Patent Publication Number: US-9895008-B2

Title: Bell-type museum showcase, having pantograph lifting mechanisms

Description:
CROSS REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to Italian Application No. UA2016A005409 filed on Jul. 22, 2016, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a museum showcase intended to be placed in a display place such as a museum, an exhibition or the like and intended for the preservation and display of objects of cultural heritage, such as works of art, historical artefacts and the like, in a protected environment. The term showcase will be sometimes used hereinafter for the sake of brevity, by this however always meaning a museum showcase. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Here and hereinafter, by protected environment it is meant an environment where the atmosphere is controlled, through the monitoring of one or more parameters including temperature, humidity, dust content, pollutant content, in order to maintain the foreseen preservation conditions of the exhibits, and in which access to unauthorized personnel is prevented to prevent theft or damage of the exhibits. 
     In general, there are museum showcases that comprise a bell formed by transparent walls welded together, a base and a mechanism that allows lifting the bell with respect to the base. 
     The lifting mechanism should ensure easy and wide opening of the showcase, so that the interior thereof is easily accessible, to place or remove the treasures or for cleaning or maintenance. 
     To this end, it is known to use pantograph mechanisms for lifting the bell, having movable arms hinged both together and with the base and the bell simultaneously. Such mechanisms can be actuated manually, with an electric motor or a hydraulic motor (such as hydraulic cylinders) so that through the movement of the movable arms, they ensure the lifting of the bell in vertical direction with respect to the base itself of the showcase. 
     Generally, the actuation systems of the pantograph mechanisms of the showcase, such as the electric motor or hydraulic motor, are placed in the lateral end regions of the showcase base, where the respective arms of the mechanism to be actuated are also accommodated, so as not to be visible when the showcase is closed. 
     Therefore, a problem exists of placing, preferably in the showcase base, both the pantograph mechanisms and the actuation systems thereof, so as to occupy as little space as possible and ensure adequate opening of the showcase. 
     Accordingly, the present invention relates to a museum showcase with features according to the claimed subject matter. 
     More in particular, the museum showcase comprises a base, a bell which can be lifted with respect to the base and pantograph mechanisms for lifting the bell having movable arms hinged together, lower arms hinged with the base and movable arms hinged with the bell, characterized in that lower arms of the pantograph mechanisms, which are hinged with the base, have a curvilinear configuration. 
     With these pantograph mechanisms having the lower arms with curvilinear configuration, it is easier to recover space otherwise occupied only by the actuation systems and at the same time an adequate opening of the showcase. 
     Preferably, the lower arms of the museum showcase have a concavity facing downwards. 
     Preferably, such lower arms of each pantograph mechanism define with their own curvilinear configuration a space in which a motor for the actuation of the pantograph mechanism is housed. 
     With this configuration, when closing the museum showcase, the lower arms of the pantograph mechanisms close up on the respective actuation system, thereby recovering the space between the actuation system and the lower legs of the museum showcase, thus ensuring a smaller overall footprint. 
     Preferably, the pantograph mechanisms are housed in the showcase, in lateral end regions of the base. 
     This housing allows making the pantograph mechanisms not visible when the showcase is closed, since the arms of the mechanisms are closed in the lateral end regions of the base, not visible to the observer from the outside. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       Further features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly from the following description of a preferred embodiment of a showcase according to the invention, made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In such drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a showcase according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a sectional view of the showcase in  FIG. 1  with one of the pantograph mechanisms in closed position; 
         FIG. 3  is a sectional view of the showcase in  FIG. 1  with one of the pantograph mechanisms in open position; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the showcase in  FIG. 1  with the pantograph mechanism in open position and the lateral end regions in which such mechanisms are housed. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
     In the figures, reference numeral  10  indicates as a whole a showcase according to the invention. Showcase  10  comprises a base  20 , surmounted by a bell  26  consisting of transparent walls (typically glass) welded together, all indicated with reference numeral  30 . In the example shown, showcase  10  is substantially parallelepiped-shaped and thus, there are five walls  30 , four lateral walls and an upper wall. Showcase  10  comprises pantograph mechanisms  35 , which allow lifting bell  26  with respect to base  20 . Base  20  in turn comprises two lateral end regions  39 , each housing one of the pantograph mechanisms  35 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . 
