MODULAR SHELF UNIT
A modular shelf unit includes a shelf frame having a front, a back and right and left sides and a front panel rotatably coupled to the front of the shelf frame. The front panel is configured to rotate about a rotational axis located proximate to a bottom edge of the front of the shelf frame. The front panel includes at least one holder configured to hold sheet material and a plurality of lights located behind the at least one holder to illuminate the sheet material. When the front panel is configured into a rotatably opened position, the plurality of lights are turned off. When the front panel is configured into a rotatably closed position, the plurality of lights are turned on.
Retail stores use a variety of display fixtures to present products to customers for purchase. These display fixtures can support the product, indicate the product price, include signage for highlighting the product and/or include structures that hold samples of the product. Exemplary display structures include shelves, trays, racks, peg hooks and other similar structures.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
SUMMARYA modular shelf unit includes a shelf frame having a front, a back and right and left sides and a front panel rotatably coupled to the front of the shelf frame. The front panel is configured to rotate about a rotational axis located proximate to a bottom edge of the front of the shelf frame. The front panel includes at least one holder configured to hold sheet material and a plurality of lights located behind the at least one holder to illuminate the sheet material. When the front panel is configured into a rotatably opened position, the plurality of lights are turned off. When the front panel is configured into a rotatably closed position, the plurality of lights are turned on.
A modular shelf unit includes a shelf frame having spaced apart side frame members, a front frame member connecting front ends of the side frame members and a back frame member connecting back ends of the side frame members. The shelf frame includes a receiving feature including a hang bar that extends along at least a portion of a bottom, interior of the back frame member and configured to receive a lower modular display component. The shelf frame includes at least another receiving feature configured to receive an upper modular display component.
A method of applying a graphic or price label to a modular shelf unit includes providing a shelf frame including a front, a back and right and left sides and a front panel rotatably coupled to the front of the shelf frame. The front panel includes at least one holder configured to hold sheet material and lights located behind the at least one holder to illuminate the sheet material. The front panel of the shelf frame is rotated about a rotational axis located proximate to a bottom edge of the front of the shelf frame to open the front panel. The lights are turned off when the front panel is rotated away from the front of the shelf frame. In this position, graphics or price labels are inserted in the at least one holder. The front panel of the shelf frame is rotated to close the front panel and the plurality of lights are turned on.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background.
The modular shelf units described in detail below are display structures that when mounted to a display fixture display retail products. Each modular shelf unit includes a shelf frame that may be made of metal and a front panel that is rotatably coupled to a front member of the shelf frame. Each modular shelf unit is configured to receive a select one or more of various modular display components and aids in the display of retail products, such as beauty supplies. Exemplary beauty supplies include nail polish, lipsticks, lip glosses, eye shadows, rouge, bronzers, make-up bases, powders, lotions, brushes, pencils, etc. Each rotatable front panel of each shelf frame is rotated open to change and insert price labels and marketing signage.
More specifically, each shelf frame includes frame members that retain the various modular display components. Such modular display components include, but are not limited to, one or more peg hooks, a full or half shelf liner, one or more pusher trays and one or more cubbies. To receive these modular display components, each shelf frame includes one or more receiving features. For example, a receiving feature may be located on the lower areas of the shelf frame and receive lower modular display components or a receiving feature may be located on the upper areas of the shelf frame and receive upper modular display components. An exemplary receiving feature that receives lower modular display components includes an integral hang bar. An exemplary receiving feature that receives upper modular display components includes an integral upper facing rear channel and an integral upper facing front channel. In this way, peg hooks may be positioned on the lower receiving feature, such as the hang bar, simultaneously with any of the shelf liners, pusher trays and cubbies, which are received by upper receiving features, such as upper facing rear channel and upper facing front channel.
Front panel 110 includes a front exterior side 122, an upper side 123 and a back interior side 124. Front exterior side 122 includes an elongated holder 126 for holding at least one sheet material including a graphic. Upper side 123 includes another elongated holder 127 for holding sheet material including price labels 128. Price labels 128 are inserted into and placed along label holder 127 so that they are configured to align with products that are displayed on the various modular display components not illustrated in
In one embodiment, back interior side 124 includes a first magnet 130 located near the right end 131 of front panel 110 and a second magnet 132 located near the left end 133 of front panel 110. Magnets 130 and 132 provide a secondary attachment of front panel 110 to front frame member 106. In other words, when front panel 110 is rotated back to a rotatably closed position as shown in
In another embodiment, shelf frame 100 is electrically coupled to a power source for example by electrically conductive wires (see
Full shelf liner 240 includes a top surface 242, a bottom surface 244, a right side edge 246, a left side edge 248 and a length 250 that extends from right side edge 246 to left side edge 248. The back edge of shelf liner 240 includes downwardly depending lips 252 and outwardly extending flanges 254 that are interspersed with each other along the back edge for length 250. The front edge of shelf liner 240 includes a plurality of spaced apart upwardly depending lips 256 that are spaced apart from each other along length 250. As illustrated in
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In various embodiments of a modular shelf unit, one or more pusher trays 485 are upper modular display components and may be mounted to shelf frame 100 as follows. Each of the outwardly extending flanges 454 located along the back edge of pusher tray 485 are received by one of the notches 163 located along back wall 166 of back frame member 108 of shelf frame 100. Further, the downwardly depending lip 452 is positioned within upper facing rear channel 165. Still further, the downwardly depending lip 456 is positioned within upper facing front channel 170. In one embodiment, multiple pusher trays 485 are mounted across the entirety of width 150 of shelf frame 150 in place of shelf liner 240 with or without a plurality of peg hooks 375 supported on hang bar 180. In another embodiment, one or more pusher trays 485 are mounted to shelf frame 150 as discussed and do not fill up the entirety of space left by the removal of shelf liner 240. In the unused space, other types of upper modular display components may be used.
In various embodiments of a modular shelf unit, one or more cubbies 586 are upper modular display components that are mounted to shelf frame 100 as follows. First, a shelf liner, such as full shelf liner 240, is mounted to shelf frame 100. Then, each of downwardly depending flanges 552 of each mount 587 is inserted into one of the plurality of slots 247 (
Although elements have been shown or described as separate embodiments above, portions of each embodiment may be combined with all or part of other embodiments described above.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
Claims
1. A modular shelf unit comprising:
- a shelf frame including a front, a back and right and left sides;
- a front panel rotatably coupled to the front of the shelf frame and configured to rotate about a rotational axis located proximate to a bottom edge of the front of the shelf frame, wherein the front panel includes at least one holder configured to hold sheet material and a plurality of lights located behind the at least one holder to illuminate the sheet material;
- wherein when the front panel is configured into a rotatably opened position, the plurality of lights are turned off; and
- wherein when the front is configured into a rotatably closed position, the plurality of lights are turned on.
2. The modular shelf unit of claim 1, wherein the front panel comprises a front exterior side, a back interior side and an upper facing side, the back interior side including at least one electrically conductive prong that mates with an electrical contact on the front facing side of the front of the shelf frame, wherein when the front panel is configured into a rotatably opened position, the at least one electrically conductive prong is uncoupled from the electrical contact and the plurality of lights in the front panel are turned off and wherein when the front panel is configured into a rotatably closed position, the at least one electrically conductive prong is coupled with the electrical contact and the plurality of lights in the front panel are turned on.
3. The modular shelf unit of claim 2, wherein the at least one holder configured to hold the sheet material comprises a first holder located on the front exterior side of the front panel and a second holder located on the upper facing side of the front panel.
4. The modular shelf unit of claim 1, wherein the front panel comprise at least two magnets attached to the back interior side, wherein the two magnets are magnetically coupled to the shelf frame when the front is configured into a rotatably closed position.
5. The modular shelf unit of claim 1, wherein the left and the right sides of the shelf frame comprise spaced apart side frame members and the front and the back comprise spaced apart front and back frame members, wherein the front frame member connects front ends of the side frame members and the back frame member connects back ends of the side frame members.
6. The modular shelf of claim 5, wherein the shelf frame comprises at least one receiving feature configured to receive a modular display component.
