Foldable display stand

Abstract

A foldable display stand of sheet material has a back panel having at least one elongated transverse slit therein, a pair of side panels each having first and second opposing edges of which the first edge is hingedly connected to a respective one of two opposite side edges of the back panel so that each of the side panels can be positioned along substantially the same plane as the back panel, and at least one front panel having first and second opposite sides which are respectively hingedly attached to the second edges of the side panels, so that the front panel extends along a plane substantially parallel to the back panel. The display stand further includes at least one shelf hingedly connected to an edge of the front panel which extends between the first and second sides of the front panel, the shelf extending from such edge of the front panel through the associated slit in the back panel. There is further provided a biasing arrangement operative for urging the side panels into substantially parallel planes substantially normal to those of the front and back panels, the biasing arrangement including transverse walls each connected to one of the side panels substantially centrally thereof and having a slot which opens toward the shelf, and an endless elastic element having two reversing portions receiving in the slots and two element portions extending along the opposite major surface of the transverse walls between the reversing portions.

I claim: 
     
       1. A foldable display stand comprising a back panel having two lateral edges and including at least one elongated slit extending across said back panel substantially normal to said lateral edges;   at least one pair of said panels each hingedly connected to said back panel at one of said lateral edges and having a substantially centrally situated fold line extending substantially parallel to the respective lateral edge and subdividing the respective side panel into two portions for folding on top of one another next to said back panel in a collapsed condition, and for extending substantially along a common plane substantially normal to that of said back panel in an erect condition, of the display stand;   at least one front panel connected to said side panels to span the distance therebetween at respective end portions thereof remote from said back panel;   at least one shelf hingedly connected to said front panel and extending therefrom into and beyond said slit to be supported in the latter in a substantially horizontal position in said erect condition, and to be juxtaposed with said back panel behind the same in said collapsed condition, of the display stand;   at least one pair of connecting portions each hingedly connected to one of said side panels at the region of said fold line thereof and extending therefrom into the space between said front and back panel underneath said shelf as considered in said erect position and toward each other, each of said connecting portions having an elongated slot extending substantially normal to said shelf in said erect condition and opening onto an edge of the respective connecting portion; and   an endless elastically yieldable element having reversing portions received in said slots and element portions interconnecting said reversing portions and extending along those zones of said connecting portions which are located between the respective slots for urging said connecting portions toward one another and thus said side panel portions toward said common planes of said side panels to erect the display stand with snap action.   
     
     
       2. The display stand as defined in claim 1, wherein said edge of the respective connecting portion is that which is close to said shelf for the latter to close the open end of said slot in said erect condition. 
     
     
       3. The display stand as defined in claim 1, wherein said shelf rests on an upper edge region of each of said connecting portions in said erect condition. 
     
     
       4. The display stand as defined in claim 1, wherein said shelf in hingedly connected to an upper edge of said front panel and has a section depending from the latter for such a section and the corresponding zone of said front panel to form a barrier for confining articles supported on said shelf in said erect condition. 
     
     
       5. The display stand as defined in claim 1, wherein said side panels extend to an elevation higher than that of said shelf in said erect condition to provide lateral barriers for confining articles supported on said shelf in said erect condition. 
     
     
       6. The display stand as defined in claim 1, wherein said side panels have extension portions situated outside the region of said front portion, and reinforcing portions folded on top of said extension portions to reinforce the same. 
     
     
       7. The display stand as defined in claim 1, wherein each of said connecting portions includes a first connecting section of one piece with one, and a second connecting section of one piece with the other, of said side panel portions, said first and second connecting sections being separate from one another and secured to one another in juxtaposition with each other to form the respective connecting portion. 
     
     
       8. A display stand erectable from a collapsed condition to an erect condition, comprising: a back panel;   at least one pair of said panels each hingedly connected to said back panel;   at least one front panel connected to said side panels to span the distance therebetween at respective end portions thereof remote from said back panel;   at least one shelf hingedly connected to said front panel and extending in a substantially horizontal position in said erect condition, and juxtaposed with said back panel in said collapsed condition of the display stand;   at least one pair of connecting portions each hingedly connected to one of said side panels and extending into the space between said front and back panels underneath said shelf as considered in said erect condition and toward each other, each of said connecting portions having an elongated slot extending substantially normal to said shelf in said erect condition and opening onto an edge of the respective connecting portion, said shelf resting on an upper edge region of each of said connecting portions in said erect condition; and   an endless elastically yieldable element having reversing portions received in said slots and element portions interconnecting said reversing portions and extending along those zones of said connecting portions which are located between the respective slots for urging said connecting portions toward one another, thus erecting the display stand with a snap-type action. .Iadd.   
     
