GB2278861A

GB2278861A - Exhibition/display stand

Info

Publication number: GB2278861A
Application number: GB9401497A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gordon Manson Calder
Original assignee: Over Panel Tech Ltd
Current assignee: Over Panel Tech Ltd
Priority date: 1993-06-03
Filing date: 1994-01-26
Publication date: 1994-12-14
Anticipated expiration: 2014-01-26
Also published as: GB2278861B; GB9401497D0

Abstract

A stand system for use in exhibitions and displays comprising a series of support columns (1) mounting a plurality of display panels (8) on specially designed connecting strips (7) whereby the panels mask the columns and provide a pleasing appearance to the structure. Columns (1) are spaced by connecting members (2), connecting strips (7) have 2 pairs of recesses (9" and 9'), the former receiving edges (10) of panels (8), the latter co-operating as shown with peripheral grooves (3) of columns (1). Appropriate cover members (11) may be present. <IMAGE>

Description

EXHIBITION/DISPLAY STAND FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a stand system for use in exhibitions and displays.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A modular display or exhibition stand is known made up of a series of columnar supports held in the upright position by cross pieces locked in position between the supports.

The columnar supports may be in the form of tubular extrusions having longitudinal channelled recesses formed around their peripheries to enable walls to be fixed thereto in up to say four, six or eight different positions.

The ends of the cross pieces have formations complementaly to the channelled recesses so that they may be slidably mounted in the recesses to any selected position along the columnar supports.

The ends of the cross pieces are additionally provided with a locking mechanism which is actuable to anchor the cross pieces in their selected positions on the columnar supports.

It is the normal practice after the basic display structure has been erected using the component parts as described above, for flat infill panels to be affixed to the cross pieces to act as walls or display surfaces.

Erected in this way, such known display or exhibition stands, while having certain excellent functional attributes, are not necessarily aesthetically pleasing in that, for example, the columnar structures and cross pieces are often left exposed. Moreover structural integrity in relation to the securing of the display panels is not always ensured.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide a display or exhibition stand having an improved appearance and finish and increased versatility of use.

According to the invention, there is provided a stand system for use in exhibitions and displays comprising a series of support columns, each support column being provided with longitudinal recesses on the outer periphery thereof, each one of said recesses having side walls provided with projecting flanges which form the recess opening, one or more connecting members for mounting between the columns to support the columns in an upright position, the respective ends of said connecting members being provided with channels for engagement with the projecting flanges of the recesses to allow the connecting members to move in the recesses to selected positions along the columns, characterised by the provision of one or more connecting strips for mounting in the recesses of each of the support columns, each connecting strip having mounting means for engaging the flanges of the recesses to allow sliding movement to selected retained positions on the support columns together with means which form a receiving space between the flanges and the body of the strip in said retained position, and one or more panels, each having side edges for slidable insertion in a said receiving space of the connecting strip or strips on one support column and a said receiving space of the connecting strip or strips on an adjacent support column to complete the stand system.

Advantageously, the connecting strips have breaks in the continuity of the channels formed therein at selected intervals therealong, the side edges of the display panels having projections at intervals therealong corresponding to the intervals of the breaks in the connecting strips so that the projections may be mounted in the channels of the connecting strips via the continuous breaks therein.

Preferably the or each connecting strip has stepped profile formations providing a central ribbed protuberance for entering the recesses and to either side thereof a first stepped ledge for abutting the flanges of the recesses and a second stepped ledge forming a said receiving space between the second stepped ledge and said flanges.

The connecting strips may be provided witll a rotatable locking arm which latches behind the flanges of the recesses to secure the flanges between the locking arm and the second stepped ledges of said formations thereby to fasten the connecting strips to the support columns.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further features and advantages ofthe present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof taken with reference to the accompanying drawings where; Fig 1 is a plan view of a section of a stand system according to one embodiment of the invention; Fig 2 is a plan view of the stand system according to another embodiment of the invention; Fig 3 is a side view of a mounting strip for mounting to the support columns of the stand system of Figs 1 and 2; Fig 4 is a side view of a panel of the stand system shown in Figs 1 and 2 for mounting in the mounting strips shown in Fig 3; Fig 5 is a modified form of mounting strip for mounting to the support columns of the stand system shown in Figs 1 and 2; Fig 6 is an alternative form of fixing clip for the panels of a stand system; and Figs 7 to 10 are plan views of various display stand arrangements illustrating the use of the fixing clip of Fig 6.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION A section of a stand system for use as an exhibition stand or display stand is shown in Fig 1.

