FR2753616A1 - Bracket to support display or storage structure, especially for displaying produce, or publicity material - Google Patents

Abstract

The bracket (10) has a tube (11) that is held in a base (14). An L-shaped fixing organ (20) is screwed into a nut in the base by its horizontal part (20a,20b). Its vertical part (20d) is at right angles to its horizontal part and fits over a bar (100d). The first part (20a) of the fixing organ is threaded and its second part (20b) is partly threaded. Its vertical part is square in its cross section. The nut is in a collar round the back of the base. The fixing organ passes through an L-shaped plate (30) that is clamped round the bar.

Description

 The present invention relates generally to devices for attaching elements to structures for displaying articles or storage, in particular in distribution stores such as supermarkets.

 The addition of elements to a shelving structure, in particular for the purposes of improved presentation of articles, advertising, promotion, etc., in this type of place has undergone an important development in recent decades, and there is today a certain number of solutions for fixing locally on the shelving of a store such added elements.

 These solutions use fixing devices which are specially designed for such or such type of shelving, or for such or such part of shelving structure, and an important problem linked to this type of fixing device lies in an impossibility of use the fixing device either on a part of the shelving structure for which it was not designed, these parts can be as diverse as frame uprights, shelves, bottom panels, etc., or on a different shelving structure, knowing that the shelving produced by the different suppliers has different constructions, shapes and dimensions.

 This results in the need to design as many specific fixing devices as there are parts of different structure envisaged to receive them.

 This increases the cost price of these devices, which each require an appropriate design and manufacturing tool, and the costs of storage, due to the need to have a large number of models of fastening devices adapted to different cases.

 The main object of the present invention is to propose a universal fixing device, which can, with the same means, possibly supplemented by accessories, allow the fixing of elements on very diverse parts of a store shelving, and adapt easily to shelving of different models.

 Another object of the invention is to provide a fastening device, the implementation of which is extremely easy and rapid.

Thus the present invention provides a device for fixing an element on a part of a structure for presenting articles or storage, characterized in that it comprises
a base comprising arrangements for receiving said element and inside which a first thread is made,
a fixing member in the general shape of an "L" and of regular cross section, comprising a first part able to extend inside said base and having a second thread capable of cooperating with the first thread, and a second part oriented substantially at right angles to the first part.

Preferred, but not limiting, aspects of the device according to the invention are as follows
- A nut defining said first thread is embedded in said base.

 - Said base includes a terminal flange at which the nut is located.

 - Said fixing member consists of a threaded rod bent at 900 at an elbow.

 - The first part of said fixing member comprises a first threaded section over its entire periphery and a second section whose thread is truncated by two parallel flanks, and said elbow and the second part of the fixing member have a square section.

 - The device further comprises a profile fixing part in the general shape of "L", part of which has a vertical slot capable of being traversed by the first part of said fixing member, and the base, the fixing member and the fixing part are able to cooperate with the four sides of a bar belonging to said structure.

 - The device further comprises two fixing parts, a first part comprising a housing for receiving said second part of the fixing member and a second part having a vertical slot intended to be crossed by the first part of the fixing member , and the first and second fixing parts are able to pinch the front edge of a shelf of said structure.

 - Said second fixing part comprises a flat upper part capable of resting on the upper surface of said shelf.

 - Said second fixing part comprises means forming a vertical slide for said collar of the base, and said vertical slot of the second fixing part is open at one of its ends.

 - Said first part comprises at least one essentially horizontal wing extending from said housing and able to bear on the rear of said front edge of the tablet.

 - The section of said fixing member is smaller than the size of the smallest perforations formed in bottom plates and / or in standard attachment masts belonging to the structure.

 - The collar of the base has a width greater than the largest interval between the sides of standard attachment masts belonging to the structure.

 said element is chosen from the group comprising supports, in particular brackets, for display, signaling, markup or segmentation panels, display stands for articles, shelf advances, shelf framing and shelf skins, and sample holders, coupon distributors and flyers.

