Abstract:
Modular display racks, which are easily configurable, have interchangeable components, and are capable of being packaged and shipped in small containers, are described. Preferred methods for using modular display racks are also disclosed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims the benefit of provisional application No. 60/349,940 entitled “MODULAR DISPLAY RACK SYSTEM” filed Jan. 18, 2002, the content of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     Modular display racks discussed herein generally relate to display racks for displaying merchandise items and, more specifically, to modular display racks that may be assemble and disassemble into different configurations. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Display racks having one or multiple display ladders are widely used in retail shops and departments stores to display merchandise such as clothing, toys, and food. FIG. 1 is a semi-schematic isometric drawing of a prior-art ladder style display rack. Ladder style display racks, such as that shown in FIG. 1, are generally designed to be used with hangrail brackets  11  and shelf brackets (not shown). These hangrail brackets  11  and shelf brackets (not shown) engage the individual ladder steps  2  and provide extensions (similar to a shelf or an arm) to which hangers and folded clothing may be hung or spread out for display. 
     There are several disadvantages with the illustrated prior art display rack  1 . Among other things, the prior art display rack includes a welded upper rack portion  3  and a welded lower base portion  4 . The welded upper portion  3  includes ladders  5  joined together by a plurality of lateral support bars  6 . Because the joints between the lateral support bars  6  and the ladders  5  are welded, the upper portion  3  may be often quite large and heavy depending on the number of ladders used. 
     The base portion  4  may similarly be imposing to an individual handling and shipping the rack assembly  1 . The base portion  4  includes two end stabilizer bars  7  joined together by a cross-bar  8 . The end stabilizer bars  7  are usually also equipped with casters  9 . Thus, packaging and finding available couriers to transport the prior art rack system  1  may be burdensome. 
     Another deficiency with the illustrated prior art display rack  1  is that the welded joints between the stabilizer bars  7  and the ladders  5  may sometime crack or break due to the overall weight of the rack system  1 . In addition, due to the reasons discussed above, the rack system  1  may overall be heavy and difficult to manipulate. Furthermore, each configuration of the ladder rack system (i.e., a single ladder rack, a two ladder rack, a three ladder rack, and on occasions, a four ladder rack) requires separate inventory and production. This may be both expensive to produce and more difficult to minimize inventory. Among other things, several production procedures may be required for different rack configurations, making production more costly. Also, predicting which rack configuration to store may not be easy since the configuration that a customer is most likely to order may generally not be predicted. This may lead to the production and storage of multiple rack system with different configurations. 
     Accordingly, there remains a need for a modular display rack that is easily modifiable into different configurations. Such a modular display rack should, to the extent possible, be easier to assemble and disassemble then the display racks in the prior art. 
     SUMMARY 
     From a rack manufacturer&#39;s standpoint, display racks that are easy to assemble and disassemble have additional benefits. Racks of this type simplify inventory and are easier to package and ship via carriers such as UPS® and Federal Express®. In addition, modular racks that are capable of reducing into smaller components are easier to handle and require fewer workers and machines to manipulate. Such manipulation includes removing the components from their shelves and then packaging them for shipping. 
     Accordingly, the present invention utilizes detachable members to form a base and then permit individual components to removeably mount thereto to form a modular rack. To disassemble the modular rack into smaller components, the steps are simply reversed. 
     The modular rack can be installed as a single tower rack or as a rack of any tower size, limit only by the display area, by the addition or removal of the modular components such as the center stabilizer bars, removable cross-bars, center ladders, and lateral support bars. 
