Shelf system with ramming protection profile

Abstract

The invention relates to a racking system (1) for storing goods in sales areas, comprising a frame assembly (10) on which at least one base support (11) and / or at least one goods support element (22) are mounted, onto which the goods can be placed, and wherein at least one electronic display means (12) is arranged on a front side of the base support (11). According to the invention, a crash protection profile (13) is provided, which is arranged on a front side of the frame assembly (10) or the base support (11) and extends at least partially above the electronic display means (12) in height.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a shelving system for storing goods in sales areas, comprising a frame assembly on which at least one floor support and / or one or more goods support elements are mounted, onto which the goods can be placed, and wherein at least one electrical display means is arranged on a front side of the floor support.

[0002] Modern supermarket sales areas are equipped with shelving systems that serve to store, and therefore also to present and hand over, goods that customers take from the shelves and usually place in their shopping carts. This regularly leads to collisions between the shopping cart and the shelving system, particularly at the bottom, where the shopping cart has impact elements that collide with the base of the shelving system's frame or, depending on the cart's height and design, with the floor itself. A railing with a sturdy tubular frame is usually installed around the shelving system, at least at floor level. However, depending on the railing's design, this can restrict the movement of shopping carts between the shelves. The same applies to, for example, wire mesh storage trolleys or other transport equipment.

[0003] An example of such a floor-mounted railing is shown in DE 1 834 694 A1. Typically, the operator of a supermarket sales area will want to position the shelving systems with minimal spacing between them to ensure optimal use of the available sales space. If the shelving systems have a railing that projects far forward, the space available for customers and their shopping carts is reduced. This should be avoided as much as possible, as it reduces the efficiency of the sales area. Furthermore, regulations such as fire safety regulations must be considered, specifying minimum aisle widths between the shelves.

[0004] Modern shelving systems also feature electronic display devices that can be arranged on the front of the base, or alternatively, attached to the front of the foot section of the frame assembly.

[0005] An example of an electrical display device is shown in DE 10 2015 200 330 A1. Such electrical display devices are also referred to as ESL labels (ESL = Electronic Shelf Label). These electrical display devices are usually mounted on mounting rails and can generally also be moved laterally in or on the mounting rail.

[0006] The electronic display is thus indirectly attached to the frame assembly, as mounting rails are provided for its installation. These rails are attached either to the base or the foot section of the frame assembly. If a customer's shopping cart, for example, collides with the electronic display, it can be damaged, which generally results in higher costs. The mounting rail can also break if the shopping cart hits it. However, direct protection of the electronic display, particularly via the mounting rail, would be complex and only partially feasible, since the electronic display can be moved along the length of the front of the foot section of the shelving system by sliding it on the mounting rail.Consequently, a crash barrier attached directly to the display would also have to be moved, but this only provides limited protection, and the retaining rail is usually so flexible that it would deform elastically in the event of a collision with the shopping cart, which can cause further damage. REVELATION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The object of the invention is to improve a shelving system with electronic display means on a front side of the base, which is easily protected from damage by approaching shopping carts, takes up little installation space and eliminates any deficiencies of other solutions.

[0008] This problem is solved starting from a shelving system according to the preamble of claim 1 in conjunction with the characterizing features. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0009] To solve the problem described above, the invention provides that the racking system is equipped with a crash protection device which is arranged on a front side of the frame assembly or the floor support and which at least partially extends above the electronic display device in height.

[0010] The core concept of the invention is the design of a crash protection profile in such a way that the profile not only has a striking section against which a shopping cart can collide, but is also designed to protect at least one electronic display element on the front of the base support. Since the crash protection profile is arranged at the front of the frame assembly, and the frame assembly projects forward beyond the base support, the arrangement of the crash protection profile also provides protection for the electronic display element and even for the retaining rail, as each shopping cart first collides with the crash protection profile without directly impacting the electronic display element or the retaining rail. This prevents customers from colliding with the electronic display element with a shopping cart and thus damaging it.Additionally, the height is defined in such a way that the customer's view remains optimal; it is also important to ensure that the scanning of the barcode is not restricted.

