Patent Publication Number: US-2007102378-A1

Title: Versatile display hook system

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates to display hangars of the type that are used to hang envelopes or pouches carrying merchandise to be displayed on racks. Hitherto most display systems utilize a backboard having holes located at specific locations into which wire hangars are inserted. The wire hangar generally has two protruding hooks to protrude into and lock into holes provided in the backboard.  
      The display hook then has a definitely defined location depending on where the holes have been punched in the backboard (“peg board”). Once the holes in the board have been made, there is no way to change the spacing between the hooks because it has been predetermined by the hole spacing in the peg board.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Because of the widespread use of the peg board-hook display system, it has been difficult to introduce competing display systems which are superior to the hook-peg board display system which has been so widely accepted. The reasons why the hook-peg board has become so widely accepted are obvious; the hook-peg board system is robust, inexpensive and once the hooks have been inserted in the mounting holes of the peg board it is practically impossible to displace them. The hooks are subsequently “loaded” with merchandise and the display becomes more stable than when the hooks were “unloaded”. Gravity plays an important part of the operational success of these prior art systems.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention seeks to provide a display system which is preferably composed of a non-metallic rail in which a non-metallic hook is mounted.  
      Because the rail is fabricated from a non-metallic substance, it is usually constructed to be of an extruded material, usually a poly vinyl plastic and the hooks mounted on the rail are envisioned as being of a plastic nature as well.  
      The mounting rail is of an extruded shape and in this instance is of a general “U” shaped cross section, having elongated upstanding legs of the “U” shaped cross section which may or may not be of equal length. Because the mounting rail is extruded, the length is indeterminant and the leg of the “U” shaped rail which is mounted on a base wall may be of any desired configuration to facilitate the fastening of the rail on the wall to which it is to be mounted.  
      The rail on which a display hook is to be fastened is usually mounted in a horizontal orientation on a base in any suitable manner so that the legs (in this instance, two) of the rail open upwardly and form an open trough between them. The strip may be mounted on the backing wall by any desirable means as long as the trough opening formed by the two walls of the rail opens upwardly.  
      The inside surface of the upstanding wall of the rail strip remote from the mounting surface is provided with an elongated foam cushion in the form of a strip which is formed in situ on the inside of the outwardly protruding wall of the rail strip and is formed during the extruding operation of the mounting rail. The mounting rail is mounted on any suitable mounting surface such as a wall or shelf front and may be extruded to any desired length.  
      Once the plastic rail has been mounted on a suitable surface, display hooks may be “snapped” over the protruding wall of the strip so that a clip formed on the rear side of the hook enters into the trough opening. The opening of the trough and the clip of the display hook are made to match so that the clip portion of the hook may be “snapped” over the protruding wall of the rail strip. The foam strip on the inside of the protruding wall of the rail strip serves to “lock” the hook in place in the slot of the rail strip.  
     PRIOR ART  
      U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,568 Feb. 10, 2004  
      This patent illustrates a method of hanging an object from a vertical rod which is inserted into a specially formed extruded rail. The rail is shaped such that the vertical rods may be inserted into the rail at any position and once in place in a suspended position, the rod is not easily displaced in its position in the mounting rail.  
      U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,298 May 23, 1989  
      This patent describes a display hook which is mounted on a wire grid and is slidable laterally on the wire grid support. Once items are hung on the display hook the display hook is difficult to move laterally.  
      U.S. Pat. 6,932,226 Aug. 23, 2005  
      This display device attaches to a shelf rail which is provided with an insert for insertion into a slot provided in the shelf rail. Once inserted into the slot, the insert is difficult to move laterally. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  shows a prior art display hangar;  
       FIG. 2  shows the mounting rail of this invention;  
       FIG. 3  shows the display hook of this invention;  
       FIG. 4  shows the hook in an operative position in the mounting rail of this invention.  
       FIG. 5  is an alternative construction for the rail strip. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
      Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a display hook or hangar  10  of the prior art is shown. This is a typical “peg board” wire hook used in many commercial displays at the present time. The display hangar comprises a mounting portion comprising two peg board hooks  12  which are designed to pass through holes provided in a peg board and secure the hangar  10  in a secure fashion in the peg board. The mounting portion of the hangar  10  is somewhat U shaped at  14  where a hangar portion  16  of hook  10  is attached by welding or some other suitable method of joining to the base portions  12 . The hangar  10  has a lower wire  18  on which merchandise articles may be suspended and a slightly longer upper wire  20  which overlap the article display wire  18  and carries a price label mounting device  22  at the end thereof. These hangars are produced and used in thousands of displays today.  
      The prior art display hangar  10  has several drawbacks. It is largely confined to a metallic construction and must be installed in holes provided at predetermined intervals in the peg board. This provides severe restriction on the location of hangar  10  on the peg board. Once the display articles are carried on the wire  18  they must be removed before the hangar  10  is relocated.  
      Applicant&#39;s invention is shown in  FIGS. 2, 3  and  4 . In  FIG. 2  an elongated mounting rail  30  is shown. Rail  30  has a generally U shaped cross section and is found to have two upstanding leg portions  32 ,  34  and a bottom portion  36 . The rail  30  is preferably extruded and is usually composed of a high impact plastic material. Because it is extruded, it may be cropped at convenient lengths and the mounting rear wall (in this instance  34 ) of the rail  30  may be extruded to any desirable shape to assist mounting the rail on a backing member. If desired, the rail may be stapled, glued, screwed or nailed to a mounting surface.  
      On the inside surface of upstanding wall  32  and extending the length of rail  30  is formed a somewhat spongy cushion  38  which may be formed in place on rail  30  during the extrusion process. The presence of spongy member  38  is absolutely necessary to the success of this invention.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 3 , a hook  40  is shown in perspective.  
      Hook  40  is well known in the display business and is generally referred to as a “sidewinder” hook. It is generally composed of a high impact plastic material such as polycarbonate and has a base portion  42  which will subsequently rest against wall  32  of the rail  30  of  FIG. 2 . Base portion  42  of hook  40  has an integrally attached hangar bar  44  formed integrally therewith, on the exposed side of base  42 , and a second clip  46  is formed on the opposing rear surface of base  42  extending in the opposite direction from hangar bar  44 . Item  40  is produced in huge quantities usually by injection molding.  
      The hook  40  and its associated mounting rail  30  are shown in the elevational sectional view of  FIG. 4 . Here hook  40  is shown mounted on rail  30 . In order to mount hook  40  in rail  30 , the clip  46  is placed on rail leg  32  and pressed downwardly. Cushion strip  38  is compressed somewhat as clip  46  is pressed downwardly. As the surface  48  of hook clip  46  engages the top of wall  32  the hook  40  will be in its “home” position and will be neatly located on wall  34  of rail  30 . Because of the resilience of cushion  38  the hook  40  will be held firmly in place and may not be easily shifted sideways or removed from the rail  30 .  
      Hangar bar  44  of hook  40  may take any desired shape and a second bar may be provided above the hangar bar  44  in a similar fashion to wire  20  of the hangar  10  shown in  FIG. 1 , should it be desired to have a label display portion present.  
       FIG. 5  shows an alternative embodiment for the rail strip. Here strip  50  has only one upstanding wall  52  on which is formed the elastomeric foamed strip  56 . The base  54  is of the form of an abutment and it abuts against a suitable mounting surface.  
      A mounting hole  58  is formed in the base  54  to permit this strip to be mounted on a flat surface.  
      The strip  50  will be mounted on a suitable surface and the upstanding wall  52  will now be maintained a suitable distance from the mounting surface to permit the installation of display hooks  40  thereon. The “offset” of base  54  may be made of any suitable width, as long as hooks  40  may be pushed over wall  52  to install them.