Interchangeable retail display system and method thereof

Abstract

An interchangeable retail display system comprising a base having a plurality of pucks for interchangeably receiving a plurality of support members, to which different kinds of display item supports can be interchangeably mounted, such that a myriad variety of displays can be achieved by combining different bases, with various assortments of support members and display item supports, in a multitude of arrangements and configurations.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] This invention relates to an interchangeable retail display system and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for the display of merchandise items having interchangeable arrangements and configurations. [0003] 2. Background of Related Art [0004] It is well known in the apparel industry that the use of display stands to exhibit garments and related accessories are a key component of merchandising. In shop windows and show rooms, display stands, often featuring mannequins adorned in merchandise, invite the customer to indulge in the fantasy that is created by the display. Although mannequin display stands and the like have long been in use, such display stands suffer from a number of disadvantages. [0005] One principal disadvantage is that the conventional display stand does not allow for a comprehensive exhibit of the merchandise. For example, in a conventional mannequin display, there are no related supplemen...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an interchangeable retail display system in which various display items can be easily coordinated in different assembled arrangements and configurations.

[0013] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an interchangeable retail display system that is stable and safe, yet easy and efficient to disassemble for arrangement.

[0014] An interchangeable retail display system having the features of the present invention comprises a base having a plurality of pucks therein. A puck is a sleeve insert mounted in a hole in the base, for receiving a support member or stanchion to which a display item support is mounted. The stanchion has a first threaded end for assembling to the puck. Although the stanchion can be of any various shape, size or configuration, the first threaded end of any stanchion is uniformly standard to engage the threaded sleeve of the puck. In this way the stanchion can be connected to any of the plurality of pucks, thereby allowing interchangeability in arrangement.

[0017] Although it is the preferred embodiment of the invention to have an array of pucks, stanchions, and display item supports of different varieties so as to achieve a maximal combination of arrangements and configurations, it is also within the contemplated scope of the present invention to have an interchangeable retail display system comprising a base having one puck. Even with only one puck, a multitude of different stanchions and display item supports can be interchangeably combined to create different arrangements with the one base. For instance, a mannequin display can be arranged for clothing or a shelf display can be arranged for shoes employing just one base, thereby making the system not only flexible but also cost efficient.

Problems solved by technology

Although mannequin display stands and the like have long been in use, such display stands suffer from a number of disadvantages.

One principal disadvantage is that the conventional display stand does not allow for a comprehensive exhibit of the merchandise.

However, this is typically not possible in a conventional display stand, such as a single standing mannequin, which is designed to exhibit only the clothing article.

As a consequence, to display the various related items often require that displays stands of unrelated shapes, sizes, and configurations be employed—one for shoes, another for scarves, yet another for watches, etc.—which often result in a haphazard display that detracts from the cohesive presentation of the ensemble outfit.

Another disadvantage of the kinds of conventional display stands in the art is that they invariably lack the capacity for variation in arrangement and configuration.

For displays featuring a multitude of stands, the task of arrangement and rearrangement is all the more inefficient and inconvenient.

In short, there is no unified display system in which a plurality of stands can be easily and efficiently arranged and configured as necessary accommodate different presentations.

Yet another disadvantage of the conventional display stands known in the art is that they are unstable.

Mannequin stands, for example, are generally top-heavy, causing them to be unbalanced and unwieldy.

It has long been a recognized problem that such mannequin stands tend to tip easily, causing damage and injury.

However, this has not proved to be much more safe, as the stanchion in such assemblies can still slip out of the hole and allow the mannequin to fall over.

There have been a number of patents that have attempted to address such disadvantages separately, though none have provided a collective solution to the disparate problems described above.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,424 to Colquhoun, for one, it was recognized that conventional clothing mannequins did not provide adequate display for ensemble accessories.

Such a tray base, however, was little more than a container bin, lacking any specific display components to feature the different and particularized accessory items.

Such assemblies are known to be unstable and unsafe.

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