Replacement track for display rack

• US 5,695,077 A
• Filed: 09/18/1996
• Issued: 12/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Display Technologies, LLC (Leigh M. Rothschild)
• Original Assignee: Display Technologies, Inc. (Rhode Island)
• Inventors: Jay, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): GIBSON, ROBERT W
• Application Number:
  US08/715,875
• Time in Patent Office: 447 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.2, 211/59.3, 211/183, 211/175, 312/42, 312/45, 312/60, 403/329
• US Class Current: 211/59.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/12 dispensing from the side of an approximately horizontal stack A47F1/087 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0043 Show shelves shelves in general A47B96/02; brackets or similar shelf-supporting means A47B96/06; advertising or price indication G09F

Abstract

A replacement track is specially designed for a display rack channel devoid of any upstanding front lip. In one embodiment, the replacement track is provided with removable longitudinal segments in the front portion to allow a reduction in the longitudinal length of the track member to fit in a channel, and the back end of the replacement track is enlarged either in width or in height relative to a back end of the channel, so as to limit by abutment therewith the forward movement of the replacement track in the channel. In another embodiment, the replacement track is provided with removable longitudinal segments in the back portion to allow a reduction in the longitudinal length of the track member to fit in a channel and outwardly biased spring fingers extending along the longitudinal edges of the replacement track include locking means which engage cooperating locking means on the sidewalls of the channels to limit forward movement of the replacement track relative to the channel when the locking means interengage.

Claims

1. A replacement track for a display rack channel devoid of any upstanding front lip, said replacement track comprising:

a generally planar, at least slightly flexible, longitudinally elongate track member defining a front portion, a back portion and a body portion connecting said front and back portions;

(i) said front portion defining a wedge-shaped front for lifting articles supported by an existing track of a channel above the existing track and onto said front portion as said front portion is moved between the articles and the existing track,

said front portion defines a plurality of removable longitudinal segments with wedge-shaped fronts for enabling a reduction in the longitudinal length of said track member to fit in a channel, said front portion segments being successively removable for variably reducing the longitudinal length of said track member; and

(ii) said body portion defining a top surface, a bottom surface and a pair of longitudinal edges connecting said top and bottom surfaces, said body portion having biasing means on each longitudinal edge thereof for centering and maintaining said track member in a channel, said biasing means being outwardly biased spring fingers extending outwardly from said longitudinal edges of said body portion a variable distance so that said replacement track fits a variety of channels of different widths.

2. The replacement track of claim 1 wherein each of said wedge-shaped fronts is generally convexly shaped.

3. The replacement track of claim 1 wherein at least said body portion defines on both said top and bottom surfaces thereof slide means for reducing the friction generated by an article sliding thereover, whereby said replacement track may be used in a regular or inverted orientation in the channel.

4. The replacement track of claim 3 wherein said slide means are a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending ridges.

5. The replacement track of claim 3 wherein said front and back portions of said track member also define said slide means on the top and bottom surfaces thereof.

11. A display rack comprising:

(A) a channel having a transversely spaced pair of upstanding, longitudinally elongate sidewalls and a transversely extending, longitudinally elongate track joining said sidewalls, said channel having a back end and being devoid of any upstanding front lip; and

(B) the replacement track of claim 1 intermediate said sidewalls and supported by said elongate track.

6. A replacement track for a display rack channel devoid of any upstanding front lip, said replacement track comprising:

a generally planar, at least slightly flexible, longitudinally elongate track member defining a front portion, a back portion and a body portion connecting said front and back portions;

(i) said front portion defining a wedge-shaped front for lifting articles supported by an existing track of a channel above the existing track and onto said front portion as said front portion is moved between the articles and the existing track,

said front portion defines a plurality of removable longitudinal segments with wedge-shaped fronts for enabling a reduction in the longitudinal length of said track member to fit in a channel, said front portion segments being successively removable for variably reducing the longitudinal length of said track member and

(ii) said body portion defining a top surface, a bottom surface and a pair of longitudinal edges connecting said top and bottom surfaces, said body portion having biasing means on each longitudinal edge thereof for centering and maintaining said track member in a channel, said biasing means being outwardly biased spring fingers extending outwardly from said longitudinal edges of said body portion a variable distance so that said replacement track fits a variety of channels of different widths;

said back portion of said track member having a back end enlarged in width relative to a back end of the channel to limit by abutment therewith the forward movement of said replacement track in the channel.

