Patent Publication Number: US-2004050812-A1

Title: Label and/or sign holder

Description:
[0001] This is a complete application claiming benefit of provisional application Serial No. 60/411,407 filed Sep. 18, 2002. 
    
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0003] This invention relates to merchandising aids, and relates more particularly to the manner and means by which a label holder or a combination label holder/sign holder is secured to a merchandising shelf, particularly a merchandising shelf devoid of a “C-channel” along its front edge. The label holder portion of the merchandising aid is designed to preferably removably receive non-adhesive labels to display consumer information such as descriptions and prices of products on the shelf, as well as inventory control information, such as barcodes and the like. The sign holder portion of the merchandising aid, if included, is adapted to carry a “flag” or sign displaying special information to the consumer, such as identifying a “sale” item or the like. For simplicity, the terms “label holder” and label/sign holder” are used interchangeably to include label holders with or without one or more means to also carry a sign or flag as discussed below.  
       [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art  
       [0005] Shelves with “C-channels” along the front edge are commonly found in merchandise outlets such as supermarkets, pharmacies and the like, the C-channel being formed with spaced upper and lower opposed lips to provide a convenient means for mounting many different kinds of fit-in articles, such as labels, signs or sign holder which provide information relating to the merchandise displayed on the shelf. While adhesive-backed labels can be secured directly to such a surface, removing such adhesive-backed labels is time consuming and difficult, leaving an unsightly residue build-up which is resistant to cleaning. Generally, non-adhesive paper or plastic labels are preferred since they can easily be replaced if they become damaged or the product information changes. Therefore, label holders have been provided which commonly have a back or body panel attached in some fashion to the supporting surface, with a transparent cover member flexibly secured along one mating edge to the body panel to define a pocket between the front surface of the body panel and the rear surface of the cover member for removable reception of one or more such information-containing labels.  
       [0006] It should be understood, however, that the attachment elements of the label holder of this invention are useful even in label holders adapted to carry adhesive labels, i.e., those without a cover member or a pocket to receive paper or plastic non-adhesive labels.  
       [0007] Label holders are generally provided in elongated sections, perhaps 4′ or more in width, and may be secured by adhesive strips or the like to any supporting surface such as the side of a shelving or warehouse unit. However, most applications for such label holders are directly on the front flange or in the C-channel of the front edge of a product display shelf. Various prior art embodiments of such label holders can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,713,899, 5,458,307, 5,488,793, 5,515,632, 5,682,698, 5,899,011 and 6,105,295, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.  
       [0008] Oftentimes, in addition to the information provided by the product labels, it is desired to highlight certain information about a particular product or group of products by displaying an enlarged “flag” or sign on the shelf, depending from the portion of the shelf carrying such products, or extending into the aisle at such a location. Different forms of “sign holders” are also well known in the merchandising art, examples of which can be seen in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,793, as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,485,575, 4,531,313, 4,625,441, 4,704,813, 4,917,342, 4,995,182, 5,682,698, and 6,163,996, the disclosures of which are also incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.  
       [0009] Separate sign holders can simply be positioned on the shelf itself, or juxtaposed to the shelf in the aisle. Yet, such an. arrangement may not be stable, can waste valuable product display space, and can even cause damage to consumers. For that reason, as seen in some of the aforementioned patents, such sign holders may be designed to be supported partially or entirely in the same C-channels as the label holders.  
       [0010] While constructions of this nature are convenient for many applications, significant difficulties are encountered when it is necessary to insert new labels or to remove or replace labels already carried in the underlying label holder. In order to access the label holder pocket, any and all sign holders secured in front of and, therefore, overlying the label holder must first be removed, and subsequently replaced. This is time consuming, labor intensive, and obviously inefficient, particularly when using elongated label holders that may have multiple sign holders engaged along their length.  
       [0011] U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,112 issued May 27, 2003 (the &#39;112 patent), the subject matter of which is also incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, provides a combination label/sign holder wherein the sign holders are carried by, and move with, the cover member and do not interfere with access to the label holder pocket so that labels can be selectively inserted and removed from the label holder pocket without removing any of the sign holders associated with related products. More specifically, in the &#39;112 patent, the front surface of the cover member of the label holder is provided with a pair of sign holder-receiving lip members which can snappingly receive edge portions of a resilient plastic or metal sign holder such as seen in aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,793, or the engaging portions of a depending sign holder of the type seen in aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,682,698 and 6,163,996, or other such commercially available sign holders. The combination label/sign holder of the &#39;112 patent also includes a locking construction to secure paper or the like labels in the pocket, with a ledge or other finger-engaging element adapted to facilitate opening the label holder for insertion or removal of labels from the pocket as seen particularly in aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,632.  
       [0012] Some merchandising shelves do not have integral C-channels and have only a downwardly depending or downwardly and forwardly angled front edge or lip terminating in a rearwardly-directed lower flange. Attachment of a label holder or a combination label/sign holder to a merchandise shelf devoid of an integral C-channel is problematic. While label or label/sign holders can be adhesively secured to the depending lip on shelves of this nature, moving or replacing such elements, as with the adhesively-backed labels themselves, is difficult, time consuming and leaves an unsightly residue that is resistant to cleaning. Attempts to avoid the adhesive attachment with various elements fixing the lower portion of the label holder to or around the rearwardly extending flange on the bottom of the shelf have been generally unsuccessful because they cannot retain the body panel in position against the front edge of the shelf when the cover member is tipped forwardly to insert or remove a label from the pocket.  
       [0013] The invention of the &#39;775 application is directed to a label and/or sign holder having a discrete adaptor element which enables the same to be attached to a merchandising shelf which does not have an integral C-channel and has only a downwardly depending or downwardly and forwardly angled front edge or lip terminating in a rearwardly-directed lower flange. The adaptor element of the &#39;775 application can be fixed to the top of the shelf, such as by one or more integrally extruded or independent fasteners such as “push pin” members or the like snappingly engaged in the apertures commonly defined in the supporting surfaces of such shelves, and has a forwardly extending reverted front edge or “hook” member adapted to engage with upper portions of the body panel of the label holder to secure the same in position without interfering with the ability of the cover member to move relative to the body panel to open a pocket formed between these elements for reception or removal of a label as necessary. A variety of means are disclosed therein for securing the lower portions of the label holder to the rearwardly extending lower shelf flange.  
       [0014] While the label and/or sign holder of the &#39;775 application, with its independent or discrete adaptor element, is functionally efficient and effective to secure a label and/or sign holder to a merchandising shelf which does not have an integral C-channel or the like, it would be desirable for many applications to avoid the need for a discrete adaptor element which can be lost or misplaced and which requires additional manipulation in securing the label and/or sign holder to the front edge or lip of the merchandising shelf. Additionally, particularly with the embodiments of the adaptor element shown in the &#39;775 application that include integral “push pins” and, even those embodiments of the adaptor element provided with openings or weakened points through which more conventional discrete push pins or the like can be inserted into the openings of the shelf to retain the adaptor and thereby the label and/or sign holder, the integral push pins, or the openings in the adaptor, must conform to the openings in the shelf surface or the connection will be difficult or impossible to accomplish. Since the discrete adaptor of the &#39;775 application must be reasonably robust in order to provide the “hook” for engaging the label and/or sign holder, it is generally not practical to simply force a push pin or the like through the adaptor into the shelf openings without pre-weakening the adaptor or forming openings therein for receipt of the push pins.  
       [0015] For the foregoing reasons, it would be desirable to provide a label and/or sign holder designed for engagement with a merchandising shelf lacking an integral C-channel which avoids the need for an independent or discrete adaptor element and which enables push pins or the like to be selectively positioned wherever the shelf openings are found.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016] A primary object of this invention is the provision of means designed to facilitate attaching a label holder such as seen, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,632, and/or a combination label/sign holder, such as seen, for example, in the &#39;112 patent, to a merchandising shelf of the type described above lacking a C-channel, while avoiding the need for a separate or independent adaptor element.  
       [0017] Another object of this invention is to provide a label holder which is integrally extruded with a thin film-like element which can be secured to the top of the shelf by one or more independent fasteners such as “push pins” or the like snappingly engaged through the film into the shelf apertures to pull the upper portions of the body panel of the label holder into tight engagement with the front edge of the shelf.  
       [0018] Yet another object of this invention is to provide a label holder construction which secures the upper portions of the body panel to the shelf without interfering with the ability of the cover member to move relative to the body panel to open a pocket formed between these elements for reception or removal of a label as necessary.  
       [0019] A further object of this invention is the provision of a label holder with an integral film as discussed above to secure the upper portions of the body panel and any of the various elements described in the &#39;775 application underlying or wrapping around the rearwardly extending lower shelf flange to secure the lower portions of the label holder in position.  
       [0020] Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description and claims taken in conjunction with the attached drawings. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0021]FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a combined label/sign holder according to this invention about to be affixed to the front edge or lip of a shelf with no C-channel by push pins as discussed above secured through the integral film element into the holes in the shelf supporting surface;  
     [0022]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the label/sign holder of FIG. 1 secured to a merchandising shelf; and  
     [0023]FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the label/sign holder of this invention apart from the shelf. 
    
    
     [0024] Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.  
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     [0025] In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.  
     [0026] Referring generally to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of a merchandising aid in the nature of an integral tri-extrusion of a combined label/sign holder such as seen in the &#39;112 patent, modified for attachment to a shelf lacking a C-channel, is designated generally by the reference numeral  10 . The merchandising aid  10  includes a label holder portion  15  formed by a back or body panel  16  and a cover member  18  flexibly secured to each other at a hinge or pivot portion  20 . The material from which the merchandising aid is made is not critical to the instant inventive concepts, although commercially such products are commonly co-extruded from plastics materials, with the body panel  16  being formed of an opaque plastic and the cover member  18  being formed of a transparent material to enable passers-by to view information on a label (not shown) captured in a pocket  17  formed between the front surface of the body panel  16  and the rear surface of the cover member  18 . The cover member  18  can be tipped forwardly in a well-known manner to facilitate the insertion or removal a label. The resilient nature of the hinge  20  will then normally bias the cover member  18  back to its closed position to retain the label in the pocket  17  in a well known manner.  
     [0027] In a preferred embodiment, the upper edge portions of the base panel  16  include a forwardly and downwardly extending flange or lip  32  and the upper edge portions  34  of the cover member  18  are lockingly engageable under the body panel lip  32  to retain the cover member and secure a label in the pocket  17 , particularly in the event the resilience of the connection between the base panel  16  and the cover member  18  weakens with continued use of the label holder  15 . A downwardly and then forwardly and upwardly extending finger-engaging element  36  is preferably carried by the upper edge portions  34  of the cover member  18  to facilitate release of the upper edge portions  34  of the cover member  18  from the locking engagement with the flange  32  of the base panel  16 .  
     [0028] As mentioned above, the cover member  18  of the label holder portion  15  of the &#39;112 patent carries a sign holder such that the label holder can be opened without removing the sign holder. To that end, a pair of sign holder-receiving lip members  50 ,  52  are integrally formed on the cover member  18 , i.e., by extrusion. The upper sign holder-receiving lip member  50  extends forwardly and downwardly from the upper edge portions  34  of the cover member  18  behind the finger-engaging element  36  to form an upper sign holder-receiving pocket  54 , and the lower sign holder-receiving lip member  52  extends forwardly and upwardly from the lower edge portions of the cover member  18  to define a lower sign holder-receiving pocket  56 .  
     [0029] One well-known spring clip form of sign holder (not shown) includes a spring plastic or metal element having oppositely extending edge portions adapted to be snappingly engaged in the sign holder-receiving pockets  54 ,  56 , respectively, in an obvious manner. Such sign holders have a central slit or opening adapted to grippingly engage a plastic or cardboard “flag” or sign (not shown). A different form of sign holder is seen, for example, in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,682,698 and 6,163,996, and the label/sign holder  10  can likewise accommodate such items enabling the substitution of labels, with no need to remove the sign holder since it is carried by, and moves with, the cover member  18 .  
     [0030] The merchandising aid  10  can be of any dimensions, but, as noted above, is generally marketed in elongated sections which can receive and retain multiple labels, each of which is adapted to contain consumer and inventory information related to products on a merchandise shelf and display such information to passers-by or store personnel through the transparent cover member  18 . The flag or sign , on the other hand, in a sign holder is extended into the aisle or downwardly below the shelf in a manner to more prominently display special product information to consumers passing in either direction. By supporting the sign holder directly on the cover member  18  of the label holder portion  15  of the merchandising aid  10 , the cover member  18  can be tilted forwardly for insertion or removal of a label without interference from the sign holder, since the sign holder with its accompanying sign remains in position on the cover member  18  and moves therewith. In this manner, it is possible for store personnel to readily remove or replace new labels at any point along the length of a section of label holder without removing any or all of the sign holders associated therewith.  
     [0031] For all intents and purposes the preferred label/sign holder  10  seen in FIG. 1 is substantially identical to the preferred label/sign holder of the &#39;112 patent. However, in order to enable the label/sign holder  10  disclosed herein to be attached to a merchandise shelf  40  commonly formed of metal and including a generally horizontally-extending product or merchandise support section  42  having a front edge  42  and generally including a multiplicity of uniformly spaced rows of through-apertures  44  generally circular or diamond-shaped as shown in FIG. 1, a forwardly and downwardly depending or shelf lip  46  devoid of a C-channel, and a rearwardly extending lower shelf flange  48 , the label/sign holder  10  hereof, is modified to include means to engage the bottom of the label holder with the shelf flange  48  of the shelf  40 , and a thin film-like, preferably transparent element  70  is integrally formed with the upper edge  16  of the body panel  16  to secure the top of the label holder  10  to the shelf  40 .  
     [0032] With respect to securing the lower portions of the label/sign holder  10  to the shelf  40 , a rearwardly extending lower flange  38  with a reverted return  39  is illustrated as integrally formed with the body panel  16  to underlie and extend around or toward the rear edge  49  of the shelf flange  48 . The length of the return  39  can be such as to wrap around and engage the rear edge  49  of the shelf flange  48  or simply approach the same as shown since accidental disengagement of these elements is quite difficult once the upper portions of the label/sign holder  10  are secured to the shelf  40  as explained in more detail below. The extended nature of the return  39  illustrated in the drawings enables the same to be used with shelf flanges such as shown at  48  of different lengths. Further, while this type of lower engagement is shown as preferred, any of the embodiments of the lower shelf-engaging means illustrated in the &#39;775 application, or others, may be substituted therefore without departing from the instant inventive concepts.  
     [0033] Further, it is to be understood that the film-like element  70  would even be useful in a label holder attached at its lower end to or about the lower edge of a shelf lip lacking a rearwardly extending shelf flange (not shown).  
     [0034] The integral upper shelf-engaging thin film element  70  is the principal feature of this invention and generally comprises a film-like flap of a material such as polyvinyl chloride, perhaps 0.005 inch in thickness so that it can be easily penetrated, and preferably transparent so that the openings  44  of the shelf  40  can be viewed through the film as seen in FIG. 1. In this manner, push pins  74  can be snappingly engaged through the film-like element  70  into one or more of the apertures  44  of the shelf  40 , usually in the first row of apertures  44 , but possibly in a more rearward row, thereby securing the label/sign holder  10  in position.  
     [0035] While the label holders of this invention are commonly extruded, enabling co-extrusion of, for example, the body panel  16  and the continuous film-like element  70 , of different plastics materials, or different thicknesses of the same plastics material, the instant inventive concepts are applicable to label holders in which individual spaced sections of thin, film-like elements are secured in any fashion to a body panel (not shown) to provide a piercable member to be secured to the merchandise shelf by push pins or the like.  
     [0036] Any type of conventional discrete plastic or other such spring-type fasteners, dart clips or push pins can be used in conjunction with the label/sign holder  10  of this invention so long as they can be inserted through the element  70  and will engage in the openings  44  of the shelf  40  to retain the element  70  and, thereby, the upper portions of the label/sign holder  10 , on the front edge  46  of the shelf  40 .  
     [0037] The somewhat resilient nature of the thin film element  70  actually acts to pull the upper portions of the label/sign holder  10  into tight engagement with the front lip  46  of the shelf  40  as the push pins  74  stretch the film during penetration thereof.  
     [0038] The various elements, as well as the materials from which these elements are formed, can be readily modified without departing from the instant inventive concepts. It will be understood that, while the film-like element is generally continuous across the full width of the label/sign holder sections of such films, relatively narrow as compared to the widths of a label or label/sign holder usually marketed, may be attached in any fashion to the top edge of the body panel at selected locations along its length. Yet, for most applications, tri-extrusion of three different materials, for the film-like element, the label holder backing and the cover member is most commercially desirable.  
     [0039] To reiterate, although the film-like element  70  of this invention has been illustrated herein in combination with a label/sign holder of the type seen in the &#39;112 patent, it is obvious that similar designs can be equally adapted to secure a label holder without an integral sign holder or, for that matter, a label holder without a locking cover or with no cover at all. Moreover, although the designs disclosed herein are particularly adapted to secure a label or label/sign holder to a shelf devoid of a C-channel, similar elements could be used even if the shelf included a C-channel, avoiding some of the more complicated structures necessary to secure the same to the C-channel, or securing a label or label/sign holder to a shelf with a C-channel when the channel-engaging means are not included or are broken.  
     [0040] The foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. As noted, the invention may be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by the dimensions of the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the preferred embodiments or the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.