Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2~S0~7~
CR055-REFERPN~R TO RFLR'I'ED APPLIC~ION
This i~ a continuation-in-part of appl.icatioo, 5erial
~umber 011~27,~8~, ~iled October 30th, 1989, which is
a~signed to ~he ass~ gnee o~ th~ pre~ent applica-tion.
BAC~CGROU~ O~ ~HE INVEN'r~ON
The present inven~lon relate~ to a carrier ~or support-
ing labels without using adhesive on the label~, and ~ore
: particularl~ to a carrier ~o~ exchangeable labels ~uch a~,
~or example, labels used in grocery st~ras.
In a typical grocery storP / di~fer~nt -types ~f products ¦
are stac~ed on ~lves in close.proximi~ to on~ ~nother.
One ~rand of ~oup mig~t be allotted a o~t o~ ~helf space,
~or e~ample, followed a ~oot o~ shel~ space for an~ther
1~ brand. At one time it was common fo~ grocers to ~ark the
price o~ products on the in~lividual contai~ers. Thi6
p~ac~ice not only permitted shoppers to compare various
~oduc~ on the basis o~ price, it also enabl~d ca~hiers at
the checkouk stand~ ~o manually record ~he prices using ~ash ¦
15 registers. The inc:reasing use of bar code~ on con~air~ers ~
identli~y products has mad~3 ~ t practical to replace manually-,
operated cas~ regist~er~ at the checko~t st~ands with bar code
E;canneræ . ~he prices f c~ the variotls produc1:~: stockes~ by a
- 2 ~
2 ~
.
grocery s tore are sto~ed in a computer, SQ tha~ reading a bar
code at the checkout stand permits the price ~o b~ looked up
elec:~ronically rat~l63r than manually entered b~ a ca~hier.
S~ill, ths shspper need~i to know the price, and labels
5 bearing the price arld other inPormation ( s~lch as a bar code
identi~ying ths product, writ~en in~c~rmation identi~ying the
product, the product weight, etc. ) are typically a~fixad to
long molding members at the frGnt edges of the shelves on
which t~e productQ are stacXed. Such labels ~re al~o u~ef~
0 to store personnel when inventory i~; kaken or when ~;eve~ely
deplated ~toc~s are replaced.
The molding member~ at the fro~t edge~ o~ grocer~ ~tora
~helve~ ara typically provided with elQngated upper and lower
: slots. Molding members suitable ~or use ln gr~cery store~
are available ~r4m a nu~ber o~ sources, including Hill
Re~rigerati~n CQrporation, Hu~smann Corpoxation, Lo~ier Store
~ixture~, Madix Stoxe Fixture~, and Streater St~re Fixtures.
The distance between the upper and lower slots i~ ap-
proximatel~ 1% inches, but this spacing is not critical
because the labels ~hem~el~es accommodate considera~le
variation.
~; ~he labels may have dif~erent size~ or configurations~
T~ey may be adhesively at~ached, or placed withollt adhesi~e .
within the upper a~d lower ;1ots o~ the molding member~;~
~.
.: I
206Q~7a
Adhesi~r~ly atkached label~ have the drawback th~t they are
di~ficlllt to remove ~rom a molding ~namber, which may be
neces~;a~y if the price of a product c:hanges or i~ the ~helf
spac~e i~; re-allocated. Non-adhe~ively at~ac:hed labels ha~e
5 the drawback that they ~re ea~y to displace ~ r ~xa~ple bS~ a
mi~chievous child, cre~ting c:on~usion for su}~sequen~ ~;h~p-
per~3 .
Carrier6 a~ached to ~;helves ~o recei~e f lat labels
have ~een u~;ed in l~u~op~ ~or about a d~cade . Such a carrier
10 also knowrl a~ a "~canner strip, " has a rear wall which i~;
attached to a shel~, a tran~parent ~ront wall, ar~d a pocket
bet~ean the :erorlt and rear walls ~or labels. A reading rail
~: ~nay be pro~ided adjacent the bottom f3dge o~ the front wall to
guide a ~ar codl3 r~ader~
1S Sinc~ the labels ~re encloaed in ~he pocket they ar~3
le~;~; likely to be aisplaced . Furthermore ~ this arrangement
~ac:ilitates the ~anning o~ bar code~; if the bar codes are
~: :
positi~ned adjacent the bottc~ms o~ the label~.
Whi~e the ~:canne~ ætrips de c~il~ed above are attracti~e
20 and pr~ovide desirable ~eature~3, it would be expensi~e to
remov~3 th~ n~olding m~mbers that are already pr~s2nt in many
: American tore~; and ~eplace t~em with scanner 6tripB.
~: ~ Furthermore it would be expensive f~r a chain o~ ~toxe~: t~ .
make one type o~ l~bel for store6 equipped with c canner
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2~6~7a
strips and a di:Eferent type of label ~or s~ore2~: with molding
memb~rs .
While the above di~;cu~3sion has been predicated on
grocery ~ores, it will be apparent that ~imilar con~id~ra-
tion apply in othsr ~s~abllshmen~s where label~ are needed.
Such estab}ishments include not only r~ail outlet~ ~e.g ,
hardware 6tc~res) hut al~o supply room~ ile roo~ns, librar--
ies, laboratories, and so rorth.
.S~MA~Y ~F THE ~NVEN~ION
1~ According~y, an object of the invention is to provide a
: ~ ~nap-in carrier which can be easily mounted on the molding
members that are ~re~ue~tly ~ound ~n ~elv~s in ~hi~ c~untry,
: . the carrier having a tran~par~nt ~ront wall and a pocket
ehind the ~ront wall to receive label~.
:~ .
Another object o:E the inVentiC~n ia to provide a CaXrier
having a transpa~en~ ~ro~t wall and a pocke~ behind the ~ront
:
wall for rac~iving labels, the ~ron~ wall o~ the carrier ~l~o
being configured to hol~ label~ o~ the typ~ that are mount-
able on an elongated molding member.
: :
: 20 : The~s and other objects which will become apparent in
t~e en uing d~tailed description can ~e attain~d by providin~
. :
a label ca~rier which includes a back wall; a transparent .
ro~t wall, ~he upper regions o the ~ront and back walls
.
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2 ~ 7 ~
~ing connected t~ ~r~ a bottom-open~g pocket between the
wall~ for receiving l~lsi; and attaa~menk mean~ on the ~cX
wall ~or snap-conne~ting the carrier to a molding member
having parallel upper and lower 810t~ that are separated by a
predetermined distance, the att~¢hment mean6 including an
u~per attachmen~ ~lange which extends into the upper slot o~
the moldin~ Ihember and a lower atta~h~ent ~lange which
~xtends into the lo~er ~l~t o~ the molding member~
1~ ~igure 1 is a sectional view illustratir~g a label
ca~ri~r in accordance with the preqent inven~i~n at~ached to
a molding member mounted o~ the edge region of ~ ~hel~
~ igure 2 i8 a perspecti~e view showing bib label~
attached to mounting ~lanqes on the ~ront wall o~ the
15 carriex;
Fi~ure 3 is a perspec~ive view illustrating ~lat label~
i~ the pocket o~ ~he carrier and a label h~lder mounted on
the mounti~g flange~;
~ igure 4 i~ a cro~s-sectional vi~w of the carrier;
2Q Figure 5 is a ~ctional view illustrating the label
~arrier mount~d on a molding m~m~er tha~ is configured
diff~r~ntly ~rom the moldi~g memher 3hown in Figure ~;
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Fi~ure 6 is a sectional view illustrating two carrier~
mounted on a t~ip~e-track molding membe~ in a co~in freezer;
Figur~ 7 is an explod~d perspective ~iew showlng the
carrier used with a merchandise hanger for a p~gboard panel;
Figures B through 11 ar~ sectional views illu6trating
mDdi~ied embodime~t~ o~ the carrier;
~igure 12 is a sectional vie~ illstrating an embodiment
of a snap-in carrier wi.th a bottom-opening pock~t; and
Figure 13 i5 a 8ectional view illustrating an adhe~ively
: . 10 attac~d ~arrier with a bott~m-opening pocket.
~ '
: ~n ~igure 1, a groCeXy ~tore shel~ 12 for ~upporting
cans, boxes, or oth~r prod~cts ~not illust~atad) ha~ an ~dge
region 14, which ~aces ~he aisle (not illustrate~) of the
grocery ~ore. ~n elonga~ed molding member 16 is attached to
edge region 1~ by rivrts 1~, ~nly one of which is ~own.
:
olding mem~er 16 is co~mercially available from Hussmann
(:orporation (12999 S~ harles ~ock Road, Brldge~on, Pli~;~ouri
63044~ and includes ~n upper arm 20 and a lower arm 2~.
