US20110114578A1

US20110114578A1 - Universal product display

Info

Publication number: US20110114578A1
Application number: US12/703,554
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard Jacobs; Lance Kaiser; Marco Lopez
Original assignee: Pacific Custom Products Inc
Current assignee: Pacific Custom Products Inc
Priority date: 2009-11-17
Filing date: 2010-02-10
Publication date: 2011-05-19

Abstract

A universal cooler product display generally used for displaying any of various products, such as dairy products inside a store cooler, includes an adjustable frame supporting adjustable shelves having HDPE trays that allow products to slide forward under gravity and a drainage system to dispose of unwanted liquids.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/262,066, filed Nov. 17, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field
This disclosure pertains generally to product displays, and in particular to adjustable commercial product displays for use within a cooler.
2. Related Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,478,337; 4,762,235; 5,490,600 and 5,673,801 disclose embodiments of product displays. A need exits in this field for product displays that (1) are more durable, (2) allow for greater mobility, (3) have increased and simplified adjustability, (4) allow for more versatile and more efficient product capacity, (5) provide greater accessibility for consumers and stockers, (5) exhibit enhanced frictional properties in cool and moist environments, (6) provide improved disposition of unwanted liquids, and/or (7) are easier to clean.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment disclosed herein there is described a product display, such as for displaying dairy products in a commercial cooler, that includes a support frame, at least one shelf supported by the support frame, and at least one elongated divider extending from the front edge of the shelf to the rear edge. The divider is slidably adjustable side-to-side of the shelf to a plurality of positions along a width of the shelf while mounted to the shelf. These positions include a continuous, non-discrete range of positions. In some of these embodiments, the divider can be releasably fastenable to the shelf at any of the plurality of positions.
In some of these embodiments, the shelf also includes left and right side wall members and front and rear divider support members. Each divider support member connects the left side wall member to the right side wall member. The divider includes a first end portion and a second end portion, and the first end portion is slidably engaged with the front divider support member and the second end portion is slidably engaged with the rear divider support member. The shelf also includes at least one fastening device for releasably fastening the second end portion of the divider to the rear divider support member.
In some of these embodiments, the rear divider support member includes an elongated slot extending along its length that defines the continuous, non-discrete range of positions for the divider and includes a fastening device that extends from the second end portion of the divider through the elongated slot in the rear divider support member. In some of these embodiments, each divider support member includes a channel extending along its length. The first end portion of the divider is slidably engaged within the channel of the front divider support member and the second end portion of the divider is slidably engaged within the channel of the rear divider support member.
In some embodiments of the product display, the frame includes a plurality of elongated, vertically disposed shelf support columns, each column including a plurality of vertically aligned slots for supporting the shelf at different heights. At regular intervals along the plurality of vertically aligned slots, certain slots are marked for easy indexing with corresponding slots in the other columns. The shelf can be supported by the plurality of shelf support columns at a plurality of height positions, a plurality of tilt angles, and a plurality of fore-aft positions relative to the shelf support columns.
Some of these embodiments of the product display also include a plurality of shelf support brackets. Each bracket has at least one slot hook for attaching to one of the slots in the shelf support columns and at least one shelf hook for supporting the shelf.
Some embodiments of the product display frame also include two upper cross braces extending from the top of one shelf support column to the top of another shelf support column. These cross braces can be adjustable to a plurality of height positions relative to the shelf support columns.
In other embodiments of the product display, the shelf includes a high-density polyethylene tray having an upper sliding surface for supporting products that can slide from the rear end to the front end of the shelf under gravity. The tray includes a plurality of drainage grooves formed in the upper surface of the tray extending lengthwise of the tray, a collection groove in a front end portion of the tray in liquid communication with each of the drainage grooves, and at least one drain hole passing through the tray and in liquid communication with the collection groove. In these embodiments, liquid in the drainage grooves is directed to flow by gravity through the drainage grooves into the collection groove and through the drain hole.
In some of these embodiments, the drainage grooves are substantially parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another widthwise of the tray. The collection groove is arced such that left and right ends of the collection groove are closer to the front end of the tray than a middle portion of the collection groove, and each end of the collection groove terminates in a drain hole. The tray also includes a rear handle in some embodiments for removing and inserting the tray from the rear of the shelf.
In still other embodiments, the product display includes a support frame and a plurality of shelves supported one above the other by the frame in a tilted position with a rear end of each shelf higher than a respective front end of each shelf. Each shelf includes a tray having a plurality of grooves in an upper surface of the tray and at least one drain hole adjacent a front end portion of the tray, such that the grooves are in liquid communication with the drain hole. A drip pan is also included that is coupled to the frame below the front end of a lowermost shelf such that liquid in the grooves of each tray is directed to flow by gravity through the grooves, through the drain hole in the tray, through the drain holes in any lower trays, and into the drip pan.
Some of these embodiments also include an arced collection groove adjacent the front edge of the tray that is in fluid communication with the plurality of grooves and the two drain holes in the tray, such that the arced collection groove directs fluid from the plurality of grooves towards the two drain holes in the tray. In some of these embodiments, each shelf also includes a shelf frame that supports the tray and includes at least one drain opening. Here, the drain hole in the respective tray is aligned above the opening in the shelf such that liquid passing through the drain hole in the tray also passes through the opening in the shelf frame.
In some of the embodiments having a drip pan, the drip pan is adjustable fore and aft to position the drip pan at a selected position relative to the front end of the lowermost shelf and the drip pan is removable from the frame for emptying and cleaning.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a universal product display, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the universal product display of FIG. 1, shown loaded with products.

