U.S. patent number 3,721,413 [Application Number 05/143,590] was granted by the patent office on 1973-03-20 for display stand.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Reynolds Guyer Agency of Design. Invention is credited to William J. Robinson.
United States Patent |
3,721,413 |
Robinson |
March 20, 1973 |
DISPLAY STAND
Abstract
A display is provided which may be folded into a generally flat
form and which will automatically fold into erected form when means
holding the display folded is released. The display includes a
display body, a standard, and a display card. The display body is
expandable and contractable. The standard is secured to extend
upwardly from the display body, and is channel-shaped when erected.
The display card is secured to the upper end of the standard. The
standard is vertically elongated and is creased to provide an
intermediate panel and two side panels. The standard is
transversely foldable to enclose the display body in collapsed
form. Resilient means are provided for expanding the display body
and for folding the side pannels in right angular relation to said
intermediate panel when means holding the display collapsed and
folded is released.
Inventors: |
Robinson; William J. (Saint
Paul, MN) |
Assignee: |
Reynolds Guyer Agency of Design
(Ramsey County, MN)
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Family
ID: |
22504728 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/143,590 |
Filed: |
January 18, 1971 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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761934 |
Sep 24, 1968 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
248/174 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F
5/114 (20130101); G09F 5/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47F
5/10 (20060101); A47F 5/11 (20060101); G09F
5/00 (20060101); A47f 005/11 () |
Field of
Search: |
;248/174 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Allen; Edward C.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 761,934, filed Sept.
24, 1968, and now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. A folded display including:
base section including a front wall panel, a rear wall panel, and
side wall members connecting the edges of said front and rear wall
panels,
said side wall members each including a pair of foldably connected
side wall panels foldably connected together in face contact
between said front and rear wall panels,
platform panels hingedly connected to the upper edges of said front
and rear panels and extending upwardly therefrom in generally
parallel relation and adapted to fold into substantially coplanar
relation,
resilient means connecting said platform panels to one of said
front and rear wall panels near the lower end thereof for urging
said platform panels into substantially coplanar relation,
a vertically elongated standard having an upper section, a center
section, and a lower section foldably connected along parallel
transverse fold lines,
said standard being divided along parallel longitudinal fold lines
into an intermediate panel and a pair of side panels,
resilient means under stress on one side only of said intermediate
panel and urging said side panels into angular relation with said
intermediate panel when said side panels and intermediate panel are
folded into coplanar relation throughout the upper, center and
lower sections thereof,
means securing the intermediate panel of said lower section of said
standard to the rear surface of said rear panel of said base
section and adapted to extend upwardly therefrom when said display
is unfolded,
said center section of said standard lying outwardly of said front
wall panel of said base section, and said upper section lying
outwardly of said rear wall panel of said base section, and
means releasably holding said display folded,
whereby
when said releasably holding means is released, the said front and
rear wall panels of said base section will expand apart,
automatically folding the sections of said standard into coplanar
relation, whereupon said side panels of said standard may
automatically swing into angular relation to the intermediate
panels thereof.
2. The structure of claim 1 and including strut forming flanges
hingedly connected to said platform panels and folded into face
contact therebetween, and forming a means of connection with said
first named resilient means.
3. The structure of claim 2 and in which strut forming flanges are
adapted to fold into engagement with said side wall members of said
base section when in substantially coplanar relation.
Description
This invention relates to an improvement in display stands, and
deals particularly with a display including a base portion and a
display card supported by a vertical standard above the base
portion, and which may be set up almost automatically.
Displays have been produced which include a base portion upon which
the goods to be displayed may be stacked, the standard portion
extending upwardly from the base, and a display sign secured to the
upper end of the standard. Displays of this type are usually
erected by a representative of the firm producing the product being
displayed. For example, the base portion usually comprises some
sort of container which must be folded from its flat folded form to
a rectangular erected form. Secondly, the standard must be secured
in some manner to the base portion to extend upwardly therefrom.
Finally, the display card must be secured to the upper end of the
standard so as to extend above the goods piled upon the base
portion of the display.
As will be evident, the cost of erecting displays of the type in
question is very high, and the cost is not warranted unless the
resulting sales are substantially increased. The sales
representative of the producer of the items to be displayed must
contact the proper parties at the store, obtain permission to erect
the display, must erect the display, and must usually pile a
quantity of product upon the base portion thereof, and must then
travel to the next prospect. If the price of the items displayed is
low, the cost of such operation cannot warrant the cost of the
display.
It is a well known fact that displays will not, for the most part,
be erected by the personnel of a supermarket. Aside from the
personnel at the checkout counters, most of the persons working in
a supermarket are either hired to apply price marks on the goods
and to stack the goods upon shelves, or else to carry the
merchandise sold to the cars of the purchasers. This type of help
might often have difficulty in following directions in setting up a
display. Even though the directions are relatively simple, it is
necessary that the base portion of the display be set up in a
particular manner, following directions furnished with the display.
