Suspension arrangement
There is described a suspension arrangement (1) comprising a plate (2). The plate is provided with grooves (17) at the bottom of which there are holes (20) and may be used for supporting a shelf support holder (83). At the back side, the plate is provided with mounting fittings (22) that interact with vertical support members (21). The grooves communicate with holes (20) along part of their length, the holes opening at the back side. The suspension fittings may hereby be mounted so that they extend through a hole (20) and bears with a first support part against the back side of the plate (2) and a second support part that bears against the bottom of the groove (17). As the grooves (17) may be disposed with arbitrary spacing, it becomes possible to dispose suspension fitting with very great flexibility with regard to mutual spacing and level on the plate.
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The present invention concerns a suspension arrangement including a plate with means for mounting suspension fittings and with coupling means that interact with coupling means on a support.
The invention furthermore concerns a method for making a suspension arrangement including a plate with means for mounting suspension fittings and with coupling means that interact with coupling means on a support.
A large number of suspension arrangements are known which primarily are used in shops for displaying products. These suspension systems are based on modular dimensions determined from the spacing between supports that usually are formed as vertical members which are fastened to a wall. On these members suspension fittings in the shape of support holders are fastened for supporting shelves that are used for displaying articles/products. Alternatively, suspension fittings in the form of hangers may be provided between two juxtaposed members for supporting hooks or other suspension fittings on which the products are placed.
Some articles, like audio equipment, also necessitate supply of power in order that they may operate. Individual lighting may also be required for providing correct presentation of the goods.
If electric wiring is to be provided, a unsightly mess of wires will often appear, influencing the aesthetic presentation of the articles in a negative way. It is therefore desirable to hide the wires as much as possible. Until now, this has widely been effected by hiding wiring in wire ducts that are fastened to the members and the underside of the shelves. However, this has been associated with drawbacks, among others because the wires would still be visible at the passage around edges on shelves, and because replacing just one single article requires a dismounting of wire ducts in order to release the wires.
The articles may have different shape and size that put different demands on shelves or suspension hooks.
Today, there are great demands on the arranging of articles in correct groups with corresponding articles, e.g. pants together with shirts, socks and ties. Each of these products makes demands to suspension fittings, as some are to be displayed on shelves and others on hooks/pegs. It is often difficult to utilise an available wall area efficiently, due to the restrictions of the module determined by the distance between the members of the support. In order to get optimal utilisation of the wall area, there is need for a small spacing between the support members. This will, however, add to the costs of producing the suspension arrangement.
In prior art suspension arrangements, backgrounds are often a part of the display and contribute to the presentation of the articles. Posters or pictures are therefore placed on the walls between the members in order to enhance correct presentation of the articles. Mounting of posters is thus determined by the module too which is defined by the spacing between juxtaposed support members.
For several years, there has thus existed a desire for efficient utilisation of space and an aesthetically correct presentation of articles in a suspension arrangement where the spacing of the support members does not form a restriction, and where there is possibility of presenting articles at individually determined locations and with individually determined disposition of hooks, shelves or other members. There is also a desire for the suspension arrangement to be used for power consuming articles without the well-known mess of electric wires.
According to the present invention, this is achieved with a suspension arrangement of the type mentioned in the introduction, which is peculiar in that the plate has a front side from which the suspension fittings are projecting, and a back side on which the mounting means of the plate are disposed, and that the plate is provided at its front side with grooves that along a part of their extension communicate with holes that open on the back side, as the suspension fittings are mounted extending through a hole for supporting with a first support member on the back side and with a second support member supporting against the bottom of the groove.
The method according to the invention is peculiar in that the plate is made with a back side on which the mounting means of the plate are disposed, and with a front side which is provided with grooves that over a part of their extension communicate with holes that open up on the back side, and that the suspension fittings are mounted projecting from the front side of the plate, as they are mounted extending through a hole for supporting with a first support member against the back side and with a second support member supporting against the bottom of the groove.
