CA2243782A1

CA2243782A1 - Merchandise display system

Info

Publication number: CA2243782A1
Application number: CA002243782A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Christiaan Cornelis Burger; Michael Geoffrey Blumenthal; Arnold Blumenthal
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: PANAFIC HOLDINGS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1997-07-21
Filing date: 1998-07-20
Publication date: 1999-01-21
Also published as: IL125448A0; EP0893082A1; AU7741198A

Abstract

A merchandise display system for a shop which has at least two anchor rails mounted horizontally on an upright surface such as a wall. The anchor rails have a row of evenly spaced apart slots which define discrete mounting locations for elongate support elements. The supports include a pair of tongues which engage with the slots on the anchor rails. In this way the supports are held clear of the wall, preventing marking of the wall. Along the length of the supports are a row of slots or notches into which the hook of a display arm can be engaged. This allows the height of a display arm, on which shelves, hangers, brackets and the like call be supported to be adjusted.

Description

BAC~GRO~ OF T~, :~VE~TTOl~

THIS invention relatw to a Inerrh~n~li.t~ display system.

One p~oblem ~ith coll~lio~ fixed ~ display s$~s~rns is that they arc ~ran~ed iII such a ~ay that ~e lateral fl~yihility of ~he system is li~ted. More flexible systerns which have been ~ioposed are based on configurations where adjustable hanger elern~nt~; can be moved along a rail fixed to a wall, but are brought into contact ~ith the wall under load. T~is can crea~e lm.~i~htly marks or deform~ions in ~e wall. Fluthe~, the loose late~al flexibility of such conV~ntinn~l systems can result ~n i~egular and uneve displays v rhich can del~act from the ~isual appeal of the merrl~n~ e OIl display.

The present invention seeks to address these d~awbacks.

. CA 02243782 1998-07-20 SUlV~ARY OF TF~ ~VENl~LOl~

Acco~ding to dle inventio~ t~ere is providcd a merr.h~n~li~ displa~ system comprising:

at least t~vo anchor rails attachable to an upright surface one a~ove th~
other spaced at a distance apalt, each anchor rail having a row of evenly spaced ~r~e~gr~n~nt fo~n~tinll~ defiT~i~g a series of discrete and reg~larly spaced .llo~~ g It l~tinn.C thereon, at least one P.lnng~t~ support having ~ngagernPnt means ~ r~hle ~i~
any one of the ~n~ eTnent foTm~tinn~ in each of the anchor rails so that the s~pport can be held fixed be-t~reen the anchor ~ails at any one of 1~e mounting loc~tion~ and away from the upright surface i~ a substantially vertical ~ tinn; and a display arm mountable to the at least one support to which shel*ng, hangers, brackets and tlle like can be Tno~nt~d to displEly ~erchandise.

The engagement foITnations may be in the foIm of holes or grooves formed along the leIlgth of each anchor rail.

The ~o~agern~t means may be in the form of a p~-r of to~ es each provided at a spaced location from the other along ~e leng~ of the elnn~tr support ~ ~urther intem~ tç anchor rail of ~e type ~llmm~ri~ed ~bove may be provided andthe/or e~ch elongate support may be p~ovided w~th ~ ~ird ton~ue for engagement with one or more of the engage~ent formations ill l~e intt~ . Jiate r~il.

Preferably, two of the tonglles a~e provided at or toward~, each end of ~e at least one support. Each of ~ese tongues pre~erably extends uutw~dly from ~e centre of the suppOn.

T~e or e~h support preferably comrn~ss a row of slots or notches extPr~ling ~long its leng~ with ~e display arm compr~sin~ hook means engageable into one or more of the slots so tllat the heigllt of ~e display arm c~n be adjusted in use.

Each anchor ~il may have a channel section ~e display system may cornrn~e a plurality of price display p~els engageable removably in ~e chan~el sections of the anchor rails R13JEF D.F.!; CRIPTl O~ OF Tl~, nRAWI~GS

The invention will no~ be described in more d~tail by ~ay of exa~nple only with reference to ~e acc~,lpc~l~ing Ld~ s~ in which:

F~gure 1 shov~s a riçtnri~l view of a merrh~n~ e display system according to thei~vention; arld Fig~re ~ shows a side ~iew of ~e mer~h~n~ p display s~stem in use.

DF,~ PTTON OF F.MBOD~Ml7 l~TS

A ~~.c,~ e display system according to he invention comprises anchor rails 10, 12 and 14 which are mountable to an upright surface such as a wall in a shop, fo~ example.
The anchor rails are mountable one above ~e o~er at a dist~nce a~art from each o~er.
Each anchor rail has a channel section as shown, defined by the opposed a~rns 16 of each channel in which a IOW of evenly sps~;ed ~n~ .rnt fo~ations ~n ~e forrn oi: holes or grooves, or ~n ~e illll~trat~d case slots 18, are provi.ded. The slots lX define a seIies of discrete and regular mounting loc~tinni as desc~ibed more fully ~elow. Of course, a~y ~lu~liate section of anchor rail could ~e ~Itilised. For instance a r~ aving an L-shape in section could be utilised, or the anchor rail eollld comprise a leng1h of flat s1~ip in which the slots l 8 ha~e been provided.

Each rail is typieally formed as a metal e~ usion and is of jn~L~.";,"~ le~glh. It could however be made of wood or some other mate~ial. In use, each rail is attached to the vertical sur~ace (eg a wall or partition) in a subst~ti~11y hu~;~u~ l disposition thereto at any conve~ient loca~ion. By ~ay of exarnple, the upper rail lO might be ~n~h~1 to the wall or partition at a location ~ree metres above ~e floor and ~e second int~ t~ rail 12 co~ld be ntt~o11~A l~l~~ e first rail lO and lhe third lo~est rail 14 at a location sa~
two metres above the floor, with the lowest rail 14 being provided at ~ lo~tion one metre ~bove the floor ~lt~n~tively, the lowest r~il 14 might be provided to run ju5t above a skirtirlg board, for ~Y~np1~ or alon~ the floor ~ith ~e rails above it be~ng positioned ~s desired.

In Fiç~e 1 of the afs~ r.ying ~awings, two embotl;...l .lx of an elQ~ te support for 1~e merch~ntiic~ display system are shown The first version 20 (on 1 h~ left in the Fig~re) spans only ~ , the upper and intenn~ t~ rails 10 and 1~, ~c~ ly. The second longer version 22 (on the right in the Figure) spans ~L~ ll three rails and is ~u~ul~d at a~ t~-".P-l;~t~ location by ~e ;~te-~ t~ rail 12. In both cases, however~ each suppOn is provided with rail engagement means in the fom~ of a pair of tong~es 24 and 26 at or towards each end o~ the illustrated sl~pport. The tongues extend ouLv~.llyf~om the centre of each support to~ards each end of their .~euLi~ suppo~t to ellgage at upper and lower mounting locations defined by the slots l 8 in the anchor rails. For the version of the support 22, an i~t~.~u~iate tongue 28 is provid~d which engages in the cu~ ullding slo1:
18 in the int~nP~ t~ rail 12 In this ~ay, the aU~vlt~ can be mo~nted to the rails only at discIete and regular locatio~s in a substantially ve~tical orientation to ~e h~ld away and clear of the upri~llt wall to wllich the anchor rails are attached. The invenhon thus provides a display s~stem ~rhich is capable of providing lateral a~lj u~l~cnt ~rld ~el which ensures that upright ~uL~ulta can be spaced only at regular intervals to ens~re a visually ple~sin~ display of mer~ h~n~j5~ Further~ as the ~Up~Ull~ are held cleal of ~e wall, m7~rki~ of the walls is prev~nte~

