JP7831970B2 - Sliding shelf device - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a sliding shelf device equipped with slide rails that allow shelves on which products are displayed to move in the front-to-back direction.

Supermarkets and convenience stores use shelving systems to display products. During restocking, older products are moved to the front of the shelf, and new products are added to the back; this is known as first-in, first-out (FIFO). To facilitate this FIFO process, sliding shelving systems equipped with shelves that can slide in the front-to-back direction have been conventionally used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The sliding shelf device described in Patent Document 1 comprises a support column having a locking hole on its front, a pair of left and right brackets having hooks that can be locked into the locking hole of the support column, and a shelf board supported by the brackets so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction via a slide rail. In conventional shelf devices that do not have a sliding shelf board function, the brackets and shelf board are fixed together. However, in such a sliding shelf device, since the shelf board and bracket are not fixed together, lateral movement of the left and right brackets occurs. Therefore, it is customary to include a horizontal connecting rod that links the left and right brackets horizontally. In the sliding shelf device of Patent Document 1, the left and right ends of the horizontal connecting rod (connecting body) are fixed to the left and right brackets respectively, thereby unitizing the left and right brackets to prevent lateral movement.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-92777 (page 5, Figure 8)

In the sliding shelf device described in Patent Document 1, fixing both the left and right ends of the horizontal support rod to the center of the left and right brackets in the front-to-back direction allows for strong suppression of lateral movement of the left and right brackets, enabling smooth sliding of the shelf boards. However, the horizontal support rod, located in the center in the front-to-back direction, is prone to interference from products displayed on the lower shelf boards, especially tall products, potentially preventing effective use of the lower display space.

This invention was made in view of these problems, and aims to provide a sliding shelf device that has minimal impact on the display space below.

To solve the above problems, the sliding shelf device of the present invention is
A sliding shelf device comprising: a base member having a locking hole on its front; a pair of left and right brackets having hooks that can be locked into the locking hole; a shelf board supported on the brackets so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction via a slide rail; and a horizontal rod installed between the pair of left and right brackets,
The slide rail is attached to the inner surfaces of the left and right brackets,
The left and right ends of the aforementioned horizontal rod are attached to the left and right brackets by engaging means,
The engagement means is characterized by comprising a slit formed through the bracket from left to right, downward-facing locking claws formed at both left and right ends of the transverse rod, and an upward-facing piece formed on the transverse rod that rises upward and extends longitudinally so as to overlap with the inner surface of the bracket .
This feature means that the horizontal support rod is mounted behind the slide rail, which reduces the downward protrusion of the horizontal support rod in the lower display space, at least from the front to the center, thus minimizing the impact on the lower display space. In particular, if the lower shelf is also a sliding shelf, when the lower shelf with products on it is slid, the products from the center to the front will not interfere with the horizontal support rod of the upper shelf, preventing products from falling due to sliding.

The aforementioned horizontal support rod is characterized by being positioned within the height dimension of the front portion of the shelf board.
This feature minimizes the downward protrusion of the horizontal support rods, reducing their impact on the lower display space. Furthermore, the horizontal support rods are less visible from the front of the sliding shelf system, resulting in a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.

The left and right ends of the aforementioned horizontal rod are attached to the left and right brackets by engaging means.
This feature allows for easy assembly because the left and right ends of the horizontal rod are attached to the bracket by engagement means, eliminating the need for screws or welding.

The engagement means is characterized by comprising a slit formed through the bracket from left to right, downward-facing locking claws formed at both left and right ends of the horizontal connecting rod, and upward-facing pieces.
According to this feature, the bracket is clamped between the locking claws of the transverse rod inserted through the slit and the rising piece, so the transverse rod and the bracket are firmly engaged, and thus lateral movement can be reliably prevented with a simple configuration.

