U.S. patent application number 10/768258 was filed with the patent office on 2004-09-23 for warehouse material-rack advertising system.
Invention is credited to Calleja, Michael J..
Application Number | 20040182809 10/768258 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32994293 |
Filed Date | 2004-09-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040182809 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Calleja, Michael J. |
September 23, 2004 |
Warehouse material-rack advertising system
Abstract
A warehouse shelving system comprises a material rack providing
for storage of products on-sale and in a location visited by
customers. A curtain netting is attached to the material rack. An
advertisement promoting a company, product, and/or service is
disposed on the curtain netting and visible to the customers.
Alternatively, a warehouse material-rack safety-netting system
includes left and right vertical extension posts that bolt to the
face of the top bay of an open material rack. A two-part curtain
netting that parts in the middle is supported between horizontal,
parallel top-and-bottom wire ropes on hooks. The left and right
edges of the curtain netting are hooked to the vertical extension
posts with carabiners. A latch is provided at the center to secure
the two-parts of the curtain netting together. The curtain material
is painted, embroidered, or other patterned with advertising to
promote a company, product or service.
Inventors: |
Calleja, Michael J.;
(Brisbane, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Robert Charles Hill
235 Montgomery Street #821
San Francisco
CA
94104
US
|
Family ID: |
32994293 |
Appl. No.: |
10/768258 |
Filed: |
January 30, 2004 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60444723 |
Feb 4, 2003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
211/180 ;
211/183 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F 5/132 20130101;
G09F 15/0025 20130101; G09F 15/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/180 ;
211/183 |
International
Class: |
A47F 005/00 |
Claims
The invention claimed is
1. A warehouse shelving system, comprising: a material rack
providing for storage of products on-sale and in a location visited
by customers; a curtain netting attached to the material rack; and
an advertisement promoting a company, product, and/or service that
is disposed on the curtain netting and visible to said
customers.
2. The warehouse shelving system of claim 1, wherein: the curtain
netting is in two parts that open apart and close together.
3. A warehouse safety device for preventing objects from falling
out of a material rack and for advertising, comprising: a pair of
vertical extension posts for mounting to opposite left and right
sides at the front of one bay in a warehouse material rack; a
series of attachment holes disposed along a middle line of each
inside opposite-facing edge of each one of the pair of vertical
extension posts; a corresponding number of carabiners threaded
through pairs of ones of the series of attachment holes and
providing for anchor points; a curtain netting attached at left and
right edges to respective ones of the carabiners and thus anchored
by them; and an advertisement promoting a company, product, and/or
service that is disposed on the curtain netting and visible to
people passing in an aisle way in front.
4. The warehouse safety device of claim 3, further comprising: a
pair of horizontally disposed top and bottom wire ropes for
stretching between the pair of vertical extension posts at points
along said middle line of each inside opposite-facing edge.
5. The warehouse safety device of claim 3, further comprising: a
bottom curtain wire for stretching between the pair of vertical
extension posts at points along said middle line of each inside
opposite-facing edge, and for attaching a bottom edge of the
curtain netting.
6. The warehouse safety device of claim 4, wherein: the curtain
netting further comprises a pair of left and right screens for a
sliding curtain-hanger attachment between the top and bottom wire
ropes such that they can be horizontally separated at the middle,
and wherein outside edges of each screen are anchored at the left
and right ends by the carabiners.
7. The warehouse safety device of claim 3, wherein: the
advertisement is placed on by painting, embroidery, stenciling,
light projection, reflection, silk-screening, printing, or other
patterning; and wherein such catches the eye of any passersby and
are easily visible, and any logos, ad bugs, or words that must be
readable.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to in-store advertising, and
more particularly to advertising placed on material safety netting
that contains products on sale.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Shelves and racks are a convenient way to store items, and
stored many levels high such can maximize floor space. A typical
warehouse retail store like The Home Depot has material racks that
are two, three, and four levels high. Heavy items, like backup
store inventory on a pallet, is placed and fetched from high above
by a forklift. These heavy items can weigh 10-200 pounds.
[0005] Heavy items placed ten to twenty feet high above aisles in
material racks and on shelves can present a significant and
not-so-rare personal injury risk. Shaking, bumping, and poorly
stacked items can come tumbling down and hurt people below, or at a
minimum damage the product.
[0006] Not surprisingly, a number of different devices and methods
have evolved to address these problems. The Law too has entered the
picture with OSHA regulations, and personal injury lawsuits. New
company procedures, union work rules, and plain common sense now
dictate that an effective restraint, barrier, or guard system be
installed on the higher shelves and rack to prevent falling
debris.
[0007] As could be expected, some methods and devices are better
than others. Conventional safety products can be expensive to buy,
and difficult to work with or install. A simple netting secured all
around the shelf opening can be effective if the netting is strong
enough and secured well. But the way the netting is secured and
constructed can mean opening the net to access the shelf is made
very difficult, in some cases requiring a technician to climb high
above and use hand tools to open and/or close the net. Sinco/Sala
(Middletown, Conn.), InCord (East Haddam, Conn.), and others market
rack guard systems that use different kinds of barriers and
attachment hardware. For example, Sinco/Sala uses a nylon mesh that
is stretched inside a perimeter frame of taut wire rope. So-called
EZ-clips are used to attach the netting to the wire rope frame.
InCord markets their SURE-GARD synthetic mesh that is able to
stretch under load. A variety of mesh-size openings are offered for
a range of contained item types and sizes.
[0008] A MEZZNET-DEFENSE-SYSTEM is marketed by BayNets (East
Haddam, Conn.) that raises and lowers flexible netting hung from a
rod that is guided up and down by a pair of side posts. Open-sided
mezzanines with these systems are accessed by operating a cable and
pulley system that connects to the rod and runs inside the two side
posts. The cable and pulleys can be manually cranked, or powered by
an electric motor. BayNets' advertising literature suggests that
these systems meet federal Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) fall-protection standards. Screens and nets
that protrude out, or that have protruding fasteners, can hook and
catch people and equipment operating nearby. So what is needed is a
netting system that does not protrude into the aisle ways.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] Briefly, a material-rack safety-netting embodiment of the
present invention comprises left and right vertical extension posts
that bolt to the face of the upper bay of a material rack. A
two-part curtain netting that parts in the middle is supported
between horizontal, parallel top-and bottom wire ropes on hooks.
The left and right edges of the curtain netting are hooked to the
vertical extension posts with carabineers. A latch is provided at
the center to secure the two-parts of the curtain netting together.
The curtain material is painted, embroidered, or other patterned
with advertising to promote a company, product or service.
[0010] An advantage of the present invention is that a safety
netting is provided that is a very visible form of in-store
advertisement.
[0011] Another advantage of the present invention is that a safety
netting is provided that is easy to install.
[0012] A further advantage of the present invention is that safety
netting systems are provided that are simple to operate.
[0013] The above and still further objects, features, and
advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon
consideration of the following detailed description of specific
embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a non-preferred safety
netting system installed on a material rack shelving unit; and
[0015] FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams representing the opening and
closing of the screens and the use of the clasp.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a safety netting system embodiment of the
present invention, referred to herein by the reference numeral 100.
The safety netting system 100, in this example, comprises three
screened sections, 101-103, that are attached to a material rack
104. Such combination would be used in an ordinary warehouse, or in
a warehouse store like The Home Depot. The principle purpose of the
safety netting system 100 is to keep objects on the overhead
shelves of the material rack 104 from falling down onto the floor,
for whatever reason. A further purpose is to carry advertising
related to a company, product, and/or service. Such advertising
must be visible to persons passing through in the aisles in
front.
[0017] Each of the three sections of the safety netting system 100
is exemplified by section 101, which includes a top horizontally
strung wire rope 105 and a bottom strung wire rope 106. A
left-screen bar 108 and a right-screen bar 110 are configured to
slide along the wire ropes and close at the middle with a snap
latch 112.
[0018] A left screen 114 is fixed at its left edge to the framework
of the material rack 104. Similarly, a right screen 116 is fixed at
its right edge at the opposite side of the shelf opening to the
material rack framework. The screens comprise flexible netting of
canvas, sheet plastic, nylon rope, chain link fencing, rigid
vertical links, etc. An advertisement 117 is placed on either or
both of the screens 114 and 116, e.g., by painting, embroidery,
stenciling, light projection, reflection, silk-screening, printing,
or other patterning. Such must catch the eye of passersby and be
easily visible, and any logos, ad bugs, or words must be
readable.
[0019] A set of posts 118, 120, and 122 are added to the top of the
material rack 104 to hold aloft the top wire rope 105. Each such
post may be guyed or stayed like the main mast of a sailboat if the
vertical frame members of the material rack 104 cannot be supplied
as one solid piece of box-beam or I-beam steel. If the loads to be
secured on the top shelves are especially heavy and dangerous, it
is preferable to guy and stay the posts 118, 120, and 120 in every
instance.
[0020] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate how the screens of system 100,
for example, are latched together (FIG. 2A) and separated (FIG.
2B). A top and bottom pair of parallel wire ropes 201 and 202 are
stretched taut between a rigid pair of vertical support posts 203
and 204. A left and a right draw screen 206 and 208 are made of
flexible netting, e.g., made of nylon rope. A number of loops top
and bottom allow the screens to slide left and right on the wire
ropes. The left screen 206 is secured with wire loops or hooks to
the left post 203. And the right screen 208 is secured at its right
edge with wire loops or hooks to the right post 204. A rigid left
bar 210 finishes the right edge of the left screen 206. A rigid
right bar 212 similarly finishes the left edge of the right screen
208. These rigid bars help close up a gap between them and the
screens when a latch 214 is secured.
[0021] A warehouse shelving system, in an alternative embodiment of
the present invention, includes a material rack providing for
storage of products on-sale and is placed in a location visited by
customers. A curtain netting is attached to the material rack,
e.g., as resembles FIGS. 2A and 2B. An advertisement promoting a
company, product, and/or service is included on the curtain netting
so as to be visible to the customers.
[0022] Although particular embodiments of the present invention
have been described and illustrated, such is not intended to limit
the invention. Modifications and changes will no doubt become
apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is intended that the
invention only be limited by the scope of the appended claims.
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