The present disclosure relates to a self-standing merchandise frame for multiple racks having a sign plate and a self-support frame without any restriction and limitation, as shown and disclosed herein.
No federal funds were used to develop or create the invention disclosed and described in the patent application.
Not Applicable.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document may contain material that is subject to copyright and trademark protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments and together with the description, serve to explain and illustrate the principles of the Self-Standing Merchandise Frame as disclosed herein.
Appendix A is included herein and provides additional inventor disclosure and description for implementation, as provided by the inventor for inclusion herein, and may be claimed in whole or in part, for its use in the implementation of the present disclosure and is fully incorporated by reference herein.
Before the present methods and apparatuses are disclosed and described, it is to be understood that the methods and apparatuses are not limited to specific methods, specific components, or to particular implementations. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.
As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes¬from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint.
“Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not.
Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the word “comprise” and variations of the word, such as “comprising” and “comprises,” means “including but not limited to,” and is not intended to exclude, for example, other components, integers or steps. “Exemplary” means “an example of” and is not intended to convey an indication of a preferred or ideal embodiment. “Such as” is not used in a restrictive sense, but for explanatory purposes.
Disclosed are components that can be used to perform the disclosed methods and apparatuses. These and other components are disclosed herein, and it is understood that when combinations, subsets, interactions, groups, etc. of these components are disclosed that while specific reference of each various individual and collective combinations and permutation of these may not be explicitly disclosed, each is specifically contemplated and described herein, for all methods and apparatuses. This applies to all aspects of this application including, but not limited to, steps in disclosed methods. Thus, if there are a variety of additional steps that can be performed it is understood that each of these additional steps can be performed with any specific embodiment or combination of embodiments of the disclosed methods.
The present methods and apparatuses may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of preferred aspects and the examples included therein and to the Figures and their previous and following description.
Before the various embodiments of the present invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of components set forth in the following description. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that phraseology and terminology used herein with reference to device or element orientation (such as, for example, terms like “front”, “back”, “up”, “down”, “top”, “bottom”, and the like) are only used to simplify description of the present invention, and do not alone indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation. In addition, terms such as “first”, “second”, and “third” are used herein and in the appended claims for purposes of description and are not intended to indicate or imply relative importance or significance.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out illustrative embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appending claims. Various inventive features are described below herein that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other features.
Products or merchandise products of various types and sizes are commonly displayed on the shelves in the stores, gas station, supermarket, etc. which allow the customer to see and grasp the products or merchandise products directly from the shelves or merchandise display rack. The display of the merchandise units on the merchandise shelves or merchandise racks allow the customer to select the products more easily; thus, increases the customer's interest of purchasing.
The illustrative embodiment of a self-standing merchandise frame may be configured with a sign plate, a first vertical tube, a second vertical tube, a third vertical tube, an upper support, a lower support and a base plate. The first, second and third vertical tubes are configured to support the self-standing mechanism. The upper support and the lower support are configured to engage with a grid wall. The grid wall allows the attachment of multiple shelves, racks or baskets to be attached to the self-standing merchandise frame. The present embodiment provides a simple, inexpensive structure for merchandise display which is constructed of a minimum of parts and which can be quickly assembled and disassembled.
In addition, the present disclosure details a self-standing merchandise frame that overcomes various disadvantages and otherwise undesirable features of the prior art. In addition, the illustrative embodiment of a self-standing merchandise frame may solve numerous problems associated with prior art merchandise display and storage. For instance, the problem of having a wall to support the standing of the merchandise frame may be solved by a frame having at least one vertical tube wherein the vertical tube has an upper curved radius and a lower curved radius to allow a self-standing merchandise frame. The problem of having limited display space in prior art merchandise frames may be solved by having multiple display units, exemplified as a hook, a shelf, a basket, a tray and or a rack, or a combination therein, attached to a grid wall. The problem of complicated construction, numerous parts, and expense of prior art merchandise frames may be solved by the self-standing merchandise frame disclosed and claimed herein which is easy to assemble, store and transport and may be configured in a multitude of ways.
The present disclosure relates to a self-standing merchandise frame 10.
