Screen mounting apparatus - Patent Review 6659159

Description Submit all comments and votes

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to displays, and in particular, to an apparatus for removably mounting a screen to the frame of a display unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the construction of exhibit and display stands at trade shows, it is a conventional practice to utilize various truss and frame structures to assist in erecting and configuring the walls that create the backdrop for a particular vendor's defined booth space. Screens are traditionally used to substantially cover a large portion of these framing structures. These screens are made of many materials and often contain various designs and graphics for displaying advertisements and presentation materials. To facilitate flexibility and portability, the screens are usually made of cloth or some other thin flexible material. The screens will generally be rectangular and cover a frame opening that is rectangular in the vertical and linear or arcuate in the horizontal.

In displaying graphics on a display stand, it is desirable to make the graphic as attractive as possible, along the entire surface of the screen. Consequently, any crimping, binding, buckling, wrinkling, or other unattractive deviations is surface flatness are ideally avoided. However, it must be kept in mind that these graphics screens must be easily attachable and removable from the framing. As a result, permanent and rigid screening materials are not feasible since a display stand, like those used in trade shows, must be frequently assembled and disassembled.

Attempts have been made to implement screen mounting means that increase the appearance of the screen while at the same time provide a cost and time efficient design that will properly accommodate the innate portability feature of display stands. However, this pursuit has proved difficult. One of the goals is inevitably sacrificed for another.

The most common solutions typically center around the use of mounting means such as hook and loop fasteners ("Velcro.RTM."), magnetic strips, or some combination thereof. Generally, these mounting means are designed so that the flushness or tightness of the screen can be controlled through the attachment to the display framing. Magnetic or Velcro.RTM. strips border the back of the screens (usually the edges) such that they match up with similar strips on the surface of the frame. Often, the mounting means will extend around the entire perimeter of the screen. These strips are viewed as inexpensive. Most importantly, the ability to make fine adjustments along selective and multiple screen surface areas is likely perceived to be the most advantageous characteristic of the magnetic and Velcro.RTM. strips. However, it is this adjustability characteristic that proves to be a problem. Fine adjustments are typically required, and are often quite time consuming. An adjustment to one surface problem area will often require multiple adjustments to other areas in order to achieve the desired screen-wide smoothness. In addition, an adjustment in one area will often introduce a problem in another unanticipated area. While disassembly is quick and easy, mounting visually acceptable screen displays can take an unreasonable amount of time, and take a toll on one's patience.

Other common screen mounting means center around various fasteners. Namely, snaps and clips are traditionally used to attach a screen to the frame at the top and bottom of the frame, and occasionally along the sides of the frame. The snaps, clips, or other fasteners are distantly spaced for attaching the screen to the frame. Consequently, the use of such fasteners invariably results in wrinkling or buckling of the screen since the mounting pressure of the fasteners is directed to focal areas along the screen and is not equally distributed along the entire surface of the screen.

There are some unconventional screen mounting means that are utilized as well. U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,766 is directed to an apparatus that utilizes "frictional engagement" to attach a screen covering to the display panels. This apparatus is a gear system that receives an end of the screen. A rotational adjustment of the gear system draws the screen into the gears (tightening the screen surface) or releasably withdraws the screen (loosening the screen surface), depending upon the direction of the rotational adjustment. While use of this type of system in relatively simple, it also has drawbacks. Specifically, the added complexity and mechanical vulnerability of these moving gear parts is problematic.

Another unconventional screen mounting approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,658,560 ('560). '560 utilizes a mounting groove within the screen itself, in addition to magnetic strips. The groove is essentially a hook on the attaching end of the screen such that the screen will hang over a mounting rod on the display framing. With such a design, the weight of the screen is distributed equally along the entire length of the screen surface. The weight and elasticity of the screen itself is relied upon to prevent unwanted surface buckling and wrinkling. However, since the groove or hook is incorporated within the screen material, the benefits are limited to elastic material of appreciable weight. For instance, if the screen is made of an inelastic cloth or polymer, it will still be necessary to use other mounting means such as magnets or Velcro.RTM. to tightly secure the sides and opposite end of the screen to the frame in order to achieve the desired level of distributed tension across the entire length of the screen. With such inelastic screens, it will also be difficult or impossible to mount a screen that relies upon these mounting grooves at each end of the screen. So while this groove mounting technique is beneficial with respect to reducing screen wrinkling, the benefits are only realized with elastic screens, and therefore, greatly limiting its usefulness.

As