Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
16)4~4ZZ
SPECIFICATION
This invention relates to improvement in tag strips
~or store shelves and the like.
,
In many shops and stores, especially grocery stores and
the like wheremany kinds and brands o~ products are displayed
~or sale side by side and on several levels o~ shelves it is
both convenient and desirable to have means ~or displaying the
price which applies to each item, without relying on the price
which may be stamped on the package, so as to be clearly apparent
to the shopper.
It is also desirable to be able to change the applicable
price in such display, especially as they relate to products
~or which the prices are frequently changable such as groceries.
Such prico indicators o~ten take the ~orm o~ individual
plastic or cardboard tags bearing numbers which are assembled
in any chosen combination and inserted in some sort o~ holder
on the front of shelves where the items are displayed ~or sale.
.
Such a holder o~ten takes the ~orm o~ a long strip run-
ning along and attached to the ~orward edge o~ the shelves on
which the items are displayed. Such strips are o~ten extruded
with lower and upper lips which serve to grip the top and bottom
of the cardboard or plastic tags, and allow them to be moved
adjustably back and ~orth along the shelves.
'~,
Such extruded strips are commonly attached to the shelves
by the use o~ screws or bolts or other means in the construction
o~ the display counters.
:,
~ It is the purpose o~ this invention to provide an
a~Qe
an improved tag stxip suit ~or neat and easy attachment
to shelves o~ the type, now commonly in use, which are made
~rom sheet metal. By means o~ the present invention a tag
strip is provided which is easily attached to a shelf, either
during manu~acture or a~ter installation, and can be easily re-
moved or replaced when necessary.
The present invention provides a tag strip ~or shelves
o~ the type which have at the ~orward edge a rearwardly protruding
return portion; said tag strip having a cross sectional con-
~iguration comprising a body portion, adapted to extend along
the ~ront o~ the shel~, and having means to secure price tags
and the like on the ~ront thereo~, and attaching means projecting
rearwardly ~rom said body portion to engage the return portion o~
the shel~. The attaching means comprise a member extending
~rom the rear o~ the body porti~ of the tag strip having a ~irst
and second portion presenting a forwardly open space there between
adapted to receive the shel~ return portion snugly therein.
These and other objects are sought to be met by the present
invention whiçh can be better understood by re~erence to the
following description and drawings in which:
Figure 1. is a perspective view o~ a counter structure
with two shelves each having a tag strip in accordance
with the present invention.
Figure 2. is a perspective view o~ a shel~ and an attached
tag strip in accordance with the present invention showing
the cross sectional con~iguration and relationship thereof.
In Figure 1. there is illustrated part o~ a display
counter having a supporting wall 2 with two display shelves shown
10404ZZ4 and 6 respectively each having on the forward face thereof tag
strips 8 and 10 respectively in accordance with the present in-
vention. The lower tag strip 10 has for example price tags 12
;; and 14 which are composed of individual cardboard or plastic tags
bearing numerals (and decimals etc.) which may individually be
inserted in the tag strips to display the price of the items on
the shelf above. Such inserts bearing numerals or letters are
easily available and commonly used for such display purposes.
In fact they are commonly used in conjunction with tag strips of
previously known design.
Figure 2. is enlarged to show a portion of the type of shelf
now commonly found in display counter~ used in drug stores and
grocery stores etc. The shelf illustrated is one of the type
,~
which may be made out of sheet metal having a horizontal, planar
top portion 16, and the forward edge having a vertical, downward
extending face portion 18, and a rearwardly extending return por-
tion 20 all formed from the one sheet by bending the metal at 90
degrees at two locations. This well known structure provides
rigidity by the forward face 18 which resists the ~ending of the
shel~ and the return portion 20 which prevents buckling of the
face portion 18.
The tag strip in the illustrated embodiment of the present
invention runs along the ~orward edge o~ the shelf and has a sub-
stantially upright body portion 22 with an upper lip 24 running
along its upper edge and the lower lip 26 running along its lower
edge.
The upper lip extends forwardly and downwardly in two pro-
jections to present two downward facing grooves running along the
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length of the strip. lQ4~4ZZ
Similarly the lower lip also extends ~orwardly with two
projections extending upwardly to provide two spaced-apart up-
ward facing grooves. The two pairs of grooves thus provide
means for holding the plastic or cardboard tags illustrated in
Figure 1., being dimensioned according to the size of the tags.
The spacing of the two grooves in the lower lip allows for two
different sizes o~ inserts.
As best seen ln Figure 2. there is, extending rearwardly
from the rear of the body portion 22, attaching means 30 which
also runs along the length of the strip. This attaching means
has a first portion 32 attached to and projecting rearwardly
from the rear of body portion 22 terminating in a U-turn, and
has a second portion 34 which extends forwardly therefrom towards,
but not connected to, the body portion 22. The forward edge of
the second portion 34 terminates in an upstanding ridge 36.
The rearward extending portion 32 and the forward extending
portion 34 of the attaching means are parallelled to each other
and spaced slightly apart 80 as to accommodate snugly the return
portion 20 of the metal shelf.
Thus by this invention a tag strip may be provided for
shelves of the type ~abricated from sheet metal having a return
portion without the necessity of fabrication at the factory or
without the need for any skill or equipment to attach them to
counter shelves-already installed. By holding the tag strip
under the front face of the shelves so that the rear edge of the
return 20 is inserted into the space between the upstanding ridge
36 and the body portion 22 the strip is then pulled forward and
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104042Z
upward until the return portion 20 is ~orced into the space
between the portions 32 and 34 of the attaching means. The
body portion 22 will prevent the strip from moving backwards off
the return 20 and the resiliency o~ the materialwill hold the
strip along the front face o~ the shel~ in the position shown
in Figure 2.
The installation method described above requires some
flexibility in the attaching means such as might be provided
if the tag strip is made of plastic as the inventor pre~ers.
However, if the strip was made of a less flexible and resilient
material such as metal, the tag strip of this design cOula be
installed by sliding along to the return o~ the shelf before
the ends are ffbstructed by any end walls in assembling the
; counter.
Whether they were made of metal or pLastic or other
material lt would be readily appreciated that the entire strip,
with all means necessary for attaching it to the shelf can be
made by extruding a long length of a cross sectional shape as
disclosed herein and merely cutting the same into appropriate
lengths.
~.
It will of course be appreciated that various modifications
and variations of the illustrated embodiment may be employed
-I without departing ~rom the inventive concept herein.
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