GB2588417A

GB2588417A - A shelf

Info

Publication number: GB2588417A
Application number: GB1915312.1A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Hicks Gary
Original assignee: Fit Out Uk Ltd
Current assignee: Fit Out Uk Ltd
Priority date: 2019-10-23
Filing date: 2019-10-23
Publication date: 2021-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 2039-10-23
Also published as: EP3811823A1; GB201915312D0; GB2588417B

Abstract

A shelf for a merchandise display unit is disclosed. It comprises a base 2 mountable to an upright so as to extend therefrom in a fixed position. The base comprises a bottom wall 5 and parallel side walls 4. Each parallel side wall has an elongate slot 9. The shelf further comprises a tray 3 that includes a floor 14 and parallel side surfaces 13 and a tongue 15 extending laterally from each edge in a direction away from each other. Each tongue is received in a corresponding elongate slot in the side wall of the base so that the tray is slideable relative to the base. Optionally the slots have an arcuate section which extends downwardly towards its front end so that the tray tilts downwards and a wider opening rear section. A merchandise display unit comprising the shelf is also disclosed.

Description

A Shelf The present invention relates to a shelf primarily intended for use in a retail environment for displaying merchandise for purchase by consumers. The invention also relates to a merchandise display unit comprising a shelf according to the invention.

Merchandise display units for displaying goods in a retail environment, such as supermarkets, are well known. They generally comprise a number of shelves attached to vertical uprights in spaced relation one above the other. Goods for sale are placed on /0 the shelves.

To facilitate easier viewing and the placement of goods on the shelves, some versions of the shelves used for merchandise display units are configured so that they can be slid forwardly, in a direction away from the upright to which they are mounted, and tilted in /5 a downward direction. GB2500803A discloses a shelf of this type, and comprises a base element which is immovably fixed to the upright, and an upper tray which is slideable relative to the base element into its forward and downwardly tilted position.

A disadvantage with the shelf known from GB25008o3A is that the upper tray is not held by the base very securely when slid forwardly and there is an undesirable degree of play between the upper tray and the base.

The present invention seeks to provide a shelf that overcomes or substantially alleviates the problems with known shelves that have a slide and tilt type function.

According to the present invention, there is provided a shelf for a merchandise display unit, comprising a base mountable to an upright so as to extend therefrom in a fixed position, the base comprising a bottom wall and parallel side walls upstanding from opposing edges of the bottom wall, each parallel side wall having an elongate slot extending in a direction away from an upright when the base is mounted thereto, a tray including a floor to support merchandise thereon, the tray having parallel side panels upstanding from opposing edges of the floor, and a tongue extending laterally from each side panel in a lateral direction away from each other, wherein the tray is configured to nest within the base with each tongue received in a corresponding elongate slot in the side wall of the base so that the tray is slideable relative to the base away from the upright with each tongue travelling along its corresponding slot.

Preferably, each side wall of the base has a front edge remote from an upright when the base is mounted thereto, and the elongate slot in each side wall has a front end that stops short of the front edge so that sliding of the tray relative to the base is limited by 5 engagement of each tongue with the front end of the slot in which it travels.

Each slot may have a section that extends downwardly towards its front end so that the tray tilts into a downward orientation as the tongue travels along said downwardly extending section.

The section of each slot that extends downwardly may be arcuate so that the tray is gradually guided by the arcuate slots into its tilted orientation.

One or both slots may have a discontinuity adjacent to said section that extends downwardly to its front end to catch the tongue prior to it travelling along the downwardly extending section. As the tongue is initially prevented from moving further forward beyond this point, the tray is held in an extended, but untilted, orientation.

The discontinuity may comprise a shoulder formed in one or each slot, against which a corresponding tongue engages to hold the tray in an extended but untilted orientation.

Preferably, each side wall extends beyond the bottom wall of the base towards its front edge, and the slot in each side wall extends beyond the bottom wall of the base.

In preferred embodiments, each slot has a section with a wider opening relative to the remainder of the slot. Preferably, the section having a wider opening is at a rear end of the slot opposite to said front end.

The floor of the tray may have an upstanding front lip to prevent merchandise from sliding off the floor when the tray is slid away from an upright and tilted downwardly.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a merchandise display unit comprising at least one shelf according to the invention.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: -3 -Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a shelf according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which the tray is nested in the base, with the tray in a stowed or home position; Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of the shelf according to Figure 1, but in which 5 the tray has been slid forwardly and pivoted downwardly into a tilted position; Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of the base shown in Figures i and 2; Figure 4 illustrates a left hand end view of the base shown in Figures ito 3; Figure 5 illustrates a perspective view of the tray shown in Figures iand 2; Figure 6 illustrates a left hand end view of the tray shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5.

Figures i and 2 shows a shelf 1, according to an embodiment of the invention, which comprises a base 2 and a tray 3. In Figure 1, the tray 3 is shown nested within the base 2 in a 'home' or stowed position, whereas in Figure 2 the shelf i is shown after the tray 3 has been slid relative to the base 2 in a forward direction, indicated by arrow 'A', and subsequently pivoted downwardly, in a direction indicated by arrow '13' in Figure 2, so as to assume a tilted position.

