Shelf structure of showcase

Abstract

The present invention provides a shelf structure of a showcase in which commodities can be displayed in an orderly way without a shift of position of a partitioning member when the commodities are arranged on a shelf plate or taken out of the shelf plate. A guide member for locking the rear end side of the partitioning member from the front is provided on the rear end side of the shelf plate, a locking portion locked to the guide member is provided on the rear end side of the partitioning member, and a contact portion that is brought into contact with a commodity drop preventing plate extending upward from the front end side of the shelf plate from the rear is provided on the front end side of the partitioning member. Therefore, the partitioning member can be installed surely to the shelf plate, and commodities can always be displayed in an orderly way without a shift of position of the partitioning member when the commodities are taken out or replenished.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a shelf structure of a showcase installed in a store.

2. Description of the Related Art

Conventionally, there has been known a showcase of this kind which includes a showcase body, for example, the front surface of which is open and a plurality of shelves provided above and below in the showcase body so that commodities are displayed on the shelves.

As a shelf structure of the showcase, there has been known a structure which has a shelf plate for placing commodities on the top surface thereof and a plurality of partitioning members for partitioning a space above the shelf plate in the width direction so that commodities are displayed by being placed on the shelf plate partitioned by the partitioning members according to the kind of commodities.

However, in the conventional shelf structure of showcase, each of the partitioning members is formed by a resin-made member having an L shape in cross section that extends in the front and rear direction, and the partitioning members are placed without being fixed on the shelf plate to partition the space above the shelf plate in the width direction. Therefore, when commodities are put on the shelf plate or taken out of the shelf plate, the installation position of partitioning member shifts easily, the commodities cannot be displayed in an orderly way.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a shelf structure of a showcase in which commodities can be displayed in an orderly way without a shift of position of a partitioning member when the commodities are arranged on a shelf plate or taken out of the shelf plate.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a shelf structure of a showcase including a shelf plate for placing commodities on the top surface thereof; a partitioning member which has a locking portion that is locked to the rear end side of the shelf plate and a contact portion that is brought into contact with a portion protruding upward from the front end side of the shelf plate from the rear and is used to partition a space above the shelf plate in the width direction; and a locking member which is provided on the rear end side of the shelf plate to lock the locking portion of the partitioning member.

Thereby, the locking portion provided on the rear end side of the partitioning member is locked to the locking member, and the contact portion provided on the front end side of the partitioning member is brought into contact with the portion protruding upward from the front end side of the shelf plate from the rear, so that the partitioning member is installed surely to the shelf plate without a positional shift. Therefore, since the partitioning member can be installed surely to the shelf plate, commodities can always be displayed in an orderly way without a shift of position of the partitioning member when the commodities are taken out or replenished.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent by the following description and accompanied drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of a showcase in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the showcase shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an essential portion of a commodity shelf;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an essential portion of the commodity shelf shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a commodity shelf, showing an installation method of a partitioning member;

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of a commodity shelf, showing an installation method of a partitioning member;

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a commodity shelf, showing an installation method of a partitioning member;

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of a commodity shelf, showing a state in which commodities are piled up; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an essential portion of a commodity shelf, showing another example.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A showcase having this shelf structure includes a showcase body 10 having an opening on the front surface, a commodity housing section 20 formed in the showcase body 10, and a machine room 30 formed below the showcase body 10.

The front surface side, the top surface side, the back surface side, and the bottom surface side of the showcase body 10 are covered by an insulating wall 11, and each of the right and left side surfaces is covered by an insulating wall 12 extending along the top surface side, the back surface side, and the bottom surface side and a glass plate 13 provided on the front side of the insulating wall 12.

The commodity housing section 20 is formed by a top plate 21, a back plate 22, and a bottom plate 23, which are provided so as to be separate from the insulating wall 11. In the commodity housing section 20, commodities A are displayed. Also, a ventilation duct 24 is provided between the insulating wall 11 and the top plate 21, the back plate 22, and the bottom plate 23. In the ventilation duct 24, a blower 25 for allowing the air in the commodity housing section 20 to flow and a cooler 26 for cooling the air allowed to flow by the blower 25.

The machine room 30 is provided with a compressor 31 and a condenser 32, which are connected to the cooler 26 provided in the ventilation duct 24 by piping, and a blower 33 for condenser, which allows the air heat-exchanging with the condenser 32 to flow.

In the showcase constructed as described above, the air allowed to flow into the ventilation duct 24 by the blower 25 through an air intake port 24a provided at the lower end of opening is cooled by the cooler 26, and thereafter flows out through an air discharge port 24b provided at the upper end of opening. Thereby, an air curtain is formed from the upper end side to the lower end side in the opening of the showcase body 10, by which the commodity housing section 20 is cooled.

Also, a commodity shelf 40 installed in the commodity housing section 20 of showcase body 10 includes a plurality of shelf plates 41 arranged above and below to place the commodities A, a plurality of partitioning members 42 for partitioning a space above each of the shelf plates 41 in the width direction, and a guide member 43 which is provided on the rear end side of each of the shelf plates 41 to serve as a locking member for locking the rear end side of the partitioning member 42.

Each of the shelf plates 41 is formed by a member the top surface of which is formed into a substantially rectangular shape, and both ends in the width direction thereof are supported by a pair of shelf supports 41a. Each of the shelf plates 41 is installed in the commodity housing section 20 by locking the rear ends of the shelf supports 41a to the back surface side of the commodity housing section 20. Also, on the front end face of the shelf plate 41, a card holder 41b for holding cards each displaying the name, price, etc. of commodity is provided over the width direction of the shelf plate 41. Further, on the top surface on the front end side of the shelf plate 41, a commodity drop preventing plate 41c for preventing commodities A from dropping from the front end side of the shelf plate 41 is provided so as to extend upward over the width direction of the shelf plate 41.

Each of the partitioning members 42 is formed by a rod-shaped metallic member having elasticity. Each of the partitioning members 42 is formed by bending a rod-shaped member into a vertical wavy shape over the front and rear direction. The partitioning member 42 has upper partitioning portions 42a located on the upper side of the partitioning member 42 and lower partitioning portions 42b located on the lower side of the partitioning member 42, which are provided alternately in the front and rear direction. Also, the partitioning member 42 is provided with a predetermined clearance between the top surface of the shelf plate 41 and the lower partitioning portions 42b by forming the front end side and the rear end side thereof so as to extend downward. Further, at the rear end of the partitioning member 42, there is provided a locking portion 42c that is formed by fixing a central portion in the width direction of a rod-shaped member extending in the width direction so as to be locked to the guide member 43. Also, at the front end of the partitioning member 42, there is provided a contact portion 42d that is formed by fixing a central portion in the width direction of a rod-shaped member extending in the width direction so as to be brought into contact with the back surface side of the commodity drop preventing plate 41c.

The partitioning member 42 is formed so that the length from the locking portion 42c to the contact portion 42d is larger than the distance between the back surface side of the commodity drop preventing plate 41c and the guide member 43. Also, the partitioning member 42 is formed so as to be elastically deformable until the length from the locking portion 42c to the contact portion 42d becomes smaller than the distance between the back surface side of the commodity drop preventing plate 4 1c and the guide member 43. Further, the partitioning member 42 is formed so that the length from the locking portion 42c to the contact portion 42d of the partitioning member 42 can be changed arbitrarily by the plastic deformation of the rod-shaped member by applying a force larger than a predetermined amount in the front and rear direction.

The guide member 43, which is formed by a member extending in the width direction, is provided over the width direction on the rear end side of the shelf plate 41. The guide member 43 is formed with an extending portion 43a extending frontward on the upper end side thereof so that the locking portion 42c of the partitioning member 42 can be locked between the extending portion 43a and the top surface of the shelf plate 41.

In the shelf structure of the showcase constructed as described above, in order to install the partitioning member 42 to the shelf plate 41, the locking portion 42c of the partitioning member 42 is first inserted and locked between the extending portion 43a of the guide member 43 and the top surface of the shelf plate 41 as shown in FIG. 5. Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the partitioning member 42 is compressed in the front and rear direction by elastic deformation and the contact portion 42d thereof is brought into contact with the back surface side of the commodity drop preventing plate 41c. Thereby, the partitioning member 42 is arranged above the shelf plate 41 at right angles with respect to the front end side and the rear end side of the shelf plate 41 by the locking portion 42c and the contact portion 42d, and as shown in FIG. 7, the commodities A are arranged so as to be aligned between the partitioning members 42.

Also, in the case where the commodities A having a small height dimension are placed on the shelf plate 41, the movement in the width direction of the commodities A is regulated by the lower partitioning portions 42b. Thereby, the commodities A having a small height dimension can be displayed so as to be aligned in the front and rear direction. Also, in the case where a plurality of commodities A having a small height dimension are piled up vertically and are placed on the shelf plate 41, as shown in FIG. 8, the movement in the width direction of the lower-side commodities A is regulated by the lower partitioning portions 42b, and the movement in the width direction of the upper-side commodities A is regulated by the upper partitioning portions 42a. Thereby, the commodities A having a small height dimension can be displayed in a vertically piled state so as to be aligned in the front and rear direction.

Also, since the partitioning member 42 is installed to the shelf plate 41 by the locking portion 42c and the contact portion 42d, even in the case where a plurality of commodities A are placed on the shelf plate 41, the partitioning member 42 can be attached to and detached from the shelf plate 41.

Also, in the case where the top surface of the shelf plate 41 is cleaned, the commodities A placed on the shelf plate 41 are removed, and the whole of the top surface of the shelf plate 41 can be cleaned through the clearance provided between the top surface of the shelf plate 41 and the lower partitioning portions 42b.

Also, since the partitioning member 42 is installed to the shelf plate 41 by the locking portion 42c and the contact portion 42d, even in the case where the shelf plate 41 is covered with a decorative sheet, the partitioning member 42 can be installed from over the sheet.

Also, since the dimension in the front and rear direction of the partitioning member 42 can be changed by plastic deformation caused by a force larger than the predetermined amount that is applied in the front and rear direction, the partitioning member 42 can be installed to the shelf plate 41 having a different front and rear dimension.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the guide member 43 for locking the rear end side of the partitioning member 42 from the front is provided on the rear end side of the shelf plate 41, the locking portion 42c that is locked to the guide member 43 is provided on the rear end side of the partitioning member 42, and the contact portion 42d that is brought into contact with the commodity drop preventing plate 41c extending upward from the front end side of the shelf plate 41 from the rear is provided on the front end side of the partitioning member 42. Therefore, the partitioning member 42 can be installed surely to the shelf plate 41, and the commodities A can always be displayed in an orderly way without a positional shift of the partitioning member 42 occurring when the commodities A are taken out or replenished.

Also, since the contact portion 42d of the partitioning member 42 is brought into contact with the commodity drop preventing plate 41c provided on the shelf plate 41 from the rear, the contact portion 42d of the partitioning member 42 can be brought into contact with the front end side of the shelf plate 41 without the use of a special-purpose member, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Also, since the partitioning member 42 is formed by bending a rod-shaped member, and is provided so as to be elastically deformable in the front and rear direction, the partitioning member 42 can be formed by a single member, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Also, the contact portion 42d can be pressed on the commodity drop preventing plate 41c by the elasticity of the rod-shaped rod, so that the partitioning member 42 can be installed surely to the shelf plate 41. Further, since the partitioning member 42 is formed by bending a rod-shaped member, the commodities A can be checked visually from both sides through the partitioning member 42. Also, the partitioning member 42 formed by a rod-shaped metallic member has an advantage that there is no adhesion of dirt due to static electricity unlike the conventional resin-made partitioning member.

Also, the partitioning member 42 has the upper partitioning portions 42a and the lower partitioning portions 42b because the partitioning member 42 is formed by bending a rod-shaped member into a vertical wavy shape over the front and rear direction. Therefore, the movement in the width direction of the commodities A can be restrained despite the height dimensions of the commodities A, so that the commodities A placed on the shelf plate 41 can be aligned surely.

Also, since the partitioning member 42 has the clearance provided between the top surface of the shelf plate 41 and the lower partitioning portions 42b, the top surface of the shelf plate 41 can be cleaned without removing the partitioning member 42.

Also, since the partitioning member 42 has the locking portion 42c and the contact portion 42d each consisting of a rod-shaped member extending in the width direction, the locking portion 42c and the contact portion 42d can be installed along the guide member 43 and the commodity drop preventing plate 41c, respectively, so that the partitioning member 42 can be installed at right angles with respect to the width direction of the shelf plate 41.

Also, since the partitioning member 42 is formed so that the dimension in the front and rear direction can be changed by plastic deformation caused by a force larger than the predetermined amount that is applied in the front and rear direction, the front and rear dimension of the partitioning member 42 can be changed according to the front and rear dimension of the shelf plate 41, so that the parts can be made common.

In the above-described embodiment, a shelf structure of an open showcase the front surface of which is open is shown. However, the present invention can be applied to showcases of other modes, such as a closed showcase in which, for example, the front surface, the back surface, and both side surfaces thereof each are covered by a transparent glass plate.

Also, in the above-described embodiment, there is shown a shelf structure in which the partitioning member 42 is formed by bending a rod-shaped member into a vertical wavy shape over the front and rear direction, and the partitioning member 42 is provided with the upper partitioning portions 42a and the lower partitioning portions 42b alternately in the front and rear direction. However, as shown in FIG. 9, a partitioning member 52 may be formed by bending a rod-shaped member into a crank shape, and the partitioning member 52 may be provided with upper partitioning portions 52a and lower partitioning portions 52b alternately in the front and rear direction.

Also, in the above-described embodiment, there is shown a shelf structure in which the locking portion 42c and the contact portion 42d of the partitioning member 42 are formed by rod-shaped members extending in the width direction. However, only either one of the locking portion 42c and the contact portion 42d may be formed by a rod-shaped member extending in the width direction. In this case, the partitioning member 42 can be arranged at right angles with respect to the width direction of the shelf plate 41 by one of the locking portion 42c and the contact portion 42d.

Also, in the above-described embodiment, there is shown a shelf structure in which the contact portion 42d of the partitioning member 42 is brought into contact with the commodity drop preventing plate 41c provided on the front end side of the shelf plate 41 from the rear. However, a protruding portion with which the contact portion 42d comes into contact may be formed over the width direction of the shelf plate 41 on the front end side of the shelf plate 41, or a contact member with which the contact portion 42d comes into contact may be provided detachably over the width direction of the shelf plate 41 on the front end side of the shelf plate 41.

The preferred mode described in this specification is a typical one and not a restrictive one. The scope of invention is shown by the appended claims, and all changes and modifications included in the meaning of claims are embraced in the present invention.

Claims

1. A shelf structure of a showcase, comprising:

a shelf plate for placing commodities on the top surface thereof;

a partitioning member which has a locking portion that is locked to the rear end side of the shelf plate and a contact portion that is brought into contact with a portion protruding upward from the front end side of the shelf plate from the rear and is used to partition a space above the shelf plate in the width direction; and

a locking member which is provided on the rear end side of the shelf plate to lock the locking portion of the partitioning member.

2. The shelf structure of a showcase according to claim 1, wherein:

the shelf plate is provided with a commodity drop preventing plate extending upward over the width direction of the shelf plate on the front end side thereof; and

the contact portion of the partitioning member is brought into contact with the commodity drop preventing plate from the rear.

3. The shelf structure of a showcase according to claim 1, wherein:

the partitioning member is formed by bending a rod-shaped member, and is provided so as to be elastically deformable in the front and rear direction.

4. The shelf structure of a showcase according to claim 3, wherein:

the partitioning member is provided with upper partitioning portions located on the upper side and lower partitioning portions located on the lower side arranged alternately in the front and rear direction.

5. The shelf structure of a showcase according to claim 4, wherein:

the partitioning member has a predetermined clearance provided between the top surface of the shelf plate and the lower partitioning portions.

6. The shelf structure of a showcase according to claim 3, wherein:

the partitioning member is provided so that at least one of the locking portion and the contact portion extends in the width direction of the shelf plate.

7. The shelf structure of a showcase according to claim 3, wherein:

the partitioning member is provided so that the length thereof in the front and rear direction can be changed by applying a force larger than a predetermined amount in the front and rear direction.