Abstract:
A display system of having plug-in extended display hooks for hanging products of various widths. A plug-in header module has a bullnose shaped display window for product descriptions and pricing, and extends frontward to the end of the hooks.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) from provisional application No. 60/268,511 filed Feb. 14, 2001. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a display system having long display hooks extending from a surface and to an associated product information display. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosing Under 37 CFR 1.97 and CFR 1.98 
     The merchandise display art generally uses pegboard to mount extended hooks for hanging packages of varying sizes. Pegboard has a mundane and conventional appearance. The Mounting of associated product and price information is problematical because the hooks extend far out from the mounting surface and obscure it from most viewing angles. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a display system having plug-in extended display hooks for hanging products of various widths. A plug-in header module has a bullnose shaped display window for product descriptions and pricing, and extends frontward to the end of the hooks. The system is more flexible in horizontal spacing, more attractive in appearance, and provides a more prominent display of the product information headers. The headers and hooks are more secure than conventional pegboard. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional orthogonal view of the system of the present invention. 
     FIG.  2 . is a similar view showing the parts exploded for clarity. 
     FIG.  3 . is an oblique three-dimensional orthogonal view of a snap mount for mounting the hook on the assembly. 
     FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view thereof. 
     FIG. 5 is a front elevation thereof. 
     FIG. 6 is a side elevation thereof. 
     FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional orthogonal view of the mounting back of the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is a front elevation thereof. 
     FIG. 8A is a bottom plan view, taken in section through plane A of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 8B is a bottom plan taken in section through the plane B of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 8C is a side elevation thereof sectioned through plane C of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 8D is a side elevation thereof sectioned through plane D of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 8E is a top plan view thereof. 
     FIG. 8F is a side elevation in section similar to FIG. 8C but with a hook in place. 
     FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view thereof. 
     FIG. 10 is a three-dimensional orthogonal view of a separate header bar for mounting the bull nose frame. 
     FIG. 11 is a front elevation thereof. 
     FIG. 11A is a bottom plan view taken in section through plane A of FIG.  11 . 
     FIG. 11B is a side elevation sectioned through plane B of FIG. 11 
     FIG. 11C is a bottom plan view thereof. 
     FIG. 11D is a top plan view thereof. 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view of the bullnose header frame. 
     FIG. 12A is a back elevation sectioned through plane A of FIG.  12 . 
     FIG. 12B is a side elevation sectioned through plane B of FIG.  12 . 
     FIG. 12C is a side elevation sectioned through plane C (the centerline) of FIG.  12 . 
     FIG. 13 is a side elevation of said frame. 
     FIG. 14 is a rear elevation of said frame. 
     FIG. 15 is a detail of the area circled in FIG.  12 B. 
     FIG. 16 is a three-dimensional orthogonal view of a bullnose clear cover surface designed for sales information display. 
     FIG. 17 is a front elevation of said bullnose cover. 
     FIG. 17A is a side elevation in section through plane A of FIG.  17 . 
     FIG. 18 is a side elevation thereof. 
     FIG. 19 is a detail of area  19  in FIG.  16 . 
     FIG. 20 is a three-dimensional orthogonal view of the cover&#39;s back. 
     FIG. 21 is a front elevation thereof. 
     FIG. 21A is a side elevation sectioned through plane A of FIG.  21 . 
     FIG. 22 is a side elevation thereof. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the display hook system of the present invention, generally designated  2 . The system comprises a back  4 , to which other elements are mounted. Three extended hooks  11 ,  12  and  13  extend from back  4 , but there are twenty-two holes for accepting various numbers of such hooks in various spacings that may be appropriate to accommodate various package widths. 
     Header module  16  comprises a pair of plugs  17  and  18  which fit into sockets  21  and  22 . Snap tabs  23  and  24  are spring biased to snap into frame sockets  21  and  22 . As in FIG. 2, tabs  23 - 24  have pins  25 - 6  which spring up into slots  27  and  28  which receive pins  25 - 6  and lock header module  16  in place on back  4 . A bullnosed shaped header  30  is provided to provide product information and a secondary header  32  may protrude therefrom. 
     Hooks  11 ,  12  and  13  are preferably molded, or may be press fit, onto hook snaps  41 - 43 . Hook snaps  41 - 43  snap by means of a ball such as  51  shown in FIG. 3 into a plurality of hook sockets  61 - 84  designed to receive said hooks snaps  41 - 43 . 
     FIG. 4 shows a bottom plan view of this snap showing the go shaft of a hook such as  11  molded into the snaps  41 . FIG. 5 shows a front view of snap ball  51  showing how gaps  85  and  86  between ball  51  and pedestal  87  allow snap  51  to compress on insertion into a socket such as  61  (FIG. 2) on back  4  as shown in FIG.  2 . Ridge  53  (FIG. 3) provides a slightly deformable friction surface to provide a tight fit between snap  41  and its hook socket. 
     Orientation tab  88  facilitates proper orientation of the hooks on insertion. 
     FIG. 8F shows how the hook&#39;s snap  41  fits into a socket such as  61 . In order to achieve a proper fit, tab  88 , shown also in FIG. 3 must be oriented downward to properly fit into slot  89  shown also in FIGS. 7 and 9. Ridges  53  provide a snug friction fit and, since they are slightly flexible, deform slightly to apply pressure to the side walls  90  of socket  61 . Ball  51  deforms slightly as it passes past ridge  91  which forms a circular collar, and then the ball head springs out and passes the collar to effect a snap fitting with the socket. A positive a click is heard and now a larger amount of force will be required to remove the ball  51  and the snap mount  41  from the socket  61 . 
     FIGS. 7,  8  and  9  provide more detail of back  4  showing the shapes of the socket  61 - 84 . FIGS. 8A,  8 B and  9  are bottom plan views  8 A and  8 B being in section. FIG. 8E is a top plan view. 
     Slots  27 ,  28  in FIG. 8E are for receiving pins  25 - 26  atop tabs  23 - 4  as on bayonet plug  117  shown in FIGS. 12B and 15. When the plug-in module  16 , shown in FIG. 12, is inserted by its plugs  18  and  17  into sockets  21  and  22 , tabs  23 - 4  bias pins  25 - 26  into slots  27  and  28  so that the bullnose frame  16  bayonet-clips into place on back  4 . To release module  16  from Back  4 , press release buttons  123 - 124  to depress tabs  23 - 24  and thereby lower and disengage pins  110  from slots  27 - 28 . Fogs,  12 - 14 . 
     FIG. 10 is a three dimensional view of a different embodiment of a back panel  200 . This accepts the bullnose header frame without providing sockets for the extended hooks which were shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This header might be placed over a conventional peg board or any other hook or shelf set up where an extended header frame is useful. FIG. 10 shows back panel  200 . FIG. 11 is a front view thereof. Sockets  221  and  222  are similar to sockets  21  and  22  in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 11A, sectioned from below through plane A of FIG. 11, shows the pin receiving slots  227 - 228 , which are shown in the top view of FIG.  11 D. FIG. 11B is taken in section through socket  221 . FIG. 11C is the bottom plan view thereof. 
     FIGS. 16-19 show the bullnose clear cover  30  which comprises a front cover portion  229  detailed in FIGS. 17 through 19, which mates to a back cover  230  detailed in FIGS. 20-22. Back cover  230  snaps behind front cover  229  and pins  231 ,  232  protrude from the ends of the back cover  230 . These pins snap into holes such as  240  shown in FIG. 12C on the bullnose frame. Header information on card stock can then be slipped between the front  229  and back covers  230  that form bullnose  30 . Ridge  250  and groove  252  (FIG. 18) snap into groove  260  and Ridge (FIG. 22) to mate front  229  to back  230  to form bullnose  30 . 
     It can be seen that the aforementioned system provides a flexible configuration for various displays in a more attractive, easily cleaned, easily maintained hook display system.