"IMPROVED PROFILE FOR A SYSTEM FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND DISPLAY OF PRODUCTS ON SHELVES"

Scope of the invention

This invention relates to a profile which is especially designed to be fitted on the rear of shelves in department stores and other sales outlets, for fixing products' arrangement and display systems such as the partitions .

Previous art:

There are currently different systems available for the arrangement and display of products in shelves used in trade/department stores/supermarkets.

The purpose of those systems is to store, arrange and display the products in the relevant shelves.

There are models of profiles to be fixed to the rear of shelves with a T-shaped rail in order to enable the partitions to be fitted.

To provide for the installation of said rear profiles there are presently 3 methods:

- double-coated adhesive tape

- magnet fixing by means of, for example, screws, rivets, etc .

The inconvenience of this kind of profile is that when the shelf is tilted and loaded, its weight can cause the tape or the magnet to be pulled out .

More particularly, the following disadvantages are found in terms of installation and functionality:

In the case of inclined display shelves (15°/20°)

- A T-shaped profile with magnet should not be used because it is not compatible with weight.

- It should be used a T-shaped profile with double - coated adhesive tape due to its capacity to remain fixed to the shelf, thus bearing the weight of it.

This type of installation requires the following precautions to be taken:

- A careful orientation when fitting the front and rear T-shaped profiles because the size of the partition to be installed must be taken into account, in addition to guaranteeing that both the front and rear elements (in distance, depending on the spacer size) are symmetrically- positioned in parallel along the shelves, this being critical for the installation performance, planogram reformulation and final visual aspect.

The disadvantages are: difficult and time- consuming installation which is subject to specialized labour; 0% reusable - i.e. after its lifetime, it is hard to remove from the shelves because of the adhesive tape.

. In the case of horizontal display shelves

The T-shaped profile can be used both with the magnet and the double-coated adhesive tape (the weight is not anymore an eliminatory factor as regards the magnetic support, since the gravity does not interfere) .

The usual option is the magnetic one, because it is 100% reusable and easy to install, although it is more expensive than the adhesive tape option.

Another inconvenience of the previous art is that, in case of fixing by magnetic means or adhesive tape, cleaning operations are a problem. In effect, once the partitions are assembled it is hardly possible to do the maintenance of the shelf, both for the cleaning and for the rearrangement of the exhibited articles. Summary of the invention

It was with the aim of overcoming these problems that the applicant has developed this new profile which is to be fit -mounted. This new profile sticks well to the shelf and is kept well fixed/stuck to it, so it is not easily caused to detach. In order to enable a safe mounting on the shelf to which it is coupled, said profile has a "U" configuration in its lower section, which in conjunction with a jut will form the fitting and fixing means on the rear side of shelves, while in the upper section, which rests on the shelf, it comprises two parallel rails aimed at fitting the partitions.

This profile's new design has the following advantages :

- It is appropriate for all types of products display in shelves .

- Easy installation (fitting) .

- The support is guaranteed due to the fact that it covers the main point of support of the shelves (inclined display versus weight) on their rear side, requiring only a guiding device at the front .

- It provides for the use of products for display in shelves, in such a way that was never employed before due to the weight of products to be exhibited (this type of accessories being less costly than the solutions with other materials and especially designed for the weight/aesthetic effect, thus improving the look of the exhibition because of the articles which can now be applied) .

- It comprises a double "T" for adjusting the T-shaped guide at the front, which adapts to most of the shelves that are commercially available.

- 100% Reusable and recyclable, is environmentally friendly.

- Less expensive than the magnetic system.

In general, the great advantage of this product lies precisely in its capacity to be adapted to the rear side of the shelf, this being the ideal point of support of the product display system, thus opposing to the gravity forces resulting from the weight/type of the exhibited articles .

The partition system, which is made possible with this new profile, will make it even easier to install, and will prevent the spacer from breaking due to the rear fit, as well as preventing the millimetric variations in what concerns the orientation when inserting the product to be displayed, since the rear side is the most difficult to accede when accommodating the product (the partition being fixed with a standard "T") .

Brief description of the drawings

The following description is based on the enclosed drawings which, with a non-limiting character, represent : - S -

- Figure 1, a view of the profile which is the object of the invention;

- Figure 2, a view of the use of a profile in an inclined shelving system; and

- Figures 3 and 4, detail views of shelves partitions applied to the profile.

Detailed description of the invention

As can be observed, the profile generally referred to as (1) and represented in figure 1, comprises a lower section with its own fitting and fixing means (4) enabling direct and easy fitting on the rear side of the shelf (2) , so that other fixing means (for instance double- coated adhesive tape or magnet) are not required.

More particularly, the profile has a configuration which allows the rear side of the shelf to become locked, thus preventing the profile from unbinding and releasing in case the shelf is tilted and loaded. For that purpose, the profile (1) has a "U" configuration in its lower section (6) in order to fit the shelf (2) , one of its ends comprising a V-shaped jut (7) to be fixed onto the rear side of the same shelf (2) , thus preventing it from unbinding even if the shelf is loaded and in tilted position.

On the other hand, the upper section of the profile, which rests on the shelf, comprises two parallel T-shaped rails (5) (or other type of rails) , which are especially designed to fit the partitions (3) .

These two rails (5) with a "T" (or other) configuration have different heights, the purpose of this being that they can be adapted/adjusted to partitions of different lengths.

As will become evident to the person skilled in the art, changes can be made to the previously described embodiment. Therefore, the rails (5) can, for example, have a shape other than a "T". In effect, said rails may comprise ribs or means of other different shapes, which will subsequently enable the partition to be hold and fixed.

The previously mentioned profile is preferably obtained in rigid PVC. However, it can also be manufactured in metallic material.