     The modular rack in accordance with practice of the present invention may include an upper rack portion and a lower base portion, wherein the upper rack portion includes at least two ladder racks, each ladder rack including at least one channel, the at least two ladder racks being removeably coupled to one another by a lateral support bar engaging the channel of each respective ladder rack, and wherein the lower base portion includes at least two base bars, each base bar having a center load bearing piece disposed thereon. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a semi-schematic isometric drawing of a prior art display rack; 
     FIG. 2 is a semi-schematic isometric drawing of a modular display rack in accordance with practice of the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a semi-schematic isometric drawing of the modular display rack of FIG. 1 in a double ladder configuration; 
     FIG. 4 is a semi-schematic isometric drawing of the modular display rack of FIG. 1 in a single ladder configuration; 
     FIG. 5 is a front and side elevation view of an end ladder in accordance with practice of the present invention; 
     FIG. 6 is a front and side elevation view of a center ladder in accordance with practice of the present invention; 
     FIG. 7 is a front and side elevation view of a single unit ladder in accordance with practice of the present invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a base bracket of detail A in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of a lateral support bar; 
     FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of a flange mounted to the lateral support bar of FIG. 9; 
     FIG. 11 is a front and side elevation view of a U-shape bracket of detail B in FIG. 6; 
     FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the U-shape bracket of FIG. 11; 
     FIG. 13 is a top plan view of an end stabilizer bar in accordance with practice of the present invention; 
     FIG. 14 is a side elevation view of the end stabilizer bar of FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 15 is a top plan view of a joining bracket of detail C in FIG. 13; 
     FIG. 16 is a side elevation view of the joining bracket of FIG. 15; 
     FIG. 17 is a top plan view of a center stabilizer bar in accordance with practice of the present invention; 
     FIG. 18 is a bottom plan view of a removable cross-bar of FIG. 2 taken at line  18 — 18 ; and 
     FIG. 19 is a top plan view of a cross-style base of FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the modular display rack in accordance with the present invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be constructed or utilized. The description sets forth the features and the steps for constructing and using the modular display rack of the present invention in connection with the illustrated embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same or equivalent functions and structures may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention. Also, as denoted elsewhere herein, like element numbers are intended to indicate like or similar elements or features. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an embodiment of a triple tower or a three-ladder modular display rack (hereinafter “display rack”), generally designated  10 . According to one embodiment, the modular display rack  10  may be disassembled into smaller components, allowing it to be portable and modular than prior art systems. The modular architecture of the display rack  10  allows it to be boxed up in small packages, assembled into a single ladder rack or multiple ladder racks, and inventoried by components instead of rack configurations since the single, double, and triple ladder racks do not have to be kept separately. 
     The display rack  10  according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 includes an upper rack portion  12  and a lower base portion  14 . For a three-ladder rack system  10 , the upper rack portion  12  includes two end ladders  16  and a center ladder  18 . Assuming the vertical direction is the lengthwise direction and the horizontal direction is the direction of width of the ladder, the end and center ladders  16 ,  18  are interconnected by a plurality of removable lateral support bars  20  along the horizontal direction and to the base in the vertical direction, by a plurality of fasteners  21 . In an exemplary embodiment, there is an upper pair of lateral support bars  22  and a lower pair of lateral support bars  24 . These lateral support bars  22 ,  24  are removeably connected to the ladders by a detent-like arrangement. Each individual pairs of lateral support bars permit hangrail brackets  11  and shelf brackets (not shown) to be hung on either a first side  26  and/or a second side  28 . 
     The lower base portion  14  includes two end stabilizer bars  30 , a center stabilizer bar  32 , and two removable cross-bars  34  used to removeably connect the two end stabilizer bars  30  with the center stabilizer bar  32 . Each stabilizer bar  30 ,  32  is also equipped with casters  36 , which may be fixed or rail type casters. However, other casters may be used such as swivel stem style casters with breaks and locks. If used, these swivel stem style casters prevent the display rack  10  from moving when pushed accidentally. The stem style casters may screw or thread directly into the stabilizer bars  30 ,  32 , or, alternatively, thread into corresponding nuts (not shown) welded to the base of the stabilizer bars. Other casters and methods for installing the same are conventional in the art and may also be used as will be apparent to one skilled in the art. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a double tower or a two-ladder modular display rack  30 . Like the display rack of FIG. 2, the modular display rack  30  comprises an upper rack portion  12  and a lower base portion  14 . The upper rack portion  12  includes two end ladders  16  removeably secured to the base in the vertical direction by several fasteners  21 . The two removable end ladders  16  are attached to each other by an upper and a lower pair of lateral support bars  22 ,  24 . 
     The lower base portion  14  includes two end stabilizer bars  30  removeably secured to each other by a single cross-bar  34 . The lower base portion  14  also includes a plurality of casters  36 , which may be fixed or rail type casters. However, as discussed above, other casters may be used such as swivel stem style casters with breaks and locks. 
     As readily apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art, the double tower display rack  30  is a subcombination of the triple tower display rack shown in FIG.  2 . To create the double tower display rack  30  from the triple tower display rack  10 , the center ladder  18 , the two pair of lateral support bars  22 ,  24 , the center stabilizer bar  32 , and one of the removable cross-bars  34  are removed from the triple tower rack  10 . Conversely, to assemble a multiple tower rack, such as a four tower rack or higher, additional center ladders  18 , cross-bars  34 , and lateral support bars  20 , collectively referred to as rack components, are added. This eliminates the need for the advance production and storage of pre-welded multiple tower racks. Racks of different configurations may now be created via the addition or the removal of the rack components. 
     Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown and described a single tower or a single ladder display rack  38  in accordance with practice of the present invention. The single ladder display rack  38  comprises an upper rack portion  12  and a lower base portion  14 . The upper rack portion  12  includes a slightly modified single unit ladder  40 . It is slightly modified with respect to the end ladder  16  and the center ladder  18  of FIGS. 2 and 3. As further discussed below, the single unit ladder  40  may be similar to the end and center ladders  16 ,  18  except for the lack of side mounted U-shape brackets. However, for ease of inventory or the minimization of components, an end ladder  16  or a center ladder  18  may be used in place of the single unit ladder  40  to provide the same overall functionality. 
     The lower base portion  14  of the single ladder display rack  38  includes a single cross-style base  42 . To minimize the number of different components, the cross-style base  42  may be assembled by removeably securing two half-bars  44  onto the center stabilizer bar  32 . Accordingly, one component used for the single tower that may not be present in the double tower and the triple tower rack is the half-bars  44  used in the single cross-style base  42 . 
     The cross-style base  42  also utilizes a plurality of casters  36 . As discussed above, these casters may be a fixed type, a flanged type, a swivel type and the like. Accordingly, minor changes between caster types are contemplated to fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
     FIGS. 5-19 are now referred for a detailed description of the various components embodied in the display racks of FIGS. 2-4. Specifically, FIG. 5 is a semi-schematic diagram of the end ladder  16  of FIGS. 2 and 3. According to one embodiment of the invention, the end ladder  16  includes a pair of U-shape brackets  46 . The end ladder  16  also includes a pair of vertical braces  48  taking the form of rectangular tubing pieces. The upper end  50  of each vertical brace  48  may be machined, rolled, or extruded (collectively “machined”) with a smooth finish for aesthetic appeal and for eliminating sharp edges. This upper end  50  may be shaped in a half-dome, half arrow, or any other shapes helping to eliminate sharp edges and providing a minimum aesthetic appeal. The lower end  52 , because it braces onto a stabilizer bar, is machined with a flat finish. 
     The pair of vertical braces  48  is fixedly secured together by a plurality of cross-braces  54 . The number of cross-braces in the ladder  16  depends on the length of the ladder. The vertical braces  48  and the cross braces  54  have the following configuration: L×W×D, where L is the length, W is the width, and D is the depth of the rectangular tubing (FIG.  5 A). In an embodiment where each vertical brace  48  has a width X, each of the cross-braces  54 , which may also be made from rectangular tubing pieces, have a depth that is less than half X. This provides, at each cross-brace to vertical brace welded location, space for accommodating a pair of cross-braces  54 . In other words, at the top cross-brace location  56 , two cross-braces  54 , one superimposed over the other but separated by a small gap, are welded to the pair of vertical braces  48 . Thus, two times the depth of the cross-brace plus the small gap should be the same as or slightly less than the width of the vertical brace  48 . Exemplary dimensions are further discussed below. 
     Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown and described a center ladder  18  in accordance with practice of the present invention. The center ladder  18  may be similar to the end ladder  16  except that the center ladder includes two sets of U-shape brackets  46  on each side of the vertical brace  48 . This allows the center brace  18  to be used in the center of any multiple ladder arrangements and be used to join adjacent ladders together by way of removeably securing lateral support bars to the U-shape brackets  46 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 7, a single unit ladder  40  is shown and described. The single unit ladder  40  may be similar to the end ladder except for the lack of U-shape brackets welded to the vertical braces  48 . The U-shape brackets are not included in the single unit ladder  40  since it is used as a stand-alone tower rack, and not contemplated to be expanded into other configurations. 
     Although the end, center, and single unit ladders of FIGS. 5,  6 , and  7  are shown having a particular dimension with a particular number of cross-braces, a person skilled in the art should recognize that alternative dimensions and alternative number of cross-braces may also be used. The dimensions and number of cross-braces may also be customizable based on needs and requests of merchants and customers. Similarly, instead of welding a pair of cross-braces at each of the cross-brace to vertical brace location or using a U-shape bracket (for allowing hangrail brackets  11  and shelf brackets (not shown) to be mounted on either a first side  26  and/or a second side  28  of the rack), a single cross-brace and/or a single U-shape bracket may be used. If so, for a particular attachment location, only a single hangrail, a single shelf bracket, or a single removable lateral support bar may be used. 
     Referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown and described a base bracket  58 , which is a blown up view of detail A indicated in FIG.  5 . According to one embodiment, the base bracket  58  is a flat steel plate having two through holes  60  machined therein. The base bracket  58  is fixedly secured to the vertical braces  48  by any number of known welding methods, including arc welding, brazing, and resistance welding. The two through holes  60  allow a pair of fasteners  21  to be inserted therethrough and to tighten the ladder against a stabilizer bar such as, stabilizer  30  or  32 . It is understood that any number of welding methods apply whenever the term “weld”, “welded”, or “welding” is used. 
     Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, there is shown and described an exemplary lateral support bar  20 , which can be the upper  22  or the lower lateral support bar  24 . The lateral support bar can be made from a rectangular tubing piece and is welded on each end by a flange  62 . The flange  62  includes an engagement tip  64  configured to engage a U-shape bracket  46  in a detent-like fashion. The flange  62  may be made from a flat steel plate. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12, there is shown and described an exemplary U-shape bracket  46 , which is a blown up view of detail B indicated in FIG.  6 . According to one embodiment, the U-shape bracket  46  is a steel channel having two sides  66  and a base  68 . Each of the two sides  66  comprises a square finish  70  or a rounded finish, a first open face  72 , and a rear attachment face  74 . The open face  72  allows a lateral support bar  20 , when set in position, to slide in-between the two sides  66  and rest on top of the base  68 . Conversely, the rear attachment face  74  is configured to be welded to a main vertical brace  48  by its two end surfaces  76  (FIG.  12 ). As indicated, the base  68  terminates short of the rear attachment face  74  to form a receiving channel  78 . Accordingly, when a lateral support bar  20  is set in position inside the U-shape bracket  46 , the receiving channel  78  provides an opening or a gap for the engagement tip  64  located on the flange  62 , which, as discussed, is located on each of the ends of the lateral support bar  20  (FIG.  9 ). Accordingly, the engagement tip  64  and the receiving channel  78  interact to removeably secure one ladder with another ladder (such as securing one end ladder  16  to a center ladder  18 ). 
     In an exemplary embodiment, two U-shape brackets  46  are welded, side-by-side, to the main vertical brace  48 . In this fashion, the two U-shape brackets  48  may accommodate two lateral support bars  20  in a side-by-side fashion to provide two hanging surfaces for hangrails  11  and the like. In order to allow sufficient space for the engagement end of the hangrail to engage the lateral support bar  20 , the two U-shape brackets  46  may be welded with a flat plate (not shown) disposed therebetween. According to one embodiment, this plate serves to not only add structural rigidity to the two U-shape brackets, but also fix or define a gap in-between the U-shape brackets to enable the engagement end of the hangrail  11  to grab onto. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, there is shown and described an end stabilizer bar  30 , also referred to as a base bar, in accordance with practice of the present invention. The end stabilizer bar  30  includes two leg extension pieces  82  welded to a center load-bearing piece  80 . Again, all three pieces, the two leg extension pieces  82  and the center load-bearing piece  80 , may be made from rectangular tubing. In an exemplary embodiment, at the end  84  of each leg extension  82 , a tapered or slanted finish  84  is provided. This serves to both beautify the ends of the stabilizer bar  30  and eliminate sharp edges. 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the center load-bearing piece  80  includes two through holes  86 . These through holes  86 , which extend the entire width of the center load bearing piece, are positioned so that when an end ladder  16  is mounted to the end stabilizer bar  30  by, for example, positioning the base bracket  58  directly over the center load bearing piece  80 , the through holes  86  align with the through holes  60  on the base bracket  58 . After the through holes  60 ,  86  are aligned, a pair of fasteners  21 , such as a pair of bolt and nut combination, may be inserted therethrough and tightened. A person skilled in the art should recognize that any other number of through holes may be used depending on the width of the center load bearing piece and the dimension of the holes. 
     A joining bracket  88  is provided which is welded to one of the axial ends of the center load-bearing piece  80 . A pair of nuts  90  are also provided and welded onto the joining bracket  88  to serve as gripping points for a pair of bolts (not shown). Thus, to join two end stabilizer bars  30  (or one end stabilizer bar  30  and one center stabilizer bar  32 ) together, a removable cross-bar  34  is placed over the joining bracket  88  in a telescoping fashion. A pair of bolts (not shown) are then inserted and tightened against the pair of nuts  90  to thereby removeably secure the cross-bar  34  to the end stabilizer bar  30 . As discussed above, the lower base portion  14  may be practiced with swivel type casters. When that is the case, the two leg extensions  82  are fitted or welded with a pair of swivel nuts  92 . The swivel type casters can then thread or screw directly into the swivel nuts  92  to be removeably secured the casters thereto. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 15 and 16, there is shown and described the joining bracket  88  discussed in reference with FIGS. 13 and 14, which are blown up drawings of detail C in FIG.  13 . In the illustrated embodiment, the joining bracket  88  is an extended L-shape bracket that includes a first tall side  94  and a second short side  96 . The second short side  96  allows access to the central portion where the nuts  90  can be welded to the bracket. In addition, because the joining bracket  88  is designed to fit into one of the ends of a removable cross-bar  34  in a telescoping fashion, the second shorter side  96  has the effect of reducing drag or friction as the removable cross-bar  34  engages the joining bracket  88 . Thus, because of the telescoping style arrangement, it is understood that the joining bracket  88  has a smaller cross-sectional area than the cross-sectional area of the cross-bar. A person skilled in the art should recognize, however, that instead of a tall side and a short side, two tall sides may be used to render a U-shape bracket. 
     Referring now to FIG. 17, there shown and described a top plan view of the center stabilizer bar  32  of FIG.  2 . The center stabilizer bar  32  may be similar to the end stabilizer bar  30  except that the center stabilizer bar includes two joining brackets  88  instead of one. This enables the center stabilizer bar  32  to be used in-between two end stabilizer bars  30  and be connected on each side by a removable cross-bar  34 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 18, there is shown and described a removable cross-bar  34  taken along reference line X—X of FIG.  2 . According to one embodiment, the removable cross-bar  34  is made from rectangular tubing and is drilled on both ends with a pair of holes  98 . The holes are configured so that they align with the pair of nuts  90  welded to the joining bracket  88  (FIG.  15 ). Accordingly, when the removable cross-bar  34  is slid over the joining bracket  88  in a telescoping fashion, the holes  98  align with the nuts  90  on the joining bracket  88 . In this fashion, a pair of bolts may then be inserted to removeably secure the cross-bar  34  with one of the end stabilizer bars  30  or one of the center stabilizer bars  32 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 19, there is shown and described a top plan view of the cross-style base  42  of FIG.  4 . The cross-style base  42  may be a center stabilizer bar  32  with two half-bars  44  mounted in a telescoping fashion with the two joining brackets  88 . Alternatively, the joining brackets  88  may be eliminated altogether by welding two half-bars  44  directly onto the center stabilizer bar  32 . This alternative method will produce a cross-style base  42  that is permanently fixed. 
     In general terms, a multi-tower rack may be assembled in the following fashion with reference to FIGS. 2-4. In assembling the lower base portion  14 , two end stabilizer bars  30  are fastened with one center stabilizer bar  32  for creating a three-tower rack. A cross-bar  34  is slid over the joining bracket  88  of the end stabilizer bar  30  and tightened with a pair of bolts at the cross-bar holes  98 . The other end of the cross-bar  34  is then slid over the joining bracket  88  of the center stabilizer bar  30  and then tightened with another pair of bolts. This is then repeated on the other side with another end stabilizer bar  30  and another cross-bar  34  to form the base. After the lower base portion  14  is assembled, it may be disassembled by reversing the steps. 
     In assembling the upper rack portion  12 , two end ladders  16  are fastened on the two end stabilizer bars  30  by inserting a pair of bolts at the base bracket  58  through the through holes  86  of each end ladder  16 . The U-shape brackets  46  on each of the end ladders  16  are turned so that they face inward, toward the center stabilizer bar  32 . In the same fashion, a center ladder  18  is mounted over the center stabilizer bar  32 . Eight lateral support bars  20  are then used to removeably secure the two end ladders  16  with the center ladder  18 . This is done by lowering the flange ends  62  of the lateral support bars into corresponding pair of U-shape brackets  46 . The engagement tips  64  of the various flanges  62  should slide into their respective receiving channels  78 . Once the upper rack portion  12  is assembled, it may be disassembled by reversing the steps. 
     Listed below are exemplary rectangular tubing and bracket dimensions. However, it is understood that these are exemplary only and that other dimensions, thickness, etc. may be altered without changing the scope of the invention. Accordingly, a mere change in size or dimension is contemplated within the present invention. 
     Main vertical brace  48 —1338 mm L×38 mm W×12.7 mm D 
     Cross-brace  54 —102 mm L×34 mm W×12.7 mm D 
     Base bracket  58 —4″ L×1.5″ W×{fraction (1/16)}″-⅛″ thick 
     U-shape bracket  46 —25.4 mm L×40 mm W×17.2 mm D×2 mm thick 
     Lateral support bar  20 —508 mm L×35.6 mm W×12.7 mm D 
     Flange  62 —47.6 mm L×12.7 mm W×{fraction (1/16)}″ to ⅛″ thick 
     Extended L-shape bracket  88 —50.8 mm L×54.5 mm W (tall side)×36.6 mm D×19 mm W (short side)×{fraction (1/16)}″ to ⅛″ thick 
     Leg extension piece  82 —282.5 mm L×60.2 mm W×40.6 mm D 
     Center load bearing piece  80 —127 mm L×60.2 mm W×406 mm D 
     Tubing can have a range of 11-20 gauge, and where necessary {fraction (3/16)}″ or even ¼″ 
     Although the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described with some specificity, the description and drawings set forth herein are not intended to be delimiting, and persons of ordinary skill in the art will understand that various modifications may be made to the embodiments discussed herein without departing from the scope of the invention, and all such changes and modifications are intended to be encompassed within the appended claims. Various changes to the modular display rack may be made including manufacturing the entire rack out of square tubing, changing the dimension of the tubing pieces, adding more or fewer cross-braces and U-shape brackets, changing the metallurgy, changing the finish (from nickel to grinded steel finish or brush steel finish), and changing the type of casters. Accordingly, many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention.