NZ233394A - Sockets made from cut and scored sheet material for interconnecting similarly formed posts to form a framework - Google Patents

Description

No.: 233394 Date: 20 April 1990 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT, 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION T: / - 9 AUG 1994 "Improvements in or Relating to Article Support Frames and/or Frame Members Therefor" We, MAIN McCORMICK LIMITED, a company incorporated under the laws of New Zealand of 12 Lovegrove Crescent, Otara, Auckland, New Zealand, hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - This invention relates to article support frames and/or frame members therefor and has been devised particularly though not solely for use in supporting articles for display.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an article support frame and/or frame members therefor which will at least provide the public with a useful choice.

Accordingly in one aspect the invention may broadly be said consists in an article support frame member comprising a blank of cardboard, pasteboard or the like material cut, scored, folded and having parts attached to other parts to provide a plurality of post receiving apparatus for association with a plurality of posts also made from cardboard, pasteboard or the like material cut, scored folded and having parts thereof secured to other parts so that a frame can be erected from an assembly of a plurality of said frame members and of said posts.

In a further aspect the invention consists in a frame comprising a plurality of frame members constructed as aforesaid and a plurality of posts interconnecting said frame members.

To those skilled in the art to which the invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. The disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

The invention consists in the foregoing and also envisages constructions of which the following gives examples only.

One preferred form of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which; Figures 1 to 9 are perspective sketches of article support frame members in the form of interconnectors; Figure 10 is a perspective sketch of a post for use with the interconnectors of Figures 1 to 8 and; Figures la to 10a are drawings of blanks of cardboard, pasteboard or similar material from which blanks the members shown in Figures 1 to 9 and the post of Figure 10 are constructed.

Referring to the drawings pieces of cardboard, paste board but preferably double faced corrugated board cut and scored according to Figures la to 9a are arranged to dimensions profiles and scorings to provide the members shown in Figures 1 to 9, the figures having the same numeral corresponding with the figures relating to the blanks having the suffix A added thereto. Thus to provide the two way 135 * frame member of Figure 1, the blank 1 of Figure 1A has a first side panel 2 connected by a crease line 3 to a base 4 and the base 4 is connected by a further fold line 5 to a further side panel 6, the side panel 6 being connected by a crease line 7 to a cross panel 8 having a glue panel 9 and the side panel 6 being connected by a further fold line 10 to cross panel 11 having a glue panel 12. At the ends of the base 4 are two spacing panels 13 and 14, the spacing panel 13 having side panels 15 and 16, and the spacing panel 14 having side panels 17 and 18. All these panels are interconnected by crease lines (not referenced) and in the drawings crease lines are shown as pecked lines and cut lines are in full. If desired perforated lines may be provided as shown by the chain dotted lines in some of the drawings to enable otherwise plane walls to be opened up if desired. It will be apparent that by cutting and folding the blank of Figure 1A, including that the spacers 13 and 14 are turned through an angle of about 160' to lie against the base 4, an interconnecting frame member 20 as shown in Figure 1 is provided which has an opening 21 and an opening 22 each adapted to receive a post as will be described further later. The posts when inserted will be maintained frictionally in position by the spacers 13 and 14 which in turn have the wings 15 to 18 folded as appropriate to maintain frictional contact with the posts inserted. As will be apparent from Figure 1, the posts inserted in the apertures 21 and 22 will be held at an angle to each other and with the blank cut to the cut lines shown in Figure 1A, that angle is an included angle of 135 *.

The blank 30 of Figure 2A has H shaped cuts 31 and 32 and the glue flaps 33 and 34 are arranged to be glued to the opposite surfaces 35 and 36 to result in the shape shown in Figure 2 having four apertures 37, 38, 39 and 40 to receive posts as either four separate posts, or in some circumstances, one post may be inserted through apertures 37 and 38 or through apertures 39 and 40 and then the remaining apertures receiving an individual post each.

The blank 40 of Figure 3A is scored on the score lines referenced 41 and folded to re: is shown in Figure 3 where a post may be entered through aperture 42 and a further post passed through aperture 43 normal to the post in aperture 42 and reaching through to the corresponding aperture 44 on the underside, the glue flaps 47 and 48 being appropriately glued to produce the assembly of Figure 3.

The blank 50 shown in Figure 4A when assembled produces a two way 90" connector 55 as shown in Figure 4. In this arrangement the extended flap 51 when assembled is passed into the tunnel made by assembly of the parts 52, 53 and 54. This provides a frictional contact for an inserted post The arrangement provides apertures 56 and 57 as seen in Figure 4.

