Spring-urged shelf divider system

• US 4,830,201 A
• Filed: 04/11/1988
• Issued: 05/16/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Breslow, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Machado, Reinaldo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lechok Eley, Sarah A.
• Application Number:
  US07/180,179
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 211/184, 211/43, 211/59.3, 211/59.2, 211/51, 211/11, 312/71, 312/45, 108/60, 108/61
• US Class Current: 211/184
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/126 the pushing device being urged by spring means
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/005 Partitions therefore horizontally adjustable A47B57/58; constructional details of drawers A47B88/90

Abstract

A shelf divider system comprising a divider wall mountable in a channel member secured to the front of a shelf. A spring-urged pusher member is slidably mounted on a track having a pair of rails integral with the divider shaft. In one embodiment, the operationally mounted divider wall is vertically oriented and the pusher member extends horizontally therefrom so that displayed merchandise resets directly on the shelf surface but is automatically urged forwardly by the retracted pusher member. In another embodiment, the track provides the supporting surface for displayed merchandise and a vertical divider wall is integrally formed with the track.

Claims

1. A shelf divider system comprising:

an elongated channel mounting member operationally securable to a front portion of a shelf;

a shelf divider member slidably receivable in said mounting member so that the divider member extend rearwardly over the shelf;

track means on said divider member comprising a pair of elongated rails, spring-urged pusher means comprising a pusher member having a front pusher face and a pair of flanges engaging said rails whereby said pusher member is operationally slidable on the rails and the pusher means is rearwardly retractable to accommodate a display of merchandise and will bear against the merchandise to automatically urge the same forwardly on the shelf.

2. A shelf divider system according to claim 1 wherein said pusher means comprises a pair of retainer walls projecting from the rear surface of said pusher face and a coiled spring operationally retained by said retainer walls so that the coil is capable of unwinding responsive to rearward pressure on the pusher member, the opposite end of the coiled spring being anchored to said divider member adjacent a front portion thereof.

3. A shelf divider system according to claim 2 wherein said track means comprises a recessed wall between said rails, whereby said spring when extended lies in close proximity to said recessed wall.

4. A shelf divider system according to claim 3 wherein said rails lie in a substantially vertical plane when said divider means is operationally positioned in said mounting member and said recessed wall comprises a shelf space divider wall in cooperation with an adjacent operationally positioned divider member.

5. A shelf divider system according to claim 4 comprising a spacer member depending from said divider member and resting on the shelf whereby the lower of said rails is raised from the shelf surface to permit unobstructed travel of said pusher member rearwardly on said rails.

6. A shelf divider system according to claim 3 comprising a divider wall substantially perpendicular to said track means and lying in a substantially vertical plane when said divider member is operationally positioned in said mounting member, said track means thereby lying on the surface of the shelf and providing a supporting surface for displayed merchandise.

7. A shelf divider system according to claim 6 comprising a closure wall connectable to said track means for closing the open side of the divider member opposite said divider wall, and means for adjusting the spacing between said divider wall and operationally, mounted closure wall.

8. A shelf divider system according to claim 7 wherein said last-mentioned means comprises a substantially horizontal foot projecting from said closure wall, a plurality of spaced positioning grooves on said foot and a depending ridge integral on said track means and receivable in said positioning grooves.

9. A shelf divider system comprising:

an elongated channel mounting member operationally securable to a front portion of a shelf;

a shelf divider member comprising a vertical divider wall and a horizontal track with rails integral therewith, a closure wall connectable to said track for closing the open side of the divider member opposite said divider wall, and means for adjusting the spacing between said divider wall and the operationally mounted closure wall comprising a horizontal foot projecting from said closure wall, a bottom slot in said track adapted to receive said foot therein, a plurality of spaced positioning grooves on said foot and a depending ridge integral on said track and receivable in said positioning grooves, said divider member being slidably receivable in said mounting member whereby said track rests on the shelf;

a pusher member slidably mounted on said rails; and

a coil anchored at one end to a front portion of said divider member and the coil thereof operationally retained on said pusher member, whereby said pusher member is rearwardly retractable to accommodate displayed merchandise supported on said track and automatically urged forwardly thereon.