Modular unit for the orderly display of advertising bills supplied with video-cassettes

Abstract

 The instant invention concerns a modular unit for the orderly display of advertising bills for video-cassettes, made up of a transparent card on which these bills are positioned and other combined elements, design­ed to support this transparent card.

Description

[0001] This patent application for an industrial utility model relates to a modular unit for the orderly display of advertising bills supplied with video-cassettes.

[0002] It is well known that in recent years video-recording and the sale of feature films, documentaries or other kinds of film on video-cassettes has become increasingly widespread.

[0003] This tendency has brought about the creation of many commercial ventures which carry out the sale or rent of such articles; naturally these shops must be supplied with a wide range of video-cassettes to gain a good position on the market and attract potential customers and moreover, they must ensure that these articles are efficiently displayed at their premises which are patronized by the public.

[0004] To date, all specialised shops have chosen to display the entire exter­nal case of each video-cassette, the contents having first been re­moved, so as to be able to put the advertising bill which is on the case on show and thereby indicate to potential customers that a particular film is available.

[0005] Initially it was possible to house all these cases in special display units, usually positioned along the walls of the shop or on supporting elements; however, as the number of video-cassettes increases, so space becomes more and more of a problem for retailers, together with the fact that it is growing impossible to display to the public all the new video cassettes which must continually be added to the old ones. Faced with this difficulty, the idea of producing the unit according to the invention came to mind. This unit, starting from the totally new concept of displaying only the advertising bill of the video-cassette extracted from the case, instead of the whole case, allows retailers to make use of a form of display which is rational, orderly and above all, which does not require a great deal of space.

[0006] The unit, according to the invention, has a card which is an essential component, made of transparent plastic material, which can contain and therefore display on opposite sides, the advertising bills for two different video-cassettes and which must be supported on specially designed elements, which provide orderly storage and are easy to con­sult.

[0007] For further clarity of explanation, the description of the invention continues with reference to the attached drawings, reproduced for illustrative and not limitative purposes in which :

- Fig.1 in an axonometric representation shows a card in the unit acc­ording to the invention in the open position;

- Fig.2, in an axonometric representation shows a support plate on which said cards are to be applied, which already has one of these cards attached;

- Fig.3, in an axonometric representation, shows a prismatic support, inserted along a vertical axis, on which the various support plates are attached;

Fig.4, in an axonometric representation, shows a tubular supporting element for the cards, which already has one of these cards attached to it.

[0008] With reference to Fig.1, the card (1) of a rectangular shape, is co­mposed of two identical sides (1a), made of transparent plastic mate­rial, able to open up like a compass, since their rear vertical edges end in two distinct vertical projections (2a) in plastic meterial, which are slightly higher than the sides and when these are alongside each other, they form a single rib (2) which can open and close according to the opening and closing movements of the sides (1a) of the card (1)

[0009] Both the aforementioned vertical projections (2a) have a transversal section with a circular sector, so that when the two sides (1a) of the card (1) are alongside, the projections (2a), which form the rib (2), are united at the front to form what is practically a compact, continuous, semi-circular face, while on the other hand, when the sides (1a) of the card (1) are wide open, these projections (2a) are open at the front, coming into contact with each other only at the back.

[0010] It is clear that the card (1) has been given this possibility of open­ing like a compass, so that it becomes much simpler to insert and remove the two different bills, the front of each being positioned so that it faces outwards, against each side (1a) of the card.

[0011] It should be noted that on the internal face of each side (1a), the card has some rectilinear ribs (1b) and grooves (1c) near the two horizontal edges and the front vertical edge, which are designed to slot into each other by means of a slight forcing action, so that these sides (1a) are firmly coupled together, which is suffcient to avoid that the card itself (1) accidentally opens; at the same time these coupling lines which are clearly distinguishable on the trans­parent sides (1a) of the card (1) also perform an aesthetic function in that they mark the boundary of the central surface of the card (1) within which the bill is actually to be positioned.