     
       9.  A foldable display stand erectable, when unfolded, from a collapsed condition to an erect display condition, comprising: a shelf movable from a first position in the collapsed condition, to a load-bearing second position in the erect display condition of the stand;   shelf support means movable from a shelf non-supporting position in the collapsed condition, to a shelf supporting position in which the shelf support means lies underneath the shelf and supports the shelf from below the shelf in the erect display condition;   means on the shelf support means for directly biasing the shelf support means toward the shelf supporting position when the stand is unfolded from the collapsed condition; and   means for translating the movement of the shelf support means toward the shelf supporting position, for automatically moving the shelf to the load-bearing second position. .Iaddend..Iadd.10. The display stand as recited in claim 9, wherein the shelf and the shelf support means are panels which are juxtaposed with each other in the collapsed condition and which extend along intersecting planes in the erect condition. .Iaddend.   
     
     
        .Iadd.11.  The display stand as recited in claim 9; and further comprising generally planar front and rear panels juxtaposed with each other in the collapsed condition and spaced apart from each other in the erect condition; and wherein the shelf support means includes a support panel lying in, and movable along, a plane extending between, and generally parallel to, the front and rear panels. .Iaddend. .Iadd.12. The display stand as recited in claim 11; and further comprising generally planar side panels extending between the front and rear panels; and wherein the support panel is juxtaposed with the side panels in the collapsed condition and extends generally perpendicular to the side panels in the erect condition. .Iaddend. .Iadd.13. The display stand as recited in claim 12, wherein the side panels include two pairs of side panel portions at opposite sides of the stand, and wherein the shelf support means includes another support panel co-planar with said first-mentioned support panel; and wherein the biasing means is operative for moving the support panels from the shelf non-supporting position in which the support panels are further apart from each other toward the shelf-supporting position in 
     
     
        which the support panels are spaced closer together. .Iaddend. .Iadd.14. The display stand as recited in claim 9; and further comprising generally planar side panels at opposite sides of the stand, and wherein the shelf support means includes a pair of support panels each hingedly connected to a respective side panel. .Iaddend. .Iadd.15. The display stand as recited in claim 14, wherein each side panel includes a pair of side panel portions, and wherein each support panel includes a pair of support panel portions, and wherein each pair of support panel portions is located between each pair of side panel portions in the collapsed condition. .Iaddend. .Iadd.16. The display stand as recited in claim 9; and further comprising a front panel hingedly connected to the shelf. .Iaddend. .Iadd.17. The display stand as recited in claim 16; and further comprising a rear panel juxtaposed with, and spaced apart from, the front panel in the collapsed and erect conditions, respectively; and also comprising foldable side panels extending between the front and the rear panels; and wherein the shelf support means includes a pair of support panels each connected to a respective side panel; and wherein the side panels are folded outwardly in the collapsed condition to thereby position the support panels at a predetermined distance apart from each other, and wherein the biasing means is operative to move the support panels toward each other and to correspondingly unfold and move the side panels toward each other; and wherein the movement of the side panels is translated into movement of the shelf to the second position by virtue of the movement of the side panels causing the front panel to move away from the rear panel. .Iaddend. .Iadd.18. The display stand as recited in claim 17, wherein the rear panel has a slit through which the shelf extends and is supported in the erect condition. .Iaddend. .Iadd.19. The display stand as recited in claim 9, wherein the shelf support means includes at least one support panel having an upper surface on which the shelf rests in the erect condition. .Iaddend. .Iadd.20. The display stand as recited in claim 19, wherein the shelf support means includes another support panel having an upper surface on which the shelf rests in the erect condition; and wherein the biasing means includes an energy storing element connected to both support panels. .Iaddend. .Iadd.21. The display stand as recited in claim 20, wherein both support panels have mounting means in which the element is mounted, said element being stretchable between a high-tensioned state in the collapsed condition and a low-tensioned state in the erect condition. .Iaddend.