Abstract:
Peg board merchandise display space expanders increase usable display space by attaching flat panels having holes of the same size and separation as those in peg board to vertical channels with downwardly extending clasps that are inserted into slots in the channels. Misalignment with existing peg board displays may be prevented by support stabilizers that fit into the channel slots.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to merchandise displays, and in particular to peg board displays that may be combined with shelving. Adjustable shelves are commonly supported on slotted vertical channels. Shelf support brackets are inserted into the slots in the channels, and the location of the shelves can be changed by moving the supporting brackets to different slots in the channels. The unused portion of the channels between shelves is not easily usable for peg board type display of merchandise, and when shelves are entirely removed the full length of a channel may be wasted for merchandise display purposes. 
     OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide improved merchandise displays. 
     Another object is to provide removable attachments that increase peg board display surface areas. 
     An additional object is to provide product display enhancement devices for store displays that permit the use of existing product display hardware. 
     Another object is to provide product display expanding units that can be used and then removed and stored for use again and again. 
     A further object is to provide peg board display enhancers that have holes that can be aligned with the holes in a permanent peg board display. 
     Another object is to provide display expanders for stacking and dispensing numerous product units. 
     Another object is to prevent displayed product from looking disorderly because of misalignment of display devices. 
     A further object is to provide product display equipment that is durable, economical, highly attractive, easy to use and maintain, and which do not possess defects found in similar prior art merchandise display attachments. 
     Other objects and advantages of the merchandise displays incorporating this invention will be found in the specification and claims and the scope of the invention will be set forth in the claims. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view of an embodiment of a merchandise display in accord with this invention. 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged, partially cross sectional side view taken generally along the  2 — 2  in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a is an enlarged plan view of a display expander in accord with this invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the display expander shown in FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 5 is a top view of the display expander shown in FIG.  3 . 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged end view taken generally along the line  6 — 6  in FIG. 2 showing one embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged end view taken corresponding to FIG. 6 showing another embodiment of the invention. 
     FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing another embodiment of a display expander in accord with this invention. 
     FIG. 9 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 8 omitting the product units. 
     FIG. 10 is an enlarged end view taken generally along the line  10 — 10  in FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross section taken generally along the line  11 — 11  in FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 12 is a schematic front view of another embodiment of a display expander in accord with this invention. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The drawing shows a merchandise display  1  in accord with this invention that includes panels  2  of conventional peg board having holes uniformly spaced at predetermined intervals and conventional vertical shelf support channels  3  having slots  4  for shelf support hardware. The space occupied by the channels  3  and the adjacent peg board surface area is often not available for display of merchandise. 
     This invention includes the use of merchandise display expanders  5  whose length and width may be varied to optimally increase the usable peg board space in any specific store. Expanders  5  should be strong and unbendable, and may be made from any flat rigid material such as sheet steel or aluminum, or hard sheet plastic material such as PVC or nylon. Each expander thus will include a hard rigid panel  6  having a front planar surface  7  and a rear planar surface  8 . Holes  10  through panel  6  may have the same size and spacing arrangement as the holes  9  in the peg board used in the particular merchandise display being enhanced by use of this invention. 
     Conventional hardware can be used to display additional merchandise on expanders  5 . For example, a clasp  11  that has a pair of prongs  12  may be used to support a merchandise holder  14  that has a lower arm  15  for holding products  16  mounted on cards  17  and an upper arm  18  for price display. The prongs  12  pass through a pair of holes  10  and bear against the panel rear surface  8 . 
     The expanders  5  are held on the channels  3  by at least one pair of integral anchors  20  that are permanently attached to the rear surface  8  at vertically aligned spaced locations. Each anchor includes a downwardly extending clasp  21  that holds the panel on a channel  3 . The spacing between the anchors  20  corresponds to a multiple of the spacing between the slots  4 , so that the clasps  21  will always be positioned to enter a pair of the slots to attach the expander  5  to a channel  3 . 
