MUSEUM DISPLAY CASE WITH SIDE GLASS WALLS AND UPPER DOOR THAT SLIDES BY WAY OF GUIDES INSIDE THE SIDE GLASS WALLS

Description

Title Museum display case with side glass walls and upper door that slides open using internal guides within the space occupied by the side glass walls GOPP73BIT 1 Eng. Giorgio CHECCACCI Registered in the Register No. 442 BM Museum display case with side glass walls and upper door that slides open using internal guides within the space occupied by the side glass walls * * * * This invention relates to a museum display case, i.e., a display case designed and constructed for the conservation and display of cultural heritage items, such as works of art, historical artifacts, and the like, in a protected environment within an exhibition setting such as a museum, an exhibition, or the like. For brevity's sake, the term "display case" will sometimes be used hereinafter, but this always refers to a museum display case. A protected environment is defined here and hereafter as an environment in which access by unauthorized personnel is prevented, to prevent theft or damage to the exhibits, and in which the atmosphere can preferably be controlled, through the monitoring of one or more parameters such as temperature, humidity, dust content, and pollutant content, in order to maintain the expected storage conditions of the exhibits. Display cases of this type must therefore meet various requirements regarding the preservation and integrity of the exhibited items. Furthermore, these cases must naturally ensure the best possible visibility for the items on display. To improve visibility, display case designers try to use transparent materials—typically glass—for the walls of the display case whenever possible. In addition to ensuring the best visibility of the items on display, the extensive use of glass is often desired by display case designers because the transparency of the material allows the items on display to be showcased to their fullest potential, without distracting the viewer from anything other than the items themselves. However, it is not possible to use only glass, unless the display case can be made as a bell-shaped display case, in which the walls GOPP73BIT - 2 Eng. Giorgio CHECCACCI Registered in Register No. 442 BM The vertical side panels and the upper horizontal wall are all made of glass and are integral with each other; to open such a display case, the entire dome formed by the integral glass walls is lifted with respect to the fixed base. However, this type of display case is only suitable for small display cases. Otherwise, the display case must have metal mechanisms to allow the opening and closing of at least one opening door: guides, slides, hinges, articulated arms, or other similar mechanisms. For example, in the case of so-called table-top display cases, where the objects on display are viewed primarily through the transparent upper wall, the opening door is formed by the upper wall itself. This can be hinged along one side, allowing it to be opened (even completely) by lifting the wall, or it can be mounted on slide rails that allow for partial opening. However, hinges and slide rails have a significant visual impact, which detracts from the display case's overall appearance. The purpose of the present invention is to create a display case of this type, in which the opening mechanism is so barely visible as to be substantially invisible. This aim is achieved by a museum display case according to claim 1. Preferred features are reported in the dependent claims. In particular, this museum display case comprises a fixed case made up of fixed lateral glass walls surmounted by an upper opening glass door, which can be opened by sliding with respect to the fixed case, in which the fixed glass walls and the opening glass door have - with respect to the display case - respective internal faces and external faces connected by perimeter edges, in which the museum display case comprises two linear sliding guides between the opening glass door and the fixed case, in which the linear sliding guides are applied on one side to the internal face of the opening glass door in correspondence with the opposing perimeter edges of the opening glass door, on the other side to the edge GOPP73BIT - 3 Eng. Giorgio CHECCACCI Registered in Register No. 442 BM perimeter of two opposing fixed glass walls, in which the linear sliding guides have a size corresponding to the thickness of the fixed glass wall to which they are applied. In this way, the guides have a minimal, essentially negligible visible impact, as they are only small appendages of the side walls, close to the corners of the display case and coplanar with the faces of the fixed glass walls, and therefore in a practically invisible position, especially when observing the contents of the display case from above, as occurs in this type of table-top display case. Preferably, each of the two linear sliding guides comprises a fixed semi-guide fixed to the perimeter edge of one of the fixed glass walls and a movable semi-guide fixed to the internal face of the opening glass door. Preferably, the fixed semi-guide comprises rolling rollers, while the movable semi-guide comprises a contact track resting on the rolling rollers. Alternatively, the fixed semi-guide and the movable semi-guide comprise respective low-friction contact tracks. The presence of rolling rollers is preferable for smooth sliding, even if the opening glass panel is considerably heavy. The solution with low-friction contact tracks is structurally simpler and