Depth and width adjustable display track unit with removable partitions

• US 6,962,260 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2002
• Issued: 11/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marmon Foodservice Technologies Incorporated (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Display Technologies, LLC (Leigh M. Rothschild)
• Inventors: Illers, Martin L., Hanretty, Peter, Menz, Albert, Jay, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMPSON, HUGH B
• Application Number:
  US10/112,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20030132178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,319 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.2, 211/59.3, 211/74, 211/184, 211/51, 211/93, 312/183, 312/71, 312/82, 312/85
• US Class Current: 211/59.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 96/021 Structural features of shelf bases
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/005 Partitions therefore horizontally adjustable A47B57/58; constructional details of drawers A47B88/90

Abstract

An integrally molded display floor for a gravity feed display tray where the floor devoid of integrally molded side walls extending upward therefrom, has front and rear end walls, and a plurality of longitudinal ribs which can receive upward extending partitions which are releasably attachable to the floor and extend longitudinally, thus dividing the display tray into laterally spaced paths. Each display tray has opposite side walls extending downward, and transversely extending beams intersecting the longitudinal ribs. The end walls, side walls, and bottom surfaces of the longitudinal ribs thus establishing a basement where the bottom surfaces of the ribs constitute the ceiling of the basement. This basement is a space suitable for receiving downward extending tabs of the partitions to engage and stabilize such partitions with the display track. The basement also provides suitable space for lateral extending coupling means from one display track to the next for coupling adjacent display tracks to provide a wider transverse area thereof. Furthermore, the basement allows space for further coupling members extending from the rear end of any display track element to the front end of the next for coupling thereto.

Claims

1. An integrally molded display floor devoid of integrally molded side walls upstanding therefrom, comprising:

(a) opposite front and rear ends,

(b) a plurality of laterally spaced apart longitudinally extending ribs connected to said front and rear ends with a longitudinal slot defined between each two adjacent ribs, said ribs having top surfaces which define a top plane of said floor at a first level for supporting products to slide thereon and bottom surfaces which define a second level below said first level,

(c) a pair of opposite side walls connected to said front and rear ends, said side walls having bottom surfaces at a third level below said second level, and

(d) a plurality of longitudinally spaced beams extending transversely between said side walls and intersecting and joining said ribs, said beams having top surfaces at a fourth level below said first level and having bottom surfaces,

said side walls, front and rear walls and bottom surfaces of said ribs defining a basement where said bottom surfaces of said ribs and bottom surfaces of said beams define a discontinuous ceiling of said basement.

2. The floor of claim 1 including at said front end thereof a front lip extending above said top plane to block forward movement of products from said floor.

3. The floor of claim 2, further comprising a pair of display floors releasably coupled to each other in side-by-side relationship, further comprising a lip extender formed as a transverse strip having length essentially the same as the combined transverse widths of said coupled display floors and height greater than that of said front lip, said lip extender situated to overlie and be releasably coupled to said lips of said coupled floors to thereby stiffen the junction therebetween.

4. The floor of claim 3 wherein each of said lips includes an upper edge and a lower edge, and said lip extender has on its rear side a pair of transversely extending and vertically spaced flanges which engage said upper and lower edges respectively.

5. The floor of claim 2 wherein said front lip extends upwardly from the bottom of said ribs.

6. The floor of claim 1 further comprising both length extension means and width extension means at the rear end and at at least one of said side walls respectively for extending the length and width of said floor.

7. A floor according to claim 6 releasably coupled to a second display floor, in side-by-side relationship by said width-extension means, wherein each of said width-extension means comprises a male element extending transversely from a sidewall of one of said floors and a female receptacle formed as part of said basement of the other of said floors.

8. The floor of claim 1 comprising a display tray having at least one laterally spaced pair of integrally molded, relocatable, longitudinally-extending partitions upstanding from said top plane,

said adjacent pair of said partitions and a portion of said track therebetween defining a travel path for products.

9. The floor of claim 8 wherein each said partition defines below a bottom edge thereof a plurality of downwardly-extending half-arrowheads disposed below said top plane and in said basement, for temporary lateral displacement of and downward insertion past segments of an adjacent pair of said ribs for releasably receiving said partition to said display floor.

