Display fixture with removable arm for use with perforated board

An improved display fixture with a removable arm is provided which allows the user to quickly and easily replenish the fixture with display items in such a manner that the newly loaded display items are positioned at the rear of the display fixture. The display fixture preferably includes a U-shaped base which is attached to an upright display support structure using any convenient means. The display fixture is also provided with arm structure compatible with the desired display merchandise, with the arm being removable from the display fixture such that display merchandise can be replenished by loading the rear connection end of the arm. The U-shaped base is apertured removably receiving the rear end of the arm structure, in a cantilever fashion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention is concerned with an improved display fixture with a 
removable arm especially well suited for the display of a variety of 
merchandise. More particularly, it is concerned with a display fixture 
that is suited for any merchandise where it is desirable to sell the 
oldest merchandise first, such as perishable goods; the removable arm of 
the fixture allows loading of display merchandise at the rearward end of 
the arm so that old merchandise is displayed at the front for first sale, 
while newly loaded merchandise is retained for later sale. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
As any merchant of perishable goods will attest, it is important to sell 
the oldest merchandise first prior to their spoilage. It is therefore 
necessary to place the oldest perishable goods closest to the consumer and 
to restock the new display merchandise behind the older goods. Such a 
procedure is generally referred to as rotating the goods. When the 
merchandise is supported on a display fixture, the rotation procedure can 
be particularly time consuming in that the older goods must first be 
removed, the new merchandise loaded onto the display fixture, and the old 
merchandise put back into a first sale position. 
One type of known display fixture which is particularly inefficient from 
the standpoint of rotation of goods includes the type having the arm 
supporting the display merchandise permanently attached to a base support 
structure presenting a unitary construction. Because with this type of 
display fixture rear loading of merchandise is impossible, they are 
particularly inadequate where the oldest merchandise is sought to be sold 
first, as is the case with perishable goods. Accordingly, there is a real 
and heretofore unsatisfied need in the art for a display fixture that 
permits loading from the rear and, concurrently, adequately displays the 
merchandise. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The problems associated with conventional display fixtures are largely 
overcome by the present invention. Broadly speaking, the display fixture 
of this invention includes a base which is attached to an upright support 
surface using whatever method is convenient and available, an elongated 
arm structure having a free end and a coupleable end for supporting the 
display merchandise, and structure for coupling the arm to the base in a 
supported, cantilever manner. Preferably, the arm structure, when coupled 
with the base, extends outwardly and generally horizontally from the base. 
The coupling structure allows the display arm structure to be locked into 
place for display and yet allows for selective decoupling and removal of 
the arm structure from the base for easy, rearward replenishing and 
rotation of display merchandise. 
In particularly preferred forms, the base is attached to the upright 
support surface by a plurality of angled, space-apart hooks, configured 
and arranged to extend through perforations in the upright support surface 
and engage the rear wall of the support surface. Generally, the arm 
structure has at least one elongated support member having a generally 
L-shaped terminal section at one end which, when inserted through the base 
aperture, retains the arm in place. The base is advantageously generally 
U-shaped in cross section presenting a rearward apertured support 
surface-engaging portion, and a forward portion spaced from and generally 
parallel to, the rearward portion of the base. The forward portion of the 
base preferably has at least one indentation for engaging and supporting 
the extended arm structure, when the terminal section thereof is received 
in the base aperture.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Turning now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-3 illustrate the preferred embodiment 
of the invention, in the form of a display fixture 10 for mounting on an 
upright, perforated support surface 12. Broadly speaking, the display 
fixture 10 includes base structure 14 removably attachable to the surface 
12, attachment means 16 for securing the base structure 14 to the upright 
support surface 12, removable, cantilevered arm structure 18 for 
supporting the display merchandise, and coupling means 20 for receiving 
and supporting the arm structure 18 and permitting the selective 
decoupling thereof. 
Although display fixture 10 may be used with any type of upright support 
surface 12, in particularly preferred forms the upright support surface is 
as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The support surface 12 includes a rear 
face 22, an opposed front face 24 and a plurality of regularly spaced 
perforations 26 extending between the front face 24 and the rear face 22. 
Base structure 14 for attachment to the upright support surface 12 includes 
a body 28 of generally U-shaped cross-sectional configuration presenting a 
rearward, support-engaging portion 30 and a spaced, opposed forward 
portion 32 generally parallel with the rearward portion 30. Turning to 
FIG. 3, it is seen that the forward portion 32 has structure defining at 
least one indentation 34 in the upper margin thereof. In particularly 
preferred forms, the indentation structure 34 presents a pair of outboard, 
laterally spaced-apart indentations 36 separated by a pair of inboard, 
laterally spaced-apart indentations 38. 
