Flexible or portable closure – partition – or panel – Plural strip – slat – or panel type – Portable
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-05
2001-10-23
Purol, David M. (Department: 3634)
Flexible or portable closure, partition, or panel
Plural strip, slat, or panel type
Portable
C160S231100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305455
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a modular display having multiple panels hingedly attached one to another to enable the shape of the display to be varied as desired.
In the field of providing equipped and defined space for exhibition and meetings, the complexity of the equipment used for display and to define the boundaries of allocated space is quite important in that it primarily determines the time required for assembly and the skills needed by the workforce. Since the labor costs are a significant factor in the cost of constructing and deconstructing the display equipment, the suppliers of this type of equipment are continually seeking to develop simplified modular equipment capable of rapid set-up and take down with an unskilled labor force.
The present invention provides a modular display system formed from multiple panels that can be rapidly joined through the use of flexible surface-mounted interlocks located between adjacent panels. The panels are identical and are preferably provided with receiving sockets to allow vertical stacking in addition to their use as a horizontal display. The flexible interlock enables the assembler to create the desired shape or contour for the display area when used as a boundary installation or as a display wall. The flexible interlocks are surface mounted which enables adjacent panels to be folded back on one another thereby providing essentially 180 degree rotation therebetween. The wide range of rotation enables the panels to be jointed together to form a closed structure if desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns the provision of a multiple large area panel display system in which adjacent panels are hingedly attached one to another in a manner which permits facile connection and separation. The longitudinal edges of the panels are provided with a strip of flexible material that is secured by an adhesive interposed between panel surface and flexible strip.
The flexible strip is comprised of a planar bonding area for affixation to the panel and an offset tab having two receiving sockets. The offset tab is connected to the planar bonding area by an intermediate hinge section. The hinge section is substantially or thogonal to the planar bonding area and the offset tab.
The receiving sockets in the offset tab are broader in their base than at the neck so as to form non-uniform projections therebetween. The projections have approximately the same shape in cross-section as the sockets. Thus, the flexible strips as secured to adjacent panels are reversed to provide a flexible inter connection therebetween.
The adjacent strips are secured to adjacent panel edges thereby enabling the panels to be rotated and aligned to form display walls of a variety of shapes.
The display panels comprise two large area members secured by spacers extending longitudinally. The flexible interlocking strips are secured along longitudinal edges. The lateral edges of joined panels can be stacked one upon the other by the use of spherical couplers having diametrically opposed pins between the spacers of vertically adjacent panels. The flexible interlock strips and the spherical couplers enable the assembler to quickly erect a multiple panel display wall to a wide variety of specifications.
Further features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3562973 (1971-02-01), Gangemi
patent: 3592289 (1971-07-01), Aysta et al.
patent: 4232724 (1980-11-01), Brown
patent: 4344475 (1982-08-01), Frey
patent: 4977696 (1990-12-01), Johansson
patent: 5339576 (1994-08-01), Fussler
patent: 5502930 (1996-04-01), Burkette et al.
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