Patent Publication Number: US-7913862-B2

Title: Display tray with movable dividers

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to commonly owned U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/746,440, filed May 4, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to devices for supporting and displaying items thereon. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a display tray possessing moveable dividers for supporting, organizing and displaying greeting cards in a user-selected manner. 
     Conventional display shelving has been used for many years in the retail environment to present greeting cards and similar items to customers for purchase. One example of a prior art display shelf  10  is depicted in  FIG. 1 . The display shelf  10  is substantially formed of plastic material, but may also be formed of metal. The shelf  10  has a back wall  12 , a bottom wall  14  and a front wall  16 . Adjacent walls are generally perpendicular to one another and connected along adjoining edges thereof. The front wall  16  of the prior art display shelf  10  generally possesses a height sufficient to perform a couple of functions. First, the front wall  16  helps prevent the cards from sliding off the front edge of the bottom wall  14 . Additionally, the front wall  16  acts to retain the cards in the pocket created by the wall such that cards placed therein cannot fall forward. 
     Despite the widespread use of conventional display shelving, it has a few drawbacks. For instance, with the display shelf  10 , in order for the front wall  16  to retain the cards in the display shelf, the front wall must be of a substantial height to prevent cards from falling over the top of the front wall. Unfortunately, the front wall  16  also obstructs viewing of the front of the card located on the display shelf  10 , such that the potential purchaser has to remove the card from the shelf in order to substantially fully view the front of the card. In connection with the display shelf  10 , the prior art made use of divider clips  18  that would clip along the upper edge of the front wall  16  and could be slidably moved there along to accommodate cards of varying widths. The divider clips  18  were generally plastic in nature and adequately performed the function of separating the cards. However, the divider clips  18  could be easily removed by patrons and were often subject to breakage at the point where the clips  18  attached with the shelf front wall  16 . 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Various embodiments of a combination display tray and divider member are provided for improving the accessibility and viewing of display items, such as greeting cards. The display tray is generally longitudinal in nature and has a generally J-shaped cross section. The display tray includes a rear wall and a dependant support shelf portion with a retaining lip at a forward edge to prevent cards from sliding off of the support shelf. The rear wall includes an integrated channel or rail component configured to permit the coupling of individual divider members with the rear wall of the display tray. The divider members are configured to have a portion thereof received in the channel component such that the channel permits sliding movement of the divider along the longitudinal axis or centerline of the display tray to permit adjustment for cards of various widths while preventing transverse or outward movement of the divider away from the rear wall of the display tray. 
     In one aspect, the dividers generally include a first planar section that is slidably received in the channel of the display tray and a second planar section that extends outwardly from and generally perpendicular to the first planar section that is received in the channel. The second planar section can be referred to as an extension portion or a divider portion as it also extends generally perpendicularly outward from the rear wall of the divider tray and is oriented in a transverse orientation to divide adjacent cards received in the support shelf of the divider tray. The divider member may also include a third generally planar section that is coupled with an outer edge of the second planar or divider section and is generally perpendicular thereto such that the third planer section is generally parallel to the first planar section received in the channel. The third planar section may be referred to as a retention member as it prevents cards received in the display tray from falling forward off the display tray during use. 
     Additional advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in part in a description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The features of the invention noted above are explained in more detail with more reference to the embodiment illustrated in the attached drawing figures, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, in which  FIGS. 2-10  illustrate various embodiments of the present invention, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a fragmentary perspective view of a prior art display shelf having prior art divider clips coupled thereto; 
         FIG. 2  is a fragmentary perspective view of a one embodiment of a display tray of the present invention having two versions of a divider member of the present invention coupled therewith; 
         FIG. 3  is a fragmentary front side elevational view of the display tray and dividers of  FIG. 2  with a portion of the display tray cut away for clarity; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of the display tray and divider of  FIG. 2  taken along the line  4 - 4 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a divider member of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a fragmentary perspective view of another embodiment of a display tray of the present invention having an additional version of a divider member of the present invention coupled therewith; 
         FIG. 7  is a front side elevational view of the divider member of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the divider member of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a right side elevational view of the divider member of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a right side elevational view of the display tray and divider of  FIG. 6 ; and 
         FIG. 11  is a fragmentary front side elevational view of the display tray and divider member of  FIG. 6  with the divider member oriented in an insertion position and having a portion thereof positioned in the channel of the display tray prior to rotation to a use position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings in more detail and initially to  FIG. 2 , one embodiment of a display tray of the present invention is disclosed and is generally designated by reference numeral  20 . The display tray has a rear wall  22  that is generally vertical in nature. The rear wall  22  has an upper edge  24  and a lower edge  26 . Depending outwardly from the rear wall  22  adjacent its lower edge  26 , is a support shelf portion  27  forming a bottom wall  28 . The bottom wall  28  may be generally perpendicular to the rear wall  22  or alternatively, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the bottom wall  28  can slope downwardly away from the rear wall  22 . Depending upwardly from a forward edge  30  of the bottom wall  28  is a forward wall or lip  32  generally parallel to the rear wall  22 . 
     The rear wall  22  includes a longitudinally aligned channel  34  therein for receiving a portion of a divider member  36 . As best illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the channel  34  includes an upper groove  38  and a lower groove  40 . The upper groove  38  is generally in the shape of an upside down U while the lower groove  40  is generally in the shape of a U. The grooves  38 ,  40  are opposite and spaced apart from one another by a back portion  42  of the channel  34 . Further, the grooves  38 ,  40  are preferably coplanar. The channel  34  has a longitudinal axis or centerline CL designated in  FIG. 2 . 
     Various embodiments of the divider of the present invention are illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In particular, one of the embodiments, referenced by numeral  36 B, discloses a divider  36  whose main purpose is to separate adjacent stacks of cards that are placed in the display tray  20  of the present invention or to act as an end cap to the display tray  20 . Another embodiment of the divider, referenced by numeral  36 A, performs the additional function of retaining the cards in the display tray  20  during use. Both embodiments of the divider  36  include a base or first planar portion  44  that is slidably received in the channel  34  to couple the divider  36  with the display tray  20 . Both embodiments of the divider  36  also include a generally planar second or divider portion  46 . The divider portion  46  is coupled with the first planar portion  44  along a section of a rear edge  48  of the divider portion  46 . While the divider portion  46  is preferably coupled with the first planar portion  44  along one of its side edges  50 , the divider portion  46  could be coupled along the front face  52  of the first planar portion  44 . It should also be understood that the first planar portion  44  may be curved or bowed away from a flat plane to match any degree of bowing of the channel  34  of the display tray  20  in which the first planar portion  44  is received. As can also be appreciated, the surface area of contact between the first planar portion  44  and the grooves  38 ,  40  of the channel  34  is larger than with the prior art display shelf  10  and divider clips  18  illustrated in  FIG. 1 , leading to a more structurally sound design to reduce breakage when a user pulls or otherwise induces a force on the divider  36 . 
     The embodiment of the divider  36  identified by numeral  36 A also includes a planar third or retainer portion  54 . The retainer portion  54  is preferably coupled with the divider portion along a front edge  56  of the divider portion  46  and is preferably generally perpendicular thereto such that the retainer portion  54  is generally parallel to both the first portion  44  and to the longitudinal centerline CL of the channel  34  of the display tray  20  when the first portion  44  is received within the channel  34 . 
     The first portion  44  of the divider  36 , as best illustrated in  FIG. 5 , preferably includes an upper rabbit  58  along the upper edge  60  and a lower rabbit  62  along the bottom or lower edge  64 . The rabbits  58 ,  62 , as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , are received in the upper and lower grooves  38 ,  40 , respectively, of the channel  34 . The first portion  44  also includes a pair of fingers  66  which extend downwardly from the bottom edge  64  of the first member  44 . The fingers  66  are deflected upwardly, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , when the divider member  36  is coupled with the display tray  20  and, more particularly, when the first planar portion  44  of the divider  36  is received in the channel  34  of the rear wall  22 . The fingers  66  engage the bottom  68  of the groove  40 . The natural resiliency of the fingers  66  creates a spring like effect to bias the divider  36  upwardly such that accidental lateral movement of the divider  36  in the channel  34  is discouraged. 
     In use, the display tray  20  is coupled with a fixture or a panel of a fixture  70  such that the display tray hangs downwardly therefrom, as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 and 4 . The connection method disclosed preferably includes a catch flange  72  that depends rearwardly from the upper edge  24  of the rear wall  22 . The flange  72  is generally L-shaped and it is received in an aperture  74  in the fixture or panel of the fixture  70 . The user then couples a desired number of divider members  36  with the display tray  20  by inserting the base or first portion  44  of the respective divider  36  in an end of the channel  34  and sliding them longitudinally there along. 
     Preferably, the entire display tray  20  is formed of an extruded plastic that can be clear, opaque or semi-transparent. Similarly, the dividers  36  are preferably formed as an integral piece of plastic. The dividers  36  are preferably transparent such that a user may see the face of the card received in the display tray  20  through the retainer member  54 . Similarly, while the front wall  32  of the display tray  20  is significantly shorter than the front wall  16  of the prior art display shelf  10  (as it is not required to retain the cards in the display tray by itself), making the display tray  20  transparent provides that the user can see even the bottom portion of the face of the card through the front wall  32 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 6-11 , a second embodiment of the display tray of the present invention is illustrated. Additionally, a third embodiment of a divider of the present invention is disclosed. For these alternate embodiments, like elements will be denoted by the same numeral given to the similar elements discussed above in the previous embodiments; however, where the element differs slightly, the altered element will be indicated by the presence of a prime mark after the numeral. 
     The divider tray  20 ′ of the second embodiment also has a rear wall  22 ′, a bottom wall  28 ′ and a front wall  32 ′. As best illustrated when comparing  FIGS. 4 and 10 , the channel  34 ′ is further up the rear wall  22 ′ away from the bottom wall  28 ′ than in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the channel  34 ′ is also deeper than in the prior embodiment. The depth of the channel  34 ′ is greater than the thickness of the first planar portion  44 ′ of the divider  36 ′. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the first planar portion  44 ′ is bowed outwardly, as opposed to being preferably flat like the particular embodiment of the first planar portion  44  of the embodiments depicted in  FIGS. 2-5 . The bowed nature of the first planar portion  44 ′ is beneficial in retaining the divider  36 ′ in the channel  34 ′ as discussed in greater detail below. The front face  52 ′ of the first planar portion  44 ′ also includes a pair of generally parallel ridges  76  extending outwardly therefrom. The ridges  76  assist with maintaining the divider  36 ′ in the generally upright use position illustrated in  FIG. 6  once the divider  36 ′ is fully received in the channel  34 ′ of the display tray  20 ′. Unlike the previous dividers  36 A,  36 B which must be slid into the channel  34  from an end of the display tray  20 , the embodiment of the divider  36 ′ depicted in  FIGS. 6-10  is designed so that it may be placed into the channel  34 ′ at any desired location. This is accomplished by a unique “twist in” feature discussed below. 
     As best illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the first planar portion  44 ′ has a width dimension identified by reference letter A. The channel  34 ′ has an opening  78  in the rear wall  24 ′ into which access to the channel  34 ′ is provided. The opening  78  is defined by an upper edge of the channel  80  and a lower edge of the channel  82 . The distance between the upper edge  80  and the lower edge  82  of the opening  78  into the channel  34 ′ defines a height dimension identified in  FIG. 6  by reference letter B. To permit the dividers  36 ′ to be coupled with the channel  34 ′ at desired locations there along, the width dimension A of the first planar portion  44 ′ is sized to be slightly less than the height dimension B of the opening  78  for the channel  34 ′. 
     To couple a divider  36 ′ with the channel  34 ′ at a desired location, the user orients a divider  36 ′ such that the second planar member  46 ′ is generally horizontal and is parallel to the lower edge  82  of the opening  78  of the channel  34 ′, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 . This orientation is achieved by rotating the divider member  36 ′ from its use position, illustrated in  FIG. 7 , 90 degrees counterclockwise to an insertion position, illustrated in  FIG. 11 . In the insertion position, the width dimension A of the first planar portion  44 ′ is aligned with the height dimension B of the opening  78 . The first planar portion  44 ′ can then be inserted into the channel  34 ′ until feet  84  of the first planar portion  44 ′ abut the back portion  42 ′ of the channel  34 ′. The user then rotates the divider  36 ′ 90 degrees clockwise in the direction of the arrow in  FIG. 11 , which puts the divider  36 ′ in the use position illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 10  and in dashed lines in  FIG. 11 . The user may then adjust the location of the divider  36 ′ with respect to the display tray  20 ′ by sliding the divider  36 ′ in the channel  34 ′ through lateral movement. As mentioned above, the ridges  76  cooperate with the upper and lower edges  80 ,  82  of the opening  78  to assist with maintaining the divider  36 ′ in the upright use position. Opposed rounded corners  86  of the first planar portion  44 ′ assist with allowing the divider  36 ′ to be rotated between the insertion and use positions. The bowed nature of first planar portion  44 ′ provides a compression fit with the channel  34 ′ when the divider  36 ′ is received therein in the use position. The grooves  38 ′,  40 ′ and the bow of the first planar portion  44 ′ are slightly deflected when the divider  36 ′ is received in the channel  34 ′ in the use position. This deflection and the natural resiliency of the material from which the tray  20 ′ and divider  36 ′ are formed biases the divider  36 ′ into a frictional engagement with the channel  34 ′. 
     From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all ends and objects hereinabove set forth together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the structure. It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the invention. 
     Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative of applications of the principles of this invention, and not in a limiting sense.