Not applicable.
None.
The present invention relates to display devices, and more particularly, to a two piece cardboard foldable shelf hutch for supporting and displaying articles of merchandise such as cakes and grocery store items. The hutch can be collapsed into a compact flat assembly for shipping and transportation.
Corrugated fiberboard (i.e., cardboard) is a well-known structural material commonly used for manufacturing storage boxes and the like. The low cost of the material, its structural qualities, and the ease with which it can be structured has resulted in an ever growing number of items manufactured from it. The use of corrugated fiberboard in merchandising displays is well known and range from its use as a structural component in an advertising message to various support structures for display of merchandise for sale in an aesthetically pleasing manner. In general, these merchandising displays are box-like structures with bins or shelves sized to hold the merchandise for sale. The displays can be quite bulky and difficult to transport in their assembled state and hence are generally shipped flat and assembled at the point of use. The displays often consist of multiple components and, as these displays become ever more sophisticated, the degree of expertise and training necessary to assemble them increases accordingly.
What is currently needed is a merchandising display that is intuitive to assemble, yet equally sturdy and aesthetically pleasing in use. Preferably, the device ships flat for easier transport and is then assembled on site when needed. More preferably, the device can also be easily disassembled and re-used. Any such display should be easy to manufacture and its design should entail a minimum of wasted material during manufacture.
Collapsible displays that may be used for merchandising are known in the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,424 issued Jan. 15, 1985 is a three shelf foldable display stand constructed from a single sheet of cardboard including shelves with raised front and side flanges to facilitate containing merchandise therein. The device is shipped unassembled and the free ends must be glued together by the customer in order to erect the device. In a separate step, individual die cut shelves pivot from the front panel of the device and are folded upwardly into individual attachment slots on the rear panel of the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,732 issued Oct. 27, 1998 is a point-of-purchase shelving display device constructed from a “single blank” of corrugated material that may be collapsed into a “substantially flat” configuration for efficient shipment. The device uses various “locking tab[s]” and “locking slot[s]” to lock the device into its three-dimensional configuration. Additionally, the flat shelves of the device are separate structures that are mounted into slots die cut in the superstructure of the display. Unlike the present inventive combination, this device entails the assembly of multiple, interconnected pieces and requires significant training and/or instructions for assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,623 issued Apr. 6, 2004 discloses a collapsible display shelving unit fabricated from corrugated paperboard. The sides and multiple, flat shelves are hinged to the rear wall of the device thereby enabling the entire structure to be folded flat for convenient transport. The structures of the device are mounted only to the rear wall and are not in communication with one another. Assembly of the device entails a series of steps requiring the user to individually pivot the sidewalls outward, then swing individual shelves downward, thereafter locking them into place against the sidewalls.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 8,485,370 issued Jul. 16, 2013 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,857,633 issued Oct. 14, 2014 are directed toward a shelving display system formed from a single blank of corrugated material. The '370 and '633 displays include two shelf panels, one panel having a plurality of shelves forming a first shelf component and a second panel having a plurality of shelves forming a second shelf component. Each shelf is formed of two components which are fastened together by a tab cut into the first component, which is inserted into a slot cut into the adjacent second component.
The present invention is a multi-shelved merchandising display made from two sheets of scored and cut corrugated cardboard or a similar lightweight paper board-like material. In its collapsed state, both the housing and insert support member are substantially flat thereby minimizing the space needed for storage and ensuring easier transport. The apparatus is erected by simply pressing the housing exposed, hinged side walls towards one another to open the interior chamber. The insert member is shipped inside the housing and opened as the hutch is erected. The display is held open via its interfitting parts and is stabilized by the housing base and the weight of the merchandise being displayed on its shelves.
The housing of the display device is die-cut from a single sheet of corrugated cardboard and folded to create front, rear, and side panels, as well as shelves. The interior insert support member is also die cut from a single sheet of corrugated cardboard with pre-cut shelf support structures. The interior insert support member has a rear panel defining foldable shelf support structure and adjacent integral side panels which are folded inward to extend into the housing adjacent the side walls of the housing. A top support structure of the support member is folded inward and supports the top shelf of the housing the same in place by tab apertures which receive the tabs of the top shelf of the housing. The use of an internal support member or assembly provides greater stability and strength to the individual shelves of the housing. In assembling the display, the user need only apply pressure to the side walls of the housing thereby erecting the housing and fold the respective foldable shelf supports of the support assembly and shelves of the housing over the support structures positioning the shelves in a generally horizontal position.
The shelves of the present invention are formed from the front panel of the display housing by folding them inward over a planar top surface of the support structures to create front apertures in the housing through which items displayed on the shelves may be viewed and accessed, thereby minimizing waste and the materials needed for manufacture.
