Product display hooks

Abstract

To omit a base storage part with a complicated structure from a merchandise display hook that can reduce the labor of first-in, first-out work. [Solution] A product display hook comprises a mounting fixture attached to a product display fixture, a hook rod from which a product is suspended, a support structure supporting the base of the hook rod, and a protruding piece extending from a portion of the outer periphery of the base. The support structure includes: a metal base extending from the mounting fixture; a cantilever beam with an upward concave end abutting the surface of the metal base; an engagement surface where the cantilever beam engages with the base; a through hole in the metal base adjacent to and above the engagement surface, through which the base passes but into which the protruding piece catches; a first notch at the edge of the through hole above the engagement surface that allows the protruding piece to pass; and a clearance fit portion at the edge of the through hole that is open at the rear and closed at the front and forms a loose fit with the protruding piece at the edge of the through hole.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to hooks for displaying merchandise. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in stores such as home improvement centers and convenience stores, various products are sold by hanging them from hook rods of product display hooks attached to product display fixtures. When replenishing such products, a so-called first-in, first-out operation is sometimes performed, in which the previously hung product is moved to the front and the new product is hung in the empty space at the back.

[0003] Various technologies have been proposed to reduce the effort required for such first-in, first-out operations. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a product display hook in which a cylindrical base housing, which houses and secures the base of a hook rod, is integrally formed with a support member attached to a product display fixture. A protrusion is provided on the periphery of the hook rod's base. The base housing communicates with a first space on the entrance side and a second space on the rear side. When the hook rod's base is inserted into the base housing and rotated while the base is inserted all the way into the second space, the protrusion engages with the rear end of the peripheral wall of the first space. When replenishing products, the hook rod is rotated to release the engagement of the protrusion, and the hook rod is removed from the base housing. New products are replenished from the base side of the hook rod. The hook rod is then reinserted into the base housing, and the hook rod is rotated to re-engage the protrusion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-122320 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The conventional product display hook disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires a base housing section with a complex structure, which is a tube with different inner shapes of the peripheral wall on the entrance side (first space side) and the back side (second space side).For this reason, conventional product display hooks required the use of time-consuming molding methods such as additive manufacturing (3D printer) and mold molding to form the base housing section.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a hook for displaying merchandise that can reduce the effort required for first-in, first-out merchandise handling, and makes it possible to omit the base storage section with a complex structure as in the prior art. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a product display hook comprising a mounting fixture, a hook rod, a support structure, and at least one protrusion. The mounting fixture is attached to a product display fixture. The hook rod is arranged to extend in the front-to-rear direction, from which a product is hung. The support structure is provided on the mounting fixture and supports the base of the hook rod. The protrusion is formed by a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the base protruding radially outward from the base. The support structure comprises a metal base plate extending from the mounting fixture with its plate surface facing in the front-to-rear direction. The support structure also comprises a cantilever beam formed of a metal plate bent to form a concave shape upward, with its end surface abutting against the front plate surface of the metal base. The support structure also comprises a concave upper plate surface of the cantilever beam, and has engagement surfaces that engage with the base from below and from both the left and right sides. The support structure also has a through hole in a portion of the metal base plate adjacent to the engagement surface from above, the through hole being opened to a size that allows the base to be inserted therethrough but that catches the protrusion. The support structure also has a first notch formed in an edge of the through hole at a position above the engagement surface, the first notch being sized to allow the protrusion to be inserted therethrough. The support structure also has a clearance fit portion at the edge of the through hole that is formed in a shape that forms a clearance fit with the protrusion, and that is open at the rear and closed at the front.

[0008] According to the above aspect, the hook rod of the product display hook can be inserted and removed from the through-hole of the support structure from the front side by aligning its protrusion with the first notch. Furthermore, after inserting the base of the hook rod into the through-hole from the front side, the base is rotated to create a loose fit between the protrusion and the clearance fit portion, thereby preventing the hook rod from being removed from the support structure from the front side. Therefore, according to the above aspect, it is possible to reduce the effort required for first-in, first-out product handling, as in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1. Furthermore, according to the above aspect, the support structure of the product display hook is configured as an assembly made up of processed metal plates. Therefore, according to the above aspect, it is possible to omit the complex base housing portion required in the prior art.

