Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6168032
-
Patent Number
6,168,032
-
Date Filed
Thursday, July 2, 199826 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, January 2, 200123 years ago
-
Inventors
-
-
Examiners
- Stodola; Daniel P.
- Harris; Erica B.
Agents
- Schweitzer Cornman Gross & Bondell LLP
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 211 592
- 211 153
- 211 184
- 248 242
- 248 243
- 248 247
- 248 250
- 248 248
- 248 235
- 108 14411
- 108 15713
- 108 14712
- 108 14715
- 108 14717
- 108 15812
- 108 6
- 108 106
- 108 108
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A shelf construction for use in gondola systems having spaced vertical uprights comprises a shelf floor which is removably mounted to front and rear rails. The rails are in turn supported by shelf brackets projecting from the uprights. The front and rear rails are provided with horizontal slots to accept the shelf floor and vertical slots along their lengths to accommodate shelf dividers which can be used to segregate product placed on the shelf. The shelf brackets are preferably tilted forwardly downwardly, the shelf floor having a low-friction surface to allow arrayed and displayed products to migrate towards the front edge of the shelf, making them more accessible for observation and removal.
Description
The present invention relates to a merchandising system and more particularly to an improved shelf construction for use in conjunction with conventional store shelf mounting systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The majority of inventory in retail stores is displayed on forms of shelving constructions utilizing gondolas or trays for the products. The basic format of such construction has changed little over the years. A floor platform supports a vertical, upright backing board which defines a rear wall of the gondola. The gondola includes vertical uprights having a plurality of slots. The slotted uprights are adapted to support shelving and other elements in or upon which merchandise is placed for display.
The gondolas are required to display and support an ever increasing number of products in a staggering assortment of packaging in a space which is unable to expand commensurately with the demands placed upon it. Conventional gondola shelving systems often use space relatively inefficiently, and are ill equipped to handle a variety of products. The result is that there is typically insufficient gondola space available to keep and display all the desired products neatly and efficiently both for stocking purposes by store personnel and for observation and selection by customers.
While conventional shelves may be provided with pre-marked or segmented areas extending the depth of the shelf to divide the shelf area for multiple products, only limited flexibility in product arrangement is provided thereby. In addition, access to the rear of the shelf is often difficult, both for inventory and stocking purposes as well as for product selection by the consumer. Typically, product at the front of the shelf is removed first, making each subsequent selection and purchase more difficult, both for product accessibility as well as for product visibility on the shelf.
It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved shelf construction for the effective presentation of products in a store environment.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a shelf construction and system which is capable of segmentation and division to accommodate a variety of different products.
Still a further purpose of the present invention is to provide a shelf construction and system capable of maintaining products in a pleasing arrangement and urging them toward the forward end of the shelf for optimum visibility and availability.
Yet a further purpose of the present invention is to provide a shelf construction and system which is of a modular type, adaptable to a variety of shelf depths and widths, which can allow for the segmenting and separation of a plurality of different size products across the shelf, and which can be utilized in conjunction with conventional gondola constructions and shelf supports.
A still further purpose of the present invention is to provide a shelf construction and system of the aforementioned character which is of efficient and economical construction, having ease of assembly and use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In furtherance of the foregoing and other and additional objects and purposes, a shelf construction in accordance with the present invention comprises a shelf surface mountable upon a series of spaced brackets which in turn are mounted to a plurality of spaced shelf support uprights located at the rear of store gondola constructions. The shelf preferably has an upper surface formed to have a low coefficient of friction with respect to products placed thereon. The brackets upon which the shelf is placed are of an angled configuration, whereby the shelf slopes downwardly from rear to front.
