Removable product support bar display apparatus and method

Abstract

A product support bar display device is disclosed for supporting packaged products from a display bar which may be removed to allow new packaged products to be installed thereupon behind older packaged products previously located thereupon without first requiring the removal of the older packaged products from the display bar. The display bar is supported by and removably mounted on a display bar carriage, which itself is moveably mounted on a pair of support bars which extend from the rear of a display case or area forwardly. The display carriage may be moved from a first display position near the proximal ends of the support bars to a second service position near the distal ends of the support bars to facilitate the removal of the display bar to allow additional packaged products to be installed on the display bar from the rear so that the new packaged products will be behind older packaged products remaining on the display bar.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to display devices for supporting packaged products each having a product support aperture located near the top thereof, and more particularly to an improved product support bar display apparatus having display bars which may be removed to allow new packaged products on the proximal end thereof behind older packaged products without first having to remove the older packaged products from the display bar.

A wide variety of peg bars devices have been used to display products which are being offered for sale. At a minimum, such peg bar display devices have an elongated peg or rod which is mounted on a pegboard, from a display case, or on a mounting bracket. Over time, they have evolved into more sophisticated and complex configurations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,017, to Larson, shows a display apparatus having an elongated peg with a mounting end which is flattened for mounting in an elongated rectangular channel having oval apertures located therein. The elongated peg has an L-shaped leg mounted thereupon which extends above and in parallel to the elongated peg, with the L-shaped leg being used to support a price display member above the end of the elongated peg. Products having a product support aperture located therein can be supported for display from the elongated peg. U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,017 is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Such peg bar display devices have been used in a wide variety of applications to display products for sale therefrom. One such application is the display of food products such as cheese and meats in a refrigerated case. An example of this application is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,959,560, to Weikel et al., which shows a refrigerated display case having a peg bar support system. The refrigerated display case has support bars mounted horizontally inside the case, with pairs of parallel rods extending from each of the support bars. Packages of products having product support apertures are mounted on the lower rods, and a horizontal tag mounting member is attached to the free ends of the upper rods, with pricing and other information being located on the tag mounting member.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that products which are located in a refrigerated case will typically have product expiration dates, and if a refrigerated product is not sold before its expiration date it will be removed from sale and either thrown out or returned to the manufacturer. In either case, there is a substantial incentive to ensure that such products are sold rather than being allowed to expire. With most peg bar systems in use at the present time, older products on the peg bars must be removed to allow newer products to be placed on the peg bar. After the newer products are placed on the peg bar, the older products can then be returned to the peg bars, thereby placing the older products in front where they will be sold before the newer products are sold. Unfortunately, with currently-known peg bar display devices, it is far easier to add additional and newer products to the end of the peg bar, thereby placing the oldest products in the back and increasing the likelihood that they will not be sold prior to their expiration date.

One of the only solutions to this problem other than to remove the older products by hand is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,860, to Nowicki, which uses a stocking rod which has a tip which is placed onto the free end of a peg bar, with the older products on the peg bar then being moved from the peg bar onto the stocking rod. Newer products can them be placed onto the peg bar, after which the stocking rod can be used to replace the older products on the peg bar in front of the newer products. While the Nowicki patent certainly represents an easier and quicker way to restock the peg bar with the older products being placed in front for first sale, it still requires the removal and subsequent replacement of the older products on the peg bar.

Other proposed solutions have only focused on movement of the older products to the front of the peg bar display. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,748, to Kawasaki et al., and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2005/0040122 and 2005/0077257, both to Ahlund et al., each focus on moving products located on a peg bar from the rear to the front of the peg bar. These designs thus are of no assistance in dealing with the problem being contemplated herein of adding newer products to a peg bar containing older products. One other variation on the design of peg bars is found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,801, to Larson, which shows spaced-apart parallel arms which are adjustable in length, thereby allowing the device to be shortened to place remaining products near the front end thereof. This design also is not helpful to the problem being contemplated herein.

It is accordingly the primary objective of the present invention that it facilitate the addition of newer products to a display bar without requiring the prior removal of older products previously contained on the display bar therefrom. It is a related objective of the present invention that it does not require the use of a tool or any other additional apparatus to add the newer products to the display bar behind the older products which are already suspended from the display bar. It is a further objective of the present invention that it be adaptable to work with any of the wide variety of packaged products which are presently displayed from a peg bar type display apparatus.

It is another objective of the present invention that it may be used in refrigerated display cases, and that in such an application it will not block the airflow within the refrigerated case that such a refrigerated application requires. It is yet another objective of the present invention that it provide a price display in close association with product suspended from the display bar, and that the price display does not interfere in any way with the addition of new products to the display bar. It is still another objective of the present invention that it not require additional room to implement, thereby not reducing the number of products which can be displayed and offered for sale from a predetermined location.

The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention must also be of construction which is both durable and long lasting, and it should also require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. In order to enhance the market appeal of the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention, it should also be of inexpensive construction to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, it is also an objective that all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention be achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The disadvantages and limitations of the background art discussed above are overcome by the present invention. With this invention, a pair of support bars are mounted in side-by-side fashion onto a mounting member located at the rear of a display case or a wall. In applications where there will be a plurality of the product support bar display apparatus installed in close proximity, a horizontal mounting member will typically be mounted between spaced-apart vertical mounting standards located on the rear wall of the display case or on a wall. The support bars thus extend outwardly, with the ends of the support bars which are mounted to the horizontal mounting member being referred to as the proximal ends of the support bars, and the outwardmost ends of the support bars being referred to as the distal ends of the support bars.

In the preferred embodiment, a sign rail is mounted onto the distal ends of the support bars, and typically extends across several pairs of support bars. The sign rail is adapted to receive the distal ends of the support bars therein, and to be retained thereupon. Prices for the various objects to be displayed from the product support bar display apparatus may have their prices and additional information contained on small cards which are clipped onto or adhesively secured to the sign rail, where the prices and other information will be displayed immediately above the products which are suspended from the product support bar display apparatus.

A display bar carriage is moveably supported by the support bars, and is free to move between a first position adjacent the horizontal mounting member and a second position adjacent the sign rail at the distal ends of the support bars. The display bar carriage is free to move between the first and second positions on the support bars. The display bar carriage will be normally located in the first position when the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is in use to display products which are suspended therefrom.

A display bar is removably mounted from the display bar carriage in a position under the support bars upon which the display bar carriage is moveably mounted. The end of the display bar which is mounted onto the display bar carriage is referred to as the proximal end of the display bar, and the outwardmost end of the display bar is referred to as the distal ends of the display bar. When the display bar is mounted from the display bar carriage, it will be essentially parallel to the support bars upon which the display bar carriage is mounted. The display bar is mounted a sufficient distance below the support bars to allow bags of product having a product support aperture located near the top thereof to be mounted on the display bar, and easily accessed by a customer to remove a bag of product from the display bar. In the preferred embodiment, the distal end of the display bar is upwardly angled.

When the display bar has had its supply of bags of packaged product sufficiently diminished, it will need to be restocked. Typically, there will be some remaining bags of product on the display bar, which bags of product will typically be older than additional bags of product to be added to the display bar. To restock the display bar, the display bar carriage will be moved from its first position adjacent the horizontal mounting member to its second position adjacent the sign rail. When the display bar carriage is in this second position, the display bar will extend outwardly with its distal end being located under the back side of the sign rail.

The display bar is temporarily removed from the display bar carriage without removing the bags of product which are hanging from the display bar. Additional bags of product are put onto the display bar from the proximal end thereof to restock the display bar with bags of products. The distal end of the display bar is them remounted onto the display bar carriage, and the display bar carriage is returned to its first position adjacent the horizontal mounting member. The older bags of product which were previously on the display bar will be at the front nearer the distal end of the display bar, and the newly stocked bags of product will be located neared the distal end of the display bar behind the older bags of product.

While in the preferred embodiment two support bars are used for each product support bar display apparatus, alternatively, a single support member could instead be used. Such a single support member may be wider than it is high, for example. The two support members may also be attached together at the distal ends thereof in a U-shaped configuration.

