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(11) | EP 0 919 980 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Support with resilient based for promo cards |
| (57) A support (1) for promotional cards or signs (P) held in a banner-like manner, comprising
a clip-cursor (2) slidingly mounted on a front moving of a shelf, a resilient joint
(3) between the slidable clip-cursor (2) and an upright post or rod (4), furnished
with means (5, 6) for retaining a vertical edge of the promotional card is characterized
in that the clip-cursor (2), the resilient connection (3), the vertical post or rod
(4) and the retaining means (5, 6) are all defined in a monolithic piece of plastic
material, fabricable by injection molding. |
[0001] The present invention relates to devices of visual communication of information on goods on display in shelving of self-service retail shops, supermarkets and the like, and in particular to an upright support for promotional cards mounted like a banner on such upright support.
[0002] Usually, as shown in Fig. 1, these supports for promotional cards or sings comprise a clip-cursor 2, shaped to be easily installed by a snap-on action over a front molding M of a ledge R of the shelf and be slidable therealong. A metal spiral 3 is forcibly mounted onto an upright pin of the clip-cursor. This metal spiral 3 forcibly coupled to a vertical pin of the clip-cursor 2 operates as a resilient connection between the slidable base constituted by the clip-cursor 2 and a post 4 to which is fastened the promotional card P. A swaged tail portion of the post is forcibly inserted into the other end of the metal spiral 2. The upright post has suitable means, for example a longitudinal slot, into which one edge of the promotional card P may be slided and retained therein so that the card sticks out like a banner from the shelf once installed on the retaining post 4. The resilient support constituted by the metal spiral 2 has elastic characteristics that bestow to the assembly by capacity to absorb shocks, and return to an upright position after being accidentally bent sideway.
[0003] These known devices require the fabrication and assembly of distinct pieces which have a weight on manufacturing costs.
[0004] Moreover, in these known devices, the stability of assembly of the two ends of the metal spiral 3 on respective assembling tails of the clip-cursor 2 and of the card holding post 4, represent a critical aspect either because it may not be adequate from the beginning or because impaired with prolonged use when such a forced joint tends to loosen. As a consequence, the orientation of the supported promotional sign may not remain orthogonal to the shelf, being the supporting post likely to turn in one or the other direction.
[0005] It has now been found, and constitutes the object of the present invention, a supporting structure that while preserving the functional characteristics of known structures may be realized in a "monolithic" form, that is as a single piece of plastic material, fabricable by injection molding in a single operation.
[0006] The resiliency of the joint between a clip-cursor body slidably mounted onto a front molding of a shelf and the upright post that holds the promotional sign is realized in the form of a spiral shaped portion of the injection molded single piece of plastic material. This is realized by the use of a mold with an axial core pin that creates a cavity around which the spiral is molded.
[0007] By employing a plastic material with adequate elastic characteristics, joining portion shaped as a spiral between the clip-cursor and the upright post has been found to impart an adequate resilience to the supporting device, making it tolerant of collisions and forced bindings without breaking and without losing its perfectly orthogonal orientation at rest.
[0008] Moldable plastic materials with adequate mechanic characteristic, like for example acetalic and polyamide resins may be used. The product "Hostaform", commercialized by the German firm Hoechst has been successfully employed.
[0009] The features of the upright post for holding a promotional card or sign, in a feathering manner, optionally enveloped in transparent PVC or any other transparent plastic material, may be constituted by at least a pair of laminar clips, each clip being constituted by two parallel extending juxtaposed laminae that form two elastic arms between which an edge of a promotional card can be forcibly inserted. One of the two laminae of each clip has a protrusion, the diameter of which is such as to fit through a hole purposely present along the supporting edge of the promotional card and/or transparent plastic envelope that contains it.
[0010] The different aspects and advantages of the invention will become even more evident through the following description of an embodiment and by referring to the attached drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a supporting device for a promotional card in a feathering or banner-like manner of a known type, as already described above;
Figure 2 is a view of a support for a promotional card realized according to the present invention;
Figures 3 and 4 are opposed views of the support of Fig. 2;
Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8 show the peculiar structure of the clips that hold the promotional card.
[0011] With reference to Fig. 2, the promotional card or sign P may be printed cardboard that may be directly inserted in the support or introduced inside a transparent envelope, for example, PVC or any other equivalent transparent material, while the support, indicated as a whole by 1, object of the present invention, is essentially a single piece of molded plastic material, that may be fabricated by injection molding.
[0012] A number of portions of said single piece 1, each having a specific function, are distinctly identified in the drawings.
[0013] At the base of the monolithic support 1 there is a clip-cursor 2 of a shape suitable to be mounted on a specially designed front molding or standard profile of a shelf or ledge of a shop shelving. Of course, the shape of the clip-cursor 2, may be different and specially suited to the different geometric or dimensional standards of the front molding of the shelving. For example, the shape of the clip 2 could be any one of the different shapes, described and illustrated in the European patent application No. 93830006.8, of 13 January 1993, in the name of the same applicant.
[0014] A second portion 3 of the support 1 is spiral-shaped, by employing a pin core in the mold to form an axial cavity of relief, whose outline 3a is indicated in Fig. 2 by way of a dash line.
[0015] A third functional portion of the body 1 is represented substantially by an upright post or rod 4, about a generatrix of which, radially orthogonal to the shelf edge, two pairs of parallel laminae extend to form two elastic clips 5 and 6 for holding a promotional card P in an intrinsically upright position, like banner, and perfectly orthogonal shelf or ledge along which the clip-cursor 2 is slidably installed.
[0016] Figures 3 and 4, show two opposed lateral views of the monolithic support 1 of the invention.
[0019] Fig. 7 shows the lateral view of the other side of the same clip 6, while Fig. 8 is a cross section of Fig. 6 along the section plane A-A.
[0020] As easily noticed from the figure, each clip is composed of two parallel extended laminae, the first of which 6a may be arch-shaped, the projection of the arched aperture of which entirely contains the geometric projection of the outer perimeter of the other extended lamina 6b that, in the illustrated example has a substantially triangular shape.
[0021] On the face of the extended lamina 6b opposed to the cooperating lamina 6a there is a protrusion 6c that may have a substantially circular section, of a diameter apt to pass through a hole purposely present along the fixing edge of the card or of the transparent envelope that contains it.
[0022] The encroaching of the protrusions 6c of the two clips 5 and 6 in a pair of holes purposely present along the fixing edge of the promotional card or of the transparent envelope that contains it, locks the card in a perfectly orientated position, impeding its rotation in the vertical plane.
[0023] The support so configured may be fabricated by injection molding as a single or monolithic piece.
[0024] The use of a moldable material with adequate characteristics of mechanical resistance and elasticity such as for example acetalic or polyamide resins, for example the commercially available product Hostaform of the German firm Hoechst, and by virtue of the spiral shaped portion 3, impart to the object a resilience and an ability to withstand ordinarily imparted impacts and bendings by shop personal and customers.
[0025] The absence of metal parts represents an indubitable advantage in terms of lightness, facility and safety of use and makes the support more tolerant towards washings.
[0026] The fabrication of the support in a signal plastic piece, by injection molding, reduces considerably the manufacturing cost of these devices, eliminating the need of assembling operations.
[0027] Finally, the sturdiness and monolithic character of the support of the invention ensures the keeping of a correct position of the post and of the banner-like held card, which is not always the case with similar devices assembled from a number of component pieces because the joints therebetween may accidentally suffer torsions during use, transport or storage, permanently affecting their correct relative position.
1. A support (1) for promotional cards or signs (P) held in a banner-like manner comprising
a clip-cursor (2) slidingly mounted on a front molding of a shelf, a resilient joint
(3) between said slidable clip-cursor (2) and an upright post or rod (4), furnished
with means (5, 6) for retaining of a vertical edge of said promotional card, characterized
in that
said clip-cursor (2), said resilient connection (3), said post or rod (4) and said retaining means (5, 6) are defined in a monolithic piece of plastic material fabricable by injection molding.
2. The support (1) according to the claim 1, characterized in that said resilient joint
(3) is a spiral of said plastic material extending between said clip-cursor (2) and
the base of said post (4).
3. The support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said retaining means (5,
6) consist of at least two clips (5, 6), each composed by a pair of parallel extended
laminae, one of which (6b) is furnished with a protuberance (6c) encroaching through
a hole present along said vertical edge of promotional card (P) and through an opening
present in the other lamina (6a) of the clip (6).