GB2380534A

GB2380534A - Connector

Info

Publication number: GB2380534A
Application number: GB0300384A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Crisp
Original assignee: SCA Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: SCA Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 2001-04-18
Filing date: 2001-04-18
Publication date: 2003-04-09
Also published as: GB0300384D0; GB2374911B; GB2374911A; GB0109563D0

Abstract

A connector has a coupling portion (16) joined to first and second flaps (8, 10). The first and second flaps (8, 10) are hinged relative to one another so that they may be folded over one another so that the flaps (8, 10) lie in a face to face position. The flaps (8, 10) have inter-engaging fastening means for fastening them together in the face to face position.

Description

Connector The present invention relates to a connector, and in particular, but not exclusively the invention relates to a connector for use in mounting shelves in point of sale display units.

In point of sale display units, a number of shelves of corrugated cardboard are mounted between side walls also made of corrugated cardboard. The front of each shelf is usually provided with an upwardly projecting lip which is formed from two layers of cardboard material folded over one another. A generally planar connector part of plastics or other suitable material is glued between the layers of cardboard, with an end exposed having a coupling formation for engagement with a complementary formation provided in a further connector part which is mounted in the wall of the display unit. The coupling part of that connector part extends through an aperture formed in the wall so that in use the two coupling formations can be brought together, for example by sliding one into the other.

This construction is inconvenient as it requires the shelf connector part to be positioned and glued in position between the layers of the shelf lip, with the connector part having to be supported against movement until the glue has set.

The present invention seeks to provide a connector which can more easily be installed, and from a first aspect the invention provides a connector comprising a coupling portion and first and second flaps joined to said coupling portion, said first and second flaps being hinged relative to one another so that one may be folded over the other so that the flaps lie in a face to face position, said flaps further comprising interengaging fastening means for fastening the two flaps together

when they are in that face to face position. with this arrangement, instead of being bonded between two layers of material, the flaps of the connector part can be clipped over a layer of material forming the or at least one of the layers of a shelf lip as discussed above.

It would be possible to manufacture the connector such that the coupling section and one of the flaps were substantially rigidly interconnected, with the other flap then being hinged to the coupling section. Indeed, it would even be possible to form the coupling portion on one of the flaps. However, for ease of manufacture, both flaps are preferably hingedly connected to respective edges of the coupling section.

Preferably the connector is manufactured from a plastics material and the hinges formed by local thinning of a generally planar connector body.

In order to facilitate introduction of a connector flap between layers of material, the free end of one or both flaps is preferably chamfered. This also reduces the amount of material in the connector, which reduces its cost.

Preferably also, the upper and lower edges of at least one of the flap are preferably substantially parallel over at least a portion of their length. This is particularly useful for a flap intended to be sandwiched between material layers forming a shelf lip as it will act to resist the tendency of the connector to rotate in the plane of those layers.

To locate the connector longitudinally in position, it is preferred that at least one of the flaps has a raised formation e. g. a wall which, in the face to face position of the flaps will extend towards the other flap through an aperture provided in a layer of the material to which the connector is attached. Preferably the raised formation engages the other flap so as to space the flaps apart by a predetermined amount. This spacing

should be generally of the order of the thickness of the material with which it is intended to use the connector.

To further prevent the connector from rotating on the material, preferably the formation and the corresponding material aperture are non-circular.

The fastening means may take any convenient form, for example a press stud or the like. It is preferably a snap fit arrangement, and in the preferred embodiment, the fastening means comprises one or more resilient locking tongues formed on one of the flaps and which engage with a locking formation on the other flap.

In the embodiment described above, the locking tongues extend into the raised formation. Preferably the raised formation has an internal groove in which said locking tongues engage, so that the tongues do not project therefrom.

The coupling section of the connector may take any convenient form. In a simple embodiment it may comprise one or more generally T-shaped section tongues which engage in one or more slots provided in a corresponding socket. Such types of coupling are well-known in the art and need not be described further here.

The present invention also extends to a display construction comprising a shelf extending between two walls, said shelf having an upstanding lip, with a connector in accordance with the invention attached to said lip such that its coupling part is exposed to engage a coupling part of a connector provided on a said wall.

As stated above, the lip preferably comprises two overlapping layers of material with one flap of the connector being sandwiched therebetween. Preferably the layer of material to which the connector is mounted comprises a non-circular aperture to receive a complementary projection provided on one of the connector flaps.

It will be appreciated that the connector of the

invention will have a broader application than just to displays and it may be used in any number of applications where it is desired to join two components together. In the simplest embodiment, it can be clipped over an edge of a sheet of material to be joined to another structure.

In addition, the connector may be used as a support for a mirror, picture frame or the like. In such an application, a connector part may be attached, e. g. bonded, to the back of the picture or mirror frame, and a connector in accordance with the invention engaged therewith so as to support the frame. In such arrangements, the flaps are preferably the same shape for aesthetic reasons and have their free ends chamfered to as to provide a line contact with an underlying support surface. The angle of the picture frame may be varied by varying the angle of that chamfered surface.

Some preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a connector in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a connector part for engagement with the connector shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 illustrates the coupling of the two connector parts shown in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 shows the two connector parts assembled together; Figure 5 shows a section along the line V-V of Figure 4; Figure 6 shows a section along the line VI-VI of Figure 4; and Figure 7 shows an alternate use for the connector according to the invention.

With reference to Figure 1, a connector 2 in accordance with the invention comprises a one piece plastics moulding 4. The moulding 4 is generally planar

and comprises a coupling section 6 and two flaps 8,10 hingedly connected thereto about hinges 12,14 formed in the connector body. The coupling section 6 has a generally T-shaped cross section coupler 16 extending from one face thereof, which in use engages in a corresponding slot 18 formed in a connector part 20 shown in Figure 2. This will be described further below.

The respective first and second flaps 8,10 are generally rectangular, but the free ends of each panel have chamfers 22,24, 26,28 as shown in Figure 1. The flaps 8,10 also comprise respective male and female fastening means 30,32 for fastening the two flaps together. The male fastening part 32 comprises a pair of tongues 36,38 extending from the rear surface 40 of the flap 8, the tongues 36,38 being provided with a respective locking heads 42,44. Slots 46,48 are provided at the base of the tongues 36,38 to allow the locking heads 42,44 to be moulded more easily. This is shown most clearly in Figure 6.

The female fastener part 32 provided in the other flap 10 comprises a square wall 50 upstanding from the rear surface 52 of the flap 10 around a square aperture 54 provided in the flap.

The inner surface 56 of the upstanding wall 50 is provided with a groove 58 which, as can be seen from Figure 6 receives the locking heads 42,44 of the tongues 36,38.

As can be seen from Figures 3 to 6, the connector 2 is intended primarily for use in mounting a shelf 60, e. g. of a point of sale display, to an adjacent wall 62.

The shelf 60 is provided with an upstanding lip 64, usually at the front of the shelf. This lip 60 comprises a front wall 66 and a rear wall 68, the rear wall 68 having been bent over to lie adjacent the front wall 66. The connector 2 is clipped around the rear wall 68. The rear wall 68 is provided with a square

aperture 70 which receives the raised wall 50 of the flap 10. The wall 50 is inserted through the aperture 70 and the flap 8 then folded over the flap 10 and the respective fastening means 30,32 engaged to fasten the connector 2 in position. The connector 2 can be located on the rear wall 68 prior to it being folded over the front wall 66. Alternatively the flap 8 can be inserted between the walls 66,68 after the rear wall 68 has been folded over.

When in position, the upper and lower edges of the flaps 8,10 are closely received between the shelf 60 and the top wall 72 of the lip 64. This assists in preventing rotation of the connector 2. The engagement of the raised wall 50 within the aperture 70 in the rear wall 68 further assist this.

The connector part 20 is sandwiched between two layers 72,74 of material with the coupling part 18 projecting through an aperture in one wall 74.

The coupling part 16 of the connector 2 can then be introduced into the coupling part 18 of the connector 20 to mount the shelf 60 in position.

As mentioned earlier, the connector of the invention has a wider application than just shelving units. Figure 7 shows such a further application In this embodiment the connector 2 is being used as a support for a picture frame 80. To this end, the connector part 20 is attached, e. g. bonded, to the rear of the picture frame 80 and the folded over connector 2 slotted into the slot 18 on the part 20. The chamfers 24,28 engage the support surface for the frame 80 so as to angle the frame at a desired angle. It will be appreciated that the arrangement of Figure 7 could be sold as a kit for attachment to the picture frame 80, for example with adhesive pads for attachment of the part 20 to the rear of the frame, and the connector 2 being provided either pre-folded or in a flat condition for erection by a user.

It will be appreciated that many modifications may be made to the preferred embodiment described above without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, the respective flaps 8,10 need not be provided with chamfers. Furthermore, the raised wall 50 need not be square in section but could, for example, be circular.

Claims

Claims 1. A connector comprising a coupling portion and first and second flaps joined to said coupling portion, said first and second flaps being hinged relative to one another so that one may be folded over the other so that the flaps lie in a face to face position, said flaps further comprising interengaging fastening means for fastening the two flaps together when they are in that face to face position.
2. A connector as claimed in claim 1 wherein both flaps preferably hingedly connected to respective edges of the coupling portion.
3. A connector as claimed in claim 2 wherein the connector is manufactured from a plastics material and the hinges formed by local thinning of a generally planar connector body.
4. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the free end of one or both flaps is chamfered.
5. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the upper and lower edges of at least one flap are substantially parallel over at least a portion of their length.
6. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim wherein at least one of the flaps has a raised formation e. g. a wall which, in the face to face position of the flaps, extends towards the other flap.
7. A connector as claimed in claim 6 wherein the raised formation engages the other flap so as to space the flaps apart by a predetermined amount.

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8. A connector as claimed in claim 6 or 7 wherein said formation is non-circular.
9. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the fastening means comprises a snap fit fastener.
10. A connector as claimed in claim 9 wherein the fastening means comprises one or more locking tongues formed on one of the flaps and which engage with a locking formation on the other flap.
11. A connector as claimed in claim 10 as dependent upon claims 6,7 or 8 wherein said locking formation is provided on the raised formation.
12. A connector as claimed in claim 11 wherein the raised formation has an internal groove in which said locking tongues engage.
13. A connector as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the coupling portion of the connector comprises one or more generally T-shaped section tongues which engage in one or more slots provided in a corresponding socket.
14. A display construction comprising a shelf extending between two walls, said shelf having an upstanding lip, with a connector as claimed in any preceding claim attached to said lip such that its coupling part is exposed to engage a coupling part of a connector provided on a said wall.
15. A construction as claimed in claim 14 wherein said lip comprises two overlapping layers of material with one flap of the connector being sandwiched therebetween.

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16. A construction as claimed in claim 15 wherein the layer of material to which the connector is mounted comprises a non-circular aperture to receive a complementary projection provided on one of the connector flaps.
17. A support comprising a coupling portion and first and second flaps joined to said coupling portion, said first and second flaps being hinged relative to one another so that one may be folded over the other so that the flaps lie in a face to face position, said flaps further comprising interengaging fastening means for fastening the two flaps together when they are in that face to face position.
18. A support as claimed in claim 17 and further comprising the features of any of claims 2 to 13.
19. A support as claimed in claim 17 or 18 wherein said support is attached to the rear of a picture frame or the like.