Supports: racks – Shelf type – Knockdown
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-19
2003-05-20
Chin-Shue, Alvin (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Shelf type
Knockdown
Reexamination Certificate
active
06564952
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to merchandising displays, and more particularly to a merchandising display in which merchandise is supported on rods, shelves, hangers or similar supports which are removably attached to a wall or wall-like support.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One known merchandising display utilizes an open grid back panel. Typical open grid back panels include a plurality of horizontal crossbars or wire rods fixed to an array of laterally spaced vertical supports. Display accessories such as merchandise support rods and shelves can be hung from the horizontal crossbars for supporting and displaying merchandise. However, the appearance of open grid displays is such that they are not suitable for some applications.
Another known merchandising display utilizes a closed slat wall back panel. Typical slat wall displays include wood, plastic or metal slats as structural members. The slats are spaced from one another to provide horizontal slots into which display accessories can be inserted. Although slat wall displays are generally more attractive in appearance than displays utilizing a open grid back panels, slat wall displays are not entirely satisfactory because the slats are expensive to produce and displays utilizing slats are difficult to assemble and take apart.
Another problem with current merchandising displays is their lack of versatility. For example, retailers who currently utilize a combination of open grid and slat wall displays in the presentation of their merchandise cannot change the proportion of open grid and slat wall displays unless they keep extras of each type of display on hand. Moreover, the retailer would need to have a large enough storage area in which to store the spare displays. Each of the foregoing problems causes the retailer to incur high capital expenditures. Additional expenditures may be incurred if the support rods and shelves used by the retailer are not compatible with both wire grid and slat wall displays.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a merchandising display that is capable of being converted easily from an open grid-type display to a slat wall display; to provide a display which is strong yet structurally simple, utilizing a minimum number of different parts; to minimize or eliminate the need to store spare displays; to minimize the number of merchandise hangers, rods and shelves that need to be stored as auxiliary parts; and to provide a display which has a clean and pleasing appearance.
For the purpose of this description, the portion of a shelf, rod, hanger or like merchandise support, which engages with a grid or slat wall will be referred to as a “bracket.”
The merchandising display in accordance with the invention comprises two sets of wires and a plurality of elongated panels. The wires of the first set are typically vertical wires, disposed in parallel, spaced relationship to one another. Each wire of the first set has a front side situated in an imaginary surface, usually a vertical plane. The wires of the second set are typically horizontal wires, disposed in parallel, spaced relationship to one another. Each wire of the second set has a rear side situated in the imaginary surface, and is connected to, and supported by, the wires of the first set to provide a grid-like array in which the wires of the second set are disposed in orthogonal relationship to the wires of the first set. The wires of the second set are further disposed in adjacent pairs, the wires of each pair being spaced from each other by a distance greater than the spacing between adjacent pairs.
Each elongated panel has a front face, a rear face, opposite long edges extending in the direction of elongation of the panel, and flanges which extend rearward from the long edges. The flanges are removably engageable with wires of the second set, the flanges preferably allowing the panels to be snapped into place on the wires. Access slots are provided between adjacent panels for receiving merchandise support brackets. In this way, by affixing plural panels to the wire grid, with narrow access slots provided between adjacent panels, a closed, slotted appearance can be achieved. A dual open/closed appearance can be achieved using the panels to cover the spaces between selected pairs of horizontal wires, leaving some of the other horizontal wires exposed. Wider panels can be utilized to cover a larger area of the wire backing, including the space between the wires of one or more pairs and the space between one or more adjacent pairs.
The merchandising display in accordance with the invention is superior to conventional slat wall displays especially in that it can be assembled easily by snapping panels onto a pre-assembled wire grid, and in that it can be converted easily from an open grid display to a slat wall display, and vice versa, or used as a hybrid display. The merchandising display of the invention is also advantageous in its strength and simplicity, in its pleasing appearance, and in its ability to reduce, and in some cases eliminate, the need to store spare displays and display components.
Other objects, details and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the drawings.
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Chin-Shue Alvin
Howson and Howson
Purol Sarah
Royston LLC
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