     With particular reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the pantograph mechanisms  35  comprise arms  36  hinged together in pairs and arms  80  hinged with bell  26 . Moreover, the pantograph mechanisms  35  comprise two lower arms  37  and  38 , which are hinged with base  20  and have a curvilinear configuration with a concavity facing towards base  20  itself. 
     In detail, the lower arm  37  is connected to a fixed pin  50 , in turn connected to the bottom of base  20 . The lower arm  38  is instead connected to a movable pin  51 . The movable pin  51  is in turn provided on a nut  52  sliding on a guide  53 . The sliding of nut  52  takes place by direct coupling with a screw  54 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , base  20  of showcase  10  comprises the two lateral end regions  39  in which the single pantograph mechanisms  35  with the respective actuation systems  60  are placed. The lower arms  37  and  38  of the pantograph mechanisms  35 , as said, have a curvilinear configuration with a concavity facing towards base  20 . Specifically, with this configuration, the lower arms  37  and  38  close up on the respective actuation system  60 , thereby recovering the empty space between the actuation system  60  and the lower arms  37  and  38  and ensuring a smaller footprint in base  20  of the museum showcase  10 . 
     The lower arms  37  and  38  are connected to arms  36  by means of hinges  70  placed in the end portions of the respective arms. 
     Arms  36  are hinged together in pairs, in the middle portion of each arm  36 , by means of a hinge  71 . The respective pairs of arms  36  are connected together, in the end portions of each arm  36 , by means of hinges  70 . The number of pairs of arms  36  used in the pantograph mechanisms  35  depends on the height at which bell  26  is lifted, so as to have a wide opening of showcase  10  for proper placement of the objects of cultural heritage. 
     Arms  36  are also connected to arms  80  by means of hinges  70  placed in the end portions of the respective arms. 
     Arms  80  are hinged to bell  26 , on the one hand with a fixed pin  40  connected to a support structure  43  in conjunction with bell  26 , and on the other hand with a movable pin  41  provided on a sliding block  44  sliding along a guide  42 . 
     The pantograph mechanisms  35  of showcase  10  move simultaneously, both in the opening step and in the closing step of showcase  10 . The movement of such mechanisms  35  is a lifting and lowering movement, respectively, of the lower arms  37  and  38 , of the pairs of arms  36  and of arms  80  simultaneously; all due to the presence of the actuation systems  60  mentioned above. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , in the closing step of showcase  10 , the sliding motion to the left of nut  52  along guide  53  causes the lowering of the lower arms  37  and  38  and a simultaneous lowering of the pairs of arms  36  and of arms  80  hinged together to form the pantograph mechanism  35 . Nut  52  slides on guide  53  by the rotation of screw  54  with which it is coupled. 
     The lowering of the arms of mechanism  35  also causes the sliding in the same direction of sliding block  44  to which arm  36  is connected by means of the movable pin  41 . In this way, showcase  10  is closed. 
     When showcase  10  is closed, the pantograph mechanisms  35  have arms  80 , the pairs of arms  36  and the lower arms  37  and  38  closed on themselves, with the latter enclosing the actuation systems  60  of the single mechanisms  35 . 
     Conversely, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the sliding motion to the right of nut  52  along guide  53  causes the lifting of the lower arms  37  and  38  and a simultaneous lifting of the pairs of arms  36  and of arms  80  hinged together to form the pantograph mechanism  35 . Nut  52  slides on guide  53  by the rotation of screw  54  with which it is coupled in the opposite direction. 
     The lifting of the arms of mechanism  35  also causes the sliding in the same direction of sliding block  44  to which arm  36  is connected by means of the movable pin  41 . In this way, showcase  10  is opened, lifting bell  26  with respect to base  20 . 
     A man skilled in the art could make, without difficulty, changes to the described showcase  10 , without however departing from the scope of protection defined by the following claims. For example, pantograph mechanisms  35  with respective actuation systems  60  may be used, placing them in other positions inside base  20 . Moreover, the arms may have different lengths or may be hinged together in non-middle positions.