This is a perspective view showing a sliding shelf device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the shelf unit. This is a side view showing the shelf unit. (a) to (c) are side cross-sectional views showing the engagement operation of the locking member with respect to the locking hook of the bracket. (a) is a side view showing the structure of the slide rail as seen from the outside, and (b) is a side view showing the same structure as seen from the inside. Figure 10 shows the slide rail in the extended position. (a) and (b) are perspective views showing the procedure for attaching the horizontal rod to a pair of left and right brackets, and (b) is a perspective view showing the procedure for attaching the bracket to a pair of left and right support columns. This is a front view showing the horizontal connecting rod. Figures (a) to (c) are side views showing the assembly procedure of the slide rail to the bracket. Figure 8 shows the structure of the bracket as seen from the outer side. Figures (a) and (b) are side views showing the assembly procedure of the shelf body relative to the slide rail. Figure 9 shows the structure of the slide rail as viewed from the inner side.

The embodiments for implementing the sliding shelf device according to the present invention will be described below based on examples.

The sliding shelf device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Hereafter, the lower left side of Figure 1 will be considered the front side (front) of the sliding shelf device.

Sliding shelving systems are used in supermarkets, convenience stores, and other retail stores to display multiple items in both the depth and width directions. They are used in various settings, such as display shelves for items at room temperature in stores where customers move around, and refrigerated display cases for items kept chilled. Furthermore, sliding shelving systems are not limited to product display shelves or refrigerated display cases; they can also be used as storage shelves for goods in warehouses, etc. In this embodiment, the use of sliding shelving systems as product display shelves will be described as an example.

As shown in Figure 1, the sliding shelf device 1 mainly consists of a pair of support columns 2, 2 spaced apart to the left and right, which are the base members of the sliding shelf device 1, and multiple shelf units 5, 5, ... supported on the front of the support columns 2, 2, arranged vertically. Items can be displayed on the upper surface of the plate members 51 that make up the shelf units 5. The support columns 2, 2 have legs 6, 6 and are self-supporting. The front of the support columns 2, 2 is provided with numerous engagement holes 7, 7, ... arranged in a single row in the vertical direction. As will be described in detail later, the shelf boards 50 that make up the shelf units 5 are slidable back and forth relative to the brackets 52 that also make up the shelf units 5.

As shown in Figure 2, the shelf unit 5 is composed of a pair of left and right brackets 52, 52 attached to the front of the support columns 2, 2, a horizontal connecting rod 33 installed between the brackets 52, 52, a pair of left and right slide rails 9, 9, and a shelf board 50 supported so as to be slidable back and forth via the slide rails 9, 9.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the shelf board 50 comprises a metal plate member 51, a reinforcing member 53 (see Figure 4) extending in the left-right direction and fixed to the front-to-back center of the lower surface of the plate member 51, a price rail 15 extending in the left-to-right direction and fixed to the front end of the plate member 51, and side components 54, 54 attached to both the left and right ends of the plate member 51, and is equipped with a locking mechanism 55 at the front end.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the front edge of the plate member 51 is bent downward along its entire width in the left-right direction to form a hanging portion 51b, and the price rail 15 is fixed to the hanging portion 51b.

The side component 54 is made of a metal plate and has a side portion 54b that forms the side surface of the shelf board 50, a base portion 54a that follows the upper surface portion 51a of the plate member 51, and a downward-hanging portion 54c that is formed inward and parallel to the side portion 54b. The downward-hanging portion 54c is equipped with locking pieces 54A and 54B at the front and rear, and has a forward-facing claw portion 54d at its front end.

More specifically, the locking pieces 54A and 54B are formed by cutting out a section of the hanging body. The front locking piece 54A of the hanging body is formed to hang downwards with a width in the front-to-back direction, between the front-to-back spaced notches 54e and 54f. The rear locking piece 54B is formed between the front-to-back spaced notches 54g and 54h, comprising a downward-hanging section 54j and a rearward extension 54k extending diagonally downwards and backwards from the lower end of the hanging section 54j. The lower end of the locking piece 54B, i.e., the rearward extension 54k, is formed so that its width gradually decreases towards the tip.

As shown in Figures 4(a) to 4(c), the locking mechanism 55 consists of a locking member 56 operably provided at the front end of the plate member 51, claw portions 54d, 54d of side components 54, 54 that are open forward at both the left and right ends of the front end of the lower surface of the plate member 51, and locking hooks 52a, 52a, which will be described later, formed on brackets 52, 52, with which the engaging portions 56e, 56e of the locking member 56 engage, respectively.

