MOUNTING DEVICE FOR PANELS

Abstract: Device for mounting panel-shaped objects on the uprights of a stand or the like. The panel (3) is provided with at least one row of projecting hook-shaped mounting devices (4, 6) and the uprights of the stand are provided with a row of openings (5) to take the hooks. In order to prevent an accidental release of the panel (3) at least one of the hooks (6) is arranged to make more shallow contact with the wall of the upright than the other hooks (4), and a device (7) is arranged which limits the raising of a mounted panel (3) to a position in which only the hook (6) which makes the most shallow contact is no longer in contact with the wall of the upright below the corresponding opening (5). In this position that part of the panel where the abovementioned hook (6) is arranged can be bent outwards, so that this hook is released from the opening (5) and the panel (3) can be raised higher in order to be released completely from the upright.

Description: MOUNTING DEVICE FOR PANELS This invention concerns a device for mounting panel-shaped objects on the uprights of a stand or the like, where the panels are provided with at least one row of projecting hook-shaped mounting devices and the uprights of the stand are provided with a row of openings of such a shape and at such a spacing that a panel can be mounted on an upright by inserting the hooks in the openings in the upright and then lowering the panel so that the hooks make contact with the wall of the upright below the corresponding opening. Devices of this type with hooks for mounting panel-shaped objects on uprights provided with holes can, for example, be utilized in shop-fitting systems for mounting panels or the like on vertical stands. In order to allow the hooks on the panel to be inserted in the openings in the uprights these openings must have a greater height than that of the hooks. However, this means that an accidental raising of a panel can result in this being released completely from the upright and falling down. The main object of the present invention is to obtain a device for mounting panels or the like by means of hooks as described above, by means of which device the problem of an accidental release of a mounted panel, among other things, is solved without the use of separate fixing devices or the like. This is achieved according to the invention by the hooks and the openings being designed in such a way that a panel cannot be released in one movement but requires several actions to be taken. However, it can be released very simply and quickly without the use of tools. A device according to the invention of the kind described in the first paragraph is characterized in that at least one of the hooks is arranged to make more shallow contact with the wall of the upright than the other hooks, in that a device is arranged which limits the raising of a mounted panel to a position in which only the hook which makes the most shallow contact is no longer in contact with the wall of the upright below the corresponding opening, and in that in this position the part of the panel where the abovementioned hook is arranged can be bent outwards, so that this hook is released from the opening and the panel can be raised higher in order to be released completely from the upright. A device of this kind prevents an accidental release of a panel, as in order to achieve this it is necessary first to raise the panel, then bend it outwards sideways before completing the raising. These actions are, however, simple to perform and can be carried out in quick succession, but still prevent an accidental release of a panel. It is preferable that the hook which makes the shallowest contact with the wall of the upright is shorter than the other hooks. In addition the abovementioned raise limiting device suitably comprises a part projecting from this hook, which comes into contact with the upper edge of the corresponding opening when the panel is raised. The hooks can be constructed in one piece with the object, for example a panel, which is to be mounted by means of these. Alternatively the hooks can be arranged on strips attached to a panel. If the panel or a strip with hooks is too rigid, a slot can be arranged in the vicinity of the hook which makes the shallowest contact in the upright, which slot will make easier the requisite bending. Additional characteristics of the invention are described in the following patent claims. In the following the invention will be described in greater detail utilizing examples of preferred embodiments and with reference to the attached figures. Figure 1 shows a module in a shop-fitting system with front mounted panels provided with hooks according to the invention. Figure 2 is a perspective view which shows the contact between the hooks on the panel and the corresponding upright of the stand. Figure 3 is a side view of the panel shown in figure 2. Figures 4-6 show the hook contact between a panel and an upright during three different stages of releasing the panel. Figure 7 shows an alternative embodiment of a panel for mounting with hooks according to the invention. Figure 8 is a detailed view of part of a panel according to figure 7. Figure 9 shows a mesh grille with hooks according to the invention. Figures 9a and 9b show enlargements of parts of the grille according to figure 9. Figure 10 shows the mounting of the grille on two uprights of a stand. Figure 11 shows the grille after mounting on the uprights. The module in a shop-fitting system shown in figure 1 comprises two uprights of a stand 1, 2 and panels 3 mounted on these. As is shown more clearly by figures 2 and 3 two opposite edges of the panels 3 are provided with a row of hooks 4 projecting at an angle to the panel 3. The uprights of the stand 1, 2 are provided with a corresponding row of openings 5 with the same spacing as the hooks. The panels 3 can thus be mounted on the uprights 1, 2 by inserting the hooks in the openings 5 in the uprights, after which the panels 3 are lowered so that the hooks 4 make contact with the front wall of the uprights below the corresponding opening to attach the panel to the upright . The mounting of the panels is made easier by the lower part of the hook 4 being provided with a chamfered surface 15, see figure 3. In order for the hooks 4 to be able to be inserted in the openings 5, the height of these must not be greater than the height of the openings. This means, however, that a mounted panel 3 can be released accidentally if it is raised up so that the hooks 4 no longer make contact with the front wall of the uprights. As a result the panel can be released from the uprights and fall down. This is prevented according to the invention by at least one of the hooks being designed so that it makes a shallower contact with the front wall of the uprights than the other hooks and by a device which limits the raising of the panel being arranged so that only the hook with the shallower contact is released when the panel is raised straight up. In the embodiment shown in figures 2 and 3 this is achieved by the uppermost hook 6 being made shorter, so that this makes relatively shallow contact with the front wall of the upright. A shoulder 7 is arranged on the upper side of the hook which limits the vertical raising of the panel 3 to a position in which only the hook 6 is released from the lower edge of the corresponding opening. Figure 4 shows a panel 3 with an upper hook 6 modified in this way mounted on an upright 1. This shows that in a mounted state both the normal hooks 4 and the modified hook 6 make a locking contact with the wall of the upright 1 below the corresponding openings 5. The panel 3 can therefore not fall out. Figure 5 shows a position in which the panel 3 has been raised accidentally, where the raising movement has, however, been limited by the shoulder 7 making contact with the upper edge of a corresponding opening before the normal hooks 4 are no longer in contact with the wall of the upright. Only the upper modified hook 6 is no longer in contact with the wall of the upright. Also in this case the panel 3 cannot come out and fall down of its own accord. To dismantle the panel 3 deliberately it is necessary, as shown in figure 6, for the panel 3 first to be raised up to the position shown in figure 5, for the upper part of the panel thereafter to be bent outwards so that the shoulder 7 is released from the opening in the upright and for the panel thereafter to be raised higher until the hooks 4 also are no longer in contact with the upright. The panel is then able to be lifted out. This dismantling can be carried out simply in a rapid sequence of consecutive movements, but an accidental release of the panel is still prevented. The mounting of such a panel on a pair of uprights is carried out in the reverse order, that is the normal hooks 4 first make contact with the walls of the upright while the upper part of the panel is held so that it is bent outwards slightly as shown in figure 6. Thereafter the panel is moved downwards at the same time as the upper part is returned to a position parallel with the upright, after which the secured position shown in figure 4 is achieved. The lowermost hook can be modified instead of the uppermost hook if this is found to be expedient. Of course both the uppermost and the lowermost hooks can be modified if that should prove to be necessary for some application. The shoulder 7 can be replaced by some other device which limits the movement and it can also be positioned in a different way. As an alternative to the shoulder and the shortened hook, the position of one of the openings 5 in the upright can be moved closer to the adjacent opening, so that the same function is achieved as described above but utilizing a row of identical hooks. Figure 7 shows a panel 8 designed for central mounting between two uprights of a stand. For this the panels are provided with an angled side part 9 along the respective edges. This means that the edges with the hooks 4, 6 become relatively rigid, which can make difficult the bending of the panel required for the mounting as illustrated in figure 6. This can be solved by providing the rigid edge parts with a horizontal slot 10 above the uppermost hook 4 of normal length. Figure 8 shows a perspective view of part of the panel according to figure 7 with a slot 8. Such a slot allows the requisite bending even of angled stands. The same technique can be utilized when the hooks 4, 6 are arranged on separate angled strips, which in turn are attached to a panel of any kind of material . Figure 9 shows a mesh grille 11 which is to be mounted on the uprights of a stand 1, 2. This can be carried out by welding short angled strips 13 and 14 onto the frame 12 of the grille along two opposite edges of the grille . As shown in figure 9b the angled strips 13 are provided with hooks 4 of normal length. However the uppermost hook 6 of the uppermost pair of angled strips 14, see figure 9a, is modified as described above, that is it is both shorter and has a shoulder 7. Figure 10 shows how the mesh grille 11 can be mounted on the uprights of a stand 1, 2 by means of the angled strips 13, 14 provided with hooks. During a first stage the upper part of the grille is bent outwards, as shown in figure 6. Figure 11 shows the mesh grille after mounting on the uprights 1, 2. The mounted grille can only be removed from the uprights by carrying out the three movements described in connection with figures 4, 5 and 6, which effectively prevent an accidental release of the mesh grille . The invention can of course be used for the mounting of other panel-shaped objects in addition to panels and mesh grilles. The precise design of the hooks and their positioning along the edges can of course vary depending upon what is required for the relevant application. In addition to uprights the panels can be mounted on other types of stand elements provided with holes.

Claims: PATENT CLAIMS 1. Device for mounting panel-shaped objects on the uprights of a stand or the like, where the panels (3; 8; 11) are provided with at least one row of projecting hook-shaped mounting devices (4, 6) and the uprights of a stand (1, 2) are provided with a row of openings (5) of such a shape and at such a spacing that a panel can be mounted on an upright by inserting the hooks in the openings in the upright and then lowering the panel (3; 8; 11) so that the hooks (4, 6) make contact with the wall of the upright below the corresponding opening (5), characterized in that at least one of the hooks (6) is arranged to make more shallow contact with the wall of the uprights (1, 2) than the other hooks (4), in that a device (7) is arranged which limits the raising of a mounted panel (3; 8; 11) to a position in which only the hook (6) which makes the most shallow contact is no longer in contact with the wall of the upright below the corresponding opening (5), and in that in this position the part of the panel where the abovementioned hook (6) is arranged can be bent outwards, so that this hook is released from the opening (5) and the panel (3; 8; 11) can be raised higher in order to be released completely from the uprights (1, 2) . 2. Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the hook (6) which makes the shallowest contact with the wall of the upright is shorter than the other hooks (4) . 3. Device according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the abovementioned raise limiting device (7) comprises a part projecting from the hook (6) which makes the shallowest contact with the wall of the upright, which projecting part comes into contact with the upper edge of the corresponding opening (5) when the panel (3; 8; 11) is raised. 4. Device according to any of Claims 1-3, characterized in that the hook (6) which makes the shallowest contact with the wall of the upright is the uppermost or lowermost hook on the panel (3; 8; 11) . 5. Device according to any of Claims 1-4, characterized in that the panel (3; 8) has the form of a flexible panel or the like and the hooks (4, 6) are arranged along two opposite edges of this and are constructed in one piece with the panel. 6. Device according to any of Claims 1-4, characterized in that the hooks (4, 6) are arranged on strips (13, 14) attached to a panel (11) . 7. Device according to Claim 6, characterized in that the panel (11) is in the form of a grille and at least one strip (13, 14) with hooks (4, 6) is attached along each of two opposite edges of this. 8. Device according to any of Claims 1-7, characterized in that a slot (10) is arranged in the panel (8) and/or in a strip with hooks in order to increase the flexibility in the vicinity of the hook (6) which makes the shallowest contact.

Inventors: LINDBLOM SUNE, LINDBLOM, SUNE
Applicants: HL DISPLAY AB, LINDBLOM SUNE, LINDBLOM, SUNE
Application year: 2000
Main classification: A47F5
IPC codes: A47F5