This invention pertains generally to retail display hangers and more particularly, to rapid mount retail display hangers for use with temporary and permanent retail structures.
For many years retail merchandise has been shipped in a condition that allows for immediate sale when unpackaged by a retailer. The retail merchandise is, in many cases, placed on retail hangers that are installed on a retail structure. The retail hangers are often affixed to the retail structure via a variety of structural configurations at an end of the hanger. An example of one such configuration is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,967 to Valiulis and assigned to the instant assignee. Once the hangers are installed on the retail structure, retail merchandise may be hung from the hanger on a hook portion of the hanger. In many instances, the retail structure is preconfigured with the hangers to receive merchandise that is frequently depleted and subsequently replenished thereafter. Retail structures incorporating hangers, i.e. hanger type displays, therefore offer retailers the ability to very quickly restock depleted merchandise and present the same in a neat and aesthetically pleasing fashion.
In light of the above benefits of retail structures that incorporate hangers, there is a continuing desire to use them more routinely in a retail environment. Accordingly, there is a growing need to incorporate hangers in temporary retail structures, e.g. seasonal displays. Due to the temporal nature of certain retail display structures, some structures are often produced from corrugated cardboard or other light weight materials. As a result, the hangers are preferably light weight in order for the hangers to be incorporated in a structurally sound manner with the temporary retail structure. Also, due to the low cost of temporary retail structures, it is desirable to have a hanger that is also offered at a lower cost relative to other hanger designs in order to keep the overall cost of the hanger type display low. This lower cost can be achieved through rapid manufacture using cost efficient materials.
In view of the above, it is desirable to have a retail hanger that can be rapidly installed into temporary and permanent retail structures. It is further desirable that such a hanger be quickly and efficiently manufactured at a low cost. The present invention is directed toward meeting the needs described above, and is also directed toward improvements over the state of the art.
The present invention has several aspects that may be claimed and stand as patentable independently and individually or in combination with other aspects, including but not limited to the following.
In one aspect, an embodiment of the invention provides a hanger for retail structures that can be rapidly mounted to the structure. A hanger according to this aspect comprises a base plate having front and rear surfaces, a hook extending transversally away from the front surface of the base plate, and a continuously curved mounting clip projecting from the rear surface of the base plate and extending away therefrom along a curvilinear path to at least a narrow neck region proximate a terminating end.
In another aspect, an embodiment of the invention provides a hanger for retail structures that is light enough to be incorporated into a variety of retail structures including temporary retail structures, yet structurally rigid enough to bear a typical loading of retail merchandise. A hanger for a retail display according to this aspect comprises a base plate having a thickness extending between front and rear surfaces, a hook extending transversally away from the front surface of the base plate, and a mounting clip projecting from the rear surface of the base plate and extending away therefrom, the mounting clip having a thickness that extends between an inner and an outer surface of the mounting clip, wherein the thickness of the mounting clip is less than the thickness of the base plate.
In accordance with the aspects herein, a further subsidiary feature may include a retaining tab located on the mounting clip. The retaining tab serves a safety function by preventing the hanger from becoming unintentionally dislodged from the retail structure. The retaining tab also may provide a land or a flat surface that is struck by an ejector pin in the event an injection molding process is utilized in the manufacture of the hanger.
Other embodiments of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:
While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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The curvilinear path 34 of the mounting clip 20 functions to provide a spring like tension between the mounting clip 20 and base plate 18. The curvilinear path 34, i.e. shape, of the mounting clip 20 also provides a simplified shape for ease in manufacturing. By design, there are minimal stress concentrations on the mounting clip 20 because the mounting clip 20 follows a generally curvilinear path 34 as opposed to a path having abrupt directional changes, e.g. right angles, thereby making the mounting clip 20 more robust and resistant to stress fracture. Additionally, and discussed in greater detail below, the curvilinear path 34 facilitates rapid installation of the hanger 10, by allowing the user to affix the hanger 10 to a retail structure 12 using a series of simple motions.
As illustrated, the curvilinear path 34 includes a concave portion 40 and a convex portion 42 separated at an inflection point 44. The concave portion 40 is concave relative to the rear surface 24 of the base plate 18. Likewise, the convex portion 42 is convex relative to the rear surface 24 of the base plate 18. The convex portion 42 and the rear surface 24 of the base plate 18 may be spaced apart by a narrowed neck region in the form of a slight gap 46. The gap 46 facilitates quick installation of the hanger 10 to the retail structure 12 by allowing a portion of the retail structure 12 to slide easily through the gap 46. However, the gap 46 is sized such that the mounting clip 20 and base plate 18 can exert a sufficient amount of compressive force against the retail structure 12 to hold the hanger 10 in place when it is fully installed. Although illustrated as using gap 46, in other embodiments, the hanger 10 may be supplied without the gap 46. In such an embodiment, the convex portion 42 is in tangential contact with the rear surface 24 of the base plate 18. The concave portion 40 may be defined by a radius taken at the inner surface 28 of the mounting clip 20 of between about 0.1″ to about 1″, but can deviate from this range in other embodiments. Similarly, the convex portion 42 may be defined along a radius taken at the outer surface 38 of the mounting clip 20 of between about 0.2″ to about 2″, but can deviate from this range in other embodiments.
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The concave portion 40 may be supplied with a radius that is equal to the radius defining the convex portion 42 or possess a radius that is different in size from the radius defining the convex portion 42. In either case, the concave portion 40 allows the mounting clip 20 to possess a generally spring-like resiliency. As a result, the mounting clip 20 may be bent away from the base plate 18 in an elastic manner in order to be easily installed upon the retail structure 12. As illustrated, the concave portion 40 is incident to the base plate 18 tangentially at a generally oblique angle.
The retaining tab 32 extends transversely away from the outer surface 38 of the mounting clip 20 at the concave portion 40. As illustrated in
The retaining tab 32 may also incorporate a flat surface 50 at an end of the retaining tab 32. The flat surface 50 may be used as a land or striking point of an ejector pin where an injection molding process is utilized in the manufacture of hanger 10. Additionally, the flat 50 of the retaining tab 32 may be stamped or otherwise marked during the injection molding process with an ejector pin that has an extruded stamp or marking. Although illustrated as having a generally cylindrical shape, the retaining tab 32 may possess other similar geometrical profiles.
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Having discussed the structural attributes of several embodiments of the hanger 10 the remainder of the description will now describe how the hanger 10 is installed to the retail structure 12.
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Once the hanger 10 is fully installed on the retail structure 12, retail merchandise may be situated upon the hook 16. To uninstall the hanger 10 from the retail structure 12 a reverse process is followed. First, all retail merchandise 14 is removed from the hook 16. Then, the hanger 10 is moved downward along linear direction line 62. Finally the hanger 10 is rotated clockwise along angular direction line 60 and generally following curvilinear path 34 such that the mounting clip 20 and retaining tab 32 have fully passed through the horizontal opening 22. As described above, the hanger 10 can be rapidly installed via simple process of limited manipulation, due in part to the curvilinear path 34 followed by the mounting clip 20.
As described herein, the retail merchandise hanger 10 provides a low cost and lightweight solution to utilizing a hanger type display in a variety of retail environments. Additionally, when retaining tab 32 is incorporated, the hanger 10 provides a robust fail safe against the unintentional dislodgement thereof.
All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.