Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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EXPANDING DEVICE FOR A SELF-EXPANDING, FOLDABLE DISPLAY, AND SELF-
EXPANDING, FOLDABLE DISPLAY PROVIDED WITH SUCH AN EXPANDING DEVICE
Technical field
The present invention relates to an expanding device for expanding a self-
expandable
foldable display formed by two panels facing one another and joined by their
respective
lateral edges, wherein the expanding device is located between said two panels
and acts
pushing the panels from the inside to expand them from a collapsed position,
in which the
panels exhibit a flat arrangement, to an expanded position, in which the
panels exhibit a
three-dimensional arrangement able to stand upright.
The present invention is also related to a self-expandable foldable display
provided
with such expanding device.
Background of the invention
The international patent application WO 2006/067252 discloses an expanding
device
located between two panels of a self-expandable foldable display, wherein said
two panels of
the display face one another and are joined by their respective lateral edges.
The expanding
device comprises a plate that has a proximal edge connected to at least one of
the panels of
the self-expandable foldable display in or near one of said lateral edges, a
distal edge
opposite to said proximal edge, and a hinge located between said proximal and
distal edges
and that divides said plate into one proximal plate portion and one distal
plate portion, a
tensile elastic member arranged so as to pull said proximal and distal plate
portions towards
one another to bend the plate around said hinge from a flat resting position
to an angled
working position, and a limiting member arranged in such a way that when the
plate is in said
angled working position, it has a first end in contact with the proximal plate
portion and a
second end in contact with the distal plate portion to limit the bending of
the plate to the
angled working position.
When the plate of the expanding device of the international patent application
WO
2006/067252 is bent to the angled working position, the distal edge of the
plate presses one
of the panels from the inside whereas the hinge of the plate presses the other
panel from the
inside to expand the display from a collapsed position to an expanded
position.
Nevertheless, a drawback of the expanding device of the international patent
application WO 2006/067252 is that given the particular arrangement of the
plate, the distal
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edge contacts the corresponding panel at a point located at a distance, which
is considerably
further away from the lateral edge of the display than the point of the other
panel where the
hinge comes into contact, resulting in an irregular expansion of the display,
which usually
needs to be compensated by installing a second expanding device associated to
the
opposite lateral edge of the display and preferably placed in an reverse
position relative to
the first expanding device such that one of the panels of the display is
pushed by the distal
edge of the first expanding device and by the hinge of the second expanding
device and the
other panel of the display is pushed by the hinge of the first expanding
device and by the
distal edge of the second expanding device.
The need to incorporate two expanding devices associated to opposite edges has
the
drawback of proving a relatively complex and expensive-to-manufacture self-
expandable
foldable display, and in addition, such a self-expandable foldable display has
the lateral
edges of both sides of the panels occupied by the expanding devices, and is
therefore
unable to incorporate other arrangements.
Disclosure of the invention
According to a first aspect, the present invention contributes to mitigate the
aforementioned and other drawbacks by providing an expanding device for a self-
expandable foldable display, said self-expandable foldable display comprising
two or more
panels joined together by their respective lateral edges, said expanding
device being located
between two of said panels of the self-expandable foldable display so as to
push the panels
from the inside from a collapsed position, in which the panels exhibit a flat
arrangement, to
an expanded position, in which the panels exhibit a three-dimensional
arrangement able to
stand upright.
The expanding device of the present invention comprises a plate that has a
proximal
edge connected to at least one of the panels of the self-expandable foldable
display, a distal
edge opposite to said proximal edge, and a hinge located between said proximal
and distal
edges and that divides said plate into one proximal plate portion and one
distal plate portion,
a tensile elastic member arranged so as to pull said proximal and distal plate
portions
towards one another to bend the plate around said hinge from a flat resting
position to an
angled working position, and a limiting member that when the plate is in said
angled working
position, has a first end in contact with the proximal plate portion and a
second end in contact
with the distal plate portion to limit the bending of the plate to the angled
working position.
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The proximal plate portion has a plate extension, which extends beyond the
hinge
towards said distal edge and that ends in an additional distal edge, wherein
said plate
extension is not affected by the hinge and remains coplanar to the proximal
plate portion
when the plate is bent to the angled working position.
With this construction, when the plate is bent to the angled working position,
the distal
edge of the plate presses one of the panels of the display and the additional
distal edge
presses the other panel of the display, and given that the plate extension
extends beyond the
hinge towards the distal edge, the points at which the distal edge and the
additional distal
edge press the respective panels of the display are at distances (in the
direction of the width
of the display) from the corresponding lateral edge of the display which are
similar or have a
comparable order of magnitude. Moreover, when the plate is bent into the
angled working
position, the distance in a cross-wise direction of the display between the
distal edge and the
additional distal edge is significantly larger than the distance in the cross-
wise direction of the
display between the distal edge and the hinge.
Thus, the expanding device of the present invention provides a much more
efficient,
regular and balanced expansion of the display than other expanding devices of
the previous
art, whereby it is unnecessary the installation of a second expanding device
associated to
the opposite lateral edge of the display if the expanding device is correctly
sized relative to
the display.
Preferably, although this is not a strictly necessary condition, the plate is
made of
cardboard, corrugated cardboard, or similar, and the hinge is formed by a
first fold line that
has an intermediate gap corresponding to the plate extension of the proximal
plate portion,
whereas the plate extension is formed by cut lines extending towards the
inside of the distal
plate portion from ends of said intermediate gap of the hinge.
