WO2007015207A1

WO2007015207A1 - Display arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2007015207A1
Application number: PCT/IB2006/052621
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christian Thostrup
Original assignee: Tech View A/S
Priority date: 2005-08-02
Filing date: 2006-08-01
Publication date: 2007-02-08

Abstract

A display arrangement comprises a flexible banner (22) with information and a frame with at least two vertically arranged supports (12) for holding vertically extending support areas on the banner without being fixedly connected to the support areas. Furthermore, the arrangement comprises positioning means (18) for partly defining the vertical position of the banner in the frame, partly allowing the banner to be horizontally displaced in the defined position in the frame. The display arrangement is suited for banners of large horizontal and vertical extents.

Description

Display arrangement

The invention relates to a display arrangement comprising a flexible banner with information and a frame having at least to vertically arranged supports for supporting vertically extending support areas on the banner.

The invention moreover relates to a method for mounting the banner in the frame.

Display arrangements with banners are typically used for visually informing an immediate audience about services and/or products at the point of installation which e.g. can be a shop, an exhibition hall, or a trade show.

From US Patent No. 6,643,966 is known a display arrangement with a vertical banner hanging down from a horizontal pole on a stand in use. The banner is kept stretched out by the weight of a lower stick that also serves for winding up the banner at packing up of the display arrangement. The construction is relatively unstable and is not suited for displays having a relatively large horizontal extent.

From US Patent No. 3,537,201 is known a display arrangement with, a vertical banner which has a relatively large horizontal extent . The arrangement comprises two vertical poles attached to a base at a mutually interspaced distance, and two horizontal cross bars extending between the poles. The horizontal edge areas of the banner are retained by the horizontal cross bars whereas the vertical edge areas are free. The banner is stationary and difficult to replace. The free vertical edge areas are uncontrollable. This known display arrangement are therefore not suited for banners having both relatively large horizontal and vertical extents. The patent document US 2,960,784 mentions a double banner having a relatively large horizontal extent. In this case, the vertical edge areas of the banner are controlled by vertical rods kept apart by horizontal telescopic rods for keeping the banner stretched. The display arrangement is stationary and relatively unstable. It is not suited for banners of a relatively large vertical extent .

The Japanese Patent 2001022312 describes a display arrangement with a banner which, at the corners, is connected to a stand by means of strings drawn through eyebolts on the stand standing on top of a fire protection. The four edge areas of the banner are free but kept stretched by weights hanging in the strings of the two bottom corners. This display arrangement can only be used in very specific situations, and the way the banner is kept stretched is furthermore very unstable .

In a first aspect of the invention there is provided a display arrangement of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph, that has a banner having both a large horizontal extent and a large vertical extent.

In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a display arrangement of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph, wherein the edge areas of the banner are extending at least approximately horizontally between the supports.

In a third aspect of the invention there is provided a display arrangement of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph, wherein the banner is easy to mount and demount.

In a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a display arrangement of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph, wherein the banner forms a continuous length. in a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a display arrangement of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph, that has a continuous banner which can be displaced in its track in relation to the supports.

In a sixth aspect of the invention there is provided a display arrangement of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph, wherein the banner forms a continuous length and does not have fixed connection to the supports .

In a seventh aspect of the invention there is provided a method for mounting and demounting the banner in the display arrangement .

The novel and unique feature according to the invention, whereby this is achieved, is the fact that the display arrangement comprises positioning means for defining the vertical position of the banner without a fixed connection between the supports and the support areas, whereby the support areas are allowed to move on the banner.

The display arrangement according to the invention is suited for banners of relatively large vertical and horizontal extents .

In one embodiment according to the invention, the positioning means can comprise at least one flexible support strip on the banner and a preferably horizontal support rail located on the frame and having a step for supporting the support strip.