Front and rear rail elements are mountable to the front and rear edges, respectively, of the shelf. Preferably the front and rear rails support the shelf upon the brackets, are in the form of extrusions, and include reception means for removable dividers which are supported by the rails and extend therebetween to divide the shelf area into a plurality of product-receiving sections. The dividers themselves extend vertically upward from the shelf surface and are positionable as desired along the length of the shelf. The dividers may further be provided with support means along their front edges, above the rails, to accept a secondary front rail which retains the stacked products therebehind and provides additional rigidity to the divider structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A fuller understanding of the present invention will be accomplished upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiments of the invention, when considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of a shelf system of the present invention shown with products arrayed thereon;
FIG. 2
is a side elevation view taken along line
2
—
2
in
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 3
is a detail sectional view taken along line
3
—
3
of
FIG. 2
depicting constructional details of the bracket assembly;
FIG. 3A
is a detail sectioned view of a three-piece alternative embodiment for the bracket assembly as would be seen along line
3
—
3
of
FIG. 2
;
FIG. 3B
is a side elevation view of the rear piece of the three-piece bracket assembly of
FIG. 3A
;
FIG. 4
is an exploded perspective view of the rear portion of the bracket assembly as seen in
FIG. 3
;
FIG. 5
is a detail elevation view of the rear portion of a shelf, presenting the rear rail and associated components;
FIG. 6
is a sectional elevation view taken along line
6
—
6
of
FIG. 5
;
FIG. 7
is an exploded detail view of the rear portion of a shelf, including the rear rail;
FIG. 8
is a detail elevation view of the front portion of a shelf, presenting the front rail and associated components;
FIG. 9
is a sectional elevation view taken along line
9
—
9
of
FIG. 8
;
FIG. 10
is an exploded detail view of the front portion of a shelf, including the front rail;
FIG. 11
is a detail elevation view of an upper portion of a divider, illustrating the connection between the divider and an upper front rail;
FIG. 12
is an exploded perspective view thereof;
FIG. 13
is a side elevation view of an alternative embodiment of the invention, wherein the dividers are formed of wire elements;
FIG. 14
is a detail elevation view of the front portion of a wire divider and its interconnection with a corresponding upper front rail;
FIG. 15
is a detail section view taken along line
15
—
15
of
FIG. 14
;
FIG. 16
is an exploded perspective view of the construction shown in
FIG. 14
;
FIG. 17
is a detail elevation view of the interconnection between a wire divider and front rail;
FIG. 18
is a section elevation view taken along line
18
—
18
of
FIG. 17
; and
FIG. 19
is an exploded view of the front portion of an alternative structure for a front rail, including integral product label display means.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring initially to
FIG. 1
, a shelf construction
10
of the present invention mounts to a series of spaced uprights
12
typically located at the rear wall
14
of a store display gondola construction. The shelf construction
10
allows a plurality of products
16
to be arrayed in a series of columns running from the front to the back of the shelf construction, the columns being segregated and aligned by dividers
18
. The dividers extend the width of the shelf between a front rail
20
and a rear rail
22
, both of which extend the length of the shelf. The front and rear rails
20
,
22
support shelf floor
24
, upon which the products
16
are arrayed, the rails resting upon brackets
26
which are mounted in slots
28
formed in the uprights
12
. The brackets
26
are constructed and positioned such that the shelf floor slopes downwardly away from the rear wall of the gondola, whereby the arrayed products
16
are urged, under the influence of gravity, forwardly on the shelf. The products are maintained on the shelf by the front rail
20
and secondary rail
30
which is affixed to the front edges of the dividers
18
.
FIGS. 2
,
3
and
4
illustrate the construction of the brackets
26
and the placement of the rails and shelf floor thereon. As seen therein, each bracket includes a main bracket portion
32
of elongated construction, having a flat top edge upon which the rails
20
,
22
sit. The rear end of the main bracket portion
32
is provided with a series of rearwardly-extending locking tabs
34
adapted to be received by a corresponding plurality of slots
36
in transition piece
38
. Transition piece
38
may be preferably of a stamped construction, having front, intermediate and rear parallel portions
40
,
42
,
44
, respectively, joined by perpendicular portions
46
and
48
. The tab-receiving slots
36
may be formed in perpendicular portion
46
. The locking tabs
34
on the main bracket portions
32
each include an upwardly-extending notch
50
which, upon insertion in a slot
36
, interfits with the portion
46
defining a lower edge for the slot.
The rear portion
44
of transition piece
38
has an angular lead or front edge, such that the front and intermediate portions
40
,
42
of the transition piece are angled away from the vertical and that the main bracket portion extends downwardly from back to front. The offset is preferably about
15
degrees. Rear portion
44
is also provided with a set of notched locking tabs
52
, similarly adapted to engage and lock with the slots
28
in the uprights
12
. In a preferred embodiment, the main bracket portion
32
comprises a bracket of conventional construction, its locking tabs
34
being constructed and dimensioned for use with the uprights
12
. Transition piece
38
thus serves as an adapter for the main bracket portion
32
, changing its angular orientation with respect to the uprights from a right angle orientation to the angled downward position for use in connection with the present invention.
