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US 4,930,643 AGranted
Display unit with modular capability
AssigneePaul Flum Ideas, Inc.
InventorPaul L. Flum
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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AssigneePaul Flum Ideas, Inc.
InventorPaul L. Flum
Estimating the term…
A display unit capable of being both vertically and horizontally arranged to achieve a wide variety of modular configurations comprising a plurality of substantially similar shelf members, a plurality of elongated support members, a plurality of socket cavities associated with the upper and lower portions of each of the shelf members for cooperatively engaging and supporting the elongated support members in a substantially upright position relative to each shelf member, and a plurality of connector members for joining two of the shelf members in side-by-side relationship one adjacent the other, each of the connector members having a pair of socket cavities associated with one end portion thereof for cooperatively engaging any one of the plurality of socket cavities associated with the upper and lower shelf portions and a single socket cavity associated with the opposite end portion thereof for cooperatively engaging one end portion of each of the elongated support members, the elongated support members and the connector members being positioned and engaged with each other and with the respective upper and lower socket cavities associated with adjacent shelf members to connect such shelf members in spaced apart relationship one above the other and/or in side-by-side relationship one adjacent the other. Each of the elongated support members includes side wall portions which are concavely biased to improve the joinder between each support member and each such shelf cavity.
A display unit for accommodating the storage of products thereon comprising a plurality of substantially similar shelf members, each of said shelf members having an upper portion, a lower portion, and a floor portion for positioning products thereon, a plurality of elongated support members having opposed end portions, a plurality of socket cavities associated with the upper portion of each of said shelf members and a plurality of socket cavities associated with the lower portion of each of said shelf members, said plurality of upper and lower socket cavities being positioned at spaced locations on the respective upper and lower portions of said shelf members, each of said socket cavities including side wall portions forming a locating surface for cooperatively positioning and locating the opposed end portions of said support members within each such socket cavity, each of said elongated support members including concavely biased resilient side wall portions, the concavely biased side wall portions of each of said support members being able to flex inwardly away from their normal unstressed biased condition so as to be receiveably engageable in a compression fit with the side wall portions of each of said upper and lower socket cavities, the side wall portions of said support members having sufficient elasticity to move outwardly back towards their normal unstressed concavely biased condition once positioned within said sockets cavities so as to frictionally wedge the side wall portions of said support members against the side wall portions of the respective socket cavities, said plurality of elongated support members being positioned between and engaged with the respective upper and lower socket cavities associated with adjacent shelf members to connect said adjacent shelf members in spaced apart relationship one above the other.
A display unit for accommodating the storage of products thereon comprising a plurality of substantially similar shelf members each having an upper and lower portion and a floor portion extending therebetween for positioning products thereon, a plurality of elongated support members having opposed end portions a plurality of socket means formed integral with the upper portion of each of said shelf members and a plurality of socket means formed integral with the lower portion of each of said shelf members, said plurality of upper and lower socket means being positioned at spaced locations on the respective upper and lower portions of said shelf members, connector means for joining at least two of said shelf members in side-by-side relationship one adjacent the other in the same horizontal plane, said connector means including a member having a pair of socket means associated with one end portion thereof, each of said pair of connector socket means being cooperatively engageable with any one of said plurality of socket means associated with the upper and lower portions of each of said shelf members, said connector means being positioned and arranged with respect to at least two adjacent shelf members such that one of said pair of connector socket means engages one of the socket means associated with one of said shelf members and the other of said pair of connector socket means engages one of the socket means associated with the other of said shelf members.
