SUPPORTING STRUCTURE AND DISPLAYING FRAME

Abstract

A supporting structure includes a bottom plate, a foldable area, a plurality of side plates, at least one flip segment, and at least one through hole. The side plates are disposed on edges of the bottom plate. Any two of the side plates that are adjacent are connected to each other, and the side plates form an accommodating space. A part of the at least one flip segment can be separated from at least one of the bottom plate and the side plates along a segmenting line. The at least one through hole and the at least one flip segment are disposed on at least one of the bottom plate and the side plates. When the bottom plate is folded along the foldable area, the partially separated flip segment is inserted into the through hole to fix the folded bottom plate and the side plates in position.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority to Taiwan Patent Application No. 112120732, filed on Jun. 2, 2023. The entire content of the above identified application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a supporting structure and a displaying frame, and more particularly, to a supporting structure and a displaying frame that are glue-free.

Description of Related Art

Conventional packaging structure or other product packaging material is mostly made of polyethylene (PE) or paperboard, and adhesives are used for bonding and fixing during the manufacturing process. After consumers open the product, the packaging structure is usually discarded, resulting in extremely low recycling rates. Packaging structures containing adhesive components require additional delamination processes and costs for recycling. Therefore, choosing recyclable environmental-friendly materials, manufacturing methods and recyclable designs has become a research trend in packaging structures.

In view of this, the development of a supporting structure and a displaying frame that are glue-free, multi-purpose and reusable is in dire need for the related industry.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a supporting structure that includes a bottom plate, a foldable area, a plurality of side plates, at least one flip segment and at least one through hole. The side plates are respectively disposed on edges of the bottom plate and form an accommodating space. Any adjacent two of the side plates are connected to each other. A part of the at least one flip segment is separable from at least one of the bottom plate and the side plates along a segmenting line. The at least one through hole and the at least one flip segment are disposed on at least one of the bottom plate and the side plates. The bottom plate is foldable along the foldable area, and the at least one flip segment is inserted into the at least one through hole to fix the bottom plate and the side plates in position.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a displaying frame that includes a display piece and a supporting structure. The display piece is for accommodating an object. The supporting structure includes a bottom plate, a foldable area, a plurality of side plates, at least one flip segment and at least one through hole. The side plates are disposed on edges of the bottom plate and form an accommodating space. Any adjacent two of the side plates are connected to each other. A part of the at least one flip segment is separable from at least one of the bottom plate and the side plates along a segmenting line. The at least one through hole and the at least one flip segment are disposed on the at least one of the bottom plate and the side plates. The bottom plate is foldable along the foldable area, and the at least one flip segment is inserted into the at least one through hole to fix the bottom plate and the side plates in position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a supporting structure with unfolded bottom plate according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the supporting structure of FIG. 1 with folded bottom plate.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the supporting structure of FIG. 1 with the folded bottom plate and the flip segment being inserted into the through hole.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a supporting structure according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a displaying frame according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the displaying frame of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is more particularly described in the following examples that are intended as illustrative only since numerous modifications and variations therein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the drawings indicate like components throughout the views. As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the meaning of “a”, “an”, and “the” includes plural reference, and the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”. Titles or subtitles can be used herein for the convenience of a reader, which shall have no influence on the scope of the present disclosure.

The terms used herein generally have their ordinary meanings in the art. In the case of conflict, the present document, including any definitions given herein, will prevail. The same thing can be expressed in more than one way. Alternative language and synonyms can be used for any term(s) discussed herein, and no special significance is to be placed upon whether a term is elaborated or discussed herein. A recital of one or more synonyms does not exclude the use of other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification including examples of any terms is illustrative only, and in no way limits the scope and meaning of the present disclosure or of any exemplified term. Likewise, the present disclosure is not limited to various embodiments given herein. Numbering terms such as “first”, “second” or “third” can be used to describe various components, signals or the like, which are for distinguishing one component/signal from another one only, and are not intended to, nor should be construed to impose any substantive limitations on the components, signals or the like.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a supporting structure 100 with unfolded bottom plate 110 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the supporting structure 100 of FIG. 1 with folded bottom plate 110. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the supporting structure 100 of FIG. 1 with the folded bottom plate 110 and two flip segments 140 being inserted respectively into two through holes 150. The supporting structure 100 includes a bottom plate 110, a foldable area 120, a plurality of side plates 131, 132, 133, 134, at least one flip segment 140 and at least one through hole 150. The side plates 131, 132, 133, 134 are disposed respectively at the edges of the bottom plate 110 and form an accommodating space 160. Any adjacent two of the side plates 131, 132, 133, 134 are connected to each other. One end of the flip segment 140 can be bent along a bending line D1 such that another end of the flip segment 140 is separated from at least one of the bottom plate 110 and the side plates 131, 132, 133, 134 along a segmenting line D2. The through hole 150 and the flip segment 140 are located on at least one of the bottom plate 110 and the side plates 131, 132, 133, 134. The bottom plate 110 can be folded along the foldable area 120, and the flip segment 140 can be inserted into the through hole 150 to position the folded bottom plate 110 and the side plates 131, 132, 133, 134 in position.