As depicted in
FIGS. 3A and 3B
, the bracket transition piece
38
may alternatively be formed of two pieces
134
,
136
. Piece
134
may be of stamped construction, with front, intermediate, and rear parallel portions
138
,
140
,
142
, respectively joined by the perpendicular portions
144
,
146
. The front perpendicular portion
144
has slots
36
to engage the locking tabs
34
of main bracket portion
32
, while the combination of rear perpendicular portion
146
and rear parallel portion
142
are notched to form a series of tabs engageable with first or second slot series
148
,
150
in the other, flat transition piece
136
. The alignments of slot series
148
,
150
20
are offset from that of the locking tabs
52
adapted to engage the slots
28
of the uprights
12
, thus providing alternative angles of slope, such as 7.5 and 15 degrees, for the main bracket portion
32
and the shelf supported thereon.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, front rail
20
and rear rail
22
rest upon the top surfaces of the main bracket portions
32
of brackets
26
. The construction of the rear rail
22
is set forth in FIGS.
5
-
7
. As shown therein, the rail
22
may be preferably formed as an extrusion of an appropriate resilient material, such as a vinyl plastic composition, designed and adapted to engage and support both the shelf floor
24
and dividers
18
. The rail includes a lower, floor-engaging U-shaped portion
54
with parallel, horizontal legs
56
,
58
. The legs
56
,
58
are separated by the lower portion
60
of upwardly-extending rail rear wall
62
, and are spaced apart sufficiently to accept and retain in a friction fit the shelf floor
24
. The upper portion of the rail
22
comprises spaced vertical legs
64
and
66
, extending upwardly from the upper leg of lower portion
54
to form a second generally U-shaped portion, the vertical leg
66
comprising the upper portion of the rail rear wall
62
. The two legs
64
,
66
are separated to accept and engage rear wall portions
68
of the dividers
18
.
The inwardly-facing surfaces of the legs
64
,
66
may be provided with integral fingers
70
, perhaps best seen in
FIG. 7
, extending along the length of the channel created by the legs, to provide a resilient, yet firm grip of the rear wall
68
. The fingers may be advantageously extruded integral with the rail, but with a lower durometer value to provide additional resiliency. The lower U-shaped portion
54
of the rail may include a downwardly-directed shoulder portion
72
projecting from the upper leg
58
, preferably formed as a downward extension to the vertical leg
64
of the upper U-shaped portion. The shoulder
72
provides a point contact with an upper portion of the shelf floor
24
to provide a rigid yet removable connection therebetween. The bottom surface of lower leg
56
of the rail
22
may be provided with a mounting layer
78
to permit the rail to be mounted and remain in position upon the top edges of brackets
26
. Such layer may comprise, for example, a strip of two adhesive-side tape.
As perhaps best seen in
FIGS. 6 and 7
, the shelf floor
24
may be preferably comprised of a base plate portion
74
bearing a plurality of parallel upstanding ridges
76
extending from front-to-back and spaced along the length of the floor. The floor is preferably extruded from a high molecular weight plastic which exhibits low frictional effects upon products mounted thereon, such as a silicone impregnated styrene. The thickness of the base plate may be in the range of 0.04 inches, with the ridges
76
spaced 0.25 inch center-to-center with a height of approximately 0.06 inch. The ridges may be provided with notches
152
to engage the rail shoulder
72
, providing a lock action between the rail and floor.
Front rail
20
, as depicted in FIGS.
8
-
10
, is of similar construction as rear rail
22
, providing support both for the shelf floor
24
and the dividers
18
. The front rail
20
includes a bottom wall
80
, upon the lower surface of which the mounting layer
78
, such as a two-sided tape strip, is affixed. Horizontal leg
82
extends the length of the rail parallel to bottom wall
80
, supported and separated therefrom by the lower portion
84
of vertical leg
86
the necessary distance to allow shelf floor
24
to be inserted into the mouth of the horizontal U-shaped portion formed thereby. Extending upwardly from horizontal leg
82
in a spaced relationship from the upper portion
90
of vertical leg
86
is rear vertical leg
88
, legs
88
and
86
being separated as appropriate to accept therebetween front wall portions
92
of the dividers
18
. The inwardly-directed faces of the legs
88
and
90
are provided with fingers
70
to grip the divider wall
92
, while the horizontal leg
82
terminates at its rear end with the downwardly-directed shoulder
72
to engage a second series of notches in ridges
76
of shelf floor
24
located proximate the front edge of the shelf floor.