In one embodiment, the limiting member is an integral part of the plate and
has the
mentioned second end hingedly connected to the distal plate portion by a
second fold line
near the distal edge. In that case, the mentioned first end of the limiting
member is formed by
a free edge thereof opposite to said second fold line.
In this same embodiment, the proximal plate portion has cutouts that form one
or
more first hook elements near the proximal edge, and the limiting member has
cutouts that
form one or more second hook elements, preferably on lateral edges thereof.
The tensile
elastic member is a tensile elastic ring, such as, for example, a rubber ring,
hooked to said
first and second hook elements.
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Advantageously, the first and second hook elements may be arranged such that
one
portion of the tensile elastic member, i.e., of the tensile elastic ring,
interferes with the first
end of the limiting member when the plate is in the angled working position,
thus limiting an
ulterior slippage of the first end of the limiting member over the proximal
plate portion and
preventing the plate from being bent around the hinge beyond the angled
working position.
Preferably, the limiting member has a plurality of the second hook elements
formed
therein and located at different distances from the first end thereof, so that
one or more of
these second hook elements can be selected to hook the tensile elastic member
in order to
regulate the tension of the tensile elastic member.
There are known self-expandable foldable displays of the referred type in
which the
lateral edges of the two panels are connected to inwardly-bent tabs and
connected to one
another by means of an elastic connector ring, such as, for example, a rubber
ring, placed
surrounding both tabs. In that case, the plate of the expanding device of the
present
invention has at least one connection tab hingedly connected to the proximal
edge of the
proximal plate portion by a third fold line, and this at least one connection
tab is configured to
be hooked to the same elastic connector ring that connects the lateral edges
of the panels of
the self-expandable foldable display.
Depending on the particular embodiment, the connection tab of the plate of the
expanding device may have an intermediate gap caused by the cutouts forming
one or more
first hook elements.
Preferably, the connection tab of the plate of the expanding device has a
length in the
direction of the height of the display substantially equal to the length of
the inwardly-bent tabs
of the panels of the display, so the elastic connector ring surrounds equally
both the
connection tab of the plate of the expanding device and the inwardly-bent tabs
of the panels
of the display.
In one embodiment, at least part of the proximal plate portion and the entire
distal
plate portion have a length in the direction of the height of the display
shorter than the length
of the connection tab in order to provide a free space inside the display.
According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a self-expandable
foldable display of the previously described type equipped with at least one
expanding device
according to the first aspect of the present invention. The expanding device
is located
between the two panels of the self-expandable foldable display and with the
proximal edge of
the plate thereof connected to at least one of the panels in or near one of
said lateral edges
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so as to push outwards from the inside said panels from a collapsed position,
in which the
panels exhibit a flat arrangement, to an expanded position, in which the
panels exhibit a
three-dimensional arrangement able to stand upright.
Given that the self-expandable foldable display only needs to have one or more
expanding devices associated to the lateral edges of one side of the panels
that forms it, the
lateral edges of the other side of the panels remain free.
Thanks to that, in one embodiment the two panels of the self-expandable
foldable
display of the present invention have respective cupboard cutouts, adjacent to
the lateral
edge that is opposite to the expanding device. The mentioned cupboard cutouts
have
respective horizontal lower edges, vertical lateral edges and upper edges. One
shelf panel is
hingedly connected to at least one of the panels such that it can rotate
between a folded
position, in which said shelf panel is superimposed upon the panels of the
display when the
self-expandable foldable display is in said collapsed position, and a working
position, in
which the shelf panel is in a horizontal position and resting on lower edges
of said cupboard
cutouts.
In one embodiment, the shelf panel is joined to at least one of the panels of
the
display by a support plate that has an upper edge hingedly connected by a fold
line to a
joining tab joined, for example with an adhesive, to a lower face of the shelf
panel, and a
lateral edge hingedly connected by a fold line to a connection tab configured
to be hooked to
the elastic connector ring that connects the lateral edges of the panels.
The connection tab of said support plate has substantially the same length in
the
direction of the height of the display as inwardly-bent tabs connected to the
lateral edges of
the panels, which are shortened because of the cupboard cutouts, and said
elastic connector
ring is arranged so as to surround the connection tab of the support plate as
well as said
inwardly-bent tabs of the panels.
The mentioned vertical lateral edges of the cupboard cutouts are hingedly
connected
by fold lines to closing panels, which in turn have free vertical edges
hingedly connected by
fold lines to inwardly-bent auxiliary tabs, which are mutually connected by an
auxiliary
connector ring, such as a rubber ring, arranged so as to surround said
inwardly-bent auxiliary
tabs. Said closing panels have a length in the direction of the width of the
display shorter
than the length of said lower edges of the cupboard cutouts, so that the
closing panels
remain mutually aligned and spaced apart from the lateral edges of the panels
of the display
when the self-expandable foldable display is in the expanded position.
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The two panels of the display, as well as, the shelf panel and the support
plate are
preferably made of cardboard sheet, corrugated cardboard sheet, or a similar
material.
