Method and apparatus for converting gondola shelf to gravity feed shelf
First Claim
1. An apparatus for converting a flat, horizontal shelf to an inclined gravity feed shelf, comprising:
- an inclined sheet supporting a bearing surface, said bearing surface extending between a front and a rear of the inclined sheet;
a generally vertical wall extending downwardly from the rear of the inclined sheet;
a ledge extending forwardly of the generally vertical wall, said ledge positioned a predetermined distance below the rear of the inclined sheet.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Flat, horizontal gondola shelving is converted to inclined gravity-feed shelving using an adapter with an inclined sheet supporting a bearing surface, a leg extending downwardly from a rear of the inclined sheet, which is received in a gap between a flat gondola shelf and a rear wall of the shelving unit supporting the shelf, a ledge extending forwardly of the leg, spaced from the rear of the inclined sheet, to lift the rear of the inclined sheet off the rear of the flat shelf, and a stop member along the front of the inclined sheet. Front end stop extensions may be provided to keep product from falling over the stop member along the front.
176 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for converting a flat, horizontal shelf to an inclined gravity feed shelf, comprising:
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an inclined sheet supporting a bearing surface, said bearing surface extending between a front and a rear of the inclined sheet;
a generally vertical wall extending downwardly from the rear of the inclined sheet;
a ledge extending forwardly of the generally vertical wall, said ledge positioned a predetermined distance below the rear of the inclined sheet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus for converting a flat shelf of a gondola shelving unit into a gravity feed shelf, comprising:
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an inclined sheet having a plurality of upwardly-extending tabs to receive one of a group of an array of track members each having a bearing surface thereon and an array of rollers, extending between a front and a rear of the inclined sheet;
a downwardly-extending leg at the rear of the inclined sheet; and
a stop member along the downwardly-extending leg, said stop member spaced a predetermined distance from the rear of the inclined sheet and being adapted to rest along a rear end of a flat shelf, whereby the rear of the inclined sheet is raised off the flat shelf a distance corresponding to said predetermined distance between the stop member and the rear of the inclined sheet.
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17. A method for converting a flat shelf of a gondola shelving unit into a gravity feed shelf comprising:
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forming a sheet to have an array of rollers carried by the sheet;
placing the sheet with said roller array on a flat shelf; and
supportably mounting a rear of the sheet with the roller array in a raised position relative to a front of the sheet with the roller array, whereby said array is supported in an inclined orientation to facilitate gravity flow movement of product placed thereon.
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18. A method of converting a flat shelf of a gondola shelving unit into a gravity feed shelf comprising:
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piercing and forming a plurality of tabs on a sheet such that the tabs extend upwardly from the sheet and adapting the tabs to receive one of a group of an array of track members each having a bearing surface thereon and an array of rollers, extending between a front and a rear of the inclined sheet;
securing to said plurality of tabs one of the group of an array of track members each having a bearing surface thereon and an array of rollers;
forming a downwardly-extending leg along the rear of the inclined sheet;
securing a stop member to said downwardly-extending leg a predetermined distance from the rear of the inclined sheet; and
placing the stop member on a rear end of a flat shelf and placing the front of the inclined sheet on said flat shelf, whereby the rear of the inclined sheet is raised off the flat shelf by a distance corresponding to the predetermined distance between the stop member and the rear of the inclined sheet.
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19. A method of manufacturing an adapter for converting a flat shelf of a gondola shelving unit to an inclined gravity-feed shelf comprising:
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rolling a sheet having a front and a rear;
punching a multiplicity of cuts through the sheet to from tab members having axle-receiving openings therein;
folding said tab members upward from the sheet;
forming a downwardly extending support leg along the rear of the sheet;
securing a forwardly-extending ledge to the support leg a predetermined distance below the rear of the sheet;
and rollably securing rollers between pairs of the upwardly-folded tab members. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification