EP1741368B1

EP1741368B1 - Automatically-deployed advertising support for an advertising totem stand

Info

Publication number: EP1741368B1
Application number: EP05735157A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Pedro Plaza Gomez; Carlos Javier Martin Carnero; Maria Del Mar Campo Moreno
Original assignee: SERIGRAFIA MARGI SL
Current assignee: SERIGRAFIA MARGI SL
Priority date: 2004-04-28
Filing date: 2005-04-15
Publication date: 2011-08-24
Anticipated expiration: 2025-04-15
Also published as: ES2371025T3; WO2005104912A1; ES2212927B2; ATE521261T1; PT1741368E; EP1741368A1; ES2212927A1

Abstract

A support forming sheet has central zone, base elements with folding zones foldable under the action of elastic elements, at either ends, and lateral elements connected to the base elements.

Description

DESCRIPTION

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is an automatically unfolding advertising support or an advertising assembly.
The support that is the object of the invention is made of a sheet of die-cut cardboard, duly attached to an advertising sheet bearing the information to be shown.
The support is characterised by its dual purpose: on the one hand it acts as a support for the advertising assembly, also known as a totem, and on the other it has the special feature that it automatically unfolds due to the action of a deforming force exerted on the assembly made up of the sheet and the support that is the object of the invention, said deformation being aided by the action of elastic means with which the advertising support that is the object of the invention is provided.
The automatically unfolding advertising support that is the object of the invention can be adapted to ellipsoidal, quadrangular or triangular advertising assemblies, which makes it particularly versatile.
Another object of the present invention is a complementary means of support for the advertising assemblies and unfolding means themselves, so that the unfolding support assembly and advertising means gain greater stability and balance in their unfolded position.
The present invention therefore lies in the scope of unfolding advertising supports which are provided with elastic means to assist their unfolding.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

To date there are large numbers of unfolding advertising supports provided with elastic means to assist their unfolding, such as the support which is shown in patent WO 2002095719 .
This advertising support presents some drawbacks which are set out to be remedied: on the one hand, the advertising support information is only shown on one side of the assembly, i.e. it is not possible for the advertising support to be able to contain advertising on both sides without its installation becoming extraordinarily complicated.
On the other hand, all the segments where into the support is divided have elastic means in order to assist the unfolding and subsequent deformation of the support in order to ensure that the final form adopted allows the support to be stood upright with a certain degree of stability.
Furthermore, the supports obtained in this way cannot exceed certain dimensions for reasons of handleability, deformability and stability.
Other advertising supports such as those in patents WO 200178040 or patent US 6347772 are simple folding structures that take on stable prismatic forms but under no circumstance are they unfolded automatically on account of their being provided with elastic means.
Other inventions, like that disclosed in patent FR2210317 , consist of a folding advertising support which has a deformable structure containing information on one of its sides, although it is necessary to make use of a wedge-shaped element whose bottom base is aligned with the bottom base of the advertising support, which endows the assembly with greater stability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing drawbacks and thereby be able to obtain an unfolding assembly with information on both sides, which should be easy to assemble, where the number of elastic means used is reduced as much as possible, and where no additional part at all is needed to achieve proper stability, also making it possible to adapt it to any section of advertising assembly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present automatically unfolding advertising support invention consists of a sheet of die-cut cardboard, which, when duly folded, assembled and stuck on an advertising sheet, permits the automatic unfolding of the advertising assembly by means of a slight deformation, thanks to the fact that the advertising support is provided with elastic means.
When unfolded, said advertising support formed from a sheet of cardboard is capable of acting as a support for the advertising assembly in conjunction with the form adopted by the actual assembly.
Thanks to the characteristics of the unfolding means, the advertising assembly can adopt an ellipsoidal, rectangular, triangular or similar shape simply by changing small constructional characteristics of the unfolding means and the advertising assembly or sheet.
The assembly formed by the unfolding means and the advertising sheet can be complemented by a means of support, which improves the stability and balance of the assembly, even though the assembly in itself is stable.
Given the support function it has to perform, said advertising support is placed on the base of the assembly, nothing else being required apart from the use of a single sheet. In those cases in which the size of the advertising support makes it possible to use two similar unfolding means, one on the base and the other at the top, endowing the final assembly achieved with greater strength and stability.
If the unfolding means are to be used for an advertising assembly that features a shape with an ellipsoidal section once unfolded, a die-cut cardboard sheet is used as the unfolding means , which are provided with folds defining sidewalls which are glued to the sheet, with bases, unfolding means actuated by elastic means, and a central fold.
The sheet wherefrom the unfolding means are formed is symmetrical in relation to a horizontal axis, and the central areas has a fold which divides said central area (4) in two halves which are stuck one to each other when both halves are folded along its central fold. There are perforations along this central fold connected to the outer edge by a slot. The elastic means that assist the unfolding of the assembly are housed on these perforations.
After folding the two halves that make up the advertising sheet and leaving an overlap marked at one of its ends for the closing of one half of the sheet on the other, one of the sidewalls of the die-cut cardboard sheet is then glued.
The interior is opened again to fit the rubber bands in the slots and perforations with which the sheet is specifically provided, and the cardboard sheet is then folded again along its axis so as to stick the other sidewall to the other half of the sheet.
Lastly, the overlap that had originally been left at one of the sides of the sheet containing the advertising is stuck.
To unfold the advertising support, it is positioned horizontally by applying a deformation force on one of its sides, which makes the sheet adopt an ellipsoidal or oblong shape and which, due to the effect of the elastic means, causes supports or legs that are formed with part of the die-cut cardboard sheet to be unfolded.
Together with the actual oblong shape adopted by the final assembly, these supports ensure that the whole assembly has sufficient stability.
Complementarily, in the event that one wishes to provide the advertising sheet and unfolding support assembly with greater stability, it is possible to use a means of support that fits onto the base of the unfolded assembly. The means of support consists of two sheets, one of which features the same shape as the section of the unfolded assembly, which is ellipsoidal. The other sheet is adhered to the previous one and it features a number of extensions on its ends and sides, so that when folded they form a more stable assembly, the base sheet fitting into the base of the advertising assembly once it is unfolded.
As an alternative means of support for the unfolded assembly, it is possible to use two support arms that cross in the centre, which present a degree of freedom in relation to the point of connection. It is necessary to make openings in the advertising sheet in the area of the base, connected by a slot to bottom edge of the sheet, wherethrough the support arms are inserted, allowing the support feet to emerge through said openings.
Thanks to the articulation of the arms in relation to the point of connection, it is possible for the means of support to be positioned together with the advertising assembly, all of which is folded, so that once the support is unfolded the sheet unfolds with the means of support, which is now exposed.
If the unfolding means of support is to be used with the advertising assembly that features a square- or rectangular-based prismatic section, the support is basically the same, except that it lacks the aforementioned sidewalls, being stuck to the opposite ends of the advertising sheet, which has a number of folds so that, when unfolded, the support forms a rectangular prism.
If the support is to be used with a triangular prismatic advertising assembly, it is the same case, only the folds and those of the advertising sheet or assembly varying.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description that will be given below and to help towards a better understanding of the characteristics thereof, the present specification is accompanied by a set of drawings in whose figures the most significant details of the invention are represented in an illustrative and non-limitative manner.

Figure 1 shows in simplified form an advertising support wherein two unfolding means are used, one placed at the base and the other at the top, which will only be used when the dimensions of the end assembly so require due to stability and strength.
Figure 2 shows the die-cut sheet of cardboard which is used for forming the automatically unfolding advertising support that is the object of the invention.
Figure 3 shows the above sheet where the central portion has been glued to obtain the central fold where the ends of the elastic means are housed.
Figure 4 shows the sheet housed inside the outer advertising sheet which has taken on the form of a advertising support. In this figure, we observe the support form adopted by the sheet, but the support and advertising support are represented upside down. They are represented in this way for a clearer understanding and viewing of the support formed from the sheet. The sheet adopts this form due to the effect of the deformation exerted on the assembly on one of its sides when glued and the subsequent automatic unfolding due to the action of the elastic means.
Figure 5 shows the shape that the sheets adopt to form a means of support that is complementary to the assembly formed by the unfolding means and the advertising sheet.
Figure 6 shows how said sheets are folded to form the support.
Figure 7 shows the support positioned on the advertising assembly once it is unfolded, showing how the base sheet fits on the base of the advertising assembly.
Figure 8 shows another means of support formed by two arms in a cross, joined and articulated at their centre.
Figure 9 shows how the means of support formed by the two arms in a cross are housed in the advertising support once it is unfolded.
Figure 10 shows the sheet used to form an unfolding means if they are used for an advertising assembly that features a rectangular- or triangular-based prismatic shape once unfolded.
Figure 11 shows the formation of the central fold, as in figure 3.
Figure 12 shows how the unfolding means look once it is unfolded due to the action of the elastic means.
Figure 13 shows the assembly of the unfolding means in a rectangular-based prismatic advertising assembly.
Figure 14 is the same as the previous figure, but for an unfolding means that is to be mounted on a triangular-based prismatic advertising assembly.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In the light of the figures, a preferred embodiment of the proposed invention will now be described.
In figure 1, we observe an unfolded advertising assembly which is made up of an advertising sheet (14) which enables advertising to be placed over the whole of its surface area through having the means of unfolding inside the space defined by the advertising sheet (14).
In this figure it may be observed that in the inner space defined by the advertising sheet there is an unfolded support at its base and at the top.
Each one of the unfolding means (1) which works as support elements (1) is the object of the invention. The number and arrangement of the unfolding means (1) depends on the size and strength and stability requirements of the advertising assembly or end assembly, although at least one is used at the base of the assembly.
Each one of the unfolding means (1) shown in figure 1 are made from a die-cut sheet of cardboard (2) which is provided with a series of folds.
On said sheet (2) of cardboard, which is symmetrical in relation to a horizontal axis, as may be observed, the sheet has two sidewalls (3) which will be stuck to each of the inner faces of the advertising sheet (14).
These sidewalls (3) are used only with advertising assemblies that feature an ellipsoidal-based shape once unfolded.
In addition, said sheet (2) of cardboard has a central area (4), which has a central fold which divides said central area (4) in two halves, which are stuck one to each other when both halves are folded along its central fold. It has also two supplementary bases (5) which emerge at both sides of the central area (4). It also comprises four areas (6) connected each one to the central area (4) and to one of the supplementary bases (5) . Said sheet also comprises extensions (7) which emerge from these folding areas being reinforcements for said folding areas (6).
In figure 3, it may be observed that the central portion is stuck to define a central fold (4) whereon a series of perforations (8) - to be specific four - are made, said perforations (8) being connected to the upper edge of the central fold by means of a connection (9). A noteworthy feature are folding lines (10) which separate each of the bases (5) from each folding areas (6).
On the other hand, we observe that the areas defining the bases (5) at their intersection with the sidewalls (3) have a curved fold line (11) provided with a slot (12) in the middle. Said curved fold line will facilitate an ellipsoidal- or oblong-shaped end configuration of the advertising assembly before the folding areas (6) are unfolded due to the action of elastic means.