[0009] According to another aspect, the clearance fit portion is a second notch formed by cutting out a part of the edge of the through hole and closed from the front side by the end face of the cantilever beam.

[0010] According to the above aspect, by forming a second notch in the through hole, the support structure can be provided with a clearance fit portion without adding any other parts. Therefore, according to the above aspect, an additional part for the clearance fit portion is not required, and the configuration of the product display hook can be made simpler.

[0011] According to another aspect, the protruding piece protrudes downward from the lower outer peripheral surface of the base. The engagement surface includes a support portion that contacts the base from below to support the base. The second notch is closed from the front by the end surface of the portion corresponding to the support portion.

[0012] According to the above aspect, the base of the hook bar is supported by the support portion of the cantilever beam, thereby improving the load-bearing capacity of the hook bar.

[0013] According to another aspect, the protruding piece has a crushed structure in which a part of the base is crushed.

[0014] According to the above aspect, by performing a crushing process on the base of the hook rod, the hook rod can be provided with a protrusion without adding any other parts. Therefore, according to the above aspect, an additional part for the protrusion is not required, and the structure of the product display hook can be made simpler.

[0015] In another aspect, the cantilever beam and the engagement surface are arranged in a downwardly tapered manner so as to be inclined downward toward the front side.

[0016] According to the above aspect, the hook rods extending in the front-rear direction can be arranged in a downward-sloping state so that the hook rods slope downward as they approach the front. Therefore, according to the above aspect, the products hung on the hook rods naturally move forward due to their own weight, which reduces the effort required to "pull the first-hanging product to the front" during first-in, first-out product operations. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present disclosure, product display hooks that can reduce the effort required for first-in, first-out product handling can be produced using a molding method that is less time-consuming than conventional techniques. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a commodity display hook 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is in use. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the commodity display hook 10 of FIG. 1 alone. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the product display hook 10 of FIG. 1 alone. [Figure 4] 2 is a right side view showing the commodity display hook 10 of FIG. 1 alone. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the commodity display hook 10 of FIG. 1 alone. [Figure 6] 2 is a bottom view showing the commodity display hook 10 of FIG. 1 alone. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a CC portion in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the hook bar 12 of FIG. 1 alone. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a bottom view showing the hook rod 12 of FIG. 1 alone. [Figure 11] 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 9. [Figure 12] 3 is a front view similar to FIG. 2, showing the state in which the hook bar 12 of FIG. 2 has been removed. [Figure 13] 4 is a rear view similar to FIG. 3, showing the state in which the hook bar 12 of FIG. 3 has been removed. [Figure 14] 1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method for replenishing products 91 on the product display hook 10 of FIG. [Figure 15] 1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method for replenishing products 91 on the product display hook 10 of FIG. [Figure 16] 1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method for replenishing products 91 on the product display hook 10 of FIG. [Figure 17] 1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a method for replenishing products 91 on the product display hook 10 of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The configuration of a product display hook 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below mainly with reference to Figures 1 to 13. In the following description, the directions of "front," "back," "left," "right," "up," and "down" are defined by the directions as seen from the product display fixture 90 (see Figure 1) to which the product display hook 10 is attached.

[0020] 1, the product display hook 10 is attached to a product display fixture 90 and is used to display a product 91 in a suspended state. In this embodiment, the product display fixture 90 has a rectangular beam-shaped corner bar 90A on its front surface to which various product display hooks (not shown) can be attached.

