U.S. patent application number 10/159935 was filed with the patent office on 2003-12-04 for replaceable graphic display.
Invention is credited to Belokin, Martin P., Belokin, Norman P., Belokin, Paul.
Application Number | 20030222037 10/159935 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29583063 |
Filed Date | 2003-12-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030222037 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Belokin, Paul ; et
al. |
December 4, 2003 |
Replaceable graphic display
Abstract
Display shelves having a support panel mountable on a
transparent wall and supporting a floor on which products are
placed for display through the transparent wall are provided with
replaceable graphic display panels. The replaceable panels define a
first section which is positionable between the transparent wall
and a portion of the support panel and a second section hingedly
joined thereto which ties on the floor of the display shelf. The
first section carries graphics which are displayed through the
transparent wall. The graphic display panel, however, may be
readily removed and replaced to change the graphic display without
changing the display shelf.
Inventors: |
Belokin, Paul; (North
Denton, TX) ; Belokin, Martin P.; (North Denton,
TX) ; Belokin, Norman P.; (Corinth, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Jack A. Kanz
502 So. Cottonwood Drive
Richardson
TX
75080
US
|
Family ID: |
29583063 |
Appl. No.: |
10/159935 |
Filed: |
June 3, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/75 ;
211/88.01 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F 5/0043 20130101;
G09F 7/18 20130101; A47F 5/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/75 ;
211/88.01 |
International
Class: |
A47F 005/08 |
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A combination comprising: (a) a shelf for supporting and
displaying products adjacent one face of a substantially
transparent panel comprising: (i) a support panel having a first
face lying in a substantially vertical plane and defining a lower
edge, first and second laterally opposed end edges, and an upper
edge; (ii) a floor having a top face lying in a substantially
horizontal plane substantially normal to said vertical plane below
the upper edge of the support panel for a substantial portion of
the lateral distance between the laterally opposed end edges of the
support panel; and (iii) a containment wall extending upwardly from
the top face of said floor with a substantial portion thereof
spaced horizontally from and substantially parallel with the plane
of said first face of said support panel; and (b) a removeable
graphic display comprising a display panel having a top edge, a
bottom edge and a score line dividing said display panel into first
and second sections hingedly joined along said score line with said
first section aligned with and adjacent said first face of said
support panel and said second section aligned with and adjacent
said top face of said floor.
2. A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said first section
of said display panel includes a foot extending from said first
section at an angle which deviates from the major plane of said
first section.
3. A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said display panel
includes an active display.
4. A combination comprising: (a) a substantially transparent wall;
(b) a shelf for supporting and displaying products adjacent one
face of said substantially transparent wall comprising: a support
panel having a first face lying in a substantially vertical plane
and defining a lower edge, first and second laterally opposed end
edges, and an upper edge with said first face mounted adjacent one
face of said transparent wall and defining a space between said
first face and said transparent wall; (ii) a floor having a top
face lying in a substantially horizontal plane substantially normal
to said vertical plane below the upper edge of the support panel
for a substantial portion of the lateral distance between the
laterally opposed end edges of the support panel; and (iii) a
containment wall extending upwardly from the top face of said floor
with a substantial portion thereof spaced horizontally from and
substantially parallel with the plane of said first face of said
support panel; and (c) a removeable graphic display comprising a
display panel having a top edge, a bottom edge and a score line
dividing said display panel into first and second sections hingedly
joined along said score line with said first section extending into
said space between the transparent wall and said first face of said
support panel and said second section aligned with and adjacent
said top face of said floor.
5. A combination as defined in claim 4 wherein said first section
of said display panel includes a foot extending from said first
section at an angle which deviates from the major plane of said
first section.
6. A combination as defined in claim 5 wherein the length of said
foot is greater than the width of said space between the
transparent wall and the first face of said support panel.
7. A combination as defined in claim 4 wherein said display panel
supports an active display.
8. A combination as defined in claim 5 wherein said foot comprises
a portion of said first section folded to deviate from the major
plane of the face of said first section.
9. A combination as defined in claim 4 wherein said substantially
transparent wall forms a door.
Description
[0001] This invention relates to display of products and product
containers such as candies, bottles, cans and the like. More
particularly, it relates to merchandise display shelves adapted for
mounting on one face of a substantially transparent wall to support
products on the wall and display the products and graphics such as
advertising and the like associated with the products through the
transparent wall.
[0002] Retail businesses commonly display chilled products for sale
in refrigerated vaults or the like which have a transparent door or
wall panel. Because a passing customer is more likely to select and
purchase merchandise displayed where they can be readily seen and
recognized, the retailer desires to maximize visibility of products
on display as well as advertising graphics associated with the
products on display.
[0003] Various devices are used to support and display product on a
wall, door or the like. Most such display devices either display no
advertising graphics (relying on visibility of the product to
advertise the product) or have advertising graphics associated with
a particular product permanently formed in or affixed to the
display device. Typical of such arrangements are display shelves
such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,433 wherein advertising
graphics are displayed on a face of the support panel to be visible
through the transparent wall to which the support panel is
attached.
[0004] Advertising graphics associated with merchandise displayed
for sale greatly increase visibility of the product and thus
promote sales. Accordingly, merchants often desire to change the
graphics associated with a product and/or change the product
displayed, thus necessitating a change of displayed graphics.
However, where the graphics are permanently affixed to the display
shelf, the entire display shelf must be replaced to change the
graphic display.
[0005] In accordance with the present invention, display shelves
adapted to be mounted on the face of a substantially transparent
panel such as a glass window, door or the like are provided with a
removeable and replaceable graphic display panel. The replaceable
graphic display panel is formed to define a first section aligned
with the face of the support panel of the display shelf and a
second section aligned with and adjacent the floor of the shelf
supported by the support panel. The first section (on which
advertising graphics and the like are displayed) is thus positioned
between the face of the support panel and the transparent wall or
window on which the display shelf is mounted so that the graphics
are visible through the transparent wall along with the products
supported on the shelf. The graphic display panel, however, is
readily removeable and replaceable with other such panels
displaying other graphics. Accordingly, the graphic display panel
may be changed as desired without removing the display shelf to
change graphics associated with the products displayed. Other
features and advantages of the invention will become more readily
understood from the following detailed description taken in
connection with the appended claims and attached drawing in
which:
[0006] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a display shelf
supporting a replaceable graphic display panel in accordance with
the invention;
[0007] FIG. 2 is an end view of the assembly of FIG. 1 illustrating
attachment of the display shelf and graphic display panel on a
transparent wall;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the replaceable graphic display
panel of FIG. 1; and
[0009] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the replaceable
graphic display panel of FIG. 3 in its folded condition.
[0010] The above-described drawing is incorporated into and forms
part of the specification to illustrate exemplary embodiments of
the present invention. Throughout the drawing, like reference
numerals designate corresponding elements. This drawing, together
with the description, serves to explain the principles of the
invention and is included for the purpose of illustrating preferred
and alternative examples of how the invention can be made and used.
The drawing is not to be construed as limiting the invention to the
illustrated and described examples.
[0011] The embodiment illustrated comprises a display shelf 40 with
a replaceable graphics panel 50. The display shelf 40 comprises a
mounting or support panel 10 which has a first face 11 lying in a
substantially vertical plane and defining lower edge 12, first and
second laterally opposed end edges 13, 14 and upper edge 15. Floor
20 is supported on the support panel and has a top face 21 which
lies in a plane substantially normal to the plane of first face 11
and intersects the plane of the first face 11 well below the upper
edge 15 of the support panel. The support panel 10 does not extend
into the area directly above the floor 20 for a substantial lateral
portion thereof between the laterally opposed edges 13, 14 so that
products supported on floor 20 may be placed directly adjacent the
transparent wall on which the shelf is mounted and thus visible
through the transparent wall.
[0012] A containment wall 30 extends upwardly from the top face 21
of the floor 20. A major portion of wall 30 is spaced horizontally
from the plane of first face 11 of the support panel 10. The ends
of the containment wall join the support panel 10 to define a
open-topped cavity 31 defined by floor 20, containment wall 30 and
the transparent wall 70 (see FIG. 2) on which the display shelf is
mounted. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the ends of containment
wall 30 join support panel 10 at positions interiorly spaced from
first and second edges 13, 14 and the support panel 10 extends
upwardly from the plane of top face 21 of the floor 20 and
outwardly from the ends of the containment wall 30 to define
flanges 33, 34. Flanges 33, 34 thus form coplanar spaced apart
portions of support panel 10.
[0013] In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 the
containment wall 30 defines a plurality of joined vertically
extending semi-cylindrical sections shaped to define individual
containment compartments for a plurality of individual vertically
arranged cylindrical or otherwise vertically extending products or
packages. Each section 36 defines a semi-cylindrical arc extending
upwardly from the floor 20. Each of the arcuate sections 36 is
shaped to define a containment compartment for cylindrical objects
such as cans, bottles, etc. Obviously, shapes other than arcuate or
semi-cylindrical may be employed, depending on the shape and
dimensions of the product units to be displayed. Furthermore, it is
to be understood that terms such as "containment wall" and
"containment compartment" as used herein are meant to describe
structures which restrain lateral movement of an object placed
within the boundaries thereof and are not intended to describe
fully enclosed compartments. For example, the semi-cylindrical
sections 36 of wall 30 do not define enclosed containment
compartments but define boundaries for supporting substantially
cylindrical objects vertically and act as containment walls or the
like for limiting lateral movement of individual products
positioned on the display shelf. Therefore, sections 36 need not be
joined to form a continuous wall structure. Furthermore, the shape
of sections 36 need not be arcuate but may be of any suitable
configuration depending on the product to be displayed on the floor
20 or shelf 40.
[0014] In the embodiment illustrated the first face 11 of support
panel 10 is positioned parallel with the surface of a transparent
wall 70 on which the shelf 40 is mounted and extends below the
floor 20. Thus first face 11 may conveniently be used to display
advertising or the like which is visible through the transparent
wall 70 immediately below the product supported by the shelf 20.
Positioning the support panel 10 to extend the full length of and
past the outer edges of floor 20 provides rigid support for the
floor 20 and permits display of advertising or other information
associated with the displayed product on the support panel 10
without obstructing view of the displayed product.
[0015] The outer edges of support panel 10 terminate in flanges 33,
34 as described hereinabove. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the flanges
33 and 34 may include slots 41 for mounting the support panel 10
adjacent the inner surface of a transparent wall 70 as shown in
FIG. 2. Various means for securing the support panel 10 to the
transparent wall, such as suction cups 60 or the like, may be used.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, suction cups 60 each have a shank 61
which extends through a slot 41 to support the first face 11 of
support panel 10 parallel with a surface of transparent wall 70.
While use of suction cups is illustrated in FIG. 2, it will be
readily appreciated that various other means such as adhesives,
clamps, magnets, bolts and the like may be used to attach the
display shelf 40 to a transparent wall 70. All such mounting means,
however, result in mounting first face 11 adjacent and parallel
with the transparent wall 70 but spaced from the wall 70 forming a
space 99 between the inner face of transparent wall 70 and first
face 11 of the display shelf 40.
[0016] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 some slots 41 are
formed at the inner edges of flanges 33. If desired (and to permit
more secure mounting of the shelf) slots 41 may be formed in the
lower edge 12 of support panel 10 and arranged so that the entrance
of each slot 41 is at the lower edge of support panel 10.
Alternatively (or in conjunction with other slots, holes or the
like), slots 41 may be formed in flanges 33, 34 and arranged to
have their entrances at the outer edges of the flanges. It will be
appreciated that various other combinations and arrangements of
slots, holes and the like may be used to mount the display shelf
adjacent a transparent wall.
[0017] Where advertising or other graphic information is displayed
on the front of face 11, the graphic information is displayed
directly below the product supported on the floor 20 and thus
visible through transparent wall 70. When the graphic information
is formed on or permanently affixed to first face 11, the entire
shelf 40 must be removed and replaced to replace the graphic
display. In accordance with the invention, however, the graphic
information is displayed on the first section 51 of replaceable
graphic panel 50. Panel 50 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) comprises sheet of
paper, plastic or the like having opposed major faces which is
divided into a first section 51 and a second section 52 by a score
line 53. Score line 53 may be a perforated line, a score which only
partially penetrates the panel 50, a permanent crease or any other
device or structure which permits the first section 51 to hingedly
depend from the second section 52.
[0018] The first section 51 is preferably sized, shaped and adapted
to extend into the space 99 between the first face 11 and the
transparent wall 70. Accordingly, graphics displayed thereon will
be displayed and visible through transparent wall 70 directly below
the product resting on floor 20. The second section 52 is sized,
shaped and adapted to lie on the floor 20. The second section 52
may be temporarily attached to floor 20 by adhesive, tape or the
like if desired, but may be simply secured to floor 20 by the
weight of displayed product resting thereon. Since panel 50 is not
permanently attached to the display shelf 40, the display panel 50
may be easily and readily removed and replaced to change the
advertising graphics associated with the product displayed on the
shelf 40.
[0019] In the preferred embodiment, advertising graphics and the
like are displayed on the face of first section 51 to be visible
through the transparent wall. Since the purpose of the graphic
display is to attract attention to the product displayed in the
shelf 40, the graphic display need not be limited to printed
graphics or the like. Active displays such as flashing lights,
rotating discs or other attention-getting devices may be mounted on
or otherwise supported by first section 51 so long as the active
display fits within the space 99 between first face 11 and
transparent wall 70.
[0020] Where the thickness of first section 51 is substantially
less than the width of space 99, it may be desireable to either
secure the exposed face of first section 51 directly in contact
with wall 70 or spaced from wall 70 with section 51 directly
against the first face 11 of the shelf 40. To effect this
arrangement, a relatively small portion of the first section 51 may
be folded from the major plane of first section 51 to form a foot
54. The foot 54 may be formed on the bottom edge of section 51 as
shown in FIGS. 1-4 or along one or both side edges of first section
51. Where section 51 is to be held against the front of face 11,
the foot 54 is folded to extend toward the transparent wall 70 as
illustrated in FIG. 2. Where the face of first section 51 is to be
held in contact with the transparent wall 70, the foot 54 is folded
to extend toward first face 11. The length of foot 54 will depend
on the width of space 99 and the result to be achieved. Where panel
40 is formed of heavy plastic sheet, paper stock or the like, foot
54 is preferably longer than the width of space 99 and folded at an
acute angle so that foot 54 remains trapped against transparent
wall 70 (or face 11) as the folded portion attempts to return to
its original position, thus urging the first section 51 in the
direction opposite that in which the foot 54 extends.
[0021] Any of various graphic displays (passive or active) may be
carried on the first face of first section 11. For example,
product-specific information and/or pricing information may be
displayed. Since the display panel 40 is easily removeable,
different display panels may be substituted at will without
removing the display shelf 40 from its mounting.
[0022] From the foregoing it will be recognized that the principles
of the invention may be employed in various arrangements to obtain
the benefit of the many advantages and features disclosed. It is to
be understood, therefore, that even though numerous characteristics
and advantages of the invention have been set forth together with
details of the structure and function of the invention, this
disclosure is to be considered illustrative only. Various changes
and modifications may be made in detail, especially in matters of
size, shape and arrangements of parts, without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *