Abstract:
A shelf construction for use in gondola systems having spaced vertical uprights comprises a shelf floor which is removably mounted to front and rear rails. The rails are in turn supported by shelf brackets projecting from the uprights. The front and rear rails are provided with horizontal slots to accept the shelf floor and vertical slots along their lengths to accommodate shelf dividers which can be used to segregate product placed on the shelf. The shelf brackets are preferably tilted forwardly downwardly, the shelf floor having a low-friction surface to allow arrayed and displayed products to migrate towards the front edge of the shelf, making them more accessible for observation and removal.

Description:
The present invention relates to a merchandising system and more particularly to an improved shelf construction for use in conjunction with conventional store shelf mounting systems. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The majority of inventory in retail stores is displayed on forms of shelving constructions utilizing gondolas or trays for the products. The basic format of such construction has changed little over the years. A floor platform supports a vertical, upright backing board which defines a rear wall of the gondola. The gondola includes vertical uprights having a plurality of slots. The slotted uprights are adapted to support shelving and other elements in or upon which merchandise is placed for display. 
     The gondolas are required to display and support an ever increasing number of products in a staggering assortment of packaging in a space which is unable to expand commensurately with the demands placed upon it. Conventional gondola shelving systems often use space relatively inefficiently, and are ill equipped to handle a variety of products. The result is that there is typically insufficient gondola space available to keep and display all the desired products neatly and efficiently both for stocking purposes by store personnel and for observation and selection by customers. 
     While conventional shelves may be provided with pre-marked or segmented areas extending the depth of the shelf to divide the shelf area for multiple products, only limited flexibility in product arrangement is provided thereby. In addition, access to the rear of the shelf is often difficult, both for inventory and stocking purposes as well as for product selection by the consumer. Typically, product at the front of the shelf is removed first, making each subsequent selection and purchase more difficult, both for product accessibility as well as for product visibility on the shelf. 
     It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a new and improved shelf construction for the effective presentation of products in a store environment. 
     Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a shelf construction and system which is capable of segmentation and division to accommodate a variety of different products. 
     Still a further purpose of the present invention is to provide a shelf construction and system capable of maintaining products in a pleasing arrangement and urging them toward the forward end of the shelf for optimum visibility and availability. 
     Yet a further purpose of the present invention is to provide a shelf construction and system which is of a modular type, adaptable to a variety of shelf depths and widths, which can allow for the segmenting and separation of a plurality of different size products across the shelf, and which can be utilized in conjunction with conventional gondola constructions and shelf supports. 
     A still further purpose of the present invention is to provide a shelf construction and system of the aforementioned character which is of efficient and economical construction, having ease of assembly and use. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In furtherance of the foregoing and other and additional objects and purposes, a shelf construction in accordance with the present invention comprises a shelf surface mountable upon a series of spaced brackets which in turn are mounted to a plurality of spaced shelf support uprights located at the rear of store gondola constructions. The shelf preferably has an upper surface formed to have a low coefficient of friction with respect to products placed thereon. The brackets upon which the shelf is placed are of an angled configuration, whereby the shelf slopes downwardly from rear to front. 
     Front and rear rail elements are mountable to the front and rear edges, respectively, of the shelf. Preferably the front and rear rails support the shelf upon the brackets, are in the form of extrusions, and include reception means for removable dividers which are supported by the rails and extend therebetween to divide the shelf area into a plurality of product-receiving sections. The dividers themselves extend vertically upward from the shelf surface and are positionable as desired along the length of the shelf. The dividers may further be provided with support means along their front edges, above the rails, to accept a secondary front rail which retains the stacked products therebehind and provides additional rigidity to the divider structure. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     A fuller understanding of the present invention will be accomplished upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiments of the invention, when considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shelf system of the present invention shown with products arrayed thereon; 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevation view taken along line  2 — 2  in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view taken along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2 depicting constructional details of the bracket assembly; 
     FIG. 3A is a detail sectioned view of a three-piece alternative embodiment for the bracket assembly as would be seen along line  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 3B is a side elevation view of the rear piece of the three-piece bracket assembly of FIG. 3A; 
     FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the rear portion of the bracket assembly as seen in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 5 is a detail elevation view of the rear portion of a shelf, presenting the rear rail and associated components; 
     FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation view taken along line  6 — 6  of FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is an exploded detail view of the rear portion of a shelf, including the rear rail; 
     FIG. 8 is a detail elevation view of the front portion of a shelf, presenting the front rail and associated components; 
     FIG. 9 is a sectional elevation view taken along line  9 — 9  of FIG. 8; 
     FIG. 10 is an exploded detail view of the front portion of a shelf, including the front rail; 
     FIG. 11 is a detail elevation view of an upper portion of a divider, illustrating the connection between the divider and an upper front rail; 
     FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view thereof; 
     FIG. 13 is a side elevation view of an alternative embodiment of the invention, wherein the dividers are formed of wire elements; 
     FIG. 14 is a detail elevation view of the front portion of a wire divider and its interconnection with a corresponding upper front rail; 
     FIG. 15 is a detail section view taken along line  15 — 15  of FIG. 14; 
     FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the construction shown in FIG. 14; 
     FIG. 17 is a detail elevation view of the interconnection between a wire divider and front rail; 
     FIG. 18 is a section elevation view taken along line  18 — 18  of FIG. 17; and 
     FIG. 19 is an exploded view of the front portion of an alternative structure for a front rail, including integral product label display means. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring initially to FIG. 1, a shelf construction  10  of the present invention mounts to a series of spaced uprights  12  typically located at the rear wall  14  of a store display gondola construction. The shelf construction  10  allows a plurality of products  16  to be arrayed in a series of columns running from the front to the back of the shelf construction, the columns being segregated and aligned by dividers  18 . The dividers extend the width of the shelf between a front rail  20  and a rear rail  22 , both of which extend the length of the shelf. The front and rear rails  20 ,  22  support shelf floor  24 , upon which the products  16  are arrayed, the rails resting upon brackets  26  which are mounted in slots  28  formed in the uprights  12 . The brackets  26  are constructed and positioned such that the shelf floor slopes downwardly away from the rear wall of the gondola, whereby the arrayed products  16  are urged, under the influence of gravity, forwardly on the shelf. The products are maintained on the shelf by the front rail  20  and secondary rail  30  which is affixed to the front edges of the dividers  18 . 
     FIGS. 2,  3  and  4  illustrate the construction of the brackets  26  and the placement of the rails and shelf floor thereon. As seen therein, each bracket includes a main bracket portion  32  of elongated construction, having a flat top edge upon which the rails  20 ,  22  sit. The rear end of the main bracket portion  32  is provided with a series of rearwardly-extending locking tabs  34  adapted to be received by a corresponding plurality of slots  36  in transition piece  38 . Transition piece  38  may be preferably of a stamped construction, having front, intermediate and rear parallel portions  40 ,  42 ,  44 , respectively, joined by perpendicular portions  46  and  48 . The tab-receiving slots  36  may be formed in perpendicular portion  46 . The locking tabs  34  on the main bracket portions  32  each include an upwardly-extending notch  50  which, upon insertion in a slot  36 , interfits with the portion  46  defining a lower edge for the slot. 
     The rear portion  44  of transition piece  38  has an angular lead or front edge, such that the front and intermediate portions  40 ,  42  of the transition piece are angled away from the vertical and that the main bracket portion extends downwardly from back to front. The offset is preferably about  15  degrees. Rear portion  44  is also provided with a set of notched locking tabs  52 , similarly adapted to engage and lock with the slots  28  in the uprights  12 . In a preferred embodiment, the main bracket portion  32  comprises a bracket of conventional construction, its locking tabs  34  being constructed and dimensioned for use with the uprights  12 . Transition piece  38  thus serves as an adapter for the main bracket portion  32 , changing its angular orientation with respect to the uprights from a right angle orientation to the angled downward position for use in connection with the present invention. 
     As depicted in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the bracket transition piece  38  may alternatively be formed of two pieces  134 ,  136 . Piece  134  may be of stamped construction, with front, intermediate, and rear parallel portions  138 ,  140 ,  142 , respectively joined by the perpendicular portions  144 ,  146 . The front perpendicular portion  144  has slots  36  to engage the locking tabs  34  of main bracket portion  32 , while the combination of rear perpendicular portion  146  and rear parallel portion  142  are notched to form a series of tabs engageable with first or second slot series  148 ,  150  in the other, flat transition piece  136 . The alignments of slot series  148 ,  150   20  are offset from that of the locking tabs  52  adapted to engage the slots  28  of the uprights  12 , thus providing alternative angles of slope, such as 7.5 and 15 degrees, for the main bracket portion  32  and the shelf supported thereon. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, front rail  20  and rear rail  22  rest upon the top surfaces of the main bracket portions  32  of brackets  26 . The construction of the rear rail  22  is set forth in FIGS.  5 - 7 . As shown therein, the rail  22  may be preferably formed as an extrusion of an appropriate resilient material, such as a vinyl plastic composition, designed and adapted to engage and support both the shelf floor  24  and dividers  18 . The rail includes a lower, floor-engaging U-shaped portion  54  with parallel, horizontal legs  56 ,  58 . The legs  56 ,  58  are separated by the lower portion  60  of upwardly-extending rail rear wall  62 , and are spaced apart sufficiently to accept and retain in a friction fit the shelf floor  24 . The upper portion of the rail  22  comprises spaced vertical legs  64  and  66 , extending upwardly from the upper leg of lower portion  54  to form a second generally U-shaped portion, the vertical leg  66  comprising the upper portion of the rail rear wall  62 . The two legs  64 ,  66  are separated to accept and engage rear wall portions  68  of the dividers  18 . 
     The inwardly-facing surfaces of the legs  64 ,  66  may be provided with integral fingers  70 , perhaps best seen in FIG. 7, extending along the length of the channel created by the legs, to provide a resilient, yet firm grip of the rear wall  68 . The fingers may be advantageously extruded integral with the rail, but with a lower durometer value to provide additional resiliency. The lower U-shaped portion  54  of the rail may include a downwardly-directed shoulder portion  72  projecting from the upper leg  58 , preferably formed as a downward extension to the vertical leg  64  of the upper U-shaped portion. The shoulder  72  provides a point contact with an upper portion of the shelf floor  24  to provide a rigid yet removable connection therebetween. The bottom surface of lower leg  56  of the rail  22  may be provided with a mounting layer  78  to permit the rail to be mounted and remain in position upon the top edges of brackets  26 . Such layer may comprise, for example, a strip of two adhesive-side tape. 
     As perhaps best seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the shelf floor  24  may be preferably comprised of a base plate portion  74  bearing a plurality of parallel upstanding ridges  76  extending from front-to-back and spaced along the length of the floor. The floor is preferably extruded from a high molecular weight plastic which exhibits low frictional effects upon products mounted thereon, such as a silicone impregnated styrene. The thickness of the base plate may be in the range of 0.04 inches, with the ridges  76  spaced 0.25 inch center-to-center with a height of approximately 0.06 inch. The ridges may be provided with notches  152  to engage the rail shoulder  72 , providing a lock action between the rail and floor. 
     Front rail  20 , as depicted in FIGS.  8 - 10 , is of similar construction as rear rail  22 , providing support both for the shelf floor  24  and the dividers  18 . The front rail  20  includes a bottom wall  80 , upon the lower surface of which the mounting layer  78 , such as a two-sided tape strip, is affixed. Horizontal leg  82  extends the length of the rail parallel to bottom wall  80 , supported and separated therefrom by the lower portion  84  of vertical leg  86  the necessary distance to allow shelf floor  24  to be inserted into the mouth of the horizontal U-shaped portion formed thereby. Extending upwardly from horizontal leg  82  in a spaced relationship from the upper portion  90  of vertical leg  86  is rear vertical leg  88 , legs  88  and  86  being separated as appropriate to accept therebetween front wall portions  92  of the dividers  18 . The inwardly-directed faces of the legs  88  and  90  are provided with fingers  70  to grip the divider wall  92 , while the horizontal leg  82  terminates at its rear end with the downwardly-directed shoulder  72  to engage a second series of notches in ridges  76  of shelf floor  24  located proximate the front edge of the shelf floor. 
     The front rail  20  may further include a second vertically-oriented U-shaped channel portion  94  whose vertical parallel walls  90  and  96  extend upwardly from the forward portion of bottom wall  80 . The walls  90  and  96  are separated a distance to accept accessory items, such as flags or product indicia or information display pieces in a manner analogous to acceptance and support of the dividers  18 . Towards this end, fingers  70  are provided on the opposed inner surfaces of the vertical walls. To assist in alignment and placement of the bottom layer  78  on the rail, the front vertical wall  96  may include a small depending segment or nib  98  extending below the bottom wall  80 . 
     Referring again to FIG. 2, the dividers  18  may be formed of plastic or similar material, and comprise a main divider wall  100  with integral rear and front walls  68 ,  92  extending perpendicular thereto. As seen in FIG. 2, the rear wall  68  may extend upwardly for a substantial height of the divider  18 , while front wall  92  is of limited height, rising only a short distance from the lower edge of the divider. The main divider wall  18  may include cut-away or notched portions  102  adjacent the lower ends of the front and rear walls to provide clearance for the front and rear rails  20 ,  22  when the divider is mounted thereto as detailed in FIGS. 5,  6 ,  8  and  9 . 
     In order to provide increased stability and rigidity for a series of installed dividers, and to further prevent the stacked products from toppling off the shelf construction, the upper portion of the forward edge of the divider is provided with a coupling for secondary front rail  30 . As seen in FIGS. 11 and 12, the front edge portion of main divider wall  100  of the divider  18  is provided with a right angle stub coupling  104  which may be integrally molded as part of the divider and which is supported by integral stem  106 . The main divider wall  100  is further provided with a pair of notches  108  to provide clearance for the secondary front rail  30  about the coupling. The secondary front rail  30  may be of C-shaped cross-section, preferably formed of a PETG plastic composition, its truncated leg portions  110  surrounding and gripping the upper and lower surfaces of the stub coupling  104 . 
     As an alternative construction for the dividers previously discussed, the present invention contemplates the use of a formed wire divider as depicted in FIGS.  13 - 18 . As shown therein, wire divider  112 , as best seen in FIG. 13, is in the form of an inverted U fabrication, the lower ends of the front and rear legs  114 ,  116  engaging the corresponding slots in front and rear rails  20 ,  22  and being retained therein by the fingers  70 . As seen in FIGS. 17 and 18, both the front and rear legs  114 ,  116  may be provided with a right angle foot portion  118 , running perpendicular to the length of the divider, the foot portion resting at the bottom of the slot of the respective rail providing additional stability for the divider. 
     The wire dividers  112  may also support a secondary upper front rail, as detailed in FIGS.  14 - 16 . As illustrated therein, a mounting block  120  is located proximate the upper end of front leg  114 . The mounting block, which may be formed of an appropriate resilient plastic, includes a vertical slot  122  extending inwardly through a front face of the block and a second, horizontal slot  124  extending through a rear face of the block. Each of the slots is generally circular in cross-section, with a narrowed neck portion at the block face into which it extends to allow a wire element to be placed therein and retained by the resiliency of the block. In particular, vertical slot  122  allows mounting of the block upon the front leg  114  of the wire divider, while the horizontal slot  124  permits a front upper rail in the form of wire  126  to be inserted and supported. By proper alignment of a series of blocks  120  on successive wire dividers, the upper rail wire  126  extending the length of the shelf may be interconnected with each of the dividers, providing additional rigidity for the divider system and further providing a frontal barrier for the stacked products  16 . 
     As further depicted in FIGS. 17 and 19, the front rail  20  may be provided with an integral product indicia mounting panel  128  in lieu of an accessory channel  94  as previously discussed. The mounting panel  128  may preferably be in the form of a flat or gently curved plate  130  extending the length of the rail  20 , and joined to the top edge of forward vertical wall  86 . Both the upper and lower edges of the panel  130  are provided with in-turned shoulders or hooks  132  allowing the placement of sheet  134 , such as paper or cardboard, upon the panel for display purposes and its retention thereupon, as seen in FIG.  17 . Typically, product identification and pricing information may be placed on the sheet, allowing the consumer, as well as store personnel, to identify the products stacked therebehind. 
     Utilizing conventional shelf brackets, the present invention forms a downwardly-slanting shelf unit. The shelf floor piece  24  is inserted into the appropriate reception slots in the front and rear wall elements  20 ,  22  and the resulting construction is placed upon the brackets  26  positioned in a spaced arrangement upon the gondola uprights  12 . The rails may be affixed in place upon the brackets by the use of the double-face tape layers  78 . The divider elements are then inserted within the reception slots in the front and rear rails according to the planogrammed layout for the shelf. Appropriate identification indicia may be placed in the label rail to identify the goods to be placed on the shelf. Goods placed on the shelf, supported by the point contact created by the ridges  76 , are maintained in a low-friction manner, allowing the products to migrate towards the front of the shelf where they can be best seen both by store personnel for inventory and stocking purposes and by consumers for purchase.