CA2002026A1 - Snap-in carrier for labels - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A carrier for labels includes a rear wall which is connected to a transparent front wall, with a pocket being provided between the walls. A label may be placed in the pocket. Upper and lower attachment flanges extend from the rear wall to permit the carrier to be snap-connected to, for example, a molding member mounted on a shelf. Upper and lower mounting flanges on the front wall provide upper and lower slots for receiving labels, these slots having the same spacing as slots that are providing in the molding member.
The upper mounting flange includes a straight segment and a curved segment which joins the straight segment to the front wall. This configuration of the upper mounting flange facilitates the installation of labels without creasing them.
The upper and lower attachment flanges also provide rails for guiding a bar code reader while a bar code printed on a label in the pocket is scanned.

Description

2~)Q21~26 BACi~GROUN~ OF THE INVENTION

The present in~ention relates to a carrier for support-ing labels without using adhesive on the labels, and more particularly to a carrier for exchangeable labels such as, for example, labels used in grocery stores.
In a typical grocery store, different types of products are stacked on shelves in close proximity to one another.
One brand of soup might be allotted a foot of shelf space, for example, followed a foot of shelf space for another brand. At one time it was common for grocers to mark the price of products on the individual containers. This practice not only permitted shoppers to compare various products on the basis of price, it al~o enabled cashiers at the checkout stands to manually record the prices using cash registers. The increasing use of bar codes on containers to identify products has made it practical to replace manually-operated cash registers at the checkout stands with bar code scanners. The prices for the various products stocked by a grocery store are stored in a computer, so that reading a bar code at the checkout stand permit~ the price to be looked up electronically rather than manually entered by a cashier.
St~ll, the shopper needs to know the price, and labels bearing the price and other information (such as a bar code identifying the product, written information identifying the product, the product weight, etc.) are typically affixed to , . - : . , . . - ~- ., ':' ~ . .- -20~ZI)26 long molding members at the front edges of the shelves on whic:h the products are stacked. Such labels are also useful to store personnel when inventory is taken or when severely depleted stocks are replaced.
Molding members are typically provided with elongated upper and lower slots. Molding members suitable for use in grocery stores are available from a number of sources, including Hill Refrigeration Corporation, Hussmann Corpora-tion, Lozier Store Fixtures, Madix Store Fixtures, and Streater Store Fixtures. The distance between the upper and lower slots is approximately 1~ inches, but this spacing is not critical because the labels themselves accommodate con-siderable variation.
The labels may have different sizes or configurations.
They may be adhesively attached, or placed without adhesive within the upper and lower slots of the molding members.
~dhesively attached labels have the drawback that they are difficult to remove from a molding member, which may be necessary if the price of a product changes or if the shelf space is re-allocated. Non-adhesively attached labels have the drawback that they are easy to displace, for example by a ~ischievous child, creating confusion for subsequent shop-pers.
Carriers attached to shelves to receive flat labels have been used in Europe for about a decade. Such a carrier, alco known as a "scanner strip," has a rear wall which is 2~)~2Q26 attached to a shelf, a transparent front wall, and a pocket betw~een the front and rear walls for labels. A reading rail may be provided adjacent the bottom edge of the front wall to guide a bar code reader.
Since the labels are enclosed in the pocket they are less likely to be displaced. Furthermore, this arrangement facilitates the scanning of bar codes i~ the bar codes are positioned ad;acent the bottoms of the labels.
While the scanner strips described above are attractive and provide desirable features, it would be expensive to remove the molding members that are already present in many American stores and replace them with scanner strips.
Furthermore it would be expensive for a chain of stores to make one type of label for stores equipped with scanner strips and a different type of label for stores with molding members.
While the above discussion has been predicated on grocery stores, it will be apparent that similar considera-tion apply in other establishments where labels are needed.
Such establishments include not only retail outlets (e.g., hardware stores) but also supply rooms, file rooms, librar-ies, laboratories, and so forth.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
- Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide a snap-in carrier which can be easily mounted on the molding .
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2~02~26 members that are frequently found on shelves in this country, the carrier having a transparent front wall and a pocket beh$nd the front wall to receive labels.
Another ob~ect of the invention i5 to provide a carrier having a transparent front wall and a pocket behind the front wall for receiving labels, the front wall of the carrier also being configured to hold labels of the type that are mount-able on an elongated molding member.
These and other ob~ects which will become apparent in the ensuing detailed description can be attained by providing a label carrier which includes a back wall,;a transparent front wall, the bottom regions of the front and back walls being connected to form a pocket between the walls for receiving labels; attachment means on the back wall for ~nap-connecting the carrier to a molding member having parallel upper and lower slots that are separated by a predetermined distance, the attachment means including an upper attachment flange which extends into the upper slot of the molding member and a lower attachment flange which extends into the lower slot of the molding member; and mounting means on the front wall for mounting further labels having first and second edges, the mounting means including ~n upper ~ounting flange which provides an upper slot to receive the first edges of the further labels and a lower mounting flange which provides a lower slot to receive the second edges, the upper and lower slots of the mounting means .. ., .-.. . . . . , . . ~ . , ,. ' .: . : -.

20~2(~26 being separated by approximately the same distance that separates the upper and lower slots of the molding member.
The label carrier is preferably a unitary plastic member made from coextruded polyvinyl chloride compositions.
The upper mounting flange on the front wall preferably includes a curved segment followed by a straight segment which is disposed at a shallow angle (e.g., 10- to 30 , and preferably about 15-) with respect to the front wall. This configuration avoids creases in the labels when they are installed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating a label carrier in accordance with the present invention attached to a molding member mounted on the edge region of a shelf;
Figure 2 i6 a perspective view showing bib labels attached to mounting flanges on the front wall of the carrier;
Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating flat labels in the pocket of the carrier and a label holder mounted on the mounting flanges;
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the carrier;
Figure 5 is a sectional view illustrating the label carrier mounted on a molding member that is configured differently from the molding member shown in Figure 1;

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2()O2n26 Figure 6 is a sectional view illustrating two carriers mounted on a triple-track molding member in a coffin freezer;
Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the carrier used with a merchandise hanger for a pegboard panel;
and Figures 8 through 11 are sectional views illustrating modified embodiments of the carrier.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In Figure 1, a grocery store shelf 12 for supporting cans, boxes, or other products (not illustrated) has an edge region 14, which faces the aisle ~not illustrated) of the grocery store. An elongated molding member 16 i8 attached to edge region 14 by rivets 18, only one of which is shown.
Molding member 16 is commercially available from Hu~smann Corporation (12999 St. Charles Rock Road, Bridgeton, Nissouri 63044) and includes an upper arm 20 and a lower arm 22.
Upper arm 20 terminates in a curved outer abutment 24. An upper slot 28 is provided immediately behind abutment 24.
Lower arm 22 also terminates in a rounded outer abutment, identified by reference number 30. A lower slot 32 is di~posed just inward of abutment 30. The bottoms of slots 28 ! and 32 are spaced apart by approximately 1~ inches.
A label carrier 34 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is clipped onto molding member 16.
Carrier 34 is an elongated member of extruded plastic and ;' ': .' -., :. ,, : ..
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2noz~26 will be discus~ed in deta~l later. However, for present purposes it is noted that carrier 34 includes an opaque rear wall 36 and a transparent front wall 38, which are separated by a pocket 40. Rear wall 36 iB provided with an elongated upper attachment flange 42 which fits into slot 28 and an elongated lower attachment flange 44 which fits into slot 32 in order to mount the carrier 34 on molding member 16. An upper mounting flange 46 extends from front wall 38 and provides an upper slot 48 between the flange 46 and the wall 38. Furthermore a lower mounting flange 50 extends from front wall 38 and provides a lower slot 52 between the flange 50 and wall 38. It should be noted that the distance between the bottoms of upper slot 48 and lower 510t 42 of carrier 34 is the same as the distance between the bottoms of upper slot 28 and lower slot 32 of molding member 16-- approximately one and a quarter inch~
Turning next to Figures 1 and 2 together, small bib label 54 has an upper edge 56 which fits into upper slot 48.
Centrally positioned on label 54 is a cut 58 which is generally shaped as a long, short "U" with square corners.
Cut 58 provides a flap 60 having a lower edge which fits into slot 52. As is shown in Figure 2, label 54 is printed with the various indicia. Written product indicia 62 identify the product by brand (nAcme"), type ("noodles"), and size ("3 oz."). Bar code 64 typically includes the same information (brand, type, and size) in machine-readable form. Price - ~:, , ", . .

2()02~6 indicia 66 advises shoppers of the product price. Display indicia 68 is provided on the descending or bib portion of label 54 to attract the attention of shoppers.
Large bib label 70 also bears printed indicia. Label 70 has an upper edge 72 which fits into upper slot 4a and a flap 74 providing a lower edge which fits into slot 52. The difference between small bib label 54 and large bib label 70 i8 that the distance between the edges that fit into slots 48 and 52 is slightly different. For small bib label 62, the distance between upper edge 62 and the lower edge provided by flap 60 is approximately one and one quarter inches, so that the portion of label 54 above cut 58 lies substantially flat against wall 38, with a little or no bowing. For large bib label 70, on the other hand, the distance between upper edge 15 72 and the lower edge provided by flap 74 is greater than ;
about one and one quarter inches so that the upper half of label 70 bows outward as illustrated.
It will be apparent that, if carrier 34 were not mounted on molding member 16 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, bib labels 54 and 70 could be attached directly to carrier member 16 itself. For example, the upper edqe 56 of label 54 would fit into upper 510t 28 and the edge provided at the bottom of flap 60 would fit into slot 32.
Fiqure 3 illustrates flat rectangular labels 76 and 78 in the pocket 40 between rear wall 36 and front wall 38 of carrier 34. The plastic from which carrier 34 is made is , .,, .. . ~ .
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, ,-, ~ . ~:. . , 2()021n26 slightly flexible, so that pocket 40 can be opened by hand to pe~it insertion or removal of labels 76 and 78 between walls 36 and 38. Various indicia including a bar code 80 are printed on label 76 and, similarly, various indicia including a bar code 82 are printed on label 78. Bar code 80 is positioned ad~acent the lower edge of label 76 while bar code 82 is positioned ad~acent the upper edge of label 78. The upper edge of flange 50 provides a guide rail for supporting the nose of bar code reader 84 while it is manually moved as indicated by arrows 86 to read bar code 80. Similarly, the lower edge of flange 46 provides a guide rail for supporting the nose of bar code reader 84 when bar code 82 is scanned.
Reference number 88 identifies a label known as a "shelf talker" in the grocery field. Label 88 extends outward into the aisle (not illustrated) passing by shelf 12. Label 88 is supported by a plastic holder 90, sometimes known in the grocery trade as a "shelf talker holder." Holder 90 has resilient legs 92 and 94 which terminate in toes that fit beneath flanges 46 and 50, respectively. Holder 90 also has a clip portion 96 for securing label 88. Although Figure 3 illustrates the holder 90 mounted on carrier 34, it will be apparent that the toes at the ends of legs 92 and 94 could be inserted into slots 28 and 30 of molding member 16 if carrier 34 were not present.
The configuration of carrier 34 will now be described in more detail with reference to Figure 4.