FIG. 3A is another perspective view of the universal product display of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3B-3H are enlarged views of several features of the universal product display of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the frame of the universal product display of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the frame of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a detailed side view of a section of a frame corner member of the universal product display of FIG. 1, showing notched slots.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a shelf bracket of the universal product display of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of a section of a top cross brace extender of the frame of the universal product display of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a door stop of the universal product display of FIG. 1.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a drip pan of the universal product display of FIG. 1.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a shelf of the universal product display of FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of a shelf of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the shelf of FIG. 11, shown without a tray or dividers.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the shelf of FIG. 11, shown without a tray or dividers.

FIG. 15A is a perspective view of a front divider support member of the shelf of FIG. 11.

FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional end view of the front divider support member taken along line 15B-15B of FIG. 15A.

FIG. 16A is a perspective view of a rear divider support member of the shelf of FIG. 11.

FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional end view of the rear divider support member taken along line 16B-16B of FIG. 16A.

FIG. 17A is a perspective view of a tall divider of the shelf of FIG. 11.

FIG. 17B is a perspective view of a short divider of the shelf of FIG. 11.

FIG. 17C is a detailed perspective view of the rear end of the dividers of FIGS. 17A and 17B, showing a rear flange and flange neck.

FIG. 18A is a top view of a removable tray of the shelf of FIG. 11.

FIG. 18B is an enlarged, partial cross-sectional view of the tray of FIG. 18A taken along line 18B-18B of FIG. 18A, showing grooves in the tray.

