Product management display system with rail mounting clip

• US 9,060,624 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2014
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Hardy, Stephen N.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOVOSAD, JENNIFER ELEANORE
• Application Number:
  US14/332,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20140339181A1
• Time in Patent Office: 343 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.3, 211/59.2, 211/119.003, 211/4, 211/184, 211 9001- 9004, 211/150, 211/175, 108/61, 108/60, 108/71, 108/6, 312/126, 312/35, 312/61, 312/71, 312/128, 312/131, 312/132, 312/137, 221/227, 221/255, 221/279, 221/75, 221/76, 221/90, 221/242, 221/226, 221/229, 221/231, 221/232, 406/420.1, 406/420.2, 406/25, 406/26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 57/585 with connection means slidable in a rail
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 57/588 by means of shelf bottoms with apertures co-operating with tongues or pins
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 73/00 Bottle cupboards; Bottle racks
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 73/006 with modular arrangements of identical units
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 87/0223 Shelves stackable by means of poles or tubular members as distance-holders therebetween
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 87/0261 Independent trays
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 87/0269 without separate distance holders
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/04 Racks or containers with arrangements for dispensing articles , e.g. by means of gravity or springs
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/12 dispensing from the side of an approximately horizontal stack A47F1/087 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/125 with an article-pushing device
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/126 the pushing device being urged by spring means
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/02 with dispensing arrangements A47F1/04 takes precedence; for cigars or cigarettes A24F15/04; for cigarette papers A24F17/00; for hand towels or toilet paper A47K; for photographic paper G03B; coin-freed G07F
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/14 Display trays or containers combined with racks A47F5/0025; tray partitions A47F5/005; as racks and transportable with merchandise A47F5/108; made of cardboard A47F5/11; stackable A47B87/02; packing boxes used subsequently as display trays B65D
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/005 Partitions therefore horizontally adjustable A47B57/58; constructional details of drawers A47B88/90
• 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: A47F 7/281 for vertically-stacked containers; Stabilising means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B42F 7/12 Stacked trays
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/204 specially adapted to be attached to a shelf or the like

Abstract

A product management display system for merchandising products on a shelf includes a rail mounting clip structure for removably coupling a front rail to a shelf, the shelf having a channel structure extending along a portion of a front edge. Upon removable engagement with the shelf, the front rail may be used to engage with one or more divider and pusher devices configured to display products on a shelf.

Claims

1. A merchandise display system comprising:

a front rail having a rail mounting clip secured to a front end of the front rail, the rail mounting clip having at least one flexure structure configured to engage with a channel that extends along at least a portion of a front edge of a shelf; and

at least one divider configured to engage the front rail, the at least one divider further including a divider wall and a divider floor perpendicular to the divider wall, wherein the divider floor is configured to hold products;

wherein the at least one divider is movable in a lateral direction parallel to the front rail when the at least one divider is engaged with the front rail,

wherein a removable coupling between the front rail and the rail mounting clip results in a planar surface of the front rail having an angle of less than 90 degrees relative to a back wall structure of the rail mounting clip, and

wherein upon engagement of the rail mounting clip with the channel of the shelf, one or more of the front rail and the rail mounting clip flexes to urge the planar surface of the front rail to lie flat on a top surface on the shelf.

2. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein the rail mounting clip is removably mounted to the front rail.

3. The merchandise display system of claim 2 wherein the rail mounting clip is connected to the front rail by an interference fit.

4. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein an elbow bracket structure of the front rail is received into a channel on the rail mounting clip to removably couple the rail mounting clip to the front rail.

5. The merchandise display system of claim 4, wherein the channel on the rail mounting clip is formed between a hook structure and a tongue structure.

6. The merchandise display system of claim 4, wherein a removable coupling of the rail mounting clip to the front rail allows the rail mounting clip to slide relative to the front rail in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal length of the rail mounting clip.

7. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein the rail mounting clip further comprises at least one flange structure extending along a longitudinal length of the rail mounting clip for structural rigidity.

8. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein a removable coupling between the front rail and the rail mounting clip results in a planar surface of the front rail being approximately perpendicular to a back wall structure of the rail mounting clip.

9. The merchandise display system of claim 1, wherein the flexure structure is configured to compress upon engagement of the rail mounting clip with the channel of the shelf.

10. The merchandise display system of claim 9, wherein the rail mounting clip further comprises a back wall structure, the flexure structure further comprises a contact surface, and wherein upon engagement of the rail mounting clip with the channel of the shelf, an interference fit is formed between the contact surface of the flexure structure, the back wall structure of the rail mounting clip, and a front wall and a back wall of the channel.

11. The merchandise display system of claim 1 wherein the front rail and the rail mounting clip are unitarily formed.

12. A merchandise display system comprising:

a front rail coupling system, the front rail coupling system having a front rail section unitarily-formed with a rail mounting clip section, the rail mounting clip section further comprising;

at least one flexure structure configured to engage with a channel that extends along at least a portion of a front edge of a shelf; and

at least one divider configured to engage the front rail section, the at least one divider further including a divider wall and a divider floor perpendicular to the divider wall, wherein the divider floor is configured to hold products,

wherein the at least one divider is movable in a lateral direction parallel to the front rail when the at least one divider is engaged with the front rail,

wherein a planar surface of the front rail section has an angle of less than 90 degrees relative to a back wall structure of the rail mounting clip section, and

wherein upon engagement of the rail mounting clip section with the channel of the shelf, one or more of the front rail section and the rail mounting clip section flexes to urge the planar surface of the front rail to lie flat on a top surface on the shelf.

13. The merchandise display system of claim 12, wherein the rail mounting clip section further comprises at least one flange structure extending along a longitudinal length of the rail mounting clip section for structural rigidity.

14. The merchandise display system of claim 12, wherein the flexure structure is configured to compress upon engagement of the rail mounting clip section with the channel of the shelf.

15. The merchandise display system of claim 14, wherein the rail mounting clip section further comprises a back wall structure, the flexure structure further comprises a contact surface, and wherein upon engagement of the rail mounting clip section with the channel of the shelf, an interference fit is formed between the contact surface of the flexure structure, the back wall structure of the rail mounting clip section, and a front wall and a back wall of the channel.

16. A merchandise display system comprising:

a front rail;

at least one divider configured to engage the front rail, the at least one divider further including a divider wall and a divider floor perpendicular to the divider wall, wherein the divider floor is configured to hold products; and

a rail mounting clip secured to a front end of the front rail, the rail mounting clip having at least one flexible finger structure configured to engage with a channel that extends along at least a portion of a front edge of a shelf,

wherein the at least one divider is movable in a lateral direction parallel to the front rail when the at least one divider is engaged with the front rail

wherein securing the front end of the front rail to the rail mounting clip results in a planar surface of the front rail having an angle of less than 90 degrees relative to a back wall structure of the rail mounting clip, and

wherein upon engagement of the rail mounting clip with the channel of the shelf, one or more of the front rail and the rail mounting clip flexes to urge the planar surface of the front rail to lie flat on a top surface on the shelf.

17. The merchandise display system of claim 16, wherein the at least one flexible finger structure is configured to form an interference fit with the channel of the shelf.

18. The merchandise display system of claim 16 wherein the rail mounting clip is removably coupled to the front rail.

19. The merchandise display system of claim 18, wherein an elbow bracket structure of the front rail is received into a channel on the rail mounting clip to removably couple the rail mounting clip to the front rail.