Patent Publication Number: US-10327545-B2

Title: Display support system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Design Patent Application No. 29/575,622, filed on Aug. 26, 2016. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a display support system and, more particularly, to a portable and modular display support system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Decorative modular displays are commonly used in stage and set design. Generally, modular units are hung from a hanging support system using backdrop technology. A known modular display system uses a truss or theatre fly-system pipes to hang modular panels that clip together using rings or hooks to form a backdrop, which results in a decorative surface that is aesthetic while also increasing the range of available lighting effects. The backdrop is sized to fit the space required. In some circumstances, a floor support system may be used instead of a truss and/or backdrop. In the known floor support system, a temporary structure is set up from the floor, rather than suspended from the ceiling. The known floor support system includes metal pipes or tubes that connect to each other and the modular units hang from these metal pipes or tubes. 
     When using pipes in the known floor support system, connecting pipes are commonly over tightened and damaged. Furthermore, known support systems include complex or permanent attachment mechanisms used to connect one modular unit to an adjacent modular unit. Such attachment restricts replacement of each modular unit and limits the flexibility of the entire display system. These known designs are expensive and require tedious, time-consuming labor in both assembly and dis-assembly. It has long been desired to have a modular display support system that can be quickly constructed and deconstructed without sacrificing the structural integrity of the system. 
     SUMMARY 
     A display support system is provide and includes a node connector and a support connector secured to the node connector. The node connector includes a plurality of intersecting planar surfaces that form the outer surface thereof. The support connector is releasably securable to the node connector along one of the plurality of intersecting planar surfaces. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be explained in greater detail in the following with reference to embodiments, referring to the appended drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a display support system according to the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a node connector and a support connector of the display support system according to the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of a first latch section of the support connector of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the first latch section and the node connector with a latch of first latch section in an unlocked position, taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the first latch section and the node connector with the latch of the first latch section in a locked position; 
         FIG. 6  is a sectional view of the first latch section and the node connector with the latch of the first latch section in the locked position, taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of another support connector and a base of the display support system; 
         FIG. 8  is an exploded perspective view of a second latch section and a third latch section of the support connector of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional view of the second latch section and a base key of the base with a latch of the second latch section in an unlocked position, taken along line  9 - 9  of  FIG. 7 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the second latch section and the base with the latch of the second latch section in a locked position; 
         FIG. 11  is a sectional view of the second latch section and the base with the latch of the second latch section in the locked position, taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the second latch section and the third latch section with the latch of the second latch section in the unlocked position; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the second latch section and the third latch section with the latch of the second latch section in the locked position; and 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of another display support system according to the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to embodiments of a display support system. The invention, may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and still fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
     A display support system  1  according to an embodiment of the invention is shown generally in  FIG. 1 . The display support system  1  includes a plurality of node connectors  100 , a plurality of support connectors  200 , and a plurality of bases  300 . The major components of the invention will now be described in greater detail. 
     A node connector  100  of the plurality of node connectors  100  is shown in detail in  FIG. 2 . The node connector  100  is a multi-sided three-dimensional shape, and in the shown embodiment, the node connector  100  is an octadecahedron. The node connector  100  has a plurality of planar surfaces  110  which intersect with one another to form an exterior shape of the node connector  100  and define a node interior space  130 . In the shown embodiment, the planar surfaces  110  intersect one another at the same angle, which may be one of a range of angles depending on the shape of the node connector  100  and number of planar surfaces  110 . The node connector  100 , depending on the three-dimensional shape, may have more than six intersecting planar surfaces  110 , and in the shown embodiment, has eighteen intersecting planar surfaces  110 . 
     The node connector  100 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , has a plurality of latch receiving passageways  120 . Each of the plurality of latch receiving passageways  120  is disposed on one of the plurality of planar surfaces  110  and extends through the planar surface  110 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , each latch receiving passageway  120  is positioned approximately centrally on the respective planar surface  110 . 
