Card – picture – or sign exhibiting – Signs – Sign support
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-12
2003-09-02
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3679)
Card, picture, or sign exhibiting
Signs
Sign support
C040S608000, C248S289310
Reexamination Certificate
active
06612057
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a display fixture useful at retail locations which includes an arm which is swingably mounted and centers itself to extend at an angle into the aisleway. More particularly, the display fixture hereof includes an arm carrying advertising or product at a remote end and at a proximate end is swingably held by a support which may be fabricated into a single, unitary bracket and mounted to conventional retail fixtures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of display fixtures are used in retail establishments to display goods. Shelves are most typically employed to carry products, but a variety of different clips and carriers extend from pegboards to provide product displays and advertising. Such fixtures are conventionally aligned along the aisles and on the ends of the aisles. It has been considered undesirable to extend product displays laterally into the aisles because they interfere with ordinary traffic. A more recent retail development has been the “warehouse” style of hardware and other stores, with products displayed on warehouse type shelving and wide aisles to accommodate motorized vehicles such as fork lifts used in carrying large quantities of items on the sales floor.
As a result, there has been an increasing need to take maximum advantage of retail display space in order to attract the attention of shoppers and to utilize space occupied by the aisles. There is a further need for a simplified display fixture which is of rugged construction and can be economically fabricated and installed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object has largely been met by the present invention which enables the retailer to take further advantage of the retail sales floor by extending product displays laterally into the aisle. The present invention presents a multitude of advantages to the retailer, in that it is simple, uses unoccupied space, is substantially impervious to wear, resists tampering, and yields to both human and vehicular traffic by allowing the display arm to swing when engaged. The device hereof further permits not only the product itself to extend into the aisle in an eye-catching manner, but additional advertising to be displayed so as to be visible when the customer walks down the retail aisle.
Broadly speaking, the present invention includes a mount and a display arm swingably carried by the mount. The arm and mount cooperate so that the arm is not only self centering but accomplishes this without the need for any biasing mechanism. Further, the arm employs a centering device which aids in preventing excess swinging and helps to keep the arm positioned substantially normal to a mounting surface. The arm preferably includes a hinge portion at its proximal end and a product carrier at its remote end, whereby the product may be carried at an extended distance from the supporting surface. The product carrier may itself be swingably held relative to the arm so as to hang therefrom. An advertising carrier may be coupled to the display arm intermediate the proximate and distal ends of the normally horizontal portion.
The mount of the present invention includes a backplate which may be attached to upright shelving supports or other mounting surface by a coupler which is integrated into the mount. The coupler preferably includes tabs complementally configured to the respective mounting surface so that the mount may drop into place. A tightening screw is provided on the mount to maintain tension and resist tampering. An arm support extends downwardly at an angle from the backplate to receive the hinge portion of the arm, and further includes a recess for cooperating with the centering device. The recess is preferably in the form of an opening having a smaller dimension than the transverse dimension of the centering device, so that the centering device is received by the recess but does not pass through. The arm support around the opening is preferably beveled or otherwise widened at the upper surface of the arm support in comparison to the lower surface in order to facilitate both centering of the arm and the initial disengagement of the centering device from the recess upon engagement of the arm by a moving object to permit swinging of the arm.
As a result, the fixture is sturdy, easy to mount and maintain, and substantially safer than ordinary fixtures which fail to yield when encountered. The device is inexpensive to manufacture and requires no biasing mechanisms such as springs to maintain the extended orientation. By using a hanging product carrier, multiple articles may be carried and presented to attract the purchasers' attention. These and other advantages will be readily understood by those skilled in the art with reference to the attached drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 1299343 (1919-04-01), Hoag
patent: 2054281 (1936-09-01), Chauncey
patent: 2147890 (1939-02-01), Glasgow
patent: 3637178 (1972-01-01), Golden
patent: 3897926 (1975-08-01), Silver
patent: 4341028 (1982-07-01), Brown
patent: 4616799 (1986-10-01), Rebentisch
patent: 4783033 (1988-11-01), Valiulis
patent: 5233773 (1993-08-01), Reynolds
patent: 5284259 (1994-02-01), Conway et al.
patent: 5375803 (1994-12-01), Kump
patent: 5437409 (1995-08-01), Coushaine
patent: 5454638 (1995-10-01), Bird et al.
patent: 5458242 (1995-10-01), Baka et al.
patent: 5470138 (1995-11-01), Kump
patent: 5490651 (1996-02-01), Kump
patent: D381041 (1997-07-01), Lammers et al.
patent: 5647566 (1997-07-01), Kump
patent: 5664749 (1997-09-01), Kump et al.
patent: 5678794 (1997-10-01), Kump
patent: 5720398 (1998-02-01), Kump et al.
patent: D397366 (1998-08-01), Wamsley
patent: D404232 (1999-01-01), Kump et al.
patent: 5906283 (1999-05-01), Kump et al.
patent: 5908119 (1999-06-01), Kump et al.
patent: 6006463 (1999-12-01), Mueller
patent: 6026603 (2000-02-01), Kump et al.
patent: D422889 (2000-04-01), Gray
patent: D423336 (2000-04-01), Gray
patent: D423592 (2000-04-01), Wamsley
patent: D424121 (2000-05-01), Kump
patent: D425134 (2000-05-01), Kump
patent: D425566 (2000-05-01), Mueller et al.
patent: D425939 (2000-05-01), Kump et al.
patent: 6082687 (2000-07-01), Kump et al.
patent: 6119990 (2000-09-01), Kump et al.
patent: 6289618 (2001-09-01), Kump et al.
patent: 6349909 (2002-02-01), Zarrow et al.
Photograph of fixture without self-centering recess first offered for commercial use in Jul., 1998.
Drawings of fixture from U.S. Pat. No. 6,412,204 first offered for commerical use in Jun., 1999.
Photograph of fixture first offered for commercial use in Sep., 1999.
Photograph of fixture with integral mounting tabs first offered for commerical use in Nov., 2000.
Postle Randy G.
Shoemaker Gregory D.
Browne Lynne H.
Hot Buys, Inc.
Hovey & Williams, LLP
Thompson Kenn
LandOfFree
Self centering display fixture does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Self centering display fixture, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Self centering display fixture will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3111896