Gravity flow rack

• US 4,331,243 A
• Filed: 12/03/1979
• Issued: 05/25/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bev-O-Flow Corporation
• Original Assignee: Market Innovators, Inc.
• Inventors: Doll, Eugene N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frazier, Roy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gibson, Jr., Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US06/099,840
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 211/49 D, 211/134, 211/153, 211/184, 211/181, 211/187, 211/207, 211/208
• US Class Current: 211/59.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/121 made of tubes or wire elongated hooks A47F5/0807

Abstract

A gravity flow rack particularly adapted for stocking and vending liquids such as milk and frut juices. The shelves comprise a bent wire frame and triangular bent wire divider-track members are adjustably mounted thereon to form parallel rows. The merchandise containers in each row are supported by only two thin, low friction wires so that accumulations of leaked liquids are reduced to a minimum and the racks are easily cleanable. The shelves are readily adjustable, both in angle of slope and spacing of merchandise rows.

Claims

1. A gravity flow rack comprising:

a vertically oriented framework;

a bent wire shelf comprising a bent wire rod member having a pair of parallel arms interconnected by front upright legs and a front horizontal segment, and front and rear cross rods connected to said parallel arms;

a pair of bent wire divider-track members on said shelf, each of said divider-track members comprising a single-wire track and cooperating to form a merchandise row wherein merchandise containers are supported beneath by only the two wire tracks;

connector means releasably connecting said divider-track members to said shelf; and

mounting means releasably and adjustably mounting said shelf on said framework,

each of said divider-track members comprising further a pair of mounting rods spaced for abutment with said front and rear cross rods for connection thereto by said connector means.

2. The gravity flow rack of claim 1 in which said connector means comprises hand-adjustable clamps and cooperating bolts and nuts.

3. The gravity flow rack of claim 1 in which each of said divider-track members comprises front and rear angular retainers integral with said wire track and defining the front and rear of the merchandise row.

4. The gravity flow rack of claim 3 in which the angle between said angular retainers and the vertical is in the range of 17.5°

and 25° and

the retainers of the divider-track members of the pair are opposed.

5. The gravity flow rack of claim 4 and comprising further a divider rod connected between said front and rear angular retainers, said divider rods defining the lateral sides of the merchandise row.

6. The gravity flow rack of claim 5 in which a pair of said front and rear angular retainers projects from said divider rod, each of said front and rear retainers being integrally connected by a single-wire track whereby adjacent pairs of divider-track members cooperate to form pairs of said merchandise rows.

7. The gravity flow rack of claim 6 in which the angle between said pair of angular retainers is in the range of 35°

and 50°

.

8. A gravity flow rack comprising:

a vertically oriented framework;

a bent wire shelf comprising a bent wire rod member having a pair of parallel arms interconnected by front upright legs and a front horizontal segment, and front and rear cross rods connected to said parallel arms;

a pair of bent wire divider-track members on said shelf, each of said divider-track members comprising a single-wire track and cooperating to form a merchandise row wherein merchandise containers are supported beneath by only the two wire tracks;

connector means releasably connecting said divider-track members to said shelf; and

mounting means releasably and adjustably mounting said shelf on said framework,

said rear cross rod having end portions extending laterally beyond said parallel arms, and said mounting means comprising notched plates releasably attachable to said framework and adapted to support said end portions therein.

9. The gravity flow rack of claim 8 in which said front cross rod is positioned rearwardly of said upright legs to afford free forward portions of said parallel arms, and said mounting means comprises further bolts and spacer ferrules releasably attachable to said framework, said forward portions being freely supported by said ferrules.