2D ~ Upper a~m 2~ t~rminates in ~ curved outer a~utment 24. An
up~e~ 510t ~8 is provided imm~dia~ely b~hind abutment 2~.
ower arm 22 al60 ter~inates in a rounded outer a~ut~ent
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identi~i~d by r~eren~e nueber 30. A lower ~lot 3~ ie
di~po~ed just inward ~ a~utment 3 0 . ~he bot~oms o~ ~lo~s 28
and 32 are spaced apart ~y approximately 1~ inches.
A label carrier 34 in aacordance wi~h an embodiment og
the present inven~ion ~ clipped onto moldin~ member 16 .
Carrier 3~ is an elongated mem~er of extruded plastic and
will be disaussed in detail later. However, or pre~ent
purpose~ it is n~ted th~t c~rrier 34 includes an opaque ~ear
wall 36 and a tran~parent fron-t wall 38, which are separated
lo by a ~ocket 40. Rear wall 36 is provided with an elongated
upper at'cachment ~lange 42 which ~its into slo~ ~8 and an
elon~ated lower attachment ~lange 44 which ~its into slot 32
in order to mount the carrier 34 on molding member 16. An
upper mountin~ ~lange ~6 extend~ :~rom ~ront walJ: 3s and
15 provide~ an upper slot ~8 between the ~lange 46 and the wall
3 8 . Furthermore a lower mounting flange 50 extend~ ~rom
~ront wall 3~ and provides a lower slot 52 hetween ~he flange
50 and wall 38. It ~hould ~e nc~ted that the distance between
t~e bottoms o~ u~per slot 4~ and low2r slot 42 o:f carrier 34
20 i~ the ~me a the distan~e b~tween th~ botto~s o~ upp~r ~l~t
28 and 14W~ ;lot 32 o~ molding me~n~er 1~-- approximal~ely one
and a quartelr inch.
Turning next to Figura~ 1 and 2 ~ogethQr, s~Qal 1 bib
label 5~ has a~ upper edge 5~ which ~it into upper ~lot ~8.
2 ~ 7 ~
Centrally positioned on la~ a cut ~8 ~hich is
gen~rally shaped as a lony, ~hort "U" with s~,uare cornars
Cut 58 provides a ~lap 60 having a lower edge whic::h f i~ into
slot 5~, As is ~3hown in Figure 2, label 54 is printed with
5 t:he various indicia. Writt n product indicia 62 identify the
product by brand (I'Acme''), type t"noodle~;"), and size ~"3
oz . " ) . E~ar ~ode 64 typic~lly includes the ~ame in:eorma~ion
(brand, type, and size) in machine-rea~a~le form. Price
indicia 66 advises shopper~ of the product pric:e~ play
lo indicia 68 is providea on ~he descending or bi~ portion ~f
label 54 to attract the attention of shoppers.
~ arge ~ib label 70 also b~ars pri~t:ed indicia. Label ~
has an upper edge 72 ~hich ~it intQ upper slc-t 48 and a flap
~; 7~ pro~iding a lower edge ~hich fits into slot 52. The
1~; difXerence betwe~n small bib label 54 and larg~ bib la~el 70
i~; that tha distance between the edges th2~t ~it into ~lots 48
and 52 is sli~htly di~ferent. For small bib label 62, the
âistance between upp~r edge G2 and the lower edge provld~3d ~y
lap 6~ is appros~imately one and one quarter lnahes, so that
20 the portion o~ label 54 above cut sa lies sub~tantially :elat
again~:t wall 38, wit:h a little or no bo~ing. For large bib
label 70, on the ot~er hand, the dis~ance }~etween upper edge
:~ 72 ar~d the lower edge pro~ided by ~lap 74 i~; greater than
'
_ 9 _
,
~ :
2 ~ 7 ~
sbout ~ne and one ~arrer inches so that the ~pper half of
label 70 bow~ ~u~ward as illustrated~
It w~ PP~ ha~ c~ er 34 were ~t ~jou~ted
on molding me~ber l~ as shown in Figure~ 1 and 2, bib la~els
54 and 70 could be attached direc~ly to carrier member ~6
itself. For example, the upper èdge ~6 ~f label 54 wouId
into upper sl~t 28 and the edge provided at the bottom o~
flap 6~ would ~it in-to ~lot 32.
:Figure ~ illu~trates ~lat rectangular la~el~ 76 and 78
in ~he pocke~ 40 ~e wee~ rear wall 3~ and front wall 38 of
carrier 34. The plastic ~rom which carrier 34 is made i8
ligh~ lexible, so that pooket 40 can be opened by hand to
permit inser~ion or re~o~al of labels 76 and 7B ~etween walls
3~ and 38. Variou~ indicia i~cluding a bar code 80 are
printed on label 76 and, similarly, vario~ indicia includi~g
:
: a ~ar code 82 are printed on label 7~. ~ar code 80 i8
positioned adjacent the lowe~ ed~e of label 76 while bar code
82 is positioned adjacsnt the upper edge o~ label 78. The
upper edge o~ ~lange 50 provides a guide rail ~or supporting
the nose o~ bar code reader 8~ while i~ iæ manually moved a~
indicated by arrows 86 to read ~ar code ~0. Similarly, the
: lowe~ edge o~ ~lan~e 4~ pr~vide ~ guide rail for supporting
~h he nos~ o~ bar code reader ~ when bar ~ode 82 i~ scanned.
, ~ ' '
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2 ~
Ref2rence number g~ identi~ies a la~el known as a "shel~
talker" in the grocery field. ~abel 88 e~tends outward into
the aisle (not illustrated) pa~sing by shel~ ~2. Labal 88 i~
supported by a p~astic hold~r so, sometimes known in the
grocer~ ~rad~ as a ~shelf talker holder.'i Holder 90 has
resilient lsgs 92 and g4 whi~h terminate in toe~ that ~it
b~nea~h ~langes 46 and 50, re~pectively. Holder so al~o ha~
a clip por~ion 96 ~or ecuring la~el 88~ Although Figure 3
illu~rate~ the holder 90 ~ounted on carrier 34, it will be
lo apparent that the toes at the ends of le~s 92 ana 9~ could be
nserted into slots 28 and 30 of molding member 16 if carrier
: 34 were not present. `
~he configuration of carrier 34 will now be de~cri~ed in
~ ro detail with reference to Figure 4.
: 15 Upper attachment fl~nge 42 includes a horizontal ~egmant
: 98 which is ~ollowed ~y an angled segment 10~. Low~r
attachment ~lange 44 ls ~ormed by th~ee angle segment~, 102,
104, and 106. Upper moUntiny fl~ng~ ~6 include~ a straight
egment 108 w~ich i~ connected by a curved ~egment 110 to
20 ~ front wall 38. Lower moun~ing ~lange so has a dl~erent
:: ~ col~tiguratlon, consistir~g of a ~emicir~ular seg~nent 112
: ~ ~ollowed by a ~;hort st~b 114~
Figure ~ illustrates distan~es a-k and ang~es m-r. ~or .
molding member~ with upper and lower ~lots apprDximately l~
~`
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~6~7~
~nche6 epart (e.g., molding memb~r 16 in ~igur~ 1), the
f~llowing dim~n~ion3 are pre~erred. The distanc~ "a" is 1
mm~ ~he distance "~" is 2.2 ~m~ The distance ~'cl' is 5.4 mm.
The di~tancs lld'~ i~ 2~.5 mm. The distance l'e" i~ 1. 7 mm.
The dista~ce "f" is 3~ ~m. The distance ~Ig91 is 1.2 ~m~ The
dis~ance `'h" is 1.5 mm. The di~tance "i" i~ 3 mm. Ths
distance "j" i~ 31 mm. ~he distance "k" is ~.25 mm. ~he
distance "1" i~ 34.5 mm. Angl~ "m" is 15. Angle ~n" is
30~. Angle "p" is 15Q. ~ngle "q~' is 30~. Angle "~'~ is 45~.
~he radius o~ the inner ~rface o~ cur~ed segment 110 is o.4
mm. The radiu~ of the inner surface of ~emicircular segment
~12 is ~.7 mm~ ~ear wall 36 i~ o.s5 mm thick. Front wall 38
is 0. 6S ~m thic~, wî~h the thic~ness of wall 38 increa~ing to
that o~ wall ~S (that is, to 0.85 mm) in the region of the
15 intersection 116 be~ween the walls 36 and 38 ~intersection
~16 will be di6cus~e~ below). Flanges 42, 44, 46, an~ 5
ar~ 0.7 ~m thick.
Carrier 34 is made by ~o--extruding two polyvinyl
chl~rid~ plastic which merge at intersection 116, whic~
provides a junction region. Surpri~ingly, it has be~n found
; that positioning inte~se~tion 116 directly at the ~t~m o~
pocket 40, as i}lustrated, doe~ not wsakan carrier 34.
Plgmented polyvinyl ohloride is u~sd for rear wall 36 and
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2 ~ 7 ~
mounting ~langes 42 and ~ Transparent polyvinyl chloride
i~ used for Pront wall 38 and attachment ~langes 46 and 50.
