Abstract:
A display system having an improved support structure to reduce the display profile and consequent shipping costs and an improved display hook for mounting on the display grid. A support structure, such as an easel, is formed with or attached to the rear side of the display grid to support the grid in an elevated position. Unlike prior displays that must be shipped with bulky support structures, the easel of this invention is collapsible, allowing the display to retain its relatively thin profile. To install the display in the store, the easel may be quickly and easily formed and locked into place to support the display. The easel may be formed and collapsed as necessary, facilitating both shipping of the display as well as transporting the display in the store. This invention also relates to an improved display hook capable of releasably engaging the grid at three locations and thereby distributing the product load carried by the hook and reducing the likelihood that the hook with be pulled from or otherwise disengage the grid.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION DATA  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to a provisional patent application No. 60/686,578 entitled Display System, filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on May 31, 2005 and which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The invention relates to display systems, and more particularly, to self-supporting displays on which display hooks may be mounted.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Displays for displaying products in retail stores come in all shapes and sizes. To perform their intended function, many displays require that hooks be mounted on the display. The desired products can then be mounted on the hooks and made available to the customer in this way. Many times the hooks disengage from the display under the product loads, leading to display failure. Thus, lack of stability of product-bearing display hooks is a serious problem in the industry, and a need exists for a display that is capable of supporting a variety of hooks in a firm and stabilized manner.  
         [0004]     Moreover, regardless of the type of display, all displays must be provided with support structure for retaining the displays in an upright position so that the products on display remain in the customer&#39;s line of sight. For example, display stands are provided to elevate the displays from the floor. Other structures are used to prop displays resting on counters. These support structures, which are typically shipped with the displays, are bulky and occupy significant shipping capacity, which in turn leads to increased shipping costs. Thus, a need exists to provide a compact support structure to minimize shipping costs.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     This invention addresses the problems of previous display systems by providing a display system having an improved support structure to reduce the display profile and consequent shipping costs and an improved display hook for mounting on the display grid. A support structure, such as an easel, is formed with or attached to the rear side of the display grid to support the grid in an elevated position. Unlike prior displays that must be shipped with bulky support structures, the easel of this invention is collapsible (the easel preferably collapses into a plane substantially parallel to the grid), allowing the display to retain its relatively thin profile. Thus, when the display is shipped with its associated easel in a collapsed position, more displays may be palletized in a shipping carton, resulting in reduced shipping costs. To install the display in the store, the easel may be quickly and easily formed and locked into place to support the display. The easel may be formed and collapsed as necessary, facilitating both shipping of the display as well as transporting the display in the store.  
         [0006]     This invention also relates to an improved display hook capable of releasably engaging the grid at three locations and thereby distributing the product load carried by the hook and reducing the likelihood that the hook with be pulled from or otherwise disengage the grid. The hook may be positioned and repositioned anywhere on the grid. Moreover, if desired, a cover panel (preferably upon which product information, advertisements, or other graphics may be printed or otherwise provided) may be releasably attached to the front surface the display grid. The cover panel can easily be removed, allowing the grid, easel, and hooks of the display to be re-used with different products.  
         [0007]     In addition to display hooks, dividers may also be mounted on the grid to help organize the products hanging from the hooks and prevent them from moving laterally and becoming entangled, which can often happen during shipping and when the display is positioned in an upright, but tilted position.  
         [0008]     It is an object of this invention to provide a display system that includes a compact support structure, such as a collapsible easel, mounted on a display grid.  
         [0009]     It is another object of this invention to provide a display hook for a display grid that is structured to firmly mount on a display grid and prevent unintended disengagement from the grid. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the self-supporting display of this invention.  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the grid of the display of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  is a rear elevational view of the grid of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0013]      FIG. 4  is a view taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 5  is a plan view of the blank used to form the easel of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0015]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the blank of  FIG. 5  in partially folded condition.  
         [0016]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the blank of  FIG. 5  in partially folded condition.  
         [0017]      FIG. 8  is an exploded view of the display of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0018]      FIG. 9  is a rear perspective view of the display of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0019]      FIG. 10  is a front perspective view of one embodiment of the display hook of this invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the hook of  FIG. 10 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 12  is a rear perspective view of the hook of  FIG. 10 .  
         [0022]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the hook of  FIG. 10  mounted on the grid of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view showing engagement of the hook of  FIG. 10  with the grid of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 15  is an exploded viewing showing attachment of one embodiment of the cover panel of this invention to the display of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 16  is a plan view of the blank used to form an alternative embodiment of the cover panel.  
         [0026]      FIG. 17  is an exploded view showing attachment of the cover panel of  FIG. 16  to the display of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 18  is a partially exploded view showing attachment of one embodiment of the dividers to the display of  FIG. 17 .  
         [0028]      FIG. 19  is a perspective view showing the display of  FIG. 18  stocked with toothbrushes.  
         [0029]      FIG. 20  is a plan view of the blank used to form one embodiment of the dividers of this invention.  
         [0030]      FIG. 21  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the filler of this invention.  
         [0031]      FIG. 22  is a perspective view of the filler of  FIG. 21  positioned on the stocked display of  FIG. 19 .  
         [0032]      FIG. 23  is a plan view of the blank used to form the filler of  FIG. 21 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 24  is a perspective view showing the display of  FIG. 22  loaded into a shipping carton with one embodiment of the carrier of this invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0034]      FIG. 1  shows one embodiment of the self-supporting display  300  of this invention. The display  300  may be provided in any desired dimensions and may be placed on any surface, including atop a counter or on a floor. The display  300  includes a rack or grid  302  and a support structure, such as easel  304 , for elevating and supporting the grid  302  in an upstanding position.  
         [0035]     One embodiment of grid  302  is shown in  FIGS. 2-4 . As seen in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , grid  302  is comprised of a plurality of horizontal ribs  306  intersected by a plurality of vertical ribs  308  to form a plurality of slots or apertures  310  for receiving product bearing hooks therein, as will be discussed. Ribs  306 ,  308  can be enclosed by a peripheral frame  312  to strengthen the stability of the grid  302  and prevent damage during shipping and use. Moreover, any of the sides of the grid  302  may be provided with elongated slots (such as elongated slots  16  disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/942,057, filed Aug. 28, 2001 and entitled “Display Rack and Hook Combination,” the entirety of which is herein incorporated by this reference).  
         [0036]     While grid  302  may be formed from any material exhibiting structural integrity, such as plastic, metal, wood, etc., forming the grid  302  from a molded plastic has proven particularly cost-effective. Moreover, any size grid  302  may be used in the display and any number of apertures  310  may be provided in the grid  302 . Apertures  310  need not be rectilinear, but rather may be formed of any shape capable of receiving and retaining the display hooks, screws, and other fasteners discussed below. Moreover, apertures  310  of different dimensions and/or shapes may be provided in the same grid  302 .  
         [0037]     As shown in  FIG. 4 , horizontal ribs  306  preferably have an upper portion  314  and a lower portion  316  narrower than the upper portion  314 . In this way, a ridge  318  is formed on the underside of the upper portion  314 . This ridge  318  helps to retain hooks for displaying products, as will be explained below. Depending on the desired orientation of the display hooks on the grid, ridges  318  may be provided on either or both of horizontal and vertical ribs  306 ,  308 .  
         [0038]     The embodiment of  FIG. 1  includes a support structure in the form of easel  304  attached to the rear side of grid  302  to support the grid  302  in an elevated position. The easel  304  may elevate and support the grid  302  completely vertically but, as shown in  FIG. 1 , may also position and retain the grid  302  at an incline. While not necessary, maximum display support may be realized if the easel  304  has similar dimensions (i.e., height and width) to those of the grid  302 .  
         [0039]     The easel  304  may be formed of any material rigid enough to support a product-laden grid  302 , such as plastic, metal, wood, or certain types of paper. Easel  304  may even be integrally formed with grid  302 . However, reduced manufacturing and shipping costs may be realized by forming the easel  304  from suitably rigid paperboard, such as corrugated board. In this way, a blank used to form the easel (such as the easel blank  320  shown in  FIG. 5 ) may be easily and quickly stamped from the board and attached to the rear side of the grid  302 . Moreover, materials such as corrugated board are printable and thus information and/or decorative designs may be provided on the easel  304 .  
         [0040]     One embodiment of the easel  304  is shown in  FIGS. 1 and 5 - 8 .  FIG. 5  illustrates an easel blank  320  for folding and attaching to the rear side of grid  302 , dashed lines a-d indicating the folds for forming the easel  304 . The easel blank  320  includes side mounting portions  322  attached to first side wings  324  which are attached to second side wings  326  which are in turn attached to the central body  328  of the easel  304 . The central body  328  includes an upper portion  330  including a foldable lip  332  and a lower portion  334  with a foldable ledge  336 . To form the easel  304 , the second side wings  326  are folded along dashed line a in direction A (see  FIGS. 5 and 6 ). The first side wings  324  are then folded relative to the second side wings  326  along dashed line b in direction B (see  FIGS. 5 and 7 ). The foldable lip  332  (which need not be provided on the easel, but can contribute to the structural integrity of the easel) is folded down along dashed line c ( FIG. 5 ), and the easel blank is ready for mounting on the grid  302 .  
         [0041]     The easel blank  320  is positioned on the grid  302  in the desired location and secured in place with any of a variety of mounting means, including glue and screws, bolts, nails, clips or other types of fasteners. Screws (especially clear plastic screws which are not as noticeable) have proven particularly useful in this application as they are cheap and may be installed quickly. After the easel blank  320  is positioned on the grid  302 , screws  400  are simply inserted through the side mounting portions  322  and into the grid apertures  310  (if the screws  400  are entering from the rear side of the grid  302 ) or into the grid apertures  310  and through the side mounting portions  322  (if the screws  400  are entering from the front side of the grid  302 , as shown in  FIG. 8 ) to secure the easel blank  320  to the grid  302 . Naturally, the screws must be sized to be retained in the apertures  310 . The screws may be received in any of the plurality of apertures  310 , enabling the easel blank  320  to be positioned in a variety of locations on the grid  302 . Moreover, any number of screws (limited, of course, by the number of apertures  310  on grid  302 ) may be used to firmly secure the easel blank  320  to the grid  302 . Pre-cut screw holes  338  may be provided in the side mounting portions  322  of the easel blank  320  to help the display assembler align the easel blank  320  with the apertures  310  and to obviate the need to drive the screws through the easel blank material.  
         [0042]     After attachment, the easel blank  320  may be easily formed into the easel  304 . To do this, the first and second wings  324 ,  326 , which are currently collapsed into an fan-like structure, are extended outwardly (such as through use of a handhold cut-out  340  that can be, but does not have to be, provided in the easel blank  320 ) and the ledge  336  of the lower portion  334  of the central body  328  is bent along dashed line d in direction C and folded inwardly (see  FIGS. 5 and 9 ). Teeth  342  having indentations  344  and peeks  346  are provided on the upper edge of ledge  336 . The indentations  344  engage the vertical ribs  308  while the peeks  346  are able to rest upon the horizontal ribs  306  to hold the ledge  336  in place relative to the grid  302 . In this way, the easel blank  320  is formed into an easel  304  and retained in that form to support the grid  302 . The easel  304  may easily be collapsed by merely folding the ledge  336  upwardly to disengage the teeth from the grid and collapsing the first and second wings  324 ,  326 .  
         [0043]     Display hooks for hanging products on grid  302 , including those disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/942,057, may be mounted on grid  302 .  FIGS. 10-14  illustrate an alternative display hook  348  for use on display  300 . Display hook  348  is preferably molded from plastic and includes a base  350  and an elongated support member  352  extending from the base  350 .  
         [0044]     The base  350  includes a front surface  354  and a rear surface  356 . Support member  352 , which can be provided in any desired length, extends from the front surface  354  of base  350  and is preferably angled slightly upwardly. Support member  352  preferably includes an upturned portion  358  at its outer end. Products for sale can be mounted on the support member  350 , whose upward angling and upturned portion  358  facilitates retention of the product on display hooks  348 . Gussets  360  may also be provided at the juncture of support member  352  and base  350  to increase the support member&#39;s load-bearing capacity.  
         [0045]     Base  350  is preferably, but does not have to be, dimensioned so as to cover substantially the entirety of adjacent apertures  310  when the display hook  348  is mounted on grid  302 . For example, when the hook  348  is mounted on the grid  302 , the base  350  may cover nine apertures  310 , three across and three down (see  FIG. 13 ). Of course, the base  350  need not be rectilinear, but can be formed in other shapes provided that structure for engaging the grid  302  may still be accommodated on base  350 .  