In the plate it is possible to dispose the grooves with a mutual spacing which is substantially less than the spacing between traditional support members on a wall. Also, it is possible with very little spacing between successive holes in a groove. It is thus possible to operate with rather small modules and thereby achieve very flexible utilisation of the display area. Thereby it becomes possible to dispose products in correct grouping even if they require different support/suspension. For example, pants, shirts, socks and ties may be hanged on hangers/hooks or laid on shelves. Thus it is easy to get an efficient utilisation of an available wall area, as one is not bound by the module determined by the distance between the members of the support or by a modular measure for the height between shelves.
By malting a display wall, the plate will preferably be mounted together with juxtaposed identical plates for forming an unbroken wall face which at the front side only display grooves that preferably will be vertically oriented. Alternatively, the grooves may run obliquely or even horizontally if desired. A wall will thus appear for the viewer, from which wall the suspension fittings are projecting. No support members, shelf brackets and back wall appear as is the case with the prior art display walls.
It is possible to enhance the viewer's impression of an unbroken wall by providing an unbroken pattern or picture on the surface of the plates. According to a further embodiment of the invention, the suspension arrangement is thus peculiar in that the front side of the plate is provided with an image formed at the surface of the front side and at the bottom face of the grooves.
Hereby, the wall will appear with a uniformity so that the viewer on the whole cannot see the grooves, irrespectively if these are having sidewalls that run perpendicularly to the bottom face of the groove and the surface of the plate. This is particularly the case if the grooves are shallow so that the sidewalls of the grooves have negligible dimensions compared with the area of the plate surface and the bottom surfaces of the grooves. Alternatively, the grooves may have inclining course in relation to the bottom surface of the groove and the surface of the plate, so that an image is also formed on the sidewalls.
According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the method for making the suspension arrangement is peculiar in that the front side of the plate is provided with an image formed at the surface of the front side and at the bottom face of the grooves, as the image is preferably produced by an inkjet printer. By applying the image with an inkjet printer or by corresponding application technology, in a simple way there may be formed an unbroken image at the front side of the plate/display wall.
It is possible to mount suspension fittings in the shape of shelf support holders, brackets, lamp fittings etc., in the holes. These suspension fittings may be designed in different ways known per se, for bearing against the front side as well as the back side of the plate. At the part projecting from the front side, these suspension fittings will preferably have a thickness corresponding to the width of a groove. Thereby is achieved a stabilising support in lateral direction, which is particularly advantageous for suspension fittings that do no interact with other suspension fittings or shelves. The projecting hooks are thus mounted in a stable way, without any need for stabilising plates for bearing against the surface of the wall.
The holes formed through the plate may be used for passing through power wires for supplying power to displayed articles or for power supply to lamps, or other wires for use in the transmission of signals or data, e.g. loudspeaker wires that connect a displayed amplifier with loudspeakers displayed at another location on the display wall. All wiring may thus be provided at the back side of the plate/display wall.
For easy access to the wires and at the same time to have space behind the plate needed for wiring, the suspension arrangement according to a further embodiment of the invention will be peculiar in that the support and/or the coupling means of the plate include interacting hook-shaped projections. Alternatively, other coupling means may be used which enable removal of the plate from the support when the need for accessing the back side of the plate arises. At the back side of the plate, fittings may be provided for power supply and/or wire trays for other wires for signal and data transmission. Such fittings and trays may be mounted at the back side of the plate or on support members on which the plate is mounted.
Furthermore, it is also preferred that the coupling means of the support is formed on a support section which is mounted on a building wall and which has coupling means that interact with coupling means on a reinforcement section at the back side of the plate in order to provide an interspace between the building wall and the back side of the plate.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the suspension arrangement is peculiar in that the coupling means of the plate are formed on angular reinforcement sections fastened along the length of the plate. Reinforcement against bulging of the plate, even if heavily loaded, is hereby achieved. Such reinforcement sections will usually be positioned with vertical orientation and adapted for interacting with vertical support members that are mounted on the building wall.