In another embodiment, the self-expandable foldable display includes an
external
container that comprises a front wall hingedly connected by the lateral edges
thereof to
foldable lateral walls, which are provided with respective intermediate hinges
formed by fold
lines. These foldable lateral walls have free lateral edges hingedly connected
to container
connection tabs, which are configured to be hooked to elastic connector bands
connecting
the lateral edges of the panels.
The mentioned external container further comprises a foldable connection
element
formed by a plurality of vertical plates interlaced in the form of a bellows.
This foldable
connection element has, on a front end thereof, a front joining surface
configured to be
joined, for example with an adhesive, to a central region of said front wall
and, on a rear end
thereof, a rear joining surface configured to be joined, for example with an
adhesive, to a
central region of one of the panels of the display.
Moreover, the mentioned rear end of the foldable connection element is
hingedly
connected to an articulated connection tongue joined, for example, with an
adhesive, to a
central region adjacent to a rear end of a bottom plate sized to cover the
entire space
delimited by the frontal wall and foldable lateral walls of the external
container and by the
corresponding panel of the display. This bottom plate preferably has a curved
rear edge so
as to adapt to the three-dimensional arrangement of the panel of the display
when the same
is in the expanded position.
Thus, the bottom plate moves between a folded position, in which said bottom
plate is
superimposed upon the panels when the self-expandable foldable display is in
said collapsed
position, and a working position, in which the bottom plate is in a horizontal
position and
resting on upper edges of said plates interlaced in the form of a bellows of
the foldable
connection element.
Preferably, the external container includes a tensile elastic member arranged
so as to
pull the bottom plate towards the foldable connection element. Thereby, the
movements of
the bottom plate entail movements of the front wall and the foldable lateral
walls between a
folded position, in which the lateral walls are folded and superimposed upon
the front wall
and the panels of the display, and a working position, in which the front wall
is separated
from the panel of the display and the lateral walls are unfolded and
substantially
perpendicular to the front wall.
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The front wall, the foldable lateral walls, and the container connection tabs
are
preferably made of one single sheet of cardboard, corrugated cardboard, or a
similar
material. The plates interlaced in the form of a bellows forming the foldable
connection
element and the bottom plate are also preferably made of cardboard sheet,
corrugated
cardboard sheet, or a similar material.
Optionally, the self-expandable foldable display of the present invention
includes a
base plate connected to the panels of the display by a base connection plate
configured so
that it enables moving said base plate between a folded position, in which the
base plate is
superimposed upon the panels of the display when the display is in said
collapsed position,
and a working position, in which the base plate is in a position perpendicular
to the panels of
the display and in contact with a lower edge thereof when the display is in
the expanded
position. The base plate has an area that is larger than the base of the
display when the
same is in the expanded position, such that the base plate contributes to
maintain the display
in the upright position.
In one embodiment, said base connection plate comprises two end plate portions
hingedly joined to opposite edges of an intermediate plate portion. The
mentioned end plate
portions have respective end edges hingedly joined to respective lateral
connection tabs
configured to be hooked to the elastic connector bands connecting the lateral
edges of the
panels of the display to one another, and said intermediate plate portion has
a lower edge
hingedly joined to one or more lower connection tabs configured to be hooked
to one or more
rubber bands, which in turn are hooked to one or more hook elements formed in
the base
plate.
The base plate is preferably made of a sheet of cardboard, corrugated
cardboard, or
a similar material, and may adopt any suitable shape relative to the shape of
the display. The
end plate portions, the intermediate plate portion and the lateral and lower
connection tabs
are preferably made of one single sheet of cardboard, corrugated cardboard, or
a similar
material.
Brief description of the drawings
The foregoing and other features and advantages will become more apparent from
the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to
the
accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a frontal view of an expanding device for a self-expandable foldable
display,
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in a flat position, according to one embodiment of the first aspect of the
present invention;
Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are different perspective views of the expanding device of
the Fig. 1
in an angled working position;
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of two panels of a self-expandable foldable
display, in a
disconnected position, according to one embodiment of the second aspect of the
present
invention, and two expanding devices of Fig. 1 connected to one of said
panels;
Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the self-expandable foldable display in an
expanded
position provided by the expanding devices;
Fig. 7 is a frontal view of an expanding device for a self-expandable foldable
display,
in a flat position, according to another embodiment of the first aspect of the
present
invention;
Fig. 8 is a frontal view of two panels and a shelf panel of a self-expandable
foldable
display, in a disconnected position, according to another embodiment of the
second aspect
of the present invention;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the display of Fig. 8 in an expanded position;
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a self-expandable foldable display, in an
expanded
position, according to still another embodiment of the second aspect of the
present invention;
Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a number of walls, a bottom plate and a
foldable
connection element of the display of Fig. 10;
Fig. 12 is a frontal view of an expanding device for a self-expandable
foldable display,
in a flat position, according to still another embodiment of the first aspect
of the present
invention;
Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the expanding device of Fig. 12 in an angled
working
position;
Fig. 14 is a schematic perspective view of a self-expandable foldable display
according to still another embodiment of the second aspect of the present
invention, kept in
an expanded position by the expanding device of Fig, 12 in the angled working
position;
Fig. 15 is a frontal view of an expanding device for a self-expandable
foldable display,
in a flat position, according to still another embodiment of the first aspect
of the present
invention;
Fig. 16 is a frontal view of a stiffening plate that may be associated to the
expanding
device of Fig. 15;
Fig. 17 is a plan top view of a self-expandable foldable display according to
still
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another embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, kept in an
expanded
position by the expanding device of Fig. 15 cooperating with the stiffening
plate of Fig. 16;
Fig. 18 is a plan view of a base plate belonging to a self-expandable foldable
display
according to another embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention;
Fig. 19 is a base connection plate that connects the base plate of Fig. 18 to
the
display;
Fig. 20 is a schematic perspective view of the display in the expanded
position with
the base connection plate of Fig. 19 installed therein and about to be
connected to the base
plate of Fig. 18;
Fig. 21 is a plan view of a base plate belonging to a self-expandable foldable
display
according to still another embodiment of the second aspect of the present
invention;
Fig. 22 is a base connection plate that connects the base plate of Fig. 21 to
the
display;
Fig. 23 is a schematic perspective view of the display in the expanded
position, with
the base connection plate of Fig. 22 installed therein and about to be
connected to the base
plate of Fig. 21;
Fig. 24 is a perspective view of a self-expandable foldable display according
to
another additional embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention,
including a
shelf panel that is shown as it is about to be installed in wall panels in an
expanded position;
Fig. 25 is a partial perspective view of the display of Fig. 24 with the shelf
panel
installed in the wall panels in an expanded position;
Fig. 26 is a plan view of the display of Figs. 24 and 25 in the expanded
position,
wherein dashed lines have been used to represent the wall panels;
Fig. 27 is a partial lateral view of one of the wall panels of the display of
Figs. 24 and
25; and
Fig. 28 is a perspective view of the display of Figs. 24 and 25 in a collapsed
position
and partially folded into a folded compact position.
