CA2060075A1 - 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 bottom-opening 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 a molding member mounted on a shelf. Due to its bottom-opening configuration, debris swept from the shelf does not accumulate in the pocket. Moreover labels are easy to remove from the pocket.

Description

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CR055-REFERPN~R TO RFLR'I'ED APPLIC~ION
This i~ a continuation-in-part of appl.icatioo, 5erial ~umber 011~27,~8~, ~iled October 30th, 1989, which is a~signed to ~he ass~ gnee o~ th~ pre~ent applica-tion.

BAC~CGROU~ O~ ~HE INVEN'r~ON

The present inven~lon relate~ to a carrier ~or support-ing labels without using adhesive on the label~, and ~ore : particularl~ to a carrier ~o~ exchangeable labels ~uch a~, ~or example, labels used in grocery st~ras.
In a typical grocery storP / di~fer~nt -types ~f products ¦
are stac~ed on ~lves in close.proximi~ to on~ ~nother.
One ~rand of ~oup mig~t be allotted a o~t o~ ~helf space, ~or e~ample, followed a ~oot o~ shel~ space for an~ther 1~ brand. At one time it was common fo~ grocers to ~ark the price o~ products on the in~lividual contai~ers. Thi6 p~ac~ice not only permitted shoppers to compare various ~oduc~ on the basis o~ price, it also enabl~d ca~hiers at the checkouk stand~ ~o manually record ~he prices using ~ash ¦
15 registers. The inc:reasing use of bar code~ on con~air~ers ~
identli~y products has mad~3 ~ t practical to replace manually-, operated cas~ regist~er~ at the checko~t st~ands with bar code E;canneræ . ~he prices f c~ the variotls produc1:~: stockes~ by a - 2 ~

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grocery s tore are sto~ed in a computer, SQ tha~ reading a bar code at the checkout stand permits the price ~o b~ looked up elec:~ronically rat~l63r than manually entered b~ a ca~hier.
S~ill, ths shspper need~i to know the price, and labels 5 bearing the price arld other inPormation ( s~lch as a bar code identi~ying ths product, writ~en in~c~rmation identi~ying the product, the product weight, etc. ) are typically a~fixad to long molding members at the frGnt edges of the shelves on which t~e productQ are stacXed. Such labels ~re al~o u~ef~
0 to store personnel when inventory i~; kaken or when ~;eve~ely deplated ~toc~s are replaced.
The molding member~ at the fro~t edge~ o~ grocer~ ~tora ~helve~ ara typically provided with elQngated upper and lower : slots. Molding members suitable ~or use ln gr~cery store~
are available ~r4m a nu~ber o~ sources, including Hill Re~rigerati~n CQrporation, Hu~smann Corpoxation, Lo~ier Store ~ixture~, Madix Stoxe Fixture~, and Streater St~re Fixtures.
The distance between the upper and lower slots i~ ap-proximatel~ 1% inches, but this spacing is not critical because the labels ~hem~el~es accommodate considera~le variation.
~; ~he labels may have dif~erent size~ or configurations~
T~ey may be adhesively at~ached, or placed withollt adhesi~e .
within the upper a~d lower ;1ots o~ the molding member~;~

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206Q~7a Adhesi~r~ly atkached label~ have the drawback th~t they are di~ficlllt to remove ~rom a molding ~namber, which may be neces~;a~y if the price of a product c:hanges or i~ the ~helf spac~e i~; re-allocated. Non-adhe~ively at~ac:hed labels ha~e 5 the drawback that they ~re ea~y to displace ~ r ~xa~ple bS~ a mi~chievous child, cre~ting c:on~usion for su}~sequen~ ~;h~p-per~3 .
Carrier6 a~ached to ~;helves ~o recei~e f lat labels have ~een u~;ed in l~u~op~ ~or about a d~cade . Such a carrier 10 also knowrl a~ a "~canner strip, " has a rear wall which i~;
attached to a shel~, a tran~parent ~ront wall, ar~d a pocket bet~ean the :erorlt and rear walls ~or labels. A reading rail ~: ~nay be pro~ided adjacent the bottom f3dge o~ the front wall to guide a ~ar codl3 r~ader~
1S Sinc~ the labels ~re encloaed in ~he pocket they ar~3 le~;~; likely to be aisplaced . Furthermore ~ this arrangement ~ac:ilitates the ~anning o~ bar code~; if the bar codes are ~: :
positi~ned adjacent the bottc~ms o~ the label~.
Whi~e the ~:canne~ ætrips de c~il~ed above are attracti~e 20 and pr~ovide desirable ~eature~3, it would be expensi~e to remov~3 th~ n~olding m~mbers that are already pr~s2nt in many : American tore~; and ~eplace t~em with scanner 6tripB.
~: ~ Furthermore it would be expensive f~r a chain o~ ~toxe~: t~ .
make one type o~ l~bel for store6 equipped with c canner .

