Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47F—SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS, STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; PAYING COUNTERS
  • A47F5/00—Show stands, hangers, or shelves characterised by their constructional features
  • A47F5/10—Adjustable or foldable or dismountable display stands
  • A47F5/13—Adjustable or foldable or dismountable display stands made of tubes or wire
  • A47F5/135—Adjustable or foldable or dismountable display stands made of tubes or wire adapted for regular transport to a display area
  • A47F5/137—Adjustable or foldable or dismountable display stands made of tubes or wire adapted for regular transport to a display area having wheels

Definitions

• the present invention pertains to a mobile and foldable structure which allows for a quick, easy and rational support of articles and/or equipment for many dif- ferent purposes.
• the present invention relates to a mobile and foldable supporting structure that can be advantageously used for mobile businesses.
• the structure according to the invention is particularly adapted to be used as a display stand for advertising and /or selling articles at fairs and open-air markets or as a workbench for mobile handicraft businesses.
• the seller or the craftman with a mobile business load the articles of merchandise, the utensils or other items needed for their businesses, on a truck, or a similar commercial vehicle, and move their loaded stands from one work site to another work site of a district.
• the seller or the craftman Upon reaching the fair-site or the market-site, the seller or the craftman leaves its commercial vehicle near the final location in the parking lot or field and, at first, prepares the stand for displaying the articles to be sold or for supporting the handicraft equipment.
• the stand comprises one or more wooden planks or horizontal box containers, of various sizes and shapes, which are simply supported on metallic sawhorses or similar temporary structures.
• the horizontal stand has vertically extending rods for holding and supporting small shelves or racks which widen the displaying area for the merchandise or increase the supporting area for the utensils.
• said structures are unstable and may fall off , tip over or collapse due to accidental impacts or due a not uniform distribution of the wheight of the merchandise with respect to the supporting points on the sawhorses.
• the operation for preparing the structure which supports the planks or the box and for positioning the utensils and the merchandise to be displayed and/or sold are time consuming with respect the relatively short duration of the fair or of the open-air market.
• the operation for preparing the display stand can require about two hours of wor- king time.
• the elements of the bench and also the merchandise displayed thereon, and particularly the small goods can be lost and are often arranged in such a occasional position as not to ensure a correct preservation of their aesthetic, structu- ral as well as dimensional features.
• Another important object of the present invention is to provide a structure of the type described above which facilitates the operations for transporting, unloading, mounting and disassembling of a display stand for advertising and /or selling articles as well as of a workbench for mobile handicraft businesses. It is a further object of the present invention to disclose a mobile and foldable structure which facilitates the operations for displaying the merchandise to be sold or the handicraft equipment to be used as well as the operations for rearranging the merchandise or the handicraft equipment inside the transport vehicle. It is still another object of this invention to provide a mobile and foldable sup- porting structure which enables the seller or the craftsman to move, in a single trip between the vehicle and the work location, all that is necessary to assemble the display stand or the workbench.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a structure according to the present invention in the folded transport position
• FIG. 2 is a perspective rear view of a structure according to the present invention in the folded transport position
• FIG. 3 and 4 are respective lateral views of the structure according to the invention in the folded transport position;
• FIG. 5 are perspective views of respective operative stages for moving the structure according to the invention to its opened working position;
• the Figures 11 and 12 are perspective views of respective details of the structure according to the invention;
• - the Figure 15 is a perspective view of a detail of the vertical frameworks of the structure according to the invention;
• Figure 16 and 17 are a sectional and a top view, respectively, of the elements for displaying the merchandise to be sold;
• FIG. 18 is a sectional view of the elements for displaying the merchandise in their stacked position
• FIG. 19 is a top perspective view of the opened position of a displaying and selling stand made by the structure 40 according to the invention.
• FIGS. 26 through 30 are respective stages of the operations for loading the structure according to the invention into a vehicle of transport;
• FIG. 31 is a sectional view of a spacer frame of the elements for displaying the merchandise to be sold;
• Figures 32 and 33 are perspective views illustrating an hook attachment in the coupling stage with the structure and in the working position respectively;
• Figures 34 and 35 are perspective views of a further embodiment of the structure 40 in the working position and in the intermediate closed position re- spectively.
• the structure 40 according to the invention comprises a central frame 41 ( Figures 5 through 10) which is substantially constituted of a horizontal portion 42 and a vertical portion 43 ( Figures 3 through 4) both quadrangular in shape and joined together according to a "L" shaped configuration.
• the central frame 41 and its horizontal 42 and vertical 43 portions are made of metallic draw pieces which are preferably formed from aluminum extruded with a quadrangular cross-section.
• Said draw pieces can be reciprocally connected to each other whether in a removable manner, by means of known screw connecting devices, or in a not removable manner by means of welding processes.
• the removable fastening is preferable to the permanent fixing because the structure 40 may be modified, dimensioned and adjusted to accommodate the specific requirements of its user.
• Three pairs of height adjustable wheels 44, 45 and 46, of the caster-swivel type movable about a vertical axis, are associated with the central frame 41.
• a first pair of wheels 44 is suspended in positions corresponding to those of the respective front corners of the horizontal portion 42.
• Each wheel 44 is secured to a vertical stem 47 ( Figure 13) slidably mounted in a corresponding vertical seat 48 protruding downward from the horizontal portion 42.
• the stem 47 and the seat 48 include holes 49 formed therethrough for removably receiving a cylindrical locking pin 50. In doing so, the user will be able to lock the suspended wheels 44 at various distances from the horizontal portion 42 for reasons that will be explained later.
• a second pair of wheels 45 is fixed in positions corresponding to those of the lower ends of two legs 51 which are extending downwardly from the frontal part of both sides of the horizontal portion 42.
• each wheel 45 is slightly /inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the respective leg 51 for reasons that will be described hereinafter.
• the two legs 51 are connected by means of a transverse stiffener 52 and are hinged to the central frame 41 in such a way as to pivot about a horizontal axis 53 ( Figure 4 ) towards the interior of the strucuture 40.
• a lock pin 54 prevents the pivotable legs 51 from rotating relative to the central frame 41 when the lock pin 54 is inserted in its locking position.
• a further pair of wheels 46 is fixed to respective vertical uprights 55 which are slidably received in corresponding seats>56 fixed to the rear part of the horizontal portion 42.
• Each of the wheel 46 is provided with a braking device which is used to prevent the wheels from rotating about their horizontal axes as well as from pivoting about their vertical axes.
• Frames 58 of quadrangular shape are respectively hinged to the horizontal sides of the central frame 41 and are pivotable, about a horizontal axis, between a ver- tical resting position , clearly visible in the Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and a horizontal working position shown in the Figures 5 e 6.
• Latching devices are provided for maintaining the frames 58 in a correct vertical position.
• the latching de- vices comprise lock bars 91 which are pivotally hinged on the sides of the vertical portion 43.
• the free end of said bars 91 is provided with a notch which is suited to engage a horizontal pin, not visible in the Figures.
• the horizontal pin can be screwed into the body of the respective frame 58 by means of a locking knob 92 .
• a quadrangular frame 59 is hinged to each of the frames 58 and is pivotable, about a horizontal axis, between a resting position that is substantially coplanar with the adjacent frame 58, clearly visible in the Figures 1, 2, 3 , 4 , and 5, and a horizontal working position clearly shown in the Figure 8 .
• Each of the frames 58 and 59 is provided with a pair of legs 60 which are suited to support the frames above the supporting floor.
• the upper ends of said legs 60 are pivotally hinged , about a horizontal axis, to longitudinal elements of said frames 58 and 59.