Tlle ~u~ u.~ts 20 and 22 can be ~ltted to the rails in the follow~ng manr~er. ~irst, the upper tongue 24 is eng~ 3 in ~ cllosen hole 18 in an upper rail. (l~e ~ersion 20 of ~e support could, o~course, be fitted to sp~ ,ell the rails 12 and 14, rather t~an ~e rails 10 and 12, as shown). Once enF~ged into an upper chosen slot 18, the tong~e 24 is pushed upwardly to allow the lower tongue 26 (and in t~e case of the support 22, the tongue 28 as well) into a positi~n veItically above a CGl~ci~l!o~ lg slot 18 in ~e lower rail 12 (or 14).
The support is ~en ~u~el so that the lower tongue 26 (and 28 as the case may be) can be engaged into position so that the support is held fast h an upright orientation to span between two or more of ~e anchor ~ails on the wall. An er~ ged view of the uppertongue 24 is given in Figure 1 of the ac~~ u~l~ing drawings.

ln beLng mounted in this wa~, each support 2û and 22 ~an accept a large wei~ht of merc~nrli~e The supports 20 and ~ are of hollo~ or solid elong~e const~uction and are typically formed as metal exlrusions. ~long ~eir leng~, a row of slots or notches is formed into ~1vhich hook means 3~ on ~ display a~n 34 can be ~n~eA This allo~rs the height of the display ~m, on which shelves, hangers~ brackets and the like can be ~ulJ~o~t~d (as shown in ~le piç~o~ side ~r~ew of Fig~lre Z), to be adj~sted. A stop forrn~ n 36 is op1iorl~lly provided at the ope~atively outer e~d of the display aIm 34 to pr~ent shelves or han~ers mo~ted on ~he display a~n f~om falling off 1 he end.

With a series of display amls mounted to the display system in ~e manner ~
above, a re~sular display ~f ~er~h~n~ e can be const~ucted. Adjacent each s~ppoIt or display arm, one of a sories of pncin~" size o~ "look" display parlels 38 of ~ u~liate mzlteri~l such as a tough plastics, ~rood or PVC mAt~ l, can be inserted into ~e channel sections of ~e anchor rails, as ~.~,.u~!.iate, to present the prices or o1her salient details of the nle~ n~lice on display.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:-A merchandise display system comprising:

at least two anchor rails attachable to an upright surface one above the other spaced at a distance apart, each anchor rail having a row of evenly spaced engagement formations defining a series of discrete and regularly spaced mounting locations thereon;
at least one elongate support having engagement means engageable with any one of the engagement formations in each of the anchor rails so that the support can be held fixed between the anchor rails at any one of the vertical orientation; and a display arm mountable to the at least one support to which shelving, hangers, brackets and the like can be mounted to display merchandise.
2. A merchandise display system according to claim 1 wherein the engagement formations are provided in the form of holes or grooves formed along the length of each anchor rail.
3. A merchandise display system according to claim 2 wherein the engagement means comprise a pair of tongues each provided at a spaced location from the other along the length of the elongate support.
4. A merchandise display system according to claim 1 comprising a further intermediate anchor rail having a series of discrete engagement formations, and wherein the/or each elongate support is provided with a third tongue for engagement into any one of the engagement formations in the intermediate rail.
5. A merchandise display system according to claim 4 wherein two of the tongues are provided at or towards each end of the at least one support.
6. A merchandise display system according to claim 5 wherein each of the remotely spaced tongues extends outwardly in a direction away from the centre of the support.
7. A merchandise display system according to claim 1 wherein the or each supportcomprises a row of slots extending along its length with the display arm comprising hook means engageable into one or more of the slots so that the height of the display arm can be adjusted in use.
8. A merchandise display system according to claim 1 wherein each anchor rail has a channel section.
9. A merchandise display system according to claim 8 wherein the display system comprises a plurality of price display panels engageable removably in the channel sections of the anchor rails.