2~6~7a strips and a di:Eferent type of label ~or s~ore2~: with molding memb~rs .
While the above di~;cu~3sion has been predicated on grocery ~ores, it will be apparent that ~imilar con~id~ra-tion apply in othsr ~s~abllshmen~s where label~ are needed.
Such estab}ishments include not only r~ail outlet~ ~e.g , hardware 6tc~res) hut al~o supply room~ ile roo~ns, librar--ies, laboratories, and so rorth.

.S~MA~Y ~F THE ~NVEN~ION
1~ According~y, an object of the invention is to provide a : ~ ~nap-in carrier which can be easily mounted on the molding members that are ~re~ue~tly ~ound ~n ~elv~s in ~hi~ c~untry, : . the carrier having a tran~par~nt ~ront wall and a pocket ehind the ~ront wall to receive label~.
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Another object o:E the inVentiC~n ia to provide a CaXrier having a transpa~en~ ~ro~t wall and a pocke~ behind the ~ront :
wall for rac~iving labels, the ~ron~ wall o~ the carrier ~l~o being configured to hol~ label~ o~ the typ~ that are mount-able on an elongated molding member.
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: 20 : The~s and other objects which will become apparent in t~e en uing d~tailed description can ~e attain~d by providin~
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a label ca~rier which includes a back wall; a transparent .
ro~t wall, ~he upper regions o the ~ront and back walls .

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~ing connected t~ ~r~ a bottom-open~g pocket between the wall~ for receiving l~lsi; and attaa~menk mean~ on the ~cX
wall ~or snap-conne~ting the carrier to a molding member having parallel upper and lower 810t~ that are separated by a predetermined distance, the att~¢hment mean6 including an u~per attachmen~ ~lange which extends into the upper slot o~
the moldin~ Ihember and a lower atta~h~ent ~lange which ~xtends into the lo~er ~l~t o~ the molding member~

1~ ~igure 1 is a sectional view illustratir~g a label ca~ri~r in accordance with the preqent inven~i~n at~ached to a molding member mounted o~ the edge region of ~ ~hel~
~ igure 2 i8 a perspecti~e view showing bib label~
attached to mounting ~lanqes on the ~ront wall o~ the 15 carriex;
Fi~ure 3 is a perspec~ive view illustrating ~lat label~
i~ the pocket o~ ~he carrier and a label h~lder mounted on the mounti~g flange~;
~ igure 4 i~ a cro~s-sectional vi~w of the carrier;
2Q Figure 5 is a ~ctional view illustrating the label ~arrier mount~d on a molding m~m~er tha~ is configured diff~r~ntly ~rom the moldi~g memher 3hown in Figure ~;

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Fi~ure 6 is a sectional view illustrating two carrier~
mounted on a t~ip~e-track molding membe~ in a co~in freezer;
Figur~ 7 is an explod~d perspective ~iew showlng the carrier used with a merchandise hanger for a p~gboard panel;
Figures B through 11 ar~ sectional views illu6trating mDdi~ied embodime~t~ o~ the carrier;
~igure 12 is a sectional vie~ illstrating an embodiment of a snap-in carrier wi.th a bottom-opening pock~t; and Figure 13 i5 a 8ectional view illustrating an adhe~ively : . 10 attac~d ~arrier with a bott~m-opening pocket.
~ ' : ~n ~igure 1, a groCeXy ~tore shel~ 12 for ~upporting cans, boxes, or oth~r prod~cts ~not illust~atad) ha~ an ~dge region 14, which ~aces ~he aisle (not illustrate~) of the grocery ~ore. ~n elonga~ed molding member 16 is attached to edge region 1~ by rivrts 1~, ~nly one of which is ~own.

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olding mem~er 16 is co~mercially available from Hussmann (:orporation (12999 S~ harles ~ock Road, Brldge~on, Pli~;~ouri 63044~ and includes ~n upper arm 20 and a lower arm 2~.
2D ~ Upper a~m 2~ t~rminates in ~ curved outer a~utment 24. An up~e~ 510t ~8 is provided imm~dia~ely b~hind abutment 2~.

ower arm 22 al60 ter~inates in a rounded outer a~ut~ent : ~ .
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identi~i~d by r~eren~e nueber 30. A lower ~lot 3~ ie di~po~ed just inward ~ a~utment 3 0 . ~he bot~oms o~ ~lo~s 28 and 32 are spaced apart ~y approximately 1~ inches.
A label carrier 34 in aacordance wi~h an embodiment og the present inven~ion ~ clipped onto moldin~ member 16 .
Carrier 3~ is an elongated mem~er of extruded plastic and will be disaussed in detail later. However, or pre~ent purpose~ it is n~ted th~t c~rrier 34 includes an opaque ~ear wall 36 and a tran~parent fron-t wall 38, which are separated lo by a ~ocket 40. Rear wall 36 is provided with an elongated upper at'cachment ~lange 42 which ~its into slo~ ~8 and an elon~ated lower attachment ~lange 44 which ~its into slot 32 in order to mount the carrier 34 on molding member 16. An upper mountin~ ~lange ~6 extend~ :~rom ~ront walJ: 3s and 15 provide~ an upper slot ~8 between the ~lange 46 and the wall 3 8 . Furthermore a lower mounting flange 50 extend~ ~rom ~ront wall 3~ and provides a lower slot 52 hetween ~he flange 50 and wall 38. It ~hould ~e nc~ted that the distance between t~e bottoms o~ u~per slot 4~ and low2r slot 42 o:f carrier 34 20 i~ the ~me a the distan~e b~tween th~ botto~s o~ upp~r ~l~t 28 and 14W~ ;lot 32 o~ molding me~n~er 1~-- approximal~ely one and a quartelr inch.
Turning next to Figura~ 1 and 2 ~ogethQr, s~Qal 1 bib label 5~ has a~ upper edge 5~ which ~it into upper ~lot ~8.