• Each pair of legs 60 is connected by means of a transverse stiffener 61 and is hinged in such a way as to pivot between a resting position, wherein the legs are housed in a substantially coplanar position within their respective frame 58 and 59 and a vertical working position, wherein the legs 60 are correctly kept by jointed supporting levers 62 which are so sufficiently well known as not to require further details.
• Transverse elements 63 ( Figure 14 ) function as supporting elements, in the man- ner described later, and also as seating surfaces for the supporting legs 60 thus ensuring legs 60 to be housed in a correct coplanar position within their respective frame 58 or 59.
• the frames 58, 59, the supporting legs 60 and the transverse stiffeners 61 are made of metallic draw pieces having a quadrangular cross-section which is simi- lar to the cross section of the draw pieces forming the central frame 41.
• Frames 70 of quadrangular shape are respectively hinged to the horizontal sides of the central frame 41 and are pivotable through 90 degrees, about a vertical axis, between a folded resting position , clearly visible in the Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, and an opened working position shown in the Figures 9 and 10.
• a quadrangular frame 71 is hinged to each of the frames 70 and is pivotable, about a vertical axis, between a resting position that is substantially orthogonal with respect to the adjacent frame 70, clearly visible in the Figures 1, 2, 3 , 4 , and 5, and a working position that is substantially aligned and coplanar with the adjacent frame 70 as clearly shown in the Figure 10 .
• the frames 70 and 71 are correctly kept in their resting and working positions by means of externally threaded pins 65, which pins are operated by respective knobs 66 in order to engage or disengage , with the inte ⁇ osition of suited spacer plates 67, corresponding threaded seats formed in the upper edges of the central portion 42 of the central frame 41 and of the frames 58 and 59.
• the quadrangular frames 70 and 71 can be provided with one or more longitudinal intermediate elements 68 ( Figure 10 ) which are suited to delimitate one or more openings for anchoring various supporting means.
• the quadrangular frames 70 and 71 are housing foldable shelves 72 which are hinged in such a way as to be pivotable between a resting position, which is coplanar with the respective frame 70 or 71 and a working position which is substantially orthogonal with respect to the respective frame 70 or 71 as illustrated in the Figures 12 and 15.
• Jointed supporting levers 73 ensure the maintainment of the correct horizontal working position of the shelves 72.
• Wires 93 ( Figures 32 and 33 ), formed from a material having a strength and a sufficient flexibility for being not cumbersome when the shelves occupy their resting position (for example steel wires ), may also be used as an alternative to the jointed supporting levers 73.
• the seller can place the containers, or the display elements 80 for displaying the mer- chandise to be sold, on the quadrangular frames 58 and 59 as illustrated in the Figures 12 and 19.
• the correct position of the display elements 80 is ensured by the shaped protrusions 64 and by the transverse elements 63 as previously described.
• containers or display elements 80 which are made in such a manner as to facilitate their transportation to the display location.
• each container or display element 80 presents a recess 81 , while its lower/inner edge is provided with a corresponding protrusion 82 as illustrated in the Figure 16.
• Said recess 81 is adapted to engage said protrusion 82 so that display elements 80 may be stacked to form a single body which can be advantageously housed within the cubic space delimited by the central frame 41, by the horizontal frames 58, 59 in closed position and by the vertical closed frames 70 and 71 in closed position as shown in the Figure 20.
• An intermediate shelf 83 ( Figure 16) is inserted within each display element 80.
• a gypsum board panel 84 which is preferably coated with a removable layer of fabric, is placed in justaposition on the intermediate shelf 83.
• the underside of the shelf 83 houses a square panel 85 of spongy and elastic material that serves to elastically retain in position the merchandise M displayed on the underlying display element 80 and to protect the articles placed therein during transportation.
• a spacer frame 86 which is substantially constituted of a perimetrical frame which has a shape essentially equal to the shape of the perimetrical frame of the containers or display elements 80, may be advantageously inte ⁇ osed between two stacked display elements 80.
• the upper/outer edge of said spacer 86 has a recess 81 and its lower/inner edge is provided with a corresponding protrusion 82 which are essentially equal to those provided in the upper and lower edges of the display elements 80.
• additional vertical frames 90 may be used to close the ends of the structure 40.
• the fixing of the frames 90 is preferably effected by means of metallic U-shaped fasteners 99, which are fixed, by means of screw systems, to join in overlapped position the horizontal elements of the frames 90 and of the structure 40 together.
• the frames 90 are connected with each other by a connecting and stiffening bar 91 which also serves as an additional element for supporting , and displaying articles or merchandise to be sold and which may be advantageously folded during the disassembling and the transporting of the structure 40.
• the ends and the central hinged portion of the bar 91 may be further stiffened by means of inserts (not shown in the Figures ) which are suited to be slidably inserted in the draw piece constituting the bar 91 and fixed in position by means of screw systems.
• the embodiment of the Figure 22 proposes the use of vertical frames 100 and 101, which are longer in height in order to house more shelves 102, and horizontal frames 103 and 104 which has a different length.
• the Figures 32 and 33 illustrate an advantageous hook attachment 96 which en- ables a more efficient use of the space that, otherwise, remains useless when the structure 40 is opened in its working position.
• the hook attachment 96 is essentially composed of a horizontal element 97 provided with hooks 98 which are suited to be removably fixed , by means of screw systems, to any horizontal element of the structure 40.
• FIGS. 32 and 33 illustrate the mounting of the hook attachment 96 on the upper longitudinal element of the opening for housing a shelf 72, but, it is obvi- ous that such hook attachment can also be used in other sections of the structure 40.
• the Figures 23, 24 and 25 illustrate the advantageous use of the structur 40 according to the invention as a workbench for mobile handicraft businesses.
• the horizontal frame 120 of the central frame 121 supports one or more sliding guiding plates 122 which enable the tools of greater dimensions (for example: the drill press 124, the vise 125, the saw 126 or the like) to be moved to a desired position or arrested in the fixing position.
• the horizontal frames 123 which are adjacent to the central frame 121 may be equipped with wooden worktops 127.
• the vertical frames 128 may be equipped with panels 129 suit- able for supporting various types of tools.
• the embodiment of Figures 34 and 35 comprises a central frame 110 and a plurality of horizontal frames 111 hingedly connected with the horizontal sides of the central frame 110 as the embodiments described above.
• the vertical frames 1 12 are not hinged to the vertical sides of the central frame 110 but they are respectively hinged to the adjacent horizontal frames 111 in such a way that the vertical frames 112 can be pivotally rotated, about a horizontal axis, between a vertical working position ( Figure 34 ) and a horizontal resting position ( Figure 35 ) wherein each of the vertical frames 112 is coplanar and housed within the respective horizontal frame 111.
• the horizontal frames 111 and the vertical frames 112 are pivotally rotated, in coplanar position, from the horizontal position, shown in solid lines, to the vertical position shown in broken lines.
• the manner of usage and operation of the structure 40 according to the present invention will be described hereinafter starting from the completely opened position illustrated in the Figures 10 and 1 1.
• the display elements 80 must be arranged one above the other as illustrated in the Figure 18.
• the vertical frames 70 and 71 are folded in a direction opposite the direction indicated in the Figure 9 to reach the position illustrated in the Figures 7 and 8 where they are fixed by rotating the threaded pins 65, manually-operated by the knobs 66, through the spacer plates 67.
• the horizontal frames 59 and 58 with their respective pairs of supporting legs can be folded in the position illustrated in the Figures 1 through 4.
• the latching devices formed by the pivoting lock bars 91 and by the locking pins 92 are activated to ensure the correct vertical position on the sides of the vertical portion 43.
• the correct closed position of the frames 59 and 58 can be further ensured by a transverse bar 88 which is rigidly secured so as to rigidly connect the blocks 89 that are protruding from the lower side of the frames 59 ( Figures 1 and 2 ).
• the structure 40 ( Figure 26) can be moved on the wheel assembly to the loading door of the truck 140 ( Figure 27) .
• the pair of the suspended wheels 44 are located at a height that allows them to be placed on the loading floor 141 of the vehicle 140 as shown in the Figure 27.
• each wheel 45 is slightly inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the respective leg 51 for allowing the wheels 45 to roll along the floor 141 of the vehicle 140 during loading and unloading operations of the structure 40 ( Figures 28 and 29).
