Guide rail for installing ultra-thin EPD electronic shelf label

[0001] The present disclosure is a National Stage of International Application No. PCT/CN2021/111439, filed on Aug. 9, 2021.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of electronic shelf labels, and particularly to a guide rail for installing an ultra-thin EPD (Electronic Paper Display) electronic shelf label.

[0003] This section is intended to provide a background or context for the embodiments of the present disclosure set forth in the claims. The description herein is not admitted as prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0004] As an innovative product, the ultra-thin electronic shelf label has an ultra-thin structural size and a unique installing structure, and needs to be fitted with a special guide rail to be mounted on a shelf. The guide rail can protect the electronic shelf label while the shelf label is installed on it. However, the traditional guide rail design (see FIG. 1) has the following disadvantages: {circle around (1)} the existing guide rail installing structure cannot fit the installing interface and size of the ultra-thin electronic shelf label, and thus cannot realize the function of installing the shelf label and the ‘ultra-thin’ effect; {circle around (2)} the existing guide rail has no anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm, and does not have the function of preventing the electronic shelf label from being damaged during a violent disassembly; {circle around (3)} the existing guide rail is not designed with a disassembly guiding elastic arm, and it is inconvenient to disassemble the shelf label; and {circle around (4)} some extended functions cannot be realized, such as installing a shelf-label protective cover and mounting a customer promotion card.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a guide rail for installing an ultra-thin EPD electronic shelf label, including a guide rail body, an upper snap, a lower snap, an anti-slip soft rubber, a snap elastic arm, an anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm and a mounting pendant. Upper and lower ends of the guide rail body are integrally connected to the snap elastic arm and the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm, respectively. The upper snap is located on the snap elastic arm, and the lower snap is integrally connected to the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm. The upper snap and the lower snap are used to clamp the electronic shelf label on the guide rail after the electronic shelf is installed. The snap elastic arm and the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm are used to provide elastic spaces for the upper snap and the lower snap, so that the installation of the electronic shelf label is convenient and reliable. The anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm is further used to prevent a wrong disassembly at the lower snap from damaging the electronic shelf label and the guide rail. The anti-slip soft rubber is disposed on a side of the guide rail body where the electronic shelf label is installed, and used to be extruded by a back side of the installed electronic shelf label, so as to ensure that a position of the electronic shelf label on the guide rail will not be easily changed. The mounting pendant is disposed on a side of the guide rail body facing away from the electronic shelf label, and used to enable the guide rail to be fixedly placed.

[0006] The guide rail for installing an ultra-thin EPD electronic shelf label proposed by the present disclosure can install and protect the electronic shelf label, while facilitating the installation and disassembly and preventing disassembly-damage. The anti-slip soft rubber generates a resistance to the sliding of the electronic shelf label on the guide rail, so as to ensure that the position of the electronic shelf label on the guide rail will not be easily changed.

[0031] For a clearer understanding of the objectives, technical features and effects of the embodiments of the present disclosure, specific embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings. The described embodiments are intended only to schematically illustrate and explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a side-viewing structure of a guide rail for installing an ultra-thin EPD electronic shelf label according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the guide rail for installing an ultra-thin EPD electronic shelf label includes a guide rail body 0, an upper snap 1, a lower snap 2, an anti-slip soft rubber 3, a snap elastic arm 5, an anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm 6 and a mounting pendant 10.

[0033] Upper and lower ends of the guide rail body 0 are integrally connected to the snap elastic arm 5 and the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm 6, respectively. The upper snap 1 is located on the snap elastic arm 5, and the lower snap 2 is integrally connected to the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm 6.

[0034] The upper snap 1 and the lower snap 2 are connectors for mounting and fixing the shelf label on the guide rail, and are used to clamp the electronic shelf label on the guide rail.

[0035] The snap elastic arm 5 and the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm 6 are used to provide elastic spaces S1, S2 for the upper snap 1 and the lower snap 2 (as exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 5), so that a user can install and disassemble the electronic shelf label conveniently.