7. The modular shelf unit of claim 6, wherein at least one receiving feature comprises a hang bar that extends along at least a portion of a bottom interior of the back frame member and is configured to receive a lower modular display component.
8. The modular shelf unit of claim 6, wherein the at least one receiving feature comprises an upwardly facing channel that extends a width of the shelf frame and is configured to receive an upper modular display component.
9. The modular shelf unit of claim 6, wherein the at least one receiving feature comprises a plurality of notches spaced apart from each other along the back frame member and are configured to receive an upper modular display component.
10. A modular shelf unit comprising:
- a shelf frame including spaced apart side frame members, a front frame member connecting front ends of the side frame members and a back frame member connecting back ends of the side frame members;
- wherein the shelf frame includes a receiving feature comprising a hang bar that extends along at least a portion of a bottom interior of the back frame member and configured to receive a lower modular display component; and
- wherein the shelf frame includes at least another receiving feature configured to receive an upper modular display component.
11. The modular shelf unit of claim 10, further comprising a front panel rotatably coupled to the front of the shelf frame and configured to rotate about a rotational axis located proximate to a bottom edge of the front frame member, wherein the front panel includes at least one holder configured to hold sheet material and a plurality of lights located behind the at least one holder to illuminate the sheet material.
12. The modular shelf unit of claim 11, wherein the front panel comprises a front exterior side, a back interior side and an upper facing side, the back interior side including at least one electrically conductive prong that mates with an electrical contact on a front exterior side of the front frame member, wherein when the front panel is configured into a rotatably opened position, the at least one electrically conductive prong is uncoupled from the electrical contact and the plurality of lights in the front panel are turned off and wherein when the front panel is configured into a rotatably closed position, the at least one electrically conductive prong is coupled with the electrical contact and the plurality of lights in the front panel are turned on.
13. The modular shelf unit of claim 12, wherein the at least one holder that is configured to hold sheet material comprises a first holder located on the front exterior side of the front panel and a second holder located on the upper facing side.
14. The modular shelf unit of claim 11, wherein the front panel comprise at least two magnets attached to a back interior side of the front panel, wherein the two magnets are magnetically coupled to the shelf frame when the front is configured into a rotatably closed position.
15. The modular shelf unit of claim 10, wherein the at least another receiving feature comprises an upwardly facing channel.
16. The modular shelf unit of claim 10, wherein the at least another receiving feature comprises a plurality of notches spaced apart from each other along the back frame member.
17. A method of applying a graphic or price label to a modular shelf unit comprising:
- providing a shelf frame including a front, a back and right and left sides and a front panel rotatably coupled to the front of the shelf frame, wherein the front panel includes at least one holder configured to hold sheet material and lights located behind the at least one holder to illuminate the sheet material;
- rotating the front panel of the shelf frame about a rotational axis located proximate to a bottom edge of the front of the shelf frame to open the front panel, wherein the plurality of lights turn off when the front panel is rotated away from the front of the shelf frame;
- inserting sheet material in the at least one holder; and
- rotating the front panel of the shelf frame to close the front panel, wherein the plurality of lights turn on when the front panel is rotated toward the front of the shelf frame.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein inserting sheet material in the at least one holder comprises inserting at least one graphic in a first holder located on a front exterior side of the front panel and inserting price labels into a second holder located on an upper side of the front panel.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein rotating the front panel of the shelf frame to open the front panel further comprises uncoupling at least one electrically conductive prong from an electrical contact on the front facing side of the front of the shelf frame so that the plurality of lights turn off.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein rotating the front panel of the shelf frame to close the front panel further comprises recoupling the at least one electrically conductive prong to the electrical contact on the front facing side of the front of the shelf frame so that the plurality of lights turn on.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 19, 2017
Publication Date: Jun 20, 2019
Inventors: Jennifer A. Theisen (Crystal, MN), William Y. Stafford (Minnestrista, MN), Benjamin Weshler (New York, NY), Anthony DeMayo (Smithtown, NY), Yin-Chie Huang (Great Neck, NY)
Application Number: 15/846,917