FIG. 19 is a bottom view of a V-brace of the shelf of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a universal cooler product display 2 generally used for displaying any of various products, such as dairy products inside a store cooler. The display 2 could also be used for displaying various other non-dairy items, including non-food items. The display 2 could also be used in other environments outside of a cooler. The display 2 generally includes a support frame 4 and one or more shelves 6 that are easily adjustable in various manners. The display 2 can be placed side-by-side with other displays 2 in a cooler.
FIG. 2 shows the display 2 loaded with products 8 of multiple sizes, which comprise jugs of milk in the illustrated embodiment. The shelves 6 can be supported on the frame 4 in multiple positions front-to-back (fore and aft), at multiple heights, and/or at multiple tilt angles relative to the frame. The shelves 6 can also include one or more adjustable dividers to accommodate products of various widths. The frame 4 can be made of a rigid material such as metal to maintain structural integrity under heavy product loading.
The display 2 can include many useful features, as shown in FIG. 3. These features can include: notched slots 34 for easy height indexing (see FIG. 3B), easily adjustable dividers 80 (see FIG. 3C), shelf tilt and fore-aft adjustability (see FIG. 3D), locking casters 18 (see FIG. 3E), an adjustable and removable drip tray 26 and an adjustable bumper 24 (see FIG. 3F), corner shelf drains 114 (see FIG. 3G), and height-adjustable top cross braces 30 (see FIG. 3H). Each of these features is described in detail below. Embodiments of the display 2 can include one or more of these features.
The frame 4, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, can be constructed of rigid, elongate members, desirably fully boxed metal tubing, connected generally at right angles and set on lockable casters 18 for easy movement. A rectangular assembly of members can form a base 10 which can form the bottom of the frame 4 and support four upstanding corner members 12 (also referred to as shelf-support columns) extending upward from the corners of the base 10. The front pair of corner members 12 can be connected to the rear pair of corner members by a pair of cross braces 16. The upper ends of the front corner members 12 can be connected to each other by a top cross brace 30. The upper ends of the rear corner members 12 can also be connected by a respective top cross brace 30.
A handle 14 can be attached to each of the rear corner members 12. Each handle can be C-shaped and vertically disposed and extend rearwardly from a single corner member. When positioned in this manner, the handles 14 are conveniently and advantageously positioned so as not to block access to any of the shelves at the rear of the display 2. In other embodiments, other handles can be used, such as a shopping cart-like handle that extends horizontally across from one rear corner member to the other.
The frame 4 can rest on a set of casters 18, preferably four casters, that can be attached to the base 10. One or more of the casters can have a caster brake 20 to prevent the display 2 from unwanted movement. A door stop 22 can be attached to the base 10 and extend forward from the base. A bumper 24 made of a resilient and/or elastomeric material (e.g., rubber) can be attached to the front of the door stop. A drip tray 26 can be mounted on top of the door stop 22 and positioned under the front of the shelves 6 to collect liquid that drains from the shelves. The drip tray can be removable without tools for easy draining and cleaning.
FIG. 6 shows a detailed view of a section of one of the corner members 12. The corner members 12 can include a plurality of vertically aligned rectangular slots 32, 34. The slots can be sized and shaped to receive the corner member hooks, or slot hooks, 36 of shelf brackets 28, one of which is shown in FIG. 7. The shelf brackets 28 can be used to support shelves 6 at selected heights along the length (height) of the corner members 12. The corner member hooks 36 of a shelf bracket 28 can be inserted into respective adjacent slots of a corner member 12 for mounting the shelf bracket at that position on the corner member. In other embodiments, the shelf brackets 28 can have a different number of corner member hooks 36 and/or the hooks can be spaced such that they can be inserted into non-adjacent slots of a corner member 12.
The slots can be regularly marked for ease of indexing. In the embodiment shown, every third slot is a notched slot 34. The corner members 12 can each have matching notched slots 34 that are at the same heights on each corner member. In this manner, two or more slots 32 on different corner members 12 that are at the same height can easily be identified by the respective positions of the closest notched slots 34 at the same height on the different corner members. The desired slot 32 can be either a notched slot 34, one below a notched slot, or one above a notched slot. This feature can expedite shelf alignment. As depicted in FIG. 4, a plurality of shelf brackets 28 can be mounted at predetermined locations on each corner member 12, depending on the desired height of each shelf 6.
Each shelf bracket 28 can have one or more corner member hooks 36 and a shelf hook 38, as shown in FIG. 7. The corner member hooks 36 can be supported by the slots 32, 34 in the corner members 12 and the shelf hook 38 can support a shelf 6. In the illustrated embodiment, the shelf bracket has two corner hook members 36 and the shelf hook 38 contacts a shelf side member 66 for supporting the shelf 6 (see FIG. 13). Each shelf desirably is supported by four shelf brackets 28, each mounted on a different corner member 12.
