GB2490147A

GB2490147A - Garment rail divider for displaying a graphic on a display rail.

Info

Publication number: GB2490147A
Application number: GB201106645A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Simon John Rowland
Original assignee: DISPLAYMODE
Current assignee: DISPLAYMODE
Priority date: 2011-04-20
Filing date: 2011-04-20
Publication date: 2012-10-24
Also published as: GB201106645D0

Abstract

A garment rail divider 1 for displaying a graphic on a display rail, e.g. a clothing display rail, is formed of a unitary moulding of polycarbonate and comprises a window 3 formed in an upper portion 2 of the divider for holding a graphic and an aperture 4 through the divider below the window for mounting the device 1 on a display rail or arm. The window preferably comprises a central cutout surrounded by a frame, with an opening at its upper end to allow a graphic to be inserted. A protrusion may be provided for retaining the graphic in the window. Being formed of a unitary moulding of polycarbonate it is resilient to deformation that it might undergo during its use and it allows a large window to be formed thereby allowing the divider to display relatively large graphics in a simple and removable manner. The garment divider may be transparent or coloured.

Description

TITLE

A Device fOr Displaying a Graphic on a Display Rail

DESCRIPTION

Field of Invention

The invention relates to the display of graphics in retail stores and provides a device for displaying a graphic on a display rail.

çkgoundto1nvenüon lo In many retail stores goods are displayed by hanging the goods from a rail. For example, clothes are often hung from rails in clothes stores. In order to display information about the goods that are hanging from a rail it is often desirable to have graphics mounted on the rail in such a manner that the graphic is positioned substantially above goods hanging from the rail and is clearly visible. It is also preferable that any graphic mounted on a rail does not interfere with the nonnal use of the rail.

In light of the above, many stores display graphics on rails using devices that are hung on the rail in the sane maimer as the goods that are also hung thereon, This enables the devices to be slid backwards and forwards on the rails with the goods. In particular, the devices are generally pianar and have a central aperture for mounting the device on the display ann. The devices have an upper portion that extends a significant distance above the central aperture in order to allow a graphic mounted or formed thereon to be easily seen above the rail. In order to maintain the upper portion of the devices above a rail upon which it is mounted the devices have a centre of mass that is below the central aperturt In order to achieve this they often also extend a significant distance below the central aperture. Furthermore, the aperture of the devices is centrally located such that the devices may hang from a rail in a substantially vertical orientation.

The devices described above may be either disposable or reusable. Disposable devices are generally formed of cardboard or a similar material and have the relevant graphics printed directly on their surfaces, These devices are intended for short-term use only as they easily become damaged during their use. Furthermore, as the graphics are printed directly on these graphics they can only be used for the specific goods and/or promotions for which they were made and can not be altered or changed.

Reusable devices ate generally made from sturdier materials, such as plastics, that allow them to be used for longer periods of time without damage. Some of these devices have the graphics printed directly on their upper portion. Therefore, in the same manner as the disposable devices) they can only be used for the specific goods for which they were made and can not be altered or changed. However, some reusable devices allow a paper or card graphic to be rernovahy mounted in an upper portion such that the graphic can be changed as necessary One such device is formed of two layers of transparent plastic that are joined only along an upper end of the device such that a graphic can he slid between the layers of the plastic in order to be displayed.

The compression of a graphic between the two layers of plastic acts to hold the graphic in place and placing the device on a display rail prevents a graphic from falling downwards out of the device. However, graphics in these devices have been known to slide out of place.

in order to allow the devices described above to be easily mounted on, and removed from, a display arm, they generally comprise a slot that extends though the device from a lower end of the aperture to a lower end of the device, This slot separates a lower portion of the device into two separated halves. By pushing one half forwards and pulling the other half backwards in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the device the slot can be widened in order to allow a rail to be passed upwards through the slot into the aperture. in order for this to be possible it is necessary for the devices to be formed of a material that is flexible and resilient enough so that the device is not permanently deformed or damaged by this process.

Disposable devices made of cardboard must be relatively thin in order to fWfil these criteria. Reusable device are generally made of a suitable resilient plastic material, for exampk polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

However, in order to have to sufficient resilience to withstand the flexing that occurs when a reusable device is placed on, and removed from a display rail it is necessary that the upper portion is substantially solid, This means the only ways in which a graphic can be mounted on or in cunent reusable devices is by either adhering the graphic too the upper portion of the device or by forming the device of a double layer in the manner described above. Adhering a graphic to a device is undesirable as it makes it difficult to change and alter the graphic when necessary. The double layer construction makes it necessary to completely remove the device from a rail in order to change the graphic. Furthermore, changing the graphic in a device with the double-layer construction can be difficult.

In light of the above, there is a need for an improved device for displaying a graphic on a display rail wherein the device is reusable and it is quick and simple to change thc graphic when desired.

Sumrnyf Invention The present invention provides a device for displaying a graphic on a display rail, the device formed of a unitary moulding of polycarbonate and comprising: a window formed in an upper portion of the device for holding a graphic; and an aperture formed through the device below the window for mounting the device on a display arm.

The device is advantageous over similar devices according to the prior art as it is a unitary moulding of polycarbonate. Forming the device of polycarbonate, rather than any other material, allows the device to he sufficiently resilient to withstand the forces and stresses it may be put under during use. In particular, forming the device from polycarbonate allows a device to be flexed in order to be positioned on and off a display rail without the device deforming or breaking Compared to materials currently used to make devices similar to the present invention poiycarbonatc is much more resilient and therefore advantageous.

The device of the present invention is a unitary moulded product. That is, the device is formed by a process of moulding as a single unitary piece and no substantive processing is required after moulding. This is advantageous as it means the device is quick and easy to manufacture and large numbers can be produced at low cost.

As will be readfly understood, the aperture of the present invention should be located and formed such that when the device is hung on a display rail the device is correctly oriented with the upper portion and window directly above the rail. in order to achieve this it is generally preferable that the aperture is located substantially centrally in relation to a width of the device, in order to hang in the correct orientation it may also be necessary that the centre of mass of the device is below the upper end of the aperture for mounting the device on a display arm. However, it is to be understood that it could he ensured that the device hangs on a display in the correct orientation by other means. For example, the aperture could have a shape that ensures the device hangs in the correct orientation when mounted on a display rail with a cooperative shape.

The device of the present invention comprises a window formed in the upper portion of the device for holding a graphic. A graphic can be held in the window such that it is visible from both sides of the device. A window may be formed in any manner apparent to a person skilled in the art. For example, a window may comprise two transparent screen portion with a central space therebetween in which a graphic can be mounted. Alternatively, a window may comprise a single screen portion with an opposing cutaway portion wherein, the graphic can be mounted against the single screen portion by means of a frame portion extending around the screen. As a further alternative a window may comprise a cutaway portion that extends completely through the device and a frame portion extending around the periphery of the cutaway portion for holding the graphic in position.

In order to allow a graphic to be inserted into and removed from a window the window must comprise a central space in which the graphic can be held. This central space cannot be totally sealed otherwise the graphic could not be inserted or removed, instead the central space must be open on at least one side or edge to allow the graphic to be inserted and removed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the central space is open at an tipper edge and. the upper edge of the central space is formed along an upper edge of the device.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the window has a slot that extends around a periphery of the window and forms an opening at the upper end of the device to allow a graphic to be removably located and held in the window, wherein the window is otherwise sealed around its periphery. In particular, the slot may extend a small distance, typically a few millimetres, into the periphery of the window around a lower side and two vertical sides whilst extending completely through an upper side of the window.

In order to hold a graphic in place in a window of a device according to the present invention the device may fUrther comprise a protrusion that extends partially across an.

opening of the window for holding a graphic located in the window in place. The protrusion should be located such that an edge of a graphic sits inside of the protrusion when the graphic is properly located in the window of the device. This will make it necessary fbr the edge of the graphic to pass past the protrusion when being removed from the window. In this manner a protrusion can act to hold the graphic in place.

A window of a device according to the present invention may have substantially any shape. However, it may be preferable that the window is substantially rectangular as this will allow a standard shaped graphic to be mounted in the device easily.