The front rail
20
may further include a second vertically-oriented U-shaped channel portion
94
whose vertical parallel walls
90
and
96
extend upwardly from the forward portion of bottom wall
80
. The walls
90
and
96
are separated a distance to accept accessory items, such as flags or product indicia or information display pieces in a manner analogous to acceptance and support of the dividers
18
. Towards this end, fingers
70
are provided on the opposed inner surfaces of the vertical walls. To assist in alignment and placement of the bottom layer
78
on the rail, the front vertical wall
96
may include a small depending segment or nib
98
extending below the bottom wall
80
.
Referring again to
FIG. 2
, the dividers
18
may be formed of plastic or similar material, and comprise a main divider wall
100
with integral rear and front walls
68
,
92
extending perpendicular thereto. As seen in
FIG. 2
, the rear wall
68
may extend upwardly for a substantial height of the divider
18
, while front wall
92
is of limited height, rising only a short distance from the lower edge of the divider. The main divider wall
18
may include cut-away or notched portions
102
adjacent the lower ends of the front and rear walls to provide clearance for the front and rear rails
20
,
22
when the divider is mounted thereto as detailed in
FIGS. 5
,
6
,
8
and
9
.
In order to provide increased stability and rigidity for a series of installed dividers, and to further prevent the stacked products from toppling off the shelf construction, the upper portion of the forward edge of the divider is provided with a coupling for secondary front rail
30
. As seen in
FIGS. 11 and 12
, the front edge portion of main divider wall
100
of the divider
18
is provided with a right angle stub coupling
104
which may be integrally molded as part of the divider and which is supported by integral stem
106
. The main divider wall
100
is further provided with a pair of notches
108
to provide clearance for the secondary front rail
30
about the coupling. The secondary front rail
30
may be of C-shaped cross-section, preferably formed of a PETG plastic composition, its truncated leg portions
110
surrounding and gripping the upper and lower surfaces of the stub coupling
104
.
As an alternative construction for the dividers previously discussed, the present invention contemplates the use of a formed wire divider as depicted in FIGS.
13
-
18
. As shown therein, wire divider
112
, as best seen in
FIG. 13
, is in the form of an inverted U fabrication, the lower ends of the front and rear legs
114
,
116
engaging the corresponding slots in front and rear rails
20
,
22
and being retained therein by the fingers
70
. As seen in
FIGS. 17 and 18
, both the front and rear legs
114
,
116
may be provided with a right angle foot portion
118
, running perpendicular to the length of the divider, the foot portion resting at the bottom of the slot of the respective rail providing additional stability for the divider.
The wire dividers
112
may also support a secondary upper front rail, as detailed in FIGS.
14
-
16
. As illustrated therein, a mounting block
120
is located proximate the upper end of front leg
114
. The mounting block, which may be formed of an appropriate resilient plastic, includes a vertical slot
122
extending inwardly through a front face of the block and a second, horizontal slot
124
extending through a rear face of the block. Each of the slots is generally circular in cross-section, with a narrowed neck portion at the block face into which it extends to allow a wire element to be placed therein and retained by the resiliency of the block. In particular, vertical slot
122
allows mounting of the block upon the front leg
114
of the wire divider, while the horizontal slot
124
permits a front upper rail in the form of wire
126
to be inserted and supported. By proper alignment of a series of blocks
120
on successive wire dividers, the upper rail wire
126
extending the length of the shelf may be interconnected with each of the dividers, providing additional rigidity for the divider system and further providing a frontal barrier for the stacked products
16
.
As further depicted in
FIGS. 17 and 19
, the front rail
20
may be provided with an integral product indicia mounting panel
128
in lieu of an accessory channel
94
as previously discussed. The mounting panel
128
may preferably be in the form of a flat or gently curved plate
130
extending the length of the rail
20
, and joined to the top edge of forward vertical wall
86
. Both the upper and lower edges of the panel
130
are provided with in-turned shoulders or hooks
132
allowing the placement of sheet
134
, such as paper or cardboard, upon the panel for display purposes and its retention thereupon, as seen in FIG.
