U.S. patent application number 09/859185 was filed with the patent office on 2001-09-13 for shelf assembly.
This patent application is currently assigned to L&P Property Management Company. Invention is credited to Battaglia, Joseph M., Bustos, Rafael T..
Application Number | 20010020606 09/859185 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26741772 |
Filed Date | 2001-09-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010020606 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Battaglia, Joseph M. ; et
al. |
September 13, 2001 |
Shelf assembly
Abstract
A shelf assembly for organizing and merchandising a plurality of
products. The shelf assembly comprises a shelf having a bottom,
plurality of dividers extending from front to back, a pair of
dividers and the bottom forming a track in which a column of
products are arranged. A front member pivotal about a stop, or
pivotally engaged with the dividers, prevents the forwardmost
product within the column from falling off the front of the shelf.
The pivotal front members enable product to be pulled forwardly off
the shelf, minimizing the spacing necessary between adjacent
shelves.
Inventors: |
Battaglia, Joseph M.;
(Douglasville, GA) ; Bustos, Rafael T.; (Atlanta,
GA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOOD, HERRON & EVANS, L.L.P.
2700 Carew Tower
Cincinnati
OH
45202
US
|
Assignee: |
L&P Property Management
Company
|
Family ID: |
26741772 |
Appl. No.: |
09/859185 |
Filed: |
May 16, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09859185 |
May 16, 2001 |
|
|
|
09574076 |
May 18, 2000 |
|
|
|
09574076 |
May 18, 2000 |
|
|
|
09168647 |
Oct 8, 1998 |
|
|
|
60062020 |
Oct 10, 1997 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
211/59.2 ;
211/74; 312/45 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F 7/28 20130101; A47F
5/005 20130101; A47F 1/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/59.2 ;
211/74; 312/45 |
International
Class: |
A47F 007/00; A47F
001/00 |
Claims
1. A shelf assembly for organizing and merchandising a plurality of
products, said shelf assembly comprising: a generally inclined
gravity feed shelf, a plurality of dividers extending from front to
back on said shelf, an djacent pair of said dividers and said shelf
defining a track, said track supporting a plurality of products
arranged in a column, and a front stop member supported by said
pair of dividers, said front stop member being pivotal about a
horizontal axis and adapted to abut a forwardmost one of said
products in said column, said horizontal axis being positioned such
that as said forwardmost one of said products is removed from said
track by pulling a top portion of said forwardmost one of said
products over said front member, said front member is caused to
pivot about said horizontal axis and move a top edge of said front
member forwardly so as to enable said forwardmost one of said
products to be moved forwardly over said front stop member, said
front member having projections engaged with receptacles integrally
formed in said pair of dividers.
2. The shelf assembly of claim 1 wherein said front member is
caused to return to its original position upon a product behind
said forwardmost one of said products sliding forwardly on said
shelf and contacting said front member.
3. The shelf assembly of claim 1 wherein said pivotal front member
is arcuate.
4. The shelf assembly of claim 1 wherein said pivotal front member
is adapted to receive product identifying elements.
5. The shelf assembly of claim 1 wherein said pivotal front member
has an upper lip, a lower lip and two opposed side lips to retain a
product identifying element.
6. A shelf assembly for organizing and merchandising a plurality of
products, said shelf assembly comprising: a generally inclined
gravity feed shelf, a plurality of dividers extending from front to
back on said shelf, an adjacent pair of said dividers and said
shelf defining a track, said track supporting a plurality of
products arranged in a column, and a front member supported by said
adjacent pair of dividers, said front member having projections
adapted to engage said adjacent pair of dividers, said front member
being pivotal about a horizontal axis and functioning to prevent
product from falling off a front edge of said shelf, whereby upon a
forwardmost product in said column of products being pulled over
said front member said top and bottom edges of said front member
are caused to rotate about said horizontal axis.
7. The shelf assembly of claim 6 wherein said top edge of said
front member rotates in front of said horizontal axis and said
bottom edge of said front member rotates behind said horizontal
axis when said forwardmost one of said products is removed from
said track.