[0021] The product display hook 10 comprises a fixture 13 attached to a corner bar 90A of the product display fixture 90, a hook rod 12 from which a product 91 is hung, and a support structure 11 provided on the fixture 13 to support a base 12A of the hook rod 12. In this embodiment, the hook rod 12 extends in the front-to-rear direction and is arranged so as to be tapered downward toward the front (see Figures 1 to 4).

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the mounting fixture 13 has a flat mounting portion 13A extending in the front-to-rear direction, with flat clamping pieces 13B and 13C extending downward from the front and rear edges, respectively. The mounting fixture 13 is attached to the square bar 90A by placing the mounting portion 13A on the square bar 90A and clamping the square bar 90A from both front and rear sides with the clamping pieces 13B and 13C. In this embodiment, the mounting fixture 13 is integrally formed by bending a single metal plate. The mounting fixture 13 is also formed so that the front clamping piece 13B is longer than the rear clamping piece 13C.

[0023] 9 and 10, the hook rod 12 is a straight metal wire rod having a protrusion 12C on a base 12A that forms the rear end, and a hook 12D on the front end. The hook 12D is formed by bending the front end of the hook rod 12 upward, preventing the suspended product 91 from falling off the hook rod 12 that is arranged with its tip pointing downward (see the imaginary line in FIG. 4).

[0024] 9 to 11, the protrusion 12C is configured such that a portion of the outer peripheral surface 12B of the cylindrical base 12A (see FIG. 11) of the hook bar 12 protrudes radially outward from the base 12A. In this embodiment, the protrusion 12C has a crushed structure obtained by crushing a portion constituting a lower portion of the outer peripheral surface 12B of the base 12A using a "smoothed edge" process, and protrudes downward from the lower outer peripheral surface 12B of the base 12A.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the support structure 11 is configured as an assembly in which a metal substrate 11A and a cantilever beam 11C are joined by welding. The metal substrate 11A extends upward from a rear clamping piece 13C (see FIG. 7) of the fixture 13 with its plate surface facing the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the lower portion of the metal substrate 11A that abuts against the clamping piece 13C is a spot welding allowance 11B for joining the metal substrate 11A and the clamping piece 13C by spot welding. The spot welding allowance 11B overlaps the clamping piece 13C of the fixture 13 from the rear side (see FIG. 6) and is joined integrally by spot welding. The entire metal substrate 11A, excluding the spot welding allowance 11B, extends in a tilted manner toward the front.

[0026] As shown in Figure 12, the cantilever beam 11C is made of a metal plate bent into a roughly V-shape with an upward concave. In this cantilever beam 11C, the bottom portion 11D, which forms the bottom of the V-shape, is formed into a square groove of a size that allows the base 12A of the hook rod 12 to be inserted from above and placed on it (see Figures 1 and 16). Therefore, of the concave upper plate surface of the cantilever beam 11C, the portion of the plate surface corresponding to the bottom portion 11D forms the engagement surface 11E that engages with the base 12A of the hook rod 12 from below (see Figure 2) and both the left and right sides (see Figure 5). Of this engagement surface 11E, the portion that engages with the base 12A of the hook rod 12 from below forms the support portion 11F that contacts the base 12A from below and supports the base 12A, as shown in Figure 2.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 8 , the rear end face 11L of the cantilever 11C abuts the front surface of the metal substrate 11A at a portion extending upward from the spot weld allowance 11B. In other words, the rear end face 11L of the cantilever 11C abuts the front surface of the metal substrate 11A. In this embodiment, the cantilever 11C abuts perpendicularly to the front surface of the metal substrate 11A. As described above, this surface is inclined toward the front. With this configuration, the cantilever 11C and its engagement surface 11E are arranged in a downward-sloping manner, sloping downward toward the front. The angle of inclination of this downward slope is set to be small enough so that the cantilever 11C does not come into contact with the fixture 13.

