Slotted display wall panel

• US 5,360,121 A
• Filed: 08/07/1992
• Issued: 11/01/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Marlite Inc (Verzatec SAB de CV)
• Original Assignee: Commerical And Architectural Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Sothman, Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin-Shue, Alvin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PUROL, SARAH L
• Application Number:
  US07/927,142
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 211/87, 211/94, 211/189, 211/90
• US Class Current: 211/87.01
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0846 Display panels or rails with elongated channels; Sliders, brackets, shelves, or the like, slidably attached therein

Abstract

A slotted display wall provides a modified "T" shaped slot having a throat open to the front face of the panel and a vertically extending opening inwardly spaced from said throat, said opening including opposed angled walls extending in both directions from said throat to end extremities, the angled walls being angled toward the back face of the panel from said throat to the extremities, said opening also including end walls joining the extremities of the angled walls and extending to a rearward face spaced from the back face of the panel. The opening provides a relatively deep dimension adjacent to the throat and increasing material thickness between the angled walls and the front face as the angled walls extend from the throat towards their extremities. This permits conventional cantilever brackets to be installed through the slots and provide upper mounting portions which engage the angled walls at a point substantially spaced from the throat where greater material thickness exists. The panels may be formed substantially thinner than prior 3/4 inch thick display wall panels.

Claims

1. A slotted display wall comprising a panel formed of material having horizontally extending vertically spaced slots constructed to allow the installation of cantilever brackets for support of articles, said panel having a predetermined thickness and parallel front and back substantially planar faces, said horizontally extending slots having a modified "T" shape open through said front face, said slots each having a throat open to said front face and extending a depth toward said back face to an inner end, the inner end of said throat joining opposed planar angled walls, said angled walls diverging from said throat in opposite directions to opposed extremities and being angled toward said back face, said throat depth being substantially less than the length of said angled wall, said angled walls increasing in thickness from substantially said throat to substantially said opposed extremities, a slot end wall joining said extremities of said angled walls and extending therefrom toward said back face, said end wall joining an inner slot wall spaced from and parallel to said panel back face.

2. A display wall as set forth in claim 1, wherein said end walls diverge as they extend from the associated of said angled walls toward said inner slot wall.

3. A display wall as set forth in claim 2, wherein said panel is substantially 1/2 inch thick, said inner slot wall is substantially 1/8 of an inch from said back face, and said throat extends about 1/8 of an inch back from said front face.

9. A display wall as set forth in claim 1, wherein each planar wall is formed in a single plane and uniformly increases in thickness from substantially said throat to substantially said opposed extremities.

4. A bracket and slotted display wall panel formed of material having horizontally extending slots constructed to allow the installation of cantilever brackets for support of articles comprising a panel having a pre-determined thickness and parallel front and back substantially planar faces, a plurality of horizontally extending slots having a modified "T" shape open through said front face, said slots each having a throat open to said front face including upper and lower sides extending a depth towards said back face to an inner end, the inner end of said throat joining opposed planar angled walls, said angled walls diverging from said throat in opposite directions to opposed extremities and being angled towards said back face, said throat depth being substantially less than the length of said angled wall, said angled walls increasing in thickness from substantially said throat to substantially said opposed extremities, a slot end wall joining said extremities of said angled walls and extending therefrom toward said back face, said end walls joining an inner slot wall spaced from and parallel to said panel back face, said bracket including a cantilever portion and a mounting structure including:

(a) an offset portion engageable with the lower side of said throat to vertically support said bracket;

(b) a lower portion engageable with said front face of said panel below the associated of such slots; and

(c) an upper portion extending to an end engageable with the upper of said opposed planar angulated walls at a location substantially spaced from said throat where the material thickness between said location and front face is substantially greater than the material thickness at said throat, engagement between said end of said upper portion resisting forward movement of the upper end of said bracket mounting structure and cooperating with the engagement between the lower portion of said bracket mounting structure to maintain a fixed angle of said bracket relative to said front planar face.

5. A bracket and display wall panel as set forth in claim 4, wherein said panel is substantially 1/2 inch thick, said wall is substantially 1/8 inch from said back face, and said throat extends about 1/8 of an inch back from said front face.

6. A bracket and slotted display wall panel as set forth in claim 5, wherein said extremities of said angled walls are about 3/16 of an inch from said front face.

7. A bracket and slotted display wall panel as set forth in claim 4, wherein when said bracket is installed on said panel, said lower portion of said mounting structure is spaced forward from said front face adjacent to the associated throat and engages the front face at a location substantially spaced from the associated throat.

10. A bracket and display wall panel as set forth in claim 4, wherein each planar wall is formed in a single plane and uniformly increases in thickness from substantially said throat to substantially said opposed extremities.

8. In combination, a slotted display wall panel and a cantilever bracket mounted thereon, said combination comprising a wall panel formed of a material having horizontally extending slots constructed to allow the installation of said cantilever brackets for supporting articles, said panel having a predetermined thickness and parallel front and back substantially planar faces, a plurality of horizontally extending vertically spaced slots having a modified "T" shape, said slots each having a throat open to said front face including upper and lower sides extending a depth toward said back face to an inner end, the inner end of said throat joining opposed planar angled walls, said angled walls diverging from said throat in opposite directions to opposed extremities and being angled toward said back face, said throat depth being substantially less than the length of said angled wall, said angled walls increasing in thickness from substantially said throat to substantially said opposed extremities, a slot end wall joining said extremities of each of said angled walls and extending therefrom toward said back face, said end walls joining an inner slot wall spaced from and parallel to said panel back face, said bracket including a cantilever portion and a mounting structure, said mounting structure including:

(a) an offset portion engaging said lower side of said throat to vertically support said bracket;

(b) a lower portion spaced from said front face adjacent to the associated of said throats and engaging said front face at a location spaced below the associated of said throats; and

(c) an upper portion extending to an end engaging the upper of said opposed planar angulated walls at a location substantially spaced from said associated throat where the material thickness between said location and front face is substantially greater than the material thickness at said throat.