10. The floor of claim 9 said half-arrowheads are spaced below said bottom edge by the height of said ribs.

11. The floor of claim 10 wherein alternating ones of said half-arrowheads are laterally oriented in opposite directions, and said bottom edge defines a plurality of upwardly-extending slits enabling generally independent lateral movement of said alternating half-arrowheads.

12. The floor of claim 9 wherein each said half-arrowhead has a top surface defining a bevel to facilitate upward removal of said partition from said floor.

13. The floor of claim 8 wherein a bottom edge of said partition additionally includes at the front thereof, first floor-engaging means for engaging said floor to block lifting of said partition from said floor at the front thereof.

14. The floor of claim 13 wherein said floor-engaging means comprises an element extending beneath a front portion of said floor.

15. The floor of claim 13 wherein said first floor-engaging means comprises a finger extending forwardly in the direction of said front end of said floor.

16. The floor of claim 15 wherein said partition additionally includes second floor engaging means similar to and longitudinally spaced rearwardly from said first floor engaging means.

17. The floor of claim 13 wherein each of said partitions further comprises a biasing element engaging said floor and urging said partition forward, thus urging said first floor-engaging means to remain in engagement with said floor and thereby to block lifting of said partition.

18. The floor of claim 8 wherein said basement defines a chamber where said floor forms the ceiling of said basement, and said transversely extending beams define between them sub-chambers of said basement.

19. The floor of claim 8 wherein each of said partitions further comprises at least one downward extending floor-engaging means which is extendable downward between two adjacent ribs for releasable engagement to said floor.

20. A floor of claim 1 wherein said ribs have a generally triangular cross-section with the apex of each triangle pointed upward and the base of the triangle forming part of said basement ceiling.

21. A floor of claim 20 wherein each of said ribs intersects and joins said transversely extending beams such that a portion of said triangle extends above the top of each of said transversely extending beams.

22. A floor of claim 21 wherein each of said triangles extends above said transversely extending beams by approximately one half of the triangle'"'"'s height.

23. A floor of claim 1 positionable on an inclined gondola shelf, said display floor further comprising at its rear end rear attachment means for releasably coupling said display floor to said gondola shelf.

24. A floor according to claim 23 wherein said rear attachment means comprises a pin coupled to said floor and to said gondola shelf.

25. A display floor according to claim 1 wherein said beams have bottom surfaces at a fifth level below said second level and above said third level.

26. A display floor according to claim 1 wherein each of said basement chambers extends transversely substantially the full width said floor.

27. A display floor according to claim 1 wherein said bottom surfaces of said beams lie at said third level.

28. A display floor according to claim 1 wherein for each of said ribs said top surface has area less than the area of said bottom surface.

29. A display floor according to claim 28 wherein said ribs are generally triangular in cross section and oriented with one corner of the triangle at the top.

30. A display floor according to claim 1 having at least two longitudinally extending partitions, each partition comprising a panel with a lower edge, said partitions being attachable in upstanding orientation to said display floor and removable therefrom, said partitions when attached to said display floor being transversely separated from each other and defining between them a travel path for said products on said top surfaces along said floor, each of said partitions further comprising first coupling means at the lower edge of said panel,

said display floor further comprising a plurality of second coupling means, each adapted to receive one of said first coupling means to engage and releasably restrain a partition from disengagement from said display floor.

31. The floor according to claim 30 wherein said ribs are parallel to each other, said lower edge of each of said partitions has a predetermined generally uniform thickness, and wherein the transverse distance between each two adjacent ribs is substantially the same and is slightly greater than said predetermined thickness of said lower edges of said partitions to allow easy insertion of said lower edges of said partitions in between said adjacent ribs for engagement of said partitions of said floor.

32. The floor according to claim 30 wherein said first and second coupling means, when engaged, bar said partition from moving longitudinally toward the front or the rear of said display floor.

33. The floor according to claim 30 wherein said second coupling means comprises a transversely extending beam and said first coupling means comprises a toe part that is slidable under said transversely extending beam of said second coupling means,

said partition being barred from upward movement from said display floor while said toe part is beneath said transversely extending beam of said second coupling means.

34. The floor according to claim 33 wherein said partition further comprises a spring finger having a first, relaxed position where it engages said display floor and bars said partition from moving longitudinally and thus bars said first and second couplings from becoming disengaged, and a second, flexed position where it is disengaged from said display floor and allows said partition to move longitudinally and allows said first and second coupling means to become disengaged.

