Abstract:
A universal replacement display shelf for refrigerated food cases that may be mounted to food cases having case mounting elements mounted with varying longitudinal spacings for mounting shelves on the food cases. The replacement shelf includes shelf mounting brackets having shelf mounting elements securable to the coacting case mounting elements fixed to the case. The shelf mounting brackets are longitudinally slidable to be adjustably securable to the replacement shelf in accordance with the spacing of the individual food case mounting elements and thereby universally applicable.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an improved Universally Replaceable, Display Shelf for Refrigerated Food Cases as utilized in present day food markets or the like. The principal type of refrigerated food cases under consideration is the open ended type of case that is designed and manufactured to store and display dairy, deli, meat or produce items or frozen foods. These food items are stored on a plurality of shelfs mounted to the food cases and may be readily removed from the shelves of the food cases by the food market&#39;s customers or employees without resorting to opening a food case door to obtain access to a desired food item. These refrigerated food cases are largely used by the supermarket industry. The major suppliers of this type of refrigerated food cases design the cases so that the shelves are not interchangeable so that a replacement shelf must be obtained from the specific manufacturer of the food case. The food market&#39;s purchasing department, must know the manufacturer of the food case and the specific model of case and the size of the shelf to be replaced to place an order for the desired shelf or shelves. 
     In present day supermarkets the refrigerated food cases in many of the markets originate from more than one supplier of refrigerated food cases. In fact, some markets have refrigerated food cases which are no longer being manufactured and sold by the original manufacturer, although the manufacturer may still be in the business. Other markets have such refrigerated food cases that have been refurbished resulting in the identification of the manufacturer and/or model number or the like have been either removed from the food case or covered over rendering it illegible. To further complicate the problem of shelf replacement for these food cases is the fact that the supermarket stores grow in number either due to expansion or new construction and/or acquisition of existing stores or an entire supermarket chain, the need to know the manufacturer and model number or type of each refrigerated food case in each individual market creates a larger and larger problem of inventoring the food cases for shelf replacement. Some of the supermarket food chains extend over a wide geographical area and even in multiple states so that a centrally located purchasing department without specific manufacturing information relating to the food cases or cases that require shelves to be replaced is faced with an enormous problem and usually has no inventory listing of the type of food case, etc. nor the time to take a store by store inventory for this purpose. At the present time, there is no known, replaceable shelf for refrigerated food case that can be used to replace the shelves for all the major manufacturers of these food cases without the need for specific manufacture&#39;s data on each food case in order to effectively replace these shelves in an efficient and expedient manner. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an improved, replacement display shelf for a refrigerated food case that is readily adjustable for use in all presently known refrigerated food cases that may be ordered by merely specifying the desired size of the shelf to be replaced. The improved replacement shelf can be readily and simply installed in a refrigerated food case in a minimum amount of time and without need to resort to the use of highly skilled workers. Once installed, the replacement shelf is continuously maintained in a stable position, even when shelves having depths on the order of 24 inches are required to be mounted to the food case for storing heavy food items such as milk containers (various sizes), butter, eggs and the like. 
     From a broad structural position, the universal replacement display shelf for the refrigerated food cases of the type under consideration comprises a replacement display shelf having a preselected fixed length to extend between a pair of spaced, fixed mounting elements on the food cases and a preselected width along with a pair of shelf brackets adjustably securable adjacent opposite ends of the shelf in accordance with the spacing of the mounting posts and including adjustable means for securably mounting the shelf brackets to the spaced mounting elements for the food cases and thereby the shelf thereto. 
     Specifically, the universal display shelf comprises a reinforced shelf for supporting goods thereon and a pair of shelf brackets adjustably mountable to laterally, spaced, fixed shelf mounting elements having female receptacles for lockably securing the shelf brackets having the coacting male securing elements mountable into said female receptacles. The shelf brackets being constructed and defined for slidable longitudinal, adjustment for securement to the shelf in accordance with the final spacing of the shelf mounting posts to permit the secured shelf to carry and store heavy food items. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
     These and other features of the present invention may be more fully appreciated when considered in the light of the following specification and drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a partial, front elevational view of a typical refrigerated food case having the universal replaceable shelf of the present invention mounted thereon; 
     FIG. 2 is a partial, end view, with portions broken away of a replaceable shelf bracket secured thereto and detached from the refrigerated food case and embodying the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of terminal portion of the detached slide channel and hat for the replaceable shelf illustrated in FIG. 2 along with a portion of the shelf bracket illustrating the relationship of the fastening elements therewith; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, with portions broken away and others in dotted outline, of assembly of the replacement shelf as illustrated in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional view, taken along the line 5--5 of FIG. 4, of the replacement shelf; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional view, taken along the line 6--6 of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is a sectional view, taken along the line 7--7 of FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 8 is a top view of the detached spring nut of FIG. 7; and 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the spring nut taken along the line 9--9 of FIG. 8. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Now referring to the drawings, the presently preferred embodiment of the replaceable shelf S for a refrigerated food case C will be described in detail. The refrigerated food case is of a commercially available construction of the type utilized for the multi-tier display and storage of dairy products, deli products and the like having an open display end to permit a store customer and/or employee to have access to the stored refrigerated products on the shelves, without the need to open a door, as is evident in FIG. 1. For the purposes of facilitating the description and understanding of the present invention, it should be noted that the presently available refrigerated food cases each are provided with spaced, shelf mounting elements each constructed and defined with female shelf mounting receptacles vertically spaced thereon in preselected increments, such as one inch or the like, for mounting the display shelves at the desired elevations in the food cases C. These shelf mounting elements are illustrated in FIG. 1 in a longitudinal spaced relationship on the food case C and identified as the elements ME. A major problem for the supermarket industry is providing a universal replacement display shelf S for the food cases C is due to the fact the shelf mounting elements ME of the different manufacturers are longitudinally spaced at different dimensions L, as seen in FIG. 1, so that the display shelves of different food cases can not be universally used for the food cases of different food case-manufacturers. Accordingly, there is a present need for a universal, replacement display shelf that can be readily and inexpensively mounted to all food case for replacement purposes without the need of inventory data of the manufacturer or manufacturers of the refrigerated food case and/or cases. 