Detailed description of exemplary embodiments
Firstly, with reference to Fig. 1, the numeral reference 30 generally
indicates a plate
belonging to an expanding device 300 (shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4) according to
one
embodiment of the present invention. The base plate 30 is made of a sheet of
cardboard,
corrugated cardboard, or similar, and comprises a proximal edge 31, a distal
edge 32
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opposite to said proximal edge 31, and a hinge 33 located between said
proximal and distal
edges 31, 32. The mentioned hinge 33 is formed by a first fold line and
divides the plate 30
into a proximal plate portion 30a and a distal plate portion 30b.
A limiting member 3 extends from the distal plate portion 30b. The limiting
member
5 has a first end 3a forming a free edge and a second end 3b, opposite to
said first end,
hingedly connected to the distal plate portion 30b by a second fold line. The
proximal edge
31 of the proximal plate portion 30a is hingedly connected by a third fold
line to a connection
tab 6. This connection tab 6 has at least one intermediate gap caused by a
cutout which
forms a first hook element 4, and the limiting member 3 has on the lateral
edges thereof a
10 plurality of second hook elements 5 formed therein.
The hinge 33 has two end hinge portions starting from edges of the plate 30,
and
between these two end hinge portions there is an intermediate gap of the
hinge. Cut lines 35
extend from ends of that intermediate gap of the hinge 33 and towards the
inside of the distal
plate portion 30b, said lines 35 defining a plate extension 30c which prolongs
the proximal
plate portion 30a and that ends at an additional distal edge 34. Thus, the
mentioned plate
extension 30c of the proximal plate portion 30a extends beyond the hinge, 33
towards the
distal edge 32 of the distal plate portion 30b.
As shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, in an operational state the limiting member 3 is
bent
inwards around the second fold line that connects the second end 3b thereof to
the distal
plate portion 30b, and a tensile elastic member 7, which in this embodiment is
a tensile
elastic ring, and more specifically a rubber ring, is hooked to the first hook
element 4 of the
proximal plate portion 30a and to two of the second hook elements 5 formed on
opposite
sides of the limiting member 3. Thus, the elastic force exerted by the elastic
tensile element 7
pulls the proximal and distal plate portions 30a, 30b one towards the other
bending thereby
the plate 30 around the hinge 33 from a flat resting position (not shown) to
an angled working
position (Figs. 2, 3 and 4).
Since the hinge 33 does not affect the junction area between the proximal
plate
portion 30a and the plate extension 30c, said junction area is rigid and the
proximal plate
portion 30a and the plate extension 30c remain coplanar when the plate 30 is
bent to the
angled working position, and as a result the distal edge 32 of the distal
plate portion 30b and
the additional distal edge 34 of the plate extension 30c that prolongs the
proximal plate
portion 30a are projected over comparable distances and in different
directions with respect
to the hinge 33.
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The first and second hook elements 4, 5 are arranged such that one portion of
the
tensile elastic member 7 interferes with the first end 3a of the limiting
member 3 when the
plate 30 is in the angled working position, which limits the possibility of
slippage of the first
end 3a of the limiting member 3 over the proximal plate portion 30a beyond the
first hook
element 4 and prevents the plate 30 from being bent beyond the angled working
position.
Moreover, given that the plurality of second hook elements 5 formed at both
sides of
the limiting member 3 are located at different distances of the first end 3a
of the limiting
member 3, it is possible to regulate the tension of the tensile elastic member
7 by selecting a
couple of second hook elements 5 where to hook the tensile elastic member 7.
It shall be understood that the tensile elastic member 7 may be shaped in any
different form other than an elastic ring, provided that the first and second
hook elements are
configured such that they enable the hooking thereof.