The present invention is simple to manufacture, minimizes material waste, is intuitive to assemble, and otherwise solves the aforementioned problems noted in the prior art.
It is an object of the invention to provide an inexpensive cardboard display device which is sturdy in construction and capable of supporting the weight of the articles of merchandise being exhibited.
It is another object of this invention to provide an attractive display device for displaying articles of merchandise thereon.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a box-like display device having display shelves to hold merchandise.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a display device with a substantially flat collapsed profile which is easily collapsed for transport and is reusable and can be stored and shipped efficiently and is easily assembled.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a merchandising display which does not require any particular degree of skill or training to assemble or disassemble.
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings herein.
While the invention is described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is not intended that the present invention be so limited. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalent arrangements as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
This invention may be constructed from any board-like material that is amenable to precision cutting and is easily foldable. In preferred embodiments, the invention is manufactured from corrugated cardboard. The invention may also be constructed from fiberboard, pulpboard, or corrugated board.
The preferred embodiment of the apparatus and best mode is rendered in
The present invention is directed to a collapsible shelving display hutch 20 constructed of a pre-scored and pre-cut outer cardboard housing 22. The blank 100 for same with excess material removed being shown in
The housing 22 is formed from blank 100 and comprises a front panel 30 with an integral side panel 40, an opposite integral side panel 50 located on the opposite side of front panel 30, and a rear panel 60 integral to side panel 40. The rear panel 60 defines a plurality of vertically aligned horizontal inverted “U” shaped slots 62 cut through the panel and a base fold line 66 which is folded inward into the housing chamber when the housing is assembled to form a base for the display. The top of the rear panel 60 has an end cut line 65 which forms the top edge of the housing. This cut line 65 continues into side panel curved cut line 45 of side panel 40 to form curved side panels for the hutch display.
The front panel 30 defines a plurality of pre-cut and pre-scored shelves 32. Each shelf 32 is pre-cut for displacement away from front panel 30 and is provided with a fold line 34 allowing the shelf 32 to be folded inward into the interior chamber of housing 22 while being integrally connected to the front panel 30. Cutouts 38 are located opposite each other on shelves 32 allowing the shelves to be easily grasped and folded inward along the bottom fold line 34.
Side panel 50 is integrally attached to the front panel 30 and separated therefrom by fold line 51. Side panel 50 is also provided with an outer fold line 53 defining a glue edge tab 54 which allows the edge tab 54 to be folded perpendicular to the plane of side panel 50 so that it can be glued against the outer face 61 of rear panel 60 as shown in
The side panels 40 and 50 are integrally attached to the front panel 30 on opposite sides of the front panel along fold lines 41 and 51 and side panel 40 is integrally attached to rear panel 60 along fold line 42. Both side panels 40 and 50 define a curved cutout 45 and 56, respectively, above the top shelve 35 which form the top edge surface of each side panel.
Both side panels 40 and 50 have parallel perforated fold lines 41 and 51 intersected by cutouts 38 allowing the side panels to be folded inward parallel to each other away from the front panel 30 so that the front panel will have a flat profile. Rear panel 60 has an end cut 65 which runs along its upper edge leading into the upper curved cut 45 forming the top of side panel 40. The curved cut 45 ends at the bottom forward edge of the top front shelf 35 adjacent the shelf fold line so that the top of side panel 40 will present a curved appearance as is evident from the display 20 shown in
Two foldable tabs 36 (see
The top shelf 35 is surrounded by side panels 40 and 50 and the rear panel 60 forming walls which preclude merchandise from being knocked out of the top tray or shelf 35. The planar support member surfaces 83, 84 and 85 and the shelves 32 and 35 form single supported shelves formed of the two stacked components (see
During erection and disassembly of the collapsible display apparatus 20, the insert support assembly 24 serves to position and provide support to the shelves as well as framing the shelves 60.
The display is manufactured and delivered substantially flat in its collapsed condition as seen in
In order to assemble the display device 20 from its collapsed configuration, one need only press the side panels 40 and 50 towards one another opening the housing.
The display hutch 20 is assembled prior to shipping by placing glue on strip tab 54 at the location labeled “xxxx”. The tab strip 54 is placed on the rear left corner of rear panel 60 of housing 22 and glued in place as shown in
The principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the present invention have been described in the foregoing specification. However, the invention should not be construed as limited to the particular embodiments which have been described above. Instead, the embodiments described here should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Variations and changes may be made by others without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims:
This application claims priority and benefits from provisional patent application No. 62/730,380 filed Sep. 12, 2018.
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