It is also necessary to form the standard which normally is
supplied in the flat condition and which must be folded into
channel-shaped form, and to attach the display is often a very
simple matter for one familiar with the display, it is usually not
a simple matter for a common laborer who is completely unfamiliar
with the display and who would often rather do routine tasks than
to go to the bother of learning how to set up the display. For this
reason, displays which are sent to the supermarket rather than
delivered by a sales representative are often thrown away.
An object of the present invention resides in the provision of a
display which almost automatically sets itself up. The display
includes a simple base portion which may be set up by merely moving
a pair of panels apart so as to swing a product supporting platform
into place. A standard is secured to the rear of the base, and a
display poster is secured to the upper end of the standard. The
standard is usually provided in three hingedly connected portions
which are normally flat. The sides of the channel-shaped standard
are connected by resilient bands which are normally under tension
when the display is folded in its flat condition. The arrangement
is such that the display base, supporting standard and poster may
be normally folded into a flat form, and held in this form by
suitable means such as by a strip of gummed tape. When the display
is to be used, the strip of tape holding the display in folded form
is slit, and the display may be merely dropped upon the floor. The
resilient members connecting opposite sides of the channel-shaped
standards acts to unfold the standard and to fold the standard and
to fold the standard into channel-shaped form. Other resilient
means expand the base into display position, and it is only
necessary to stand the display up and stack the product on the
base. As this operation requires no more labor than stacking
similar products upon shelves, the display may well be used where a
similar display which requires erection and assembly would not be
used.
A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a
display which is actually entertaining to erect, and which therefor
will be used where displays which must be assembled would not. When
the tape or other means holding the display in flat folded
condition is parted, and the display is released, such as by
dropping the display on a floor or table, the resilient bands
unfold the display automatically. This operation is somewhat
spectacular to watch, and as a result, displays of the type in
question are almost universally used once the display has been
seen. As a matter of fact, it has been found that there is a
tendency for the persons erecting the display to attempt to refold
the displays into their original condition just so that the folding
of the display into open position may be observed once again.
A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision
of a display which is not materially more expensive than the
displays previously used. Previous displays include the same
general type of base portion, standard and poster. In the past, the
standard was usually formed of corrugated paperboard with the
flutes of the corrugated board extending horizontally, and with
ductile wires included in certain of the flutes of the corrugations
so that the standard may be bent into channel-shaped form, and held
in this form by the wires. In the present arrangement, resilient
bands are substituted for the wires, the bands connecting opposite
sides of the channel-shaped standard. These resilient bands are
under tension when the standard is in flat folded condition, and
are relaxed in tension when the standard is in channel-shaped form.
The end portions of the standard are connected to the supporting
base and the display poster, respectively. The arrangement is such
that when the resilient bands are released and the parts of the
display are free to move, the resilience of the stretched band will
not only unfold the complete structure, but will also unfold the
standard into channel-shaped form. By merely standing the display
upright and folding the display portion into expanded form, the
display is complete and in readiness to receive the product which
is to be stacked thereupon.
These and other objects and novel features of the present invention
will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following
specification and claims .
In the drawings forming a part of the specification:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the front side of the erected
display, showing the general arrangement thereof.
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the display illustrated in
FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the base portion of the
standard, the position of the section being indicated by the line
3--3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the standard, the
position of the section being indicated at right angles to FIG. 3
and the position of the section being indicated by the line 4--4 of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the standard at the start of the
opening operation.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the display and an intermediate
point of the setting up operation.
FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the base
portion of the display is formed.
The display is indicated in its entirety by the letter A. The
display includes a base portion which is indicated in general by
the numeral 10, a standard portion which is indicated in general by
the numeral 11, and a display poster which is indicated in general
by numeral 12. The standard 11 is secured to a vertical wall of the
base 10, and the display poster 12 is secured to the upper end of
the standard 11 so as to be visible above a stack of product
resting upon the base portion 10 of the display.
As indicated in FIG. 7 of the drawings, the base portion 10
includes a front panel 13, a side wall panel 14, a rear wall panel
15, and a second side wall panel 16. These panels are connected
along parallel fold lines 17, 19, and 20. A stitch flap or glue
flap 21 is hinged to the front wall 13 along a fold line 22 which
is parallel to the previously described lines of fold. As will be
evident from FIG. 7, the side walls 14 and 16 are separately
foldable along a center fold line, the center fold line of the side
wall 14 being indicated by the numeral 23, and the center fold line
in the side wall 16 being indicated at 24. Rounded notches 25 and
26 are provided in the upper edges of the side walls 14 and 16 to
accommodate the center strut of the product supporting platform, as
will be described.
