Abstract:
The present invention allows a user to compartmentalize shelf. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a modular apparatus that allows compartmentalizing a shelf into compartments of various dimensions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    This invention relates generally to compartmentalizing shelves, more particularly, to a modular apparatus that allows compartmentalizing a shelf into compartments of various dimensions.  
           [0003]    2. General Background and State of the Art  
           [0004]    Merchandising shelves have been in use by stores for a number of years. A shelf typically consists of a planar structure attached to some type of back support. This structure allows for the placement of various types of merchandise on the shelf. One of the problems with placing merchandise on a shelf is that the merchandise is not compartmentalized. That is, if an individual desires to place, for example, bottles of different substances on the shelf, there is no compartment and/or divider which separates the different items on a single shelf. Moreover, individuals may easily disorganize and/or misplace items on a shelf. Further, many items sold in general merchandise stores have shapes which are not conducive to mere placement on a shelf, and thus require additional packaging to accent their display.  
           [0005]    Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus to compartmentalize and allow a shelf to be divided into separate compartments of various dimensions.  
         INVENTION SUMMARY  
         [0006]    The present invention solves the aforementioned problems by providing a compartmentalizing apparatus that can be placed onto any type of shelf. The apparatus consists of a base member which is placed on a shelf and dividers which are used to construct compartments of various sizes. There are a number of advantages to the present invention. One of the advantages is that an individual can choose the desired shape, and size of a compartment. Another advantage is that since compartments can be created on a shelf, merchandise can be better organized. Still another advantage is the cost savings because less time from personnel is needed to constantly reorganize merchandise on a shelf.  
           [0007]    The above described and many other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    A detailed description of exemplary embodiments according to the invention will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is an exemplary view of an assembled compartmentalizing apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 2 is an exemplary view of an assembled compartmentalizing apparatus in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 shows the compartmentalizing apparatus in FIG. 2 disassembled;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 shows the divider in the compartmentalizing apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5 shows the front view of a divider of the compartmentalizing apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 shows an orthogonal top view of a base member of the compartmentalizing apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 shows a side view of a information holder of the compartmentalizing apparatus of FIGS. 2 and 3;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 8 shows an alternative embodiment for a compartmentalizing apparatus;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 9 shows the divider in the compartmentalizing apparatus of FIG. 8;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 10A shows a perspective view of an information holder; and  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 10B shows a cross sectional side view of an information holder. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0020]    This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention. The section titles and overall organization of the present detailed description are for the purpose of convenience only and are not intended to limit the present invention.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 1 illustrates by way of example a compartmentalizing apparatus  10  on a shelf  12  having a base  14 , a left vertical divider  16 , a rear sidewall  18 , a middle vertical divider  20 , a horizontal divider  22 , a right vertical divider  24 , and a front sidewall  26 . The front and rear sidewalls  18 ,  26  are preferably interlocking but may be permanently adjoined to the base  14 . The assembly is modular in that the horizontal divider  22  can be positioned at several locations substantially perpendicular to the vertical dividers  16 ,  20 ,  24 . The horizontal divider may also be angled with respect to the vertical diviers. The vertical dividers  16 ,  20 ,  24  can be positioned at several locations substantially perpendicular to the front and rear sidewalls  18 ,  26 . In this exemplary embodiment, four compartments are created by utilizing one horizontal divider and three vertical dividers. Also, two of the vertical dividers  16 ,  24 , function as left and right sidewalls of the base  14 . The use of one horizontal and three vertical dividers to define four compartments is for exemplary purposes only. It is within the scope of the present invention to use only vertical dividers or a plurality of both horizontal and vertical dividers to create compartments of varying dimensions. For example, utilizing two middle vertical dividers or utilizing two horizontal dividers in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 would create six compartments.  
