EP0868873A1

EP0868873A1 - A display device for displaying objects

Info

Publication number: EP0868873A1
Application number: EP98200973A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bernard Edo Ten Zeldam
Original assignee: Scanilec BV
Current assignee: Scanilec BV
Priority date: 1997-04-04
Filing date: 1998-03-27
Publication date: 1998-10-07
Also published as: NL1005729C2

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for displaying objects, which device comprises two upright walls made of cardboard and supports extending between said walls. The supports are made of cardboard, and they are provided at their ends with coupling elements which are likewise made of cardboard, by means of which the supports can be connected to the upright walls. The coupling elements may have an L-shaped section. One leg of a coupling element is attached to an end of the support in that case. A leg of the coupling element extending beyond the end of the support will extend at least substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the support.

Description

The invention relates to a device for displaying objects, which device comprises two upright walls made of cardboard and supports extending between said walls.

Devices of this kind, also called displays, are for example used for displaying objects in shops, supermarkets and the like for some time, in order to bring the objects in question to the special attention of the customers with a view to stimulating the sale of said objects. These devices are generally used only once, and after use they are discarded as waste.

A problem with the devices of the above kind that have been used so far is the fact that the walls of the device are made of cardboard, which means that they can be discharged for reuse as waste paper, whilst the supports are made up of wooden slats having ends of plastic material. Such wooden slats having ends of plastic material cannot be jointly discharged with the waste paper, but they have to be discarded separately, which involves extra effort and cost for the users of such devices.

According to the invention the supports are made of cardboard, and they are provided at their ends with coupling elements which are likewise made of cardboard, by means of which the supports can be connected to the upright walls.

Surprisingly it has become apparent that cardboard supports can be made sufficiently strong for supporting objects to be displayed in the intended manner. Said supports are thereby not only cheaper than the supports made of wooden slats having ends of plastic material that have been usual so far, but such supports can be jointly discharged with the upright walls of the device as waste paper, which means a significant advantage for the users of such devices.

It is noted that the term "cardboard" which is used in the present description and in the claims should be given a broad interpretation, and that the invention also comprises an embodiment wherein a support and/or a coupling element are made of a number of glued-together layers of paper, which embodiment should also be regarded as "cardboard" within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention will be explained in more detail hereafter with reference to the accompanying figures, which diagrammatically illustrate the embodiment of the construction according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of a device according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of a support and coupling elements, which are illustrated in spaced-apart relationship.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a support comprising coupling elements attached to the ends thereof.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of an upright wall of a device according to the invention, with supports connected thereto.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an upright wall of a device according to the invention, with coupling elements connected thereto.

The device which is shown in Figure 1 comprises a bottom 1, two upright side walls 2 and 3, and a rear wall 4. In the illustrated embodiment the device or display is placed on a pallet 5. Cardboard shelves or planks 6 are provided between the upright walls 2 and 3, which function to accommodate objects to be displayed on said shelves or planks. The shelves or planks are thereby supported by supports of the type shown in Figures 2 and 3, which are provided between side walls 2 and 3.

As is shown in said Figures 2 and 3, such a support is made up of a L-shaped section 7, which is made of cardboard. Coupling elements 8, which are likewise made of cardboard, and which have an L-shaped section in the illustrated embodiment, are attached to the ends of one leg of section 7 by means of a glue, adhesive tape, staples or the like, in such a manner that one of the legs of the L-shaped coupling element 8 butts against the bottom side of the horizontally extending leg of support 7, whilst the other leg of the L-shaped coupling element 8 extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of support 7 and perpendicularly to the horizontally extending leg of said support 7, as will be apparent from Figure 3. The vertical leg of the coupling element 8 is thereby spaced from the end of support 7 by some distance, seen in the longitudinal direction of support 7.

As is shown in more detail in Figure 4, an upright side wall 2 or 3 is usually made up of a sheet of cardboard that has been folded double, which thus consists of two layers 9 and 10 extending parallel to each other, between which a hollow space 11 is present. Holes 12 are cut out of the inner layers 9 of the two upright walls. The vertical legs of coupling elements 8 can be passed through said holes, so that the vertical legs of coupling elements 8 will be positioned in hollow space 11, and the bottom sides of the horizontally extending legs of the coupling elements 8 will be positioned on the lower boundary edges of holes 12, thus providing a strong connection between supports 7 and upright walls 2 and 3, as well as an adequate support of supports 7 by said upright walls 2 and 3.

As will be apparent from Figure 4, supports 7 can be connected to the upright walls 2 and 3 once the coupling elements 8 have been attached to the ends of supports 7. As is shown in Figure 5, another possibility is to hang the coupling elements 8 on the upright walls first, in the manner shown in Figure 5, and only then attach supports 7 to the legs of coupling elements 8 that extend beyond the upright walls in horizontal direction.

It will be apparent that variations to the embodiment which has been described above and which is illustrated in the figures are conceivable within the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, the device shown in Figure 1 may have any other shape that may be desired, whereby the two opposite upright walls, to which the supports are connected, need not extend parallel to each other, since it is readily possible, if different angles are used, to adapt the ends of the supports, as well as the attachment of the coupling elements to the supports, to the respective angular positions of the opposite walls. Furthermore the supports may have a different section, they may be U-shaped or O-shaped, for example.

The significant advantage of the invention, however, is the fact that all parts of the device may be made of cardboard or a similar material, so that it is not necessary to divide the device into parts consisting of different materials prior to discharging the device for recycling.

Furthermore, the support, at least the support that is exposed to view, may be provided with a print, which is directly provided on a sheet of paper which is affixed to the support.

Claims

A device for displaying objects, which device comprises two upright walls made of cardboard and supports extending between said walls, characterized in that the supports are made of cardboard, and they are provided at their ends with coupling elements which are likewise made of cardboard, by means of which the supports can be connected to the upright walls.
A device according to claim 1, characterized in that said coupling elements have an L-shaped section, whereby one leg of a coupling element is attached to an end of the support, and whereby a leg of the coupling element extending beyond the end of said support extends at least substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of said support.
A device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said support has a T-shaped section, and that a coupling element is attached to said support in the space of said support that is bounded by said two legs.
A device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said support has a U-shaped section.
A device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said support has a more or less O-shaped section.
A device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the support, at least the part thereof that is exposed to view, is provided with a print.
A device according to claim 6, characterized in that said print is provided on a sheet of paper which is affixed to said support.
A support comprising coupling elements attached at its ends, which is obviously intended for use in a device according to any one of the preceding claims.