As shown in Figure 5, the pair of left and right slide rails 9, 9 have a three-stage sliding structure in which three rail members 91, 92, and 93 are arranged on the left and right sides, and adjacent rail members move relative to each other in the forward and backward directions. The left and right slide rails 9, 9 are configured such that rail member 91 is attached to bracket 52, and rail member 93 is attached to plate member 51. Plate member 51 is supported by brackets 52, 52 via the pair of left and right slide rails 9, 9.

As shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), a horizontal connecting rod 33 is installed between the brackets 52, 52 to restrict their movement in the left-right direction. As shown in Figure 7, the horizontal connecting rod 33 is made of a metal plate, and the short ends of the base portion 33a are bent to form rising portions 33b and 33c at the front and rear, forming a roughly U-shape that opens upwards.

The longitudinal ends of the base 33a of the transverse rod 33 are bent downward to form flange portions 33d, 33d. A gap G, G is formed between these flange portions 33d, 33d and the rising portions 33b, 33c in the left-right direction. Preferably, the gaps G, G are approximately equal to the plate thickness of the brackets 52A, 52B. Behind the rear opening 52e of the bracket 52, a horizontally extending slit 52b is provided, penetrating in the left-right thickness direction, allowing the flange portions 33d of the transverse rod 33 to be inserted through this slit 52b.

As shown in Figures 8(a) and 8(b), the claw portions 91a and 91b, formed on the opposing surfaces of the outer rail member 91 of the slide rail 9, engage with the openings 52d and 52e formed on the inner surface of the bracket 52, respectively. This allows the slide rail 9 to support the load while restricting its relative movement in the front-rear, left-right, and right-back directions relative to the bracket 52.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9, the locking pieces 54A and 54B, formed on the front and rear of the side of the shelf board 50, engage with the engaging portions 93a and 93b formed on the front and rear of the opposing surfaces of the rail member 93 inside the slide rail 9, respectively. This allows the shelf board 50 to be mounted to the slide rail 9 in a state where its relative movement in the front, rear, left, and right directions is restricted.

Next, the procedure for connecting the left and right pair of brackets with a horizontal connecting rod will be explained. With the horizontal connecting rod 33 tilted relative to the brackets 52, 52, the flange portions 33d, 33d at both longitudinal ends are inserted into the slits 52b, 52b of the brackets 52, 52, respectively. As a result, as shown in Figure 6(b), the left and right ends 33e, 33e of the base portion 33a of the horizontal connecting rod 33, located inside the flange portion 33d, rest on the lower edges of the slits 52b, the flange portion 33d of the horizontal connecting rod 33 overlaps with the outer surface of the bracket 52, and the rising portions 33b, 33c of the horizontal connecting rod 33 overlap with the inner surface of the bracket 52, thereby restricting the relative movement of the bracket 52 and the horizontal connecting rod 33 in the vertical and horizontal directions.

As shown in Figure 6(b), with brackets 52, 52 attached to both longitudinal ends of the horizontal rod 33, the hooks 52c, 52c, ... at the rear ends of the left and right brackets 52, 52 are engaged with the engagement holes 7, 7 of the support columns 2, 2, respectively, thereby supporting the left and right brackets 52, 52 connected by the horizontal rod 33 on the support columns 2, 2. By attaching the left and right brackets 52, 52 to the support columns 2, 2 in this way, the relative inclination between the horizontal rod 33 and the brackets 52, 52 is restricted, preventing the flange portion 33d of the horizontal rod 33 from coming out of the slit 52b of the bracket 52, and thus increasing the assembly strength.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), the slit 52b is positioned behind the slide rail 9 and within the height dimension L1 of the slide rail 9. In other words, the transverse rod 33 that engages with the slit 52b is arranged alongside the rear of the slide rail 9.

In this way, by mounting the horizontal support rod 33 behind the slide rail 9, the downward protrusion of the horizontal support rod 33 is suppressed in the lower display space, at least from the front to the center position, thus minimizing the impact on the lower display space. In particular, if the lower shelf is also a slidable shelf, when the lower shelf with products on it is slid, the products from the center to the front position will not interfere with the upper horizontal support rod 33, preventing products from falling due to sliding.