8. A shelf assembly comprising: a generally inclined gravity feed
shelf, a plurality of dividers, an adjacent pair of said dividers
and said shelf bottom defining a track for supporting a plurality
of products arranged in a column between the pair of adjacent
dividers; and a front member supported above said shelf and at the
front of said track, said front member having projections received
in receptacles formed in said pair of adjacent dividers, said front
member being pivotal about a horizontal axis and having top and
bottom edges located respectively above and below said horizontal
axis such that upon a forwardmost one of said products being pulled
over said horizontal axis from said track, said front member is
caused to pivot about said horizontal axis, and in the course
thereof, said bottom edge of said front member is moved rearwardly
in said track and said top edge of said front member is moved
forwardly.
9. The shelf assembly of claim 8 wherein said front member is
arcuate.
10. The shelf assembly of claim 8 wherein said horizontal axis is
spaced above said bottom of said product holder.
11. The shelf assembly of claim 8 wherein said front member has a
concave inner surface and a convex outer surface.
12. The shelf assembly of claim 8 wherein said pivotal front member
is adapted to receive product identifying elements.
13. The shelf assembly of claim 8 wherein said pivotal front member
has an upper lip, a lower lip and two opposed side lips to retain a
product identifying element.
Description
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No.
09/574,076 entitled "Shelf Assembly" filed May 18, 2000 which
application is fully incorporated herein. Application Ser. No.
09/574,076 is a continuation application of application Ser. No.
09/168,647 entitled "Shelf Assembly" filed Oct. 8, 1998 which
application is fully incorporated herein. Application Ser. No.
09/168,647 claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application
Ser. No. 60/062,020 filed Oct. 10, 1997 entitled "Shelf Insert",
which is fully incorporated by reference herein.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to display racks for supporting and
displaying a plurality of products. More particularly, this
invention relates to a shelf assembly adapted to be used in a
display rack for organizing and merchandising a plurality of
products.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Merchants commonly display their products in shelved
structures. In order to provide product at the front of the
shelves, the shelves are commonly sloped downwardly so that gravity
forces the product to the forward edge of the shelves where it is
easily accessible to consumers. The angle of the shelf determines
the amount of force gravity will have on the product so that the
product moves forward.
[0004] Such inclined shelves are commonly divided into a plurality
of tracks or channels parallel to the side edges of the shelves
with dividers so that the product is displayed in orderly columns
extending from back to front of the shelf. The tracks or channels
are defined by the bottom of the shelf and a plurality of dividers
extending upwardly from the shelf bottom. The dividers may be
integrally formed with the shelf or separately formed and movable
along the shelf bottom. Additionally, the dividers may be
integrally formed in a shelf insert, such as the one disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,288 issued to the assignee of the present
application. Arranging the products in columns enables the merchant
to display different products in different columns without multiple
products being located in the same track or column.
[0005] Plastic inserts such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
5,614,288 may be placed on a planar shelf in order to provide the
shelf with means to divide the product into different columns for
display purposes. These plastic inserts are typically of unitary
construction and are commonly made of extruded or molded plastic.
Dividers are an integral part of the insert and divide the insert
into a plurality of tracks, a pair of dividers and the bottom of
the insert defining a track. A plurality of stops or bumpers found
at the front of the shelf insert are fixed to pairs of dividers at
the front of the dividers in order to prevent product from falling
off the front edge of the shelf. Once the forwardmost bottle is
removed from the track, the remaining bottles within the track
slide forwardly until the frontmost bottle contacts the bumper
stop.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,838 discloses a shelf insert having a
front wall shaped so as to form a plurality of inverted arches
defining a plurality of openings therebetween. The front wall acts
as a bumper stop for holding and retaining products positioned
within the tracks or channels formed by the dividers and bottom of
the shelf insert. The front wall prevents product from falling off
the front of the shelf. A stop member may be inserted into slots
cut in the upper portions of the front wall in order to further
prevent product from passing through the openings in the front wall
of the insert.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,176 discloses a one-piece elongate
channel of unitary construction formed in a single plastic molding
operation. A plurality of such elongate channels may be connected
to each other and secured to a shelf in order to create a plurality
of tracks extending front to back on the shelf, each track being
defined by a pair of upstanding sidewalls and a bottom member. At
the front of the sidewalls, a front member spaced above the bottom
of the track connects the sidewalls and acts as a bumper stop
preventing the forwardmost product in a column of products from
falling off the shelf. This front member is sufficiently narrow in
construction so as to define with the sidewalls and bottom of the
track a generally rectangular aperture through which a substantial
portion of the front or lead article in the channel may be viewed
by a potential customer. Although this patent does disclose an
aperture through which a consumer may view a portion of the
forwardmost product in a track, the customer may not always see the
label due to rotation of the products as they move down the track.