Similarly the blank 60 of Figure 5A is cut, scored and folded to provide the three way 135' connector when assembled as shown in Figure 5 and again an element 61 engages within the tunnel formed by elements 62, 63, 64 and 65 and provides openings 66, 67, 68 and 69 for three or four posts according to whether or not one post or two posts are inserted in the apertures 68 and 69.

The blank 70 shown in Figure 6A provides the two way connector 71 shown in Figure 6 with an included angle of 45 * between a post inserted through apertures 72 and 73 and a post inserted into aperture 74.

The blank 80 of Figure 7A is provided with friction elements 81 and 82 (for bending through approximately 135 *), similar to those provided in the blank of Figure 1A and the blank is folded to provide the connector of Figure 7 with apertures 83 and 84 arranged to accommodate two posts at right angles to each other. Blank 90 of Figure 8A has post support elements 91 and 92 and a tongue 93 which is fixed in tunnel 94 to join the tunnels 94 and 95 at right angles. When assembled the blank 90 produces a three way 90* elbow shown in Figure 8 having apertures 94, 95 and 96 mutually at right angles.

The blank 100 of Figure 9A is folded to provide the simple tube connector shown in Figure 9 having in line apertures 101 and 102 and the purpose of this connector is to enable two posts to be joined so that the assembled blank forms in effect a coupling.

The posts themselves are preferably made from a blank 110 shown in Figure 10A and include tabs 111 spaced at intervals having slits 112 into which further tabs 113 on the opposite side fit In addition cut and fold lines 114 and 115 respectively are provided at intervals to provide stops when folded either in or out to limit the / movement of the posts in the connectors above referred to. In addition these provide slots into which display articles for example posters or other display articles may be fixed by tabs in the posters or otherwise as desired. A post is shown in outline in Figure 10 and is referenced 118.

The use of the construction is as follows. The blanks are cut and scored. The glue flaps are prepared by applying an adhesive thereto and protecting that adhesive with wax paper in the known way. These blanks are then supplied to, for example, a retailer who may wish to set up a stand for advertising purposes and in which articles of suitable weight such as smaller electrical appliances, tools or other articles may be positioned. The retailer tapes the blanks of such of the connectors as will fit the pattern of frame he proposes to manufacture and assembles the blanks to form the connectors in the formation shown in Figures 1 to 9. Thus posts may be inserted to form a square with braces, the braces being interconnected by the two way 45 * angle of Figure 6 or the three way 135' angle of Figure 5 and so on. If flat surfaces are to be provided sheets of preferably double faced corrugated board supported on suitable frame members and posts are provided. Thus the actual assembly is a matter for decision by the retailer as to the construction which he wishes to make and he can build reasonable strength in by the use of braces as above described. It will be clear that the frame so made is a matter of choice by the designer thereof and it is believed that with the interconnectors described above a reasonably wide choice is available to the designer and erector.

It will therefore be seen that rather than providing a frame for a display which can only be used for one display and then has to be discarded, a user of such display frames can in effect design his own display, disassemble it if required leaving the connectors in their assembled condition but stored in much less space than a full size frame would need. The further advantage exists that until a frame is made up it can be stored with the blanks in the flat unassembled unerected condition so that much less storage space is required but the parts are readily available when so required. >

Claims (7)

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: -6-

1. An article support frame member comprising a blank of cardboard, pasteboard or other sheet material cut, scored, folded and having parts attached to other parts to provide a plurality of post receiving apparatus for association with a plurality of posts also made from cardboard, pasteboard or other sheet material cut, scored folded and having parts thereof secured to other parts so that a frame can be erected from an assembly of a plurality of said frame members and of said posts.

2. An article support frame member as claimed in claim 1 wherein said post receiving apertures are arranged to hold said posts in positions selected from two posts held at an angle of 90° to each other, two posts held at an angle of 135 * to each other, four posts held at an angle of 90' between adjacent posts, four posts held with two of said posts co-linear and the remaining two of said posts at an angle of 45 ° to the axis of said co-linear posts, with said two remaining posts held at an angle of 60° one to the other, three posts held with included angles between pairs of posts of 45 °, 60° and 45 °, two posts held at an angle of 135 0 to each other, two posts held at 90 ° to each other and three posts held mutually at 900 to each other.

3. An article support frame member as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the parts of said members which are secured to other parts are secured by glueing.

4. An article support frame member as claimed in claim 3 wherein said glueing is effected by providing glue patches on one of said parts covered with a removable protective covering until the securing is desired to be made.

5. An article support frame member when constructed arranged and operable substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

6. A frame comprising a plurality of article support frame members constructed according to any one of the preceding claims and a plurality of posts interconnecting said frame members. / '

7. A frame when constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. dated this A.J. £ day of ^&SON 'r the applicant