GB2434243A

GB2434243A - A non-flat display panel and method of making a non-flat display panel

Info

Publication number: GB2434243A
Application number: GB0600876A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Morris
Original assignee: TRINITY INNOVATIONS Ltd
Current assignee: TRINITY INNOVATIONS Ltd
Priority date: 2006-01-17
Filing date: 2006-01-17
Publication date: 2007-07-18
Also published as: GB0600876D0

Abstract

A method of making a non-flat display panel comprises the steps of providing a board 20 which comprises a first retaining means 11, 12; bending the board onto a former 4 which comprises a second retaining means 2; and engaging the first retaining means with the second retaining means to hold the board 20 onto the former 4 in a non-flat configuration. The board 20 has a display surface 22.

Description

A NON-FLAT DISPLAY PANEL AND METHOD OF MAKING

A NON-FLAT DISPLAY PANEL

The following invention relates to a non-flat display panel and a method of making a non-flat display panel.

Pictures and prints have historically been put onto radiused panels to give them an extra dimension to that of a picture on a flat surface. The method of producing this has been to laminate a number of layers of substrate whilst holding them in a radius. Laminating has been done by methods of a male and female former into which the glued laminates are held until the glue dries or by using a single former and a vacuum bag or press to hold glued laminates against the former, again until the glue dries.

Alternative methods include using formers with combinations of steam, heat and pressure on pre-laminated boards such as plywood. All of these methods provide a similar outcome of a curved board that requires subsequent machining. This machining is done by standard means with a variety of tools and jigs to machine the edge of the board both to a predetermined size and shape and also sometimes with a decorative edge.

The difficulty with all of the various combinations and permutations of the above methods has been the time and accuracy of the process.

What is required is a way of improving the process of manufacture of non-flat display panels.

According to the invention there is provided a method of making a non-flat display panel comprising the steps of providing a board, said board comprising a first retaining means; bending the board onto a former, said former comprising a second retaining means; and engaging the first retaining means with the second retaining means to hold the board onto the former in a non-flat configuration.

This method has the advantage of allowing the board to be laminated and machined whilst being flat before it is bent onto the former, making the process much easier, more accurate and quicker than machining a curved board. Machined means an article is worked on by manual or automatic tools or machines.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided a non-flat display panel comprising a board with a first retaining means, and a former with a second retaining means, wherein the first retaining means and the second retaining means are engaged to hold the board onto the former in a non-flat configuration.

Such non-flat display panels provide the advantage of being easy and quick to manufacture and allows greater accuracy when machining the desired shapes and decorations.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following figures.

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a D-shaped former according to a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a laminated and machined board for use with the former of figure 1, prior to bending; Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the machined board of figure 2; Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the display panel of figure 2 bent and retained onto the former of figure 1; Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of a non-flat display panel according to a second embodiment of the invention; and Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the display panel of figure 5 with indications showing where the former would engage with an undercut groove on the board.

Referring to figures 1, 2 and 3 a display board or panel according to a first embodiment of the invention, comprises a board 20 and two formers 4. The formers 4 each comprise a D-shaped flat panel 5 with a curved front edge and a retaining strip 6 attached to the front edge that extends sideways from the panel 5 to form an edge tongue 8 and beyond the ends of the panel 5 to form end tongues 2 at both ends. The board 20 is a laminate of three layers of MDF, with a rectangular front panel 18 and a raised border formed by the middle 16 and outer layers 14 of the laminate on the back of the display panel 18. This forms a first retaining means on the board 20 which is a projection in the form of an inwardly projecting flange 11 with an undercut groove 12 continuously extending around the inside of the raised border. The front display panel 18 is a layer of laminate that has a display surface 22 on the opposite side of the display panel 18 from the retaining means 11. The layer of laminate forming the display panel 18 is sufficiently thin to be bent onto the former 4. The flange 11 has two recesses 10 formed in it, directly opposite each other on the board 20. The recesses 10 are each large enough to accommodate the breadth of one of the end tongues 2 on the former 4. The display surface 22 is planar with no projections or grooves affecting its surface.

The board 20 is made by laminating three flat layers of rectangular MDF, which are bonded together with adhesive only at a selected portion of the board, in this case at the periphery where it is applied to approximately 1- 20% of the width of the board. While the board is flat the central portion of the outer layer 14 and middle layer 16, which portion is not bonded, is then removed by routing the central area of only the outer layer 14 and middle layer 16, so that only their periphery remains to form a raised border around the periphery of the display panel 18. Clearly the un-bonded portions to be removed only need to have their edges cut away, as they can then be removed in one or more pieces that are not bonded. The board 20 is also routed such that the middle layer 16 is cut back further than the outer layer 14 to form a recess in the form of an undercut groove 12 so that the inside edge of the outer layer 14 forms the inwardly projecting flange 11. The two recesses 10 are cut into the flange 11 on directly opposite sides of the board 20. The display surface 22 is printed with a sign or pictorial print prior to assembly by bending onto the former 4.

The former 4 can be made by machining the desired shape from a single piece of material, but in this case is formed by cutting the flat panel 5 from a sheet of material and attaching the retaining strip to its curved edge. The board 20 is machined into the desired shape before assembling the display panel 31 by bending the board 20 onto the former 4. The outer edges of the board 20 are also machined prior to assembly and bending. A print is applied to the display surface 22 before bending of the board 20 and assembly of the display panel 31.

The display panel 31 is assembled by inserting the end tongue 2 of the former 4 into the recess 10 in the flange 11 of the board 4 and retaining it in the undercut groove 12 under the flange 11. The board 20 is then bent into a shape dictated by the former 4 and the opposite end tongue 2 is inserted into another recess in the flange 11 and retained in the undercut groove 12 under the flange 11. The end tongues 2 of the former 4 are then slid along the undercut groove 12 to engage the edge tongue 8 into a correspondingly parallel undercut groove on the raised border. A second former 4 is then inserted into the recesses and retained in the same way except that it is slid to the opposite end of the board 20 than the first former 4, with the edge tongue 8 being retained in the correspondingly parallel undercut groove.

Referring to figure 4, when the display panel 31 is assembled the board is bent into a curved configuration dictated by, and retained onto, the D-shaped former 4. The end tongues 2 extend from the end of the former 4 and engage with the flange 11 and undercut groove 12 on the periphery of the board 20 to retain the board 20 in position in a curved configuration. The shape of the display panel 31 is determined by the former 4. Edge tongue 8 also engages along its length with the undercut groove on a different side of the board 20 that is parallel to the edge tongue 8.

The advantages of this embodiment of the invention is that the board and the outer edges of the board are machined before assembling the display panel and thus bending the board. This can allow easier, quicker and more accurate machining to be carried out on the flat board to create the desired shape. Another advantage is that the print can be applied to the display surface easier, quicker and more accurately when the board is flat, prior to bending.

The edge tongues on the former have the advantage of helping to spread the load created by the panel trying to flatten out along its length rather than the stress being taken purely by the end tongue and it also helps to closely maintain the desired shape dictated by the former.

Bonding the second and first laminate layers of the board to only a selected part of the periphery of the third layer has the advantage of allowing the central portion of the first and second layers to be easily removed or detached during the manufacture of the board.

The advantage of providing a tongue and groove mechanism to retain the board onto the former is that the assembly is strong and uncomplicated, requiring no extra equipment such as adhesive, nails or clamps to retain the board.

This embodiment also has the advantage of providing a planar display surface with no imperfections such as protrusions, grooves, nails or clamps that may interfere with the aesthetics of the display. Applying the print on the display surface would also be easier and more accurate on a planar surface.

The board can be machined into a square, rectangular, circular, oval, triangular, or irregular shape prior to bending or after the board is bent onto the former.

The outer edges of the board can be machined after the board is bent onto the former.

The board can be made from a single machined layer of material.