Other aspects, objects and advantages of the present invention will appear better on reading the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of an element provided with a fixing device according to the invention,
FIG. 2a is a partial view, partly in side elevation and partly in axial section, of the element and of a first part of the fixing device according to the invention,
FIG. 2b is an end view of the representation of FIG. 2a,
FIG. 3a is a side elevation view of a fixing member forming part of the fixing device according to the invention,
FIG. 3b is an end view of the member of FIG. 3a,
FIG. 4a is a side view in section of a first accessory of the fixing device of FIGS. 1 to 3,
FIG. 4b is a front view of the accessory of FIG. 4a,
Figures 5a and 5b illustrate partly in elevation and partly in section an element provided with a fixing device according to the invention, fixed with the accessory of Figures 4a and 4b on two rack load bars , having different sections, FIG. 5b being a representation of the assembly in progress,
FIG. 6 illustrates different sections of rack load bars,
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an element provided with a fixing device according to the invention, fixed to a load bar using the accessory of FIGS. 4a and 4b,
Figures 8a and 8b are views partly in elevation and partly in section of an element provided with a fixing device according to the invention and a bottom plate perforated with a shelving unit, respectively during assembly. and after mounting,
FIG. 9 is a perspective view, partially in transparency, of the element mounted using its fixing device on the perforated bottom plate,
FIGS. 10a and 10b are views partly in elevation and partly in section of an element provided with a fixing device according to the invention and with a gondola mast, respectively during assembly and after assembly,
FIGS. 11a and 11b are views partly in elevation and partly in section of one of an element provided with a fixing device according to the invention, mounted respectively on the edges of two shelving shelves of different types, and
Figure 12 is an exploded perspective view of an element provided with a fixing device according to the invention and a pair of second accessories for fixing the element on edges of shelves.

 Referring firstly to Figures 1, 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b, there is shown an element to be reported in particular on a rack or "gondola" of distribution store using an associated fixing device, this element consisting in this case, but not limited to, a bracket intended for hanging a display panel made of strong paper, cardboard or the like, for the purposes in particular of advertising, promotion, etc.

 The bracket comprises a first part 10 comprising two telescopic tubes 11, 12, the thinnest tube 12 carrying at its free end a spherical protective lining 13, and the largest tube 11, slidingly receiving the tube 12, being at its opposite end force fitted into a base 14 made for example of plastic.

 This base includes a part forming a sleeve 14a intended to receive the tube 11, and at the end opposite to the inlet of the tube 11, a flange 14b in this case of circular shape. In the base 14, and more precisely flush with the face of the flange 14b opposite the sleeve 14a, is captive a nut 15 having a threaded orifice opening on one side inside the sleeve 14a and the tube 11 which is engaged therein, and on the other side on the external face of the collar 14b.

 The base 14 / nut 15 assembly is advantageously produced by overmolding on the nut.

 The bracket also comprises a fixing member shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, which is constituted by a metal part 20 comprising a long threaded metal rod 20a, an extension 20b of the threaded rod which has on its flanks two straight faces, this extension being followed by an elbow 20c to 900, at which the rod has a square section, elbow from which extends a transverse part 20d of also square section.

 The part 20a forming a threaded rod is capable of being engaged in the nut 15, as illustrated in FIG. 1, this practically up to the elbow 20c thanks to the upper and lower threading parts which remain on the extension 20b.

 Figures 4a and 4b show a fixing accessory 30 intended in certain cases to cooperate with the bracket as described above. This accessory is in the form of a metal plate comprising a main part 30a in which is formed a vertical longitudinal slot 30b of width slightly greater than the overall diameter of the section of the part 20. A secondary part 30c extends substantially at 900 from the lower edge of the main part 30a.

 We will now describe different possible uses of the bracket described above.

 Referring first to Figure 5a, there is illustrated the fixing of a bracket according to the invention, using the plate 30 of Figures 4a and 4b, on a load bar 100d of rectangular section belonging to the frame of a gondola or store shelving.

 In this use, the part of the member 20 which projects beyond the flange lOb of the element 10 is engaged through the slot 30b of the plate 30. The part 20d of the member 20 being directed downwards and located at sufficient distance from the flange 10b, the upper part of the bar 100d is trapped with play between the part 30a of the plate and said part 20d of the member 20. The plate 30 is also positioned vertically so that its lower part horizontal 30c is placed in contact with the underside of the load bar.

 In this position, the element 10 as a whole is turned by hand in the direction of the arrow F, without any particular tool, to firmly pinch the upper part of the load bar between the part 30a of the plate and the part 20d of the member 20, while by the same clamping action, the plate 30 is maintained in the above-mentioned vertical position, where the load bar is trapped between the horizontal part 20a and / or 20b of the member 20 and the part Plate 30c 30.