Referring to FIG. 5, each of the top cross braces 30 can include two downwardly extending cross brace extenders 40 at opposite ends thereof that can telescope with respect to the top of a corresponding corner member 12. Each cross brace extender 40, as shown in FIG. 8, can include a spring clip 46 and a spring clip stop 44, mounted inside the cross brace extender 40. One end of the spring clip 46 can be fixed to the spring clip stop 44 and the other end can abut an inner surface of the cross brace extender 40 opposite the stop 44. The spring clip can also include a resiliently biased button 48 extending laterally from the spring clip and protruding through an aperture 49 in the cross brace extender 40. As shown in FIG. 3H, the button 48 can be pushed in to allow the top brace extender 40 to telescope into and out of the top of a corner member 12. The corner members 12 can include apertures 51 sized to receive the button 48. In use, the buttons 48 of each top brace extender 40 for a particular top cross brace 30 are aligned with a selected apertures 51 of corresponding corner members 12 and the bias of the spring clips 46 forces the buttons 48 to extend through the selected apertures 51 and lock the top cross brace 30 at the desired height.
The door stop 22 can be constructed from of a single piece of material that forms a general U-shape, as shown in FIG. 9. Two legs 52 of door stop 22 can include slots to enable the door stop to attach to the base 10 via screws or bolts. The front part of the door stop 22 can be bent downward to form a bumper connection portion 50. A bumper 24 (FIG. 5) can be attached to the connection portion 50 and comprise the front most portion of the display 2.
A drip tray 26 can be coupled to the base 10 or the door stop 22 to collect liquids falling from the shelves 6. For example, the drip tray 26 can be placed on top of the drop stop 22. The drip tray can include a broad, lipped collection portion 56 that is sloped inward toward a recessed basin 54, as shown in FIG. 10. The drip tray 26 can be easily removable to be emptied frequently with no tools.
The frame 4 can support a plurality of shelves 6 at various positions by adjusting the shelf brackets 28 to different slots 32, 34 on the corner members 12. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, each shelf 6 can generally include a shelf frame 59 that supports a respective shelf floor, or tray, 86. As best shown in FIGS. 12-14, each shelf frame 59 includes left and right angle members 60, 62, oriented in the front-to-rear direction, that can be connected by a pair of transverse inner braces 64. The inner braces 64 can also support left and right shelf side wall members 66 oriented in the front-to-rear direction. A V-shaped brace 68 (shown in detail in FIG. 19) can also connect the angle members 60, 62, as shown from the bottom in FIG. 14. The front portions of the angle members 60, 62 and/or the apex of the V-shaped brace 68 can support a front divider support member 70. A rear divider support member 72 can be supported above the rear end portions of angle members 60, 62 and the rearmost transverse brace 64. The left and right side wall members 66 can define opposing side edges of the shelf while the front and rear divider support members 70, 72 can define opposing front and rear edges, respectively, of the shelf.
The front divider support member 70, as best shown in FIG. 15, can include a pair of lips 90 that form a front channel 88 and a pair of bent flanges 92 at either end that can attach to respective end portions of side walls 66 of the shelf. The front divider support member 70 can support a front angle member 76 (FIG. 12) that can be used to display price tags or other information. The front angle member 76 can be attached to the front of the front divider support member 70 by welding, mechanical fasteners, or other conventional techniques or mechanisms. A transparent window member 74 (see FIGS. 11 and 12) can be supported between the front members 70 and 76. The window member 74 can, for example, be made of a polycarbonate material to provide for transparency and can be taller than the front members 70 and 76. The window member 74 can act as a front stop to reduce the risk of products 8 tipping over the front of the shelf 6. The window member 74 can be slid in and out of position between members 70 and 76 to facilitate easy replacement when a different height stop is needed, such as for a taller product 8.
The rear divider support member 72, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, can be similar in construction to the front divider support member 70 and additionally can include an elongated slot 98 extending along its length. The two divider support members 70 and 72 can cooperate to support one or more dividers between them.
FIGS. 17A and 17B show an exemplary tall divider 78 and a short divider 80, respectively. Each divider can include a front flange 102 at a front end portion and a rear flange 104 at a rear end portion that are bent perpendicular to the divider body 101. Each flange 102, 104 can include a neck portion 105, as shown in FIG. 17C, such that the front flange 102 can slideably engage into the front channel 88 of the front divider support member 70 and the rear flange 104 can slideably engage into the rear channel 94 of the rear divider support member 72. The neck portions 105 of the front and rear flanges can slide between the lips 90 and 96 of the divider support members 70 and 72, respectively. The flange and channel relationship can allow each divider to slideably adjust side-to-side across the width of a shelf 6 and can further provide for an infinite lateral adjustability of the dividers to accommodate products 8 of various widths. The length of the elongated slot 98 in the rear divider support member 72 can define a continuous, non-discrete range of possible positions to which each divider can be adjusted.
To secure a divider in a given position, a releasable fastener member, such as bolt 82, can pass through a hole 106 in the rear flange 104 and through the slot 98 in the rear divider support member 72 and can be fastened with a nut 84 on the rear of the shelf 6. The nut and bolt in other embodiments can be replaced with various other equivalent releasable fastening mechanisms. The nut 84, as shown in FIG. 12, can be a wing nut. Alternatively, the nut 84 can have a bulbous handle for easier manipulation without the need for any tools.
The fastener member extending through the elongated slot 98 can slide along the elongated slot until the fastener member contacts either end of the slot. The range of possible lateral positions for the divider can be defined by the positions of the divider when the fastener member contacts either end of the slot. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, channels 88, 94 extend substantially the entire length of the support members 70, 72 such that a divider can be positioned at any position in a range extending substantially the entire width of the shelf. The slot 98 desirably extends at least the length of channel 94 so that the divider can be secured to the rear support member 72 by the fastener 82 at any of the positions of the divider within the range of positions.
More than one divider can be provided with the shelf 6 to allow for the display of products of multiple different widths. The tall divider 78 can be used for products 8 having a relatively higher center of gravity and the short divider 80 can be used for products 8 having a relatively lower center of gravity. The dividers can help prevent the products 8 from tipping over sideways or rotating on the shelf and provide for a neater, more aligned appearance of the products on the shelf.
The side walls 66 can support the rear divider support member 72 between the side walls such that a rectangular gap 85 (see FIG. 13) is formed between the bottom of the rear divider support member 72, the top of the rearmost inside brace 64, and the two side walls 66. This gap 85 allows for the tray 86 to be inserted into the shelf from the rear via the gap 85. Once inserted, the sides of the tray 86 can rest on top of the left and right angle members 60 and 62, and can rest below the dividers and the rear divider support member 72. The tray 86 can be restricted from moving sideways by the two side walls 66 and restricted from moving forward by either the front divider support member 70, the window 74, or the front angle member 76.
As shown in FIG. 18, the tray 86 can have a rectangular body having a handle 108 adjacent the rear and a series of laterally spaced, longitudinally extending drainage grooves 110 on the tray's upper surface. A cross section of the grooves is shown in FIG. 18B. The grooves 110 can allow for liquids to be directed below the bottom surfaces of products resting on the tray 86. As the shelves 6 are typically installed within the frame 4 such that the front of the shelves are tilted lower than the rear, the grooves 110 can also allow liquids to gravitationally flow towards the front of the tray 86. An arced or angled collection groove 112 adjacent the front of the tray can fluidly connect all of the grooves 110 and direct liquids to one or more drain holes 114 in the tray. The tray 86 can have a single drain hole 114 adjacent the front edge of the tray or multiple drain holes to allow liquid to pass downwardly through the tray. In the embodiment shown, two drain holes 114 are included adjacent either front corner of the tray 86. These two drain holes are fluidly connected to either end of an arced collection groove 112.
The shelf 6 can be arranged such that when the tray 86 is fully inserted, the drain holes 114 of the tray align with drain holes 115 in the front portions of the left and right angle members 60 and 62 (see FIG. 12). In this manner, liquids can flow under gravity down the series of drainage grooves 110, collect in the collection groove 112, and flow downwardly through the drain holes 114 and 115 of multiple shelves 6 and into the drip tray 26.
The drainage grooves 110 can comprise a series of parallel, linear grooves as shown, which can increase the ability of products supported by the tray to slide toward the front end of the tray under gravity without rotating or toppling over.
The tray 86 can be made of rigid material having a high absorption resistance and a low coefficient of friction. In some embodiments, the tray is constructed from a slab of high density polyethylene (“HDPE”). HDPE is desirable due to a decreased coefficient of friction at lower temperatures, such as within a dairy cooler. HDPE also offers high rigidity and low liquid absorption properties. In other embodiments, the tray 86 can be comprised of one or more additional or other materials, such as silicone, polystyrene, polycarbonates, various nylons, vinyl compositions and/or polyesters. In certain embodiments, the tray can comprise a base layer and an upper layer formed from a material having a relatively lower coefficient of friction that the base layer.