In addition, the customer must lift the forwardmost product in the
column over the bumper stop or pivot the forwardmost product over
the top of the bumper stop while pushing all of the other products
in the column rearwardly in order to remove the forwardmost
product.
[0008] Gravity feed shelves may be used in refrigerated units such
as coolers and non-refrigerated display racks. Typically,
non-refrigerated display racks display larger bottles of product,
such as two liter bottles, and are located along the sides of
aisles in stores. Coolers or refrigerated units typically display
smaller bottles of product, such as twenty-ounce bottles and are
located near the checkout counter or register of a grocery or
convenience store.
[0009] In both non-refrigerated and refrigerated display racks, a
finite amount of vertical space is available for shelving. The more
shelves can be placed within this finite area, the better from a
merchant's standpoint because the merchant can display more
product. In addition, the more shelves within the area, the less
frequently the merchant needs to restock the display rack.
Therefore, merchants desire display racks having the maximum
possible number of shelves which are able to fit within a defined
area.
[0010] Until the present invention, adjacent shelves generally were
spaced vertically apart from one another by a distance equivalent
to or greater than the height of the product being displayed plus
the distance between the bottom of the shelf and the bumper stop,
because when a consumer wanted to remove the forwardmost product
located within a track on the shelf, he or she generally would lift
the forwardmost product up over a bumper stop at the front of the
track. Therefore, adjacent shelves generally were separated
vertically from one another a sufficient distance so as to enable
customers to remove the forwardmost products within the tracks by
lifting the product vertically. The area between adjacent shelves
required for customers to remove product is wasted space because it
does not hold or store product. Thus, any type of shelf or shelf
insert with immobile fixed bumper stops generally required a
vertical spacing between shelves of at least the height of the
product being displayed plus the height between the bottom of the
shelf and the bumper stop at the front of each track. Such self
spacing is undesirable because it decreases the packout or volume
of product being displayed within a confined area.
[0011] Another difficulty with shelves or shelf inserts having
fixed bumper stops is that as product slides down the shelf in the
tracks, the product may twist about a vertical axis, inherently
causing the labels on the bottles to turn. Therefore, once the
forwardmost product contacts the bumper stop, the label of the
forwardmost product is facing sideways or rearwards rather than
forwardly. Consequently, the consumer has to twist the forwardmost
product in a track in order to read its label in order to determine
whether the product is the particular product the consumer
wants.
[0012] In addition, product located on the upper shelves of a
shelved structure such as, for example, a non-refrigerated display
rack is difficult for some customers to remove because in order to
remove the forwardmost product within a track, the product
generally was lifted vertically over the fixed bumper stop located
at the front of the track. Product located on the uppermost shelf
of a display rack was difficult for a consumer whose reach is equal
to or less than the height of the uppermost shelf of the display
rack. Therefore, the height of a display rack in which merchants
may display their products was limited to approximately the height
of the reach of the consumers.
[0013] The present invention increases the height at which
uppermost shelves of a display rack which contain product may be
located because customers no longer must lift the product
vertically above a fixed stop located at the front of the tracks of
the shelf. The uppermost shelf of a display rack may be placed
higher than heretofore possible because customers may pull product
forwardly about a lower pivot axis rather than lifting product
vertically up over a bumper stop.
[0014] It has therefore been one objective of the present invention
to provide a shelf assembly divided into a plurality of tracks,
each track having a pivotal front member.
[0015] It has been a further objective of the present invention to
provide a shelf assembly which has a plurality of pivotal front
members enabling product to be more easily removed by pulling
product forwardly rather than lifting product upwardly or pulling
the top of a product over the top of a fixed bumper stop.
[0016] It has been a further objective of the present invention to
provide a shelf assembly which reduces the vertical distance
between adjacent shelves necessary to remove products from
intermediate shelves.
