Prior art wallpaper sample books have been typically used by retailers to allow consumers to view a plethora of wallpaper samples. The books are large and difficult to handle, and the wallpaper samples can be viewed only by opening the book on a large table. Several tables of book stands are required for each store. Another disadvantage to this method is that only a few samples can be displayed at any given time, and it requires the time-consuming effort and patience of the consumer to thumb through the sample books. Another disadvantage to this method is that the consumer cannot retain a sample for their personal use and instead must borrow the sample book in order to effectively coordinate colors. Further, the consumer requires the assistance of a sales clerk to order the wallpaper.
More recently, a do-it-yourself concept in marketing wallpaper has resulted in the display of wallpaper samples and wallpaper rolls such as that shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,121,718, 4,175,807 and 5,031,781. Many prior art display racks have the disadvantage of providing the display of only a fixed width of wallpaper. Rolls of wallpaper vary in width and size which will result in a waste of space when used in the prior art display racks. Thus for example, it is not generally feasible to display wallpaper rolls on display racks adjacent matching border rolls because of the huge disparity in widths. Another disadvantage to the prior art display racks is that they generally do not provide for the display of more than one type of wallpaper in a row. Further, the prior art display racks generally do not provide for an easily accessible and removable sample adjacent the wallpaper roll.
It is often desirable to display just the wallpaper samples in a large array in an easily retrievable and aesthetically-pleasing manner. The wallpaper sample displays of the prior art are disadvantageous in that they require the customer to hunt and retrieve the desired sample after viewing a large static display of samples.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds