IE68583B1 - A modular display system - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a modular display system, in particular for displaying merchandise for sale in retail outlets.

Display racks having shelving for displaying merchandise for 5 sale are widely used in retail outlets such as supermarkets and the like. Many of these are of metal construction, having a number of parts which can be assembled on site to form the display unit. One particular type comprises a number of steel uprights which can be either free standing or mounted on a support wall, aluminium shelf support brackets being attached to the steel uprights for supporting shelves therebetween. The steel uprights may be provided with a series of slots for releasable engagement by the support brackets for mounting the support brackets at any selected height on the steel uprights to allow adjustment of the shelving if desired. A disadvantage of these display units is that they are relatively expensive to produce, and also assembly is time * consuming leading to additional expense both in terms of payment of workers to assemble the units and more importantly * 20 disruption and loss of trading to the retailer. Furthermore, these metal display units are not always aesthetically pleasing. - 2 68583 It is an object of the present invention to provide a display · system which overcomes these problems. x 1 * According to the invention there is provided a prefabricated wooden modular display system comprising a number of associated free-standing merchandise display racks, each display rack having at least two spaced-apart ground-engaging sides, each side being of one piece construction having a base portion, an upstanding portion at a rear of the base portion and a number of spaced-apart forwardly projecting shelf support arms on the upstanding portion, a back panel mounted on and extending between the upstanding portions of the sides at a front edge of the upstanding portions, a number of shelves mounted on and extending between associated shelf support arms on the sides in front of the back panel, a cover supported at upper ends of the sides and extending forwardly over the shelves, and fastening means for interconnecting a number of the racks by securing adjacent sides together to form an integrated cohesive display assembly.

In one embodiment of the invention each shelf has an upstanding merchandise retaining wall extending along a front « edge of the shelf and a merchandise price display means is attached to an outer face of each retaining wall, the price · display means comprising an elongate clear plastics strip generally U-shaped in cross-section defining an upwardly opening pocket for reception of a price tab.

In a further embodiment lighting means is mounted on an underside of the cover to project light downwardly onto the shelves.

In another embodiment a mirror is mounted above the top shelf extending inclined between a support on the back panel above the top shelf and a downwardly extending support wall intermediate front and rear ends of the cover.

In another embodiment the cover comprises a first flat panel mounted on and extending between the sides and projecting outwardly over the shelves having a downwardly depending wall at a front edge of the panel, and a second flat panel mounted above the first panel, projecting forwardly of the first panel and carrying an upper front fascia panel at a front edge of the second panel.

In an alternative arrangement the cover comprises a flat panel mounted at and between upper ends of the sides carrying an upper front fascia panel at a front edge of the flat panel and a downwardly depending wall on an underside of the flat panel intermediate front and rear ends of the flat panel, the flat panel supported on the sides by means of L-shaped mounting brackets each having a pair of arms one of which is attached along an upper face of the flat panel, the other arm being secured to one of the sides.

In a further embodiment a lower front fascia panel is mounted between front edges of the base portions of the sides, a flexible trolley bumper strip being mounted on the lower front fascia panel extending between the sides, the bumper strip being mounted on an aluminium extrusion support attached to the lower front fascia panel, the support being concealed behind a wooden strip which projects outwardly of the support above the support.

In another embodiment the display system further includes a produce display rack comprising a ground-engaging support frame, an inclined lower shelf extending between a rear portion and a front portion of the frame and comprising a number of spaced-apart substantially parallel slats mounted between the front and rear portions of the frame, an upper shelf pivotally mounted to the rear portion of the frame above the lower shelf and extending forwardly of the rear portion of the frame, the upper shelf moveable between a raised position in which it is supported inclined above the lower shelf by struts pivotally mounted to the upper shelf and engageable between two adjacent slats of the lower shelf to support the upper shelf above the lower shelf, and a lowered position in which a front edge of the upper shelf rests on the lower shelf intermediate front and rear ends of the lower shelf supporting the upper shelf between the rear portion of the frame and the lower shelf in an inclined position.

Preferably the produce display rack is nestable within an associated lighting frame comprising a pair of ground-engaging sides each having an elongate base portion with an integral upstanding post at a rear of the base portion, a back panel extending between the posts at front edges of the posts, a lighting assembly supported above the base on arms attached to upper ends of the posts and extending outwardly of the posts in front of the back panel, a mirror mounted between the lighting assembly and a mirror support strip attached at an upper end of the back panel, the produce display rack nestable between the base portions of the sides below the mirror and lighting assembly.

The invention will be more clearly understood by the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a modular display rack according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the display rack, - 6 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a side panel forming portion of the display rack, Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a front portion of a shelf of the display rack, Fig. 5 is a detail exploded perspective view of a price display means forming portion of the display rack, Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of a base portion of the display rack.

Fig. 7 is a plan view taken along the line VII-VII of 10 Fig. 2 showing a number of the racks inter-engaged to form a continuous display, Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of another display rack, Fig. 9 is a front elevational view of a number of the 15 display racks of Figs. 1 to 8 connected together to form a continuous display, Fig. 10 is a perspective view of portion of the display of Fig. 9, Ί Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 2 of another display rack, Fig. 12 is a side sectional view of a further display rack, Fig. 13 is a perspective view of another display rack.

Fig. 14 is a side elevational view of a produce display rack according to another embodiment of the invention, Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a shelf divider for use with the produce display rack of Fig. 14, Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a lighting frame for use with the produce display rack, and Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the produce display rack nested within the lighting frame.

Referring to the drawings, and initially to Fig. 1 to 7 15 thereof, there is illustrated a prefabricated wooden display rack indicated generally by the reference numeral 1 forming portion of a modular display system formed by a number of the racks 1. The display rack 1 has two spaced-apart groundengaging sides 2 each side 2 being of one piece construction cut out from a sheet of medium density fibreboard (MDF). Each - 8 side 2 has a base portion 3 and an upstanding portion 4 at a rear of the base portion 3. A number of spaced-apart forwardly projecting shelf support arms 5 are provided on the upstanding portion 4. A back panel 7 extends between the upstanding portions 4 of the sides 2 at a front edge of the upstanding portions 4. A number of shelves 10, some of which are inclined, are mounted on and extend between associated shelf support arms 5 on the sides 2 in front of the back panel 7. A lower shelf 11 is also mounted between upper sides' of the base portions 3. At a front edge of each shelf 10 a merchandise retaining wall 12 is provided.

Referring in particular to Figs. 4 and 5, the wall 12 has a rebate 14 in the front face of the wall 12 with an overhanging lip 15 formed at a top of the rebate 14. Mounted within'the rebate 14 is a merchandise price display means 16 comprising an elongate clear plastics strip generally U-shaped in crosssection defining an upwardly opening pocket for reception of a price tab. The strip 16 is of one piece construction having a back wall 17 and a front wall 18 interconnected by a looped lower end 19 which returns the front wall 18 to hold it against the back wall 17. An inlet opening 20 is defined by upper ends 21 and 22 of the rear wall 17 and front wall 18 respectively. The upper end 21 of the rear wall 17 projects above and curves out over the upper end 22 of the front wall 18. Mounted within the display means 16 is a strip 24 of veneer or wood-effect plastics to give the appearance of a wood front to the wall 12 when no price tabs are mounted within the price display means 16, the natural wood front of the wall being obscured by the display means 16.

Referring now again to Figs. 1 and 2, a cover 26 is supported at upper ends of the sides 2 extending forwardly over the shelves 10. It will.be noted that an upper end of each side 2 forms a triangular support 27 for the cover 26 flaring outwardly at an upper end of the upright portion 2. The cover 26 comprises a first flat panel 28 seated on and extending between the supports 27 and projecting outwardly over the shelves 10. A downwardly depending wall 29 is provided at a front edge of the panel 28. A second flat panel 30 is mounted above the first panel 28 and projects forwardly of the first panel 28 carrying an upper front fascia panel 31 at a front edge of the second panel 30. The wall 29 on the first panel 28 and the fascia panel 31 on the second panel 30 define between them a channel 32 within which is housed a lighting unit 33 such as a fluorescent lamp for example.

A mirror 35 is mounted above the top shelf 10 extending inclined between a support 36 on the back panel 7 above the top shelf 10 and the downwardly extending wall 29 on the cover 26. The mirror 35 merely leans against the wall 29 spaced below the first panel 28. This facilitates quick and easy insertion and removal of the mirror 35 from the rack 1.

Referring now in particular to Figs. 1 and 6, a lower front fascia panel 40 is mounted between front edges of the base portion 3 of the sides 2. A rubber trolley bumper strip 41 is mounted on an aluminium extrusion support 42 which is attached to the lower front fascia panel 40 extending between the sides 2. The support 42 is concealed behind a wooden strip 44 which projects outwardly of the support 42 above the support 42.

A side panel 46 may be provided as shown in Fig. 1 attached outside one or both of the sides 2 and extending forwardly between a rear and a front of the rack 1. In some cases, no side panels 46 are provided.

As shown in Fig. 7, a number of the racks 1 can be bolted together by bolts .48 which engage associated holes 49 (Fig. 3) in sides 2 of adjacent racks 1. Thus a continuous display can be provided over any required length. Each of the racks 1 is typically of lin width so the required number of racks 1 are simply bolted together to give any desired length of display.

Advantageously, the racks 1 are of relatively simple construction, the component parts being glued and nailed or screwed together, enabling them to be quickly and easily manufactured. They are prefabricated under factory conditions for shipping to a retail outlet where they are simply placed in position and bolted together with a minimum of time loss and disruption to the retailer. Advantageously, the sides 2 are of one piece construction which simplifies assembly of the racks 1 in the factory. Surprisingly each rack is relatively cheap to produce in spite of the wastage due to cutting out the sides 2 in one piece from a sheet of medium density fibreboard. It also enables the rack to be produced with a neater and more attractive finish. It will be appreciated that the all wood construction is aesthetically pleasing and this has advantages for the retailer.

Referring now to Fig. 8 there is illustrated another display rack 50 largely similar to the display rack described previously with reference to Figs. 1 to 7 and like parts are assigned the same reference numerals. In this case all the shelves 10 are supported horizontally on the shelf support arms 5. An alternative cover 51 is also provided. The cover 51 comprises a flat panel 52 mounted at and between upper ends 53 of the upright portions 4 of each side 2. An upper front fascia panel 54 is carried at a front edge of the flat panel 52. A downwardly depending wall 55 is provided on an underside of the flat panel 52 intermediate front and rear ends of the flat panel 52. The flat panel 52 is supported on the sides 2 by means of L-shaped mounting brackets 56 each having a pair of arms 57 one of which is attached along an upper face 58 of the flat panel 52 and the other being secured at an upper end 53 of one of the sides 2 by bolts or screws 59. A number of the racks 50 can be bolted together as with the racks of Figs. 1 to 7 to form a run of shelving of a ' desirable length. A number of the racks 50 can also be used together with a number of the racks 1 described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7 to form a continuous integrated display as shown in Fig. 9. Racks 1, 50 having an end wall 46 separate the two different types of rack, as shown in Fig. 10, as different types of goods would generally be displayed on the different types of rack 1, 50. In this way, an aesthetically pleasing integrated display can be provided.

Referring now to Fig. 11, another rack 60 is shown largely similar to the rack described previously with reference to Fig. 1 to 7. In this case, the rack 60 has sides 62 with a base portion 63 and an upstanding portion 64 at a rear of the base portion 63. A number of shelf support arms 65 are integrally formed with the upright portion 64 and project forwardly therefrom to support shelves 66. An upper end 67 of the upright portion 64 extends outwardly over the upper shelf 66 for mounting baskets 68 or the like above the shelves 66, the baskets 68 for holding French stick bread or the like. A cover 68 is supported on and between the sides 62 and extends over the shelves 66.

Referring now to Fig. 12, another display rack 70 Is shown having side panels 72 with shelves 73 supported therebetween. A back panel 74 extends between rear edges of the side panels 72. At a lower end of the side panels 72 a lower shelf 75 is provided which inclines forwardly and upwardly from the back panel 74. A stool 76 having an V-shaped top surface 77 nests between the side panels 72 in front of the lower shelf 75. The rack 70 is ideally suited to the display of wines and other bottled beverages some of which can be displayed on the shelves 73, some on the stool 76 and boxes of wine bottles or the like can be mounted on the shelf 75 displaying the contents of each box.

« Referring now to Fig. 13 there is illustrated another display 10 rack 80 again having one piece Sides supporting a number of shelves 81. In this case, the sides are located inside end cover panels 82. A cover 83 extends over the shelves 81.

Referring now to Fig. 14 there is illustrated a produce display rack indicated generally by the reference numeral 90 for use with the display system. The produce display rack 90 has a ground-engaging support frame 91 mounted on castors 92. The frame 91 has a pair of spaced-apart rear uprights 94 and a corresponding pair of spaced-apart front uprights 95 interconnected by cross members 96. A lower front face 93 of each front upright 95 projects downwardly in front of the castor 92 to conceal the castor 92. An inclined lower shelf 97 extends between the rear uprights 94 and front uprights 95 and comprises a number of spaced-apart substantially parallel slats 98 mounted on supports 99 extending between the rear uprights 94 and front uprights 95. Mounted above the lower shelf 97 is a slatted upper shelf 100 of similar construction to the lower shelf 97. The upper shelf 100 is pivotally attached at 101 to the rear uprights 94 and extends forwardly a of the rear uprights 94. A strut 102 is pivotally mounted by a pivot pin 103 at each side of the upper shelf 100 adjacent a front end of the upper shelf 100. The struts 102 are engageable between two adjacent slats 98 of the lower shelf 97 to support the upper shelf 100 in a raised inclined position as shown in Fig. 14. By lifting the upper shelf 100 and pivoting the struts 102 rearwardly the upper shelf 100 can be pivoted downwardly to rest on the lower shelf 97 as shown in broken outline in Fig. 14. In this way, the retailer can give the illusion of a display of a large amount of produce such as fruit or the like while in fact using a relatively small amount of produce for the display. At busier shopping times the upper shelf 100 can be raised and a larger amount of produce mounted on the rack 90. A slatted top shelf 106 of similar construction to the shelves 97, 100 is mounted between upper ends of the rear uprights 94. Referring to Fig. 15, dividers 107 may be provided for dividing each shelf 97, 100, 106 into a number of separate sections.

Referring now to Fig. 16, there is illustrated a lighting frame 110 associated with the produce display rack described with reference to Fig. 14. The lighting frame 110 comprises a pair of ground-engaging sides 111 each having an elongate base portion 112 with an integral upstanding post 113 at a rear of the base portion 112. A back panel 114 extends between the posts 113 at front edges of the posts 113. A lighting assembly 115 is supported above the base 112 on arms 116 attached to upper ends 117 of the posts 113 and extending outwardly of the posts 113 in front of the back panel 114. A mirror 120 is mounted between the lighting assembly 115 and a mirror support strip 121 attached at an upper end of the back panel 114. The lighting assembly 115 is an inverted channelsection casing within which a lamp is mounted. It will be noted that a rear face 122 of the lighting assembly 115 is inclined towards the back panel 114 and the mirror 120 lies against the rear face 122. In use, and referring to Fig. 17 in particular, the produce display rack 90 is nested between the base portions 112 against the back panel 114 and light is projected downwardly from the lighting assembly 115 onto produce supported on the shelves 97, 100, 106. The lighting frame 110 and produce display rack 90 can be used together with the racks described previously to form an integrated extension thereof. As with the previous racks, the lighting frame and produce display rack are of wooden construction.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail.

Claims (10)

1. A prefabricated wooden modular display system comprising a number of associated free-standing merchandise display racks, each display rack having at least two spaced-apart 5 ground-engaging sides, each side being of one piece construction having a base portion, an upstanding portion at the rear of the base portion and a number of spacedapart forwardly projecting shelf support arms on the upstanding portion, a back panel mounted on and extending 10 between the upstanding portions of the sides at a front edge of the upstanding portions, a number of shelves mounted on and extending between associated shelf support arms on the sides in front of the back panel, a cover supported at upper ends of the sides and extending 15 forwardly over the shelves, and fastening means for interconnecting a number of the racks by securing adjacent sides together to form an integrated cohesive display assembly.

2. A display system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each shelf 20 has an upstanding merchandise retaining wall extending along a front edge of the shelf and a merchandise price display means is attached to an outer face of each retaining wall, the price display means comprising an elongate clear plastics strip generally U-shaped in cross section defining an upwardly opening pocket for reception of a price tab.

3. A display system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein lighting means is mounted on an underside of the cover to 5 project light downwardly onto the shelves.

4. A display system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a mirror is mounted above the top shelf extending inclined between a support on the back panel above the top shelf and a downwardly extending support wall 10 intermediate the front and rear ends of the cover.

5. A display system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the cover comprises a first flat panel mounted on and extending between the sides and projecting outwardly over the shelves having a downwardly depending wall at a 15 front edge of the panel, and a second flat panel mounted above the first panel and projecting forwardly of the first panel and carrying an upper front fascia panel at a front edge of the second panel.

6. A display system as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 20 wherein the cover comprises a flat panel mounted at and between upper ends of the sides carrying an upper front fascia panel at a front edge of the flat panel and a downwardly depending wall on an underside of the flat 18 panel intermediate front and rear ends of the flat panel, the flat panel supported on the sides by means of Lshaped mounting brackets each having a pair of arms one of which is attached along an upper face of the flat panel, the other being secured to one of the sides. A display system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a lower front fascia panel is mounted between front edges of the base portions of the sides, a flexible trolley bumper strip being mounted on the lower front fascia panel extending between the sides, the bumper strip being mounted on an aluminium extrusion support attached to the lower front fascia panel, the support being concealed behind a wooden strip which projects outwardly of the support above the support. A display system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the display system further includes a produce display rack comprising a ground-engaging support frame, an inclined lower shelf extending between a rear portion and a front portion of the frame and comprising a number of spaced-apart substantially parallel slats mounted between supports extending between the front and rear portions of the frame, a slatted upper shelf pivotally mounted to the rear portion of the frame above the lower shelf and extending forwardly of the rear portion of the frame, the upper shelf movable between a raised position In which it is supported inclined above the lower shelf by struts pivotally mounted to the upper shelf and engageable between two adjacent slats of the lower shelf to support the upper shelf above the lower shelf and a 5 lowered position in which a front edge of the upper shelf rests on the lower shelf intermediate the front and rear ends of the lower shelf supporting the upper shelf between the rear portion of the frame and the lower shelf in an inclined position.

7. 10 9. A display system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the produce display rack is nestable within an associated lighting frame comprising a pair of ground-engaging sides each having an elongate base portion with an integral upstanding post at a rear of the base portion, a back

8. 15 panel extending between the posts at front edges of the posts, a lighting assembly supported above the base on arms attached to upper ends of the posts and extending outwardly of the posts in front of the back panel, a mirror mounted between the lighting assembly and a mirror

9. 20 support strip attached at an upper end of the back panel, the produce display rack nestable between the base portions of the sides below the mirror and lighting assembly. 10. A modular display system substantially as hereinbefore

10. 25 described with reference to the accompanying drawings.