Specifically, the material of the supporting structure 100 can be made of paper material, such as thick cardboard or corrugated paper, for example: G flute, F flute, E flute, B flute, C flute, A flute, BC flute, BE flute, AB flute. The supporting structure 100 can also be formed by bending and shaping other sheet materials, and it does not include adhesive (glue-free). In the first embodiment, the bottom plate 110 can be rectangular, and there are four side plates 131, 132, 133, 134, with each of the side plates 131, 132, 133, 134 connected to one side edge of the bottom plate 110. Thus, in the supporting structure 100 of the present disclosure, when the bottom plate 110 is not bent or folded (as shown in FIG. 1), the accommodating space 160 can be used for placing objects flat, serving as a tray.

Furthermore, the bottom plate 110 has a long side in one direction, and the position of the foldable area 120 is set between 35% and 65% of the total length L of the long side measured from the edge of the long side. The foldable area 120 is formed with score lines, allowing users to fold it while providing sufficient support and connectivity, preventing the bottom plate 110 from easily breaking apart or separating due to bending. In the first embodiment, the long sides of the bottom plate 110 are the two side edges that correspond to the side plates 132 and 134. The position of the foldable area 120 is located at 50% of the total length L measured from the edge of the long side of the bottom plate 110 (i.e., at the position of length 0.5 L), corresponding to the midpoint C of the side plate 132. The foldable area 120 includes the dashed line on the bottom plate 110, perpendicular to the long side, and the dashed lines extending to the side plates 132 and 134. In other embodiments, the foldable area 120 can also be set within 15% of the total length L from the midpoint C towards the two ends of the long side, allowing for adjustments in the size of a support zone 161 and a base zone 162. This ensures that the support zone 161 of the accommodating space 160 can still stand upright while the base zone 162 remains securely still on a flat surface.

In the first embodiment, there are two flip segments 140 and two through holes 150. The two flip segments 140 are arranged in parallel to the folding line of the foldable area 120 on the bottom plate 110. Please refer to FIG. 2. When the bottom plate 110 is folded along the foldable area 120, the accommodating space 160 is divided into the support zone 161 and the base zone 162. An included angle is formed between the support zone 161 and the base zone 162. The two through holes 150 are located on the two side plates 132 and 134, which are positioned opposite to each other. One flip segment 140 is placed in either the support zone 161 or the base zone 162, while the corresponding through hole 150 is placed in the other zone. Specifically, in the first embodiment, the flip segments 140 are placed on the bottom plate 110 and corresponding to the base zone 162, and the through holes 150 are placed on the side plates 132 and 134 and corresponding to the support zone 161. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this arrangement.

After folding the bottom plate 110 along the foldable area 120, the flip segments 140 are bent along the bending line D1 to flip towards the through holes 150. The flip segment 140 has a bending section 141 at the other end away from the bending line D1. The bending section 141 can be inserted into the through hole 150 to position the folded supporting structure 100 (as shown in FIG. 3).

In FIG. 3, the flip segments 140 are placed on the bottom plate 110, and the through holes 150 are placed on opposing side plates 132 and 134 that face each other. When the bending section 141 of the flip segment 140 is inserted into the through hole 150, a triangular structure is formed among the flip segment 140, side plate 134, and base zone 162. It is to be noted that the angle formed by the folded bottom plate 110 is 90 degrees in FIG. 3, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto as the angle formed by the folded bottom plate 110 is dependent on factors such as the positions of the flip segment 140 and the through hole 150 in the supporting structure 100, angles and the length of the flip segment 140, and so it can be adjusted according to requirements.

Hence, the supporting structure 100 of the present disclosure forms the support zone 161 and the base zone 162 on the bottom plate 110 without the need for adhesive fixation, allowing for upright display of items.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a supporting structure 100a according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The supporting structure 100a includes a bottom plate 110, a foldable area 120, a plurality of side plates 131, 132, 133, 134, at least one flip segment 140a, and at least one through hole 150a. The bottom plate 110, the foldable area 120 and the side plates 131, 132, 133, 134 of the supporting structure 100a in the second embodiment are structurally the same as that of the supporting structure 100 in the first embodiment and so will not be described herein. The difference is that the flip segments 140a and the through holes 150a of the supporting structure 100a are disposed on one of the side plates 131, 132, 133, 134. The flip segment 140a is bended along the bending line D1 to flip toward the through hole 150a from the side plates 132, 134, and a triangular structure is formed among the folded bottom plate 110 and the flip segment 140a.

