Adjustable width product display system

• US 6,866,156 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2003
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trion Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Trion Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Moyer, Russell M., Nagel, Thomas O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thompson, II, Hugh B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PUROL, SARAH L
• Application Number:
  US10/406,984
• Publication Number:
  US 20040004047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.2, 211/49.1, 211/59.4, 211/50, 211/51, 211/59.3, 211/175, 211/184, 221/304
• US Class Current: 211/59.3
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/126 the pushing device being urged by spring means

Abstract

An adjustable width product display system which includes spaced-apart front and back display supports formed of an engineering plastic material, suitable for food freezer environments. Formed wire side elements, provided with transversely extending mounting portions, are slideably received in transversely disposed recesses in the plastic display supports. Each display support includes a pair of closely adjacent, parallel recesses for receiving the mounting portions in overlapping relation, providing a wide range of width adjustment to accommodate packages of different size. A wire frame, comprising a pair of elongated wire elements extending from front to back of the display system joins the two display supports in spaced relation. These wire elements also function as an underneath support for product packages confined between the side elements. Laterally adjacent elements can be connected in series by intermediate wire side supports provided with transverse mounting elements extending in opposite directions and engagable in plastic display supports on both sides. Product pusher means are easily incorporated into the product display system either in the form of a preassembled pusher device, or the use of a spring-driven pusher sled mounted on the wire elements connecting the front and back display supports. The system, is ideally suited for food freezer environment, because plastic materials are minimally present in the structure and thus can be of a suitable engineering grade material. Additionally, the open wire structure accommodates free circulation of air in a freezer compartment to help maintain the desired environment throughout the compartment.

Claims

1. An adjustable width product display system, which comprises one or more product display units, each having a front and a back and each comprising

(a) a product support structure comprising spaced apart wire product support elements extending longitudinally from front to back of the display unit,

(b) each said product display unit having longitudinally spaced apart front and back display supports engaging and supporting said product support structure,

(c) said product display unit having a front-to-back longitudinal axis, and said front and back display supports extending generally transversely to said axis,

(d) said display supports being formed of molded plastic material,

(e) said front and back display supports each have upwardly opening grooved portions therein for the snap-in assembly and retention in fixed relation to said longitudinally extending wire product support elements,

(f) said display supports having a width dimension and being formed with first and second overlapping adjacent transverse recesses therein extending substantially throughout the full width dimension of the display supports,

(g) first and second product side supports formed of wire and disposed on opposite sides of said display units,

(h) each of said product side supports including front and back, transversely disposed mounting elements, formed of wire, extending for a length substantially as great as the width dimension of said display supports, and received for independent transverse slideable adjustment within one of said transverse recesses in each of said front and back display supports,

(i) the respective front and back mounting elements of one product side support being received in transverse recesses of the display supports different from the transverse recesses in which mounting elements of the other product side support are received, such that the mounting elements of the respective product side supports, in certain adjusted positions thereof, can be positioned in overlapping relation.

2. A product display system according to claim 1, wherein

said display supports are formed of an acetal polymer suitable for low temperature environment of a food freezer.

3. An adjustable width product display system according to claim 1, wherein

(a) there are two or more such product display units positioned in side-by-side relation,

(b) between each two adjacent such product display units there is a single, intermediate product side support,

(c) said intermediate product side support comprises front and back transverse wire sections adjustably connected to display supports of the two adjacent product display units, joining said adjacent units together in adjustably spaced relation,

(d) said intermediate product side supports each comprising an element extending between said front and back transverse wire sections and serving as a side support.

4. An adjustable width product display system, which comprises one or more product display units, each having a front and a back and each comprising

(a) a product support structure comprising spaced apart wire product support elements extending longitudinally from front to back of the display unit,

(b) longitudinally spaced apart front and back display supports engaging and supporting said product support structure,

(c) said product display unit having a front-to-back longitudinal axis, and said front and back display supports extending generally transversely to said axis,

(d) said display supports being formed of molded plastic material,

(e) said front and back display supports being joined in fixed relation to said longitudinally extending wire product support elements,

(f) said display supports being formed with first and second overlapping adjacent transverse recesses therein,

(g) first and second product side supports formed of wire and disposed on opposite sides of said display units,

(h) each of said product side supports including front and back, transversely disposed mounting elements, formed of wire and received for transverse slideable adjustment within one of said transverse recesses in each of said front and back display supports,

(i) the respective front and back mounting elements of one product side support being received in transverse recesses of the display supports different from the transverse recesses in which mounting elements of the other product side support are received, such that the mounting elements of the respective product side supports, in certain adjusted positions thereof, can be positioned in overlapping relation,

(j) said front and back display supports each having upwardly opening grooved portions therein for the snap-in assembly and retention of said product support structure,

(k) said product support structure including a pair of transverse wire elements connecting front and back end portions of said longitudinally extending wire product support elements, and

(l) the upwardly opening grooved portions of said front and back display supports comprising transversely extending grooves therein for the snap-in assembly of the transverse wire elements.

5. An adjustable width product display system, which comprises one or more product display units, each having a front and a back and each comprising

(a) a product support structure comprising spaced apart wire product support elements extending longitudinally from front to back of the display unit,

(b) each said product display unit having longitudinally spaced apart front and back display supports engaging and supporting said product support structure,

(c) said product display unit having a front-to-back longitudinal axis, and said front and back display supports extending generally transversely to said axis,

(d) said display supports being formed of molded plastic material,

(e) said front and back display supports each have upwardly opening grooved portions therein for the snap-in assembly and retention in fixed relation to said longitudinally extending wire product support elements,

(f) said display supports having a width dimension and being formed with first and second overlapping adjacent transverse recesses therein extending throughout more than one-half of the width dimension of the display supports,

(g) first and second product side supports formed of wire and disposed on opposite sides of said display units,

(h) each of said product side supports including front and back, transversely disposed mounting elements, formed of wire, extending for a length greater than one-half the width dimension of said display supports, and received for independent transverse slideable adjustment within one of said transverse recesses in each of said front and back display supports,

(i) the respective front and back mounting elements of one product side support being received in transverse recesses of the display supports different from the transverse recesses in which mounting elements of the other product side support are received, such that the mounting elements of the respective product side supports, in certain adjusted positions thereof, can be positioned in overlapping relation.