SAMPLE FOLDER

Abstract

Sample folder (10) comprising a first pack (12), a second pack (14), the first pack (12) and the second pack (14) being designed as separate units, and the first pack (12) having a housing (16) with which the second pack (14) can be connected in a basic position in such a way that the second pack (14) is at least partially surrounded by the housing (16) of the first pack (12) and is detachably held thereby.

Claims

1. A sample folder for clearly displaying a plurality of sample elements, in particular surface decorations, comprising a first pack of sample elements, wherein at least some of the sample elements of the first pack are displaceable relative to other sample elements of the first pack, a second pack of sample elements, wherein at least some of the sample elements of the second pack are displaceable relative to other sample elements of the second pack, wherein the first pack and the second pack are designed as units which are separate from one another, and wherein the first pack has a housing to which the second pack is optionally connected in a basic position in such a way that the second pack is at least partially surrounded by the housing of the first pack and is releasably held thereby.

2. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein each of the first pack and the second pack comprises at least one magnetic or magnetisable portion, wherein the first pack and the second pack are optionally releasably connected to one another via an interaction of a magnetic or magnetisable portion of the first pack with a magnetic or magnetisable portion of the second pack.

3. The sample folder according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic or magnetisable portions are designed and arranged in such a way that the interaction thereof secures the first pack relative to the second pack in all three translational degrees of freedom.

4. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein in the basic position the second pack is accommodated substantially completely within a casing of the first pack.

5. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein the first pack, in particular the housing of the first pack, has a stop against which the second pack rests in the basic position.

6. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein the stop is formed by a reinforcement of some portions, in particular a reinforcement of at least one side wall of the housing of the first pack.

7. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein the sample elements of the first pack are arranged on at least one sample carrier, wherein the sample carrier is displaceable, in particular pivotable, relative to the housing of the first pack.

8. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein the sample elements are arranged on sample carriers which have different dimensions from one another.

9. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the sample elements and/or the at least one sample carrier has at least one rounded or bevelled corner.

10. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein in the basic position the second pack is set up to prevent the sample elements of the first pack from being displaced out of a casing of the first pack.

11. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein in the basic position the second pack is arranged in such a way that each sample element is optionally displaceable relative to the housing of the first pack and/or each sample carrier protrudes into a casing of the second pack.

12. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein the first pack is optionally detachably connected to the second pack in a release position, in which the second pack is positioned differently relative to the first pack by comparison with the basic position in which the second pack is set up and arranged to allow displacement of the sample elements of the first pack relative to the housing of the first pack.

13. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein the first pack is optionally detachably connected to the second pack in a presentation position in which the second pack is oriented, in particular also positioned, differently relative to the first pack compared to the basic position, and is oriented, in particular also positioned, differently compared to the release position, in which the second pack is set up and arranged to allow a displacement of sample elements of the second pack relative to other sample elements of the second pack, in particular relative to the housing of the first pack.

14. The sample folder according to claim 12, wherein the release position and the presentation position differ by an orientation of the second pack in the specific position relative to the first pack, but are substantially the same when the second pack is positioned in the associated position relative to the first pack.

15. The sample folder according to claim 1, wherein in the basic position the second pack is set up and arranged such that displacement of the sample elements of the second pack relative to the housing of the first pack is prevented.

Description

[0032] The present invention will be described in greater detail below in relation to an embodiment making reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the sample folder according to the invention with the first pack and the second pack in a position detached from one another;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the sample folder according to the invention with the first pack and the second pack in a basic position;

[0035] FIG. 3 is a side view of the sample folder according to the invention with the first pack and the second pack in the basic position in the direction of the arrow III from FIG. 2;

[0036] FIG. 4 is a side view of the sample folder according to the invention with the first pack and the second pack in the basic position in the direction of the arrow IV from FIG. 2;

[0037] FIG. 5 is a side view of the sample folder according to the invention with the first pack and the second pack in the basic position in the direction of the arrow V from FIG. 2;

[0038] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of the sample folder according to the invention with the first pack and the second pack in a presentation position, wherein sample elements of the two packs are fanned out; and

[0039] FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the sample folder from FIG. 2 in the basic position.