         [0022]    The horizontal divider  22  connects to the left, right, and middle vertical dividers  16 ,  20 ,  24 , at positions  32 ,  32 ′,  32 ″ respectively. Positions  32 ,  32 ′,  32 ″ are shown forming a 90° angle with the bottom edge of the vertical dividers. The horizontal divider may be angled so that positions  32 ,  32 ′,  32 ″ will form an angle greater than or less than 90°. The vertical dividers  16 ,  20 ,  24 , connect to the front and rear sidewalls  16 ,  20 , at positions  30 ,  34 ,  30 ′,  34 ′,  30 ″ and  34 ″. A variety of simple interlocking means known to one skilled in the art may be used. For example, a divider and/or sidewall may include slits which mate with slits on other dividers and/or sidewalls. Alternatively, a divider and/or sidewall may define protrusions or tabs which mate with slots on other dividers and/or sidewalls.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment for a compartmentalizing apparatus of the present invention. A rear sidewall  54  and a front sidewall  56  are adjoined to a rectangular base member  52 . The rear sidewall  54  and the front sidewall  56  may be attached to the rectangular base member with a crease line at the connection area. This would permit the entire base member to be constructed as a planar sheet of material, and allow an assembler to fold up the front and rear sidewalls to construct the apparatus. This would facilitate convenient transportation of the entire base member  52 . Alternatively, the rear sidewall  54  and the front sidewall  56  may be adjoined to the base member  52  as a solid construction. The rectangular base member  52  may be cut to define an opening  66 , though this is not necessary to the present invention. Although the opening  66  is shown as a rectangular opening, any shape may be used.  
         [0024]    Three vertical dividers  58  are shown coupling the front sidewall  54  to the rear sidewalls  56 . A fourth horizontal divider  64  is shown coupling the three vertical dividers  58 ,  60 ,  62  together. It is to be understood that any number of vertical dividers coupling the front and rear sidewalls  54 ,  56  may be used and any number of horizontal dividers coupling the vertical dividers may be used. The left most vertical divider  58  serves as a left sidewall to the apparatus. Accordingly another divider (not shown) may serve as a right sidewall to the apparatus. Although only three vertical dividers  58  are shown in FIG. 2, it is within the scope of the present embodiment to have any number of vertical dividers.  
         [0025]    The vertical dividers  58  connect to the rear sidewall  54  at connection areas  70 , and connect to the front sidewall at areas  74 . The horizontal divider  64  connects to the vertical dividers at connection areas  72 . In the present embodiment, the interlocking connection between the vertical dividers  58  and the rear sidewall  54  and between the vertical dividers  58  and the horizontal divider  64  is realized through slits, both on the rear sidewall  54  and the vertical dividers  58  and the horizontal divider  64 . The interlocking connection between the vertical dividers and the front sidewall is realized through a protrusion which is inserted into a slot.  
         [0026]    In a further embodiment, a information holder  80  is provided to allow an individual to label and categorize merchandise placed in the compartments created by the present invention.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3 shows the compartmentalizing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2 disassembled into individual components. The vertical divider  100  (shown in FIG. 2. as  58 ) is shown having an end slit  102 , a middle slit  104 , and a protrusion  106  with a slit  108 . The horizontal divider  120  is shown having a plurality of slits  122 . The rectangular base member  130  is shown, with a plurality of slits  132 , a plurality of slots  134 , and a rectangular opening  136 .  
         [0028]    The protrusion  106  on the vertical divider  100  is adapted to mate with any one of the slots  134  on the front sidewall  138 . The front sidewall  138  and the rear sidewall  140  are adjoined to the bottom  142  of the rectangular base  130 . The slit  102  on the vertical divider  100  is adapted to mate with any one of the slits  132  on the rear sidewall. When assembling the apparatus, an assembler may first insert the protrusion  106  into a desired slot  134 . During this insertion, the vertical divider  100  is preferably kept perpendicular with the front sidewall  138 . The protrusion  106  on the vertical divider  100  contains a small slit  108  which provides further structural rigidity when mated with a slot  134 . The assembler then mates the end slit  102  with the appropriate slit  132  on the rear sidewall  140 , which corresponds to the slot  134  chosen on the front sidewall  138 . The particular slit  132  on the rear sidewall must correspond to a slot on the front sidewall to ensure that when the vertical divider is installed, it is substantially perpendicular to both the front and rear sidewalls. The assembler may place any desired number of vertical dividers  100  on the rectangular base  130 , based upon the organizational needs for shelving various merchandise.  
         [0029]    Once the vertical dividers are inserted, the assembler attaches the horizontal divider  120  by mating a slit  122  in the horizontal divider with the middle slit  104  in the vertical divider. If multiple vertical dividers  100  are used, the assembler must mate each middle slit  104  with the a slit  122  on the horizontal divider  120 . In an alternative embodiment, the vertical divider  100  may contain any number of middle slits  104  so that more horizontal dividers  120  may be installed.  
         [0030]    The optional information holder  150  (shown in FIG. 2 as  80 ) consists of an elongated planar strip  152  of material with a front portion  156  that acts as a clip. A support strip  154  is adjoined to the planar strip and allows the information holder  150  to rest under the rectangular base member  130  and on top of a shelf. When assembled, the rectangular base member  130  applies pressure to the support strip  154  and keeps the information holder  150  secure in place.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of the vertical divider  100  having an end slit  102 , a middle slit  104 , and a protrusion  106  with a slit  108 .  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 5 shows a front view of the horizontal divider  120  having a plurality of slits  122 .  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 6 shows an orthogonal top view of the rectangular base member  130  with a plurality of slits  132 , a plurality of slots  134 , and a rectangular opening  136 .  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 7 shows a side view of the information holder  150  having an elongated planar strip  152  of material with a front portion  156  that acts as a clip and a support strip  154 .  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention similar to the embodiment described in FIGS. 2 and 3. The present embodiment uses two horizontal dividers  210 ,  220 . Two slits  204 ,  205  on the vertical divider  200  are adapted to mate with the slits  212 ,  222  on the horizontal dividers  210 ,  220 . In the present embodiment, the slits  204 ,  205 , are angled forming an angle  203  of approximately sixty-eight degrees with the edge of the vertical divider. It is not necessary to the invention that the slit angle be sixty-eight degrees. The slit angle may be any angle greater than zero degrees and less than one-hundred and eighty degrees. If multiple vertical dividers  200  are used, the assembler must mate each middle slit  204 ,  205 , with a slit  212 ,  222  on the horizontal dividers  210 ,  220 . In an alternative embodiment, the vertical divider  200  may contain any number of middle slits  204 ,  205  so that more or less of the horizontal dividers  210 ,  220  may be installed.  
         [0036]    The optional information holder  250  (similar to the information holder shown in FIG. 2 as  80 ) consists of an elongated planar strip  252  of material with a middle portion  254  that functions as a first clip with the planar strip  252  and a front portion  256  that functions as a second clip with the middle portion  254 . Any type of information may be placed in the first and second clips such as for example, pricing information, merchandise information, graphics, product labels, etc. A lower support strip  258  is adjoined to the planar strip  252  and allows the information holder  250  to rest under the rectangular base member  242  and on top of a shelf. An upper support strip  260  may be adjoined to the planar strip to provide increased structural rigidity to the information holder  250 . When assembled, the rectangular base member  230  applies pressure to the support strip  258  and keeps the information holder  250  secure in place.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 9 shows a cross sectional view of the vertical divider  200  having an end slit  202 , a first middle slit  204 , a second middle slit  205 , and a protrusion  206  with a slit  208 .  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 10A shows a perspective view of the optional information holder  250  illustrated in FIG. 8.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 10B shows a cross sectional side view of the optional information holder  250  illustrated in FIG. 8.  
         [0040]    A wide range of dimensions and/or sizes may be used in the construction of all of the components of the apparatus of the present invention. Any length, width, height, thickness, slit size, slot size, protrusion size, cut-out size, etc., for the various components may be used. Also, the disclosed shapes of the various components are not intended to limit the present invention. It is within the scope of the present invention to use different geometrical shapes for different components.  
         [0041]    As disclosed, a divider and/or sidewall may include slits, slots, and/or protrusions which mate with slits, slots, and/or protrusions on other dividers and/or sidewalls. However, the system of slits, slots, and protrusions or tabs is not intended to limit the present invention. A variety of mechanical interlocking means on the dividers and the sidewalls known to one skilled in the art may be used.  
         [0042]    All of the components of the apparatus of the present invention may be constructed out of any type of material known to one ordinarily skilled in the art, such as, but not limited to, metals, cardboards, plastics, transparent materials etc. All figures described herein are for exemplary purposes only and are not drawn to scale.  
         [0043]    In closing, it is noted that specific illustrative embodiments of the invention have been disclosed hereinabove. With respect to the claims, it is applicant&#39;s intention that the claims not be interpreted in accordance with the sixth paragraph of 35 U.S.C. §112 unless the term “means” is used following by a functional statement.