Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ROTATING, MULTI-POSITION, ADJUSTABLE
SHELF/VVALL ASSEMBLY
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixture assembly, and more particularly to a
fixture assembly for use with fixture systems for holding and displaying merchandise
for sale, the fixture assembly allowing for rotating, multi-positional, adjustable
shelves.
o Background of the Invention
Display systems are common in the retail industry for displaying merchandise
offered for sale. Because of the flexibility required in the retail/selling industry, a
great amount of time and expense are incurred to provide fixture systems for allseasonal and inventory needs of retail stores. This requires many changes of
hardware, specific fixtures for specific merchandise and storage of fixtures andhardware not in use at a particular time. As a result, this makes display systems
expensive.
The present invention provides a fixture assembly in which one wall or display
unit has the flexibility of being a shelving unit or a h~nging unit or a wall unit or any
combination of these as desired. The system can be increased by the attachment and
installation of additional sections thereto. The present invention provides a fixture
assembly that makes display systems easy to operate, thereby saving time and energy
in ch~nging a store's merchandise display requirements.
Summar,v of the Invention
An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved
fixture assembly for mounting and adjusting shelves in a merchandise display system.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
fixture assembly comprising:
a mounting bracket;
a rotator sleeve; and
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a shelf/wall coupling member;
the shelf/wall coupling member has a primary point of connection to the rotator sleeve
such that the shelf/wall coupling member is rotatable around the primary point of
connection, the shelf/wall coupling member is adjustably fixed at a desired angle by a
5 secondary connection of the shelf/wall coupling member to the rotator sleeve at
secondary points of connection around the first point of connection, the rotator sleeve
coupled to the shelf/wall coupling member is attached to the mounting bracket, the
mounting bracket is attached to a wall or a fixture upright when the shelf/wall
coupling is attached to a shelf and the mounting bracket is attached to a fixture upright
o when the shelf/wall coupling member is attached to a wall.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention there is provided afixture assembly wherein:
the mounting bracket has a front face and a back face and attached to the front
5 face is a hook attachment, the back face of the mounting bracket is attachable to a wall
or fixture upright, the rotator sleeve is attachable to the front face of the mounting
bracket and the hook attachment comprises two parallel bars connected by a
perpendicular bar;
the rotator sleeve comprises a circular adjustment plate having a front face and20 a back face, a collar extending perpendicularly from the circumference of the back
face of the circular adjustment plate except for a gap in the collar, a hook extending
from the back face of the circular adjustment plate above the gap in the collar, a
threaded stem extending from a central opening in the front face of the circularadjustment plate, and adjustment openings in the circular plate around and equidistant
25 from the central opening;
the shelf/wall coupling member comprises a hollow longitudinal tube, a
central tube opening through the centre point of two opposite sides of the tube, two
push button openings on one of the sides of the tube through which the central
opening passes, a double push button spring inserted in the tube so that the two push
30 buttons protrude through the push button openings; and
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the primary point of connection is the point at which the threaded stem of the
rotator sleeve is inserted through the central tube opening in the tube, the secondary
points of connection are formed at the point at which the push button closest to the
central tube opening is fitted into an adjustment opening, the rotator sleeve attaches to
5 the mounting bracket by sliding the gap edge of the rotator sleeve over the hook
attachment of the mounting bracket and fitting the hook of the rotator sleeve over the
perpendicular bar of the hook attachment.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the fixture
o assembly also comprises a hex nut threaded onto the end of the stem of the rotator
sleeve and fixed by flattening the end of the stem, and the tube is rectilinear.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the components of
the fixture assembly are made of cold rolled steel.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The fixture assembly of the present invention will be described in greater
detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a front view of the mounting bracket of the pl~r~lled
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 2-2 of the mounting
bracket illustrated in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the mounting bracket illustrated in Figure
1;
Figure 4 is an isometric view of the mounting bracket of a further
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 5 is a side view of the mounting bracket of a further
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 6 is a front view of the rotator sleeve of the preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
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Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 7-7 of the rotator sleeve
illustrated in Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 8-8 of the rotator sleeve
illustrated in Figure 6;
Figure 9 is a side plan view of the shelf/wall coupling of the pler~ d
embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view taken at line l O-10 of the shelf/wall
coupling illustrated in Figure 9;
Figure 11 is an exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the
o fixture assembly of the present invention;
Figure 12 is a perspective view of a display system incorporating the
preferred embodiment of the fixture assembly of the present invention;
In the drawings, preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way
of example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are
only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are notintended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Figures 1 to 11 illustrate the fixture assembly of the present invention and
Figure 12 illustrates the incorporation of the fixture assembly in a merchandisedisplay system.
Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the mounting bracket 10 of the
present invention having a plate 20, a front plate face 30 and a hook attachment 40.
The hook attachment 40 comprises parallel bars 50 and perpendicular bar 60. Figure
2 illustrates a side view of the mounting bracket 10 of Figure 1 having a back plate
face 70. Figure 3 illustrates a top plan view of the mounting bracket 10 of Figure 1
showing slot 80. The mounting bracket 10 illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 additionally
comprises flange 90. Figure 4 illustrates a further embodiment of a mounting bracket
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10 additionally comprising screw openings 100 and Figure 5 illustrates a furtherembodiment of a mounting bracket 10 additionally comprising hooked bracket 120.
Figures 6 to 8 illustrate the rotator sleeve 130 of the present invention
comprising a circular plate 140, a collar 150, an opening in the collar 160, a hook 170,
a central opening 180 in the circular plate, a threaded stem 190 and adjustment
openings 200.
Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the shelf/wall coupling 210 ofthe present invention
o comprising two central openings 220 through the tube, tube walls 230, a double spring
240, two push button openings 250, and two push buttons 260.
Figure 11 illustrates the fixture assembly 265 of the present invention in an
exploded view comprising the mounting bracket 10, rotator sleeve 130 and shelf/wall
coupling 210 and in addition hex nut 270.
Figure 12 illustrates the fixture assembly 265 in use in a merchandise display
system comprising fixture upright 280, angled shelf 290, vertical shelf 300, horizontal
shelf 310, corner vertical shelf 320, corner horizontal shelf 330, and fixed shelf 340.
20 The fixture upright 280 is part of a horizontal slotted merchandise display system
suitable for mounting bracket 10 shown in Figures 1 to 3.
The various parts of the fixture assembly 30 of the present invention may
conveniently be made of cold rolled steel. With reference to Figures 1 to 5, there is
25 shown the mounting bracket 10 of a preferred embodiment of the fixture assembly of
the present invention. The mounting bracket plate 20 is of formed 11 gauge steel with
a face dimension of 31/2 inches x 31/2 inches. The mounting bracket 10 varies in form
dependent upon how it is to be attached, that is, whether it is attached to a wall, a free-
standing (moveable) floor fixture, etc. The mounting bracket of Figures 1 to 3 has a
30 flange 90 formed to fit into a horizontal slotted fixture upright. The mounting bracket
of Figure 4 has screw openings 100 to enable screws or nails to be inserted to attach
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the mounting bracket to a wall of fixture upright. In the mounting bracket of Figure 4,
the face 30, 70 is flat and unformed, and has four openings 1/4 inch diameter at 2l/2
inches on centre for fastening to a wall. In Figure 5, the mounting bracket face 30, 70
of Figure is flat and welded onto a hooked bracket 120 for use with wall or fixture
mounted vertical slotted fixture upright. There are many more mo~mting
styles/systems to which this mounting bracket can be adapted. To the front plate face
30 two parallel bars 50 are welded. The parallel bars 50 are l/2 inch x l/2 inch x 21/2
inch long solid steel with a l/2 inch space between the two bars and are centred on the
back plate face 70. A perpendicular bar 60 of 11 gauge steel that is l/2 inch x l/2 inch
0 is welded flush with the two parallel bars 50 at the top of the front plate face 30 to
create a slot 80.
In Figures 6 to 8, several views of the rotator sleeve 130 used in the fixture
assembly of the present invention are shown. The rotator sleeve 130 comprises aneleven gauge steel, l/2 inch x 31/2 inch diameter collar 150 with a l/2 inch x 1l/2" inch
gap 160 at the bottom. The collar 150 is open at one end and welded to a 1/4 inch thick
x 31/2 inch diameter circular adjustment plate 140 on the other end. On the inside face
of the circular adjustment plate 140 opposite the opening 160 at the bottom is an
eleven gauge l/2 inch x l/2 inch x 1/4 inch stand-off hook 170. The hook 170 is welded
on to circular adjustment plate 140so as to be aligned with the open slot 80 formed by
the two parallel bars 50 and the perpendicular bar 60 on the mounting bracket 10 as
shown in Figures 1 to 5. The circular adjustment plate 140 has one opening 180 in its
centre of 3/8 inch diameter to take a 3/8 inch by 1-3/8 inch long threaded stem 190
which is welded in place with 1-1/8 inches of the threaded stem 190 exposed on the
front face.
A series of adjustment openings 200 of 17/32 inch diameter are drilled around
the face of the circular adjustment plate 140 evenly spaced from each other and ll/4
inches on centre from centre of opening 180. These adjustment openings 200 will
vary in number, depending upon the number of adjustments required. The adjustment
openings 200 have chamfered edges on the front face.
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Figures 9 and 10 are views of the shelf/wall coupling 210 used in the preferred
embodiment of the present invention. The shelf/wall coupling 210 consists of a
sixteen gauge steel tube 225 that is 3/4 inch x 3/4 inch x 12 inches long. Two centre
openings 230 are drilled through two opposite sides 220 of the tube 225 at the centre,
of 13/32 inch diameter. On one side of the tube 220 and the same side as one of the
centre openings 230 two push button openings 250 are drilled of 5/16 inch diameter
and 1 inch on centre from each other and the opening for push button 265 is 1 1/4 inches
on centre from the centre opening 230. A double push button steel spring 240 is
0 inserted into the tube 225 until the two push buttons 260, 265 align and protrude
through the push button openings 250.
An exploded view of the preferred embodiment of the fixture assembly 265 of
the present invention is shown in Figure 11. The mounting bracket 10 is attached to
the wall/fixture upright (not shown). The rotator sleeve 130 connects to the shelf/wall
coupling 210 by inserting the threaded stem 190 through opening 230. A 3/8 inch hex
nut 270 is screwed onto threaded stem 190 leaving a 1/32 inch gap between rotator
sleeve 130 and the shelf/wall coupling 210. The end of threaded stem 190 is thenflattened to keep the hex nut 270 in place. The rotator sleeve 130 and the shelf/wall
coupling 210 are then mounted to the shelf or wall (not shown in Figure 11) and they
are then slid over the mounting bracket 10 by ~ligning the hook 170 with the open slot
80. The collar 130 at the point of the gap 160 slides over the hook attachment 40. The
same assembling procedure is then applied to the other end of the shelf/wall. The
shelf/wall is mounted to the shelf/wall coupling by screwing, welding, gluing or any
other such method. The shelf may be any material of solid, perforated or barred
appearance and may be in other shapes, such as, baskets or trays.
Examples of display systems incorporating the fixture assembly 265 of the
present invention, with horizontal slotted fixture uprights, are shown in Figure 12.
The present invention allows the shelves/walls of a merchandise display system to
rotate to any desired angle. This is done by depressing the exposed push button 260
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and rotating the shelf/wall to the desired angle. The push button 265 will fit into an
adjustment opening 200 on the rotator sleeve 130 to lock the shelf/wall in the desired
position. The push button 260 is depressed again to change the angle of the shelf/wall
so that push button 265 is locked into a different adjustment opening 250. Since the
5 shelves at the very bottom of the merchandise display system are not usually changed,
these shelves may be fixed into place as shown by fixed shelf 340. Figure 12
illustrates a combination of angled shelves 290, vertical shelves 300, 320 and
horizontal shelves 310, 330. The mounting bracket 10 illustrated in Figure 4 may be
attached to a building wall rather than a fixture upright and operate in the fixture
o assembly as described above. Similarly, the shelf/wall coupling 210 may be attached
to a building wall and operate in the fixture assembly to connect a fixture upright to a
building wall.
The use of the fixture assembly in a merchandise display system allows the
5 flexibility of adjusting the system to be a shelving unit or a h~nging unit or a wall unit
or any combination of these as desired. The size of the system can be increased by the
attachment and installation of additional sections thereto and also ~ m~ntled easily as
well.
It will be recognised that with the advanced techniques in polymers, castings
and carbon fibre etc. that the fixture assembly of the present invention can also be
made out of these alternate materials and still perform the same end function asdescribed herein.
Modifications and alterations to the fixture assembly of the present invention
are contemplated and are within the scope of the invention.
