EP0850582A2 - Display for use in shops or other sales areas - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention concerns a display stand for use in shops and other sales areas consisting of a supporting frame structure in which the goods on display are suspended from numerous fine cables fixed to the two crosspieces of the supporting structure.

Description

This patent application concerns a display stand for shops or other sales areas which offers a particularly innovative and attractive way to display goods.

The presentation of goods on display is becoming more and more important for the success of retail sales; in today's market in the face of increasingly fierce competition, the attractive presentation of a product is often decisive in directing the end user's choice.

The way goods are presented however is rather standardised in that display stands generally consist of wooden or metal shelving or structures realised with lighter or more inexpensive materials such as cardboard in some cases or light metal grid structures in others, but substantially always consisting of a series of shelves.

The way products are presented on structures of this kind leaves little choice in that the products have to be arranged on the shelves.

The only way to personalise these standardised display stands is to change certain details or use decorations or different colours, without however changing the basic structure of the stand.

The purpose of this invention is to design a display stand which allows totally an innovative and attractive presentation of products and certainly more appealing than that of conventional display stands.

The new display stand according to the invention consists fundamentally of a supporting wooden structure comprising two uprights and two cross-pieces, which act as a frame, the centre of which is provided with a series of very fine cables, fixed and stretched between the upper and bottom crosspieces in perpendicular and non perpendicular directions with respect to the crosspieces themselves.

The goods are hung from said cables, generally one item to a cable, so that they are suspended in the supporting frame structure of the new display stand in question.

Moreover, considering that the cables are stretched, it is evident that the item on display remains almost immobile in the position in which it is placed initially in the display stand in question.

In addition the display stand is fitted with a series of adjustable spots which can be used to improve the presentation of the product.

This brief description makes it easy to understand the innovative idea behind the design of the new display stand which consists substantially of presenting the product to its best advantage while dissociating and separating it completely from the display structure.

In particular, the use of very fine cables which are hard to see, permits realising an apparently "immaterial" display of the product, almost as though the same were suspended in the air in the supporting frame of the display stand in question.

This display technique is not only extremely innovative but is also extremely efficient in that it makes it possible to display the product to potential buyers in the simplest and most essential way.

It is evident that the display stand in question is ideal for items which have a linear and attractive shape; it is also evident that this singular presentation method will attract potential buyers.

In order to make the display stand as versatile as possible, the height of the structure can be regulated.

Each of the uprights of the display stand in question consists in fact of two different elements, namely a bottom fixed element and an upper sliding element; more specifically, the end of the first element is connected to the base crosspiece of the display while the end of the second element which slides vertically with respect to the first, is fixed to the top crosspiece of the display stand.

It is evident that the height of the entire display stand according to the invention can be regulated by modifying the position of the upper sliding elements of the uprights with respect to the fixed bottom element.

For major clarity, the description of the invention continues with reference to the enclosed figures which are intended only for purposes of illustration and not in a limiting sense whereby:

• figure 1 is a front axonometric view of the display stand according to the invention;
• figure 2 is an axonometric view of a section of display stand cable fitted with a pair of special clamps for holding the product.

With reference to figure 1, the display stand in question consists of a supporting "frame" structure composed by two crosspieces (1a and 1b) and two uprights (2).

In particular, each upright (2) consists of a bottom supporting element (2a) whose bottom end is fixed to the base crosspiece (1a) and by an upper sliding element (2b) whose upper end is fixed to the top crosspiece (1b).

In the embodiment shown in figure 1, the supporting element (2a) consists of two wooden boards positioned vertically at a short distance from each other, between which a third board (2b), representing the upper adjustable element of upright (2), performs alternating longitudinal runs.

The number (2c) refers to the holes having horizontal axis realised on each pair of supporting boards in which means such as screws or similar are fitted in order to fix the relevant sliding element (2b) in the required position.

Crosspieces (1a and 1b) are characterised by a box-shaped structure in that the same are provided with a high perimeter edge (1c); in the case of the bottom crosspiece (1a) said edge (1c) acts are a supporting base for the entire display stand while in the case of the upper crosspiece (1b) the edge (1c) acts as a finishing element which can be used for example for logos, brands, the name of the product or producer and so on.

