Lifting system for display cases

A system for lifting of store shelves with merchandise on the shelves. The system employs a lifting member formed of two opposing cross members which sandwich support members of store shelving therebetween. Projecting forks from the two cross members engage sleeves on opposite sides of leveling feet which project from the support member of the shelf toward the floor. Jacks engaged to both sides of each lifting member elevate the shelf with the lifting members in engagement with each support member of the shelf.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to lifting components for shelving. More particularly, it relates to an adjustable member adaptable to engage large storage and display structures such as retail store display cases commonly known as gondolas, which employ a system of legs for support of shelves on a floor surface.

2. Prior Art

Storage and display shelving and cases are conventionally employed to display goods for customers visiting the store. Because floor space in most retail stores is at such a premium, and in order to conserve floor space in retail and commercial situations and to provide better viewing and access to products, shelving is commonly employed to hold products. In a retail setting such shelving is generally arranged to form aisles for customers to traverse through adjacent shelf structures. The vertically stacked shelves in this configuration give the customers and users a much better view of the products being stored and allow for much more merchandise to be displayed above a small footprint on the floor.

All such shelving and cabinets must be structurally configured to support the load of merchandise intended. This structural support, being generally metal, makes the shelving heavy. The elevated inventory on the shelves can increase the total weight of the shelf supporting it to a multiple many times that of the shelf itself.

A vexing problem of such shelving, by nature of its need to support a load, is the elevated weight rendering the shelves ungainly. This is especially true when such shelving is loaded with heavy products for sale such as canned goods in a supermarket or in warehouse situations where large heavy articles are stored on very tall shelves.

A variety of jacks and dollies have been introduced in the past, most of which pertain to the lifting of shelving which employs vertical support legs with an adjustable leveling foot extending from a bottom end. However, most conventional products used for this purpose fail to provide a unified system of components, to lift, move, and subsequently re-place the shelf in position. Instead, conventional systems employ various jacks, forklifts and such for the purpose. This results in much time wasted and often damaged shelving from the ill-designed devices employed.

This is especially true when the moving of shelves is required during the remodeling or renovation of retail stores such as grocery stores, drug stores and the like. Warehouses are also frequently reorganized and require movement of the ungainly pallet holding shelves which hold heavy elevated loads.

During such a reorganizing or remodeling process it is often necessary to move pallet type shelving or large display cases, conventionally known as gondolas, which hold everything from tooth paste to canned soup. Moving them generally requires repositioning the shelves or gondolas from one part of the store to another. Often during a store remodeling or warehouse reorganizing process, the shelves will need to be moved multiple times to allow for various phases of construction and repositioning of merchandise to new locations.

The placement of heavy products on the shelves in an elevated position from the floor also makes the shelves ungainly and predisposed to tip when elevated with products remaining on the shelves. However, with the cost of labor and time involved, removing and replacing the products each time the display case is to be relocated can be especially expensive and can also play havoc with the short time schedules allotted for the remodeling process to minimize lost sales. As such, the ability to move display cases and other heavy storage devices while fully loaded with products or other stored items is highly desirable.

Various dollies and jacks have been provided in the past for lifting and moving such shelving. Consequently, transport by floor jack or flat dollies is not an option. However such lifting devices generally only engage part of the shelf being lifted placing great strain on the shelf structural components which may not have been originally intended by the shelf manufacturer.

As a consequence, there is a continuing unmet need for an improved device and system of components which provides for easy, quick, and safe movement of large heavily loaded pallet shelving in warehouses and store display cases and gondolas. Such a system should be easily customized to lift different shelves having different widths. Additionally, such a system should engage cross members of the shelf being lifted in a manner to allow the members to fully support the load of the shelf as designed and not risk structural failure by attaching to only a portion thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The device and method herein disclosed and described achieves the above-mentioned goals through the provision of an adaptive lifting system which provides for a full length engagement of foot-elevated cross members conventionally employed to support such shelving. Using a system of length-adjustable lifting members, which adapt to engage cross members of the existing shelf, and concurrently engage around projecting leveling feet of the existing shelf, the device and method herein allow for lifting and movement of such shelves while fully loaded. Engaging a plurality of small wheeled dollies to the lifting members once securely engaged to the existing shelves, allows for the heavy and loaded shelves, to be easily moved at will.

The lifting members are especially well adapted to the task at hand in that each is formed of a pair of members which engage around the projecting leveling feet of the shelf to provide a full support of the shelf cross member during lifting. This engagement also allows for the adjustment feet to reposition on the floor subsequent to being lifted to support the shelf.

In one mode of the device, the device members supporting the existing shelf cross members are adjustable for length and for the on-site engagement around the projecting leveling feet extending below the shelf cross members to the floor. The two cross members are adapted to easily lock in an engagement to form a single lifting member using projecting forks on each cross member to engage sleeves in the opposite cross member forming the lifting member. The forks are slidably engaged to allow positioning on opposing sides of each leveling foot of the shelf member allowing these feet to stay in place for the duration of the move. Once engaged to the existing shelf, the lifting member formed of the two cross members is easily engaged to a dolly having a jack to elevate lifting members and the shelf and move it about the venue, even when loaded with merchandise upon it.

With respect to the above description, before explaining at least one preferred embodiment of the herein disclosed invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention herein described is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception upon which this disclosure is based may readily be utilized as a basis for designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present disclosed device. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent construction and methodology insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved system for the moving of shelving and storage racks and the like that provides lifting members which fully engage the horizontal cross members of the shelf.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide such a system wherein the lifting members are adapted to engage around the adjustable downward-projecting leveling feet extending from the horizontal members of the existing shelving to the floor.

A further object of this invention is the provision of such a lifting system wherein the formed lifting member is easily engaged to a dolly and jack to allow for lifting and transport of the shelf.

These together with other objects and advantages which become subsequently apparent reside in the details of the construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

Referring now to the drawings ofFIGS. 1-5, the device10is depicted in various views which make the structure and function of the device10clear to those skilled in the art. As disclosed herein the device10is adapted to engage horizontal support beams11and support posts12of conventional gondolas and shelves for movement of the shelf with or without the merchandise thereon. Conventionally, such vertically disposed support posts12and horizontally disposed support beams11, are generally hidden from view behind kick plates which extend between the lowest shelf of the structure and the floor supporting it.

FIG. 1depicts a perspective view of a preferred mode of the device10showing the lifting member14formed of two opposing cross members16and18with engageable dollies20engaged to the lifting member14.

FIG. 2is a perspective bottom view of the lifting member14showing the projecting forks22of two cross members16and18forming the lifting member14engaging sleeves24on opposite sides of projecting leveling feet26of the shelf beam11. Such feet26are employed to level the shelf on the floor of the store and project between the floor and the shelf beam11.

FIG. 3shows an exploded view of the two cross members16and18positioned for an engagement around the horizontal shelf shelf beam11with the forks22slidably adjustable on the cross members16and18to allow adjustment to a positions to abut both sides of the projecting leveling feet26extending from the beam11. In use, the two cross members16and18are adjusted for length by sliding a first component30in its translational engagement with a second component31and then sliding the forks22to the proper position to engage opposing sleeves24on the other cross member forming the lifting member14. Once so adjusted the two cross members16and18are engaged in a sandwiched engagement around the horizontal shelf beam11with the forks20supporting the beam11at positions adjacent to each foot26. Locating pins33serve to engage the first and second components of each cross member16and18at the correct length for the job.

Also shown inFIG. 3are interfaces38adapted to engage the distal ends of the formed lifting member14and to engage with a dolly20which has a jack40engaged upon it. So engaged to the lifting member14the jacks40are activated to elevate the lifting member14and the shelf beam11and hence the shelf.

Of course those skilled in the art, on reading this disclosure will realize that other means to engage and lift both ends of the lifting member14when attached to the shelf beam11may be used since the beam11is engaged at the appropriate points to support the load of the shelf as intended. All such lifting means as would occur to those skilled in the are anticipated within the scope of this patent.

FIG. 4a-4cdepict top side and bottom views of the formed lifting member14engaged to a dolly20and engaged in a sandwiched engagement around the horizontal shelf beam11. The two cross members16and18are positioned by the slidable engagement of the forks22with opposing sleeves24at points immediately adjacent to the feet26extending below the beam11. Length of the adjustable lifting member14is held by the locking pins33engaged with apertures35positioned and communicating through respective first components30.

This sandwiched engagement of the lifting member14around the beam11is easily accomplished by removing the kick plate from the shelf if it has one, and sliding the properly lengthened cross members16and18under the shelf and then engaging the forks22of one cross member into the sleeves24of the other with the forks22and sleeves24slid to positions adjacent to the feet26.

As can be discerned fromFIG. 5, the sleeves24and forks22are on a slidable collar25to allow them to be translated to the proper positions and will move together so they will align with opposing sleeves24and forks22. To obtain the proper length of the lifting member14initially the first component30and second component31of each member are translated in their slidable engagement to the proper position. Thereafter the locking pin33is engaged in an aperture35. Subsequently the forks22are positioned and the two cross members16and18are engaged in their sandwiched attachment to the shelf horizontal beam11.