A fixture and display for stick products

Abstract

A device for securing a stick (10) of an edible product, the device comprising a hollow body portion (1) having an open end (2) adapted to be inserted into the stick (10), a longitudinal cut (4) extending along the entire length of the hollow body portion, and a base portion (3) at an end opposite the open end (2), wherein a portion (6) of the hollow body portion extending angularly from the longitudinal cut (4) in a range between 45° and 180° is not joined to the base portion (3).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for securing an edible product with a stick, the device comprising a hollow body configured to accommodate different types of sticks. Background Technology

[0002] Devices for securing stick-shaped products, such as those described in CA2132459C for balloons, flowers, or generally decorative items, are known. These devices include a housing and a retaining device within the housing, allowing for the holding of sticks of various diameters for display purposes and ensuring the stability of the held product. The problem with these devices is that they require retaining devices such as self-adhesive coatings or magnetic elements. In the former case, this can create an unpleasant experience for consumers handling the product and thus finding themselves manipulating the sticky stick, or it may force the stick manufacturer to choose materials that can be attracted by magnets.

[0003] Furthermore, known devices for securing edible products, such as those described in WO0106897, allow the product to be securely held in place without hindering the consumer from easily removing it, thanks to a combination of a preferably prismatic or trapezoidal hollow body and a pin housed within the hollow body. However, this device is only suitable for products with hollow rods and therefore not for all products with non-hollow rods.

[0004] For edible products with non-hollow rods, other solutions are known in the market, such as the solutions shown in Figures 1a and 1b (e.g., see US3431041A1), which, considering that the support cannot hold the rod firmly in place, position the rod diagonally within the hole so that the product will not fall off the display device.

[0005] This type of solution exposes part of the bar and does not allow for a sufficiently dense product distribution on the display device.

[0006] The simplest and most well-known solution is the one shown in Figure 1c, which allows for the vertical display of edible and non-edible products, regardless of the type of stick used. However, its drawback is that it occupies a very large surface area in terms of the number of products that can be displayed.

[0007] All known and above-described solutions still require an operator to insert the product into the fixing device to avoid the rod breaking or being improperly inserted into the cavity, which can be caused by robots or generally automated filling processes.

[0008] US 4798554 A Figure 4-9An embodiment discloses a funnel-shaped balloon retainer comprising a conical cup and a hollow rod. A longitudinal slit extends along the entire length of the balloon retainer, from the upper end of the cup to the lower end of the rod, to allow the neck of the balloon to be inserted into the retainer. The rod is inserted into one end of the hollow balloon rod. The shape of the rod provides space between the rod and the balloon rod for a portion of the balloon neck, thereby concealing the entire balloon neck.

[0009] Therefore, there is still a need for a fixing device for edible and non-edible products with rods that can securely hold hollow and non-hollow rods of different diameters, and a need for a fixing device designed for automated filling and / or automated production lines performed by robots. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The purpose of this invention is to provide an apparatus that meets the above-mentioned requirements.

[0011] This objective is achieved by a device for securing an edible product with a rod, having the features of the appended independent claim 1.

[0012] Advantageous embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

[0013] The fixing device according to the invention includes a hollow body having an open end suitable for inserting a rod, a longitudinal cut extending along the entire length of the hollow body, and a base fixed at the end opposite to the open end, wherein a portion of the hollow body extending from the longitudinal cut along an angle between 45° and 180° is not fixed to the base.

[0014] Preferably, the portion of the hollow body that is not connected to the base is within the range of 80° to 100°.

[0015] Conveniently, there is a thickness reduction region located at the end of the portion of the hollow body that is not attached to the base and extends along the entire length of the hollow body. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Further features of the invention will become clearer from the following detailed description of one embodiment of the invention, illustrated only by way of example and therefore not by way of limitation, in the accompanying drawings:

[0017] Figures 1a, 1b, and 1c are schematic diagrams of display devices for products with rods using fixing devices according to the prior art.

[0018] - Figure 2 This is a schematic isometric view of the fixing device according to the present invention, wherein the base is not shown;

[0019] - Figure 3 , 4 And 5 are from Figure 2 Perspective views of the device viewed from different angles show the base fixed to the hollow body and the thinned area, where the portion of the hollow body extending from the longitudinal cut along the angle between 45° and 180° is not fixed to the base.

[0020] Figures 6a, 6b, and 6c are cross-sectional views of the device in the previous figures in the resting state and in two different usage states, respectively.

[0021] - Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view of the device according to the invention having a polygonal configuration;

[0022] - Figure 8 The diagram shows an axial cross-sectional view of the device according to the invention, taken along plane VIII-VIII of FIG6a, wherein the nozzle for inserting the rod into the hollow body has a funnel-shaped configuration.

[0023] - Figure 9 It is similar to the plane IX-IX that passes through the thinned region in Figure 6a and is viewed towards the longitudinal cut. Figure 8 Axial sectional view. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The device for securing an edible product with a stick according to the present invention comprises a hollow body 1 and a base 3, the hollow body 1 having an open end 2 suitable for inserting a stick 10 of the product. Figure 4 , 5 The base 3 is fixed to the other end. Figure 3-5 ).

[0025] The hollow body 1 described above preferably has a cylindrical tubular shape with a circular cross-section, but it can also have any polygonal shape, such as... Figure 7 As shown, and characterized by including a longitudinal cut 4 and a thickness reduction region 5, which also extends along the entire length of the hollow body 1 like the cut. The thickness reduction region 5 is at a certain distance from the longitudinal cut 4 so as to create an airfoil 6 between the longitudinal cut and the thickness reduction region. The airfoil 6 has a desired width, the purpose of which is to allow the hollow body 1 to adapt to different types of rods 10, thereby maintaining the ability to retain the rod itself due to its elasticity and spring effect.

[0026] The reason for this elasticity is that the hollow body 1 is not completely attached to the base 3, and the airfoil 6 extending from the longitudinal cut 4 to the thickness reduction region 5 is separated from the base 3.

[0027] The airfoil 6 of the hollow body 1, which extends from the longitudinal cut 4 to the thickness reduction region 5 and is separated from the base 3, can have different angles ranging from a minimum of 45° to a maximum of 180°. Preferably, the angle is between 80° and 100° to allow the flexible element 6 to obtain the correct degree of movement without impairing its ability to hold the product.

[0028] Figures 6a, 6b, and 6c show the angular distance of the thickness reduction region 5 from the longitudinal cutout 4 of the hollow body 1 with a circular cross-section, which is 90° apart. More specifically, Figure 6a shows the flexible element 6 in a resting state, i.e., accommodating a rod 10 with a diameter substantially corresponding to the inner diameter of the hollow body 1, while Figures 6b and 6c show the positions occupied by the flexible element 6 when the rod 10 has a smaller or larger diameter, respectively.

[0029] Figure 7 The angular distance between the thickness reduction region 5 and the longitudinal cutout 4 of the hollow body 1 with a polygonal cross-section is shown to be approximately 120°.

[0030] Near the opening 2 where the rod 10 is inserted into the hollow body 1, the thickness reduction region 5 can optionally become a slit 7. Figure 4 The cut 7 extends along a portion of the length of the reduced thickness region in order to increase the flexibility of the flexible element 6.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cut may extend along half the length of the thickness-reducing region 5. In a more preferred embodiment, the cut extends along one-third the length of the thickness-reducing region.

[0032] The mouth or open end 2 of the hollow body 1 may, only internally, have a funnel-shaped configuration 8 in its initial portion. Figure 8 and Figure 9 This allows for the filling of the hollow body using robots or automated production lines.

[0033] The preferred dimensions of the cylindrical hollow body 1 with a circular cross-section of the fixing device according to the present invention are given below by way of example only:

[0034] Inner diameter: 3.9mm

[0035] Outer diameter: 9.7mm

[0036] Height: 19.92mm

[0037] Thickness: 2.9mm

[0038] Width of longitudinal cut 4: 1.43mm

[0039] Width of thickness reduction region 5: 0.8mm

[0040] The base 3 of the hollow body can be formed directly from the main body of the product display device, or the fixing device can be formed in one or more examples such that its base shape is suitable for application to any surface of the display device with a suitable receiving part.

[0041] The fixing device 1 is made of an elastic material, preferably polypropylene, polyethylene, and polyester. Biodegradable plastics or naturally derived plastics, as well as mixtures of different plastic materials, can be used to develop the mechanical properties of the support. The choice of materials, and other aspects of the invention described herein, allow the inner diameter of the hollow body to adapt to the outer diameter of the rod, thereby enabling the fixing device to grip the rod securely enough to prevent the product from falling, even when the rod is in a horizontal position.

[0042] From the publicly available information, the advantages of the device according to the invention are obvious, which makes it possible to securely fix hollow rods and solid rods of different diameters.

[0043] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments shown, but many detailed modifications can be made thereto within the capabilities of those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention itself as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device for securing an edible product with a rod (10), the device comprising a hollow body (1) having an open end (2) adapted for insertion into the rod (10), a longitudinal slit (4) extending along the entire length of the hollow body, and a base (3) at an end opposite to the open end (2), characterized in that, The device includes a thickness reduction region (5) that extends along the entire length of the hollow body (1) and is located in an angle range between 45° and 180° from the longitudinal cut (4), thereby forming an airfoil (6) between the longitudinal cut (4) and the thickness reduction region (5) that is not fixed to the base (3) so as to allow the hollow body (1) to accommodate different types of rods (10).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The hollow body part (1) is not fixed to the airfoil part (6) of the base part (3) within the range of 80° and 100°.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The device has a thickness reduction region (5) located at the end of the airfoil (6) of the hollow body (1) that is not fixed to the base (3) and extends along the entire length of the hollow body (1).

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, The thickness reduction region (5) has a cut (7) at the opening end (2) of the hollow body (1).

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, The cut (7) of the thickness reduction region (5) extends along half the length of the thickness reduction region (5).

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, The cut (7) of the thickness reduction region (5) extends along one-third of the length of the thickness reduction region (5).

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The hollow body (1) has a funnel shape (8) at the mouth of the opening end (2).

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein, The device is made of an elastic material.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, The device is made of polypropylene, polyethylene and polyester.

10. A display device for an edible product with a stick (10), wherein, The display device is provided with a receiving portion suitable for accommodating the base (3) of the device for fixing the edible product with a rod according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A display device for an edible product with a stick (10), wherein, The display device has a main body that integrates a base (3) of a plurality of devices for fixing edible products with sticks according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. Use of the device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 as a modular element of a display device for forming an edible product with a rod.

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