Shelf divider apparatus assisting in sliding sheet removal for gravity feed shelving
A shelf divider member for use with gravity feed shelving systems, having outwardly-extending connector clips at each end, the shelf divider formed of generally elongated L-shaped divider member having a lowered connection point to the associated gravity feed shelf unit at the front, and an elevate+d connection point at the rear. Generally V-shaped divider guests extend downwardly from the elongated divider member to facilitate maintaining gravity feed product within the flow lanes. A plastic slide track sheet associated with the gravity feed shelf unit can be readily removed for cleaning, replacement and reinsertion, all without requiring any removal, including of any portion, of the respective shelf divider members.
This disclosure relates to gravity feed shelving, and more specifically, to a shelf divider that permits ready removal for cleaning or replacement of an underlying sliding sheet material.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSUREGravity feed shelving is used in many applications, including for food containers, such as in grocery and convenience stores. For example, bottles of milk, cans of soda, juice boxes, and other like items are transported, in a first in-first out format, along angled, gravity feed shelf systems. One such gravity flow shelving system is typified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,068, as owned by the assignee of the present disclosure. Some applications for such gravity flow shelving include indexable and adjustable positioning structure, i.e. so as to allow the shelf lane dividers to be adjusted in their position, to accommodate larger or smaller product sizes, among the multiple flow lanes of a given gravity shelf unit. Such indexable and adjustable shelf assemblies are typified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,047,647 and 6,332,547, both as owned by the assignee of the present disclosure.
Many different attempts have been made to create shelf divider members that extend from the front to the rear of a gravity feed shelf and which can be easily adjusted. However, the known adjustable shelf divider members prevent the easy removal of any so-called PST sheet (plastic slide track sheet) which is used to better promote gravity feeding of certain sizes and shapes of food or beverage containers. Thus, when there has been product spillage for example, i.e. milk carton leaks, onto the PST sheet, is difficult to remove the sheet without removing at least the rear, if not the entirety, of the individual shelf divider members.
Thus, there is a need for a shelf divider which is sufficiently rigid to maintain the proper gravity feed flow lanes in a gravity feed shelf system, is readily adjustable from one position to another, so as to increase or decrease the width of a given flow lane, and which will allow the ready removal of the PST sheet for cleaning or replacement.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSUREThe present disclosure concerns an adjustable shelf divider adapted to be readily adjustably connected to both the front and rear ends of a gravity feed shelf, and having downwardly extending gusset members to help provide flow lane separation. Further, the shelf divider is adapted to permit ready removal of the underlying PST sheet without removal of the shelf divider member itself. The shelf divider is formed as a generally elongated L-shaped wire member. It has a low-lying front end connector clip having forwardly-extending clip projections to be selectively positioned in a desired lateral location along the gravity feed shelf's front cross bar. The shelf divider also includes an elevated rear end connection clip with rearwardly-extending clip projections to be selectively positioned in the desired lateral location along a rear cross bar of the shelf. Further, by manipulating the rear connector clip projections to be inserted in either an upper or lower position, the lowermost point of the downwardly-extending gusset members can be caused to engage, or be elevated from the underlying PST sheet. Alternatively, where no PST sheet is present, and with use of a modified rear cross bar with multiple levels of slotted openings, the gusset members can be caused to extend down through and between the wire slides forming the gravity feed shelf surface, to assist in lane separation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having reference to the drawings, where like reference numbers comprise like elements, there is shown in
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Similarly, formed so as to extend rearwardly of the rearmost (left end of
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This is a substantial advantage in that the end user of the gravity feed shelf unit 10, when formed to include the shelf divider members 36 of the present disclosure, is able to quickly remove, clean, replace, and reinstall the plastic slide track sheets 34 (assuming, of course, that all product is first removed from shelf unit 10) without any need to reconfigure, or otherwise unhook or remove, any of the shelf divider members 36 or any portions thereof. This presents a significant savings in both time and labor over prior shelf dividers for gravity feed shelf systems.
Based on the foregoing, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the teachings of this disclosure can be employed to create a shelf divider to assist in unencumbered sliding track sheet removal for gravity feed shelving systems.
Claims
1. A divider member for use to separate flow lanes in a gravity feed shelf, the shelf having side members connected by at least front and rear transverse support rods, the divider member comprising:
- a first elongate portion extending in a direction generally parallel to an inclined plane of a gravity feed shelf;
- a second portion extending downwardly from and generally perpendicular to said first elongate portion; and
- a connector clip member projecting rearwardly from a rear end of the first elongate portion, said connector clip member being selectively secured to a crossbar spaced a distance above a rear of the gravity feed shelf, said distance being sufficiently greater than a thickness of a slide sheet received on the gravity feed shelf to permit removal of said slide sheet from a direction rearward of the gravity feed shelf without a need to first disconnect said connector clip member from the crossbar.
2. The divider member of claim 1 further comprising a front connector clip member projecting forwardly of a lower end of the second portion, said front clip member being selectively secured to a front transverse support rod of the inclined shelf.
3. The divider member of claim 2, wherein the first elongate portion and the second portion are compressibly biased when the connector clip member is connected to the crossbar and the second connector clip is connected to the front transverse support rod.
4. The divider member of claim 1 further comprising at least one gusset extending downwardly from the first elongate portion.
5. The divider member of claim 4, wherein the at least one gusset is generally V-shaped.
6. A gravity feed shelving system including:
- at least one inclined gravity feed shelf having side members connected by at least a front transverse support rod and a rear transverse support rod;
- a crossbar spaced a distance above the rear transverse support rod;
- at least one divider member including:
- a) a first elongate portion extending in a direction generally parallel to an inclined plane of the gravity feed shelf,
- b) a second portion extending downwardly and generally perpendicular to the first elongate portion, and
- c) a connector clip member projecting rearwardly from a rear end of the first elongate portion, said connector clip including a plurality of clip projections; and
- said crossbar including a first row of slotted openings sized to selectively receive at least two of the plurality of clip projections for securement of the rear end of the first elongate portion at a first height.
7. The gravity feed shelving system of claim 5, further including a slide sheet member provided on the at least one inclined gravity feed shelf, said slide sheet member having a thickness sufficiently less than the distance between the crossbar and the rear transverse support rod to permit removal of the slide sheet from a direction rearward of the inclined gravity feed shelf without a need to first remove the connector clip member from the crossbar.
8. The gravity feed shelf system of claim 7, wherein the connector clip member further includes a pair of clip projections at a different height than said at least two of the plurality of clip projections, said pair of clip projections facilitating securement of the rear end of the first elongate portion to the crossbar at a second height, said second height being at a different height than said first height.
9. The gravity feed shelf system of claim 8, wherein the at least one divider member includes at least one gusset extending downwardly from the first elongate portion, and when each of the pair of clip projections is received in the slotted openings of the crossbar, said at least one gusset engages the slide sheet member.
10. The gravity feed shelving system of claim 6, wherein the crossbar further includes a second row of slotted openings sized to selectively receive at least two of the plurality of clip projections, said second row of slotted openings being disposed lower than the first row of slotted openings to facilitate securement of the rear end of the first elongate portion at a second height, said second height being below said first height.
11. The gravity feed shelving system of claim 10, wherein the at least one divider member includes at least one gusset extending downwardly from the first elongate portion.
12. The gravity feed shelving system of claim 11, wherein the at least one gusset is generally V-shaped.
13. The gravity feed shelving system of claim 11, wherein the at least one inclined gravity feed shelf further includes a plurality of laterally spaced wire slide members extending between the front support rod and the rear support rod.
14. The gravity feed shelving system of claim 13, wherein when the clip projections are received in the first row of slotted openings, the at least one gusset does not extend below an inclined plane defined by the plurality of laterally spaced wire slide members.
15. The gravity feed shelving system of claim 14, wherein when the clip projections are received in the second row of slotted openings, a lower portion of the at least one gusset extends between a pair of the wire slide members, thereby extending below the plane defined by the plurality of laterally spaced wire slide members.
16. A divider member for use to separate flow lanes in a gravity feed shelf, having side members connected by transverse supports and a slide surface formed of a plurality of wire slide members, the divider member comprising:
- an elongate divider bar member having a plurality of downwardly-extending gusset members;
- connection clip members attached at each of a front end and a rear end of the divider bar member to facilitate adjustable positioning of the divider bar member relative to the gravity feed shelf with the front end of the divider bar member carrying the connector clip members at a lower location than at the rear end relative to the gravity feed shelf, the divider bar member adapted to permit removal for cleaning and replacement of an associated slide track sheet without the need for removing the divider bar member or any part of the divider bar member.
17. The divider member of claim 16, wherein the elongated divider bar member comprises a generally L-shaped rod member.
18. The divider member of claim 16, wherein the connector clip members comprise multiple outwardly extending clip projections permitting retention of the clip projections within slotted openings of a crossbar associated with the gravity feed shelf.
19. The divider member of claim 17, wherein the clip projections further permit respective engagement with a plurality of vertically aligned slot openings along the crossbar associated with the gravity feed shelf to thereby permit selective vertical positioning of the divider bar member relative to the associated gravity feed shelf unit.
20. The divider member of claim 17, wherein the clip connector members formed at the rear end of the divider bar member include upper and lower clip projections, thereby permitting, depending on which of the upper and lower clip projections are selected for engagement with the associated gravity feed shelf unit, of an elevated or a lowered positioning of the divider bar member relative to the gravity feed shelf.
21. Method of providing an inclined shelf of a gravity feed shelving system with a readily removable slide sheet, comprising:
- providing an inclined shelf including side members connected by at least front and rear transverse support rods;
- providing a slide sheet on said inclined shelf;
- providing at least one divider member having a first elongate portion extending in a direction generally parallel to the inclined shelf, a second portion extending downwardly from and generally perpendicular to the first elongate portion, and a connector clip member projecting rearwardly from a rear end of the first elongate portion; and
- connecting the connector clip member to a crossbar spaced a distance above a rear of the inclined shelf, said distance being sufficiently greater than a thickness of the slide sheet to permit removal of the slide sheet from a direction rearward of the inclined shelf without a need to first disconnect said connector clip member or any portion thereof from the crossbar.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein in providing the at least one divider member, the divider member includes a front connector clip member projecting forwardly of a lower end of the second portion, and further comprising connecting the front connector clip member to the front transverse support of the inclined shelf.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 30, 2004
Publication Date: Jun 1, 2006
Inventors: Edward Knorring (Wheaton, IL), Joseph Coretti (Wheaton, IL), Henry Massett (Evergreen Park, IL)
Application Number: 10/999,726
International Classification: A47F 1/04 (20060101);