It shall also be understood that alternatively the limiting member 3 may be an
element
separated from the plate 30 or an element hingedly connected to the plate 30
in a way
different to that shown in Fig. 1, provided that it is configured and/or
installed such that when
the plate 30 is in the angled working position the limiting member 3 has a
first end 3a
contacting the proximal plate portion 30a and a second end 3b contacting the
distal plate
portion 30b limiting the bending of the plate 30 to the angled working
position.
The expanding device 300 is intended for a foldable self-expandable display
100,
such as the one shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which comprises two facing panels 10,
20 joined
together by their respective lateral edges 12. The expanding device 300 is
located between
the two panels 10, 20 of the display 100 so as to push the panels 10, 20 from
the inside and
thus automatically expanding the display 100 from a collapsed position (not
shown), in which
the panels 10, 20 exhibit a flat arrangement, to an expanded position (Fig.
6), in which the
panels 10, 20 exhibit a three-dimensional arrangement able to stand upright.
As shown in Fig. 5, the two panels 10, 20 of the display 100 have their
lateral edges
12 hingedly connected to tabs 15 that in an operational state are bent inwards
and
connected to one another by an elastic connector ring 8 arranged so as to
surround the
inwardly-bent tabs 15 of the panels 10, 20 of the display 100.
The proximal edge 31 of the expanding device 300 is connected to the display
100
though the connection tab 6 thereof, which is configured to be superimposed
upon the
inwardly-bent tabs 15 of one of the lateral edges 12 of the panels 10, 20 of
the display 100
and to be hooked by the mentioned elastic connector ring 8, which is thus
arranged
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surrounding the connection tab 6 of the plate 30 of the expanding device 300
and the
inwardly-bent tabs 15 of the panels 10, 20 of the display 100.
Preferably, the connection tab 6 of the plate 30 has substantially the same
length in
the direction of the height of the display as the inwardly-bent tabs 15 of the
display 100,
which ensures a reliable connection with a simple configuration and a very
easy and quick
mounting, without the need to use adhesives.
The display may be collapsed from the expanded position to the collapsed
position by
manually pressing the panels 10, 20 one towards the other from the outside,
overcoming the
elastic force exerted by the tensile elastic member 7. Each one of the panels
10, 20 of the
display 100 has transverse fold lines 24 around which the display 100 may be
manually
folded from the collapsed position to a compact folded position (not shown),
in which the
folds of the panels prevent the automatic expansion of the display 100.
Nevertheless, by
merely beginning to unfold the display from its compact folded position the
resilient force
exercised by the tensile elastic member 7 expands the expanding device 300 and
the latter
automatically expands the display 100 to its expanded service position.
Fig. 7 shows another embodiment of the expanding device 300, which is entirely
analogous to the expanding device 300 previously described with reference to
figures Figs. 1
a 4 except that here, one part of the proximal plate portion 30a and the
entire distal plate
portion 30b have a length in the direction of the height of the display
shorter than the length
of the connection tab 6, whereas the length of the connection tab 6 in the
direction of the
height of the display is still substantially equal to the length of the
inwardly-bent tabs 15 of
the display 100. As a result, the expanding device of Fig. 7 leaves room for
other accessories
of the display 100.
Figs. 8 and 9 show an embodiment of the display 100, which may advantageously
use the expanding device 300 of Fig. 7. The display 100 of Figs. 8 and 9 is
entirely
analogous to the display 100 previously described with reference to figures
Figs. 5 and 6
except that here, both panels 10, 20 of the display 100 have respective
cupboard cutouts 13,
23 adjacent to one of the lateral edges 12 opposite to the lateral edge 12 in
which the
expanding devices 300 are connected (not shown in Figs. 8 and 9). The
mentioned cupboard
cutouts 13, 23 have respective lower edges 13a, 23a, vertical lateral edges
13b, 23b and
upper edges 13c, 23c.
The mentioned vertical lateral edges 13b, 23b of the cupboard cutouts 13, 23
are
hingedly connected by fold lines to closing panels 16, 26 which in turn have
free vertical
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edges hingedly connected by fold lines to auxiliary tabs 25, which in an
operational state are
arranged bent inwards and are connected to one another by an auxiliary elastic
connector
ring (not shown) arranged so as to surround both inwardly-bent auxiliary tabs
25. The closing
panels 16, 26 have a length in the direction of the width of the display
shorter than the length
of lower edges 13a, 23a of the cupboard cutouts 13, 23, such that when the
display 100 is in
the expanded position (Fig. 9), the closing panels are arranged mutually
coplanar, thus
creating an open space above the lower edges 13a, 23a of the cupboard cutouts
13, 23.
A shelf panel 70 is hingedly connected to one of the panels 10, 20 of the
display 100
through a support plate 71, which has an upper edge hingedly connected by a
fold line to a
joining tab 72 joined, for example, with an adhesive, to said shelf panel 70
and a lateral edge
hingedly connected by a fold line to a connection tab 73 configured to be
hooked by the
corresponding elastic connector ring 8 that connects the inwardly-bent tabs 15
on the lateral
edge 12 of the display 100, opposite to the expanding device 300 below the
lower edges
13a, 23a of the cupboard cutouts 13, 23.
