# Patent

## Title
Article divider assembly

## Abstract

An article divider assembly is provided with a support bracket adapted to be mounted to a retail display. A divider member extends from the support bracket and is sized to extend between a pair of articles at an upper region of the pair of articles to divide the articles without blocking an outward face of the articles. The divider member comprises a proximal end mounted to the support bracket and a distal end extending away from the support bracket. A display bracket is mounted to the distal end of the divider member.

## Background
TECHNICAL FIELD
Various embodiments relate to article divider assemblies for retail displays of articles.
BACKGROUND
Retail displays of shower door assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0325670 A1, which published to Austin, III et al. on Dec. 5, 2013.
SUMMARY
According to at least one embodiment, an article divider assembly is provided with a support bracket adapted to be mounted to a retail display. A divider member extends from the support bracket and is sized to extend between a pair of articles at an upper region of the pair of articles to divide the articles without blocking an outward face of the articles.
According to another embodiment, a retail display is provided with a frame. An article divider assembly is provided with a support bracket mounted to the frame. A divider member extends from the support bracket and is sized to extend between a pair of articles at an upper region of the pair of articles to divide the articles without blocking an outward face of the articles. At least one article is provided in the display adjacent to the divider member.
According to at least another embodiment, an article divider assembly is provided with a support bracket adapted to be mounted to a retail display. A divider member extends from the support bracket and is sized to extend between a pair of articles at an upper region of the pair of articles to divide the articles. The divider member comprises a proximal end mounted to the support bracket and a distal end extending away from the support bracket. A display bracket is mounted to the distal end of the divider member.
According to at least one embodiment, a method for displaying an article provides an article divider assembly with a support bracket mounted to a retail display, and a plurality of divider members extending from the support bracket. An article is provided in the display with an upper region of the article between a pair of divider members without blocking an outward face of the article.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a retail display according to an embodiment, with a plurality of article divider assemblies according to embodiments for dividing retail articles;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an article divider assembly according to an embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the article divider assembly of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a right side elevation view of the article divider assembly of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an article divider assembly according to another embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the article divider assembly of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an article divider assembly according to another embodiment;
FIG. 8 is a front elevation view of the article divider assembly of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an article divider assembly according to another embodiment; and
FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of the article divider assembly of FIG. 9.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Conventional shower door assemblies were retailed preassembled, which resulted in limited design choice combinations, and large packaged assemblies. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0325670 A1, which published to Austin, III et al. on Dec. 5, 2013 discloses a retail display for shower door assemblies, wherein shower door assemblies are retailed in individually packaged components. The individual components may include glass panels, frames, lineals and hardware.
FIG. 1 illustrates a retail display system according to an embodiment and referenced generally by numeral 20. The retail display system 20 includes a frame 22, which may be a conventional point-of-sale frame 22 for displaying retail articles. The frame 22 defines multiple bays, such as bays 24, 26 as depicted for displaying shower door assembly components. The retail display system 20 is provided by, for example, a pair of retail shower door display assemblies 28, 30. The display system 20 is sized to be displayed within a retail store aisle, such as a home improvement store. The display system 20 is utilized for both displaying and retailing shower door components. The frame 22 sized to be received within a retail store aisle; and may be sized the same as conventional shelving for preassembled doors for easy replacement.
Shower door assemblies are conventionally categorized by function or type. For example, shower door assemblies include sliding shower door assemblies 28, which are depicted in the first bay 24 and pivoting shower door assemblies 30, which are depicted in the second bay 26. The first decision a consumer of shower door assemblies may need to decide is which style or category 28, 30 of shower door assembly is desired. Once the consumer selects a category 28, 30 the consumer may approach the corresponding bay 24, 26.
