FIXING DEVICE AND DISPLAY FOR PRODUCTS WITH A STICK

Abstract

A device for fixing edible products with a stick (10), comprising a hollow body (1) having an open end (2) suitable for insertion of the stick (10), a longitudinal cut (4) extending the entire length of the hollow body, a base (3) at the opposite end to the open end (2), to which the hollow body is not attached by a portion (6) extending angularly from the longitudinal cut (4) in an extent between 45° and 180°.

Description

FIXING DEVICE AND DISPLAY FOR PRODUCTS WITH A STICK 77b L Ln / Cznz / B / Yl The invention relates to a device for fixing edible products on a stick, comprising a hollow body configured to fit different types of sticks. STATE OF THE ART Devices for securing products on sticks, such as those described in CA2132459C, are known for use with balloons, flowers, or decorative objects in general. These devices comprise a receptacle and a retention means within the receptacle, allowing for the holding of sticks of various diameters for display purposes and ensuring a degree of stability for the product inside. The problem with these devices is that they require retention means such as a self-adhesive coating or a magnetic element. In the first case, this can create an unpleasant experience for consumers handling the product, as they may find themselves dealing with a sticky stick. In the second case, it forces the stick manufacturer to choose a material that can be attracted to a magnet. Furthermore, devices for securing edible products, such as those described in WO0106897, are known. These devices, thanks to the combination of a hollow body, preferably prismatic or trapezoidal, and a pin housed within it, allow the products to be firmly attached to a display stand without, however, preventing their effortless removal by the customer. However, this device is only suitable for products with a hollow stick and is therefore not useful for products with a solid stick. With reference to edible products with non-hollow sticks, other solutions are known to exist on the market, such as the one shown in Figures 1a and 1b (see, for example, US 3431041 A1), which provide a diagonal positioning of the sticks within the holes so that the product does not fall off the display, since the support cannot hold the sticks firmly in position. This type of solution exposes part of the sticks and does not allow for an adequately dense distribution of products on the display. The simplest and best-known solution is the one shown in Figure 1c, which allows edible and non-edible products to be displayed vertically, regardless of the type of stick used, but has the disadvantage of occupying a very large surface area in relation to the number of products displayed. All the solutions known and described above also require that the product be inserted into the fixing device by an operator to avoid breakage of the stick or incorrect insertion into the cavities, which would be caused by a robot or, in general, an automatic filling process. US 4798554 A describes, in the embodiment of Figure 4, Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7, Figure 8, and Figure 9, a funnel-shaped ball holder comprising a conical cup and a hollow stem. A longitudinal slit extends the entire length of the ball holder, from the upper end of the cup to the lower end of the stem, to allow the insertion of a ball neck into the holder. The stem is inserted into one end of a hollow ball stick. The stem is shaped such that it provides space between the stem and the ball stick for a portion of the ball neck so that the entire neck of the ball is concealed. Therefore, there remains a need to provide fastening devices for edible and non-edible products with sticks that are capable of securely holding hollow and non-hollow sticks, and with different diameters, and a need to provide fastening devices designed for automatic filling by robots and / or automated production lines. The object of the invention is precisely to provide a device that satisfies the needs mentioned above. This object is achieved by means of the device for fixing edible products with a stick, which has the characteristics of the attached independent claim 1. The advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims. The fixing device according to the invention comprises a hollow body having an open end suitable for inserting the stick, a longitudinal cut extending along the entire length of the hollow body, and a base fixed at the end opposite the open end. The hollow body is not fixed to said base for a portion extending angularly from the longitudinal cut at an angle of between 45° and 180°. Preferably, the extension of the portion of the hollow body not attached to the base is between 80° and 100°. Conveniently, there is an area of ​​reduced thickness, located at the end of the part of the hollow body not attached to the base and extending along the entire length of the hollow body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other features of the invention will be made clearer by the following detailed description, referring to one embodiment of the invention purely by way of example and therefore not limiting, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1a, Figure 1b, and Figure 1c are schematic views of product displays with a stick using fixing devices according to the prior art; 77b L Ln / Cznz / B / Yl Figure 2 is a schematic axonometric view of a fastening device according to the invention, in which the base is also not shown; Figure 3, Figure 4, and Figure 5 are perspective views from different angles of the device in Figure 2, showing the base fixed to the hollow body, a portion of the hollow body extending angularly from the longitudinal cut at an extent of between 45° and 180° not fixed to the base, and a thinned area; Figure 6a, Figure 6b, and Figure 6c are cross-sectional views of the device in the previous drawings, in the resting condition and in two different conditions of use, respectively; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a device according to the invention, with a polygonal configuration; Figure 8 is a schematic axial section view of a device according to the invention, taken along plane VIII-VIII of Figure 6a, wherein the mouth for inserting the sticks into the hollow body has a funnel-shaped conformation; Figure 9 is an axial section like that in Figure 8, taken along the IXIX plane of Figure 6a passing through the thinned area and looking towards the longitudinal cut. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The device for fixing edible products with a stick according to the invention comprises a hollow body 1 having an open end 2 suitable for inserting the stick 10 of the product (Figure 4, Figure 5), and a base 3 fixed to the other end (Figure 3, Figure 4 and Figure 5). The hollow body 1 mentioned above preferably has a cylindrical tubular shape with a circular cross-section, but it can have any polygonal shape, as shown, for example, in Figure 7, and is characterized by a longitudinal cut 4 and a reduced thickness area 5 that also extends, like the cut, along the entire length of the hollow body 1. The reduced thickness area 5 is positioned at a certain distance from the longitudinal cut 4 to create between the longitudinal cut and the reduced thickness area a kind of wing 6 of the desired width, which is intended to allow the hollow body 1 to adapt to different types of stick 10, maintaining, thanks to its elasticity and spring effect, a capacity to retain the stick itself. This elasticity is due to the fact that the hollow body 1 is not completely attached to the base 3, but its wing-shaped portion 6, which runs from the longitudinal cut 4 to the reduced thickness area 5, is separated from it. The portion 6 of the hollow body 1, separated from the base 3, extending from the longitudinal cut 4 to the reduced thickness area 5, may have an angle of different degrees from a minimum of 45° to a maximum of 180°, preferably between 80° and 100°, to allow the flexible element 6 to obtain the correct range of motion, but without 77b L Ln / Cznz / B / Yl compromise its capacity for product retention. Figures 6a, 6b, and 6c show the reduced thickness area 5 at an angular distance of 90° from the longitudinal cut 4 of a hollow body 1 with a circular cross-section. More specifically, Figure 6a shows the flexible element 6 in its resting state, i.e., accommodating a stick 10 with a diameter substantially corresponding to the internal diameter of the hollow body 1, while Figures 6b and 6c show, respectively, the positions taken by the flexible element 6 in the case of a stick 10 with a smaller or larger diameter. Figure 7 shows the reduced thickness area 5 at an angular distance of approximately 120° from the longitudinal cut 4 of a hollow body 1 with polygonal section. In the vicinity of the mouth, i.e., the open end 2 of the insertion of the stick 10 into the hollow body 1, the reduced thickness area 5 can optionally become a cut 7 (Figure 4) that extends for part of the length of this reduced thickness area, in order to increase the flexibility of the flexible element 6. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cut can extend up to half the length of the reduced thickness area 5. In a further preferred embodiment, the cut extends up to one third of the length of the reduced thickness area. The mouth or open end 2 of the hollow body 1 in its initial part can only be internally presented with a funnel-shaped conformation 8 (Figure 8 and Figure 9) to facilitate filling of the hollow body by robots or automated production lines. By way of example only, the preferred dimensions of a hollow cylindrical body 1 with a circular cross-section of the fastening device according to the invention are given below: 77b L Ln / Cznz / B / Yl inner diameter: 3.9 mm outer diameter: 9.7 mm height: 19.92 mm thickness: 2.9 mm width of longitudinal cut 4: 1.43 mm reduced thickness width 5: 0.8 mm The base 3 of the hollow body can be formed directly by the body of the The product display or fixing device may be made in one or a plurality of examples having a base shape suitable for being applied to any surface of a display provided with appropriate housings. The fastening device 1 is made of an elastic material, preferably polypropylene, polyethylene, or polyester. Biodegradable plastics or plastics of natural origin, as well as mixtures of different plastic materials, can be used to develop the mechanical properties of the support. The choice of material, along with the other aspects of the invention described, allows the inner diameter of the hollow body to match the outer diameter of the pole, thus enabling a sufficiently strong grip of the fastening device on the pole to prevent the product from falling, even when the poles are in a horizontal position. From what has been described, the advantages of the device according to the invention seem clear, making it possible to securely fix hollow and solid bars of different diameters. Naturally, the invention is not limited to the particular modalities illustrated, but numerous detailed changes can be made within the scope of the person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention itself, as defined in the following claims.

Claims

1. A device for fixing edible products with a stick (10), comprising a hollow body (1) provided with an open end (2) suitable for insertion of the stick (10), a longitudinal cut (4) extending the entire length of the hollow body, a base (3) fixed to the hollow body at the end opposite the open end (2), characterized in that a reduced thickness area (5) extending the entire length of the hollow body (1) and positioned at an angular distance from the longitudinal cut between 45° and 180°, creating between the longitudinal cut and the reduced thickness area a kind of wing not fixed to said base, in order to allow the hollow body to adapt to different types of sticks (10).

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the extension of the portion (6) of the hollow body (1) not fixed to the base (3) is between 80° and 100°.

3. The device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has an area (5) of reduced thickness located at the end of the portion (6) of the hollow body (1) not fixed to the base (3) and extending along the entire length thereof.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the reduced thickness area (5) has a cut (7) at the open end (2) of the hollow body (1).

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the cut (7) of the reduced thickness area (5) extends to half its length.

6. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the cut (7) of the reduced thickness area (5) extends up to one third of its length.

7. The device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mouth of the hollow body (1) at said open end (2) is funnel-shaped (8).

8. The device in accordance with any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made of elastic material, preferably polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyesters.

9. A display stand for edible products on a stick (10) characterized in that it is provided with housings suitable for accommodating the base (3) of a device for fixing edible products on a stick according to any of the preceding claims.

10. The display stand for edible products on a stick (10) characterized in that it has a body that integrates the base (3) of a plurality of devices for fixing edible products on a stick according to any of the preceding claims.

11. A use of the device according to any of claims 1 to 8 as a modular element to form a display of edible products on a stick.

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