JP7475582B2 - Ball display stand - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a ball display fixture that can store multiple balls for soccer and other ball-playing games, display them attractively in stores or at exhibitions, and maintain the original display condition even if one ball is removed for sale, etc.

When balls for ball games such as soccer, basketball, and handball are displayed in a storefront, they tend to roll freely if left unattended, making handling difficult, especially when handling multiple balls. If left unattended, they can become scattered and spoil the aesthetic appearance, which has a negative impact when selling them. There are already known means for preventing balls from rolling and displaying them in an attractive manner. One known example is a method in which each ball is placed in an angular storage case that prevents the balls from rolling, and these are then lined up or stacked to combine them (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Another method that has been devised is to lay a cloth or the like on the display floor and use the wrinkles in the cloth to place the balls on top of it to prevent them from rolling.

In addition, a product packaging box has been disclosed that, although not a ball, displays cylindrical products that tend to roll easily, and that can be arranged on an inclined floor plate in a horizontal position, without compromising the appearance of the displayed products and without requiring much effort to display the products (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Publication No. 04-10023 Utility Model Registration No. 3134735

However, there is still room for improvement in these conventional methods such as those described in Patent Document 1. Putting the balls in a case to prevent them from rolling around takes up extra space equal to the size of the case, which limits their use in a limited exhibition space. Also, it became necessary to give new consideration to how to layout the remaining balls if one of the balls is removed due to a sale or other reason. If a cloth or other material is used, it takes up a fair amount of exhibition space, and since the balls cannot be stacked for exhibition, the number that can be displayed may be limited.

As a result, these issues with displays have not received much attention in the past, and no major improvements have been made in the meantime. There were many nets or baskets for storing multiple balls for practice, but these were far removed from fixtures that could present commercial balls in an attractive way, and it seems that display fixtures for balls in particular had been left in a state of neglect.

On the other hand, the product packaging box of Patent Document 2 is designed to be viewed from above, and the cylindrical products are moved vertically when storing or removing them. And because it is not envisaged that the cylindrical products will be removed forward, the product stopper provided on the front side is formed to a height approximately equal to the center of gravity of the cylindrical products to prevent the cylindrical products from sliding forward (so that they cannot be removed). As a result, the product packaging box of Patent Document 2 is not suitable for displaying a large number of cylindrical products in the vertical direction, and there is also the problem that cylindrical products cannot be easily removed forward from the product packaging box or replenished from the front side.

The present invention focuses on these points and aims to solve the problems of the conventional technology by providing a ball display fixture that allows balls to be replenished from the front, prevents balls from rolling when displayed, and does not change the display state even if the balls are removed, does not take up display space, and is aesthetically appealing to viewers.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is realized by the following configuration.
(1) A first aspect of the present invention is a box-shaped ball display fixture for storing a plurality of balls, capable of storing at least two balls lined up in the front-to-back direction inside, characterized in that it comprises a fixture body with an open front so that the balls can be stored and removed and viewed from the front, a floor board that forms part of the fixture body and forms a downward slope from the rear side to the front side so that when a ball placed on the front side is removed, the rear ball will automatically roll to the front position, and a stopper that is provided at the front end of the floor board and prevents the balls from falling out to an extent that does not interfere with the storage and removal of the balls and the viewing of the balls from the front side.

(2) In the configuration of (1) above, the fixture body is further provided with partition plates that divide the fixture body into multiple rows in the left-right direction.

(3) In the configuration of (1) or (2) above, the floorboards include upper and lower floorboards so that the fixture body is arranged in multiple tiers in the vertical direction.

(4) In the configuration of (3) above, the lower floor panel extends further forward than the upper floor panel.

(5) In any one of the configurations (1) to (4) above, the fixture further comprises a POP extending forward and/or laterally from at least one of the floor plate and the top plate and side plate that form part of the fixture body.

(6) In any one of the configurations (1) to (5) above, the partition plate has a front edge that is inclined in side view to make it easier to store and remove the balls and to visually check the balls.

(7) In any one of the configurations (1) to (6) above, a protrusion is further provided at a position between the ball on the front side and the ball on the rear side of the floor plate to prevent the ball from climbing over the stopper.

By using the ball display fixture of the present invention, balls can be replenished from the front, and multiple balls can be displayed in a compact, neat and tidy manner. Even after a ball is removed for sale, the ball at the back automatically moves to the front, maintaining the original display state without any hassle, making it easier to attract the attention of visitors.

1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of an exhibition ball fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a cross-sectional view of the exhibition ball fixture shown in FIG. 1 cut at the center in the left-right direction. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing another mode of use of the exhibition ball fixture shown in FIG. 1. This is an exploded view of the ball display fixture. 1 is a perspective view showing the assembly procedure (step 1) of an exhibition ball fixture. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the assembly procedure (step 2) of the exhibition ball fixture. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the assembly procedure (step 3) of the exhibition ball fixture. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the assembly procedure (step 4) of the exhibition ball fixture. FIG. This is an oblique view showing the assembly procedure (step 5) of the exhibition ball fixture. This is an oblique view showing the assembly procedure (step 6) of the exhibition ball fixture. This is an oblique view showing the assembly procedure (step 7) of the exhibition ball fixture. This is an oblique view showing the assembly procedure (step 8) of the exhibition ball fixture. This is an oblique view showing the assembly procedure (step 9) of the exhibition ball fixture. This is an oblique view showing the assembly procedure (step 10) of the exhibition ball fixture. This is an oblique view showing the assembly procedure (step 11) of the exhibition ball fixture. This is an oblique view showing the assembly procedure (step 12) of the exhibition ball fixture. This is a six-view diagram of an exhibition ball fixture with one tier and two rows. This is a six-view diagram of a two-tiered, two-row display ball fixture. This is a six-view diagram of an exhibition ball fixture with one tier and three rows. This is a six-view diagram of an exhibition ball fixture with two rows and three columns. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing balls stored in a display ball fixture with one tier and two rows. This is a perspective view showing balls stored in an exhibition ball display rack with two tiers and two rows. This is a perspective view showing balls stored in an exhibition ball display rack with one tier and three rows. This is a perspective view showing balls stored in an exhibition ball display rack with two tiers and three rows. A cross-sectional view of a single-tiered display ball fixture. FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view showing an example in which a protrusion is provided in the structure shown in FIG. 25 .

The ball display fixture 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an overview of the ball display fixture 1 according to this embodiment (hereinafter, simply referred to as the "furniture"), with the X axis representing the front-rear direction, the Y axis representing the left-right or lateral direction, and the Z axis representing the up-down direction in the illustrated coordinate axes. The X direction is forward, the Y direction is rightward, and the Z direction is upward. In the drawing, the fixture 1 is composed of a top plate 11, a pair of left and right side plates 12, a back plate 13, a floor plate 14 (14a, 14b), two partition plates 15 (15a, 15b), and stoppers 16 (16a, 16b).

In the example shown, the areas for storing balls are arranged in three rows from left to right and two tiers from top to bottom, and each internal storage area can store at least two balls in the front and back, for a total of 12 balls. However, this number is merely an example, and the number of rows from left to right, the number of tiers from top to bottom, and the number of balls in the front and back can be selected as desired depending on the allowable space for display and the types of balls. Display fixture 1 is box-shaped as shown in the figure, with at least the front open, so that when balls are stored and displayed, the six balls located in each row and tier on the front side can be seen.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the fixture 1 shown in Figure 1 when it is cut along the X-axis at the center in the left-right direction. The broken lines indicate balls B (B1 to B4) stored in the fixture 1. In the fixture 1, two balls are stored in the lower tier, ball B1 on the front side and ball B2 on the rear side, and two balls are stored in the upper tier, balls B3 and B4. In the example of the fixture 1, such ball storage areas are arranged in three rows in a direction perpendicular to the drawing, so a total of 12 balls B can be stored. Note that the front of the fixture 1 on the left side of the figure is open for displaying and taking out balls B as mentioned above, and the rear on the right side of the figure is closed by a back panel 13. However, if there are no strength issues, the back panel 13 can be eliminated.

In the figure, each ball B is placed on two floor plates 14 (14a, 14b), and each floor plate 14 has a downward slope from the rear side to the front side. As a result, each ball B is constantly subjected to a force of rolling forward due to the action of gravity. On the other hand, stoppers 16 (16a, 16b) protruding upward are provided at the front ends of both floor plates 14 (14a, 14b), which prevent each ball B from falling off the fixture 1 even if both floor plates 14 are inclined. In this embodiment, the stoppers 16 are provided across the entire width of the fixture 1 in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. 1, but other measures may be taken as long as they can prevent the ball B from falling, such as a short protrusion embedded in the front end of the floor plate 14. It is preferable that the height of the stoppers 16 be in a range that does not interfere with the storage and removal of the balls and the viewing of the balls B from the front side.

In this embodiment, the fixture 1 is assumed to be for soccer balls weighing 410-450g each, and therefore the fixture 1 is made of cardboard so that a total of 12 balls can support a total load of approximately 5kg. Specifically, the plates on each side described above are formed into the desired structure by bending, gluing, fitting, etc., cardboard blanks cut out with a press. Each plate is basically folded twice to ensure the necessary strength, but this is just one example, and other materials such as cardboard, plastic, wood, and light metal may be used depending on the size, weight, and number of balls B to be stored, the desired usage, etc.

In FIG. 2, the slope of the floorboard 14 according to this embodiment is formed by doubling the cardboard boards in the lower floorboard 14a (the upper floorboard 14a1, which is a raised bottom, and the lower floorboard 14a2, which is adjacent to the storage location), and inserting and fixing a paper wedge-shaped inclination element 17 only on the rear side between them. In the upper floorboard 14b, the inclination is provided by inserting tongue-shaped parts extending left and right from both sides of the floorboard 14b into the slits of a pair of side panels 12, which have mounting slits at predetermined positions that allow for the inclination. A similar means can be applied to the lower floorboard 14a, or conversely, a means using the lower inclination element 17 can be applied to the upper floorboard 14b. Furthermore, both floorboards 14a and 14b can be fixed in a normal state without inclination, and the lower rear of the lower floorboard 14a can be raised by making the leg-shaped protrusions protrude only rearward, and the entire fixture 1 can be inclined forward. In this specification, the floor plate 14 being "inclined" includes these concepts.

Also in FIG. 2, the stopper 16 that prevents the ball B from falling out is formed by first bending the front end of the floor plate 14 upwards and then bending the tip further down to the floor plate surface to form a sloped stopper 16 in the illustrated example using cardboard. This is a simple method for cardboard, but it is not limited to this, and other means may be used taking into account the conditions of the materials used, etc. Also, in the illustrated example, the front end of the lower floor plate 14a is extended slightly further forward than the upper floor plate 14b, so that the front surface is inclined when viewed from the side. This is preferable because the upper floor plate 14b does not get in the way when removing the lower ball B1.

In the example of a soccer ball with a diameter of 220 mm, the fixture 1 with the structure shown in Figures 1 and 2 will have an overall width of approximately 700 mm, an overall height of approximately 480 mm, and a depth of approximately 450 mm. The slope of the floor plate 14 is set so that the rear end is 18 mm higher than the front end within this depth. However, the application of this invention is not limited to soccer balls, but can also be applied to relatively large balls B such as basketballs, handballs, and water polo balls, as well as relatively small balls B such as baseballs and tennis balls, and even table tennis balls and golf balls. Naturally, the overall dimensions of the fixture 1 will change depending on the diameter of the ball B being used.