The stand system comprises a series of tubular support columns 1 held in an upright position by means of cross members 2 mounted to the support columns 1.

Each support column 1 is a tubular extrusion provided with longitudinal Ushaped recesses or receiving channels 3 spaced around their peripheries.

The walls of the recesses 3 terminate in flanges 4 which form the openings 5 to the recesses 3.

The respective ends of the cross members 2 are provided with formations 6 which enter the openings 5 formed between the flanges 4 to allow slidable movement therein to any selected position on the support columns 1.

Each respective end portion of the cross members 2 is provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) which is operable to engage behind the flanges 4 to lock the cross members 2 in position at their selected positions.

Mounting strips 7 for display panels 8 are provided for location in selected ones of the U-shaped recesses 3.

Each mounting strip 7 has, along its respective sides, pairs of opposed channels 9, an inner pair of opposed channels 9' of which permit the mounting strips 7 to be slid along the recesses 3 with the flanges 4 engaging the channels 9'.

The other pair of opposed channels 9" in the mounting strip 7 are dimensioned to receive side edge portions 10 ofthe display panels 8 such that several display panels can be mounted one upon the other by being slidably inserted down the outer channels 9" of the mounting strips 7 between adjacent support columns 1.

A cover piece 11 is then mounted across the forward faces 12 of the mounting strips to shield the mounting strips and the column supports from view.

The arrangement in Fig 1 is an in line junction between two arrays of panels 8 mounted to the support columns 1 made possible by the arrangements of the recesses 3 around the columns 1.

A corner junction arrangement is shown in Fig 2 wherein adjacent panels 8 in the corner system are mounted to a single mounting strip 7 as shown, the edge portions 11 of the panels being configured to provide the 900 angle required between adjacent display panels when mounted to the mounting strip 7.

The channels in the mounting strips 7 may be continuously closed along their full length or provided with discontinuities or breaks 13 at selected intervals as shown in the side view of another form of mounting strip 14 shown in Fig 3.

This allows display panels 15, see Fig 4, to be more easily mounted to the mounting strip 14 by providing selected edge projections 16 at intervals along one edge of a panel 15 corresponding to the intervals of the discontinuities 13 so that the edge projections 16, of slightly smaller widths than the discontinuities 13, may be inserted therein and then moved down the channels until the panels 15 are in their selected positions along the columns 1.

An alternative form of mounting strip 7 for the display panels 8 is shown in Fig 5.

In this alternative form, the ends of the limb 17 forming the opposed channels 9" of the strip 7 are provided with inwardly directed ribs 18. This provides for better retention of the side portions 10 of the display panels 8 in assembly and also provides assistance in guiding the panels 8 when being mounted in the mounting strips attached to the support columns 1.

In addition the alternative form of mounting strip omits the inner opposed channels 9' shown in Fig 1 and instead is provided with a pair of spaced wall projections 19 extending longitudinally of the strip along one side wall 20 thereof.

The outer sides of the wall projections 19 are provided with leading rib formations 21, the outermost curvature 22 of which formations 21 are at a relative distance D from one another greater than the openings 5 to the receiving channels 3 in the support columns 1.

Due to the resilient nature of the material of the wall projections 19, they may be forced through the openings 5 to the recesses 3 in the support columns 1 to thereafter clip securely behind the flanges 4 which form the openings 5 to those recesses 3.

The stand system as above described has a much neater and pleasing appearance in assembly compared with the prior art by virtue of the use of the novel mounting strip 7 as preferably embodied herein since the latter enables display panels and capping strips to be mounted to the basic structure of columns and cross pieces in such a way that that basic structure is completely hidden from view.

No special tools are needed to insert the strips 7 into the support columns once the basic structure has been assembled so the use of unskilled labour is generally adequate.

Instead of the mounting strips 7, display panels may be hung from the support columns 1 of the skeleton display system by means of an alternate form of, preferably plastics, fixing clip of the type shown in Fig 6 when discretely locked into position in the recesses 3 of the support columns 1 as shown with reference to Figs 7-10 to be described hereinafter.