         [0046]     Structure for engaging the grid  302  is provided on the rear surface  356  of base  350 . As seen in  FIGS. 11 and 12 , a hook portion  362  having a substantially vertical lip  364  extends from the upper end of rear surface  356  of base  350 . At least one prong  366  extends from the lower end of the rear surface  356  of the base  350 . A downward opening recess  368  is formed between the prong  366  and the rear surface  356  of the base  350 . While only one prong  366  need be used, the hook  348  preferably includes at least two prongs  366  (see, e.g.,  FIG. 12 ) to facilitate retention of the hook  348  in apertures  310 . Hook portion  362  and prongs  366  are preferably distributed on the rear surface  356  of the base  350  so that when the hook  348  is mounted on grid  302 , they will best distribute the load of the products supported by the hook  348  and thus resist disengagement of the hook  348  from the grid  302  under such loads. One example of such distribution is illustrated in  FIG. 12 , where the hook portion  362  is positioned in the upper middle of the rear surface  356  of base  350  and each prong  366  is distributed in a lower corner of the rear surface  356  of the base  350  so as to form a triangular pattern on the rear surface  356  of the base  350 . The hook portion  362  and prongs  366  are positioned on the rear surface  356  of the base  350  so that each will align with an aperture  310  in the grid  302  during hook  348  installation. In this way, the hook  348  is engaged to the grid  302  in three separate locations.  
         [0047]     Any number of hooks  348  can be mounted on grid  302  between adjacent horizontal and vertical ribs  306 ,  308 . To install the hook  348  on the grid  302 , hook portion  362  enters aperture  310 . The lip  364  of hook portion  362  engages the ridge  318  of one of the horizontal ribs  306  so that the lip  364  is substantially parallel to and abuts the ridge  318 . Prongs  366  snap-fit into an aperture  310  (each preferably at least one aperture removed from the aperture into which hook portion  362  extends and preferably at least one aperture removed from each other) so that the recess  368  surrounds the upper portion  314  of other of the horizontal ribs  306 . Through engagement of hook portion  362  and prongs  366  with horizontal ribs (or vertical ribs  308  if it is desired to suspend the hooks  348  so that they are rotated 90 degrees), hook  348  is firmly secured to grid  302 . Moreover, the hooks  348  can quickly and easily be removed from and repositioned on the grid  302 .  
         [0048]     It may be aesthetically desirable to hide the front side of the grid  302  by attaching a cover panel  370  to the front side of the grid  302  (see  FIG. 15 ). The cover panel  370  may be made from any material, but preferably is made of a material that is capable of being printed, such as cardboard or paperboard which have proven to be the most cost-effective. In this way, the cover panel  370  can be printed with desirable graphics to correspond to the product to be displayed and then die-cut and mounted on the grid. As will be obvious to one of skill in the art, the cover panel  370  may be provided in any shape (not just rectilinear) and size, although it often may be desirable for the cover panel  370  to have the same dimensions as the grid  302  so as to cover the entirety of the grid.  
         [0049]     As with the easel  304 , the cover panel  370  can be mounted on the grid  302  in any of a variety of ways but screws have proven to be the easiest and most cost-effective way. Indeed, if a cover panel  370  is used, the same screws or fasteners  400  that secure the cover panel  370  to the grid  302  may be used (but do not have to be used) to secure the easel  304  to the grid  302 , as shown in  FIG. 15 . While metal screws could be used, clear plastic screws are preferable as they essentially disappear on the display  300  façade. Screw cut-outs  372  may be stamped from the cover panel  370  during manufacture to assist the display assembler in positioning the cover panel  370  on the grid  302 . As discussed above, corresponding screw cut-outs  338  may be provided on the easel blank  320  to assure alignment of the cover panel  370 , grid  302 , and easel  304 . Hook cut-outs  374  are also provided on the cover plate  370  to accommodate the desired number of hooks to be used with the display  300 .  
         [0050]     Because the screws are easily removable, the cover panel  370  can easily be replaced when desirable by simply removing the screws and substituting the old cover panel for a new cover panel. In this way, the grid  302 , easel  304 , and hooks  348  of the display  300  are entirely re-usable with different products.  
         [0051]     While the cover panel  370  may be completely flush with the front side of the grid  302 , as shown in  FIG. 15 , the cover panel  370  may be provided with structure to impart a three-dimensional look to the cover panel  370 .  FIGS. 16 and 17  illustrates a cover panel blank  375  for imparting a sloped surface  376  to the front surface of the cover panel  370 . The sloped surface  376  is formed by an upper portion  378 , middle portion  380 , and lower portion  382 . During cover panel  370  installation, the upper portion  378  is bent outwardly along dashed line e, the middle portion  380  is bent inwardly along dashed line f, and the lower portion  382  is bent upwardly along dashed line g so that it is flush with the plane of the grid  302 . Screws or other fastening means  400  are then used to secure the lower portion  382  to grid  302 , as shown in  FIG. 17 .  
