MXPA06014660A - Collapsible showcase - Google Patents

Abstract

A collapsible showcase which includes a lower panel;an upper panel which is joined detachably to the lower panel;a collapsible lower compartment joined to the lower panel and which projects outwards therefrom;a collapsible upper compartment joined to the lower panel and which projects outwards therefrom;wherein the lower and upper compartments fold onto the panel to which they are joined and are hinged by at least one of their side walls. The showcase also has a collapsible base joined to the lower panel and projecting in the opposite direction to the compartments in order to stabilise the showcase. The compartments can be divided into sub-compartments by means of dividers and the showcase can also include a shelf. When the showcase is folded the collapsed compartments are held between both panels in the manner of a sandwich.

Description

"FOLDING VITRINE" FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention is related to the techniques used in the manufacture and design of furniture, displays and counters used in places known as "points of sale", where products and services are offered to the public, and more particularly, is related with a folding showcase.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In many places where the public concentrates to acquire and disseminate products and services, such as exhibitions, conventions, information centers, etc., it is a necessity to use furniture, displays and showcases for the public to contact the suppliers. and know your products. In this sense, there is a wide variety of these furniture, there are wood, metal, with shelves, divisions, but generally are bulky, difficult to maneuver, and the transport of them is an arduous task since they occupy a considerable space. A solution known in the prior art for these problems has been the creation of folding furniture and displays made of cardboard, however, these have the disadvantage of presenting little structural rigidity, so that they can not be placed on the same articles of great weight, and even more, it is impossible for the supplier to recharge on the furniture. An example of a cardboard display is described in European Patent Application No. EP 0 575 275 A1, incorporated herein by reference. In addition, this type of cardboard furniture lacks an outstanding aesthetic appearance, which is a key factor to achieve a commercial impact of the product or service offered.

In this sense, there is another type of furniture widely used in points of sale, such as counters and displays, which have been designed folding versions that are very practical and compact as the exhibitors of the same author as the present invention and which are described in Mexican patents No. 212,227; 225,710 and in the international patent application. No. PCT / IB2005 / 002083. Also, in Mexican Patent No. 233,812 by the same author, a folding display module with shelves or shelves is described which is essentially divided into two halves, of which, the upper half is bent over the first to reach the folded position of the container. display module; however, the exhibit module of Mexican Patent No. 233812 lacks transparent compartments as the showcases require. Moreover, both the furniture or cardboard exhibitors and those mentioned in the preceding paragraph, are far from meeting those functions of the showcases, in which either for security purposes or to make the products more striking, these are stored in compartments Transparent access restricted. As can be expected, the showcase compartments must be made of materials such as glass, polycarbonate or transparent acrylic sheets. In addition, in the showcases, it is preferred that the compartments allow observing the products contained in them from different angles, additionally, they must have an acceptable interior space to place in them products of different kinds. Taking into account the above, it would be desirable to have a lightweight foldable showcase, in which the compartments have great interior capacity, but they need to be designed in such a way as to allow the showcase to be folded so that it occupies a small space when keep.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the foregoing, it has been sought to eliminate the drawbacks of currently known showcases by developing a folding showcase comprising a lower panel; a top panel removably attached to the lower panel, both panels form the front of the showcase. In addition, the showcase of the present invention comprises a lower folding compartment attached to the lower panel and projecting outward thereof., preferably, the lower compartment projects rearwardly of the lower panel. There is also a foldable upper compartment attached to the upper panel and projecting outwardly thereof, preferably backwards from the upper panel. The interior of both compartments is visible from different angles of the showcase. The compartments do not have a rigid structure since they can be folded or collapsed on the panel to which they are attached; for this purpose, the lower and upper folding compartment have a similar structure and each has the following parts: i) a front wall embedded in the panel where the respective compartment is attached; ii) a left side wall jointed hinged to the front wall; iii) a right side wall jointed hinged to the front wall; iv) a rear door joined articulately to one of the side walls and which is housed therein; v) a roof that joins hingedly to one of the side walls and that is housed therein; in addition, the roof is removably joined to the opposite side wall to which it is hingedly joined, this allows to give structural rigidity to the compartment in its upper part; and, vi) a bottom that joins hingedly to one of the side walls and which is housed therein, the bottom is removably attached to the opposite side wall to which it is hingedly joined to give structural rigidity to the compartment in its lower part. In the present invention, the upper compartment is located immediately above the lower compartment and both are jointed together in at least one of its side walls which allows folding the showcase. Furthermore, it is preferred that the bottom of the upper compartment is at the same time the roof of the lower compartment, that is, it is preferred that both compartments have a common wall. In addition to the upper and lower panels and the lower and upper compartments, the showcase comprises as another essential element a folding base attached to the lower panel and projecting away from the compartments to give stability to the showcase, since said base is in contact with the floor. To collapse the showcase from its upright position, the roof and bottom of each compartment are disassembled and moved to fit within the side wall to which they are hingedly joined; then, the rear door of each compartment is housed within the side wall to which it is hingedly attached; then, the left and right side walls move to be on the panel where the respective compartment is joined, the side walls are side by side to finish the folding of both compartments. Then, the upper panel is removed from the lower panel and rotated down supported on the area where the upper and lower compartment are hinged together in such a way that, at the end of this movement, both compartments that are already folded are between both panels the way of a sandwich. Finally, the base is folded to be on the lower panel achieving the collapsed position of the showcase.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lower or upper compartment includes at least one divider to form sub-compartments, which help to place smaller objects. These dividers are essentially a foldable inner shelf joined articulately to one of the side walls of the respective compartment; the shelf is housed in the wall where it is hingedly joined and removably attached to the opposite side wall, or even, the shelves can be provided in the front wall and fixed to the rear door. Additionally, in another embodiment of the invention, the showcase includes a foldable shelf attached to the upper or lower panel and which is housed therein when the cabinet is folded. The showcase preferably extends backwards from the showcase, the shelf is extremely helpful for the vendors since they can lean on it to take notes, lift orders or place computer equipment. From the foregoing, it can be mentioned that it is an object of the present invention to provide a collapsible showcase that has little weight, but that is also resistant and with a large volumetric capacity in its compartments. Another object of the present invention is to provide a collapsible showcase where the compartments can be divided into sub-compartments in a very practical and fast manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The novel aspects that are considered characteristic of the present invention, will be established with particularity in the appended claims. However, the invention itself, both for its structure and its action, together with other objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a left front perspective view of a collapsible showcase constructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the showcase being in its upright position. Figure 2 is a right rear perspective view of the collapsible showcase shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a front view of the foldable showcase of Figure 1. Figure 3A is an enlarged view of the side mounting area between the upper panel and the lower panel in the folding showcase of Figure 3. Figure 4 is a rear view of the folding showcase of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a left rear perspective view of the folding showcase of Figure 1 Figures 5A and 5B are left rear perspective views of a shelf included in the foldable showcase of Figure 5 and illustrating the sequence of movements by which such a shelf is folded. Figure 6 is a left rear perspective view of the foldable showcase of Figure 6 with its shelf already folded. Figure 7 is a right rear perspective view of the foldable showcase of Figure 6 with its doors open. Figure 8 is a right rear perspective view of the collapsible showcase of Figure 7 with the collapsible inner shelves partially raised. Figure 8A is a side view showing the sequence of movements by means of which one of the foldable inner shelves is housed in the wall to which it is attached. Figure 9 is a right rear perspective view of the foldable showcase of Figure 8 with the collapsible inner shelves already housed.

Figure 10 is a right rear perspective view of the foldable showcase of Figure 9 wherein the roof of the upper compartment and the bottom of the lower compartment are housed. Figure 10A is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A 'of Figure 9 depicting the mounting between the roof of the upper compartment and the right side wall thereof. Figure 1 1 is a right rear perspective view of the folding showcase of Figure 10 with the roof of the upper compartment and the bottom of the lower compartment already housed. Figures 12 and 13 are rear right perspective views of the foldable showcase shown in Figure 11 showing the sequence of movements by which the side walls of both compartments of the foldable showcase are folded. Figure 14 is a view of the collapsible showcase of Figure 13 with both compartments already folded. Figure 15 is a right rear perspective view of the collapsible showcase of Figure 14 showing the manner in which the top panel is removed from the bottom panel.

Figure 16 is a right rear perspective view of the foldable showcase of Figure 15 with the top panel already disassembled and folded on the bottom panel. Figure 17 is a right front perspective view showing the manner in which the base of the showcase is folded. Figure 18 shows the folding showcase of Figure 17 after having folded its base.

Figure 19 is a right rear perspective view of the foldable showcase of Figure 18 in its folded position. Figure 20 is a right side view of the showcase of Figure 19 in its folded position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to the accompanying drawings, and more specifically, to Figures 1 to 4 thereof, there is shown a folding showcase 1, which is constructed in accordance with a first preferred embodiment of the invention. present invention, this embodiment should be considered illustrative but not limiting of the invention in question. In the present detailed description, the left, right, front and rear direction of the folding showcase are those that a user would have if placed behind the showcase receiving a customer. In the folding showcase of this first preferred embodiment, it can be perceived that there is a lower panel identified with the reference number 10, which is formed by a pair of side posts 11 and a plate 12 that is adhered between both side posts 11. In the embodiment described, the plate 12 is not completely flat since it includes a perimetral fold 13 projecting backwards from the showcase, this perimetral fold 13 allows having an extended surface on the sides of the plate 12 so that it can be uniting firmly between the side posts 11, the perimeter fold 13 can be observed mainly by the rear part of the showcase 1. The lower panel 10 can also be formed by a frame of any shape and a plate attached thereto, but it would be needed of more material to form it. Similarly, there is an upper panel 20 which is removably attached on the lower panel 10. The upper panel 20 is essentially formed by a pair of side posts 21 and a plate 22 that includes a perimeter fold 23 so that the plate joins between said side posts 21. The perimeter fold 23 includes a flange 24 on the upper and rear part of the panel 20, the flange 24 serves to give a better finish to the display case in its upper part.