     Each expander  5  also includes an integral spacer disk  23  that has one edge  24  attached to the expander rear surface  8 . The opposite edge  25  of each disk  23  will engage the shelf support channel  3  when the expander  5  is in place. This will ensure that the panel  6  will be spaced from the channel and the adjacent peg board a predetermined minimum distance D. The distance D must be sufficient to permit insertion of support hardware prongs, such as the prongs  12 , through the holes  10  without interference with the channel  3  or adjacent peg board  2 . The distance D must also give the hardware prongs enough clearance to move or adjust to the final positions the prongs occupy against the rear surface  8 , and permit removal of the prongs when the display is changed. 
     Each expander  5  may be provided with integral stabilizer bars  27  at the upper end of the anchors  20 . The channel slots  4  will have some predetermined width W. The stabilizer bars  27  have essentially the same width W minus an amount necessary to permit insertion of the stabilizer bars into the slots  4 . As shown in FIG.6, a stabilizer bar may define an essentially L-shaped end section with its anchor  20 . As shown in FIG. 7, a stabilizer bar may define an essentially T-shaped end section with its anchor. The anchors  20  are narrower that the width W of the slots  4 . The stabilizer bars  27  are located above the bottom of the slots  4  when the clasps  21  are engaged. The stabilizer bars prevent the anchors  20  from moving around in the slots  4 . This stabilizes the position and orientation of the expander  5  and prevents, or at least minimizes, misalignment of the holes  10  with the holes in the peg board  2 . This prevents misalignment of the expander  5  and the products displayed thereon, which makes the displayed product look neat and orderly, and uses the display space more efficiently. 
     FIGS. 8-12 show additional embodiments of display expanders  30  in which stacks of individual product units  31  are stored and displayed in an open topped, hollow tube  32 , which may be made from any rigid cylindrical material such as steel or aluminum tubing, or a hard plastic such as PVC or nylon tubing. The tubes  32  are removably attached in the holes  4  of the shelf support channels  3  in the same manner described above with respect to FIGS. 1-7. The units  31  and the tube  32  may be right circular cylinders. 
     Tube  32  has an opening  33  through is outer wall  34  adjacent its bottom end  35 . A shelf  36  closes the tube below the opening  33  for supporting a first stack  29  made up of a number of the product units  31 . One or more additional openings  37  may be located between the top open end  38  of tube  32  and the opening  33 . Each of the additional openings will have another shelf  39  that closes the tube below such additional opening for supporting an other additional stack  40  of the product units. 
     The openings  33  and  37  are dimensioned larger than a predetermined product unit size and extend more than 180 degrees around the circumference of the tube so as to permit quick and easy insertion and removal of of the product units  31 . Product units may be loaded upwardly through the openings  33  and  37  or downwardly through the open top end  38 . Labels  41  that show or identify the product being dispensed may be affixed to the outside of the tube  32 . 
     The tubes  32  are held on the channels  3  by at least one pair of integral anchors  20 , identical to those of FIGS. 1-7, that are permanently attached to the rear surface of the outer wall  34  at vertically aligned spaced locations. Each anchor includes a downwardly extending clasp  21  that holds the tube on a channel  3 . The spacing between the anchors  20  corresponds to a multiple of the spacing between the slots  4 , so that the clasps  21  will always be positioned to enter a pair of the slots to attach the tube  32  to a channel  3 . 
     Each tube  32  may be provided with integral stabilizer bars  27  at the upper end of the anchors  20  that are identical to the stabilizer bars described above. A stabilizer bar may define an essentially L-shaped end section with its anchor  20  like the one in FIG. 6, or an essentially T-shaped end section with its anchor like the one in FIG.  7 . The stabilizer bars prevent the anchors  20  from moving around in the slots  4 . This stabilizes the position and orientation of the tube  32  and prevents, or at least minimizes, misalignment of the tube  32  and the products displayed thereon, which makes the displayed product look neat and orderly, and uses the display space more efficiently. 
     The embodiment of FIG. 12 is identical to the embodiment of FIGS. 8-11 except that this embodiment has only one opening  33  and that opening is located adjacent its bottom end  35 . 
     While the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is not intended to illustrate or describe all of the equivalent forms or ramifications thereof Also, the words used are words of description rather than limitation, and various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.