Supports: racks – Knockdown
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-04
2003-12-30
Gibson, Jr., Robert W. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Knockdown
C211S193000, C211S190000, C280S079300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06669037
ABSTRACT:
Modular display racks discussed herein generally relate to display racks for displaying merchandise items and, more specifically, to modular display racks that may be assemble and disassemble into different configurations.
BACKGROUND
Display racks having one or multiple display ladders are widely used in retail shops and departments stores to display merchandise such as clothing, toys, and food.
FIG. 1
is a semi-schematic isometric drawing of a prior-art ladder style display rack. Ladder style display racks, such as that shown in
FIG. 1
, are generally designed to be used with hangrail brackets
11
and shelf brackets (not shown). These hangrail brackets
11
and shelf brackets (not shown) engage the individual ladder steps
2
and provide extensions (similar to a shelf or an arm) to which hangers and folded clothing may be hung or spread out for display.
There are several disadvantages with the illustrated prior art display rack
1
. Among other things, the prior art display rack includes a welded upper rack portion
3
and a welded lower base portion
4
. The welded upper portion
3
includes ladders
5
joined together by a plurality of lateral support bars
6
. Because the joints between the lateral support bars
6
and the ladders
5
are welded, the upper portion
3
may be often quite large and heavy depending on the number of ladders used.
The base portion
4
may similarly be imposing to an individual handling and shipping the rack assembly
1
. The base portion
4
includes two end stabilizer bars
7
joined together by a cross-bar
8
. The end stabilizer bars
7
are usually also equipped with casters
9
. Thus, packaging and finding available couriers to transport the prior art rack system
1
may be burdensome.
Another deficiency with the illustrated prior art display rack
1
is that the welded joints between the stabilizer bars
7
and the ladders
5
may sometime crack or break due to the overall weight of the rack system
1
. In addition, due to the reasons discussed above, the rack system
1
may overall be heavy and difficult to manipulate. Furthermore, each configuration of the ladder rack system (i.e., a single ladder rack, a two ladder rack, a three ladder rack, and on occasions, a four ladder rack) requires separate inventory and production. This may be both expensive to produce and more difficult to minimize inventory. Among other things, several production procedures may be required for different rack configurations, making production more costly. Also, predicting which rack configuration to store may not be easy since the configuration that a customer is most likely to order may generally not be predicted. This may lead to the production and storage of multiple rack system with different configurations.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a modular display rack that is easily modifiable into different configurations. Such a modular display rack should, to the extent possible, be easier to assemble and disassemble then the display racks in the prior art.
SUMMARY
From a rack manufacturer's standpoint, display racks that are easy to assemble and disassemble have additional benefits. Racks of this type simplify inventory and are easier to package and ship via carriers such as UPS® and Federal Express®. In addition, modular racks that are capable of reducing into smaller components are easier to handle and require fewer workers and machines to manipulate. Such manipulation includes removing the components from their shelves and then packaging them for shipping.
Accordingly, the present invention utilizes detachable members to form a base and then permit individual components to removeably mount thereto to form a modular rack. To disassemble the modular rack into smaller components, the steps are simply reversed.
The modular rack can be installed as a single tower rack or as a rack of any tower size, limit only by the display area, by the addition or removal of the modular components such as the center stabilizer bars, removable cross-bars, center ladders, and lateral support bars.
The modular rack in accordance with practice of the present invention may include an upper rack portion and a lower base portion, wherein the upper rack portion includes at least two ladder racks, each ladder rack including at least one channel, the at least two ladder racks being removeably coupled to one another by a lateral support bar engaging the channel of each respective ladder rack, and wherein the lower base portion includes at least two base bars, each base bar having a center load bearing piece disposed thereon.
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Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Gibson , Jr. Robert W.
LA Display Fixture, Inc.
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