It is important to mention that both panels 10 and 20 are in contact by their perimeter bends 13 and 23, more specifically, the perimeter fold 23 of the upper panel 20 sits on the perimeter fold 13 of the lower panel 10 in the middle area of the showcase a In order to provide stability to the upper panel and prevent it from oscillating on the lower panel 10 (see Figure 4). To removably attach the upper panel 20 to the lower panel 10, the latter includes at the upper end of each of its side posts 11 a mounting projection 14 (see Figures 3, 3A and 4) which is inserted into one of the side posts 21 of the upper panel 20. The mounting projections 14 are represented by broken lines in Figures 3, 3A and 4, since they are hidden inside the side posts 21 of the upper panel 20. The panels lower and upper 10 and 20 form an extended and continuous surface in the front of the showcase 1 in order to be able to place or adhere graphic material as labels or posters and achieve to make the folding showcase 1 extremely striking. On the other hand, in the Figures 1 to 4, it can be seen that there is a foldable upper compartment 40 which is attached to the upper panel 20 and which projects backwards from it. Preferably, this upper compartment 40 is located in the right half of the upper panel 20 but there are no restrictions so that it can be located in the other half. The upper folding compartment 40 does not have a rigid structure since it can be folded or collapsed on the rear face of the upper panel 20. Specifically, the upper folding compartment 40 has a front wall 41 which is embedded in the upper panel 20, for this purpose, the upper panel 20 has an intermediate post 25 embedded in it so that the front wall 41 is embedded between said intermediate post 25. and the side post 21 on the right side.

The upper folding compartment 40 also has a left side wall 42 (indicated in figure 4) which is hingedly attached to the front wall 41; there is also a right side wall 43 also hingedly connected to the front wall 41; and a rear door 44 hingedly attached to the left side wall 42 can be seen by the plastic hinge 2 running up and down the upper compartment 40. The rear door 44 has a size such that it can be accommodated within the left side wall 42 as showcase 1 is folded. Now, there is no restriction so that in the present invention, the rear door 44 can also be hingedly attached to the right side wall 43 and housed therein. The upper compartment 40 also includes a roof 45 which joins hingedly to the left side wall 42 in such a way that it can be housed therein; additionally, the roof 45 is attached to the right side wall 43 but in a removable manner, this means that both parts are not permanently attached but can be disassembled to fold the upper compartment 40. In this sense, the roof 45 can also be being hingedly attached to the right side wall 43 and removably attached to the opposite side wall in the upright position of the display case 1. Finally, the upper compartment 40 has a bottom 46 which joins hingedly to the side wall right 43 and which is housed therein, the bottom 46 is removably attached to the left side wall 42 to give structural rigidity to the upper compartment 40 in its lower part and further to be able to fold it. The bottom 46 can also be hingedly connected to the left side wall 42 and removably attached to the opposite side wall in the upright position of the showcase 1.

In the present invention, the upper compartment can be divided into sub-compartments, for this purpose dividers are provided such as the foldable inner shelf 48 which is hingedly attached to the right side wall 43 and which is housed therein. In the upright position of the showcase, the foldable inner shelf 48 is removably attached to the opposite side wall. There is also no restriction for the inner shelf 48 to be attached to the left side wall 42 or even to be attached to the front wall 41. The top compartment 40 has a height less than the height of the top panel 20, but there is no restriction for can have the same size, as well as there is no limitation to include more than one foldable inner shelf and form a plurality of sub-compartments, preferably a foldable inner shelf 48 is used and two sub-compartments are formed to divide in half the upper compartment 40. In the upper compartment 40, the front wall 41, the rear door 44 and the side walls 42 and 43 are transparent so that users passing around the folding showcase 1 can see into the interior of the upper compartment 40. However, it is sufficient that at least one of said walls is transparent to show the interior of the compartment. Each of the walls 41 to 43 and the door 44 are essentially formed by a frame that is identified respectively with the references 41a, 42a, 43a and 44a, in turn each of these frames 4 a-44a includes a perimeter slot where a sheet of transparent material, preferably acrylic, is inserted. At this point, other transparent polymeric materials such as polycarbonate can also be used. Once having described the upper compartment 40, the conformation of the lower compartment 30 can be quickly understood, since its structure is extremely similar to said upper compartment 40. Specifically, the lower compartment 30 has a front wall 31 that is recessed in the lower panel 10 between an intermediate post 15 which is embedded in said panel 10 and the lateral post 11 on the right side of the lower panel 10. The lower folding compartment 30 has the same height as the lower panel 10. The lower folding compartment 30 further includes a left side wall 32 hingedly attached to the front wall 31; there is also a right side wall 33 jointed hinged to the front wall 31 and a rear door 34 which closes the lower compartment 30, the door 34 is hingedly joined to the left side wall 32 by the plastic hinge 3 running from above to below the lower compartment 30. The rear door 34 has a size such that it is accommodated within the left side wall 32 in the collapsed position of the display case 1. There is no restriction so that, under the present invention, the rear door 34 can also be attached to the right side wall 33 and to stay inside it. The lower compartment 30 has a bottom 36 which joins hingedly to the left side wall 32 and which is housed therein, the bottom 36 is removably attached to the right side wall 33 to give structural rigidity to the compartment in the upright position of the showcase 1 but also allows the lower compartment 30 to be folded down. The bottom 36 can also be hingedly connected to the right side wall 33 and be removably attached to the opposite side wall. In the embodiment described, the bottom 46 of the upper compartment 40 is at the same time the roof of the lower compartment 30, ie the compartments have a common wall. In addition, the upper compartment 40 is located immediately above the lower compartment 30 and both are hingedly connected by a pair of plastic hinges 4 and 5, specifically the side walls 32, 42 on the left side are joined by the hinge 4, and the side walls 33 and 43 on the right side are joined by the hinge 5. You are hinges 4 and 5 are of utmost importance for the folding showcase since on them it is possible to rotate the top panel 20 on the bottom panel 10 to reach to the collapsed position of the showcase 1 as will be seen a little later in the present description. The lower compartment is transparent in at least one of its side walls, either its front wall or its rear door, it can also be transparent over most of its height, preferably in the upper two thirds so that customers pass around the folding showcase 1 can see into the interior of the lower compartment 30, the lower third of the lower compartment 30 is not transparent, since it would be uncomfortable for customers to bend down to look to the lower part of the showcase 1. For this purpose, the front wall 31, the side walls 32 and 33, as well as the rear door 34 are essentially formed by a frame which is identified with the references 31a, 32a, 33a and 34a respectively, each of these frames 31a- 34a includes a perimeter groove where a sheet of a transparent material such as acrylic is inserted, and in particular, the side walls 32 and 33, as well as As the rear door 34, they include under these transparent sheets an additional non-transparent sheet, for example a PVC sheet which is inserted in the respective frame and which is identified with the references 32b, 33b and 34b for the corresponding wall. The front wall 31 does not include a non-transparent sheet since it has a lower height than the side walls 32 and 33 and the rear door 34. The lower compartment 30 can be divided into sub-compartments, for this purpose dividers such as foldable inner shelves 38 which are hingedly connected to the right side wall 33 and are housed therein. In the upright position of the showcase 1, each foldable inner shelf 38 is detachably joined to the opposite side wall to which it is hingedly attached. There is also no restriction for each foldable inner shelf 38 to be attached to the left side wall 32, or even for it to be attached to the front wall 31 and to be housed therein. In the modality that is described, a pair of collapsible inner shelves 38 are included to form three sub-compartments, of which, the lower sub-compartment is not transparent due precisely to the PVC sheets 32b, 33b and 34b. The compartments 30 and 40 include lock means for closing their doors 34 and 44 in their respective frame 34a and 44a and restricting access to the respective compartment, in the manner described, these means are provided in the form of the bolts 6. Other means such as padlocks or pins may also be used to restrict access to the interior of the compartments 30 and 40. In addition to the main elements of the showcase 1 which are the lower and upper panels 10 and 20 and the lower and upper folding compartments 30 and 40, the showcase 1 additionally comprises a folding base 50 joined to the lower panel and projecting in the opposite direction to the compartments 30 and 40, this base serves to give stability to the showcase 1 since it is in contact with the floor . The conformation of the foldable base 50 will be explained a little later. Reference is now made to Figures 5, 5A, 5B and 6 in order to describe an optional element of the showcase of the present invention and which is incorporated in the embodiment described, this optional element is the foldable shelf 60. In Figures 5 to 6, as well as in the subsequent figures, only those elements are identified that make it possible to understand the joining and decoupling of both the essential and optional elements of the folding showcase 1. The shelf 60 is mounted on the rear face of the bottom panel 10 and extends rearward thereof contiguously to the left side wall 32 of the housing 30. Under the present invention, there is no impediment for the shelf 60 to be mounted on the top panel 20 or even to be mounted additional shelves, with the condition that they are also collapsible. The ledge 60 is extremely helpful for salespeople since it can take notes or take orders made by customers, or place a laptop. The shelf 60 is formed by a cover 61 hingedly attached to the lower panel 10 in such a way that it can be housed therein. To support this cover 61, the shelf includes a pair of side flaps 62 and 63 in contact with the underside of the cover 61, both side flaps 62 and 63 are also hingedly joined to the bottom panel and can be housed therein. panel 10 below the cover 61, and finally, the shelf 60 has a lower flap 64 jointed hinged to the lower face of the cover 61, the lower flap 64 has on its sides a pair of ears 65 that are respectively inserted into grooves Cooperators 67 provided in the side flaps 62 and 63, the lower flap 64 increases the stability and rigidity of the shelf 60. The cover 61, the side flaps 62 and 63, as well as the bottom flap 64 have holes 66 through which the fingers can be inserted in order to pull each of these parts either to fold or erect shelf 60 or also to introduce cables for some electronic equipment that is placed on top of shelf 60. In order of folding the shelf 60, the ears 65 are removed from the cooperating grooves 67 of the side flaps 62 and 63, then the bottom flap 64 moves up to lodge within the cover 61 (see Figure 5A), then each side flap 62 and 63 moves one in the direction of the other to lodge within the lower panel 10 remaining one on top of the other; finally and as shown in Figure 5B, the cover 61 with the lower flap housed in its lower part moves down to be housed inside the lower panel 10 and pressing the side flaps 62 and 63 to reach the position shown in Figure 6, that is, with the shelf 60 folded. Reference is now made to Figures 7, 8, 8A and 9, in order to explain the manner in which the bottom 46 and the foldable inner shelf 48 of the upper compartment 40, as well as the collapsible inner shelves 38 of the lower compartment 30 are folded As mentioned, in the present invention, the collapsible inner shelves 38 and 48 are optional, but are illustrated in the embodiment described to appreciate the versatility of the showcase that has been invented. In Figures 7 to 9, the collapsible showcase is shown with its doors 34 and 44 open to show the interior of both compartments 30 and 40. First, it is important to remember that, in the upper compartment 40, both the bottom 46 and the foldable inner shelf 48 is hingedly connected to the right side wall 43, likewise, in the lower compartment 30, the foldable inner shelves 38 are joined in an articulated manner to the corresponding right side wall 33. For said articulated joint the bottom 46 as well as the foldable inner shelves 38 and 48 each include a pair of axes 49, provided at the front and rear corner of its right side, the axles allow the bottom 46 and the foldable inner shelves 38 and 48 move from top to bottom either to mount or stay. Each shaft 49 in turn is fixed to either the frame 33a or 43a of the right side wall 33 or 43 of the lower or upper compartment. When the showcase is upright, the bottom 46 and the foldable inner shelves 38 and 48 are detachably attached to the left side wall 32 and 42 of the respective compartment by means of first fixing means, which in the embodiment described, are the pin bases 80 which are attached within the frame 42a of the left side wall 42 of the upper compartment 40, and the same technical feature is provided for the collapsible inner shelves 38 of the lower compartment 30, only with the difference that said pin bases 80 are mounted on the frame 32a of the left side wall 32 of the lower compartment 30. In particular, two bases are provided with pin 80 for the bottom 46 and for each foldable inner shelf 38 or 48, each of the bases with pin 80 is inserted in the corners of the left side of the bottom 46 and the same happens for the foldable inner shelves 38 and 48. to house the bottom 46 and the collapsible inner shelves 38 and 48 on the side wall to which they are hingedly joined, they are disassembled from the pin bases 80 and move upwards supported on their axes 49. This movement is represented in particular for the foldable inner shelf 48 in Figure 8A, but it should be understood that the same is done for the bottom 46 of the upper compartment 40 and the foldable inner shelves 38 of the lower compartment 30. In the present invention, each foldable indoor shelf it is housed vertically to the side wall to which it is attached and fixed in said position by means of first fixing means, which in the embodiment described are the co-operating portions of the sailboat 81, which can be clearly seen in FIG. Figure 8A, said portions are adhered to the upper face of the foldable inner shelf 48 and to the inner side of the right side wall 43 where it is attached. the foldable inner shelf 48 joins hingedly, these portions of sailboat 81 or similar means avoid having loose elements that interfere as the showcase is folded or erect. These same sailboat portions 81 are provided for the bottom 46 of the upper compartment 40 and the foldable inner shelves 38 of the lower compartment 30 and have the same function. Sailboat portions 81 can also be provided on the underside of each folding inner shelf 38 or 48. Now, reference is made to Figures 10 and 11 to explain the manner in which the roof 45 is housed within the left side wall 42 of the upper compartment 40 and also to explain the manner in which the bottom 36 is housed in the side wall left 32 of the lower compartment 30. First of all, it should be remembered that, in the upright position of the showcase 1, the roof 45 is removably attached to the right side wall 43, for this purpose the roof 45 includes a portion coupling 82, which is essentially a plastic profile with a slot 83 into which the frame 43a of the right side wall 43 is inserted (see Figure 10A). To disconnect the roof 45 from the right side wall 43, simply the frame 43a is removed from the groove 83 whereby the roof 45 is free and can be moved downwards by the shafts 84 which allows it to be jointed to the left side wall 42. These axes 84 are the same as the axes 49 described above. On the other hand, the bottom 36 of the lower compartment 30 is hingedly connected to the left side wall 32 by means of a pair of axes 85 which can be mentioned to be identical to the axes 49 and 84 that were described above. Also, the bottom 36 is removably attached to the right side wall 33 by means of pin bases such as those of Figures 7 to 9 and which were identified with the reference numeral 80. The bottom 36 is disassembled from its bases with pin to the base. lift it and lodge inside the left side wall 32 of the lower compartment 30. To keep it fixedly accommodated, co-operating portions of the sailboat are provided, such as those previously shown in Figure 8A. In Figure 11, the manner in which the roof 45 is housed in the left side wall 42 is appreciated and it is also seen that the bottom 46 is housed in the right side wall 43. Likewise, the bottom 36 of the lower compartment 30 is housed in the left side wall 32 thereof. If the lower compartment 30 had a roof of its own, it would also be housed in one of its side walls.