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Centrally positioned on la~ a cut ~8 ~hich is gen~rally shaped as a lony, ~hort "U" with s~,uare cornars Cut 58 provides a ~lap 60 having a lower edge whic::h f i~ into slot 5~, As is ~3hown in Figure 2, label 54 is printed with 5 t:he various indicia. Writt n product indicia 62 identify the product by brand (I'Acme''), type t"noodle~;"), and size ~"3 oz . " ) . E~ar ~ode 64 typic~lly includes the ~ame in:eorma~ion (brand, type, and size) in machine-rea~a~le form. Price indicia 66 advises shopper~ of the product pric:e~ play lo indicia 68 is providea on ~he descending or bi~ portion ~f label 54 to attract the attention of shoppers.
~ arge ~ib label 70 also b~ars pri~t:ed indicia. Label ~
has an upper edge 72 ~hich ~it intQ upper slc-t 48 and a flap ~; 7~ pro~iding a lower edge ~hich fits into slot 52. The 1~; difXerence betwe~n small bib label 54 and larg~ bib la~el 70 i~; that tha distance between the edges th2~t ~it into ~lots 48 and 52 is sli~htly di~ferent. For small bib label 62, the âistance between upp~r edge G2 and the lower edge provld~3d ~y lap 6~ is appros~imately one and one quarter lnahes, so that 20 the portion o~ label 54 above cut sa lies sub~tantially :elat again~:t wall 38, wit:h a little or no bo~ing. For large bib label 70, on the ot~er hand, the dis~ance }~etween upper edge :~ 72 ar~d the lower edge pro~ided by ~lap 74 i~; greater than ' _ 9 _ , ~ :

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sbout ~ne and one ~arrer inches so that the ~pper half of label 70 bow~ ~u~ward as illustrated~
It w~ PP~ ha~ c~ er 34 were ~t ~jou~ted on molding me~ber l~ as shown in Figure~ 1 and 2, bib la~els 54 and 70 could be attached direc~ly to carrier member ~6 itself. For example, the upper èdge ~6 ~f label 54 wouId into upper sl~t 28 and the edge provided at the bottom o~
flap 6~ would ~it in-to ~lot 32.
:Figure ~ illu~trates ~lat rectangular la~el~ 76 and 78 in ~he pocke~ 40 ~e wee~ rear wall 3~ and front wall 38 of carrier 34. The plastic ~rom which carrier 34 is made i8 ligh~ lexible, so that pooket 40 can be opened by hand to permit inser~ion or re~o~al of labels 76 and 7B ~etween walls 3~ and 38. Variou~ indicia i~cluding a bar code 80 are printed on label 76 and, similarly, vario~ indicia includi~g :
: a ~ar code 82 are printed on label 7~. ~ar code 80 i8 positioned adjacent the lowe~ ed~e of label 76 while bar code 82 is positioned adjacsnt the upper edge o~ label 78. The upper edge o~ ~lange 50 provides a guide rail ~or supporting the nose o~ bar code reader 8~ while i~ iæ manually moved a~
indicated by arrows 86 to read ~ar code ~0. Similarly, the : lowe~ edge o~ ~lan~e 4~ pr~vide ~ guide rail for supporting ~h he nos~ o~ bar code reader ~ when bar ~ode 82 i~ scanned.

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Ref2rence number g~ identi~ies a la~el known as a "shel~
talker" in the grocery field. ~abel 88 e~tends outward into the aisle (not illustrated) pa~sing by shel~ ~2. Labal 88 i~
supported by a p~astic hold~r so, sometimes known in the grocer~ ~rad~ as a ~shelf talker holder.'i Holder 90 has resilient lsgs 92 and g4 whi~h terminate in toe~ that ~it b~nea~h ~langes 46 and 50, re~pectively. Holder so al~o ha~
a clip por~ion 96 ~or ecuring la~el 88~ Although Figure 3 illu~rate~ the holder 90 ~ounted on carrier 34, it will be lo apparent that the toes at the ends of le~s 92 ana 9~ could be nserted into slots 28 and 30 of molding member 16 if carrier : 34 were not present. `
~he configuration of carrier 34 will now be de~cri~ed in ~ ro detail with reference to Figure 4.
: 15 Upper attachment fl~nge 42 includes a horizontal ~egmant : 98 which is ~ollowed ~y an angled segment 10~. Low~r attachment ~lange 44 ls ~ormed by th~ee angle segment~, 102, 104, and 106. Upper moUntiny fl~ng~ ~6 include~ a straight egment 108 w~ich i~ connected by a curved ~egment 110 to 20 ~ front wall 38. Lower moun~ing ~lange so has a dl~erent :: ~ col~tiguratlon, consistir~g of a ~emicir~ular seg~nent 112 : ~ ~ollowed by a ~;hort st~b 114~
Figure ~ illustrates distan~es a-k and ang~es m-r. ~or .