An inherent chaxacteri~tic o~ the extru~ion proce~ is
that e~truaed surfaces may have tiny hori~on~al gr~oves. A~
a result, the in~er and outer surfaces of wall 3~ may not be
; opticall~ flat over the regions o~ the bar codes ~e.g., bar
codes 80 and 82 in Figure 3). Th~se minute grooves may cau~e
irregular re~lections from the inner and outer sur~aces of
wall 38 as the bar codes are ~canned, ~uc~ irragular r flec-
1~ tion~ corre ponding ~o "noisell and causing a deterioration in
the reading rate and accuracy~ US patsnt application
07J645,201, ~iled January 28th, 1991, ~eac~es that these
irregular re~lections can be reauced by mechanically treating
the outer surf ace to provide a very ~ 3ht de~ree oP rough--
15 ness---- what might be ca:Ll~d "microrou~hness . ~' However the
~pplication also teaches that the tran~parent po~yvi~yl
~; chloride ~or th~ ~ront wall ~an be extruded at a relatively
high pressure through a di~ which lncompletely smooths the
~` : sur~ace irregularitias resulting ~rom t~e rala ively high
ao extru~on pressure, thereby producing mi~roroughness. An
~; ~ example o~ a suitable aompo~itlon for high-pre~sure extrusion
to form ~ront wall 38 and mounting ~langes 46 a~d 50 i~ as
~ ollows: 100 parts ~y weight o~ p~lyvinyl chloria~ having a
; ~ K value o~ 57; ~o p~rtæ by we:ig~t of tin ~tabiliæer; 1.5
- 13 -
.
2 ~
par~s by weight p~lymethyl ~ethacrylate as a fl~ modi~ier;
and 1.2 par~ by weight ~f a slidlng agent miXt~re of ~a~t~
alcohols, wax este~s, and oxidized polyethylene.
With reference ne~t t~ Figures 1 and 4 to~ether, the
procedure for installing carrier 34 on molding member 16 will
now be desc:ri}:ed. Flr2st, with -the lower end c~f carri~r 34
spaced apart ~rom lower ar~ 22, the angl~d segment 100 of
attachment ~lange 42 is inserted into sl~t 28. The lower end
of carrier 34 is then pushed up~ard ~nd toward lower 2Irm 22,
thereby piVoting the carrier 34 ~b~ut i~s Upper end. After
attachment flange 44 encounters abutment 30, ~ur-ther inward
pressure di torts attachmen~ ~lange 4~ upward until angled
~egment 106 slideæ over abutment 30 and into lower slot 32.
~his snap-connects carrier 34 to molding member 16.
An advantage af~orde~ by the co~iguration of uppar
mounti~g ~lange ~6 will now be discussed with re~rence to
Figure~ 2 and 4. When a ~ib label (for example, bi~ label
: 70) is being at~ached to carrier 34, the clerk typically
: : grasps the la~ 1 at itS Cent~r~ deflect~ the ~e~cendlng
po~tion outward ~o expose the lower edge o~ ~lap 7~, and
~ in~ert~ the upper edye 72 into upper slot 48. The cler~ then
;~; pushes the label 7n slightly ~pward, causiny it to bow
:~ ~ strongl~, and presses t~e e~posed lowar edge o~ ~lap 74
ayainst ~ront wall 38. The cl~rk then slid~s the lower edge
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2 ~ 7 ~
~L the labe- do~nw~rd again~t w~ll 38 until the lower edge
lodges ln lower ~1Ot 52.
The slot 52 provided by lower mounting f 1ange 50 is
re1ati~s1y ~hallow ~o en~ure proper scanning of ba~ coded
i~rmation. ~he upper attachment flange 46 is con~igured
diIferently from th~ lower attachm~3nt flange 50, a~; shown.
The straig~t se~rnent 1~8 i~ disposed at the angle m to permit
the label. 70 to ~ow out uniformly during installation without
~rea~ing. ~ deep s~ot 48 is provi~ed to en~u~e that label 70
~0 ~es not pop ~ut~
It will be apparent, from a co~par~son o~ Figurès 2 and
3, ~hat flat labels suc~ ~s 76 and 7~ may be insta11ed in
pocket ~0 for n~rmal use and then be tempQrari1y covered by
bib 1ahe1æ such a~ 54 and 7~ during a sale.
