GONDOLA SHELF SYSTEM DISPLAYING BOTH SIGNAGE AND PRODUCT
A gondola shelving product and signage display system allows both product and the signage to be projected into the store aisle for potential customers to view and purchase. The signage is placed at about 90 degrees to the aisle pathway, making it difficult for customers to miss. Product is prominently displayed in the aisle space and can be replenished quickly on a preloaded cartridge basis by store employees. The gondola shelving display system provides a flexible, low cost means to display smaller, highly profitable items. The gondola shelving display system can use various attachment mechanisms for attachment to the gondola shelving.
The present invention relates to gondola shelf systems and, more particularly, to a gondola shelf system for displaying both signage and product.
Small products often become lost on store shelves, adversely impacting sales. Moreover, signage is often separate from the product being displayed. When signage sits parallel to the customer's path it often fails to catch a prospective customer's attention.
Certainly systems exist to display products by hanging them from the face of the gondola shelves. Such displays orient the products parallel to the gondola shelves and therefore often fail to catch a consumer's eye. Signage space for small products becomes a premium as it too appears along the length of the shelving. Moreover, most conventional product displays must be individually and manually replenished; a time consuming function. In addition to being time consuming to replenish, current displays are often inflexible relative to the type of product that can be displayed.
As can be seen, there is a need for a flexible gondola shelf system that can display product on a preloaded cartridge basis and provide signage oriented to face oncoming foot traffic; perpendicular to the shelving.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn one aspect of the present invention, a bracket assembly comprises a main body; a mounting portion extending from a rear end of the main body; a swing arm hinged to the front end of the main body, the swing arm is movable between an open and a closed configuration; with a latching mechanism to hold it in the closed position. When in a closed position, a channel is formed between the bracket main body and the hinged swing arm, the channel communicating with the front end of the main body. Within the channel is a sign retention mechanism operable to retain a sign when the swing arm is in the closed configuration. In another aspect of the present invention, a bracket assembly comprises a main body; a mounting portion extending form a rear end of the main body; a swing arm hingedly attached to a front end of the main body, the swing arm movable between an open configuration and a closed configuration; a channel formed between a sign mount portion and a main bracket portion of the main body, the channel communicating with the front end of the main body; a replenishment door movable between an open position and a closed position, the open position permitting access to the channel from the front end of the main body, the closed position preventing removal of a loop end of a product display hanger; a latch extending from a distal end of the swing arm, the latch fitting into a slot formed in the main body when the swing arm is in the closed configuration; and a sign retention mechanism operable to retain a sign between a swing arm inside face of the swing arm and a main body inside face when the swing arm is in the closed configuration, wherein one of the swing arm inside face and the main body inside face includes indents and the other one of the swing arm inside face and the main body inside face includes protrusions, the indents receiving the protrusions when the swing arm is in the closed configuration.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a gondola shelving product and signage display system that allows both product and the signage to be projected into the store aisle for potential customers to view and purchase. The signage is placed at about 90 degrees to the aisle pathway, making it difficult for customers to miss. Product is prominently displayed in the aisle space and can be replenished quickly on a preloaded cartridge basis by store employees. The gondola shelving display system provides a flexible, low cost means to display smaller, highly profitable items. The gondola shelving display system can use various attachment mechanisms for attachment to the gondola shelving.
Referring now to
The swing arm 16 includes a swing arm inside face 20 that is disposed adjacent to a main body inside face 22 when the swing arm 16 is in the closed configuration. The swing arm 16 include indents 24, typically two indents 24, that are formed along the swing arm inside face 20. The main body 14 includes protrusions 26, typically two protrusions 26, formed on the main body inside face 22. The protrusions 26 can fit into the indents 24 when the swing arm 16 is in the closed configuration. Signage 28 (see
In some embodiments, the indents 24 can be formed entirely through the swing arm 16. In other embodiments, the indents 24 can be formed only partially through the swing arm 16. In other embodiments, the indents 24 and the protrusions 26 can be reversed, where the protrusions are formed on the swing arm 16 and the indents 24 are formed on the main body 14.
A latch 32 can be formed on a distal end of the swing arm 16. The latch 32 can fit into a slot 34 formed in the main body 14 to hold the swing arm 16 in the closed configuration. The latch 32 can, for example, include a tab 36 that can catch into and be released out of the slot 34 for moving the swing arm 16 between the closed and open configurations.
A replenishment door 38 can be attached to the main body 14 and can be moved between an open and closed position. In the open position, the user can slide a product display hanger 42 (See
The mounting end 12 of the bracket 10 includes a top plate member 41 extending from the back of the main body 14. Shelf hole tabs 43 are disposed from the end of the top plate member 41, facing downward. The shelf hole tabs 43 are designed to fit into holes 49 disposed along the edge of a gondola shelf 11. A shelf facing surface 45 can be disposed against a front face of the gondola shelf 11 and a bottom tab 47 can fit under the gondola shelf 11 to help prevent inadvertent lifting of the bracket 10.
Referring now to
The mounting end 12-1 or the bracket 50 can include an angled back face 60 that can be placed on a front edge of the gondola shelf 11. A lower tab 62 can extend from the bottom of the back face 60 to be disposed under the gondola shelf 11 to prevent inadvertent lifting of the bracket 50. The back face 60 can be angled to match an angle of the gondola shelf 11 so that the main body 12 of the bracket 50 extends generally orthogonal to the shelf. A shelf guide wire 64 can extend through a hole 49 in the gondola shelf 11 and a protrusion 58 can extend from the main body 12 such that the protrusion 58 is adjacent to the shelf guide wire 64. When the swing arm 16 is moved to a closed position, a tab 52 extending from the end of the swing arm 16 can sandwich the shelf guide wire 64 between itself and the protrusion 58. A latch 54, extending from the tab 52, can fit into a hole 56 in the protrusion 58 to secure the shelf guide wire 64 therebetween, securing the bracket 50 in a desired position on the gondola shelf 11.