A display unit for accommodating the storage of products thereon comprising a plurality of substantially similar shelf members each having an upper and lower portion and a floor portion extending therebetween for positioning products thereon, a plurality of elongated support members having opposed end portions, a plurality of socket means formed integral with the upper portion of each of said shelf members and a plurality of socket means formed integral with the lower portion of each of said shelf members, said plurality of upper and lower socket means being positioned at spaced locations on the respective upper and lower portions of said shelf members, each of said socket means being cooperatively engageable with the opposed end portions of said elongated support members for supporting said support members in a substantially upright position relative to the floor portion associated with each of said shelf members, connector means for joining two of said shelf members in side-by-side relationship one adjacent the other, said connector means having opposed end portions and including a pair of socket means associated with open end portion thereof and a single socket means associated with the opposite end portion thereof, each of said pair of connector socket means being cooperatively receiveable within any one of said plurality of socket means associated with the upper and lower portions of each of said shelf members, said single connector socket means being correspondingly shaped and dimensioned so as to cooperatively receive one of the opposed end portions of each of said elongated support members, said plurality of elongated support members and said connector means being positioned and arranged so as to engage at least some of the upper and lower socket means associated with at least two shelf members to permit said shelf members to be vertically stackably arranged in spaced apart relationship one above the other and to be alternatively arranged in side-by-side horizontal relationship one adjacent the other.
In a display unit having a plurality of shelf display areas vertically stackable arranged in spaced apart relationship one above the other, and a plurality of substantially upright support means connecting vertically spaced pairs of side shelf display areas, the improvement comprising a portable side panel display unit attachable to said display unit, said side panel unit including a substantially planar backing member having at least one shelf member associated therewith, said backing member being dimensioned so as to extend by and between at least two of said substantially upright support means, and attachment means for removably attaching said entire side panel unit to said substantially upright support means.
A display unit for accommodating the storage of products thereon comprising a plurality of substantially similar shelf members each having an upper and lower portion and a floor portion extending therebetween for positioning products thereon, a plurality of elongated support members having opposed end portions, a plurality of socket cavities integrally formed with the upper portions of each of said shelf members and a plurality of socket cavities integrally formed with the lower portion of each of said shelf members, said plurality of upper and lower socket cavities being positioned at spaced locations on the respective upper and lower portions of said shelf members, each of said socket cavities being cooperatively engageable with the opposed end portions of said support members for supporting said members in a substantially upright position relative to said floor portion, a connector member for joining two of said shelf members in side-by-side relationship to each other, said connector member having opposed end portions and including a pair of socket means associated with one end portion thereof and a single socket means associated with the opposite end portion thereof, each of said pair of connector socket means being correspondingly shaped and dimensioned so as to be insertably receiveable within any one of said plurality of socket cavities associated with the upper and lower portions of each of said shelf members, said single connector socket means having a cavity associated therewith correspondingly shaped and dimensioned to cooperatively receive the opposed end portions of each of said elongated support members, said plurality of elongated support members and said connector member being positioned and arranged so as to engage at least some of the upper and lower socket cavities associated with at leat two shelf members to permit said shelf members to be vertically stackably arranged in spaced apart relationship one above the other and to be alternatively arranged in side-by-side horizontal planar relationship one adjacent the other.
A display unit for accommodating the storage of products thereon comprising a plurality of substantially similar shelf members each having an upper and lower portion and a floor portion extending therebetween for positioning products thereon, a plurality of elongated support members having opposed end portions, a plurality of socket means associated with the upper and lower portions of each of said shelf members, said plurality of upper and lower socket means being positioned at spaced locations on the respective upper and lower portions of said shelf members, each of said socket means being cooperatively engageable with the opposed end portions of said elongated support member for supporting said support members in a substantially upright position relative to the floor portion associated with each of said shelf members, connector means associated with at least one end portion of at least some of said elongated support members for joining two of said shelf members in side-by-side relationship one adjacent the other, said connector means including a pair of socket means, each of said pair of connector socket means being cooperatively engageable with any one of said plurality of socket means associated with the upper and lower portions of each of said shelf members, said connector means being positioned and arranged with respect to at least two adjacent shelf members such that one of said pair of connector socket means engages one of the socket means associated with one of said shelf members and the other of said pair of connector socket means engages one of the socket means associated with the other of said shelf members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.