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(11) | EP 2 196 979 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A cardboard display stand |
| (57) A cardboard display stand, comprising a cardboard structure (101) comprising at least
one display portion (103), a loudspeaker (111) configured to emit sound towards the
area in front of the display portion (103), a movement sensor (112) configured to
detect movement within the area in front of the display portion (103), a controller
(113) configured to drive the loudspeaker (111) to play a pre-recorded audio signal
upon activation of the movement sensor (112).
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[0002] Various types of display stands are known, ranging from simple stands made of cardboard to sophisticated plastic/metal stands incorporating multimedia devices. The main function of a display stand is advertising. Typical stands made of cardboard typically rely on visual advertising only, by means of information printed on the surface of the stand and/or by presenting products on shelves. More sophisticated functions, such as multimedia presentations, are typically available in plastic/metal stands, which have a solid construction allowing attachment of a high-power loudspeakers, display screens, power cables, etc.
[0003] The main advantages of cardboard display stands are low cost and recyclability. The disadvantages include short lifetime and light construction. This makes it impractical to incorporate multimedia functionality known from plastic/metal display stands directly into cardboard display stands, as this would make the cardboard display stand costly and non-recyclable.
[0004] The aim of the invention is to provide a cardboard display stand providing multimedia functionality while keeping the low cost and recyclability advantages.
[0005] The object of the invention is a cardboard display stand, comprising a cardboard structure comprising at least one display portion, a loudspeaker configured to emit sound towards the area in front of the display portion, a movement sensor configured to detect movement within the area in front of the display portion, a controller configured to drive the loudspeaker to play a pre-recorded audio signal upon activation of the movement sensor.
[0006] Preferably, the controller comprises a low-pass filter configured to disregard activation of the movement sensor for a time shorter than a predetermined time.
[0007] Preferably, the controller comprises a delay function, configured to drive the loudspeaker to play the pre-recorded audio signal at a predetermined time after the play of the currently played signal is finished.
[0008] Preferably, the stand further comprises a button, and the controller is configured to play the pre-recorded audio signal upon activation of the button.
[0009] Preferably, the cardboard structure comprises a plurality of openings in front of the loudspeaker and an opening in front of the movement sensor.
[0010] Preferably, the loudspeaker, the movement sensor and the controller are mounted on a common mounting plate.
[0011] Preferably, the common mounting plate is a printed circuit board comprising printed circuit connections between the loudspeaker, the movement sensor and the controller.
[0013] Preferably, the mounting plate is attached to the back side of the cardboard structure via adhesive tape (121, 122).
[0014] Preferably, the mounting plate is attached to the back side of the cardboard structure via a mounting panel.
[0015] Preferably, the mounting panel comprises a plurality of openings in front of the loudspeaker and an opening in front of the movement sensor.
[0016] The invention is presented by means of exemplary embodiments shown on a drawing, in which:
Fig. 1 presents one embodiment of a cardboard display stand according to the invention.
Fig. 2 presents a cross-section of the display stand with an audio module.
Fig. 3 presents a front view of a mounting panel with an audio module connected at the back.
[0017] One embodiment of a cardboard display stand according to the invention, as shown in Fig. 1, comprises a cardboard structure 101 comprising construction elements 102, such as legs, supports, ribs, etc. and at least one display portion 103, i.e. a portion supposed to attract the attention of a customer, for example by graphics printed on the display portion 103 or presenting products on a shelf.
[0018] The display stand further comprises a loudspeaker 111 configured to emit sound towards the area in front of the display portion 103. In contrast to loudspeakers mounted in other configurations, such as at the back of the stand, this configuration provides an efficient way of directing sound to the customer watching the display portion 103 and thus allows use of a relatively low-power loudspeaker, such as a 0.5 W loudspeaker and generally having power not higher than 1 W. Such feature is important especially in crowded public places, where official regulations related to maximum sound levels may apply.
[0019] The display stand comprises also a movement sensor 112, configured to detect movement within the area in front of the display portion. For example, an infrared, ultrasonic or inductive movement sensor can be used. The role of the movement sensor 112 is to detect a customer approaching the display portion 103 of the stand.
[0020] The audio functionality of the display stand is controlled by a controller 113, configured to drive the loudspeaker 111 to play a pre-recorded audio signal upon activation of the movement sensor 112. In such configuration, the multimedia functionality of the display stand is achieved by providing an audiovisual advertising, wherein the visual element is provided by the display portion 103 and the audio element is provided by the loudspeaker 111. The audio signal is emitted directly towards the area in front of the display portion, i.e. the area occupied by the customer watching the display portion, and only after detecting the presence of the customer within that area. For this reason, low-power loudspeaker 111 can be used and the energy consumption is minimized, which makes the stand relatively low-cost. The controller 113 may include a low-pass filter configured to disregard movement sensor 112 activations for a time shorter than a predetermined time, such as 1 second. This allows disregarding activations by people just passing by the sensor, without stopping. The controller 113 may further include a delay function, namely it may activate the play of the pre-recorded audio signal after a predetermined period after the currently played signal is finished, such as 5 seconds or more. This reduces the overall sound level generated by the stand.
[0021] In addition, the stand may further comprise a button 131 and the controller 113 may be configured to play the pre-recorded audio signal upon activation of a button 131. The button 131 may be used by a customer who has already heard the audio signal and wishes to hear it again. Alternatively, a plurality of buttons 131 can be installed, wherein the customer can select the type of audio signal to be played, such as information on different types of advertised products.
[0022] To facilitate integration of the audio functionality to the cardboard display stand, the audio elements can form a single audio module, as shown in Fig. 2, to be connected to the cardboard structure 101 of the display stand. In such configuration, the loudspeaker 111, the movement sensor 112 and the controller 113 are mounted on a common mounting plate 115. The mounting plate 115 may have a form of a printed circuit board (PCB), comprising printed circuit connections between the loudspeaker 111, the movement sensor 112 and the controller 113.
[0023] Due to the fact that the loudspeaker 111 is a low-power loudspeaker activated only upon activation of the movement sensor, the loudspeaker 111 and other electronic elements can be efficiently powered from a battery unit 114, not requiring external power connection to the display stand.
[0024] The mounting plate 115 is preferably attached at the back side, i.e. the non-printed or non-visible side of the cardboard structure 101. The mounting plate 115 can be attached to the back side of the display portion 103 as shown in Fig. 1, or to another portion of the cardboard structure 101, provided that the loudspeaker 111 and the movement sensor 112 are directed towards the area in front of the display portion 103. The mounting plate 115 can be attached to the cardboard structure 101 via distance elements 121, 122, for example an adhesive tape. By varying the height of the distance elements, the distance between the movement sensor 112 and the slit 105 is varied, thereby allowing adjustment of the range of movement detection.
[0025] The audio signal played via the loudspeaker 111 is pre-recorded in the controller 113. The audio signal may have various forms, wherein the preferable forms include a short, i.e. shorter than 1 second, signal for attracting the attention of the client, and a long, i.e. longer than 5 seconds, advertising spoken or music message. For example, the controller may include internal non-volatile memory for storing an audio signal, accessible via a communications port 116, such as a serial or parallel communication port, to personalize the audio signal for a given stand. This facilitates mass production of the audio modules, decreasing the cost of the module and of the stand according to the invention.
[0026] To enable directional sound emission from the loudspeaker 111, the cardboard structure 101 may comprise a plurality of openings 104 in front of the loudspeaker 111. In case cardboard structure 101 is made of corrugated multilayer cardboard of considerable thickness w, such as 5 mm or more, the openings 104 are long enough to direct sound in particular direction towards the area in front of the display portion 103.
[0027] To restrain the area of movement detection by the movement sensor 112, the cardboard structure 101 may comprise an opening 105 in front of the movement sensor 112, preferably in form of a elongate slot, to appropriately shape the area of movement detection.
[0028] Fig. 3 presents a front view of a mounting panel 120 with the audio module connected at the back. The mounting panel 120, preferably made of cardboard, facilitates connection of the mounting plate 115 to the cardboard structure 101. The mounting panel comprises openings 104 and 105, thereby the need to provide openings directly in the cardboard structure 101 of the display stand is eliminated. In such a case, the cardboard structure 101 needs to have a single large opening of the size slightly smaller than the mounting panel 120.
[0029] The use of the audio module makes the cardboard display stand easily recyclable, as when the lifetime of the stand expires, the audio module can be easily detached and the cardboard stand can be recycled in a standard way. In turn, the audio module can be easily connected to another display stand.
1. A cardboard display stand, comprising:
- a cardboard structure (101) comprising at least one display portion (103),
- a loudspeaker (111) configured to emit sound towards the area in front of the display portion (103),
- a movement sensor (112) configured to detect movement within the area in front of the display portion (103),
- a controller (113) configured to drive the loudspeaker (111) to play a pre-recorded audio signal upon activation of the movement sensor (112).
2. The cardboard display stand according to claim 1, wherein the controller (113) comprises
a low-pass filter configured to disregard activation of the movement sensor (112)
for a time shorter than a predetermined time.
3. The cardboard display stand according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the controller (113)
comprises a delay function, configured to drive the loudspeaker (111) to play the
pre-recorded audio signal at a predetermined time after the play of the currently
played signal is finished.
4. The cardboard display stand according to any of claims 1 to 3, further comprising
a button (131), wherein the controller (113) is configured to play the pre-recorded
audio signal upon activation of the button (131).
5. The cardboard display stand according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cardboard
structure (101) comprises a plurality of openings (104) in front of the loudspeaker
(111) and an opening (105) in front of the movement sensor (112).
6. The cardboard display stand according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the loudspeaker
(111), the movement sensor (112) and the controller (113) are mounted on a common
mounting plate (115).
7. The cardboard display stand according to claim 6, wherein the common mounting plate
(115) is a printed circuit board comprising printed circuit connections between the
loudspeaker (111), the movement sensor (112) and the controller (113).
8. The cardboard display stand according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the mounting plate
(115) is attached to the back side of the cardboard structure (101).
9. The cardboard display stand according to claim 8, wherein the mounting plate (115)
is attached to the back side of the cardboard structure (101) via adhesive tape (121,
122).
10. The cardboard display stand according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the mounting plate
(115) is attached to the back side of the cardboard structure (101) via a mounting
panel (120).
11. The cardboard display stand according to claim 10, wherein the mounting panel (120)
comprises a plurality of openings (104) in front of the loudspeaker (111) and an opening
(105) in front of the movement sensor (112).