particularly suitable for relatively small display cases, where the opening glass panel is lightweight. Preferably, the fixed semi-guide is formed by a first profile, comprising a lower base fixed at the bottom to the perimeter edge of the fixed glass wall, and two spaced upper wings which extend vertically from the horizontal lower base and support the rolling rollers between them; the movable semi-guide is formed by a second profile, comprising an upper wing fixed at the top to the internal face of the opening glass panel and provided with the contact track at the bottom. GOPP73BIT 4 Eng. Giorgio CHECCACCI Registered in the Register No. 442 BM Preferably, the museum display case includes fastening means to secure the movable half-guide to the fixed half-guide so that the movable half-guide is free to slide horizontally relative to the fixed half-guide but is not free to be lifted relative to the fixed half-guide. The anti-lifting constraint ensures that the opening glass door cannot be lifted, thus preventing unauthorized access to the display case. Furthermore, this constraint also prevents the opening glass door from tipping over when opened beyond approximately 50%. Preferably, the fastening means comprise a longitudinal seat formed in the lower base of the first profile and a lower flange of the second profile joined to the upper flange by an intermediate flange; the lower flange of the second profile is engaged for horizontal sliding in the seat of the first profile. This configuration ensures effective vertical retention, preventing the opening glass sash from lifting, and also improves the precision of the horizontal guidance. Preferably, the seat of the first profile is open toward the outside of the museum display case, the middle wing of the second profile extends toward the outside of the museum display case, and the lower wing of the second profile faces toward the inside of the museum display case. This configuration is preferred because it allows the upper wing of the first profile to face toward the inside of the display case, thus allowing for the attachment of accessories inside the display case, such as lighting fixtures. Preferably, the museum display case includes an auxiliary stand, comprising a base surmounted by a support structure to accommodate the glass door that opens when opened beyond a predetermined limit. This auxiliary stand, placed at an appropriate distance from the display case, provides support for the glass door during its opening, allowing the display case to be opened almost 100%. GOPP73BIT - 5 Eng. Giorgio CHECCACCI Registered in the Register No. 442 BM Preferably, the support structure of the auxiliary stand includes at least one upper roller, so as to facilitate precise and slip-free sliding of the opening glass door. Further features and advantages of a museum display case according to the invention will be better understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, made with reference to the attached drawings. In these drawings: - Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a museum display case according to the invention; - fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the museum display case in fig. 1, complete with auxiliary stand; - fig. 3 is a vertical section view of a detail of the display case in fig. 1, on an enlarged scale; - fig. 4 is a vertical section view of a detail of the display case in fig. 1, on an enlarged scale. The figures show schematically a museum display case 10 in accordance with the invention, of the so-called table-type. The display case 10 comprises a base 11 surmounted by a fixed casing 12, formed by four fixed vertical glass walls 13 joined together at their respective vertical edges, for example and preferably by gluing with a suitable structural adhesive (not shown in the figures). The fixed glass walls 13 have respective internal faces 14, facing towards the inside of the display case 10, and respective external faces 15, facing towards the outside of the display case 10; the internal faces 14 are connected to the external faces 15 by perimeter edges 16. The fixed case 12 is closed at the top by an openable glass door 23, which is horizontal or slightly inclined, and can be opened by sliding with respect to the fixed case 12. The openable glass door 23 comprises an internal face 24, facing downwards and therefore towards the inside of the display case 10, an external face 25 facing upwards and therefore towards the outside of the display case 10, as well as perimeter edges 26 which connect the internal face 24 and the external face 25 to each other. GOPP73BIT 6 Eng. Giorgio CHECCACCI Registered in the Register No. 442 BM Preferably, the fixed glass walls 13 as well as the opening glass door 23 are made of multilayer, with at least two glass sheets coupled by means of suitable adhesives. The display case 10 comprises two horizontal linear sliding guides 30, between the opening glass door 23 and the fixed case 12, more specifically between the opening glass door 23 and two opposing fixed glass walls 13. Each linear sliding guide 30 is applied on one side to the internal face 24 of the opening glass door 23, close to one of its perimeter edges 26, and on the other side exactly on the perimeter edge 16 of the fixed glass wall 13. The application of the linear sliding guides 30 is preferably obtained with a suitable adhesive, for example of a structural type, indicated with 31 in the figures. More specifically, each linear sliding guide 30 comprises a lower fixed half-guide 32 and an upper movable