Referring now to
Referring now to
In some embodiments, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
Claims
1. A bracket assembly comprising:
- a main body;
- a mounting portion extending form a rear end of the main body;
- a swing arm hingedly attached to a front end of the main body, the swing arm movable between an open configuration and a closed configuration;
- a channel formed between a sign mount portion and a main bracket portion of the main body, the channel communicating with the front end of the main body; and
- a sign retention mechanism operable to retain a sign between a swing arm inside face of the swing arm and a main body inside face when the swing arm is in the closed configuration.
2. The bracket assembly of claim 1, wherein one of the swing arm inside face and the main body inside face includes indents and the other one of the swing arm inside face and the main body inside face includes protrusions, the indents receiving the protrusions when the swing arm is in the closed configuration.
3. The bracket assembly of claim 1, further comprising a replenishment door movable between an open position and a closed position, the open position permitting access to the channel from the front end of the main body, the closed position preventing removal of a loop end of a product display hanger.
4. The bracket assembly of claim 1, further comprising a latch extending from a distal end of the swing arm, the latch fitting into a slot formed in the main body when the swing arm is in the closed configuration.
5. The bracket assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting portion includes:
- a top plate member extending from a rear end of the main body;
- shelf hole tabs disposed from top plate member, facing downward, wherein the shelf hole tabs are operable to fit into holes disposed along an edge of a gondola shelf;
- a shelf facing surface operable to be disposed against a front face of the gondola shelf; and
- a bottom tab operable to fit under the gondola shelf to help prevent inadvertent lifting of the bracket assembly.
6. The bracket assembly of claim 1, wherein the mounting portion includes:
- an angled back face operable to be placed on a front edge of a gondola shelf;
- a lower tab extending from a bottom of the back face, the lower tab operable to be disposed under the gondola shelf to prevent inadvertent lifting of the bracket assembly;
- a shelf guide wire 64 extending through a hole in the gondola shelf;
- a protrusion extending from the main body such that the protrusion is adjacent to the shelf guide wire;
- a tab extending from a distal end of the swing arm operable to sandwich the shelf guide wire between itself and the protrusion when the swing arm is in the closed configuration; and
- a latch extending from the tab and fitting into a hole in the protrusion to secure the bracket assembly in a desired position along the gondola shelf.
7. The bracket assembly of claim 1, further comprising a product display hanger having a loop end fitting into the channel and a hanger body portion hanging from the loop end.
8. The bracket assembly of claim 7, wherein the hanger body portion includes a plurality of hanging elements.
9. The bracket assembly of claim 8, wherein the hanging elements includes at least one of hooks and spring clips.
10. The bracket assembly of claim 8, wherein the hanger body portion includes spring clips and the spring clips are resiliently opened against a force of a urethane spring.
11. The bracket assembly of claim 10, wherein the urethane spring fits into recesses in a clip member and a body member of the spring clip.
12. A bracket assembly comprising:
- a main body;
- a mounting portion extending form a rear end of the main body;
- a swing arm hingedly attached to a front end of the main body, the swing arm movable between an open configuration and a closed configuration;
- a channel formed between a sign mount portion and a main bracket portion of the main body, the channel communicating with the front end of the main body;
- a replenishment door movable between an open position and a closed position, the open position permitting access to the channel from the front end of the main body, the closed position preventing removal of a loop end of a product display hanger;
- a latch extending from a distal end of the swing arm, the latch fitting into a slot formed in the main body when the swing arm is in the closed configuration; and
- a sign retention mechanism operable to retain a sign between a swing arm inside face of the swing arm and a main body inside face when the swing arm is in the closed configuration, wherein one of the swing arm inside face and the main body inside face includes indents and the other one of the swing arm inside face and the main body inside face includes protrusions, the indents receiving the protrusions when the swing arm is in the closed configuration.
13. The bracket assembly of claim 12, wherein the mounting portion includes:
- a top plate member extending from a rear end of the main body;
- shelf hole tabs disposed from top plate member, facing downward, wherein the shelf hole tabs are operable to fit into holes disposed along an edge of a gondola shelf;
- a shelf facing surface operable to be disposed against a front face of the gondola shelf; and
- a bottom tab operable to fit under the gondola shelf to help prevent inadvertent lifting of the bracket assembly.
14. The bracket assembly of claim 12, wherein the mounting portion includes:
- an angled back face operable to be placed on a front edge of a gondola shelf;
- a lower tab extending from a bottom of the back face, the lower tab operable to be disposed under the gondola shelf to prevent inadvertent lifting of the bracket assembly;
- a shelf guide wire 64 extending through a hole in the gondola shelf;
- a protrusion extending from the main body such that the protrusion is adjacent to the shelf guide wire;
- a tab extending from a distal end of the swing arm operable to sandwich the shelf guide wire between itself and the protrusion when the swing arm is in the closed configuration; and
- a latch extending from the tab and fitting into a hole in the protrusion to secure the bracket assembly in a desired position along the gondola shelf.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 22, 2013
Publication Date: Jan 22, 2015
Inventor: Phillip Stewart Muhlfelder (Willoughby, OH)
Application Number: 13/948,044
International Classification: A47F 5/00 (20060101);