The rearward portion 30 of the base structure 14 includes structure 
defining an aperture 40 extending therethrough. In the embodiment of FIG. 
3, the aperture 40 is in the form of an elongated, narrow, generally 
rectangular bottom cutout portion 42 and a shorter, generally rectangular 
upper cutout portion 44 centered in relation to the bottom portion 42 and 
extending upwardly therefrom. Thus, the combination of the upper and 
bottom cutout portions 42, 44 presents a continuous opening. 
The means 16 is utilized to attach base structure 14 to the surface 12. The 
attachment means 16 includes a plurality of spaced-apart, angled hooks 46 
configured and arranged for extending through the perforations 26. As best 
seen in FIG. 2, each hook 46 includes: a first leg 48 adjoining the rear 
face 22 of the upright support surface 12 and extending upward from the 
corresponding perforation 26; a second leg 50, connected to the bottom of 
the first leg 48 by means of a generally right angle bend 52 and extending 
through the corresponding perforation 26; a third leg 54, connected to the 
second leg 50 by a generally right angle bend 56, extending downwardly 
from the second leg 50 and adjoining the front face 24 of the upright 
support surface 12 beneath the corresponding perforation 26; and a fourth 
leg 58, connected to the third leg 54 by a generally right angle bend 60, 
extending outwardly from the front face 24 of the upright support surface 
12 in a generally horizontal fashion, the outer end of the fourth leg 58 
being connected to the rearward portion 30 of the base structure 14 as 
shown. In this regard it is seen that the rearward portion 30 is obliquely 
oriented relative to the fourth leg 58 in engagement with the front face 
24 of the upright support surface 12 at a point below the fourth leg 48. 
Elongated arm structure 18 has a free end 62 and a coupleable end 64. The 
arm structure 18 presents a pair of parallel, spaced-apart, interconnected 
support members 66 each with a corresponding terminal section of generally 
L-shaped configuration 68 at the coupleable end thereof. 
In use, the display fixture 10 is fastened to the support surface 12 by the 
insertion of the hooks 46. In the preferred embodiment the support members 
66 of the arm structure 18 are manually compressed toward each other for 
insertion into, and removal from, the aperture 40. It should be 
appreciated that when the arm structure 18 is in the compressed position 
it may be inserted and removed by clearing inboard indentations 38 with 
the L-shaped terminal sections 68 extending through the aperture 40 via 
the upper cutout 44. The inserted arm structure 18 is coupled when 
released from the compressed position, allowing the L-shaped terminal 
sections 68 to engage the base body 28 and the support members 66 to be 
secured in outboard indentations 36. The arm structure 18 in the coupled 
position presents a supported cantilevered structure extending outwardly 
and generally horizontally from the base 14 and thus is capable of 
supporting display merchandise. For replenishment of the display 
merchandise, the coupleable end 64 is again compressed allowing decoupling 
from the base for reloading at the coupleable end 64. 
Turning now to FIGS. 4-6, the second embodiment of the invention is 
illustrated. In this case the arm structure 18 consists of a single 
support member 66 with an L-shaped terminal section 68 at the coupleable 
end 64 thereof. The indentation structure 34 in the forward base portion 
32 includes a single, centrally located indentation 70 of sufficient size 
to accommodate the arm structure support member 66. The aperture 40 is 
configured to present a singular, generally rectangular cutout portion 72 
having a width 74 slightly greater than the cross section of the arm 
structure support member 66 and a length 76 sufficient to accommodate the 
insertion of the L-shaped terminal section 68 of the arm structure support 
member 66. A groove 78 is incorporated into the back of rear base portion 
30 generally perpendicular to the aperture 40. All other portions of the 
display fixture 10 are identical with the first-described embodiment, and 
accordingly, the corresponding reference numerals have been applied. 
In practice the operation of the second embodiment is similar to the first 
embodiment with the method of coupling and decoupling being the greatest 
dissimilarity. In the second embodiment the support member 66 is coupled 
to the base structure 14 by inserting the L-shaped terminal section 68 
through the aperture 40. The terminal section 68 is then locked into 
groove 78 by rotating the support member 66 one quarter turn. The support 
member 66 is additionally supported by the single indentation 70 in the 
forward base portion 32. Decoupling is accomplished by reversing the 
procedure. 
It will thus be seen that the present invention provides an improved 
display fixture with a removable arm which allows the user to quickly and 
easily replenish the fixture with display items in such a manner that the 
newly loaded display items are positioned at the rear of the display 
fixture. This design substantially solves many of the problems which have 
heretofore been experienced with conventional display fixtures.