The fixing clip 22 as shown in various views in Fig 6, and also in use in Figs 7 to 10, is provided with four spaced protruding formations 23 along its length each having a symmetrically stepped cross sectional profile to form a centrally positioned square cornered rib 24 for inserting in the recesses 3 of the support columns 1, and an intermediate square cornered wider portion 25 between the rib 24 and a still wider square cornered base portion 26.

A centrally located rotatable clip screw 27 extends through the body of the fixing clip 22 the clip screw 27 being provided with a locking arm 28, more clearly shown in Fig 7, which, with the rib 24 in the recesses 3, locks behind the flanges 4 to secure the clip 22 in position on the support columns 1.

The operative head (not shown) of the clip screw 27 rotates in an aperture H in the body of the clip 22. The aperture H has straight opposed sides H1, joined by sides H2 and H3 of differing curvature. The head of the clip screw has a curved section corresponding to the curvature H3 so that rotation is limited as described above to the extent of the curved section H3 of the hole H with the result that the locking arm 27 is rotatable between two positions, the first to set the arm 28 in a vertical orientation so that the clip may be inserted in the recesses 3, and the second to set the arm in a horizontal orientation in the locked position.

In use as shown in Figs 7-10, fixing clips of the type shown in Fig 6 may be mounted at positions along the columns 1 by aligning the locking arm 28 in the first position with its axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the clip 22 and then inserting the locking arm 28 with the leading square cornered rib 24 of the fixing clip 22 through the openings 5 to the recesses 3 until the stepped ledge 25' provided by the intermediate square cornered wider portion 25 of the fixing clip abuts the flanges 4 defining the openings 5.

The clip screw 27 is then turned to anchor the locking ann 28 behind the flanges 4 thereby to grip the flanges 4 between the locking arm 28 and the stepped ledges 25' provided by the wider square cornered intermediate portion 25 of the fixing clip 22 and to secure the same in position.

A particular use of the fixing clip of Fig 6 is illustrated in Fig 7 to erect an inline arrangement of display panels 30.

The display panels 30 shown in this embodiment have specially configured side edges 31 formed of a leading side edge 32 which fits in the gap or space between the stepped ledge 26' of the base portion 26 of the fixing clip 22 and the flange 4 forming the recesses 3 of the support column 1, an adjoining section 33 at an angle to the leading side edge 32 such that when in position it lies parallel to the cross members 2, and a succeeding section 34 leading away from the adjoining section 33 at an angle greater than 90" to leave a gap as shown between it and the base portion 26 of the fixing clip 21. The section 34 is joined to the front face of the panel 30 by a further edge section S directed to sit at an angle to both the section 34 and the straight front face of the panel 30 lying parallel to the cross members 2.

A five sided capping piece 35 may then be secured to the base portions 26 of the fixing clips mounted in alternate ones of the recesses 3 to provide the in

line arrangement, as by velcrolattachment.

The capping piece 35 shown has a central flat section 36 lying essentially inline with the panels 30 and two symmetrically arranged side sections 37 which lie at an angle to the central section 36 and parallel to the base of the installed fixing clips 22 and terminating end sections 38 which fit in the gap between the base portion 26 of the fixing clips 22 and the section 34 of the side edges 31 of the display panels 30.

A corner junction arrangement using alternative forms of capping pieces and the fixing clips of Fig 6 is shown in Fig 8.

In this arrangement, the fixing clips 22 are attached to the flanges 4 at spaced positions along alternate ones of the sides of the octagonal columns 1, with the cross members 2 to alternate ones of the empty sides to fonn a 90" bend in the array.

Those fixing clips along the sides of the octagonal column 1 to either side of the cross members 2 are used to support the display panels by means of the specially configured side edges 31 as described with reference to Fig 7 on the outer side of the cross member 2, while the fixing clips 22 between the 90" bend in the cross members 2 support the panels on the other side of the cross members 2.

The remaining series of fixing clips 22 are provided to support in conjunction with adjacent fixing clips 22 holding the panels, a seven sided capping piece 39 for attachment as by velcro to the base of the full array of fixing clips 22 with terminating edge sections 40 of the capping piece 39 fitting between the base portions 26 of the fixing clips 22 and the side sections 34 of the panels as with the Fig 7 embodiment.

To complete the aesthetic masking of the fixing clips and the extruded columns 1, a flat capping piece 41 may be attached as by velcro along the base portion of the fixing clips 22 between the two cross members 2.

An end of run arrangement in a display system employing the fixing clip 22 of Fig 6 both to secure display panels to the octagonal extruded columns 1 and to mask the connection for the purposes of enhancing the appearance of the display is shown in Fig 9.

In this arrangement, the fixing clips 22 are fastened to the flanges 4 at spaced positions along alternate sides of the column 1, two sets of which support the capping pieces 42 alone, the other two sets acting to secure both the capping pieces 42 and display panels to the column 1 as with the arrangement shown in Figs 7 and 8.

An end cap insert 43 composed of a longitudinal flat end piece 44 with channels 45 formed along its longitudinal sides is used to complete the masking arrangement, with the terminating side edge sections 46 of tlle five sided capping pieces 42 received in the channels 45 as shown.

In Fig 10 is shown a further form of cover or capping strip 47 used to mask the fixing clips 22 of Fig 7 at the end of a display run.

The end of run capping strip 47 has a central longitudinal flat side 48 which is attached as by velcro to the base 26 of the fixed clips 22 installed along one side ofthe extruded column 1 next to the cross piece 2, bounded by a side 49 at 90" to the central side 48 and a side 50 at an inner obtuse angle thereto. The obtuse angled side 50 fits the gap between the base portion 26 of the fixing clips 22 and the terminating edge end section of the display panels as before.

Modifications to the above described preferred embodiment will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the cross section of the fixing clip of Fig 6 may have a symmetrically stepped profile along its entire length to provide a continuous central rib for insertion in the recesses 3 of the columns 1 and defining a first and second continuous stepped ledge to either side thereof, the first to abut the flanges 4, and the second to form with the flanges 4, the receiving spaces for the sides of the panels of the display.

Claims

1. A stand system for use in exhibitions and displays comprising a series of support columns, each support column being provided with longitudinal recesses on the outer periphery thereof, each one of said recesses having side walls provided with projecting flanges which form the recess opening, one or more connecting members for mounting between the columns to support the columns in an upright position, the respective ends of said connecting members being provided with channels for engagement with the projecting flanges of the recesses to allow the connecting members to move in the recesses to selected positions along the columns, characterised by the provision of one or more connecting strips for mounting in the recesses of each of the support columns, each connecting strip having mounting means for engaging the flanges of the recesses to allow sliding movement to selected retained positions on the support columns together with means which form a receiving space between the flanges and the body of the strip in said retained position, and one or more panels, each having side edges for slidable insertion in a said receiving space of the connecting strip or strips on one support column and a said receiving space of the connecting strip or strips on an adjacent support column to complete the stand system.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the connecting strips are provided with channels formed in opposing longitudinal sides thereof, each channel forming a said receiving space for said side edges of the panels.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the connecting strips have breaks in the continuity of the channels formed therein at selected intervals therealong, the side edges of the panels having projections at intervals therealong corresponding to the intervals of the breaks in the connecting strip so that the projections may be mounted in the channels in the connecting strips via the continuous breaks therein.

3. A system as claimed in claims 1 or 2 wherein the outer edges of the facing limbs of each of said channels are provided with opposing rib formations to assist in the retention of the panels therein.

4. A system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said mounting means is formed of a further pair of opposed channels along the longitudinal sides of the connecting strip for engaging the projecting flanges of said recess openings.

5. A system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 wherein said mounting means is in the form of a pair of resilient prongs for push-fit insertion in the recesses of the support columns, the outerside of each prong being provided with protuberant formations which latch behind the flanges of the recesses to retain the connecting strips to the support columns.

6. A stand system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the or each connecting strip has stepped profile formations providing a central ribbed protuberance for entering the recesses and to either side thereof a first stepped ledge for abutting the flanges of the recesses and a second stepped ledge forming a said receiving space between the second stepped ledge and said flanges.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the or each connecting strip is provided with a rotatable locking arm which latches behind the flanges of the recesses to secure the flanges between the locking arm and the second stepped ledges of said formations thereby to fasten the connecting strips to the support columns.

8. A system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the locking arm has a limit of rotation of 90".

9. A stand system for use in exhibitions or displays substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

10. A fixing clip for fixing panels to the columnar support structure of an exhibition or display stand substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.