In one embodiment, referring to
The upper portion 11a of the first vertical tube (as shown in
As shown in
The upper support 14 and the lower support 15 are configured for attachment along the length of the first vertical tube 11. The upper support 14 is configured for horizontal attachment to the lower portion 11c of the first vertical tube. The upper support 14 may be secured to the first vertical tube 11 by inserting a screw 4, a bolt 5 or a mounting bracket 6 to at least one hole 11f on the first vertical tube 11 (not shown). The upper support 14 is positioned proximate to the upper curved radius 11a-1 of the first vertical tube. The lower support 15 is configured for horizontal attachment between the first 11, the second 12 and the third 13 vertical tubes. The lower support 15 may be secured to the first 11, the second 12 and the third 13 vertical tubes by inserting a screw 4, a bolt 5 or a mounting bracket 6 to at least one hole on each of the first 11f, the second 12f and the third 13f vertical tubes (not shown). The lower support 15 positions proximately to the lower curved radius of the first 11c-1, the second 12c-1 and third 13c-1 vertical tubes. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the upper support 14 and the lower support 15 are removable which allows the self-standing merchandise frame 10 to be disassembled during transportation and storage. One of ordinary skill will also appreciate that each vertical tube is configured of at least two holes (11f, 12f, 13f—not shown) and or at least two slots (11g, 12g, 13g—not shown) along the length of each of the vertical tubes which allows the upper support 14 and the lower support 15 to be adjustable in height. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the embodiments disclosed herein may also be produced to have the various elements permanently affixed, i.e. welding the upper support 14 and the lower support 15 to the vertical tubes (not shown), or producing the various components using a one-piece integral type construction from either metal or plastic (not shown), as suitable to a particular application, without departure from the spirit of the application as disclosed herein.
Another feature of the embodiment is the grid wall 20 (as shown in
In another embodiment as shown in
The upper portion 11a of the first vertical tube (see
As shown in
The upper support 14 and the lower support 15 are configured for attachment along the length of the first 11 and the second 12 vertical tubes. The upper support 14 is configured for horizontal attachment to the upper portion 11a of the first vertical tube and the upper portion 12a the second vertical tubes. The upper support 14 may be secured to the first 11 and the second 12 vertical tubes by inserting a screw 4, a bolt 5 or a mounting bracket 6 to at least one hole 11f on the first vertical tube 11 and at least one hole 12f on the second vertical tube 12. The upper support 14 positions proximately to the upper curved radius (11a-1, 12a-1, respectively) of the first and the second vertical tubes. The lower support 15 is configured for horizontal attachment between the first 11 and the second 12 vertical tubes. The lower support 15 may be secured to the first 11 and the second 12 vertical tubes by inserting a screw 4, a bolt 5 or a mounting bracket 6 to at least one hole on the first 11f and the second 12f vertical tubes. The lower support 15 positions proximately to the lower curved radius of the first 11c-2 and the second 12c-2 vertical tubes. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the upper support 14 and the lower support 15 are removable which allows the self-standing merchandise frame 10 to be disassembled during transportation and storage. One of ordinary skill will also appreciate that each vertical tube is configured of at least two holes (11f, 12f, 13f, respectively) along the length of each of the vertical tube which allows the upper support 14 and the lower support 15 to be adjustable in height. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the embodiments disclosed herein may also be produced to have the various elements permanently affixed, i.e. welding the horizontal supports to the vertical tubes (not shown), or producing the various components using a one-piece integral type construction from either metal or plastic (not shown), as suitable to a particular application, without departure from the spirit of the application as disclosed herein.
Another feature of the embodiment is the grid wall 20 (as shown in
In another embodiment as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The upper support 14 and the lower support 15 are configured for attachment along the length of the first 11, the second 12 and the third 13 vertical tubes. The upper support 14 is configured for horizontal attachment to the lower portion of the first 11c, the second 12c and the third 13c vertical tubes. The upper support 14 may be secured to the first 11, the second 12 and the third 13 vertical tubes by inserting a screw 4, a bolt 5 or a mounting bracket 6 to at least one hole (11f, 12f, 13f, respectively) on the first, the second and the third vertical tube. As shown in
Another feature of the embodiment is the grid wall 20 (as shown in
Dependent on the specific application, the self-standing merchandise frame 10 may be customized and/or configured in a variety of manners. For instance, the height, width, thickness, shape, configuration, etc. of the vertical tube, the upper support 14, the lower support 15, the sign plate 18, the base plate 19 and the grid wall 20 may vary from one embodiment of the self-standing merchandise frame 10 to the next without any limitation and/or restriction unless otherwise indicated in the following claims.
In addition, dependent on the specific application, the number of the vertical tubes may be increased or decreased to fit with different sizes of the grid wall 20. Although not shown, in one embodiment, an extender arm 30 may be attached to the grid wall 20, the vertical tube, the upper support 14, or the lower support 15 or a combination thereof for the purpose of extending the size of the self-standing merchandise frame 10 without disassembling and or remodeling the entire embodiment.
Another feature of the present embodiment, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
This particular embodiment of a self-standing merchandise frame 10 has a sign plate 18 fabricated from aluminum using various laser cutting, welding, securement and machining technologies which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the self-standing merchandise frame 10 could be constructed by any method known to those in the art including via casting, forging and machining or stamping and punching, without restriction or limitation.
One of ordinary skill will appreciate that other types of fasteners including screw, bolts and or pegs could be used without departure from the spirit and intent of the present disclosure, to allow for easy detachment or removal of the fastener during disassemble for packing or transportation.
One of ordinary skill will appreciate that the self-standing merchandise frame 10 provides a large space for merchandise display which allows multiple attachments of various types of merchandise units such as candies, chocolate, gums, etc. without any limitation and/or restriction unless otherwise indicated in the following claims. The sign plate 18 of the self-standing merchandise frame 10 (width of 48 inches and 96 inches), as compared to the sign plate 18 of the self-standing merchandise frame 10 (width of 24 inches), is wider and more space which is a great advantage for advertising and displaying merchandise label, easy to catch customer's attention and increases sale's profit.
Depending on the materials selected and purposes, the self-standing merchandise frame 10 may be designed of different shapes, sizes, and/or color without any limitation and/or restriction unless otherwise indicated in the following claims.
Another manufacturing aspect of another embodiment is cutting the tabs, hooks 17, mounting bracket 16 out of a crosspiece and then welding it back to the embodiment. Depending on different application, the crosspiece may be substituted as a sheet of metal, copper, etc. without any limitation and/or restriction. One of ordinary skill will appreciate that self-standing merchandise frame 10 provides a simple, inexpensive structure to display products or merchandises such as snacks, candies, drinks, coffee marker etc. but not limited to camera, DVR 26, without any limitation and restriction unless otherwise indicated in the following claims. One of ordinary skill will also appreciate that the embodiment could be quickly assembled and disassembled during packing or transportation which provides a unique featuring and signing which contributes to the dynamic merchandising system and store decoration.
Having described the preferred embodiments, other features of the self-standing merchandise frame 10 will undoubtedly occur to those versed in the art, as will numerous modifications and alterations in the embodiments as illustrated herein, all of which may be achieved without departing from the spirit and scope of the self-standing merchandise frame 10 disclosed herein. Accordingly, the methods and embodiments pictured and described herein are for illustrative purposes only, and the scope of the present disclosure extends to all method and/or structures for providing increased functionality, longevity, suitability and convenience in the use and access of self-standing merchandise frame 10. Furthermore, the methods and embodiments pictured and described herein are no way limiting to the scope of the self-standing merchandise frame 10 and method of use unless so stated in the following claims.
It should be noted that the self-standing merchandise frame 10 is not limited to the specific embodiments pictured and described herein but is intended to apply to all similar apparatuses and methods for providing the various benefits and/or features of a self-standing merchandise frame 10. Modifications and alterations from the described embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art without departure from the spirit and scope of the self-standing merchandise frame 10. It is understood that the self-standing merchandise frame 10 as disclosed herein extends to all alternative combinations of one or more of the individual features mentioned, evident from the text and/or drawings, and/or inherently disclosed. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the self-standing merchandise frame 10 and/or components thereof. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the self-standing merchandise frame 10 and/or components thereof and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the same. The claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope or spirit. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as illustrative only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
The present application is a continuation of a non-provisional patent application and claims priority from the utility non-provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/397,734 filed on Apr. 29, 2019 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,750,883 on Aug. 25, 2020), which claimed priority from utility provisional U.S. Pat. App. No. 62/663,692 filed on Apr. 27, 2018, which are all incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 16397734 | Apr 2019 | US |
Child | 17002721 | US |