When used to display and dispense products, a slick tray 86 can allow a row of products 8 to gravitationally slide toward the front of a shelf 6 when the front-most product is removed. The parallel grooves 110 running in the front-to-back direction also help increase the slidability of products 8 toward the front of the shelf 6.
When a product row slides toward the front of a shelf, the window 74 can act as a stop to prevent the front-most product from tipping forward over the front of the shelf due to the momentum of the whole row of products. The dividers can also abut the side of a row of products to keep the row aligned while the products slide forward.
The front-to-back tilt angle of the shelf 6 can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the shelf brackets 28 on the corner members. Each shelf can be supported by four shelf brackets, namely, two rear brackets 28 attached to the corner members 12 at the rear of the frame 4 and two front brackets 28 attached to the corner members 12 at the front of the frame 4. For a steeper tilt angle, the rear shelf brackets 28 can be attached to the rear corner members 12 at higher slots 32, 34 relative to the front shelf brackets 28. The evenly spaced apart notched slots 34 function as visual indicia that help identify the slot of one corner member 12 that is at the same height as a slot of another corner member on the opposite side of the frame.
The side walls 66 of each shelf 6 can include a series of longitudinally spaced tilt notches 67 near the front of the side walls, as shown in FIG. 13, that can engage the shelf hooks 38 of the front shelf brackets 28. Engaging the shelf hooks 38 to a more rearward tilt notch 67 allows the shelf to protrude farther forward from the frame 4. The rear of the shelf can slideably engage the rear shelf hooks 38 to allow for adjustments to be made as to which tilt notch 67 is engaged to the front shelf hooks 38. In the illustrated embodiment, selecting a different tilt notch 67 to adjust the fore-aft position of a shelf relative to the frame does not change the tilt angle of the shelf.
The frame can support a plurality of shelves 6, each at different heights, tilt angles, and/or fore-aft positions. Dispensing different products on each shelf can require different orientations of each shelf. The top braces 30 can be adjusted up or down depending on the height of the top-most shelf and the height of the products on that shelf. As the rear of the shelf is typically higher than the front of the shelf, the rear top brace 30 can be adjusted higher than the front top brace. To adjust either top brace up or down, the spring clip button 48 is first pushed inside of the corner member button hole 49 (see FIG. 3H). Once the button 48 is sufficiently depressed, the top brace 30, along with the top brace extenders 40 can be raised or lowered to a desired position where the button 48 can spring back out of a different corner member button hole 49 and thereby re-fix the height of the top brace.
Each shelf 6 can hold multiple rows of products 8 and one or more dividers 78, 80 to separate the products of one row with an adjacent row. Each row of products can have different widths. The dividers 78, 80 can be used to create rows of different widths on each shelf. To adjust the width of the rows, such as when different products are to be displayed, the dividers can be easily slid side-to-side. In addition, additional dividers can be added to created more rows, or dividers can be removed to create fewer, wider rows. To adjust a divider side-to-side, the nut or knob 84 is first loosened. Next, the divider can be manually moved sideways, causing the flanges 102 and 104 to slide along the channels 88 and 94, and the bolt 82 or other fastening device to slide along the slot 98 until the divider is at the desired position. The nut or knob 84 can then be retightened to re-secure the divider. A divider can be removed by sliding the divider all the way to one side of the shelf such that the flanges move to the far end of the channels. At the ends of the front and rear divider support members 70 and 72, the lips 90 and 96 can terminate sufficiently far enough from the bent flanges 92 and 100 to allow the flanges 102 and 104 of a divider to disengage from the channels 88 and 94 of the divider support members.
The tray 86 can be removed from the shelf 6 by pulling the tray by the handle 108 out through the gap 85. The tray 86 can slide in and out of the shelf without any fasteners, rollers, latches or other aids or inhibitors. Gravity can be used to hold the tray 86 in place when installed in a shelf 6. If, for example, a product 8 leaks and spills on the tray 86, the tray can be pulled out of the shelf 6, cleaned, and re-inserted without adjusting any other components of the display 2. The material of the tray 86 can have a low coefficient of friction to reduce the force needed to remove and insert the tray from and into the shelf. The V-shaped brace 68 can facilitate the insertion of the tray 86 into the shelf 6. If the tray were to bow downward between the left and right angle members during insertion, the V shape of the brace can help to gradually urge the bowed tray 86 back into a flat shape as the tray is moved forward.
In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles disclosed herein may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrated embodiments are only preferred examples and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A product display, comprising:

