Patent Description:
A museum display case is a display case intended to be placed in an exhibition environment such as a museum, exhibition or the like and intended for the conservation and display in a protected environment of cultural heritage assets, such as works of art, historical artefacts and the like. The term display case alone will be used below for the sake of brevity, although it still means a museum display case.

A protected environment is defined as an environment to which access by unauthorised personnel is prevented, in order to avoid theft of and damage of the displayed objects; it is also possible for the atmosphere in such an environment to be controlled, through the monitoring of one or more parameters including temperature, humidity, dust content, pollutant content, in order to maintain the intended conservation conditions of the exhibits.

This type of display case must therefore meet various requirements, in relation to conservation and integrity of the objects displayed. Furthermore, these display cases must of course ensure the best visibility for the objects displayed.

In order to improve visibility, display case manufacturers try as far as possible to use transparent materials - typically glass - for the walls of the display cases. In addition to ensuring the best visibility of the objects displayed, the extensive use of glass is often desired by display case designers because the transparency of the material makes it possible to give maximum prominence to the objects displayed.

Thus, display cases have been developed with a platform surmounted by a case made of panels; the platform houses the technical components necessary to ensure that the environment inside the case is protected and is therefore normally enclosed by non-transparent walls, which conceal the technical components from view; conversely, the case walls are made entirely or largely of glass, to ensure visibility; the glass walls of the case are mounted on a metal load-bearing frame supported by the platform.

The possibility of access inside the case, for the storage, removal or maintenance of the objects displayed, is normally achieved by having one of the side walls openable. To this end, various types of opening supports are used, by means of which the opening wall is mounted on the load-bearing frame of the case; these supports can allow opening by rotation or rototranslation of the panel (and are therefore in practice more or less complex hinges) or by sliding (and are therefore in practice sliding guides).

The construction of the display case normally starts with the load-bearing frame, which must be particularly solid in order to be able to safely support the weight of all the glass walls that will be fixed thereto; this weight can be very high, for example when the display case is very large and/or has glass walls with a layered structure with a high thickness to provide a high degree of protection (such as bullet-proof glass). Once the load-bearing frame has been set up, the glass walls are applied thereto, normally by gluing, so as to minimise visual impact.

In recent times, manufacturers have tried to improve glass construction techniques, rationalising them so as to maintain the high quality standards demanded by users while reducing construction time and costs. It should also be borne in mind that in many cases this type of display case must be assembled on site, because their size does not make it possible or convenient to transport them in an assembled condition.

<CIT> discloses a display case that is constructed by assembling together glass panes that have been previously provided by metal beams by gluing; assembling of the glass panes is obtained by fixing one another the metal beams. A further display case is disclosed in <CIT>.

The object of the invention is to facilitate and rationalise the construction of a museum display case, in particular a museum display case comprising a platform and a case above the platform, in which the case has at least one opening door.

This object is achieved by a method according to claim <NUM> and by a display case according to claim <NUM>.

More in particular, the method comprises:.

Thereby, the load-bearing structure of the display case is not formed by a frame to which the fixed and opening walls are then applied, but by the metal beams which are already pre-glued to the glass panes of the fixed walls of the display case. This method makes it easier and faster to assemble the display case, thus reducing the costs thereof. This advantage is particularly evident when the assembly of the display case is to be carried out at the installation site; the gluing between the glass panes and the metal beams can be conveniently done at the factory, transporting the glass panes already glued to the metal beams, while no gluing is required at the installation site. The simplicity afforded by this method therefore allows for both faster assembly and the employment of non-specialised personnel, thus enabling a reduction in costs without compromising the quality of the display case.

According to the invention, the metal beams are fixed to the glass panes at the lower and upper sides thereof. Thereby, the load-bearing structure formed by the metal beams is located at the corners of the display case, and is therefore hardly visible.

The metal beams are assembled together by means of corner joints.

The opening mounting mechanisms can be more or less complex hinges, sliding systems or other known systems, and can be fixed to the metal beams or to the corner joints.

In a second aspect, the invention includes a museum display case constructed according to the aforesaid method, comprising wall units each consisting of a glass pane and metal beams glued to the glass pane at the lower and upper sides thereof.

In this display case, the gluing of the metal beams to the glass panes can be advantageously performed in the factory, while the subsequent assembly of the wall units does not require gluing and can therefore be done easily at the time and place of installation.

The museum display case comprises corner joints by means of which adjacent wall units are assembled together, where the corner joints are fixed to the metal beams.

The metal beams are tubular and the corner joints are formed by L-shaped elements inserted into the ends of the metal beams. This coupling, which in practice provides for a form fit between corner joints and tubular beams, ensures excellent assembly strength.

Preferably, to further improve the assembly strength, screws are provided, engaged between the corner joints and the metal beams.

In another described embodiment, not comprised in the invention, the corner joints are formed by cube-shaped elements, fixed to the metal beams by means of fixing screws. Cube-shaped elements are understood here and hereafter to mean elements with a compact parallelepiped shape, for example, but not necessarily, cubic.

Preferably, the cube-shaped corner joints comprise through holes for the fixing screws and the metal beams comprise a face glued to the glass pane and a free face on which at least one open longitudinal channel is formed, adapted to receive threaded nuts in screwing engagement with the fixing screws, in any longitudinal position of the channel. This coupling allows great freedom of adjustment, facilitating the assembly operations of the display case.

To further improve ease of assembly, the through holes preferably have a slotted cross-section.

Preferably, threaded through-holes in the cube-shaped corner joints and adjusting screws in engagement in threaded through-holes are also provided, where the adjusting screws pointedly abut against the metal beams. Thereby, a very precise adjustment of the position of the wall units in relation to each other is possible, thus ensuring a perfect assembly of the display case even in the presence of unavoidable, even significant dimensional tolerances in the individual elements that compose it.

Preferably, two of the through holes and two of the threaded through holes are provided between each pair of opposite faces of the cube-shaped corner joints. Thereby, the corner joints can be used in any position.

A wall unit is also described, for making a museum display case according to the method set out above, that comprises a glass pane and metal beams glued to the glass pane at the lower and upper sides thereof.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be more evident from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof made with reference to the appended drawings. In such drawings:.

In <FIG>, <NUM> indicates a display case as a whole according to the invention. The display case <NUM> comprises a platform <NUM> surmounted by a case <NUM>. The platform <NUM> comprises a plane <NUM> mounted on feet <NUM>. The case <NUM> comprises three fixed side walls, all indicated with <NUM>, an opening door <NUM>, and a ceiling <NUM>.

The platform <NUM> comprises a technical compartment <NUM>, for example a drawer for storing hygroscopic material, such as silica gel or the like. The feet <NUM> (see <FIG> and <FIG>) each comprise a body <NUM> fixed below the plane <NUM>; a tip <NUM>, for contact with the floor on which the display case <NUM> is placed, is fixed to the body <NUM> in an adjustable manner (e.g., by means of a threaded coupling). First brackets <NUM> and second brackets <NUM> are also fixed (by screws, not shown) to the body <NUM>. The first brackets <NUM> serve for anchoring to the floor, while the second brackets <NUM> serve for supporting a plinth <NUM> that closes the space below the floor <NUM> downwards; the plinth <NUM> is made of ferrous material and is anchored to each second bracket <NUM> of the feet <NUM> by means of a magnet <NUM>, which is fixed to the second bracket <NUM>.

The fixed side walls <NUM> each comprise a glass pane <NUM> to which two metal beams <NUM>, arranged horizontally at the upper and lower edges of the glass pane <NUM>, are stably applied by means of gluing. The set of the glass pane <NUM> and the two metal beams <NUM> glued thereto form a wall unit, hereafter referred to by the same reference <NUM> as the fixed side wall. The metal beams <NUM> have a tubular structure, with a rounded rectangular cross-section.

As can be seen above all in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, the wall units <NUM> are assembled with each other and with the plane <NUM> of the platform <NUM> at the vertices of display case <NUM>; the aforesaid figures show the lower part of display case <NUM>, but it must be understood that the same coupling that will now be described is also made in the upper part of display case <NUM>, as summarily illustrated in <FIG>.

More in particular, the display case <NUM> comprises corner joints <NUM> which are L-shaped, with two arms substantially orthogonal to each other, sized so as to insert into the metal beams <NUM>, preferably with a certain force; screws <NUM> ensure - together with the force - that the corner joints <NUM> are made integral with the metal beams <NUM>. Accordingly, the corner joints <NUM> ensure the constraint between adjacent wall units <NUM>.

