Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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INDEXABLE GRAVITY FLOW SHELVING SYSTEM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to gravity flow
shelving units and, more specifically, to inclined shelves
having adjustable track members for ready manipulation of
horizontal spacing and location of track members in gravity
flow shelves to accommodate product of various shapes and
sizes, so as to maximize use of retail shelf space.
Description of the Related Art
In order to increase inventory turnover and maximize
efficient use of shelf space, retailers increasingly utilize
gravity flow shelving systems, wherein inclined shelves are
used to stock merchandise. In such shelf systems, consumers
are presented with an array of merchandise arranged in
parallel tracks on each shelf, generally with only the front-
most (or "first-up") unit of merchandise in each individual
track being easily accessible. Upon removing this front-most
unit of merchandise, the remaining units of like-merchandise
in that given track advance, i.e. slide down, toward the front
of the shelf, so that the next-successive unit in line becomes
the new front-most unit in that track.
Since conventional flat merchandise shelves, e.g.,
cantilevered or so-called "gondola"-type shelves, allow users
to rearrange product on the shelves, such as to find product
with later expiration dates, these inclined gravity flow
shelving systems help ensure that oldest product is sold
first. By making rearrangement of product more difficult, it
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is found that inventory waste is reduced. The inclined
arrangement of the gravity flow shelves also allows greater
shelf-space on a given footprint of valuable floor space for
the retailer, which is a particular advantage in relatively
costly refrigerated aisles and wall units where gravity
shelving systems are becoming the industry standard.
In order to further maximize the use of shelf space,
various attempts have been made to provide adjustable or
indexable shelving, wherein individual track members are
horizontally adjustable relative to a shelf frame, so that
track members can be placed by a retailer at different
customized desired horizontal locations to accommodate
merchandise of varying size, i.e. width, and shape on a single
inclined shelf.
The general concept of indexable shelf tracks for
display shelves started as early as the late 1950's, where
Bromberg, U.S. Patent No. 2,915,193, showed the use of
horizontally-spaced, upwardly- and inwardly-open slots along
the front and rear of a flat shelf to accommodate vertical
wall members at various desired spaced locations along the
width of the shelf to form several compartments of desired
sizes within the shelf. A shortcoming of such a shelf with
variable width spacings, when utilizing upwardly-open slots to
receive vertical wall members, is that the wall members can be
easily removed by consumers, thereby easily circumventing the
purpose of the vertical wall members.
Indexable shelf tracks have also been used in
inclined gravity flow racks, such as in U.S. Patent No.
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4,383,614, which shows a plurality of teeth defining inwardly-
open notches along the front and rear rails of an inclined
shelf to securely receive individual roller track members to
facilitate sliding of products on the track members. Each of
the roller track members has an inverted generally U-shaped
cross-section, with a flat top web having downwardly-
projecting straight legs and inwardly-bent runners. The
runners slidably receive a plastic clip member to lock the
track member in place within a pair of the inwardly-open
notches. Such clip members must be separately manufactured,
increasing time and cost of production, as well as providing
many additional parts for assembly (and possibly inadvertent
loss of smaller parts) by the retailer.
In another previous attempt at an indexable gravity
flow shelving system, shown in Highsmith, U.S. Patent No.
4,909,402, longitudinal dividers having resilient legs are
received between pegs having upright and transverse portions
that define upwardly-open notches. In localized regions, the
resilient legs of the longitudinal dividers are biased
together by a clip in order to pass the longitudinal divider
between desired adjacent pegs, and then the clip is removed to
lock the longitudinal dividers in place. Again, a clip member
is necessary to assemble the indexable shelf member. In this
instance, since the clip is only used at the time of assembly
or removal of a longitudinal divider, the clip may again
inadvertently become lost, rendering rearrangement of the
longitudinal dividers difficult. Furthermore, additional
track members to support merchandise are required.
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Most all conventional indexable gravity flow shelf
systems require the use of track members specially adapted
with legs or flanges on the underside thereof to be received
in the indexing slots provided along the front and rear rails
of the shelf. These legs or flanges are integral parts of the
track members, such as shown in German Patent No. 196 09 432,
requiring costly machine operations to form the track members
having the required shape. As indicated in that German
patent, gravity flow shelf tracks can utilize elongated
grooved channels along the length of the track members order
to reduce friction between merchandise and the upper flat
surface of the track. Alternatively, as shown in Spamer, U.S.
Patent No. 5,022,535, elongated, upwardly-extending flow ribs
or runners can be provided along the upper flat surface of the
track members, which similarly serve to reduce friction
between merchandise and the track members. Spamer discloses
using adhesive to mount the shelf tracks to the front and rear
rails of the inclined shelf, which can undesirably deteriorate
over time.
It would be desirable for an indexable gravity flow
shelf system to have the ability to utilize the existing flow
ribs or slide runners on the upper surface of the track
members to lock track members in desired locations along
inclined shelves, because such use would eliminate the need
for additional legs or flanges on the underside of the track
members. However, there is no known prior gravity flow
shelving system that uses the friction-reducing flow ribs on
the upper surface of the tracks for securely installing the
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track members.
Another drawback of conventional indexable shelf
systems is that the horizontal adjustability of the individual
shelf tracks is limited by relatively wide spacing of the
slots or apertures heretofore provided on front and rear rails
to receive portions of the tracks. A typical center-to-center
distance of about 5/16" separates inwardly-open notches
between the teeth members along the front and rear rails of
finite horizontally-adjustable (i.e., indexable) gravity flow
rack systems found in the prior art. However, it would be
desirable for an indexable gravity flow shelf system to
provide a greater number of shelf track interface points that
are spaced more closely together than in such prior art
indexable shelf systems, in order to achieve greater finite
horizontal adjustability of track members.
It would also be useful to have an indexable gravity
flow shelf system that is easy to assemble and for which the
individual shelf tracks can be easily rearranged by the
retailer, yet still be securely mounted in place once arranged
to avoid inadvertent shelf track slippage or dislocation. It
would be further desirable if such a shelf track system
required no additional clip parts to lock shelf tracks in
place or to install (or remove) shelf tracks in (from) desired
locations along the width of the shelf. An additional
desirable feature would be the ability to retrofit an existing
shelf with components that allow the shelf to act as an
indexable gravity flow shelf that does not suffer from the
drawbacks described above. The manner in which these
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objectives are accomplished by the present invention is
described in the following Brief Summary of the Invention, the
Detailed Description of the Invention, and the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention utilizes a row of generally
downwardly-extending resilient tangs that forms a resilient
comb member along both the front and rear rails of each
inclined shelf in a gravity flow shelving system. In general,
when installing certain types of track members, a region of at
least one of these rows of resilient tangs flexes outwardly
while an individual track member is being installed, and then
snaps closed, i.e. springs back or returns to its original
position, once a flat surface of the track member passes
beneath the selected series of tangs. Advantageously, the
elongated, upwardly-extending flow ribs or slide runners which
are provided along the upper flat surface of each of these
certain types of track members are received in slots or gaps
between pairs of the downwardly-extending resilient tangs to
prevent unwanted lateral, i.e. transverse, movement of the
track members, once arranged in a shelf.
Various shapes of track members having the upwardly-
extending ribs can be utilized, such as flat track members,
inverted T-shaped track members, L-shaped track members, and
even others. The elongated body of the inverted T-shaped
track members provides an integral vertical divider portion
used to separate adjacent tracks of the shelf, keeping
merchandise in its respective track. The L-shaped track
member is used for the outside tracks of a given shelf, and
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provides the vertical divider portion for keeping merchandise
in an outer end (i.e., left-most or right-most) column. It is
the vertical divider portion of the inverted T-shaped track
members and the L-shaped track members that causes the outward
deformation of a region of one of the front and rear rows of
resilient tangs during insertion or removal of the track
members.
The exposed leading front (or rear) edge of the
vertical divider portion of these track members engages a peak
of a gap between a pair of the resilient tangs and deforms a
region of the associated row of tangs that is wide enough to
provide clearance for the flat runner portion of the track
member to pass beneath the row of tangs, at which time the
deformed region of the row of resilient tangs snaps back to
its original position and the track member can be slid toward
the opposite rail to be locked in position at that same end of
the shelf.
In a preferred method of using the indexable shelf
system of the present invention, a rear end of a track member
is placed in a desired horizontal location against the row of
resilient tangs along the rear rail of an inclined shelf, so
that the upwardly-extending ribs on the upper flat surface of
the track member are aligned with slots between pairs of the
resilient tangs along the rear rail. Pressure is then applied
longitudinally along the track member to rearwardly bias the
region of resilient tangs in the vicinity of the vertical
divider portion at the rear end of the track member, until the
rear end of the track member passes below the resilient tangs
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adjacent to the rear end of the track member. At this time,
this bent region of resilient tangs springs back to its
original orientation. Finally, the track member is slid
forwardly along the inclined plane of the shelf until the
front end of the track member passes under the tangs along the
front rail of the inclined shelf, or the front end of the
track member is simply snapped downwardly into tangs at the
front rail of the inclined shelf, to be releasably locked at
that desired location within the shelf.
