Means for binning and banding display shelves

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the invention

This invention relates to means for binning and banding display shelves and the like, and more particularly to merchandise barriers or partitions employed with display shelves and the like as binning or banding means, such merchandise barriers or partitions having means integrally formed thereon for removably securing them in an upright position on the display shelves.

Description of the prior art

It may be explained that partitions are generally used in association with shelves, merchandise display counters and like horizontal display areas either as banding members, i.e., arranged to form the ends and front and rear sides of the display areas to keep articles from falling off their edges, or as binning members, i.e., arranged diagonally or transversely across the display areas to form dividers separating the areas into compartments or bins. In most display structures, the partitions are used simultaneously both as binning and banding members. The partitions are generally secured to the shelves by the use of fastening elements in the form of brackets, clips or hooks which are received on the marginal or peripheral edges of the shelves or in the case of display shelves provided with spaced openings of circular, diamond, square or rectangular shape, by the use of hooks or other fastening means on the partitions which are received in the spaced openings.

It has heretofore been proposed to form barriers or partitions of the type herein referred to from plastic molded into an open fence-like structure in place of solid plate glass with metal supporting clips at the ends as heretofore widely used, but this has certain drawbacks, particularly in that when plastic partitions having a thickness no greater than plate glass are employed, they lack stability and wide stainless steel fitments had to be riveted to the ends of the partitions not only to anchor the partitions to the shelves but to provide the necessary stability to keep the partitions from being tilted to one side or the other. This not only increased the cost of the partitions, but detracted from their appearance. To form the partitions with adequate width would not only decrease usable shelf area but they would look cumbersome and require an excessive amount of plastic.

SUMMARY

Briefly, the present invention provides an all plastic partition that eliminates wide metal elements to give it stability and one which will remain in a vertical plane but still not decrease usable space or appear more bulky than other forms heretofore used. Accordingly, the main area of the partition is molded to about the same thickness as plate glass, preferably from a clear plastic, with connecting elements to form an open grill or lattice of any preferred design. It is preferably a design which is adaptable to formation in a modular mold so that different lengths of partitions may be made on a single mold.

The bottom of the partition has an integral base or bottom rail with a laterally projecting flange extending therealong, this flange preferably being offset entirely to one side of the plane of the main partition to increase the area of contact of the structure with the shelf surface on which the partition is placed. At one end of the partition, the bottom rail with its flange continues into an integral resilient anchoring element. According to the preferred embodiment, the partition is undercut and the continuation of the rail and flange extends diagonally upwardly into the endpost of the partition itself. The undercut provides clearance for the inner downwardly projecting leg of an integral resilient, reversely curved anchoring means that is full width of the overall width of the flanged bottom rail. Its resilience is necessary to keep proper tension on the anchoring means when the partition is in place and the width is required to assure adequate tension and also sufficient bearing area on the shelf to keep the partition in a vertical plane. The undercut arrangement enables the anchoring means to be compactly disposed close to the end of the partition and reduce the overall length of the structure.

A more complete understanding of the invention will appear from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings showing for purely illustrative purposes, embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that the description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation of a partition secured to a metal display shelf according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the partition and shelf shown in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary section taken along the line III—ΠΙ of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the anchoring member of the partition shown in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary elevational view on an enlarged scale of the anchor member of the partition shown in FIG. 1, illustrating its normal position in solid line prior to the partition being mounted on a shelf and its shelf engaging position in dashed lines;

FIG. 6 is a view in side elevation and section of a modified form of the partition shown in FIG. 1; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of a modified form of the anchor member and partition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, a partition according to the invention is shown generally

3,501, 3 t 10. The partition 10 is preferably integrally formed f a molded polycarbonate resin or other suitable plastic nd has a substantially rigid main partition body poron 12. The body portion 12 is generally rectangular nd has an integral base or bottom rail 14. The bottom _gail 14 is of the same transverse width as the body poron 12 and projecting laterally along the length of the ase rail 14 is a flange 16. The bottom 18 of the flange 6 is flush with the bottom 20 of the base rail 14 to proide a bearing surface for the partition 10 wider than the ₁₀rain partition body portion 12. The base rail 14 and ange 16 at the right-hand end of the partition 10 ex;nds diagonally upwardly with the upper end of the iagonal portion 22 merging into the end 24 of the body ortion 12. 15

An integral resilient anchoring member or extension 26 'hich is substantially the full overall width of the flanged ase rail 14 is located in the undercut portion of the body ortion 12 that is provided by the upwardly extending ortion of the flanged base rail 14. The anchoring mem- ²⁰er or extension 26 has a vertical downwardly extending :g 28 integrally formed on the diagonal portion 22. The :g 28 has a reversely curved portion 30 extending up'ardly at 31 and then downwardly at 32 from the lower <tremity of the leg 28. The downwardly turned part 32 ²⁵as a longitudinally elongated foot 34 which has a pair f hooks 36 and 38 thereon for detachably clamping it > a shelf. The anchor member 26 is thus integrally jrmed of a plurality of rigid successive contiguous elelents designated as 40, 42, 44 and 46 with the elements ³⁰9-44 being joined by intermediate arcuate flexible porons 48 and 50 to define a sinuously-shaped resiliently exible member that is interposed between the main body ortion 12 and the hooks 36 and 38. The thickness of the itermediate portions 48 and 50 is purposely made less °° tan the thickness of the elements 40, 42 and 44 in the >rming of the anchor member 26 to impart flexible relience to the anchor member 26. The element 46 is gidly connected with the element 44 and, as can best be :en in FIG. 5, the anchor member 26 is normally offset ith respect to the body portion 12, the anchor member 6 being shown in solid line in this view as it would be icated relative to the body portion 12 prior to the partion 10 being mounted on a shelf, and in dashed lines 5 it would be when the partition 10 was mounted on 45 shelf.