According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the suspension arrangement is peculiar in that the holes are formed as drillings extending from the back side and partly through the plate to a position approximately at the bottom of the grooves. Alternatively, the holes may be formed by disposing plate members or planks, which have mutual spacing, so that through-going holes appear where the grooves and the mutual spacing are crossing an interspace between the plate members. However, from a manufacturing point of view drilling of holes is a more simple process, and simultaneously is achieved a more flexurally rigid construction in that the rearmost thickness of the plate can be continuous.
The plate may be formed as a solid plate with milled grooves and drilled holes, or as a laminated sheet or plate. According to a further embodiment of the invention, the suspension arrangement is thus peculiar in that the plate is formed as a laminated sheet or plate with the grooves formed between juxtaposed elongated front side plates. These elongated front side plates may in a simple way be glued on a base plate, subsequent to the latter being provided with holes in a previous process step. This may be done in an inline production.
Holes are drilled in the plate, the holes extending from the back side and partly through the plate to a position approximately at the bottom of the grooves, or, as an alternative, through-going holes may be made in a base plate.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, the suspension arrangement is peculiar in that the grooves have a width between 3 and 8 mm, preferably between 4 and 6 mm, that the grooves have a depth between 3 and 8 mm, preferably between 4 and 6 mm, and that the spacing between juxtaposed grooves is between 30 and 250 mm, preferably between 80 and 100 mm. The grooves will hereby only constitute a limited part of the total surface of a display wall, and additionally there will be achieved a good stabilising support laterally, sufficient enough for most fields of application of the display wall for displaying retail articles.
Other dimensions may, however, be necessary, if the suspension arrangement is used for heavy items, e.g. tools in workshops, DIY centres or tool stores.
In the above, the invention has been described in connection with a display wall. However, it is noted that the invention also may find application within other fields where flexible suspension of different products is desired, and where possibly it is also desirable to hide the wiring. This may e.g. be the case in walls of offices, and where a wall may be a freely standing partitioning, or in hotels where a wall can be made for flexible disposition of bed tables, lamps, desk sheets, television apparatuses etc.
The invention will now be described further with reference to the accompanying drawing, where:
Identical or corresponding elements in different Figures of the drawing will be provided with the same designations. Each single detail will thus not be explained in connection with each Figure.
In the interspace 8 formed between the wall 3 and the back side 7 of the plates 2, panels 9 are provided for electric installations. Electric connections 10 provided at the wall 3 will thus be used for passing wires via the vertical panels 9 to a desired level, as the installations are hidden behind the plates 2. In
The suspension arrangement furthermore includes lamps 12 for illuminating the articles to be displayed. On
The plates 2 comprise vertical grooves 17 disposed with mutual spacing 18 which is substantially less than the mutual spacing 19 between two subsequent reinforcement sections 4 at the back side of the plates.
By the plates it thus becomes possible to mount suspension fittings in a very flexible way, irrespectively whether electric or signal wiring for the displayed articles is required or not.
Furthermore, it is noted that the suspension fittings can be disposed as shelf support holders supporting shelves with different widths, but at least a shelf width corresponding to the spacing between two succeeding grooves 17. Alternatively, hooks or pegs may also be disposed in each single groove for suspending articles that only require suspension on a hook or a peg which does not need to have a dimension wider than the width of the individual groove 17.
On the detail views on
On the enlarged detailed views furthermore appears that the grooves 17 have a depth 27 and a width 28. In a specific embodiment, the depth will be 5 mm, and the width will correspondingly be 5 mm. The spacing between juxtaposed grooves 17 is 95 mm. The grooves will thus only cover a limited part of the surface of the plate, and due to the depth of the grooves, the through-going opening will only be visible for a viewer to a very limited extent. The wall surface of the suspension arrangement will thus appear largely unbroken with a pattern of vertical grooves.
The wall may appear more as unbroken when an image is applied to it in a way explained below with reference to
The plate 2 with the opening 29 will be intended for external power supply, whereas the other narrow plate 2 will be intended for covering an internal power supply which is carried in the panel 29 behind the plate 2. The plates can be made of various materials, but will preferably be made of wood. For all embodiments it is may be so that the plates are provided with openings as well as milled grooves, or alternatively be provided with a base plate in which the holes 20 are drilled and where a number of juxtaposed elongated front side plates are provided that mutually form the grooves 17.
