Stress-relief display hanger

Abstract

A display hanger is disclosed including a first and a second panel, at least one stress-relief member formed in one of the first or second panel, the stress-relief member having an inner surface that is secured to an inner surface of an opposing panel of the hanger, for example by an adhesive. The at least one stress-relief member moves stress away from the leading edge of the adhesive and more evenly distributes the stress across a wider area of the base of the display hanger. This results in the adhesive being under lower stress, which reduces adhesive failure in less than desirable situations since the display hanger material becomes the point on failure instead of the adhesive bond.

Claims

1. A stress-relief display hanger for supporting an article comprising: a first panel having an inner surface and an outer surface; a second panel, opposite the first panel, having an inner surface and an outer surface; an adhesive disposed on a selective area of the inner surface of one of the first and second panel; at least one stress-relief member disposed in at least one of the first and second panel, the at least one stress-relief member having an inner and outer surface; and wherein the inner surface of the at least one stress-relief member is secured to the opposing inner surface of the other one of the first and second panel in an assembled position such that the at least one stress-relief member is positioned substantially parallel to the other one of the first and second panel, to relieve stress applied to the adhesive during use and discourage separation of the first panel from the second panel, and wherein a lower portion of the first panel and a lower portion of the second panel are paced from one another to create a void for receiving the article to be supported therein.

2. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 1, wherein the at least one stress-relief member includes a hinged portion constructed and arranged to allow movement of the stress-relief member toward the opposing inner surface.

3. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 2, wherein the at least one stress-relief member includes a pair of holes adjacent the hinged portion that are configured and dimensioned to prevent tearing of the stress-relief member.

4. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 1, wherein the at least one stress-relief member is a single stress-relief tab.

5. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 1, further including an EAS marker supported by the display hanger.

6. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 1, wherein the first panel and the second panel each further includes: a) an upper portion disposed above the at least one stress-relief member; b) the lower portion disposed below the at least one stress-relief member; and wherein the upper portion of the first panel is secured to the upper portion of the second panel by the adhesive.

7. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 1, wherein at least one stress-relief member has a shape selected from the group comprising an arcuate shape, a rectangular shape, a square shape, an oblong shape and a triangular shape.

8. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 1, wherein the at least one stress-relief member is a pair of stress-relief tabs.

9. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 8, wherein the pair of stress-relief tabs extend from a leading edge of the at least one of the first and second panel.

10. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 1, further including a securing member constructed and arranged to further secure the article to the stress-relief display hanger.

11. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 10, wherein the securing member is a tie.

12. A stress-relief display hanger for supporting an article including: a first panel having an inner surface and an outer surface; a second panel; opposite the first panel, having an inner surface and an outer surface; at least one stress-relief member disposed in the second panel, the at least one stress-relief member having an inner surface and an outer surface; wherein an upper portion of the first panel above the at least one stress-relief member and an upper portion of the second panel above the at least stress-relief member are secured and positioned substantially parallel to one inner surface of one of the first and second panels; and wherein the inner surface of the at least one stress-relief member is secured to the inner surface of the first panel in an assembled position in order to distribute stress across an area of a base of the assembled display hanger and relieve stress applied on the adhesive during use to discourage separation of the first panel from the second panel, and wherein a lower portion of the second panel and a lower portion of the first panel are spaced from each other in order to receive the article to be displayed therein.

13. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 12, wherein the at least one stress-relief member includes a hinged portion constructed and arranged to allow movement of the stress-relief member toward the at least one stress-relief member.

14. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 13, wherein the at least one stress-relief member includes a pair of holes adjacent the hinged portion that are configured and dimensioned to prevent tearing of the stress-relief member.

15. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 12, wherein the at least one stress-relief member is a single stress-relief tab.

16. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 12, wherein the at least on stress-relief member is a pair of stress-relief tabs.

17. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 16, wherein the pair of stress-relief tabs extend from a leading edge of the at least one of the first and second panel.

18. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 12, wherein at least one stress-relief member has a shape selected from the group comprising an arcuate shape, a rectangular shape, a square shape, an oblong shape and a triangular shape.

19. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 12, wherein the upper portion of the first panel is secured to the upper portion of the second panel by the adhesive.

20. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 12, further including a securing member constructed and arranged to further secure the article to the stress-relief display hanger.

