Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6736075
-
Patent Number
6,736,075
-
Date Filed
Monday, April 1, 200222 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, May 18, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 108 64
- 108 5001
- 108 5002
- 108 23
- 108 60
- 108 61
- 108 180
- 108 1531
- 108 165
- 052 365
- 052 239
- 312 111
- 312 107
- 312 108
- 211 184
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A trade show booth that includes a plurality of base members that are removably fastened in a geometric shape. A plurality of inner base members are removably fastened to the base members. At least one countertop is removably fastened to the base members and the inner base members. A plurality of vertical support members extend upwardly from the countertops. A plurality of top members are removably fastened to the upper ends of the vertical support members.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to trade show booths and more particularly, to a trade show booth that is capable of being quickly and easily assembled and disassembled without the need for tools.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Trade shows provide opportunities for businesses, industries and other organizations to exchange information as well as promote and sell their respective goods or services. At these events, exhibitors offer promotional literature and goods to potential customers in an attempt to induce customers to purchase their goods or services. Exhibitors at these events compete with one another for the attention of potential customers for potential sales. Having a well designed booth that effectively catches the attention of potential customers is important to exhibitors and can have a direct impact on an exhibitor's sales at such events.
Many exhibitors attend several events throughout the year. Because many exhibitors travel to multiple events each year, many purchase their own display materials and move them from one event to another. Some exhibitors own their own display booths which must be assembled and disassembled at each event. Such booths enable the exhibitor to design the display ahead of time. Most booths or display materials must be placed in separate shipping containers and shipped to the location of a particular event. Once the containers arrive, the event personnel typically deliver the containers to the exhibitor at an assigned display area. Then, the exhibitors must assemble the display booth, which is extremely time consuming.
As such, a need exists for a display booth that is capable of being easily assembled and disassembled while at the same time having the capability of catching the attention of potential customers.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
A preferred embodiment of the present invention discloses a trade show booth that is capable of quickly and easily being assembled and disassembled while at the same time providing an eye catching look and feel to attract the attention of potential customers. In addition, the unique design provides a 360° exposure and ample counter space. In this embodiment, a plurality of base members are connected together to form a predetermined geometric shape. A plurality of inner base members are connected to the base members. The inner base members extend within the geometric shape thereby forming a plurality of countertop frames. Countertops are connected to each countertop frame. A plurality of vertical support members extend upwardly from each countertop and a plurality of top members are connected to each vertical support member.
In the preferred embodiment, the base members are removably connected to each other using a Velcro connection that is formed using a plurality of Velcro strips. The inner base members are also connected to the base members using a Velcro connection that is formed by the Velcro strips. A first support bracket is also preferentially used to connect respective ends of the inner base members to one another to provide further support for the countertops. A second support bracket is connected to the top edge of the inner base members such that the base members, the first support bracket and the second support brackets form countertop frames. The countertops are then connected to the countertop frames.
Each vertical support member is preferably removably connected to the second support brace. The vertical support members are connected to the second support brace using a Velcro connection that is formed by a female portion of Velcro on the vertical support members and a male or hook portion of Velcro on the second support bracket. Preferentially, a plurality of lighting devices are positioned within apertures located in the top member of the trade show booth. A plurality of signage pieces are also connected between each of the vertical support members.
Yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention discloses a method of creating trade show booth that includes a plurality of base members that are removably fastened together in a predetermined geometric shape. A plurality of inner base members are removably fastened to the base members. A countertop is removably fastened with the base members and the inner base members. A plurality of vertical support members are fastened with the inner base members and extend upwardly from the countertops to provide support for a plurality of top members that are removably fastened to the vertical support members in a shape that preferentially matches the geometric shape of the base members.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein preferred embodiments of the invention are clearly illustrated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of the preferred trade show booth.
FIG. 2
is a top view of the preferred trade show booth.
FIG. 3
is a bottom view of the preferred trade show booth.
FIG. 4
is a side view of the preferred trade show booth.
FIG. 5
is another side view of the preferred trade show booth illustrating the entrance of the preferred trade show booth.
FIG. 6
illustrates the preferred countertop frames of the trade show booth.
FIG. 7
is a cross-sectional view of a support bracket.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
Referring to
FIGS. 1-5
, the present invention discloses a trade show booth
10
that includes a plurality of rectangular shaped base members
12
that are interconnected or arranged to form a predetermined geometric shape. The preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrated in
FIG. 1
discloses a trade show booth
10
that is formed in the geometric shape of an octagon. Although an octagon geometric shape is disclosed in the various figures, those skilled in the art should realize that other geometric shapes and configurations could be used such as a pentagon, for example. Therefore, the disclosure of an octagon trade show booth configuration should be viewed in an illustrative sense and should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.
Although not specifically illustrated in
FIGS. 1-5
, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention the base members
12
are removably fastened together on the inside using a Velcro strip when the trade show booth
10
is assembled. A Velcro strip is used because of the ease and speed in which it may be applied and removed from the base members
12
. The preferred base members
12
are made using a corrugated plastic sheet that has been covered with an aluminum skin that is sold under the Econolite trademark. This material is strong and light weight thereby minimizing the weight of the trade show booth
10
.
In the preferred embodiment, a thin piece of carpet is adhered to the sheets of Econolite to allow Velcro pieces to readily stick to the base members
12
. The base members
12
are preferentially held together by placing Velcro strips along a connection point
14
that is formed by the mating of the edges of respective base members
12
. Approximately half of the width of the Velcro strip is placed on one edge of a respective base member
12
and the other half is placed on an edge of a respective second base member
12
. The edges of the base members
12
are preferentially designed to appear flush when they are placed together at the connection point
14
. An entrance
16
is preferably formed in the trade show booth
10
by removing one of the respective sides or base members
12
of the geometric shape.
Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 3
, a plurality of rectangular-shaped inner base members
18
are also connected to the connection point
14
of the base members
12
. The inner base members
18
extend inwardly from the outer portion of the geometric shape formed by the base members
12
as illustrated. The inner base members
18
are constructed similarly to the base members
12
. Preferentially, the Velcro strips that are used to connect the base members
12
together are also used to secure the inner base members
18
to the base members
12
. The backside of the Velcro strip is provided with the female or loop portion of Velcro and a male or hook portion of the Velcro is placed on the edge of the inner base members
18
. This is actually done by having the male or hook portion on the backside of the Velcro strip. The base unit
18
has carpet that extends from one side to the other, thus covering the end. Therefore, this could be achieved either way. As such, when the edge of the inner base members
18
are placed against the back side of the Velcro strip it causes the inner base members
18
to become fastened to the base members
12
at the connection points
14
.
Referring once again to
FIGS. 1-5
, a plurality of countertops
20
are connected to a countertop frame
22
(see
FIG. 6
) that is formed in part by an upper edge of the base member
12
and an upper edge of the inner base member
18
. Referring to
FIG. 6
, the countertop frames
22
of the trade show booth
10
are illustrated and include a first support bracket
24
and a second support bracket
26
. The first support bracket
24
extends between respective inner base members
18
and is connected to an outer edge of the inner base members
18
, preferentially using Velcro strips attached to the underside of an edge of the first support bracket
24
. Although not illustrated, a male or hook portion of a Velcro strip is also preferentially adhered to an upper surface of the first support member
24
to secure the countertops
20
to the first support bracket
24
.
Referring to
FIG. 7
, a cross-section of the second support bracket
26
is illustrated to demonstrate the manner in which the second support bracket
26
connects to the upper edge of a portion of the inner base member
18
. The second support bracket
26
includes a U-shaped notch
28
that provides a friction fit over the upper edge of the inner base member
18
. The male or hook portion of a Velcro strip
30
is adhered to the upper surface of the second support bracket
26
. The first support bracket
24
can be made of a material similar in shape to the second support bracket
26
, but can also be made of other similar shaped materials as well.
Referring once again to
FIGS. 1-6
, a countertop
20
is connected to the countertop frame
22
that is formed by a combination of the upper edge of the base member
12
, the first support bracket
24
and the second support brackets
26
. The preferred countertops
20
are formed in the shape of a trapezoid. Although not specifically illustrated, the male or hook portion of a Velcro strip is also connected to the upper edge of the base member
12
. As such, the male portions of Velcro strips on the first support bracket
24
, the second support brackets
26
and the base member
12
are fastened to a female or loop portion of at least one Velcro strip that has been adhered to the underside of the countertops
20
. The countertops
20
are thereby preferentially entirely held in position using Velcro strips thereby allowing the countertops
20
to be quickly and easily placed and removed from position. The preferred countertops
20
are made using an acrylic or plastic material; however other materials may be used as well.
As illustrated, a plurality of vertical support members
32
extend upwardly in relation to the countertops
20
. The vertical support members
32
are preferentially located toward an inside edge of the inner base members
18
. Although not specifically illustrated, the preferred countertops
20
are provided with a notched section on their outer edges that allows a bottom edge of the vertical support members
32
, which are covered with female or loop portions of Velcro, to be connected to the upper surface of the first and second support brackets
24
,
26
. The male or hook portion of the Velcro strips on the first and second support brackets
24
,
26
allows the vertical support members
32
to be fastened to the first and second support brackets
24
,
26
. The notched section in the countertops
20
allows the vertical support members
32
to appear flush with the countertops
20
. This notched out section prevents the vertical support members
32
from shifting. The preferred vertical support members
32
are made the same as the base members
12
and the inner base members
18
.
A plurality of top members
34
are connected to an upper edge of the respective vertical support members
32
to form a geometric shape almost identical to the geometric shape formed by the arrangement of the base members
12
. Although not illustrated, the male or hook portion of a Velcro strip is connected to an upper edge of the vertical support members
32
. When a top member
34
is placed in contact with the Velcro strip it causes the top member
34
to be removably fastened to the upper edge of the vertical support member
32
. A Velcro strip
36
is connected to the upper surface of the top members
34
at junction points where the top members
34
mate together. The top members
34
are preferentially made using the same material that is used to make the base members
12
, the inner base members
18
and the vertical support members
32
.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of lighting devices
38
are inserted into apertures (not illustrated) that are located in each respective top member
34
. The apertures are sized such that the lighting devices
38
snap into the apertures and remain in place through a friction fit. The lighting devices
38
may be battery operated or powered from conventional AC power sources. If an AC power source is used, although not illustrated, preferentially a Velcro strip is used to conceal the power cords as they are taken down to the power source by placing the power cords and the strips on a back edge of the vertical support members
32
. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention the lighting devices
38
are halogen lights.
As further illustrated, a plurality of signage pieces
40
are connected to the vertical support members
32
and the top members
34
. The signage piece
40
extends between respective vertical support members
32
. Although not specifically illustrated, the male or hook portion of a Velcro strip is adhered to the outer edges and the upper edge of the signage piece
40
to fasten the signage piece
40
to vertical support members
32
and the top members
34
.
The trade show booth
10
disclosed herein is capable of being quickly and easily assembled and disassembled without the need of any tools. At the same time, the trade show booth
10
provides an extremely attractive look and feel that is capable of attracting potential customers.
While the invention has been described in its currently best-known modes of operation and embodiments, other modes, embodiments and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are contemplated herein.
Claims
- 1. A trade show booth, comprising:a plurality of base members connected together in a geometric shape to form a partially enclosed cavity; a plurality of inner base members connected to said base members, wherein said inner base members extend within said enclosed cavity; a predetermined number of first support brackets connected to a portion of an upper edge of said inner base members, a predetermined number of second support brackets connected to a second portion of said upper edge of said inner base members at an outer edge of said inner base members where said inner base members extend within said enclosed cavity, wherein said second support brackets extend between respective inner base members, wherein said base members, said inner base members, said first support bracket and said second support bracket form a countertop frame; a countertop connected to each said countertop frame; a plurality of vertical support members connected to said first support brackets, wherein said vertical support members extending upwardly from each said countertop; and a plurality of top members connected to an upper edge of each said vertical support memeber.