Both the crosspieces (1a and 1b) are provided with through holes in which the ends of the fine cables (3) are fitted and then fixed on the external surface of the crosspieces (1a and 1b) by means of clamps or similar means.

It is evident that the clamps or means used to fix the ends of the cables (3) are concealed thanks to the perimeter edge with which both crosspieces (1a and 1b) are provided ensuring a linear and essential design of the display stand in question.

In addition said cables (3) are fixed between the crosspieces (1a and 1b) so that they are firmly stretched in the supporting frame structure of the display stand.

As mentioned, the products on display are fixed to said cables (3); figure 1 shows an opposing pair of flooring strips (L) attached to each cable even if it is obvious that any other type of product could be fixed to the same.

It is also evident that there are different ways in which to fix the products to the cables (3): by way of example, rings, clamps, hooks or other means with which to hold the products on display, can be fixed to the cables (3).

In order to optimise the way in which goods are displayed however, special and practically invisible fixing means could be fitted to the cables, which would be ideal above all for fixing very rigid objects with a regular shape.

With particular reference to figure 2, said fixing means consist of several clamps (4) made of light and transparent materials (such as Plexiglas) which are fitted and fixed along each cable (3) perpendicular to the same.

Figure 2 shows two flooring strips fixed to each cable (3) with the inexpensive wooden back surfaces facing each other; for this purpose, the back faces of said strips (L) are fixed to the ends of the clamps (4) on the right and on the left of the supporting cable (3).

In the case in question, fixing said clamps (4) is simplified by the provision of transverse grooves (T) on the back face of said strips (L); figure 2 also shows that the two ends of each clamp (4) fit precisely into the opposing grooves (T) of said two strips (L).

It is moreover evident that without diverging from the inventive idea, each of the above cables (3) could be replaced by two separate cables - preferably half the length - one being fixed to the upper crosspiece (1b) and the other to the bottom crosspiece (1a), but both provided with clamps, rings or other means to attach the items at the free ends.

Obviously in this case each of the items to display would be attached between one and the other of these shorter cables while remaining nonetheless suspended within the supporting frame of the display stand according to the invention.

Finally, it should be noted that the number (5) in the figure refers to the spots fitted under the upper crosspiece (1b) which illuminate the items suspended from the cables (3).

Claims (7)

1. A display stand for use in shops or other sales areas characterised by a supporting "frame" like structure consisting of two crosspieces (1a and 1b) and by two uprights (2) designed to support a number of fine cables (3) whose ends are fixed on the crosspieces (1a and 1b) and which are provided with means of attachment for holding the articles on display.
2. A display stand for use in shops or other sales areas according to claim 1) characterised in that both the crosspieces (1a and 1b) are provided with a perimeter edge (1c) on the outer face.
3. A display stand for use in shops and other sales areas according to claim 1 characterised in that the ends of the cables (3) are fitted into through holes realised on crosspieces (1a and 1b) and fixed by suitable fittings on the outer face of crosspieces (1a and 1b).
4. A display stand for use in shops and other sales areas according to claim 1 characterised in that the height of uprights (2) is adjustable.
5. A display stand for use in shops and other sales areas according to claims 1 and 4, characterised in that each upright (2) consists of two elements, namely a fixed bottom element (2a) composed by two adjacent boards placed vertically and by a sliding upper element (2b) composed by a smaller third board which performs vertical runs in the space between the two boards of the bottom fixed element (2a); it being provided that the fixed element (2a) features several through holes (2c) having horizontal axis designed to house the fixing means of the sliding element (2b).
6. A display stand for use in shops and other sales areas according to claim 1 characterised by the use of clamps (4) preferably realised in light transparent material (4) which hold the products on display, and fitted along the cables (3) perpendicular to the same.
7. A display stand for use in shops and other sales areas according to claim 1 characterised in a preferred embodiment by the fact that each product holding cable consists of two separate section, one on the upper crosspiece (1b) and the other to the bottom crosspiece (1a) both provided at the free end by a fitting which holds the item on display.

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