[0017] It has been a further objective of the present invention to
provide a shelf assembly having a pivotal front member at the front
of a track which is adapted to display different product
identifying elements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The invention of this application which accomplishes these
objectives comprises a display rack to which are attached a
plurality of shelf assemblies. Each shelf assembly functions to
organize and merchandise a plurality of products arranged in
columns extending from front to back of the shelf. The shelf
assembly comprises a shelf having a bottom, a plurality of dividers
and at least one front member movable relative to the dividers.
[0019] The dividers are spaced apart from one another and extend
from front to back of the shelf so that a pair of the dividers and
the bottom of the shelf define a track which supports a plurality
of products arranged in a column. The forwardmost product within
the column abuts against the front member. The front member
prevents the products within the track from falling off the front
of the shelf. The front member is pivotal about a horizontal axis
so that a forwardmost product within a track may be removed by
pulling the forwardmost product forwardly rather than lifting the
forwardmost product over a fixed non-pivotal bumper stop as has
been necessary before the present invention.
[0020] The dividers may be generally planar dividers or any other
form of divider. The dividers extend from front to back on the
shelf and may be movable relative to the shelf bottom or fixedly
secured to the shelf bottom. Alternatively, the dividers may be
part of a unitary one-piece shelf insert, such as is disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,288.
[0021] If planar dividers are utilized in accordance with the
present invention, each divider may have one or more holes which
pass through the divider at the front of the divider. The holes are
sized so as to receive a portion of one of the pivotal front
members so the front member may pivot relative to the dividers.
Alternatively, the dividers may have one or more receptacles
integrally formed in the dividers. These receptacles are sized so
as to receive a portion of one of the front members. When the front
member is engaged with the receptacles formed in the dividers, the
front member may pivot about a horizontal axis so that a consumer
may remove a forwardmost product from a track by pulling the
forwardmost product forwardly. In this embodiment, projections
extending outwardly from the front member define the horizontal
axis about which the front member pivots.
[0022] The front member is generally arcuate and is adapted to
receive a beverage container, such as a bottle or can.
Additionally, the front member is adapted to receive and display
different product identifying elements. The front member may be one
ply of plastic, or alternatively, two plies of plastic between
which a product identifying element may be inserted in order to
identify product within the track behind the pivotal front
member.
[0023] In another embodiment of the present invention, the shelf
assembly is divided into a plurality of tracks, each track having a
fixed stop which acts as a bumper at the front of the track. The
stop is fixedly secured to a pair of adjacent dividers. In this
embodiment, the front member is pivotally secured to the stop
rather than being pivotally secured to the dividers. Consequently,
the front member pivots with respect to the fixed stop. The stop
itself does not pivot relative to the dividers. Rather, the front
member pivots about an axis defined by portions of the stop. In
this embodiment, the forwardmost product within a track may still
be removed by pulling rather than lifting the forwardmost product
within the track. However, the forwardmost product must slide over
the stop fixedly secured to the dividers at the front of the track.
The stop may be a wire, a piece of plastic or any other structure
about which the front member may pivot. The front member may be
engaged with the stop any number of ways. One type of front member
has a pair of openings therethrough which are adapted to receive
the stop, enabling the front member to pivot about the stop. This
embodiment is most often used with a wire grid structure, although
is not necessarily so limited.
[0024] With either embodiment, the forwardmost product of a column
of products may be removed from a track by pulling on the top of
the product (i.e., the neck of a bottle) to pivot the forwardmost
product about a pivot axis lower than the top of the bumper stop
rather than lifting the product or pivoting the product over the
top of a fixed bumper stop located at the front of the track. Thus
with the present invention, adjacent shelves may be placed closer
together than has heretofore been possible, increasing the packout
or number of shelves which may be used within a limited space.
Consequently, the present invention enables a merchant to store and
display more product in a limited area. In addition, the pivotal
front members located at the front of the shelf of the present
invention enable customers to easily remove product and to easily
identify products within the different tracks of the shelf. These
and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be
more readily apparent from the following description of the
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the display rack of the
present invention illustrated with two shelves, each shelf being
divided into a plurality of tracks for supporting different
products, each track having a pivotal front member located at the
front of the track.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of the
display rack of FIG. 1 showing the forwardmost bottle in a track
being pulled forwardly off the shelf.
[0027] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of shelf
assembly of the present invention having wire dividers, a fixed
stop secured to the wire dividers at the front of the dividers, and
a plurality of front members pivotally secured to the fixed
stop.
