Numerous types of flat article display systems have been used in retail locations to display samples of flooring and other materials. Some systems display flat articles by binding the flat articles such that customers may flip through the flat articles to select their desired pattern, style, or color. Other systems display flat articles by layering them at an angle and stacking the flat articles vertically to permit viewing of an edge of each of the flat articles. These systems suffer from the inability to display large numbers of samples and give the customer an immersive experience that allows them to appreciate the appearance of the product as it would look when installed. Thus, there is a need for an improved flat article display system which overcomes these disadvantages.
The present invention provides a display system for flat articles generally including a rack, one or more carriers, and a plurality of flat articles. The rack comprises first and second vertical rack supports and first upper and lower horizontal rack supports forming a bay. The rack may be extended by adding additional vertical rack supports to create additional bays as desired. The one or more carriers have an upper mounting bracket, a lower mounting bracket, a pair of upright members, and at least one pair of support members, and are attached to the upper and lower horizontal rack supports within each bay. The pair of upright members are coupled to each of the upper and lower mounting brackets in a horizontally spaced-apart manner, and the pair of support members extends between the pair of upright members in a vertically spaced-apart manner. The plurality of flat articles may be slidably engaged with the pair of support members so that a front surface is exposed for viewing.
By arranging one or more carriers across a plurality of bays, it is possible to assemble a continuous wall of flat articles that are substantially co-planar. The flat articles may be flooring products such as tiles, planks, laminate, or other flooring materials known in the art. In one embodiment, the flat articles are wood panel. Further, the flat articles are supported by the carrier such that they do not interfere with the rack once installed. Thus, the wall may extend across multiple bays, such that there are no interruptions in the display. Individual flat articles may span multiple carriers. This permits the display of a plurality of styles, colors, and patterns of flooring material without interruption, providing a more immersive display experience.
In one embodiment, the flat article display system generally includes a rack, one or more carriers, and a plurality of flat articles. The rack comprises first and second vertical rack supports and first upper and lower horizontal rack supports. The vertical rack supports are horizontally spaced-apart to define a bay therebetween. The first upper and lower horizontal rack supports are coupled to and extend between the first and second vertical rack supports, with the first upper and lower horizontal rack supports spaced-apart vertically. The one or more carriers have an upper mounting bracket, a lower mounting bracket, a pair of upright members, and at least one pair of support members. The upper mounting bracket of the one or more carriers is coupled to the first upper horizontal rack support, and the lower mounting bracket is coupled to the first lower mounting bracket. The pair of upright members is coupled to each of the upper and lower mounting brackets in a horizontally spaced-apart manner, and the pair of support members extends between the pair of upright members in a vertically spaced-apart manner. The plurality of flat articles are mounted to the pair of support members so that a front surface is exposed for viewing.
In another embodiment, the flat article display system includes a rack, a plurality of carriers, and a plurality of flat articles. The rack has a first, second, and third vertical rack support arranged in a horizontally spaced-apart manner to define a first bay between the first and second vertical rack supports and a second bay between the second and third vertical rack supports. The plurality of carriers each comprise a pair of upright members arranged in a horizontally spaced-apart manner and a first pair of support members extending between the pair of upright members in a vertically spaced-apart manner. A first one of the carriers is mounted to the rack in the first bay on one side of the second vertical rack support and a second one of the carriers is mounted to the rack in the second bay on an opposite side of the second vertical rack support such that the first pairs of support members of the first and second ones of the carriers are in horizontal alignment.
In another embodiment, the flat article display system includes a rack and a plurality of flat articles mounted to the rack. The rack comprises a first bay and a second bay separated from one another by a vertical rack support. The plurality of flat articles have a first side edge, a second side edge, and a front surface. The flat articles are arranged in a continuous row of flat articles. This row of flat articles extends across at least a portion of the first and second bays and at least partially conceals the vertical rack support of the rack.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
As used throughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each and every value that is within the range. Any value within the range can be selected as the terminus of the range. In addition, all references cited herein are hereby incorporated by referenced in their entireties. In the event of a conflict in a definition in the present disclosure and that of a cited reference, the present disclosure controls.
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The height of the downwardly extending engagement wall 358, as measured from the lower side of the roof 356 to the lowermost edge of the downwardly extending engagement wall 358, is a first height huw. The height of the upwardly extending engagement wall 368, as measured from the upper side of the floor 366 to the lowermost edge of the upwardly extending engagement wall 368, is a second height hlw. The first height huw is greater than the second height hlw for each of the pairs of support members. In alternate embodiments, the upper and lower engagement members 350, 352 may be constructed as bars with a rectangular or circular cross section, rails, or any other profile. The upper engagement member 350 does not need to have a downwardly extending engagement wall 358 and the lower engagement member 352 does not need to have an upwardly extending engagement wall 368, but instead the upper and lower engagement members 350, 352 may merely consist of a circular profile, rectangular profile, or any other shape that supports and retains the flat articles 400.
The flat articles 400 of the exemplary embodiment comprise a pair of product mounting elements 402 and a display material 404. The pair of product mounting elements 402 comprise an upper channel member 406 and a lower channel member 408. The display material 404 has a front face 410, a back face 412, a top edge 414, a bottom edge 416, a first side edge 418, and a second side edge 420. The second side edge 420 is opposite the first side edge 418. When installed in the carrier 300, the front face 410 is oriented away from the rack 200 so that the display material 404 can be inspected by customers. The upper channel member 406 and the lower channel member 408 are attached to the back face 412 of the display material 404, such that the upper and lower channel members 406, 408 are hidden from the customers' view when they are inspecting the display material 404. The upper channel member 406 consists of a floor 430, an upwardly extending engagement wall 432, and an open top 434. The upwardly extending engagement wall 432 has a first height hua as measured from the upper surface of the floor 430. The lower channel member 408 consists of a roof 436, a downwardly extending engagement wall 438, and an open bottom 440. The downwardly extending engagement wall 438 has a second height hla as measured from the lower surface of the roof 436. In the exemplary embodiment, the first height hua is equal to the second height hla but alternate embodiments may be designed so that the first height hua is greater than the second height hla.
In the exemplary embodiment, the flat articles 400 are installed into a carrier 300 by positioning the upper channel member 406 of the flat article 400 such that the upper channel member 406 engages the upper engagement member 350 of the carrier 300. This is done by inserting the upwardly extending wall 432 of the upper channel member 406 into the open bottom 360 of the upper engagement member 350. The bottom edge 416 of the flat article 400 is then moved toward the rack 200, and the flat article 400 is slid upward until the lower channel member 408 clears the lower engagement member 352. The bottom edge 416 of the flat article 400 is then pushed against the carrier 300 and the flat article 400 is allowed to slide downward, interlocking the lower channel member 408 with the lower engagement member 352. The flat article 400 remains securely fastened in the carrier 300. Because the first height huw of the downwardly extending engagement wall 358 of the upper engagement member 350 greater than the second height hlw of the upwardly extending engagement wall 368 of the lower engagement member 352, the flat articles 400 may be interlocked without tools or other latching mechanisms. In alternate embodiments, the heights huw, hlw of the upper and lower channel members 406, 408 may be varied to permit interlocking while the heights of the downwardly and upwardly extending engagement walls 358, 368 of the upper and lower engagement members 350, 352 may be kept equal. In yet other embodiments, the upper and lower engagement members 350, 352 need not be formed to have downwardly and upwardly extending engagement walls 358, 368, and may be formed as bars, rails, or any other profile shape which is capable of engaging the upper and lower channel members 406, 408 of the flat articles.
The exemplary embodiment of the carrier 300 has three pairs of support members 308 extending between the upright members 306. These three pairs of support members 308 permit the mounting of three rows of flat articles 400 as shown in
Though the header 500 prevents withdrawal of flat articles 400 by sliding them upward and withdrawing them, the flat articles 400 may still be slid horizontally along the carrier. As shown in
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In some embodiments, the flat articles 400 may also be arranged such that the flat articles 400 above and below each row have a gap or space between them. In alternate embodiments, the flat articles 400 are arranged such that they are in abutment in the vertical direction, forming a continuous uninterrupted column. Thus, a continuous uninterrupted surface may be formed both along a row and along a column if desired, with the flat articles 400 in abutment in both the rows and the columns.
Additional horizontal support members 204 may be installed to permit the storage of product packages 515 for those products represented by the flat articles 400, as shown in
While the foregoing description and drawings represent exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it will be understood that various additions, modifications and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope and range of equivalents of the accompanying claims. In particular, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other forms, structures, arrangements, proportions, sizes, and with other elements, materials, and components, without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. In addition, numerous variations in the methods/processes described herein may be made within the scope of the present disclosure. One skilled in the art will further appreciate that the embodiments may be used with many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, sizes, materials, and components and otherwise, used in the practice of the disclosure, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from the principles described herein. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The appended claims should be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments of the disclosure, which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents.
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/002,979, filed May 26, 2014. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
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