This construction fixes the vertical position on the edge areas of the banner but not on the horizontal one. The banner is therefore allowed to assume more than one horizontal position in relation to the frame. During mounting the banner can thus advantageously be displaced horizontally along the frame and be drawn around the supports . According to the invention, each of the at least two vertical supports can be a rod whereas the banner can be formed as a continuous length extending around each of the at least two rods. Thereby, the supports obtain an especially simple configuration. Another advantage is that the information surface of the display arrangement is doubled.

According to the invention, each of the at least two vertical supports can alternatively be rollers rotatably located in the frame, at least one of the rollers then being a drive pulley whereas the remaining rollers being idler rollers . This construction results in the advantage that the banner can be rotated around the rollers by the drive pulley and that an onlooker standing on one side of the display arrangement thereby can be provided with information from both sides of the banner.

The drive pulley can be rotated manually or alternatively by means of a motor controlled by a programme activated by means of a remote control.

According to the invention, the frame can comprise two coupling sections arranged to be detachably coupled to the remaining frame and serving for journaling the drive pulley.

In this case, the banner can primarily be wound up on the drive pulley which is detachably mounted in the frame by means of the coupling sections.

The banner is then wound off of the drive pulley by means of a vertical guide bar which is located on the front vertical edge area of the banner at least during the winding off.

The guide bar can have projecting end parts extending beyond the vertical limits of the banner. Furthermore, the frame can have upper and lower guides extending between the rollers and serving for receiving the projecting end parts of the vertical rod.

By means of the guide bar and the guides, an operator can now easily and securely guide the banner around the rollers in the defined vertical position of the banner, the vertical edge areas of which then can be connected so that the banner will form a continuous length.

The guide bar may remain on the continuous banner but it can also be removed so it is not a nuisance if rotating the banner around the rollers is desired.

The two vertical edge areas of the banner can be connected in many ways. Preferably by rαeains a detachable connection allowing easy replacement of the banner. The two vertical edge areas can for example be detachably connected by means of a zipper.

When a banner is to be replaced, this can take place by the above mounting operations in reverse order, the detachable connection between the front and back edge areas of the banner then being released, after which the banner is wound up on the drive pulley which then is taken out of the frame and replaced by a new one with a new banner.

If the positioning means for vertically positioning the banner in relation to the frame comprise support strips on the horizontal edge areas of the banner, the winding up of the banner can be difficult because the banner then will be thicker in the horizontal edge areas than in the rest of the banner. As it is, this means that the layers that the edge areas with the support strips form in the wound up state of the banner together have a greater thickness than the layers that the remaining banner forms. The material of the banner might then be subjected to harmful loads especially at the transition between the edge areas and the remaining banner.

The problem can, according to the invention, be overcome by constructing the drive pulley with end parts having about the same length as the height of the support strips and having a diameter so much smaller than the rest of the drive pulley that the outer side of the wound up banner will at least essentially form a cylinder surface.

The best result is obtained if the drive pulley is constructed with a smooth transition between the end parts and the rest of the drive pulley.

If the banner is constructed as a continuous length guided around each of the at least two vertically arranged supports without having a fixed connection to the correspondingly vertically extending support areas on the banner, the positioning means can, according to a second embodiment of the invention, comprise that at least one of the at least two supports is mounted horizontally displaceable in the frame, and that the frame is provided with fastening means for fastening the supports away from each other.

This solution is especially simple as the vertical position of the banner easily can be defined merely by fastening the supports away from each other by means of the fastening means and thereby stretching the banner.

If the supports are rotatable rollers, the banner will be able to rotate around the rollers without having to be provided with wearing parts on the horizontal edge areas. In this case, at least one of the rollers can, according to the invention, be cambered to thereby prevent the banner from being derailed during rotation. If the banner is to be stationary, the outer side of the rollers can advantageously form a cylinder surface.

The invention will be explained in greater details below, describing further advantageous characteristics and functions with reference to the drawing, in which.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a first embodiment of a display arrangement according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is an end view of the embodiment in fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the embodiment in fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is on a larger scale a fractional sectional view taken along the line IV - IV of fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is on a larger scale a fractional sectional view taken along the line V - V of fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a fractional side elevational view of a second embodiment of a display arrangement according to the invention,

Fig. 7 is on a larger scale a fractional sectional view taken along the line HV - HV of fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is on a larger scale a fractional sectional view of the display arrangement in fig. 6 during mounting taken along the line IHV - IHV of fig. 6,

Fig. 9 is a view of the display arrangement in fig. 8 in mounted state, and

Fig. 10 is a fractional exploded view of a detail of the display arrangement in fig. 6. In the following it is assumed that the display arrangement according to the invention is used for communicating an advertisement to an audience at the place where the arrangement is erected. The advertisement is not shown in the drawing.

It is furthermore assumed that the display arrangement is for a large banner, that is a banner having both a large horizontal extent and a large vertical extent.

The horizontal extent can be e.g. between one and six meters whereas the vertical extent can be e.g. between one and four meters .

Figs. 1 - 4 show the display arrangement according to the invention in a first embodiment. Fig. 1 shows the arrangement from the side, fig. 2 is from the end, and fig. 3 is from above. Fig. 4 shows a detail of the arrangement on a larger scale in section.

The arrangement comprises a frame 1 consisting of, in the case shown, two vertical pipes 2 and two horizontal pipes 3. The frame is provided with two feet 4 for supporting the arrangement on a supporting face.

As seen best in fig. 4, a continuous banner is drawn around the vertical pipes 2 without being fixedly connected to the pipes.

In the case shown, the banner has two lengths forming a continuous length but the banner can, within the scope of the invention, merely comprise a single length.

A large banner will tend to sag in the area between the vertical pipes 2 under the influence of gravity and thereby assume a configuration which is disfiguring on the overall impression of both the display arrangement and the advertisement to be communicated to the audience.

With the object of eliminating this disadvantage, the display arrangement according to the invention comprises positioning means for vertically defining at least the upper edge area of the banner.

Fig. 5 is on a larger scale a fractional sectional view of a first embodiment of these positioning means which, in this case, comprise a flexible support strip 6 attached on the upper edge area 7 of the banner 5. The support strip supports against a step 8 on a rail 9 attached on the horizontal pipe 3 of the frame 1. A plate spring 10 ensures that the support strip does not run off of the rail,

The support strip is only supported vertically by the rail and not horizontally. The support strip can therefore advantageously be displaced along the rail when the banner is to be mounted on the frame.

Fig. 6 is a fractional side elevational view of the display arrangement according to the invention in a second embodiment .

In this case, the display arrangement comprises a frame 11 consisting of two vertical pipes 12 and two horizontal pipes 13. The pipes 12 and 13 are interconnected by pin joints 14 but can also be connected in any other expedient way.

The frame furthermore has two feet 15 for supporting the frame on a supporting face.

Each of the horizontal pipes 13 has two cantilevered end parts 16 having bearings 17 which are slide bearings in the case shown. The bearings can be displaced horizontally in the frame by means of clamp bolts. A drive pulley 19 and an idler roller 20 are rotatably journaled in the bearings 17. The drive pulley is driven by a motor 21. Alternatively, the rollers can be driven manually. In the case shown, the rollers 19 and 20 are mounted ixx the frame at the same time as the vertical and horizontal pipes 12 and 13 are joined by means of the pin joints.

As also shown in fig. 7, a vertical guide bar 23 is located on the front vertical edge area 24 of the banner. The guide bar is extending beyond the vertical limits of the banner with projecting end parts which are provided with guide balls 25 which possibly are rotatable.

A vertical guide tab 25 on each of the sides 27 of the horizontal pipes 13 that are facing each other is extending along the edges of the respective sides and forms, together with these sides, upper and lower guides 28 for the guide balls 25 of the guide 23.

The banner 23 is preliminarily wound up on the drive pulley 19 which is then mounted in the frame 11 as stated above. By means of the guide bar, the banner is now pulled in the direction indicated by the arrow in fig. 6. During this, the banner is kept in position vertically by the engagement of the guide balls 25 with the guides 28.

When the banner has been pulled around the idler roller 20 in this way and back again to the drive pulley 19, the guide bar 23 is removed, and the front and back edge areas of the banner are joined by means of e.g. a zipper (not shown) or in any other expedient manner.

If so desired, the banner can now be rotated about the rollers by means of the motor so that the audience advantageously will have the opportunity to look at both sides of the banner by standing on one side. However, the motor is dispensable if the banner is only to be stationary in the frame.

Also the second embodiment of the display arrangement according to the invention can be provided with the first embodiment of the positioning means according to the invention described above for defining the vertical position of the banner in the frame while this is rotated about the rollers in the frame or is in a stationary state in the frame.

But if the banner 22, as stated above, is constructed as a continuous length taken around both rollers 19, 20 without having a fixed connection to the banner, the positioning means according to the invention can, in a second advantageous embodiment, exactly comprise that at least one of the rollers is mounted displaceably horizontally in the frame 11 and that this roller is provided with the fastening screws 18 for fastening the rollers away from each other.

By means of the fastening screws in the second embodiment of the positioning means according to the invention, the banner can now be stretched, and its vertical position can thereby be defined without using wearing parts at the edge areas as in the first embodiment of the display arrangement according to the invention.

The second embodiment of the positioning means is therefore especially suited if it is desirable to have the banner rotate about the rollers. In this case, it is an advantage that the rollers, as shown in figs. 3 and 4, are cambered to thereby prevent the banner from running off of the rollers .

Figs. 8 and 9 are fractional horizontal sections through the display arrangement, showing the guide tab 26, the banner 22, the roller 12 , and the vertical pipe 12. In fig. 8, the banner 22 is being mounted in the frame, the guide ball 25 of the guide bar being taken in the direction of the arrow along the inner side of the guide tab 26 at the same time as the guide bar by means o£ this ball and the opposite guide ball is keeping the banner in the defined vertical position by gliding along the opposite sides of the two horizontal pipes.

During mounting, the banner is not stretched to the advantageous effect that it can be mounted easily and conveniently on the frame and its vertical edge areas can be connected by means of e.g. a zipper (not shown) .

After connecting the vertical edge areas of the banner, the fastenings screws are tightened whereby the banner, as shown in fig. 9, is stretched around the cambered rollers 19 and 20.

The banner can be furnished on a separate roller of e.g. plastic (not shown) to the frame.

Fig. 10 is an exploded view showing how the banner can be mounted on the frame wound on the drive pulley 19. Alternatively, the idler roller 20 can be used for this purpose.

As shown, the banner 22 is wound tightly on the drive pulley 19. A vertical front edge 29 of the banner can be seen. The drive pulley also has a journal pin 30 with an inside bearing 31.

The reference numeral 32 indicates a separate coupling section comprising the bearing 17, the fastening screw 18 and the guide tab 26. The coupling section furthermore has a pin 33 fitting into the opening 34 of the horizontal pipe 13. The motor 21 has a journal pin 35 fitting into the bearing 31 in the journal pin 30 of the drive pulley 19. Assembly of the above components can take place in different ways .

The roller 19 and the coupling section 32 can e.g. be assembled first, the journal pin 30 of the drive pulley 19 being inserted in the bearing 17 of the coupling section 32 , after which the pin 33 of the coupling section 32 is inserted in the opening 34 in the horizontal pipe 13 so that a pin joint is formed.

Then, the motor 21 can be mounted_/ its journal pin 35 being inserted in the bearing 31 in the journal pin 30 of the drive pulley 19.

If the banner is only to be stationary in the frame, the motor, is omitted.

After mounting of the drive pulley, the banner is now pulled around the rollers and the vertical edge areas are joined in the manner described above.

It has been described above and shown in the drawing that the frame of the display arrangement consists of two horizontal pipes and two vertical pipes and that the rollers are mounted on the vertical pipes .

Within the scope of the invention, the horizontal pipes can alternatively be located inside the rollers just as poles can be used instead of pipes.

Furthermore, the frame can be made up of a different number of pipes than two horizontal pipes and two vertical pipes or poles . The banner can furthermore be mounted on the frame in another way than the one described above. The banner can thus be furnished wound on e.g. a cardboard tube.

The drawing shows that the horizontal edge areas of the banner are extending rectilinearIy between the vertical supports. Instead, the edge areas can extend horizontally between the supports in a curve.

It was furthermore assumed that the display arrangement is for a large banner. However, the arrangement can just as well be used for a banner of any size and advantageously also for small banners.

Claims

Patent claims

1. A display arrangement comprising a flexible banner (5;22) with information and a frame with at least two vertically arranged supports (2; 12) for holding vertically extending support areas on the banner, characterized in that the arrangement furthermore comprises positioning means (6, 8, 9; 18) for defining the vertical position of the banner without a fixed connection between the supports and the support areas.

2. A display arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the positioning means comprises at least one flexible support strip (6) on the banner (5) and one support rail (9) on the frame for supporting the support strip (6) .

3. A display arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each rail (9) is constructed with a mainly horizontal step (S) for supporting the support strip (6) .

4. A display arrangement according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that there is a flexible support strip (6) on at least the upper edge area (7) of the banner (5) .

5. A display arrangement according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the banner is constructed as a continuous length (5; 22) taken around the at least two vertically arranged supports (2; 19, 20) without being fixedly connected to these supports.

6. A display arrangement according to any of the claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the positioning means comprises that at least one of the at least two supports (2; 19, 20) are mounted horizontally άisplaceable in the frame (11) , and that the frame is provided with fastening means (18) for fastening the supports away from each other.

7. A display arrangement according to any of the claims 1 - 6, characterized in that each support is a vertical pole (2).

8. A display arrangement according to any of the claims 1 - 6, characterized in that each support is a roller (19,20) rotatably mounted in the frame (11) .

9. A display arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that one of the rollers is a drive pulley (19) while the remaining rollers are idler rollers (20) .

10. A display arrangement according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that at least the drive pulley (19) is detachably mounted in the frame.

11. A display arrangement according to claim 8, 9 or 10, characterized in that the frame comprises at least two coupling sections (32) arranged to be detachably coupled to the remaining frame (11) and serving for journaling the rollers (19,20).

12. A display arrangement according to any of the claims 9 -

11, characterized in that the drive pulley (19) has a central section of a first diameter and an outer section at either end of another diameter that is smaller than the first diameter, and that the vertical length of each outer section mainly corresponds to the height of the support strip (6) ,

13. A display arrangement according to any of the claims 8 -

12 , characterized in that the display arrangement comprises a mainly vertical guide bar (23) mounted on the front edge area (24) of the edge areas of the banner and extending beyond the vertical limit of the banner (22) with projecting end parts (16) and an upper and a lower guide (28) mainly extending horizontally between the rollers (19,20) and serving for receiving the projecting end parts of the vertical guide bar (23) .

14. A display arrangement according to any of the claims 8 - 13, characterized in that at least one of the at least two rollers is cambered.

15. A method for mounting a banner in the frame of the display arrangement according to claims 1 - 14, characterized in that it comprises that the banner is wound on a roller (19,20), for example the drive pulley

(19) , that the roller is detaσhably mounted in the frame

(11), that the wound banner (22) is wound off of the roller while being taken around the at least two -rollers by means of the guide bar (23), and that the front and back vertical edge areas of the banner are joined.