Shelf Extender

Abstract

A shelf extender for presenting product to the purchaser forward of a shelf having a container for holding and displaying the product, the container having a rear wall with at least one lip projecting from its rear surface shaped to form a groove between the rear surface and the lip, a clamp having a rear plate having an ear to engage the groove, means to hold the rear plate in fixed relation to the container, the clamp having a rearwardly depending flange to engage the top surface of the shelf, a clamping pad, threaded adjusting means affixed to the clamping pad, a vertical slot in the rear plate, a slotted, movable plate shaped to move in the vertical slot and having a threaded opening therein to receive the adjusting means, the clamping pad engaging the lower surface of the shelf, the slotted movable plate serving to make the gross adjustment and the threaded member serving to make the fine adjustment to permit the clamp to rigidly engage the shelf and thereby hold the shelf extender firmly in place.

Description

The invention relates to shelf extenders and in particular to those shelf extenders which may be clamped to a regular store shelf so as to contain the product and project it toward potential purchasers. The invention is also directed toward providing clamps for use with the shelf extenders and toward providing shelf extenders whose length or depth may be readily varied, within limits, while utilizing the same basic structural elements.

Most prior art shelf extenders are generally made with the clamping means integral with the product containing means. As a consequence, when the size of the product container or the number of products to be displayed is changed, it is necessary to fabricate a shelf extender having new dimensions. Since the merchandizing of consumer products requires flexibility of the unit size of the product and of the number of products to be held in the shelf extender, saving will accrue if single size units may be fabricated which may be used for a plurality of product sizes. These savings are beneficial to the manufacturer of the product, the store and the purchasing public.

Broadly, the invention is directed toward providing clamps which may be inserted in cooperating grooves in the rear wall of the product bin. The product bin may be of any length and as many clamps as are necessary to adequately support the bin are affixed to the rear wall. For additional flexibility of the dimensions of the bin, the invention also contemplates using ends supported by clamps and variably sized supporting platforms mounted between the clamp supported ends.

It is an important object of the invention to provide a shelf extender for containing product wherein the clamps and the bin are separately fabricated.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide such a shelf extender which may be varied in product carrying size.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a clamp which may be used with shelf extenders of the invention.

These and other objects, advantages, features and uses will be apparent during the course of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of shelf extender of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the lines 2--2 of FIG. 1, viewed in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the rear plate of the clamp used with the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the plate of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the plate of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the movable elements (plate and threaded adjusting means) of the clamp used with the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the movable elements of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of the rear wall of the product containing bin of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the lines 9--9 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 of another embodiment of rear plate of the clamp of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4 of the rear plate of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a view similar to that of FIG. 9 of an embodiment of the invention utilizing the clamp of FIGS. 10 and 11;

FIG. 13 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 of still another embodiment of clamp of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a view similar to that of FIG. 8 of an embodiment of the invention used with the clamp of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2 of the embodiment of FIGS. 13 and 14;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an end element which can be used to carry out the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 17 is a view similar to that of FIG. 16 of a further embodiment of end element which can be used to carry out the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a platform which can be used with the end sections of FIGS. 16 and 17;

FIG. 19 is a lateral sectional view of an assembled shelf extender of the invention using the end section of FIG. 16 and two platforms of FIG. 18; and

FIG. 20 is a lateral sectional view of an assembled shelf extender of the invention using the end section of FIG. 17 and two platforms of FIG. 18.

In the drawings, wherein, for the purpose of illustration, are shown various embodiments of the invention, the numeral 30 designates a shelf extender of the invention, generally.

Shelf extender 30 includes a product bin formed by floor 32, rear wall 34, front wall 33 and sidewalls 36 and clamps 38 which are affixed to the rear of wall 34 as will be described hereafter. Clamps 38 are utilized to affix the combination to a shelf 31. Rear wall 34 is shaped so that it follows the longitudinal contour of the shelf to which the unit is to be affixed.

Clamp 38 comprises a rear plate 42 having a rearwardly depending flange 40 which engages one surface of the shelf 31. Plate 42 is provided with a pair of outwardly extending ears 52 and a slot 50 which is transverse to the flange 40. Plate 44 is provided with a pair of slots 54 and a threaded opening 56. Threaded adjusting means 46 is engaged in threaded opening 56 and one end thereof is provided with a clamping pad 48 which engages the other side of the shelf 31.

To assemble the clamp 38, plate 44 is twisted so that it fits in slot 50 of plate 42. Then plate 44 is turned so that it is substantially parallel to flange 40 and will slide along the length of slot 50. Threaded adjusting means 46 is installed in opening 56 and pad 48 is affixed in a manner well known in the art. To prevent removal of plate 44, it may be staked at 55.

The rear of wall 34 (FIGS. 3, 8 and 9) is provided with a pair of projecting lips 37 which form a pair of grooves 52 and a projection 35. The ears 52 of plate 42 are engaged in grooves 39 and projection 35 engages the upper end of slot 50 to hold the clamp in place with respect to the rear wall. Stop 41 prevents clamp 38 from moving too far upward.

Plate 60 (FIGS. 10 and 11) is similar to plate 42. It comprises slot 62, rearwardly depending flange 64 and inwardly turned projecting ears 66. A plate 44 is inserted in slot 62 and slides along the length thereof as has been previously described.

The clamps of FIGS. 10 and 11 are affixed to shelf 31 (FIG. 12) in the same manner as has been described previously. Wall 68 is similar to wall 34 except that projecting lips 70 are outwardly turned to form grooves 72 which coact with inwardly turned ears 66. Stop 67 precludes upward movement of the clamp beyond the stop.

In FIGS. 13-15 there is shown a further embodiment of clamp of the invention. Plate 74 is provided with slot 76, rearwardly projecting flange 78 and outwardly turned horizontal ears 80. Outwardly turned horizontal ears 80 coact with grooves 86 which are formed by the inwardly turned projecting lips 84 and wall 82. The balance of the clamp structure is the same as has been previously described and its installation has also been described earlier.

FIG. 16 illustrates an end element 88 which comprises an end or side wall 90, a rear or back wall 92 and teeth 94. Inwardly turned, projecting lip 96 forms groove 98 in cooperation with rear wall 92 and inwardly turned, projecting lips 100 and 102 form grooves 104 in cooperation with rear wall 92. A clamp such as that shown in FIGS. 2-9 is affixed to wall 92 in the manner which has previously been described and stop 106 serves to prevent the end element from being disengaged from the clamp. The use of end element 88 in the formation of a shelf extender will be described hereafter.

FIG. 17 illustrates a further embodiment of an end element 108 which comprises an end or side wall 110, a back or rear wall 112 and a floor 124 in which has been molded a serrated groove 126. Inwardly turned, projecting lips 114 and 118 respectively form grooves 116 and 120 in cooperation with rear wall 112. The end element 108 may be used in conjunction with the clamp of FIG. 13 and stop 122 serves to keep the clamp in position with respect to the end section. The use of end sections 108 in the formation of a shelf extender will be described hereafter.

Platform 128 (FIG. 18) has a serrated floor 130 and a vertical wall 132 and can be used with end elements 88 and 108 as will be described following.

FIG. 19 is a lateral sectional view showing the manner in which a pair of platforms 128 are joined to an end element 88 to form a shelf extender. A similar but complementary end element is used at the other end of the platforms to form a finished shelf extender. The floor 130 of one platform 128 is engaged with teeth 94 so that its wall 132 forms the rear wall of the shelf extender and the floor 130 of the other platform 128 is engaged with teeth 94 to form the front of the shelf extender.

FIG. 20 is a lateral sectional view showing the manner in which a pair of platforms 128 are joined to an end element 108 to form a shelf extender. A similar but complementary end element is used at the other end of the platforms to form a finished shelf extender. The serrated floor 130 of one platform 128 is fitted into serrated groove 126 of floor 124 so that its wall 132 forms the rear wall of the shelf extender. The serrated floor 130 of the other platform 128 is fitted into serrated grooves 126 of floor 124 so that its wall 132 forms the front wall of the shelf extender.

