Abstract:
A display rack construction includes at least first and second grid assemblies in combination with a removable bracket assembly. The bracket assembly is designed to functionally join the grid assemblies and simultaneously act to support items for purposes of display. The combination of grid assemblies and bracket assembly provides a self-positioning display rack construction that is generally stable with respect to lateral movement of the individual grid assemblies.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     In a principal aspect, various embodiments of the present invention relate to a display rack construction primarily for the display of items having elongated handles, such as brooms, mops and the like.  
         [0002]     The on-site display in retail stores of items that have an elongated handle, such as brooms, mops and other cleaning implements, may be effected in a number of ways. For example, the handles may be inserted downwardly into a free-standing bin with the active end of the item projecting upwardly. This manner of display is not favored inasmuch as the labeling for the item is typically upside down and thus difficult to read. Also, such a display technique does not lend itself to ease of access to the displayed item. Further, arrangement of the displayed items can be difficult, resulting in a non-uniform display arrangement that can appear untidy.  
         [0003]     Alternatively, the items may be hung by the handle from hooks on a support rack with a wall or aisle display. The items may be hung through holes in their handles or by attached tabs. With this arrangement, it is difficult to remove from the hook any items that are not at the front of the row.  
         [0004]     Another manner of displaying such cleaning implements and the like is to provide a rack which supports and aligns the handles, and thus the items, one in front of the other. Such a display rack typically includes a ladder-like rack attached to a vertical support surface and utilizes closely-spaced, parallel guide rods extending therefrom to hold the handles of the items in a linear array. Thus, the first item in the display is easily accessible to the consumer and may be easily removed from the display rack. Additionally, the labeling for the product may be easily viewed.  
         [0005]     Although these types of display racks are deemed useful, maintaining the spaced arrangement of the racks while also providing a stable display support may be difficult and require additional mechanical assembly. Display racks of this type generally include a plurality of wall-mounted support racks, or ladders. The ladders are mounted on a vertical support surface side-by-side and spaced apart from adjacent ladders. To improve the stability and strength of the display rack, the ladders are often joined together using brackets or other connectors that extend between the vertical side rods of adjacent ladders. Additionally, when providing such a display rack, the ability to alter the arrangement of the positioning of the displayed items which may vary in size, length and the like is limited by the size and configuration of the ladders.  
         [0006]     Thus, there has developed a need to provide a display rack construction that is self-stabilizing. Further, there remains a need for a display rack construction that is easily assembled and disassembled and changeable in assembly and construction in a manner that enables adjustment of the display rack to accommodate items of various sizes and configuration.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     Briefly, the various embodiments of the present invention include a display rack construction which includes at least a first and a second grid assembly. Each of the grid assemblies is comprised of a plurality of rod members which are joined together to form a lattice. Among the rod members are one or more horizontal rods and one or more lateral, or vertical, side rods along each side of the grid assembly.  
         [0008]     There is further included in the construction a bracket assembly that simultaneously may engage both the first and second grid assemblies and hold those assemblies juxtaposed in a desired position. Hook members projecting from the bracket assembly engage the horizontal rod members of the respective first and second grid assemblies and effectively interlock with the horizontal rod members to simultaneously support the bracket assembly and securely retain the grid assemblies in their side-by-side position. The combination of grid assemblies and bracket assembly provide a generally stable display rack construction by limiting lateral movement of the grid assemblies and avoids the need for ancillary connectors to secure the side rods of adjacent grid assemblies together is spaced relation. The bracket assembly also includes projecting rod members which extend in a cantilever manner from the hook members and are spaced so as to facilitate the placement between the projecting rod members of handles associated with items to be displayed.  
         [0009]     Because the bracket assembly is designed to simultaneously support or engage handle members as well as retain the grid assemblies in position with respect to one another, the bracket assembly may be easily disassembled. As a result, uniform size grid assemblies may be utilized in the manufacture of the display rack. Further, the bracket assembly may be adjusted to engage with variously positioned horizontal rod members associated with the grid assemblies to accommodate various sizes and heights of items maintained in the display rack. Also, multiple bracket assemblies may be used, and the bracket assemblies may be designed to hold, support and/or display a myriad of items of different sizes and shapes, including but not limited to brooms, mops, brushes and the like. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     In the detailed description which follows, reference will be made to the drawings comprised of the following figures:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic view of a display rack construction in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, showing a first grid assembly, a second grid assembly and a bracket assembly which retains the grid assemblies in combination and which is designed to support items for display;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of one of the grid assemblies of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the grid assembly of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the bracket assembly of the display rack construction of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the bracket assembly of  FIG. 4 ; and  
         [0016]      FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of the combination of the bracket assembly and the grid assemblies of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a typical embodiment of the invention comprises at least a first grid assembly  10  and a second grid assembly  12  supported on a vertical surface  13 . In practice, the grid assemblies  10  and  12  are substantially identical in construction. However, the grid assemblies  10  and  12  may be altered in construction so long as essential elements or basic elements associated with the construction are incorporated. Additionally, more than two grid assemblies may be utilized in combination to provide a display rack construction. That is, a grid assembly such as assembly  10  and assembly  12  may be duplicated and utilized in multiple combinations to provide a display rack construction. Thus, grid assemblies having the described elemental features may be joined in multiple grid assembly arrays by appropriate bracket assemblies of the type described hereinafter to provide a display rack construction of any desired size.  
         [0018]     The grid assemblies  10  and  12  cooperate with a bracket assembly  14  as described hereinafter. The bracket assembly  14  maintains the grid assemblies  10  and  12  juxtaposed, one with respect to the other, in a desired relation. Typically, that desired relation is a side-by-side array to improve stability by limiting lateral movement of the individual grid assemblies  10  and  12  and to allow items to be displayed conveniently upon the grid assemblies. Multiple bracket assemblies  14  may thus be used to effect such joinder of grid assemblies  10 ,  12 . An additional function of the bracket assembly  14  is to facilitate display of items. In other words, the bracket assemblies  14  themselves engage and support various items for purposes of display. Thus, the simultaneous and dual functions associated with the bracket assemblies  14  is effected.  
         [0019]     Referring now also to  FIG. 2 , there is illustrated an individual grid assembly  10 , which is further described herein. Although only grid assembly  10  is separately illustrated and described, the description of grid assembly  10  is equally applicable to second grid assembly  12 . Further, although in the embodiment illustrated, grid assemblies  10  and  12  are substantially identical, grid assemblies of differing configurations are contemplated for use together. The various rod members forming the lattice of grid assembly  10  are substantially identical in diameter, although rod members of differing diameters also are contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention. Thus, grid assembly  10  includes an outside rod member  16  that is a vertical rod member incorporated as an element of the lattice comprising the grid assembly  10 . An inner rod member  18  is spaced horizontally or laterally from the first outside rod member  16 . The second rod member  18  is also a vertical rod member. Similarly, the opposite side of the grid assembly  10  includes a second outside rod member  17  and a second inner rod member  19 .  
         [0020]     Horizontal or cross rod members  22 ,  24  and  26  define the configuration of the overall grid assembly  10  with respect to both inner members  18  and  19  and outside rod members  16  and  17 . The rod members described are joined together to form a frame comprised of the vertical and horizontal rod members. Importantly, the frame includes vertical outside rods  16  and  17  spaced apart from inner rod members  18  and  19 . Vertical outside rod members  16  and  17  act as spacers for the inner display grid, maintaining it in a spaced apart position relative to the inner display grids of adjacent grid assemblies. Inner rod members  18  and  19  act as “stops” for the bracket assembly  14  as described hereinafter.  
         [0021]     At least one horizontal rod member  20  is provided for joinder of vertical inner rod members  18  and  19 . Further, one or more additional horizontal rod members, such as horizontal rod members  36  and  38 , may be provided intermediate and along the length of the inner vertical rod members  18  and  19 . The inner rod members  18  and  19  in combination with any intermediate horizontal rod members  20 ,  36  and  38 , as well as the portions of cross rod members  22 ,  24  and  26  spanning between inner members  18  and  19 , define the configuration of an inner display grid. Display arms, hooks and the like (not shown) may engage any one or more of rod members  20 ,  22 ,  24 ,  26 ,  36  and  38  between inner vertical members  18  and  19  and extend outwardly therefrom to provide additional capacity for the display of items from the grid assemblies  10  and  12 .  
         [0022]      FIGS. 4 and 5  illustrate the bracket assembly  14  in greater detail. Thus, the bracket assembly  14  includes a first downwardly extending hook member  50  and a second downwardly extending hook member  52 . Each hook member  50  and  52  includes a downwardly extending or depending run  57  ( FIG. 1 ) and  58  and an inclined forwardly extending brace run  54  and  56 . The brace  54  and  56  is connected to a looped rod member  60  and  62 . A cross member  64 , which is generally horizontal, extends between the hook members  50  and  52  and more particularly between the downward extensions  57  and  58  of the hook members  50  and  52 . The cross member  64  connects to the loop  60  and the second loop  62  and also engages rod members  19 ,  17 ,  16 ′ and  18 ′ to limit rotational movement in a downward direction when the bracket assembly  14  is engaged with and supported by the grid assemblies  10  and  12  (as illustrated in  FIG. 1 ). In this manner, a bracket assembly  14  is provided with spaced parallel loops  60  and  62  to support items such as cleaning implements with elongated handles. The loops  60  and  62  are spaced one from the other and extend outwardly so that handles of brooms, mops and the like may be arranged in linear array therebetween as depicted by the broom shown in broken lines in  FIG. 1 . An auxiliary display sign  70  may be attached by welding or otherwise to one or both of the loops  60  or  62  to facilitate the use of the bracket assembly  14  as a display rack item.  
         [0023]     Loops  60  and  62  are spaced one from the other for aligning handles of a broom, for example. However, various other types of display elements may be utilized. For example, a single rod may be utilized in lieu of loops  60  and  62  for the hanging of various items for purposes of display. Various other arrangements of loops, hooks and the like may also be used.  
         [0024]     Importantly, the hook members  50  and  52  are uniquely spaced one from the other. That is, the hook members  50  and  52  are spaced apart by a distance which is slightly greater than the distance between the inner, or stop, vertical rod members  18 ′ and  19  of the respective grids  12  and  10  as depicted in  FIG. 1 . In this manner, the hook members  50  and  52  may be inserted over and engaged with the horizontal cross bars  20  and  20 ′ and thus supported by the grid assemblies  10  and  12 . Further, the horizontal cross member  64  associated with the bracket assembly  14  preferably extends laterally a distance at least equal to the spacing of the hook members  50  and  52  and preferably a slightly greater distance so that when the hook members  50  and  52  are engaged on horizontal cross members  20  and  20 ′, the cross member  64  can be engaged with vertical rod members  16 ′,  17 ,  18 ′ and  19  and thus support the bracket assembly  14  as depicted in  FIG. 1 . The bracket assembly  14  thus extends outwardly in a cantilever-like fashion from the assembled grid assemblies  10  and  12 . The parallel rod loops  60  and  62  are maintained in an orientation which enables display of items supported therebetween.  
         [0025]     Because the bracket assembly  14  is moveable between various horizontal cross members, e.g.  20 ,  24 , etc., the bracket assembly  14  may be positioned in a manner to facilitate display of items having various sizes or dimensions. Further, the bracket assembly  14  serves the function of maintaining the grid assemblies  10  and  12  properly joined together for purposes of display. As a result, the grid assemblies  10  and  12  may be of dimensions that are easily transported for assembly at a store site. Because the display rack construction does not require use of any particular fasteners, it is easy to assemble and disassemble.  
         [0026]     The specific construction of the lattice work or grid assemblies  10  and  12  may be varied. Importantly, the spacing of hook members  50  and  52  in combination with the vertical rods or other elements which act as stop members further in combination with lateral side edges of the grid assemblies are important elements of the construction.  
         [0027]     Numerous alternatives, modifications and variations of the display rack construction are possible. Thus, modifications and variations in the practice of the invention are expected to be apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the foregoing detailed description of the invention. Although preferred embodiments have been described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, there is no intent to limit the scope of the invention to these or any other particular embodiments. Consequently, any such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.