This invention is concerned with display racks for holding and
displaying merchandise, such as in retail outlets. More particularly the
invention is concerned with a display hook for supporting a row of product
packages for self selection by customers.
It is common for articles to be packaged for sale in packets consisting of
a backing card and a front covering of clear plastic through which the article(s)
contained in the pack are visible, such packets being known as bubble packs
and blister packs. The backing card is generally provided with a horizontal slot
adjacent its upper edge to enable it to be suspended from a display hook in the
form of an elongate arm of sufficient length to support several packs placed in a
row one behind the other. The arm is supported in a cantilever manner from a
rigid structure to which it is securely attached, a front end of the arm being free
to allow customers to remove packs when selected for purchase, and to allow
staff to replenish depleted stocks. Display hooks of this form have been found
to provide an effective and convenient way of displaying and presenting items
for sale to customers. However, there has been found a problem in that a
whole row of products can be easily and rapidly removed, such as by a
dishonest person, and as a consequence there is a need for a display hook
which can help deter pilfering on such a scale.
The present invention aims to satisfy this need and resides in display
hook comprising an elongate arm for supporting a row of packs to be removed
in turn by movement longitudinally of the arm to a free forward end thereof,
wherein the arm is provided with means adjacent the forward end to obstruct
continuous longitudinal movement of a pack to the forward end and to
constrain the pack to be displaced transversely of the longitudinal direction
before it can be removed from the arm.
The obstruction means is preferably formed to enable packs to be
manoeuvred past the obstruction means, and hence removed from the display
hook, only one at a time. In this way any attempt to remove several packs
simultaneously from the display will be thwarted. To facilitate restocking of
the display hooks, it is conveniently mounted to the supporting structure by a
releasable connection allowing the display hook to be released and restocked
from the rear end. This has the additional advantage that the goods are
presented in date order. In a presently preferred embodiment the rear end of
the support arm is adapted for a releasable snap-fit connection to a support
bracket. More precisely, the support arm is bifurcated to define an integral
resilient latch for engagement with a slotted mounting bracket to which it is
detachably connected.
The obstruction means can conveniently be arranged to demand lateral
movement of a pack during removal from the display hook and this can be
achieved by providing the side edges of the support arm with stepped sections
adjacent the forward end of the arm. Alternatively, a major surface, e.g. the
upper surface, of the support arm can be provided with a projection requiring
the pack to be manoeuvred past the projection by aligning a recess with it.
The invention will be fully understood from the following detailed
description of an embodiment, reference being made to the accompanying
drawings in which:-
Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a display hook with mounting
bracket. Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the display hook mounted to the
bracket; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the display hook being released
from the mounting bracket. Figure 4 is a plan view illustrating the mounting hook and bracket; Figure 5 shows a modified display hook in partial plan view; Figure 6 is a perspective view showing another modification of the
display hook together with a support assembly for the hook; Figure 7 is a side view of the display hook and support assembly of
Figure 6. Figure 8 is a perspective view of an alternative form of support bracket
for use with the display hook of Figure 6; Figure 9 shows the bracket of Figure 8 in side view and with the rear
end portion of a display hook and with a support panel; and Figure 10 shows the completed assembly of Figure 9.
The display hook and bracket assembly of Figures 1 and 4 is intended
for packs with backing cards having horizontal slots with substantially
semicircular notches midway along their upper edges. The display hook
comprises an elongated arm 1 of generally flat form and having a width slightly
less than the length of the slots in the packs. The arm includes a mounting
section at its rear end, a storage section forming most of the arm length, an
obstruction section, and an upwardly inclined ramp section at the forward end.
Hinged to the forward end is a flap 2 which may carry information, e.g. the
price, relating to the packs carried on the display hook, in a manner known per
se. Extending along the centre of the upper surface of the main storage section
is a rail 3, which is integral with the arm and of complementary cross-section to
the semi-circular notch of the slots provided in the backing cards of the packs
to be displayed. The side edges of the arm are parallel along the storage
section. At the obstruction section one side edge is formed with a rectangular
recess 5 and the other side edges is provided with a lateral projection 6 of
corresponding shape. Also, the rail 3 is interrupted at the obstruction section
and a short rail segment 8 is provided with a laterally offset from the rail 3 in
the direction towards the projection 6. The rail segment 8 is spaced from the
adjacent portions of the rail 3 by short distances to define slits wide enough to
allow only one backing card to pass through at a time, as will become clear.
The support arm is, in use, carried by a mounting bracket 10 with an
inverted U-shaped for embracing a horizontal member 11 of a frame, the
bracket having front and rear legs which project downwardly below the frame
member 11. The front leg of the bracket has an opening 12 of corresponding
cross-section to the storage section of the support arm so that the arm is a
sliding fit in the opening. A similar opening 13 is formed in the rear leg but has
a length a little shorter than the width of the support arm. Also, the opening 13
of the rear leg need not be shaped to accept the rail 3, and the rail may
terminate short of the rear end of the support arm for abutting the rear leg to
provide a stop for limiting insertion of the support arm into the bracket. The
mounting section of the support arm is bifurcated due to a longitudinal slot 14
which defines a resilient latch finger 15 at one side of the arm. The latch finger
has a notch 16, and a similar notch 17 is provided in the other edge of the side
arm for the mounting section to latch releasably with the rear leg of the
mounting bracket. The end portion of the support arm is tapered to facilitate an
automatic snap engagement of the latch as the mounting section of the arm is
pushed into and through the opening of the bracket in the direction of the arrow
A in Figure 1. When it is desired to remove the support arm for loading packs
onto the support arm from its rear end the latch is disengaged as illustrated in
Figure 3 and depicted by the arrow B in Figure 4, and the support arm is pulled
from the bracket in the direction indicated by arrow C. After restocking with
packs the support arm is remounted to the bracket as described above.
When a customer wishes to remove a pack it is pulled towards the free
end of the display hook. However, the obstruction section will prevent it being
drawn directly longitudinally from the forward end of the display arm and due
to the recess 5, projection 6 and rail segment 8, the pack must be manoeuvred
laterally, forwardly a short distance and then laterally again, but in the opposite
direction, before it can be withdrawn from the display hook. The obstruction
section occupies only a short length of the display arm and is formed so that
only one pack at a time can be manoeuvred through the non-linear path which it
defines, and in this way rapid removal of several packs at the same time is
prevented.
It will be appreciated that modifications are possible without departing
from the inventive concept. In Figure 5 for example there is shown a display
hook in which the support arm has a single lateral step at the obstruction
section. As in the first embodiment sufficient spacing is provided between the
rail 3 and rail segment 8 to allow the backing card to pass through for re-alignment
of its notch with the rail segment, but to permit only one backing
card to pass through at a time.
In the display hook assembly of Figures 6 and 7 the forward end of the
arm of the display hook may be exactly as described above in relation to
Figures 1 to 5. As in the previous embodiments the rear end of the arm has a
tapered portion, but instead of a single latch finger a pair of symmetrical latch
fingers 15 are formed at the opposite sides of the arm by respective longitudinal
slots 14. The display arm is intended for releasable connection to a moulded
bracket 20 having a front wall 21 with an opening 22 of complementary shape
to the cross-section of the main part of the display hook arm 1. The bracket
includes a rear wall 23 to which the front wall is connected by four legs 24, and
which is provided an opening 25 which is narrower than the opening 22 so that
when the rear end of the display hook arm is pushed into the opening 25, the
latch fingers 15 are cammed inwardly until the rear wall is aligned with the
notches 16 in the latch fingers and the latch fingers spring out to lock the
display hook to the bracket. When it is required to detach the display hook,
such as for restocking, the latch fingers 15 can be squeezed together because
they protrude between the legs 24, to disengage the latch fingers from the rear
wall 23 and thereby allow the arm 1 to be pulled out of the bracket 20. The
bracket is adapted to be mounted on a structural panel 28 which is made in
accordance with the invention described in our copending British patent
application No. 9604668.5. and which has grooves 29 of equal shape formed
on opposite sides of the panel, the grooves having re-entrant side walls 30.
Behind the rear wall 23 the bracket has a support block 32 with an upwardly
projecting flange 33 for engagement behind the undercut re-entrant portion of
the upper side wall of a panel groove 19, and a relatively short downwardly
directed flange 34 for engaging behind the undercut re-entrant portion of the
lowerside wall of the same groove. The short lower flange allows the bracket
to be snapped into the groove 19 of the panel 28 by first inserting the upper
flange 33 and then rotating the bracket to press the lower flange 34 into place
as shown in the drawings. The lower flange can be carried by a resilient tongue
35 which can flex to facilitate the attachment of the bracket to the panel, the
flanged being held in the locking position by the rear end of the display hook
arm when it is inserted into the bracket.
Figures 8 to 10 show a modified assembly in which the display hook can
be identical to that of Figure 6. The bracket 20 has a rear wall 23 with a slot 25
for latching engagement with the rear end of the display hook arm in the same
manner as described in relation to Figures 6 and 7. Projecting rearwardly of
the wall 23 is an integral L-shaped flange 36 which is shaped and dimensioned
for engagement in a T-slot 37 formed in a channel member 38 of a support
panel. During assembly, the flange 36 of the bracket is introduced into the
channel member 38 and raised so that the upright portion of the flange is
engaged in the upper limb of the T-slot. The display arm 1 is then introduced
into the bracket 20 and pushed home so that it is latched to the rear wall of the
bracket. The rear end portion of the display hook arm projects beyond the wall
23 and into the mouth of the T-shot so that the bracket is locked against
disengagement from the channel as may be seen in Figure 10.