molding member~ with upper and lower ~lots apprDximately l~
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~nche6 epart (e.g., molding memb~r 16 in ~igur~ 1), the f~llowing dim~n~ion3 are pre~erred. The distanc~ "a" is 1 mm~ ~he distance "~" is 2.2 ~m~ The distance ~'cl' is 5.4 mm.
The di~tancs lld'~ i~ 2~.5 mm. The distance l'e" i~ 1. 7 mm.
The dista~ce "f" is 3~ ~m. The distance ~Ig91 is 1.2 ~m~ The dis~ance `'h" is 1.5 mm. The di~tance "i" i~ 3 mm. Ths distance "j" i~ 31 mm. ~he distance "k" is ~.25 mm. ~he distance "1" i~ 34.5 mm. Angl~ "m" is 15. Angle ~n" is 30~. Angle "p" is 15Q. ~ngle "q~' is 30~. Angle "~'~ is 45~.
~he radius o~ the inner ~rface o~ cur~ed segment 110 is o.4 mm. The radiu~ of the inner surface of ~emicircular segment ~12 is ~.7 mm~ ~ear wall 36 i~ o.s5 mm thick. Front wall 38 is 0. 6S ~m thic~, wî~h the thic~ness of wall 38 increa~ing to that o~ wall ~S (that is, to 0.85 mm) in the region of the 15 intersection 116 be~ween the walls 36 and 38 ~intersection ~16 will be di6cus~e~ below). Flanges 42, 44, 46, an~ 5 ar~ 0.7 ~m thick.
Carrier 34 is made by ~o--extruding two polyvinyl chl~rid~ plastic which merge at intersection 116, whic~
provides a junction region. Surpri~ingly, it has be~n found ; that positioning inte~se~tion 116 directly at the ~t~m o~
pocket 40, as i}lustrated, doe~ not wsakan carrier 34.
Plgmented polyvinyl ohloride is u~sd for rear wall 36 and 2 ~ 7 ~

mounting ~langes 42 and ~ Transparent polyvinyl chloride i~ used for Pront wall 38 and attachment ~langes 46 and 50.
An inherent chaxacteri~tic o~ the extru~ion proce~ is that e~truaed surfaces may have tiny hori~on~al gr~oves. A~
a result, the in~er and outer surfaces of wall 3~ may not be ; opticall~ flat over the regions o~ the bar codes ~e.g., bar codes 80 and 82 in Figure 3). Th~se minute grooves may cau~e irregular re~lections from the inner and outer sur~aces of wall 38 as the bar codes are ~canned, ~uc~ irragular r flec-1~ tion~ corre ponding ~o "noisell and causing a deterioration in the reading rate and accuracy~ US patsnt application 07J645,201, ~iled January 28th, 1991, ~eac~es that these irregular re~lections can be reauced by mechanically treating the outer surf ace to provide a very ~ 3ht de~ree oP rough--15 ness---- what might be ca:Ll~d "microrou~hness . ~' However the ~pplication also teaches that the tran~parent po~yvi~yl ~; chloride ~or th~ ~ront wall ~an be extruded at a relatively high pressure through a di~ which lncompletely smooths the ~` : sur~ace irregularitias resulting ~rom t~e rala ively high ao extru~on pressure, thereby producing mi~roroughness. An ~; ~ example o~ a suitable aompo~itlon for high-pre~sure extrusion to form ~ront wall 38 and mounting ~langes 46 a~d 50 i~ as ~ ollows: 100 parts ~y weight o~ p~lyvinyl chloria~ having a ; ~ K value o~ 57; ~o p~rtæ by we:ig~t of tin ~tabiliæer; 1.5 .

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par~s by weight p~lymethyl ~ethacrylate as a fl~ modi~ier;
and 1.2 par~ by weight ~f a slidlng agent miXt~re of ~a~t~
alcohols, wax este~s, and oxidized polyethylene.
With reference ne~t t~ Figures 1 and 4 to~ether, the procedure for installing carrier 34 on molding member 16 will now be desc:ri}:ed. Flr2st, with -the lower end c~f carri~r 34 spaced apart ~rom lower ar~ 22, the angl~d segment 100 of attachment ~lange 42 is inserted into sl~t 28. The lower end of carrier 34 is then pushed up~ard ~nd toward lower 2Irm 22, thereby piVoting the carrier 34 ~b~ut i~s Upper end. After attachment flange 44 encounters abutment 30, ~ur-ther inward pressure di torts attachmen~ ~lange 4~ upward until angled ~egment 106 slideæ over abutment 30 and into lower slot 32.
~his snap-connects carrier 34 to molding member 16.
An advantage af~orde~ by the co~iguration of uppar mounti~g ~lange ~6 will now be discussed with re~rence to Figure~ 2 and 4. When a ~ib label (for example, bi~ label : 70) is being at~ached to carrier 34, the clerk typically : : grasps the la~ 1 at itS Cent~r~ deflect~ the ~e~cendlng po~tion outward ~o expose the lower edge o~ ~lap 7~, and ~ in~ert~ the upper edye 72 into upper slot 48. The cler~ then ;~; pushes the label 7n slightly ~pward, causiny it to bow :~ ~ strongl~, and presses t~e e~posed lowar edge o~ ~lap 74 ayainst ~ront wall 38. The cl~rk then slid~s the lower edge - ~4 2 ~ 7 ~