The sliding shower door assembly 28 includes an array of articles or shower door glass panes 32, which may be for sliding tub doors, for example. The shower door glass panes 32 may vary in style. The shower door glass panes 32 each have a standard height, a standard thickness, and a standard width for that application. An array of shower door tracks 34 is provided in the retail display system 20 with standard dimensions for the sliding tub door application. The tracks 34 may also vary in style. The separate packaging permits the customer to select from a large combination of varieties due to the interchangeability of the glass panes 32 and the tracks 34. The tracks 34 depicted may be guide tracks 34 for sliding a pair of shower door glass panes 32 within the guide tracks 34. Alternatively to, or in addition to, the tracks 34 may be frames for the shower door glass panes 32.
The sliding shower door assemblies 28 also include an array of shower door glass panes 36 for sliding shower doors. The shower door glass panes 36 include a standard height, which is typically greater than that for a sliding tub door. The shower door glass panes 36 have a standard thickness, and a standard width, for example, to span up to a forty-eight inch shower door opening.
The sliding shower door assemblies 28 include an array of shower door tracks 38 for the sliding shower door panes 36. Next, an array of shower door hardware 40 is oriented within the second bay 26 of the retail display system 20.
The retail display system 20 also includes an array of shower door glass panes 42 for pivoting shower door assemblies 30. An array of shower tracks and hardware 44 for the pivoting shower door assemblies 30 are also provided.
The retail shower door display system 20 provides a large variation of shower door assemblies 28, 30 without limits provided in prepackaged assemblies. The retail shower door display system 20 allows the consumer to custom configure a shower door based on the consumer's selection. The retail shower door display system 20 enables the consumer to mix and match style, finish, and glass textures for a customized sliding-tub shower door assembly 28, sliding shower door assembly 28 or a pivot shower door assembly 30. The retail shower door display system 20 permits the manufacturer to retail more Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) in the retail shower door display system 20 than would be practical with traditional preassembled and prepackaged shower door assemblies. The consumer can avoid having to lift, carry and transport a single total weight package due to the separation of the components. Consumers can also more readily transport components in vehicles due to an ability to place each packaged component in a vehicle interior and trunk due to separate packaging. Also, the customer can purchase replacement parts without a need to replace an entire shower door assembly in case of component repair when a specific component requires replacement, but the entire assembly does not require replacement. The customer can purchase replacement parts for new remodeling efforts where a glass or frame finish change is desired. The customer can purchase replacement parts for future product maintenance when one or more components require replacement due to wear or damage.
The manufacturer can also avoid steps of shipping the components to a common facility for assembling and packaging. The manufacturer can also more readily maintain inventory; easily add new products to the retail shower door display system 20; and regionalize the product mix.
Conventional preassembled shower door assemblies included packaging with a greater footprint than the packaging of the shower door glass panes 32, 36, 42. The prepackaged, preassembled shower door assemblies had a substantial footprint that was sufficient for supporting the weight of the package and its components. The modularity provided in the retail display system results in packages that have a much thinner footprint, which may result in leaning of one or more articles, such as shower door glass panes 32, 36, 42. As multiple articles lean, the cumulative weight may result in much difficulty in removing one or more articles 32, 36, 42. To prevent the leaning of articles, a plurality of article divider assemblies 46, 48, 50 are mounted to the frame 22 to manage the weight of the articles 32, 36, 42. The article divider assemblies 46, 48, 50 may each individually contact or receive the articles 32, 36, 42 at an upper region of the article 32, 36, 42, above the center of gravity so that the articles 32, 36, 42 stay in place with minimal mechanical effort.
FIGS. 2-4 illustrate an article divider assembly 52 according to an embodiment, which may be employed as any of the article divider assemblies 46, 48, 50 in the retail display system 20 of the prior embodiment. The article divider assembly 52 has a lower support bracket 54 that is sized to receive a cross member of the frame 22 for mounting the article divider assembly 52 to the frame 22. The lower support bracket 54 includes a fastener configuration 56 to match a corresponding fastener configuration in the cross member of the frame 22. A pair of sleeves 58 extend upright from the lower support bracket 54. A pair of posts 60 is received in the sleeves 58 for translation relative to the sleeves 58. An upper support bracket 62 is mounted to the pair of posts 60 and is also sized to receive another cross member of the frame 22. The upper support bracket 62 is adjustable relative to the lower support bracket 54 for expanding to receive a pair of cross members of the frame 22 and for accommodating various beam spacing in frames 22. The upper support bracket 62 also includes a fastener configuration 64 for securing the upper support bracket 62 the frame 22. A fastener configuration 66 is provided engaging the sleeves 58 and the posts 60 for securing the posts 60 relative to the sleeves 58 at an adjusted height.
The article divider assembly 52 includes two divider members 68 for dividing the articles. Each divider member 68 has an upper proximal end 70 mounted to the sleeves 58. A horizontal bar 72 extends forward from the upper proximal end and away from the sleeves 58 to a distal end 74. An angled bar of each article divider member 68 extends to the lower support bracket 54 at a lower proximal end 78. Each divider member 68 may formed from a heavy wire, such as a quarter inch diameter wire, which may be welded at each connection for forming the article divider assembly 52.
A stabilizer bracket 80 is mounted to the distal ends 74 of the divider members 68 to maintain a spacing between the divider members 68. As illustrated in FIG. 3, an intermediate angled bar 82 is provided between the angled bars 76 of the divider members 68. The intermediate angled bar 82 is mounted to the lower support bracket 54 at a proximal end 84, and to the stabilizer bracket 80 at a distal end 86. The intermediate angled bar 82 provides a third divider member 88.
The article divider members 68, 88 are incrementally spaced apart a distance to receive an article, in other words a distance that is greater than a thickness of the article, but less than a thickness of two articles to prevent receipt of more than one article. The article divider members 68, 88 provide lateral support only to the received articles, and do not contact or block an outward facing surface of the article so that a user may merely slide an article into or out of the article divider assembly 52, and consequently the retail display system 20. The stabilizer bracket 80 is oriented spaced above a top surface of the articles for clearance of the articles relative to the stabilizer bracket 80.
A rod 90 is welded to the upper proximal ends 70 of the horizontal bars 72 to add rigidity and maintain spacing. Another rod 92 is welded to the angled bars 76, 82 to add rigidity, and maintain spacing. The lower rod 92 sets a limit for receipt of articles and prevents the articles from being pushed too far into the display system 20.
The stabilizer bracket 80 also functions as a display bracket for receipt of indicia indicative of information regarding a corresponding article. In other words, the stabilizer bracket 80 is sized and shaped for receipt of price stickers. Typically, price stickers are provided on an upper cross member of the frame 22, which may be multiple feet above the associated article, which may lead to confusion associating a price sticker with an article. The stabilizer/display bracket 80 is oriented directly above the article for convenience of the retailer and the purchaser. The stabilizer/display bracket 80 provides an acute angle Θ, such as seventy-five degrees, relative to the horizontal bars 72 so that an outward face is angled downward for improving a viewing angle of the retailer and customer.
By holding the articles individually upright as assisted by the article divider assembly 52, a store associate can more readily determine quantities of stocked products for various styles for restocking and or reordering.
FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate an article divider assembly 94 according to another embodiment. The article divider assembly 94 is similar to the prior embodiment and like elements retain like reference numerals. In contrast, the article divider assembly 94 is wider with two intermediate angled bars 82. Similarly, FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate an article divider assembly 96 according to yet another embodiment with three intermediate angled bars 82. The various embodiments depict that the article divider assemblies 52, 94, 96 are scalable for any number of divider members 68, 88 as an display may require.
FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate an article divider assembly 98 according to yet another embodiment. The article divider assembly 98 is similar to the prior embodiments but is simplified without adjustability. Upper and lower support brackets 100, 102 are both open downward to be concurrently installed onto a pair of cross members of the frame. The article divider assembly 98 includes a plurality of divider members 104 that each include a horizontal bar 106 and an angled bar 108. A pair of rods 110 is provided on the horizontal bars 106 adjacent an upper proximal end of the divider members 104 for spacing and support. Another pair of rods 114 is provided at a distal end 116 of the divider members 104. A lower pair of rods 118 is provided at a lower proximal end 120 of the divider members 104. A stabilizer/display bracket 122 is provided at the distal ends 116 of the divider members 104.
While various embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.

## Claims

1. A retail display assembly comprising:
a frame;
a first support bracket mounted to the frame;
a second support bracket mounted to the frame;
at least two incrementally spaced divider members, each of the at least two incrementally spaced divider members comprising a proximal end with a fixed connection to the first support bracket, each of the at least two incrementally spaced divider members comprising a distal end extending away from the frame, the first support bracket and the second support bracket, and each of the at least two incrementally spaced divider members being sized to extend between a pair of articles at an upper region of the pair of articles to divide the pair of articles without blocking an outward face of the pair of articles;
a stabilizer bracket mounted to the distal ends of the at least two incrementally spaced divider members that are extending from the same first support bracket without blocking the outward face of the pair of articles; and
a pair of articles provided in the retail display assembly adjacent to one of the at least two incrementally spaced divider members and spaced apart by the one of the at least two incrementally spaced divider members, each of the pair of articles having a thickness;
wherein the at least two incrementally spaced divider members are each spaced apart in a direction of the thicknesses of the pair of articles, by a distance that is greater than the thickness of one of the pair of articles; and
wherein the at least two incrementally spaced divider members provide leaning support only to the pair of articles provided in the display.

2. The retail display assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least two incrementally spaced divider members are each spaced apart the distance that is less than a combined thickness of the pair of articles.

3. The retail display assembly of claim 1 wherein the first support bracket comprises an upper support bracket; and
wherein the second support bracket comprises a lower support bracket.

4. The retail display assembly of claim 3 wherein at least one of the upper support bracket and the lower support bracket is adjustable relative to the other.

5. The retail display assembly of claim 3 wherein the at least two incrementally spaced divider members have a fixed connection with the lower support bracket.

6. The retail display assembly of claim 3 wherein the at least two incrementally spaced divider members are welded to the lower support bracket.

7. The retail display assembly of claim 3 wherein the at least two incrementally spaced dividers have a fixed connection with the upper support bracket.

8. The retail display assembly of claim 1 further comprising a display bracket mounted to the distal ends of the at least two incrementally spaced divider members.

9. The retail display assembly of claim 8 wherein indicia indicative of article information is provided on the display bracket.

10. The retail display assembly of claim 8 wherein the display bracket is angled relative to the at least two incrementally spaced divider members to face downward without blocking the outward face of the pair of articles.

11. The retail display assembly of claim 10 wherein the display bracket is provided with an outward display face that is angled downward with an included acute angle from horizontal.

12. The retail display assembly of claim 11 wherein the included acute angle is further defined as a seventy-five degree angle.

13. The retail display assembly of claim 1 wherein the at least two incrementally spaced divider members are provided above a center of gravity of the pair of articles.

14. The retail display assembly of claim 1 wherein the pair of articles comprises a shower door component.

15. An article divider assembly comprising:
a support bracket adapted to be mounted to a retail display;
a pair of divider members extending from the support bracket and each sized to extend between a pair of articles at an upper region of the pair of articles to divide the pair of articles, the pair of divider members being spaced apart to receive one article of the pairs of articles between the pair of divider members, wherein each divider member comprises a proximal end mounted to the support bracket and a distal end extending away from the support bracket; and
a display bracket mounted to the distal ends of the pair of divider members;
wherein the display bracket is provided with an outward display face that is angled downward with an included acute angle from horizontal without blocking an outward face of the pair of articles.

16. The article divider assembly of claim 15 wherein indicia indicative of article information is provided on the display bracket without the display bracket blocking the outward face of the pair of articles.

17. A retail display assembly comprising:
a frame;
at least one article divider assembly according to claim 15 mounted to the frame; and
a pair of articles provided in the display adjacent to at least one of the pair of divider members and spaced apart by the divider member, wherein one of the pair of articles is received between the pair of divider members.