[0011] The partial vertical extension of the electronic display by the impact protection profile means, in this context, that the impact protection profile extends upwards sufficiently to provide adequate protection for the electronic display against collisions with shopping carts. The electronic display does not need to be completely extended vertically; partial extension is sufficient. Alternatively, the impact protection profile can also extend above the installed height of the electronic display, particularly in a position in front of the floor. In this context, "vertical extension" refers to a height vertically above a surface on which the shelving system can be installed. The shelving system has feet that form a base at the bottom, allowing it to be placed on the floor.The height difference describes a direction perpendicular to the floor on which it is placed. A forward direction or a front edge of the base indicates a direction from which a shopping cart can approach, i.e., a direction pointing towards the pedestrian area of ​​the sales floor.

[0012] The base plate in this case forms the lowest storage surface for goods in the racking system and represents a modification of the other, higher-level storage elements. However, the base plate can also refer to higher-level storage elements to which the electronic display device can be attached and to which the impact protection profile can also be arranged to protect the electronic display device from being struck by a shopping cart, particularly its upper basket. Preferably, however, the impact protection profile on the lowest storage element, i.e., the base plate, protects the electronic display device from being struck by the lower frame of a shopping cart or its steering wheel, as well as those of other transport devices.

[0013] The impact protection profile can be attached directly to the frame assembly, or it can be attached to the front edge of the base. However, it is advantageous to attach the impact protection profile to the foot section, while the electronic display is installed slightly recessed at the front of the base. The impact protection profile can extend lengthwise in front of the front of the foot section and maintain a forward distance from the electronic display. This projection of the impact protection profile is achieved by having the foot section of the frame assembly extend beyond the front of the base. This ensures that a shopping cart always comes into contact with the impact protection profile before any other section or component of the shopping cart can contact the electronic display.

[0014] According to an alternative design, the impact protection profile can also be formed with an angled acrylic cover, which is inserted at the front of the base and extends over the ESL cassette to protect it.

[0015] The impact protection profile advantageously features retaining elements at its ends, which are attached to the frame assembly or the floor support. These end-end retaining elements, which project at right angles from the flat impact section of the impact protection profile, secure the profile to the frame assembly, particularly to the base of the frame assembly, or to the floor support, depending on the basic design of the racking system.

[0016] For example, and with particular advantage, the crash protection profile is formed from a single-piece sheet metal element produced by means of punching and bending operations. Alternatively, it is also conceivable that, for example, the retaining elements are welded or bolted to the impact section of the crash protection profile and, for example, have a different sheet thickness or material than the impact section. Instead of punching operations, the sheet metal element can also be processed by laser cutting or waterjet cutting. The invention does not preclude the crash protection profile from being manufactured from a plastic element, a wooden element, or an extruded profile made of various materials, such as plastic or aluminum.

[0017] The impact protection profile features a particularly advantageous profile contour designed to provide high bending stiffness, especially across its longitudinal axis. To protect the electronic display, the profile can incorporate a folded section extending upwards over the base section, including the retaining elements. Specifically, this folded section can comprise two parallel sheet metal sections, creating a 180° fold at the top edge of the impact protection profile. The double layer of sheet metal over the folded section provides exceptional rigidity, enabling even a fully loaded shopping cart traveling at a higher speed to be deflected by the impact protection profile, thus safeguarding the electronic display.The stiffness of the impact protection profile is further increased by the inclusion of an upper end section that extends from a rear sheet metal section to below the electronic display unit. This creates a multidimensional structure for the impact protection profile, thereby further increasing its stiffness. In other words, the multidimensional structure of the impact protection profile further increases its bending stiffness due to the increased area moment of inertia across the profile cross-section. This is sometimes achieved by including an upper end section that extends from a rear sheet metal section to below the electronic display unit.

[0018] A further advantage of the impact protection profile is that it features a driving section extending downwards as an extension of the front sheet metal section. The retaining elements are arranged at the ends of this driving section, projecting from it at right angles to the base section. The front sheet metal section, which may form a folded section, for example, can transition seamlessly into the actual driving section, so that the folded section and the driving section form a single plane. Viewed from the side, the retaining elements are arranged at the ends of the driving section, projecting at right angles to the base section of the frame assembly.

[0019] A protective underbody section can be attached to the underside of the impact protection section, set back by a stepped section. Alternatively, the impact protection section can transition into the protective underbody section at the same level, so that the protective underbody section extends almost to the floor on which the racking system stands. In other words, the protective underbody section ends only slightly above the contact surface of the racking system's feet. Finally, a floor sealing profile can be provided on the underside of the impact protection profile, particularly on the underside of the protective underbody section. This floor sealing profile can form a rubber lip that rests against the floor and, in particular, seals the area located under the base section of the frame assembly. This improves hygiene and prevents foreign objects, especially foodstuffs, from accidentally getting under the racking system.

