Configurable display system and modular display arrangement for consumer electronic devices

• US 7,654,399 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2007
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Blake, Romerio, Raul S., Guiden, Aaron, Scholen, Jonah M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell; Katherine W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramsey; Jeremy C
• Application Number:
  US11/838,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20070272631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 211/128.1, 211/130.1, 211/26, 211/26.2, 211/55, 211/60.1, 211/69, 211/70.6, 211/94.01, 312/107, 312/108, 312/111, 312/140.2, 312/140.3, 312/140.4, 312/223.1, 312/140, 312/234, 248/917, 248/919
• US Class Current: 211/26
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0846 Display panels or rails with elongated channels; Sliders, brackets, shelves, or the like, slidably attached therein
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 7/02 for jewellery, dentures, watches, eye-glasses, lenses, or the like

Abstract

A method of displaying consumer electronic devices comprises supporting a plurality of rails on a frame in a generally parallel, spaced relationship and configuring each rail for slidable movement relative to the frame in a direction generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of each rail. A first row of display units is supported between a first adjacent pair of the rails and a second row of display units between a second adjacent pair of the rails, with each display unit comprising at least one of a device support unit and a plate. The plurality of display units are reconfigurable by exchanging the display units between different lateral positions within at least one of the first and second rows of display units and/or by exchanging at least one display unit between the first row and the second row of display units.

Claims

1. A modular display, comprising:

a plurality of generally rectangular-shaped base modules with each base module including a front portion, a back portion, and a device display system supporting an array of device support units, wherein the device display system includes a first plurality of plates and a second plurality of plates collectively defining a display surface generally extending from the front portion toward the back portion with an upward and rearward inclination, each of the first plurality of plates and the second plurality of plates being selectively secured yet readily removable and reconfigurable with respect to each other and the base module, each of the device support units being coupled with a different corresponding one of the second plurality of plates and extending upwardly from the display surface in a manner adapted to removably secure and support a consumer electronic device spaced from the display surface, wherein the display surface is substantially planar and extends in a direction angled upwardly, and each one of the second plurality of plates is configured to slide within a planarity of the display surface from a first position to a second position previously occupied by a different one of the second plurality of plates within the modular display; and

at least one connecting module including a front portion and being interspersed between one adjacent pair of the respective base modules of the plurality of base modules to enable the front portion of the base modules and the front portion of the at least one connecting module to define a substantially continuous front display surface.

2. The modular display of claim 1 wherein the at least one connecting module comprises:

a pair of sides with each respective side including a first end and a second end, the first end of the respective sides joined together to define a vertex; and

a generally arc-shaped end member extending between the second end of each respective side of the at least one connecting module.

3. The modular display of claim 2 wherein the sides of the at least one connecting module define an angle of about 45 degrees relative to one another, the plurality of base modules comprises five base modules and the at least one connecting module comprises four connecting modules with each respective connecting module interspersed between adjacent pairs of the base modules to enable the respective base modules and the respective connecting modules to form an alternating pattern, and the five base modules and the four connecting modules are arranged together to define a 180 degree panoramic configuration in which two of the five base modules define opposite ends of the 180 degree panoramic configuration.

4. The modular display of claim 1 wherein the at least one connecting module defines a pair of sides forming an angle of no greater than 90 degrees relative to one another and wherein at least two base modules of the plurality of base modules are arranged consecutively in series.

5. The modular display of claim 1, wherein the at least one connecting module is configured to support at least one consumer electronic device and includes a display area comprising an upper surface, a lower surface, and a vertical surface, wherein the vertical surface is interposed between and extends between the upper surface and the lower surface of the display area of the respective connecting module.

17. The modular display of claim 1, wherein each plate of the first plurality of plates and the second plurality of plates is substantially planar.

18. The modular display of claim 1, wherein each of the device support units extends partially downward from the corresponding one of the second plurality of plates into a common open space defined by the base module between the front portion and the back portion of the base module.

19. The modular display of claim 18, wherein the array of device support units comprises a first row of device support units and a second row of device support units, wherein the second row of device support units is nearer the back portion than the first row of device support units, and each of the first row of device support units and the second row of device support units extends into the common open space.

20. The modular display of claim 19, wherein the first plurality of plates include at least one plate interposed between adjacent device support units within at least one of the first row and the second row of device support units to form an alternating pattern of the plates and the respective device support units.

21. The modular display of claim 1, wherein each of the second plurality of plates defines a hole and the modular display further includes a tether configured to be coupled with the consumer electronic device and to extend through the hole of the corresponding one of the second plurality of plates and into a cavity defined by the base module.

6. A modular display, comprising:

a plurality of generally rectangular-shaped base modules with each base module including a front portion, a back portion, and a device display system supporting an array of device support units, wherein the device display system includes a plurality of plates defining a display surface generally extending from the front portion toward the back portion with an upward and rearward inclination, each one of the plurality of plates is slidably repositionable within a plane substantially defined by the display surface between a first position and a second position previously occupied by a different one of the plurality of plates, while being supported by a remainder of a respective one of the plurality of generally rectangular-shaped base modules, and each of the device support units extends upwardly from the display surface in a manner adapted to removably secure and support a consumer electronic device spaced from the display surface; and

at least one connecting module including a front portion and being interspersed between one adjacent pair of the respective base modules of the plurality of base modules to enable the front portion of the base modules and the front portion of the at least one connecting module to define a substantially continuous front display surface, wherein the array of device support units of the device display system of each respective base module comprises;

a first row of device support units and a second row of device support units;

wherein the plurality of plates includes at least one plate interposed between adjacent device support units within at least one of the first row and the second row of device support units to form an alternating pattern of the plates and the respective device support units;

wherein the respective device support units are configured for repositioning relative to each other within the first row, within the second row, or between the first row and the second row.

15. The modular display of claim 6 wherein at least one of the base modules defines a first side, a second side opposite the first side, a front extending between the first side and the second side and a back opposite the front, the first row and the second row each extending in a lateral direction between the first side and the second side of the at least one base module, and wherein the second row is longitudinally spaced from the first row between the front and the back of the at least one of the base modules.

7. A modular display, comprising:

a plurality of generally rectangular-shaped base modules with each base module including a front portion and a device display system supporting an array of device support units, wherein each device support unit is configured to removably secure a consumer electronic device; and

at least one connecting module including a front portion and interspersed between one adjacent pair of the respective base modules of the plurality of base modules to enable the front portion of the base modules and the front portion of the at least one connecting module to define a substantially continuous front display surface;

wherein the device display system of each respective base module comprises;

a base including a front portion and a rear portion wherein a height of the rear portion is greater than a height of the front portion;

a plurality of support members each extending from the front portion to the rear portion of the base of the device display system; and

a plurality of generally flat display units collectively defining an inclined surface extending between the front portion and the rear portion and at least partially supported by the plurality of support members wherein the plurality of generally flat display units are each slidable along the inclined surface to reposition each of the plurality of generally flat display units relative to a remainder of the inclined surface between a first position and a second position, which was previously occupied by a different one of the plurality of generally flat display units, while remaining at least partially supported by the plurality of support members;

wherein the array of device support units is supported by, and extends in series, along a length of each respective support member from the front portion to the rear portion of the base, each of the array of device support units extending upwardly from the inclined surface.

8. A method of displaying consumer electronic devices, the method comprising:

forming a substantially continuous front display surface via a plurality of base modules and a plurality of connecting modules and arranging the respective base modules and the respective connecting modules in an alternating pattern relative to each other;

defining an inclined display surface on top of each of the plurality of base modules with a plurality of plates, wherein each one of the plurality of plates is selectively secured to a respective one of the plurality of base modules to be slidably repositionable within the inclined display surface between a first position and a second position previously occupied by a different one of the plurality of plates, and each of the plurality of plates is substantially planar and is directly suspended over a common open cavity defined by a respective one of the plurality of base modules;

defining a horizontal display surface on top of at least one of the plurality of connecting modules; and

displaying a plurality of consumer electronic devices in a reconfigurable arrangement on the respective base modules, wherein each of the plurality of consumer electronic devices is supported on a separate support unit extending upwardly from the inclined display surface.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein forming the substantially continuous front display surface comprises:

providing the base modules to include a generally rectangular shape; and

providing the respective connecting modules to include a pair of sides defining an angle of no more than 90 degrees relative to each other.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein forming the substantially continuous front display surface comprises arranging the respective connecting modules and respective base modules to define a 180 degree panoramic configuration.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the angle between the sides of the respective connecting modules comprises about 45 degrees, and wherein forming the substantially continuous front display surface comprises defining a vertex between a first end of the respective side portions and defining a generally arc-shaped member extending between a second end of the respective side portions of the connecting module.

12. A modular display comprising:

a first side;

a second side opposite the first side;

a front extending between the first side and the second side;

a back opposite the front;

means for displaying multiple rows of consumer electronic devices in a reconfigurable pattern, wherein the means for displaying comprises;

a first row of device support units and a second row of device support units, the first row and the second row each extending in a lateral direction between the first side and the second side of the modular display, wherein the second row is longitudinally spaced from the first row between the front and the back; and

a plurality of plates with at least one plate interposed between adjacent device support units within at least one of the first row and the second row of device support units to form an alternating pattern of the plates and the device support units; and

means for supporting the means for displaying and for arranging the means for displaying in a 180 degree panoramic configuration;

wherein the plurality of plates collectively define a display surface extending between the front and the back, each of the first row of device support units and the second row of device support units extends upwardly from the display surface, the display surface is substantially planar and substantially continuous between the front and the back and the device support units are each configured to receive an electronic device and to maintain the electronic device spaced from the display surface, and each one of the plurality of plates is slidably repositionable within a planarity of the display surface while coupled with a remainder of the means for displaying between a first positions and a second position that was previously occupied by a different one of the plurality of plates.

13. The modular display of claim 12 wherein the means for supporting comprises a plurality of rectangular-shaped base modules and a plurality of connecting modules wherein one of the respective connecting modules is positioned between adjacent pairs of the base modules, wherein opposite ends of the 180 degree panoramic configuration are defined by the respective base modules and each respective connecting module includes a pair of sides defining an angle of no more than 90 degrees relative to each other.

14. The modular display of claim 13, wherein the respective device support units are configured for repositioning relative to each other within the first row, within the second row, or between the first row and the second row.

16. The modular display of claim 12, wherein the display surface is upwardly inclined as the display surface extends toward the back.