35. A floor according to claim 34 wherein said spring finger is an integrally molded part of said partition and includes a trigger part pullable by a user to move said finger from said relaxed to said flexed position.

36. A floor according to claim 35 wherein said finger in its relaxed state engages said floor and resiliently urges said partition in said forward direction.

37. A display floor according to claim 1 wherein said ribs are situated parallel to each other and extend substantially the entire width of said display floor.

38. A display floor according to claim 37 wherein the outermost ribs on each side of said display floor comprise the top portions of opposite side walls.

39. A display floor according to claim 37 wherein the transverse distance between each two adjacent ribs is substantially the same.

40. The floor of claim 1 further comprising male and female width extension means on said opposite side walls respectively whereby said floor can be removably attached to a similar floor in side-by-side relationship by coupling of said male width extension means on one floor to said female width extension means on said similar floor.

41. A floor according to claim 40 wherein each of said female width extension means comprises walls defining space within said basement.

42. The floor of claim 1 including marginal longitudinal supports defining adjacent the front thereof a downwardly-opening recess adapted to receive an upstanding front edge of a substrate, whereby said floor can extend forwardly beyond said upstanding front edge of said substrate and serve as a candy blocker.

43. A partition removably attachable to a display floor, which display floor includes a frame formed of a plurality of laterally spaced apart longitudinally extending ribs with a longitudinal slot defined between each two adjacent ribs, and a plurality of transverse beams intersecting and joining said ribs, said partition comprising:

a generally flat panel with a bottom edge and a first coupling means on said bottom edge, said partition having a first position where it is oriented vertically with its bottom edge removably situated in one of said slots and said panel extends upwardly from said floor, and a second position where said panel is displaced longitudinally from said first position and where said first coupling means becomes releasably coupled to one of said transverse beams of said display floor, which coupling bars removal of said partition from said floor until said partition is moved back to said first position.

44. A partition according to claim 43 further comprising latch means extending from said bottom edge of said panel, said latch means having a first state where it engages said floor and bars said panel from moving out of its second position, and a second state where said latch means no longer bars said movement of said partition out of its second position.

45. A partition according to claim 44 wherein said latch is a spring element, and said first and second states comprise relaxed and flexed states respectively of said spring element.

46. A partition according to claim 45 wherein said latch is an integrally molded part of said panel and further comprises a trigger part which when pulled, moves said latch from said relaxed to said flexed state.

47. A partition according to claim 46 wherein said trigger is movable in a generally upward direction from said relaxed to said flexed state.

48. A partition according to claim 45 wherein relaxed state engages said floor and urges said panel in a forward direction.

49. In combination, an integrally molded display floor devoid of integrally molded side walls upstanding therefrom, comprising:

(a) opposite front and rear ends,

(b) a plurality of laterally spaced apart longitudinally extending ribs connected to said front and rear ends with a longitudinal slot defined between each two adjacent ribs, said ribs having top surfaces which define a top plane of said floor at a first level for supporting products to slide thereon and bottom surfaces which define a second level below said first level,

(c) a pair of opposite side walls connected to said front and rear ends, said side walls having bottom surfaces at a third level below said second level, and

(d) a plurality of longitudinally spaced beams extending transversely between said side walls and intersecting and joining said ribs, said beams having top surfaces at a fourth level below said first level and having bottom surfaces,

said side walls, front and rear walls and bottom surfaces of said ribs defining a basement where said bottom surfaces of said ribs and bottom surfaces of said beams define a discontinuous ceiling of said basement, at least two longitudinally extending partitions, each partition comprising a panel with a lower edge, said partitions being attachable in upstanding orientation to said display floor and removable therefrom, said partitions when attached to said display floor being transversely separated from each other and defining between them a travel path for said products on said top surfaces along said floor, each of said partitions further comprising first coupling means at the lower edge of said panel,

said display floor further comprising a plurality of second coupling means, each adapted to receive one of said first coupling means to engage and releasably restrain a partition from disengagement from said display floor, said partition further comprises a spring finger having a first, relaxed position where it engages said display floor and bars said partition from moving in at least one longitudinal direction, and thus bars said first and second couplings from becoming disengaged, and a second, flexed position where it is disengaged from said display floor and allows said partition to move longitudinally and allows said first and second coupling means to become disengaged, wherein said spring finger is an integrally molded part of said partition and includes a trigger part pullable by a user to move said finger from said relaxed to said flexed position.