~15 Up to thi~ point the carrier 34 has been descri~ed in
c~njunction with a mQ1ding member 16, available fro~ Hill
Re~rigerati~n Corporation. However the carrier 34 can he
-~ uæed with molding members produced ~y oth~r companieæ,
n~ludi~g Hus~an C~rpo~ation, Lozier Store Fix~ures, ~adix
Store Fixtures, Streater Stor~ Fixtures, and s~her compani2s
which produae moldin~ ~em~ers with upper and 1O~er s1~t3 that
re poæitioned ah~ut an inch and a quarter apart. Yor
~ ~ example,; Figure 5 illustrate an e1Ongated mo1ding ~ember 118
;~ ~ a~ailable ~rom ~uææman Corporation. Molding member 118 is
: - 15 -
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attached tc the edge region 120 o~ a shelf 122. Molding
me~ber 118 pr~vides an uppex slot 124 ~or receivin~ upper
attachm~nt ~lange 42 and a l~wer slo~ 12~ ~or receiving lower
attachment flan~e 44. Carrier 34 can be attached to molding
mem~ar 118 in a snap-in ~anner as previo~sly di~cussed.
Nor is ~he u~e of carrier 34 li~ited to elongated
molding me~bers attached to the edge region~ of shelves
Figuxe 6 illu~trate~ a ~ixtu~e 124 attached to the side ~ a
co~fin ~ree~er 126 for displaying ~ro~en ~oods. A conv~n-
-ti~nal t~iple-track moldi~g mem~er 128 (available ~rom Hill
Re~rLgsration corporati~n) is mounted on ~ixtur~ 124. As
will be apparent ~rom Figure 6, molding member 128 provides
two pairs of slots for ~ttaahing two label carriers 34.
Figure 7 urther illust:rates t~e ~er~atility o* label
carri~r 3~ In Figure 7, a mer~handise hanger 130 includ~s a
~oo~ member 132 f~r releaaably mounting ~he ~anger 130 ~n a
p-g board panel 134. Hanger 130 al~o inclu~es a r~d which is
: ben~ as illustrated to provide an upper arm 136, a ~ase 138
that i8 spot-welded ~o ~oot mem~er 132, and a lower arm 1~ 0 .
~0 Package6 o~ merchandise (n~t illustrated) with h~les adjacent
~ ~ the1r upper edg~s can be su~pended ~xo~ lower arm 140. A
; : short segmen~ of molding member 14~ is attached ~o a backing
plate 144, w~i~h in turn is spot~welded t~ upper arm 136.
~olding me~ber ~42 provides an upper slo~ 1g6 and a pair of
`.................................. .
-.16 -
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2 ~ 7 ~
lowrr slots 14~ and 150. A ~lat lahel (no~ illustrated~ ~an
slide into th~- space bet~een alot~ 1~6 and 148. Alternative-
ly, carrier 34 can be mounted on me~ber 14~, with upper
attachment flange ~2 extending in~o ~lot 146 and with lower
attachment ~l~nge 44 extending into ~l~t 150.
Figure~ 8~ lustr~-e modi~ied embodi~enta o~ car-
~rier~, identi~ied by reference numbers 152, 154, 156, and
15~, re~pec~ively. ~he ~ront wall and upper and lower
mounting ~lan~e oP carriers 152-15~ are substantially the
~ame as ~he ~ron~ wall 38 and upper and lower mounting
~langes 46 and 50 o~ c.arri~ 34 ~se~ Figure 4).
~ he back wall and lower attachment ~lange o~ carrier 152
are ~ub~tantially ~he same as ~ack wall 36 and lower attach-
m~nt flange 4~ o~ carrier 34. The upper attachment flange
16~, however, ha a di~erent con~iguration. Upper attach-
ment ~lange 160 includes a~ angle~ segmen~ 162 which is
connected to the rear ~all by a curved se~ent 164. Upper
attachment flange 1~0 j~ins the b~c~ wall about 6 ~m ~uxth~r
down than attachment ~l~nge 42 o~ carr~r 34 joins ~ack wall
3~. Additionally, an~led ~egment 162 extend~ ~urther up than
angled ~egment 1~0, and i disposed at a ~ degrea angle
~:~ rather than a 30 degrae angle (i.e., angle n in Figure 4).
Furthermore, a~l~d æe~ment 162 doe~ not extend a~ ar ~rom
: :
~:
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':
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2 ~ 7 ~
~he bac~ wall as angled seqment lO0 extends ~rom back
w~ll 36.
