U.S. patent number 3,886,348 [Application Number 05/468,642] was granted by the patent office on 1975-05-27 for illuminated product display fixture for edge lighting displayed articles.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hallmark Cards, Incorporated. Invention is credited to Isaac Jonathan, John W. Madden.
United States Patent |
3,886,348 |
Jonathan , et al. |
May 27, 1975 |
Illuminated product display fixture for edge lighting displayed
articles
Abstract
An illuminated product display fixture having a plurality of
upright, preformed, removable and interchangeable modules of
translucent, synthetic resin material each presenting upright,
transversely extending, inclined, vertically staggered rows of
article-receiving pockets serving to enhance the edge lighting
effects of the display, with combination light source and reflector
means being strategically located behind the modules in disposition
to edge illuminate products displayed in respective staggered
pockets. The modules are preferably molded of translucent synthetic
resin material and configured such that the top walls of each
pocket are of greater area than the bottom wall of the pocket there
next above, whereby the largest part of the light directed onto the
articles in each pocket is received from the translucent top wall
thereabove for the most pleasing lighting effect without harsh
glare. In another embodiment of the invention, the topmost panel of
the fixture includes a translucent panel for supporting
freestanding display articles and illuminating the same from
below.
Inventors: |
Jonathan; Isaac (Kansas City,
MO), Madden; John W. (Overland Park, KS) |
Assignee: |
Hallmark Cards, Incorporated
(Kansas City, MO)
|
Family
ID: |
27001170 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/468,642 |
Filed: |
May 10, 1974 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
361142 |
May 17, 1973 |
3821538 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
362/127; 40/124;
312/128; 362/224 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F
3/001 (20130101); G09F 5/00 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47F
3/00 (20060101); G09F 5/00 (20060101); F21v
033/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;240/2AD,2R,4,6
;40/124,124.2 ;312/117,126,128 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moses; Richard L.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Schmidt, Johnson, Hovey &
Williams
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE
This is a continuation-in-part of identically titled application
Ser. No. 361,142, filed May 17, 1973, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,538.
The common subject matter of the patent application is expressly
incorporated by reference herein.
Claims
Having thus described the invention, what is new and desired to be
secured by Letters Patent is:
1. An illuminated product display fixture for displaying articles,
comprising:
receptacle means having walls presenting at least a pair of
inwardly extending, superposed, upper and lower pockets for the
reception of articles to be displayed, the bottom wall of said
upper pocket being of lesser surface area than that of the adjacent
top wall of said lower pocket therebeneath, said top wall being
translucent to permit passage of light therethrough;
a light source positioned in spaced relationship behind said
receptacle means;
a reflector positioned in spaced relationship behind said light
source, the reflector and light source being configured and
positioned relative to said receptacle means to cooperatively
direct light emanating from said source through said translucent
top wall; and
structure for supporting said reflector, light source and
receptacle means in article displaying and illuminating
disposition.
2. The display fixture of claim 1, wherein said receptacle means is
provided with a series of vertically aligned, transversely
extending rows of inwardly extending article-receiving pockets
having integral, inwardly extending top, bottom and sidewalls and
generally planar backwalls, the bottom walls in each of said
pockets of each row being of lesser surface area than the adjacent
top walls of the pockets in the row therebeneath, each of said top
walls being translucent.
3. The display fixture of claim 2, wherein said receptacle means is
composed of translucent synthetic resin material.
4. The display fixture of claim 2, wherein the top and bottom walls
of each of said pockets are downwardly inclined with respect to the
vertical, the bottom walls of each of said pockets being of lesser
surface area and inclined with respect to the vertical at a greater
acute angle than that of said top walls.
5. The display fixture of claim 1, wherein said fixture includes a
translucent, generally horizontal top wall adapted to support
display articles thereon, said translucent top wall being
configured and arranged to permit passage of light therethrough
from said light source.
6. The display fixture of claim 1, wherein said receptacle means is
removably nested within said support structure.
7. The display fixture of claim 1, wherein vertically aligned pairs
of receptacle means are positioned within said support structure in
spanning relationship thereto in an abutting side-by-side
manner.
8. The display fixture of claim 7, wherein the light source for
each of said pairs of receptacle means includes a pair of
horizontally extending, vertically spaced fluorescent lighting
elements.
9. The display fixture of claim 1, wherein said reflector is
composed of continuous bendable sheet metal, the reflective surface
thereof being coated with a light reflective composition.
Description
BACKGROUND
This invention relates to an illuminated product display fixture
for retail outlets which is especially useful in displaying items
such as greeting cards, party goods and other flat materials which
are usually stacked for customer selection and successive romoval,
but which is also uniquely usable for displaying three-dimensional
artistic products and decorative accessories which benefit from
indirect illumination thereon for customer appeal. More
particularly, the invention is concerned with a display fixture
which is adapted to evenly illuminate the articles to be displayed
by indirect "edge lighting" by provision of removable, translucent,
synthetic resin article-receiving modules having transverse rows of
vertically staggered pockets in rearwardly tilted disposition in
order to direct light from a source thereof through the walls of
the module pockets and thus desirably accent the sale articles
therein.
Exemplary greeting card display fixtures of the prior art
conventionally have employed a plurality of horizontal, vertically
spaced and rearwardly staggered panels for the reception of the
articles to be displayed. Upstanding glass keepers at the forward
edge of each horizontal stretch were normally utilized to give a
series of elongated compartments of rectangular cross section which
extended substantially the entire width of the display rack. An
overhead lighting fixture was usually disposed above the rack to
directly illuminate the articles displayed therebelow.
These display racks of the prior art were deficient several
important respects. Specifically, because of their fixed
construction and unchangeable dimensions, it was very difficult to
display odd-shaped greeting cards, various sized cards, or other
merchandise. For example, it is common in the greeting card
industry to feature seasonal cards of varying shapes, such as
egg-shaped cards at Easter time. As can be appreciated, with the
normal display fixtures, it is very difficult to position such
cards for effective retail merchandising because they oftentimes
become tipped or otherwise distorted in the rack, thereby reducing
the effectiveness of the promotion. A related problem has occured
when it is attempted to display various gift items in conjunction
with the greeting cards. These "impulse items" as they are known in
the trade are desirably displayed alongside the greeting cards to
enhance their salability. However, because of their different
shapes and dimensions, it has heretofore been impossible to
effectively display them in the same rack or fixture with the
greeting cards.
Another serious drawback of the constructions of the prior art
involve the illumination system normally utilized. Direct overhead
lighting has conventionally been provided by means of either
incandescent or fluorescent lighting sources positioned above the
rack. Such a direct lighting system normally produces a harsh,
unspecific lighting effect on the cards below. This is to be
contrasted with the more desirable illumination of the type
referred to herein as "edge lighting" which pertains to soft,
indirect lighting from the sides and top of the articles. As can be
appreciated, edge lighting has been impossible to achieve with the
construction of the prior art, and therefore the utility thereof is
limited.
Hence, there is a need in the art for an illuminated product
display fixture which can be modified at will to change the
promotional format thereof and to accomodate odd sized greeting
card or other items, and is capable of individually edge lighting
displayed articles in a soft, unobtrusive manner in order to
enhance the salability thereof.
SUMMARY
Accordingly, it has been found that such a display fixture can be
provided which is relatively inexpensive to produce and serves to
individually illuminate greeting cards or other items displayed
therein. The fixture broadly comprises receptacle means such as an
integral multi-pocketed translucent synthetic resin module having
vertically staggered, rearwardly tilted pockets thereof extending
inwardly from its forward edge and defined by integral side, top
and bottom walls, with illumination means therebehind for directing
light through the translucent pocket walls.
In preferred embodiments, an upright supporting structure carries
removably nestable modules of the type described in a rearwardly
tilted article displaying disposition, and each of the modules is
provided with a series of vertically aligned, transversely
extending rows of rearwardly tilted article-receiving pockets. In
order to most effectively edge-illuminate displayed articles, top
and bottom walls of each of the pockets are angularly disposed in a
downward direction with respect to the forward edge of the module,
and the respective bottom walls of the pockets in each row thereof
are generally of greater acute angularity with respect to the
vertical and of lesser surface area than the corresponding top
walls of the pockets immediately therebelow. Hence, the top walls
of the pockets of each transverse row extend inwardly beyond the
bottom walls of the pockets of the adjacent row directly above,
thereby facilitating the desired passage of light through the
translucent top walls with the resultant edge lighting effect.
