Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The present invention relates to display assemblies for
the showing of various commodities offered for sale or merely
to be exhibited.
Display assemblies built up from a number of separate
parts are, of course, already known, but the prior assemblies
have lacked versatility, and they still require an inordinate
degree of special design to cater for the wide variety of
commodities required to be displayed.
The obj~ct of this invention is to provide a display
assembly which is versatile in that it can be readily built
up to suit virtually any commodity required to be displayed,
or any required collocation of such commodities, and this,
by the simple putting together of a number of parts whic-h are
standardized except for the cutting to length of certain rail
or rod-like members depending mainly upon the overall
dimensions required of the finished assembly. This presents
no difficulty since the members to be cut to length would
almost invariably be in the form of extrusions of aluminium
or other readily-sawn material.
The invention provides a display assembly including a
plurality of commodity-supporting elements mounted on a
skeletal array of upright posts and horizontal rails having
their ends joined to said posts; characterised in that at
least one of said posts comprises an integral plurality of
longitudinally extending flanges radiating from a common
axis, and each rail joined to that one of said posts
comprises a rail body portion and a two-part junction unit
whereof the two parts are clamped each to other so that at
one end of said unit the said parts take hold of one of said
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flanges and at the other end constitute an end anchorage for
said rail body.
An example of the invention is illustrated in the
drawings herewith:-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a display assembly.
This assembly provides a good example of the versatility
referred to above since the parts have been assembled as an
L-shape (in plan~ in which the crotch of the "L" provides for
a number of selectively spaced shelves, one leg of the "L"
provides a showcase or cabinet with sliding doors and a
counter top, and the other leg of the "L" simply provides
hanging space for garments.
Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on plane
2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a side elevation of a junction unit
Figure 4 is a view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3 but
with the two parts of the unit separated.
Figure 5 i5 a view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of Figure 3.
Figure 7 is a side elevation of a junction unit engaged
with the end of a rail body.
Figure 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a view similar to Figure 7 but showing the
junction unit in association with an alternative form of rail
body.
Figure 10 is a section taken on line 10-10 of Figure 9.
Figure 11 is a sectional view of an alternative type of
vertical post.
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Referring to the drawings, the display unit is
constructed from a plurality of vertical posts 11
interconnected by horizontal rails 12 and 13. In the
illustrated embodiment, the rails and posts are all formed as
extrusions. The junction units 14 may be moulded from
plastics material. All the junction units are identical, as
are the vertical posts, but the rails are of two types, 12
and 13, to provide for shelf construction (12) and garment
hanging rails (13) respectively.
As best shown in Figures 4 to 10, the junction unit is
constructed in two halves 16 and 17 which are adapted to
engage any selected radially extending flange 18 of the
vertical posts 11. The flange 18 is preferably provided at
its distal end with a bead 19 for locking engagement with
complementary recesses 20 formed in the two parts of the
junction units.
As shown in Figure 6, the junction units are held in
engagement with the vertical posts by a screw 21 and
rotationally captive nut 22.
One half 16 of each junction unit is provided with
projecting stub formations 24 which engage with the ends of
the rail bodies 12 and 13 as best shown in Figures 8 to 10. ,
It will be seen that in the case of the generally rectangular
rails 12, the formations engage with the rail interior~ while
the oval sectioned, garment hanging rails 13 engage with
complementary grooves 25 as best shown in Figure 10. In each
case, the rail is held in engagement with the junction unit
by an axial screw 26 extending from the junction half 16 to a
central web 27 formed in each rail.
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By using the posts, junction units and rails described
above, a great number of different display arrangements can
be constructed. The rails may be readily supplied or cut in
any desired length and the assembly may be extended to any
desired size. The illustrated cruciform posts and the
mitered ends 28 of the junction units permit as many as four
rails to extend outwardly from any post at the same height
location. Clearly, other forms of post may be used to
provide alternative arrangements such as a three-flange or
star arrangement where shelves may extend at 1200 or at any
pre-selected angle. One such post is illustrated in section
in figure 11.
The illustrated embodiment also provides for the
construction of an integral showcase assembly 30 as best
shown in Figures 1 and 2. This assembly employs the
generally rectangular rails 12 in combination with a base
runner 31 and a head guide 32 for supporting sliding glass or
other doors 33. The base runner 31 and head guide 32 are
each provided with projecting flanges 34 which slide between
2~ and lockingly engage with adjacent flanges 35 on the rails
12. The base runner 31 includes two channels 36, each
provided with a plastics insert 37 upon which the glass
panels can slide. The head guide 32 includes two channels 38
aligned with those in the base runner and provided with guide
brushes 39 for spacing the glass and excluding dust.
Shelves 40 within the display assembly may be of glass
or any desired material and rest on plastics inserts 41
applied to horizontally extending grooves 42 in the rails
12. Further plastics inserts 43 may be provided on the
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topmost rails to enhance the appearance of the assembly.
Similarly, the strips 41 may also applied to all visible
grooves 42.
It will be apparent that the invention permits
additional shelves, panels or showcases to be added to an
assembly without disturbing the existing posts or other
fittings.
Rear and side panels 45 are readily accommodated between
the flanges 35 on the rails 12. The panels 45 may be of
glass or any other suitable material. It will be appreciated
that the unit can be easily assembled by locating the various
panels loosely in position and then raising or lowering the
lower or upper rails as necessary, simply by loosening the
screws 21 and adjusting the height of the respective junction
units until the final position is achieved.
For purposes of standardisation it is preferable for all
of the upright posts to be of the same cross-sectional shape,
that all of the junction units be of the same shape, and that
all of the rails be one of the two cross-sectional shapes as
described above. However, some of these items could be of
conventional kind, provided at least the "four-way" post
indicated at "A" in figure 1, the junction units engaged with
that post, and the rail ends secured to those junction units
be of the kind described above.