[0036] The anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm 6 is further used to prevent a wrong disassembly at the lower snap 2 from damaging the electronic shelf label and the guide rail, so as to solve the following technical problem in the prior art: {circle around (2)} the existing guide rail has no anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm, and does not have the function of preventing the electronic shelf label from being damaged during a violent disassembly.

[0037] The anti-slip soft rubber 3 is disposed on a side of the guide rail body 0 where the electronic shelf label is installed, with a function to generate slip damping when the soft rubber is extruded by a back side of the installed electronic shelf label, so as to ensure that the position of the electronic shelf label on the guide rail will not be easily changed. The value of the slip resistance may be adjusted through the height of the soft rubber, i.e., the greater the higher of the soft rubber, the greater the deformation of the soft rubber and the greater the slip resistance.

[0038] The mounting pendant 10 is disposed on a side of the guide rail body 0 facing away from the electronic shelf label, and used to fix the guide rail on a target shelf.

[0039] Specifically, the electronic shelf label is installed from the lower snap 2. Firstly, a lower clamping part of the shelf label is placed in the snap 2, and then a middle of an upper part of the shelf label is pushed until a ‘click’ sound is heard, indicating that an upper clamping part of the shelf label enters into the upper snap 1 and the installation is completed. The specific installation is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. The shelf label is clamped in the guide rail by the upper snap 1 and the lower snap 2, and the snap elastic arm 5 and the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm 6 provide sufficient elastic spaces for the upper snap 1 and the lower snap 2, so that the electronic shelf label can be installed conveniently and reliably, as illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0040] Specifically, after the electronic shelf label is installed in place, the anti-slip soft rubber 3 is extruded by the back side of the shelf label to deform and generate a slip resistance, so as to ensure that the position of the electronic shelf label on the guide rail will not be easily changed.

[0041] In addition, it is possible to meet lateral thrust requirements of different customers by adjusting the height of the anti-slip soft rubber 3, such as a weak damping design (FIG. 6) which is convenient for freely adjusting the position of the shelf label and a strong damping design (FIG. 7) which prevents a customer from moving the shelf label.

[0042] In an embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, an end of the snap elastic arm 5 that is connected to the guide rail body 0 is a V-shaped structure 51 with an opening 52 facing the upper snap 1, so as to provide an elastic space S1 for the upper snap 1. The V-shaped structure 51 of the snap elastic arm 5 is located between the guide rail body 0 and the mounting pendant 10.

[0043] In an embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, an end of the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm 6 that is connected to the guide rail body 0 is a V-shaped structure 61 with an opening 62 facing the lower snap 2, so as to provide an elastic space S2 for the lower snap 2. The V-shaped structure 61 of the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm 6 is located between the guide rail body 0 and the mounting pendant 10.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a disassembly guiding arm 4 is further included. The disassembly guiding arm 4 is located at an end of the snap elastic arm 5 and used to guide the disassembly of the electronic shelf label from the guide rail, which can solve the following technical problem in the prior art: {circle around (3)} the existing guide rail is not designed with a disassembly guiding elastic arm, and it is inconvenient to disassemble the shelf label.

[0045] Specifically, a disassembly process is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. When the electronic shelf label is disassembled, two claws at a front end of a driver for the electronic shelf label may be easily clamped into a gap between the guiding arm 4 and the shelf label and hooked on the top of the shelf label; next, the guiding arm is pried upward with a contact point of the shelf label as a fulcrum to drive the upper snap 1 to lift away from the clamping part of the shelf label, thereby easily disassembling the electronic shelf label from the clamping groove of the guide rail. In order to avoid the damage to the electronic shelf label and the guide rail caused by mistakenly disassembling from the lower snap, the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm 6 is provided to generate a sufficient elastic deformation during forced disassembly, so that the clamping part at the bottom of the shelf label can be detached from the lower snap 2 of the guide rail before being damaged, thereby eliminating the risk of damage to the electronic shelf label and the guide rail.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a bendable soft rubber 8 is further included, through which the mounting pendant 10 is connected to the guide rail body 0, so that the guide rail body 0 mounted with the shelf label can be lifted up conveniently when needed.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 2, an angle block snap 7 is disposed on a side of the guide rail body 0 facing away from the electronic shelf label, and used to mount the angle block to set a lifting angle of the guide rail.

