GB2227114A - A support member for a display stand - Google Patents

Abstract

An elongate panel support member for forming a display stand, comprises a body having an elongate slot extending over substantially the whole of the length thereof and defined by two lips or edges 19 resiliently urged towards one another whereby to retain a panel (13 Figure 2) of display material between them, and elongate mating faces 15, 16 shaped to cooperate with like such faces of another such member to be jointed together to form a panel support (11, Figure 2), which may further have a panel support member reinforcement element (39 Figure 8) for supporting the panel support member, which element can be removably interengaged with the panel support member. <IMAGE>

Description

A SUPPORT NSNDsR FOR A DISPLAY STAND Xhe present invention relates generally to a support member òr a display stand, and particularly to - support member capable of a wide range of application, and which is adaptable to many different eircumatance.

The present invention finds particular utility in the formation of display stand. for exhibitions, although it i. not limited to such application and reference hereinafter to the use of the support member and support system of the prevent invention as display stands or for the formation of display stands will be understood to be provided without prejudice to the generality of the interpretation of the invention.

Currently exhibition display stands are often formed by a plurality of upright columnar members having attachment means along their length ror securing them to rigid panels held in frames by releasable fixing means such a. screw threaded fixings. Releasable fixings are necessary because of the requirement to dismantle an exhibition display stand at the end of the exhibition for packing and transport to a etorage location or to another exhibition sight. Known such exhibition display stands have a number of disadvantages.They are rigid and inflexible in the sense of being able to form only a limited number of different configurations, they are expensive, easily damaged, time consuming to erect and dismantle and very quickly become damaged or soiled by the traffic within the exhibition and/or transport between exhibitions so that replacement parts are frequently requlred.

fly contrast, the present invention provide a support member for a display stand, and a display stand system which is adaptable, economical and easy to use, which can be erected and dismantled quickly (thereby allowing changes to the display presentation even during the couree of an exhibition) and which, because of it.

unique configuration, can be transported easily and Safely, occupying only a small volume in the transport vshicle. Furthermore, elongate support members for display stands formed in accordance with the present invention as will be defined hereinafter can be made in modular lengths or of indefinite length to suit the requirements of the customer or exhibition, According to one aspect of the present invention, therefore, an elongate support member for a display stand comprises a body having an elongate slot extending over substantially the whole of the length thereof and defined by two lips or edge. resiliently urged towards one another whereby to retain a panel of display material between them, and elongate mating faces shaped to cooperate with like euch face. of another suoh member to be joined together to form a panel support.

The particular configuration of the Bald elongate mating faces may be such that a predetermined plurality of Support members may be joined together to form a panel buvU L.

An elongate support member as defined hereinabove may, in practice, be so formed that the said elongate mating face. are substantially flat and lie in respective planes parallel to the length of the member and orthogonal to one another. Preferably the elongate mating face. of an elongate support member meet along a chine so that two, three or four such members may be placed with their mating face. together, In such configuration the remaining surfaces of each elongate support member may form a continuous, curvilinear surface or a set of parallel planes defining a regular prismatic form.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention the cross-sectional shape of the said body is a quadrant, the said two mating faces being constituted by planar surf aces lying in planes extending radially from the apex of the quadrant, and the remaining surface or surf aces defining a part-cylindrical curvilinear surface or family of surfaces.

The slot in the body is preferably bounded by flanges directed inwardly of the profile of the body. Such flange. may extend from the curvilinear surface in the case of an embodiment having a quadrant cross-section as referred to hereinabove, and in such embodiments the slot may be positioned on the body at a location such as to bisect the angle between the said two orthogonal mating faces.

The elongate support member may be made in any suitable material and utilising any appropriate production technique. In particular, it is preferred that the elongate support member be formed a. a unitary body by a plastics moulding or extrusion technique, although extrusion or moulding of other materials such as aluminium alloys or the like may also be employed.

The present invention also comprehends a panel support comprising at least two and preferably four elongate support members as defined hereinabove joined along their facing mating surfaces by adhesive or other fixing means. Such other fixing means may include, for example, relearable fasteners or permanent connection by welding.

Within the ambit of the prevent invention it is also intended to encompa a display stand comprising a laminar panel having two opposite generally parallel edge. inserted into respective elongate slots of panel supports as defined hereinabove.

In embodiments of the elongate support member having a quadrant-shape cross-section the part-cylindrical curvilinear surface may be formed as two elementary surfaces each having an inwardly turned lip defining the flange bounding the slot which extends along the length or at least subitantially along the whole of the length of the member. Because the surfaces bounding the slot are curved they offer a degree of resilient flexibility without experiencing undue stress enabling even materials such as aluminium alloys which do not have a high degree of resilience to be used with panels having only a moderate thickness and therefore insufficient strength to support themselves without reinforcement.

