Patent Application
20220400861
The present disclosure relates to the field of shelving, and more particularly to a floating shelf system for displaying and storing a product.
Retail displays are critical to the sales of consumer products as they are the means by which products are positioned in the view and reach of prospective purchasers. Product displays are therefore configured to hold and position as much product as possible in the view of consumers in an orderly and appealing arrangement. To this end, a great variety of product display racks and product support devices have been contrived for all types of products. As the number of different types of displays multiplies, greater amounts of store space is occupied to the extent that not all displays can be on the sales floor at the same time. For seasonal items, display racks are moved about a store throughout the year, according to demand and sales results. In many stores, seasonal display racks are placed in storage during the off-season. In large stores, this can lead to permanent misplacement of some display racks and the inventory carried thereon. In the retail sale of expensive and delicate items it is important that each article be displayed in such a way that it appears attractive and is protected from damage.
There are many styles and systems of retail shelving and racks. These include slatwall, gridwall, and gondola styles. Slatwall systems have horizontal channels, gridwall fixtures have square grid patterns, and gondolas have vertical channels on each side of a panel. Each shelving system has its own specific set of accessories designed to hook into the grids or channels. Shelves are a popular solution for retailers and are able to support most types of merchandise.
Shelving and rack systems can be made modular as wire frame, wood racks with plywood or solid wood construction, snap together plastic panels and shelves, or combinations thereof. Wall mount shelving conventionally includes a holding features such as a bracket or panel and a mating shelf. The shelf can be any geometric shape.
More recently customers want better products and a better shopping experience. Thus, it is important to keep pace with evolving technologies to streamline workflow and enhance the customer experience. Visual merchandising uses sight to entice consumers by using attractive displays and arrangements of products. Visual merchandising attempts to create a certain mood using all aspects of interior design including the spatial environment, lighting, signage, and product presentation. Thus, tools are needed to display products in a manner attractive to consumers.
The present disclosure relates to a floating shelf system. The shelf system can include a panel, a plug in a hole in the panel, and a shelf inserted into the plug.
In an embodiment, a shelf system includes a panel including a first opening; a plug in the first opening, the plug including a wing that extends from a rear of the plug and is angled with respect to a side of the plug, and a second opening; and a shelf including a tongue, the tongue inside the second opening such that the shelf is retained with respect to the panel by the plug.
In an embodiment of the shelf system, an end of the wing is outside a dimension of the first opening. In an embodiment of the shelf system, the plug includes two wings, one each on opposite sides of the plug.
In an embodiment of the shelf system, the plug includes a tab on an inside surface of the second opening, the tab protruding from the inside surface of the opening and directly contacting the tongue. In the shelf system, a thickness of the tab is thinner in a direction toward the shelf than in an opposite direction toward an end of the tongue.
In another embodiment, a shelf system, includes a panel including a first opening; a plug in the first opening, the plug including a plurality of ribs that extend from a side of the plug and are angled with respect to a side of the plug, and a second opening; and a shelf including a tongue, the tongue inside the second opening such that the shelf is retained with respect to the panel by the plug. In the shelf system, an end of each of the plurality of wings is angled toward the shelf.
In the shelf system, some of the plurality of ribs extend from one side the plug and some of the plurality of ribs extend from another side of the plug that is opposite to the one side of the plug. In the shelf system, the plug includes a tab on an inside surface of the second opening, the tab protruding from the inside surface of the second opening and directly contacting the tongue. In the shelf system, a thickness of the tab is thinner in a direction toward the shelf than in an opposite direction toward an end of the tongue.
In another embodiment, a plug that holds a shelf includes a body; a flange connected to and extending wider than the body; a first opening through the flange and the body in which to receive a portion of the shelf; a retaining member extending from the body toward the flange and that retains the plug within a second opening in a panel and a rear surface of the flange contacting a surface of the panel. The plug can further include a tab on an inside surface of the first opening, the tab protruding from the inside surface of the first opening and being thicker as the tab extends away from the flange. In the plug, the tab directly contacts the portion of the shelf when the shelf is received within the first opening.
In the plug, the retaining member extends from a rear of the body towards the flange and is angled with respect to a side of the body. In the plug, an end of the retaining member closest to the flange extends away from the side of the body such that it is outside a dimension of the second opening of the panel. In the plug, the retaining member is two V-shaped shafts, one each on opposite sides of the body.
In the plug, the retaining member extends from a side of the body towards the flange and is angled with respect to the side of the body. In the plug, the retaining member includes a plurality of first ribs that extend from a first side the body and a plurality of second ribs that extend from a second side of the body that is opposite to the first side of the body. The plug can be made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).
The above and other features, elements, characteristics, steps, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.
The panel 120 can be substantially plate-shaped with two dimensions (i.e., a length and a width) that are substantially longer than a third dimension (i.e., a thickness). As shown, the panel 120 can be rectangular but can also be round, oval, or any suitable geometric shape. The panel 120 can include a hole in which the plug 130 is inserted and retained. Although only one hole and one plug 130 is shown in the panel 120, the panel 120 can include a series or array of holes and corresponding plugs 130. The panel 120 can be wood, plastic, metal, composite, laminate, or any suitable material. The panel 120 can be finished or tinted in any color or can be transparent or translucent. For example, the panel 120 can be plastic with a thickness of 0.216 inches within manufacturing tolerance.
As shown, the shelf 110 can also be substantially plate-shaped with two dimensions (i.e., a length and a width) that are substantially longer than a third dimension (i.e., a thickness). As shown, the shelf 110 can be rectangular but can also be round, oval, or any suitable geometric shape.
As shown in
As shown in
To remove the plug 130 from a panel, the wings 138 must be physically compressed toward each other and the respective sides of the body 133 to inside and clear the width of the panel opening before the plug 130 can be pushed back out through the panel opening.
The plug 130 can be cast, molded, injection molded, machined, or made with any suitable manufacturing process or combination thereof as one piece. The plug can be made of metal, alloy, composite, plastic, or any suitable material. Preferably, the plug 130 is injection molded and made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The plug 130 can be any color as a function of the raw material or ABS resin. Optionally, the plug 130 can be finished with a process such as painting, anodizing, appliqué, powder coat, etc. with any color or pattern. Optionally, only the flange 131 of the plug 130 is finished.
A substantial different between the plug 1200 and the plug 130 is that the plug 1200 does not include any wings 138. Instead of wings, the plug 1200 includes a series of flexible ribs 1222 and 1223 that extend from each side 1233 of the body of the plug 1200. As shown, in the top view of
Because the ribs 1222 are angled toward the flange 1231, the ribs 1222 are angled opposite to the insertion direction. While being inserted into the panel opening, the ribs 1222 will flex inwardly toward the corresponding side 1233 of the body of the plug 1200 and in the direction of the flange 1231. By nature, an inside surface of an opening cut into a panel made of such wooden materials is textured or roughened, and once the plug 1200 is inserted into the panel opening, the ends of the ribs 1222 will be angled toward the direction from which the plug 1200 was inserted and dig into the inside surface of the panel opening. This arrangement and holding force prevents disengagement of the plug 1200 from the panel.
While the foregoing description and drawings represent the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood that various additions, modifications and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the accompanying claims. In particular, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms, structures, arrangements, proportions, sizes, and with other elements, materials, and components, without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be used with many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, sizes, materials, and components and otherwise, used in the practice of the invention, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from the principles of the present invention. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims, and not limited to the foregoing description or embodiments.
