Abstract:
A shelving unit with adjustable brackets for enhanced mounting flexibility in a wide variety of refrigerated display cases. Bracket supports are carried longitudinally by a shelf having opposing ends. The bracket supports have opposing channels positioned at least at the opposing ends of the shelf. A shelf support bracket is provided for slidably engaging the opposing channels of the bracket support and being positioned longitudinally along the shelf corresponding to the spacing of vertical standards affixed within a refrigeration case.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to refrigerated food display cases. More specifically, this invention provides a shelving unit with adjustable brackets for mounting flexibility. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Refrigerated display cases are a common feature of modern grocery stores. Typical refrigerated cases have a bottom and four lower sides defining a well, the well serving as a settling area for cool, refrigerated air, and as a display area for food products. Many modern refrigerated cases also have a tall back and top overhang with an open front to allow customers to view, inspect, and retrieve food items. 
     Competitive pressures have forced grocers to display (and sell) more goods per square foot. However, the costs of replacing functioning units with new units to add additional merchandising shelf space is prohibitive. As an alternative, grocers have installed one or more mezzanine shelves (shelves positioned above the well) in their existing refrigerated display cases in order to increase the amount of horizontal shelf space available in existing refrigerated cases. These refrigerated case conversions increase the utilization of vertical space within the refrigerated cases, and the visual impact of products, particularly through the use of multi-deck mezzanine shelving. Such replacement shelving systems thus provide a viable, cost-effective alternative for grocers needing additional refrigerated shelf space. 
     Multi-deck shelving case converters may be free standing. Alternatively, one or more shelves may be attached to an existing refrigerated case through a set of vertical, slotted standards provided by the manufacturer of the refrigerated case. New cases utilize similar standards. The several manufacturers of refrigerated cases have their own, varying, specifications for the horizontal spacing intervals between the vertical, slotted standards in their units. 
     It is the current industry practice for shelf manufacturers to fix mounting brackets to the individual shelves at the specific horizontal spacing interval of the slotted standards of the case in which the shelving is to be installed. As a result of this practice, shelf manufacturers have additional manufacturing complexity, increased inventory and warehousing requirements, and slower turnaround time in servicing customers due to the non-standard nature of the mounting bracket spacing for the shelving units. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is a mezzanine shelving unit with adjustable brackets for enhanced mounting flexibility in a wide variety of refrigerated display cases. A device according to the current invention includes a shelf designed to be placed in a standard refrigerated case section. 
     In a preferred embodiment, two bracket supports are mounted longitudinally along the bottom of a shelf. The bracket supports are mounted parallel to each other, and each support contains a bracket channel, each channel opening toward its counterpart channel on the opposing bracket support. In addition to defining bracket channels, these bracket supports may also provide lateral support to the shelf. 
     In accordance with the present invention, adjustable brackets are provided which have extending channel tabs located at the ends, the tabs being designed to slide within the provided channels of the bracket supports. Both channel tabs have flat extending segments designed to rest and slide in a corresponding segment of the bracket support. Additionally, at least one of the channel tabs is provided with a flat segment attached, and generally perpendicular, to the end of a flat extending segment, the perpendicular segment serving to slide along a surface or surfaces of the bracket support channel to maintain alignment of the bracket, minimize torsional forces and prevent binding and/or catching as the bracket is slid longitudinally along the bracket supports with the tabs within the channels. Each adjustable bracket also contains two or more integral mounting arms designed to allow attachment of the bracket to a vertical slotted standard provided within the refrigerated case. Each mounting arm may have one or more tab notches which will secure the shelf at least one predetermined angle when the tab slots engage the slotted standards of the refrigerated case. Thus, each adjustable bracket can be positioned precisely within the channels of the bracket support to allow attachment of the adjustable bracket (and the attached shelving unit) to the vertical slotted standard of the refrigerated case, no matter what horizontal distance separates the vertical slotted standards within the case. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side cross sectional view of a typical refrigerated case having a shelving unit in accordance with the present invention including adjustable brackets mounted to a set of vertical slotted standards contained within the case. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mezzanine shelf with adjustable brackets in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the mezzanine shelf with adjustable brackets of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a close up view of the end sections of the bracket supports forming a portion of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, and the positioning of the bracket tabs within said bracket supports. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention including a refrigerated case  10  having two removable shelving units  12 . Each removable shelving unit  12  has two adjustable brackets  16  mounted longitudinally along the bottom of the shelving unit  12 . 
     An adjustable bracket  16  is secured to the shelves by channels  22  (see FIGS. 3 &amp; 4) provided within bracket supports  14 , discussed more fully below, such that adjustable bracket  16  can be attached to a vertical slotted standard  18  within the refrigerated case  10 , in known manner. 
     FIG. 2 further illustrates the removable shelving unit  12 . In a preferred embodiment of the current invention, the length of the removable shelving unit  12  is designed to be approximately 47.875″, such that the shelving unit  12  will mount ideally within a standard four foot refrigerated case section. The width  20  of the removable shelving unit  12  may vary, with preferred embodiments of the removable shelving units  12  having widths  20  of 10″, 11.5″, 13″, 15″, 17″, 19″, 21″ and 23″. 
     The bracket channels  22  are separated by a distance ranging from approximately 5″ to approximately 16″ such that an 5″ channel separation distance corresponds to a shelf unit  12  having a width of approximately 10″, and a 16″ channel separation distance corresponds to a shelf unit  12  having a width of approximately 23″. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the removable shelving unit  12 . In a preferred embodiment, two bracket supports  14  are mounted longitudinally along the bottom of the shelving unit  12 . These bracket supports  14  may also serve to provide lateral support to the shelving unit  12 . The length of the bracket supports  14  in the illustrated embodiment is approximately 47.68″. Each bracket support  14  contains a channel  22  with an opposing slot opening  23  toward its counterpart slot on the parallel opposing bracket support  14 . As will be appreciated from the following discussion, when lateral support is not necessary, or is otherwise provided, the bracket supports  14  need extend along the length of the shelving unit  12  only over the desired range of bracket adjustment. An adjustable bracket  16  is provided which contains both an L-shaped channel tab  26  and a flat channel tab  28  positioned at the ends of the adjustable bracket  16 . 
     As shown in FIGS. 3 &amp; 4, channel tabs  26  &amp;  28  are designed to slide within the provided channels  22  of the bracket supports  14 . The bracket supports  14  which form the opposing channels  22  through which the adjustable bracket  16  will slide, are identical, the channels appearing as mirror-images of each other as a result of the orientation of the respective bracket support  14 . The area of the channel is defined within the bracket support  14  by a bottom channel support leg  44 , a side channel support leg  46 , a top channel wall  48 , a side channel support wall  49  (generally parallel to leg  46 ) and an angular side channel support wall  50 . 
     The L-shaped channel tab  26  further comprises an extending tab segment  40  and a perpendicular tab segment  42 . The extending tab segment has a proximal end  62  attached to a main body portion  64  of the adjustable bracket. Likewise, the extending tab segment  40  has a distal end  66  projecting away from the main body portion  64  of the adjustable bracket  16 . The tab  28  and tab segment  40  are generally parallel. In the illustrated embodiment they are also co-planar. 
     The tab segment  40  of the L-shaped channel tab  26  will rest and slide within the opening defined by bottom channel support leg  44  of the bracket support  14 . The perpendicular tab segment  42  of the L-shaped channel tab  26  will extend at a right angle from the distal end of the tab segment  40  such that the segment  42  will slide along the surfaces formed by leg  46  and wall  49  to maintain the alignment of the tab  26  (and opposing tab  28  within its associated channel) to prevent or reduce binding of the bracket  16  as it is positioned along the bracket supports  14 . The flat channel tab  28  will rest and slide within the bottom channel support  44  of the bracket support  14 . The adjustable brackets  16  will be positioned within the bracket channels  22  such that the adjustable brackets  16  are set apart in the channels  22  by a distance established by the spacing between the slotted standards  18 , which spacing varies from case manufacturer to case manufacturer. 
     As described above, the adjustable bracket  16  is slidably positioned along the channels  22  of the bracket support  14 . The tab segment  40  of the L-shaped channel tab  26  and the flat channel tab  28  will rest and slide on the bottom channel support  44  of the bracket support  14 , the bottom channel support  44  providing load bearing support for the adjustable bracket  16 . At this same time, the perpendicular tab segment  42  of the L-shaped channel tab  26  will closely align with the side channel support leg  46  and the shortened side channel support wall  49  to provide sliding surfaces perpendicular to the bottom channel support  44  to maintain alignment of the brackets  16  relative to the bracket supports  14  such that torsional forces will be countered as the adjustable bracket slides along the channels  22 . Thus, this side channel support will prevent the adjustable bracket  16  from binding or catching in the channels  22  as the adjustable bracket is slid along the channels  22 . 
     Referring back to FIG. 3, each adjustable bracket  16  also contains two or more integral mounting arms  29  to allow attachment of the adjustable bracket  16  to a vertical slotted standard  18  provided within the refrigerated case  10 . Each mounting arm  29  will have one or more tab notches  61  formed into the surface of the mounting arm  29  adopted to engage the slotted standard  18  at a predetermined angle, in known manner. In a preferred embodiment, the tab notches  61  on the mounting arms  29  engage the slotted standards  18  such that the shelving unit  12  can have a tilt angle of approximately 0 degrees, 10 degrees or 20 degrees relative to a horizontal reference. In one preferred embodiment, the vertical slotted standard  18  has 0.5″ slots positioned longitudinally at a regular interval at a 1″ center to center spacing. 
     Each adjustable bracket  16  can be positioned precisely within the channels  22  of the bracket support  14  to allow attachment of the adjustable bracket  16  (and also the attached shelving unit  12 ) to the vertical slotted standards  18  of the refrigerated case  10 , no matter what horizontal distance (within the adjustment range of the brackets) separates the vertical slotted standards  18  within the case. After the adjustable brackets  16  have been positioned within the channels  22  of the bracket support  14 , a shelving unit end cap  30  is fixably attached to each end of the shelving unit  12 . This shelf unit end cap  30  will not only provide structural integrity to the shelving unit  12 , but will also ensure that the adjustable brackets  16  remain positioned within the channels  22  of the bracket support unit  14 . 
     In a preferred embodiment, a light bracket  24  is also mounted longitudinally to the bottom of the shelving unit  12 . This light bracket  24  may serve as a housing within which a light may be mounted, thus providing illumination for shelving units mounted below the illustrated shelving unit  12 . This light bracket  24  may also serve to provide lateral support to the shelving unit  12 . The light bracket  24  has a length of approximately 47.68″. 
     Numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the forgoing description. It will be understood, however, that this disclosure is, in many respects, only illustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts without exceeding the scope of the invention. For example, with the end caps removed, the brackets  16  may be positioned within the channels of the bracket supports  14  with the mounting arms  29  being spaced from each other by a distance greater than the length of the particular shelf. The adjustment range of the brackets  16  is defined by the channels in bracket supports  14 . The adjustment range may be the full extent of the bracket support, the full length of the shelf, a lesser amount as desired or a greater amount as indicated. The invention&#39;s scope is, therefore, defined in the language in which the appended claims are expressed.