[0028] 12 and 13, a circular through-hole 11G is formed in a portion of metal substrate 11A adjacent to engagement surface 11E from above. Two notches, a first notch 11J and a second notch 11K, are formed in edge 11H of through-hole 11G. These notches are formed by cutting out part of edge 11H of through-hole 11G and penetrating metal substrate 11A in the plate thickness direction.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 8, the opening of the through hole 11G is sized to allow the base 12A of the hook bar 12 to pass through, but is also sized to catch the protruding piece 12C protruding from the outer peripheral surface 12B of the base 12A. The first notch 11J is formed on the edge 11H of the through hole 11G, at a position above the engagement surface 11E, and is sized to allow the protruding piece 12C to pass through. In this embodiment, the opening of the through hole 11G is sized to provide a clearance fit with the base 12A of the hook bar 12. The first notch 11J is also sized to provide a clearance fit with the protruding piece 12C of the hook bar 12.

[0030] As shown in Figures 3 and 8, the second notch 11K is formed in a shape that provides a clearance fit with the protruding piece 12C of the hook bar 12. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 8 and 13, the second notch 11K is closed from the front by the end face 11L of the portion of the cantilever beam 11C that corresponds to the support portion 11F. Meanwhile, the second notch 11K is open on the rear side. In other words, the second notch 11K corresponds to the "clearance fit portion" in this disclosure.

[0031] The base 12A of the hook rod 12 fits into the through hole 11G (see FIG. 3), thereby positioning the hook rod 12 so that it does not move in the radial direction (including the up-down and left-right directions) of the through hole 11G. Furthermore, the protrusion 12C of the hook rod 12 fits into the second notch 11K (see FIG. 3), thereby positioning the hook rod 12 so that it does not rotate in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, the protrusion 12C is caught from its rear side on the end face 11L of the cantilever beam 11C that covers the second notch 11K from the front (see FIG. 8), thereby preventing the hook rod 12 from being pulled out forward from the support structure 11.

[0032] Next, an example of a method (hereinafter also simply referred to as "method") for replenishing the above-described commodity display hooks 10 with commodities 91 by first-in, first-out operation will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.

[0033] In this method, first, an operator (not shown) pushes the hook rod 12 of the product display hook 10 rearward as shown in Fig. 14. At this time, the protruding piece 12C of the hook rod 12 moves rearward and is released from the engagement with the second notch 11K (see Fig. 8), allowing the hook rod 12 to be rotated in the circumferential direction.

[0034] Next, the worker rotates the pushed-in hook rod 12 in its circumferential direction so that the hook 12D of the hook rod 12 faces downward. At this time, the protruding piece 12C of the hook rod 12 faces upward where the first notch 11J is located (see FIG. 13), and is aligned with this first notch 11J.

[0035] Next, as shown in Figure 15, the worker pulls the hook rod 12 forward while keeping the base 12A of the hook rod 12 resting on the support portion 11F of the cantilever beam 11C. At this time, the base 12A and protruding piece 12C of the hook rod 12 are pulled forward of the metal base plate 11A through the through hole 11G and the first notch 11J (see Figure 8), respectively. This allows the worker to pull the hook rod 12 out of the support structure 11 and replenish the hook rod 12 with products 91 from the base 12A side.

[0036] Once the replenishment of products 91 onto the hook rod 12 is complete, the worker inserts the base 12A of the hook rod 12 from above into the bottom portion 11D of the cantilever beam 11C with the hook 12D of the hook rod 12 facing downward (with the protruding piece 12C facing upward), as shown in FIG. 16 . Then, while keeping the base 12A of the hook rod 12 resting on the support portion 11F of the cantilever beam 11C, the worker pushes the hook rod 12 rearward. At this time, the base 12A and protruding piece 12C of the hook rod 12 are inserted through the through hole 11G and the first notch 11J (see FIG. 8 ), respectively, and are pushed rearward into the metal base plate 11A. The base 12A of the hook rod 12 is loosely fitted into the through hole 11G (see FIG. 8 ), positioning the hook rod 12 so that it does not move radially through the through hole 11G.