~L the labe- do~nw~rd again~t w~ll 38 until the lower edge lodges ln lower ~1Ot 52.
The slot 52 provided by lower mounting f 1ange 50 is re1ati~s1y ~hallow ~o en~ure proper scanning of ba~ coded i~rmation. ~he upper attachment flange 46 is con~igured diIferently from th~ lower attachm~3nt flange 50, a~; shown.
The straig~t se~rnent 1~8 i~ disposed at the angle m to permit the label. 70 to ~ow out uniformly during installation without ~rea~ing. ~ deep s~ot 48 is provi~ed to en~u~e that label 70 ~0 ~es not pop ~ut~
It will be apparent, from a co~par~son o~ Figurès 2 and 3, ~hat flat labels suc~ ~s 76 and 7~ may be insta11ed in pocket ~0 for n~rmal use and then be tempQrari1y covered by bib 1ahe1æ such a~ 54 and 7~ during a sale.
~15 Up to thi~ point the carrier 34 has been descri~ed in c~njunction with a mQ1ding member 16, available fro~ Hill Re~rigerati~n Corporation. However the carrier 34 can he -~ uæed with molding members produced ~y oth~r companieæ, n~ludi~g Hus~an C~rpo~ation, Lozier Store Fix~ures, ~adix Store Fixtures, Streater Stor~ Fixtures, and s~her compani2s which produae moldin~ ~em~ers with upper and 1O~er s1~t3 that re poæitioned ah~ut an inch and a quarter apart. Yor ~ ~ example,; Figure 5 illustrate an e1Ongated mo1ding ~ember 118 ;~ ~ a~ailable ~rom ~uææman Corporation. Molding member 118 is : - 15 -.