The operation of the ball display 1 according to this embodiment when in use is simple. Two balls B are pushed into each of the three rows and two tiers of storage sections provided on the display 1 from the open front and stored. Of these, the six balls B arranged on the open front side are visible from the outside. These six balls B can be the same, or different balls B made by different manufacturers or with different designs on the ball surface can be arranged freely. The floor board 14 on which each ball B is placed is a slope that slopes forward, but the balls B will not fall out because a stopper 16 is arranged at the front end of the floor board 14. Each storage section is dimensioned to a size that just fits the ball B, and is divided by a partition board 15, so that the appearance is neat. The partition board 15 has a front edge that is inclined in side view so that the balls B can be easily stored and removed and can be easily viewed. In FIG. 2, an example is shown in which the upper end of the front edge is located forward of the lower end, but the lower end may be located forward of the upper end. The former configuration is more convenient for users when the fixture 1 is in a relatively high position, and the latter configuration is more convenient for users when the fixture 1 is in a relatively low position.

In this state, when one ball (for example, B1 in FIG. 2) is taken out of the fixture 1 as the subject of a business negotiation, the next ball (B2 in FIG. 2) that is waiting behind it rolls out and is stopped by the stopper 16, occupying the vacant front position. The inclination angle of the floor board 14 and the height of the stopper 16 are adjusted so that the rolling rear ball B2 does not overcome the stopper 16 due to its momentum. In other words, even if one ball is taken out, the display state of the six balls B arranged on the surface is automatically maintained in the original state as if there had been no change. The space left by the missing ball can be filled with a new ball B when there is space later. Refilling can be done from the rear if the back panel 13 of the fixture 1 is openable or there is no back panel 13, but it can also be done by pushing in the ball B that is in that position from the front. The same applies when returning the ball B to its original position after a business negotiation.

Figure 3 shows another aspect of the ball display fixture 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 3, the fixture 1 itself may be the same as that shown in Figures 1 and 2, and in this embodiment, a display POP 20 is attached to the fixture 1 for use. POP (Point of Purchase) 20 refers to a paper advertising medium for introducing and advertising products, and is a simple advertising means that plays the role of an eye-catcher that attracts customers' attention by writing a message on the paper or applying a colorful pattern. Here, the POP 20 is inserted so as to cover both floor boards 14a and 14b as shown by the white arrows, and the most important part of the POP 20 with an eye-catching display is arranged so that it hangs forward from the front end of the floor board 14. At this time, since a stopper 16 is provided at the tip of the floor board 14, the POP 20 itself needs to be bent to provide a protruding part so as to overcome this. By attaching POP 20 to fixture 1 in this way, fixture 1 can be used more effectively as an advertising or decorative medium, rather than simply as a fixture for tidying things up.

The above-mentioned methods and locations for attaching the POP 20 are merely examples, and other methods may be used, such as attaching it to the underside of the top plate 11 or floor plate 14 so that the decorative surface hangs forward, or attaching it to one or both of the left and right side plates 12 so that the decorative surface extends to the left and right and can be seen from the front. It is also possible, of course, to decorate the outer periphery of the fixture 1 itself.

Next, the procedure for assembling the fixture 1 will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 16. Here, the case of two rows and two columns will be described, but the procedure described here is only one example, and the order may be changed within reasonable limits, and components that are configured separately may be configured as one piece. Figure 4 is an exploded view of the components that make up the fixture 1. Here, an example is shown in which the top panel 11 and back panel 13 are configured as one piece, while the lower floor panel 14a is configured as an upper floor panel 14a1 and a lower floor panel 14a2 that are separate.

First, in step 1, the top plate 11 and the side plates 12 are attached together to create the upper part of the fixture body 10. Specifically, as shown in Figure 5(a), the side plates 12 are folded in the middle and aligned with the marks on the top plate 11 (shown by dashed lines in the figure), and one part of each side plate 12 is attached to the top plate 11 by peeling off the release paper from the double-sided tape (marked with an asterisk in the figure). The bottom part of the top plate 11 is then folded as shown by the arrow in Figure 5(b) to complete the upper part of the fixture body 10 as shown in Figure 5(c).