         [0052]     In addition to display hooks  348 , it may be desirable to provide additional structure on the display  300  to help organize the products hanging from the hooks  348  and prevent them from moving laterally and becoming entangled, which can often happen during shipping and when the display  300  is positioned in an upright, but tilted position. In  FIGS. 18 and 19 , dividers  384  are provided to perform this function. Products, such as toothbrushes  386 , can hang from the hooks  348  and extend in slots  388  formed between adjacent dividers  384 . In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 18 and 19 , the dividers  384  are triangles extending from the display  300 . However, the dividers  384  may be provided in any shape. Moreover, while each divider  384  may be provided and attached separately to the display  300 , it saves time and ensures that the dividers  384  are properly spaced on the display  300  if at least some of the dividers  384  are integrally formed.  
         [0053]     The dividers  384  may be made from any material suitably rigid to serve effectively as a barrier between adjacent products on the display  300 , but are preferably made from plastic (such as polyvinylchloride) which is relatively cheap and more preferably from a clear plastic, which allows the dividers  384  essentially to disappear into the display  300  façade and thus not interrupt the graphical flow provided on the cover panel  370 . Plastic sheets may be stamped into the divider blank  389  shown in  FIG. 20 , which, in turn, may be folded to create the dividers  384 . Fastener cut-outs  390  are provided in the divider blank  389 , as are slot cut-outs  392  that create the slots  388  between adjacent dividers  384 . While divider blank  389  is provided with seven dividers  384 , any number of dividers  384  may be provided in a divider blank  389 . To form the dividers  384  from the divider blank  389 , divider blank  389  is folded along dashed lines h-j so as to form an apex along dashed line i and so that each fastener cut-out  390  provided on the top of the blank  389  is aligned with and abuts the corresponding fastener cut-out  390  on the bottom of the blank  389 . Fasteners or other securing means  400  may then be threaded through the fastener cut-outs  390  and snapped in apertures  310  of grid  11  at any location, as shown in  FIG. 17 .  
         [0054]     After the easel  304 , hooks  348 , cover panel  370  (if desired), and dividers  384  (if desired) are mounted on the grid  302 , the display  300  is ready to be stocked with product and shipped. While assembly of the display  300  may be done on site at the store, the benefits of this invention are fully realized when the display  300  is fully-stocked prior to shipping. Unlike prior displays that must be shipped with bulky support structures, display  300  includes a collapsible support structure, easel  304 , that enables the display  300  to be shipped flat on its back (see  FIG. 24 ). Given their low profile, more displays  300  may be palletized in a shipping carton, resulting in reduced shipping costs.  
         [0055]     If the display  300  is stocked with product prior to shipment, it may be desirable to further stabilize the products before shipment.  FIGS. 21 and 22  show one device (fillers  394 ) for stabilizing toothbrushes  386  loaded on the display  300 . However, the fillers  394  may be designed to accommodate any product to be displayed on display  300 . For use with toothbrushes  386 , fillers  394  include partitions  396  that define cavities  398  for receiving the heads or handles of the packaged toothbrushes  386 . The fillers  394  slide between the heads and/or feet of the toothbrushes, as shown in  FIG. 22 . Holes  400  accommodate the support members  352  (particularly the upturned portion  358 ) of display hooks  348 . The fillers  394  are preferably made from a material suitably rigid to serve effectively as a barrier between adjacent products on the display  300 , such as plastic or cardboard. In this way, the partitions  396  are able to help prevent lateral movement of the products while the front face  402  of the filler  394  prevents the products from dismounting from the display hooks  348 .  
         [0056]      FIG. 23  shows one embodiment of a filler blank  404  that may be formed into the fillers  394  shown in  FIGS. 21 and 22 . To form a filler  394 , the filler blank  404  is folded along folding lines k-n to form a substantially rectangular structure so that the lower panel  406  abuts the upper panel  408 . The lower and upper panels  406 ,  408  are preferably fixed together, such as with glue or a staple, so that the filler  394  retains its shape. The filler  394  can then be used to pack the display  300  for shipping.  
         [0057]     To ship a display  300 , the fully-stocked display  300  is first placed in a shipping carton  410 . As shown in  FIG. 24 , one or more carriers  412  may be used to support the display  300  during packing. The carrier  412 , which may be made from any material sufficiently strong to support a stocked display  300 , may include hand cut-outs  414  for the packer to grip. The carrier(s)  412  is preferably left in the shipping carton  410  to help display  300  removal at the store.  
         [0058]     The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of the present invention. Further modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.