The display bar carriage of the preferred embodiment is made of a segment of rectangular channel material. In the preferred embodiment, the display bar has a flattened longitudinal zone which is located near the proximal end thereof, and the display bar carriage has an oval hole located therein in the front side thereof and a corresponding circular hole located in the rear side thereof. Thus, the proximal end is inserted through the oval hole until the proximal end exits the display bar carriage in the circular hole. The display bar is then rotated ninety degrees and it will be retained in position in the display bar carriage. If desired, a spring member may be placed inside the display bar carriage to engage the flattened longitudinal zone of the display bar and retain it in its engaged position.

It may therefore be seen that the present invention teaches a product support bar display apparatus which facilitates the addition of newer products to a display bar without requiring the prior removal of older products previously contained on the display bar therefrom. The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention does not require the use of a tool or any other additional apparatus to add the newer products to the display bar behind the older products which are already suspended from the display bar. The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is adaptable to work with any of the wide variety of packaged products which are presently displayed from a peg bar type display apparatus.

The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention may be used in refrigerated display cases, and that in such applications it will not block the airflow within the refrigerated case that such a refrigerated application requires. The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention provides a price display in close association with product suspended from the display bar, and the price display does not interfere in any way with the addition of new products to the display bar. The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention does not require additional room to implement, and thereby does not reduce the number of products which can be displayed and offered for sale from a predetermined location.

The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is of a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which will require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is also of inexpensive construction to enhance its market appeal and to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention are achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other advantages of the present invention are best understood with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view showing the various components of the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention and their assembly together;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged isometric view of the proximal end portion of a support bar or a display bar illustrated in FIG. 1, showing the flattened longitudinal zone near the proximal end thereof;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 mounted in a display case, showing a number of bags of packaged product hanging thereupon;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view showing a portion of the product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 3, showing a single row of bags of packaged product hanging thereupon;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the portion of the product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the portion of the product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged isometric view of the sign rail and the distal end of a support bar upon which the sign rail is mounted illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view from the side of the proximal portion of the components of the product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 6, showing the mounting of a support bar upon the horizontal mounting member, the mounting of the display bar carriage upon the support bar, and the mounting of a display bar upon the display bar carriage;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view from the top of the components of the product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view from the rear of the display bar carriage and the display bar illustrated in FIG. 8, showing the display bar mounted upon the display bar carriage;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view from the rear of the display bar carriage and the display bar illustrated in FIG. 8, showing the rotation of the display bar with respect to the display bar carriage in preparation for the removal of the display bar from the display bar carriage;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged cross-sectional view from the side of the rectangular mounting channel and a support bar illustrated in FIG. 8, showing the removal of the support bar from the rectangular mounting channel;

FIG. 13 is a side view of the portion of the product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 6, with the display bar carriage and the display bar in their extended position prior to removal of the display bar to reload new bags of packaged product on the proximal end thereof behind older bags of packaged product;

FIG. 14 is a side view of the portion of the product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 13, showing the placement of new bags of packaged product on the display bar behind older bags of packaged product, as well as showing the subsequent remounting of the display bar upon the display bar carriage;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of a portion of a alternate embodiment of the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention, showing the use of a different construction for a display bar carriage;

FIG. 16 is a side plan view of the portion of the alternate embodiment product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 15, showing the display bar carriage and the display bar in their extended position in phantom lines;

FIG. 17 is an enlarged cross-sectional view from the side of the proximal portion of the components of the alternate embodiment product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, showing the mounting of an alternate embodiment support bar upon the rectangular mounting channel, the mounting of the display bar carriage upon the support bar, and the mounting of a display bar upon the display bar carriage; and

FIG. 18 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the components of the alternate embodiment product support bar display apparatus illustrated in FIG. 17, showing the movement of the display bar carriage and the display bar toward their extended position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The preferred embodiment of the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is illustrated in an exploded view in FIG. 1. The product support bar display apparatus is shown as being mounted onto two spaced-apart vertical mounting standards 30 and 32. Typically, such mounting standards are used both in display cases and as mounting brackets from mounting display apparatus to walls as well.

A horizontal mounting member 34 is mounted between the vertical mounting standards 30 and 32. The left end of the horizontal mounting member 34 is mounted to the vertical mounting standard 30 with a mounting bracket 36, and the right end of the horizontal mounting member 34 is mounted to the vertical mounting standard 32 with a mounting bracket 38. The mounting bracket 36 is attached to the vertical mounting standard 30 using two bolts 40 and 42, and two nuts 44 and 46, respectively. Similarly, the mounting bracket 38 is attached to the vertical mounting standard 32 using two bolts 48 and 50, and two nuts 52 and 54, respectively. Other types of mounting of the horizontal mounting member 34 may be used without departing from the teachings and principles of the present invention.

In the preferred embodiment, the horizontal mounting member 34 may be a segment of rectangular channel material having pairs of apertures respectively located in the front and rear sides thereof. Referring for the moment to FIG. 8 in addition to FIG. 1, it may be seen that there are a series of spaced-apart oval apertures 56 located in the front side of the horizontal mounting member 34 (the side facing away from the vertical mounting standards 30 and 32). Alternately, the oval aperture 56 may be D-shaped instead of oval, with the flat side of the “D” being oriented downwardly and the rounder side of the “D” being oriented upwardly. There are a corresponding series of spaced-apart circular apertures 58 located in the rear side of the horizontal mounting member 34.

The orientation of the oval apertures 56 in the horizontal mounting member 34 are with the longer side oriented vertically (orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the horizontal mounting member 34). The oval apertures 56 and the apertures 58 are located in the horizontal mounting member 34 such that the bottoms of the oval apertures 56 are located slightly higher than the bottoms of the apertures 58, as best shown in FIGS. 8 and 12. This will result in a slightly upward pitch of an article mounted in one of the oval apertures 56 and a corresponding one of the apertures 58.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the horizontal mounting member 34 serves to support a pair of support bars 60 and 62, which are identical in their configurations. The ends of the support bars 60 and 62 which are supported from the horizontal mounting member 34 are referred to herein as their proximal ends, and the ends of the support bars 60 and 62 which are furthest from the horizontal mounting member 34 are referred to herein as their distal ends. The support bars 60 and 62 have flattened longitudinal zones 64 and 66, respectively, which are located near the proximal ends thereof. The flattened longitudinal zones 64 and 66 have flat top and bottom sides, and are wider than the width of the rest of the support bars 60 and 62.

The support bars 60 and 62 are mounted in the horizontal mounting member 34 by inserting their proximal ends into the horizontal mounting member 34 through the oval apertures 56, and then locating their proximal ends in the apertures 58 in the horizontal mounting member 34. When the support bars 60 and 62 are inserted into the horizontal mounting member 34, the flattened longitudinal zones 64 and 66, respectively, are vertically oriented. After the support bars 60 and 62 have been inserted into the horizontal mounting member 34, the flattened longitudinal zones 64 and 66, respectively, are rotated ninety degrees so that they are horizontally oriented. The support bars 60 and 62 will then be retained in this position in the horizontal mounting member 34.

Those skilled in the art will realize that different types of mounting apparatus can be used instead of the vertical mounting standards 30 and 32, the horizontal mounting member 34, and the flattened longitudinal zones 64 and 66 on the support bars 60 and 62, respectively. Once the support bars 60 and 62 have been mounted in the horizontal mounting member 34, they will remain in place as long as the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is used.

A display bar carriage 68 is slidably mounted on the support bars 60 and 62. The display bar carriage 68 shown in FIG. 1 is made from a segment of rectangular channel material. The display bar carriage 68 has two spaced-apart apertures 70 and 72 (best shown in FIG. 9) located in the rear side thereof near the top thereof, and two corresponding spaced-apart apertures 74 and 76 located in the front side thereof near the top thereof. The display bar carriage 68 is mounted on the support bars 60 and 62 by inserting the distal end of the support bar 60 through the apertures 70 and 74, and by inserting the distal end of the support bar 62 through the apertures 72 and 76.

There is an oval aperture 78 located in the front side of the horizontal mounting member 34 longitudinally between the apertures 74 and 76, and near the bottom thereof. There is a corresponding circular aperture 80 located in the rear side of the display bar carriage 68 longitudinally between the apertures 70 and 72, and near the bottom thereof. The orientation of the oval aperture 78 in the display bar carriage 68 is with the longer side oriented vertically (orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the display bar carriage 68).