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~ ' .' :' ~()OZ~Z6 Upper attachment flange 42 includes a horizontal segment 98 which is followed by an angled segment 100. Lower attachment flange 44 is formed by three angle segments, 102, 104, and 106. Upper mounting flange 46 includes a straight segment 108 which is connected by a curved segment 110 to front wall 38. Lower mounting flange 50 has a different configuration, consisting of a semicircular segment 112 followed by a short stub 114.
Figure 4 illustrates distances a-k and angles m-r. For 10 molding members with upper and lower slots approximately 1~ -inches apart (e.g., molding member 16 in Figure 1), the following dimensions are preferred: The distance "a" is 1 mm. The distance "b" is 2.2 mm. ~he distance "c" is 5.4 mm.
The distance "d" is 29~5 ~m. Thé dietance "e" is 1.7 mm.
The distance "f" is 3.2 mm. The distance "g" is 1.2 mm. The distance "h" is 1.5 mm. The distance "i" is 3 mm. The distance "j" is 31 mm. The distance "k" is 2.2S mm. The distance "1" is 34.5 mm. Angle "m" is 15-. Angle "n" is 30-. Angle "p" is 15-. Angle "q" is 30-. Angle "r" is 45-.
20 The radius of the inner surface of curved segment 110 is 0.4 mm. The radius of the inner surface of semicircular segment 112 is 0.7 mm. Rear wall 36 is 0.85 mm thick. Front wall 38 is 0.65 mm thick, with the thickness of wall 38 increasing to that of wall 36 (that is, to 0.85 mm) in the region of the 25 intersection 116 between the walls 36 and 38 (intersection : : - ---:,. . - ~ . .

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2()(~2~26 116 will ~e discussed below). Flanges 42, 44, 46, and 50 are 0.7 mm thick.
Carrier 34 is made by co-extruding two polyvinyl chloride plastics which merge at intersection 116. Surpris-ingly, it has been found that positioning intersection 116directly at the bottom of pocket 40, a6 illustrated, does not weaken carrier 34. Pigmented polyvinyl chloride is used for rear wall 36 and mounting flanges 42 and 44. Transparent polyvinyl chloride is used for front wall 38 and attachment flanges 46 and 50.
An inherent characteristic of the extrusion process is that extruded surfaces may have tiny horizontal grooves. As a result, the inner and outer surfaces of wall 38 may not be optically flat over the regions of the bar codes (e.g., bar codes 80 and 82 in Figure 3). These minute grooves may cause irregular reflections from the inner and outer surfaces of wall 38 as the bar codes are scanned, such irregular reflec-tions corresponding to "noise" and causing a deterioration in `
the reading rate and accuracy. German patent application P
39 14 319.8, filed April 29th, 1989, teaches that these irregular reflections can be reduced by mechanically treating the outer surface to provide a very slight degree of rough-ness-- what might be called "microroughness. n However the German application also teaches that a special composition may be used for the transparent polyvinyl chloride to reduce irregular reflections; this composition is preferably used ... .. . .
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2nO2~26 for the polyvinyl chloride that is extruded as front wall 38 and mounting flanges 46 and 50. An example of a suitable composition is as follows: 100 parts by weight of polyvinyl chloride having a X value of 57; two parts by weight of tin stabilizer; 1.5 parts by weight polymethyl methacrylate as a flow modifier; and 1.2 parts by weight of a sliding agent mixture of fatty alcohols, wax esters, and oxid~zed poly-ethylene.
With reference next to Figures 1 and 4 together, the procedure for installing carrier 34 on molding member 16 will now be described. First, with the lower end of carrier 34 spaced apart from lower arm 22, the angled segment 100 of mounting flange 42 is inserted into slot 28. The lower end of carrier ~4 is then pushed upward and toward lower arm 22, thereby pivoting the carrier 34 about its upper end. After mounting flange 44 encounters abutment 30, further inward pressure distorts mounting flange 44 upward until angled segment 106 slides over abutment 30 and into lower slot 32.
This snap-connects carrier 34 to molding member 16.
An advantage afforded by the configuration of upper mounting flange 46 will now be discussed with reference to Fig~res 2 and 4. When a bib label (for example, bib label 70) i~ being attached to carrier 34, the clerk typically grasps the la~el at its center, deflects the descending portion outward to expose the lower edge of flap 74, and inserts the upper edge 72 into upper slot 48. The clerk then - ,, . - . : '::
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2()n2~126 pushes the label 70 slightly upward, causing it to bow strongly, and presses the exposed lower edge of flap 74 against front wall 38. The clerk then slides the lower edge of the label downward against wall 38 until the lower edge lodges ~n lower slot 52.
The slot 52 provided by lower mounting flange 50 is relatively shallow to ensure proper scanning of bar coded information. The upper mounting flange 46 is configured differently from the lower attachment flange 50, as shown.
The straight segment 108 is disposed at the angle m to permit the label 70 to bow out uniformly during installation without creasing. A deep slot 48 is provided to ensure that label 70 does not pop out.
It will be apparent, ~rom a comparison of Figures 2 and 3, that flat labels such as 76 and 78 may be installed in pocket 40 for normal use and then be temporarily covered by bib labels such as 54 and 70 during a sale.
Up to this point the carrier 34 has been described in conjunction with a molding member 16, available from Hill Refrigeration Corporation. However the carrier 34 can be used with molding members produced by other companies, including Hussman Corporation, Lozier Store Fixtures, Madix Store Fixtures, Streater Store Fixtures, and other companies which produce molding members with upper and lower slots that ~5 are positioned about an inch and a quarter apart. For example, Figure 5 illustrates an elongated molding member 118 , . . . . , " . : , .. . . ,. ~ . . . .

