Patent ID: 8695253

Claim:
An apparatus for releasably mounting a display object in spaced apart relation to a supporting object, the apparatus including: a first spacer member comprising a longitudinally oriented first spacer member body having opposite first proximal and first distal ends, a substantially flat and transverse proximal alignment surface at the first proximal end, an elongate coupling shaft extended distally away from the first distal end, and a first coupling feature integral with the coupling shaft; a second spacer member comprising a longitudinally oriented second spacer member body having opposite second proximal and second distal ends, a substantially flat and transverse distal alignment surface at the second distal end, and an elongate recess open at the second proximal end and extended distally from the second proximal end into the second spacer member body; a second coupling feature mounted to the second spacer member for movement between an advanced position and a retracted position; wherein the coupling shaft is insertable slidably and distally into the recess to coaxially align the first and second spacer members and thereby form a spacer assembly with the proximal alignment surface and the distal alignment surface at opposite ends of the assembly; wherein the second coupling feature is movable to the advanced position with the first and second spacer members so aligned, to releasably engage the first coupling feature and thereby longitudinally fix the second spacer member relative to the first spacer member and fix a longitudinal spacing between the proximal and distal alignment surfaces; wherein the second coupling feature further is retractable from the advanced position to disengage the first and second coupling features and thereby allow a proximal withdrawal of the coupling shaft from the recess; a first anchoring feature extended proximally from the proximal alignment surface for securing the first spacer member to a display object with the proximal alignment surface contiguous with a first reference surface of the display object; and a second anchoring feature extended distally from the distal alignment surface for securing the second spacer member to a supporting object with the distal alignment surface contiguous with a second reference surface of the supporting object.