Supports: racks – Special article – Book support type
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-27
2002-09-17
Ramirez, Ramon O. (Department: 3632)
Supports: racks
Special article
Book support type
C211S107000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06450347
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a modular column display system especially suitable for thin objects, used to exhibit goods or pamphlets, and to adapter elements and angular adapters for merchandise boxes for display systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Modular column display systems for merchandise or pamphlets having a plurality of merchandise boxes configured around an up-right support post are disclosed in, amongst others, DE-U 23 77 269.
Furthermore, DE 295 06 656 discloses a modular merchandise display system comprising an upright, central support post which has regularly undercut recesses, for example in the form of undercut longitudinal slots, as well as merchandise supports attached to the support post, said merchandise supports including attachment means corresponding to said recesses, said attachment means allowing said merchandise supports to be attached directly to the support post at the positions indicated by said recesses. In this case, the individual merchandise supports, which may be of random dimensions and shape, are not in the form of rack plates and can thus be anchored laterally in the recesses of the support post. Compared to the prior art display columns comprising replaceable rack plates, the disclosed display system has the great advantage that, instead of entire rack plates, its individual merchandise support modules, e.g. in the form of boxes, can be easily replaced—which makes the entire system extremely flexible and adaptable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Furthermore, FR-A 2 718 932 describes a display stand for oblong objects, DE-U-92 17 446 relates to a copy holder, and U.S. Pat. 5,337,904 discloses a remote control support.
The prior art systems suffer from the shortcoming that only a limited number of merchandise supports can be attached around the support post. Normally, up to 6 merchandise boxes can be arranged on a common height level around the support posts usually consisting of hollow plastic tubes of a diameter of between 5 to 15 cm. In a configuration stepwise staggered in height disclosed in the abovementioned utility model specification, approx. 7 merchandise boxes can be arranged on one height level. For broad insertion compartments in the merchandise boxes, as used e.g. for displaying books, the display effect accomplished together with optimum economy of space is extremely satisfactory.
An altogether quite different situation, however, is when narrow insertion compartments for relatively thin merchandise such as newspapers, magazines, greetings cards, maps, prospectuses, packaged tights and the like are to be arranged around and attached to a support post or a rotary column, and the goods in question are to be displayed in an appropriate manner. What is of importance here no longer is keeping the dead space on and around the support post at a minimum, but rather the need to display a maximum of the goods surface, that is newspaper front pages, the pictures of postcards and the like, in a conspicuous and clearly visible manner.
A large goods surface is displayed when one-pieced rack plates of the prior art are used, in which case two insertion compartments each, defining an angle between them, have directly adjacent withdrawal openings facing radially outward, and a major number of pairs of such insertion compartments are arranged on one rack plate in what resembles the shape of a star. However, this advantage is paid for with a design which does not allow individual adaptations.
It is the object of the invention to provide a display system with multiple individual adjustment possibilities and whose modules are easy and economical to produce.
In particular, the invention is to provide a variable column display system with individually replaceable merchandise support modules which allows different configurations of merchandise supports on one height level for an optimum display of a plurality of different, and in particular thin, display objects.
According to the invention, this object is accomplished by features of claims
1
,
2
,
8
and
12
.
By providing adapter elements and angular adapters for merchandise boxes, the invention makes it possible, without much effort, to realize a plurality of individually selectable configurations with one display system, which allows the use of support posts and merchandise boxes, which. are complex to produce, in different configurations. In this case, the adapter elements practically allow a variation of the effective support post diameter for attaching merchandise boxes. Not much technical effort is required for this purpose and the resulting weight increase is smaller for a column display system than would be the case if the support post were replaced.
Moreover, the angular adapters for merchandise boxes (for which only little production material is required), either alone or in combination with adapter elements, also contribute to broadening the scope of feasible configurations.
In a column display system, preferably at least one adapter element in the form of an adapter plate is attached to the support post, which adapter plate includes a central opening for passing the support post therethrough and has the actual merchandise boxes, or attaching means removably mounted on said merchandise boxes, in turn removably attached to its external portion.
One advantage of the invention is that the use of the adapter plate advantageously allows already existing support posts, e.g. used for arranging rack plates, to be provided with individual merchandise boxes laterally mounted thereon in a modular fashion. This also makes it possible to exploit axially rotatable support posts which are the static base element for numerous display systems, as well as pedestals or mounting units which ensure stability and, if necessary, mobility and constitute a regular high cost factor, for the purposes of the invention.
Now that there are adapter plates, rack plates which are inflexible in use and awkward to replace need no longer be used for displaying thin goods which need to be exhibited with their surfaces visible. In their stead, one and the same support post can be used advantageously for exhibiting goods of the most varied shapes, which consequently also need to be displayed differently.
For thick, large-volume goods, where the dead space around the support post needs to be minimized, one can use inventive adapter plates of appropriately small diameter—then resembling more an adapter ring, or the individual merchandise boxes can be mounted directly on the support post, by means of angular adapters for merchandise boxes, if necessary.
For problematic goods, i.e. thin and low-volume goods, which have so far required special rack plates or particularly thick support posts to be displayed in a useful and proper manner, one will choose an inventive adapter plate of appropriately larger diameter. A column display system thus equipped with different adapter plates and merchandise supports according to the invention is of uniform and appealing appearance.
The fact that the entire edge portion of each anchoring plate is available for removably attaching individual merchandise boxes thereto makes it possible to choose modes of attachment for the merchandise boxes which are by far easier to handle and more stable than is the case with modular systems of the prior art where each individual merchandise box needs to be attached directly to the scarce surface of the support post. The longer circumferential line available for attaching the merchandise supports or boxes considerably facilitates the attachment as well as any replacement of the merchandise boxes that may become necessary—which is of special advantage if numerous small merchandise boxes are to be arranged on one height level. A stable attachment, capable of withstanding loads, of individual merchandise boxes to be arranged spaced radially from the support post only becomes feasible by means of the adapter plate.
In the embodiment set out below and illustrated in the drawings, an adapter plate of circular shape is described since a circular circu
Ramirez Ramon O.
Schmeiser Olsen & Watts
Wolf-Dietrich Hannecke Kuntstofftechnik
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