The suspension fittings will thus have support parts 34 against the back side of the plate and support parts 36 that bear against the bottom of the groove 17. Furthermore, the thickness of the suspension fittings will ensure lateral stabilisation of the suspension fittings. On
47 illustrates an angular support holder with a first section 48 and a second section 49 displaced in relation to the first section, and which is connected to a vertical section 50.
51 illustrates a so-called nick arm which is a suspension fitting extending obliquely in relation to the plate, and which at its top side is provided with a number of notches, e.g. for the support of brackets. The length may be 364 mm.
53 designates a hook which is intended for interaction with the spike-bars 41, 42. The hook 43 has rear branches 54 intended for disposition at the back side of a plate 55 in the spike-bars 41, 42, and a front hook part 56 which is provided for disposition at the front of the plate 55.
57 designates a hook which is intended for placing in wall plate. The hook may have a thickness of 5 mm and lengths of 150, 200 or 250 mm.
The angular edge area 69 is intended for interacting with slots 70 which are illustrated in
The
In the mounted plates there is provided various examples of mounting means of the type illustrated in
In
In the above, the invention is described with reference to a separate embodiment where the suspension arrangement is shown in an embodiment for forming a display wall. Alternatively, it is possible to erect the plates to that they appear as a freely standing wall with two plates disposed at each their side of a frame, so that installations and support are located within the frame, and where the front side of the plates with grooves is mounted at opposite sides of such a free-standing wall.
Claims
1. Suspension arrangement including a plate with means for mounting suspension fittings which plate is provided at its front side with grooves that along a part of their extension communicate with holes that open on the back side, as the suspension fittings are mounted extending through a hole for supporting with a first support member on the back side and with a second support member supporting against the bottom of the groove side and which plate has a front side from which the suspension fittings are projecting, wherein the plate has a back side on which mounting means of the plate are disposed, and wherein the mounting means of the plate interact with coupling means on a support.
2. Suspension arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the holes are formed as drillings extending from the back side and partly through the plate to a position approximately at the bottom of the grooves.
3. Suspension arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the plate is formed as a laminated sheet with the grooves formed between juxtaposed elongated front side plates.
4. Suspension arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the grooves have a width between 3 and 8 mm, preferably between 4 and 6 mm, that the grooves have a depth between 3 and 8 mm, preferably between 4 and 6 mm, and that the spacing between juxtaposed grooves is between 60 and 200 mm, preferably between 80 and 100 mm.
5. Suspension arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the front side of the plate is provided with an image formed at the surface of the front side and at the bottom face of the grooves.
6. Suspension arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that the coupling means of the support and/or plate include interacting hook-shaped projections.
7. Suspension arrangement according to claim 6, characterised in that the coupling means of the plate are formed on angular reinforcement sections fastened over the length of the plate.
8. Method for making a suspension arrangement including a plate with means for mounting suspension fittings which plate is provided at its front side with grooves that along a part of their extension communicate with holes that open on the back side, as the suspension fittings are mounted extending through a hole for supporting with a first support member on the back side and with a second support member supporting against the bottom of the groove side and which plate has a front side from which the suspension fittings are projecting, wherein the plate is made with a back side on which mounting means of the plate are disposed, and wherein the mounting means of the plate is made to interact with coupling means on a support.
9. Method according to claim 8, characterised in that holes are drilled in the plate, the holes extending from the back side and partly through the plate to a position approximately at the bottom of the grooves.
10. Method according to claim 8, characterised in that the front side of the plate is provided with an image formed at the surface of the front side and at the bottom face of the grooves, as the image is preferably produced by an inkjet printer.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 11, 2004
Publication Date: Jun 21, 2007
Applicants: ,
Inventors: Kim Sorensen (Vibong), Morten Kristensen (Spottrup), Uffe Nielsen (Ringkobin)
Application Number: 10/579,134
International Classification: A63H 33/06 (20060101);