U.S. patent application number 09/302650 was filed with the patent office on 2001-12-06 for attachment bracket for a rail.
This patent application is currently assigned to Elleman, Steve. Invention is credited to FERRALLI, SAMUEL ANTHONY, HEISLER, JON CHARLES, NOLL, DOUGLAS JOSEPH, WILDMAN, ANDREW ERIC.
Application Number | 20010048057 09/302650 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23168651 |
Filed Date | 2001-12-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010048057 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
HEISLER, JON CHARLES ; et
al. |
December 6, 2001 |
ATTACHMENT BRACKET FOR A RAIL
Abstract
A bracket for coupling a rail having an upper slot and a lower
slot to a shelf edge having an upper groove and a lower groove. The
bracket comprises a central body portion, an upper flange extending
generally upwardly from the body portion, a lower flange extending
generally downwardly from the body portion, and a plate. The plate
is received between the upper and the lower flanges such that as
the plate is moved toward the body, the plate urges the upper
flange and the lower flange into the upper and lower groove,
respectively, to couple the bracket to the shelf edge. The bracket
further comprises a first upper tang extending generally upwardly
from the body portion and a first lower tang extending generally
downwardly from the body portion, the upper tang and lower tang
being shaped to be received in the upper and lower slot,
respectively. At least one of the tangs has at least one tang
groove therein to facilitate the attachment of the bracket to the
rail.
Inventors: |
HEISLER, JON CHARLES; (NEW
CARLISLE, OH) ; WILDMAN, ANDREW ERIC; (SPRINGFIELD,
OH) ; FERRALLI, SAMUEL ANTHONY; (DAYTON, OH) ;
NOLL, DOUGLAS JOSEPH; (TROY, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
THOMPSON HINE L.L.P.
2000 COURTHOUSE PLAZA , N.E.
10 WEST SECOND STREET
DAYTON
OH
45402
US
|
Assignee: |
Elleman, Steve
|
Family ID: |
23168651 |
Appl. No.: |
09/302650 |
Filed: |
April 30, 1999 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/220.22 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G09F 3/204 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/220.22 |
International
Class: |
A47K 001/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A bracket for coupling a rail having an upper slot and a lower
slot to a shelf edge having an upper groove and a lower groove, the
bracket comprising: a central body portion; an upper flange
extending generally upwardly from said body portion; a lower flange
extending generally downwardly from said body portion; a plate
received between said upper and said lower flanges such that as
said plate is moved toward said body said plate urges said upper
flange and said lower flange into said upper and lower groove,
respectively, to couple said bracket to said shelf edge; a first
upper tang extending generally upwardly from said body portion; and
a first lower tang extending generally downwardly from said body
portion, said upper tang and lower tang being shaped to be received
in said upper and lower slot, respectively, at least one of said
first tangs having at least one rail receiving portion therein to
facilitate the attachment of said bracket to said rail.
2. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said rail receiving portion is a
groove in said tang shaped to receive melted portions of said rail
therein when said rail is attached to said bracket by heat
staking.
3. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said rail receiving portion is a
hole that receives melted portions of said rail therein when said
rail is attached to said bracket by heat staking.
4. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said at least one first tang
includes a plurality of rail receiving portions therein to
facilitate the attachment of said bracket to said rail.
5. The bracket of claim 1 wherein the other of said first tangs
includes at least one rail receiving portion therein to facilitate
the attachment of said bracket to said rail.
6. The bracket of claim 2 wherein said tang groove is formed in an
outer surface of said at least one first tang.
7. The bracket of claim 6 wherein said tang groove extends about 2
mm into said tang.
8. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said rail is shaped to receive an
electronic tag having a coil, and wherein said first upper tang and
said first lower tang are joined by a first arm, and wherein said
bracket further includes a second upper tang and a second lower
tang extending from said body, said second upper tang and said
second lower tang being joined by a second arm.
9. The bracket of claim 8 wherein said first and second arms are
located such that at least one of said arms is spaced from a coil
of an electronic tag received in said rail to reduce detuning of
said coil when said tag is located adjacent said bracket.
10. The bracket of claim 8 wherein said coil includes a pair of
laterally spaced vertical portions, and wherein the distance
between said first and second arms is less than the distance
between said vertical portions.
11. The bracket of claim 8 wherein each of said arms includes a
cut-out to reduce detuning said coil.
12. The bracket of claim 8 wherein said rail includes a conductor
for inducing a current in said coil of said electronic tag.
13. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said plate urges said flanges
outwardly relative said plate when said plate is moved toward said
body.
14. The bracket of claim 13 wherein said plate includes a pair of
outer surfaces that engage said flanges when said plate is moved
toward said body.
15. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said first tangs each include an
elbow portion to angle said rail relative said bracket when said
rail is mounted on said bracket.
16. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said body has a hole and said
plate has a hole, and wherein said bracket further includes a
threaded fastener passed through said hole in said body and through
said hole in said plate such that rotation of said fastener causes
said plate to move relative said body.
17. The bracket of claim 16 wherein a head of said fastener is
larger than said hole in said body.
18. The bracket of claim 1 in combination with said rail.
19. The bracket and rail of claim 18 wherein said bracket is
coupled to said rail by heat staking, and wherein said rail
receiving portion receives portions of said rail therein.
20. The bracket and rail of claim 18 wherein said rail includes a
conductor therein to exchange information and power with an
electronic tag having a coil when said tag is received in said
rail.
21. The bracket and rail of claim 18 further comprising a threaded
fastener passed through said body and said plate such that rotation
of said fastener causes said plate to move relative said body, and
wherein said rail includes a hole to provide access to said
fastener.
22. The bracket and rail of claim 21 wherein said hole in said rail
is larger than a head of said fastener.
23. The bracket and rail of claim 22 further comprising a piece of
sheet-like material covering said hole.
24. The bracket and rail of claim 22 further comprising a plug
received in said hole.
25. The bracket and rail of claim 18 wherein said rail includes a
cover extending generally rearwardly from a top surface of said
rail to block access to a rear surface of said rail.
26. The bracket and rail of claim 18 wherein said upper slot is
defined by an upper lip and said lower slot is defined by a lower
lip, and wherein said upper lip is shaped to maintain said upper
tang in said upper slot and said lower lip is shaped to maintain
said lower tang in said lower slot.
27. The bracket and rail of claim 26 wherein said upper lip and
said lower lip extend about 0.100 to about 0.150 inches along a
rear surface of said rail.
28. The bracket and rail of claim 18 wherein said rail further
includes a pair of protrusions to limit said bracket from sliding
within said rail.
29. The bracket and rail of claim 28 wherein said protrusions
extend into at least one of said upper slot and said lower slot,
and wherein said bracket is received between said protrusions.
30. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said bracket is made from spring
steel.
31. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said upper flange includes a
generally vertically extending slot to provide flexibility to said
upper flange.
32. The bracket of claim 1 wherein said first tangs are made from a
first piece of sheet-like material, and wherein said flanges are
made from a second piece of sheet-like material.
33. An assembly for connecting a plurality of electronic display
tags to a shelf edge having an upper groove and a lower groove, the
assembly comprising: a rail having a front face including a channel
for receiving electronic display tags therein, and a back side
including an upper slot and a lower slot formed thereon; and a
plurality of brackets positioned along the back side of the rail,
each bracket including: (i) a body portion including a hole
therethrough; (ii) at least a first upper tang positioned in the
upper slot of the rail and at least a first lower tang positioned
in the lower slot of the rail, the tangs extending from the body
portion and attaching the bracket to the rail; (iii) at least one
lower flange for positioning in a lower groove of a shelf edge and
at least one upper flange for positioning in an upper groove of
said shelf edge, the flanges extending from the body portion; (iv)
a plate positioned between the flanges and including a hole
therethrough which aligns with the body portion hole; (v) a
fastener positioned through the aligned holes for holding the plate
adjacent the flanges, the fastener rotatable to pull the plate into
engagement with at least one of the flanges; wherein the rail
includes a plurality of holes therethrough for providing access to
a head of each bracket fastener to facilitate adjustment
thereof.
34. The assembly of claim 33 wherein the rail is formed of plastic
and each bracket is further secured thereto via melted portions of
the rail.
35. The assembly of claim 33 wherein each bracket is further
secured to the rail by an adhesive.
36. The assembly of claim 33 wherein the rail includes multiples
pairs of protrusions in the upper slot or in the lower slot, each
bracket positioned between a respective pair of protrusions for
limiting lateral movement thereof.