 This makes it extremely easy to fix the bracket on the load bar 100d.

 It will be noted here that the assembly constituted by the bracket 10, 20 and its accessory 30 makes it possible to carry out such a fixing on load bars of very diverse sections, as shown in FIG. 5b where the load bar 100a of much more section small than in the case of FIG. 5a.

 In this regard, Figure 6 illustrates different sections of standard load bars 100a to 100d which, without limitation, can accommodate a bracket according to the invention.

 Figures 8a, 8b and 9 illustrate the fixing of a bracket according to the invention, without the aid of any accessory, on a bottom plate perforated with a rack.

 The bottom plate 200 comprises a sheet 201 in which are formed, in a regularly distributed manner, openings 202 which in this case are in the form of diamonds.

 To make the attachment, the parts 20c and 20d of the member 20 are engaged in one of the openings 202, tilting the bracket if necessary, then the element 10 is rotated on itself according to the arrow F for engage the member 20 therein by screwing action. At the end of this operation, the sheet 201 is firmly trapped between the flange 14b and the part 20d of the member 20, the fixing being thus ensured. Said part 20d here extends downwards, but other orientations are possible.

 In order to prevent the member 20 from rotating at the same time as the element 10 during screwing, it is possible, if necessary, to block the part 20d against rotation either by slightly tilting the stem relative to the normal to the plane of the sheet during screwing, either by introducing a tool such as a screwdriver, forming a stop with respect to said part 20d, in one of the adjacent openings 202.

 It is understood that the bracket according to the invention can be fixed to very diverse perforated bottom plates, the spacing and the size of the perforations not being a constraint provided that the section of the member 20 at least at its parts 20b, 20c and 20d is less than the smallest of the perforations commonly encountered.

 As will be described with reference to Figures 10a and 10b, the bracket according to the invention can also be fixed to a frame part conventionally called "gondola mast", consisting of a vertical upright provided with a number of perforations stretched vertically. Such a mast is conventionally provided for hanging shelves in an adjustable manner in height of the shelves of the gondola. Such a mast conventionally comprises two plates 301, 303 provided with such perforations, respectively 302, 304 and extending vertically, parallel to each other at a certain mutual distance.

 These two plates are located transversely in a recess between two flanks, arranged at right angles to the perforated plates, one of these flanks being designated by the reference 305.

 The bracket is put in place in the same way as in the case of a perforated plate as illustrated in FIGS. 8a, 8b and 9, the essential difference being that at the end of tightening, the flange 14b of the base 14 comes to bear against the front edges of the sides of the mast.

 It will be noted in this regard that the diameter of said collar is chosen to be greater than the spacing between the sides of the most commonly encountered masts.

 Now with reference to FIGS. 11a, 11b and 12, there is illustrated a bracket capable of cooperating with two accessory parts 40 and 50 for its attachment to the front edge of a shelving shelf.

 Thus, FIG. 12 shows that one of these parts, designated by 40, comprises a central barrel 42, the section of which is preferably square, this barrel being capable of slidingly receiving the part 20d of the member 20. Are fixed to this was a rear plate 41 and a front plate 43 provided with two horizontal wings 44 and 45 extending in the direction opposite to the plate 41 from the upper and lower edges of the plate 43.

 The part 50 has a profile in the general shape of "It, with a horizontal upper part 51 from the front edge of which extends at right angles downwards a vertical part 52 forming a slide for the stem. Indeed, the lateral edges of the part 52 are folded back to 900 then to 1800 (at 53, 54) to define two vertical grooves whose width is slightly greater than the thickness of the flange 14b of the base 14, while this the same part 52 is crossed centrally by an oblong slot 52a opening at the lower edge of the part 52 and closed at its upper end, the width of this slot is slightly greater than the maximum width of the member 20 of the bracket.

 Figure îîa illustrates the mounting of the bracket fitted with these two parts 40, 50 on the front edge of a shelf 400a comprising at its front end a curved descending edge 401a forming a label holder for displaying prices.

 The assembly is carried out by sliding the collar 14b of the base, from bottom to top according to the arrow F 'in FIG. 12, in the housing of the part 50 defined by the lateral grooves of its vertical part 52, the member 20 engaging during this movement in the slot 52a, and by engaging the part 20d of the member 20, from the bottom and according to the arrow F ", in the barrel 42 of the part 40. Then positions the 'assembly thus produced so that the horizontal part 51 of the part 50 comes to be placed on top of the tablet 400a, and that the part 40 comes to be placed behind the rim 401a of the tablet.

