Abstract:
The system includes in combination two rails spaced for positioning and strips forming cross pieces adapted to secure together the rails. Each rail includes at least one positioning device and one snap-in device.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This application corresponds to French application Ser. No. FR 99.15184, filed Dec. 2, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a device for the display of products for sale, of the type comprising in combination: two spaced positioning rails and strips forming cross pieces adapted to be secured to said rails. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     For the display of products for sale, in particular in large sales areas, particularly in supermarkets, the present practice is to fix spaced positioning rails to shelves or shelving. These rails are generally crossed by strips, and are adapted to receive products for sale, in a manner known per se. 
     At present, the emplacement of the rails and the strips on a display shelf or shelving takes place by means of various operations of positioning, piercing or welding. 
     To overcome these drawbacks, it has been proposed to fix the rails directly by gluing, for example by means of a double faced adhesive to the display panels or shelving. However, this technique does not permit ensuring in a certain manner a good position of the display device, such that in case of lack of parallelism between the rails or lack of parallelism between the strips, there results an unattractive display of the products. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention has for its object to overcome these drawbacks, by providing a new device for displaying products for sale whose rails are adapted to be glued to a display shelf or shelving, whilst ensuring good positioning and an aesthetic display of the products that are for sale. 
     The invention has for its object a display device for products for sale, of the type comprising in combination: two spaced positioning rails and strips forming cross pieces adapted to be secured to said rails, characterized in that each rail comprises at least one positioning means and at least one snap-in means for a strip. 
     According to other characteristic advantages of the invention: 
     each strip comprises an engagement and positioning head relative to a first rail, so as to engage in the first rail and pivot about its engagement head to be indexed on the second rail, 
     each strip comprises an indexing end adapted to index the strip relative to a second rail before the relative snapping in of the strip relative to the two rails, 
     each rail comprises a snap-in means comprising at least one configuration forming a mortise and a positioning means that is not coplanar with said snap-in means, 
     a first rail has a substantially J shaped cross section, and a second rail has a substantially L shaped cross section, 
     the positioning means of the first rail are located on the small leg of the J section and the snap-in means of this first rail are located on the large leg of the J section, 
     the positioning means of the second rail are indexing means located on one leg of the L shaped cross section, and the snap-in means of this second rail are located on the other leg of the L shaped section, 
     rails and strips are shaped in order to: position each strip relative to a first rail, and pivot each strip relative to this first rail to effect an indexing relative to a second rail, 
     the relative snap-in means of the rails and the strips are shaped to interact only after the relative positioning and indexing of the rails and the strips, 
     the strips forming cross pieces are adapted to be used as spacing means for the rails for the securement of the rails to a display shelf. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be better understood from the description which follows, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a device according to the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a pusher strip of a device according to the invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a separating strip of a device according to the invention. 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic cross sectional view of a device according to the invention illustrating the operation of the invention. 
     FIGS. 5 to  7  show schematically partial perspective views of forward portions of the device according to the invention. 
     FIGS. 8 to  10  show schematically partial perspective views of rear portions of the device according to the invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 to  10 , identical reference numerals designate identical or functionally equivalent elements. 
     In FIG. 1, a device according to the present invention comprises a front rail  1  and a rear rail  2  spaced from each other and adapted to be fixed on a display shelf or shelving (not shown). 
     Several strips  3   a,    3   b,    3   c,    3   d  are adapted to be fixed securely to the rails  1  and  2 . 
     The strips  3   a  to  3   d  are the strips for separating products to be displayed. 
     Each strip  3   a  to  3   d  is removable and can be secured to the rails  1  and  2  in a desired position. 
     The strip  3   a  is shown in the detached position. 
     The strip  3   b  is inserted by its front end into the rail  1  having a substantially J shaped cross section. 
     The strip  3   c  has been inserted into the front rail  1  and has been subjected to a pivotal movement P to index it into a selected position on the rear rail  2 . 