According to another aspect of the invention, therefore, an elongate panel support member for a display stand comprieos at least one body having an elongate slot extending over substantially the whole of the length thereof and defined by two lips or edges resiliently urged towards one another whereby to retain a panel of display material between them, and a panel support reinforcement member for supporting the panel support member, which can be removably inter-engaged with the panel support member.

In a preferred embodiment the removable interengagement is a form-locking elongate clot on one member and cooperating projection on the other. Preferably the slot is formed on the panel support member and the projection on the reinforcement member. Likewise it is preferred that the slot and projection have a matching T-shape cr06 s-section and extend along substantially the entire length of the members.

The panel support member may have at least one alongate mating face shaped to cooperate with like such faces of another such member to be joined in side-by-side relation to the reinforcement member. Indeed, the panel support member may have two such mating faces at right angles to one another and the reinforcement member may have four projections for receiving four panel support member in an array.

The present invention also comprehends a display stand comprising a laminar panel having two opposite generally parallel edge. inserted into respective elongate slots of panel support as hereinabove defined.

various embodiments of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure l is a general view illustrating a display stand formed using the system of the present invention Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of an alternative display stand configuration; Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of a further display stand configuration using the display system of the present invention; Figure 4 is an enlarged end view of a part of an elongate support member formed as a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure B is a plan view of a display stand support formed using a plurality of elongate support members of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a partial end view of a second embodiment of the elongate support member;; Figure 7 is a plan view of a display stand support formed using a plurality of the elongate support members illustrated in Figure 6; and Figure 8 is a schematic isometric, partially exploded sectional view of a panel support having four panel support members arranged around a central reinforcement cone.

Referring now to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a display stand comprising a plurality of display stand supports generally indicated 11 each of which is substantially identical and each of which is constituted, as will be described hereinbelow in more detail, of four elongate support members joined along mating cooperating surfaces to form a support capable of receiving a panel 12 in a slot extending substantially the whole of the length of the member. In Figure 1 each of the members 11 is identical and each of the panel. 12 is identical but the various different configurational possibilities are achieved by selecting a different number of panel. for connection thereto.Thus, the end support member Ila is joined to a single panel 12a and holds it extended and erect without requiring any horizontal connections to the next adjacent support member llb which, as well as being connected to the panel 12a is also connected to a second panel 12b and to a third panel 12a which itself has a single terminal support member lie.

The panel 12b is joined to a common support member lld which as well as receiving a further panel 12f parallel to the panel laD but on the opposite side of the support member lld therefrom also receives two aligned parallel panels 12 , 12e which lie in a plane orthogonal to that defined by the panel. 12d, 12f. The panel 12d is joined to a panel 12g lying in the same plan. by a support member lig and the panel lZg is joined to a square assembly comprising four uprights ilh, lii, llj, Ilk and four panel. 12h, 121, 12j, 12k, It will be seen, therefore, that the panels and uprights may be joined with either one, two, three or four panels secured to an upright to define parallel or orthogonal planes as illustrated in Figure 1. The panels 12 may each support individual display material or may be themselves marled with such display material or they may be merely plain screens used for separating different areas.

Figures 2 and 3 show two different stand configuration.

using curved panels 13 in place of the planar panel. 12.

In the configuration illustrated in Figure 2 the planar panels each join a support 11 on two diametrically opposite lines thereof whilst in the configuration of Figure 3 the panels 13 meet the supports 11 at angles such that the tangents to the plane at the point of intersection are orthogonal to one another.

Turning now to Figure 4 the configuration of a modular element from which the supports 11 may be formed is shown. This comprises a unitary moulded or extruded plastics or other material body generally indicated 14 having two flat planar surfaces 15, 16 orthogonal to one another and meeting at a chine 17.From the edge of the wall 15 opposite the chine 17 extends a cylindrically curved wall surface IS terminating in an inwardly directed flange 19 whilst a similar cylindrically curved wall 20 extends from the edge 21 of the flat wallw and. like the wall , terminates in an inwardly directed flange 22, The two flanges 19, 22 lie radially, that is in a plane which passes through the chine 17, and define a slot identified by the reference numeral 23 which, because of the flexible resilience of the curved walls 18, 20, can open slightly to xeceive a flat panel of display material as will be described below.

A support member 11 is formed by securing four support elements 14 together with their flat orthogonal walls 15, 16 respectively in contact with one another and fixing them by means of adhesive, welding or releasable fasteners to form a generally cylindrioal support structure 11 having four elongate parallel slots 23 defined between pairs of cylindrically curved elementary surface. constituted by the walls 18, 20, Turning now to Figure 6, an alternative embodiment is shown which, like the embodiment of Figures 4 and 9 is formed as a single unitary body with a quadrant croes ction, but in this embodiment, instead of forming a slot 23 between two part cylindrical surface.

18 20 extending from respective flat walls 15, 16, the embodiment of Figure 6 has a flat wall 15 entirely identical with the wall 15 of the embodiment of Figure 4, and a chine 17 at the junction between the wall 15 and a flat orthogonal wall 24 which, unlike the wall 16, does not meet a cylindrically curved surface, but rather extends for somewhat less than the radial dimension of the wall 15. An elongate slot 25 separates the wall 24 from a flange 26 which lies co-planar with the wall 24 and extends from a part-cylindrical wall 27 which Joins the flat wall 13 along an edge thereof opposite the chine 17.

when four such elements are secured together to form a support member 11, as shown in Figure 7, each wall 15 of one element is secured only to the radially inner wall portion 24 of the contiguous member leaving the flange 26 and the curved wall surface 27 free to flex to allow the insertion of a panel member between the lips defined by the flange 26 and the wall member 15 of the.adjacent element.

Referring now to Figure 8, each of the panel support members illustrated is identified with the reference numeral 30 and comprise. a monolithic integrally formed unitary body having an arcuate outer wall 31 separated into two parts 31a, 31b by a longitudinally extending slot 32 defined by two inwardly projecting tapering lips 33, 34.

Teach arcuate cylindrical wall portion 31a, 31b is carried on a respective radial wall 34, 35 which mates closely with a corresponding flat radial wall of the adjacent panel support member 31. The radial walls 34, 35 project from an inner wall 36 which ha. a T-SCOtion slot 37 therein for receiving a hape ridge 38 of a central core member 39.

In use of the panel support member of the present invention, therefore, one, two, three or four panel Support members 30 are fitted to a reinforcement member 39 by inter-engagement of the T-shape ridge. 38 with corresponding T-section slots 37. This is achieved simply-by sliding the appropriate number of panel support members 30 onto the reinforcement member 39.

Once inter-engaged the panel support members and reinforcement member hold themselves in position by frictional engagement and can be used to form arrays of display panels in any manner described above.

A permanent connection between the panel support members 30 and the reinforcement member 39 can be achieved by the use of adhesive if required, although it is preferable that the inter.engagement be left removable so that, after use to create a given display, it can be dismantled entirely to maintain the greatest possible rang of potential available configurations.

Claims (17)

1. An elongate panel support member for a display stand, comprising a body having an elongate slot extending over substantially the whole of the length thereof and defined by two lips or edges resiliently urged towards one another whereby to retrain a panel of display material between them, and elongate mating faces shaped to cooperate with like such faces of another such member to be joined together to form a panel support.

2. An elongate panel support member as claimed in Claim 1, in which the said elongate mating faces are substantially flat and lie in respective planes parallel to the length of the member and orthogonal to one another.

3. An elongate panel support member as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the cross-sectional shape of the said body is a quadrant.

4. An elongate panel support member as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, in which the slot on the body is bounded by flange directed inwardly of the profile of the body.

5. An elongate panel support member as claimed in any preceding Claim, in which the slot is positioned on the body at a location such as to bisect the angle between the said two orthogonal mating face.

6. An elongate panel Support member as claimed in any preceding Claim, formed as a unitary body by extrusion, moulding or the like.

7. A panel support comprising at least two elongate support members ae claimed in any preceding Claim, joined along mating facing portions by adhesive or other fixing means.

8. A panel support comprising an elongate support member as claimed in any of claims X to 6, and a panel support member reinforcement element for supporting the panel support member, which element can be removably interengaged with the panel support member.

9. A panel support as claimed in Claim 8, in which the removable interengagement ie a form-locking elongate slot on one member and cooperating projection on the other.

10. A panel support as claimed in Claim B or Claim 9, in which the slot is formed on the panel support member and the projection on the reinforcement member.

11. A panel support as claimed in any of Claims 8 to 10, in which the slot and projection have a matching T-shap cro ction and extend along substantially the entire length of the member.

12. A panel support as claimed in any of Claim. 8 to 11, in which the panel support member has at least one elongate mating face shaped to cooperate with like such faces of another such member to be joined in side-by-side relation to the reinforcement member.

13. A panel support as claimed in any of Claims 8 to 12, in which the panel support member ha. two such mating faces at right angle. to one another and the reinforcement member has four projections for receiving four panel support members in an array.

14. A display stand comprising a laminar panel having two opposite generally parallel edges inserted into respective elongate slots of panel supports as claimed in any of Claims 7 to 13.

15. An elongate support element substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

10. A panel support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings.

17. A display stand substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawing.