Retail stores use a variety of display fixtures to present products to customers for purchase. These display fixtures can support the product, indicate the product price and include signage, graphics and lighting for highlighting the product. Exemplary display structures include gondolas that support shelves, trays, racks, peg hooks and other similar structures.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
A shelf assembly includes a plurality of fins, a plurality of powered back panels and a plurality of shelves. Each powered back panel has a pair of conductive uprights that are vertically oriented and horizontally spaced apart from each other. Each powered back panel is located between two of the plurality of fins and is electrically coupled to another of the plurality of powered back panels. Each of the plurality of shelves is mounted to and electrically coupled to the pair of conductive uprights of one of the powered back panels and configured to power a plurality of lights located on the shelf based on the electrical coupling of each shelf with the pair of conductive uprights. Two of the plurality of shelves mounted to the same pair of conductive uprights of the same powered back panel and two of the plurality of fins located on either side of that same powered back panel are configured to form a cuboid with an open front to display merchandise.
A shelf assembly includes at least one cross bar configured to be mounted to a pair of uprights on a gondola. The shelf assembly further includes a first fin mounted to the at least one cross bar, a first powered back panel mounted to the at least one cross bar and located adjacent to the first fin and a second fin mounted to the at least one cross bar and located adjacent to the first powered back panel on an opposing side of the first powered back panel from the location of the first fin. The first powered back panel has a first pair of conductive uprights that are vertically oriented and horizontally spaced apart from each other. At least two shelves are mounted to and electrically coupled to the first pair of conductive uprights of the first powered back panel, are vertically spaced apart from each other along the first pair of conductive uprights and are configured to power a plurality of lights located on the at least two shelves based on the electrical coupling of the at least two shelves to the first pair of conductive uprights. The first fin, the first powered back panel, the second fin and the at least two shelves that are mounted to the first powered back panel are configured to form a cuboid with an open front to display merchandise.
A method of assembling a shelf assembly includes mounting at least one cross bar to a pair of uprights on a gondola, mounting a first fin to the at least one cross bar, mounting a first powered back panel to the at least one cross bar and locating the first powered back panel adjacent to the first fin and mounting a second fin to the at least one cross bar and locating the first powered back panel adjacent to an opposing side of the first powered back panel from the location of the first fin. The first powered back panel has a first pair of conductive uprights that are vertically oriented and horizontally spaced apart from each other. At least two shelves are mounted and electrically coupled to the first pair of conductive uprights of the first powered back panel by vertically spacing each along the first pair of conductive uprights and powering a plurality of lights located on the at least two shelves based on the electrical coupling of the at least two shelve to the first pair of conductive uprights. The first fin, the first powered back panel, the second fin and the at least two shelves mounted to the first powered back panel are configured to form a cuboid with an open front to display merchandise.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background.
A gondola is a retail display unit that includes a base deck, a pair of uprights, a back wall located between the pair of uprights and is configured to receive display structures, such as shelves, for supporting and displaying merchandise. A shelf assembly mounted to a gondola is described below that allows for powered shelves with lighting to be spaced apart from each other a distance sufficient to position vertical fin panels in between the powered shelves to give a lighted shelf display a cuboid shelf design. In particular, a cuboid shelf design, which would otherwise include unlit cuboids are lit with illumination to better show and display merchandise being offered for sale.
Cuboid shelf designs are common to the furniture industry and such furniture pieces may be called by various terms including cube organizer, storage cube, cube shelf unit and cubby. In some embodiments, cuboid shelf designs include one or more cuboids in a unit where each cuboid has an open front, two sides that may or may not be shared with other cuboids of the unit, a top that may or may not be shared with the bottom of another cuboid of the unit and a bottom that may or may not be shared with the top of another cuboid of the unit. In some embodiments, the cuboids include a back. The cuboids may have widths, heights and depths that are not all the same, but the cuboids may also have widths, heights and depths that are the same and therefore would be square and geometrically termed a cube.
Each powered back panel 106a, 106b and 106c includes a pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114 embedded in or formed integral with each powered back panel 106a, 106b and 106c and are vertically oriented and horizontally spaced apart from each other. The pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114 include corresponding slots. More specifically, conductive upright 112 is located closer to a right side of powered back panels 106a, 106b and 106c than conductive upright 114. Likewise, conductive upright 114 is located closer to a left side of powered back panels 106a, 106b and 106c than conductive upright 112. Each powered back panel 106a, 106b and 106c includes hooks for mounting each powered back panel to first and second cross bars 102 and 104. As illustrated in
Each fin 108a-d is configured to be mounted to first and second cross bars 102 and 104 so that a first fin 108a is located and mounted adjacent the right side of first powered back panel 106a, a second fin 108b is located between powered back panels 106a and 106b, a third fin 108c is located between powered back panels 106b and 106c and a fourth fin 108d is located and mounted adjacent to the left side of third powered back panel 106c. Each fin 108a, 108b, 108c and 108d includes hooks for mounting each fin to first and second cross bars 102 and 104. As illustrated in
Each of the shelves 110a-o is mounted to and electrically coupled to the pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114 of one of the plurality of powered back panels 106a-106c. More specifically, each of the shelves 110a-o is mounted to and electrically coupled to corresponding slots in the pair of conductive uprights of one of the plurality of powered back panels 106a-c. In particular, shelves 110a-e are mounted to the pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114 of first powered back panel 106a, shelves 110f-j are mounted to the pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114 of second powered back panel 106b and shelves 110k-110o are mounted to the pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114 of third powered back panel 106c.
Each of the shelves 110a-o is also configured to power a plurality of light located on the shelf based on its electrical coupling with the pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114. These plurality of lights are located on an underside 111a-o of shelves 110a-o and at a front end of each shelf as illustrated by the dashed radiating lines in
Shelf assembly 100 further includes a base deck sham 128, a pair of trim pieces (of which one 136 is shown in
Before mounting the fins and the powered back panels to cross bars 102 and 104, base deck sham 128 (
Second fin 108b is hung on, mounted to or located on first and second cross bars 102 and 104 in the same way that first fin 108a is hung on, mounted to or located on first and second cross bars 102 and 104. A right side of second fin 108b is located adjacent to a left side of first powered back panel 106a. In other words, second fin 108b is located adjacent to first powered back panel 106a on an opposing side of first powered back panel 106a from the location of first fin 108a.
Third fin 108c is hung on, mounted to or located on first and second cross bars 102 and 104 in the same way as second fin 108b and first fin 108a. A right side of third fin 108c is located adjacent to a left side of second powered back panel 106b. More specifically, third fin 108c is located in front of and allows DC cord or wires 134c to thread behind third fin 108c so that DC cord or wires 134c are available for connection to third powered back panel 106c. Before hanging, mounting or locating third powered back panel 106c to first and second cross bars 102 and 104, DC cord or wires that protrude from the right side of third powered back panel 106c are electrically connected to DC cord or wires 134c that protrude from second powered back panel 106b. Then third powered back panel 106c is hung on, mounted to or located on first and second cross bars 102 and 104 using hooks with a right side of third powered back panel 106b being located adjacent to a left side of third fin 108c. In other words, third powered back panel 106c is located adjacent to third fin 108c on an opposing side of third fin 108c from second powered back panel 106b. Protruding from left side of third powered back panel 106c are DC cord or wires that are configured to be electrically coupled to power supply 124 illustrated in
In one embodiment, shelves 110a-e are mounted to and electrically coupled to the first pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114 in first powered back panel 106a located between first and second fins 108a and 108b, shelves 110f-j are mounted to and electrically coupled to the second pair conductive uprights 112 and 114 in second powered back panel 106a located between second and third fins 108b and 108c and shelves 110k-o are mounted to and electrically coupled to the third pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114 in third powered back panel 106c. Shelves 110a-e are vertically spaced apart from each other along the first pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114. Shelves 110f-g are vertically spaced apart from each other along the second pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114. Shelves 110k-o are vertically spaced apart from each other along the third pair of conductive uprights 112 and 114. In one embodiment, the vertical spacing is even so that shelves 110a, f and k are at the same height, shelves 110b, g and l are at the same height, shelves 110c, h and m are at the same height, shelves 110d, i and n are at the same height and shelves 110e, j and o are at the same height. Therefore, first fin 108a, first powered back panel 106a, second fin 108b and two of shelves 110a-e are configured to form a cuboid with an open front to display merchandise. Second fin 108b, second powered back panel 106b, third fin 108c and two of shelves 110f-j are configured to form a cuboid with an open front to display merchandise. Third fin 108c, third powered back panel 106c, fourth fin 108d and two of shelves 110k-o are configured to form a cuboid with an open front to display merchandise.
When shelves 110a-o are mounted to and electrically coupled to conductive uprights 112 and 114 in any of the powered back panels 106a-c, the plurality of lights of shelves 110a-o, as indicated by dashed illumination in
To finish the assembling of shelf assembly 100, right and left side trim pieces 136 (the left side trim piece is not shown in the figures but is a mirror image of the right side trim piece) are hung on or attached to right and left ends of cross bars 102 and 104, respectively. In addition, header or topper 138 is installed on or attached to the tops of powered back panels 106a and 106c using prongs 140 and 141 as illustrated in
Although elements have been shown or described as separate embodiments above, portions of each embodiment may be combined with all or part of other embodiments described above.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.