Sign holder

#This invention generally pertains to a sign holder and more particularly to a sign holder adapted to be mounted to a shelf for displaying a planar sign.

#Often, to promote certain products, retailers will display planar paper signs on the shelves where such products are located at a retail establishment or retail store. For instance, grocery stores often have numerous signs displayed from various shelves that include information about the associated products such as price or nutrition. To securely hold and display the signs in a conspicuous location, sign holders are often used. The sign holder can be mounted to the shelf and includes a retaining structure that securely holds the sign. Various styles of sign holder retaining structures are known in the art. Desirably, the retaining structure not only secures the sign but allows for easy replacement of the sign so that the sign holder can be readily reused. Furthermore, to facilitate mounting the sign holder to the shelf, the shelf may include mounting features such as perforations disposed through the shelf or a channel extending from a front edge of the shelf.

#The invention provides a sign holder for holding and displaying a planar sign from a shelf in a retailer's store or establishment. The planar sign may be made from any planar material, such as paper or cardboard, and may include writing or illustrations thereon. To function as the retaining feature that holds the sign, the sign holder includes a clamp that is formed from a first panel and a second panel. Each of the first and second panels includes a proximate edge and a distal edge, with the first and second panels being pivotally connected together along their proximate edges. Accordingly, one of the panels can be pivotally moved to a position wherein the panels generally overlap one another, thereby providing a clamping action for grasping the planar sign placed between the panels. The sign holder also includes a mounting structure to mount the sign holder to a shelf.

#The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sign holder mounted to a shelf and holding out for display perpendicularly from the shelf a planar sign.

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sign holder separated from the shelf and with the planar sign removed.

#While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

#Now referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers refer to like elements, there is illustrated in FIG. 1 a sign holder 100 mounted to a shelf 102 for displaying a planer sign 108. The shelf may be located at a retail environment where it is used to store and display any of a variety of products. The shelf 102 includes a horizontal ledge 104 and a downward projecting front edge 106 that extends along the horizontal ledge. To conspicuously display the planar sign 108, the sign holder 100 includes a clamp 120 that holds the sign from the front edge 106 of the shelf and a mounting leg 122 that mounts to the horizontal ledge 104. The sign holder 100 can be made from any suitable material such as, for example, molded polypropylene that, advantageously allows the sign holder to be used in low-temperature freezer cases. The planar sign 108 itself can be made from any planar material, such as paper or cardboard, and typically includes product information displayed thereon.

#Referring to FIG. 2, to form the clamp 120 that holds the planar sign, the sign holder 100 includes a generally planar first panel 130 and a generally planar second panel 132. Because of their planar shape, each panel 130, 132 has an inner surface 134, 136 and an opposing outer surface 138, 140. Furthermore, the panels 130, 132 each include a proximate edge 142, 144 along which the panels are connected and a spaced-apart distal edge 146, 148. To further define the outline of the first and second panels 130, 132, each panel also includes a first edge 150, 152 and a second edge 154, 156 that extend between the proximate edges 142, 144 and distal edges 146, 148.