WO2012027800A1

WO2012027800A1 - Display system

Info

Publication number: WO2012027800A1
Application number: PCT/AU2011/001141
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kelvin Grace
Original assignee: Rokellan Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2010-09-03
Filing date: 2011-09-02
Publication date: 2012-03-08

Abstract

The invention relates to a display system comprising a panel having a display surface with a slot formed therein, the slot presenting an inclined bearing surface and, in use, accommodating a display hanger having an inclined portion. The inclined portion of the display hanger is adapted to contact the bearing surface to retain the display hanger within the slot and distribute a load force of an item presented on the display hanger against the bearing surface.

Description

DISPLAY SYSTEM

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of display and/or storage apparatus. More particularly, this invention relates to a display system for storing or presenting a variety of items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Display systems are commonly found within the office and retail environments. They have two primary uses being, firstly, a means to present merchandise to a customer in an aesthetically pleasing fashion and, secondly, as storage devices to conveniently store, at least on a temporary basis, a variety of items. Both uses are aimed at maximising the use of available space within a room. Increasingly, such systems are also being found in domestic use as consumers realise the benefits they provide in reducing clutter, improving access to items and maximising the use of available space.

Typically, these display systems take the form of a series of panels separated by slots. The slots expand to form the shape of a T lying horizontally and may be cut out of the panels or formed by the connection of one panel to another. Hangers are provided which generally consist of a long vertical region which will lie adjacent the display surface of the panels and from which an elongate projection, hook or the like will extend to actually suspend the items, a second, short vertical region substantially parallel to the long vertical region and a connecting region which connects the two vertical regions and is perpendicular to both. The hangers can be placed within the slots and the second, short vertical region will engage with a rear wall of the panel forming part of the T-shaped slot onto which a large portion of the load bearing force will be transmitted.

Display systems of this kind have a number of drawbacks. Firstly, they are often made from particleboard or light timber and so the portion of the rear wall which receives the pressure from the hanger is prone to breaking off thereby widening the slot in that region and making it useless for display. To counter this problem the walls of the T slot are often either made from or reinforced with extruded aluminium to increase the strength thereof. This further complicates the manufacturing process and adds to the expense of the product.

Hence, it is desirable to provide for a display system which is relatively straightforward in manufacture and which has slots with load bearing walls which, during use, have a reduced likelihood of breakage compared with the T-shaped system described.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one broad form the invention resides in a display system comprising a panel with an expanding slot formed therein, the slot having an inclined bearing surface, and a display hanger adapted to contact the bearing surface to transmit a load bearing force at least partly thereto.

In one form, although it need not be the only or indeed the broadest form, the invention resides in a display system comprising:

(a) a panel having a display surface;

(b) at least one slot formed within the display surface, the slot presenting an inclined bearing surface; and

(c) a display hanger adapted to sit within the slot, the display hanger having an inclined portion;

wherein, the inclined portion of the display hanger is adapted to contact the bearing surface to retain the display hanger within the slot and distribute a load force against the bearing surface.

Preferably, the inclined bearing surface is a chamfered surface. Suitably, the inclined portion of the display hanger has a contact face, which, in use, is in contact with the bearing surface.

Preferably, in use, the majority of the contact face is in contact with the bearing surface.

More preferably, in use, substantially all of the contact face is in contact with the bearing surface.

The slot may comprise at least a portion thereof which expands rearward ly.

Preferably, the slot further comprises an opening passage which opens onto the display surface and has substantially parallel upper and lower slot walls.

Suitably, the inclined bearing surface is continuous with the opening passage.

Preferably, the inclined bearing surface is continuous with the upper slot wall of the opening passage.

The lower slot wall of the opening passage is formed substantially perpendicular to the display surface.

The slot will preferably open onto a rear surface of the panel to thereby provide a continuous passage between the display surface and the rear surface.

The display hanger may further comprise an elongate body and a connecting region, the connecting region located between the elongate body and the inclined portion.

Suitably, in use, at least a portion of the connecting region of the display hanger rests on the lower slot wall of the opening passage.

Preferably, in use, the connecting region of the display hanger extends beyond an extent of the lower slot wall of the opening passage.

In one embodiment, the connecting region connects the elongate body to the inclined portion.

In a preferred embodiment, the display hanger may further comprise an angled region between the connecting region and the inclined portion.

Preferably, the connecting region is substantially perpendicular to the elongate body.

The contact between the inclined portion of the display hanger and the bearing surface combined with the extent of the connecting region acts to retain the display hanger within the slot and distribute a load force against the bearing surface.

Preferably, the display surface comprises a plurality of discrete slots formed therein, the slots being formed in discrete rows and each slot being vertically offset from a slot directly above and below.

In a further form, the invention resides in a display hanger comprising: (a) an elongate body;

(b) an inclined portion having a contact face; and

(c) a connecting region;

wherein, the inclined portion is oriented obliquely relative to the elongate body.

The angled region may be oriented obliquely relative to both the elongate body and the inclined portion.

Preferably, the connecting region is more extensive than the inclined portion.

The elongate body may have one or more hanging projections extending from a surface thereof.

In yet a further form, the invention resides in a display panel comprising:

(a) a display surface; and

(b) at least one slot formed within the display surface, the slot presenting an inclined bearing surface;

wherein, the inclined bearing surface is adapted to receive a surface of a display hanger.

Preferably, the inclined bearing surface is a chamfered surface.

The slot may have at least a portion thereof which expands rearward ly.

Suitably, the display surface comprises a plurality of slots formed therein, the slots being formed in discrete rows and each slot being vertically offset from a slot directly above and below.

The display panel comprises further characteristics as described in relation to the display system. Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description.

Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the words "comprise", "comprises" and "comprising" will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In order that the invention may be readily understood and put into practical effect, preferred embodiments will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts and wherein:

FIG 1 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a display system;

FIG 2 shows a rear view of a portion of the display system shown in FIG 1 ;

FIG 3 shows a cross sectional view of a portion of the display system shown in FIG 2 along the line B-B;

FIG 4 shows a cross sectional view of a portion of the display system shown in FIG 2 along the line A-A;

FIG 5 shows a front elevation view of one embodiment of a display hanger;

FIG 6 shows a side view of the display hanger of FIG 5;

FIG 7 shows a perspective view of a portion of a display system;

FIG 8 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a display hanger with associated hanging projection;

FIG 9 shows a perspective view of a further embodiment of a display hanger with associated hanging projection;

FIG 10 shows a side view of a preferred embodiment of a display hanger;

FIG 11 shows a cross sectional view of a portion of a display system with the display hanger of FIG 10 located within a slot; and

FIG 12 shows a series of side views of the display hanger of FIG 10 demonstrating its placement with a slot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Although the discussion herein relates to a "display system" and "display hanger" etc it will be appreciated that such terms are not intended to be limiting. The present invention is equally applicable to storage solutions such as, for example, panels attached to a garage wall presenting hooks, shelves, baskets and the like for the storage of garden tools, power tools, bicycles and various consumable materials.

In this patent specification, adjectives such as first and second, left and right, front and back, upper and lower, etc. , are used solely to define one element or method step from another element or method step without necessarily requiring a specific relative position or sequence that is described by the adjectives. Words such as "comprises" or "includes" are not used to define an exclusive set of elements or method steps. Rather, such words merely define a minimum set of elements or method steps included in a particular embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG 1 , which is a perspective view of one embodiment of a display system 10, display system 10 comprises a display panel 11 having a display surface 11a in which are formed a plurality of discrete horizontal slots 12. The panel 11 may be made of timber, plastic or composite materials and the slots 12 are formed by a straightforward milling process of the rear surface 11b of panel 11. Many prior art processes require milling or machining from the display surface which can result in surface damage which is visible to the customer and so it is an advantage of the present invention that the design of slot 12 means that milling can be restricted to the rear surface 11 b. The panel 11 may be held on some form of stand or may be placed on a frame or fixed to a wall, depending on the particular use.