 The bracket then being turned on itself, the part 20d of the member 20 tends to approach the flange 14b of the base 14, so that the flange 401a of the tablet is pinched between the rear face of the part 52 of the part 50 and the free anterior edges, located vis-à-vis, of the wings 44 and 45 of the part 40, thereby making a firm attachment.

 It will be observed here that the possibility of sliding the base 14 relative to the part 50 makes it possible to adapt to the edges of shelves of different heights, the depth of these edges being taken into account by an appropriate degree of screwing of the organ 20 in element 10.

 Figure 11b illustrates the attachment of the bracket and its two accessory parts 40, 50 to a tablet 400b of another type, having a descending edge 401b essentially vertical and straight.

 It will further be observed that, in all cases, the part 51 of the part 50 which is in abutment against the top of the shelf makes it possible to keep the bracket with a horizontal orientation with the most varied configurations of shelf edges.

 Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, but those skilled in the art will be able to make any variant or modification in accordance with his spirit.

In particular, the description given above, relating to a bracket, also applies to the fixing on shelving of all kinds of elements, and in particular
- all other types of supports or hanging devices for small posters or panels, in particular for display, signaling, marking or segmentation purposes,
- displays such as baskets, or additional shelves for articles,
- shelf advances, shelf framing and shelf skins,
- various supports for samples, coupons distributors, flyers, etc ...

 In this case, a person skilled in the art will know how to adapt the structure and the shape of the base 14, depending on the element to be fixed.

Claims (13)

 1. Device for fixing an element (11) on a part of an article presentation or storage structure, characterized in that it comprises  a base (14) comprising arrangements (14a) for receiving said element and inside which a first thread is made,  a fixing member (20) in the general shape of an "L" and of regular cross section, comprising a first part (20a, 20b) capable of extending inside said base and having a second thread capable of cooperating with the first thread, and a second part (20d) oriented substantially at right angles to the first part.  2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that a nut (15) defining said first thread is embedded in said base (14).  3. Stem according to claim 2, characterized in that said base comprises a terminal flange (14b) at the level of which is located the nut (15).  4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said fixing member consists of a threaded rod (20) bent at 900 at a bend (20c).  5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the first part of said fixing member comprises a first section (20a) threaded over its entire periphery and a second section (20b) whose thread is truncated by two parallel flanks, and in that said elbow (20c) and the second part (20d) of the fixing member have a square section.  6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it further comprises a fixing part (30) of profile in general shape of "L", of which a part (30a) has a vertical slot ( 30b) capable of being traversed by the first part (20a, 20b) of said fixing member (20), and in that the base (14b), the fixing member (20) and the fixing piece (30) are able to cooperate with the four sides of a bar (100a-lOOd) belonging to said structure.  7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it further comprises two fixing parts (40, 50), a first part (40) comprising a housing (42) for receiving said second part ( 20d) of the fixing member (20) and a second part (50) comprising a vertical slot (52a) intended to be crossed by the first part (20a, 20b) of the fixing member, and in that the first (40) and second fixing parts (50) are able to pinch the front edge (401a; 401b) of a shelf (400a; 400b) of said structure.  8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that said second fixing part (50) comprises a flat upper part (51) able to bear on the upper surface of said shelf (400a; 400b).  9. Device according to one of claims 7 and 8 taken in combination with claim 3, characterized in that said second fixing part (50) comprises means forming a vertical slide for said flange (14b) of the base (14 ), and in that said vertical slot (52a) of the second fixing part is open at one of its ends.  10. Device according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that said first part (40) comprises at least one essentially horizontal wing (44, 45) extending from said housing and able to bear on the 'rear of said front edge (401a; 401b) of the tablet.  11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the section of said fixing member (20) is smaller than the size of the smallest perforations (202; 302) formed in bottom plates (200 ) and / or in standard hanging masts (300) belonging to the structure.  12. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the flange (14b) of the base (14) has a width greater than the largest interval between the sides (305) of standard mounting masts (300) belonging to the structure.  13. Device according to one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that said element is chosen from the group comprising supports, in particular brackets (11), for display, signaling, markup or segmentation panels, the display stands for articles, shelf advances, shelf frames and shelf covers, and sample racks, coupon distributors and flyers.