The present invention relates to a display or sales shelf for use in shelf systems of the type having carrier means for carrying the shelves optionally in a horizontal or a forwardly and downwardly inclined position, the associated shelves as adapted for both kinds of mounting having an upstanding wall portion along one of their longitudinal edges, such that this wall portion may form a rear wall of the shelf, when the latter is pounted horizontally, and an upright front wall of the shelf, when the latter is mounted in its inclined position. More specifically the invention relates to a shelf of this type, where the opposite longitudinal edge of the shelf may quite traditionally be provided with a preferably obliquely bent-down edge portion, which is provided with means for the holding of loose, exhangeable price or information sign plates. These will thus be clearly visible when the shelf is mounted in the horizontal position, where they will be visible on the front edge of the shelf. Of particular interest is wire shelves, where the sign plate holding means are constituted by heavy, longitudinally extending wires secured by welding to the bent down end portions of the crosswise extending shelf wires.
When the shelves are mounted in the inclined position, in which the upstanding edge wall at the front end of the shelves will prevent the merchandises from gliding out of the shelves, it is customary to effect the marking by placing a flat price or information sign plate loosely behind the upstanding front wall, where the sign will be visible through the wire wall.
With the invention as defined in the claims it has been realized that it is possible in a simple and suitable manner to design the outside of the upstanding wall portion such that preferably along its upper edge area it may receive sign plates of quite the same type as used adjacent the free front edge of the shelf. The upper edge portion of the wall may even be bent slightly inwardly, i.e. rearwardly in the front mounted position, such that the sign plate, despite the front wall being upwardly and forwardly inclined, will nevertheless be slightly rearwardly inclined, just as when used at the free shelf front edge by the horizontal mounting of the shelf. Hereby the price or information marking may be arranged in the same systematical manner, whether the shelf be oriented one way or the other.
I has to be mentioned that DE-A-2,311,069 discloses a relevant wire shelf structure which, both along front and rear wall portions thereof, happens to be provided with exterior, horizontally arranged wires, and that e.g. from the German utility model No. GM 76 31 838 it is known that price or information markings may be provided on sign plate members adapted to be fixed onto a single wire. Thus it can be held that the concept of the invention can be realized based on already known art, but nevertheless the said simple concept apparently has not been previously disclosed.
On this background the invention more specifically relates to a shelf system as specified in the introductory clause of claim 1, while the novel features of the invention are specified in the characterising clause of claim 1.
By way of example, a single embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing, in which:
The shelf shown consists of a lower base frame 2 of flat iron with crosswise arranged shelf wires 4 secured by welding and forming the shelf surface itself. At their front ends in Fig. 1 these wires are provided with bent-down portions 6, to the outsides of which there are welded two heavy, longitudinal wires 8, of which the upper one is shaped with a row of upper, upstanding projections 9 made by crosswise up-jumping. At the rear the wires 4 are bent upwardly so as to form a rear wire wall 10 perpendicularly ustanding from the shelf surface.
The shelf, in a manner not shown, is carried on carrier brackets secured to vertical carrier posts, of which a single one is indicated in Fig. 1, all such that the shelves may be mounted optionally in a horizontal or an inclined position. In Figs. 1 and 2 the shelf is shown in the horizontal position, with the edge 6,8 as the front edge. The wires 8 are adapted as carrier wires for particular sign plate members 12, which e.g. as price signs, may be mounted anywhere along the length of the front edge of the shelf, the sign members being shaped with rounded longitudinal edges that can holdingly engage over the wires 8 and the said upper protrusions thereof.
When the shelf is mounted in its inclined position as shown in Fig. 3 it is turned around such that it is upstanding wall 10 which will form the front edge wall. As illustrated the upper parts of the wall forming wires are bent out first forwardly and upwardly and then upwardly and rearwardly so as to form an upper inclined wall portion 14, which is inclined almost with the same inclination as for the front wall 6,8 in Figs. 1 and 2. On the outside of the wire wall 14 are mounted longitudinal wires 16 corresponding to the wires 8, i.e. just like these well suited to receive and hold the sign plate members 12.
The wire wall portion 14 is bent so as to form with the shelf bottom an angle of approximately 45°, whereby it will normally be conveniently inclined for the reading of the price signs 12.
In Fig. 2 (and Fig. 3) it is shown in dotted lines that in stead of being bent downwardly the front edge wire portions may be bent upwardly, yet still provided with the sign plate holding wires 8, such that the shelf front edge in the horizontal position of the shelf is not fully 'free', as the shelf is now converted into a tray member. This change will not in any way affect the desired shape of the opposite shelf wall according to the present invention.
The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown or to the shelves being made of wire material, as also shelves of a coherent plate material may be shaped accordingly.