Abstract:
A freestanding display system includes a weighted base removably and replaceably coupled to a relatively lightweight top portion bearing display surfaces. Because of the shape of the freestanding display and the significant weight differential between the weighted base and the top display portion, the center of mass for the freestanding display may be disposed within its volume such that the freestanding display resists tipping over when subjected to substantial tilt angles, while advantageously facilitating easy disassembly and transportation for deployment at tradeshows or similar temporary venues.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. App. No. 62/245,425 filed on Oct. 23, 2015, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure generally relates to a freestanding display, and more specifically to a freestanding tradeshow display with a weighted base. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Conventional tradeshow displays include a base engaged to one or more display panels, where the base includes protrusions for stability, e.g., disk-shaped stands, feet that protrude from the front and back of the display, and so forth. The remains a need for an improved freestanding tradeshow display system. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    A freestanding display system includes a weighted base removably and replaceably coupled to a relatively lightweight top portion bearing display surfaces. Because of the shape of the freestanding display and the significant weight differential between the weighted base and the top display portion, the center of mass for the freestanding display may be disposed within its volume such that the freestanding display resists tipping over when subjected to substantial tilt angles, while advantageously facilitating easy disassembly and transportation for deployment at tradeshows or similar temporary venues. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the devices, systems, and methods described herein will be apparent from the following description of particular embodiments thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the devices, systems, and methods described herein. 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a display system. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a front cross-sectional view of a display system. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a side cross-sectional view of a display system. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  shows a tilted display system. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  shows a base for a display system. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a top cross-sectional view of a display system. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0012]    The embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which preferred embodiments are shown. The foregoing may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein. 
         [0013]    All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. References to items in the singular should be understood to include items in the plural, and vice versa, unless explicitly stated otherwise or clear from the text. Grammatical conjunctions are intended to express any and all disjunctive and conjunctive combinations of conjoined clauses, sentences, words, and the like, unless otherwise stated or clear from the context. Thus, the term “or” should generally be understood to mean “and/or” and so forth. 
         [0014]    Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value within such a range is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. The words “about,” “approximately,” or the like, when accompanying a numerical value, are to be construed as indicating a deviation as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art to operate satisfactorily for an intended purpose. Ranges of values and/or numeric values are provided herein as examples only, and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of the described embodiments. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (“e.g.,” “such as,” or the like) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the embodiments. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of the embodiments. 
         [0015]    In the following description, it is understood that terms such as “first,” “second,” “top,” “bottom,” “up,” “down,” “front,” “back,” and the like, are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms. 
         [0016]    Described herein are devices, systems, and methods for a freestanding display. The “display,” “system,” “exhibit,” or “display system,” as described herein shall refer to a system for exhibiting or presenting one or more displays, which may include a base, one or more display panels, and associated structural frames. As used herein, a freestanding display exhibit refers generally to any of the display systems described herein where a base and display are in their assembled form for use as a display. The “display,” “display panel,” “display surface” or “panel” may be any item for presentation at, e.g., a tradeshow, convention, corporate event, sporting event, conference, exhibition, general event, retail store, restaurant, bar, or any other setting in which one might want to provide information or aesthetic content in a temporary or mobile physical form. The display may include, without limitation, a sign, graphic, advertisement, identification, poster, billboard, and so on. The display may further include, without limitation, lettering, designs, numbers, colors, graphics and the like. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a display system. In general, the display system  100  may include a base  102  and a display  104 . In general, the display  104  has an interior vertical cross-sectional shape (the cross sectional shape of the display  104  when viewed from the top as illustrated, e.g., in  FIG. 7  below) that is shaped and sized to surround and conform to a corresponding exterior vertical cross-sectional shape of the base  102 . In this manner, the display system  100  permits removal and replacement of the display  104  over the base  102  to form a freestanding exhibit (e.g., the assembled display system  100 ) by vertically sliding the display  104  over the base  102  as generally illustrated by an arrow  106 . The display  104  generally includes one or more display surfaces  108  extending above a top  110  of the base  102  when the display  104  is placed for use over the base  102  (e.g., such that a bottom edge of the display  104  aligns with a bottom edge of the base  102  where both touch the ground). 
