Patent ID: 8458936

Claim:
A collapsible fabric display system comprising a frame and a fabric membrane configured for securement to the frame: the frame comprising a spine, a spreader drive means and at least two opposed fabric spreaders attached to the spine and spreader drive means; each fabric spreader being movable along the spine under urging of the spreader drive means between a retracted condition of the frame in which the spreaders are located proximate one another and an extended condition of the frame in which the spreaders are remote from one another; each fabric spreader comprises a hub mounted on the spine and at least three spreader ribs pivotably connected to the hub, the free end of each rib being configured to connect to the fabric, the pivot connection of each rib to the hub being configured to permit pivoting of the rib relatively to the spine between a retracted position of the rib in which the rib is pivoted into a retracted position and the rib is parallel with a principal axis of the spine, and an extended condition of the rib, in which the rib is pivoted outwardly and the free end of the rib extends radially away from the spine; each fabric spreader is configured to connect the free end of each rib to the fabric, and the spreader drive means is configured to move each fabric spreader from the retracted condition to the extended condition to permit pivoting of each rib relative to the spine to the extended condition of the rib in which the rib extends radially outwardly and the free end of the rib is configured to tension the fabric membrane connected to the free end of the rib; and wherein the spreader drive means is further configured to move each fabric spreader to the retracted condition from the extended condition to permit pivoting of each rib relative to the spine to the retracted condition of the rib in which the rib is parallel with a principal axis of the spine and the free end of each rib is configured to release the tension on the fabric membrane connected to the free end of the rib.