     In the embodiment of the node connector  100  shown in  FIG. 2 , the node connector  100  is formed by assembling a first half  102  and a second half  104 . Each of the first half  102  and the second half  104  are identically formed. As shown in  FIG. 2 , for a first subset of the plurality of planar surfaces  110 , each of the first half  102  and the second half  104  form half of the planar surfaces  110  of the first subset of planar surfaces  110  including half of the latch receiving passageway  120 . When joined, the first half  102  and the second half  104  fully form the planar surfaces  110  of the first subset of planar surfaces  110  and enclose the latch receiving passageways  120  on the first subset of planar surfaces  110 . 
     Each of the first half  102  and the second half  104 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , has a plurality of node fastener receiving passageways  140  disposed on a second subset of the plurality planar surfaces  110 . A plurality of node fasteners  150  are disposed in the plurality of node fastener receiving passageways  140  to attach the first half  102  to the second half  104 . The plurality of node fasteners  150  may be screws, bolts, or any other form of fastener known to those with ordinary skill in the art. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the node connector  100  may be formed monolithically without being split into halves  102 ,  104 , omitting the plurality of node fastener receiving passageways  140  and the plurality of node fasteners  150 . 
     A support connector  200  of the plurality of support connectors  200  is shown in detail in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The support connector  200  includes a support body  210  and a plurality of first latch sections  230 . 
     The support body  210 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , is an elongated cylindrical member having a first end  212  and an opposite second end  214 . The support body  210  defines a latch section receiving passageway  216  extending from the first end  212  to the second end  214  in an interior of the support body  210 . The support body  210  has a plurality of latch section fastener receiving passageways  218  disposed on each of the first end  212  and the second end  214 . In the shown embodiment, the support body  210  is formed of a durable, lightweight metal material such as aluminum. In other embodiments, the support body  210  may be formed of plastic materials. 
     A first latch section  230  of the plurality of first latch sections  230  is shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The first latch section  230  has a latch body  232 , a first latch base  244 , a swell washer  254 , a latch pin  260 , and a lever  270 . 
     The latch body  232 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , is a monolithic structure having a protrusion  234  disposed on a first end and a latch surface  238  disposed on an opposite second end. In the shown embodiment, the latch body  232  is approximately cylindrical. The protrusion  234  is formed to have a narrower width than a central portion of the latch body  232  disposed between the protrusion  234  and the latch surface  238 . The latch surface  238  faces a longitudinal direction of the latch body  232 . A latch section fastener receiving passageway  236  is disposed on the protrusion  234  and a plurality of latch fastener receiving passageways  240  are disposed extending into the latch surface  238 . The central portion of the latch body  232  defines a lever receiving space  242 . In the shown embodiment, the lever receiving space  242  has a curved shape on an interior of the latch body  232 , but one with ordinary skill in the art would understand that the lever receiving space  242  may have a variety of shapes in-keeping with the embodiments disclosed herein. In the shown embodiment, the latch body  232  is formed of a durable, lightweight metal material such as aluminum. In other embodiments, the latch body  232  may be formed of plastic materials. 
     The first latch base  244 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , is a disc-shaped member. The first latch base  244  has a latch pin receiving passageway  248  disposed approximately centrally on the first latch base  244  and a pair of latch fastener receiving passageways  246 ; each latch fastener receiving passageway  246  is disposed adjacent the latch pin receiving passageway  248  on one side of the latch pin receiving passageway  248 . In the shown embodiment, the first latch base  244  is formed of a durable, lightweight metal material such as aluminum. In other embodiments, the first latch base  244  may be formed of plastic materials. 
     The swell washer  254 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , is a hollow cylindrical member formed of an elastically deformable material such as rubber. In the shown embodiment, the first latch section  230  also has a static washer  252  formed of a non-deformable material such as a metal or a plastic. 
     The latch pin  260 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , comprises an elongated cylindrical shaft  264  having a flange  262  disposed on a first end and a hinge rod receiving passageway  266  extending through an opposite second end of the shaft  264 . The latch pin  260  may be formed of a durable material such as a metal or a plastic. 