         [0018]    The one or more display surfaces  108  may be rectangular as illustrated, or the display surfaces may have any other shape including any regular or irregular polygon or other shape suitable for a desired presentation. The display  104  may completely covers the base  102  to hide the base  102  from view when the display  104  is placed for use over the base  102  to form a freestanding exhibit. In general the display  104  may be coupled to the base  102  by a sliding engagement where the display  104  slides on top of the base  102  as described above. The display  104  may fully enclose the base  102 , e.g., slide all the way down to the bottom of the base  102 . The display  104  may also or instead sit fully or partially above the base  102 . The coupling of the display  104  to the base  102  may rely on a friction fit between the two. The coupling may also or instead include the use of one or more of a ferromagnetic material, an adhesive, a mechanical coupling (e.g., hook and loop, latches, pins, screws, nails, etc.), and so forth. In an aspect, at least one of the base  102  and the display  104  includes a flange for the engagement of the display  104  to the base  102 . 
         [0019]    The display  104  may include a printed sheet  112  adhered to one of the display surfaces  108 . The display may also or instead include digital or other dynamic signage of any suitable form including, without limitation, a computer screen, an LED screen, an OLED screen, a plasma screen, an LCD screen, and so on. The display may also or instead include electrical components including, without limitation, light fixtures, clocks, LEDs, tickers, and the like. The display may also include interactive or moving elements. The display may be made from any material known in the art or that will become known in the art, including, without limitation, paper, wood, foam, plastic (e.g., corrugated plastic), cardboard, honeycomb cardboard, metal, and so on. The display, display panels, base, or structural components may also be magnetic or nonmagnetic. The displays may include temporary displays such as temporary booths, exhibits, showcases, partitions, and the like. The displays may also be interchangeable, movable, and/or adaptable (e.g., able to change size, shape, setting, appearance, etc.). 
         [0020]    The display  104  may also or instead include ridges, flanges or the like for aligning display materials that are magnetically attached or otherwise removably positioned on the display surface  108 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 2  is a front cross-sectional view of a display system  200 , which may for example include any of the display systems described above, in which a base  202  and a display  204  are assembled together to form a freestanding exhibit. 
         [0022]    The base  202  may generally include a bottom shelf  206 , a top  208 , a vertical interior shelf  210  below the top  208 , and one or more sidewalls  212 . The one or more sidewalls  212  may be arranged into an exterior vertical cross-sectional shape of any desired form, as discussed in greater detail with reference to  FIG. 7  below. The vertical interior shelf  210 , the bottom  206 , and the one or more sidewalls  212  may collectively form a closed void  214  in an interior space formed there between. 
         [0023]    There may be a weighted material  216  within the closed void  214  to provide stability to the display structure  200 , such as a sand, a concrete, a dense foam, rocks, or the like. In another aspect, the closed void may be watertight, and the weighted material may include a fluid such as water. The base  202  may also include a hatch  218  or similar sealable closure for accessing the void space so that sand, water, or other weighted material can be added to or removed from the void space as desired. 
         [0024]    The base  202  may include at least one handle  220  for convenient handling and transportation thereof. The handle  220  may, for example, be formed by an opening in one of the sidewalls  212  and may be positioned below the top  208  and above the vertical interior shelf  210  to permit convenient gripping from a position above the center of gravity of the base  202 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is a side cross-sectional view of a display system  300 . The display system  300  may include a base  302  and a display  304  such as any of the bases and displays described above. In general, the display  304  may be substantially lighter than the base  302 . In general, a center of mass  306  of the freestanding exhibit formed by the display system  300  is disposed within a volume of the freestanding exhibit at a location dominated by the weighted material of the base so that the freestanding exhibit resists tipping over when subjected to substantial tilt angles. This permits the use of relatively tall, lightweight display structures that will remain stable during ordinary use. For example, the display  304  may have a first height  310  at least four times greater than a second height  312  of the base  302 . 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  shows a tilted display system. As described above, the display system  400  is weighted in the base  402  so that a center of gravity  406  resists tipping over when subject to a substantial tilt angle  408 , more specifically because the center of gravity  406  remains inside a perimeter of a bottom surface  410  of the base  402 , as generally illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The tilt angle  408  is generally an angle between a vertical line and a side of the display system  400 , or an angle off normal from a ground plane  410 . The display system  400  may usefully resist tipping over at a tilt angle of at least fifteen degrees. More generally, the center of mass of the freestanding exhibit may be disposed within the volume of the freestanding exhibit such that the freestanding exhibit resists tipping over when subjected to a tilt angle of more than twenty degrees, or at least twenty five degrees, or any other suitable angle. 