[0028] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of shelf
assembly having a plurality of product holders located on a planar
shelf, each product holder having a pivotal front member.
[0029] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shelf insert made in
accordance with the present invention, the shelf insert having a
plurality of pivotal front members pivotally engaged with dividers
at the front of the insert.
[0030] FIG. 6 is a partially disassembled view of one embodiment of
front member having projections adapted to be engaged with
receptacles integrally formed in the dividers.
[0031] FIG. 7 is a view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.
[0032] FIG. 8 is a partially disassembled view of an embodiment of
front member having openings therein adapted to engage a fixed wire
stop located at the front of the shelf.
[0033] FIG. 8A is a view of the encircled area 8A of FIG. 8.
[0034] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of
front member.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] Referring the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, there is
illustrated a display rack 10. The display rack 10 comprises a base
12 and a back member 14 extending between two vertical posts 16. As
illustrated, each of the posts 16 have a plurality of slots 18
therein adapted to receive projections (not shown) of a shelf
assembly 20. Although two shelf assemblies are illustrated in FIG.
1, any number of shelf assemblies may be utilized in accordance
with the present invention. Although only one type of base 12 and
one type of back 14 are illustrated, others well-known in the
industry may be used as well to support the shelf assemblies of the
present invention.
[0036] One embodiment of shelf assembly 20 of the present invention
comprises a shelf 22 having a bottom 24 and a plurality of dividers
26 extending from a back edge 28 of the shelf 22 to a front edge 30
of the shelf. A pair of the dividers 26 and the bottom 24 of the
shelf 22 define a track 32. The track 32 supports a plurality of
products 34 arranged in a column extending front to back. Within
each column of products is a forwardmost product 34a, a second
forwardmost product 34b, and a third most forwardmost product 34c,
etc., depending upon how many bottles are in the column (see FIGS.
1 and 2). Although the dividers 26 are illustrated as being planar
dividers, the dividers may take on alternative configurations as
well.
[0037] The shelves 22 are declined so that the front edge 30 of the
shelf 22 is below the back edge 28 of the shelf 22 so that gravity
feeds the products in the columns forwardly. This is best
illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The angle of inclination of the shelf
determines the amount of force gravity will have on the product in
order to push the product forwardly. Due to the inclination of the
shelves, the product slides forwardly on the shelf until the
forwardmost product in the column abuts against a bumper stop or
other structure located at the front of the shelf preventing
product from falling off the forward edge 30 of the shelf. If only
one product is remaining in a track, that product will be located
at the front of the track due to the inclination of the shelf (see
top shelf of FIG. 1).
[0038] In accordance with the present invention, at the front of
each track is a front member 40 which is movable relative to the
dividers. More particularly, the front member 40 is pivotal about a
horizontal axis, the horizontal axis being located above the bottom
of the shelf (see axis A.sub.1 in FIG. 1). Each front member 40
functions to prevent product from falling off the front of the
shelf. Additionally, because the front member 40 may pivot about a
horizontal axis, the forwardmost product 34a of a column of
products with a track may be pulled forwardly in order to be
removed.
[0039] Before the present invention fixed, immobile bumper stops,
often pieces of wire, were placed at the front of the tracks on a
shelf in order to prevent product from falling off the front of the
shelf. When a customer desired to remove the forwardmost product of
a column of products located within a track, the customer had to
raise the forwardmost product upwardly so that the bottom of the
product passed over the bumper stop. This required sufficient
spacing between shelves. More particularly, shelves had to be
vertically spaced from one another so that a significant gap
existed between the top of the products located on one shelf and
the bottom of the shelf immediately above it. Thus, the number of
shelves that could fit within a fixed area was limited and the
requisite space between shelves was wasted, i.e., it held no
product.
[0040] The invention of the present application enables shelves to
be placed closer together so that the bottom of one shelf may be
located immediately above the top of the products resting on the
shelf immediately below it (see FIG. 2). There is no wasted space
between shelves. Therefore, a greater number of shelves may be
located within a fixed area than has heretofore been possible.
[0041] As best illustrated in FIG. 2, because each front member of
the present invention is pivotal about a horizontal axis, a
consumer may remove the forwardmost product 34a of a column of
products by pulling the top of the forwardmost product forwardly in
the direction of arrow 36. Once the top of the forwardmost product
34a has been pulled forwardly, the forwardmost product 34a may then
be pulled upwardly in the direction of arrow 38 in order to be
removed from the track of the shelf assembly. The other products in
the column may then slide forwardly in the track until the next
forwardmost product 34b abuts the pivotal front member.
[0042] The pivotal front member 40 may take on numerous forms in
accordance with the present invention. One embodiment is
illustrated in FIG. 1, in which the front member 40 is pivotally
secured to a pair of adjacent dividers 26 and is pivotal about a
horizontal axis A.sub.1. In this embodiment the front member 40
comprises an arcuate piece 42 and a single piece of wire 44. The
arcuate piece 42 has a top edge 46, bottom edge 48 and side edges
50a and 50b. The arcuate piece 42 and the piece of wire 44 may be
separate pieces as illustrated in FIG. 1, which may be glued or
otherwise secured to one another so as to create a unitary front
member 40. The arcuate piece 42 may have cutouts 52, which are
sized so as to receive in a snap-fit manner the piece of wire 44.
Alternatively, the piece of wire 44 and the arcuate member 42 may
be one piece, integrally formed with one another. Other embodiments
of front member 40 such as those illustrated and described in the
remainder of this document may be used as well.
[0043] In this embodiment, the ends of each piece of wire 44 extend
through holes 54 located at the front of the dividers 26 so as to
enable the front member 40 to pivot about an axis A.sub.1 defined
by the aligned ends of the wire 44. Thus the front member 40 is
pivotally engaged with a pair of adjacent dividers. As illustrated
in FIG. 1, a forwardmost product 34a of a column of products within
a track 32 may be pulled forwardly in the direction of arrow 56 in
order to remove the forwardmost product 34a from the track without
the forwardmost product 34a contacting the shelf immediately above
it.
[0044] Turning now to FIG. 3, an alternative embodiment of shelf
assembly is illustrated. This embodiment is illustrated in more
detail in FIGS. 8 and 8A. This embodiment of shelf assembly 20a
comprises a shelf 22a having a generally planar shelf bottom 24a.
This embodiment of shelf assembly also has a plurality of wire
dividers 58 extending from the back of the shelf forwardly to the
front of the shelf. Each wire divider 58 has a generally inverted
U-shape and may be secured to the shelf bottom 24a in any number of
ways, including that disclosed in applicant's own U.S. Pat. No.
5,119,945. Each divider wire 58 has a generally vertical front
portion 60, a generally vertical rear portion 62 and a middle
portion 64 connecting the front and rear portions. Extending
between the wire dividers 58 is a back connector wire 66 and a wire
stop 68. The wire dividers 58 function in the same manner as the
planar dividers 26 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. A pair of wire
dividers 58 and the shelf bottom 24 define a track 32a. As best
illustrated in FIG. 8, the wire stop 68 is welded or otherwise
fixedly secured to the upper front corners of the wire dividers
58.
[0045] As best illustrated in FIG. 8, this embodiment of shelf
assembly further comprises a front member 74 located at the front
of each track. Each front member 74 has a top edge 76, bottom edge
78 and a pair of opposed side edges 80a, 80b. The front member 74
is generally arcuate and adapted to receive a forwardmost product
such as a beverage container. The front member 74 has a concave
inner surface 82 and a convex outer surface 84, and is adapted to
receive a product identifying element 86 (see FIG. 5). The product
identifying element 86 may be a card, a label or any other element
which identifies the product located in the track behind the
pivotal front member. Further, as described in more detail below,
the front member 74 may hold and display the product identifying
element 86 any number of ways.
[0046] As illustrated in FIG. 8, the wire stop 68 has a plurality
of aligned straight portions 70 and a plurality of curved portions
72 located between the straight portions 70. The straight portions
70 of the wire stop 68 define a horizontal axis A.sub.2. The wire
dividers 58 are welded or otherwise secured to the straight
portions 70 of the wire stop 68. Although one form of wire stop 68
is illustrated, others may be used as well in accordance with the
present invention.
[0047] As best illustrated in FIG. 8A, the front member 74 has a
pair of cutout portions 88a, 88b, each cutout portion including a
circular opening 90a, 90b, respectively. The cutout portions 88a,
88b enable the wire stop 68 to be snapped into the openings 90a,
90b so as to enable the front member 74 to pivot about the wire
stop. The front member 74 is moved in the direction of arrows 75
before the wire stop 68 passes through cutout portions 88a, 88b
into openings 90a, 90b. Once the wire stop 68 is in openings 90a,
90b, the front member 74 may pivot about an axis A.sub.2 defined by
the straight portions 70 of the wire stop.