     The lever  270 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , includes a lever body  272  and a hinge rod  278 . The lever body  272  is an elongated rectangular member having a plurality of hinge rod receiving passageways  274  extending through an end of the lever body  272 . The lever body  272  defines a latch pin receiving space  276  at the end between the hinge rod receiving passageways  274 . In the shown embodiment, the lever body  272  is formed of a durable, lightweight metal material such as aluminum. In other embodiments, the lever body  272  may be formed of plastic materials. 
     The hinge rod  278  is an elongated cylindrical member. The hinge rod  278  is disposed in the hinge rod receiving passageways  274 , extending through the latch pin receiving space  276 . The hinge rod  278  is sized such that, when the hinge rod  278  is disposed in the hinge rod receiving passageways  274  and the latch pin receiving space  276 , the hinge rod  278  does not protrude from either side of the lever body  272 . 
     Assembly of the support connector  200  will now be described in greater detail with reference to  FIGS. 2-4 . 
     A plurality of latch fasteners  250 , shown in  FIG. 3 , attach the first latch base  244  to the latch body  232 . In the shown embodiment, the plurality of latch fasteners  250  are positioned to extend through the latch fastener receiving passageways  246  of the first latch base  244  and engage with the latch fastener receiving passageways  240  of the latch surface  238 . The latch fasteners  250  attach the first latch base  244  to the latch body  232  such that the first latch base  244  abuts the latch surface  238 . The first latch base  244  has a same width as the latch body  232 , and consequently, an outer surface of the first latch base  244  is aligned with an outer surface of the latch body  232  when attached, as shown in  FIG. 2 . In the shown embodiment, each of the plurality of latch fasteners  250  is a screw, however, one with ordinary skill in the art would understand that the plurality of latch fasteners  250  may be other fasteners such as a latch, nut and bolt, hook and loop fastener, or removable adhesive. 
     The lever  270  is pivotably secured to the latch pin  260  within the latch body  232  to complete assembly of the first latch section  230 . As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the swell washer  254  is disposed around the shaft  264  of the latch pin  260  and abuts the flange  262 . The static washer  252  is disposed around the shaft  264  adjacent the swell washer  254 . The latch pin  260  is inserted into the latch pin receiving passageway  248  of the first latch base  244 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , such that the hinge rod receiving passageway  266  is disposed in the lever receiving space  242  of the latch body  232  and the static washer  252  and swell washer  254  are disposed on an opposite side of the first latch base  244 . The static washer  252  abuts a side of the first latch base  244 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2-4 , the second end of the shaft  264  of the latch pin  260  having the hinge rod receiving passageway  266  is disposed in the latch pin receiving space  276  of the lever body  272 . The hinge rod  278  is positioned through the hinge rod receiving passageways  274  of the lever body  272  and the hinge rod receiving passageway  266  of the latch pin  260  and pivotably attaches the lever body  272  to the latch pin  260  within the lever receiving space  242 . 
     The first latch section  230  is attached to the support body  210  by the latch section fastener  220 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . In the shown embodiment, the latch section fastener  220  has a threaded bolt  222  and a nut  224 . One with ordinary skill in the art would understand that the latch section fastener  220  may be other fasteners such as an epoxy, latch, screw, hook and loop fastener, or removable adhesive. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the protrusion  234  of the latch body  232  is positioned within the latch section receiving passageway  216  at the first end  212  of the support body  210 . The latch section fastener receiving passageway  236  of the protrusion  234  is aligned with the latch section fastener receiving passageways  218  at the first end  212  of the support body  210 . The bolt  222  is inserted through the latch section fastener receiving passageway  236  of the protrusion  234  and the latch section fastener receiving passageways  218  at the first end  212  of the support body  210 , and the bolt  222  is attached to the nut  224  to fasten the first latch section  230  to the first end  212  of the support body  210 . When attached, as shown in  FIG. 2 , an outer surface of the support body  210  is aligned with an outer surface of the latch body  232 . In an embodiment in which the fastener  220  is an epoxy, the protrusion  234  does not have the latch fastener receiving passageway  236  and the support body  210  does not have the latch section fastener receiving passageways  218 ; the epoxy is disposed between the protrusion  234  and the first end  212  of the support body  210 . 
     The attachment of the first latch section  230  to the first end  212  of the support body  210  has been described herein, and another first latch section  230  can similarly be attached to the second end  214  of the support body  210 , as shown in  FIG. 2 , using the same fasteners  220  and arrangement of parts. 
     Releasable attachment of the support connectors  200  to the node connectors  100  to form a modular structure will now be described in greater detail with reference to  FIGS. 2 and 4-6 . 
     The lever  270  is pivotably secured to the latch pin  260  and is movable between an unlocked position L 1 , shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , and a locked position L 2 , shown in  FIGS. 5  and  6 . As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 4 , with the lever  270  in the unlocked position L 1 , the latch pin  260  surrounded by the swell washer  254  is inserted into a latch receiving passageway  120  of a node connector  100  in an insertion direction I. The first latch section  230  is inserted into the latch receiving passageway  120  until the first latch base  244  abuts the respective planar surface  110  of the fastener receiving passageway  120 , the flange  262  and a first portion of the swell washer  254  are disposed in the node interior space  130 , and the static washer  252  and a second portion of the swell washer  254  are disposed in the latch receiving passageway  120 , as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
     To secure the support connector  200  to the node connector  100 , the lever  270  is rotated from the unlocked position L 1  to the locked position L 2  with the latch pin  260  and swell washer  254  remaining in the fully inserted position. As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6 , during motion of the lever  270  from the unlocked position L 1  to the locked position L 2 , the lever body  272  pivots while bearing against a surface of the first latch base  244 . The motion of the lever body  272  moves the latch pin  260  in a direction A towards the first latch base  244 , and in the locked position L 2  as shown in  FIG. 6 , the flange  262  of the latch pin  260  is securely held closer to the first latch base  244  than in the unlocked position L 1 . In the locked position L 2 , the lever body  272  is positioned within the lever receiving space  242 . 
     Moving the latch pin  260  closer to the first latch base  244  between the unlocked position L 1  and the locked position L 2  of the lever  270  compresses the elastic swell washer  254 . The swell washer  254  expands under the compressive force as shown in  FIG. 6  and forms an interference fit with the latch receiving passageway  120 . In the locked position L 2 , the first latch section  230  of the support connector  200  is secured to the node connector  100  by the expanded swell washer  254 . Attachment of the first latch section  230  to the node connector  100  with the lever  270  in the locked position L 2  is shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     To release the attachment of the first latch section  230  to the node connector  100 , the lever  270  is moved from the locked position L 2  back to the unlocked position L 1 . The swell washer  254  elastically returns to the un-compressed position and is no longer interference-fit with the latch receiving passageway  120 , as shown in  FIG. 4 . The first latch section  230  can then be removed from the node connector  100 . The first latch section  230  permits the support connector  200  to be securely attached to the node connector  100  in a releasable manner. 
     The releasable attachment of one first latch section  230  at the first end  212  of the support connector  200  to one latch receiving passageway  120  of one node connector  100  has been described above. The first latch section  230  on the second end  214  of the support connector  200 , shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , can similarly be attached to one latch receiving passageway  120  of another node connector  100 . Furthermore, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 14 , a plurality of support connectors  200  having a first latch section  230  on each end of the support connector  200  can be attached to a plurality of node connectors  100  to form a variety of modular support structures; one support connector  200  or a plurality of support connectors  200  can be attached to each node connector  100  at the latch receiving passageway  120  on any of the planar surfaces  110  to form the desired support structure. 
     The support structure formed by the modular and releasable attachment of the node connectors  100  and the support connectors  200  is supported by the plurality of bases  300  as shown in  FIG. 1  to form the display support system  1 . 
