WO1999003084A1

WO1999003084A1 - Display frame for framing of posters and similar advertising material

Info

Publication number: WO1999003084A1
Application number: PCT/SE1998/001339
Authority: WO
Inventors: Torbjörn ULFHIELM
Original assignee: TRIANDA AB
Current assignee: TRIANDA AB
Priority date: 1997-07-07
Filing date: 1998-07-07
Publication date: 1999-01-21
Anticipated expiration: 2000-01-07
Also published as: SE9702626D0; AU8365798A; SE509376C2; SE9702626L

Abstract

The invention refers to a display frame for framing posters and similar advertising material including at least a first and a second sheet (8, 9), held up by the frame and preferably square or rectangular in shape and where at least one sheet is transparent, whereby the said poster is intended to be held between the sheets that are limited at their edges by a number of frame sections (4, 5, 6, 7) included in the display frame where at least one of the sheets can be freed from the frame sections to allow the exchange of the said posters. To facilitate the exchange of the advertising message, guiding devices are arranged in an upper and lower frame section (6, 7) that limit the sheet's (8, 9) upper and lower edges to interact with the removable sheet's (9) edges so that it can move in a vertical direction in the frame and, under the influence of a control lever (16) arranged on the display frame, switch between a locked normal position, where the removable sheet's (9) edges interact with each one of the said guiding devices, and an open position, where one of the sheet's edges is freed from one of the guiding devices in the frame sections (6, 7), whereby the sheet is free and able to swing out from the display frame.

Description

Display frame for framing of posters and similar advertising material,

The present invention refers to a display frame for framing posters and similar advertising material according to the introduction to claim 1.

The type of display frame referred to is very common for communicating advertising messages at restaurants, cinemas, underground train stations, etc. The said display frame is neat, compact and aesthetically appealing, and can be used both indoors and outdoors.

With previously known frames for display frames of this type, the frame sections commonly consist in the main of two frame sections, preferably formed from extruded material, that are joined together by hinges. The said extruded parts are pre-tensioned by means of a spring element that interacts with the said parts so that they can both hold firmly and release posters or similar advertising material placed between two sheets. The hinged frame sections are usually designed so that they can only be opened with a tool specially for that purpose so that unauthorised persons are not able to get access to the advertising material held between the sheets. A frame for an advertising display case for posters where the exchange of advertising message takes place with a sheet that, with the help of a lever, can be freely realised from the case is previously known from DE 587 931. In direct contrast to the present display frame, the known frame does not, according to the document, have any guiding device in its upper or lower end section arranged to interact with the edges of the releasable sheet so that this can be moved in the frame in a vertical direction and be able to be released at a lower end position. With the known frame, the sheet is locked in position on the frame by means of a plate equipped with pins that sits in the frame and that, with the help of a control lever, can be released from the frame and lifted clear so that the said sheet is free to be removed from the frame.

All of the known display frames have shown themselves to be well suited to their main task, i.e. to hold the advertising message in a secure manner. A problem with all of these known display frames is, however, the difficult handling and the number of manual operations required to release the one sheet when changing the advertising message. This is clearly a problem as the effective use of display frames demands the frequent change of advertising message, which, however, is very strenuous for the personnel. One main objective of the present invention is thus to use the basis of the known technology to achieve a display frame where the exchange of advertising message is significantly simpler to perform than with the previously known display holders. Another objective with the invention is to achieve a display frame that is very simple and cheap to manufacture and that is secure from the attentions of unauthorised individuals. A third objective with the invention is to achieve a display frame where it is not only simple to release one of the sheets, but where even the second sheet included in the display frame can be released in a simple manner. This is achieved by the invention having the features given in the characteristics section of claim 1.

Other features and advantages of the invention are evident from the other claims and the following description of one embodiment with reference to the enclosed drawings, where; fig. 1 shows a frontal view of a display frame according to the invention; fig. 2 shows a side view of the display frame according to fig. 1; fig. 3 shows a cross-section along line III-III in fig. 1 showing an upper and a lower frame section between which the held sheets are located in a locked position; fig. 4 shows a view equivalent to fig. 3 in a position where one of the sheets is freed and swung out from the display frame; fig. 5 shows, in a longitudinal section view of the lower frame section, a control lever included in the display frame according to the invention in a position where the sheets are freed from the display frame; and fig. 6 shows an equivalent view to fig. 5 where the control lever is locked against the display frame.

The display frame according to the invention designated 1 on the drawings mainly includes a first and a second foot 2, 2, ' between which extends a yoke-shaped section 3, preferably formed from extruded material, where a leg extending from each foot forms upright sections 4, 5 of the display frame, an upper and a lower frame section extending in parallel and at a distance from each other between the upright frame sections, as well as a first and second sheet 8, 9 held up by the frame and preferably made of stiff material, whose edges are limited by the said frame sections or, more precisely, where the upright frame sections 4, 5 limit the sheets' side edges and where the upper and lower frame sections 6, 7 limit the sheets' upper and lower edges. One of the said sheets 8 is irremovably fixed to frame 1 and the other is moveable in the frame and, by swinging outwards at an angle from the frame at its lower end, is able to be freed from it to allow the exchange of a poster or similar advertising material held between the sheets.