The display bar carriage 68 serves to support a display bar 82. The end of the display bar 82 which is supported from the display bar carriage 68 is referred to herein as its proximal end, and the end of the display bar 82 which is furthest from the display bar carriage 68 is referred to herein as its distal end. The display bar 82 has a flattened longitudinal zone 84 which is located near the proximal end thereof. The flattened longitudinal zone 84 has flat top and bottom sides, and is wider than the width of the rest of the display bar 82. The flattened longitudinal zone 84 of the display bar 82 is illustrated in FIG. 2. The flattened longitudinal zones 64 and 66 of the support bars 60 and 62, respectively, are identical in configuration to the flattened longitudinal zone 84 of the display bar 82.

The distal end of the display bar 82 has an upwardly angled end 86, which extends approximately below the levels of the distal ends of the support bars 60 and 62. The display bar 82 is also mounted approximately parallel to the support bars 60 and 62. A bag of packaged product 88 has a product support aperture 90 centrally located near the top edge thereof. The bag of packaged product 88 will be mounted on the display bar 82 by inserting the upwardly angled end 86 of the display bar 82 through the product support aperture 90 of the bag of packaged product 88, and sliding the bag of packaged product 88 onto the display bar 82. Thus, the vertical distance between the display bar 82 and the support bars 60 and 62 must be sufficient to allow the bag of packaged product 88 to fit easily onto the display bar 82 without contacting the support bars 60 and 62.

Referring now to FIG. 7 in addition to FIG. 1, completing the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is a sign rail 92 which has a bracket 94 located at the rear thereof with a series of apertures 96 located in the rear side thereof into which the distal ends of the support bars 60 and 62 are inserted and retained. The distal ends of the support bars 60 and 62 are shown as being peened to retain them in the bracket 94, but any other suitable retention method may be used instead. Located on the front side of 92 is a sign retention area 98 into which preprinted signs 100 showing the price of the bag of packaged product 88, and optionally additional information regarding the bag of packaged product 88, may be placed.

Referring next to FIG. 3, the installation of a row of four of the product support bar display apparatus described above with regard to FIG. 1 is illustrated into a display case 102. The lateral spacing of the product support bar display apparatus in the display case 102 is determined by the width of the bags of packaged product 88 being displayed thereupon. As such, wider bags of packaged product 88 will require greater spacing between adjacent product support bar display apparatus. Although not shown in FIG. 3, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the vertical distance between rows of the product support bar display apparatus will be determined by the height of the bags of packaged product 88 being displayed thereupon.

Referring next to FIGS. 4 through 7, the row of four of the product support bar display apparatus described above with regard to FIG. 1 is shown in detail, with the display bar carriage 68 being shown in a first position adjacent the horizontal mounting member 34. When the display bar carriage 68 is in its first position, it may be seen that the upwardly angled end 86 of the display bar 82 extends to a location below and just behind the sign rail 92. In addition, it may be seen that the display bar 82 is essentially parallel of the support bars 60 and 62. This first position of the display bar carriage 68 and the display bar 82 is used when the bags of packaged product 88 are being displayed for sale upon the product support bar display apparatus.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, the engagement of the flattened longitudinal zones 64 and 66 of the support bars 60 and 62, respectively, with the horizontal mounting member 34 and the engagement of the flattened longitudinal zone 84 of the display bar 82 with the display bar carriage 68 are shown. In FIGS. 8 and 9, the support bars 60 and 62 are shown in their engaged positions with respect to the horizontal mounting member 34, in which they will be following assembly of the product support bar display apparatus. The display bar 82 is also shown in its engaged position with respect to the display bar carriage 68, in which it will be during the normal display of products thereupon. Note also that in FIG. 8 the display bar carriage 68 is shown in phantom lines as starting to move from its first position in a direction away from the horizontal mounting member 34.