The laminate layers can be bonded together by being tacked, nailed, stapled, pinned, glued, or clamped.

The board can comprise plywood, or any suitable material that can be printed upon and bent into a non-flat configuration. The laminate layers can comprise mixtures of suitable materials such as plywood and MDF.

The former can be of other shapes such as oval, circular, elliptical, semi-circle, symmetrical, asymmetrical or irregular in shape. A former can be made from either one piece of material or made from a plurality of pieces of material.

The tongue can comprise a plurality of projections, each of which extend along part of a side of the former. The edge tongue can be on both edges of the former or on just one edge. The tongues can be fixed to the former, or movable, or removable.

The former may be equal in length to the breadth of the board or can be longer or shorter than the breadth of the board.

A single former, or a plurality of formers can be used to shape the non-flat display panel. The plurality of formers can be all the same shape or comprise different shapes in order to create a number of different combinations of formers leading to a choice of varied shapes for the non-flat display panel.

The non-flat display panel can be configured to comprises a number of blended curves or curves and straight areas. Areas of the display panel can be pulled inwards by the former into a concave configuration and also forced outwards by the former into a convex configuration.

The first retaining means and second retaining means can be engaged by any useful method including latching, pinning, clamping, jamming, or hooking.

The retaining means on the board may be located at the outside edge, or in any suitable position on the board. The board can have a retaining means that extends substantially through the centre of the board to engage with an edge tongue of a former. The retaining means on the board can be extended continuously or discontinuously around the periphery.

The end tongue of the former can be inserted into the undercut groove on the board via at least one recess portion in the flange.

The display surface of the board can comprise signage or a pictorial print including advertisements, slogans, pictures, drawings, and/or characters.

The display surface can be printed after the board is bent.

The undercut groove does not need to be lined up with the middle layer of laminate. The undercut groove can be formed in a portion of a layer of laminate. The undercut groove may be formed in multiple layers of laminate. The undercut groove can be formed in a portion of one layer of laminate and a portion of at least one other layer of laminate. As a further alternative, the layers 14, 16, 18 of the laminate in the embodiment described above can be shaped before being secured together to form the laminar board.

Referring to figures 5 and 6, a second embodiment of a non-flat display panel 41 with a board 43 bent into an irregular shape and retained onto an irregularly shaped former 42. The irregular shaped former 42 has a front edge 47 and tongue 45 that are curved out and curved inwards to create concaves and convexes that have bent the board 43 into a configuration where sections of the board 43 are pulled in to a concave 44 or pushed out in a convex 46 configuration. End tongues 50 retain the board 43 onto the former 42 by engaging with the flange 49 and undercut grooves 48 on the raised border around the periphery of the board 43.

The advantage of the edge tongue on this embodiment is that it spreads the load created by the panel trying to flatten out by spreading the load along the length of the former and thus reducing the stress on the end tongues. Including an edge tongue on formers such as the one demonstrated in the second embodiment, or with any former that the desired configuration is not just a simple curve, but a combination of blended curves, or curves with straight areas, also has the advantage of facilitating the pulling-in and forcing-out of the board to create the desired configuration.

In a third embodiment of the invention, the board is a single panel with the retaining means on the board comprising a cut away portion in the periphery of the panel. The cut away portion comprises a groove with a flange to latch onto a corresponding tongue on a former.

Using a single panel has the advantage of simplifying the manufacture by removing the need for laminate layers to be bonded together.

Claims

CLAIMS

1. A method of making a non-flat display panel comprising the steps of providing a board, said board comprising a first retaining means; bending the board onto a former, said former comprising a second retaining means; and engaging the first retaining means with the second retaining means to hold the board onto the former in a non-flat configuration.

2. A method of making a non-flat display panel according to claim 1, wherein the board is machined into a desired shape before bending the board onto the former.

3. A method of making a non-flat display panel according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the bending of the board onto the former determines the shape of the non-flat display panel.

4. A method of making a non-flat display panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the outer edges of the board are machined before bending the board onto the former.