• the weight of the structure 40 is mainly supported by the suspended wheels 44 and by the pivoting wheels 45 which are rotated to a position adjacento to the supporting legs 55 of the wheels 46.
• the pair of legs 55 can then easily and slidably moved with respect to their respective seats 56 and successively fixed in the retracted position of the Figure 29.
• Anchoring devices which are so sufficiently well known as not to require further details, ensure the correct stored position of the structure 40 within the transport vehicle 140.
• the structure 40 can be moved in its working position by inverting the order of the above described sequential operations. It is to be pointed out that the time required to unload the structure 40 from the vehicle 140, to move the structure 40 to the work location and to form the display stand in its working configuration does not take more than ten minutes. Therefore, the structure 40 according to the present invention reduces the time required for transporting, mounting and assembling by approximately 1 hour and a 112 to 2 hours with respect to the time required by the traditional display stands. Obviously, such time reduction must be doubled considering also the time required by the dismounting and reloading the structure 40 in the transport vehicle 140. From what stated it is clear that the electric switchboard 10 according to the pre- sent invention allows to overcome the above described drawbacks of the usual electric switchboards.
• the structure 40 according to the invention facilitates the operations for transporting, unloading, mounting and disassembling of a display stand for advertising and /or selling articles as well as of a workbench for mobile handicraft businesses. Further, the structure 40 according to the invention facilitates the operations for displaying the merchandise to be sold or the handicraft equipment to be used as well as the operations for re-arranging the merchandise or the handicraft equipment inside the transport vehicle.
• the foldable supporting structure 40 according to the invention enables the seller or the craftsman to move, in a single trip between the vehicle and the work loca- tion, all that is necessary to assemble the display stand or the workbench. In the end, the foldable supporting structure 40 according to the invention allows the merchandise and the equipment necessary to make the display stand or the workbench to be stored and maintained in a correct, tidy and safe position in any type of transport vehicle 140.
• the structure 40 may be used for displaying, tasting and selling beverages (e.g. bottled wine ) and, therefore, it may be equipped with components which are suited to display foods and drinks, components which are adapted to retain the bottles in a correct inclined position and components which are allow- ing the support of all the means needed for tasting foods and drinks.
• beverages e.g. bottled wine
• the structure 40 may be equipped with components which are suited to display foods and drinks, components which are adapted to retain the bottles in a correct inclined position and components which are allow- ing the support of all the means needed for tasting foods and drinks.
• the structure 40 may be equipped with horizontal frames which permit to slightly tilt the display elements 80 towards the sight of people.
• the structure 40 may be equipped with horizontal frames which are adapted to support the baskets that are normally used for containing dressing ar- tides.
• the vertical frames of the structure 40 can be made of various heights, of fixed or of foldable type and it can be provided with simple horizontal rods instead of the shelves 72 for displaying merchandise that is more adapted to be hooked than placed on a surface.

Landscapes

• Handcart (AREA)
• Display Racks (AREA)
• Vehicle Step Arrangements And Article Storage (AREA)
• Toys (AREA)
• Helmets And Other Head Coverings (AREA)
• Shaping Of Tube Ends By Bending Or Straightening (AREA)
• Telephone Set Structure (AREA)

Priority Applications (3)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=32170747

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (6)

Citations (3)

• 2002
  • 2002-10-23 IT IT000084A patent/ITPN20020084A1/it unknown
• 2003
  • 2003-10-22 AU AU2003274405A patent/AU2003274405A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-10-22 AT AT03758386T patent/ATE330516T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-10-22 WO PCT/IB2003/004644 patent/WO2004037051A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2003-10-22 EP EP03758386A patent/EP1567033B1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-10-22 DE DE60306414T patent/DE60306414D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (3)

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