The invention relates to a display strip of a material, which can be permanently deformed.

The display strip can more specifically comprises a row of display hook elements, which each is punched free of the remainder of the display strip except along a bend region arranged for allowing the display hook element being bent out of the plane of the display strip and transformed into a display hook by at the same time disclosing an opening through the display strip.

Such display strips are used in supermarkets and hard ware stores for displaying different kinds of usually smaller articles, which in an attractive way are suspended on the display hooks of the display strip.

The display strips also advantageously can be used in private homes for hooking items like e.g. keys on the display hooks of the display strips.

The display strip may itself be suspended upon an area of a suitable wall allowing many display strips to be suspended side by side and/or in succession so a lot of articles can be displayed at the same time without occupying too much space.

The patent US No. 5,199,578 discloses a display strip of the above-mentioned kind made of synthetic resin. Each of the unfolded display hooks is forming an acute angle with the display strip.

Owing to the flexibility of the synthetic resin only the area close to the folding line of the display hook is sufficiently solid and reliable for being able to carry the weight of an article and only one article can be hooked on each display hook of this display strip.

This known display strip therefore can only on a limited scale be used for suspending articles on the hooks of the display strip and especially heavier articles cannot be suspended upon the hooks .

The display strip is lengthwise also so flexible that it is necessary to keep the display strip attached to the wall by means of more pieces of adhesive tape, whereby the cost of the display strip is increased and the mounting of the display strip on the wall becomes time consuming and troublesome.

From the application PCT/IB2007/050793 is known a display rack with rows of narrow display hook elements which each can be unfolded so a display hook is formed. Articles like e.g. screws and pastilles in bags with holes can easily be hooked on the hooks of the rack and removed from the hooks again.

This display rack is made of metal like e.g. iron or aluminum, which can be permanently deformed, so that the unfolded hooks are able to carry significant loads.

The display rack has however a complicated and expensive construction and will also occupy too much of the costly floor space in a supermarket or hard ware store.

The above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art display strips are according to the present invention remedied by,

in a first aspect of the invention providing a display strip of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph with display hooks, which optionally can be permanently bended into any desired angle with the display strip, in a second aspect of the invention providing a display strip of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph with display hooks which can carry significant loads in bended state,

in a third aspect of the invention providing a display strip of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph which can be loaded in its entirety,

in a fourth aspect of the invention providing a display strip of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph which quickly and easily can be mounted upon e.g. a wall,

in a fifth aspect of the invention providing a display strip of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph which freely can hung down e.g. a wall without being attached to the wall by aids like pieces of tape,

in a sixth aspect of the invention providing a display strip of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph which is occupying very little space in a supermarket or hard ware store,

in a seventh aspect of the invention providing a display strip of the kind mentioned in the opening paragraph which has a simple and inexpensive structure.

The novel and unique features of the invention whereby these are achieved consist in the fact that the display strip comprises a suspension hook element limited by the adjacent through opening and by a slit extending from said opening to the edge of the strip, whereby the suspension hook element is transformed into a suspension hook by transforming the respective display hook element into a display hook.

By means of this construction is advantageously obtained a simple and inexpensive display strip, which by means of the suspension hook quickly and easily can be hooked on e.g. the prong of a hanger attached to a wall.

The display strip according to the invention can, owing to its stiffness, moreover freely hung down the wall without being attached to the wall by aids like pieces of tape thereby

The invention will be explained in greater details below where further advantageous properties and example embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows fragmentarily, seen from in front, a top part including four display hook element of a display strip according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows the same display strip, but with unfolded display hook elements,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentarily, sectional view, taken along the line III - III in fig. 2,

Fig. 4 shows fragmentarily, seen from in front, a top part including one display hook element of the display strip according to the invention in a first embodiment of the unfolded display strip,

Fig. 5 is a lateral view of the display strip seen in fig. 4,

Fig. 6 shows fragmentarily, seen from in front, a top part including one display hook element of the display strip according to the invention in a second embodiment of the unfolded display strip,

Fig. 7 is a lateral view of the display strip seen in fig. 6, Fig. 8 shows fragmentarily, seen from in front, a top part including one display hook element of the display strip according to the invention in a third embodiment of the unfolded display strip, and

Fig. 9 is a lateral view of the display strip seen in fig. 8.

Fig. 1 shows a top part including four display hook elements 2 of the display strip 1 according to the invention.

The display strip is made of a metal like iron or aluminum, whereby a strong and durable display strip is achieved and also that the material of the display strip permanently can be deformed.

The thickness of the display strip may be between 0,5 and 2,5 mm, the width between 25 and 50 mm, and the length between 400 and 1200 mm.

Each display hook elements 2 is formed as an elongated narrow piece of plate having a width, which may be between 10 and 25 mm and a length, which may be between 25 and 150 mm.

The display hook element is punched free of the remainder of the display strip except along a bend region 3 whereby a through opening 4 is formed in the display strip.

A preferable rectangular perforation 5 is partly extending along each bend region 3 for making it comfortable to bend the respective display hook element.

The length of the perforation 5 is chosen such that the connection between the display hook element and the remainder of the display strip still is strong enough to effectively standing the moment of loadings which the display hook element can be exposed to during use. It is noted that there instead of one perforation 5 can be more smaller perforations (not shown) , which each also can be round instead of being rectangular.

A second perforation 6 is extending crosswise the display hook element close to the free end 7 of the display hook element. This free end is, as can be seen, rounded.

The uppermost part of the display strip is formed as a suspension hook element 8 limited by the adjacent through opening 4 and a slit 9 extending from the trough opening to the edge 10 of the display strip.

A third perforation 11 is formed in the area of the display strip extending between the edge 10 opposite the slit 9 and the uppermost through opening 4.

A fourth perforation 12 is formed in the area of the display strip extending between the edge 10 at the slit 9 of the display strip and the uppermost through opening 4.

Fig. 2 and 3 shows the display strip with display hook elements 2 bended about their bend regions to form different display hooks, which could be useful for carrying specific articles.

Bending the display hook element about its bend region 3 so it forms an acute angle with the display strip forms the display hook 13.

The display hook 14 is formed by bending the display hook element 2 90 degrees about its bend region 3 and by bending the end part of the display hook element into the opposite direction . The display hook 15 is formed by bending the display hook element 2 180 degrees about its bend region 3 and by bending the end part of the display hook element about its bend region 3 into the opposite direction. The suspension hook element 8 is at the same time transformed to a suspension hook since the through opening 4 now is free.

Fig. 4 and 5 shows a top part of the display strip with one display hook element only. The tab 16 with the fourth perforation 12 is in this embodiment bent 180 degrees downwards leaving a free gap 17 for introducing a hang up means (not shown) upon which the suspension hook 18 can be hooked.

The fourth perforation 12 serves for making it comfortable to bend the tab 16.

Fig. 6 and 7 shows the same as in fig. 4 and 5. In this embodiment is the tab 19 with the third perforation 11 however twisted with the result that the suspension hook 18 has been turned out of the plane of the display strip.

The third perforation 12 serves for making it comfortable to twist the tab 19 while still leaving so much of the material of the tab that the connection between the suspension hook 18 and the remainder of display strip is strong enough to effectively carrying the weights of the articles hooked on the display hooks of the display strip.

The display strip can by means of this embodiment be suspended upon a suitable hang up means (not shown) by e.g. letting the down-turned edge 20 of the free end of the suspension hook 18 rest upon an up-turned edge (not shown) of said hang up means or by introducing the hook into a slit in the wall.

Fig. 8 and 9 also shows the same as in fig. 4 and 5, but in this embodiment does bending the tabs 16 and 19 with the third - and fourth perforation 11 and 12, respectively, form the suspension hook 21.

The perforations 11 and 12 serve for, also by this embodiment, to make the bending operation comfortable.

The display strip can by means also of this embodiment be suspended upon a suitable hang up means (not shown) by e.g. letting the down-turned edge 22 of the free end of the suspension hook 21 rest upon an up-turned edge (not shown) of said hang up means.

Alternatively can the display strip be suspended by letting the bending area 23 of the tabs 11 and 12 rest upon a suitable hang up means (not shown) .

In still another embodiment can the suspension hook 21 showed in fig. 9 be bent 180 degrees (not shown) and a traversing slit (not shown) can be formed at the bottom of the display strip, whereby two display strips can be hooked up by introducing said suspension hook in said slit.

More display strips can in this way be assembled so a chain of display strips is formed.

The invention is above described and on the drawing shown based on the assumption that the display strip of the invention is equipped with one row of display hooks only.

There can however, within the scope of the invention, be more rows of display hooks upon one display strip.