37. The assembly of claim 33 wherein each hole in the rail includes
a front surface portion extending thereabout, and wherein the head
of each bracket fastener is positioned in a non-contacting
arrangement relative to its respective, aligned rail front surface
portion.
38. A rail for receiving an electronic display tag therein and for
being coupled to a bracket, the rail comprising: a central body
having a front surface and a rear surface; an upper finger
extending from said front surface; a lower finger extending from
said front surface and spaced from said upper finger, said upper
finger and said lower finger defining a channel to receive an
electronic display tag therein; and an upper lip extending from
said rear surface and defining an upper slot for receiving an upper
tang of a bracket therein, said upper lip being shaped to maintain
said upper tang in said upper slot; a lower lip extending from said
rear surface and defining a lower slot for receiving a lower tang
of said bracket therein, said lower lip being shaped to maintain
said lower tang in said lower slot.
39. The rail of claim 38 wherein said upper lip and said lower lip
extend about 0.100 to about 0.150 inches along said rear
surface.
40. The rail of claim 38 further comprising a pair of spaced
protrusions that extend into either said upper slot or said lower
slot, said protrusions being located to receive said bracket
therebetween to limit the lateral sliding of said bracket in said
rail.
41. The rail of claim 40 wherein said protrusions extend from said
upper lip or said lower lip.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is directed to a bracket for use in an
article information display system, and more particularly, to a
bracket for coupling a rail to a conventional shelf edge for use in
an article information display system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Article information display systems are commonly used to
provide variable information about various products. The system
typically utilizes price tags having a variable display surface,
such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) surface, to electronically
display information about an associated, adjacent product. For
example, price, price per unit weight, or other information may be
displayed on the LCD display. A system controller controls the
information displayed on a price tag. In this manner, the displayed
information can be updated from a central location, and the
controller can be coupled to the check-out scanners to ensure that
the check-out price is consistent with the displayed price. Such
article information display systems may be used in supermarkets,
drug stores, grocery stores, hardware stores, auto parts stores, or
other settings where variable article information is desired to be
displayed.
[0003] In order to install such a display system, an auxiliary rail
that is designed to receive and interact with an electronic display
tag is mounted to conventional store shelves. Existing store
shelves are preferably retrofitted to receive the auxiliary rail
thereon. The auxiliary rail includes a conductor loop running along
its length, and the electronic tag includes a coil extending around
its periphery. When the electronic tag is mounted with the
auxiliary rail, the conductor in the rail communicates with the
coil in the tag by inductive coupling to convey information from
the controller to the tag.
[0004] Various brackets and attachment means have been designed for
attaching an auxiliary rail to an existing conventional shelf edge.
For example, U.S. application Ser. No. 09/253,338 filed Feb. 19,
1999, hereby incorporated by reference, discloses various
attachment brackets. The bracket of the present invention provides
several advantages over the attachment methods disclosed
therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention is a bracket that enables the
installation of auxiliary rails and other components of an
electronic display tag system onto conventional, preexisting store
shelving assemblies. The bracket does not require any structural
modification to preexisting shelving assemblies, is quickly and
easily mounted to the shelf edge using conventional hand tools, and
does not require removal of products from the shelves. The bracket
also includes one or more rail receiving portions, such as grooves,
to facilitate the attachment of the bracket to the rail, the
grooves receiving melted portions of the rail when the rail is
attached to the bracket by heat staking. Furthermore, the bracket
of the present invention is shaped to reduce detuning of the
electronic tags that are received in the rail, thereby improving
the operating characteristics of the display system.
[0006] In particular, the present invention is a bracket for
coupling a rail having an upper slot and a lower slot to a shelf
edge having an upper groove and a lower groove. The bracket
comprises a central body portion, an upper flange extending
generally upwardly from the body portion, a lower flange extending
generally downwardly from the body portion, and a plate. The plate
is received between the upper and the lower flanges such that as
the plate is moved toward the body, the plate urges the upper
flange and the lower flange into the upper and lower groove,
respectively, to couple the bracket to the shelf edge. The bracket
further comprises a first upper tang extending generally upwardly
from the body portion and a first lower tang extending generally
downwardly from the body portion, the upper tang and lower tang
being shaped to be received in the upper and lower slot,
respectively. At least one of the tangs has at least one rail
receiving portion therein to facilitate the attachment of the
bracket to the rail.
[0007] The present invention is also directed to a rail for
receiving an electronic display tag therein and for being coupled
to a bracket. The rail comprises a central body having a front
surface and a rear surface, an upper finger extending from the
front surface, and a lower finger extending from the front surface
and spaced from the upper finger. The upper finger and the lower
finger define a channel to receive an electronic display tag
therein. The rail further comprises an upper lip extending from the
rear surface and defining an upper slot for receiving an upper tang
of a bracket therein, the upper lip being shaped to maintain the
upper tang in the upper slot. The rail further includes a lower lip
extending from the rear surface and defining a lower slot for
receiving a lower tang of the bracket therein, the lower lip being
shaped to maintain the lower tang is the lower slot.
[0008] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will
be apparent from the following description, the accompanying
drawings and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is an end view of one embodiment of the bracket of
the present invention, shown mounted to a rail and a shelf
edge;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bracket of FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a front view of the bracket of FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a rail coupled to a shelf
edge;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the
bracket of the present invention, shown with a rail, shelf edge,
and display tag;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a rear view of one embodiment of a rail of the
present invention, with a plurality of brackets attached thereto;
and
[0015] FIG. 7 is a side view of the bracket of FIG. 5, shown with
an alternate embodiment of the rail of the present invention, a
shelf edge and a display tag.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the bracket 10 of the present invention
is used to couple a rail 12 to a conventional shelf edge 14. The
rail 12 includes an upper slot 16 and a lower slot 18 along its
rear surface 20, and the shelf edge 14 includes an upper groove 22
and a lower groove 24. The upper slot 16 is defined by an upper lip
17, and the lower slot is defined by a lower lip 19. The bracket 10
includes a central body portion 26, and has an upper flange 28
extending generally rearwardly and upwardly from the body portion
26 and a lower flange 30 extending generally rearwardly and
downwardly from the body portion 26. The flanges 28, 30 are shaped
to be received in the upper and lower grooves 22, 24 to couple the
bracket 10 to the shelf edge 14. The upper flange 28 includes a
slot 32 (FIG. 2) to provide flexibility to the upper flange 28. A
plate 34 is received between the upper 28 and lower flanges 30, and
the plate 34 and the body 26 each include a hole 36, 38 that
receives a threaded fastener 40 therethrough. The plate 34 includes
a pair of end surfaces 42 that engage the flanges 28, 30.
[0017] As shown in FIGS. 2-3, the bracket 10 further includes first
and second upper tangs 46, 47 extending generally upwardly from the
body 26, and first and second lower tangs 48, 49 extending
generally downwardly from the body 26. The tangs 46, 47, 48, 49 are
shaped to be received in the upper 16 and lower 18 slots of the
rail 12 (FIG. 1), to couple the bracket 10 to the rail 12. A first
vertically extending arm 50 joins the first upper tang 46 and the
first lower tang 48 (FIG. 3), and a second vertically extending arm
51 joins the second upper tang 47 and the second lower tang 49.
[0018] The rail 12 is preferably made from plastic, and the bracket
10 is preferably formed of stainless steel or spring steel,
although a wide variety of materials may be used, including
non-metal materials. The rail 12 is preferably attached to the
bracket 10 by heat staking, which entails heating the rail 12
and/or bracket 10 until portions of the rail 12 melt and conform
around the bracket 10, and allowing the melted portions to cool and
harden. As shown in FIGS. 1-2, each tang 46, 47, 48, 49 preferably
includes one or more grooves 52 formed therein. During heat staking
operations, portions of the rail 12 surrounding the grooves 52
tends to melt and flow into the grooves 52 on the tangs 46, 47, 48,
49. In this manner, when the melted portions harden, the rail 12 is
firmly coupled to the bracket 10. The grooves 52 are preferably
formed in an outer surface 56 of the tangs 46, 47, 48, 49 and the
grooves 52 preferably extend about 2 mm into the outer surface 56.
FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the rail 102, and as
shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of brackets 10 may be coupled to a
single rail 102 (or a rail 12) in the above-described manner.