21. The stress-relief display hanger of claim 20, wherein the securing member is a tie.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee. Various aspects of at least one embodiment are discussed below with reference to the accompanying figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles disclosed herein. The figures are included to provide an illustration and a further understanding of the various aspects and embodiments, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, but are not intended as a definition of the limits of any particular embodiment. The figures, together with the remainder of the specification, serve to explain principles and operations of the described and claimed aspects and embodiments. In the figures, each identical or nearly identical component that is illustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in every figure.

(2) FIG. 1A is a rear perspective view of a prior art fold-over display hanger with adhesive in place;

(3) FIG. 1B is a front elevational view of a prior art fold-over display hanger of FIG. 1A;

(4) FIG. 1C is a side elevational view of a prior art fold-over display hanger of FIG. 1A;

(5) FIG. 1D is a rear elevational view of a prior art fold-over display hanger of FIG. 1A;

(6) FIG. 1E is a rear perspective view of the prior art fold-over display hanger of FIG. 1A with the adhesive separating and failing;

(7) FIG. 1F is a side elevational view of the prior art fold-over display hanger of FIG. 1E;

(8) FIG. 1G is a schematic of a prior art fold-over display hanger illustrating leading edge stresses and wedge effect at the leading edge of the adhesive bond;

(9) FIG. 2 is a schematic of a stress-relief display hanger of the present disclosure illustrating that the wedge effect has been removed from the leading edge of the bond;

(10) FIG. 3A is a rear perspective view of a first embodiment of a stress-relief display hanger of the present disclosure having a single stress-relief tab;

(11) FIG. 3B is an exploded rear view of the stress-relief tab of the embodiment of FIG. 3A;

(12) FIG. 3C is a front elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 3A;

(13) FIG. 3D is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 3A;

(14) FIG. 3E is a rear elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 3A;

(15) FIG. 4A is a rear perspective view of a second embodiment of a stress-relief display hanger of the present disclosure having a pair of stress-relief tabs;

(16) FIG. 4B is an exploded rear view of a stress-relief tab of the embodiment of FIG. 4A;

(17) FIG. 4C is a front elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 4A;

(18) FIG. 4D is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 4A;

(19) FIG. 4E is a rear elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 4A;

(20) FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of a third embodiment of a fold-over display hanger of the present disclosure having a stress-relief tab;

(21) FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of a fourth embodiment of a stress-relief display hanger of the present disclosure having a pair of stress-relief tabs;

(22) FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of a fifth embodiment of a stress-relief display hanger of the present disclosure having a pair of stress-relief tabs;

(23) FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of a sixth embodiment of a stress-relief display hanger of the present disclosure having a pair of stress-relief tabs;

(24) FIG. 9A is a rear perspective view of a seventh embodiment of a stress-relief display hanger having a securing member to secure an article to the stress-relief display hanger;

(25) FIG. 9B is a rear elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 9A;

(26) FIG. 9C is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 9A;

(27) FIG. 9D is a front elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 9A;

(28) FIG. 9E is an elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 9A;

(29) FIG. 10A is a color representation of the rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 3A showing stresses during testing; and

(30) FIG. 10B is a color representation of the rear view of the prior art of FIG. 1A showing stresses during testing and adhesive separation resulting from the stresses.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

(31) The phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Any references to examples, embodiments, components, elements or devices described herein referred to in the singular may also embrace embodiments including a plurality, and any references in plural to any embodiment, component, element or device herein may also embrace embodiments including only a singularity. References in the singular or plural form are not intended to limit the presently disclosed device, its components, structure, or elements. The use herein of including, comprising, having, containing, involving, and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. References to or may be construed as inclusive so that any terms described using or may indicate any of a single, more than one, and all of the described terms. In addition, as used herein the term article refers to any item or product supported on a display hanger, and is not limited to the particular articles disclosed herein. As also used herein, the terms EAS sensor or EAS marker are used in the conventional sense to mean any of a number of electronic article surveillance sensors, as would be known to those of skill in the art. For example, the EAS sensor may comprise a ferro magnetic member. EAS sensors are widely available and may be purchased from such companies as Sensormatic Electronics Corporation of Boca Raton, Fla., but are not limited thereto and may include any other type of sensor for deterring theft of an article.