In the embodiment shown in FIG 1 the slots 12 are formed into discrete rows 13a, 13b, 13c and 13d which sit one below the other. It will be appreciated that individual horizontally adjacent slots 12 have a bridge region 12b between them and that each slot 12 is vertically offset in relation to the slots 12 directly above and below. This displacement of the slots 12 in relation to vertically adjacent slots 12 provides for a stronger panel 11 than if the slots were either continuous across the length of panel 11 or if they were discrete slots vertically in line with other similar slots since, when a load is being supported by the walls of a slot 2, the force of the load is at least partly distributed onto one or more bridge regions 12b which are portions of panel 11 which have not been milled out or in any other manner had portions removed therefrom. The bridge region 12b thus assists in bearing such a load more easily than if it was being distributed entirely onto areas of panel 11 which have slots 12 cut therein. Many prior art display panels have slots formed along their entire length thus weakening the panel and limiting the loads it can bear. This prior art approach also means the panel is more likely to break during manufacture as it is much more flexible with continuous slots cut along its entire length and so, when the panel is picked up, it has a tendency to flex and break.

Display hangers 50 are seen to be located within three of the slots 12 and comprise a hanging projection 51 , upon which the items being stored or displayed are located, a body 52, a connecting region 53 and an inclined portion 54, which is only partially visible in FIG 1.

FIG 2 shows a rear view of a portion of the display system 10 shown in FIG 1. A portion of the rear surface 11b of panel 11 has been milled, machined or otherwise removed to form the slots 12 as an expanding slot increasing in size on moving from the display surface 11 a to the rear surface 11 b of panel 11. The rear view shows further how the display hangers 50 are located in the slot 12 and enables the inclined portion 54 of display hanger 50 to be viewed.

FIG 3 shows a cross sectional view of a portion of the display system 10 shown in FIG 2, when cut along the line B-B. This view enables the detail of the slot 12 to be appreciated. When looking from the display surface 11a of panel 11 , an opening passage of slot 12 is defined by upper slot wall 14 and lower slot wall 15 which are substantially parallel to one another and , in the embodiment shown, are both substantially perpendicular to the display surface 11 a. A slight chamfer is present where upper and lower slot walls, 14 and 15, meet the display surface 11a to allow for easier removal of a display hanger. These form part of the opening passage but generally only the upper and lower slot walls, 14 and 15, will be referred to in the context of the opening passage as they form the majority of this structure and provide for most of the function thereof. On moving rearward ly towards rear surface 11 b of panel 1 the slot 12 is seen to expand. Upper slot wall 14 is continuous with an inclined bearing surface 16 and rear upper wall 18 while lower slot wall 15 is continuous with a lower inclined surface 17 and rear lower wall 19. Bearing surface 16 and lower inclined surface 17 are chamfered surfaces in that they can be thought of as having been formed by a portion of a corner of panel 11 , which would have been continuous with e.g. upper slot wall 14, having been removed. It will be appreciated that slot 12 forms a continuous passage from display surface 11a to rear surface 11b of panel 11.

This design of slot 12 provides important advantages over the prior art. The continuous nature of slot 12 through the extent of panel 11 means that, as mentioned previously, slot 12 can be conveniently milled out of the rear surface 11 b of panel 11. This provides significant advantages in that the risk of damage to the display surface 11 a is greatly reduced enabling a more consistent and visually pleasing end product to be manufactured.

The provision of an opening passage formed by substantially perpendicular walls, being upper and lower slot walls, 14 and 15 respectively, provides for greater strength in this region and considerably reduces the likelihood of chipping or breakage compared to the provision of only a corner or thin apex-like structure at the opening to display surface 11a.

FIG 4 shows a cross sectional view of a portion of the display system

10 shown in FIG 2, when cut along the line A-A. This view demonstrates the manner in which the display hanger 50 is accommodated within the slot 12 and enables the load distribution which would eventuate when a hanger projection attached to the body 52 of display hanger 50 (not shown in FIG 4) has a load placed upon it, to be envisaged.

