Pegboard bracket assembly

Abstract

An improved bracket assembly is specially fabricated and adapted for mounted installation upon a conventional pegboard panel or like support surface to hold products and promotional materials in merchandising displays. The present bracket assembly comprises upper and lower clip arm members rearwardly directed in a bifurcated manner with each clip arm member having respective pronged clips for separate aligned engagement with the pegboard panel, an extendable channel strip arm member forwardly disposed having a channel strip segment attached thereto, and a junction box assembly intermediately positioned and adapted to engage the respective arm members and lock them in their respective position on the pegboard panel. The junction box assembly includes an upper box cover and lower box base formed to fit in a substantially closed configuration and adapted to be clamped together by a locking screw vertically disposed therethrough. The box cover is formed having lateral surfaces with aligned holes for sliding engagement of the channel strip arm and the base formed having transverse ribs embossed along its bottom surface to urge upon the channel strip arm when the junction box is clamped. The locking screw further engages a loop section formed in the upper clip arm member at the top of the junction box to retain the upper clip member and lock it in mounted position upon the pegboard panel.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/681,849 filed May 17, 2005 for Pegboard Bracket Assembly.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to support brackets used to hold retail merchandise and their promotions in connection with pegboard support panels, and more particularly to an improved pegboard bracket assembly that is adjustable in its extended length and adapted to lock in place to prevent removal and theft.

In retail merchandising, store displays are often constructed using an upright pegboard panel that provides a vertically oriented support surface upon which support brackets are mounted to hold products and point-of-purchase promotions. Typically, the pegboard panel has a matrix of uniformly spaced holes that are arranged in horizontal rows and vertical columns. The pegboard holes are formed through the panel thickness to support stationary mounting of the brackets, each bracket typically having a mounting base with a pair of extended prongs thereon that are space apart and formed to engage adjacent horizontal holes in the pegboard. In this typical mounted arrangement, the mounting base of the bracket is secured upon the front surface of the pegboard by the prongs interengaged through the pegboard holes and the bracket made to extend lengthwise in a substantially horizontal attitude outwardly from the pegboard to provide hanging support for product units as well as their promotions.

The pegboard brackets used for product support are often made in standardized lengths along which a plurality of product units are hung for display and easy removal by the consumer purchaser. Customarily, a number of these pegboard brackets, each mounted on the same pegboard panel, are used to provide a dense but organized display of a variety of products. Often times in conjunction with product display brackets, one or more additional informational display brackets have been found to be useful and valuable for presenting marketing information and/or promotional materials, such as product descriptions, pricing and coupon promotions, pertinent to a particular product on the display. These informational display brackets are generally mounted on the pegboard panel in immediate proximity to associated product display brackets and typically have a channel strip segment at its forward end that simulates the front facing of store shelving commonly used to hold and display pricing and other product information helpful to the consumer purchaser. Since it is important that the channel strip segment be clearly visible for consumers to view the information carried thereon and easily reached for the mounted placement of point-of-purchase promotions, these informational display brackets are best suited to be adjustable in their extended length to allow the channel strip to remain in sight and accessible. Due to the size and weight of some of the promotional items, such as a coupon dispenser, that are often mounted to the channel strip, these display brackets must be strong and sturdy in their extended lengths and further capable of being locked in their mounted position to prevent unwanted removal and theft.

Existing pegboard display holders have been devised and made effectively variable in length, one such pegboard sign holder being shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,794 to Kump. Other different pegboard display holders have been devised and with locking features that releasably secure the holder, particularly at its base, to the pegboard panel thereby preventing unwanted removal. Despite these known prior art devices, however, no existing pegboard display holder for product or promotional information is available having both a variable length adjustment feature and the capability of being locked in position, not only in its adjusted length but also in its mounted placement.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a general purpose and object of the present invention to provide an improved mounting device adapted to connect to a pegboard or like support panel for carrying product information and promotional materials at point-of-purchase displays.