[0040] In FIG. 1, a sample folder according to the invention is designated generally by the reference sign 10. The sample folder 10 comprises a first pack 12 and a second pack 14. The first pack 12 has a housing 16 which comprises three side walls 18, 20 and 22. A plurality of sample elements 24 or sample carriers 24 to which sample elements are attached are arranged in the housing 16. The sample elements 24 can be pivoted about a pivot axis A relative to the housing 16 of the first pack 12, wherein the pivot axis A is defined by a bolt 26 which extends from the side wall 18 of the housing 16 to the side wall 22 of the housing 16 and is fastened there.

[0041] It can also be seen in FIG. 1 that a portion of the side wall 22 of the housing 16 is provided with a reinforcement 28 which extends only in portions over substantially the entire height H of the housing 16 of the first pack 12 and over a length L of the housing 16 of the first pack 12. The reinforcement 28 is arranged flush with the longitudinal end of the housing 16 associated with the pivot axis A.

[0042] The sample elements 24 also have bevelled corners 30 which are described further below.

[0043] The second pack 14 has a housing 32 which comprises three side walls 34, 36 and 38. A plurality of sample elements 40 or sample carriers 40 to which sample elements are attached are arranged in the housing 32 of the second pack 14. The sample elements 40 can be pivoted about a pivot axis B relative to the housing 32 of the second pack 14, wherein the pivot axis B is defined by a bolt 42 which extends from the side wall 34 of the housing 32 to the side wall 38 of the housing 32 and is fastened there.

[0044] It can be seen that end faces of the sample elements 40 are arranged offset backwards by a predetermined distance d relative to an edge 44 of the housing 32 of the second pack 14, which edge is shown on the left in FIG. 1, is defined by the side walls 34, 36, 38 and is arranged adjacent to the pivot axis B.

[0045] By way of example, magnetic or magnetisable portions 46 are shown (as dashed circles) in the side wall 22 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12 and, for example, can be incorporated into the side wall 22 and thus arranged in a concealed manner. The magnetic or magnetisable portions 31 of the first pack 12 are designed to interact magnetically with corresponding magnetic or magnetisable portions 48 of the second pack 14 in order to secure the second pack 14 on the first pack 12 in a predetermined position. At this point it should be pointed out that, in the embodiment shown in the figures, the magnetic or magnetisable portions 46 of the first pack 12 shown in FIG. 1 interact with magnetic or magnetisable portions of the second pack 14 (not shown) arranged in opposite directions relative to the magnetic or magnetisable portions 48 of the second pack 14 in order to assume a basic position shown in FIG. 2. The same applies to the magnetic or magnetisable portions 48 of the second pack 14 which, in the basic position shown in FIG. 2, interact with magnetic or magnetisable portions (not shown) arranged in the side wall 18 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12.

[0046] In FIG. 2, the second pack 14 is shown in a position connected to the first pack 12 in the basic position. The second pack 14 is accommodated completely within a casing U1 of the first pack 12 (see FIGS. 3 to 5), wherein corresponding magnetic or magnetisable portions of the two packs 12, 14 interact with one another as described above.

[0047] In the basic position the edge 44 of the housing 32 of the second pack 14 abuts the reinforcement 28 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12, and preferably further reinforcements of the side walls 20, 18 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12 (described further below). The housing 32 of the second pack 14 overlaps the bevelled corners 30 of the sample elements 24 of the first pack 12 in such a way that the sample elements 24 are prevented from being displaced about the pivot axis A.

[0048] As can also be seen in FIG. 2, in the basic position of the second pack 14 on the first pack 12, the sample elements 40 of the second pack 14 abut an inner surface of the side wall 20 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12, so that displacement of the sample elements 40 of the second pack 12 is prevented in the basic position. In the basic position shown in FIG. 2, the side wall 36 of the housing 32 of the second pack 14 or the outer surface thereof is flush with the free ends of the side walls 18 and 22 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12 in the vertical direction H.

[0049] FIG. 3 shows a side view according to arrow III from FIG. 2, wherein, firstly, it can be seen that the sample elements 24 of the first pack 12 are overlapped by the side wall 36 of the housing 32 of the second pack 14. Furthermore, FIG. 3 shows a further reinforcement 50 mentioned above, which is assigned to the side wall 18 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12.

[0050] In FIGS. 3 to 5, the casing U1 of the first pack 12, shown by broken lines, surrounds the housing 16 of the first pack 12 externally with a tight fit as an imaginary cuboid shape. In FIG. 4, which is a side view of the sample folder 10 according to the arrow IV from FIG. 2, a casing U2 of the second pack 14 is also shown in a side view. The casing U2 likewise surrounds the second pack 14 as an imaginary cuboid shape in a manner analogous to the casing U1 of the first pack 12. FIG. 5, which is a side view of the sample folder 10 according to the arrow V from FIG. 2, shows the aforementioned casing U1 for further clarity.

[0051] FIG. 6 shows the sample folder 10 in a presentation position. The second pack 14 is rotated on the first pack 12 by 180° relative to the basic position from FIG. 2 in such a way that the side surface 36 of the housing 32 of the second pack 14 abuts the side surface 20 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12. An open side of the housing 32 of the second pack 14 faces an open side of the housing 16 of the first pack 12 so that the sample elements 40 of the second pack 14 can be freely displaced out of the casing U2 (only partially shown in FIG. 6), in this case rotated about the pivot axis B. Furthermore, the second pack 14 is positioned such that it is displaced out of the casing U1 (only partially shown in FIG. 6) of the first pack 12 in FIG. 6 on a right-hand side, so that the housing 32 or the edge 44 of the housing 32 is arranged offset by a distance D relative to an end of the reinforcement 28 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12 facing towards the second pack 14. This also enables a free displacement of the sample elements 24 about the pivot axis A out of the casing U1 of the first pack 12. Advantageously, the sample elements 24 and 40 have respective decorations, at least on their upper sides shown in FIG. 6, in order to be able to present them to a user in a simple manner.

[0052] By way of example it is also shown that a plurality of sample elements 24 can also be arranged on a sample carrier 52, wherein the sample carrier 52 is arranged displaceably about the pivot axis A relative to the housing 16 of the first pack 12, analogously to the sample elements 24 described above.

[0053] FIG. 6 also shows that in this embodiment only those corners 30 of the sample elements 24 of the first pack 12 are bevelled which, in the basic position, i.e. in the case of sample elements 24 arranged within the casing U1 of the first pack 12, on the one hand face the open side of the housing 16 of the first pack 12 and on the other hand face the second pack 14.

[0054] FIG. 7 shows a side cross-sectional view of the sample folder according to the invention, wherein the second pack 14 is located in the basic position relative to the first pack 12. It can be clearly seen in FIG. 7 how the sample element 24 protrudes into the housing 32 of the second pack 14 or into the casing U2 of the second pack 14 by means of the bevelled corner 30. It can therefore be seen that pivoting of the sample elements 24 in the representation shown in FIG. 7 in the clockwise direction about the pivot axis A is prevented by the housing 16 of the first pack 12 or by a reinforcement 54 of the side wall 20 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12, and that pivoting of the sample elements 24 in the representation shown in FIG. 7 in the anticlockwise direction is prevented by the housing 32 of the second pack 14 and/or by the sample elements 40 of the second pack 14.

[0055] The housing 32 of the second pack 14 prevents the sample elements 40 of the second pack 14 from pivoting clockwise about the pivot axis B in the representation shown in FIG. 7, and anticlockwise pivoting is prevented by the side wall 20 of the housing 16 of the first pack 12.

[0056] As already mentioned above, the end faces of the sample elements 40 of the second pack 14 on the right in FIG. 7 are substantially flush with the right end of the housing 16 of the first pack 12 in order to achieve a closed external appearance. Alternatively, however, the end faces of the sample elements 40 on the right in FIG. 7 and the end faces of the sample elements 40 on the left in FIG. 7 could be offset inwards, so that the second pack 14 can be arranged both in the orientation shown in FIG. 7 and, in an orientation in which the pivot axis B of the sample elements 40 of the second pack 14 in the view of FIG. 7 is at the bottom right, can be connected to the first container 12 in a further basic position.