EP0934890B1

EP0934890B1 - Package for articles to be displayed on a prong shelf

Info

Publication number: EP0934890B1
Application number: EP99660022A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Eero Mölsä
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-02-09
Filing date: 1999-02-09
Publication date: 2001-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 2019-02-09
Also published as: EP0934890A1; DE69900235T2; FI980295A7; ATE204825T1; DK0934890T3; DE69900235D1; FI980295A0; FI980295L

Abstract

The invention relates to a package for articles to be displayed on a prong shelf, the articles comprising a holder, package or the like arranged therein and provided with a suspension loop, aperture or the like allowing hanging on a prong (1) in the prong shelf. The package of the invention comprises a bar (2), whose external dimensions correspond at most to the internal dimensions of the suspension loop, aperture or the like in the holder, package or the like and whose at least one end is provided with a cavity which opens at the end of the bar and has inner dimensions corresponding at least to the external dimensions of the prong (1) in the prong shelf. The ends of the bar (2) are provided with anti-slid elements (3,4), whereby the anti-slid effect of at least the anti-slid element (4) arranged at that end of the bar which is provided with the cavity can be eliminated for unpacking the package. <IMAGE> <IMAGE>

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a package for articles to be displayed on a prong shelf, the articles comprising a holder arranged therein and provided with a suspension loop or aperture allowing hanging on a prong in a prong shelf, the package comprising a bar whose external dimensions correspond at most to the internal dimensions of the suspension loop or aperture in the holder and whose at least one end is provided with a cavity which opens at the end of the bar and has inner dimensions corresponding at least to the external dimensions of the prong in the prong shelf, the articles in the package being mounted through their suspension loops or apertures on the bar and the bar is provided with anti-slid means the anti-slid effect of which prevents the articles from sliding away from the bar but can be eliminated for unpacking the package.
Various retail sale articles nowadays hang on what are known as prong shelves, comprising a bar, peg or prong projecting horizontally from a background plate. The bar, peg or prong whose cross-sectional shape may vary, often has a tip portion which is bent over a short distance obliquely upwards to prevent the articles hanging from the holder from falling off. Such a prong shelf enables good display of merchandise, but often has to be filled by hand piece by piece, tying up much personnel. Articles saleable on prong shelves include various small articles, small cosmetics articles and various smallish textile goods, such as shirts, socks and tights.
Finnish Utility Model Registration FI-U-1513 discloses a device for mounting articles on sales and display racks. This device comprises a bar according to the introductory paragraph, whose end, which is provided with a cavity, is slidingly mountable onto a prong in a prong shelf, whereby the articles arranged in the mounting device in a predetermined order can be slid onto the prong of the prong shelf. This mounting device is intended as an ancillary device for use in retail stores, facilitating the arrangement of articles in the desired order. E.g. older articles disposed in the sales prong can first be drawn onto the bar of the mounting device when it rests at its end on the sales prong, and then fresher articles can be positioned onto the bar while the mounting device is held detached from the sales prong. All the articles on the mounting device can then be moved in one go onto the sales prong by again positioning the end of the bar onto the sales prong and by sliding the articles onto the sales prong. This way the articles are arranged in the desired order, the oldest at the front and the newer at the back. A similar type of device is known from DE-A-196 06 722, although in this publication the device constitutes part of the sales prong, i.e. the sales prong has a special design and comprises two parts, said device forming the outer part of the prong. These known devices facilitate handling articles in a retail store, but do not significantly reduce the need for manual labour needed in unpacking articles from transport packages and placing articles on sales racks and particularly on prong-shelf type sales racks.
A package according to the opening paragraph is known from US-A-3 211 293. In this package the anti-slid means is formed by a rubber band which is looped around the ends of the bar on which the articles are mounted and extends over the top of the stack formed by the articlès. When the package is unpacked the rubber band is left on the prong of the prong shelf and can not be removed until all the articles in said stack are sold or otherwise removed. When the package is unpacked the removal of the rubber band eliminates the anti-slid effect simultaneously from both ends of the bar.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a package which is suitable for transport and storage of articles and speeds up the filling of a prong shelf and is suitable for any articles to be displayed on a prong shelf. This is achieved by means of the package according to the invention which is characterized in that the anti-slid means comprise an individual anti-slid element provided at each end of the bar and having external dimensions exceeding the inner dimensions of the suspension loop or aperture of the holder of the articles, whereby the anti-slid effect of the anti-slid element arranged at that end of the bar which is provided with the cavity can be individually eliminated for unpacking the package. In the package of the invention, the articles to be placed onto the prong shelf have been mounted by the supplier to the above described bar through suspension apertures, loops or the like arranged therein. In unpacking the package in a retail store, the hollow end of the bar, released from the anti-slid element, is slid onto the prong of the prong shelf, and the articles on the bar are slid in one go onto the prong. This way all articles to be hung on one prong are mounted in one go. The package of the invention can be dimensioned according to the number of articles to be hung onto one prong, or the contents of one package may be mounted on a plurality of prongs.
In perhaps the simplest embodiment of the invention, the entire length of the bar is a hollow tube. The tube may be completely straight, but may also comprise one or more bends if necessary or preferable e.g. for reasons of space utilization. At least that end of the bar which is provided with a cavity should preferably be in the shape of a widening cone to facilitate the sliding of the bar or tube to rest on the prong of a prong shelf in unpacking the package.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the anti-slid element whose anti-slid effect can be eliminated, comprises an elastic ring or the like, slid onto the bar over the area of its end.
In the package of the invention, the anti-slid element whose anti-slid effect can be eliminated, can be formed in a plurality of other ways, such as by attaching to the hollow end of the bar a detachable stopper having external dimensions exceeding the inner dimensions of the suspension loop, aperture or the like in the holder, package or the like. Such a stopper may be attachable to the hollow end of the bar either by a plug part, thread, snap connection or by a spring tongue or the like. It is also feasible that the anti-slid element whose anti-slid effect can be eliminated, comprises outward bendable strip-like parts provided in the area of the hollow end of the bar. An alternative structural solution could be a procedure in which the anti-slid element whose anti-slid effect can be eliminated, comprises a portion which is connected to the area of the hollow end of the bar and can be deformed by bending or compressing. Such a portion may be e.g. pleated, whereby it is bendable into e.g. an about 90° angle to provide an anti-slid element, or compressed so as to make its diameter increase sufficiently to achieve an anti-slid effect.
An interesting structural alternative is a solution in which the package is a tube comprising two or more tubular parts interconnected in a telescopic manner. This allows the size of the package, i.e. the number of articles to be packaged therein, to be easily changed.