An advantage of the present device is that it is formed of polycarbonate and is therefore very strong and resilient to breaking of deformation.. Depending upon the precise design of the device, this can allow the window to he formed within 10mm and possibly even 6mm of an upper end and of each side of the device even when the window is substantially formed of a cutaway portion, as discussed above.

Preferably a device according to the present invention is substantially planar. That is, the device is preferably flat on both sides and has a substantially constant thickness.

As a device according to the present invention is formed of polycarbonate it may have a relatively low thickness. For example a device may he less than 5mm, or even more preferably 3mm, thick.

In order to allow the device to be easily placed on and removed from a display rail it is preferable that the device firther comprises a slot extending through the device from a lower end of the aperture to a lower end of the device in substantially the same manner as devices according to the prior art, However, it is not essential that the device has such a slot. If the device does not have a slot it may still be mounted on rails which have an exposed end. Furthe.more the slot does not have to extend from a lower end of the aperture to a lower end of the device, other orientations are possible.

All that is necessary is that, if present, the slot extends from an outer edge of the device to the aperture. it may be preferable that the slot is straight and has a uniform width, However, this too is not an essential feature of a slot. A slot may have a varying width and may be curved or have any other suitable shape that allows the device to operate in the intended manner.

A device according to the present invention may have any suitable shape that allows the device to operate as intended. Flowever, in order to improve its simplicity of manufacture it may be preferable that the device is substantiaUy rectangular.

Preferably a device according to the present invention is formed of transparent polycarbonate in order that it is less perceptible when in use. However) it may be desirable that the device is more noticeable when in use and in such cases the device may be formed of coloured polycarbonate.

Further details and advantages of the present invention will he apparent from the preferred embodiment which is shown in the drawings and is discussed below.

Drawings -.7-Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic isometric projection of an upper portion of the preferred embodiment shown in Figure 1.

A preferred embodiment of a device I according to the present invention is shown in Figures 1 and 2. The device 1 is a unitary moulding formed of transparent polycarbonate and comprises a window 3 formed in an upper portion 2 of the device and an aperture 4 formed through the device below the window for mounting the device on a display rail (not shown). A slot 5 is formed through the body of the device and extends from a lower end of the aperture 4 to a lower edge 6 of the device. The device I has a substantially uniform thickness and has a flat surface on each side.

The aperture 4 is formed substantially centrally such that when the device I is hung on a display rail it will hang in the orientation shown in Figure 1, with the upper portion extending above the rail and sides of the device vertically oriented. There is a small notch 8 formed at the upper end of the aperture 4 to ensure that, when mounted, a display rail may remain correctly located through the aperture and the device I will hang in the correct orientation.

Details of the upper portion 2 and the window 3 are shown more clearly in Figure 2.

In this Figure the thickness of the device i has been exaggerated to make the details of the window 3 clear, In preferred embodiments of the invention the device I is much thinner than illustrated in Figure 2. The window 3 comprises a central cutaway portion 9 that extends completely through the upper portion 2 of the device. The cutaway portion 9 is surrounded by a frame portion 10 extending around its periphery.

There is a peripheral slot 11 that extends into the frame portion 10 a small distance on along a lower side lOa and two vertical sides lOb, lOt of the frame portion 10. The peripheral slot 11 extends completely through the upper side lOd of the frame portion 10. This enables a suitably sized graphic (not shown) to be held in the window 3 by means of the peripheral slot 11 that extends into the frame portion and allows the graphic to he easily slid into and out of the device through the upper side lOd of the frame portion 10.

In a preferred embodiment of the inventioa, the device I has a substantially uniform thickness of approximately 3mm and the slot 11 is centrally located in the thickness of the device and is 1mm wide. The vertical sides I Oh, I Oc and the upper side lOd of the frame portion 10 have a width of approximately 5mm. The slot 11 extends approximately 3mm into the vertical sides lOb, lOc of the frame portion 10 and approximately 4mm into the lower edge lOa of the frame portion 10. The window 3 has a. width of approximately 98mm and a height of approximately 65mm. The height of the device is approximately 226mm and the device is approximately 108 mm wide.

The top of the notch 8 of the aperture 4 is formed approximately 6mm below the window 3.

In order to mount the device I on a display rail a user may pull one of the two sides of a lower portion that arc formed either side of the slot 5 towards themselves and push the other side away. This will act to widen the slot 5 in a direction substantially perpendicular to a plane of the device 1. The user may then pass the display rail through the widened slot until it is positioned in the aperture 4, The user may then release the two sides of the lower portion of the device 1 and release the device such that it hangs on the display rail. As the device I is formed of polycarbonate it is sufficiently resilient that it may undergo this deformation elastically and return to a flat form without breaking or deforrning in any way. This is possible even though the top of the aperture 4 is formed very close to the lower edge of the cutaway portion 9.

At any time the use of the window 3 is not impeded and a graphic can be mounted in or removed from the window.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A device for displaying a graphic on a display rail, the device tbrmed of a unitary moulding of polycarbonate and comprising: a window formed in an upper portion of the device for holding a graphic; and an aperture formed through the device below the window for mounting the device on a display arm.
2. A substantially planar device according to claim I
3. A device according to claim 1. or claim 2, thither comprising a slot extending through the device from a lower end of the aperture to a lower end of the device.
4. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the wmdow has a central channel that extends around a periphery of the window and forms an opening at the upper end of the device to allow a graphic to be removably located and held in the svindow wherein the window is otherwise sealed around its periphery 5. A device, according to claim 4, wherein the device further comprises a protrusion extending partially across the opening for holding a graphic located in. the window in place.6. A device according to any of claims 3. to 3, wherein the window has a central channel that extends around a. periphery of the window to allow a graphic to be located and held in the window wherein the window is sealed around its periphery such. that any graphic located in the. window is substantially permanently mounted therein.7. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the window substantially comprises a cutaway portion that extends through the device and a frame portion extending around the cuEaway portion for holding a graphic in place within the window. -10-8. A device according to any preceding claim that is substantially rectangular.9, A device according to any preceding claim whereint the centre of mass of the device is below the upper end of the aperture for mounting the device on a display arm.10. A device according to any preceding claim that is transparent.11. .A device according to any preceding claim that is coloured.12. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the window is substantially rectangular.13. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the window is formed within 10mm of an upper end and of sides of the device.14. A device according to claim 13, wherein the window is formed within 6mm of the upper end and of sides of the device.15. A device substantially as described herein and as shown in the Figures.Amendments to the claims have been filed as followsCLAIMS1. A substantially planar device for displaying a graphic on a display rail, the device formed of a unitary moulding of polycarbonate and comprising: a window formed in an upper portion of the device for holding a graphic, wherein the window is formed within 10mm of an upper end and of sides of the device; an aperture formed through the device below the window for mounting the device on a display arm, wherein the top of the aperture is within 6mm of a lower side of the window; and a slot extending through the device from a lower end of the aperture to a lower end of the device.2. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the window has a central * :° 15 channel that extends around a periphery of the window and forms an opening at the upper end of the device to allow a graphic to be removably located and held in the window, wherein the window is otherwise sealed around its periphery :1 3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the device further comprises a * 20 protrusion extending partially across the opening for holding a graphic located in the window in place.4. A device according to claim I, wherein the window has a central channel that extends around a periphery of the window to allow a graphic to be located and held in the window, wherein the window is sealed around its periphery such that any graphic located in the window is substantially permanently mounted therein.
5. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the window substantially comprises a cutaway portion that extends through the device and a frame portion extending around the cutaway portion for holding a graphic in place within the ndow.
6. A device according to any preceding claim that is substantially rectangular.
7. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the centre of mass of the device is below the upper end of the aperture for mounting the device on a display arm.
8. A device according to any preceding claim that is transparent.
9. A device according to any preceding claim that is coloured.
10. A device according to any preceding claim wherein the window is substantially rectangular.
11. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the window is formed r is within 6mm of the upper end and of sides of the device.* *** ** * *
12. A device substantially as descnbed herein and as shown in the Figures. *S ** * * * * *S * S. * **