However, it should be understood that only a single bracket may be
sufficient to couple a rail 12, 102 to a shelf edge 14. The bracket
10 may also be attached to the rail 12, 102 by an adhesive. The
brackets 10 are preferably coupled to the rail 12 before being
shipped to the customer. In this manner, the preassembled
rail/bracket combination reduces the installation time for the
customer.
[0019] In order to couple the bracket/rail assembly to a shelf edge
14, the brackets 10 are placed loosely into the shelf edge 14 such
that the upper flange 28 of each bracket 10 is received in the
upper groove 22 and the lower flange 30 is received in the lower
groove 24 (FIG. 1). The fastener 40 is then rotated to pull the
plate 34 toward the body 26 of the bracket 10 (indicated by arrow
A). The end surfaces 42 on the plate 34 engage the flanges 28, 30,
thereby urging the flanges 28, 30 into the grooves 22, 24
(indicated by arrows B and C) until they are fixed within the
grooves 22, 24 by compression. The head 56 of the fastener 40 is
preferably larger than the hole 38 in the body 26 such that the
head 56 engages the body 26 during tightening to provide an
opposing force during movement of the plate 34 in the direction of
arrow A. A hole 58 is formed in the rail 12 to provide access to
the head 56 of the fastener 40, and the hole 58 is larger than the
head 56 of the fastener 40 to allow the fastener to pass
therethrough. After the rail/bracket combination is coupled to the
shelf edge 14, the hole may be covered 58 with any acceptable piece
of sheet-like material, preferably an adhesive material that
matches the color of the rail 12. A generally cylindrical plug may
also be received into the hole 58. FIG. 4 illustrates a rail 12 and
shelf edge 14 after the rail 12 is attached to the shelf edge
14.
[0020] In an alternate embodiment, the bracket 10 is of a two piece
construction wherein the tangs 46, 47, 48, 49 are made from a first
piece of material, and the flanges 28, 30 are made from a second
piece of material. The second piece of material that includes the
flanges 28, 30 may be made from a thinner material, which provides
more flexibility to the flanges, and is cheaper to manufacture. The
first piece of material that includes the tangs 46, 47, 48, 49 may
be made from a relatively thicker piece of metal to provide
robustness to the bracket 10. The first piece and second pieces of
material may be joined by a variety of conventional methods,
including spot welding.
[0021] In yet another embodiment, the bracket 10 may include one or
more holes in the tangs 46, 47, 48, 49. In this embodiment, when
the tangs are heat staked to the rail, the melted portions of the
rail 12 may flow through the holes formed in the tangs. Further
alternately, dimpled or recessed portions may be formed in the
tangs 46, 47, 48, 49 to receive melted portions of the rail
therein.
[0022] As shown in FIG. 5, the shape of the upper 46, 47 and lower
tangs 48, 49 may be varied to change the display angle of the rail
12 and a display tag 60. For example, the tangs may each include a
generally horizontally extending section 62 and a generally
vertically extending section 66 joined by an elbow 68 to vary the
display angle. Thus, the bracket 10 of FIG. 5 may be used on an
upper shelf edge to angle the tag 60 downwardly for easier viewing
and access. Similarly, an oppositely-angled bracket may be used to
angle a rail and tag upwardly for use on a lower shelf edge. In the
embodiment of FIG. 5, the end surfaces 42 of the plate 34 are both
tapered to engage the flanges 28, 30.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 5, the rail 12 includes upper 72 and lower
70 channels for receiving a conductor 74 therein. The rail 12
receives a display tag 60 therein, and the tag 60 has a coil 76
extending around its periphery. The conductor 74 is used to
transmit information and power to the coil 76 of the display tag 60
by means of inductive coupling. The coil 76 is electrically coupled
to a capacitor, and the coil 76 and the capacitor are selected to
resonate at a certain frequency, such as 50 kHz. It is known that
the presence of conductive materials, such as metals, near the coil
76 may induce eddy currents in the coil 76, which may change the
inductance of the coil 76. Thus, because the bracket 10 is
preferably formed of metal, too much metal of the bracket 10
adjacent to the coil 76 can reduce the power delivered to the tag
at the resonant frequency (i.e., "detune" the tag).
[0024] Accordingly, the bracket 10 is sized such that both of the
vertical arms 50, 51 cannot be adjacent the coil 76 at any one
time. For example, FIG. 3 illustrates the coil 76 of the tag 60
superimposed in hidden lines over the bracket 10, the coil 76
having a pair of vertically-extending segments 80, 80'. It is seen
that the vertical arms 50, 51 of the bracket 10 are located such
that if one of the vertical arms 50 is superimposed over one of the
vertically-extending segments 80 of the coil 76, the other vertical
arm 51 is not superimposed over the other vertically-extending
segment 80' of the coil 76. In the illustrated embodiment, the
horizontal distance D between the vertical arms 50, 51 is smaller
than the horizontal distance E between the vertical segments 80,
80' of the tag coil 76 for the smallest tag 60 that is expected to
be used in the system. In this manner, both of the arms 50, 51
cannot simultaneously overlie the vertical segments 80, 80' of the
coil 76, which helps to minimize detuning of the system. The
vertical arms 50, 51 also each include a cutout 84 to reduce the
amount of metal that is located adjacent the vertical segments 80,
80' of the tag coil 76. Additional cutouts may also be located in
the horizontally extending portions of the bracket 10 to further
reduce interference between the bracket 10 and the coil 76. The
angling of the flanges 28, 30 away from the body 26 also helps to
reduce the detuning of the coil 76.
[0025] When the rail 12 is mounted to the shelf edge 14, it may be
desired to provide a protective structure to prevent anyone from
grabbing the top surface 88 of the rail 12 and pulling the rail 12
off the shelf edge 44 or bracket 10. Accordingly, an alternate
embodiment of the rail 102 shown in FIG. 7 includes a cover 90 that
extends generally rearwardly from a top surface 88 of the rail 12
to block access to the rear surface 20 of the rail 12. The cover 90
blocks customers from wrapping a hand around the top surface 88 of
the rail 12 to provide leverage for pulling the rail 12 off the
shelf edge 14. The cover 90 also blocks debris and other matter
from falling behind the back of the rail 102.
[0026] The rail 102 of FIG. 7 includes a body 120 having a front
surface 122 and a rear surface 124. An upper finger 126 extends
from the top surface 88 of the body 120, and a lower finger 130
extends from the lower surface 132 of the body 120. The fingers
126, 130 are shaped and located to define a channel 131 that
receives a tag 60 therein. An upper lip 110 extends generally
rearwardly and downwardly from the rear surface 124, and defines an
upper slot 16 that receives the upper tangs 46, 47 therein. A lower
lip 112 extends generally rearwardly and upwardly from the rear
surface 124, and defines a lower slot 18 that receives the lower
tangs 48, 49 therein. The upper lip 110 and lower lip 112 extend
downwardly and upwardly, respectively, along the rear surface 20 of
the rail 102 for a significant distance, such that the lips 110,
112 retain the upper tangs 46, 47 and the lower tangs 48, 49 of the
bracket 10 therein. The lips 110, 112, preferably extend a distance
of about 0.100 to about 0.150 inches. In this manner, the bracket
10 may be received in the rail 102 without any other attachment
methods such as heat staking, adhesives, or the like.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 6, the rail 102 includes a raised
protrusion 116, said as a dimple or a swedge, on either side of the
bracket 10. The protrusions 116 extend generally outwardly from the
rear surface 124 of the rail 102 to limit the lateral sliding of
the brackets 10 within the rail 102. In this manner, the spacing of
the brackets 10 is maintained to provide uniform support, and the
fastener 40 is maintained in alignment with the hole 38 in the rail
102 to ensure access to the fastener 40. In the embodiment shown in
FIG. 7, the rail 102 includes a pair of upper protrusions 123 that
extends generally inwardly from the upper lip 110 and a pair of
lower protrusions 125 that extend generally inwardly from the lower
lip 112. The set of upper protrusions are located on either side of
the the tag 60, as are the set of lower protrusions 125. The upper
123 and lower 125 protrusions limit the lateral sliding of the
bracket 10 in the rail. The protrusions 123, 125 are preferably
formed by swedging. Only a single pair of either upper 123 or lower
125 protrusion may be needed to block a single bracket 10 from
sliding in the rail 102, but both upper and lower sets are shown
for illustrative purposes.
[0028] While the forms of the apparatus herein constitute a
preferred embodiment of the invention, the present invention is not
limited to the precise forms described herein, and changes may be
made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.
* * * * *