Foldable Display Stand With Internal Elastic Ties And Spacers

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing point-of-sale advertising displays, such as 'TOTEM' devices, require complex and expensive mechanisms for volume deployment and are difficult to fold back due to the use of elastic members under tension, making manufacturing and folding challenging.

Innovation Solution

A display stand with automatic deployment using a sheath of semi-rigid material featuring internal elastic links and spacers, where the spacers allow tensioning of the elastic links to open the display and retain them in place, eliminating the need for pre-tensioned elastic members during manufacturing and enabling easy folding.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Extent of automation

If elastic members are placed under tension during manufacturing, then automatic deployment is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic deploymentVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The elastic members are installed in their relaxed state during manufacturing, and the sheath is pre-folded along longitudinal lines. The actual tensioning action is deferred to a later stage when the sheath is unfolded, eliminating the need for complex tensioning mechanisms during assembly while still achieving automatic deployment functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The sheath is divided into multiple foldable sections along longitudinal lines, allowing it to be collapsed into a compact flat state for transport and then automatically deployed when the elastic members are tensioned during the unfolding process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Extent of automation

If elastic members are placed under tension during manufacturing, then automatic deployment is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic deploymentVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The sheath is pre-folded and elastic members are installed in their relaxed state during manufacturing, avoiding the need for expensive tensioning mechanisms. The tensioning action is performed later during the unfolding process, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing costs

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Extent of automation

If elastic members under tension are used, then automatic deployment is achieved, but folding the support becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveautomatic deploymentVSAvoidease of folding
Core Design Contradiction:
Extent of automationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The elastic members dynamically adjust their tension state: during folding operations, the sheath can be compressed which relaxes the elastic members, allowing easy folding. During deployment, the sheath is unfolded which automatically tensions the elastic members, providing the restoring force for automatic deployment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

4Strength

If the sheath is made rigid for volume use, then structural integrity is maintained, but folding becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidease of folding
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The sheath is segmented into multiple foldable sections along longitudinal lines, allowing it to be collapsed into a compact flat state for transport while maintaining structural integrity when deployed. The segmented structure enables both rigidity in use and flexibility during folding

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The sheath utilizes a flexible semi-rigid material that can maintain its shape and structural integrity when deployed in volume, yet can be easily folded along pre-defined longitudinal lines when collapsed, providing both strength and foldability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution simplifies the manufacturing process, reduces costs, and allows for easy folding and automatic deployment of the display stand, maintaining structural integrity and ease of use.

Implementation Method 1

the tensioning of said elastic link by interlacing of said spacer, thus tending to the opening of the sheath by the creation of a restoring force

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2255352B1Information display and method for manufacturing such a display
Publication Date: 2012.05.16 GRP TREHOUT PLV
  • EP2255352B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP2255352B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6
  • EP2255352B1 patent drawingFigure 7

AI summary

The invention relates to an information display (1) having a folded-flat state and a voluminous unfolded use state, formed by a sleeve (2) of semi-rigid material comprising at least two longitudinal fold lines (3) for folding up said sleeve, said longitudinal fold lines (3) defining at least two display faces, said information display (1) comprising, furthermore, means for maintaining said display faces in the unfolded use state. According to the invention, the means for maintaining said display faces in the use state comprise, firstly, at least one elastic tie (7) inside said sleeve (2) and joining together two of said longitudinal fold lines (3), and, secondly, at least one spacer (8) inside said sleeve (2) and associated with said elastic tie (7), and wherein said spacer (8) has, firstly, terminal ends (9) acting as an abutment and, secondly, means (11) for attaching said associated elastic tie (7) that are designed to make it possible to tension said elastic tie (7) by entwinement of said spacer (8).