a support frame;

at least one shelf supported by the support frame, the shelf comprising opposing front and rear edges, and opposing side edges; and

at least one elongated divider extending from the front edge to the rear edge, the divider being slidably adjustable side-to-side of the shelf to a plurality of positions along a width of the shelf while mounted to the shelf, wherein at least some of the plurality of positions comprises a continuous, non-discrete range of positions.

2. The product display of claim 1, wherein the divider is releasably fastenable to the shelf at any of the plurality of positions.

3. The product display of claim 2, wherein:

the shelf further comprises left and right side wall members and front and rear divider support members, each divider support member connecting the left side wall member to the right side wall member;

the divider comprises a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion being slidably engaged with the front divider support member and the second end portion being slidably engaged with the rear divider support member; and

the shelf further comprises at least one fastening device for releasably fastening the second end portion of the divider to the rear divider support member.

4. The product display of claim 3, wherein the rear divider support member comprises an elongated slot extending along its length that defines the continuous, non-discrete range of positions, and the fastening device extends from to the second end portion of the divider through the elongated slot in the rear divider support member.

5. The product display of claim 3, wherein each divider support member comprises a channel extending along its length, and wherein the first end portion of the divider is slidably engaged within the channel of the front divider support member and the second end portion of the divider is slidably engaged within the channel of the rear divider support member.

6. The product display of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a plurality of elongated, vertically disposed shelf support columns, each column comprising a plurality of vertically aligned slots for supporting the shelf at different heights.

7. The product display of claim 6, wherein at regular intervals along the plurality of vertically aligned slots certain slots are marked for indexing with corresponding slots in the other columns.

8. The product display of claim 6, wherein the shelf can be supported by the plurality of shelf support columns at a plurality of height positions, a plurality of tilt angles, and a plurality of fore-aft positions relative to the shelf support columns.

9. The product display of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of shelf support brackets, each bracket comprising at least one slot hook for attaching to one of the slots in the shelf support columns and at least one shelf hook for supporting the shelf.

10. The product display of claim 9, wherein the shelf further comprises left and right side wall members each having a plurality of longitudinally spaced notches for receiving a shelf hook of one of the brackets to position the shelf at a selected fore-aft position relative to the shelf support columns.

11. The product display of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises at least one cross brace extending from one shelf support column to another shelf support column, the cross brace being adjustable to a plurality of height positions relative to said one shelf support column and said another support column.

12. A product display, comprising:

a support frame; and

at least one shelf supported by the frame in a tilted position with a rear end of the shelf higher than a front end of the shelf;

the shelf comprising a high-density polyethylene tray having an upper sliding surface for supporting products that can slide in a direction from the rear end to the front end of the shelf under gravity.

13. The product display of claim 12 wherein the tray further comprises:

a plurality of drainage grooves formed in the upper surface of the tray, the drainage grooves extending lengthwise of the tray;

a collection groove in a front end portion of the tray and in liquid communication with each of the drainage grooves;

at least one drain hole passing through the tray and in liquid communication with the collection groove;

wherein liquid in the drainage grooves is directed to flow by gravity through the drainage grooves into the collection groove and through the drain hole.

14. The product display of claim 13, wherein the drainage grooves are substantially parallel to one another and spaced apart from one another widthwise of the tray.

15. The product display of claim 13, wherein the collection groove is arced such that left and right ends of the collection groove are closer to the front end of the tray than a middle portion of the collection groove, and wherein each end of the collection groove terminates in a drain hole.

16. The product display of claim 12, the tray further comprising a handle at the rear end of the tray.

17. A product display, comprising:

a support frame;

a plurality of shelves supported one above the other by the frame in a tilted position with a rear end of each shelf higher than a respective front end of each shelf;

each shelf comprising a tray, each tray comprising a plurality of grooves in an upper surface of the tray and at least one drain hole adjacent a front end portion of the tray, the grooves being in liquid communication with the drain hole; and

a drip pan coupled to the frame below the front end of a lowermost shelf;

wherein liquid in the grooves of each tray is directed to flow by gravity through the grooves, through the drain hole in the tray, through the drain holes in any lower trays, and into the drip pan.

18. The product display of claim 17, wherein each tray comprises at least two drain holes, one each adjacent left and right sides of the front edge portion of the tray.

19. The product display of claim 18, wherein each tray further comprises an arced collection groove adjacent the front edge of the tray that is in fluid communication with the plurality of grooves and the two drain holes in the tray, and wherein the arced collection groove directs fluid from the plurality of grooves towards the two drain holes in the tray.

20. The product display of claim 17, wherein each shelf further comprises a shelf frame that supports the tray, the shelf frame comprising at least one opening, and wherein the drain hole in the respective tray is aligned above the opening in the shelf such that liquid passing through the drain hole in the tray also passes through the opening in the shelf frame.

21. The product display of claim 17, wherein the drip pan is adjustable fore and aft to position the drip pan at a selected position relative to the front end of the lowermost shelf, and wherein the drip pan is removable from the frame for emptying and cleaning.