This invention was not federally sponsored.
The present invention is a system for erecting modular, weight-bearing walls, shelves, and table-tops without the use of any tools, which stacks flat into a manageable box that can be either rolled in or shipped on a standard pallet and assembled by one person. The purpose of this product is to provide a stable structure to display a wide range of products that merchandise on slatwall, pegboard, shelves, tables and free-standing pedestals as well as garment poles. This display booth provides a way to emulate a retail shopping experience where physical products are sold on varying display mediums. With simple clean aesthetics, this display booth offers a blank canvas for exhibitors to let their product, branding and color themes do the selling. The walls and display features are comprised of flat panel materials such as wood, plastic and/or composite materials that that piece together to create a stable structure. The parts fit to together by inserting hooked tabs into slots that fit the width of the tabs. Since all the parts are interchangeable, the system allows for multiple configurations, as well as easy expansion of the display booth by adding more parts. Additionally, since the panels are all flat, they stack on top of each other for easy storage, set up and dismantle.
Trade shows are a common means for vendors to advertise their goods and services to the trade. These shows are held worldwide and attract vendors, buyers, and resellers from ail over the world. Large sums of money are spent by vendors to display their products in an interesting and eye catching manner. Generally, the vendor either purchases or makes a display booth and ships it to the trade show where it is assembled. After the show, the display booth is disassembled and shipped back to the vendor's place of business or an outside contractor where it is stored until the next trade show. It is not uncommon for a vendor to attend multiple trade shows annually.
The display booths commonly available are not only expensive to purchase or rent, but they also are extremely costly to construct, ship, assemble, disassemble, and store. The extreme ongoing expense associated with these standard display booths is due to the requirement of hiring labor to assemble the weight and large size. Standard display booths are often constructed of heavy, large format materials (such as sheets of plastic, MDF, acrylic and metal), in addition to heavy frame structures, and require screws, staples, pins, and metal rods to assemble, which requires hired union labor that is extremely expensive. While some display booths may be condensed for shipment, they generally must be shipped on multiple large pallets. There are other no tool assembly displays, but most require a large number of unique parts with multiple connectors which takes a considerable amount of time and detail to assemble. Simplicity and easy of assembly is an important part of trade show booths since most people setting up at a show is the salesperson and this is not their main job function.
Although others have invented knock-down, flat pack or tab-and-slot construction products, this invention is superior because it:
May be comprised of relatively small panels which equates to lighter weight, thereby reducing shipping and drayage costs associated with standard display booths;
May be comprised of panels small enough so that they can ship within the confines of a pallet size (44″×48″), thereby reducing shipping and drayage costs associated with standard display booths;
May be comprised in such a way that the pieces all lay flat on top of each other for easy storage and transport, thereby reducing shipping and drayage costs associated with standard display booths;
May be comprised in such a way that the display booth requires no tools or screws to assemble, thereby eliminating the need for union labor and providing a substantial savings;
May be comprised in such a way that the display booth fits in a box that can also function as a table or podium within the booth, for both functionality and easy access during and after the show allowing for the client to not have to wait for a crate and in turns saves time on the road;
May provide a stable structure to support the display of physical product unlike other pop-up booths that only provide a printed fabric wall;
May be comprised in such away that offers several merchandizing options for displaying product within the booth such as slatwall, peg board, shelves, Audio Visual mounting, garment poles and any other merchandising option typically used in retail environments;
May be comprised in such away that offers several branding options, such as different graphic panels that may consist of plastic, metal, carbon fiber, wood and other materials that come in different colors and patterns;
May be comprised in such away that allows for flat paneled components to fit on to the structural tabs or faces for the purpose of concealing the inner workings of the structure and added branding; and
May be comprised in such a way that is modular so that the configuration of the display booth is modifiable and can be easily expanded or contracted for each event in any direction; and
May be comprised in such a way that the pin holes in the column panels allow for a long block with dowels to fasten to the columns creating a sufficiently deep and wide channel for the purposes of sliding slatwall panels into place. This will allow to columns to support a wall of slatwall panels by having channels on both sides of the inner columns running from the bottom to the top of the structure. Once the slatwall panels are in place a joist will be inserted into the middle of the two columns locking the columns into place and preventing the columns from separating and allowing the slatwall to function with structure stability; and
The invention can be better visualized by turning now to the following drawings.
The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which similar reference characters refer to the similar parts, and in which:
The present invention is a system for erecting modular, weight-bearing walls, shelves, slatwalls and garment poles, and table-tops without the use of any tools, which stacks flat into a manageable box that can be rolled into a convention and assembled by one person. The purpose of creating this system is to reduce the cost associated with hiring over-priced convention staff, reducing the weight and size of transporting crate which drastically reduces the cost of the material handling at convention centers as well as the reduction in freight charges on shipping trucks by staying within the size of a 44×48″ pallet. The crate serves as the podium by providing finished panels to sit on top of the crate as well as a graphic fabric wrap to conceal the crate and convert into a podium. The crate converting into a podium allows for the client to no longer wait for a shipping pallet or crate at the end of the show saving time and money.
With the above in mind, attention is now directed to
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Another embodiment of the present invention provides for self-interlocking tabs that snap and secure the parts together;
Another embodiment of the present invention provides for shelving and tabletops that can be connected to the walls and frame via the tab and slot system;
Another embodiment of the present invention provides for magnets to be impregnated into the panels to strengthen the connections between the supporting structure and display surfaces like shelving and table tops;
Another embodiment of the present invention provides for garment poles that can be connected to opposing walls via recessed design features to provide a utility for merchandising apparel on hangars;
Another embodiment of the present invention provides for peg holes that can be extruded from the structure's wall parts to provide a utility for packaged products;
Another embodiment of the present invention provides for horizontal L-shaped recesses in the wall parts that can be extruded to provide a utility for inserting shelving that is constructed with complimentary fitting pieces that lock into place and provide a stable surface for merchandising product. This system is sometimes referred to as slatwall; and
Another embodiment of the present invention provides aesthetic cover-panels (that come in a variety of materials, colors, and patterns) that secure onto the walls and frame by fitting the tabs onto matching recessed extrusions on the back of the panels to conceal the underlying tab-and-slot structure;
Another embodiment of the present invention provides for the ability to hang printed banners on the outside and inside of the display booth for the purposes of company branding;
Another embodiment of the present invention provides for an upward hook feature at the top of the booth structure that a banner attached to a pole can rest on horizontally as well as downward facing hook features at the base of the of the booth structure that can hook under to ultimately fasten a tall banner in place to the side of the booth structure;
Another embodiment of the present invention provides for removable covers in the structure that will reveal holes for mounting AV supplies such as flat panel monitors as well as room for electrical wires to run through;
One embodiment of the present invention provides for the container that houses the disassembled display booth to have wheels so that the display booth can be rolled by one person; and
It will be appreciated that details of the foregoing embodiments, given for purposes of illustration, are not to be construed as limiting the scope of this invention. Although several embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention. Further, it is recognized that many embodiments may be conceived that do not achieve all of the advantages of some embodiments, particularly of the preferred embodiments, yet the absence of a particular advantage shall not be construed to necessarily mean that such an embodiment is outside the scope of the present invention.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional No. 62/765,464, filed Aug. 27, 2018, the contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application.
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