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available from Hussman Corporation. Molding member 118 is attached to the edge region 120 of a shelf 122~ Molding member 118 provides an upper slot 124 for receivin~ upper mounting flange 42 and a lower slot 126 for receiving lower mounting flange 44. Carrier 34 can be attached to molding member 118 in a snap-in manner as previously discussed.
Nor i8 the use of carrier 34 limited to elongated molding members attached to the edge regions of shelves.
Figure 6 illustrates a fixture 124 attached to the side of a coffin freezer 126 for displaying frozen foods. A conven-tional triple-track molding member 128 (available from Hill Refrigeration Corporation) is mounted on fixture 124. As will be apparent from Figure 6, molding member 128 provides two pairs of ~lots for attaching two label carriers 34.
Figure 7 further illustrates the versatility of label carrier 34. In Figure 7, a merchandise hanger 130 includes a foot member 132 for releasably mounting the hanger 130 on a peg board panel 134. Hanger 130 also includes a rod which is bent as illustrated to provide an upper arm 136, a base 138 that is spot-welded to foot member 132, and a lower arm 140.
Packages of merchandise (not illustrated) with holes adjacent their upper edges can be suspended from lower arm 140. A
short segment of molding member 142 is attached to a backing plate 144, which in turn is spot-welded to upper arm 136.
Molding member 142 provides an upper slot 146 and a pair of lower slots 148 and 150. A flat label (not illustrated) can . ' .
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2~)~12~26 slide into the space between slots 146 and 148. Alternative-ly, carrier 34 can be mounted on member 142, with upper mounting flange 42 extending into slot 146 and with lower mounting flange 44 extending into slot 150.
Figures 8-11 illustrate modified embodiments of car-riers, identified by reference numbers 152, 154, 156, and 158, respectively. The front wall and upper and lower mounting flanges of carriers 152-158 are substantially the same as the front wall 38 and upper and lower mounting flanges 46 and 50 of carrier 34 (see Figure 4).
The back wall and lower mounting flange of carrier 152 are substantially the same as back wall 36 and lower mounting flange 44 of carrier 34. The upper mounting flange 160, however, has a different configuration. Upper mounting flange 160 ~ncludes an angled segment 162 which is connected to the rear wall by a curved segment 164. Upper mounting flange 160 joins the back wall about 6 mm further down a mounting flange 42 of carrier 34 ~oins back wall 36.
Additionally, angled segment 162 extends further up than angled segment 100, and is disposed at a 10 degree angle rather than a 30 degree angle (i.e., angle n in Figure 4).
Furthermore, angled segment 162 does not extend as far from the back wall as angled segment 100 extends from back wall 36.
Both the upper mounting flange 166 and the lower mounting 1ange 168 of carrier 154 are slightly different . . : ~ -~ .: - ~

