GB2268681A - Display unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A display unit (suitable for displaying items for sale, for example on the forecourt of a petrol station) comprises a rectangular base 10, three wall members 14, 16, 18 which extend vertically from respective sides of said base, and a top 20 which links the upper ends of said wall members, said top having a panel member movable between an extended position and a retracted position, and the unit further comprises a fourth wall member 26, separable from the rest of the unit, which can be fitted so as to extend vertically from the fourth side of said base and which is securable to said top panel member in its extended position to form a closed structure within which items for display can be securely stored. <IMAGE>

Description

DISPLAY UNIT This invention relates to a display unit which may for example be used to display items for sale on the forecourt of a petrol station or at any other outside location.

One known such display unit has a box-like structure with four walls extending vertically from all sides of a rectangular base. The front-facing wall may have a smaller height than the other walls to enhance the presentation of the goods and facilitate their removal by the customer. The walls are typically made of framed pieces of wire mesh. It is desirable to be able to securely store items in the unit at night and, for this purpose, the unit may be provided with a lid, hinged to the rear wall, which can be locked in the closed position. Of course, if the unit is to be left outside at night, it will also need to be secured in some way to the ground or an adjacent structure.

In accordance with the invention, there is provided a display unit comprising a rectangular base, three wall members which extend vertically from respective sides of said base, and a top which links the upper ends of said wall members, said top having a panel member movable between an extended position and a retracted position, the unit further comprising a fourth wall member, separable from the rest of the unit, which can be fitted so as to extend vertically from the fourth side of said base and is securable to said panel member in its extended position to form a closed structure within which items for display can be securely stored.

The display unit of the invention thus has a convenient, simple structure. The fourth wall member, which will typically be a front panel, can be stowed away when goods are being displayed. At other times, the fourth wall member can be readily attached and secured to the unit, for example by means of a single padlock, to securely store the goods inside.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the three wall members is pivotally connected (for example, hinged) to the base so that the unit can be collapsed when not in use. In this way, the unit can be very conveniently stored and transported, and quickly reassembled when needed.

Preferably, the top is pivotally connected to one of the three wall members, typically a rear panel, whether or not the unit is collapsible. This permits the unit to be completely open at the top, if desired.

Alternatively, the top can lie horizontally, extending from the rear toward the front edges of the side panels.

The panel member of the top may be slidable between said extended and retracted positions. In the extended position, the front edge of the top lies in the plane of the side wall front edges.

Alternatively, the panel member may be pivotally connected to the top, so that it can be swung between the two positions.

There may be respective legs provided at each corner of the base. In the case of a collapsible unit, the legs are preferably adapted to permit the unit to be stacked with other similar units.

Two of the legs may define, with vertical front edges of the two side walls, respective slots into which the fourth wall member can be inserted.

In a collapsible unit, there may be integral fastening means for fastening adjacent vertical edges of the wall members to one another and for fastening the top to upper edges of the wall members.

Alternatively, separate fastening means, such as bolts or clips, may be used to assemble the unit.

There may be included locking means integrally fitted to the fourth wall member and/or the panel member.

In a preferred embodiment, each of the wall members comprises a frame carrying mesh material.

However, the wall members could equally be made of sheet material.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures l(a) to 1(f) are perspective views of a collapsible display unit, showing the various stages of its assembly; Figure 2 shows in detail how a front panel can be fitted to the main body of the unit; Figure 3 shows two such display units in the collapsed state and stacked one atop the other; and Figure 4 shows two such display units in the assembled state and linked together to form an extended display unit.

Referring to Fig. 1, the display unit of the embodiment has a rectangular horizontal base 10, which is supported above the ground by four legs 12, one at each corner. Two side frames 14, 16 and a rear panel 18 are hinged to respective sides of the base 10 to provide three wall members which extend vertically upward therefrom. Additionally, a top frame 20 is hinged to the upper edge of the rear panel 18. In the assembled unit, the top frame 20 lies horizontally in the plane of the upper edges of the three wall members.

The top frame 20 has a panel 22 which can be slidably moved in that plane (arrow 24) between a retracted position (Fig. l(d)) and an extended position (Fig. l(e)). For this purpose, the panel 22 may be mounted in runners carried by the side edges of the top frame 20. With the panel 22 in its retracted position, the top frame 20 extends forward from the back of the unit to cover approximately half the area of the top opening of the unit. Since the top frame 22 links the upper ends of the rear and side walls 14, 16, 18, it serves to enhance the rigidity of the unit's structure.

In normal use for the display of goods, the front of the unit is left open and the panel 22 is in its retracted position. Thus, goods stacked on the base 10 can be viewed and selected by customers.

When it is desired to lock up the unit, the panel 22 is slid forward to its extended position, and a fourth wall member in the form of a separate front panel 26 is fitted to cover the open space at the front of the unit. In the present embodiment, the lower end of the front panel 26 is secured to the main body of the unit in the following manner. As shown in the simplified plan view of Fig. 2, the leg 12 provided at each corner of the base has an L-shaped cross section. A frame tube 28 of the side frame 14 is disposed adjacent one bar 32 of the leg 12, and spaced from the other bar 34 of the leg 12 to define a slot 30 therebetween. The lower part of one vertical edge of the front panel 26 is inserted into the slot 30. The arrangement at the front right-hand side leg is the same.Thus, the lower end of the front panel can be securely located in the two slots formed between the front legs and the two side panels 14, 16. Thereafter, it is necessary merely to secure the top end of the front panel 26 to the front of the extended top panel member. This can be conveniently done using a padlock to form a rigid and secure closed structure in which the display goods can be safely stored. Once secured in this manner, the sliding top panel 22 is prevented from being slid back by the front panel 26, whereas the front panel cannot be raised out of the slots 30 by virtue of its attachment to the sliding panel.

Figures l(a) to 1(f) illustrate the sequence of steps for assembling the unit. During storage and transport, the unit is essentially folded in a flat pack the size of the base 10. The front panel 26 can be conveniently placed on top (Fig. l(a)). In assembly, the two side frames 14, 16 are first swung up into the vertical positions shown in Fig. l(b).

Then, the rear panel 18 is similarly stood up (Fig.

l(c)). The vertical edges of the rear panel 18 are secured to the rear vertical edges of the side frames by bolts (not shown). Other fasteners such as clips could alternatively be used, preferably arranged so that they cannot be reached or released from outside the unit. Next, as shown in Fig. l(d), the top panel 20 is swung up from the inside of the rear panel 18.

The side edges of the top panel 20 are secured to the upper edges of the side frames 14, 16 in like manner as the rear panel to the side frames. The display unit is now ready for use. Whilst the unit is open, the front panel 26 can be conveniently stowed beneath the base or at the rear of the unit. To prevent loss or theft, the front panel may be padlocked or otherwise secured to the main body of the unit. The steps for closing and locking up the unit (Figs. 1(e) to l(f)) have already been described above.

The collapsible display unit of the embodiment can be conveniently stacked for the purposes of storage and transport. Fig. 3 shows two folded units stacked one atop the other. Here, the legs 12 are specially adapted to facilitate stacking, the bottom end of each leg having a configuration which enables reliable location in the top end of the corresponding leg in the unit below. The height of the legs must, of course, be sufficient to provide clearance for the folded frames of the unit.

The walls of the unit may comprise, as illustrated, frames which carry mesh material. This applies also to the top frame 20, the panel 22 and the base 10. However, sheet material could equally be used. If the base is made of a sheet, rather than mesh, it may be desirable to provide drainage holes lest rainwater should enter the unit.

Fig. 4 illustrates how two or more units may be linked to form an extended (and effectively continuous) display unit. Here, adjacent units are joined by bolts 36 inserted through the legs 12 at both the front and the rear of the units. It may also be desirable to bolt together adjacent side walls using bolts 38 at upper rear portions of the units.

Although the preferred embodiment described above is a collapsible display unit, the invention is not limited in this respect. It will be appreciated, therefore, that the invention also embraces a factoryassembled or user-assembled rigid unit having the particular features of a top frame with a retractable panel and a fittable fourth wall. Such a unit still provides the convenience of a simple structure, improved rigidity when in use (by virtue of the top frame), and the ease with which it can be locked up.

It will be appreciated by the skilled addressee of this specification that many modifications and improvements may be made to the structure disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the invention. The following variations are mentioned merely by way of illustration. The top frame 20 may be hinged to one of the side frames 14, 16, rather than to the rear panel 18. The panel 22 may be hinged to the top frame 20 so that it can be swung, rather than slid, between its retracted and extended positions. Some or all of the three wall members hinged to the base may be adapted to fold on the underside of the base. Instead of using a separate padlock to secure the closed unit, there may be a lock integrally fitted to the fourth wall member 26 and/or the movable top panel 22. The front two legs of the unit may have integral slots into which the lower vertical edges of the fourth wall member 26 may be inserted. As a further alternative, the fourth wall member 26 may be adapted to engage the front edge of the base 10, for example by means of hooks at the bottom of the wall member 26 which prevent it being removed by a wholly vertical lifting action.

Claims (14)

ChAIMa;

1. A display unit comprising a rectangular base, three wall members which extend vertically from respective sides of said base, and a top which links the upper ends of said wall members, said top having a panel member movable between an extended position and a retracted position, the unit further comprising a fourth wall member, separable from the rest of the unit, which can be fitted so as to extend vertically from the fourth side of said base and is securable to said panel member in its extended position to form a closed structure within which items for display can be securely stored.

2. A display unit according to claim 1, wherein said three wall members are each pivotally connected to said base so that the unit can be collapsed when not in use.

3. A display unit according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said top is pivotally connected to one of said three wall members.

4. A display unit according to claim 3, wherein said three wall members comprise two side wall members and a rear wall member, said top being pivotally connected to the rear wall member.

5. A display unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said panel member is slidable between said extended and retracted positions.

6. A display unit according to any one of the preceding claims, including a respective leg provided at each corner of said base.

7. A display unit according to claim 6, as appendent to claim 2, wherein said legs are adapted to permit the unit to be stacked when in the collapsed state.

8. A display unit according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein two of said legs define, with vertical edges of two of the wall members, respective slots into which said fourth wall member can be inserted.

9. A display unit according to claim 2, including integral fastening means for fastening adjacent vertical edges of said wall members to one another.

10. A display unit according to claim 3, including integral fastening means for fastening said top to upper edges of said wall members.

11. A display unit according to any one of the preceding claims, including locking means for locking said fourth wall member to said panel member, said locking means being integrally fitted to said fourth wall member and/or said panel member.

12. A display unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the wall members comprises a frame carrying mesh material.

13. A display unit according to claim 2, or any one of claims 3 to 12 as dependent on claim 2, which is in its collapsed state.

14. A display unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.