Advantageously, to remove the track member, the
process is readily reversible, in that the track member is
slid in a rearward direction, applying adequate force to bias
the region of the row of resilient tangs adjacent the rear
rail of the shelf rearwardly until the front end of the track
member is clear of the resilient tangs along the front rail of
the inclined shelf. The track member is then withdrawn from
underneath the resilient tangs along the rear rail of the
shelf. It will be understood that the track members can
alternatively be installed or removed in the opposite
directions to those just described.
Preferably, each of the front and rear rails of the
indexable shelf of the present invention cooperates with a
price tag molding having a horizontal channel that is
generally U-shaped in cross-section to receive and retain a
stop plate or filler piece in a position generally
perpendicular to the plane of the inclined shelf. The front
end stop plate is an acrylic, preferably transparent plate
that is inserted in the U-shaped channel of the front price
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tag molding, and extends above the front price tag molding in
order to prevent merchandise from falling of the shelf at the
front end of each track member. Because of the height of the
rear rail and angle of incline of the indexable shelf, a stop
plate at the rear of the shelf is not necessary to prevent a
rear-most (or "last-up") product unit in a given column of
product units from being pushed off the rear side of the shelf
system when pressure is applied to the first-up product unit
in that column of units from the front of the shelf system,
for example if the shelves are front-loaded.
However, the use of an elongated filler piece,
preferably plastic, in the U-shaped channel of the rear price
tag molding is necessary to keep the resilient adjustment
tangs of the rear of the shelf at a distance above the rear
rail that is approximately the same as the distance of the
tangs of the front of the shelf above the front rail. The
front resilient adjustment tangs may be provided as integral
downwardly and rearwardly-extending tooth-like projections of
the front price tag molding or, more preferably, as downwardly
and rearwardly-exending tooth-like projections that are part
of a separate resilient comb member having a means for
interlocking with the front price tag molding.
In either case, the gaps between the tangs of each
comb member preferably have a center-to-center distance of
0.2", which is shorter than the 5/16" center-to-center spacing
of many of the track-receiving gaps found in indexable
shelving in the prior art. This closer spacing of the gaps
between the tangs vastly increases the horizontal
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adjustability of the track members, so that the system can be
better customized by retailers for their use with products of
various widths.
Advantageously, a price plate receiving channel at
the forward leading edge of the price tag molding can receive
labeling indicia therein, such as product names, flavors, and
prices, at positions associated with, i.e. immediately
forwardly and below, each track member of the shelf for the
benefit of consumers.
The resilient adjustment tangs along the rear rail
are aligned with the resilient adjustment tangs of the front
rail to assure proper alignment of the track members, and are
formed as forwardly-extending tooth-like projections of either
a rear price tag molding or, more preferably, a separate
resilient comb-like member that interlocks with the rear price
tag molding. Indicia may be provided on the individual tangs
associated with the front rail, with corresponding indicia on
the tangs associated with the rear rail, to further facilitate
quick proper alignment of the track members. For example, a
colored marking can be provided on every fifth tang along both
the front and rear rails so that a retailer can easily align
each track member at a desired horizontal location within the
shelf. The price tag molding on the rear rail may also
include a price plate receiving channel to receive rearwardly-
facing indicia therein, such as product codes, product names,
and flavors, to assist stock-keeping personnel in stocking
items from the rear of the shelf. Again, these indicia may be
provided in close proximity to associated track members.
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More generally, it is recognized that the flexible
track interface means of the shelf frame of the present
invention can be used to secure various other types, i.e.
designs, of track members, including those that do not have
the upwardly-extending flow ribs. For example, the spacing of
the tangs along each comb member are preferably such that the
shelf frame can accommodate elongated roller track members
found in the prior art, preferably having an inverted
generally U-shaped cross-section including a flat top web
having downwardly-projecting vertical side legs. Such
elongated roller track members further include inwardly-bent
flanges along the bottom of each side leg.
The vertical side legs serve the same function as
the vertical divider portion of the L track member and
inverted T track member described above. Each vertical side
leg contacts the peak of a gap between two adjacent tangs, and
when pressure is applied longitudinally along the length of
the roller track member, a region of the corresponding comb
member deforms outwardly so that the opposite end of the
roller track member can be snapped in place along the opposite
rail of the shelf frame. The length of the roller track
member is such that when installed, i.e. snapped in place,
between opposing tangs of the front and rear comb members, the
roller track member is securely restrained against transverse
movement.
In an alternate embodiment of the present invention,
an existing cantilevered, so-called "gondola"-type shelf is
retrofitted with components to convert the shelf into an
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indexable gravity flow shelf. The components include front
and rear flexible track interface means of the type described
above. Advantageously, mounting arms located on the rear of
the gondola-type shelf can be used to mount the shelf at an
incline, leaving space at the rear of the shelf for one or
more generally J-shaped hooks to clip the front and rear
flexible track interface means to the flat shelf surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an indexable gravity
flow shelf system of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged front perspective view, broken
away, of a preferred vertical support for the gravity flow
shelf system shown in FIG. 1, with shelf mounting clamps.
FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a single
indexable gravity flow shelf of the present invention
FIG. 4 is a left, rear perspective view of a single
indexable gravity flow shelf of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a left side view of the front rail of the
shelf shown in FIG. 3, taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view, broken away, of an
interface of an inverted T-shaped track member and the front
track interface means of the shelf shown in FIG. 4, taken
along line 6 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view, broken away, of an
interface of an L-shaped track member and the rear track
interface means of the shelf shown in FIG. 3, taken along line
7 of FIG. 3;
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FIG. 8 is a front perspective view, broken away, of
a flat track member for use with the indexable shelf of the
present invention;
FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of an inverted T-
shaped track member, partially broken away, for use with the
indexable shelf of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of an L-shaped
track member for use with an indexable shelf of the present
invention;
FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of a conventional
cantilevered gondola-type shelf equipped with a retrofit
version of the indexable gravity flow shelf assembly of the
present invention;
FIG. 12 is an enlarged front perspective view,
broken away, of the connection of the shelf and retrofit
indexable gravity flow shelf assembly of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is an enlarged left side view of the
connection of the conventional cantilevered shelf of FIG 11,
taken along lines 13-13 of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a front perspective view, broken away, of
an indexable gravity flow shelf of the present invention in
conjunction with roller track members;
FIG. 15 is a rear perspective view taken along lines
15-15 of FIG. 14, with the front end of a roller track member
partially broken away for clarity, showing the interface
between the roller track member and the front track interface
means; and
FIG. 16 is a perspective view, broken away, of an
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interface of a roller track member and the front track
interface means of the shelf shown in FIG. 14, taken along
line 16 of FIG. 14.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As shown in FIGS. 1-4, an indexable gravity flow
shelf system 10 includes three inclined shelf frames 12, 14,
16 mounted on four vertical shelf rack support legs 18, 20,
22, 24. Fewer or more inclined shelf frames may be utilized
in the shelf system 10, as desired, and as allowed by the
height of both the vertical shelf rack support legs 18-24 and
the height of product stored on the shelf frames. Each shelf
frame 12, 14, 16 includes a pair of side rails 26, 28, a front
rail 30, and a rear rail 32. The front, rear, and side rails
may be L-shaped in cross section, as described in more detail
below. A center rail 34 is also preferably provided in each
shelf frame for extra support of the track members.
Additional intermediate lateral cross rails (not shown) may be
provided horizontally across the width of the shelf 12 to
provide additional support. The side rails 26, 28 are each
provided with a plurality of downwardly-directed, inclined U-
shaped mounting grooves 36 that are selectively hooked onto
clamps fastened to the rear vertical support legs 18, 20 in
order to adjust the angle of incline of the shelf frame 12.
Mounting grooves 36 may also be used to adjust how far the
shelf frame 12 extends forwardly of the front vertical support
legs 22, 24.
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Vertical support Leas
Keyhole slots 38 that receive the clamps 39 (or
similar fasteners as will be appreciated by those of ordinary
skill in the art) are preferably provided along substantially
the entire length of each of the vertical support legs 18, 20,
22, 24 to provide maximum adjustability for shelf height,
number of shelves, and angle of incline of each shelf frame
12, 14, 16. As shown in FIG. 2, each clamp 39 may be in the
form of a generally cylindrical member having a pair of spaced
annular grooves therein. A relatively wide entry/exit portion
38a of the keyhole slot 38 receives a complementarily-shaped
support lock end 39a of the clamp 39, and an adjacent annular
groove of the clamp 39 slides into a relatively narrow channel
38b of the keyhole slot. The other annular groove of the
clamp 39 receives a portion of one of the side rails 26, 28 of
the shelf frame, or permits coupling of the clamp 39 with one
of the U-shaped mounting grooves 36.
Gravity retains the clamp 39 in a secure position.
Preferably, each vertical support leg 18, 20, 22, 24 is
generally U-shaped in cross section, with a solid, imperforate
central web portion 55 flanked by two side walls 54, 56. The
keyhole slots 38 preferably extend along both of the sidewalls
54, 56 of the vertical support legs 18-24, which permits front
and rear vertical support legs to be shared by adjacent shelf
rack systems 10, thus facilitating the forming of an aisle of
multiple, cooperating, side-by-side gravity flow shelf rack
systems.
Advantageously, each of the vertical support legs
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18, 20, 22, 24 is preferably generally U-shaped in cross-
section, with a central web 17 and side legs 19, 21. The
keyhole slots 38 are preferably provided along both vertical
side legs 19, 21, so that a single vertical support leg may be
used cooperatively for two adjacent shelf systems, and an
entire row of shelf systems may thus be interlinked. For
cosmetic reasons, the central web 17 of each vertical support
leg 18, 20, 22, 24 faces the front of the shelf system 10, to
obscure the keyhole slots 38 and clamps 39 from view. While
this type of vertical support leg, keyhole slot, and clamp
system has been used in gravity flow shelving systems prior to
the present invention, this structure is disclosed as one
preferred exemplary environment for the shelf frame of the
present invention.
~~Price Tag~~ Molding's
Turning to FIGS. 5-7, a flat portion 30a of the
front rail 30 lies in the plane of the shelf frame 12, and an
upstanding portion 30b of the front rail 30 interfaces with a
specially adapted elongated price tag molding 40 that extends
substantially the width of the shelf frame 12. The price tag
molding 40 derives its name because its leading portion 42,
which is the portion visible to the consumer, includes
opposing lower and upper channels 44, 46 to receive labeling
indicia therein, such as pricing information, product
identification, and inventory control numbers. Most
preferably, the price tag molding 40 is made of Acrylonitrile
Butandiene Styrene (ABS), which is available from Bayer Corp.,
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Rosemont, Illinois. The leading portion 42 is integrally
joined just rearwardly of the upper channel 46 to a secondary
portion 48 of the price tag molding 40.
Secondary portion 48 is preferably L-shaped in
cross-section, in that it includes a wall member 50 that is
substantially perpendicular to the inclined plane of the shelf
frame 12 and a relatively short, flat, rearwardly-directed
extension 52 that lies in the same inclined plane as the shelf
frame 12 to lock the price tag molding 40 in place on the L-
shaped front rail 30. A short gap separates the second
portion 48 from a tertiary portion 58 of the price tag molding
40, consisting of a first wall 60, a second wall 62 parallel
to the first wall 60, and a floor segment 64 separating the
first wall 60 and the second wall 62. The first wall 60,
second wall 62, and floor segment 64 define generally U-shaped
groove that can receive and retain a front stop plate 66 in an
orientation generally perpendicular to the plane of the shelf
frame 12. The front stop plate 66 is preferably a transparent
acrylic plate that extends above the top of the front price
tag molding so that the first-up product stored in each column
on shelf tracks 82, 84, 86 (which are described in more detail
below) is visible to consumers, while being prevented from
falling over the leading portion 42 of the price tag molding
40. The front stop plate 66 is preferably easily removable
from the tertiary portion 58 to facilitate cleaning of the
front stop plate 66.
The first wall 60 and floor segment 64 of the
tertiary portion 58 cooperate with the wall member 50 and
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short, flat, rearwardly-directed extension 52 of the secondary
portion 48 to securely receive the upstanding portion 30b of
the front rail 30 and lock the price tag molding 40 in place
on the front rail 30.
Because the side rails 26, 28 are connected to the
underside of the flat portion 30a of the front rail 30, it is
recognized that a portion of the rearwardly-directed extension
52 of the secondary portion 48 may need to be removed at each
side of the front rail 30 to accommodate the width of the flat
portion 26a, 28a of each of the respective side rails 26, 28
that lies in the plane of the shelf frame 12 (see FIGS. 2, 3).
The side rails 26, 28 are also preferably L-shaped, with an
integral downwardly-extending portion 26b, 28b from which the
generally U-shaped mounting grooves 36 depend.
Immediately rearward of the tertiary portion 58 of
the price tag molding 40 is support means for a front track
interface means 68. In the most preferred embodiment, this
support means for the front track interface means includes
closely-spaced opposing upper and lower channels 70, 72
located along the second wall 62 of the tertiary portion 58.
These opposing channels 70, 72 form a C-shaped (in cross-
section) passageway that slidingly receives a corresponding T-
shaped (in cross-section) extension 74 of the front track
interface means 68. Although the front track interface means
68 and the price tag molding 40 are designed to securely
interlock with one another without the need for any bonding
agents or welds, those of ordinary skill in the art will
appreciate that, once assembled, these components can also be
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crimped together by the manufacturer for added integrity.
Alternatively, the front track interface means 68 may be
formed integral with the price tag molding 40, and connected
to the tertiary portion 58, for example by a thin-sectioned,
living hinge member (not shown).
The front track interface means 68 takes the form of
a resilient comb member 69 having a concave curved cross-
section and a plurality of downwardly, inwardly open tangs 76.
Each pair of tangs 76 defines a generally inverted U-shaped
gap 78 therebetween. Each gap 78 has a peak 80 at its highest
point. The gaps 78 between the tangs 76 are separated by a
center-to-center distance of 0.2" intervals, which is closer
than the 5/16" spacing of adjustable track supports found in
the prior art. This closer spacing of the gaps 78 between the
tangs 76 results in greater adjustability in horizontal
placement of shelf tracks. The tangs 76 are formed as
individual struck-out members with the bottom of each tang
advantageously spaced a distance C above the flat portion 30a
of the front rail 30 when the tangs 76 are in their resting
position. This is done in order to provide clearance for the
flat track strip portion of each shelf track between the
bottoms of the tangs 76 and the front rail 30. In an
exemplary embodiment, the flat track strip portion has a
thickness of preferably about 0.1". The raised flow ribs 90
of the track members 82, 84, 86, each has a height of about
0.063", which gives the shelf track a total thickness of
0.163" at the raised flow ribs 90. Most preferably, distance
C is approximately 0.135" +0.01", so that the raised flow
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ribs 90 are retained within the gaps 78 between associated
tangs 76 to prevent transverse movement of the track members.
It is recognized, however, that track members having thicker
flat track strips may be desirable, e.g., for use with
particularly heavy products stocked on the shelving. In such
applications, the distance C may have to be greater to
accommodate such thicker track members.
A similar specially-adapted elongated price tag
molding 41 extends along and securely interfaces with the rear
rail 32, extending substantially the width of the shelf frame
12. Because of the height and incline of the rear price tag
molding 41, it need not include a raised rear stop plate to
prevent last-up product from falling over the rear of the
shelf. However, a plastic filler piece 67 (not shown in FIGS.
1-4, but see FIG. 7) is considered necessary in the tertiary
portion of the rear price tag molding 41 to ensure that the
resilient tangs of the rear price tag molding 41 extend the
same dimension C above the flat portion of the rear rail 32.
Also, it is desirable for the rear price tag molding 41 to
still include an indicia receiving means to assist
stockkeeping personnel working from behind the shelf system 10
in identifying where to place product, particularly in rear-
loaded gravity flow shelving systems.
Track Members
Turning now to FIGS. 8-10 three exemplary shelf
track members 82, 84, 86 are shown. Each track member 82, 84,
86 is most preferably made of high impact polystyrene,
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available from Huntsman Chemical Co. of Chesapeake, Virginia,
as well as Dow Corning Co. in Freeland, Michigan. The high
impact polystyrene may further include an additive, known as
Dow Corning #MB25-504. Flat track member 82, shown in FIG. 8,
includes a generally flat track strip 88, and a plurality of
elongated slide runners or flow ribs 90 extending the length
of the upper surface of the track strip 88. The flow ribs 90
reduce the friction between the track strip 88 and product
resting on the track member, so that when a first-up unit of
product, i.e. a product at the forward- or lower-most position
in a column of product units, is removed by a consumer, the
remaining product units in the column move, i.e. slide
downward, under the force of gravity until the next unit of
product in line becomes the new first-up unit by reaching the
front stop plate 66.
Unlike the inverted T track member 84 shown in FIG.
9 and the L track member shown in FIG. 10, the flat track
member 82 preferably includes at least two downwardly-
depending support ridges 92. Each of the support ridges 92
terminates at a front end 94 that is rearward of the front end
96 of the flat track member 82, and terminates at a rear end
98 that is forward of the rear end of the flat track member
82. This is done to provide clearance for the flat track
strip 88 to lie flush against the flat portion 30a of the
front rail 30. Similarly, a central gap 100 is preferably
provided in each of the ridges 92 so that the flat track strip
88 lies flush against the center rail 34. Additional gaps
(not shown) may be provided in the ridges 92 if the shelf
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frame 12 requires additional intermediate cross support rails.
The ridges 92 advantageously add rigidity to the flat track
member 82.
The inverted T track member 84 similarly has a flat
track strip 88 and a plurality of flow ribs 90 extending the
length of the upper surface thereof. This track member 84
further includes a vertical divider wall member 102, which
separates adjacent columns of product units from one another.
The L track member 86 also has a flat track strip 88 and flow
ribs 90, as well as an outer vertical divider wall member 104.
As seen in FIG. 1, an inverted T track member 84 can be used
in conjunction with other inverted T track members to define a
plurality of track columns for relatively narrow products, and
also in conjunction with L track members 86 to define an outer
track column for a given shelf frame 12. For relatively wide
products, flat track members 82 are used in conjunction with
either or both of the other two types of track members to
widen the track columns.
Mode of Operation
In order to install an inverted T track member 84
into a given shelf frame 12, the front portion of the inverted
T track member 84 is placed into contact with the front track
interface means 68 at a desired location. Preferably, a
leading edge 104 of the vertical divider wall member 102 is
placed in contact with a peak 80 of one of the gaps 78 between
tangs 76. Pressure is applied longitudinally (by the person
installing the track member) to the inverted T track member 84
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in a downward and forward direction, i.e. toward the lower
forward end of the shelf, which causes at least a region of
the resilient comb member 69 of the front track interface
means 68, which is curved in cross-section, to flex forwardly,
thereby allowing the flat track strip 88 to pass underneath
the tangs 76. Once the flat track strip 88 passes beneath the
tangs 76, the flexed region of the resilient comb member 69
snaps back to its original position, as demonstrated by the
directional arrows in FIG. 5. The track member 84 is then
slid rearwardly until the opposite end of the track member is
secured by the tangs of a similar rear track interface means
106, or alternatively, snapped into a rear comb member 108 of
the rear track interface means 106. The upwardly-extending
flow ribs 90 are advantageously located in the gaps 78 of the
resilient comb members 69, 108, thus the tangs 76 prevent the
inverted T track member 84 from making any unwanted
transverse, i.e. horizontal movement.
Installation of the L track member 86 is similar to
the installation of the inverted T track member 84, in that a
leading edge 104 of the vertical divider wall member 102 of
the L track member 86 is first placed in contact with one of
the peaks 80 between the tangs 76. Next, longitudinal
pressure is applied on the L track member 86 in a direction
toward the lower forward end of the shelf until a region of
the resilient comb member 69 of the front track interface
means 68 flexes forwardly. Then, the flat track strip 88
passes beneath the tangs 76 and that flexed region of the
resilient comb member 69 snaps back to its original position
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as the L track member 86 is pushed rearwardly toward the rear
track interface means 106, or alternatively, snapped into the
rear comb member 108 of the rear track interface means 106.
Again, the tangs 76 prevent unwanted transverse movement of
the given L track member 86 by releasably trapping the
upwardly-extending flow ribs 90 therebetween.
Advantageously, the rear track interface means 106
can function just as the front track interface means 68.
Thus, installation of either the inverted T track member 84 or
the L track member 86 can be reversed, so that a rear leading
edge 110 of the vertical divider wall member 102 of the given
track member is first applied to the rear track interface
means 106 until a region of the resilient comb member 108 of
the rear track interface means 106 flexes. Then, the flat
track strip 88 passes beneath the tangs 76, and the region of
the resilient comb member 108 of the rear track interface
means 106 snaps back to its original position, as the given
track member is slid downwardly toward the front track
interface means 68 or alternatively, snapped into the comb
member 69 of the front track interface means 68.
Regardless of the direction in which the given
inverted T track member 84 or L track member 86 is installed,
removal, e.g., for horizontal adjustment purposes, of the
given track member is a similar process. The given track
member is again pushed in the direction of the resilient comb
69, 108 of either the front track interface means 68 or rear
track interface means 106 until a leading edge 104, 110 of the
vertical wall member 102 applies sufficient pressure to the
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peak 80 between two tangs 76 and the resilient comb flexes
again to provide enough room for an opposite end of the flat
track strip 88 of the given track member to be removed from
the shelf frame 12.
Because the flat track member 82 lacks a vertical
divider wall member, installation of this track member is
somewhat different than the inverted T track member 84 and the
L track member 86. The flat track member 82 is preferably
about 1/2" longer than the inverted T track member 84 and L
track member 86, and as a result, the longer length of the
flat track strip 88 of the flat track member 82 is sufficient
to temporarily flex the resilient comb member of the front
and/or rear track interface means 68, 106 to allow for
insertion of the flat track member 82 at a desired location.
As before, the tangs 76 prevent transverse movement of the
flat track member 82 by trapping the upwardly-directed flow
ribs 90 therebetween.
The vertical divider wall member 102 aids in the
retention of the L track member 86 and inverted T track member
84 in the gaps 80 between the tangs 76. Since the flat track
member 82 does not have the vertical divider wall member, the
1/2" longer length of the flat track member 82 means the flat
track member 82 extends an additional 1/4" past the tangs 76
of each of the front and rear track interface means 68, 106,
which helps retain the flat track member 82 in the gaps 80.
The flat track member 82 is preferably sufficiently flexible,
even with the support ridges 92, to be removed from the shelf
frame 12 without having to flex the front and/or rear
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resilient comb members 69, 108 again.
In addition to the flat track member 82, the
inverted-T track member 84, and L track member 86, various
other track shapes are considered to be within the scope of
the present invention. Virtually any track shape that has a
flat track strip with a plurality of elongated flow ribs on
the upper surface can be used in the gravity flow shelf system
10, so long as the track member is able to cause a region of
the front and/or rear track interface means 68, 106 to flex
outwardly so that the track member may be received and
retained in the shelf frame 12. For example, a track member
with two vertical divider walls bounding a central flat track
strip with elongated flow ribs, i.e. forming a U-shaped track
defining a shelf column of fixed width is feasible.
