EP2108290A1

EP2108290A1 - Support device for display racks and stands

Info

Publication number: EP2108290A1
Application number: EP08011105A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dimas Pascual Blanco; Pedro Borreda Gonzalez; Antonio Puigbo Malaret
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-04-01
Filing date: 2008-06-19
Publication date: 2009-10-14
Also published as: ES1067700U; ES1067700Y

Abstract

Support device for display racks and stands, essentially characterized in that it is comprised of a profile (1), the plan view whereof basically corresponds to a rectangle and the elevational view whereof corresponds to a U- shape, having a rear part with two or more hooks (3) coupled to the crosspieces of a common shop or supermarket display rack or stand, and a separating element (2) that runs alongside the longitudinal central part of said support device and which is coupled thereto by means of clamps (6) or other equivalent means.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, as mentioned in the title of this specification, relates to a support device for display racks and stands, of the type used in shops and establishments

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally, the display racks or stands of shops and supermarkets are preferably comprised of a set of vertical profiles or brackets, between which horizontal shelves are placed, in such a manner that the products offered for sale are displayed to the consumer arranged on said shelves.
This traditional, shelf-based system presents certain drawbacks.
The first is its acquisition price which, if the establishment is large and requires many display racks or stands, can be prohibitive.
Another drawback is its laborious assembly and disassembly, which is inadequate for establishments wherein products of different sizes must be frequently changed or interchanged, as this requires the shelves and their corresponding support devices to be constantly adapted to spaces with new sizes; therefore, the installation costs also make this system scarcely competitive.
A third drawback is that the shelves are difficult to clean, as these have many surfaces which are also easily soiled, particularly if they contain liquid products such as soaps or drinks, which are easily spilt.
Another drawback is that, in order to announce the product displayed, labels are normally stuck to the outer edge of the shelf, with the ensuing lack of space for the announcement itself.
The final drawback is the difficulty to distribute the display space in general, taking into account that the products to be displayed normally have different sizes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For the purpose of overcoming these drawbacks, a new support device for display racks and stands has been designed, which is the object of this specification.
Generally speaking, the present invention relates to a new type of support device, specially designed to be placed on the crosspieces of the shelves in a shop or supermarket. The crosspiece of shop shelf is normally an elongated element with a rectangular section, which is fixed in a horizontal position between the sides of the display rack, in such a manner that the brackets on which the shelves rest can be anchored.
This new support device offers significant advantages with respect to the more traditional shelf-based system.
Firstly, it is much cheaper to purchase.
Secondly, it is extremely easy to insert and extract from the display rack or stand, offering a double advantage: installation costs are thereby reduced dramatically and its adaptation to new products or new locations is extremely simple.
Another advantage of the new device consists of the fact that, as the surface area that supports the products is reduced, it does not get so dirty and can be cleaned easily and quickly.
Finally, the new support device may include a front panel of the size required to display information relative to the product contained: name of the product, price, bar code, etc.
The new support device is designed in such a manner as to allow a better distribution of the display space.
The new support device is especially suitable for displaying products or objects of the type preferably displayed to the public in boxes, cases or wrappings, with regular shapes, such as rectangles or parallelepipeds.
The new device is essentially comprised of two elements that can be coupled together or separated preferably by injection of plastic material: a rigid profile, folded into a rectangular plan, and a separating element.
The folded profile (metal, plastic or similar), the plan view of which is rectangular and the side view of which is U-shaped, has a front part preferably in the form of a rectangular panel and a rear part preferably with two coupling hooks which, joined together by means of a "bridge" profile, are intended for anchoring onto a crosspiece of a shelf in a shop or supermarket; the base of the support device whereon the displayed products are arranged is preferably flat to better stabilize these; additionally, said base may also have a certain tilt angle or positive slope towards the front part, the purpose whereof is to maintain the displayed products in a stable position, leaning slightly backwards.
The separating element runs alongside the longitudinal central part of the support device and is coupled thereto by means of clamps (at the front, to the upper part of the front panel and, at the rear, to the "bridge" element); this separating element can be easily removed and relocated in any position with respect to the transverse axis of the support device; in this manner, it can be easily adapted, if necessary, to the transverse dimensions of the different products displayed.
The new support device is very easy to use; in order to display a certain product, two support elements must be adjacently placed on a shelf crosspiece, in such a manner that the distance between their corresponding separating elements is that corresponding to the size of the product to be displayed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the foregoing description, a set of drawings accompanies this description as an integral part thereof, in which a merely explicative, although non-limiting, example of a practical embodiment has been represented in a simplified and schematic manner, illustrating the characteristics of the new invention.

Fig. 1: shows a perspective view of the new support device;
Fig. 2: shows a plan view of an example of distribution of several products, on a set of three support elements hooked onto a shelf crosspiece;
Fig. 3: shows a sectional view of the support base in detail;
Fig. 4: shows a perspective view of the new support device fitted with an information panel.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRACTICAL EMBODIMENT

By way of example, a practical embodiment of the device to which this specification relates is described in the accompanying figures.
The new support device for display racks and stands is comprised of two fundamental elements: a folded profile and a separating element.
The profile (1), the plan view whereof is rectangular and the elevational view of which is U-shaped, has a rear part with two coupling hooks (3) joined together by a crosspiece (4) and, optionally, an information panel (5) in the front part.
The separating element (2) that runs alongside the longitudinal central part of the support device and which is coupled thereto by means of clamps (6), is preferably removable and can be relocated in any position with respect to the transverse axis of the support device.
The support base (7) is flat and also has a certain tilt angle or positive slope towards the front part of the support device.
The new support device is very easy to use; in order to display a certain product (8), two support elements must be adjacently placed on a shelf crosspiece (9), in such a manner that the distance between their corresponding separating elements (2) is that corresponding to the size of the product (8) to be displayed.
The materials used to manufacture the different constituent elements of the present invention shall be independent thereof, in addition to the shapes, sizes and accessories that it may present, being replaceable by other technically equivalent elements, provided that these do not affect the essence of the invention or differ from the scope defined in the claims section.
Having established the concept expressed, the note of claims is set out hereunder, summarizing the novelties being claimed:

Claims

Support device for display racks and stands, essentially characterized in that it is comprised of a profile (1), the plan view whereof basically corresponds to a rectangle and the elevational view whereof corresponds to a U shape, having a rear part with two or more hooks (3) coupled to the crosspieces of a common shop or supermarket display rack or stand, and a separating element (2) that runs alongside the longitudinal central part of said support device and which is coupled thereto by means of clamps (6) or other equivalent means.
Support device for display racks and stands according to the previous claim, characterized in that the base (7) of said support is preferably flat.
Support device for display racks and stands according to the previous claims, characterized in that the base (7) has a tilt angle or positive slope towards the front part of said support device.
Support device for display racks and stands according to the previous claims, characterized in that the hooks (3) are joined together by means of a crosspiece (4).
Support device for display racks and stands according to the previous claims, characterized in that the front part optionally includes an information panel (5).