As is also indicated, the walls 13, 14, 15, and 16 may also be
connected along their lower edges by a fold line 27 to bottom
flanges 29, 30, 31, and 32. The flanges 30 and 32 which are
connected to the side walls 14 and 16 are normally transversely
slit as indicated at 33 and 34 so that the flange portion on
opposite sides of the center fold lines may fold individually. The
upper edges of the front wall 13 and rear wall 15 are connected
along alined fold lines 35 to platform panels 36. Fold lines 37,
which are parallel to fold lines 35, connect to the platform panels
36 to a central strut forming flange 39.
In forming the base portion of the device, the flap 21 is
overlapped with the marginal edge of the side wall 16 and secured
in face contact therewith to form a tubular structure. The side
walls 14 and 16 are folded inwardly between the front and rear
walls 13 and 15 so that the portions of the side walls on opposite
sides of the center fold line 23 and 24 fold into face contact. The
strut forming flanges 39 on the two platform forming panels 36 are
folded into face contact and are adhered together to provide a
central strut connecting the top panels.
The standard portion 11 of the device includes a fromt panel 40
which is hingedly connected along parallel fold lines 41 and 42 to
side flanges 43 and 44. One end of the center portion 40 of the
standard is adhered in face contact with the rear panel 15 of the
base portion 10 of the display. The other end of the standard 11 is
designed to support the display poster 12, the front surface of the
panel 40 being adhered in face contact with the rear surface of the
poster 12.
As will be noted in FIG. 2 of the drawings, transverse double score
lines 45 and 46 extend entirely across the standard portion 11
including the center panel 40 and the side panels 43 and 44. These
score lines divide the height of the display into three
substantially equal sections, the upper section being adhered to
the poster 12 and the lower section being adhered to the base
portion 10. Resilient elastic bands 47 and 49 are secured to the
sides 43 and 44 of the standard portion 11. The elastic band 47 is
positioned slightly below the double fold lines 45. The upper
resilient band 49 is preferably located just below the upper double
fold lines 46.
In the particular arrangement illustrated, the front and rear
panels 13 and 15 of the base portion 10 are substantially equal in
width to the standard 11 when the side panels 43 and 44 of the
standard are folded into a common plane with the center portion 40
thereof. The poster 12 is preferably of equal width to the base
panels 13 and 15 so that the entire display may be of substantially
equal width when in its folded condition. As is indicated in FIG. 3
of the drawings, an elastic band 50 is secured to the center
portion of the strut formed by the adhered strut forming flanges
39. The elastic member 50 is anchored at its lower end to the rear
wall 15 of the base portion of the display, as indicated at 51. The
elastic member 50 is designed to fold the platform forming panels
36 into a common plane.
FIG. 5 of the drawings shows the display in slightly unfolded form.
In usual practice, the base portion of the display is collapsed by
folding the side panels 14 and 16 into flat form between the front
panel 13 and rear panel 15. The standard 11 is also flat, and the
base portion 10 is folded to overlie the center portion of the
standard which is between the fold lines 45 and 46. The poster 12
is folded down to overlie the base portion 10, and the display is
held in this folded form by gummed tape or by string or twine
encircling the display. When the means binding the display in its
completely folded condition is released, the display starts to
unfold as indicated in FIG. 5 of the drawings. This is caused by
the elastic band 50 which tends to fold the platform forming panels
36 into a common plane, thus swinging the base portion of the
device upwardly into the position indicated in FIG. 6 of the
drawings. The pull of the band 50 swings the elements through the
position indicated in FIG. 6, and the display continues to unfold
as indicated by the arrows 52 in FIG. 6 of the drawings.
When the standard unfolds along the fold lines 45 and 46 until the
standard unfolds into a single plane, the elastic bands 47 and 49
swing the side panels 43 and 44 of the standard into right angular
relation to the center panel 40 thereof. As a result, the display
is completely assembled into operable form by the three elastic
bands 47, 49, and 50, and it is only necessary to stand the display
erect into the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
Because of the somewhat spectacular operation of erecting the
display from its flat folded form to its completely assembled form,
no difficulty has been experienced in obtaining the cooperation of
supermarket personnel in erecting the displays. Either the tape
which holds the display in its folded form is slit, or the cord or
other means holding the display is collapsed form is removed while
the display is being held in its folded form. Once the binding
material has been severed or removed, the display is merely dropped
upon the floor or another flat surface with the center portion of
the standard lowermost. When this is done, the base portion of the
display expands into channel shaped form to completely assemble the
display with virtually no effort on the part of the operator.
In accordance with the Patent Statutes, I have described the
principles of construction and operation of my improvement in
DISPLAY STANDS, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best
embodiment thereof I desire to have it understood that changes may
be made within the scope of the following claims without departing
form the spirit of my invention.
* * * * *