[0048] The angle block snap can be mounted with an angle block 11 that is capable of providing two angles (or other angles), as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, and the bendable soft rubber provides an angle range for the guide rail to swing.

[0049] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an angle block 11 is further included, which is mounted on the angle block snap 7 and used to adjust a lifting angle of the guide rail.

[0050] Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 12 to 15, the angle block 11 is designed with an angle block body 111 and two snaps 112. The two snaps 112 are respectively clamped on the angle block snaps 7, and different lifting angles of the guide rail are set by different shapes of the angle block mounted in different directions. The distance between the two snaps 112 and the angles of the two snaps 112 can be set arbitrarily.

[0051] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, plugs 12 are further included. The plugs 12 are mounted at left and right ends of the guide rail body 0, and used to protect a user from being damaged by sharp corners at the left and right ends of the guide rail body 0.

[0052] Specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 16 to 20, the plug 12 includes a plug body 13 and two layers of positioning clamping strips 14. The two layers of positioning clamping strips 14 are used to fasten the plug by being in an interference fit with the guide rail body 0.

Description of the Plug Assembly Design:

• • [0053] 1. horizontal direction: the plug is fastened by an interference fit between the upper and lower positioning clamping strips of the plug (FIG. 18) and the wall of the guide rail;
  • [0054] 2. vertical direction: the plug is fastened by an interference fit between wedge surfaces on both sides of the positioning clamping strips in the middle of the bottom layer of the plug and the upper and lower snaps on the back side of the guide rail (FIGS. 19 and 20);
  • [0055] 3. after being mounted in place, the plug can bear a drawing force more than 50 N.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 21, an electronic-shelf-label protective cover 9 is further provided, which is connected to the disassembly guiding arm 4 and uses to protect the electronic shelf label.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 22, a promotion-card elastic arm 16 is further included, which is located on a side of the guide rail body 0 facing away from the electronic shelf label, and a promotion card 15 that is customized is inserted and mounted between the promotion-card elastic arm 16 and the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm 6 by interference force.

[0058] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 23, the present disclosure includes but is not limited to these guide rails with different types of back cards. In FIG. 23, a back card of type A is suitable to be adhered to a shelf by glue, a back card of type B is suitable to be externally clamped on a shelf having a matched width, a back card of type C is suitable to be internally clamped on a shelf having a matched bayonet, and a back card of type D is suitable to be externally and horizontally clamped on a shelf having a matched width.

[0059] The guide rail for installing an ultra-thin EPD electronic shelf label proposed by the present disclosure has the following advantageous effects:

• • [0060] 1) the designs of the snaps, the guiding arm and the snap elastic arm are capable of being mounted with and protecting the electronic shelf label, while facilitating the installation and disassembly and preventing disassembly-damage;
  • [0061] 2) the anti-slip soft rubber generates a resistance to the sliding of the electronic shelf label on the guide rail, so as to ensure that the position of the electronic shelf label on the guide rail will not be easily changed;
  • [0062] 3) the design of the bendable soft rubber facilitates the guide rail to be lifted up;
  • [0063] 4) the design of the angle block snap can be effectively mounted with the angle block;
  • [0064] 5) when being forcibly dismantled from the bottom of the guide rail by mistake, the electronic shelf label can be effectively protected by the anti-disassembly-damage elastic arm;
  • [0065] 6) the ends of the guide rail may be mounted with plugs to protect a user from being damaged by the sharp corners of the ends.
  • [0066] 7) the electronic-shelf-label protective cover can protect the electronic shelf label; and
  • [0067] 8) the promotion card can be freely mounted at any position on the guide rail to display the promotion information.

[0068] The above specific embodiments further explain the objectives, technical solutions and advantageous effects of the present disclosure in detail. As should be understood, those described above are merely specific embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure. Any modification, equivalent substitution, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure should be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.