Shelf device

Abstract

To provide a shelf device for allowing an object from being easily taken out from a front side and also enabling reduction of labor in replenishing the objects.SOLUTION: A shelf unit 16 is connected to enable selection between a forward inclination and a backward inclination with respect to a pair of right and left brackets 5, 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a shelf device used, for example, in the back yard of a store to stock replenishment items (goods) and to replenish the stocked items to other display shelves. [Background technology]

[0002] In stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores, inclined shelves are being used in which products displayed on the shelves automatically slide to the front row under their own weight (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such inclined shelves can also be used to stock replenishment products in the back yard of a store, and when the remaining stock of products placed on the product display shelves in the store becomes low, the products that have been slid to the front row of the inclined shelves can be taken out one by one and used to replenish the product display shelves in the store from the rear. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-32105 A (Figure 1) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the inclined shelf described in Patent Document 1 is used to stock replenishment products, it is easy to replenish products from the inclined shelf to the rear of the product display shelf, but the following problem occurs. That is, when the remaining stock of the products is low, it is necessary to replenish the products to the inclined shelf, but when trying to replenish products to the inclined shelf from the front, the multiple products at the front must be pushed backward against their own weight, and the burden of labor on the employee when replenishing products to the multiple tiers of inclined shelves is large. There is also a sliding shelf device that can pull out the shelf forward when replenishing products, but even with this sliding shelf device, it is time-consuming because it is necessary to pull out the multiple upper and lower shelves each time.

[0005] The present invention has been made in response to such problems, and aims to provide a shelf device that allows items to be easily removed from the front and reduces the effort required when replenishing items. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the shelf device of the present invention is A shelf device having a shelf unit on an upper surface of which an article can be placed, The shelf unit is characterized in that it is connected to a pair of left and right brackets so that it can be selectively inclined either forward or backward. According to this feature, when the shelf unit is tilted backward, the articles placed on the shelf unit from the front move backward by their own weight, so that the articles can be easily replenished from the front. Also, when the shelf unit is switched to the forward tilt, the replenished articles move forward by their own weight, so that the articles can be easily removed from the front of the shelf unit.

[0007] The shelf unit is characterized in that a middle portion in the front-rear direction is pivotally attached to the pair of left and right brackets so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction. According to this feature, the shelf unit rotates in a seesaw manner relative to the left and right brackets, so that the shelf unit can be easily switched between a forward inclination and a backward inclination.

[0008] The shelf unit has a shelf board and a pair of left and right movable shelf supports pivotally attached to the pair of left and right brackets so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and the shelf board is fixed to the movable shelf supports. According to this feature, by configuring the shelf unit with a shelf plate and a movable shelf bracket which are separate members, the work of installing the shelf unit on the bracket is facilitated.

[0009] The pair of left and right brackets are characterized in that they are provided with support portions against which the lower ends of the movable shelf supports abut at the forward inclination position and the rearward inclination position, respectively. According to this feature, in either the forward inclination position or the backward inclination position, the weight of the shelf unit on which an article is placed can be supported by the bracket, and the forward inclination or backward inclination state can be reliably maintained.

[0010] The movable shelf support is characterized in that its lower surface is substantially V-shaped. According to this feature, the shelf unit can be easily and stably held in a forward and backward inclined state.

[0011] The shelf unit is characterized in that the front and rear ends are provided with protrusions that protrude above the shelf. According to this feature, it is possible to prevent articles from falling when the shelf unit is tilted forward or backward. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a shelf device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the shelf device with the shelf board omitted. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the main parts of the shelf device on the right side. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Diagram 5] 13 is a central vertical sectional side view of the shelf device when the shelf unit is tilted backward. FIG. [Figure 6]11 is a central vertical sectional side view of the shelf device when the shelf unit is tilted forward. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A shelf device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. EXAMPLES

[0014] A shelf device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6. Shelf device 1 is used to stock replenishment products (articles) in the back yard of a store such as a supermarket or convenience store, and to replenish the stocked products from the rear to product display shelves in the store as needed, but it can also be used in various places other than stores, such as warehouses.

[0015] The shelf device 1 has a pair of left and right legs 2, 2 with base legs 2a extending forward at their lower ends, and the opposing surfaces at both upper and lower ends of the legs 2, 2 are connected at the middle in the fore-and-aft direction by at least two upper and lower horizontal rods 3, 3 (see mainly Figure 2).

[0016] A number of slit-like engagement holes 4 are formed in the front of the legs 2, 2 in two vertical rows, and a pair of left and right brackets 5, 5 for supporting a vertically multiple-tiered shelf unit 16 (described later) are attached to the outer engagement holes 4 by engaging a number of hook-like hooks 5a connected to the rear ends. As shown in Fig. 2, a retaining member 6 is fixed to the upper rear end of each bracket 5 with a screw 7, and the rearward piece 6a of the retaining member 6 fits into the gap above the engagement hole 4 in which the uppermost hook 5a is engaged, thereby preventing the bracket 5 from falling out of the engagement hole 4.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 (only the right side is shown in Fig. 3 because the left and right sides are symmetrical), a guide frame 8 is provided between the opposing surfaces of the left and right legs 2, 2 to guide the lifting unit 10, which will be described later, so that it can move up and down. The guide frame 8 includes a pair of left and right vertical frames 81, 81 that are inwardly U-shaped in plan view and have approximately the same length as the vertical dimension of the legs 2, a pair of left and right panel-like back frames 82, 82 whose outer ends in the left and right directions are fixed to the rear faces of the vertical frames 81, 81 by welding, and a square tube-like horizontal frame 83 that is fixed to the front faces of the lower ends of the left and right back frames 82, 82 by screws 9, 9. The vertical dimension of the back frames 82, 82 is set to be shorter than the overall length of the vertical frame 81 by a required dimension.

[0018] Inwardly facing fixing pieces 81a, 81a are connected to the lower ends of the left and right vertical frames 81, 81, and this fixing piece 81a is fixed to the upper surface of the horizontal rod 3 at the lower end by a screw 9. In addition, inverted L-shaped locking parts 82a, 82a in side view are connected to the upper ends of the left and right back frames 82, 82, facing downward and rearward, and are fixed from the rear by a screw 9 with the locking parts 82a fitted to the horizontal rod 3 at the upper end from above (see FIG. 3). As a result, the guide frame 8 is fixed between the opposing surfaces of the left and right leg columns 2, 2 so that the front faces of the left and right vertical frames 81, 81 slightly protrude forward of the leg column 2 and are positioned forward of the horizontal rod 3 at the upper end.

[0019] A lifting unit 10 is provided between the left and right legs 2, 2, i.e., between the left and right vertical frames 81, 81 of the guide frame 8, so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The lifting unit 10 is made up of a pair of left and right side movable frames 101, 101 facing the vertical direction, a plurality of upper and lower horizontal connecting frames 102 connecting the opposing surfaces of the side movable frames 101, 101, and a pair of left and right shelf bracket mounting members 103, 103 fixed to the side movable frames 101, 101 for mounting movable shelf brackets 17 described later.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the left and right side movable frames 101, 101 consist of a base frame portion 101a which is U-shaped when viewed inward in a plan view and which is loosely fitted into the U-shaped space of the left and right vertical frames 81, 81 so as to be able to move up and down, and an attachment portion 101b for attaching a shelf support attachment member 103 which is connected forward to the inner edge of the front inward piece of the base frame portion 101a, and multiple upper and lower horizontal connecting frames 102 are fixed to the opposing surfaces of the left and right base frame portions 101a.

[0021] The left and right shelf bracket mounting members 103, 103 are fixed to the rear side of the mounting portion 101b by a plurality of screws 9 on the top and bottom so as to protrude toward the leg column 2. The outward protruding dimension of the shelf bracket mounting members 103 is set to a length that faces almost the inner half of the front surface of the leg column 2, and the outer end portion has multiple slit-shaped engagement holes 11 formed in the vertical direction for mounting the movable shelf brackets 17 described later.

[0022] Sliding studs 12 made of a low-friction material are attached to the front, rear and outer surfaces of the base frame portion 101a of the lifting unit 10 at multiple locations on the top and bottom so as to come into contact with the inner surfaces of the vertical frames 81 of the guide frame 8. This allows the lifting unit 10 to move smoothly up and down along the left and right vertical frames 81, 81.

[0023] Between the upper surface of a horizontal frame 83 fixed to the front of the lower end of the back frames 82 and the horizontal connecting frame 102 above the horizontal frame 83, two electric actuators 13, 13 (driving means) are provided on the left and right as driving means for vertically operating the lifting unit 10. For this electric actuator 13, for example, a known ball screw type electric actuator consisting of a geared motor 131 and a ball screw unit 132 operated thereby is used. The ball screw unit 132 includes a nut driven by the geared motor 131 and a screw shaft (both not shown) screwed to the nut via a number of balls, and the screw shaft moves up and down by rotating the geared motor 131 forward and backward.

[0024] A lifting rod 133 is connected to the screw shaft so as to protrude upward, and the upper end of the lifting rod 133 is inserted into the horizontal connecting frame 102 having a downward U-shaped cross section when viewed from the side, and is fixed to the horizontal connecting frame 102 by screws 9. When the left and right electric actuators 13, 13 are operated synchronously, the lifting rods 133, 133 move upward or downward at the same time, causing the lifting unit 10 to rise and fall.

[0025] Two upper and lower limit switches 14, 14 for stopping the operation of the geared motors 131, 131 and stopping the lifting unit 10 at the upper limit position and the lower limit position are attached to the lower part of the left back frame 82. In addition, an L-shaped operating piece 15 for contacting and operating the upper and lower limit switches 14, 14 is attached to the inner surface of the lower part of the left side movable frame 101.

[0026] Next, we will explain the upper and lower multiple shelf units 16 that are attached to the lifting unit 10. Each shelf unit 16 has a pair of left and right movable shelf brackets 17, 17 facing the front-rear direction and a shelf board 18 supported by both movable shelf brackets 17.

[0027] The movable shelf supports 17, 17 are formed longer than the overall length of the brackets 5, 5 so as to protrude forward of the brackets 5, 5, and have a fitting piece 17a (rear end) protruding rearward at their rear ends, which is inserted into the engagement hole 11 of the shelf support mounting member 103. A front upward inclined portion 17b that slopes forward and upward in side view is formed from the center of the movable shelf supports 17, 17 to the lower end of the front half, and a rear upward inclined portion 17c that slopes rearward and upward is formed at the lower end of the rear half. In this embodiment, the inclination angles of the front upward inclined portion 17b and the rear upward inclined portion 17c are approximately 10 degrees.

[0028] As shown in Figure 5, the shelf 18 is supported and fixed to the left and right movable shelf brackets 17, 17 by fixing the rear surfaces of both side ends of the downward-facing front plate 18a formed on the front edge to inward-facing pieces 17d, 17d formed on the front edges of the left and right movable shelf brackets 17, 17 with screws 9, and by fitting the downward-facing pieces 18b formed on the rear edge into the rear ends of the movable shelf brackets 17, 17 from above and fixing them with screws 9.

[0029] Upward protruding pieces 19, 19 are fixed to the upper surface of the front and rear ends of the shelf board 18 in the left-right direction to prevent the products S placed on the shelf board 18 from sliding forward or backward. A slippery sheet or slippery coating film (both not shown) with a low friction coefficient is applied to the upper surface of the shelf board 18 by bonding or coating, etc., so that the products S can easily slide forward or backward under their own weight when the shelf unit 16 is tilted. A plurality of left and right partition boards 20 facing in the front-rear direction are attached to the upper surface of the shelf board 18, so that the products S placed between adjacent partition boards 20 are lined up in a row in the front-rear direction.

[0030] The left and right movable shelf supports 17, 17 have their front-rear center portions pivotally attached to the upper front portions of the left and right brackets 5, 5 on the inner side of the brackets 5 as follows: As shown in Figures 2 to 4, first, a tubular spacer 21 is sandwiched between the movable shelf supports 17 and the bracket 5, and a tubular shaft 23 is rotatably fitted into the tubular spacer 21 and shaft holes 22, 22 drilled in the movable shelf supports 17 and the bracket 5.