LIST OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following the package of the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawing, in which
Figure 1 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of the package of the invention, viewed with no anti-slid element at one end,
Figure 2 illustrates the use of the package of Figure 1,
Figures 3A to 3C show some embodiments of an anti-slid element for one of the ends, and
Figures 4A to 4D show conventional structural solutions for suspension loops, apertures or the like, used for merchandise.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 is a side view of an exemplary embodiment of the package of the invention, viewed with no anti-slid element at one end and comprising a straight tube 2, hollow over its entire length, and a flange 3 arranged at one end thereof and serving as an anti-slid element. In the embodiment of Figure 1 the flange 3 is shown fixed, but it may also be detached or eliminated, fully corresponding to what will be described in association with the anti-slid element which is disposed at one end of the tube and can be eliminated. For the sake of clarity, the package of the invention has been described in Figures 1 and 2 without the articles to be packaged therein, and the package itself has been shown as a simple straight hollow tube. Figure 2 illustrates the use of the package of Figure 1, slid onto a prong of a prong shelf for unloading the package.
Basically, the package of the invention may be a bar having a round, rectangular or any other shape of cross section, naturally corresponding to the cross-sectional profile of the prong in the prong shelf. It is also essential that the bar is hollow, at least over a short section at one end, in order to allow it to be slid onto a prong in a prong shelf. It is naturally also essential that the external dimensions of the bar allow it to be slid through a suspension loop, aperture or the like in the articles, in order to allow articles to be slid onto the bar. It is advantageous, but not at all necessary, that at least part of the hollow end of the bar is in the shape of a widening cone, in order to allow it to be easily slid onto a prong in a prong shelf. The conical shape is also an advantage if an elastic ring or the like to be slid onto the conical portion of the bar constitutes the detachable anti-slid element. Such an elastic ring or the like is naturally also usable together with a straight bar or even with the tube shown in Figure 1. In this case an annular recess may be provided for it on the outer surface of the tube, if desired.
Figures 3A to 3C show alternative structural solutions of the anti-slid element at one end of the package according to Figure 1. In Figure 3A, to one end of the tube 2 is fastened an anti-slid element comprising a flange-like part 4A and a thereto connected, preferably slightly conical plug part 7 which is retractable into the tube 2 and locks into the tube 2 like a stopper by means of friction. Figure 3B, in turn, shows a structural alternative with a flange-like part 4B fastened by a thread 8 to the outer surface of the tube 2. Figure 3C further shows a structural alternative with a flange-like stopper 4C fastened to the tube 2 by a snap connection or by means of spring tongues connected to the stopper 4C.
In addition to the anti-slid elements shown in Figures 3A to 3C, a plurality of solutions deviating from the described solutions are feasible to achieve an anti-slid effect which can be eliminated. One such alternative is an implementation in which the end 2 of the tube is provided with outward bendable strip-like parts. This is naturally subject to the material of the tube being bendable and also capable of remaining in its bent position. Such materials include primarily metal and plastic. As an alternative anti-slid element whose anti-slid effect can be eliminated could be mentioned a portion which is connected to the area of the end of the tube and can be deformed by bending or compressing. In practice this could be e.g. a pleated portion formed in a plastic tube, the tip of the tube succeeding said portion being bendable relatively permanently into an about 90° angle with respect to the rest of the tube to provide an anti-slid element. A similar pleated portion could also be deformed by compression so as to make it flat and make its diameter increase to such a degree that articles slid onto the tube no longer fall off the tube. A problem in the latter anti-slid element solutions is the elimination thereof in unloading the package. This elimination problem is not associated with the solutions shown in Figures 3A to 3C, which can be easily and reliably detached from the tube 2. The elimination of anti-slid solutions based on deformation of the tube can be effected perhaps simplest by cutting off the tube at the straight tube portion preceding the deformed point. If the material of the tube allows, the shape of the deformed tube may perhaps also be restored to original for unloading to such a degree as to allow unpacking the package in a manner corresponding to that shown in Figure 2.
Figures 1 and 2 show the main component, or tube 2, of the package of the invention as an one-piece construction, but it could also be made from two or more tubular parts interconnected in a telescopic manner or arranged to at least partly slide inside one another. This allows the length of the tube 2, and also the number of articles to be packaged therein, to be easily changed. In this case the anti-slid elements are connected to the tubular portions at both ends of the package.
Figures 4A to 4D illustrate packages nowadays hung on so-called prong shelves. Figure 4A illustrates an article 6A comprising a suspension loop 5A of a plastic material. Figure 4B, in turn, illustrates an article 6B comprising a round aperture 5B, perforated in the material of the article, typically paperboard. Figure 4C illustrates an article 6C comprising a suspension aperture 5C, whose profile to some degree resembles a brimmed hat, allowing the package to be hung either onto a round prong or a flat bar. In this case the package of the invention must have a round cross section, if the article is to be hung on a round prong, or a flat one, if the article is to be hung on a flat holder. Figure 4D illustrates an article 6D having a perforated suspension aperture 5D in the shape of a truncated cone. The illustrations of Figures 4A to 4D show only some available package solutions used in prong shelves. They have been presented only to illustrate the usability of the package of the invention in different suspension loops, apertures or the like in articles or their packages. It is to be understood that the tube 2 forming the package of the invention can be slid through all the suspension loops and apertures shown in Figures 4A to 4D. This is primarily based on the prongs of prong shelves typically being constant in size. On the other hand, the package of the invention can easily be dimensioned according to the prong shape or diameter applied in each particular case.
The most natural way to manufacture the package of the invention would perhaps be from a plastic tube, but other materials, such as metal, paperboard and wood, are also feasible. The package may be disposable or it may be recycled by returning it from the retail store to the supplier for reuse. In practice the length of the package shown in Figure 1 can correspond to the length of one or more prongs in a prong shelf, depending on whether a number of articles to be placed on one prong are packed in one package, or if the same package will be used to fill several prongs. Naturally, a variable selection of articles can also be packed into the package, should this be desirable from the point of view of the retail store.
In the above the package of the invention has been described by means of some exemplary embodiments, and it is to be understood that they can be modified in various ways without, however, deviating from the scope defined by the attached claims.