The inwardly-bent tabs 15 of the lateral edge 12, opposite to the expanding
device
300 and located below the lower edges 13a, 23a of the cupboard cutouts 13, 23,
are shorter
in the direction of the height of the display than those of the opposite side,
and the
connection tab 73 of the support plate 71 has substantially the same length in
the direction of
the height of the display as these shorter inwardly-bent tabs 15. The
corresponding elastic
connector ring 8 is arranged so as to surround the connection tab 73 of the
support plate 71
and said shorter inwardly-bent tabs 15 of the panels 10, 20.
In this way, the shelf panel 70 may rotate between a folded position, in which
said
shelf panel 70 is superimposed upon the panels 10, 20 when the display 100 is
in the
collapsed position, and a working position (Fig. 9), in which the shelf panel
70 is in a
horizontal position and resting on lower edges 13a, 23a of said cupboard
cutouts 13, 23.
Both the shelf panel 70 and the support plate 71 are made of cardboard,
corrugated
cardboard, or similar, and in the working position the shelf panel 70 provides
a shelf resistant
enough to support relatively heavy items A, such as bottles, books, small
household
appliances, etc.
Figs. 10 and 11 show another embodiment of the display 100, which may
advantageously use the expanding device 300 of Fig. 7. The display 100 of
Figs. 10 and 11
is entirely analogous to the display 100 previously described with reference
to figures Figs. 5
and 6 except that here, the display 100 includes an external container 60,
which comprises a
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front wall 61 hingedly connected by the lateral edges thereof to foldable
lateral walls 62, 63
provided with respective intermediate hinges 62a, 63a. The mentioned foldable
lateral walls
62, 63 have free lateral edges hingedly connected to container connection tabs
64, which are
configured to be hooked by the corresponding elastic connector bands 7
connecting the
lateral edges 12 of the panels 10, 20 to one another.
The external container 60 further comprises a foldable connection element 65
formed
by a plurality of plates interlaced in the form of a bellows, which have lower
edges configured
to rest on the floor. This foldable connection element 65 has, on a front end
thereof, a front
joining surface 65a configured to be joined, for example with an adhesive, to
a central region
of the front wall 61 and, on a rear end thereof, a rear joining surface 65a
configured to be
joined, for example with an adhesive, to a central region of one of the panels
10, 20 of the
display 100.
The mentioned rear end of the foldable connection element 65 is further
hingedly
connected to a connection tongue 65c joined to a central region of a bottom
plate 66, in a
place adjacent to a rear edge thereof. Thus, the bottom plate 66 may be moved
between a
folded position, in which the bottom plate 66 is superimposed upon the panels
10, 20 when
the display 100 is in the collapsed position, and a working position, in which
the bottom plate
66 is in a horizontal position and resting on upper edges of the plates
interlaced in the form
of a bellows of the foldable connection element 65. A tensile elastic member
67 is arranged
so as to pull the bottom plate 66 towards the foldable connection element 65.
Moreover, the external container 60 may be folded together with the bottom
plate 66
by bending inwards the foldable lateral walls 62, 63 around the intermediate
hinges 62a, 63a
between a working position (Fig. 10), in which the foldable lateral walls 62,
63 are
substantially perpendicular to the front wall 61, and a folded position (not
shown) in which the
frontal and lateral foldable walls 61, 62, 63 are superimposed upon the bottom
plate 66 and
the panels 10, 20 of the display 100 when the latter is in the collapsed
position.
Preferably, the front wall 61, the foldable lateral walls 62, 63, and the
container
connection tabs 64 are preferably made of one single sheet of cardboard,
corrugated
cardboard, or a similar material, and the articulated connections between the
same as well
as the intermediate hinges 62a, 63a are formed by fold lines. The plates
interlaced in the
form of a bellows forming the foldable connection element 65 and the bottom
plate 66 are
also preferably made of a sheet of cardboard, corrugated cardboard, or a
similar material.
Figs. 12 and 13 show another alternative embodiment of the expanding device
300,
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which is entirely analogous to the expanding device 300 previously described
with reference
to Figs. 1 to 4 except that here, the plate 30 of the expanding device 300
comprises a
stiffening plate portion 37 hingedly connected to the distal edge 32 of the
distal plate portion
30b through a connecting plate portion 38, which has an edge connected to the
distal edge
32 by a fourth fold line 38a and a second edge connected to the stiffening
plate portion 37 by
a fifth fold line 38b. The stiffening plate portion 37 has one or more
connection tabs 39
hingedly connected to a distal edge thereof by a sixth fold line 39a.
The expanding device 300 of Figs. 12 and 13 is intended to expand a self-
expandable
foldable display 100 provided with four panels 10, 20, 40, 50 (shown by means
of dashed
lines in Fig. 14). Two of the panels 10, 20 are made in one single piece of a
sheet of
cardboard, corrugated cardboard or a similar material, and separated by a fold
line 101, and
the other two panels 40, 50 are made in another single piece of a sheet of
cardboard,
corrugated cardboard or a similar material, and separated by another fold line
102. Both
sheet pieces have lateral edges 12 connected to one another by respective
inwardly-bent
tabs 15 surrounded by respective elastic connector rings 8 (not shown). In the
expanded
position, the display 100 exhibits the shape of a rectangular prism wherein
the inwardly-bent
tabs 15 are located on the diagonally opposite lateral edges 12.
