Configurable display system and modular display arrangement for consumer electronic devices

• US 8,522,985 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2010
• Issued: 09/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Scholen, Jonah M., Nielsen, Blake, Romerio, Raul S., Guiden, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, Katherine
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMSEY, JEREMY C
• Application Number:
  US12/697,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20100133209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 211/153, 211/26, 312/140.4, 312/140.3, 312/140.2, 312/111, 312/108, 312/107
• 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 display system comprising:

a base unit having a front and a back and including a top surface defining a first substantially linear row of holes and a second substantially linear row of holes, wherein;

the back of the base unit is taller than the front of the base unit,

the first substantially linear row of holes is positioned nearer the front of the base unit than the second substantially linear row of holes,

the second substantially linear row of holes is positioned above the first substantially linear row of holes relative to a floor supporting the base unit, and

the first substantially linear row of holes and the second substantially linear row of holes extend substantially parallel to one another;

wherein the first substantially linear row of holes and the second substantially linear row of holes are defined by a substantially planar top surface extending between the front and the back of the base unit, the substantially planar top surface being collectively defined by a plurality of plates, each of the plurality of plates is slidably interchangeable with other ones of the plurality of plates within the substantially planar top surface to vary positions of one of the first substantially linear row of holes within the substantially planar top surface, and each hole of the first substantially linear row of holes is formed through a different one of the plurality of plates; and

a plurality of electronic devices each having a power source extending therefrom and through a different hole of the first substantially linear row of holes and the second substantially linear row of holes and into the base unit.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein each of the first substantially linear row of holes and the second substantially linear row of holes extends parallel to a frontmost edge of the base unit.

3. The display system of claim 2, wherein the base unit defines a substantially vertical front surface extending substantially parallel to the frontmost edge of the base unit, the substantially vertical front surface being rearwardly recessed relative to the frontmost edge of the base unit.

4. The display system of claim 1, wherein the back of the base unit extends higher than the second substantially linear row of holes relative to the floor.

5. The display system of claim 1, wherein each of the first substantially linear row of holes and the second substantially linear row of holes includes three or more holes in a linear array.

6. The display system of claim 1, wherein:

the base unit includes two opposing sides each extending between the front and the back of the base unit,

the display system further comprises a corner unit including;

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

a generally arc-shaped end member extending between the second end of each respective one of the pair of sides of the corner unit, and

a tiered top including an upper tier surface and a lower tier surface each extending between the pair of sides, the upper tier surface being positioned nearer the vertex than the lower tier surface; and

at least one of the pair of sides of the corner unit is positioned immediately adjacent to one of the two opposing sides of the base unit.

7. The display system of claim 6, wherein the base unit and the corner unit are each one of a plurality of units positioned side to side to define the display system in a manner providing display surfaces over a 180 degree area.

8. The display system of claim 1, wherein:

the base unit is a first base unit,

the plurality of electronic devices is a first plurality of electronic devices, and

the display system further comprises;

a second base unit having a front, a back, and two opposing sides and including a top surface defining a third substantially linear row of holes and a fourth substantially linear row of holes, wherein;

the back of the second base unit is taller than the front of the second base unit,

the third substantially linear row of holes is positioned nearer the front of the second base unit than the fourth substantially linear row of holes,

the fourth substantially linear row of holes is positioned above the third substantially linear row of holes relative to the floor supporting the first base unit and the second base unit, and

the third substantially linear row of holes and the fourth substantially linear row of holes extend substantially parallel with one another; and

a second plurality of electronic devices having power supplies extending therefrom and through a different hole of one of the third substantially linear row of holes and the fourth substantially linear row of holes and into the base unit.

9. The display system of claim 8, wherein:

each of the first substantially linear row of holes and the second substantially linear row of holes extends parallel to a frontmost edge of the first base unit,

each of the first substantially linear row of holes and the second substantially linear row of holes includes three or more holes in a linear array,

the first base unit defines a substantially vertical front surface extending substantially parallel to the frontmost edge of the first base unit, the substantially vertical front surface being rearwardly offset from the frontmost edge of the first base unit, and

the back of the first base unit is positioned higher than the second substantially linear row of holes.