[0012] At the front, each side (1a) of the card, all the way along its lateral edge, has another rib (3) also moulded in plastic material, with a small window (3a) on the side, which can be used to insert information concerning the type of film on display and with a semi-circular notch (3b), by means of which it is possible to push against the front vertical edge of the other side (1a) of the card (1) when this is closed, in order to open it; the notches (3b) of the ribs (3) of the two different sides (1a) are at staggered heights for this purpose. As previously mentioned, the said rear rib (2) is higher than the card itself (1) so that it can also be used as a pin to couple the card (1) with the specially designed supporting elements.

[0013] With reference to Fig.2, one version of the supporting element (4) for the card (1) is composed of a rectangular plate (5), with narrow vertical sides (5a); there being on the two vertical ends, two hor­izontal supports (6) and (7), parallel to each other, positioned on the top and bottom edges and bent forwards at 90°, the top support (6) having several circular through holes (6a) in a horizontal line, while the bottom support (7) has a line of blind holes (7a) positioned horizontally and directly opposite the corresponding through holes (6a) on the top support (6).

[0014] The rib-pin (2) of the card (1) must first be inserted at the top in one of the through holes (6a) on the top support (6) and then at the bottom, in one of the blind holes (7a) on the bottom support (7). The thickness of the rib (2) of the card (1), in comparision with the diameter of the holes (6a) and (7a), should be such that it is possible for this rib (2), applied as described, in between the two supports (6) and (7) of the plate (5), to rotate around the vertical axis which traverses the two holes (6a) and (7a), should the customer wish to make the entire card (1) rotate, so as to be able to consult the bills contained therein, through both the transparent sides (1a).

[0015] Moreover, it should be noted that due to the dimensions and the shape of the holes (6a) and (7a), the two vertical projections (2a) which make up the rib (2) can be opened wide, until they reach the point of contact at the rear, according to the corresponding opening of the two sides (1a) of the card (1), but nevertheless, remaining well in­erted within the vertical pair of holes (6a) and (7a) of the plate (5); in other words, the bills can be replaced in the card (1), with­out having to remove the card from its supporting element (4). Said plate (5), apart from a window (5a), also has a pair of through slots (5b) horizontally positioned near the top, while at the bottom there is a central through hole (5c).

[0016] All these holes (5b) and (5c) must be used, to apply the plate itself (5) by means of suitable screws, onto special supports which can be composed of simple horizontal rods, onto which several plates (5) can be mounted side by side or of more complex prismatic supports (8) to be mounted one above the other along a vertical tubular support rod (9).

[0017] With reference to Fig.3, each of these prismatic supports (8) has a vertical tubular sleeve (8a) at the centre, to be inserted along the support rod (9), from which there project radially four tabs (8b) at regular intervals of 90°, which support from the inside, a prismatic, parallelepiped belt, made up of four vertical walls (8c) arranged to form a square, on the front of which several plates (5) must be pos­itioned side by side, by means of suitable fixing screws able to trav­erse both the holes (5b) and (5c) on the plate (5), and the through holes (8d) on all four abovementioned walls (8c) of the prismatic support (8).

[0018] It should be stressed that on a single vertical rod (9), several pris­matic supports (8) can be inserted and fixed, being positioned at a height which is lower than the plates (5), so that it is possible to mount several of these plates (5) vertically in orderly rows and the result is a compact frontage without continuity either as regards height or width, on which to mount a considerable number of cards. In particular, on the front of each perimetral vertical wall (8c) of the prismatic support (8), the lower end of one plate (5) and the top end of another identical plate (5) underneath, are fixed to each other since the two different plates (5), thus vertically positioned, are firmly coupled together, given the fact that there is a rib (6b), pos­itioned centrally along the whole external surface of the top support (6) of the plate underneath, which is inserted prismatically and jammed within a corresponding groove (7b) on the external surface of the bottom support (7) of the plate above.

[0019] With reference to Fig.4, a further element of the unit in question, to be used as an alternative to the plate (5) and which actually makes it unnecessary to adopt the prismatic supports (8) described above, is composed of a vertical cylinder (10), in two different longitudinal sections, to be inserted directly along the aforementioned vertical rod (9); this cylinder (10) has two identical flat circular flanges (11) at both ends, said flanges being distanced from each other at a height corresponding to the height of a card (1), and both having a series of holes along an intermediate circumference, of which the ones on the top flange are through-holes (11a) and those on the bottom flange are blind (11b).

[0020] Naturally, the holes (11a) on the top flange must be vertically opp­osite those (11b) on the bottom flange, so as to enable the rib-pin (2) of one of said cards (1) to be mounted on each pair of holes.

Claims

1) Modular unit for the orderly display of advertising bills supplied with video-cassettes, characterised by the fact that it is made up of the following elements :-
- a rectangular card (1), which is designed to contain the advertising bills for two video-cassettes, made up of two distinct identical sides (1a), made of transparent plastic material, which when in use, are able to open up like a compass, since the rear vertical edge of each side (1a) terminates in a projection (2a) moulded in plastic material, which is slightly higher and has a transversal circular section, in such a way that when two of these projections (2a) are side by side, they form single rib-pin (2) for a card, able to open and close until contact, according to the closing and opening movements of the sides (1a) of the card (1);
Moreover, the internal face of each side (1a), near the two horizontal edges and the front vertical edge, has several rectilinear ribs (1b) and grooves (1c), which slot into each other under slight force, to obtain the stable coupling of the two different sides (1a) of the card (1), and at the same time, at the centre of these sides (1a), the space within which the two different bills are actually displayed is clearly evidenced; it also being provided that each side (1a) of the card (1) at the front, all the way along its side edge, has a rib (3), also moulded in plastic material with a lateral window (3a) and below it a semicircular notch (3b), positioned in such a way that the notches (3b) of the ribs (3) on the two sides (1a) of the card (1) are stagg­ered in height;
- a bearing structure (4), designed to support several cards (1) made up of a rectangular plate (5), with narrow lateral vertical walls (5a) which, at its two vertical ends, has horizontal supports (6) and (7), parallel to each other; the top support (6) having several circular through holes (6a) in a horizontal line, and also a central rib (6b) all the way along its external face, while the bottom support (7) has a series of blind holes (7a) in a horizontal line and vertically opp­osite the through holes (6a) on the top support (6), there also being a groove (7b) on its external face, in conformity with said rib (6b); the through-holes (6a) of the top support (6) and the blind holes (7a) of the bottom support (7), being of a suitable size so that the rib-­pin (2) of the card (1), once inserted into the holes at its ends, can easily rotate around the vertical axis which connects each pair of holes (6a) and (7a); finally the plate (5), apart from a window (5a) also has two through-slots (5b) positioned horizontally towards the top of the plate and a central through-hole at the bottom (5c), both being designed to guarantee the possibility of fixing a similar plate (5) on a special supporting element by means of screws;
- a prismatic support (8), to be inserted on a vertical supporting rod (9), which comprises a vertical tubular sleeve (8a) from which four tabs (8b) are radially projected at regular intervals at 90°, which in their turn, sustain from the inside a parallelepiped prismatic belt, made up of four vertical walls (8c), mounted to form a square and supplied with through-holes (8d) suitably positioned so that they can be used to fix the plates (5), perforated for this purpose, which must be fitted against said vertical walls (8c) of the support (8);
- A hook element (10) for the cards (1), to be used as an alternative to the aforementioned plate (5) and to be inserted, as required, dir­ectly along the support rod (9), said element being composed of a ver­tical cylinder (10) in two different longitudinal sections, which has two identical flat circular flanges (11) at its ends, distanced from each other at the same height as the height of a card (1); since, both flanges (11) are supplied with a series of holes, vertically opposite each other, along an intermediate circumference, of which the series on the top flange is made up of through holes (11a) and the holes on the bottom flange are blind holes (11b).

Drawing