     Referring specifically to FIGS. 2-9 wherein the detailed construction of the universal replacement, display shelf S is illustrated will be described with reference thereto. The shelf S of the present invention has a flat side FS for receiving, storing and displaying the food items thereon. The outer edge of the shelf S may include an aluminum price tag moulding PT secured thereto, as is conventional, illustrated on the left hand side of FIG. 2. The opposite side of the shelf S from the flat side FS is constructed and defined with a plurality of spaced reinforcing means extending between the longitudinal edges of the shelf and secured to the shelf by welding or the like. The reinforcing means are formed of a U-shaped, conventional configuration, commonly referred to as hat sections, and identified in the drawings as hat sections H-1, H-2 and H-3 on the back side BS of the shelf S. The hat section H-2 extends between opposite ends of the shelf S, as illustrated, while the hat sections H-1 and H-3 terminate at a preselected distance from the adjacent ends of the shelf S, see FIGS. 2 and 4. The hat sections H-1 and H-3 mount slide channels therein extending between the opposite longitudinal ends of the shelf S, as best appreciated from viewing FIGS. 2 and 5. The slide channels are identified as the channels S-1 and S-3 for the hat sections H-1 and H-3 respectively and are formed of a U-like configuration interfitting within the respective hat sections and extending outwardly therefrom and terminating at the longitudinal edges of the shelf S. Each slide channel S-1 and S-2 is constructed and defined with integral tracks T spaced from the inner side walls thereof for slidably receiving a fastening element to ride thereon; see FIGS. 3, 6 and 7. 
     The shelf S of the present invention includes a pair shelf brackets SB of the same construction and having a L-cross section and a substantially, triangular configuration, as seen in FIGS. 2-4 . The right hand side of the triangular side, the right hand side thereof, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3 having a plurality of spaced male mounting elements M, spaced apart in accordance with the case mounting elements ME so as to be secured therein and thereby mounting the shelf S to the food case C when the bracket SB is secured to the shelf S. The top sides of the shelf brackets SB have a longitudinally extending securing platform SBT for securing the brackets to the shelf. For this purpose the platforms SBT is provided with a pair of spaced apertures FA arranged to be spaced intermediate the side walls of the slide channels S-1 and S-3. The apertures FA, preferably have an oval like shape for receiving the bolt member BM therein at the threaded stud thereof and with the bolt head engaging the bottom side of the platform SBT. The nut means N of the shelf bracket SB fastening means is threaded to receive the bolt stud of members BM for securing the bracket SB and shelf S together. In this secured arrangement, the nut meansNis slidably received within the slide channels S-1 and S-3 for slidably riding on the tracks T, as shown for the slide channel S-3 in FIGS. 4 and 6. The nut means N is illustrated as a spring nut having a compression spring CS secured to the top side thereof, as illustrated and will be described more fully hereinafter. 
     The nut means N has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional configuration with a substantially central, threaded aperture NA (see FIG. 9) for receiving the threaded shank of the bolt member BM for securing the shelf bracket SB. The compression spring CS mounts on the top side of the nut means N or the side opposite from the bolt head for the bolt member and over the nut aperture NA, see FIGS. 6 and 7, for example. To secure the spring CS to the nut means N, the top side of the nut means has a longitudinally extending notch NO for seating one end of the spring CS; see FIG. 7. The opposite side of the nut means N from the notch NO side is provided with a pair of spaced grooves NG constructed and defined and spaced to slide over the tracks T provided for the slide channels S-1 and S-3. This arrangement secures the shelf S and shelf bracket SB together and allows the adjustment of of the shelf bracket SB by the nut means N sliding over the tracks T to interfit the bracket mounting elements M with the coacting case mounting elements ME and thereby securing the shelf S to the food case C. 
     With the above construction in mind, the ease with which the shelf S can be secured to the food case C will now be described with reference to the variable dimension L for the food case mounting elements ME. At the present time, the major refrigerated food cases available have a maximum spacing of 477/8 inches and a minimum distance of 46 inches. The shelf S of the present invention accomodates this difference of 17/8 inches to render it universally applicable to all of these food cases by the adjustment permitted between the shelf S and the shelf bracket SB through the sliding action of the nut means N on the tracks T of the slide channels S-1 and S-3. When the shelf S is to be mounted to a food case C, the installer loosely secures the shelf bracket SB to the shelf S in a manner to allow longitudinal adjustment of the nut means N. In this loose condition, the shelf S is mounted to the case C by interengaging the mounting elements M of the shelf brackets and the elements ME of the food case. When in this position, the nut means N for the two shelf brackets SB will have been moved in alignment with the case mount elements ME to span the dimension L, whatever it may be. At this time, the installer can tightly secure the four fastening elements or the bolt member BM and the nut means N to finalize the installation.