Adjustable Wire Display Rack

The present invention is in the field of advertising display racks.

Merchandise display racks are used to display merchandise on store shelves and in store windows. These display racks generally are comprised of brackets attached to a rear supporting structure. Merchandise can be attached to or on the brackets. The display racks holding the merchandise can then be placed in store windows or on counters where the merchandise can be viewed by the public. A major problem associated with display racks of the prior art is that they lack versatility in that they are constructed in a predetermined size so that they can not be used effectively in displaying varying types of merchandise in a wide variety of store spaces having varying width, length and height restrictions.

Due to this lack of versatility, marketing and display planners must spend a considerable amount of time and effort planning and designing how to arrange merchandise on the display racks of the prior art.

The present invention relates to a wire display rack which is adjustable both horizontally and vertically. The wire display rack is comprised of horizontal wires and means for attaching the horizontal wires to vertical support means so that the horizontal wires are movable up and down the length of the vertical support means such that the horizontal wires can be secured at any point along the length of the vertical support means and brackets extending from the horizontal wires. In a preferred embodiment the vertical support means are wires. In the present application a bracket refers to any supporting element which can be attached to and extend from horizontal wires or vertical wires of the display rack whether it is a hook, clamp, shelve or other supporting element.

The present invention is also related to a new type of bracket onto which merchandise can be placed. The bracket is comprised of a support means and extending from said support means is a means for securing the support means onto the horizontal wires. The means for securing the support means extends from the support means and over and under an upper horizontal wire and over and under a lower horizontal wire to form an inverted `S` which locks the bracket in place such that neither a force on top of the bracket nor a force from beneath the bracket will dislodge the bracket. In a preferred embodiment the bracket can be readily moved laterally along the length of the horizontal wires.

In the present application the term wire is used so that it can be made not only of metal but also of any plastic or wood so long as the characteristic dimensions of standard wire are maintained. Also, the cross-section of the wire need not be circular but may be any shape.

The objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which disclose several embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood that the drawings are used for the purpose of illustration only and not as a definition of the limits of the invention.

In the drawings, similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 depicts a frontal view in perspective of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a side view of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG: 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a bracket of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of a bracket of the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts the horizontal wire support structure of the present invention supported by a peg board.

FIG: 1 shows a wire display rack of the present invention designated 10. Wire display rack 10 has a base 12. Extending from base 12 are three vertical support wires 14, 16 and 18. Extending from and attached to vertical support wires 14, 16 and 18 are vertical support extension wires 20, 22 and 24 by means of tubes 26, 28 and 30 respectively.

Horizontal wire support units 32 are attached to the vertical wires and can be readily moved up and down the length of the vertical wires. The horizontal wire support units are comprised of horizontal wires 34 and 36 welded onto vertical support tubes 38, 40 and 42 and are so positioned along the length of horizontal wires 34 and 36 such that the vertical wires 20, 22 and 24 can simultaneously slide through tubes 38, 40 and 42 respectively. Tubes 38, 40 and 42 each have a threaded hole through the circumference of each tube and a bolt 44 which screws into the hole, see FIG. 2. When the horizontal wire units 32 are in place such that the vertical wires are through tubes 38, 40 and 42, tightening of bolt 44 into the hole within a tube secures the position of a horizontal unit along the length of the vertical wires.

Hooks 46 may be optionally present extending from the rear of rack 10 attaching either to a vertical wire or to a horizontal wire enabling the wire display rack to be supported by a rear support structure such as a peg board by placing the hooks into the holes present in the peg board.

As is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, wire rack 10 also contains a plurality of wire brackets 50. Brackets 50 are comprised of a support element 52 and an intertwining connecting element 54 which extends from element 52 goes over and under upper horizontal wire 36 and proceeds over and under lower wire 34 in an inverted `S` shape thus creating a positive locking bracket which will not detach if force is applied to the top or the bottom of the bracket. Bracket 50 can be readily moved laterally along horizontal wire unit 32. Thus, a wire display rack is formed which is adjustable both horizontally and vertically.

FIG. 4 shows a preferred embodiment of a bracket of the present invention. In this embodiment connecting element 54 curves down before it connects with support element 52 to totally surround upper portion of horizontal wire 36 to give added strength to the positive locking mechanism.

FIG. 5 depicts horizontal wire unit 32 connected to a peg board 60. Hooks 62 extend from horizontal wire unit 32 and are placed into holes 64 of peg board 60.

While only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The present invention can be used to display merchandise in such places as store windows and merchandise racks.