[0048] With the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3, 8 and 8A, when a
user wants to remove a forwardmost product of a column of products
within a track, the user pulls the top of the forwardmost product
in the track 32a in direction of arrow 91 (see FIG. 3), causing the
front member 74 to rotate about the axis A.sub.2 defined by the
straight portions 70 of the wire stop. The top of the front member
74 moves forwardly, while the bottom edge of the front member 74
moves rearwardly. The forwardmost product 34a then passes over the
top of the arcuate portion 72 of the wire stop 68 before the
forwardmost product 34a is entirely removed.
[0049] FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of shelf assembly 20c
in accordance with the practice of the present invention. This
embodiment of shelf assembly also utilizes a shelf 22c having a
generally planar bottom 24c on which are placed a plurality of
parallel generally U-shaped product holders 92. The shelf 22c may
have an upwardly turned lip (not shown) so as to prevent the
product holders 92 from falling off the shelf. Each product holder
92 comprises a bottom 94 and a pair of sidewall dividers 96a, 96b,
which extend upwardly from the bottom 94 forming a generally
U-shaped or channel-shaped product holder 92. The product holder 92
has a front edge 98 and a rear edge 99. The distance between the
front edge 98 and the rear edge 99 defines the longitudinal
dimension of the product holder. The product holder 92 may be made
of plastic, metal or any other material. Additionally, the product
holder 92 may be coated with a second material to increase the
slipperiness of the product holder 92. The two sidewall dividers
96a, 96b and the bottom 94 of the product holder 92 form a track
extending from back to front of the shelf adapted to receive a
variety of products 34 arranged in a column (only one of which is
shown in FIG. 4). A pivotally movable front member 100 is located
at the front of each product holder.
[0050] FIG. 4 illustrates one type of front member 100 having
projections 102 extending outwardly from the body 103 of the front
member 100 and engaging holes 104 formed in the sidewall dividers
so as to make the front member 100 pivotal about an axis A.sub.3
defined by the projections. This embodiment of front member is
similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. The projections
102 may be pieces of wire, plastic or any other material, and may
be integrally formed with the arcuate portion or body 103 of the
front member, or may be separately formed and attached. Although
not illustrated in FIG. 4, a fixed stop may be secured to the
sidewall dividers 96a, 96b of the product holder 92 which does not
rotate with the front member 100 (like the embodiment illustrated
in FIGS. 3, 8 and 8A). A front member like front member 74
illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 8A would then be secured to the fixed
stop which would pivot about a horizontal axis defined by the
stop.
[0051] Turning now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a shelf insert
106 which is adapted to be placed on a generally planar shelf, such
as that illustrated in FIG. 4. The shelf insert 106 comprises a
bottom 108, a pair of outermost sidewalls 110 (only one shown)
extending upwardly from the outward edges of the bottom 108 and a
back wall 112. Parallel the sidewalls 110 are a plurality of
internal dividers 114 extending forwardly from the back wall. A
pair of dividers and the bottom of the shelf insert define a track
116 containing a column of products 34 arranged in a linear fashion
front to back. The forwardmost product 34a within a column of
products is prevented from falling off the front of the shelf by a
pivotal front member 118. The front member 118 is capable of
pivoting about a horizontal axis A.sub.4 so as to enable the
forwardmost product 34a within a column of products to be removed
by pulling the forwardmost product 34a forwardly rather than
lifting it upwardly. The front member 118 may be pivotally secured
to a pair of dividers any number of ways mentioned hereinabove. For
example, a pair of projections extending outwardly from the front
member may be inserted into holes in the dividers. Additionally, a
fixed stop may be secured to adjacent dividers and the front member
pivot about the fixed stop as was described above and illustrated
in FIGS. 3, 8 and 8A.
[0052] FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative structure which may be
used in order to secure a pivotal front member 120 to a pair of
adjacent dividers 121 in order to prevent product from falling off
the front of the shelf. In this embodiment each divider 121 has a
pair of receptacles 122a (illustrated in solid lines) and 122b
(illustrated in dashed lines) integrally formed with the divider.
