GB2472056A

GB2472056A - A shelf assembly with a moulded insert having a plurality of display surfaces

Info

Publication number: GB2472056A
Application number: GB0912794A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gary Souter; Philip Toovey
Original assignee: Maxim Design Group Ltd
Current assignee: Maxim Design Group Ltd
Priority date: 2009-07-23
Filing date: 2009-07-23
Publication date: 2011-01-26
Also published as: GB0912794D0

Abstract

A shelf assembly 20 comprising a base tray 21 for attachment to a support and a moulded insert 22 which is accommodated within the tray 21, the insert 22 having a plurality of display surfaces 23-27 at different levels and or orientations. The display surfaces 23-27 may be terraced or adapted to display different goods. There may be a spring pusher device 28 to move goods forward and a separate display compartment 31 at the front of each display surface 23-27. The base tray 21 may have an upstanding flange 33 on its front edge which engages a groove 36 on the moulded insert 22. The base tray 31 may comprise two parts with one slidably mounted on the other and allowing limited tilting.

Description

A Display Shelf

Field

This invention relates to shelves for sales display units and in particular to point of sale display units in which shelves are cantilevered from a vertical support.

Background of the Invention

Display units are frequently used in retail outlets behind the pay counter, and in order to maxim ise the display area the shelves are as closely stacked one on another as is possible. In the document GB-A-2450912, the present applicant describes a two part display shelf that is convenient to use even in a densely packed array of shelves. Modern shelving, especiaHy for display and sale of cigarettes, is typically divided into stock trays providad with spring loaded pack pushers which feed a row of packs towards the front of the tray. In this condition, when the shelves are viewed from the front, the front packs in their respective trays appear in a generally unbroken linear array.

Display units are often used in shops or other commercial premises to display and dispense particular lines of goods which may be produced by single or multiple manufacturers. In such units, it may be desirable to make particular goods stand out from in order to promote sales.

Statements of Invention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a shelf assembly comprising a base tray for attachment to a support and a m.ou[ded insert which. is. accom m odated within the tray and has elevated display surfaces for storage and display of packs of goods at different levels and or orientations. . Preferably the. elevated display surfaces are arranged in terraces. The insert may be provided with different display surfaces adapted to display differen.t goods.

Each display surface may be provided with.a respective spring load pack pusher to automatically move the packs towards the front of the display surface as the pack adjacent the front of the display surface is removed. . Preferably, at least some of said surfaces are recessed with each recess extending from the rear to front of the insert so that the packs of goods arranged on the insert are arranged in rows, preferably substantially parallel rows front to rear in each recess. . Preferably, a separate compartment for housing a single pack of goods is provided at the front of each display surface and at least the front of each compartment permits the display of a pack housed in said compartment. The front of the compartment may be open, or formed from a clear transparent material.

The front portion of the base tray may be provided with at least one upstanding flange with the insert having detent means engagable with the flange. The front surface of the flange may be utilised for the display of information, for example pricing.

Preferably the base tray comprises two parts, a lower tray having mounting means whereby the base tray is cantilevered outwardly from a support and an upper tray slidably mounted in the lower tray for outward movement, the upper and lower trays having mutually co-operating abutment means to limit the outward movement of the upper tray whilst allowing limited tilting of the upper tray relative to the lower tray at said limit, the insert being accommodated in the upper tray.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display units comprising an array of shelf assemblies including at least one shelf assembly in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention.

betailed Description of the Drawings

The Invention will be described by way of Example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a isometric view of a prior art shelf assembly, Fig. 2 is an isometric exploded diagram of a shelf assembly according to the present invention, Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the moulded insert as is shown * in Fig 2 from the rear, Fig. 4 is an isometric view of the shelf assembly loaded with packs of goods.

Fig.5 isa front view of a display unit showing a shelf assembly according to the present invention in situ, Figs 6-10. show shelf assemblies having different inserts to

N

* create different display effects.

Detaiedflescription of the Present Invention With reference to Fig. 1, there is shown a priorart shelf assembly 10 as disclosed in GB-A-245091 2 the contents of which are hereby incorporated into the present specification. The assembly 10 comprises a lower try 11 and an upper tray 1 2 which is slidably supported on the lower tray 11. The two parts 11 & 12 are preferably formed from sheet metal.

The tower tray 11 is connected to a pair of wall mountings 14 having spaced apart apertures therein. The lower tray 11 has sides 15 each with a vertical rear edge 13 having prongs 1 7 thereon which engage the apertures in the wall mountings 14 to hold the tray assembly in a chosen position. The upper tray 12 is slidably mounted on the lower tray 11 for outward movement, with mutually co-operating abutment means on the upper and lower trays engaging to limit outward movement of the upper tray whilst allowing limited tilting of the upper tray relative to the lower at said limit.

With reference now to Figs. 2-4, there is shown a shelf assembly 20 corn prising a base tray 21, a moulded plastics insert 22 and a front cover 32. The base. tray 21. issithilar to the prior art tray shown in Fig.1 and comprises two parts 11 and 12 as previously described, The insert 22 is \.

accommodated in the upper tray 12 and is a close fit therein.

The insert2Z ismoulded by injection moulding, vacuum forming or therm o forming or any other suitable method using any suitable desired plastics material such as acrylics, polystyrene, polycarbonate. The inset 22 has a plurality of different display surfaces thereOn for storage and display of packs P of goods at differenf levels and or orientations. In the present example shown in Fig 2-4, there are five display surface 23-27 but any number of display surfaces can be provided as is desired. In this example the display surfaces 23-27 are terraced being lower terraces 23 & 27 at th sides and rising to the highest terrace 25 at the centre.

The display surfaces 23-27 are recessed with each recess extending from the rear to front of the insert 22 so that the packs P of goods are arranged in rows front to rear in each recess, Alternatively, the display surfaces may be flat and surrounded by side walls.

Each recess is provided at its rear with a respective spring loaded pack pusher 28 to automatically move the packs P towards the front of the respective recess as the pack adjacent the front of the display surface Is removed. \,

The. front end. of each display surface is provided with an end wall 29 and a separate compartment 31 for housing a single pack P of goods is provided to the front of each end wall 29. The front of each compartment 31 may be open to permits the display of a pack housed n said compartment. The compartments 31 are then covered by the transparent clear cover 32. The mid-front of the insert may be covered with a shaped plate 35 for a graphic display which overlays the insert and forms the fronts of the central compartments 31A. A detent in the form of a * groove or aperture 36 may be formed behind ends of the plate 35 and the insert.

The front edge. of the upper tray 12 has a pair of spaced apart upstanding flanges 33 thereon on its front edge which is use form the fronts of the two. end compartments 29B either side of the plate. The detents 36 are engagable with the flange 33 to hold the insert in location.

With reference. to Fig. 5, there is shown a display unit 110 in the form of a shelving system comprising a conventional array of shelf assemblies 10 of the typadisclosedin GB-A-2450912 with packs of goods insitu. A shelf assembly 20 according to the present invention is located in the middle of. tha display unit, It can be seen that the different arrangement and display of packs on the shelf assembly 20 makes those goods stand out fro.rn the standard array of goods.

With reference to Figs 6 to 10, there is disclosed a plurality of different shelf assemblies all of which comprise different inserts combined with a standard base tray.

As shown in Fig. 6, the shelf assembly has an insert 62 having display surfaces adapted to carry more than one type of pack, in this case two different packs P1 & P2.

Figures 7 and 8 show shelf assemblies with inserts 71, 81 which have display surfaces arranged in terraces of increasing height across.the shelf assembly. The shelf assembly in Fig 7 is provided with an insert 71 having five displace surfaces forming terraces of increasing height left to right across the base tray, and in,Fig 8 the moulded insert has seven display surfaces of increasing height right to left across the base tray.

The two inserts 71 & 81 may be formed as mirror images one with another. This can be used to create a distinctive effect in an array of \.

shelving similar to Fig.5. 15..

Figures 9 and 10, again show shelf assemblies showing moulded inserts 91 and 101 having display surfaces formed in yet further arrangements. In Fig 9 the insert 91 has two display surfaces 93 & 94 which are inclined relative to each other Similarly in Fig. 10 the insert 101 has five inclined display surfaces arranged in the manrer of a portion of a polygon, so that the packs appear to substantially define the arc of a circle.

Claims

Claims A shelf assembly comprising a base tray for attachment to a support and a rnotjlded insert which is accommodated within the tray, the insert having a plurality of display surfaces thereon for storage and display of packs of goods at different levels and or orientations.
2. A shelf assembly as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the different display surfaces are arranged in terraces.
3. A shelf assembly as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein insert has different display surfaces adapted to display different goods.
4. A shelf assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein each display surface is provided with a respective spring loaded pack pusher to automatically move the packs towards the front of the display surface as the pack adjacent the front of the display surface is removed.
5. A shelf assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein at least some of said surfaces are recessed with each recess extending from the rear to front of the insert so that the packs of goods are arranged in rows front to rear in each recess.
6. A shelf assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein a separate compartment for housing a single pack of goods is provided at the front of each display surface and at least the front of each compartment permits the display of a pack housed in said compartment.
7. A shelf assembly as comprised in any one of Claims 1 to 6 wherein the base tray has at least one upstanding flange on its front edge with the insert having detent means connectable with the flange.
8. A shelf assembly as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the detent means comprises a. groove on the insert which is slide fit over the flange.
9. A. shelf assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the base tray comprises two parts, a lower tray having mounting means whereby the base tray is cantilevered outwardly from a support and an upper tray stidably mounted in the lower tray for outward movement, the upper and lower trays having mutually co-operating abutment means to limit the outward movement of the upper tray whilst allowing limited tilting of the upper tray relative to the lower tray at said limit, the insert being accommodated in the upper tray.
10. A shelving system comprising an array of shelf assemblies including at least one shelf assembly as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 9.