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attached tc the edge region 120 o~ a shelf 122. Molding me~ber 118 pr~vides an uppex slot 124 ~or receivin~ upper attachm~nt ~lange 42 and a l~wer slo~ 12~ ~or receiving lower attachment flan~e 44. Carrier 34 can be attached to molding mem~ar 118 in a snap-in ~anner as previo~sly di~cussed.
Nor is ~he u~e of carrier 34 li~ited to elongated molding me~bers attached to the edge region~ of shelves Figuxe 6 illu~trate~ a ~ixtu~e 124 attached to the side ~ a co~fin ~ree~er 126 for displaying ~ro~en ~oods. A conv~n--ti~nal t~iple-track moldi~g mem~er 128 (available ~rom Hill Re~rLgsration corporati~n) is mounted on ~ixtur~ 124. As will be apparent ~rom Figure 6, molding member 128 provides two pairs of slots for ~ttaahing two label carriers 34.
Figure 7 urther illust:rates t~e ~er~atility o* label carri~r 3~ In Figure 7, a mer~handise hanger 130 includ~s a ~oo~ member 132 f~r releaaably mounting ~he ~anger 130 ~n a p-g board panel 134. Hanger 130 al~o inclu~es a r~d which is : ben~ as illustrated to provide an upper arm 136, a ~ase 138 that i8 spot-welded ~o ~oot mem~er 132, and a lower arm 1~ 0 .
~0 Package6 o~ merchandise (n~t illustrated) with h~les adjacent ~ ~ the1r upper edg~s can be su~pended ~xo~ lower arm 140. A
; : short segmen~ of molding member 14~ is attached ~o a backing plate 144, w~i~h in turn is spot~welded t~ upper arm 136.
~olding me~ber ~42 provides an upper slo~ 1g6 and a pair of `.................................. .
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lowrr slots 14~ and 150. A ~lat lahel (no~ illustrated~ ~an slide into th~- space bet~een alot~ 1~6 and 148. Alternative-ly, carrier 34 can be mounted on me~ber 14~, with upper attachment flange ~2 extending in~o ~lot 146 and with lower attachment ~l~nge 44 extending into ~l~t 150.
Figure~ 8~ lustr~-e modi~ied embodi~enta o~ car-~rier~, identi~ied by reference numbers 152, 154, 156, and 15~, re~pec~ively. ~he ~ront wall and upper and lower mounting ~lan~e oP carriers 152-15~ are substantially the ~ame as ~he ~ron~ wall 38 and upper and lower mounting ~langes 46 and 50 o~ c.arri~ 34 ~se~ Figure 4).
~ he back wall and lower attachment ~lange o~ carrier 152 are ~ub~tantially ~he same as ~ack wall 36 and lower attach-m~nt flange 4~ o~ carrier 34. The upper attachment flange 16~, however, ha a di~erent con~iguration. Upper attach-ment ~lange 160 includes a~ angle~ segmen~ 162 which is connected to the rear ~all by a curved se~ent 164. Upper attachment flange 1~0 j~ins the b~c~ wall about 6 ~m ~uxth~r down than attachment ~l~nge 42 o~ carr~r 34 joins ~ack wall 3~. Additionally, an~led ~egment 162 extend~ ~urther up than angled ~egment 1~0, and i disposed at a ~ degrea angle ~:~ rather than a 30 degrae angle (i.e., angle n in Figure 4).
Furthermore, a~l~d æe~ment 162 doe~ not extend a~ ar ~rom : :
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~he bac~ wall as angled seqment lO0 extends ~rom back w~ll 36.
Both the upper a~ta~hment ~lan~e 166 and the lo~er attachment ~lange 168 of carrier 154 are ~ligh~ly di~fere~t ~rom the upper attach~nt flange 42 and the lower ~ttachment ~lange 44 of carrier 34. Upper attachment flange 166 includes a horizontal segmen~ that i~ ~lightly shorter than .:~ hori~ontal segment 98 o~ carrier 34, and an angled segment 17~ that i~ slightly longer than angled segment lO0. Li~
0 anqled segm~nt lO0, however, angled segment 1~2 is disposed a~ an angle of 30. Lower ~ttachment flange 168 includeq angled segments 17~, 176, and 178. Angled seglnents 174 and ~ 176 are configured the a~e as angled segments 102 and lO~, : bu~angled ~egment 178 is ~hor~er than angled s~g~ent 106 ~ 15 and, moreover, the angl~ corre~ponding to re~erence character ~:
"rl~ ln Fi~ure 4 is 30 rather ~han ~5.
Carrier 156 ~n Figure 10 has a lower attachment ~lange with~ an an~l~d seg~ent 1~2 which ~er~inat~s in a second : angled ~segment. The sec~nd angled segment is generally ~oot-shaped, ~ith a toe portion 1~4 and a heel portion 186.
Finally, carrier 15~ in ~igure 1l has a lower attachment lange 18~ with t~o angle~ se~ments~ bea~ing reference num~ers l90 and 1~2, rather than ~hree angled ~egments as in : : c~rrier 3 ~ .
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Iurning next to Figure 12, a molding member 194 is attached to the edge ~ a shel~ 196, Molding membe~ 194 has pper and low2r slot~ ~un-number~d) which are abou~ one and a ~uarter inche~ apart. While these slots could rec~ive a 5 label direc~ly a~ in pr~vious embodiment~ they can also r~ceive ~ carrier 198.
Carri~r 198 includes an opaque rear wall 2~0 ~rom which an upper attachment fl~ng~ 202 and a l~wer atta~hment ~lange 204 extend. A~ i~ shown, upper attachment ~lange ~02 10 includes an angl~d segment which is connect~d ~o rear wall 20~ via a curved seg:ment, while lower attac~ment flange 20 has three angled segment~. As in pxeviou embodiments, carrier 19~ can b~ snap-conn~oted to molding member 194 by inserting ~ttachm~nt ~la~g~ 202 into t~e upper slot o~
~:: 15 mQldin~ member 1~4, ther~by formlng a pivot, and by then r~tating th~ lower por~ion o~ carrier 19~ toward ~ldin~
me~ber 94 until attachme~t flange 204 Snaps into the l~wer ~lot o~ molding member o~ ~98~
Caxrie~ 19~ also in~ludes a transparent front wall 206 from WDich an upper mounting Elange 208 and a low~r mounting nge 21Q extend. Mounting flangeG 2~8 and 210 aan be used in the manner.previousily desc!ribed ~o mount labels Q~ various t~pe~ or to mount a sh~lf talker holder. Carrier 1~8 also .

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provides a pocket to 212 hetween ~ront wall 206 and rear wall 21~ nd Fîgu~e 12 shows a la}~el 214 in pocket 21~.

Carrier 1g8 1~ co-ex~ude~ ~sl~g opa~e p- a~ r~ E~
wall 200 and its att~c:h~nent flanges 202 and ~04~ and U8ing 5 tran parent plastic for front wall 206 and its mounting ~langes 20~ and 210. ~oweYer the intersection 206 where th~
opaque ~nd transparent plasti~ are ioined occUrs ak the top o~ the ~ront ~nd rear walls ra-ther tha~ the at the bottom, ~s in the embodi~ent o~ Figures 1 and 4, ~or example. ~s a 1~ result, poaket 21~ is bottom-opening rather than top-opening.
Debri such a~ dust tends to accumula~e on th~ top of any shel~ used in a co~mercial nvironment, and shelf lg6 i~
no exception. It i8 natur~1 ~or a ~lerk who ~ 8 as~igned t~
remo~e such debris to bru~h it forward to~ard ~he aisle (not illu~tratedj, where it can be latex re~oved by ~weeping. ~he pri~ary advantage ~f bot~om-open~ng pocke~4 212 is that i4 : does not form a natural reservoir for accumulating debris which is sWeep o~ shelf 196. ~ p~rtion o* the debris swept o~ a shel~ on which a carrier ~i~h a top-opening pocket is 0 mounted would i~herently land on the aarrier it el~ rather than t~e :floor, ana each time the pocket is opened to e~cha~ge lab~ls thi:~; debri~: would enter. Although a portion ; ~o~ the debris ~w~pt ~rom the shel~ 196 m~ght c~me to rest on at~a~ent flange ~, it ~ould be much more easy to remove :