Referring next to FIGS. 10 and 11, the display bar carriage 68 is shown suspended from the support bars 60 and 62. In FIG. 10, the display bar 82 is shown in its mounted position with respect to the display bar carriage 68, with the upwardly angled end 86 being oriented upwardly and the flattened longitudinal zone 84 of the display bar 82 extending laterally in the oval aperture 78. In this position, the flattened longitudinal zone 84 of the display bar 82 will retain the display bar 82 in position on the display bar carriage 68. In order to remove the display bar 82 from the display bar carriage 68, it is rotated ninety degrees as shown in FIG. 11, with the upwardly angled end 86 extending in a lateral direction and the flattened longitudinal zone 84 of the display bar 82 being oriented vertically with respect to the oval aperture 78 in the display bar carriage 68. In this position, the display bar 82 may be removed from the display bar carriage 68.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the support bar 62 is shown by the arrow as being rotated ninety degrees to move the flattened longitudinal zone 66 of the support bar 62 from the position in which it is shown in FIG. 12 to a vertical orientation. In this vertical orientation, the support bar 62 may be removed from the horizontal mounting member 34. Although it is not shown in FIG. 12, the support bar 60 may similarly be rotated to remove it from the horizontal mounting member 34. Additionally, although it is not shown in the figures, a spring member may be installed inside the horizontal mounting member 34 and the display bar carriage 68 to act against the flattened longitudinal zones 64 and 66 of the support bars 60 and 62, respectively, and on the flattened longitudinal zone 84 of the display bar 82.

As mentioned above, the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 4 through 6 with the display bar carriage 68 in its first position adjacent the horizontal mounting member 34. In order to load additional bags of packaged product 88 onto the display bar 82 behind older bags of packaged product 88 remaining on the display bar 82, the display bar carriage 68 and the display bar 82 are moved to a second position as shown in FIG. 13. In this second position, the display bar carriage 68 is located adjacent to the rear of the sign rail 92.

From this second position of the display bar carriage 68 and the display bar 82, the display bar 82 may be rotated ninety degrees and removed from the display bar carriage 68 as shown in FIG. 14. Additional new bags of packaged product 104 are then placed on the proximal end of the display bar 82, and the display bar 82 is then remounted into the display bar carriage 68 by reversing the process used to remove it from the display bar carriage 68. Thus, it may be seen that the new bags of packaged product 104 are displayed from the display bar 82 in positions which are behind the older bags of packaged product 88 which were previously displayed on the display bar 82.

Referring next to FIGS. 15 through 18, an alternate embodiment display bar carriage 110 is shown mounted on two support bars 112 and 114, which are identical in their configurations. The ends of the support bars 112 and 114 which are supported from the horizontal mounting member 34 are referred to herein as their proximal ends, and the ends of the support bars 112 and 114 which are furthest from the horizontal mounting member 34 are referred to herein as their distal ends. The support bars 112 and 114 project forwardly from the horizontal mounting member 34, and jog upwardly at a ninety degree angle, and then again extend forwardly following a second ninety degree angle. The proximal end distal portions of the support bar 112 and 114 thus are parallel.

The support bars 112 and 114 have flattened longitudinal zones 116 and 118, respectively, which are located near the proximal ends thereof. The flattened longitudinal zones 116 and 118 have flat top and bottom sides, and are wider than the width of the rest of the support bars 112 and 114. The support bars 112 and 114 are mounted and retained in the horizontal mounting member 34 in the same manner are the support bars 60 and 62, and they will remain in place as long as the alternate embodiment product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is used.

The display bar carriage 110 consists of a body portion 120 which extends between the support bars 112 and 114, and two L-shaped arms 122 and 124 which extend from opposite sides of the front segment of the body portion 120. The L-shaped arm 122 extends over the top and side of the support bar 112 opposite the body portion 120, and the L-shaped arm 124 extends over the top and side of the support bar 114 opposite the body portion 120. The L-shaped arms 122 and 124 support the display bar carriage 110 on the support bars 112 and 114.

The display bar carriage 110 uses four pins 126, 128, 130, and 132 which extend from the sides of the body portion 120 of the display bar carriage 110 to retain it on the support bars 112 and 114. The pins 126 and 128 are located on one side of the body portion 120 of the display bar carriage 110 and extend under the support bar 112. The pins 130 and 132 are located on the other side of the body portion 120 of the display bar carriage 110 and extend under the support bar 114. All four pins 126, 128, 130, and 132 are mounted by screwing them into the side of the body portion 120 of the display bar carriage 110, and if desired they may have a slot for a screwdriver or a hex aperture for a hex head screwdriver.

Located underneath the body portion 120 of the display bar carriage 110 is a segment of rectangular channel material 134. Two capscrews 136 and 138 extend through the top of the body portion 120 of the display bar carriage 110 and are screwed into the top of the segment of rectangular channel material 134. There is an oval aperture 140 located in the front side of the segment of rectangular channel material 134, and a corresponding circular aperture 142 located in the rear side of the segment of rectangular channel material 134. The orientation of the oval aperture 140 in the segment of rectangular channel material 134 is with the longer side oriented vertically (orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the segment of rectangular channel material 134).

The segment of rectangular channel material 134 serves to support the display bar 82 from the display bar carriage 110. The vertical distance between the display bar 82 and the support bars 112 and 114 are sufficient to allow the bag of packaged product 88 to fit easily onto the display bar 82 without contacting the support bars 112 and 114. The manner of removing the display bar 82 from the segment of rectangular channel material 134 on the display bar carriage 110 and adding additional new bags of packaged product 104 is the same as described above in conjunction with the embodiment of the product support bar display apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 through 14.

It may therefore be appreciated from the above detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention that it teaches a product support bar display apparatus which facilitates the addition of newer products to a display bar without requiring the prior removal of older products previously contained on the display bar therefrom. The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention does not require the use of a tool or any other additional apparatus to add the newer products to the display bar behind the older products which are already suspended from the display bar. The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is adaptable to work with any of the wide variety of packaged products which are presently displayed from a peg bar type display apparatus.

The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention may be used in refrigerated display cases, and that in such applications it will not block the airflow within the refrigerated case that such a refrigerated application requires. The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention provides a price display in close association with product suspended from the display bar, and the price display does not interfere in any way with the addition of new products to the display bar. The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention does not require additional room to implement, and thereby does not reduce the number of products which can be displayed and offered for sale from a predetermined location.

The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is of a construction which is both durable and long lasting, and which will require little or no maintenance to be provided by the user throughout its operating lifetime. The product support bar display apparatus of the present invention is also of inexpensive construction to enhance its market appeal and to thereby afford it the broadest possible market. Finally, all of the aforesaid advantages and objectives of the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention are achieved without incurring any substantial relative disadvantage.

Although the foregoing description of the product support bar display apparatus of the present invention has been shown and described with reference to particular embodiments and applications thereof, it has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments and applications disclosed. It will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, variations, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit or scope of the present invention. The particular embodiments and applications were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such changes, modifications, variations, and alterations should therefore be seen as being within the scope of the present invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

Claims

1. A display apparatus for supporting and displaying packaged products hanging therefrom, said display apparatus comprising:

a support member for installation onto a surface from which the display apparatus will extend;

a pair of parallel spaced-apart support bars extending outwardly from said support member, said support bars having proximal ends which are mounted on said support member and distal ends which project outwardly away from said support member;

a display bar carriage mounted on said support bars and moveable between a first position near said proximal ends of said support bars and a second position near said distal ends of said support bars; and

a display bar which is removably mounted on said display bar carriage, said display bar having a proximal end which is removably mountable to said display bar carriage and a distal end which extends outwardly from said display bar carriage, said display bar being adapted to allow packaged products to be mounted on said display bar from either said proximal end thereof or said distal end thereof.

2. A display apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said support member comprises:

a horizontal mounting member; and

a pair of brackets for mounting said horizontal mounting member are opposite ends thereof.

3. A display apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said support bars are removably mounted in said support member.

4. A display apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said support bars each comprise:

a flattened longitudinal zone which is located near the proximal end of each of said support bars; and wherein said support member comprises:

a segment of rectangular channel material having a pair of oval holes located therein in a front side thereof and a corresponding pair of circular holes located in a rear side thereof;

wherein said flattened longitudinal zones of said support bars fit through said oval holes when said flattened longitudinal zones are oriented in a first orientation and do not fit through said oval holes when said flattened longitudinal zones are oriented in a second orientation.

5. A display apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said display bar is located below, between, and essentially parallel to said pair of support bars.

6. A display apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said distal end of said display bar is located below and proximate said distal ends of said support bars.