In FIG. 4, there are two flip segments 140a and two through holes 150a. The two flip segments 140a are respectively placed on the side plates 132 and 134 and corresponding to the base zone 162. The two through holes 150a are respectively placed on the side plates 132 and 134 and corresponding to the support zone 161. After the bottom plate 110 is folded, the flip segments 140a on the side plates 132 and 134 flip toward the through holes 150a on the same side plates 132 and 134 and are inserted into the through holes 150a to fix the degree of the included angle formed by the folded bottom plate 110.

In other embodiments, the flip segment 140a can be placed on the side plates 132 and 134 at positions corresponding to the support zone 161, and the through holes 150a can also be placed on the side plates 132 and 134 at positions corresponding to the base zone 162, but the present disclosure is not limited thereby. Thus, the supporting structure 100a of the present disclosure is able to fix the angle of the folded bottom plate 110 by simply placing the flip segments 140a and the through holes 150a on the side plates 132, 134.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 to FIG. 6. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a displaying frame 10 according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a display piece 200 of the displaying frame 10 of FIG. 5. The displaying frame 10 is used to showcase an object or an item. The displaying frame 10 includes a display piece 200 and a supporting structure 100b. The display piece 200 is used to accommodate the object. In the third embodiment, the supporting structure 100b of the displaying frame 10 is structurally the same as the supporting structure 100 of the first embodiment or the supporting structure 100a of the second embodiment, and therefore will not be described herein.

In specific, the display piece 200 includes a first layer 210, a plurality of additive layers 220a, a plurality of second layers 220b, and a third layer 230. The first layer is a frame-like sheet body and has a plurality of studs 2111 extending toward a center of the display piece 200. The additive layers 220a are frame-like sheet bodies, and any of the additive layers 220a has a plurality of notched portions 2211 that correspond to the studs 2111. The second layers 220b are frame-like sheet bodies and have a plurality of via holes 2212 that correspond to the studs 2111. The third layer 230 is a frame-like sheet body and has a plurality of positioning holes 2311 for the studs 2111 to pass through. The first layer 210, the additive layers 220a, the second layers 220b and the third layer 230 are arranged sequentially, and the studs 2111 pass through the notched portions 2211, the via holes 2212 and the positioning holes 2311 and bend to fit in the third layer 230.

In other words, when the first layer 210, the additive layers 220a, the second layers 220b and the third layer 230 are combined to form the display piece 200, the studs 2111 of the first layer 210, the notched portions 2211 of the additive layers 220a, the via holes 2212 of the second layer 220b and the positioning holes 2311 of the third layer 230 correspond in position to one another, and the first layer 210, the additive layers 220a, the second layers 220b and the third layer 230 are fixed by the studs 2111. Moreover, in other embodiments, when the width of the frame-like sheet body of each of the additive layers is sufficient, the notched portions of each of the additive layers can be via holes instead. In other words, the additive layers can be replaced by the second layers, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Furthermore, the widths of the first layer 210, the additive layers 220a, the second layers 220b and the third layer 230 are different and increase sequentially, forming a layered structure as shown in FIG. 5. The hollow space in the center of the display piece 200 is available for placing the object. When the bottom plate 110 is not folded, the accommodating space 160 can be used for placing and accommodating the display piece 200 and object. When the bottom plate 110 is folded along the foldable area 120, one end of the display piece 200 is abutted against the base zone 162, while the other end of the display piece 200 is supported by the support zone 161.

Thus, the displaying frame 10 of the present disclosure allows for upright display of the object in the supporting structure 100b through the use of the display piece 200.

In view of the above, the present disclosure embody the following advantages: first, before the bottom plate is folded in the supporting structure, the accommodating space allows the object to be placed flat, serving as a tray; second, the bottom plate of the supporting structure is able to form a support zone and a base zone without the need for adhesive or glue for upright display of objects; third, the angle of the folded bottom plate can be fixed by the flip segment and the through hole placed on the side plates of the supporting structure; and fourth, the displaying frame allows for upright display of the object in the supporting structure through the use of the display piece.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope.

Claims

1. A supporting structure comprising: a bottom plate;a foldable area;a plurality of side plates respectively disposed on edges of the bottom plate and forming an accommodating space, any adjacent two of the side plates being connected to each other;at least one flip segment, a part of the at least one flip segment being separable from at least one of the bottom plate and the side plates along a segmenting line; andat least one through hole, wherein the at least one through hole and the at least one flip segment are disposed on at least one of the bottom plate and the side plates;wherein the bottom plate is foldable along the foldable area, and the at least one flip segment is inserted into the at least one through hole to fix the bottom plate and the side plates in position.