Both the upper a~ta~hment ~lan~e 166 and the lo~er
attachment ~lange 168 of carrier 154 are ~ligh~ly di~fere~t
~rom the upper attach~nt flange 42 and the lower ~ttachment
~lange 44 of carrier 34. Upper attachment flange 166
includes a horizontal segmen~ that i~ ~lightly shorter than
.:~ hori~ontal segment 98 o~ carrier 34, and an angled segment
17~ that i~ slightly longer than angled segment lO0. Li~
0 anqled segm~nt lO0, however, angled segment 1~2 is disposed
a~ an angle of 30. Lower ~ttachment flange 168 includeq
angled segments 17~, 176, and 178. Angled seglnents 174 and
~ 176 are configured the a~e as angled segments 102 and lO~,
: bu~angled ~egment 178 is ~hor~er than angled s~g~ent 106
~ 15 and, moreover, the angl~ corre~ponding to re~erence character
~:
"rl~ ln Fi~ure 4 is 30 rather ~han ~5.
Carrier 156 ~n Figure 10 has a lower attachment ~lange
with~ an an~l~d seg~ent 1~2 which ~er~inat~s in a second
: angled ~segment. The sec~nd angled segment is generally ~oot-
shaped, ~ith a toe portion 1~4 and a heel portion 186.
Finally, carrier 15~ in ~igure 1l has a lower attachment
lange 18~ with t~o angle~ se~ments~ bea~ing reference
num~ers l90 and 1~2, rather than ~hree angled ~egments as in
: : c~rrier 3 ~ .
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2 ~ 7 ~
Iurning next to Figure 12, a molding member 194 is
attached to the edge ~ a shel~ 196, Molding membe~ 194 has
pper and low2r slot~ ~un-number~d) which are abou~ one and a
~uarter inche~ apart. While these slots could rec~ive a
5 label direc~ly a~ in pr~vious embodiment~ they can also
r~ceive ~ carrier 198.
Carri~r 198 includes an opaque rear wall 2~0 ~rom which
an upper attachment fl~ng~ 202 and a l~wer atta~hment ~lange
204 extend. A~ i~ shown, upper attachment ~lange ~02
10 includes an angl~d segment which is connect~d ~o rear wall
20~ via a curved seg:ment, while lower attac~ment flange 20
has three angled segment~. As in pxeviou embodiments,
carrier 19~ can b~ snap-conn~oted to molding member 194 by
inserting ~ttachm~nt ~la~g~ 202 into t~e upper slot o~
~:: 15 mQldin~ member 1~4, ther~by formlng a pivot, and by then
r~tating th~ lower por~ion o~ carrier 19~ toward ~ldin~
me~ber 94 until attachme~t flange 204 Snaps into the l~wer
~lot o~ molding member o~ ~98~
Caxrie~ 19~ also in~ludes a transparent front wall 206
from WDich an upper mounting Elange 208 and a low~r mounting
nge 21Q extend. Mounting flangeG 2~8 and 210 aan be used
in the manner.previousily desc!ribed ~o mount labels Q~ various
t~pe~ or to mount a sh~lf talker holder. Carrier 1~8 also
.
~6~7~
provides a pocket to 212 hetween ~ront wall 206 and rear wall
21~ nd Fîgu~e 12 shows a la}~el 214 in pocket 21~.
Carrier 1g8 1~ co-ex~ude~ ~sl~g opa~e p- a~ r~ E~
wall 200 and its att~c:h~nent flanges 202 and ~04~ and U8ing
5 tran parent plastic for front wall 206 and its mounting
~langes 20~ and 210. ~oweYer the intersection 206 where th~
opaque ~nd transparent plasti~ are ioined occUrs ak the top
o~ the ~ront ~nd rear walls ra-ther tha~ the at the bottom, ~s
in the embodi~ent o~ Figures 1 and 4, ~or example. ~s a
1~ result, poaket 21~ is bottom-opening rather than top-opening.
Debri such a~ dust tends to accumula~e on th~ top of
any shel~ used in a co~mercial nvironment, and shelf lg6 i~
no exception. It i8 natur~1 ~or a ~lerk who ~ 8 as~igned t~
remo~e such debris to bru~h it forward to~ard ~he aisle (not
illu~tratedj, where it can be latex re~oved by ~weeping. ~he
pri~ary advantage ~f bot~om-open~ng pocke~4 212 is that i4
: does not form a natural reservoir for accumulating debris
which is sWeep o~ shelf 196. ~ p~rtion o* the debris swept
o~ a shel~ on which a carrier ~i~h a top-opening pocket is
0 mounted would i~herently land on the aarrier it el~ rather
than t~e :floor, ana each time the pocket is opened to
e~cha~ge lab~ls thi:~; debri~: would enter. Although a portion
; ~o~ the debris ~w~pt ~rom the shel~ 196 m~ght c~me to rest on
at~a~ent flange ~, it ~ould be much more easy to remove
:
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accumul~t~d deb~is :~rom this exposed po~ition ~han from the
~ottom ~ a top-opening pocket. MoreoVer cu~to~er~ can see
urlsightly debris in a pocket, while the opac:ity o~ wall 20
~o~lld hide accumulatio2~s resting on at~achment :elange 202.
~nother advantage o~ a bottom-opening pocket is that it
fa~ilitates the rems~val O:e labelc. that a~e under-c~ized ~)r
one reason c~r another, perhaps due tt~ a manu~acturirlg de~ect~
A~3 can be appreciated îrom Figure 1~, wh~3n front wall 206 is
pried awa~r from rear wall 200 to open pocke~ to ~12, gravity
1~ urge~ la~el 2~ 4 out o~ pocket 212 . Even i~ label 214 wer~
~nder-~:ized-- on~: and an eighth inahes tall, fo~ example,
rat~er than the pre~erred one and a quarter inches-- it would
~e readily acce~:si}:~le at the mouth o~ pocket 212. In
contra t, a clerX would need to grope~lnto a top-opening
p~cket in order to rem~ a label that is t~ short.
It i~; interesting to compara Figure~ 1 and 12, ~ince
~:uch a compari on demonstrates that carrie~ 1g8 if~ not simply
carrier ~o, mounted up~ide down. Mounting ~lange 48 in
Figure 1 is po6it:ionsd at the tc~p, and the aorresponding
2~ mvunting ~lange~ 208 i~ Figure 12 is also positioned at the
top even though the pocke~ 2l~ is botto~-opening rather than
top-opening. Similarly, ~he three-segment a~tachment ~lange
44 is mou~te~ on the botto~ in Figure 1, as is ~he
corre~po~ding three-8egment at~achment flange 204 in Figure.
- 21 -
~Q~73
12. Furthermore, in both Figur~s 1 and 12, th~ upper
attac~1n~nt ~lange (re~erence num~er 42 in Figure l and
re~erence number ~2 in Figure 12) is con~ured ~o pr~vide a
pivot when the re~pective carrier is ~napped onto ~he
respective molding me~ber.
Figure 13 illu~tr~te~ another exa~ple o~ a ~arrier with
a bottom-opening pocket. In Figure 13, molding memher 218 is
at~ached to ~h~ edge o~ shelP ~20. ~ carrier 222 include~ a
opaque rear wall 224, a transparent front wall 2~ ~rom which
upper and lower mounting ~lange~ 2~8 and 230 extend, and a
bottom-opening poc~e~ 232 between walls ~4 and ~26 to
receivs a label ~34. It sho~ld be noted that l~dg~ 236
extends backwa~d from front wall 226 in the embodi~e~t o~
~igu~e 13, while the corresponding ledg~ 238 extend~ ~orward
15 ~rom rear wall 200 in the embodiment of Flgux~ 12. -~hese
ledges can be u~d to support the lower edge: o~ -the labels
when the pocket are open.
As will be apparenk ~rom Figure 13, carrier 222 does not
~na~ int~ molding me~ber ~ nstead, it i~ ao-ex~r~ded
::: 20 with a mount t~b 242 which is connect~d by way o~ ~ ~lexible
hinge 244 . ~inge 244 is preferably 0~3 mm thlck a~d is made
~rom pl~stic rated at Shore A85. Carrier 222 is preferably
e~truded wit~ tab 242 f~r~ing an angle o-f abs~t l20 with
respect to the back wall 224, but th~ ~lexibility o~ hinge
.
-- 2 2 --
2 ~ 7 ~
: 244 per~it~ this natural angle t~ be ~a~ied during installa-
tion and use of carrier 222. Double-~i~ed ~dhesive tape 246
i~ u~ed to connect tab 2~2 to the upper surface o~ upper
shel~ 22~
S I~ will be apparent to thosa skilled in th~ art that,
while aarriers in a¢cordance with the present invention havc
been descxibe~ primarily in the c~ntext o~ their ~ility a~ a
grocery s~ore, the carrier~ may he u~ed ln other re~ail
establi~hments (e.g., hardware sto~es, drug store~, variety
1~ ~tores, and so ~orth) or non-retail establishme~ts (e.g.
s~ockroom~, libraries, laboratories, and so ~orth) where
labels are needed to identify objects or to supply other
information about objecks.
; It will be understood ~hat the above de~ription o~ the
present invention is ~usceptible to ~arious modi~i~ations,
changes, and ~dap~ations, and the same are intended to be
; comprehended within the meanin~ and range o~ equivalents of
th~ appended claim
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