A more particular object of the present invention is to provide an improved pegboard adapter device for displaying product items at their point-of purchase together with promotional materials that is adjustable in the length of its extension and capable of being secured in a locked position both as to its length and mounted placement.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a pegboard display holder that is easy to manipulate and install onto existing pegboard display panels without need to remove product and promotional items already on display.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a pegboard display holder that is easy to adjust in its extended length and readily secured in its mounted position on the pegboard panel.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable and lockable pegboard display holder that is relatively inexpensive to fabricate and assemble, strong and sturdy in its assembled state, and reliable in its performance.

Briefly, these and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by an improved bracket assembly that is specially fabricated and adapted for mounted installation upon a conventional pegboard panel or like support surface to hold products and promotional materials in merchandising displays. The present bracket assembly comprises upper and lower clip arm members disposed rearwardly in a bifurcated manner with each clip arm member having respective pronged clips for separate aligned engagement with the pegboard panel, an extendable channel strip arm member forwardly disposed having a channel strip segment attached thereto, and a junction box assembly intermediately positioned and adapted to engage the respective arm members and lock them in their respective position on the pegboard panel. The junction box assembly includes an upper box cover and lower box base formed to fit in a substantially closed configuration and adapted to be clamped together by a locking screw vertically disposed therethrough. The box cover is formed having lateral surfaces with aligned holes for sliding engagement of the channel strip arm and the base formed having transverse ribs embossed along its bottom surface to urge upon the channel strip arm when the junction box is clamped. The locking screw further engages a loop section formed in the upper clip arm member at the top of the junction box to retain the upper clip member and lock it in mounted position upon the pegboard panel.

For a better understanding of these and other aspects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals and character designate like parts throughout the figures thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, references in the detailed description set forth below shall be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the bracket assembly made according to the present invention and shown in mounted installation on an upright pegboard support panel;

FIG. 2 is a side view in elevation of the present bracket assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the bracket assembly taken substantially along the plane indicated by line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the bracket assembly taken substantially along the plane indicated by line 4-4 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the central portion of the bracket assembly of FIG. 2 taken immediately beneath the junction box assembly of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following is a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the best presently contemplated mode of its production and practice. This description is further made for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention but should not be taken in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being best determined by reference to appended claims.

Referring now to the drawing figures and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, a bracket assembly made in accordance with the present invention and generally designated 10 is shown in mounted installation upon a conventional pegboard panel 12 (shown in phantom section) commonly used in retail merchandising displays. In its mounted installation, the present bracket assembly 10 is intended to engage selected holes 12a generally found in a matrix arrangement of horizontal rows and vertical columns on the pegboard panel 12 by means of a pair of pronged clips 20 and 24 that are attached at respective outer ends of an upper and lower clip arm member 14 and 16, each rearwardly disposed on the bracket assembly and described in greater detail below. The installed bracket assembly 10 extends longitudinally from the pegboard panel 12 in a direction substantially perpendicular thereto, with its longitudinal extension made adjustable and lockable as described below. In accordance with the present invention, the bracket assembly 10 is generally intended to hold and support merchandise on display and is particularly intended to hold merchandising promotions, such as product information, advertising materials and devices, including coupon dispensers, that normally attach to the channel strip found on the front edge of standard store shelving. In the case of the present bracket assembly 10, such merchandising promotions are mounted and secured upon a channel strip segment 42 made to be simulative in part of the front edge of conventional store shelving and disposed at the forwardmost end of the bracket assembly opposite from the pronged clips 20 and 24. As described in greater detail below, the channel strip segment 42 is rigidly secured in an upright attitude upon a channel strip arm 40 that is adjustable in its extension through a junction box assembly 26 intermediately positioned along the length of the present bracket assembly 10.

The bracket assembly 10 is a substantially rigid structure along its entire length and therefore is preferably constructed in its assembled parts from a strong but lightweight metallic material, such as a finished steel, which can be fabricated and formed using conventional tools and techniques and further joined in fixed attachments, where necessary, by conventional welding methods.

The upper clip arm member 14 with the pronged clip 20 attached thereto is further constructed from a longitudinal rod member 18 that is bent and formed having a 180° loop section 18a made therein midway along its length so that the rod member extends in substantially parallel segments 18b between the loop section and the respective ends of the rod member. End segments 18c of the rod member 18 are further extended in parallel relationship and formed similarly at substantially right angles to the intermediate segments 18b, the end segments of the rod member 18 being bent in an upright direction to provide extended contacts for welded attachment along the surface of the pronged clip 20. The pronged clip 20 is formed and fabricated having a pair of upturned prongs 20a sized and spaced apart to engage adjacent horizontal holes 12a in the pegboard panel 12, with the prongs being further formed in an L-shaped configuration at the top of the clip to allow the surface of the clip to rest substantially flush against the pegboard panel when the prongs are fully engaged in the adjacent pegboard holes.

The upper clip arm 14 is assembled and connected to the junction box assembly 26 via the loop section 18a formed in rod member 18 and is particularly retained in place upon the junction box assembly by the engagement of the loop section with a locking screw 36 centrally disposed and fitted for axial rotation within the junction box assembly. The loop section 18a is sufficiently sized in its diameter to allow the shank of the locking screw to fit therethrough but restrict passage of the head of the screw and a fitted washer 38 interposed beneath the head. Thus, when the locking screw 36 is axially engaged within the junction box assembly 26, the upper clip arm member 14 is retained atop the junction box and although slidable along the intermediate parallel section 18b, the upper clip arm member and junction box assembly will remain coupled together.

The lower clip arm member 16 with its associated pronged clip 24 is also rearwardly disposed on the present bracket assembly 10, the lower clip arm being rigidly secured to the junction box assembly 26. The lower clip arm member 16 further includes a longitudinal rod member 22 that is attached by welding to the bottom of the junction box assembly 26, particularly to the lower box base 32, and linearly extended to the pronged clip 24. The rod member 22 is attached to the lower pronged clip 24 along a bent section 22a of the rod member that is formed perpendicularly to the linear length thereof and welded along the clip surface. The lower pronged clip 24, similarly to the upper pronged clip 20, is formed and fabricated having a pair of upturned prongs 24a sized and spaced apart to engage adjacent horizontal holes 12a in the pegboard panel 12, with the prongs being formed in an L-shaped configuration at the top of the clip to allow the surface of the clip to rest substantially flush against the pegboard panel when the prongs are fully engaged in the adjacent horizontal holes. In the mounted installation of the present bracket assembly 10, it should be noted that the lower pronged clip 24 with its associated prong members 24a is engaged upon the pegboard panel 12 in vertical alignment with the upper pronged clip 20 engaged above and with a horizontal row of pegboard holes 12a spaced therebetween. With the respective upper and lower clip arm members 20 and 24 being disposed in this bifurcated arrangement and separately engaged in vertical alignment upon the pegboard panel 12 and the upper clip arm member is subsequently secured to the junction box assembly 26 by the locking screw 36 tightened within the loop section 18a, the resulting mounted installation of the bracket assembly 10 is locked firmly in place and no removal from the pegboard panel will be effected without release of the locking screw.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2, the junction box assembly 26 further comprises a substantially closed box member 28 made up of an upper box cover 30 and a lower box base 32 each formed to fit together to provide a closed configuration. The upper box cover 30 is formed having a substantially C-shaped profile with a pair of lateral surfaces 30a and 30b extending from the top surface of the cover on front and rear sides thereof. Each of the lateral surfaces 30a, 30b of the box cover 30 is formed having a pair of separate holes 30c made therein, each of the holes being aligned with those on the opposite lateral surface. These aligned holes 30c are sized and positioned to fit a pair of rod members 44 on the channel strip arm 40 and allow their sliding engagement through the junction box assembly 26. The lateral surface 30a on the front side of the upper box cover 30 is additionally provided with a lower ledge surface 30d which partially wraps beneath the lower box base 32 and helps to contain the base within the box cover. The lower box base 32 is formed having a C-shaped profile, its lateral surfaces being solid and sized to fit snugly within the open spacing between the lateral surface 30a and 30b of the upper box cover 30. The top surface of the upper box cover 30 and the bottom surface of the lower box base 32 have respective central holes similarly formed therein that are aligned with each other to allow engagement by the locking screw 36 in a substantially vertical attitude. Positioned beneath the lower box base 32 and also aligned with its central hole, a weld nut 34 is attached to the bottom of the base box to secure threaded engagement of the locking screw in the junction box assembly 26. On the inside of the lower box base 32 and upon the bottom surface thereof, a set of transverse ribs 32a are formed, typically by embossing. Each of the transverse ribs 32a is located so as to be adjacent to a respective one of the separate holes 30c in the lateral surfaces 30a and 30b of the upper box cover 30 when fitted together with the box base 32 and each rib is raised in height sufficiently to project into the hole profile when the lower box base is clamped together with the box cover. In the clamped junction box assembly 26 where the rod members 44 of the channel strip arm 40 are engaged through the lateral surface holes 30c, as seen in both FIGS. 3 and 4, the transverse ribs 32a serve to urge upon the bottom of the respective rod members on both sides of the junction box 28, clamping each within the respective hole and locking the position of the channel strip arm member 40 in its extended position.