Figure 4, wherein, as we have mentioned, the support and advertising sheet assembly is represented upside down for clearer viewing of the different parts, shows the sheet (2) of cardboard with the sidewalls (3) stuck to the advertising sheet (14), having shown the form to be adopted finally, in which it should be kept by the action of the elastic means (13), which will force the folding areas (6) to be folded upwards (in fact they will appear folded downwards, as a view of the underside of the support assembly and advertising sheet is shown). Said folding areas (6) are folded along the fold line (10) due to the action of elastic means (13).
In order to recover the flat form that the advertising assembly had prior to being unfolded, we only have to bend the folding areas (6) on the fold lines (10) so that they are perfectly flat and coplanar with the bases (5), then flatten the faces of the advertising sheet (14) and leave the whole assembly absolutely flat. This flat assembly may be folded. This facilitates its transport and storage, so that it may be unfolded later somewhere else.
Figures 5 to 7 show a means of support that is complementary to the unfolding means and advertising sheet assembly.
Said means of support fits onto the base of the advertising assembly once it is unfolded, as shown in figure 7.
The means of support consists of a sheet (15) formed by an ellipsoidal first sheet (16) whereon a second sheet (17) is stuck, which is used to form the support, both sheets being joined in a central area (17.3).
The sheet (17) has end extensions (17.1), which are divided into three folding areas, the outermost one featuring inward slots (17.1.1). The sheet (17) also has side extensions that are folded and which have slots (17.2.1) on their outer edge.
The geometry and arrangement of the inward slots (17.2.1) and (17.1.1) are such that they make it possible to fold and fit the assembly together as shown in figure 6.
Finally, the assembled assembly is shown in figure 7, wherein it can be observed how it is housed in the base of the advertising assembly once unfolded.
Another possibility for supporting the assembly formed by the advertising support and the sheet is to use two support arms (18) and (19) joined at their centre, the support arm (18) having a slot (18.1) in its lower part for this purpose, whilst the support arm (19) has a slot (19.1) in its upper part.
The ends of the support arms (18) and (19) have support feet (18.2) and (19.2), respectively.
When the support arms (18) and (19) are joined at their centre by means of the slots (18.2) and (19.2), they have a degree of freedom that allows them to be positioned almost together.
In figure 9 it is possible to observe the arrangement of the support that has just been explained in combination with an ellipsoidal advertising support, wherefore it has four openings (20) positioned around the lower edge, wherein said openings are connected to the lower edge by slots (21).
The support arms (18) and (19) are inserted through the windows via said slots (21), the support feet (18.2) and (19.2) emerging through said windows.
In figure 10 it is possible to observe the sheet used to form an unfolding means such as that of figure 2, with the difference that it does not have the sidewalls (3) shown in said figure 2. It therefore has bases (5), a central folding area (4), folding areas (6), and other reinforcement parts (7) for the folding areas.
Figure 11 shows the formation of the central fold (4) whereon there are a number of perforations (8) connected to the outer edge by a slot (9). It should be noted that one of the perforations (8) are positioned in the centre, whilst the other two perforations are accessible from the sides of the central fold (4).
Said perforations (8) are where elastic means such as rubber bands (13) will be housed to form a folded assembly like the one observed in figure 12.
Figure 13 shows how the unfolding means are arranged in the advertising assembly (22), which also features not only folds of a rectangular prism on its edges, but also a fold line (23) facing another fold line (24) of the opposite face, which can be formed by the facing arrangement of the sheet used to form the advertising assembly.
Therefore, when the advertising assembly is to be folded, the folding areas (6) are extended against the action of the elastic means (13), then the advertising sheet (22) is folded along the fold lines (23) and (24), leaving a flat assembly that takes up little space for transport.
Finally, figure 14 shows an advertising assembly formed by a triangular prism (25), which has three faces and additionally features a fold line (26) that coincides with the central fold (4) of the unfolding means, so that when the folding areas (6) are extended against the action of the elastic means, the unfolding means can be folded together with the advertising assembly, thus producing a flat assembly that takes up little space and is easy to transport.
The essential nature of this invention is not altered by variations in materials, shape, size and arrangement of the component elements, described in a non-limitative manner but sufficing for it to be reproduced by a person skilled in the art.

Claims

Automatically unfolding advertising support provided with elastic means (13) for an automatic unfolding comprising a advertising sheet (14) having inside the space define by said advertising sheet (14) unfolding means, characterised in that the unfolding means are formed from:
- a die-cut sheet of cardboard (2), which is symmetrical in relation to a horizontal axis, wherein said cardboard (2) has
a central area (4) which has a central fold on account of its symmetry which divides said central area (4) in two halves, which are stuck one to each other when both halves are folded along its central fold ,

- two supplementary bases (5) which emerge at both sides of the central area (4)

- four folding areas (6) connected each one to the central area (4), and to one of the supplementary bases (5) by its sides, and

- extensions (7), which emerge from these folding areas (6), being reinforcements for said folding areas (6).
Automatically unfolding advertising support, according to claim 1, characterised in that there are four perforations (8) in the central fold (4) that are connected to the upper edge of the fold by means of a connection (9), wherein said four perforations are used for housing the elastic means (13), which is what causes the folding areas (6) to bend in relation to the bases (5), bending along folding lines (10) which separate each of the bases (5) from each folding area (6) so that the assembly unfolds once pressure has been exerted on a sidewall of the advertising sheet (14), and permitting the action of the elastic means (13).
Automatically unfolding advertising support, according to claim 2, characterised in that , the sheet (2) wherefrom the unfolding means is formed additionally has two sidewalls (3) that will be stuck to each of the inner faces of the advertising sheet (14), wherein the sidewalls (3) and the supplementary bases (5) being joined by means of a curved fold line (11) which helps to the assembly adopt an oblong or ellipsoidal form, said curved fold line (11) featuring a slot (12) in its central portion.
Automatically unfolding advertising support, according to claim 3, characterised in that, complementarily to the unfolding means, a support is used that is formed by two sheets, a first sheet (16) that features the ellipsoidal or oblong shape of the advertising sheet once unfolded and which fits thereon, and a second sheet (17) that is joined to the first sheet (16), by its central area (17.3), the second sheet (17) featuring end extensions (17.1) and side extensions (17.2), where the end extensions (17.1) have slots (17.1.1) on their free edge, whilst the side extensions (17.2) have a slot (17.2.1) so that when the assembly is stuck together the slots fit into each other.
Automatically unfolding advertising support, according to claim 3, characterised in that, complementarily to the unfolding means, a support is used that is formed by two support arms (18) and (19) joined at their centre, the arm (18) having a slot (18.1) with an open bottom, whilst the support arm (19) has a slot with an open top, both arms fitting together by said slots, and articulated in relation to each other, the advertising sheet (14) having openings (20) for this purpose, wherein said openings (20) are connected to lower edge of the advertising sheet (14) by means of slots (21) where through the arms (18) and (19) are inserted and the support feet (18.2) and (19.2) emerge, respectively.
Automatically unfolding advertising support, according to claim 3, characterised in that if the unfolding means are to be used with a rectangular-based prismatic advertising assembly, the sheet wherefrom said advertising assembly is formed has also opposed folding lines (23) and (24) wherein one of the folding lines with the central fold of the central area (4) of the unfolding means, which means that by extending the folding areas (6) against the action of the elastic means (13), the unfolding means are flattened, making it possible to fold the rest of the advertising assembly flat.
Automatically unfolding advertising support, according to claim 3, characterised in that if the unfolding means are to be used with a triangular-based prismatic advertising assembly, the sheet wherefrom said advertising assembly is formed has also a folding line (26) in the middle of one of its faces, which coincides with the central fold of the central area (4) of the unfolding means so that when the folding areas (6) are unfolded against the action of the elastic means (13), both the unfolding means and the advertising assembly can be flattened.