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accumul~t~d deb~is :~rom this exposed po~ition ~han from the ~ottom ~ a top-opening pocket. MoreoVer cu~to~er~ can see urlsightly debris in a pocket, while the opac:ity o~ wall 20 ~o~lld hide accumulatio2~s resting on at~achment :elange 202.
~nother advantage o~ a bottom-opening pocket is that it fa~ilitates the rems~val O:e labelc. that a~e under-c~ized ~)r one reason c~r another, perhaps due tt~ a manu~acturirlg de~ect~
A~3 can be appreciated îrom Figure 1~, wh~3n front wall 206 is pried awa~r from rear wall 200 to open pocke~ to ~12, gravity 1~ urge~ la~el 2~ 4 out o~ pocket 212 . Even i~ label 214 wer~
~nder-~:ized-- on~: and an eighth inahes tall, fo~ example, rat~er than the pre~erred one and a quarter inches-- it would ~e readily acce~:si}:~le at the mouth o~ pocket 212. In contra t, a clerX would need to grope~lnto a top-opening p~cket in order to rem~ a label that is t~ short.
It i~; interesting to compara Figure~ 1 and 12, ~ince ~:uch a compari on demonstrates that carrie~ 1g8 if~ not simply carrier ~o, mounted up~ide down. Mounting ~lange 48 in Figure 1 is po6it:ionsd at the tc~p, and the aorresponding 2~ mvunting ~lange~ 208 i~ Figure 12 is also positioned at the top even though the pocke~ 2l~ is botto~-opening rather than top-opening. Similarly, ~he three-segment a~tachment ~lange 44 is mou~te~ on the botto~ in Figure 1, as is ~he corre~po~ding three-8egment at~achment flange 204 in Figure.

~Q~73 12. Furthermore, in both Figur~s 1 and 12, th~ upper attac~1n~nt ~lange (re~erence num~er 42 in Figure l and re~erence number ~2 in Figure 12) is con~ured ~o pr~vide a pivot when the re~pective carrier is ~napped onto ~he respective molding me~ber.
Figure 13 illu~tr~te~ another exa~ple o~ a ~arrier with a bottom-opening pocket. In Figure 13, molding memher 218 is at~ached to ~h~ edge o~ shelP ~20. ~ carrier 222 include~ a opaque rear wall 224, a transparent front wall 2~ ~rom which upper and lower mounting ~lange~ 2~8 and 230 extend, and a bottom-opening poc~e~ 232 between walls ~4 and ~26 to receivs a label ~34. It sho~ld be noted that l~dg~ 236 extends backwa~d from front wall 226 in the embodi~e~t o~
~igu~e 13, while the corresponding ledg~ 238 extend~ ~orward 15 ~rom rear wall 200 in the embodiment of Flgux~ 12. -~hese ledges can be u~d to support the lower edge: o~ -the labels when the pocket are open.
As will be apparenk ~rom Figure 13, carrier 222 does not ~na~ int~ molding me~ber ~ nstead, it i~ ao-ex~r~ded ::: 20 with a mount t~b 242 which is connect~d by way o~ ~ ~lexible hinge 244 . ~inge 244 is preferably 0~3 mm thlck a~d is made ~rom pl~stic rated at Shore A85. Carrier 222 is preferably e~truded wit~ tab 242 f~r~ing an angle o-f abs~t l20 with respect to the back wall 224, but th~ ~lexibility o~ hinge .

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: 244 per~it~ this natural angle t~ be ~a~ied during installa-tion and use of carrier 222. Double-~i~ed ~dhesive tape 246 i~ u~ed to connect tab 2~2 to the upper surface o~ upper shel~ 22~
S I~ will be apparent to thosa skilled in th~ art that, while aarriers in a¢cordance with the present invention havc been descxibe~ primarily in the c~ntext o~ their ~ility a~ a grocery s~ore, the carrier~ may he u~ed ln other re~ail establi~hments (e.g., hardware sto~es, drug store~, variety 1~ ~tores, and so ~orth) or non-retail establishme~ts (e.g.
s~ockroom~, libraries, laboratories, and so ~orth) where labels are needed to identify objects or to supply other information about objecks.
; It will be understood ~hat the above de~ription o~ the present invention is ~usceptible to ~arious modi~i~ations, changes, and ~dap~ations, and the same are intended to be ; comprehended within the meanin~ and range o~ equivalents of th~ appended claim :`:;

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Claims (19)

1. A carrier for displaying exchangeable labels, comprising:
a plastic rear wall;
a transparent plastic front wall that is connected to the rear wall, at a junction region, to form a pocket for the labels between the walls; and attachment means for attaching the carrier to a support so that the junction region is upwardly oriented and the pocket opens at the bottom.

2. The carrier of claim 1, wherein the support is a molding member having first and second spaced apart slots, and wherein the attachment means is made in one piece with the rear wall and includes first and second attachment flanges projecting from the rear wall, the attachment flanges extending away from one another to provide, between the rear wall and the respective attachment flange, generally U-shaped channels which face away from one another, the first attachment flange being configured for insertion into the first slot of the molding member and the second attachment flange being configured for deflection by the molding member when the carrier is manually pressed toward the molding member after the first attachment flange has been inserted into the first slot, the second attachment flange snapping into the second slot of the molding member after being deflected by the molding member, the first and second attachment flanges having substantially different shapes.

3. The carrier of claim 2, wherein the rear wall is stiff.

4. The carrier of claim 2, wherein the first attachment flange comprises a plurality of segments, one of the segments of the first attachment flange being connected to the rear wall, and wherein the second attachment flange comprises a plurality of segments, one of the segments of the second attachment flange being connected to the rear wall, the segments of the first and second attachment flanges that are connected to the rear wall being asymmetrical.

5. The carrier of claim 4, wherein one of the attach-met flanges has more than two segments.

6. The carrier of claim 1, further comprising a ledge extending backward from the front wall at the bottom thereof.

7. A label carrier for attachment to a molding member having first and second parallel slots with slot bottoms that are separated by a predetermined distance, said carrier comprising:
a stiff rear wall having an upper region;
a transparent front wall having an upper region, the upper regions of the front and rear walls being connected to form, between the walls, a bottom-opening pocket for receiving labels; and attachment means on the rear wall for snap-connect-ing the carrier to the molding member, the attachment means including a first attachment flanges which is configured for insertion into the first slot of the molding member and a second attachment flange which is configured for deflection by the molding member when the carrier is manually pressed toward the molding member after the first attachment flange has been inserted into the first slot, the second attachment flange snapping into the second slot of the molding member after being deflected by the molding member, the first and second attachment flanges having substantially different shapes.

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

9. The carrier of claim 7, wherein the first attachment flange comprises a plurality of segments, one of the segments of the first attachment flange being connected to the rear wall, and wherein the second attachment flange comprises a plurality of segments, one of the segments of the second attachment flange being connected to the rear wall, the segments of the first and second attachment flanges that are connected to the rear wall being asymmetrical.

10. The carrier of claim 9, wherein one of the attach-ment flanges has more than two segments.

11. The carrier of claim 7, wherein the first attach-ment flange is an upper attachment flange and the second attachment flange is a lower attachment flange, the upper and lower attachment flanges extending away from one another.

12. The carrier of claim 7, wherein the first 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°.

13. The carrier of claim 12, wherein the further segment is a straight segment that extends substantially perpendicular to the rear wall, and wherein the predeter-mined angle of the straight segment of the upper attachment flange ranges from about 25° to about 35°.

14. The carrier of claim 12, 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°.

15. The carrier of claim 12, wherein the second attachment flange comprises a first straight segment extend-ing from the rear wall and a second straight segment extend-ing 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 predeter-mined angle ranging from about 20° to about 120°.

16. The carrier of claim 15, wherein the second attachment 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 25° to about 50°.

17. A label carrier for attachment to a molding member having first and second parallel slots with slot bottoms that are separated by a predetermined distance, said carrier comprising:
a stiff rear wall having an upper region;
a transparent front wall having an upper region, the upper regions of the front and rear walls being connected to form, between the walls, a bottom-opening pocket for receiving labels; and attachment means on the rear wall for snap-connect-ing the carrier to the molding member, the attachment means including a first attachment flanges which is configured for insertion into the first slot of the molding member, the first 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 second attachment flange which is configured for deflection by the molding member when the carrier is manually pressed toward the molding member after the first attachment flange has been inserted into the first slot, the second attachment flange snapping into the second slot after being deflected by the molding member, the second attachment flange being shaped substantial differently fro the first attachment flange and including 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 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°.

18. The carrier of claim 17, wherein the further segment of the first attachment flange is curved, and wherein the second attachment flange further includes a third straight segment extending from the second straight segment.

19. A method for attaching a carrier to a molding member having upper and lower parallel slots, the carrier including a stiff rear wall with an upper attachment flange and a lower attachment flange, the carrier additionally including a front wall which is connected to the rear wall to provide a pocket for receiving labels, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) inserting the upper attachment flange into the upper slot while the lower attachment flange is outside the lower slot;

(b) rotating the carrier toward the molding member using the upper attachment flange as a pivot;
(c) deflecting the lower attachment flange as step (b) is conducted; and (d) snapping the lower attachment flange into the lower slot after the lower attachment flange has been deflected.