The supporting structure also carries an illumination system for
the modules, which includes a light source positioned in a spaced
relationship behind the modules which is capable of evenly
illuminating the latter. In this connection, it is especially
preferred to employ vertically spaced, elongated fluorescent
lighting sources in order to illuminate the forwardly positioned
adjacent, side-by-side modules which substantially span the lateral
width of the supporting frame.
A reflector is also secured within the supporting structure behind
the light source to enhance the illuminating power of the latter.
In preferred forms, the reflector is composed of a continuous sheet
of bendable sheet metal, with the reflective surface thereof being
coated with white paint.
In order to produce the most desirable edge lighting effects, the
reflector and light sources are configured and positioned relative
to the forwardly spaced article receiving modules in order to
cooperatively direct a substantial part of the light emanating from
the sources through the translucent top walls of the pockets
thereof to edge illuminate the articles positioned therein.
The fixtures hereof can also advantageously include a generally
planar top wall having a translucent panel insert therein. The
panel insert is adapted to support freestanding articles thereon
which are illuminated from below by the lighting element within the
fixture.
DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illuminated product display
fixture in accordance with the present invention, showing a
plurality of translucent, synthetic resin article receiving modules
ready for the reception of articles to be displayed;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of the display
fixture of FIG. 1, with one module thereof being removed and the
adjacent module partially cut away to more clearly illustrate the
support structure therefor;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side view in vertical section taken along
sight line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the fixture of FIGS.
1-3, depicting the top wall thereof which includes a translucent,
article-supporting illumination panel therein;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken along sight
line 5--5 of FIG. 2, illustrating the preferred pocket
configuration for maximizing the edge lighting effects on articles
received therewithin;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of a removable,
multi-pocketed article receiving module in accordance with the
invention;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along sight line 7--7
of FIG. 2, showing the rearwardly extending lip of a pair of
adjacent modules cooperatively nested within complementary holding
structure on the midpost of the frame;
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along sight line 8--8
of FIG. 2, showing the rearwardly extending lip of a module
removably nested within complementary flange structure provided in
the sidewall of the frame; and
FIG. 9 is a vertical sectional view showing a smaller display
fixture adapted to be used as a portable, countertop display.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An illuminated product display fixture for individually edge
lighting articles positioned therein is shown perspectively in FIG.
1 and is generally referred to by numeral 10. It comprises a frame
assembly 12 for supporting the display section of fixture 10
including a pair of forwardly opening bottom drawers 18 which in
the conventional manner are adapted to hold additional articles to
be displayed in the fixture above. Assembly 12 supports two
vertically stacked and interconnected housings 21 and 23 above
drawers 18. Lower housing 21 is defined by spaced tapered sidewalls
16, removable back wall 19, a bottom wall and top wall 25, while
upper housing 23 comprises spaced sidewalls 27, back wall 29 and
top wall 31.
A pair of translucent, removably nestable, preferably synthetic
resin tray-like vacuum formed product display modules designated by
the numeral 20 are shown positioned within each housing 21 and 23
between the respective sidewalls thereof. Each module 20 is
positioned in a rearwardly tilted, article receiving disposition
and in side-by-side, abutting relationship with another module to
span the distance between the respective sidewalls. Modules 20 are
generally rectangular in shape and are provided with a plurality of
integral, inwardly extending, rearwardly tilted pockets 22, each of
the latter having an integral top wall 24, bottom wall 26,
sidewalls 28 and a generally planar back wall 30. The pockets 22
are arranged in symetrical transverse rows and each is
circumscribed by a forward peripheral edge 32.
The generally planar back walls 30 of the respective pockets can
also be provided with a transverse, forwardly extending ledge 34 to
facilitate removal of the greeting card or other merchandise from
the pocket structure. In order to emphasize the manufacturer's
trade name or other promotional information, generally planar
illumination panels 36 are desirably provided in the upper modules
of the rack in an eye-level position, normally occupied by a pair
of transversely adjacent pockets 22. In the embodiment shown, the
panels 36 are simply translucent, integral segments positioned over
a portion of the module structure and forming a forward face
thereof.
In order to further enhance the usefulness of the fixture, a
transverse, compartmentalized envelope rack 38 can advantageously
be positioned along the lower edge of the rack below the lowermost
pair of modules in housing 21. This allows envelopes associated
with the greeting cards displayed above to be proximal thereto but
without detracting from the display characteristics of the fixture
10. In the constructions of the prior art, envelopes have
conventionally been placed behind the cards displayed. This
inevitably lessens the effects of the display because the envelopes
often became disarranged or placed in front of the cards
themselves, thus requiring frequent reorganization by the retail
merchant.
A generally vertical upper reflector 42 is secured within housing
23 between the sidewalls thereof. For this purpose, a lower
angularly depending connection portion 46 of reflector 42 is welded
to an integral, upstanding, transversely extending flange 48 in
order to stabilize the reflector. The reflecting surface 50 of
reflector 42 is preferably coated with white paint or the like in
order to more effectively reflect light impinging thereon through
the forwardly positioned modules.
The lower portion of the fixture 10 defined by housing 21 includes
an inclined reflector 54 operatively installed within the housing
forwardly of back wall 19 thereof. Reflector 54 has a pair of
integral, inclined, transversely extending stretches 58 and 60 that
serve as a support for a generally planar, inclined reflector wall
angularly depending from the lowermost edge of stretch 60.
Reflector 54 is secured by connection of knee portion 62 thereof to
complementary upstanding, channel-like connector structure 64
provided for this purpose.
In preferred embodiments, each of the respective reflectors 42 and
54 are fabricated from elongated, integral sections of bendable
sheet metal. The forwardly facing reflective surfaces of these
metal sections are coated with white gloss paint as by spraying
either before or after mounting thereof in position within the
respective housings.
A pair of vertically spaced fluorescent lighting elements 68 are
positioned within each enclosed area defined by housings 21 and 23
and the forwardly spaced modules 20 associated therewith. In
preferred forms, the respective lighting sources 68 are elongated,
fluorescent tubes which extend substantially the entire width of
display rack 10 to thus simultaneously illuminate both of the
abutting, side-by-side modules positioned forwardly therefrom. In
this connection, it should be noted that space 70 between back wall
19 and the inclined portion of lower reflector 54 serves as a
convenient area for the placing of the requisite electrical ballast
and starter structure for the fluroscent lighting elements.
Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, it can be seen that the vertically
aligned pockets are constructed so that they tilt downwardly with
respect to the vertical in order to assure retention of articles in
the pockets and to facilitate loading and unloading thereof with
merchandise for sale. In this regard, each of the respective top
walls 24 and bottom walls 26 thereof are downwardly inclined with
respect to the vertical, with the bottom walls being of greater
relative acute angularity with respect to the vertical.
Additionally, the top wall 24 of each pocket is of greater inwardly
extending dimension and surface area than the proximal bottom wall
of the pocket thereabove. Thus, since the transverse rows of
pockets 22 are in closely spaced vertical alignment as shown in
FIG. 6, a portion of the top wall of each of the pockets extend
inwardly into fixture 10 a greater distance than the bottom wall
directly above in order to expose a portion of the translucent top
wall to the light emanating from fluorescent sources 68. A similar
result is obtained with the lowermost pair of transverse pocket
rows in the lower modules 20 by provision of inclined stretches 70
(FIG. 3) forming the lowermost segment of the back walls of the
pockets.
In order to produce the desired edge illumination effect outlined
above, it is preferable to position the light sources 68 and the
adjacent reflector 42 or 54 in disposition to direct a substantial
portion of light emanating from the sources through the translucent
top walls of the pockets. In this connection it is desirable to
place the elongated horizontal elements 68 in vertically spaced
relationship adjacent the acute angular space between adjacent
vertically aligned rows of pockets.
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown perspectively a
particularly preferred embodiment wherein the top wall of fixture
10 includes a transversely extending translucent panel 69. By
provision of panel 69 it is possible to advantageously display and
illuminate freestanding sale articles such as paperweights or the
like simply py placing the same on the panel. The fluorescent
lighting sources 68 therebelow will thus illuminate the display
articles from below to accent the articles and increase their
salability.
As outlined above, each of the modules 20 is removably nested
within the overall frame structure of the fixture 10 in order to
allow flexibility in the overall design and use of the fixture. For
this purpose each module is provided with an integral, rearwardly
extending circumscribing lip 84 which is adapted to complementally
interfit with mating connection structure provided about the
periphery of housings 21 and 23. As depicted in FIGS. 2 and 7 a
vertically oriented, metallic middle post or brace 86 is attached
to the respective housings and includes a generally Y-shaped
bracket 88 on the forward edge thereof adapted to receive a pair of
lips 84 from the abutting, side-by-side modules 20. Additionally,
the remaining forward edges of the respective housings 21 and 23
are provided with welded flange structure 90 (See FIGS. 3 and 8)
which is likewise adapted to receive the rearwardly extending lip
84 of the modules 20. In this manner, the separate modules 20 are
removably nested within housings 21 and 23, and can be changed at
will.
During use of article receiving modules 20 it is sometimes
desirable to have pockets 22 of varying depths and dimensions in
order to increase the flexibility of the fixture 10. As shown in
FIG. 4, this can be done within a single module to allow the
reception of greeting cards or other articles of differing
dimensions therewithin. Such modifications can most easily be
accomplished by integrally molding the modules in a vacuum forming
operation, and therefore this procedure for fabricating the modules
20 is preferred. Further, it may also be advantageous to provide a
planar portion 36 therein (see FIGS. 1 and 2) for trade name
advertising or other promotional information. This can be
accomplished by providing a flat segment of the synthetic resin
material across the face of an area of the module normally occupied
by a number of pockets. In most situations it has been found
desirable to allow such areas to remain translucent so that light
from the fluorescent sources 68 can be directed therethrough. This
yields the desirable illuminated emphasis upon the manufacturer's
trade name or the like.
As depicted in FIG. 1, the standard fixture 10 is preferably of a
height causing the upper portion thereof to be at normal eye level,
as is conventional in a display unit of this type. However, the
principles of the present invention can also be incorporated into a
portable counter-top display 10a as depicted in FIG. 9. In this
instance a box-like open frame 12a is provided having a translucent
panel 69a in the top wall thereof and a removable, multi-pocketed
synthetic resin module 20a positioned therein in article displaying
and illuminating disposition. The respective pockets 22a of module
20a are configured and arranged identically with those of the
modules and accordingly a detailed discussion thereof is omitted.
Fixture 10a is completed by provision of an internal, integral
reflector 42a covered with white paint, and a fluorescent lighting
element 68a is positioned forwardly thereof for illuminating
articles displayed within the pockets 22a. As such, this fixture is
particularly adapted for use in smaller stores where space is at a
premium.
The desired flexibility of the fixtures disclosed herein is further
enhanced by virtue of the ease in which modules having varying
pocket shapes can be substituted for those shown in the drawings.
Thus, by virtue of the fact that each of the inwardly extending
pockets 22 can have varying sizes, shapes and depths, different
articles or cards can be displayed simultaneously within the same
module or rack. For example, the egg-shaped cards discussed
previously can be displayed by providing modules with corresponding
oval-shaped pockets. In this way, odd-shaped cards can be
attractively displayed without any of the problems associated with
the fixtures of the prior art.
It is also possible to display so-called "impulse items" in
conjunction with greeting cards. This can be accomplished merely by
providing modules with appropriate pockets or niches for the
reception of such articles. Further, the only requirement for
changing the articles within the display is to employ different
modules with appropriate pocket configurations. Thus, while the
peripheral dimensions of the modules are constant in order to
interfit the same within the overall fixture, an almost limitless
number of pocket dimensions and shapes are possible. This
characteristic is especially valuable for display of seasonal
promotions in the greeting card industry, where it is sometimes
desirable to replace only a portion of the cards in the overall
rack. By use of the fixtures disclosed herein, a number of cards
can be kept on a more or less permanent basis for general occasions
such as birthdays or anniversaries, while another portion of the
rack can be utilized for the changing needs of seasonal
merchandising. Moreover, this can be accomplished without losing
any of the artistic merits of the display and with little cost to
the retail merchant, since there is no need for completely changing
the array of cards. The only costs are those involved in providing
a new module, which can be produced and sold or furnished at
relatively little additional expense.
More importantly, the present invention overcomes the problems
encountered in the use of harsh, direct lighting found in
conventional display fixtures, and is moreover capable of precisely
edge illuminating the displayed articles without an overpowering
peripheral glow lighting effect. In this connection it should be
noted that in order to avoid areas of differential illumination
along the forward faces of modules 20, it is desirable to provide
an illumination system free of "hot spots" often associated with
normal incandescent bulbs. For this reason, it is preferred that
elongated, fluorescent lighting elements discussed above be
employed in conjunction with white painted reflectors therebehind.
However, it may be possible in certain instances to utilize a
plurality of incandescent bulbs behind the modules, especially if
they are properly covered by reflective material over the outermost
part of their surface.
* * * * *