Abstract:
A sign holder including a main portion, a flange, and an interface hook. The main portion longitudinally extends in a substantially planar manner and defines a top end, a bottom end opposite the top end, a first surface, and a second surface opposite the first surface. The flange is folded back from the bottom end toward the top end and the first surface of the main portion. The flange is biased toward the first surface of the main portion. The interface hook is folded back from the top end toward the second surface and the bottom end of the main portion and is configured to receive a portion of a shelf assembly to couple the sign holder to the shelf assembly. A pocket is defined between the main panel and the flange and is configured to receive a printed medium. Display systems and methods of use provide additional advantages.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     Businesses typically use a wide variety of display systems to display products and related information to consumers. In order to draw attention to the products displayed and/or to assist the consumer in locating the particular product for which they are searching, additional signs or other indicating means are becoming increasingly important. Such signs are typically mounted to the display systems to indicate the type of product, brand of product, advertising, sale status indicator, department, or other information relating to the displayed products and generally helpful to the consumer.  
         [0002]     The above-described signs are generally positioned to correspond with particular products placed upon shelves, pegs, or other display devices. Signs of this type should be securely mounted to the shelf or display system to prevent inadvertent removal of the sign from the display, be effective in communicating the indicated information such as the product type, brand name, logo, etc., to the consumer, be aesthetically pleasing to consumers so as not to distract from the product display itself, and be configured so as not to interfere with inventory or other display maintenance activities.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     One embodiment of the present invention relates to a sign holder for interfacing with a shelf assembly for displaying goods and for supporting a printed medium. The sign holder includes a main portion, a flange, and an interface hook. The main portion longitudinally extends in a substantially planar manner and defines a top end, a bottom end opposite the top end, a first surface, and a second surface opposite the first surface. The flange is folded back from the bottom end toward the top end and the first surface of the main portion. The flange is biased toward the first surface of the main portion. The interface hook is folded back from the top end toward the second surface and the bottom end of the main portion and is configured to receive a portion of the shelf assembly to couple the sign holder to the shelf assembly. A pocket is defined between the main panel and the flange. The pocket is configured to receive the printed medium. Other features and advantages are also disclosed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0004]     Embodiments of the invention will be described with respect to the figures, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, and in which:  
         [0005]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating one embodiment of a display system including a sign holder, according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0006]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a shelving system of the display system taken along the line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 , according to one embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0007]      FIG. 3  illustrates one embodiment of a sign holder of the display system taken along the line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 , according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates one embodiment of a display system  10  according to the present invention. The display system  10  includes a shelf assembly  12 , a sign holder, or media display  14 , and a sign or printed medium  16 . Shelf assembly  12  is configured to hold and support any plurality of goods (not illustrated) offered for sale. Sign holder  14  attaches to shelf assembly  12  to maintain printed medium  16  positioned relatively near to the corresponding goods supported by shelf assembly  12 . With this in mind, printed medium  16  can aid a consumer in finding a particular good or in learning more about a particular corresponding good maintained by shelf assembly  12 .  
         [0009]     Shelf assembly  12  includes a shelf  20  and a media support bracket  22 . Shelf  20  defines an upper support surface  24  for supporting goods or other materials and a front surface  26  defining an open channel  28 . In one embodiment, open channel  28  is a substantially C-shaped channel opened from front surface  26  away from the remainder of shelf  20 . Open channel  28  defines a bottom, up-turned edge  30  and a top, down-turned edge  32 . In one embodiment, open channel  28 , and therefore edges  30  and  32 , extend longitudinally along front surface  26  of shelf  20 .  
         [0010]     Media support bracket  22 , as illustrated with additional reference to  FIG. 2 , includes a main panel  40 , a back extension  42 , and a return flange or flap  44 . In one embodiment, main panel  40  is substantially planar and, accordingly, defines a back surface  46 , a front surface  48  opposite back surface  46 , a top longitudinal edge  50 , and a bottom longitudinal edge  52  opposite top longitudinal edge  50 . In one embodiment, a channel interface portion  54  extends along top edge  50  of main panel  40  to interface with top, down-turned edge  32  of shelf  20 .  
         [0011]     Back extension  42  extends from back surface  46  of main panel  40  away from main panel  40 . As such, back extension  42  defines a shoulder portion  56  and a leg portion  58 . In one embodiment, shoulder portion  56  extends away and downward from back surface  46  of main panel  40  in a substantially perpendicular manner. Leg portion  58  extends from shoulder portion  56  opposite main panel  40  in a downward manner generally parallel with the extension of main panel  40 . Leg portion  58  is relatively flexible relative to main panel  40  in order to allow selective rotation or movement of leg portion  58  about its intersection with shoulder portion  56  as illustrated by the phantom lines of  FIG. 2 . However, leg portion  58  is biased to remain generally parallel with main panel  40 .  
         [0012]     Return flange  44  defines a back surface  62 , a front surface  64 , a top edge  66 , and a bottom edge  68 . In one embodiment, return flange  44  is integrally formed with main panel  40 . In particular, bottom edge  68  of return flange  44  is coupled with bottom edge  52  of main panel  40 . Return flange  44  extends from bottom edge  68  and turns or curves generally upward toward top edge  66  such that near top edge  66 , back surface  62  of return flange  44  generally interacts with front surface  48  of main panel  40 . More specifically, return flange  44  is biased toward front surface  48  of main panel  40 . However, return flange  44  is flexible, relative to main panel  40 , in order to allow rotation of return flange  44  about its intersection with bottom edge  68  as generally illustrated by arrow  70  in  FIG. 2 . In one embodiment, media support bracket  22  is extruded or otherwise formed of a plastic material. In one embodiment, main panel  40 , and back extension  42  are formed of an opaque or slightly translucent material. In one embodiment, return flange  44  is formed of a transparent or substantially translucent material.  
         [0013]     During assembly of shelf assembly  12 , media support bracket  22  is coupled with shelf  20 . In particular, main panel  40  of media support bracket  22  is placed with respect to open channel  28  of shelf  20  such that leg portion  58  of back extension  42  is placed behind bottom, up-turned edge  30  of open channel  28 . In addition, channel interface portion  54  is placed behind or in back of top, down-turned edge  32  of shelf  20 . In order to be positioned behind bottom, up-turned edge  30 , in one embodiment, leg portion  58  is bent or rotated slightly back. Due to this slightly bent position, as opposed to the original orientation of leg portion  58 , which is indicated by the phantom lines in  FIG. 2 , and the bias of leg portion  58  toward main panel  40 , a slight tension is placed upon open channel  28 , thereby maintaining media support bracket  22  positioned with respect to shelf  20 . Although described above as comprising a separate shelf  20  and media support bracket  22 , in one embodiment, shelf assembly  12  is integrally formed as one homogenous piece. In such an embodiment, shelf  20  itself may define flexible return flange  44 .  
         [0014]     In one embodiment, during assembly of shelf assembly  12 , return flange  44  is rotated as illustrated by arrow  70  and the phantom lines of  FIG. 2  away from main panel  40 . While rotated away from main panel  40 , a printed medium, or sign  72  is slid between main panel  40  and return flange  44  as generally illustrated by arrow  74 . In an alternative embodiment, printed medium  72  is longitudinally slid between media panel  40  and return flange  44  from a side of media support bracket  22 . More specifically, upon final positioning of printed medium  72  between main panel  40  and return flange  44 , printed medium  72  interacts with front surface  48  of main panel  40  and back surface  62  of return flange  44 . Upon removal of the rotating force indicated by arrow  70  from return flange  44 , the bias of return flange  44  causes return flange  44  to rotate in the opposite direction as indicated by arrow  70  to interact with and apply a force to printed medium  72  to thereby hold printed medium  72  in place between media panel  40  and return flange  44 , as illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0015]     Printed medium  72  is any relatively thin media, such as paper, card stock, film, paper board, etc., printed with indicia  76 . In one embodiment, indicia  76  relates to or includes information identifying the product or goods stored directly above on shelf  20 , such as information relating to a price, a manufacturer, a brand identifier, a UPC, a bar code, etc. In an embodiment in which return flange  44  is transparent or translucent, indicia  76  of printed medium  72  can be read through return flange  44 . In one embodiment in which indicia  76  includes a UPC, bar code, or other scannable representation, indicia  76  can be scanned or read through the transparent or translucent return flange  44 . With this in mind, indicia  76  can be scanned or read without removing printed medium  72  from media support bracket  22 . In one embodiment, printed medium  72  is a plurality of printed media.  
         [0016]     Collectively referring to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , sign holder  14  includes a main panel  80 , a back rib or tab  82 , and a return flange or flap  84 . Main panel  80  extends in a substantially planar and longitudinal manner, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Main panel  80  defines a top longitudinal end  86 , a bottom longitudinal end  88  opposite top. longitudinal end  86 , a back surface  90 , and a front surface  92  opposite back surface  90 . In one embodiment, main panel  80  defines a hook or down-turned member  94  curling or bent over from top end  86  toward back surface  90  away from front surface  92 . As such, a downward portion  96  of hook  94  extends substantially parallel with main panel  80 . In one embodiment, hook  94  continuously extends longitudinally along top end  86 . In one embodiment, hook  94  extends along a longitudinal portion or extends periodically along a plurality of longitudinal portions of top end  86 .  
         [0017]     In one embodiment, back rib  82  extends from back surface  90  of main panel  80  away from main panel  80  in a substantially perpendicular manner. In one embodiment, back rib  82  is positioned relatively nearer to top end  86  than bottom end  88  of main panel  80 . Back rib  82  is positioned along main panel  80  to interact with bottom edge  52  of main panel  40  of media support bracket  22  or a bottom of shelf  20 . In one embodiment, back rib  82  is positioned in a manner generally centered between top end  86  and bottom end  88 . Back rib  82  is extruded as an integral piece with main panel  80  and return flange  84  or is separately formed from main panel  80  and return flange  84  and subsequently secured to main panel  80 . In particular, in one embodiment, back rib  82  is formed of a foam material and adhered to a separately formed main panel  80 .  
         [0018]     Return flange  84  extends from bottom end  88  of main panel  80  in a generally up-turned manner. Return flange  84  defines a back surface  100 , a front surface  102  opposite back surface  100 , a bottom end  104 , and a top end  106  opposite bottom end  104 . Bottom end is coupled with bottom end  88  of main panel  80 . In one embodiment, return flange  84  is substantially flexible and is biased toward main panel  80 . More specifically, return flange  84  is biased such that back surface  100  of return flange  84  is biased to interact with a portion of front surface  92  of main panel  80 . Accordingly, a pocket or sleeve  108  is defined between main panel  80  and return flange  84 . With this in mind, main panel  80 , return flange  84 , and hook  94  collectively define sign holder  14  in generally S-shaped or an inverted S-shaped manner.  
         [0019]     The flexible nature of return flange  84  allows return flange  84  to be rotated about its bottom end  88  interaction with main panel  80  as generally indicated by arrow  110 . In one embodiment, sign holder  14  is extruded or otherwise formed of plastic. In one embodiment, at least one of main panel  80 , return flange  84 , and hook  94  is formed of a transparent or substantially translucent material. In one embodiment, main panel  80  and return flange  84  are each formed of a transparent or translucent material to allow printed media  72  and  16  to be viewed and/or scanned through the respective main panel  80  and return flange  84 , as will be further described below.  
         [0020]     Rotation of return flange  84  away from main panel  80  as indicated by arrow  110  allows printed medium  16  to be placed between return flange  84  and main panel  80  and into pocket  108  as indicated by arrow  112 . In an alternative embodiment, printed medium  16  is longitudinally slid into pocket  108 . In particular, printed medium  16  is positioned in pocket  108  to interact with front surface  92  of main panel  80  and back surface  100  of return flange  84 . In one embodiment, pocket  108  is configured to accommodate printed medium  16  having heights in the range of about 1 inch to about 3 inches. In one embodiment, printed medium  16  is placed within pocket  108  prior to shipment of sign holder  14  to a displaying store to decrease the in-store labor necessary to install sign holder  14 .  
         [0021]     In one embodiment, printed medium  16  is any relatively thin printable media, such as paper, cardstock, paper board, etc., printed with textual and/or graphical indicia  114  indicating generalities about the products placed upon shelf  20  for display to a consumer. In one embodiment, indicia  114  of printed medium  16  includes generalized information relating to a number of particular items placed upon shelf  20 . For example, in one embodiment, printed medium  16  is a product label including indicia  114  generally indicating the particular product being displayed upon shelf  20 , further describing the individual products displayed upon shelf  20 , etc. In particular, indicia  114  indicates at least one of product type, department, sale status, supply availability, item price, item name, and a bar code related to the goods displayed on the display shelf assembly. In one embodiment, indicia  114  includes a UPC, bar code, or other scannable portion, which can be scanned through return flange  84  when it is translucent or substantially transparent. In one embodiment, printed medium  16  is a plurality of printed media.  
         [0022]     Sign holder  14  is configured to be selectively coupled with shelf assembly  12 . In particular, referring to  FIG. 1 , sign holder  14  is positioned relative to shelf assembly  12  such that hook  94  is placed about top edge  66  of media support bracket return flange  44 . Accordingly, the bias of return flange  44  toward main panel  40  of media support bracket  22  not only maintains printed medium  72  within media support bracket  22 , but also maintains the position of downward extending portion  96  of hook  94  between main panel  40  and return flange  44 .  
         [0023]     In one embodiment, sign holder  14  is sized and configured such that upon coupling hook  94  with return flange  44  of media support bracket  22 , back rib  82  extends just beneath bottom edges  52  and  68  of media support bracket  22  or the bottom of shelf  20 . The position of back rib  82  with respect to shelf assembly  12  securely holds sign holder  14  with respect to shelf assembly  12  and decreases or generally prevents sign holder  14  from moving in an upward direction if sign holder  14  is moved or knocked by a passerby, such as a consumer or store associate. In particular, upon consumer or store associate interaction with sign holder  14 , back rib  82  interacts with media support bracket  22  to decrease or generally prevent either rotation of sign holder  14  about media support bracket  22  or movement of hook  94  upward and away from return flange  44  of media support bracket  22 , which otherwise may inadvertently uncouple sign holder  14  from shelf assembly  12 .  
         [0024]     In one embodiment, return flange  84  of sign holder  14  extends upward upon main panel  80  to a height along main panel  80  similar to the place back rib  82  extends from main panel  80 . With this in mind, in one embodiment, printed medium  16  is entirely maintained beneath back rib  82 . As such, positioning of sign holder  14  upon shelf assembly  12  allows a consumer to view both printed media  16  and  72  through the respective transparent return flanges  84  and  44 . In particular, in one embodiment, either or both of printed media  16  and  72  can be scanned through the respective return flange(s)  84  and  44 . In this manner, sign holder  14  can be added to existing signs or media support brackets  22  placed upon display shelves  20  without generally interfering with the typical use of shelf assembly  12 . In other embodiments, sign holders  14  can be placed upon shelves defining a similar return flange  44  without already maintaining printed medium  72  or other product labels.  
         [0025]     A display system including a sign holder according to the present invention allows additional information relating to displayed products to be provided to a consumer, guest, or store associate in addition to the particular item labels or other information already provided to a consumer via conventional media support brackets. The additional product label may allow groups of items to be categorized and displayed to a consumer to facilitate the consumer in locating the particular goods for which the consumer is interested in viewing and/or purchasing.  
         [0026]     In other embodiments, the product label or printed medium maintained within the additional sign holder may indicate to a consumer that a particular group of items or single item is on sale without need for the store associate or workers to remove the original item label maintained within conventional media support brackets attached to the shelving units. As such, additional printed medium displayed for a customer is also protected from normal wear and tear due to the relative rigid nature of the sign holder as compared to the actual printed medium maintained by the sign holder itself. Accordingly, a sign holder according to the present invention provides marked improvements over conventional sign holders.  
         [0027]     Although the invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments, such embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered to limit the invention. Various alternatives and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , in one embodiment, sign holder  14  includes additional components, such as a mirror  120  or other additional object secured to the front surface  102  of return flange  84  to further enhance a consumer&#39;s shopping experience. Additional modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.