10. The display system of claim 9, wherein:

the first base unit defines two opposing sides,

the display system further comprises a corner unit including;

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

extending between the second end of each respective side of the corner unit, and

a tiered top including an upper tier surface and a lower tier surface each extending between the pair of sides, the upper tier surface being positioned nearer the vertex than the lower tier surface,

a first side of the pair of sides of the corner unit is positioned immediately adjacent one of the two opposing sides of the first base unit,

a second side of the pair of sides of the corner unit is positioned immediately adjacent one of the two opposing sides of the second base unit,

the display system further comprises at least one sign unit extending upwardly and angling away from the top surface between the first substantially linear row of holes and the second substantially linear row of holes, the at least one sign unit being configured to support signage relating to the one or more of the plurality of electronic devices, and

the signage supported by the at least one sign unit extends upwardly and angles away from the top surface.

11. The display system of claim 1, further comprising at least one sign unit extending upwardly from the top surface between the first substantially linear row of holes and the second substantially linear row of holes, the at least one sign unit being configured to support signage relating to the one or more of the plurality of electronic devices.

12. The display system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electronic devices includes a plurality of cameras.

13. A method of displaying electronic devices, the method comprising:

assembling a display system on a supporting floor, the assembling comprising;

providing a base module having a front and a back and including a substantially planar top surface defining a first row of apertures and a second row of apertures, wherein;

the first row of apertures and the second row of apertures are each substantially linear,

the back of the base module is taller than the front of the base module,

the first row of apertures is positioned nearer the front of the base module than the second row of apertures,

the second row of apertures is positioned above the first row of apertures relative to the supporting floor,

the first row of apertures and the second row of apertures extend substantially parallel to one another,

the substantially planar top surface is collectively defined by a plurality of plates that are each slidably repositionable within a plane substantially defined by the substantially planar top surface between a first position and a second position previously occupied by a different one of the plurality of plates,

wherein each aperture in the first row of apertures and the second row of apertures is defined by a different one of the plurality of plates, the display system further includes device support units each extending through and above a different aperture of the first row of apertures and the second row of apertures to support a consumer electronic device above the plurality of plates, and assembly of the display system includes sliding the plurality of plates to a desired one of the first position and the second position to layout the first row of apertures and the second row of apertures in a desired manner; and

placing a plurality of electronic devices each having a power source extending therefrom for display on the device support units including placing each of the plurality of electronic devices such that each power source extends through a different aperture of the first row of apertures and the second row of apertures and into the base module to form a first row of electronic devices and a second row of electronic devices.

14. The method of claim 13, the assembling the display system results in each of the first row of apertures and the second row of apertures extending parallel to a frontmost edge of the base module.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the providing the base module includes providing the base module to define a substantially vertical front surface extending substantially parallel to the frontmost edge of the base module, the substantially vertical front surface being rearwardly recessed relative to the frontmost edge of the base module.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the providing the base module includes providing the base module such that the back of the base module extends higher than the second row of apertures relative to the supporting floor.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the providing the base module includes providing the base module to include two opposing sides each extending between the front and the back of the base module,

assembling the display system further comprises providing a connecting module, the connecting module including;

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

a generally arc-shaped end member extending between the second end of each respective side of the connecting module, and

a tiered top including an upper tier surface and a lower tier surface each extending between the pair of sides, the upper tier surface being positioned nearer the vertex than the lower tier surface, and

at least one of the pair of sides of the connecting module is positioned immediately adjacent to one of the two opposing sides of the base module.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the base module and the connecting module are each one of a plurality of modules, and

the assembling the display system includes positioning the plurality of modules side by side to define the display system in a manner providing display surfaces over a 180 degree area.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the base module is a first base module,

the plurality of electronic devices is a first plurality of electronic devices, and

the assembling the display system further comprises;

providing a second base module having a front, a back, and two opposing sides and including a top surface defining a third row of apertures and a fourth row of apertures, wherein;

the third row of apertures and the fourth row of apertures are each substantially linear,

the back of the second base module is taller than the front of the second base module,

the third row of apertures is positioned nearer the front of the second base module than the fourth row of apertures,

the fourth row of apertures is positioned above the third row of apertures relative to the supporting floor, both the first base module and the second base module being positioned on the supporting floor, and

the third row of apertures and the fourth row of apertures extend substantially parallel with one another,

positioning a second plurality of electronic devices each having a power supply extending therefrom relative to the base module such that each power supply extend through a different aperture of one of the third row of apertures and the fourth row of apertures and into the base module,

positioning a first side of the pair of sides of the connecting module adjacent one of the two opposing sides of the first base module, and

positioning a second side of the pair of sides of the connecting module adjacent one of the two opposing sides of the second base module.