It can be seen that the depth of the shelf extenders illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 20 may be altered somewhat depending upon the position of the front platform with respect to the teeth 94 or to the serrated groove 126. It is also obvious that a shelf extender may be formed using one end element 88 and a complementary end element 108.

Combinations of various elements of the various embodiments shown and described as well as modifications such as are obvious to those skilled in the art may be used without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows;

1. A shelf extender for holding product so as to display the same to the purchaser forward of a shelf having two surfaces comprising:

a wall member having a front surface and a rear surface, the rear surface being shaped to conform to the front edge of the shelf;

at least one lip projecting from the rear surface so as to form a groove between the lip and the rear surface;

means affixed to the wall member for supporting the product;

a clamp comprising:

a first plate having an ear to engage the groove;

means to hold the first plate in fixed relationship with respect to the rear surface of the wall member;

a rearwardly projecting flange affixed to the first plate and extending generally at right angles thereto to engage one surface of the shelf;

the first plate having a slot therein transverse to the flange;

a second plate opposing the flange and having a pair of slots therein transverse to said slot, whereby the second plate is engaged in the first plate with the pair of slots receiving the edges of the slot in the first plate and being adapted to move along the length of the slot in the first plate;

the second plate having a threaded opening therein;

threaded adjusting means having a clamping pad affixed at one end thereof engaged in the threaded opening in the second plate;

the second plate being movable to obtain a gross adjustment and the threaded adjusting means being adjustable to obtain a fine adjustment such that the second plate is held in position with respect to the first plate and the clamping pad firmly engages the other surface of the shelf so that the means for supporting the product is thereby projected forward of the shelf and held in place with respect thereto.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein there is a plurality of such clamps spaced along the rear surface of the wall member.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein there is a pair of the projecting lips and a pair of the grooves and there is a pair of the oppositely projecting ears to engage the grooves.

4. The invention of claim 3 wherein the lips are inwardly turned toward the clamp and the ears project outwardly from the first plate.

5. The invention of claim 3 wherein the lips are outwardly turned away from the first plate and the ears are turned back inwardly toward the first plate.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein the means for supporting the product comprises:

a floor affixed to the wall member and extending outwardly therefrom.

7. The invention of claim 6 including a floor having a plurality of separate, serrated teeth affixed to the wall member and wherein two platforms are shaped to engage the serrated teeth and thereby permit at least one of the dimensions of the shelf extender to be adjusted.

8. The invention of claim 1 wherein there are two such spaced-apart wall members and a clamp affixed to each wall member and including:

at least one platform affixed to the wall members and extending outwardly therefrom;

each platform comprising:

a floor engageable with the wall members; and

a vertical wall at one end of the floor.

9. The invention of claim 8 wherein the platforms and the wall members are cooperatively serrated to permit at least one of the dimensions of the shelf extender to be adjusted.

10. A clamp for attachment to a shelf having opposite surfaces comprising:

a first plate;

a rearwardly projecting flange affixed to the first plate and extending generally at right angles thereto to engage one surface of the shelf;

the first plate having a slot therein transverse to the flange;

a second plate opposing the flange and having a pair of slots therein transverse to said slot, whereby the second plate is engaged in the first plate with the pair of slots receiving the edges of the slot in the first plate and being adapted to move along the length of the slot in the first plate;

the second plate having a threaded opening therein;

threaded adjusting means having a clamping pad affixed at one end thereof engaged in the threaded opening in the second plate;

the second plate being movable to obtain a gross adjustment and the threaded adjusting means being adjustable to obtain a fine adjustment such that the second plate is held in position with respect to the first plate and the clamping pad firmly engages the other surface of the shelf.

11. The invention of claim 10 wherein the clamp is affixed to a wall member having a groove formed by a lip projecting therefrom and the wall and including an ear projecting from the first plate to engage the groove.

12. The invention of claim 11 wherein there are two grooves and two oppositely projecting ears.

13. The invention of claim 11 wherein the ears project outwardly from the first plate.

14. The invention of claim 11 wherein the ears are turned back inwardly toward the first plate.

15. The invention of claim 10 wherein a portion of the second plate is staked to prevent its separation from the first plate.