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(11) | EP 1 422 681 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Upright holder of promo cards for shop shelves |
| (57) A promo card holder (1) is realized as a single piece of plastic by mold injection
that exploits at least one of the holes (4,5) spacingly aligned at regular intervals
along the front edge of the shelf (6) for establishing a robust anchorage at the holder
(1) to the shelf that cannot be shifted by accident and that differently from the
known holders, does not protrude from the front channel or front molding of the shelf
and does not interfere with the price tags inserted in it. |
[0001] The present invention relates to devices for visual communications to be applied on shelves for exposing goods sold in shops, supermarkets and the like, and in particular to a vertical pole holder for flag-like mounted promo cards.
[0002] Commonly used holders for promo cards to be mounted in a flag-like fashion usually comprise a clip cursor shaped to be easily installed by a snap action on a front molding or channel of a shelf and along which may be slided.
[0004] The mounting of said holders in clip-cursors slidingly fitted in a front channel shaped molding of shelves interferes with the disposition of price tags into the front channel for which the front channel is primarily destined and the clip cursor and the promo card held by the upright support mounted on the clip cursor may be subject to buffets and accidental shifts that may disarrange the price tags inserted in the channel.
[0005] On the other side, shelves commonly have blind or through holes at regular intervals along their front edge for receiving engagement pins of front railing to prevent the falling off of the goods stocked on the shelf. The shelves are often inclined for letting the remaining goods slip by gravity against the front railing.
[0006] Object of the present invention is a promo card holder that can be realized as a single piece of plastic by mold injection that exploits at least one of the holes spacingly aligned at regular intervals along the front edge of the shelf for establishing a robust anchorage at the holder to the shelf that cannot be shifted by accident and that differently from the known holders, does not protrude from the front channel or front molding of the shelf and does not interfere with the price tags inserted in it.
[0007] Basically, the new card holder of the present invention is constituted by an up-right portion in the shape of a column, provided with a plurality of elastically flexible staggered parallel wings, at least two of which have a button that eventually engages into a respective hole present on the fixing edge of a promo card upon forcibly inserting it in the gap between the parallel staggered elastic wings. A pedestal at the base of the upright portion for resting on the surface of the shelf has a broken-line profile. A first segment of the pedestal has a resting surface laying on a plane substantially orthogonal to the axis of the column that rises from the upper face thereof and a second segment of the pedestal has a resting surface that, at rest, has an inclination comprised between 5° and 10°. The second segment of the pedestal may be forcibly bent elastically until the resting surfaces of the two segments become at least in part coplanar. An engagement catch protrudes from the resting surface of the first segment of the base portion and has a profile defining a notch engaging with the rim edge of the foremost side of one of holes in the shelf plate, a guide knee defined at the junction of the parallel edges of two segments of the catch, the lowermost one of which is slanted and/or displaced rearwardly, and a terminal hook for engaging on the rim of the rearmost side of a hole in the rearwardly bent bottom portion of the front channel-shaped molding portion of the shelf The engagement is carried out by forcing the catch into a hole in the shelf plate and into a hole in the underlying rearwardly bent portion of the front channel-shaped molding portion of the shelf, overcoming the elastic force contrasting the flattening of the segmented pedestal onto the shelf plate and contrasting the bending of the catch as far as the terminal hook finally surmounting and hooking on the rearmost rim of the bottom hole.
[0008] The different aspects and advantages of the invention will appear even more evident through the following description of a preferred embodiment and by referring to the attached drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows the card holder of this invention and of the cross sectional profile of the front edge of a shelf on which the card holder is installable;
Figure 2 shows the card holder of this invention anchored in one of the holes present along the front edge of the shelf;
Figure 3 is a three-dimensional view of the card holder showing the way in which a promo card provided with holes along the engagement edge is inserted in the card holder;
Figure 4 is a three-dimensional view of the card holder with a promo card installed in it, ready to be anchored into one of the holes along the front edge of the shelf.
[0009] In order to make the figures more easily readable, the same elements are identified with the same numerical reference in all the figures representing the device of this invention.
[0010] Referring to the figures, the promo card holder 1 is destined to be used on shelf 2 provided with a front channel shaped molding portion into which are normally inserted printed price tags of the goods 3 and with holes 4 and 5, present at regular intervals along the front edge of the shelf through the upper flat plate 6 and of through the rearward bent portion 7 of the front channel molding 3. The holes 4 and 5 are commonly present for receiving and retaining engagement pins of a wire railing to prevent the goods from falling off the shelf.
[0011] The promo card holder, labeled as a whole with 1 in the figures, is realized by injection molding in the form of a single piece of plastic, for example a polycarbonate, acetalic or polyamidic resin.