Similarly, a track member may have more vertical divider
walls, such as a W-shaped track member with two parallel,
fixed-width shelf columns. With such U-shaped and W-shaped
track members (not shown), it is foreseeable that product to
be dispensed on the gravity flow shelf system 10 could
advantageously be shipped to retailers together with the track
members as shrink-wrapped, ready-to-dispense columns of
product units that are simply unwrapped, and the associated
pre-loaded track member snapped in place into a shelf frame 12
of the present invention.
In addition, it is found that track members that do
not have upstanding flow ribs on an upper surface can also be
releasably secured within the shelf frame 12. For example, as
shown in FIGs. 14-16, it is found that roller track members
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112 having an upper elongated surface 114 with side support
legs 116 can be used in the shelf frame 12 of the present
invention. The preferred 0.2" center-to-center spacing of the
gaps 78 between the tangs 76 permit the side support legs 116
of the roller track members 112 to act in substantially the
same manner as the vertical divider wall members 102 described
above. When the front (or rear) edges of the side support
legs 116 of the roller track member are placed against the
peaks 80 of two gaps 78 between tangs 76, and pressure is
applied longitudinally to the roller track member 112, the
associated front (or rear) track interface means deforms so
that the opposite end of the roller track member 112 can be
snapped into the opposite end of the shelf frame 12.
Retrofit Version for Existing
Cantilevered Gondola-Type Shelvinq
It will be further appreciated that the indexable
shelf of the present invention is not limited to use with new
shelf systems having vertical shelf supports 18, 20, 22, 24 as
shown in FIG. 1. Instead, the present invention may be used
as a retrofit for existing shelving systems. For example,
existing cantilevered, or so-called "gondola"-type retail
shelving can be set on an incline, if so desired, and adapted
to include the resilient front and rear track interface means
of the present invention. Track members may then be installed
at desired transverse locations and easily removed and
repositioned to adjust the track column width for the gondola-
type shelving.
As shown in FIGS. 11-13, an existing conventional
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cantilevered gondola-type shelf 120 has a shelf surface 122
with a front edge 124 and a rear edge 126. An elongated rear
flange 128 extends downwardly from the rear edge 126 a short
distance, spanning the entire rear of the shelf 120. The
shelf 120 includes two side legs 130, 132, having rear ends
134, 136, respectively. A plurality of integral adjustable
mounting brackets 138, 140, 142, 144 extend rearwardly of the
rear ends 134, 136, each including several teeth 146 used to
latch the shelf 120 onto a pair of grooved mounting rails 148
mounted on a wall for conventional height-adjustable shelving.
Normally, the shelf 120 is mounted by directly
aligning the teeth 146 of each mounting bracket 138-144 placed
in the grooves of the mounting rails 148, to ensure the shelf
surface 22 lies in a horizontal plane. However, by
intentionally staggering the teeth 146 of the mounting
brackets, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, i.e., by using more
rearwardly-disposed teeth on the upper adjustable mounting
brackets 138, 140 and closer (i.e., more-forward) teeth on the
lower adjustable mounting brackets 142, 144, the shelf 120 can
advantageously be securely mounted with the shelf surface 122
lying in an inclined plane, making an angle a with the
horizontal.
Advantageously, the inclined mounting of the shelf
120 provides a gap 150 between the rear edge 126 of the shelf
surface 122 and the vertical wall to which the grooved
mounting rails 148 are fixed. This gap 150 allows for the
insertion of an adapter means including one or more J-shaped
hooks 152 at the rear edge 126 of the shelf surface 122 to
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grasp the rear flange 128. The J-shaped hooks 152 are
associated with front and rear track interface means 154, 156.
For example, the J-shaped hooks 152 may be integral extensions
of elongated flat bar members 158 that are secured to, and
extend between, L-shaped (in cross-section) front and rear
rails 160, 162.
Front and rear track interface means 154, 156 mount
to the front and rear rails 160, 162 just as in the shelf
frame 12 described previously. Each of the front and rear
track interface means 154, 156 includes a curved resilient
comb member 164. The remaining details of the components and
mode of operation of this retrofit version of our indexable
gravity flow shelf are identical to the front and rear track
interface means 68, 106 of the shelf frame 12 as described
previously, and reference is made thereto.
While the present invention has been described with
respect to particular preferred and alternate embodiments
thereof, it is not intended to be limited thereto. Those of
ordinary skill in the art will understand that variations can
be made that are still within the scope of the following
appended claims.
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