The hooks 36 and 38 are integrally formed on the foot 4 which extends under anchor member 26 and integrally >rmed on the flanged base rail 14 are a pair of hooks 52 ad 54. Each of the hooks 36 and 38 has an open fixed ⁰w 56 and 58, respectively, and each of the hooks 52 nd 54 has an open fixed jaw 60 and 62, respectively, with te jaws 56 and 58 opening oppositely from the jaws 60 ad 62.

The partition 10 is easily assembled with a display shelf ⁰⁰4 at any location by first inserting the hooks 36 and 38 i a given pair of perforations or spaced openings 16 rovided in the shelf. The partition 10 is then grasped and ulled in a direction to engage the open jaws 56 and 58 θθ ith the edge of the openings. With the hooks 36 and 38 agaging the shelf, the hooks 52 and 54 will be in aproximate registry with another pair of openings in the lelf. A slight downward pressure is then applied to the irtition 10 in the direction of the shelf 64, and the par- _cgtion is then pulled further in the same direction as was jplied thereto to engage the jaws 56 and 58. These aeons will cause the foot 34 to assume its dash-line posion (FIG. 5) and will cause the anchor portion 26 to retch slightly, and the hooks 52 and 54 will enter the γθ :cond pair of openings. The partition 10 is then released id the resilience of the anchor member 26 will then irust the jaws of the hooks 36, 38, 52 and 54 firmly into igagement with the respective edges of the openings /ith which they are engaged. 75

019

By reason of its construction, the partition 10 can be used either on the left or right side of a generally rectangular shelf, thereby eliminating the need of having right-hand and left-hand partitions, and of course it can be secured along the front or rear longitudinal edge of a shelf. In either application, the partition may be placed right up to the peripheral edge of a shelf and the width of the flanged base rail 14 and the width of the anchor member 26 will provide a sufficient bearing area on the shelf to keep the partition in a vertical plane and the tension of the anchor member 26 will secure the partition to the shelf and prevent accidental dislodging of the partition from the shelf.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 6, a modified form of partition is shown generally at 100. The partition member 100 has a main partition body portion 112, a flanged base rail 114 and a resilient anchor portion 126 integrally formed therewith that are similar to those of the partition 10. Partition 100 differs from partition 10 in that it has modified hook means integrally formed thereon that preferably engage the marginal longitudinal edges of a shelf, but which can also be utilized to engage openings in the shelf if so desired. This type partition and modified hook means is preferably employed with glass shelving. As shown, the terminal portion of the element 144 has a single hook or bifurcated shelf engaging clamp 146 having a fixed jaw or opening which is directed toward the opposite end of the partition on which the anchor member 126 is located, and on the flanged rail 114 there is integrally formed therewith a single hook 152 having a fixed jaw 160 opening oppositely to the jaw of the clamp 146.

To secure partition member 100 to a shelf, the open jaw of the clamp 146 is first engaged with one of the longitudinal edges of a shelf, and then the resilient anchor member 126 is slightly stretched by applying a force to the partition 100 in the manner above described with reference to the partition 10, thus allowing the hook 152 to clear the opposite longitudinal edge of the shelf, and when the tension of the anchoring member 126 is released, the resilience of the anchor member 126 will thrust the hooks firmly into, engagement with the edge portions of the shelf.

It will be evident, however, that the partition 100 can be dimensioned such that it may be assembled with a shelf by inserting the hooks 146 and 152 into openings provided in the shelf in the manner that the hooks of the partition 10 were inserted into the openings in a shelf.

In FIG. 7, there is shown a modified form of anchor member 226. Comparing FIGS. 4 and 7, it will be noted that the partition 200 in FIG. 7 is not provided with an undercut portion adjacent the anchor member 226, but rather, the flanged base rail 214 and end post 216 of the partition 200 are joined at right angles, and the anchor 226 is integrally formed at the juncture of these portions. The anchor member 226 has a vertical leg 242 joined through a bend 248 at its lower end with the flanged base rail 214 and has another leg 244 joined at its upper end through a bend 250 with the top of the leg 242. The leg 244 has an integral bifurcated shelf engaging clamp 246 formed thereon similar to clamp 146 of the partition 100. The thickness of portions or bends 248 and 250 are made purposely of lesser thickness than the legs 242 and 244 to impart flexible resilience to the anchor member 226 just as the intermediate portions 48 and 50 of anchor member 26 were made of lesser thickness than the legs 40, 42 and 44 to impart flexible resilience to the anchor member 26. The partition 200 is secured to a shelf in the manner above described with reference to the partition 100.

From the foregoing, the invention and its numerous advantages will be understood, and it is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made therein.

3,501,019