Claims

A package for articles to be displayed on a prong shelf, the articles comprising a holder provided with a suspension loop or aperture allowing hanging on a prong in a prong shelf, the package comprising a bar whose external dimensions correspond at most to the internal dimensions of the suspension loop or aperture in the holder and whose at least one end is provided with a cavity which opens at the end of the bar and has inner dimensions corresponding at least to the external dimensions of the prong in the prong shelf, the articles in the package being mounted through their suspension loops or apertures on the bar and the bar is provided with anti-slid means the anti-slid effect of which prevents the articles from sliding away from the bar but can be eliminated for unpacking, the package, characterized in that the anti-slid means comprise an individual anti-slid element (3, 4A to 4C) provided at each end of the bar (2) and having external dimensions exceeding the inner dimensions of the suspension loop or aperture in the holder of the articles, whereby the anti-slid effect of the anti-slid element (4A to 4C) arranged at that end of the bar which is provided with the cavity can be individually eliminated for unpacking the package.
A package as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the anti-slid element whose anti-slid effect can be eliminated, comprises an elastic ring slid onto the bar (2) over the area of its end.
A package as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the anti-slid element whose anti-slid effect can be eliminated, comprises at the end of the bar (2) a detachable stopper (4A to 4C) having external dimensions exceeding the inner dimensions of the suspension loop or aperture (5A to 5D) in the holder.
A package as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the stopper (4A to 4C) is attachable to the end of the bar by a plug part (7), thread (8), snap connection (9)or spring tongue that is retractable into the cavity thereof.
A package as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the anti-slid element whose anti-slid effect can be eliminated, comprises outwards bendable strip-like parts provided in the area of the hollow end of the bar (2).
A package as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the anti-slid element whose anti-slid effect can be eliminated, comprises a portion deformed by bending or compressing and connected with the area of the hollow end of the bar (2).
A package as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the tube (2) comprises two or more tubular parts interconnected in a telescopic manner.