Furthermore, because the slide rail 9 and the horizontal connecting rod 33 are mounted side-by-side, the horizontal connecting rod 33, which is installed between the brackets 52, 52, is less likely to protrude below the slide rail 9, thus further reducing the impact on the display space on the lower level.

Furthermore, the horizontal bar 33 is formed into a roughly U-shape by bending both short ends of the metal plate, ensuring its strength. However, by bending both short ends upward, when attached to the brackets 52, 52, the horizontal bar 33 does not protrude below the left and right ends 33e, 33e of its base 33a on the inside of the brackets 52, 52, further reducing its impact on the lower display space.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 9(b), since the horizontal support rod 33 is positioned within the vertical dimension L2 of the front end of the plate member 51 and the price rail 15, the horizontal support rod 33 is not easily visible from the front of the sliding shelf device 1, resulting in a superior aesthetic appearance.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and any modifications or additions that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are also included.

For example, in the above embodiment, the engagement means between the transverse rod 33 and the brackets 52, 52 was described as engaging the flange portions 33d, 33d formed at both the left and right ends of the transverse rod 33 with the slits 52b, 52b formed in the brackets 52, 52. However, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, a slit may be formed in the transverse rod, and an engaging claw formed on the inner surface of the bracket may be engaged with this slit.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the slit 52b is formed with a horizontally elongated length on the bracket 52, thereby ensuring contact area with both left and right ends 33e, 33e of the base 33a of the transverse rod 33 while minimizing downward protrusion. However, this is not limited to this configuration; for example, the slit may be formed with a vertically elongated length within the height dimension L1 of the slide rail.

Furthermore, the horizontal connecting rod 33 is not limited to being attached to the left and right brackets 52, 52 by engaging means; it may also be fixed in place, for example, by welding, although this would complicate assembly.

Furthermore, while a configuration in which the slide rail 9 and the horizontal connecting rod 33 are mounted side-by-side is preferable because it prevents the horizontal connecting rod 33, which is installed between the brackets 52, 52, from protruding downwards from the slide rail 9, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the horizontal connecting rod 33 may be positioned below the slide rail 9.

Furthermore, while a configuration in which both ends of the horizontal connecting rod 33 in the short direction are bent upward is preferable because it further reduces the impact on the display space in the lower section, the design is not limited to this. For example, both ends of the horizontal connecting rod 33 in the short direction may be bent downward. In this case, the flange portion is formed by bending both ends of the horizontal connecting rod in the longitudinal direction upward.

1. Sliding shelf device 2. Support column (foundation member)
5 Shelf unit 7 Engagement hole 9 Slide rail 9a Base 9b Hanging part 9c Base 9d Extension 9e Opposing surface 33 Horizontal rod 33a Base 33b, 33c Rising part 33d Flange part 50 Shelf board 51 Board member 51a Upper surface part 51b Hanging part 52 Bracket 52a Lock hook (engaged part)
52b Slits 52d, 52e Openings 54 Side parts 54A, 54B Locking piece 54a Base 54b Side part 54c Drooping part 54d Claw part 54j Hanging part 54k Rear extension part 55 Lock mechanism 91, 92, 93 Rail member 91a, 91b Claw part 93a, 93b Locked part G gap

Claims (2)

A sliding shelf device comprising: a base member having a locking hole on its front; a pair of left and right brackets having hooks that can be locked into the locking hole; a shelf board supported on the brackets so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction via a slide rail; and a horizontal rod installed between the pair of left and right brackets,
The slide rail is attached to the inner surfaces of the left and right brackets,
The left and right ends of the aforementioned horizontal rod are attached to the left and right brackets by engaging means,
The sliding shelf device is characterized in that the engaging means comprises a slit formed through the bracket from left to right, downward-facing locking claws formed at both left and right ends of the horizontal connecting rod, and a rising piece formed on the horizontal connecting rod that rises upward and extends longitudinally so as to overlap with the inner surface of the bracket . The sliding shelf device according to claim 1, characterized in that the horizontal crossbar is positioned within the height dimension of the front part of the shelf board.