As can be seen above all in <FIG>, the opening door <NUM> is included at one of the sides of display case <NUM>. The opening door <NUM> comprises a glass pane <NUM>, similarly to the wall units <NUM>, but unlike these, it does not comprise any metal beams applied to the glass pane <NUM>. On the other hand, at the side of the display case <NUM> where the opening door <NUM> is located, the display case <NUM> comprises a metal beam <NUM>, having the same shape as the metal beams <NUM> of the wall units <NUM> and connected to the metal beams <NUM> of the adjacent wall units <NUM> by means of the corner joints <NUM>. <FIG> shows a variant of the detail in <FIG>, in which a stiffening extension <NUM> is applied to the arm of the corner joints <NUM> grafted in the metal beam <NUM>, which is inserted inside the metal beam <NUM>.

An opening mounting mechanism <NUM> is fixed on one side to the glass pane <NUM> of the opening door <NUM>, and to the metal beam <NUM> on the other side, at the corner joint <NUM> and possibly its extension <NUM>. The fixing to the glass pane <NUM> is preferably obtained by gluing, while the fixing to the metal beam <NUM> is preferably obtained by screws or the like.

Once assembled in the manner described above, the metal beams <NUM> and <NUM>, joined by the corner joints <NUM>, form a load-bearing structure of the case <NUM> of the display case <NUM>. This load-bearing structure (and therewith the entire case <NUM>) is fixed to the plane <NUM> of the platform <NUM> by means of brackets <NUM>, fixed with screws or the like on one side to the metal beams <NUM>, <NUM>, on the other side to the plane <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>.

The display case <NUM> then comprises a display surface <NUM>, located above the metal beams <NUM>, <NUM>; the display surface <NUM> closes the display space of the case <NUM> downwards and can therefore be sealed to the wall units <NUM> and sealed with respect to the opening door <NUM> by means of suitable seals, known per se and not illustrated.

The display case <NUM> also comprises sealing gaskets, between the fixed walls <NUM> and the opening door <NUM>, as well as closing mechanisms of the opening door <NUM>; all these elements are not shown in the figures, as they are conventional per se.

The display case <NUM> is constructed as follows.

Firstly, all the necessary parts are prepared, with the desired dimensions; in particular, both the glass panes <NUM>, <NUM> and the metal beams <NUM>, <NUM> are made in the desired dimensions. Subsequently, the prepared parts are assembled.

The assembly includes operations to be carried out preferably in the factory and operations to be carried out preferably at the installation site.

The wall units <NUM> are set up by gluing the metal beams <NUM> to the glass panes <NUM>. This is preferably performed in the factory, where it is easier to ensure a perfect gluing.

The opening door <NUM> is also preferably set up in the factory, gluing the opening mounting mechanisms <NUM> to the glass pane <NUM>.

The successive assembly operations, on the other hand, preferably occur at the installation site of the display case, so that the transport from the factory to the installation site can occur with the display case <NUM> disassembled. These operations are schematically shown in <FIG> and <FIG>.

The platform <NUM> is first partially assembled by mounting the feet <NUM> below the plane <NUM>.

Above the platform <NUM>, the wall units <NUM> are then assembled together, constraining the metal beams <NUM> together by means of the corner joints <NUM>; at the side of the display case <NUM> where the opening door <NUM> is to be located (where there is therefore no wall unit <NUM> and therefore no metal beam <NUM>), two metal beams <NUM> are placed, extended along that side of the display case both at the bottom and at the top. See the diagrams in <FIG> and <FIG>. If necessary, the joints <NUM> that are to be coupled to the beams <NUM> are fitted with the extensions <NUM>, which will provide an internal reinforcement of the metal beams <NUM> where the opening mounting mechanisms <NUM> will be fixed. The extensions <NUM> can be fixed to the corner joints <NUM> (e.g., by screws), both to give greater strength to the set, and to allow for easier disassembly of the display case: in fact, if not fixed to the corner joints <NUM>, the extensions <NUM> would be completely inside the metal beams <NUM> and therefore difficult to remove in the event of disassembly.

Once the fixing of the metal beams <NUM>, <NUM> by means of the joints <NUM> has been completed, a solid load-bearing structure has been formed, precisely by the metal beams <NUM>, <NUM> and the corner joints <NUM>, and the glass panes <NUM> of the fixed side walls <NUM> of the display case <NUM> are already associated with such a load-bearing structure. The ceiling <NUM> is applied above this structure (see <FIG>). In practice, the case <NUM> of the display case is thus already formed, which can then be fixed to the platform <NUM> by screwing the brackets <NUM> to the metal beams <NUM>, <NUM> and to the plane <NUM>.

The next step is mounting the opening door <NUM>, <FIG>, which is carried out by fixing (e.g., by screws) the opening mounting mechanisms <NUM> to the load-bearing structure, more precisely to the metal beams <NUM> at the corner joints <NUM> and any extensions <NUM>. It should be noted this fixing with screws also contributes to reinforcing the constraint between the metal beams <NUM> and the corner joints <NUM>.

Finally, <FIG>, the display surface <NUM> and plinth <NUM> are mounted.

In the assembly operations just described, the necessary gaskets are also placed between the wall units <NUM>, the opening door <NUM>, the display surface <NUM> and the ceiling <NUM>.

As can be seen from the above, assembly at the installation site requires only mechanical fixings (with screws or similar) and no gluing between metal and glass parts. As mentioned, this greatly facilitates assembly, ensuring short assembly times and high final quality.

In <FIG>, a display case is shown that is not comprised in the invention. In this variant, different metal beams <NUM>, <NUM> and corner joints <NUM> are used; otherwise, the display case (and its mounting method) remain unchanged and will not be described again here. In <FIG>, the same numerical references are used for the elements that are no different from those in the display case <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>.

As can be seen above all in <FIG>, the metal beams <NUM>, <NUM> do not have a tubular structure, but are metal profiles with a substantially flat rear face <NUM> glued to the glass pane <NUM>, and a free front face <NUM> on which two open longitudinal channels <NUM> are formed.

The corner joints <NUM> are formed by cube-shaped elements, which are fixed to the metal beams <NUM>, <NUM> by fixing screws <NUM>. The fixing screws <NUM> are inserted in through holes <NUM>, with slotted cross-section, formed in the cube-shaped corner joints <NUM>, two for each face of the corner joint <NUM>; the fixing screws <NUM> engage in threaded nuts <NUM>, inserted in the channels <NUM> of the metal beams <NUM>. The slotted cross-section of the through-holes <NUM>, as well as the possibility of the threaded nuts <NUM> to be positioned in any longitudinal position in the channels <NUM>, facilitate the engagement of the fixing screws <NUM> with the threaded nuts <NUM>, even in the presence of small dimensional imperfections.

In the cube-shaped corner joints <NUM>, alongside and parallel to the through holes <NUM>, threaded holes <NUM> are also formed, also through and two in number on each face of the corner joint <NUM>; in these threaded holes <NUM>, adjusting screws <NUM> are inserted engaged, which pointedly abut against the metal beams <NUM>. By screwing these adjusting screws <NUM> more or less into the respective threaded holes <NUM>, the position of the corner joints <NUM> can be adjusted with respect to the metal beams <NUM>.

Abutments <NUM> can be advantageously fixed to the metal beams <NUM> (by means of screws and nuts inserted in the channels <NUM>) to help support and fix the display surface <NUM>.

Claim 1:
Method for constructing a museum display case, which comprises a platform (<NUM>) and a case (<NUM>) above the platform (<NUM>), the case (<NUM>) having at least one opening door (<NUM>), the method comprising:
- providing glass panes (<NUM>),
- applying metal beams (<NUM>) to the lower and upper sides of the glass panes (<NUM>) beforehand by gluing, forming wall units (<NUM>),
- providing metal beams (<NUM>) at the opening door (<NUM>),
- forming the case (<NUM>) by assembling the wall units (<NUM>) together by means of the metal beams (<NUM>, <NUM>), so that the metal beams (<NUM>, <NUM>) form a load-bearing structure (<NUM>, <NUM>) only when the wall units (<NUM>) have been assembled,
- fixing the load-bearing structure of the case (<NUM>) to the platform (<NUM>); wherein the metal beams (<NUM>) are assembled together by means of corner joints (<NUM>);
wherein said wall units (<NUM>) are assembled together by means of said corner joints (<NUM>),
wherein the corner joints (<NUM>) are fixed to the metal beams (<NUM>, <NUM>);
characterized in that the metal beams (<NUM>) are tubular and the corner joints (<NUM>) are formed by L-shaped elements inserted into the ends of the tubular metal beams (<NUM>, <NUM>).