar panels.

The connector formations can be pins or, preferably, threaded sockets and the linkages can include links engageable with the pins or having bolts or screws engageable with the sockets. Use of both formations on a panel edge will form a rigid, side-by-side co-planar join between two panels, whose face-to-face angle will be 1800. Use of front formations only allows a range of panel face-to-face angles less than 1800 to be selected. Use of the rear formations allows angles greater than 180 to be selected.

To facilitate the above engagements each said formation can be co-axial with a curved corner-surface of the panel.

The invention will be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a preferred display device of the invention in use; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section through the device of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing how display devices can be united; and Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view showing how a plurality of the display devices can be assembled in various ways to produce various display arrangements.

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, a preferred display device of the invention is generally in the form of a panel 10 and is adapted for use in an estate agents' office. The panel 10 has a plurality of rows of illuminated screens 11, 14, 15 which can provide rear illumination for photographs or transparencies 12 depicting houses for sale. Beneath each screen 14 is the top opening of a pocket 13 which is mainly disposed behind a screen 15 in a row below screen 11. Pocket 13 can contain a sheaf of sheets 16 each identified with and containing details of the property illustrated on the screen 14 above it, enabling potential customers to browse amongst the arrangement constituted by a plurality of panels 10 and obtain additional details of a desired property by taking a sheet 16.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that panel 10 is supported on feet 17 and has a pair of vertical edge members 18. At the top a second rear-illuminated screen 19 extends the full width of the panel 10 and is backed by a C-section box 20 containing lights 21.

Screen 19 can carry the agency name and/or other general information. Each screen 14 is a sheet of translucent plastics material releasably located in slotsin upper and lower rails bounding a light-box 22 containing a strip-light 23. Box 22 is defined by screen 14, a front panel 23 of pocket 13b and an upper part of a rear panel 24 of a pocket 13a. -Pocket 13a can contain sheets 16a which relate to the property illustrated on screen 14 and are identified with it.

There are a plurality of rows of illuminable screens, only three being visible in the upper half of Fig. 2. At the lower part of the panel 10, a single sc-reen 25 like screen 19 can extend the full width of panel 10.

The arrangements of the pockets to be substantially arranged behind the illuminated screens and sloping downwardly and rearwardly (at an angle of from 60 to 800, preferably about 700) enables a sheet of A4 size to be stored without taking up too much space and with an upper portion thereof visible adjacent a property illuminated above.

As shown in Fig. 3, each panel 10 has on its upper face 26 and on its lower face 27 (not shown in detail) two pairs of connection formations in the form of threaded sockets 28. Each socket 28 is co-axial with a part cylindrical surface 29 at the transition between face and edge surface of panel 10. As Fig.

3 shows, panels 10 can be united by use of bolts 30 and linkage plates 31 in a variety of ways to achieve in-line joining (two plates at 32); and a variety of angles. This allows a plurality of panels 10 to be united as shown in Fig. 4 to form a variety of display arrangements 33-34-, 35.

The display device of the invention provides a particularly convenient and attractive way of constructing a display in, say7 an estate agents' office.

However, the same principle could be applied to an employment centre, a catalogue showroom, or any other organization where the goods or services on sale or on display cannot be physically displayed.

Naturally, the invention is not limited to the precise details of the foregoing and variations can be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims (15)

1 A display device including a plurality of display stations each comprising a translucent illuminable screen and an associated literature pocket, each pocket being at least partially disposed behind the illuminable screen of that or an adjacent screen.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pocket is disposed behind a second screen directly beneath the one screen, so that a mouth of the pocket is beneath the one screen.

3. A device as claimed in claims 1 or 2, wherein a sheaf of sheets each relating to an item displayed on the screen is disposed in the pocket with an upper part of a front of one of the sheets visible beneath the screen.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the device is in the form of a panel having one or more further display screen in addition to the said one screen.

5. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, and in the form of an upright panel each pocket being disposed at an acute angle to a plane of the panel.

6. A device as claimed in claim 5, wherein there are a plurality of pockets and screens, each screen being disposed between a pair of adjacent pockets.

7. A device as claimed in claim 6, wherein each screen is illuminable by a lamp arranged in a pocket between an upper part of walling defining a first pocket, and a lower part of walling defining a second pocket above the first pocket.

8. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein an additional illuminable screen is provided.

9. A display device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. A display assembly including a plurality of display devices as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9 connected together to form free-standing arrangements.

11. A panel display device having on top and bottom faces, adjacent each of two vertical edges, a pair of connector formations engageable by complementary linkage members to form rigid and/or hinge joints with adjacent similar panels.

12. A device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the connector formations are pins and the linkages engage the pins.

13. A device as claimed in claim 11 wherein the formations are threaded sockets and the linkages have bolts or crews engageable with the sockets.

14. A device as claimed in claim ll, 12 or 13 wherein each said formation is co-axial with a curved corner-surface of the panel.

15. A display device substantilly as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.