[0037] Next, as shown in Fig. 17, the worker rotates the pushed-in hook rod 12 in its circumferential direction so that the hook 12D of the hook rod 12 faces upward. At this time, the protruding piece 12C of the hook rod 12 faces downward where the second notch 11K is located (see Fig. 8), and is aligned with this second notch 11K.

[0038] Next, the worker pulls the hook rod 12 forward while keeping the base 12A of the hook rod 12 resting on the support portion 11F of the cantilever beam 11C. At this time, the protruding piece 12C of the hook rod 12 is inserted into the second notch 11K from the rear side, forming a loose fit with this second notch 11K, and is then caught from the rear side by the end face 11L of the cantilever beam 11C that closes the second notch 11K from the front (see FIG. 8). This positions the hook rod 12 and restricts its circumferential rotation and forward withdrawal from the support structure 11.

[0039] According to the above-described merchandise display hook 10, the hook rod 12 of the merchandise display hook 10 can be inserted into and removed from the through-hole 11G of the support structure 11 from the front side by aligning the protruding piece 12C with the first notch 11J. Furthermore, after the base 12A of the hook rod 12 is inserted into the through-hole 11G from the front side, the base 12A is rotated to create a loose fit between the protruding piece 12C and the clearance fit portion (second notch 11K), thereby preventing the hook rod 12 from being removed from the support structure 11 in the forward direction. Therefore, the merchandise display hook 10 can reduce the effort required for first-in, first-out merchandise handling, as in the prior art disclosed in the above-described Patent Document 1.

[0040] Furthermore, according to the product display hook 10, the support structure 11 of the product display hook 10 is configured as an assembly combining the metal base plate 11A and the cantilever beam 11C, each of which is made of a processed metal plate. Therefore, according to the product display hook 10, it is possible to omit the base housing part with a complex structure that is required in the above-mentioned prior art.

[0041] Furthermore, according to the commodity display hook 10, by forming the second notch 11K in the through hole 11G, it is possible to provide the support structure 11 with a clearance fit portion without adding any other parts. Therefore, according to the commodity display hook 10, an additional part for the clearance fit portion is not required, and the configuration of the commodity display hook 10 can be made simpler.

[0042] Furthermore, according to the product display hook 10, the base 12A of the hook rod 12 is supported by the support portion 11F of the cantilever beam 11C, thereby improving the load-bearing capacity of the hook rod 12.

[0043] Furthermore, according to the product display hook 10, by performing a crushing process on the base 12A of the hook rod 12, the hook rod 12 can be provided with the protrusion 12C without adding any other parts. Therefore, according to the product display hook 10, an additional part for the protrusion 12C is not required, and the structure of the product display hook 10 can be made simpler.

[0044] Furthermore, with the commodity display hook 10, the hook rod 12 extending in the front-to-rear direction can be arranged in a downward-pointing state (see FIG. 4) so ​​that it slopes downward as it approaches the front. Therefore, with the commodity display hook 10, the commodity 91 hung from the hook rod 12 naturally moves toward the front due to its own weight (not shown), reducing the effort required to "pull the first-hanging commodity to the front" when placing the commodity 91 on a first-in, first-out basis.

[0045] The above describes the embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure using the first and second embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various substitutions, modifications, and alterations are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure may include all substitutions, modifications, and alterations that do not depart from the spirit and purpose of the claims appended hereto. For example, the following various embodiments can be implemented as embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure.