     The strip  3   d  has been emplaced like the strip  3   c  and has been subjected to downward snap-in pressure in the direction of the arrow E, so as to be snapped into both the front rail  1  and the rear rail  2 . 
     Each strip  3   a  to  3   d  comprises an engagement head  4  adapted to be inserted in the J section of a rail  1 , being positioned therein by coaction with a positioning means of the rail  1 . Each strip  3   a  to  3   d  also has a rear indexing end  5  adapted to coact with indexing notches  6  of the rail  2 . 
     As will be described hereafter, the front and rear ends of each strip  3   a  to  3   d  both will have snap-in shapes adapted to coact with the corresponding snap-in shapes  7  provided both on the front rail  1  and on the rear rail  2 . 
     The shape of the front rail  1  can vary and be different from a substantially J shaped section, without departing from the scope of the invention, when this shape permits engagement of a head or an engagement means of a strip  3   a  to  3   d.    
     The shape of the rear rail  2 , substantially L shaped, can also, without departing from the scope of the invention, be modified while keeping an arrangement permitting pivoting the strip  3  in the direction of the arrow P, and indexing by positioning means or indexing means equivalent to notches  6 , and finally snapping in at least this rear rail  2 . 
     In FIG. 2, a strip  8  forming a pusher of objects or of products to be displayed for sale, comprises a slideway  9  on which slides a pusher  10  urged forwardly by a spiral  11  rolled up within the pusher  10 . 
     The pusher strip  8  comprises a body  12  made of one piece with slide  9 . 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This body  12  comprises two vertical ribs and a floor  13  on which unwinds and rewinds the spring  11 . The body  12  also comprises a front end  14  compatible with the engagement and positioning in a front rail  1  and a rear extremity  15  of the indexing and snap-in on rail  2 . 
     The front end  14  comprises two small positioning lugs  14   a  and two male elements  14   b  forming snap-in means. 
     The rear end  15  comprises, in prolongation of the ribs of the body  12 , two indexing hooks  15   a  and two snap-in tenons  15   b.    
     Preferably, the pusher strip  8  is comprised by a body  12  injection molded from synthetic material, for example polycarbonate, of a first sliding pusher  10  and of a spring  11  that can be wound up and unwound. The end of the spring  11  is fixed preferably to the front of the pusher  8 . 
     In FIG. 3, a separation strip  3  comprises a front end  4  and a rear end  5 . 
     The separation strip  3  has in front a double flap  16   a,    16   b  of predetermined flexibility to permit engagement or disengagement of products sliding between two separation strips  3 . 
     The front end  4  has a positioning projection  4   a  and a snap-in tenon  4   b,  as well as a pivoting abutment  4   c.    
     The rear end  5  comprises an indexing notch  5   a  and a snap-in tenon  5   b.    
     Preferably, each separation strip  3  comprises a body  17  having a central rib and two lateral tracks  18  for the sliding of products. 
     Each lateral track  18  is curved at its rear end at a distance corresponding substantially to the thickness of a pusher  10 . This arrangement permits advantageously positioning below the rib  17  a snap-in tenon  5   b  to be adapted to coact with a snap-in mortise  7  of the rear rail  2 . 
     In FIG. 4, after having engaged the front end  4  of a strip  3  in the J shaped configuration of the front rail  1  and positioned the projection  4   a  in a corresponding hollow  1   a  of the front rail  1 , the strip can be pivoted in the direction of the arrow P to index the strip  3  relative to the rear rail  2  by inserting the notch  5   a  into the notch  6  of the rear strip  2 . 
     Thanks to the invention, the respective positioning of the strips  3  relative to the front rail  1  and to the rear rail  2  is thus ensured in a reliable and rapid manner. 
     After having caused the pivoting P, it then suffices to apply a complementary pressure to snap in the tenons  4   b  and  5   b  into the snap-in mortises of the front rail  1  and of the rear rail  2 . 
     The securement of the strips to the rails  1  and  2  thus permits obtaining simply and rapidly an automatic positioning of the device according to the invention on a display shelf or shelving. 
     Also, this practice of the invention permits, after having emplaced the front rail  1 , using the rearward pivoting of several strips  3  suitably to space the rear rail  2  from the front rail  1  and to ensure a perfect parallelism of mounting. 
     In FIGS. 5 to  7  are shown in greater detail a front portion of the rail  1  and front end portion  14  and  4  of a strip. 
     On the front end  14  of the strip-pusher  8 , the return spring  11  is not shown for purposes of clarity. After emplacement, the securement of this return spring  11  takes place by insertion of its front end into the slot  13   a  of the floor  13  and bending this front end to form a holding hook. 
     To balance the pressure of the spring  11 , each pusher strip  8  is positioned by its ends  14   a  into hollow portions  1   a  of the front rail  1  spaced by about the width of the floor  13 , whilst its snap-in tenons  14   b  are also adapted to be snapped into configurations  7   a,    7   c  forming the mortise of the front rail  1  spaced by a width about the width of the floor  13 . 
     The front end  4  of the separation strip  3  is shown without its flaps  16   a,    16   b,  of flexible material and has a single positioning lug  4   a  in a corresponding hollow  1   a  of the front rail  1  and a single tenon  4   b  for snapping into a mortise  7   b  of the front rail  1 . 
     Thus, after having engaged the forward heads, either of a pusher strip  8 , or of a separation strip  3 , there can be carried out a pivoting until the wall  14   c  or  4   c  comes into abutment against the wall  1   b  of the front rail  1 , while being ensured a perfect perpendicularity of a strip  3  or  8  forming a cross piece relative to the front rail  1 . 
     Because of the pivoting that takes place in a plane perpendicular to the front rail  1 , all the strips  3  or  8  positioned relative to the front rail  1  are thus parallel and the rest after snapping in, which permits obtaining a desired appearance of the display, by the invention. 
     In FIGS. 8 to  10 , are shown in greater detail the rear portion of the rear rail  2  and portions of the rear end  15  and  5  of adjustment. 
     A rear rail portion  2  has a substantially L shaped cross section and comprises indexing notches  6   a ,  6   b ,  6   c  and snap-in mortises  7   a ,  7   b ,  7   c.    
     The indexing notches  6  are provided on a substantially vertical wing of the L shaped cross section of the rear rail  2 , whilst the snap-on mortises  7   a ,  7   b ,  7   c  are located on the substantially horizontal wing of the rear rail  2 . 
     The rear end  15  of a pusher strip  8  comprises two indexing notches  15   a  and two snap-in tenons  15   b . The snap-in tenons  15   b  are adapted to coact with the mortises  7   a ,  7   c  spaced from the rear rail, after the indexing means  15   a  have been engaged in the space notches  6   a ,  6   c  of the rear rail  2 . To ensure good stability to the rear of the device, there is also provided, analogously to what was said previously, that the spacing of the indexing means  15   a  and of the snap-in means  15   b , as well as the indexing lugs  6   a ,  6   c  and the snap-in mortises  7   a ,  7   c  will be near or greater than those of the floor  13  for sliding of the spring  11 . 
     The floor  13  is bordered by two lateral ribs  9   a,    9   b  forming a slideway and a pusher path for a pusher  10  (not shown). 
     The rear end  5  of a separation strip  3  comprises the elbowed end of a rib  18  for sliding of the products, a snap-in tenon  5   b , and a securement means  5   a  disposed between the rear end of the wall  17  and an end abutment plane  19  fixed to the wall  17 . The end plane  19  delimits with a cutout in the wall  17 , the notch Sa for indexing adapted to hook together with an indexing notch  6  of a rear rail  2 . After engagement, the plane  19  comes to engagement behind the vertical track of the rear rail  2  and thus retains the separation strip  3  against any forward traction force, particularly during passage of the product over the flexible flaps  16   a ,  16   b.    
     The invention described with reference to a particular embodiment is not thereby limited, but covers on the contrary all modifications and variations of shape and all altered embodiments, within the scope of the spirit of the invention.