The elongate body 52 of display hanger 50 can be seen to be substantially vertical, in use, and sits with its rear surface closely adjacent the display surface 11a of panel 11. The connecting region 53 of display hanger 50 is formed approximately perpendicularly with respect to the body 52 and has a lower face 56 which, in use, substantially all rests upon the lower slot wall 15. Inclined portion 54 of display hanger 50 is seen to be situated at an oblique angle in relation to the body 52 and has a contact face 55 which is at least partly in contact with the bearing surface 16 of slot 12.

When a load is placed upon the display hanger 50 a large portion of the force generated will be passed on to the load bearing surface 16 by contact with inclined portion 54. It is an advantage of the present invention, and in particular the design of slot 12, that the load experienced by the display hanger 50 can be better distributed along a portion of slot 12 represented by bearing surface 16 rather than being focused on an edge or thin wall, such as is seen in the prior art, which is more likely to result in breakage of the panel wall.

As can be seen in FIG 4, in one embodiment the upper most comer or edge of contact face 55 is the only part of the inclined portion 54 to make contact with the bearing surface 16. Due to the inclined, chamfered nature of the bearing surface 16 this contact occurs at a point on the bearing surface 16 (close to rear upper wall 18) where the thickness of panel 11 is greater than on a point which is closer to upper slot wall 14. This means the load is transferred to the strongest region of bearing surface 16. With increasing loads the inclined portion 54 of display hanger 50 may be caused to flex thereby causing slightly more of contact face 55 to come into load dispersing contact with the (load) bearing surface 16. The display hanger 50 may, therefore, adapt to a small extent depending on the material it is constructed from and the weight of the load it is holding. However, in a preferred embodiment, the inclined portion 54 of display hanger 50 is angled with respect to the body 52 such that even when a load is not being held, the majority of or even substantially all of the contact face 55 adjacent the bearing surface 16 is actually in load bearing contact or engagement with the bearing surface 16. In this embodiment any load added to the display hanger 50 will be immediately dispersed over a maximum surface area of bearing surface 50 due to its intimate contact with the contact face 55 thus effectively distributing the force of the load and greatly reducing the risk of failure of the display system 10. Such an embodiment in described in relation to FIGs 10 to 12.

It will be appreciated that, during use, a portion of the load borne by the display hanger 50 will be transferred to lower slot wall 15. It is a further advantage of the present invention that lower slot wall 15 is well supported by the inclined surface 17 which, on moving generally downwardly, effectively widens the support area of panel 11 sitting under lower slot wall 15. This is contrast to a typical prior art T-shaped slot where one of the walls defining an arm of the T fulfils this role. In this prior art design that wall is constant along its length and the wall is relatively thin due to the bulk of the slot being located behind it. Once again, breakage is much more likely than with the present design.

A further advantage, referred to above, is achieved by the provision of lower slot wall 15 which is substantially perpendicular to the display surface 11a. This means that when the display hanger 50 is in use a portion of the load borne will be passed onto the relatively large, flat and even surface of lower slot wall 15 due to its contact along the majority of the lower face 56 of connecting region 53. This is preferred to a situation whereby the connecting region is hooked onto or rests on an apex or edge structure which would be placed under great strain when the load of the display hanger pulls directly down upon it when fully loaded. Thus, the provision of the opening passage shown in FIGs 3 and 4 with at least the lower slot wall 15 substantially perpendicular to the display surface 11a provides a stronger and more reliable display system 10. This arrangement provides a further advantage in that display hanger 50 cannot be easily accidentally displaced from slot 12 due to the relative shapes of the opening passage and the combination of the connecting region and inclined portion of the display hanger 50.

The angle formed where the inclined bearing surface 16 meets the upper slot wall 14 is also important as it allows an angled hanger, such as display hanger 50, to sit on lower slot wall 15, as described, but also to have an inclined portion 54 which can adopt an angle whereby its contact face 55 can be in engagement along the majority of its length with the bearing face 16, as will be described in relation to FIG 11.

FIG 5 shows a front elevation view of one embodiment of a display hanger 50. In use, some form of hanging projection 51 would extend from the body 52 but, for the sake of clarity, this has not been shown. The body 52 of the display hanger 50 approximates an 'X' at the lower half of its length but it will be appreciated that any design of the body 52 may be appropriate. A portion of connecting region 53 can be seen which serves to connect the body 52 with the inclined portion 54. This view shows the contact face 55 of the inclined portion 54.

FIG 6 shows a side view of the display hanger 50 of FIG 5. This view enables the relative positioning of the vertical elongate body 52 and inclined portion 54 to be appreciated. Inclined portion 54 is oriented obliquely relative to the vertically downwards extending elongate body 52 and the connecting region 53 approximately forms a right angle with the body 52. Inclined portion 54 is of a similar or slightly greater length than connecting region 53. As mentioned above, the particular shape of the body 52 is not particularly important (so long as it can be appropriately placed adjacent the display face 11 a of panel 11 ) but rather it is the relative positioning of the inclined portion 54 with respect to the body 52 and of connecting region 53 with respect to both the body 52 and the inclined portion 54 which is key. It is the shape resulting from these components which helps to retain the display hanger 50 within the slot 12 and allows the effective distribution of force onto the bearing surface 16 to reduce the likelihood of failure of the display system 10. The connecting region 53 is seen to be substantially perpendicular to body 52 to allow connecting region 53 to rest on lower slot wall 15, during use, and thereby best distribute the load force.

FIG 7 shows a perspective view of a portion of a display system 10, again the hanging projection 51 has been omitted for convenience. In use, the inclined portion 54 of the display hanger 50 will be conveniently inserted into the slot 12 by orienting the display hanger 50 appropriately. The display hanger 50 can then be allowed to drop such that the rear surface of body 52 will be in contact with the display surface 11 a of panel 11 and the lower face 56 of connecting region 103 rests upon the majority of the surface of lower slot wall 15. The display system 10 is now ready for use. The angle of the inclined portion 54 and its complimentary design to bearing surface 16 ensure that the display hanger 50 cannot easily rotate or slip out of slot 12 without being lifted up the necessary extent.

If it is desired to remove the display hanger 50 then the body 52 is simply lifted towards a horizontal position and, before such a position is reached, a slight pulling force will enable the inclined portion 54 to slide out of the slot 12. It is an advantage of the present invention that such a lifting and retracting motion must be employed to remove the display hanger 50. This ensures that the display hanger 50 is not easily accidentally displaced from the slot 12 by a simple knock or bumping action. It is the complimentary shape of the display hanger 50, particularly connecting region 53 and inclined portion 54, and the slot 2 walls, including lower slot wall 5 and bearing surface 16, which combine to create this at least partial locking effect.

FIGs 8 and 9 show a perspective view of two embodiments of a display hanger 50 with differing associated hanging projections 51. The hanging projection 51 seen in FIG 8 is a single elongate rod with an upturned end as is commonly found in supermarkets and the like where consumables are hung from an aperture in their packaging. The hanging projection 51 shown in FIG 9 effectively has two elongate rods which are integrally connected to form a wider, stronger support structure. The present invention is not limited to any particular hanging projection 51 design and the skilled addressee will understand that there are many alternatives, for example, the hanging projection 51 could be a circular ball bracket, a U-shaped structure to support implements with handles, such as a spade or with a suitable end, such as a hammer, a bicycle support bracket, a basket or a shelf. If hanging projection 51 is a shelf then it may have more than one display hanger 50 associated with it to better support the shelf body across its length. So long as the display hanger 50 comprises at least the body 52, the connecting region 53 and the inclined portion 54 components, as described herein, then any suitable hanging projection 51 may be appropriate to attach thereto.

FIG 10 shows a side view of a preferred embodiment of a display hanger 100 which comprises an elongate body 101 which ends in a substantially perpendicular connecting region 102, having a lower face 106, an angled region 103 and an inclined portion 104 having a contact face 105. It will be appreciated that the key differences between the display hanger 100 and the display hanger 50, as shown in FIGs 4 to 6, are the presence of the angled region 103 joining connecting region 102 to inclined portion 104, the change in the angle of inclined portion 104 relative to body 101 which is allowed for by the presence of angled region 103 and, finally, an increase in the length of connecting region 102 which is more apparent when viewed in FIG 11. Although the display hanger 50 is more than suitable for the intended use and provides advantages over prior art systems, the changes outlined in display hanger 100 provide for a number of further distinct advantages in use.