(32) A first embodiment of a stress-relief display hanger 10 for supporting an article such as a necklace, jewelry, scarf, hair accessories, or the like, is illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3E. Display hanger 10 may be a fold-over style hanger that is folded, pleated or creased during assembly into a desired shape, the shape and number of folds, pleats, or creases being variable, depending upon the desired display hanger design, as would be known to those of skill in the art. Stress-relief display hanger 10 includes a first or front panel 12 having an inner surface 12a and an outer surface 12b, a second or rear panel 14 also having an inner surface 14a, an outer surface 14b and at least one stress-relief member 16 formed in the rear panel 14, in the present embodiment. The at least one stress-relief member 16 may be formed in the rear panel 14 by cutting a portion of the rear panel 14, between the inner surface 14a and the outer surface 14b into a desired shape, for example a generally rectangular tab, as shown, or into other desired shapes. The at least one stress-relief member 16 also includes an inner surface 16a (FIG. 2) and an outer surface 16b. The inner surface 16a of the at least on stress-relief member 16 is adhered to the inner surface 12a of the front panel 12 when assembled. The inwardly flexing, at least one stress-relief member 16 flexes inward toward the inner surface 12a independently of the rear panel 14 when the stress-relief display hanger is subjected to forces F, as described in greater detail below.

(33) In the present embodiment, the stress-relief tab 16 is a single tab that is generally centrally located from either edge 14e of the rear panel. The at least one stress-relief tab 16 may also include a hinged portion 18 that aids in allowing the stress-relief tab 16 to flex inward, toward the inner surface 12a of front panel 12. Either side of the hinged portion 18 may optionally also include a pair of openings or holes 17 on either end of the hinged portion 18 that may be provided to help prevent tearing of the stress-relief tab 16. Holes 17 are optional and may be eliminated, as desired. An EAS marker (not shown) may also optionally be secured to the display hanger 10, on any of the inner surfaces 12a, 14a, outer surfaces 12b, 14b, or base 20, in order to deter theft of the display hanger and the article, as would be known to one of skill in the art.

(34) Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3E, in order to secure a portion of the front panel 12 and a portion of the rear panel 14 in the assembled position, an adhesive may be disposed on a selective area of the inner surface 12a of the front panel, on a selective area of the inner surface 14a of the rear panel, or on both inner surfaces 12a, 14a. The selective area of adhesive includes a first area that is either disposed on at least a portion of the inner surface 16a of the stress-relief tab 16 itself, or on the inner surface 12a, 14a of the opposing panel 12, 14 to which the stress-relief tab 16 is secured during use, as described above. In the present embodiment, in addition to the first area of adhesive that secures the stress-relief tab 16 to the inner surface 12a of the front panel 12, an area that is above the stress-relief tab 16, namely upper portion 12c and 14c of the display hanger 10, is secured together, again for example, by adhesive being placed on the inner surfaces of one or both of the upper portions 12c, 14c. Alternate methods of securing may be utilized other than adhesive, as would be known to those of skill in the art. Additionally, an area of the display hanger 10 that is adjacent the stress-relief tab 16 may also optionally include adhesive 15, if desired. In the present embodiment, the portion of the display hanger 10 beneath or below the at least one stress-relief tab 16, i.e. lower portions 12d, 14d, are not secured to each other such that the area of the lower portions 12d, 14d of the front panel 12 and rear panel 14 are spaced at a distance from each other, in order to create an opening or void 26 for receiving the article to be supported therein.

(35) As shown in FIGS. 1G and 2, the adhesive 15 securing the inner surface 16a of the at least one stress-relief tab 16 moves the primary stress point away from the leading edge of the adhesive 151 (prior art FIG. 1G) and more evenly distributes the force F across a wider area of a base 20 of the display hanger 10, with no wedge effect causing adhesive separation. The result is that the adhesive is under lower stress allowing the display hanger to perform in less than desirable situations without failure because the display hanger material becomes the point of failure, instead of the adhesive bond. In addition to helping prevent inadvertent separation due to adhesive failure, another benefit of utilization of the stress relief tab 16 is that it makes it more difficult for a consumer to separate the front and back panels of the display hanger in an attempt to steal the article. In the prior art, a consumer could separate the panels by applying minimal force in order to remove the article undetected. In the present invention, when a consumer attempts to separate the front panel 12 from the rear panel 14, the stress-relief tab 16 makes separation more difficult because the primary stress point is no longer at the leading edge of the adhesive 151 of the stress-relief display hanger 10.

(36) Referring now to FIGS. 4A-4E, there is shown a second exemplary embodiment of the stress-relief display hanger 110 for supporting an article. In this embodiment, the same or similar elements as the embodiment of FIGS. 3A-3E are labeled with the same reference numbers, preceded with the numeral 1. As shown in the figures, the at least one stress-relief tab 116 includes a pair of stress-relief tabs 116 that extend from either edge 114e of the rear panel 114 inwardly toward a center of the rear panel 114. The pair of stress-relief tabs 116 may have any of a variety of shapes, which may include a generally angular shape leaving a central, trapezoid shape 119 remaining on the rear panel 114, as shown in the present embodiment. As also described above, each of the pair of stress-relief tabs 116 includes an inner surface 116a, an outer surface 116b and also includes a hinged portion 118 that allows each of the pair of stress-relief tabs 116 to flex inward, toward the inner surface 112a of front panel 112, as described above with reference to the first embodiment.

(37) Each of the pair of stress-relief tabs 116 is flexed inwardly until the inner surface 116a of the pair of stress-relief tabs 116 are secured by adhesive to the inner surface 112a of the front panel 112. Portions of the rear panel 114 adjacent the pair of stress-relief tabs 116, including the central, trapezoid shape 119 below the upper portion 114c, may be intentionally not secured to the front panel in order to better distribute stress to the base 120 of the display hanger. The resulting display hanger likewise displays good adhesive properties with reduced risk of failure, as described herein above.

(38) Referring now to FIGS. 5-8, there is shown several exemplary embodiments of the stress-relief display hanger for supporting an article as described above with respect to the first and second embodiments. In these embodiments, the same or similar elements as in the previous embodiments are labeled with the same reference numbers, preceded with the numerals 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. The only difference in the embodiments of FIGS. 5-8 are the shapes, sizing and positioning of the at least one stress-relief tabs 216, 316, 416, and 516, which are shown for illustrative purposes only as any variety of shapes, sizes and number of tabs may be utilized other than those illustrated. In FIG. 5, a central, generally arcuate stress-relief tab 216 is shown, similar to the stress-relief tab of the first embodiment. In FIG. 6 a pair of generally rectangular stress-relief tabs 316 are shown, centrally located on a larger display hanger 310. The tabs 316 are likewise similar to the stress-relief members of the first embodiment, but include two members instead of one, together being centrally located on rear panel 314. FIG. 7 illustrates a pair of side stress-relief tabs 416 similar to the tabs of embodiment two, but with a more square geometry. In FIG. 8, a pair of generally arcuate stress-relief tabs 516 is shown, centrally located on a larger display hanger 510 similar to the stress-relief tabs of FIG. 7. As will be appreciated, there may be one, two or more stress-relief tabs on a display hanger in various shapes and positions depending on the size of the hanger, and the article to be displayed, the stress-relief tags mitigating the wedge stress effect regardless of the shape, size or location.

(39) Referring now to FIGS. 9A-9E, there is shown a seventh exemplary embodiment of the stress-relief display hanger 610 for supporting an article. In this embodiment, the same or similar elements as described above with respect to the first embodiment are labeled with the same reference numbers, preceded with the numeral 6. As shown and described with respect to the first embodiment, the at least one stress-relief tab 616 is also a single tab that is generally centrally located in the top of the rear panel of the stress-relief display hanger 610. By way of illustration, the stress-relief display hanger 610 has a generally oblong or rectangular shape with rounded corners, but the stress-relief display hanger can take a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited to a square or rectangular shape. As also described above, the stress-relief tab 616 includes an inner surface 616a, an outer surface 616b that is secured to the inner surface 612a of the front panel 612.

(40) In the present embodiment, the stress-relief display hanger 610 additionally includes a securing member 623 supported thereon to aid in securing the article 628 to the hanger 610. In the present embodiment, the securing member 623 is a cable tie received through a pair of openings 624 in the body of the hanger 610. Alternatively, the securing member 623 may be any type of flexible, tear resistant strap, tie or other element either separate or unitary with the hanger 610, as would be known to those of skill in the art. In the present embodiment, the securing member 623 and openings 624 are located in the lower portion of the rear panel 614d adjacent to the base 620, but may alternatively be located anywhere that the inner surfaces 612a, 614a are not adhered to each other. The securing member 623 and openings 624 may also be located on the base 620. Although received through openings 624 in the present embodiment, the securing member 623 may be secured or supported by the base 620 in alternate ways, including by the use of slots, or adhesive, or by being formed as a single, unitary member as part of the display hanger 610.

(41) Referring now to FIGS. 10A and 10B, a comparison showing testing of comparable display hangers in order to test adhesion of a display hanger having a stress-relief tab centrally located (FIG. 10A) and a prior-art display hanger without a stress-relief tab (FIG. 10B), is illustrated. As illustrated, after being subjected to the same amount of stress during testing, FIG. 10A shows no adhesive separation while FIG. 10B has significant adhesive separation resulting from the stresses. Accordingly, the stress-relief display hanger of the present application provides reduced stress at the leading edge of the adhesive that allows for a more secure display tag with reduced chance of failure.

(42) Assembly of the stress-relief display hanger will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2-9E. The article to be displayed may be positioned on the display hanger either prior to or after the hanger is assembled. If placed prior to assembly, the article is positioned at a point that, when assembled, will display the article. For example, in one embodiment, if the article is a necklace, it may be placed where the base 20 of the hanger is located, when assembled. If desired, a securing member 623, which may be a tie or other member as is known in the art, may be provided to further secure the article 628 to the display hanger 10. The securing member 623 may be inserted through a pair of openings 624, provided in or adjacent to the base 20, in order to receive the securing member 623. The securing member is inserted through the pair of openings 624 and through the article 628 and the ends of the securing member 623 are thereafter secured, for example to each other as would be known to those of skill in the art. When the securing member 623 is a cable tie, the leading end of the tie is inserted into the trailing end, and the tie is adjustable in one direction in order to tighten the tie and secure the article, while not allowing removal of the leading end, as is also known in the art.

(43) A portion of the front panel is then secured to a portion of the rear panel of the hanger. To secure the front and rear portions, adhesive 15 is exposed or disposed, for example by removing a protective covering or otherwise applying the adhesive, as known to those of skill in the art. As described above, the adhesive may be positioned on at least the inner surface 16a of the at least one stress-relief tab 16, or on the inner surface 12a of the panel to which the stress-relief tab 16 is secured during use. Adhesive may additionally be disposed on other portions of the inner surfaces 12a, 14a of the front and/or rear panels 12, 14 of the display hanger, provided that at least a portion of the lower portion of the front and/or rear panels remain adhesive-free in order to create an opening or void 26 for receiving the article to be supported therein. Once exposed, the inner surface 12a of the front panel 12 and the inner surface 14a of the rear panel 14 are folded inwardly and secured to each other. The inner surface 16a of the at least one stress-relief tab 16 is also secured by the adhesive to the opposing inner surface 12a or 14a of the panel to which the stress-relief tab 16 is secured during use. When stress is applied to the stress-relief hanger 10, such as through a heavy article 628 or a consumer attempting to remove the article 628, the stress is distributed away from the leading edge of the adhesive 151 eliminating the wedge effect allowing the fold over to perform without failure. An EAS marker may additionally be secured to the stress-relief display hanger 10 on any surface to deter theft.

(44) The provision of at least one stress-relief tab moves the stress point away from the leading edge of the adhesive and more evenly distributes the force across a wider area of the base of the display hanger, with no wedge effect to cause adhesive separation. The result is that the adhesive is under lower stress thus allowing the fold over to perform without failure in less than desirable situations because the display hanger material becomes the point on failure instead of the adhesive bond.

(45) It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, the materials disclosed herein may be readily changed, as may the dimensions and geometric configurations. The display hanger may be a different configuration other than fold-over hangers, provided there is a front and rear panel secured together that need stress mitigated. If a fold-over hanger is utilized the number of folds, pleats, or creases may range in number, without limitation, and is also not limited to a particular shape, design or style. The stress-relief tab locations and shapes can vary depending upon the design of the display hanger and can be utilized with existing designs of hanger. The disclosure is not limited to any particular display hanger shape or size. In addition, although a hinged portion is shown and described, other ways of allowing the stress-relief tabs disclosed herein to flex inwardly may be provided, including the absence of a hinged portion and flexing by provision of the tab alone. Finally, although shown as a unitary piece, the display hanger may be formed of one or more separate pieces.