Next, in step 2, the inclined element 17 and the floorboard 14a1 are attached together to create the bottom of the fixture body 10. Specifically, as shown in Figure 6(a), the release paper is peeled off from one location of the double-sided tape (marked with a star in the figure) on the floorboard 14a1, and roughly half of the inclined element 17 is overlapped and attached to the floorboard 14a1, aligning it with the markings (shown by a dashed line in the figure). Then, the inclined element 17 is folded toward the floorboard 14a1 as indicated by the arrow in Figure 6(b), completing the bottom of the fixture body 10 as shown in Figure 6(c).

Next, in step 3, the top and bottom of the fixture body 10 and the lower floor panel 14a2 are attached together to create the fixture body 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7(a), the side panel 12 at the top of the fixture body 10 is aligned with the floor panel 14a2 (shown by a dashed line in the figure), and one point of each side panel 12 is peeled off and attached by removing the release paper from the double-sided tape (marked with a star in the figure). Then, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 7(b), the inclined element 17 is positioned on the bottom, and the bottom of the fixture body 10 is placed over the floor panel 14a2, and one point is peeled off and attached by removing the release paper from the double-sided tape (marked with a star in the figure), completing the fixture body 10 shown in FIG. 7(c).

Next, in step 4, as shown in Figure 8, the inclined element 17 is raised so that the floor plate 14a1 is raised relative to the floor plate 14a2. The two flaps (marked with * in the figure) of the floor plate 14a1 are inserted into the two corresponding slits of the inclined element 17 and closed.

Next, in step 5, the upper floor panel 14b is prepared. Specifically, as shown in Figure 9(a), the floor panel 14b is folded roughly in the center (arrow (l)) and the release paper of the double-sided tape (indicated by ★ in the figure) is peeled off at one point and the panel is attached. Then, as shown in Figure 9(b), the end is folded inward (arrow (m)) to form a stopper 16 (see Figure 1-3), and the floor panel 14b shown in Figure 9(c) is created.

Next, in step 6, as shown in Figure 10, prepare the partition board 15. Specifically, fold the upper partition board 15b with the double-sided tape facing inward, insert the upper flap into the slit in the tabletop 11 from below, peel off the release paper from the double-sided tape on the ears, and attach it to the tabletop 11 (see the enlarged view in the figure). Similarly, fold the lower partition board 15a with the double-sided tape facing inward, insert the upper flap into the slit in the floorboard 14b from below, peel off the release paper from the double-sided tape on the ears, and attach it to the floorboard 14b (see the enlarged view in the figure).

Next, in step 7, as shown in Figure 11, the flaps of floorboard 14b are inserted into the slits of the left and right side panels 12 at four points (marked with * in the figure). Then, the lower flap of upper partition board 15b is inserted from above into the slit of floorboard 14b, the release paper of the double-sided tape on the ears is peeled off and affixed to floorboard 14b (see the enlarged view in the figure). Similarly, the lower flap of lower partition board 15a is inserted from above into the slit of floorboard 14a1, the release paper of the double-sided tape on the ears is peeled off and affixed to floorboard 14a1 (see the enlarged view in the figure).

Next, in step 8, as shown in Figure 12, the tip of the lower floor plate 14a (14a1) is folded and folded as shown by the arrow in the figure, forming the stopper 16a. At this time, the end of the stopper 16a is attached to the part of the floor plate 14a1 that is located inside the side plate 12 (the hatched area marked with a ● in the figure).

Next, in step 9, as shown in FIG. 13, the release paper is peeled off from the double-sided tape on the left and right flaps of the upper floor board 14b (see the enlarged view in the figure) and affixed to the side board 12. Note that FIG. 13 shows the stopper 16b of the floor board 14b being provided by bending the tip of the floor board 14b upward, but it may also be bent in a rounded manner and affixed in the same way as the stopper 16a of the lower floor board 14a.

Next, in step 10, as shown in Figure 14, the flaps of the side panels 12 and the partition panel 15 on the rear side of the fixture body 10 are folded as shown by the arrows in the figure to expose the surface with the double-sided tape attached. At this time, the center of each side panel 12 and the four ends near the center of the lower partition panel 15a (marked with ● in the figure) are recessed inward.

Next, in step 11, as shown in Figure 15, peel off the release paper from the double-sided tape on the side panels 12 and the partition panel 15, then fold the back panel 13 towards the back as indicated by the arrow in the figure, and attach the back panel 13 while inserting the six flaps (marked with * in the figure) around the periphery of the back panel 13 into the corresponding slits in the side panels 12 and the partition panel 15.

Finally, if desired, in step 12, as shown in Figure 16, insert the upper POP 20b into the floor plate 14b and the lower POP 20a into the floor plate 14a1. The POPs 20a and 20b are detachably engaged at six points (marked with * in the figure).

The above describes the configuration of the fixture 1 in two rows and three columns using Figures 1 to 3, and the assembly procedure in two rows and two columns using Figures 4 to 16, but as mentioned above, the fixture 1 may be configured with other combinations of the number of rows and columns. Also, because the fixture 1 according to this embodiment is aesthetically pleasing, six-view diagrams (front view, plan view, bottom view, left side view, right side view, rear view; the same applies below) of a fixture 1 in one row and two columns are shown in Figure 17, six-view diagrams of a fixture 1 in two rows and two columns are shown in Figure 18, six-view diagrams of a display ball fixture 1 in one row and three columns are shown in Figure 19, and six-view diagrams of a display ball fixture 1 in two rows and three columns are shown in Figure 20. FIG. 21 shows a perspective view of balls stored in a one-tier, two-row display ball fixture, FIG. 22 shows a perspective view of balls stored in a two-tier, two-row display ball fixture, FIG. 23 shows a perspective view of balls stored in a one-tier, three-row display ball fixture, and FIG. 24 shows a perspective view of balls stored in a two-tier, three-row display ball fixture. FIG. 25 shows a cross-sectional view of a one-tier display ball fixture 1 (see FIG. 2 for the cross-sectional view of a two-tier fixture 1).

This embodiment can be modified in other ways within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, when the balls B stored on the same level are heavy, or when three or more balls B are stored side by side in the front-to-back direction, in addition to the stopper 16, a protrusion 18 may be provided on the floor plate 14 between balls B1 and B2, as shown in FIG. 26. This prevents the rear ball B2 from being unable to be stopped by the stopper 16 and climbing over it when the frontmost ball B1 is removed. Note that FIG. 26 shows an example of a single level, but the same applies to the two-level example shown in FIG. 2.

The ball display fixture of the present invention can be widely used in the industrial field where balls are manufactured, displayed, and sold.

1...Fixture 10...Fixture body 11...Top plate 12...Side plate 13...Back plate 14 (14a, 14b)...Floor plate 15...Partition plate 16...Stopper 17...Inclined element 18...Protrusion 20...POP
B (B1 to B4)...Ball

Claims (3)

A box-shaped ball display fixture for storing a plurality of balls,
A fixture body capable of storing at least two balls arranged in the front-to-back direction inside and having an open front so that the balls can be stored, removed, and viewed from the front side;
a floor panel that constitutes a part of the fixture body and that slopes downward from the rear side to the front side so that when the ball placed on the front side is removed, the ball on the rear side automatically rolls to the front position by the action of gravity ;
a stopper provided at the front end of the floor plate for preventing the ball from falling out within a range that does not interfere with storing and removing the ball and visually checking the ball from the front side;
A partition plate that divides the fixture body into multiple rows in the left-right direction,
the partition plate has a front edge that is inclined so that an upper end is located forward of a lower end in a side view in order to facilitate storage and removal of the balls and visual confirmation of the balls;
The floor plate on the lower stage extends further forward than the floor plate on the upper stage,
An exhibition ball fixture further comprising a protrusion provided at a position between the balls on the front side and the balls on the rear side of the floor plate to prevent the balls from climbing over the stopper . The display ball fixture of claim 1, further comprising a POP extending from at least one of the floor panel, the top panel constituting part of the fixture body, and the side panel constituting part of the fixture body . The ball display fixture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the floor plate includes the upper floor plate and the lower floor plate, so that the fixture body has multiple tiers in the vertical direction.