[0012] The card holder has a up-right portion, shaped as a column 8, provided with a plurality of elastic parallel wings 9, staggered among them, such to define, between the two array of staggered parallel wings, a narrow gap into which inserting a promo card CP, by forcing the wings 9 apart.
[0013] On the face oriented toward the gap into which a card CP may be inserted, all or at least some of the wings have a circular button or protrusion, preferably beveled, that protrudes for the whole width of the separation gap (thickness of the card) into which the card is forcibly inserted, such to slip over its surface while inserting it and finally engaging into holes F present along the insertion edge of the promo card CP (Figure 3).
[0014] The column 8 rises from a pedestal or base, indicated as a whole with 11, that eventually rests on the shelf plate 6. The profile of the base 11, that is of the lower face thereof has the aspect of a broken line, a first segment 11a lays on a plane substantially orthogonal of the column 8 that rises from the upper face thereof. A second segment 11b has an inclination ranging, at rest, between 5° and 10°, in function of the mechanical characteristics of the molded plastic material used and of an eventual strengthening upper rib 11c, and is capable of bending elastically until becoming, at least in part, coplanar to the first segment 11 a.
[0015] An engagement catch, indicated as a whole with 12, extends from the lower face of the first segment 11a of the pedestal. The profile of the catch portion 12 defines functional features that cooperate for establishing a robust and stable anchoring of the holder on the shelf, by exploiting one of the coaxial hole pairs 4 and 5 that are normally present for other purposes through the shelf plate 6 and through the underlying rearwardly bent portion 7 of the front channel portion 3 of the shelf.
[0016] The profile defines:
- a notch 13 engaging the rim-edge of the foremost side of a hole 4 through the shelf plate 6;
- a guide knee 14 defined at the junction of the parallel edges of two segments of the catch 12, the lowermost one of which is slanted and/or displaced rearwardly;
- a terminal hook 15, capable of surmounting and hooking on the rim of the rearmost side of the hole 5 in the rearwardly bent portion 7 of the front channel portion 13 of the shelf.
[0017] The anchoring takes place by forcing the catch 12 through a hole 4 of the shelf plate 6 and through the corresponding underlying hole 5 in the rearwardly bent portion 7 of the front channel molding portion 3 of the shelf. The forced insertion takes place by overcoming the elastic force contrasting the flattening of the bottom of the segmented pedestal 11 and the bending of the catch 12, when pushing down the holder as far as the terminal hook 15 finally surmounts and hooks on the rim of the rearmost side of the hole 5.
1. A promo card holder (1) for shelves (2) composed of a plate (6) and a front channel-shaped
molding portion (3) for holding price tags and having holes (4, 5) at regular intervals
along the front edge through the shelf plate (6) and though a rearwardly bottom portion
(7) of said front channel portion (3), for receiving and retaining engagement pins
of a wire railing for preventing goods from falling off the shelf, fabricable in a
single piece of molded plastic and having an up-right column (8) with a plurality
of parallel staggered elastically flexible wings (9) for accomodating there between
a promo card, at least two of said wings (9) them having button (10) projecting from
the surface facing toward a gap defined between the parallel wings (9) for engaging
into a hole (F) present along the inserting edge of the promo card (P);
a pedestal (11) for resting on the shelf plate (6), the bottom profile of which is in form of a broken line, a first segment (11a) of which lies on a plane substantially orthogonal to the axis of said column (8) and a second segment (11b) is slanted by an angle that at rest ranges between 5° and 10°, the second segment being capable of elastically diverge from the first as far as becoming, at least in part, coplanar with the first segment upon pressing the pedestal (11) onto said plate (6);
a catch (12) extending from the bottom face of said first segment (11a) of the pedestal and whose profile defines the following features:
a pedestal (11) for resting on the shelf plate (6), the bottom profile of which is in form of a broken line, a first segment (11a) of which lies on a plane substantially orthogonal to the axis of said column (8) and a second segment (11b) is slanted by an angle that at rest ranges between 5° and 10°, the second segment being capable of elastically diverge from the first as far as becoming, at least in part, coplanar with the first segment upon pressing the pedestal (11) onto said plate (6);
a catch (12) extending from the bottom face of said first segment (11a) of the pedestal and whose profile defines the following features:
notch (13) for engaging with the foremost side of the rim edge of a hole (4) through the shelf plate (6),
a guide knee (14) at the junction of the parallel edges of two segments of said catch (12), the lowermost segment of which is slanted and/or displaced rearwardly
a terminal hook (15) for elastically surmounting and hooking on the rim of the rearmost side of a hole (5) through said rearwardly bent bottom portion (7) of the front channel portion (3) by overcoming an elastic reaction force contrasting the bending of said catch (12) and the elastic reaction force contrasting the flattening of the bottom of said pedestal (11) on the surface of the shelf plate (6).