17
. Typically, product identification and pricing information may be placed on the sheet, allowing the consumer, as well as store personnel, to identify the products stacked therebehind.
Utilizing conventional shelf brackets, the present invention forms a downwardly-slanting shelf unit. The shelf floor piece
24
is inserted into the appropriate reception slots in the front and rear wall elements
20
,
22
and the resulting construction is placed upon the brackets
26
positioned in a spaced arrangement upon the gondola uprights
12
. The rails may be affixed in place upon the brackets by the use of the double-face tape layers
78
. The divider elements are then inserted within the reception slots in the front and rear rails according to the planogrammed layout for the shelf. Appropriate identification indicia may be placed in the label rail to identify the goods to be placed on the shelf. Goods placed on the shelf, supported by the point contact created by the ridges
76
, are maintained in a low-friction manner, allowing the products to migrate towards the front of the shelf where they can be best seen both by store personnel for inventory and stocking purposes and by consumers for purchase.
Claims
- 1. A shelf construction for use in gondola systems having spaced vertical uprights for shelf mounting, the shelf construction comprising: brackets mountable to said vertical uprights, each of said brackets having a top surface; front and rear longitudinally-extending shelf rails each having a lower surface to rest on the top surfaces of said brackets and a horizontally-extending shelf floor acceptance slot above the lower surface; a shelf floor having front and rear edges adapted for insertion into said shelf floor acceptance slots, said front and rear rails each further having a vertical shelf divider acceptance slot, and at least one shelf divider having front and rear walls engageable with said vertical shelf divider acceptance slots, said brackets each comprising a main bracket piece having the top surface upon which said rails rest and a transition piece for supporting said main bracket piece in alternative downward sloping manners, said main bracket piece and said transition piece having interconnecting means for removably joining said main bracket piece to said transition piece, said transition piece comprising a first piece mountable upon a spaced vertical upright and a second piece connecting the first piece to the main bracket, said first piece including first and second rows of slots for supporting the main bracket portion in the alternative downward sloping manners.
- 2. The shelf construction of claim 1, wherein said transition piece further includes means for engaging a series of slots on one of said spaced vertical uprights, said interconnecting means of said main bracket being adapted for alternative engagement with said series of slots.
- 3. The shelf construction of claim 1, further including means for affixing the front and rear rails to the bracket surfaces upon which they rest.
- 4. The shelf construction of claim 3 wherein said affixation means is two-sided adhesive tape.
- 5. The shelf construction of claim 1, wherein said shelf floor has a low friction surface upon which products can be placed.
- 6. The shelf construction of claim 5, wherein said floor includes a series of upstanding ridges extending between the front and rear edges of the shelf floor.
- 7. The shelf construction of claim 4, wherein said floor is constructed of a silicone impregnated styrene.
- 8. The shelf construction of claim 6 wherein at least one of said front and rear rails comprise means for engaging a portion of the shelf floor inserted into the rail slot.
- 9. The shelf construction of claim 8 wherein said engaging means comprise a projection extending from a wall of the slot.
- 10. The shelf construction of claim 9 wherein said upstanding ridges of the shelf floor are provided with notches located to be engaged by said projection.
- 11. The shelf construction of claim 1 further comprising at least one vertical divider having front and rear mounting means for engagement with said front and rear rail vertical slots.
- 12. The shelf construction of claim 11 wherein said front rail includes a second vertical slot for acceptance of product information indicia.
- 13. The shelf construction of claim 11 wherein said front rail further includes an integral product indicia mounting panel.
- 14. The shelf construction of claim 11 wherein said front and rear vertical slots include means for increasing a frictional contact with the mounting means of the vertical divider.
- 15. The shelf construction of claim 14 wherein said means for increasing frictional contact comprises a series of flexible fingers mounted upon opposed walls of the vertical slots.
- 16. The shelf construction of claim 11 wherein said vertical divider includes a main divider body and front and rear perpendicular walls adapted to be inserted into said front and rear rail vertical slots.
- 17. The shelf construction of claim 16 wherein said vertical divider is formed as an inverted U wire fabrication having front and rear legs adapted to be inserted into said front and rear rail vertical slots.
- 18. The shelf construction of claim 11 wherein the vertical divider further includes means for mounting a secondary front rail to a front edge of the divider.
- 19. The shelf construction of claim 18 further including a secondary front rail mountable to said vertical divider.
US Referenced Citations (22)