7. A display apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said display bar carriage comprises:

a segment of rectangular channel material having a pair of oval holes located therein in a front side thereof and a corresponding pair of circular holes located in a rear side thereof;

and wherein said display bar comprises:

a flattened longitudinal zone which is located near the proximal end of said display bar;

wherein said flattened longitudinal zone of said display bar fits through said oval hole in said display bar carriage when said flattened longitudinal zone is oriented in a first orientation and does not fit through said oval hole in said display bar carriage when said flattened longitudinal zone is oriented in a second orientation.

8. A display apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said distal end of said display bar is angled upwardly.

9. A display apparatus as defined in claim 1, additionally comprising:

a sign rail mounted on said distal ends of said support bars.

10. A display apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said display bar is of a sufficiently small size to allow packaged products having a product support aperture near the top thereof to be mounted on said display bar from either said proximal end thereof or said distal end thereof and to move between said proximal and distal ends of said display bar.

11. A display apparatus for supporting and displaying packaged products hanging therefrom, said display apparatus comprising:

a support member for installation onto a surface from which the display apparatus will extend;

a pair of parallel spaced-apart support bars extending outwardly from said support member, said support bars having proximal ends which are mounted on said support member and distal ends which project outwardly away from said support member;

a sign rail mounted on said distal ends of said support bar;

a display bar carriage mounted on said support bars and moveable between a first position near said proximal ends of said support bars and a second position near said distal ends of said support bars; and

a display bar which is removably mounted on said display bar carriage, said display bar having a proximal end which is removably mountable to said display bar carriage and a distal end which extends outwardly from said display bar carriage, said display bar being located below, between, and essentially parallel to said pair of support bars with said distal end of said display bar being located proximate said distal ends of said support bars, said display bar being adapted to allow packaged products having a product support aperture near the top thereof to be mounted on said display bar from either said proximal end thereof or said distal end thereof.

12. A display apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said support member comprises:

a horizontal mounting member; and

a pair of brackets for mounting said horizontal mounting member are opposite ends thereof.

13. A display apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said support bars are removably mounted in said support member.

14. A display apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said display bar carriage comprises:

a segment of rectangular channel material having a pair of oval holes located therein in a front side thereof and a corresponding pair of circular holes located in a rear side thereof;

and wherein said display bar comprises:

a flattened longitudinal zone which is located near the proximal end of said display bar;

wherein said flattened longitudinal zone of said display bar fits through said oval hole in said display bar carriage when said flattened longitudinal zone is oriented in a first orientation and does not fit through said oval hole in said display bar carriage when said flattened longitudinal zone is oriented in a second orientation.

15. A display apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein said distal end of said display bar is angled upwardly.

16. A display apparatus for supporting and displaying packaged products hanging therefrom, said display apparatus comprising:

a support member which may be mounted onto a surface, said support member having a proximal end which is mounted onto the surface and a distal end which projects outwardly away from the surface;

a display bar carriage mounted on said support member and moveable between a first position near said proximal end of said support member and a second position near said distal end of said support member; and

a display bar having a proximal end which is removably mounted to said display bar carriage and a distal end which extends outwardly from said display bar carriage, said display bar being adapted to allow packaged products to be mounted on said display bar from either said proximal end thereof or said distal end thereof.

17. A display apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein said distal end of said display bar is located below and proximate said distal end of said support member.

18. A display apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein said distal end of said display bar is angled upwardly.

19. A display apparatus as defined in claim 16, additionally comprising:

a sign rail mounted on said distal ends of said support member.

20. A method of making a display apparatus for supporting and displaying packaged products hanging therefrom, said method comprising:

providing a support member for installation onto a surface from which the display apparatus will extend;

mounting a pair of spaced-apart support bars on said support member, said support bars having proximal ends which are mounted on said support member and distal ends which project outwardly away from said support member;

mounting a display bar carriage on said support bars for movement thereupon between a first position near said proximal ends of said support bars and a second position near said distal ends of said support bars;

providing a display bar having proximal and distal ends which is adapted to allow packaged products to be mounted on said display bar from either said proximal end thereof or said distal end thereof; and

removably mounting a display bar on said display bar carriage by its proximal end, said distal end of said display bar extending outwardly from said display bar carriage.