The locking screw 36 is a conventional machine screw having a standard button-type head and an unthreaded shank portion immediately beneath the head of the screw. Washer 38 is sized to fit over the shank portion of the locking screw 36 and is adapted for retention immediately beneath the head. The head of the locking screw 36 is preferably a socket-head type with the socket configuration being conventional in size and shape. In its engaged assembly within the junction box assembly 26, the locking screw 36 is further provided with a washer clip 39 that is fitted to the shank and adapted to be held thereon at the top of the threaded portion so that the screw when disengaged from the weld nut 34 will be retained with the junction box assembly and not separated therefrom. To ensure the retention of the locking screw 36, the end of the screw may be cold-formed after assembly to prevent its full removal from the weld nut 34.

In association with the channel strip segment 42, the channel strip arm member 40 is further constructed with a pair of rod members 44 that are spaced apart and set substantially in parallel to each other. A forward segment 44b of each rod member 44 is formed perpendicularly to the main length and bent uprightly to secure attachment to the rear surface of the channel strip segment 42, preferably by welding. The rearward tips 44a of the respective rod members 44 are preferably cold-formed and compressed in their diameters after engagement through the junction box assembly 26, the resulting deformation of the tips preventing removal of the rods members 44 and the associated channel strip arm 40 from the assembly. It should be noted that upper and lower lips 42a along the top and bottom of the channel strip segment 42 are made to replicate those on the front edge of a standard store shelving and these lips may be further closed at the respective corners of the segment to prevent sliding removal of certain advertising devices that may be installed into the channel strip segment. In its assembled state as described above, the present bracket assembly 10 is a completely integrated device with all of its component parts joined into a fully adjustable mounting bracket wherein none of the individual components may be removed and perhaps lost in the installation process. All of the component members are joined at the central junction box assembly 26 wherein by way of the single adjustment of locking screw 36, the entire bracket assembly may be adjusted in both its mounted placement and the length of its extension and then locked in place to prevent unwanted removal or tampering. The bracket assembly 10 in its locked and mounted position is rigidly secured through the junction box assembly 26 and provides a sturdy support structure along its entire length for strength and support in holding larger and heavier advertising devices, such as coupon dispensers, upon the extended channel strip segment 42.

Therefore, it is apparent that the described invention provides an improved mounting device that connects to a pegboard or like support panel for carrying product information and promotional advertising materials at point-of-purchase displays. More particularly, the present bracket assembly provides an improved pegboard adapter for displaying product items and associated promotional materials that is adjustable in the length of its extension and capable of being secured in a locked position both as to its length and mounted installation. The present bracket assembly further provides a pegboard holder that is easy to manipulate and install onto existing merchandising display panels without need to remove mounted product and promotional items already on display. In addition, the described bracket assembly provides a pegboard display holder that is easy to adjust in its extension and readily secured in its mounted position on the pegboard panel. Furthermore, the present bracket assembly is relatively inexpensive to fabricate and assemble, strong and sturdy in its assembled state, and reliable in its performance.

Obviously, other embodiments and modifications of the present invention will readily come to those or ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and drawings. Alternate embodiments of different shapes and sizes, as well as substitution of known materials or those materials that may be developed at a future time to perform the same function as the present described embodiment are therefore considered to be part of the present invention. Accordingly, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiment described, but rather is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bracket device for supporting merchandising material upon a conventional pegboard panel, comprising:

bifurcated arm means for separate aligned engagement of the pegboard panel;

junction means releasably assembled and operatively connected to said bifurcated arm means for locking said bifurcated arm means in separate aligned engagement upon the pegboard panel; and

a support arm operatively connected to said junction means and extendable therefrom for holding the merchandising material at varied lengths from the pegboard panel.

2. A bracket device according to claim 1, wherein said bifurcated arm means comprises:

a lower arm member attached at one end thereof to said junction means;

an upper arm member releasably attached at one end thereof to said junction means and disposed in a bifurcated manner relative to said lower arm member upon fixed attachment to said junction means; and

a pair of pronged connectors attached to the respective opposite ends of said lower and upper arm members and adapted to separately engage the pegboard panel.

3. A bracket device according to claim 2, wherein said junction means comprises:

a cover member having a substantially C-shaped profile with a pair of lateral surfaces on opposite sides, each of the lateral surfaces being formed having aligned holes therein;

a base member having a substantially C-shaped profile and further formed to fit together with said cover member to provide a closed configuration therebetween, the surface on the inside of the base member being formed having a set of ribs raised along the base member and transversely positioned adjacent to the holes in the lateral surfaces of said cover member when in the closed configuration; and

locking means operatively connected between said cover and base members and further engaging said upper arm member for clamping said cover and base members in the closed configuration with the upper arm member in fixed attachment thereto and the ribs along said base member projecting into the hole profile between aligned holes in the lateral surfaces of said cover member.

4. A bracket device according to claim 3, wherein said locking means comprises:

a locking screw having a threaded length and an unthreaded shank portion formed to engage said cover and base members;

a washer clip formed to fit upon the shank portion of said locking screw and be retained thereon within the closed configuration of said cover and base members; and

a locking nut fixed to the bottom of said base member to grip the threaded length of said locking screw.

5. A bracket device according to claim 3, wherein said support arm is disposed through the aligned holes in the lateral surfaces of said cover member and locked in position within the closed configuration upon clamping.

6. A bracket device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a channel strip member attached to the extended end of said support arm to hold the merchandising material.

7. A bracket assembly for supporting an object upon a conventional pegboard panel, comprising:

mounting means including separate longitudinal members disposed in a bifurcated manner for aligned engagement of the pegboard panel;

junction means releasably assembled and operatively connected to said mounting means for locking said mounting means in separate aligned engagement upon the pegboard panel; and

a support arm operatively connected to said junction means and extendable therefrom for holding the object at varied lengths from the pegboard panel.

8. A bracket assembly according to claim 7, wherein said mounting means comprises:

a lower arm member attached at one end thereof to said junction means;

an upper arm member releasably attached at one end thereof to said junction means and disposed in a bifurcated manner relative to said lower arm member upon fixed attachment to said junction means; and

a pair of pronged connectors attached to the respective opposite ends of said lower and upper arm members and adapted to separately engage the pegboard panel.

9. A bracket assembly according to claim 7, wherein said junction means comprises:

a cover member having a substantially C-shaped profile with a pair of lateral surfaces on opposite sides, each of the lateral surfaces being formed having aligned holes therein;

a base member having a substantially C-shaped profile and further formed to fit together with said cover member to provide a closed configuration therebetween, the surface on the inside of the base member being formed having a set of ribs raised along the base member and transversely positioned adjacent to the holes in the lateral surfaces of said cover member when in the closed configuration; and

locking means operatively coupling said cover and base members and further engaging said mounting means for clamping said cover and base members in the closed configuration with said mounting means in fixed attachment thereto and the ribs along said base member projecting into the hole profile between aligned holes in the lateral surfaces of said cover member.

10. A bracket assembly according to claim 9, wherein said support arm is disposed through the aligned holes in the lateral surfaces of said cover member and locked in position within the closed configuration upon clamping.

11. A bracket assembly according to claim 9, wherein said locking means comprises:

a locking screw having a threaded length and an unthreaded shank portion formed to engage said cover and base members;

a washer clip formed to fit upon the shank portion of said locking screw and be retained thereon within the closed configuration of said cover and base members; and

a locking nut fixed to the bottom of said base member to grip the threaded length of said locking screw.

12. A bracket assembly according to claim 11, further comprising:

a channel strip member attached to the extended end of said support arm to hold the merchandising material.