In an operational state, the expanding device 300 of Figs. 12 and 13
conveniently
bent as shown in Fig. 13 is arranged with the connection tab 6 superimposed
upon the
inwardly-bent tabs 15 of one of the lateral edges of the display 100 and
hooked to the
corresponding elastic connector ring 8, and with the connection tab 39
superimposed upon
the inwardly-bent tabs 15 of the other edge of the lateral edges of the
display 100 and
hooked to the corresponding elastic connector ring 8.
In this position, the proximal plate portion 30a along with the plate
extension 30c are
arranged superimposed upon an inner surface of one of the panels 10 of the
display 100
while the stiffening plate 37 is arranged superimposed upon an inner surface
of another
panel 30 of the display 100 opposite to panel 10. To this end, the proximal
plate portion 30a
together with the plate extension 30c and the stiffening plate 37 are sized
according to the
corresponding panels 10, 30 of the display.
Fig. 15 shows another alternative embodiment of the expanding device 300,
which is
entirely analogous to the expanding device 300 previously described with
reference to
figures Figs. 1 to 4 except that here, the hinge 33 of the plate 30 of the
expanding device 300
is located in an intermediate section and does not reach edges of the plate
30. Moreover,
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here the plate extension 30c of the proximal plate portion 30a is formed by
cut lines 36 which
extend from ends of the fold line forming the hinge 33 and that surround the
distal plate
portion 30b and part of the limiting member 3, thereby the additional distal
edge 34 at the
end of the plate extension 30c is significantly further way from the hinge 33
than the distal
edge 32 at the free end of the distal plate portion 30b. The proximal plate
portion 30a with
the plate extension 30c has a substantially rectangular contour and a
considerable
extension.
The expanding device 300 of Fig. 15 is intended to expand a self-expandable
foldable
display 100 provided with three panels 10, 20, 40 (shown by means of dashed
lines in Fig.
17). In the triangular expanding device of Fig. 17 a first panel 10 and a
first portion 40b of a
third panel 40 are made of one single piece of a sheet of cardboard,
corrugated cardboard or
a similar material, and separated by a fold line 103, whereas a second panel
20 and a
second portion 40b of the third panel 40 are made of another piece of a sheet
of cardboard,
corrugated cardboard or a similar material, and separated by another fold line
104. Both
pieces of sheet have lateral edges connected to one another by respective
inwardly-bent
tabs 15 surrounded by respective elastic connector rings 8 (not shown). In the
expanded
position, the display 100 exhibits the shape of a triangular prism wherein the
inwardly-bent
tabs 15 are located on a lateral edge 12 between the first and second panels
10, 20 and in
the middle of the third opposite panel 40, which is foldable.
In an operational state, the expanding device 300 of Fig. 15 is arranged with
the
connection tab 6 superimposed upon the inwardly-bent tabs 15 of the lateral
edge 12 of the
display 100 and hooked by the corresponding elastic connector ring 8. The
proximal plate
portion 30a with the plate extension 30c acts as stiffening plate superimposed
upon the inner
surface of the first panel 10 of the display 100 and the distal edge 32 of the
distal plate
portion 30b presses from the inside against the second panel 20 of the display
100.
Optionally, the expanding device 300 of Fig. 15 cooperates with an additional
stiffening plate 55 (Fig. 16), which has a proximal edge hingedly connected to
a connection
tab 56. In an operational state, this connection tab 56 is superimposed upon
the connection
tab 6 of the expanding device 300 and upon the inwardly-bent tabs 15 of the
lateral edge 12
of the display 100, and hooked by the corresponding elastic connector ring 8.
The additional
stiffening plate 55 is superimposed upon the inner surface of the second panel
20 of the
display 100, the distal edge 32 of the distal plate portion 30b presses from
the inside against
the additional stiffening plate 55, and the latter transmits the pressure to
the second panel 20
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of the display 100 keeping the flat arrangement thereof.
Both, the plate 30 of the expanding device 300 and the additional stiffening
plate 55
are made of a sheet of cardboard, corrugated cardboard, or similar, wherein
the hinge 33
and other articulated joints are formed by fold lines.
Fig. 20 shows a self-expandable foldable display 100 analogous to the one
described
above with reference to Figs. 5 and 6, which includes a base plate 80 (shown
individually in
Fig. 18) connected to the two panels 10, 20 of the display 100 by a base
connection plate 81
(shown individually in Fig. 19). The mentioned base plate 80 has a circular
shape with an
extension that is larger than the extension of the base of the display 100 in
the expanded
position. In a central region of the base plate there is a cutout defining a
hook element 84.
The mentioned base connection plate 81 comprises two end plate portions 81b,
81c
hingedly joined to opposite edges of an intermediate plate portion 81a. Said
end plate
portions 81b, 81c have respective end edges hingedly joined to respective
lateral connection
tabs 83 configured to be hooked by elastic connector bands 8 (not shown in
Fig. 20)
connecting the inwardly-bent tabs 15 on the lateral edges 12 of the opposite
sides of the
panels 10, 20 of the display 100. The mentioned intermediate plate portion 81a
has a lower
edge hingedly joined to a lower connection tab 82.
In an operational state, the base connection plate 81 is bent in a "Z" shape,
as shown
in Fig. 19, the lateral connection tabs 83 are connected to the inwardly-bent
tabs 15 of the
display 100 by means of the corresponding elastic connector bands 8, and the
lower
connection tab 82 of the base connection plate 81 is superimposed upon said
hook element
84 formed in the base plate 80. The lower connection tab 82 and the hook
element 84 are
connected to one another by an elastic ring (not shown) arranged so as to
surround both of
them.
