Shelf display unit

The present invention relates to a shelf display unit for displaying confectionery products with surprise inside.

In particular, the present invention regards a shelf display unit for Easter eggs, to which the ensuing treatment will make explicit reference, without this implying any loss of generality.

For display of Easter eggs it is known, for example from EP 0 818 161 A1, to use display units of the column type or with shelves set on top of one another comprising two or more platforms for supporting the eggs vertically spaced apart from one another by corner uprights or intermediate uprights.

As is known, Easter eggs contain surprises, which are, in some cases, simply advertised, in other cases illustrated on the packaging of the product, and in other cases still displayed in show cases close to or inside the display unit.

In the latter case, management and movement of the surprises, as well as the arrangement of the surprises themselves in the various show cases, frequently proves complicated and costly.

In some cases, then, the display envisaged does not produce incisive and effective and thus satisfactory advertising or promotional messages.

A way to expose objects is disclosed in US 2003/150827 A1.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a shelf display unit for displaying confectionery products housing a surprise, in particular Easter eggs, which may solve in a simple and economically advantageous way the problems set forth above and, in particular, will enable convenient display of the surprises in short setting-up times, protection of the surprises during transport of the display unit, and equally convenient transport thereof, while ensuring contained costs for production of the display unit and contained overall dimensions thereof.

According to the present invention, a shelf display unit is provided for confectionery products with surprise inside, in particular Easter eggs, as claimed in claim 1.

The invention will now be now described with reference to the annexed drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting example of embodiment thereof and in which:

• Figure 1 illustrates in side elevation and in perspective view a preferred embodiment of a shelf display unit for displaying confectionery products with surprise inside provided according to the teachings of the present invention; and
• Figure 2 illustrates, in perspective view and at a markedly enlarged scale, with parts removed for reasons of clarity, a top terminal portion of the column-type display unit of Figure 1 in a functional condition different from that of Figure 1.

In Figure 1, designated as a whole by 1 is a display unit of the column type or with shelves set on top of one another for display of confectionery products 2 with surprise inside 3.

In the specific example described, the confectionery products 2 are wrapped Easter eggs. Alternatively, the confectionery products 2 are eggs other than Easter eggs, or else confectionery products of any shape but again with surprise inside that is invisible from outside.

The display unit 1, which conveniently has a parallelepipedal shape with quadrangular base and, thus, a lateral surface comprising four plane rectangular surfaces, is made of paper or plastic material by coupling together the bodies, each obtained by folding and possible gluing of plane shapes made of sheet material that are locally weakened or not.

In the particular example described, the display unit 1 comprises four platforms 5 for supporting the confectionery products 2, which are in themselves known, vertically spaced from one another and supported by respective uprights, conveniently hollow and not visible in the attached figures, set between the platforms 5 themselves in a per se known manner.

Once again in the particular example described, each platform 5 has a plurality of seats, each housing a corresponding confectionery product 2 at least partially; in the particular example described, each platform 5 is plane and horizontal, and the aforesaid seats are defined by through holes.

Once again with reference to Figure 1, the display unit 1 further comprises a top end hood 7, which overlies the uppermost platform 5 and is kept in position vertically at a distance from the uppermost platform 5 itself by respective intermediate uprights, which are known and not visible in the attached figures.

In the particular example described, the hood 7 has a parallelepipedal shape which conveniently presents a geometry and dimensions in plan view that are the same as those of the platforms 5 and is delimited at the top by a surface 8 with substantially horizontal steps and laterally by four lateral surfaces 9, each of which is joined to the plane surface 8 along a respective edge 10.

With specific reference to Figure 2, the hood 7 delimits a top cavity or compartment 11, which has an inlet opening 12 made through the surface 8.

Once again with reference to Figure 1, the display unit 1 finally comprises one or more strips 13 for support and display of the surprises 3.

The strips 13 are carried by the hood 7, and each of them comprises a corresponding attachment portion 14, which is inserted by pressure in an extractable way within a respective retention slit 15. In the particular example described, the hood 7 is provided with a plurality of slits 15 arranged along the edges 10 to enable arbitrary arrangement of the strips 13 around the platforms 5 so as to achieve an optimal visibility of the surprises 3.

With reference to Figure 1, each strip 13 is conveniently a semi-rigid strip defined by a bellows-like body made of a single piece and comprises, starting from the corresponding attachment portion 14, three plate portions designated by 18, 19 and 20, and two intermediate weakened portions 21 and 22, which define respective virtual hinges designed to enable rotation of the portions 18, 19 and 20 with respect to one another about respective horizontal axes 23 parallel to the corresponding edges 10.

Each portion 20 carries, fixedly connected thereto, for example by means of heat sealing or gluing, a respective half-shell 25, conveniently made of transparent material, which extends from a free end of the corresponding strip 13 and coats approximately one half of the corresponding plate portion 20, as may be seen in Figure 1.

Each half-shell 25 delimits, together with the corresponding plate portion 20, a chamber for housing one or more surprises 3. According to a variant (not illustrated), the chamber is divided by a diaphragm into two distinct chambers, each housing a corresponding surprise 3.

According to a further variant (not illustrated), one or more of the half-shells 25 is not completely transparent, but comprises one or more windows, through which the surprise 3 is visible from outside. Alternatively, irrespective of the transparency or otherwise of the half-shell 25, the surprise 3 housed in the chamber is visible from outside through a window or opening made through the strip 13.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, each strip 13 is selectively available in a splayed-out condition to enable display of the corresponding surprise or surprises 3 (illustrated in Figure 1), where it extends downwards from the hood 7 in a position overlying a respective lateral face of the display unit, leaving the surprise 3 in view, and a condition of transport or packaging (illustrated in Figure 2), where the strip 13 is folded and the surprise is set completely inside the cavity 11, as may be seen from Figure 2. Once again with reference to Figure 2, when a strip 13 is set in its condition of transport or packaging, the corresponding surprise or surprises 3 is/are completely housed in the cavity 11, in positions set alongside one another and in any case underlying both the surface 8 and the corresponding plate portion 20, which partially closes the inlet 11 of the cavity 11 itself.

According to a different embodiment, each strip 13 is a flexible strip of the web or sheet type, once again made of paper or cardboard material coated or otherwise either with plastic material or with some other equivalent flexible sheet material, whether porous or not, for example a woven fabric or a non-woven fabric. In this case, the strip 13 and the corresponding surprise 3 may be freely folded, and this facilitates housing of both the strips 13 and the corresponding surprises 3 in the cavity 11 in so far as the surprises 3 may be arranged more freely within the seat 11 itself.

According to a further different embodiment, one or more strips 13 have their own attachment portion 14 that is no longer inserted in the slit 15 but in a further slit 30 made in a position adjacent to the inlet 12.

According to a further variant, that does not constitute part of the present invention, the attachment portions 14 are not inserted in the slits 15, but are connected to the hood 7 by gluing or heat sealing.

Finally, according to a last variant, irrespective of the transparency or otherwise of the half-shell, the surprise 3 housed in the chamber is visible from outside through a window or an opening made through the strip 13.

From the foregoing it is evident that the use of semi-rigid or flexible strips coupled to the hood 7, i.e., to the top end of the display unit 1, and the fact of envisaging always at the top end of the display unit a seat for housing all the surprises 3 and possibly also respective strips 13, enables convenient transport and warehousing in conditions of safety of the display unit 1, the Easter eggs, the surprises, and the strips for displaying the surprises themselves. In fact, in this way, the display unit 1, the Easter eggs, the surprises, and the corresponding supporting strips form part of a single body having a parallelepipedal shape, which may be readily transported and stored and presents outer dimensions that are practically the same as those of known display units.

In addition to this, once again during transport or warehousing, the surprises 3 housed in the cavity 11 are protected by the strips 13 themselves arranged in a folded condition and are blocked within a single cavity of the display unit.

When, instead, the strips 13 hang down from the hood 7, they enable immediate and clear visibility of the surprises 3 from outside in so far as the surprises themselves are at least in part set on top of the Easter eggs and may thus be immediately noticed by simply looking at the Easter eggs.

Finally, since the strips 13 are coupled to the hood 7 in a detachable way and in any case do not form a structural part of the display unit 1 they may be formed independently of the remaining part of the display unit 1 itself.

From the foregoing it will be evident that modifications and variations may be made to the display unit 1 described herein, without thereby departing from the scope defined by the independent claim. In particular, the supporting platforms 5 may be different from a constructional and/or geometrical standpoint from the ones described by way of example, as likewise the hood 7 may be different from a constructional and/or geometrical standpoint from what has been described. The hood 7 could, in particular, present cavities for housing the strips 13 and corresponding surprises 3 that differ from the one described, just as it could comprise seats for partially housing the confectionery products 2 and/or different devices for attachment of the strips 13.