In Figures 10 and 11 are seen the rear doors 34 and 44 open which will be housed inside the side wall to which they are attached, to explain this movement is referred to Figures 12 and 13, where , the door 34 of the lower compartment 30 moves on the hinge 3 and is housed in the side wall of the left side 32, similarly the door 44 of the upper compartment 40 moves on the hinge 2 and is inserted in the left side wall 42. Likewise, Figures 12 and 13 allow to appreciate that as the rear door 34 is housed in the left side wall 32, the latter moves on the hinge 7 in the direction of the lower panel 10, at the end of this movement, the side wall left 32 is on panel 10 where the lower compartment is provided, more particularly, on the left rear half thereof. It is convenient to indicate that the hinge 7 hingedly joins said left side wall 32 with the front wall of the lower compartment 30. The hinge 7 allows having a large range of movement for said left side wall 32. This same movement is repeated in the upper compartment 40 , that is, as the rear door 44 is housed in the left side wall 42, the latter moves on the hinge 8 and in the direction of the upper panel 20 remaining in the left rear half thereof. The hinge 8 hingedly joins the left side wall 42 of the upper compartment with the front wall 41. Now, joint reference is made to Figures 13 and 14 with the purpose of mentioning the manner in which the right walls 33 and 43 of both compartments are folded, for this purpose the right side wall 33 simply moves on the hinge 9 in the direction of the lower panel 10 being on the right rear half, behind the front wall of the lower compartment and on one side of the left side wall 32 previously housed and which already houses the door 34, it should be mentioned that the hinge 9 hingedly joins the right side wall 33 with the front wall in the lower housing. In the same way, the right wall 43 of the upper compartment moves on the hinge 16 in the direction of the upper front panel 20 remaining on it, in the right rear half and behind the front wall 41, of course, the right side wall 43 it is on one side of the left side wall 42 previously housed and which in turn already houses the door 44; with this movement the folding of both compartments is completed so that the display case has an essentially flat shape like the one shown in Figure 14.

In order to further describe the manner in which the showcase 1 is being folded, reference is made to Figures 15 and 16, in the first of them, the upper panel 20 is removed from the lower panel 10 and rotated downwards resting on the area of union where the upper compartment is hingedly connected to the lower compartment, ie on the hinges 4 and 5 that can be seen in Figure 16 in such a way that at the end of this movement both already folded compartments are between both panels. In this regard, it should be remembered that the hinge 4 joins the left side wall 42 of the upper panel in an articulated manner with its counterpart wall 32 of the lower panel. Likewise, the hinge 5 articulated joins the right side wall 43 of the upper compartment with the right side wall 43 of the upper compartment. When both compartments are upright, hinges 4 and 5 are perpendicular to the showcase (see Figure 4), but when both compartments are folded, said hinges 4 and 5 are parallel to it and are aligned one next to the other, due to this arrangement, the upper panel 20 when being disassembled can be easily rotated in the direction of the lower panel 10 leaving the compartments folded between both panels in the manner of a sandwich, as seen in Figure 16, in which of both folded compartments, only the left side walls 32 and 42 as well as the right side walls 33 and 43 can be appreciated.

Figure 16 shows the mounting portions 14 that are provided at the upper end of each of the side posts 11 of the lower panel 10 and that are inserted into the side posts 21 of the upper panel 20 when the latter is located. mounted on the lower panel 10, it is also possible to observe the fold 13 of the lower panel 10 and the perimetral fold 23 of the upper panel 20, as explained, in the upright position of the showcase, the perimeter fold 23 of the upper panel 20 sits on the perimeter fold 13 of the lower panel. Finally, Figure 16 shows the front wall 41 which, as mentioned, is embedded in the upper panel. Reference is now made to Figures 17 and 18, to describe the manner in which the collapsible base 50 is shaped and the manner in which it is folded. As mentioned, the base 50 serves to give stability to the showcase 1, and in the embodiment described is formed by a plate 51 that joins hingedly to the front face of the lower panel 10 by axes 59. When the base 50 is erect, the plate runs from its point of attachment to the lower panel 10 to the floor, the base also includes a pair of lower fins 52 and 53 hingedly joined to the lower panel 10 and near its side posts 11 The lower fins 52 and 53 project outwardly from said lower panel 10 and have the shape of a right triangle, where their longer side is in contact with the underside of the plate 51 and its base is in contact with floor; both lower fins 52 and 53 include an ear 54 which is inserted into cooperating grooves 58 provided in the plate 51. The lower fins 52 and 53 and the plate 51 are held together by co-operating portions of sailboat 55 which are provided in both the fins 52 and 53 as well as the underside of the plate 51. To fold the base 50, the sailboat portions 55 are disengaged and the lugs 54 are removed from the slot 58, then the plate is turned upward to remain in contact with the lower panel 10, furthermore it is held fixed thereto by co-operating portions of sailboat® 56 which are preferably provided on the side posts 11 of the lower panel 10 and on the lower plate 51. Subsequently, the fins 52 and 53 they are rotated one in the direction of the other to remain on and in contact with the lower panel 10, said fins also include cooperating portions of sailboat 57 to keep them fixed on the lower panel with which finally you are FIG. 19 and 20 are respectively a rear view of the case 1 in its folded position which is essentially flat, since the base 50 is folded together with the lower panel 10, and the compartments are folded between both upper and lower panels. The case 1 when folded in this way can be inserted inside a case to protect it and transport it from one place to another. The folding showcase of the present invention, in any of its modalities, is extremely resistant and is preferably manufactured with polymeric materials such as PVC, acrylic or polycarbonate. More specifically, the posts of the panels are made with hollow extruded PVC profiles. The panels, the foldable inner shelves and the upper and lower walls of the compartments are made of foamed PVC plates, while the transparent portions of the walls are formed by acrylic sheets. Hinges 2 through 9 and 16 are plastic hinges that adhere to the corresponding parts of the showcase without having to perform any type of drilling as would be necessary when using metal hinges, however, there is no restriction on which they can be used. or another type of hinges. The metallic parts are scarce except for the bolts 6. As a very specific modality, and without this representing a limitation for the present invention, it can be mentioned that the interior volume of the upper compartment is approximately 0.056 m3 while the lower volume is 0.084 m3, The showcase has a height of 172 cm., a length of 62 cm and a width including when the base and the compartments are upright of 58 cm. While the folded position of the showcase, the height of the shelf is reduced to half that is 86 cm., The length of 62 cm. it is conserved, while its width, which is the most important, is only about 11 cm., which allows the showcase to be transported and stored if it occupies a lot of space. As it has been observed, the structural relationship between the elements of the folding showcase allows to have a large volume, and thanks to the internal shelves allows to have a great versatility to organize the compartments, but also this structural relationship allows folding the showcase in a very compact, however, when it is upright is very resistant and stable, so it can be used in a myriad of applications, being its main use in sites known as points of sale. Even though a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described and exemplified, it should be emphasized that numerous modifications to it are possible, such as the type of hinges used, the location of the compartments, the number of internal shelves, etc. . Therefore, the present invention should not be considered as restricted except by what is required by the prior art and by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (21)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION CLAIMS 1.- A folding showcase, characterized in that it comprises: a) a lower panel; b) a top panel that is removably attached on the bottom panel; c) a lower folding compartment attached to the lower panel and projecting outward therefrom; d) a top folding compartment attached to the upper panel and projecting outwardly therefrom; wherein the lower and upper compartment have a front wall embedded in the panel where the respective compartment is attached; a left side wall jointed hinged to the front wall; a right side wall jointed hinged to the front wall; a rear door joined articulately to one of the side walls and which is housed therein; a roof that joins hingedly to one of the side walls and that lodges inside it; the roof being removably attached to the opposite side wall to which it is jointed; and, a bottom that joins hingedly to one of the side walls and that is housed therein; the bottom being removably attached to the opposite side wall to which it is jointed; wherein, the upper compartment is located immediately above the lower compartment and both are hingedly joined in at least one of its side walls; and, e) a foldable base attached to the lower panel and projecting in the opposite direction to the compartments to give stability to the showcase; wherein, in order to collapse the showcase from an upright position, the roof and the bottom of each compartment are disassembled and moved to lodge within the side wall to which they are jointed; then, the rear door of each compartment is housed inside the side wall to which it is attached; then, the left and right side walls move to be next to the panel where the respective compartment is joined, the side walls being side by side to finish the folding of both compartments; then, the upper panel is disassembled from the lower panel and rotated downwards resting on the joining area where both compartments are jointed together in such a way that at the end of this movement both folded compartments are between both panels; finally, the base is folded to be stored contiguously on the lower panel thus achieving the folded position of the showcase.
2. 2. - A folding showcase, according to claim 1, further characterized in that the lower or upper compartment includes at least one divider to form sub-compartments.
3. 3. - A folding showcase, according to claim 2, further characterized in that said divider is a foldable inner shelf jointed hinged to one of the side walls of the respective compartment; the inner shelf being housed in the side wall where it is hingedly attached and removably attached to the opposite side wall in the upright position of the cabinet.
4. 4. - A folding showcase according to claim 3, further characterized in that the foldable inner shelf is housed in vertical position to the side wall to which it is attached and fixed in said position by means of first fixing means.
5. 5. - A folding showcase according to claim 4, further characterized in that said first fixing means are co-operating portions of sailboat® adhered to the upper or lower face of the foldable inner shelf and to the inner side of the side wall where it is attached articulately said plate.
6. 6. - A folding showcase according to claim 2, further characterized in that a foldable inner shelf is provided in the upper lower compartment to form two sub-compartments.
7. 7. - A folding showcase according to claim 2, further characterized in that two collapsible inner shelves are provided in the lower compartment to form three sub-compartments.
8. 8. - A folding showcase, according to claim 1, further characterized in that the bottom of the upper compartment is at the same time the roof of the upper compartment whereby both compartments share a common wall.
9. 9. - A folding showcase, according to claim 1, further characterized in that the upper or lower compartment extend rearwardly of the panel to which they are attached.
10. 10. - A folding showcase, according to claim 1, further characterized in that the lower panel and the front panel each comprise a plate that includes a perimeter fold which projects backwards from the showcase; and, a pair of side posts between which the plate is joined by said perimeter fold, wherein at the upper end of each side post of the lower panel a mounting projection is provided which is inserted into a side post of the top panel .
11. 11. - A folding showcase, in accordance with claim 10, further characterized in that the perimeter fold of the upper panel sits on the perimeter fold of the lower panel in the middle of the display case in order to provide stability to the upper panel and prevent it from oscillating on the panel lower.
12. 12. - A folding showcase according to claim 1, further characterized in that the rear door of the upper or lower compartment includes lock means for closing the door and restricting access to the respective compartment.
13. 13. - A folding showcase according to claim 12, further characterized in that said lock means are locks, bolts or pins.
14. 14. - A folding showcase according to claim 1, further characterized in that, in each compartment, at least one of its side walls, its front wall or rear door is transparent.
15. 15. - A folding showcase according to claim 1, further characterized in that it comprises adlcionalmente a foldable shelf attached to the upper or lower panel and that is housed therein when the showcase is folded.
16. 16. - A folding showcase according to claim 15, further characterized in that said foldable shelf comprises: a cover hingedly attached to the lower panel in such a way that it can be housed therein; a pair of side flaps in contact with the underside of the cover in the upright position of the shelf, both side flaps being hingedly attached to the bottom panel and can be housed one above the other on said panel and below the cover; and, a lower fin hingedly attached to the lower face of the cover; the lower flap having on its sides a pair of ears that are inserted into cooperating grooves provided in the lateral fins.
17. 17. - A folding showcase according to claim 1, further characterized in that both compartments are joined in an articulated manner by a pair of. hinges, one of which joins the walls of the right side of both compartments and the other joins the walls of the left side, both hinges being perpendicular to the showcase when it is upright and being aligned one next to the other parallel to the showcase when it is folded.
18. 18. - A folding showcase according to claim 1, further characterized in that said base comprises: a plate that joins articulated to the front face of the lower panel; and that in the upright position of the showcase it runs in an inclined manner from its point of attachment to the lower panel to the floor; a pair of lower fins hingedly joined to the lower panel; the lower fins project outwardly from said lower panel and have the shape of a right triangle, where their longer side is in contact with the underside of the plate and its base is in contact with the floor; both fins including an ear that is inserted into a cooperating groove provided in the plate; wherein in order to fold the base, the plate is turned upwards so as to be in contact with the lower panel and the wings are rotated one in the direction of the other to remain on and in contact with the lower panel.
19. 19. - A folding showcase according to claim 1, further characterized in that, in the upright position of the showcase, said lower flaps and the plate are fixed to each other.
20. 20. - A folding showcase according to claim 1, further characterized in that, in the folded position of the showcase, the plate is fixed to the lower panel.
21. 21. - A folding showcase according to claim 1, further characterized in that, in the folded position of the showcase, the fins are fixed to the lower panel.