- 2. The trade show booth of claim 1, wherein said base members are removably connected to each other.
- 3. The trade show booth of claim 2, wherein said base members are removably connected using a Velcro strip.
- 4. The trade show booth of claim 1, wherein said inner base members are connected to said base members using a Velcro strip.
- 5. The trade show booth of claim 1, further comprising an entrance formed by not placing a base member on at least one side of the enclosed cavity.
- 6. The trade show booth of claim 1, wherein each said countertop is connected to said countertop frame using a Velcro connection.
- 7. The trade show booth of claim 1, wherein each said vertical support member is removably connected to said second support brace.
- 8. The trade show booth of claim 2, wherein said vertical support member is connected to said second support brace using a Velcro connection.
- 9. The trade show booth of claim 1, further comprising at least one lighting device connected to said top member.
- 10. The trade show booth of claim 1, further comprising at least one signage piece connected between a predetermined number of said vertical support members.
- 11. A trade show booth, comprising:a plurality of base members removably fastened together in a geometric shape to form a partially enclosed cavity; a plurality of inner base members removably fastened to said base members, wherein said inner base members extend within said partially enclosed cavity; a first support bracket connected to a portion of an upper edge of each of the inner base members and a second support bracket connected to a second portion of the upper edge of the inner base members at an outer edge of the inner base members, wherein each said second support bracket extends between respective inner base members; a countertop removably connected with a predetermined number of said base members, said first support brackets and said second support brackets; a plurality of vertical support members removably connected with said first support bracket and extending upwardly from said countertops; and a plurality of top members removably fastened to said vertical support members.
- 12. The trade show booth of claim 11, further comprising at least one signage piece removably connected to said vertical support members.
- 13. The trade show booth of claim 12, wherein said at least one signage piece is removably connected to said vertical support members using a Velcro connection.
- 14. The trade show booth of claim 12, wherein said at least one signage piece is removably connected to a bottom surface of said top member using a Velcro connection.
- 15. The trade show booth of claim 11, further comprising at least one lighting device positioned within an aperture located on said top member.
- 16. The trade show booth of claim 11, wherein said base members are removably connected in said predetermined geometric shape using a plurality of Velcro connections.
- 17. The trade show booth of claim 11, wherein said inner base members are removably fastened to said base members using a Velcro connection.
- 18. The trade show booth of claim 11, wherein said countertops are removably fastened to said base members using a Velcro connection.
- 19. The trade show booth of claim 11, wherein said countertop is removably fastened to said first and second support brackets using a Velcro connection.
- 20. The trade show booth of claim 11, wherein said vertical support members are removably connected to said first support bracket using a Velcro connection.
- 21. The trade show booth of claim 11, wherein said top members are removably fastened to said vertical support members using a Velcro connection.
- 22. A method of creating a trade show booth, comprising the steps of:fastening a plurality of base members in a geometric shape to form a partially enclosed cavity using Velcro connections; fastening a plurality of inner base members to a predetermined number of said base members using a Velcro connection; connecting a first support bracket to a portion of an upper edge of a predetermined number of said inner base members; fastening a second support bracket to a second portion of the upper edge of respective inner base members, wherein said second support bracket extends between respective inner base members, wherein said base members, said first support bracket and said second support bracket form a countertop frame; fastening a countertop to each said countertop frame using a Velcro connection; fastening a vertical support member to a portion of said first support bracket using a Velcro connection; and fastening a plurality of top members to an upper portion of said vertical support members using a Velcro connection.
US Referenced Citations (11)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
3835191 |
Jul 1990 |
DE |