[0031] Next, the bolt 25 is inserted from the outside into the tubular shaft 23 via the washer 24, and the nut 26 is screwed onto the end of the bolt 25 protruding inward via the washer 24. As a result, the center of the movable shelf bracket 17 is pivotally supported by the bracket 5, in other words, the movable shelf bracket 17 is pivotally attached to the bracket 5 so as to be rotatable up and down. In this state, the hook-shaped hook 5a of the bracket 5 is engaged with the engagement hole 4 of the leg 2, and the fitting piece 17a of the movable shelf bracket 17 is inserted into a predetermined engagement hole 11 of the shelf bracket mounting member 103, whereby the shelf unit 16 is supported by the left and right brackets 5, 5. In addition, when the lifting unit 10 moves up and down, the entire shelf unit 16 including the movable shelf brackets 17, 17 rotates up and down in a seesaw shape around the tubular shaft 23 relative to the bracket 5.

[0032] Spacer members 27, which are hat-shaped in plan view and come into contact with the inner surface of the bracket 5, are fixed to the outer surface of the left and right movable shelf supports 17 below and slightly forward of the pivot points, so as to maintain parallelism between the bracket 5 and the movable shelf support 17. The spacer members 27 have a slider 27a, which is slidable against the surface facing the bracket 5.

[0033] Stoppers 5b, 5b are provided inwardly on the lower edges of the left and right brackets 5, 5, so that when the movable shelf support 17 rotates in a seesaw shape around the pivot, the front upward inclined portion 17b or the rear upward inclined portion 17c at the lower end abuts on the upper surface of the stopper 5b to stop it. That is, when the lifting unit 10 moves downward by the operation of the electric actuators 13, 13, the rear upward inclined portion 17c abuts on the stopper 5b and the shelf unit 16 is tilted backward by approximately 10 degrees (see FIG. 5), and when the lifting unit 10 moves upward, the front upward inclined portion 17b abuts on the stopper 5b and the shelf unit 16 is tilted forward by approximately 10 degrees (see FIG. 6). In addition, the mating pieces 17a of the movable shelf supports 17, 17 of the multi-tiered shelf unit 16 are inserted into the engagement holes 11 of the shelf support mounting member 103, so that when the lifting unit 10 moves up and down, the shelf units 16 of each tier can be simultaneously switched between forward and backward inclination.

[0034] Next, an example of how to use the shelf device 1 will be described. As shown in Fig. 5, when the shelf units 16 are to be tilted backward, the geared motors 131 of the left and right electric actuators 13 are rotated, for example, forward by operating a lift switch (not shown), and the lift rods 133 of the ball screw units 132 are lowered. Then, the lift unit 10 moves downward, and the rearward upward inclined portions 17c of the left and right movable shelf supports 17 connected to the shelf support mounting members 103 come into contact with the stoppers 5b of the brackets 5, so that the shelf units 16 of each level are simultaneously tilted backward. Furthermore, almost at the same time that the rearward upward inclined portions 17c come into contact with the stoppers 5b, the operating piece 15 comes into contact with the lower limit switch 14, and the operation of the geared motors 131 is stopped.

[0035] By tilting each shelf unit 16 backward in this way, the products S placed on the shelf unit 16 from the front will move backward one by one due to their own weight, making it easy to replenish the stock of products S from the front. Note that the rearmost product S that moves backward will abut against the protruding piece 19 at the rear end of the shelf board 18 and will not fall.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 6, when the shelf units 16 are switched to a forward tilt, the geared motors 131 of the left and right electric actuators 13 are rotated, for example, in the reverse direction to raise and lower the lifting rods 133 of the ball screw units 132. Then, the lifting unit 10 moves upward, and the front upward inclined portions 17b of the left and right movable shelf supports 17 abut against the stoppers 5b of the brackets 5, so that the shelf units 16 of each level are simultaneously tilted forward. Furthermore, almost at the same time that the front upward inclined portions 17b abut against the stoppers 5b, the operating piece 15 comes into contact with the upper limit switch 14, and the operation of the geared motors 131 stops.

[0037] In this way, when each shelf unit 16 is switched to a forward inclination, the products S stocked on the shelf units 16 move forward one by one under their own weight, so that the products S can be easily removed from the front of the shelf units 16 and replenished from the rear of the store's product display shelves, etc. from the back yard of the store. The frontmost product S that moves forward will abut against the protruding piece 19 at the front end of the shelf board 18 and will not fall.

[0038] As described above, in the shelf device 1 according to the embodiment, by switching the shelf units 16 between a forward inclination and a backward inclination, it is possible to easily remove stock products S from the front of the shelf unit 16 and replenish stock products S to the shelf unit 16. Moreover, since multiple shelf units 16 can be switched between a forward inclination and a backward inclination simultaneously, the work of replenishing and removing stock products S can be performed efficiently and the labor required can be reduced.

[0039] In addition, since the entire shelf unit 16 including the movable shelf support 17 rotates in a seesaw-like manner relative to the bracket 5, the shelf unit 16 can be easily switched between forward and backward inclination without placing a large load on the electric actuator 13 or the lifting unit 10.

[0040] Furthermore, the bracket 5 is provided with a stopper 5b that stops the movable shelf support 17 at a forward or backward tilt position, and since the electric actuator 13 is not subjected to a stopping load due to the weight of the shelf unit 16 and the product S placed thereon, an inexpensive electric actuator 13 without a brake mechanism can be used.

[0041] Furthermore, since the lifting unit 10 and the electric actuator 13 are provided between the left and right legs 2, 2, the product placement area of ​​the shelf unit 16 can be used effectively without being narrowed.

[0042] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and additions and modifications that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included in the present invention.

[0043] For example, in the above embodiment, the ball screw type electric actuator 13 is used as the driving means for moving the lifting unit 10 up and down, but it is also possible to use a rank and pinion type electric actuator consisting of a rack that can move up and down, a pinion that meshes with the rack, and a geared motor that rotates the pinion. In this case, the upper end of the rack can be connected to the horizontal connecting frame 102 of the lifting unit 10.

[0044] In addition, in the above embodiment, the bracket 5 is provided with a stopper 5b that stops the movable shelf support 17 at a forward or backward tilt position. However, the stopper 5b can be omitted if, for example, a geared motor 131 with an electromagnetic brake mechanism is used and a brake is applied when the geared motor 131 stops due to the operation of the limit switch 14.

[0045] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a separate shelf support mounting member 103 is fixed to the side movable frame 101, but if the mounting portion 101b is extended outward so as to face the front surface of the leg column 2, it is also possible to form the shelf support mounting member 103 integrally with the side movable frame 101.

[0046] In addition, in the above embodiment, the fitting piece 17a of the movable shelf bracket 17 is inserted into the engagement hole 11 of the shelf bracket mounting member 103, but the connection structure between the movable shelf bracket 17 and the shelf bracket mounting member 103 is not important. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 shelving device 2 pillars 3 horizontal rods 4 Engagement hole 5 Bracket 5b Stopper 6. Anti-pullout member 8 Guide Frame 10 Lifting unit 11 Engagement hole 12 Sliding studs 13 Electric Actuator 14 Limit Switch 15 Actuating piece 16 Shelf Units 17 Movable shelf support 17a Mating piece 17b Front upward inclination 17c Rear upward slope 18 Shelf 19 Protrusion 20 Partition 21 Tubular spacer 22 Shaft hole 23 Tubular shaft 25 Volts 26 Nut 27 Spacer member 81 Vertical Frame 82 Back Frame 83 Horizontal Frame 101 Side movable frame 101a Base frame part 101b Mounting part 102 Horizontally Connected Frame 103 Shelf bracket mounting material 131 Geared motor 132 Ball screw unit 133 Lifting Rod

Claims

1. A shelf device having a shelf unit on an upper surface of which an article can be placed, The shelf device is characterized in that the shelf unit is connected to a pair of left and right brackets so that it can be selectively inclined either forward or backward.

2. 2. The shelf device according to claim 1, wherein the shelf unit has a middle portion in the front-rear direction pivotally attached to the pair of left and right brackets so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction.

3. The shelf device described in claim 2, characterized in that the shelf unit has a shelf board and a pair of left and right movable shelf supports pivotally attached to the pair of left and right brackets so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and the shelf board is fixed to the movable shelf supports.

4. 4. The shelf device according to claim 3, wherein the pair of left and right brackets are provided with support portions against which the lower ends of the movable shelf supports abut at the forward inclination position and the rearward inclination position, respectively.

5. 5. The shelf device according to claim 4, wherein the movable shelf support has a substantially V-shaped lower surface.

6. 6. The shelf device according to claim 1, wherein the shelf unit is provided at its front and rear ends with protrusions that protrude above the shelf.

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