half-guide 33. The fixed half-guide 32 comprises parallel, upward-facing rolling rollers 34, which are in rolling engagement on a downward-facing contact track 35 formed on the movable half-guide 33, thus allowing the movable half-guide 33 to be movable longitudinally with respect to the fixed half-guide 32. Alternatively, according to a variant not illustrated, the fixed half-guide and the movable half-guide may comprise respective low-friction sliding contact tracks. The fixed semi-guide 32 is formed by a first profile, which comprises a horizontal lower base 41, which is fixed at the bottom to the perimeter edge 16 of the fixed glass wall 13, and two upper wings 42 and 43, respectively internal (i.e. facing towards the inside of the display case 10) and external (i.e. facing towards the outside of the display case 10). The two wings 42 and 43 are parallel and spaced apart; they are extended vertically from the horizontal lower plinth 41 and support between them GOPP73BIT - 7 Eng. Giorgio CHECCACCI Reg. Register No. 442 BM their rolling rollers 34. In the lower base 41 a horizontal seat 44 is formed, extending longitudinally along the entire fixed semi-guide 32. The movable semi-guide 33 is formed by a second profile, which comprises an upper horizontal wing 51, which extends longitudinally along the entire movable semi-guide 33 and is fixed at the top to the internal face 24 of the opening glass door 23, the upper wing 51 is provided at the bottom with the contact track 35. The movable semi-guide 33 also comprises a lower horizontal wing 52 joined to the upper wing 51 by an intermediate vertical wing 53. The lower wing 52 of the movable semi-guide 33 is in horizontal sliding engagement in the seat 44 of the fixed semi-guide 32. The lower wing 52 of the movable half-guide 33 and the seat 44 of the fixed half-guide 32 form coupling means for constraining the movable half-guide 33 to the fixed half-guide 32 so that the movable half-guide 33 is free to slide horizontally with respect to the fixed half-guide 32 but is not free to be lifted with respect to the fixed half-guide 32. Preferably, the seat 44 is open towards the outside of the museum display case 10, while the intermediate wing 53 extends towards the outside of the museum display case 10, just as the lower wing 52 faces towards the inside of the museum display case 10, as clearly visible in fig. 4. The upper wing 42 faces the inside of the display case 10; it can therefore be usefully used to mount internal accessories of the display case 10, such as for example lighting fixtures 61. An inverted arrangement is also possible (not preferred and not illustrated), in which the seat opens toward the inside of the display case, the middle wing extends toward the inside of the display case, and the lower wing faces the outside of the display case. This arrangement can be used when no lighting fixtures or other accessories are required and it is therefore unnecessary to have the upper wing facing the inside of the display case. GOPP73BIT - 8 Eng. Giorgio CHECCACCI Registered in the Register No. 442 BM The linear sliding guides 30 have a size substantially corresponding to the thickness of the fixed glass wall 13 to which they are applied. In this way, as visible in fig. 4, the upper wing 42 of the fixed semi-guide 32 is substantially coplanar with the internal face 14 of the fixed glass wall 13, and the intermediate wing 53 of the mobile semi-guide 33 is substantially coplanar with the external face 15 of the fixed glass wall 13. There is therefore no protrusion with respect to the faces of the fixed glass walls 13 and for this reason the linear sliding guides 30 are very little visible: they practically appear as a sort of thin frame, which closes the fixed glass walls 13 at the top. When observing the display case 10 from above, as normally happens in this type of display case, at a table, the sliding guides 31 are practically invisible. The display case 10 can be opened by sliding the opening glass door 23 horizontally relative to the fixed case 12, in either direction. To ensure that the display case 10 can only be opened by authorised personnel, a door 63 can be provided at one or both ends of the fixed half-guide 32, equipped with a lock 64. With the door 63 closed, the movable half-guide 33 cannot slide with respect to the fixed half-guide 32 and therefore the opening glass door 23 cannot be opened. Preferably, then, as shown in fig. 2, the museum display case 10 comprises an auxiliary stand 70, separate from the base 11 and the fixed case 12 and placed at a predetermined distance. The auxiliary stand 70 comprises a base 71 surmounted by a support structure 72, equipped with two upper rollers 73. The auxiliary stand 70 is positioned and sized in such a way that the opening glass door 23 - during its opening - rests on the rollers 73 remaining substantially horizontal; the weight of the open opening glass door 23 therefore rests partly on the fixed case 12, partly on the auxiliary stand 70, thus avoiding dangerous mechanical stresses on the GOPP73BIT - 9 Eng. Giorgio CHECCACCI Reg. No. 442 BM linear sliding guides 30, in particular on the wings 52 in engagement in the seats 44. The auxiliary stand 70 can be placed on one side or the other of the display case 10, indifferently, depending on which direction 5 is preferably desired to open the opening glass door 23. It is also possible to provide two auxiliary stands 70, on the two sides of the display case 10, if you wish to be able to open the glass door 23 from both sides, indifferently.

Claims

1. Table-top museum display case, comprising a fixed case (12) made up of fixed lateral glass walls (13) surmounted by an upper opening glass door (23), which can be opened by sliding with respect to the fixed case (12), in which the fixed glass walls (13) and the opening glass door (23) have - with respect to the display case - respective internal faces (14, 24) and external faces (15, 25) connected by perimeter edges (16, 26), in which the museum display case comprises two linear sliding guides (30) between the opening glass door (23) and the fixed case (12), in which the linear sliding guides (30) are applied on one side to the internal face (24) of the opening glass door (23) near the opposing perimeter edges (26) of the opening glass door (23), on the other side to the perimeter edge (16) of two opposing fixed glass walls (13), in which the linear sliding guides (30) have a size corresponding to the thickness of the fixed glass wall (13) to which they are applied.

2. Museum display case according to claim 1, wherein each of the two linear sliding guides (30) comprises a fixed semi-guide (32) fixed on the perimeter edge (16) of one of the fixed glass walls (13) and a mobile semi-guide (33) fixed on the internal face (24) of the opening glass door (23).

3. Museum display case according to claim 2, wherein the fixed semi-guide (32) comprises rolling rollers (34) while the movable semi-guide (33) comprises a contact track (35) resting on the rolling rollers (34).

3. Museum display case according to claim 2, wherein the fixed semi-guide and the movable semi-guide comprise respective low-friction contact tracks.

5. Museum display case according to claim 3, wherein the fixed semi-guide (32) is formed by a first profile, comprising a lower base (41) fixed at the bottom to the perimeter edge (16) of the fixed glass wall (13), and two spaced upper wings (42, 43) which extend vertically from the lower base (41) and support the rolling rollers (34) between them, and wherein the mobile semi-guide (33) is formed by a second profile, comprising an upper wing (51) fixed at the top to the internal face (24) of the opening glass door (23) and provided at the bottom with the contact track (35).

6. Museum display case according to claim 2, comprising coupling means (44, 52) for constraining the movable semi-guide (33) to the fixed semi-guide (32) so that the movable semi-guide (33) is free to slide horizontally with respect to the fixed semi-guide (32) but is not free to be lifted with respect to the fixed semi-guide (32).

7. Museum display case according to claim 6, wherein the fastening means comprise a longitudinal seat (44) formed in the lower base (41) of the first profile and a longitudinal lower wing (52) of the second profile joined to the upper wing (51) by an intermediate wing (53), wherein the lower wing (52) of the second profile is in horizontal sliding engagement in the seat (44) of the first profile.

8. Museum display case according to claim 7, wherein the seat (44) of the first profile is open towards the outside of the museum display case, wherein the intermediate wing (53) of the second profile is extended towards the outside of the museum display case and wherein the lower wing (52) of the second profile is facing towards the inside of the museum display case.

9. Museum display case according to any of the preceding claims, comprising an auxiliary stand (70), comprising a base (71) surmounted by a support structure (72) to accommodate the opening glass door (23) when opened beyond a pre-set limit.

10. Museum display case according to claim 9, wherein the support structure (72) of the auxiliary stand (70) comprises at least one upper roller (73).