2. The supporting structure according to claim 1, wherein when the bottom plate is folded along the foldable area, the accommodating space is divided into a support zone and a base zone, there is an included angle formed between the support zone and the base zone, the at least one flip segment is disposed in one of the support zone and the base zone, and the at least one through hole is correspondingly disposed in another one of the support zone and the base zone.

3. The supporting structure according to claim 2, wherein the at least one flip segment is flipped along a bending line and toward the at least one through hole.

4. The supporting structure according to claim 2, wherein a number of the at least one flip segment is two, a number of the at least one through hole is two, and the two through holes are respectively disposed on two of the side plates facing each other.

5. The supporting structure according to claim 1, wherein the at least one flip segment and the at least one through hole are disposed on one of the side plates, the at least one flip segment is flipped from the one of the side plates along a bending line and toward the at least one through hole, and the bottom plate, which is folded, and the at least one flip segment form a triangular structure.

6. The supporting structure according to claim 2, wherein the at least one flip segment is disposed on the bottom plate, the at least one through hole is disposed on one of the side plates, and when the at least one flip segment is inserted into the at least one through hole, the at least one flip segment, the one of the side plates and the base zone form a triangular structure.

7. The supporting structure according to claim 1, wherein the bottom plate comprises a long side along a direction, a location of the foldable area is at 35% to 65% of a total length of the long side.

8. The supporting structure according to claim 1, wherein the supporting structure is made of paper material and is glue-free.

9. A displaying frame comprising: a display piece for accommodating an object; anda supporting structure comprising: a bottom plate;a foldable area;a plurality of side plates disposed on edges of the bottom plate and forming an accommodating space, any adjacent two of the side plates being connected to each other;at least one flip segment, a part of the at least one flip segment being separable from at least one of the bottom plate and the side plates along a segmenting line; andat least one through hole, wherein the at least one through hole and the at least one flip segment are disposed on the at least one of the bottom plate and the side plates;wherein the bottom plate is foldable along the foldable area, and the at least one flip segment is inserted into the at least one through hole to fix the bottom plate and the side plates in position.

10. The displaying frame according to claim 9, wherein the display piece comprises: a first layer being frame-like and comprising a plurality of studs extending toward a center of the display piece;a plurality of second layers being frame-like and comprising a plurality of via holes corresponding to the plurality of studs; anda third layer being frame-like and comprising a plurality of positioning holes for the studs to pass through;wherein the first layer, the second layers and the third layer are arranged sequentially, and the studs respectively pass through the via holes and the positioning holes and bend to fit in the third layer.

11. The displaying frame according to claim 10, wherein the first layer, the second layers and the third layer have different widths and are arranged sequentially with increasing widths.

12. The displaying frame according to claim 9, wherein when the bottom plate is folded along the foldable area, the accommodating space is divided into a support zone and a base zone, there is an included angle between the support zone and the base zone, the at least one flip segment is disposed in one of the support zone and the base zone, and the at least one through hole is correspondingly disposed in another one of the support zone and the base zone.

13. The displaying frame according to claim 12, wherein, when the bottom plate is unfolded, the accommodating space accommodates the display piece and the object;when the bottom plate is folded along the foldable area, one end of the display piece is abutted against the base zone, and another end of the display piece is supported by the support zone.

14. The displaying frame according to claim 12, wherein the at least one flip segment is flipped along a bending line and toward the at least one through hole.

15. The displaying frame according to claim 12, wherein the at least one flip segment is disposed on the bottom plate, the at least one through hole is disposed on one of the side plates, when the at least one flip segment is inserted into the at least one through hole, the at least one flip segment, the one of the side plates, and the base zone form a triangular structure.

16. The displaying frame according to claim 12, wherein a number of the at least one flip segment is two; a number of the at least one through hole is two, and the two through holes are respectively disposed on two of the side plates facing each other.

17. The displaying frame according to claim 9, wherein the at least one flip segment and the at least one through hole are disposed on one of the side plates, the at least one flip segment is flipped from the one of the side plates along a bending line and toward the at least one through hole, and the bottom plate and the at least one flip segment form a triangular structure.

18. The displaying frame according to claim 9, wherein the bottom plate comprises a long side along a direction, and a location of the foldable area is at 35% to 65% of a total length of the long side.

19. The displaying frame according to claim 9, wherein the supporting structure is made of paper material and is glue-free.

20. The displaying frame according to claim 9, wherein the supporting structure is formed integrally by bending a plate body.