[0046] (1) In the present disclosure, the clearance fit portion that fits tightly with the protrusion of the hook bar is not limited to a notch (see second notch 11K in FIG. 8 ) formed by cutting a lower edge of the through hole in the metal base plate so as to penetrate the metal base plate in the thickness direction. For example, the clearance fit portion notch can be formed at any location on the edge of the through hole, as long as it is located differently from the first notch that allows the protrusion to pass through. Note that if the clearance fit portion notch is formed in a position that is not blocked from the front by the end face of the cantilever beam, it is necessary to block this notch from the front with an additional part. Furthermore, the clearance fit portion notch may be formed in a non-penetrating shape on the edge of the through hole, opening to the rear side of the metal base plate but not to the front side. In this case, regardless of where the clearance fit portion notch is formed on the edge of the through hole, no additional part is required to block this notch from the front. The clearance fit portion may also be configured such that a plurality of protrusions are provided on the rear surface of the metal substrate at the portion that forms the edge of the through hole, and protruding pieces are inserted into the gaps between these protrusions to achieve a clearance fit. In this case, the clearance fit portion is closed from the front by the metal substrate itself, so no additional part is required to close the clearance fit portion from the front.

[0047] (2) In the present disclosure, the protrusions provided at the base of the hook rod are not limited to the above-described "flat" crushed structure. For example, the protrusions may be formed by a "flat" crushed structure in which the base of the hook rod is crushed in one direction perpendicular to its axial direction. In this case, two protrusions protruding in opposite directions are provided on the outer periphery of the base of the hook rod. Alternatively, the protrusions may be formed by a "cross-crushed (star-crushed)" crushed structure in which the base of the hook rod is crushed so that its cross section forms a cross. In this case, the base of the hook rod is provided with four protrusions arranged circumferentially. The protrusions may also be formed by additional components (e.g., machine keys) attached to the base of the hook rod. In this case, the number and arrangement of the protrusions provided at the base of the hook rod are not limited, as long as there is at least one. In these cases, the number, arrangement and specific shape of the first notches and clearance fit portions provided in the support structure can be changed as appropriate to correspond to the number, arrangement and specific shape of the protruding pieces. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 10 Product display hooks 11 Support structure 11A metal board 11B Spot welding 11C cantilever beam 11D bottom part 11E Engagement surface 11F Support part 11G through hole 11H Edge 11J 1st notch 11K Second notch (clearance fit) 11L end face 12 Hook rod 12A base 12B Outer surface 12C Projection piece (crushed structure) 12D hook 13 Mounting fixture 13A Placement section 13B Clamping piece 13C hijacking film 90 What utensils are used for product display? 90A Kakuba 91 products

Claims

1. A fixture that can be attached to a product display fixture; a hook rod disposed to extend in the front-rear direction and from which a product can be hung; a support structure provided on the attachment for supporting a base of the hook bar; At least one protruding piece formed by a part of an outer peripheral surface of the base protruding radially outward from the base; Equipped with The support structure includes: a metal substrate extending from the fixture with its plate surface facing in the front-rear direction; a cantilever beam formed of a metal plate bent to be concave upward, the end face of which abuts against the front plate surface of the metal substrate; an engagement surface formed by a concave upper plate surface of the cantilever beam and engaging with the base from below and both the left and right sides; a through hole formed in a portion of the metal substrate adjacent to the engagement surface from above, the through hole being large enough to allow the base to pass through but large enough to catch the protruding piece; a first notch formed at an edge of the through hole at a position above the engagement surface and having a size that allows the protrusion to be inserted therethrough; a clearance fit portion formed at the edge portion of the through hole in a shape that forms a clearance fit with the protrusion piece, and having an open rear side and a closed front side; Equipped with Hooks for displaying products.

2. The product display hook according to claim 1, the clearance fit portion is a second notch formed by cutting out a part of the edge portion of the through hole and closed from the front side by the end surface of the cantilever beam; Hooks for displaying products.

3. The product display hook according to claim 2, The protruding piece protrudes downward from a lower outer peripheral surface of the base, the engagement surface includes a support portion that contacts the base from below and supports the base, the second notch is closed from the front side by the end surface of the portion corresponding to the support portion; Hooks for displaying products.

4. The product display hook according to claim 1, The protruding piece has a crushed structure in which a part of the base is crushed. Hooks for displaying products.

5. The product display hook according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The cantilever beam and the engagement surface are arranged in a downward-sloping state so as to slope downward toward the front side. Hooks for displaying products.

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