Display shelf with adjustable divider walls

Abstract

A divider wall for use with a gravity-fed shelf assembly includes an elongate wall portion and a first front leg extending from a first end of the wall portion. The first front leg has a body portion and an engagement protrusion extending from the body portion. The divider wall further includes a rear leg extending from a second end of the wall portion. The first front leg and the rear leg are each adapted to be received into a front slot and a rear slot, respectively, of the shelf assembly. Gravity acts on the divider wall and displaces it within the front and rear slots toward a front end of the shelf assembly such that an undersurface of the shelf assembly adjacent the front slot is in contact with or immediately adjacent to the engagement protrusion to prevent the removal of the first front leg from the front slot.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0001]This disclosure relates generally to shelving systems and, more particularly, to divider walls that are removably coupled to shelf assemblies of such shelving systems.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Gravity-flow shelving systems are commonly used in retail food outlets to both store and display consumable items, such as individual-serving food containers or beverage containers. Gravity-flow shelving systems generally include one or more display shelves (also called shelf assemblies) supported by a support frame, and each such shelf assembly is inclined relative to a horizontal plane such that items stored on the shelf assembly slide towards a visible and accessible area at the front of the shelf assembly. Each shelf assembly may have a plurality of channels that are formed by divider walls disposed along the length of the shelf assembly. The width of each of the channels may correspond to the width of the containers stored on the respective channel of t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a shelf assembly with a divider wall that can be securely attached to a shelf. The engagement protrusion on the shelf prevents accidental disengagement of the divider wall, and the rigidifying portion increases the stiffness of the divider wall to resist lateral loads. The use of two front legs further strengthens the engagement and prevents damage to the divider wall. Overall, the shelf assembly has a thin profile and is durable and reliable for use in logistical applications.

Problems solved by technology

This process of calculating channel widths and repositioning divider walls is time consuming, especially considering the large number of shelves that are typically restocked or reconfigured each day at retail food outlets.

Typically, it is time-consuming to engage and disengage the divider walls using conventional securing mechanisms, thereby reducing the efficiency of the employees tasked with reconfiguring the channel widths.

Such elongate divider walls offer little resistance to lateral (i.e., normal to the wall or rod) loads that result from the shifting of larger containers, such as gallons of milk.

As such, divider walls may laterally deform, or “bow,” resulting in the lateral shifting of containers in the longitudinal channels, creating a disorganized visual product presentation to the consumer and also potentially disrupting the flow of containers in adjacent channels.

In addition, significant lateral loads may permanently deform the divider wall, requiring the repair or replacement of the damaged divider wall.

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