With this arrangement, the base connection plate 81 enables moving the base
plate
between a folded position, in which the base plate 80 is superimposed upon the
panels 10,
20, 40, 50 of the display 100 when the display 100 is in said collapsed
position, and a
working position, in which the base plate 80 is in a position perpendicular to
the panels 10,
20, 40, 50 of the display 100 and in contact with a lower edge thereof when
the display 100 is
in the expanded position. Thus, the base plate 80 helps to support the display
100 in an
upright position when the same is in the expanded position.
Fig. 23 shows another self-expandable foldable display 100 analogous to the
one
described above with reference to Fig. 14, which includes a base plate 80
(shown individually
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in Fig. 21) connected to the panels 10, 20, 40, 50 of the display 100 by a
base connection
plate 81 (shown individually in Fig. 22), analogously to what was described
above with
reference to Figs. 18 a 20. The only differences reside in the fact that the
base plate 80 has
in this case a square or rectangular shape with an extension larger than the
extension of the
base of the display 100 in the expanded position, and in the fact that the
lateral connection
tabs 83, once the base connection plate 81 has been bent in a "Z" shape as
shown in Fig.
23, are connected by means of the corresponding elastic connector bands 8 to
the inwardly-
bent tabs 15 located on the diametrically opposite lateral edges 12 of the
display 100.
In both embodiments of Figs. 18 to 20 and Figs. 21 a 23, both the base plate
80 and
the base connection plate 81 are made of a sheet of cardboard, corrugated
cardboard, or
similar, wherein the hinges or articulated joints are formed by fold lines.
Figs. 24 a 28 show still another additional embodiment of the display 100, in
which
the expanding device 300 of Fig. 7 can be used advantageously. The display 100
of Figs. 8
and 9 is entirely analogous to the display 100 previously described with
reference to figures
Figs. 5 and 6 except that here, both panels 10, 20 of the display 100 have
respective rack
openings 17 at central regions between the opposite lateral edges 12 thereof.
The
aforementioned shelf openings 17 (one of which belongs to one of the two
identical panels
10, 20 of the display, as shown in detail in Fig. 26) have respective lower
horizontal edges
17a, two respective vertical lateral edges 17b, and respective upper edges
17c.
The aforementioned vertical lateral edges 17b of the shelf openings 17 are
hingedly
connected by fold lines to closing panels 18, which in turn have free vertical
edges hingedly
connected by fold lines to auxiliary tabs 19, which in an operational state
are arranged bent
inwards and are connected to one another by an auxiliary elastic connector
ring (not shown)
arranged so as to surround both inwardly-bent auxiliary tabs 19. The closing
panels 18 have
a length in the direction of the width of the display shorter than the length
of said lower and
upper edges 17a, 17c of the rack openings 17, such that when the display 100
is in the
expanded position (Figs. 24 and 25), the closing panels 18 are arranged
mutually coplanar
thus creating an open space above the horizontal lower edges 17a of the rack
openings 17.
As shown best in Fig. 27, the panels 10, 20 of the display 100 include small
cuts 18a
extending downwards from the horizontal lower edges 17a of the rack openings
17 aligned
with the vertical lateral edges 17b of the rack openings 17. The function of
these cuts 18a will
be explained below.
Fig. 26 shows a shelf panel 75 made of a sheet of cardboard, corrugated
cardboard,
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or similar, which has an intermediate region 75a with a length approximately
equivalent to
the width of the rack openings 17 and end regions 75b, which have projections
76 protruding
beyond the intermediate region 75a. The depth of the shelf panel 75 is deeper
than the width
of the display 100 in the expanded position. Prongs 77 protrude from the
center of inner
edges of the intermediate region 75a.
The shelf panel 75 is installed in the rack opening 17 such that it may pivot
about the
prongs 77 between a folded position (Fig. 28), in which the shelf panel 75 is
superimposed
upon the panels 10, 20 of the display 100 when the latter is in the collapsed
position, and a
working position (Fig. 25), in which the shelf panel 75 is perpendicular to
the panels 10, 20 of
the display 100 when the later is in the expanded position, with the
projections 76 coupled to
the vertex formed by the fold lines that connect the closing panels 18 to the
vertical lateral
edges 17b of the rack openings 17 and with a lower surface of the shelf panel
75 resting on
the horizontal lower edges 17a of the rack openings 17.
Thus, in the working position, the shelf panel 75 provides a shelf resistant
enough to
support relatively heavy items, such as bottles, books, small household
appliances, etc.
The mentioned cuts 18a extending downwards from the ends of the horizontal
lower
edges 17a of the rack openings 17 facilitate the bending inwards of a portion
of the panels
10, 20 adjacent to a lower side of the corresponding rack opening 17 by the
shelf panel 75
when the display 100 is folded to the collapsed position and the shelf panel
pivots to the
folded position.
As shown in Fig. 28, from the collapsed position, the display 100 including
the shelf
panel 75 may be folded around the transverse fold lines 24 of the panels 10,
20 of the
display 100 to the compact folded position.
A person skilled in the art will be able to introduce modifications and
variations in the
exemplary embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of
the
present invention as defined in the attached claims.
