BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1A illustrates an exploded perspective view of a prior art design for a typical prior art retail display shelving or “gondola” unit.
FIG. 1B illustrates a perspective view of an assembled prior art design for a typical prior art retail display shelving or “gondola” unit as one would encounter in a typical retail sales establishment.
FIG. 2A illustrates an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention utilizing a “stretcher” in conjunction with a typical gondola unit.
FIG. 2B illustrates a cutaway perspective view of an assembled first embodiment of the present invention utilizing a “stretcher” in conjunction with a typical gondola as one would encounter in a retail sales establishment. The cutaway portion shows the interoperability of the various components.
FIG. 3A illustrates an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention utilizing a “spanner” in conjunction with a typical gondola unit.
FIG. 3B illustrates a cutaway perspective view of an assembled second embodiment of the present invention utilizing a “spanner” in conjunction with a typical gondola as one would encounter in a retail sales establishment. The cutaway portion shows the interoperability of the various components.
Like reference numerals represent equivalent parts throughout the several drawings.
REFERENCE NUMERALS
102 back panel
104 upright
106 base bracket
108 bottom rail
110 center rail
112 shelf
114 base deck
116 base front
118 base bracket trim
120 upright end trim
122 top rail
202 free-standing base deck
204 stretcher
206 leg cap
304 spanner
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the provided drawings, similar reference numerals represent the equivalent component throughout the several views of the drawings. FIG. 2A shows an exploded perspective view of a first embodiment of the present invention while FIG. 2B shows a cutaway portion of a typical assembled gondola unit modified by the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A shows an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the present invention while FIG. 3B shows the respective cutaway portion of the second embodiment modified by the present invention. The present invention comprises a free-standing base deck 202 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) that serves as a direct replacement for the original base deck 114 (shown in FIG. 1) of the prior art gondola unit.
Because the original base deck 114 is normally directly attached to the back panel 102 and both base brackets 106 and possibly the base front 116, removal of the original base deck 114 and base front 116 requires a spacing device for maintaining the parallel alignment of the base brackets 106. In the first embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 2, the spacing device chosen is a stretcher 204 while in FIG. 3, which shows a second embodiment, a different spacing device known as a spanner 304 is chosen.
With respect to FIG. 2, to maintain proper base bracket 106 alignment, the ends of the stretcher 204 removably attach to the forward most ends of the respective base bracket 106 thus ensuring the base brackets 106 remain fixed in a parallel fashion. The stretcher 204 also restores overall rigidity to the gondola unit that is lost due to the removal of the original base deck 114 and base front 116, and maintains the overall structural integrity of the gondola with regards to the gondola's load bearing capability.
FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment that uses a spanner 304 that serves in the same capacity as the stretcher 204. The spanner 304 and stretcher 204 (shown in FIG. 2) both demonstrate that a different spacing device can be chosen without departing from the inventive concept. It is even possible, on some gondola units, to leave the base front 116 in place. However, removal of the original base deck 114 and installation of the free-standing base deck 202 will result in a lower shelf for the gondola unit having increased vertical space (due to the use of the improvement) but being “walled-in” by the still existing base front 116. Thus, it may be more aesthetically pleasing to remove the base front 116 and install either a stretcher 204 or a spanner 304 in its place.
In FIG. 2 the free-standing base deck 202 takes the place of the original base deck 114 by occupying the space between the back panel 102, base brackets 106 and stretcher 204, with no physical attachments to any portion of the gondola. The free-standing base deck 202 thus positionally registers itself between the back panel 102, base brackets 106 and stretcher 204. By sitting on the floor beneath the gondola, the free-standing base deck 202 thus reclaims the retail shelving space that is the difference between the height of the original base bracket 114 from the floor and the height of the free-standing base bracket 202 from the floor. In the embodiment shown, the free-standing base deck 202 is approximately 3 inches in height. The original base deck 114 of a representative gondola unit is approximately 6 inches or greater from the top of the base deck to the floor. Thus, the present invention can reclaim as much as 3 inches or more in additional shelving height over the unmodified gondola unit. This additional space translates into increased retail shelving space for display and sales of a greater quantity of retail product per modified gondola.
Once the original base deck 114 is removed, portions of the base brackets 106 may become exposed. Consequently, a concealing device for restoring and maintaining the aesthetic qualities of the gondola unit is required. The concealing device chosen in both the first embodiment of FIG. 2 and second embodiment of FIG. 3 is a leg cap 206. This leg cap 206 replaces the base bracket trim 118 and effectively covers any exposed portions of the base bracket 106.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the free-standing base deck 202 and leg caps 206 are constructed from metal, preferably 18 Ga. cold rolled steel. This material is commonly used in the display shelving industry and thus should not require retooling or special machinery to manufacture. It is also durable and relatively inexpensive to use compared to other metals. In addition, this material is easily bent or folded using a metal brake and can also be welded. Thus, the free-standing base deck 202 and leg caps 206 can be manufactured using the same or similar process used to manufacture the other components of a standard gondola unit. Because there is no significant retooling required to manufacture the preferred embodiment of the present invention, manufacturing costs can be kept to a minimum. Alternative materials, such as plastic or fiberglass, can also be used in the construction of the free-standing base deck 202 and leg caps 206. Material selection can be based on the particular needs of the existing gondola unit.
The free-standing base deck 202 can be manufactured to essentially any width/depth/height combination depending on the requirements of the base deck 114 that it is replacing. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the free-standing base deck 202 measures approximately 46¾ inches in width by approximately 23½ inches in depth by approximately 3 inches in height. It is formed from three pieces of 18 Ga. cold rolled steel; one piece for the base deck top surface and one piece for each of the two sides. One method for manufacturing this embodiment would be to take a single sheet of the preferred material, cut to the preferred dimensions with approximately 4½ inches added to the depth in order to form the front and back edges. The front edge could be formed by bending approximately 1½ inches of the depth dimension downward using a metal brake such that the finished edge forms an angle of approximately 105 degrees with the bottom surface of the base deck material. In a similar fashion, the rear edge of the base deck could be formed by bending approximately 3 inches of the depth dimension downward using a metal brake such that the finished edge forms an angle of 90 degrees with the bottom surface of the base deck material. The dimension of this rear edge establishes the height that the completed free-standing base deck top surface maintains from the floor. The two sides of the base deck can then be formed from pieces of the same preferred material, cut to the profile of the previously formed free-standing base deck with formed front and back edges. These two side pieces can then be welded into place (using any welding process suitable for the material being used) on the respective sides of the free-standing base deck 202, thus completing its construction.
The embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 each utilize a free-standing base deck 202 with a raised lip on its front edge to provide positive retention of items placed on the top surface. This lip runs the width of the free-standing base deck 202 and has a triangular shaped cross section. It is also possible to use a free-standing base deck 202 without the lip or else with a traditional wire-framed fence as is commonly used in display shelving. To accommodate a traditional wire-framed fence, the free-standing base deck 202 can have suitable perforations in its top surface to accept the fence's mating tabs. The free-standing base deck 202 shown in the provided drawings has perforations in its top surface near the rear edge to illustrate this. With minor modifications, any display shelving product retention means is possible without straying from the inventive concept.
The leg cap 206 can be manufactured using the same process and materials as the free-standing base deck, and can be essentially any width/depth/height combination as well. Because the leg cap 206 is meant as a decorative cover to replace the displaced base bracket trim 118, the width/depth/height combination of any leg cap 206 should be chosen to hide any exposed surfaces of the original gondola base bracket 106. This is aesthetically necessary because the free-standing base deck 202 exposes the inner surfaces of the original base bracket 106 that were once hidden by the now displaced original base deck 102. Each leg cap 206 can be manufactured from a single sheet of the same or similar material used for the free-standing base deck 202 by bending the two longest sides downward to form a channel that is sufficiently wide enough to slip over the top of a base bracket 106. The end of the leg cap 206 that would be opposite the upright 104 could then be closed by welding an appropriate sized rectangular piece of the same or similar material over the opening of the channel. The finished leg cap 206 should be sufficiently wide enough to fit over a base bracket 106; sufficiently long enough to cover the length of the base bracket 106; and sufficiently tall enough to cover the vertical height of the exposed portions of the base bracket 106.
The stretcher 204 in the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2 is constructed from metal, preferably 16 Ga. cold rolled steel. Likewise, in FIG. 3, the spanner 304 is constructed of the same material. Heavier materials can be used for the stretcher 204 or spanner 304 because it adds to the structural integrity of the gondola on which it is installed. The stretcher 204 in the first embodiment is comprised of three components formed from three pieces of the chosen material. One component measures approximately 46⅞ inches in length by 1½ inches in width. The piece can be bent on a metal brake such that it forms a “U” shaped channel along the length; the bottom of the channel measuring approximately ¾ inches in width and the two sides of the channel measuring approximately ½ inch in height. Thus, this first piece of the stretcher 204 establishes the width of the space between the two parallel base brackets 106 upon which the stretcher 204 will eventually attach. The other two components that comprise the stretcher 204 are the two upright pieces that provide the physical attachment with the base bracket 106. These upright pieces can be made from two identical pieces of the same material as the first piece of the stretcher, measuring approximately 4 inches in length by approximately 1⅔ inches in width. The upright pieces in the first embodiment are formed into a “J” shape by bending them along their length such that the bottom and side of the “J” are approximately ½ inches long. To complete the stretcher 204, the two upright components are attached to the longer center component by welding. Thus, the completed stretcher 204 will provide a positive, physical attachment with each respective base bracket 106, maintaining the base brackets 106 parallel in order to allow adequate spacing and maintain alignment for the free-standing base deck 202. In addition, the stretcher 204 allows adequate spacing between itself and the back panel 102 to properly retain the free-standing base deck 202.
The spanner 304 in the second embodiment of FIGS. 3A and 3B is comprised of a single sheet of the same chosen material, which is bent in such a fashion to create the necessary rigidity and removably attachable end pieces to allow it to serve the same spacing device means as the stretcher 204. The ends of the spanner 304 are essentially “tabs” that are bent inward to create a feature similar to a standard spring clip that allows for the ends to attach to a particular gondola's base brackets 106. Thus, with minor modifications to the chosen spacing device means it is possible to adapt the spacing device to accommodate essentially any commercial gondola.
All of the dimensions provided for the two described embodiments can be easily varied in order to meet the needs of any particular gondola unit. While there are many standard sizes of commercial gondolas, there can be significant variations that would necessitate adjustments to the required dimensions. While specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that one can modify the dimensions and particulars of the embodiments without straying from the inventive concept.
Patent Application
20070267375
