Display banners or other types of elongated display mediums are often utilized to display information in an eye-catching manner. For example, it is common practice within the trade-show industry to use such banners to attract potential customers or clients to a particular trade-show display booth.
Trade-show display booths have various sizes and shapes and include a wide range of structural designs. For example, trade-show booths often incorporate collapsible, self-standing display structures that define curved display walls. For aesthetic reasons, it is desirable to span display banners across the fronts of the curved walls. Display banners are typically manufactured of flexible materials such as flexible plastic or fabric material. Because the banners are generally flexible in nature, rigid frames are often used to provide support for preventing the banners from sagging. U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,369 discloses an exemplary display frame having resilient connectors for interconnecting the various components of the frame.
Trade-show display banners are also commonly spanned between structures so as to form display "bridges". Once again, because the banners are typically made of flexible materials, rigid display frames are often used to prevent the banners from sagging. The use of rigid frames insures that the banners are presented in a clear, easy to read, and aesthetically pleasing manner. Often, the presentation and visibility of the banners is further enhanced through the use of lighting secured behind the banners.
The mobile nature of the trade-show industry presents special concerns to suppliers of rigid display frames. For example, one concern relates to providing display frames that can be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled. Another concern relates to providing display frames that are compact when disassembled. A further concern relates to providing display frames that are light weight, substantially rigid when assembled, and capable of providing large graphic display areas. Additional concerns relate to providing display frames that are durable, cost effective to manufacture, and aesthetically pleasing. The present invention addresses these concerns as well as other concerns.