7. The replacement track of claim 6 wherein said track back end abuts both sides of the channel back end.

18. A display rack comprising:

(A) a channel having a transversely spaced pair of upstanding, longitudinally elongate sidewalls and a transversely extending, longitudinally elongate track joining said sidewalls, said channel having a back end and being devoid of any upstanding front lip; and

(B) the replacement track of claim 6 intermediate said sidewalls and supported by said elongate track.

20. The display rack of claim 18 wherein said track back end abuts both sides of said channel back end.

8. A replacement track for a display rack channel devoid of any upstanding front lip, said replacement track comprising:

a generally planar, at least slightly flexible, longitudinally elongate track member defining a front portion, a back portion and a body portion connecting said front and back portions;

(i) said front portion defining a wedge-shaped front for lifting articles supported by an existing track of a channel above the existing track and onto said front portion as said front portion is moved between the articles and the existing track,

said front portion defines a plurality of removable longitudinal segments with wedge-shaped fronts for enabling a reduction in the longitudinal length of said track member to fit in a channel, said front portion segments being successively removable for variably reducing the longitudinal length of said track member; and

(ii) said body portion defining a top surface, a bottom surface and a pair of longitudinal edges connecting said top and bottom surfaces, said body portion having biasing means on each longitudinal edge thereof for centering and maintaining said track member in a channel, said biasing means being outwardly biased spring fingers extending outwardly from said longitudinal edges of said body portion a variable distance so that said replacement track fits a variety of channels of different widths;

said back portion of said track member having a back end enlarged in height relative to a back end of the channel to limit by abutment therewith the forward movement of said replacement track in the channel.

9. The replacement track of claim 8 wherein said track back end defines a depending lug.

10. The replacement track of claim 9 wherein said track back end also defines an upstanding lug for use as the "depending" lug when said track replacement is used in an inverted orientation.

19. A display rack comprising:

(A) a channel having a transversely spaced pair of upstanding, longitudinally elongate sidewalls and a transversely extending, longitudinally elongate track joining said sidewalls, said channel having a back end and being devoid of any upstanding front lip; and

(B) the replacement track of claim 8 intermediate said sidewalls and supported by said elongate track.

21. The display rack of claim 19 wherein said track back end defines a depending lug.

12. A replacement track for a display rack channel devoid of any upstanding front lip, said replacement track comprising:

a generally planar, at least slightly flexible, longitudinally elongate track member defining a front portion, a back portion and a body portion connecting said front and back portions;

(i) said front portion defining a wedge-shaped front for lifting articles supported by an existing track of a channel above the existing track and onto said front portion as said front portion is moved between the articles and the existing track,

(ii) said back portion defining a plurality of removable longitudinal segments for enabling a reduction in the longitudinal length of said track member to fit in a channel, said back portion segments being successively removable for variably reducing the longitudinal length of said track member; and

(iii) said body portion defining a top surface, a bottom surface and a pair of longitudinal edges connecting said top and bottom surfaces, said body portion having biasing means on each longitudinal edge thereof for centering and maintaining said track member in a channel, said biasing means including a plurality of longitudinally spaced pairs of outwardly biased spring fingers extending outwardly from said longitudinal edges of said body portion a variable distance so that said replacement track fits a variety of channels of different widths, one and only one of said pairs of spring fingers includes outwardly projecting engaging means for engaging with a cooperating inwardly projecting engaging means of the channel sidewalls to limit the forward movement of said replacement track in the channel when the engaging means interengage.

13. The replacement track of claim 12 wherein said wedge-shaped front is generally convexly shaped.

14. The replacement track of claim 12 wherein at least said body portion defines on both said top and bottom surfaces thereof slide means for reducing the friction generated by an article sliding thereover, whereby said replacement track may be used in a regular or inverted orientation in the channel.

15. The replacement track of claim 14 wherein said slide means are a plurality of parallel, longitudinally extending ridges.

16. The replacement track of claim 14 wherein said front and back portions of said track member also define said slide means on the top and bottom surfaces thereof.

17. A display rack comprising:

(A) a channel having a transversely spaced pair of upstanding, longitudinally elongate sidewalls and a transversely extending, longitudinally elongate track joining said sidewalls, said channel being devoid of any upstanding front lip and having an inwardly projecting engaging means on each of said sidewalls for cooperating with said outwardly projecting engaging means of said spring fingers to limit the forward movement of said replacement track in said channel; and

(B) the replacement track of claim 12 intermediate said sidewalls and supported by said elongate track.

22. The display rack of claim 15 wherein said track back end also defines an upstanding lug for use as the "depending" lug when said track replacement is used in an inverted orientation.