The base 2 is shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4 and comprises spaced parallel side walls 4 each of which upstand from, and are separated by, a bottom wall 5. Each side wall 4 has a rear edge 6 that includes hooks 7 or similar features to enable the base 2 to be attached to an upright (not shown) in use, and so as to extend laterally therefrom. Each side wall 4 also has a front edge 8, at an end opposite from the rear edge 6, and a closed elongate slot 9 extending in a direction between the front and rear edges 8, 6. The elongate slot 9 in each side wall 4 is generally linear along the majority of its or length. However, a short end section to of each slot 9, close to the front edge 8 of each side wall 4, is angled, or is curved, in a downward direction. The opposite end ii of the slot 9 has a section 12 which is widened relative to the width of the remainder of the slot 9. The function of the slot 9, and particularly the widened section 12 and the curved end section 10, will become apparent from the description that follows.

The tray 3 is shown more clearly in Figures 5 and 6, and comprises spaced parallel side panels 13 that upstand from opposing edges of a floor 14. A tongue 15 extends laterally from each side panel 13 in a direction laterally away from the floor 14 close to a rear edge 1.6 of the tray 3. A front edge 17 of the tray 3 is provided with a lip 18 that upstands from the floor 14 of the tray 3. -4 -

As can be most clearly seen in Figure 4, the elongate slots 9 have a small discontinuity or step 20 adjacent to the curved end section to, which presents a shoulder or face 21 to the tongue 15 as the tray 3 is slid forwardly. A front edge 15a of the tongue 15 engages with this face 21 so that the tray is held in an extended, but horizontal, position prior to the tongue 15 following the curved end section to of the slot 9 to tilt the tray 3. It will be appreciated that the tongue 15 may be disengaged from the face 21 by slightly lifting the tray 3 whilst continuing to pull it forward. Engagement of the tongue 15 against the face 21 allows a user to restrain the tray 3 in an intermediate forward or deployed position without the tray 3 tilting.

The shelf 1 is first assembled by fitting the tray 3 onto the base 2, which involves inserting each tongue 15 of the tray 3 into a corresponding slot 9 in each side wall 4 of the base 2. This is possible due to the wider opening 12 at the rear end of the slot 9, and also due to a degree of 'give' in the side walls 4, which can be resiliently flexed outwardly to allow the tongues 15 to be inserted into their corresponding slots 9. Once inserted, the tray 3 is seated on the base 2 with each tongue 15 received in its corresponding slot 9, the tray 3 being in the position shown in Figure 1.

The tray 3 can now be slid forwardly, in the direction of arrow 'A', so that each tongue 15 travels along its corresponding slot 9. As the tongues 15 are located in their slots 9 throughout the entire movement of the tray 3 from its 'home' into its tilted orientation and back again, the tray 3 is smoothly guided, and firmly held and retained, by the base 2.

or When the tongues 15 approach the front end to of the slots 9, the tray 3 must be tilted, in the direction shown by arrow 'B' in Figure 2, to allow the tongues 15 to follow the downwardly directed section to of the slots 9. The tongues 15 engage the ends of the slots 9 to prevent the tray 3 from being pulled completely out of the slots 9 and thereby becoming separated from the base 2. It will be appreciated that the tray 2 may be slid back into its home position as desired.

It will be understood that the foregoing describes one embodiment of the invention. However, other embodiments falling within the scope of the claims are also considered to fall within the scope of protection. -5 -

Claims

Claims 1. A shelf for a merchandise display unit, comprising: a base mountable to an upright so as to extend therefrom in a fixed position, 5 the base comprising a bottom wall and parallel side walls upstanding from opposing edges of the bottom wall, each parallel side wall having an elongate slot extending in a direction away from an upright when the base is mounted thereto, a tray including a floor to support merchandise thereon, the tray having parallel side panels upstanding from opposing edges of the floor, and a tongue extending from jo each side panel in a lateral direction away from each other, wherein the tray is configured to nest within the base with each tongue received in a corresponding one of said elongate slots in the side walls of the base so that the tray is slideable relative to the base away from the upright with each tongue travelling along its corresponding slot.
2. A shelf according to claim 1, wherein each side wall of the base has a front edge remote from an upright when the base is mounted thereto, and the elongate slot in each side wall has a front end that stops short of the front edge so that sliding of the tray relative to the base is limited by engagement of each tongue with the front end of the slot in which it travels.
3. A shelf according to claim 2, wherein each slot has a section that extends downwardly towards its front end so that the tray tilts downwardly as the tongue travels along said downwardly extending section.
4. A shelf according to claim 3, wherein the section of each slot that extends downwardly is arcuate.
5. A shelf according to claim 3 or 4, wherein each slot has a discontinuity adjacent to said section that extends downwardly to its front end, the tongue being caught by said discontinuity prior to travelling along said downwardly extending section to hold the tray in an extended but untilted orientation.
6. A shelf according to claim 5, wherein the discontinuity comprises a shoulder 35 formed in each slot, against which a corresponding tongue engages to hold the tray in an extended but untilted orientation.
7. A shelf according to any of claims 3 to 6, wherein each side vvall extends beyond the bottom wall of the base towards its front edge, and the slot in each side wall extends beyond the bottom wall of the base.
8. A shelf according to any preceding claim, wherein the slot has a section with a wider opening relative to the remainder of the slot.
9. A shelf according to claim 8, wherein the section having a wider opening is at a /o rear end of the slot opposite to said front end.to. A shelf according to any preceding claim, wherein the floor of the tray has an upstanding front lip to prevent merchandise from sliding off the floor when the tray is slid away from an upright and tilted downwardly.A merchandise display unit comprising at least one shelf according to any preceding claim.