Composite organizer and gravity feed shelf

• US 4,958,739 A
• Filed: 10/02/1989
• Issued: 09/25/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Display Industries LLC
• Original Assignee: MEAD Corporation (Meadwestvaco Corporation)
• Inventors: Spamer, William S.
• Primary Examiner(s): GIBSON, ROBERT W
• Application Number:
  US07/416,057
• Time in Patent Office: 358 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.2, 211/184, 211/133, 211/175, 211/189, 211/153, 248/220.3
• US Class Current: 211/153
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/12 dispensing from the side of an approximately horizontal stack A47F1/087 takes precedence

Abstract

A composite structure for use as an organizer or gravity feed shelf is constructed with a flat bottom for mounting on a flat surface and includes main and auxiliary support units each having rectangular planar elements with complementary edges, a plurality of fastening projections formed along the complementary edges of the rectangular planar elements for disjointably connecting and for reassembling the planar elements so as to form a composite shelf unit, and a plurality of low friction longitudinal ribs integrally formed with the support units and their associated fastening projections.

Claims

1. A composite shelf arranged for mounting on a flat surface for supporting and displaying articles and comprising a main support unit including a main rectangular planar element having front, rear and opposed side edges, an auxiliary support unit including an auxiliary rectangular planar element having front, rear and opposed side edges one edge of which is of a configuration which is complementary to one edge of said main rectangular planar element, a first plurality of spaced projections formed along said one edge of said main planar element and disposed in the plane thereof, and a plurality of spaced projections formed along said one edge of said auxiliary planar element and in the plane thereof and interspersed between said spaced projections formed along said one edge of said main planar element.

2. A composite shelf according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of low friction longitudinal ribs are disposed atop said main and said auxiliary planar elements and in overlying relation with said first and said second plurality of spaced projections.

3. A composite shelf according to claim 1 wherein at least some of said first and said second pluralities of spaced projections are of rectangular configuration.

4. A composite shelf according to claim 1 wherein at least some of said projections extending from one of said planar elements are of keyhole configuration.

5. A composite shelf according to claim 4 wherein cutaway areas of keyhole configuration are formed in the other of said planar elements for receiving said projections which are of keyhole configuration.

6. A composite shelf according to claim 1 wherein the end portions of the projections which extend from one of said planar elements are spaced longitudinally from the end portions of the projections which extend from the other of said planar elements.

7. A composite shelf according to claim 1 wherein said main and said auxiliary planar elements are provided with a plurality of spaced aligned guide rails defining a plurality of channels for receiving rows of displayed articles and wherein said spaced aligned guide rails are severable near the junction between said main and said auxiliary planar elements.

8. A composite shelf according to claim 7 wherein a removable break-out tab is formed in said spaced aligned guide rails.

9. A composite shelf according to claim 1 wherein said main and said auxiliary planar elements are formed with flat planar bottom surfaces.

10. A composite shelf arranged for mounting on a flat surface for supporting and displaying articles and comprising a main support unit having front, rear and opposed side edges and a flat bottom surface, an auxiliary support unit including front, rear and opposed side edges and a flat bottom, one edge of said auxiliary support unit being complementary to one edge of said main support unit, a plurality of fastening projections extending from said one edge of one of said support units and disposed in the plane thereof, and a plurality of apertures formed in the other of said support units along said one edge thereof and oriented to receive in fastening relation corresponding ones of said fastening projections so as to hold said support units together in a common plane, said projections being removable and reinsertable into said apertures.

11. A composite shelf according to claim 10 wherein said fastening projections and said apertures are of keyhole configuration.

12. A composite shelf according to claim 11 wherein said support units are secured together while mounted on a flat surface but are severable upon removal of one of said support units from said flat surface.