Alternatively, these receptacles 122a and 122b may be separately
formed from the dividers and secured to the dividers in the proper
location. One of the receptacles 122a is located on one side of the
divider (to the right as illustrated in FIG. 6), while the other
receptacle 122b is located on the opposite side of the divider (to
the left as illustrated in FIG. 6). Each receptacle 122a, 122b has
an open portion 124a, 124b, respectively, which enables a portion
of the front member 120 to slide down into engagement with the
receptacle.
[0053] The pivotal front member 120 has a pair of projections 126a,
126b extending outwardly from the front member 120. Each projection
126a, 126b has a shank 128a, 128b and an end portion 130a, 130b
which is generally circular. In order to pivotally engage the front
member 120 with a pair of dividers 121, and more particularly the
receptacles 122a, 122b of the dividers, the projections 126a, 126b
are moved downwardly in the direction of arrows 132 until the end
portions 130a, 130b of projections 126a, 126b pass through the
openings 124a, 124b in the receptacles. Once so engaged, the front
member 120 will pivot about an axis defined by the shanks 128a,
128b of the projections 126a, 126b.
[0054] As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 the shanks 128a, 128b of the
front member 120 may be connected together with a connector 134,
which may be wire or a piece of plastic or any other material.
Below and generally parallel the connector 134 is a bumper 136,
illustrated in dashed lines in FIG. 6 but shown as a solid member
in FIG. 7. The purpose of the bumper 136 is to provide an even
surface with the connector 134 so that when the forwardmost product
34a moves forwardly and contacts the front member, the forwardmost
product will not pivot about connector 134, but instead contact an
even surface, thereby stabilizing the forwardmost product while the
forwardmost product is engaged with the concave inner surface of
the front member.
[0055] The pivotal front member of the present invention may take
on numerous configurations, and this application is not intended to
limit the configuration of the pivotal front member. For example,
the projections 126a, 126b of the front member 120 may take on
alternative configurations other than the configuration illustrated
in FIG. 6.
[0056] FIG. 6 illustrates one configuration of front member 120
which is adapted to receive and display different product
identifying elements so as to identify product within a track.
Oftentimes as product moves down a track toward the front of the
track the product may rotate, causing the label on the product to
move into a position in which it is not easily visible by the
consumer. Therefore, the consumer has to grab the forwardmost
product and rotate it in order to identify the product. The present
invention incorporates a front member adapted to receive and
display different product identifying elements so that all the
product within a specific track may be easily identified by the
customer by simply looking at the pivotal front member. The
customer need not turn the forwardmost product of a column of
products in order to identify product within the track.
[0057] One embodiment of front member which accomplishes these
objectives is illustrated in FIG. 6. The generally arcuate front
member 120 has an upper lip 140, a lower lip 142 and two opposed
side lips 144a, 144b, all of which help retain a product
identifying element on the outer surface of the front member where
a consumer may easily view the product identifying element. A
product label or piece of cardboard, for example, identifying a
particular product may be inserted between the upper and lower and
two side lips. The lips hold the product identifying element in
place until it is to be removed and replaced. This structure
enables different product identifying elements to be easily
inserted and removed if the merchant desires to change product
within the track behind the front member. Other structures not
illustrated may be used to retain a product identifying element
with a pivotal front member such as, for example, that illustrated
in FIG. 9.
[0058] FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative form of front member 146
which comprises simply two plies of material, an outer ply 148 and
an inner ply 150. Between the inner and outer plies is a narrow
space 152 into which a product identifying element may be inserted.
Preferably, the material of the front member is clear plastic or
any other type of material through which the product identifying
element may be seen. Other forms of front member (not illustrated)
which are adapted to hold and display different product identifying
elements so that the product identifying elements may be changed as
product is changed within a track may also be utilized in
accordance with the present invention.
[0059] With the invention of the present application, one shelf may
be placed immediately above an adjacent lower shelf because a
forwardmost product in a track on the lower shelf may be removed by
pulling the forwardmost product forwardly rather than lifting the
forwardmost product vertically. Therefore, more shelves may placed
within a finite area than heretofore possible, increasing the
number of products which may be displayed within that area and
reducing the frequency of restocking the shelves.
* * * * *