Devices for mounting and display of electronic labels and the like

• US 6,035,569 A
• Filed: 09/18/1997
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trion Hl LLC
• Original Assignee: Trion Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Josefsson, Borje, Lindstrom, Jan, Nagel, Thomas O., Moser, Richard, Bond, Harold B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dolce, Marcus
• Application Number:
  US08/933,473
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 40/649, 40/651, 40/658, 40/661.03, 248/223.41, 248/224.51, 248/225.11, 248/231.21
• US Class Current: 40/661.03
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0068 Shelf extensions, e.g. fixed on price rail
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0869 Accessories for article-supporting brackets, e.g. price- indicating means, not covered by a single one of groups A47F5/08 pushing means therefor A47F1/128
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/204 specially adapted to be attached to a shelf or the like

Abstract

A label holder and mounting clip for the mounting and display of electronic labels. A label holder of extruded plastic material snugly receives the enclosure of the electronic label which can be protected by a clear cover extending over the front of the label holder at least slightly spaced from the front of the label. A mounting strip is coextruded with the body of the label holder and is flexibly attached thereto by a co-extruded living hinge. Mounting brackets, of spring metal or the like, are received in pricing channels along the front of display shelving, or are otherwise mounted at the front of the shelving, and include a forwardly displaced, upwardly extending mounting tongue received in a downwardly opening slot in the flexibly attached mounting strip. The angle of display of the label may be controlled by inserting an angle bracket into the downwardly opening slot, alongside the tongue of the mounting clip, oriented so that one leg of the angle bracket extends forward and supports the back of the label holder in an upwardly angled position for a better viewing angle. Several different viewing angles are possible by omitting the angle bracket or employing it alternatively in different orientations.

Claims

1. A device for mounting and displaying an electronic label at the front of a product display shelf which comprises,

(a) a label holder formed of plastic material and shaped and sized to receive and display the electronic label,

(b) a mounting strip permanently flexibly attached to an upper portion of said label holder to form a hinged connection therewith and having a back portion disposed rearwardly of a back wall of said label holder,

(c) said back portion being provided with a downwardly opening slot,

(d) a mounting element adapted to be fixed to the front of the product display shelf and having an upwardly extending mounting tongue received in said downwardly opening slot and supporting said label holder in front of the product display shelf,

(e) said label holder having a predetermined length,

(f) said mounting strip extending for a length equal to the length of said label holder,

(g) the mounting tongue of said mounting element having a width, in the direction of the length of said mounting strip, substantially less than the length of said mounting strip, received in a fractional length portion of said mounting strip,

(h) an angle bracket having first and second portions is mounted with one of said first or second portions inserted in the downwardly opening slot of said mounting strip and the other of said first or second portions extending forwardly into contact with a back wall portion of said label holder to support said label holder in position to hold the electronic label at a predetermined viewing angle.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein

(a) the first and second portions of said angle bracket are of different length, and

(b) said first and second portions are alternatively insertable into said downwardly opening slot to support said label holder alternatively at different viewing angles.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein

(a) said angle bracket is formed of resilient plastic material to accommodate limited pivoting motion of said label holder in response to external force.

4. A device for mounting and displaying an electronic label at the front of a product display shelf which comprises,

(a) a label holder formed of plastic material and shaped and sized to receive and display the electronic label,

(b) a mounting strip permanently flexibly attached to an upper portion of said label holder to form a hinged connection therewith and having a portion disposed rearwardly of a back wall of said label holder,

(c) said portion being provided with a downwardly opening slot, and

(d) a mounting element adapted to be fixed to the front of the product display shelf and having an upwardly extending mounting tongue received in said downwardly opening slot and supporting said label holder in front of the product display shelf,

(e) said mounting element being adapted for reception in a pricing channel mounted on the product display shelf,

(f) said mounting element comprises a one-piece section of spring metal material formed with a body portion, upwardly extending portions, downwardly extending portions and said mounting tongue extending outwardly and upwardly from said body portion,

(g) said upwardly and downwardly extending portions and said mounting tongue having end extremities,

(h) the distance between the end extremities of said downwardly extending portions and of said mounting tongue is different than the distance between the end extremities of said downwardly extending portions and said upwardly extending portions,

(i) said mounting element being adapted for installation in the pricing channel alternatively in one orientation, in which the mounting element engages the pricing channel by said upwardly and downwardly extending portions, and a second orientation, in which the mounting element engages the pricing channel by said mounting tongue and said downwardly extending portions.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein

(a) said upwardly extending portions and said mounting tongue are arranged for alternative reception in said downwardly opening slot and are formed with staked-out, downwardly extending tabs for inhibiting removal from said downwardly opening slot.