[0020] Finally, it can also be provided that locking tabs are arranged at the ends of the retaining elements, which can be engaged in locking recesses on the base section of the frame assembly. The locking tabs can be inserted into the locking recesses from above and can have a shape, for example, resembling the contour of a keyhole, so that the impact protection profile can be brought into contact with the base section of the frame assembly. The locking tabs are inserted into the locking recesses, and with a slight downward vertical movement, the impact protection profile can be locked onto the frame assembly without the need for fasteners or, in particular, tools. A screw-on version is also conceivable, which can be assembled with or without tools, but would require an additional assembly step in terms of transport volume for particularly large and / or long versions, although it could offer advantages, e.g.,B. if it is produced as a kit.

[0021] According to a further embodiment of the invention, it is also conceivable that a transparent cover profile is arranged on a front face of the frame assembly or the base support, which also at least partially projects over the electronic display element. For example, an upwardly open, pocket-shaped recess made of a sheet metal element or section, i.e., e.g., the base support itself, can be formed on the front face of the base support, into which the transparent cover profile is inserted for retention.

[0022] For this purpose, the transparent cover profile can have a roof edge cross-section with a first leg and a second leg, wherein the first leg is inserted in the pocket-shaped receptacle and wherein the second leg at least partially extends beyond the electronic display means.

[0023] The transparent cover profile, for example, has an acrylic material; the transparent cover profile itself can form the impact protection profile. PREFERRED EXAMPLE OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Further measures improving the invention are described in more detail below, together with a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the figures. The figures show: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a racking system with several product support elements, including a lower shelf; Figure 2 is a reduced view of a racking system with a frame assembly and only one shelf; Figure 3 is a side view of the base section of the frame assembly with a front-mounted impact protection profile to protect an electronic display; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the impact protection profile according to Figure 3Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the shelving system with a transparent cover profile located behind the impact protection profile, and Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the shelving system with the transparent cover profile forming the impact protection profile itself.

[0025] Figure 1 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a racking system 1 with a frame assembly 10 comprising a base section 10a. A shelf 11 rests on the base section 10a, and further merchandise support elements 22 are located on higher levels above it. The shelf 11, in this context, is a modified form of a merchandise support element 22, forming the lowest support and being designed in a modified form because it rests on the base section 10a of the frame assembly 10. The frame assembly 10 has feet 21 on its underside for placement on a floor.

[0026] At the front of the foot section 10a is a crash protection profile 13 designed according to the invention, which projects forward beyond the floor support 11. The direction referred to here as the front or a forward direction corresponds to the extent direction X shown, while the upward direction is represented by the arrow Z. The transverse direction in front of the racking system 1 is characterized by a longitudinal extent L, which corresponds in particular to the longitudinal extent L of the crash protection profile 13.

[0027] Figure 2 Figure 1 shows another shelving system 1 with a frame assembly 10, comprising a base section 10a. A base support 11 is placed on the base section 10a, on which goods can already be placed, especially in cartons, so-called trays.

[0028] At the front end of the base 11 are several electronic displays 12, which are mounted on a retaining rail 23. To prevent a customer in a sales area from driving a shopping cart into the electronic displays 12 and damaging them, the illustrated impact protection profile 13 is used. This profile is positioned in front of the displays 12 towards the front and extends at least partially above them in height. This ensures that no shopping cart can collide with the electronic displays 12. The impact protection profile 13 extends towards the floor so that it is approximately flush with the underside of the support feet 21.

[0029] Figure 3Figure 1 shows a detailed view of the arrangement of the impact protection profile 13 on the front of the base section 10a, which is part of the frame assembly 10. The floor support 11, which forms a goods receiving element for placing merchandise, rests on the upper side of the base section 10a.

[0030] A crash protection profile 13 is attached to the base section 10a, for which retaining elements 14 serve. The retaining elements 14 form lateral cheeks of the crash protection profile 13, which is shown from the direction of the profile cross-section. Due to the lateral, and in particular vertical, projection of the retaining elements 14 from the actual crash protection profile 13, the latter is visible from the side, and a front retaining element 14 is shown.