     A base  300  of the plurality of bases  300 , as shown in  FIG. 7 , includes a base body  310  and a base key  320 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 , the base body  310  is a disc-shaped member. One with ordinary skill in the art would understand that the base body  310  may have a variety of shapes capable of supporting the node connectors  100  and support connectors  200 . The base body  310  includes at least one base key receiving passageway  312  extending through the base body  310 . In the shown embodiment, the base key receiving passageway  312  is threaded. 
     The base key  320 , as shown in  FIG. 7 , is a disc-shaped member including outer threads  322 , a swell washer receiving passageway  324  positioned centrally on the base key  320 , and a plurality of second latch base receiving passageways  326 . One of the second latch base receiving passageways  326  is disposed on each side of the swell washer receiving passageway  324 . The base key  320 , as shown in  FIG. 7 , is removably disposed in the base key receiving passageway  312  with the outer threads  322  engaging the threads of the base key receiving passageway  312 . 
     The attachment of the support connector  200  to the base  300  and the attachment of support connectors  200  to one another to form the display support system  1  will now be described in greater detail with reference to  FIGS. 7-13 . 
     The support body  210  of the support connector  200  is capable of accepting a second latch section  280  or a third latch section  290  in place of the first latch section  230  at either the first end  212  or the second end  214 , as shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
     The second latch section  280  is similar to the first latch section  230  shown in  FIGS. 1-6 , and like reference numbers indicate like elements. Only the differences of the second latch section  280  with respect to the first latch section  230  will be described in detail herein. 
     The second latch section  280 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , has a second latch base  284  in place of the first latch base  244  of the first latch section  230 . The second latch base  284  has a disc-shaped portion  285  at a first end and has second support members  286  extending from outer edges of the disc-shaped portion  285  to an opposite second end. In an embodiment, the second support members  286  extend 0.5″ to 1″ from the disc-shaped portion  285 , and in the shown embodiment, the second support members  286  extend 0.75″ from the disc-shaped portion  285 . The second latch base  284  has a latch pin receiving passageway  287  disposed approximately centrally on the disc-shaped portion  285  and a pair of latch fastener receiving passageways  288 ; each latch fastener receiving passageway  288  is disposed adjacent to the latch pin receiving passageway  287  on one side of the latch pin receiving passageway  287 . In the shown embodiment, the second latch base  284  is formed of a durable, lightweight metal material such as aluminum. In other embodiments, the second latch base  284  may be formed of plastic materials. 
     The plurality of latch fasteners  250 , shown in  FIG. 8 , attach the second latch base  284  to the latch body  232 . In the shown embodiment, the plurality of latch fasteners  250  are positioned to extend through the latch fastener receiving passageways  288  of the second latch base  284  and engage with the latch fastener receiving passageways  240  of the latch surface  238 . The latch fasteners  250  attach the second latch base  284  to the latch body  232  such that the disc-shaped portion  285  abuts the latch surface  238 . The second latch base  284  has a same width as the latch body  232 , and consequently, an outer surface of the second latch base  284  is aligned with an outer surface of the latch body  232  when attached, as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     The latch pin  260 , similarly to the first latch section  230 , is inserted into the latch pin receiving passageway  287  of the second latch base  284 , as shown in  FIG. 9 , such that the hinge rod receiving passageway  266  is disposed in the lever receiving space  242  of the latch body  232  and the static washer  252  and swell washer  254  are disposed on an opposite side of the disc-shaped portion  285  of the second latch base  284 . The static washer  252  abuts a side of the disc-shaped portion  285 . 
     The second latch section  280  is attached to the support body  210  by the latch section fastener  220 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , which extends through the latch section fastener receiving passageway  236  of the protrusion  234  and the latch section fastener receiving passageways  218  at the first end  212  of the support body  210 . The attachment of the second latch section  280  to the first end  212  of the support body  210  has been described herein, and another second latch section  280  can similarly be attached to the second end  214  of the support body  210  using the same fasteners  220  and arrangement of parts. 
     The third latch section  290  is shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 . The third latch section  290 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , has a hollow cylindrical protrusion  292  at a first end and a hollow cylindrical third support member  298  disposed at an opposite second end. A flange  296  is disposed between the protrusion  292  and the third support member  298 . In an embodiment, the third support member  298  extends 0.5″ to 1″ from the flange  296 , and in the shown embodiment, the third support member  298  extends 0.75″ from the flange  296 . A latch section fastener receiving passageway  294  extends through the protrusion  292 . 
     The third latch section  290  is attached to the support body  210  by the latch section fastener  220 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , which extends through the latch section fastener receiving passageway  294  of the protrusion  292  and the latch section fastener receiving passageways  218  at the second end  214  of the support body  210 . The flange  296  abuts the second end  214  of the support body  210  and the third support member  298  extends from the second end  214  when the third latch section  290  is fully attached to the support body  210 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . In an embodiment in which the fastener  220  is an epoxy, the protrusion  292  does not have the latch fastener receiving passageway  294  and the support body  210  does not have the latch section fastener receiving passageways  218 ; the epoxy is disposed between the protrusion  294  and the second end  214  of the support body  210 . The attachment of the third latch section  290  to the second end  214  of the support body  210  has been described herein, and another third latch section  290  can similarly be attached to the first end  212  of the support body  210  using the same fasteners  220  and arrangement of parts. 
     Releasable attachment of the support connectors  200  to the base  300  via the second latch section  280  will now be described in greater detail with reference to  FIGS. 7 and 9-11 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 7 and 9 , with the lever  270  in the unlocked position L 1 , the latch pin  260  surrounded by the swell washer  254  is inserted into the swell washer receiving passageway  324  of the base key  320  and the second support members  286  are inserted into the second latch base receiving passageways  326  of the base key  320  in an insertion direction I. The second latch base  284  and the latch pin  260  have a shape complementary to that of the base key  320 . The second latch section  280  is inserted into the base key  320  until the disc-shaped portion  285  abuts a top surface of the base key  320 , the flange  262 , the swell washer  254 , and the static washer  252  are disposed in the swell washer receiving passageway  324 , and the second support members  286  abut a bottom of the second latch base receiving passageways  326 , as shown in  FIG. 11 . 
     To secure the support connector  200  to the base  300 , the lever  270  is rotated from the unlocked position L 1  to the locked position L 2  with the latch pin  260  and swell washer  254  remaining in the fully inserted position. As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 11 , during motion of the lever  270  from the unlocked position L 1  to the locked position L 2 , the lever body  272  pivots while bearing against a surface of the second latch base  284 . The motion of the lever body  272  moves the latch pin  260  in the direction A towards the second latch base  284 , and in the locked position L 2  as shown in  FIG. 11 , the flange  262  of the latch pin  260  is securely held closer to the second latch base  284  than in the unlocked position L 1 . In the locked position L 2 , the lever body  272  is positioned within the lever receiving space  242 . 
     Moving the latch pin  260  closer to the second latch base  284  between the unlocked position L 1  and the locked position L 2  of the lever  270  compresses the elastic swell washer  254 . The swell washer  254  expands under the compressive force as shown in  FIG. 11  and forms an interference fit with the swell washer receiving passageway  324 . In the locked position L 2 , the second latch section  280  of the support connector  200  is secured to the base  300  by the expanded swell washer  254 . Attachment of the second latch section  280  to the base  300  with the lever  270  in the locked position L 2  is shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     To release the attachment of the second latch section  280  to the base  300 , the lever  270  is moved from the locked position L 2  back to the unlocked position L 1 . The swell washer  254  elastically returns to the un-compressed position and is no longer interference-fit with the latch swell washer receiving passageway  324 , as shown in  FIG. 9 . The second latch section  280  can then be removed from the base  300 . The second latch section  280  permits the support connector  200  to be securely attached to the base  300  in a releasable manner. 
     Releasable attachment of the support connectors  200  to other support connectors  200  via the second latch section  280  and the third latch section  290  will now be described in greater detail with reference to  FIGS. 7 and 11-13 . A support connector  200  having the second latch section  280  on an end is removably attachable to the third latch section  290  of another support connector  200 . This connection is similar to the connection between the second latch section  280  and the base key  320  described above. 
     With the lever  270  in the unlocked position L 1 , as shown in  FIG. 12 , the latch pin  260  surrounded by the swell washer  254  is inserted through the third support member  298  and into an interior of the third latch section  290  while the second support members  286  are inserted around the third support member  298 . The second latch base  284  and the latch pin  260  have a shape complementary to that of the third support member  298 . The second latch section  280  is inserted into the third support member  298  until the disc-shaped portion  285  abuts a top surface of the third support member  298 , the flange  262 , the swell washer  254 , and the static washer  252  are disposed within the third latch section  290 , and the second support members  286  surround the third support member  298 , as shown in  FIG. 13 . 
     As similarly described for releasable latching of the other latches of the support connector  200 , to secure the second latch section  280  to the third latch section  290 , the lever  270  is rotated from the unlocked position L 1  to the locked position L 2  shown in  FIG. 13  with the latch pin  260  and swell washer  254  remaining in the fully inserted position. During motion of the lever  270  from the unlocked position L 1  to the locked position L 2 , the lever body  272  pivots while bearing against a surface of the second latch base  284 . The motion of the lever body  272  moves the latch pin  260  in the direction A towards the second latch base  284 , and in the locked position L 2  as shown in  FIG. 11 , the flange  262  of the latch pin  260  is securely held closer to the second latch base  284  than in the unlocked position L 1 . 
     Moving the latch pin  260  closer to the second latch base  284  between the unlocked position L 1  and the locked position L 2  of the lever  270  compresses the elastic swell washer  254 . The swell washer  254  expands under the compressive force and forms an interference fit with the third support member  298 . In the locked position L 2 , the second latch section  280  of the support connector  200  is secured to the third latch section  290  of another support connector  200  by the expanded swell washer  254 . Attachment of the second latch section  280  to the third latch section  209  with the lever  270  in the locked position L 2  is shown in  FIG. 13 . 
     To release the attachment of the second latch section  280  to the third latch section  290 , the lever  270  is moved from the locked position L 2  back to the unlocked position L 1 . The swell washer  254  elastically returns to the un-compressed position and is no longer interference-fit with the third support member  298 . The second latch section  280  can then be removed from the third latch section  290 . The second latch section  280  permits the support connector  200  to be securely attached to the third latch section  290  of another support connector  200  in a releasable manner. 
     The releasable attachments of the node connectors  100 , the support connectors  200 , and the bases  300  described above permit simple and modular construction of the display support system  1 . A plurality of display panels (not shown) may be attached to outer facing planar surfaces  110  of the node connectors  100  supported by the display support system  1  via the latch receiving passageways  120 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , in one arrangement of the display support system  1 , a base  300  is disposed on each end of the display support system  1 . The support connector  200  connected to each base  300  has the second latch section  280  disposed on a first end and releasably connected to the base  300  and the first latch section  230  disposed on an opposite second end and releasably connected to the node connector  100 . Between the support connectors  200  connected directly to the bases  300 , the node connectors  100  are connected to support connectors  200  having first latch sections  230  on each end to form a desired support structure. 
     Another arrangement of a display support system  1  is shown in  FIG. 14 . In  FIG. 14 , one base  300  supports the display support system  1 . A first support connector  200  has the second latch section  280  disposed on a first end and releasably connected to the base  300  and a third latch section  290  disposed on an opposite second end and releasably connected to the second latch section  280  of a second support connector  200 . The second support connector  200  has a first latch section  230  disposed on an opposite end and releasably connected to the node connector  100 . Aside from the support connectors  200  connected directly to the base  300 , the node connectors  100  are connected to support connectors  200  having first latch sections  230  on each end to form a desired support structure.