The present invention relates to label holders for displaying information-containing labels or signs and, more particularly, holders which are cost effective, convenient to manufacture, and adapted for secure attachment to a wide variety of retail shelving in a manner which facilitates convenient viewing of associated labels.
Merchandise shelves commonly found in supermarkets and the like generally provide a substantially C-shaped price channel along the front edge. The merchandise shelves can also be modified to include a C-shaped price channel. Such price channels have upper and lower flange members along their edges and can be used to accommodate snap-in labels or sign holders adapted to receive and display non-adhesive paper or plastic labels or signs containing bar coding or printed pricing or other such information for the consumer. Non-adhesive labels are less expensive to manufacture when compared to adhesive backed labels. Additionally, non-adhesive labels can generally be installed and removed much more readily. Moreover, the appearance of shelving provided with label holders adapted to removably receive non-adhesive labels is dramatically improved.
Depending upon the type of shelving, the price channel configuration may be different. Although the size of most price channels is fairly standard, no two shelves are exactly alike. Thus, the height of the channel formed between the upper and lower flange members may vary because of manufacturing tolerances, even on different shelves of the same shelf system.
Various attachments are currently on the market for adapting a C-channel to removably receive and display non-adhesive information-containing labels to a consumer. In most versions, one or more rearwardly extending flexible legs are provided with portions designed to snap into the upper and lower flanges of the C-channel. While such attachments may provide only upper and lower channels to receive and retain a paper or plastic label, much like the C-channel on the shelf, they commonly include a main body or backing panel and a hingedly attached transparent cover which together define a pocket between them for reception of the non-adhesive label. In some circumstances, a transparent label cover can be snapped directly onto a C-channel over the lower edge, providing a pocket for a non-adhesive label between the cover and the C-channel itself.
While each of the foregoing systems are useful, they each have limited application and one or more disadvantages. For example, while the label holders with rearwardly extending legs can accommodate C-channels of somewhat varying dimensions, they still must fit between and engage both the upper and lower flange elements, limiting their versatility.
The ease of use of the above described attachments is compromised due to the situation wherein a rear surface of the cover is in contact with a front surface of the main body panel. As such, it is difficult to grasp the cover and move it away from the main body panel in order to insert a label therebetween. Additionally, the rearwardly extending legs still must provide a sufficient retaining force when the cover is hinged and pulled away from the main body panel.
Furthermore, the shelving attachments currently on the market do not provide a mechanism for attachment of additional sign or label holders to the front cover wherein the sign holders, and the respective labels, can have different orientations.
In accordance with the present invention, a holder for a label includes a cover panel having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper end, and a lower end. A body panel is provided having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper end, and a lower end. A hinge connects the lower end of the cover panel with the lower end of the body panel. The cover panel further includes an upper portion which is disposed at an acute angle in relation to a plane of a remainder of the cover panel.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a label holder includes a body panel having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper end, and a lower end. The holder further includes a first clip member extending away from the rear surface of the body panel and a second clip member extending away from the rear surface of the body panel. The second clip member is spaced from the first clip member. The second clip member includes a stem, an upwardly extending arm located adjacent a distal end of the stem, and a downwardly extending arm disposed adjacent the distal end of the stem. The first and second clip members cooperate to selectively hold a projecting portion of an associated shelf. The holder further includes a cover panel connected to the body panel. The cover panel has a front surface, a rear surface, an upper end, and a lower end.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, a holder for a label includes a cover panel having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper end, and a lower end. The holder further includes a body panel having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper end, and a lower end. A hinge connects the lower end of the cover panel with the lower end of the body panel. A first sign holder is mounted to the cover panel.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a holder for a label includes a cover panel having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper end, and a lower end. The holder further includes a body panel having a front surface, a rear surface, an upper end, and a lower end. A hinge connects the lower end of the cover panel with the lower end of the body panel. The cover panel includes an upper portion which is disposed at an acute angle in relation to a plane of a remainder of the cover panel. A first clip member extends away from the rear surface of the body panel. A second clip member extends away from the rear surface of the body panel, the second clip member is spaced from the first clip member wherein the second clip member includes a stem, an upwardly extending arm located adjacent a distal end of the stem, and a downwardly extending arm disposed adjacent the distal end of the stem. The first and second clip members cooperate to selectively hold a projecting portion of an associated shelf.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a label holder includes a rear panel and a front panel secured to the rear panel along a bottom edge of the front panel. The front panel includes a first portion which extends in a direction generally parallel to the rear panel. A second portion is connected to the first portion and extends at an acute angle in relation to a plane of the first portion. A first gripping member extends rearwardly from the rear panel for selectively securing the label holder to an associated merchandising shelf.
Still other aspects of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon a reading and understanding of the following specification.
The invention may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, several preferred embodiments of which are described in the specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to
It is to be appreciated that the body panel 12 and the cover panel 14 can be formed by coextrusion. The body panel 12 can include an opaque, colored, polyvinyl chloride. The cover panel 14 can be formed of a transparent polyvinyl chloride to enable a non-adhesive paper or plastic label L1 or the like (
The lower end 22 of the body panel 12 and the lower end 30 of the cover panel 14 are integrally joined at hinge 42 to provide a flexible interconnection. The interconnection biases the cover panel 14 toward the position shown in
The cover panel 14 includes an upper or second portion 46 which is disposed at an acute angle 48 in relation to a plane of a remainder or first portion 50 of the cover panel 14. As best seen in
The label holder 10 is adapted to be removably secured to a merchandise shelf 60 having a channel member, such as a C-channel 62 shown in
The specific details of the C-channel 62 or the merchandise shelf 60 are not part of the instant inventive concepts. Rather, they are conventional. However, they provide the environment in which the label holder of the present invention operates.
In order to enable the label holder 10 to be removably secured to the C-channel 62 without critical consideration of the configuration or dimensions of the C-channel 62, the body panel 12 is provided with a pair of rearwardly extending clip or gripping members 80, 82. A first portion 84 of the first clip or gripping member 80 is secured to the rear surface 18 of the body panel 12 at a point 86 proximal to the lower end 22 of the body panel 12. From the point of engagement 80 with the rear surface 18 of the body panel 12, the first clip member 80 comprises rearwardly or first and upwardly or second extending leg portions 84, 88. The first clip member 80 further includes a third portion 90, connected to the second portion 88 which extends towards the rear surface 18 of the body panel 12. Additionally, the first clip member 80 includes fourth and fifth portions 92, 94 connected to the third portion 90 and oriented generally parallel to and perpendicular to the body panel 12, respectively. An apex 96 between the third portion 90 and the fourth portion 92 of the first clip member 80 is adapted to engage the rear surface 68 of the central portion 64 of the C-channel 62 in use.
A first portion or stem 100 of the second clip or gripping member 82 is integral with or secured to the rear surface 18 of the body panel 12 at a point 102 spaced above the point 86 at which the first clip member 80 is secured. From the point of engagement 102 with the rear surface 18 of the body panel 12, the second clip member 82 comprises the rearwardly extending stem 100, an upwardly extending arm 104, and a downwardly extending arm 106, both disposed adjacent the distal end of the stem 100, thereby maintaining alignment of the stem 100. The upwardly extending arm 104 extends generally in a direction towards the rear surface 18 of the body panel 12. As is evident from the use condition shown in
An upwardly and forwardly extending or protruding foot member 120 is provided at the upper end 20 of the body panel 12 to extend behind the upper flange member 72 of the channel member 64 in use. The upper foot member 120 will further secure the upper end 20 of the label holder 10 beneath the upper flange 72 of the C-channel 62 and thereby, stabilize the engagement of the label holder 10 with the channel member 62.
With reference to
As is evident from
Referring to
A third embodiment of a label holder according to the present invention is shown in
Referring now to
In the assembled position (
The mounting member 320 includes a finger 360 at the upper end 328 which can be hooked onto the ridge 243 of, for example, sign holder 210′. As shown in
The present invention provides holders for price labels or similar which are sturdy, durable, and cost effective to manufacture. The holders are adapted for secure, selective attachment to a wide variety of different retail shelving types and accommodates multiple labels in different orientations.
The invention has been described with reference to several preferred embodiments. Obviously, alterations and modifications will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of this specification. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.