Z4~26 from the upper mounting flange 42 and the lower mounting flange 44 of carrier 34. Upper mounting flange 166 includes a horizontal segment that is slightly shorter than hor~zontal segment 98 of carrier 34, and an angled segment 172 that is sli~htly longer than angled cegment 100. Like angled segment 100, however, angled segment 172 i8 disposed at an angle of 30-. Lower mounting flange 168 includes angled segments 174, 176, and 178. Angled segments 174 and 176 are configured the same as angled segments 102 and 104, but angled segment 178 is shorter than angled segment 106 and, moreover, the angle corresponding to reference character "r" in Figure 4 is 30 D
rather than 45'.
Carrier 156 in Figure 10 has a lower mounting flange 180 with an angled segment 182 which terminates in a second angled segment. The second angled cegment is generally foot-shaped, with a toe portion 184 and a heel portion 186.
Finally, carrier 158 in Figure 11 has a lower mounting flange 188 with two angled segments, bearing reference numbers 190 and 192, rather than three angled segments as in carrier 34.
In October of 1989, testing of carriers 34 (Figure 4), 152 (Figure 8), and 154 (Figure 9) was begun in a grocery store having Hussmann molding members (see reference number 118 in Figure 5), Hill Refrigeration Corporation molding mem~ers (see reference number 16 in Figure 1), and tr~ple-track molding members (see reference number 128 in Figure 6) ... - . ~ .. .. . . .

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2( )~12~Z6 to determine which carrier configuration would provide the best overall performance in practice. Carrier 156 (Figure 10) and carrier 158 (Figure 11) did not participate in this test. The testing was not yet completed at the time the present application was prepared and filed. However, preliminary results suggest that carrier 152 may be superior for use with molding member 116 and that carrier 154 may be superior for use with molding members 118 and 128.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, while carriers in accordance with the present invention have been described primarily in the context of their utility at a grocery tore, the carriers ma~ be used in other retail establishments (e.g., hardware stores, drug stores, variety stores, and so forth) or non-retail establishments (e.g., lS stockrooms, libraries, laboratories, and so forth) where labels are needed to identify objects or to supply other information about objects.
It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes, and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

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Claims (19)

1. An elongated carrier, for attachment to a molding member having spaced-apart slots, to display exchangeable labels, comprising:
a rear wall having a back face and having a bottom region;
a front wall having a bottom region, the bottom regions of the front and rear walls being connected to form a pocket for labels between the walls; and attachment means on the back face of the rear wall for fastening the carrier strip to the molding member, the attachment means including a pair of attachment flanges projecting from the back face of the rear wall, the attach-ment flanges extending away from one another to provide, between the back face and the respective attachment flange, generally U-shaped channels which face away from one another, the attachment flanges having ends that extend into the slots of the molding member.

2. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the flanges are made in one piece with the rear wall, and wherein the flanges are configured to provide a resilient snap-in connection to the molding member.

3. The carrier of claim 1, further comprising an upper mounting flange on the front wall and a lower mounting flange on the front wall, the mounting flanges extending toward one another to provide spaced-apart slots for receiving labels.

4. The carrier of claim 3, wherein the upper mounting flange comprises a straight segment and a curved segment which connects the straight segment to the front wall, the straight segment being disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the front wall, the predetermined angle ranging from about 10° to about 30.

5. The carrier of claim 4, wherein the predetermined angle is about 15°.

6. A label carrier for attachment to a molding member having upper and lower parallel slots with slot bottoms that are separated by a predetermined distance, said carrier comprising:
a rear wall having a bottom region;
a transparent front wall having a bottom region, the bottom regions of the front and rear walls being con-nected to form, between the walls, a pocket for receiving labels;
attachment means on the rear wall for snap-connect-ing the carrier to the molding member, the attachment means including an upper attachment flange extending into the upper slot of the molding member and a lower attachment flange extending into the lower slot of the molding member; and mounting means on the front wall for mounting labels having first and second edges, the mounting means including an upper mounting flange providing an upper slot for receiv-ing the first edges and a lower mounting flange providing a lower slot for receiving the second edges, the upper and lower slots of the mounting means having slot bottoms that are separated by approximately the same distance that separates the upper and lower slots of the molding member.

7. The carrier of claim 6, wherein the carrier is a unitary plastic element made of co-extruded polyvinyl chloride compositions.

8. The carrier of claim 6, wherein the upper mounting flange comprises a straight segment and a curved segment which connects the straight segment to the front wall, the straight segment being disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the front wall, the predetermined angle of the straight segment ranging from about 10° to about 30°.

9. The carrier of claim 8, wherein the predetermined angle of the straight segment is about 15°.

10. The carrier of claim 8, wherein the upper and lower mounting flanges have different cross-sectional configura-tions.

11. The carrier of claim 8, wherein the lower mounting flange comprises a semicircular segment attached to the front wall and a stub attached to the semicircular segment.

12. The carrier of claim 11, wherein the curved segment of the upper mounting flange and the semicircular segment of the lower mounting flange have respective inner radii, the inner radius of the semicircular segment being greater than the inner radius of the curved segment.

13. The carrier of claim 6, wherein the upper attach-ment flange and the lower attachment flange extend away from one another.

14. The carrier of claim 6, wherein the upper attach-ment flange comprises a straight segment and a further segment connecting the straight segment to the rear wall, the straight segment being disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the rear wall, the predetermined angle of the straight segment of the upper attachment flange ranging from about 5° to about 45°.

15. The carrier of claim 14, wherein the further segment is a straight segment that extends substantially perpendicular to the rear wall, and wherein the predetermined angle of the straight segment of the upper attachment flange ranges from about 25° to about 35°.

16. The carrier of claim 14, wherein the further segment is a curved segment, and wherein the predetermined angle of the straight segment of the upper attachment flange ranges from about 5° to about 15°.

17. The carrier of claim 6, wherein the lower attach-ment flange comprises a first straight segment extending from the rear wall and a second straight segment extending from the first straight segment, the first straight segment being disposed at a first predetermined angle with respect to the rear wall and the second straight segment being disposed at a second predetermined angle with respect to the first straight segment, the first predetermined angle ranging from about 20°
to about 40° and the second predetermined angle ranging from about 10° to about 20°.

18. The carrier of claim 17, wherein the lower attach-ment flange further comprises a third straight segment disposed at a third predetermined angle with respect to the second straight segment, the third predetermined angle ranging from about 25° to about 50°.

19. A label carrier for attachment to a molding member having upper and lower parallel slots with slot bottoms that are separated by a predetermined distance, said carrier comprising:
a rear wall having a bottom region;
a transparent front wall having a bottom region, the bottom regions of the front and rear walls being connected to form, between the walls, a pocket for receiving labels;
attachment means on the rear wall for snap-connecting the carrier to the molding member, the attachment means including an upper attachment flange extending into the upper slot of the molding member, the upper attachment flange including a straight segment and a further segment connecting the straight segment to the rear wall, the straight segment being disposed at a predetermined angle with respect to the rear wall, the predetermined angle ranging from about 5° to about 45°, and a lower attachment flange extending into the lower slot of the molding member, the lower attachment flange including a first straight segment extending from the back wall and a second straight segment extending from the first straight segment, the first straight segment being disposed at a further predetermined angle with respect to the rear wall and the second straight segment being disposed at an another predetermined angle with respect to the first straight segment, the further predetermined angle ranging from about 20° to about 40° and the another predetermined angle ranging from about 10° to about 20°; and mounting means on the front wall for mounting labels having first and second edges, the mounting means including an upper mounting flange providing an upper slot for receiving the first edges, the upper mounting flange including a straight segment and a curved segment which connects the straight segment to the front wall, the straight segment being disposed at an additional predetermined angle with respect to the front wall, the additional predeter-mined angle ranging from about 10° to about 30°;
and a lower mounting flange providing a lower slot for receiving the second edges, the lower mounting flange including a semicircular segment attached to the front wall and a stub attached to the semicir-cular segment, the semicircular segment having an inner radius that is greater than the inner radius than the curved segment of the upper mounting flange, wherein the upper and lower slots of the mounting means have slot bottoms that are separated by approximately the same distance that separates the upper and lower slots of the molding member.