Abstract:
Display panel systems make it possible to access a wide range of information. Such systems have a stand and a support for swivel panels upon which information carriers can be placed. The stand is modular and has two side parts which can be combined with a variable number of intermediate parts, each of which has a support for swivel panels.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The invention relates to a stand for supports of swivel panels, swivel pockets, swivel sleeves or the like. 
     PRIOR ART 
     A stand of the abovementioned type which comprises an angled sheet-metal plate and of which the legs form an angle of less than 90° is known (DURABLE, Catalogue 950, page 109). The shorter of the two legs forms the foot of the stand, while the longer leg is provided, at its top and bottom ends, with fittings having pivot bearings for the swivel panels or the like. The width of the sheet-metal plate and the number of fittings depends on the number of swivel panels which are to be accommodated in each case. 
     Another known stand comprises a cast foot to which a comparatively short leg of an angled sheet-metal plate is screwed (DURABLE, Catalogue 950, page 109). The larger of the two legs is also provided in this case, in turn, with fittings having pivot bearings. 
     In both the cases described, the number of swivel panels determines the dimensions of the stand or of the parts forming the stand. In practice, this means that the outlay for producing the stands and for storing the same is undesirably high. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the invention is to provide a stand of the type in question which is constructed in the manner of a modular system and allows its accommodating capacity to be changed cost-effectively. This object is achieved by a stand which is characterized according to the invention in that it comprises two side parts and at least one intermediate part connected to said side parts in a releasable manner, each intermediate part being assigned in each case one support. 
     The stand according to the invention provides the advantage that its width can easily be varied by the use of a greater or lesser number of intermediate parts and can thus be adapted to the number of swivel panels or the like which are to be accommodated. 
     It has proven particularly advantageous in this case if the intermediate parts are configured such that they are suitable for accommodating supports which can also be used as wall-mounted supports. 
     Further details and features of the invention can be gathered from the subclaims and from the following description of a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention illustrated in the attached drawing. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a stand comprising an intermediate part and two side parts in the perspective view as seen obliquely from the front. 
     FIG. 2 shows the stand according to FIG. 1 in the perspective view as seen obliquely from the rear, 
     FIG. 3 shows a front view, corresponding to FIG. 1, of the stand according to FIGS. 1 and 2 provided with a support, 
     FIG. 4 shows a rear view, corresponding to FIG. 2, of the stand according to FIGS. 1 and 2 provided with a support, 
     FIG. 5 shows the accommodating capacity of the stand according to FIGS. 1 and 2 being enlarged by an additional intermediate part, 
     FIG. 6 shows the connection of an intermediate part to in each case one support, 
     FIG. 7 shows a stand with three times the accommodation capacity of the stand according to FIGS. 1 and 2, 
     FIG. 8 shows the position of a stand supported on a table top, 
     FIG. 9 shows the possibility of directly fastening an intermediate part on the border of a table top by means of a clamp, 
     FIG. 10 shows an intermediate part screwed onto a table top, 
     FIG. 11 shows a detail of the plug-in connection of the parts illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, 
     FIG. 12 a  shows a plug-in connection between a side part and an intermediate part in accordance with one aspect of the stand of the present invention, 
     FIG. 12 b  shows the position of the side part of FIG. 12 a  pivoted into an acute angle relative to the intermediate part of FIG. 12 a,    
     FIG. 12 c  shows the position of the side part of FIG. 12 a  pivoted into a right angle relative to the intermediate part of FIG. 12 a,    
     FIG. 12 d  shows the position of the side part of FIG. 12 a  pivoted into an obtuse angle relative to the intermediate part of FIG. 12 a , and 
     FIG. 12 e  shows the position of the side part of FIG. 12 a  pivoted 180° relative to the intermediate part of FIG. 12 a.   
    
    
     METHODS OF IMPLEMENTING THE INVENTION 
     The stand which is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises two side parts  1  and  2  and an intermediate part  3 , it being the case that the side parts  1  and  2 , which are usually provided with lead or some other weighting inserts, correspond to one another completely in terms of their shape and size. Both the side parts  1  and  2  and the intermediate parts  3  are designed as plastic injection mouldings. Fastened at the free ends of the side parts  1  and  2  are supporting balls  4  which consist of rubber or a similar material which counteracts slipping movements. The side parts  1  and  2  can be provided with weighting inserts  26 , and FIG. 2 illustrates one weighting insert in side part  2 . The intermediate part  3  has a means  5  for accommodating a support  6 . The support  6  is likewise a plastic injection moulding; it has a shell-like basic body  7  with a central hollow trough shaped section  8 , of which the rear wall  9  has a slot  10  and a bore  11  in order for it to be possible to use the support  6  as a wall-mounted support as required. Details of the construction of the support  6  are described in German Patent Application 196 23 904.4-26. As can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottom section of the hollow  8  fits into the accommodating means  5 , the bottom border  12  of the support  6  being supported on a transverse web  13  of the intermediate part  3 . Swivel elements, as for example swivel panels, swivel pockets, or swivel sleeves, are generally designated by reference numeral  27  in FIG.  4 . 
     As can be seen from FIGS. 5 to  7 , the number of intermediate parts  3  can be easily varied in accordance with the requirements in each case. More or less wide stands can be produced using just two different components, it being possible for a support  6  to be connected to each intermediate part  3  with the aid of in each case one screw  14 . The stand is supported on an underlying surface  15 , formed by a table top for example, via the front bottom border  16  of the intermediate part  3 , in all cases, and via the supporting balls  4 , as shown in FIG.  8 . Expedient shaping of the means  5  for accommodating the intermediate part  3  makes it possible for the latter, without the side parts  1  and  2 , to be fastened directly, e.g. on the border of the underlying surface  15 . For this purpose, the accommodating means  5  has a flat base  17  which either can be fastened on the underlying surface  15  with the aid of a screw clamp  18 —as is shown in FIG.  9 —or else can be screwed to said underlying surface  15 —as is illustrated in FIG.  10 . 
     The side parts  1 ,  2  and the intermediate parts  3  are coupled to one another by a plug-in connection comprising grooves and webs. A particularly stable plug-in connection is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12; it comprises in each case two grooves  19  and  20  and two webs  21 ,  22 . In order for it to be possible to manage with just two differently shaped components, namely an intermediate-part type of component and a side-part type of component, the grooves  19 ,  20  and webs  21 ,  22  of the parts which are to be connected to one another are shaped such that their contours cover over one another or overlap if—as is shown in FIG.  12 —the grooves  19 ,  20  and webs  21 ,  22 , for example, of the right-hand side part  2  are pivoted, in the direction of the arrow  23 , through 180° about an axis  24 , located between the parts  2 ,  3  and running parallel to the grooves  19 ,  20  and webs  21 ,  22 . The webs  21 ,  22  are guided in a form-fitting manner in the grooves  19 ,  20 . In order to ensure that the parts are held together securely, it is recommended for the webs  21 ,  22  of the plug-in connections to be provided with braking or latching protrusions  25 . Preferably, each intermediate part  3  has at least one groove  19 ,  20  and at least one web  21 ,  22  on each of its two opposed sides, and each side part  1 ,  2  has at least one groove  19 ,  20  and at least one web  21 ,  22  on only one of its two opposed sides.