[0031] The retaining element 14 has a locking tab 19 at its free end, which engages in a locking recess 20, and the locking recess 20 is cut into the base section 10a. The locking tab 19 is connected to the locking recess 20 by inserting the retaining section 14 from above into the locking recess 20 until a locking position is reached, whereby the impact protection profile 13 is firmly attached to the front of the base section 10a in the arrangement shown.

[0032] In front of the front end of the base support 11 is a mounting rail 23, on which an electronic display 12 is mounted. The electronic display 12 is inclined at an angle of approximately 45°, so that an electronic display, for example, price information, is easily readable by a customer in the sales area. The inclination is achieved by the geometric design of the mounting rail 23, which is attached to the front of the base support 11.

[0033] Due to the adapted length of the retaining element 14, the actual impact protection profile 13 is located in front of the electronic display device 12 and can thus protect it from being hit by a shopping cart, so that a customer cannot drive a shopping cart against the display device 12 in such a way that it is damaged.

[0034] The impact protection profile 13 has, in addition to the retaining elements 14, further sections which are described below. The main section is formed by the folded section 15, which projects vertically beyond the retaining elements 14 of the impact protection profile 13 such that the folded section 15 extends vertically in front of the electronic display 12, protecting it from being struck by a shopping cart. The folded section 15 has a front sheet metal section 13a and a rear sheet metal section 13b, and the rear sheet metal section 13b transitions into a closing section 17, which in turn extends in a direction opposite to the front and undercuts the display 12. This L-shape between the closing section 17 and the sheet metal sections 13b and 13a results in a particularly high rigidity of the impact protection profile 13 transverse to its longitudinal extent L.The upper end edge of the folded section 15 is marked with position 16, and the double sheet layer made of sheet section 13a and sheet section 13b also creates a special strength of the area of ​​the impact protection profile 13 against being hit by a shopping cart.

[0035] The sheet metal section 13a extends downwards into the actual impact zone, which is designated as impact section 13c. Depending on the design of the shopping cart, either a lower frame section of the shopping cart can collide with the impact protection profile 13, or the upper collar of a swivel caster can collide with the impact protection profile 13, so that either the sheet metal section 13a or the actual impact section 13c is impacted. Following the impact section 13c further downwards, a stepped section 13e follows, which sets the sheet metal element further back, and the lower protection section 13d is attached to the underside of this. Thus, the lower protection section 13d is slightly set back from the impact section 13c. Finally, a bottom sealing profile 18, for example in the form of a rubber lip, is attached to the underside of the lower protection section 13d, sealing against a floor on which the support foot 21 also rests.

[0036] Figure 4 Finally, a perspective view of the crash protection profile 13 is shown, with the upper end edge 16, the impact section 13c, and the lower under-protection section 13d as essential components. The crash protection profile 13 has retaining elements 14 at its free ends for attaching it to the base section of the frame assembly. The longitudinal direction of the crash protection profile 13 is marked L and thus represents its length, which can be, for example, 1 m or 1.2 m.

[0037] Figure 5Figure 1 shows another variant in which a transparent cover profile 24 is arranged on the front of the base support 11, which also extends at least partially beyond the electronic display element 13. For example, an upwardly open, pocket-shaped receptacle 25 made of a sheet metal element or section, i.e., the base support 11 itself, can be formed on the front of the base support 11, into which the transparent cover profile 24 is inserted.

[0038] The transparent cover profile 24 can have a roof-shaped cross-section with a first leg 24a and a second leg 24b, wherein the first leg 24a is inserted in the pocket-shaped receptacle 25 and wherein the second leg 24b at least partially projects beyond the electronic display means 13. The transparent cover profile 24 is made, for example, of an acrylic material, and the transparent cover profile 24 itself can form the impact protection profile 13, as shown. Figure 6 shows.

[0039] Figure 5 Figure 1 shows the impact protection profile 13 at the front of the frame assembly 10, with the transparent cover profile 24 located behind the impact protection profile 13. Figure 6In contrast, an embodiment is shown in which the impact protection profile 13 in the form of the sheet metal element is omitted and the transparent cover profile 24 itself forms the impact protection profile 13 as a front approach profile in order to protect the electronic display means 12 by covering it.

[0040] In these variants, the electronic display means 12 can be read through the transparent cover profile 24, which can be designed to be so stable that they can optionally also serve as a crash protection profile 13 on the front of the frame assembly 10.

[0041] The invention is not limited in its implementation to the preferred embodiment described above. Rather, a number of variants are conceivable, which utilize the solution presented even in fundamentally different designs. All features and / or advantages arising from the claims, the description, or the drawings, including design details or spatial arrangements, can be essential to the invention, both individually and in various combinations. Reference symbol list:

[0042] 1 shelving system 10 Frame assembly 10a Foot section 11 Floor support 12 Electronic display device 13 Impact protection profile 13a Sheet metal section 13b Sheet metal section 13c Impact section 13d Under-protection section 13e Step section 14 Retaining element 15 Folded section 16 Upper end edge 17 End section 18 Floor end profile 19 Locking tab 20 Locking recess 21 Stand 22 Product support element 23 Retaining rail 24 Transparent cover profile 25 Pocket-shaped receptacle L Longitudinal extent X Front side ZH Vertical direction

Claims

1. Racking system (1) for storing goods in sales areas, comprising a frame assembly (10) on which at least one base support (11) and / or at least one goods support element (22) are mounted, onto which the goods can be placed, and wherein at least one electronic display means (12) is arranged on a front side of the base support (11), characterized by that a crash protection profile (13) is provided which is arranged on a front side of the frame assembly (10) or the base support (11) and which at least partially extends in height above the electronic display means (12).

2. Shelving system (1) according to claim 1, characterized by that the frame assembly (10) has a foot section (10a), wherein the impact protection profile (13) extends with a longitudinal extent (L) in front of the front of the foot section (10a) and maintains a forward distance to the electronic display means (12).

3. Shelving system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the impact protection profile (13) has retaining elements (14) at the ends of the longitudinal extension (L) which are attached to the frame assembly (10) or the floor support (11).

4. Shelving system (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the impact protection profile (13) is formed from a one-piece sheet metal element, which is produced by means of punching and bending operations.

5. Shelving system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by thatthe impact protection profile (13) for protecting the electronic display means (12) has a folded section (15) which extends upwards over the foot section (10a) and / or the retaining elements (14) of the frame assembly (10) and / or wherein the folded section (15) comprises two parallel sheet metal sections (13a, 13b) such that an upper end edge (16) of the impact protection profile (13) is formed by a 180° fold.

6. Shelving system (1) according to claim 5, characterized by that the impact protection profile (13) has an upper termination section (17) which extends from a rear sheet metal section (13b) to below the electronic display means (12).

7. Shelving system (1) according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by thatthe impact protection profile (13) has a impact section (13c) extending downwards in extension of the front sheet metal section (13a), on which the retaining elements (14) are arranged at the end, projecting from the frame section (13c) in particular at right angles to the foot section (10a).

8. Shelving system (1) according to claim 7, characterized by that a sub-protection section (13d) is attached to the underside of the pile-driving section (13c), which is set back via a stepped section (13e).

9. Shelving system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a bottom termination profile (18) is arranged on the underside of the impact protection profile (13) and / or which is arranged in particular on the underside edge of the under-protection section (13d) and can be brought into contact with a ground.

10. Shelving system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by thatLocking tabs (19) are arranged on the end sides of the retaining elements (14), which can be inserted into locking recesses (20) on the foot section (10a) of the frame assembly (10).

11. Shelving system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a transparent cover profile (24) is arranged on a front side of the frame assembly (10) or the base support (11), which at least partially extends over the electronic display means (12).

12. Shelving system (1) according to claim 11, characterized by that on the front of the base support (11) an upwardly open pocket-shaped receptacle (25) is formed from a sheet metal element or sheet metal section, into which the transparent cover profile (24) is inserted in a holding manner.

13. Shelving system (1) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized by thatthe transparent cover profile (24) has a roof edge cross-section with a first leg (24a) and a second leg (24b), wherein the first leg (24a) is inserted in the pocket-shaped receptacle (25) and wherein the second leg (24b) at least partially extends beyond the electronic display means (12).

14. Shelving system (1) according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized by that the transparent cover profile (24) is made of an acrylic material.

15. Shelving system (1) according to one of claims 11 to 14, characterized by that the transparent cover profile (24) forms the impact protection profile (13) itself.

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