5. A method of making a non-flat display panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the second retaining means continuously extends along a side of the former.

6. A method of making a non-flat display panel according to any of claims I to 4, wherein the second retaining means comprises a plurality of projections, each of which extends along part of a side of the former.

7. A method of making a non-flat display panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the first retaining means and the second retaining means form a tongue and groove mechanism.

8. A method of making a non-flat display panel according to claim 7, wherein the groove is formed behind an inwardly projecting flange on the board.

9. A method of making a non-flat display panel according to claim 8, wherein a tongue on the former is inserted into the undercut groove on the board via at least one recess portion in the flange.

10.A method of making a non-flat display panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the board is provided by making a laminate of a substrate.

11.A method of making a non-flat display panel according to claim 10, wherein the laminate layers are bonded together only at some regions of the board.

12.A method of making a non-flat display panel according to claim 10, wherein the laminate layers are bonded together only at the periphery of the board.

13.A method of making a non-flat display panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the board is made from a laminate of at least three layers.

14.A method of making a non-flat display panel according to claims 10 to 13, wherein a part of a first layer of laminate is removed to form a flange with an under cut groove in the board.

15.A method of making a non-flat display panel according to any preceding claim, wherein the board is made from a laminate of three layers, part of the middle layers is removed and an outer layer forms a flange.

16.A method of making a non-flat display panel according to any preceding claim, wherein signage or a pictorial print is applied to the surface of the board before the board is bent onto the former.

17.A method of making a non-flat display panel according to any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of formers are used to shape the non-flat display panel.

18.A non-flat display panel comprising a board with a first retaining means, and a former with a second retaining means, wherein the first retaining means and the second retaining means are engaged to hold the board onto the former in a non-flat configuration.

19. A non-flat display panel according to claim 18, wherein the shape of the non-flat display panel is determined by the former.

20.A non-flat display panel according to claim 18, or claim 19, wherein the second retaining means continuously extends along a side of the former.

21.A non-flat display panel according to claim 18, or claim 19, wherein the second retaining means comprises a plurality of projections, each of which extends along part of a side of the former.

22.A non-flat display panel according to claims 18 to 21, wherein the first retaining means is a flange with an undercut groove.

23.A non-flat display panel according to claims 18 to 22, wherein second retaining means is a tongue.

24. A non-flat display panel according to claim 23, wherein the tongue is an edge tongue and/or an end tongue.

25.A non-flat display panel according to claims 21 to 24, wherein the flange comprises at least one recess portion.

26.A non-flat display panel according to claim 25, wherein the at least one recess portion is large enough to accommodate the end tongue on the former.

27.A non-flat display panel according to claims 18 to 26, wherein the former is substantially D-shaped, oval, circular, elliptical, semi-circle, or irregular in shape.

28.A non-flat display panel according to claims 18 to 27, wherein the non-flat configuration is radiused or curved.

29.A non-flat display panel according to Claim 18 to 28, wherein the board is a laminate.

30.A non-flat display panel according to claims 18 to 29, wherein the board is made from a laminate of at least three layers.

31.A non-flat display panel according to claims 28 to 30, wherein a first layer of laminate forms the first retaining means as an inwardly projecting flange on the board.

32.A non-flat display panel according to claims 18 to 31, wherein the board is made from a laminate of three layers, the outer layer and middle layer extending around the periphery of the display panel with the outer layer forming the first retaining means as an inwardly projecting flange.

33.A non-flat display panel according to claims 18 to 32, wherein one side of the board comprises a display surface on the opposite side of the board to the first retaining means.

34.A non-flat display panel according to claim 33, wherein the display surface is planar with no projections or grooves affecting the surface.

35.A non-flat display panel according to claims 18 to 34, wherein a print is applied to the surface of the board.

36.A non-flat display panel according to claims 18 to 35, comprising a plurality of formers.

37.A non-flat display panel according to claims 18 to 36, wherein the board comprises MDF or plywood.