The angled region 103 is at an oblique angle relative to both the connecting region 102 and inclined portion 104 i.e. it is neither parallel nor perpendicular to either. Once again, connecting region 102 is substantially perpendicular to body 101 providing the advantages in use previously discussed.

The display hanger 100 may be constructed from the same materials as are suitable for the display hanger 50, discussed above, and may present the same array of hanger projections.

FIG 11 shows a cross sectional view of a portion of a display system 10 with the display hanger 100 located within a slot 12. The panel 11 and milled slot 12 are as described previously in relation to FIGs 1 to 4 and so the numbering has been maintained. It can be seen that, in the manner previously described for the display hanger 50, the elongate body 101 of display hanger 100 can be seen to be substantially vertical, in use, and sits with its rear surface closely adjacent the display surface 11a of panel 11. The connecting region 102 of display hanger 100 is formed approximately perpendicularly with respect to the body 101 and has lower face 106 which, in use, sits flush upon the lower slot wall 15 to distribute a component of the load over a flat surface. By comparison with display hanger 50, as viewed in FIG 4, it is clear that the connecting region 102 of display hanger 100 is more extensive and is seen to go beyond the extent of lower slot wall 15 by a reasonable margin whereas the flat surface of connecting region 53 of display hanger 50 is of approximately the same length as lower slot wall 15. This change provides an important advantage, as will be further discussed below, in better locking the display hanger 100 into slot 12 to avoid accidental removal.

Angled region 103 is seen to project at an oblique angle from connecting region 102 and joins at its other end to the inclined portion 104 which forms a different, larger angle relative to connecting region 53 than angled region 103 does. The inclined portion 104 of display hanger 100 is also seen to be situated at an oblique angle in relation to the body 101 and has a contact face 105 which is at least partly in contact with the bearing surface 16 of slot 12. Preferably, the majority of contact face 105 is in contact with bearing surface 16. More preferably, and as shown in FIG 11 , substantially all of contact face 105 is in load bearing engagement with bearing surface 16.

The advantage presented by this arrangement of the display hanger 100 is that, due to the provision of the angled region 103, when the display hanger 100 takes a further turn in its design to form inclined portion 104, the contact face 105 thereof is essentially parallel to the bearing face 16 and so substantially all of the contact face 105 makes load engaging contact with the bearing surface 16. This ensures that the load placed on a hanger (not shown) attached to the body 101 of the display hanger 100 will be evenly distributed along a substantial area of the walls of slot 12 and so the likelihood of a failure in the structural integrity of the slot 12 is greatly reduced. It will be appreciated that the effect described has been achieved, at least in part, by the provision of angled region 03 on the display hanger 100.

Display hanger 50 does not provide for this arrangement and so it is typically only a relatively small portion of contact face 55 which is in engagement with bearing surface 16. To increase the extent of this contact would necessitate greatly shortening the connecting region 53 to make a more favourable angle for contact face 55 to the point where accidental displacement from slot 12 would be more likely. Although display hanger 50 is a generally suitable arrangement, if heavy loads are placed on display hanger 50 and the display panel 11 is made from a relatively soft timber then an indentation may form on bearing surface 16 due to the large pressure transmitted to the edge or corner component of contact face 55. Over time this may mean the display hanger 50 has an increased allowed range of movement and may become more likely to be accidentally displaced from slot 12. The larger portion of contact face 105 of display hanger 100 in engagement with bearing surface 16 greatly reduces the risk of this happening as well as reducing the strain placed upon any one point of bearing surface 16.

FIG 12 shows a series of side views of the display hanger 100 of FIG 10 demonstrating its placement with a slot 12. The display hanger 100 is held such that the angled region 103 is almost parallel to the lower slot wall 15 while it is inserted into the slot 12. When the joining area of the connecting region 102 and angled region 103 is above or in contact with the lower slot wall 15 then the body 101 of the display hanger 100 is lowered to become closer to the display surface 11a of the panel 11 until an upper surface of the angled region 103 (continuous with the contact face of the inclined portion 104) is roughly adjacent the bearing surface 16 of the slot 12. This allows the display hanger 100 to be levered into place in a smooth motion. The body 101 of the display hanger 100 is further lowered to become closer to the display surface 11a of the panel 11 until it is in contact therewith and the lower face 106 of the connecting region 102 rests upon the lower slot wall 15. This places the contact face 105 of inclined portion 104 in contact with the bearing surface 16 of the slot 12. The rearwardly expanding nature of the slot 12 in combination with the projection of the angled region 103 and/or the inclined portion 104 from the horizontally located connecting region 102 means that the display hanger 100 is now locked into position within the slot 12 and cannot be removed unless the reverse operation of the steps just described to locate the display hanger 100 within the slot 12 are carried out. One of the key advantages provided by the design of display hanger 100 over those of the prior art and, indeed, even over the design of display hanger 50, is best demonstrated by working through the reverse of the steps just described for the placement of display hanger 100.

It can be seen that when the body 101 is lifted the display hanger 100 still cannot easily slide out of slot 12. The greater length of connecting region 102 and the angled region 103 essentially form a locking structure such that removal is only possible by further angling the display hanger 00 upwards and at the same time sliding it towards the user to allow the join of body 101 and connecting region 102 to slide out of the opening passage while at the same time enabling the join of connecting region 102 and angled region 103 to enter the opening passage. Only at this point will the display hanger 100 actually be able to be raised further to the point where it can easily be slid out. It will be appreciated that there is only a relatively small window of motion wherein the display hanger 100 can be freed from the locking position described above which means that the display hanger 100, and hence any goods suspended thereon, have a greatly reduced chance of being unintentionally displaced from the slot 12 thus reducing the chance of damage to the goods.

This is a key advantage over the prior art which presents a range of designs of hangers and reciprocal slots which all generally suffer from common accidental removal of the hanger due to the lack of any positive locking formation between hanger and slot such as has been described in relation to display hanger 50 and, particularly, display hanger 00 within slot 12.

In summary, an improved display system is provided which is composed of a display panel with a slot of unique design and a display hanger having an inclined portion shaped to be complimentary to a load bearing surface of the slot. A number of advantages are presented over prior art display systems, particularly, the region of contact between the display hanger and panel slot wall has been strengthened thus greatly reducing the likelihood of breakage under standard conditions and increasing the weight bearing capacity of the display system. This is achieved by the provision of an expanding slot with a chamfered face which is thereby adapted to better accept and distribute a load from the display hanger's complimentary shaped inclined portion. A portion of, the majority of or substantially all of the contact face of the display hanger may be in load distributing contact with the chamfered face to provide certain of the advantages described herein and, finally, a positive locking position is adapted when the display hanger is simply lifted away from the display surface such that accidental removal is negated or greatly reduced compared to the prior art.

Throughout the specification the aim has been to describe the preferred embodiments of the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. It will therefore be appreciated by those of skill in the art that, in light of the instant disclosure, various modifications and changes can be made in the particular embodiments exemplified without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

. A display system comprising:

(a) a panel having a display surface;

(b) at least one slot formed within the display surface, the slot comprising an inclined bearing surface; and

(c) a display hanger adapted to be located within the slot, the display hanger having an inclined portion;

wherein, the inclined portion of the display hanger is adapted to contact the inclined bearing surface to retain the display hanger within the slot and distribute a load force against the bearing surface.

2. The display system of claim 1 wherein the inclined bearing surface is a chamfered surface.

3. The display system of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the slot comprises at least a portion thereof which expands rearwardly.

4. The display system of claim 3 wherein the rearwardly expanding portion comprises the inclined bearing surface.

5. The display system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the slot further comprises an opening passage which opens onto the display surface, the opening passage comprising upper and lower slot walls.

6. The display system of claim 5 wherein the lower slot wall of the opening passage is substantially perpendicular to the display surface.

7. The display system of claim 5 wherein the upper and lower slot walls are substantially parallel.

8. The display system of claim 5 wherein the inclined bearing surface is continuous with the opening passage.

9. The display system of claim 8 wherein the inclined bearing surface is continuous with the upper slot wall of the opening passage.

10. The display system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the inclined portion of the display hanger has a contact face, the majority of the contact face, in use, being in contact with the inclined bearing surface.

11. The display system of claim 10 wherein, in use, substantially all of the contact face is in contact with the inclined bearing surface.

12. The display system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the slot opens onto a rear surface of the panel to thereby provide a continuous passage between the display surface and the rear surface.

13. The display system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the display hanger further comprises an elongate body and a connecting region, the connecting region located between the elongate body and the inclined portion.

14. The display system of claim 13 wherein the connecting region connects the elongate body to the inclined portion.

15. The display system of claim 13 wherein the display hanger further comprises an angled region between the connecting region and the inclined portion.

16. The display system of any one of claim 13 to claim 15 wherein the connecting region is substantially perpendicular to the elongate body.

17. The display system of claim 13 wherein at least a portion of the connecting region of the display hanger rests on the lower slot wall of the opening passage.

18. The display system of claim 17 wherein substantially all of a lower surface of the connecting region of the display hanger is in contact with the lower slot wall of the opening passage.

19. The display system of claim 15 wherein, in use, the connecting region of the display hanger extends beyond an extent of the lower slot wall of the opening passage.

20. The display system of claim 15 wherein the connecting region of the display hanger is more extensive than the inclined portion.

21. The display system of claim 15 wherein an angle formed by the inclined portion relative to the connecting region of the display hanger is greater than an angle formed between the angled region and the connecting region.

22. The display system of any one of the preceding claims wherein the display surface comprises a plurality of slots formed therein, the slots being formed in discrete rows and each slot being vertically offset from a slot directly above and below.

23. A display hanger comprising:

(a) an elongate body;

(b) an inclined portion having a contact face; and

(c) a connecting region;

24. The display hanger of claim 23 wherein the connecting region is substantially perpendicular to the elongate body.

25. The display hanger of claim 23 or claim 24 wherein the connecting region connects the elongate body to the inclined portion.

26. The display hanger of claim 23 or claim 24 wherein the display hanger further comprises an angled region between the connecting region and the inclined portion.

27. The display hanger of claim 26 wherein the angled region is oriented obliquely relative to both the elongate body and the inclined portion.

28. The display hanger of claim 26 wherein an angle formed by the inclined portion relative to the connecting region of the display hanger is greater than an angle formed between the angled region and the connecting region

29. The display hanger of claim 26 wherein the connecting region is more extensive than the inclined portion.

30. The display hanger of any one of claim 23 to claim 28 wherein the elongate body has one or more projections extending from a surface thereof to support a load.

31. A display panel comprising:

(a) a display surface; and

wherein, the inclined bearing surface is adapted to receive a contact surface of a display hanger.

32. The display panel of claim 31 wherein the inclined bearing surface is a chamfered surface.

33. The display panel of claim 31 or claim 32 wherein the slot comprises at least a portion thereof which expands rearwardly, the rearwardly expanding portion comprising the inclined bearing surface.

34. The display panel of any one of claim 31 to claim 33 wherein the slot further comprises an opening passage which opens onto the display surface, the opening passage having upper and lower slot walls.

35. The display panel of claim 34 wherein the lower slot wall of the opening passage is substantially perpendicular to the display surface.

36. The display panel of claim 34 wherein the upper and lower slot walls are substantially parallel.

37. The display panel of claim 34 wherein the inclined bearing surface is continuous with the upper slot wall of the opening passage.

38. The display panel of any one of claim 31 to claim 37 wherein the slot opens onto a rear surface of the panel to thereby provide a continuous passage between the display surface and the rear surface.

39. The display panel of any one of claim 31 to claim 38 wherein the display surface comprises a plurality of slots formed therein, the slots being formed in discrete rows and each slot being vertically offset from a slot directly above and below.