The frame sections 4, 5, 6, 7 included in the display frame can suitably be made of aluminium or a plastic material, preferably polypropylene vinyl, and be joined to one another in a suitable way, preferably by welding or by being screwed together. The sheets 8, 9 can similarly be made of a relatively stiff plastic material, preferably polypropylenevinyl or rigid polyvinylchloride, and at least one of them should be transparent. As is evident from fig. 3 and 4, the upper and the lower frame section 6, 7 comprises tube-shaped elements each with an essentially circular cylindrical cross-section and preferably produced by extrusion. In each of the upper and the lower frame sections 6, 7, a slot- shaped access opening 10, 11 for spaces 12 and 13 respectively that are situated in the interior of the said sections for accommodating the edges of the sheets is arranged to run in a longitudinal direction, whereby the said sheets, when located in the accommodating space, are arranged side- by-side and in principle adjacent to each other. These accommodation spaces in the upper and lower frame sections 6, 7 are designed so that between them, the said sections in the display frame can hold the sheet-like elements 8, 9. To meet this objective, the accommodation space 12 in the upper frame section 6 is, more precisely, provided with a groove 14 in its bottom, and the lower frame section is provided with a recess 15 in the area around its access opening 11, whereby the said groove and recess are adapted to the respective end pieces of the fixed sheet 8 seen on the left when viewed in the figure. As is evident from fig. 3 and 4, the recess 15 opens against the moveable sheet 9 seen on the right in the figure, so that, when both sheets 8, 9 are inserted into position in the said accommodation spaces 12, 13, it supports and holds in position the left, fixed sheet 8. As the recess 15 is open against the right, moveable sheet 9, the fixed sheet can also be simply freed and removed from the display frame, as can be realised by closer study of especially fig. 3 and 4.

The said sheets have essentially the same shape but, in agreement with that shown in fig. 3 and 4, they are somewhat displaced in height to one another so that the lower edge of the right, moveable sheet 9 in the figure is situated a little below the left, fixed sheet 8.

The task of the slot-shaped access openings 10, 11 in the upper and the lower frame sections 6, 7 is to form a guide for the edges of the moveable sheet 9 as seen in the figures, so that this can be moved in a vertical direction relative to the frame. More precisely, these upper and lower guides for the moveable right sheet are defined by the space between the fixed left sheet 8 and the cavity wall of the slot-shaped access opening.

A control lever, generally designated 16, is placed in a covered fashion between two parallel downwards pointing flanges 17, 18 that stick out from the tube-shaped section that forms the lower frame section 7. The task of this control lever is to adjust the height of the moveable right sheet 9 relative to the frame. Control lever 16 is designed to be active in a direction against the gravitational force acting on the moveable sheet 9 that can be freed, and therefore comprises (fig. 5 and 6) a catch 20 pivoting about a spindle 19 that has an active part with a gradually increasing radius of curvature. A locking catch engagement is used to lock the control lever 16 when the moveable sheet 9 is located in the upper respective lower end position. In a known way, the said catch suitably comprises roller bodies 21 that are affected by an axial spring 22 engaging a recess in the respective end position of the control lever. Fig. 5 shows the handle of the control lever 24 in a first end position in which the moveable sheet 9 is freed and swung out from the display frame 1 as shown in fig. 4, and fig. 6 shows the handle of the control lever 24 in a second end position in which the moveable sheet 9 is in its normal, raised and essentially locked position as shown in fig. 3.

To affect the moveable sheet's 9 lower edge, the active part of catch 20 projects through an opening 23 in the bottom of the lower frame section and is active by being affected by the control lever handle 24. As can be seen in fig. 6, it should be realised that the said control lever handle 24 is essentially hidden when the removable sheet 9 is in its raised up position, i.e. the position shown in fig. 3. The release of the moveable sheet 9 is further simplified by the said handle being easily manoeuvred by a foot. The user does therefore not even have to bend down to carry out the exchange of advertising material in the display frame according to the invention. By choosing suitable dimensions, design and mutual positions between the sheets 8, 9 and the device for accommodating the sheets in the upper and lower frame sections, the right, moveable sheet 9 can, as is clearly shown in fig. 3 and 4, be manoeuvred between an upper raised position (fig. 3) where both the upper and the lower edges interact with the guides arranged in the frame sections, and a lowered position (fig. 4) in which the upper edge is freed from the guide in the upper frame section 6 whereby the sheet 9 is freed and able to swing out from the frame 1.

The swinging movement of the moveable sheet 9, that essentially takes place in the area around the slot-shaped access opening 11 in the lower frame section 7, is possible by the access opening having a width that accommodates the angled movement performed by sheet 9 as it swings out from the main plane of the frame 1. As both sheets 8, 9 can be displaced in height between one another, where the lower edge of the right, moveable sheet 9 is, at least when it is in its lower end position, positioned somewhat below the fixed left sheet 8, the right, moveable sheet 9 can swing out from frame 1 during which its lower edge turns in towards and past the main plane of the fixed left sheet 8 (see fig. 4). During this swinging movement, the access opening 11 of the lower frame section thus defines a fulcrum for sheet 9, at the same time as the sheet's lower edge runs in a smooth and pliant fashion along the rounded bottom surface 25 that forms part of the interior of the accommodation space 13 in the lower frame section 7. The angle of the swung out sheet to the frame is limited by a rim 26 that sticks up from the bottom surface 25 of the accommodation space 13.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiment shown and described above but can be modified in several possible ways within the scope of the idea of the invention given in the following claims.

Claims

1. Display frame for framing posters and similar advertising material including at least a first and a second sheet (8, 9), held up by the frame and preferably square or rectangular in shape and where at least one sheet is transparent, whereby the said poster is intended to be held between the sheets that are limited at their edges by a number of frame sections (4, 5, 6, 7) included in the display frame where at least one of the sheets can be freed from the frame sections to allow the exchange of the said posters c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that guiding devices are arranged in an upper and lower frame section (6, 7) that limit the sheet's (8, 9) upper and lower edges to interact with the removable sheet's (9) edges so that it can move in a vertical direction in the frame and, under the influence of a control lever (16) arranged on the display frame, switch between a locked normal position, where the removable sheet's (9) edges interact with each one of the said guiding devices, and an open position, where one of the sheet's edges is freed from one of the guiding devices in the frame sections (6, 7), whereby the sheet is free and able to swing out from the display frame.

2. Display frame according to claim 1 c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the removable sheet (9) can be freed from the guiding device in the upper frame section (6), that the control lever (16) is arranged in the lower frame section (7) and is active in a direction against the gravitational force acting on the removable sheet (9), whereby, in its lower free position, the removable sheet can be swung out from the display frame with its lower edge pivoting about the lower frame section (7).

3. Display frame according to any of the previous claims c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that in order to accommodate the said sheets (8, 9) between them, the upper and lower frame sections (6, 7) include tube-shaped elements extending in parallel and at a distance from each other between upright frame sections (4, 5) included in the frame and that limit the sheets' sides, and that the guiding devices include slot-shaped access openings (10, 11) for spaces (12, 13) to accommodate the sheets' edges located in the sections arranged in each of the said tube-shaped elements, where the said sheets, when accommodated, are arranged side-by-side and essentially adjacent to one another.

4. Display frame according to claims 2 - 3 c h a r a c t e r i s e d in that the first and second sheets (8, 9) have essentially the same shape but are somewhat displaced in height to one another so that the lower edge of the second moveable sheet (9) is, at least when it is located in its lower free position, located a little below the lower edge of the first sheet (8), whereby the removable sheet (9) can swing out from the frame during which its lower edge turns in towards and past the main plane of the first sheet (8).

5. Display frame according to claims 3 - 4 characterised in that the accommodation space (12) in the upper frame section (6) is provided with a groove (14) in its bottom adapted to the end piece of the first sheet (8), and that the lower frame section (7) is provided with a recess (15) in the area around its access opening (11) to define a support for the first sheet's (8) second end section and where the recess is open against the second removable sheet (9) so that this sheet supports and holds in position the first sheet (8).

6. Display frame according to claims 3 - 5 characterised in that the slot- shaped access opening (11) in the lower frame section has a width that allows the removable sheet (9) to swing out from the frame at its lower end position, whereby the angle between the swung-out free sheet's main plane and the frame is limited by a rim (26) that sticks up from the bottom surface (25) of the lower tube-shaped element's accommodation space (13).

7. Display frame according to claims 3 - 6 characterised in that the accommodation space (13) of the lower frame section (7) has a round, circular-shaped bottom surface (25) that defines a guide and rining surface for the removable sheet's (9) lower edge when the said sheet swings out from the frame.

8. Display frame according to any of the previous claims characterised in that the control lever (16) includes a catch (20) pivoting about a spindle (19) and has an active part with a gradually increasing radius of curvature that, when affected by the control handle (24), acts on the lower edge of the moveable sheet (9).

9. Display frame according to claim δcharacterised in that the lower frame section (7) includes two parallel downwards pointing flanges (17, 18) between which the control lever's control handle (24) is accommodated when the removable sheet (9) is in its upper locked normal position.

10. Display frame according to claims 8-9characterised in that the control handle (24) is equipped with a locking catch that keeps the handle in its end position.