         [0027]    In general, the maximum stable tilt angle may be controlled by the geometry of the base, the amount of weighted material, and so forth. For example, the base  402  may have a first weight at least four time greater than a second weight of the display  404 , e.g., to lower the center of gravity toward the bottom surface  410  of the base  402  for improved stability. Similarly as noted above, the display  404  may be substantially taller than the base  402 , e.g., four times taller or more. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  shows a base for a display system, such as any of the bases described above. The base  502  may be conveniently fabricated from sheets of material  503  that can be dovetailed together with friction fit engagement at interlocking segments  504 . As a significant advantage, this permits disassembly of each base  502  into a compact, stackable group of sheets of material. The sheets may be advantageously fabricated with a sufficiently tight fit to retain a weighted material such as sand or rocks without the need for a liner or additional material. In another aspect any of the bases described herein may instead be fabricated directly of a dense material such as metal, stone or the like, so that additional weighted material is not required. As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the base  502  may include two handles  510 , however the base  502  may more generally include a plurality of handles such as four, six, eight, or any other convenient number of handles in any suitable size or shape. 
         [0029]      FIG. 6  is a top cross-sectional view of a display system such as any of the display systems described herein. In general, the base  602  may include an exterior vertical cross-sectional shape  603 , and the display  604  may include an interior vertical cross-sectional shape  605 . The display  604  may form a friction fit with the base  602  when placed thereupon by closely matching the dimensions of these shapes to one another. The exterior vertical cross sectional shape  603  of the base  602  may include a polyhedron, such as the rectangle illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The interior vertical cross-sectional shape  605  of the display  604  may have a corresponding shape matched to fit around the base. The exterior vertical cross-sectional shape may also or instead include at least one curved edge. 
         [0030]    More generally, the interior vertical cross-sectional shape  605  of the display  604  and the exterior vertical cross-sectional shape  603  of the base  602  may have any suitable shape for use with the display systems contemplated herein. In one aspect, at least one of the base  602  and the display  604  include a polyhedron shape, e.g., a rectangular hexahedron (i.e., rectangular box where each face is a rectangle), a rectangular prism, a cube, or a cuboid. One skilled in the art will recognize that an infinite number of shapes are possible for the display surfaces and vertical cross-sections of the base  602  and the display  604 , including without limitation, a hexahedron (i.e., a polyhedron with six faces), a cylinder, a prism having a polygonal cross-section, a pyramid (e.g., with a polygonal base such as a square, rectangle, triangle, and so forth), a cone, a sphere, a barrel shape, a wedge shape, a truncated shape, an ellipsoid, a symmetrical shape, an asymmetrical shape, and so forth. The shape of at least one of the base  602  and the display  604  may also or instead include a combination of any of the foregoing shapes or other shapes known in the art, e.g., the freestanding display may have an I-shaped cross-section. 
         [0031]    It will be appreciated that the methods and systems described above are set forth by way of example and not of limitation. Numerous variations, additions, omissions, and other modifications will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, the order or presentation of method steps in the description and drawings above is not intended to require this order of performing the recited steps unless a particular order is expressly required or otherwise clear from the context. Thus, while particular embodiments have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure and are intended to form a part of the invention as defined by the following claims, which are to be interpreted in the broadest sense allowable by law.