The present invention relates to a display or sales shelf for use in shelf systems of the type having car¬ rier means for carrying the shelves optionally in a horizontal or a forwardly and downwardly inclined posi¬ tion, the associated shelves as adapted for both kinds of mounting having an upstanding wall portion along one of their longitudinal edges , such that this wall por¬ tion may form a rear wall of the shelf, when the latter is mounted horizontally, and an upright front wall of the shelf, when the latter is mounted in its inclined position. More specifically the invention relates to a shelf of this type, where the opposite longitudinal edge of the shelf may quite traditionally be provided with a preferably obliquely bent-down edge portion, which is provided with means for the holding of loose, exchange¬ able price or information sign plates. These will thus be clearly visible when the shelf is mounted in the horizontal position, where they will be visible on the front edge of the shelf. Of particular interest is wire shelves, where the sign plate holding means are consti¬ tuted by heavy, longitudinally extending wires secured by welding to the bent down end portions of the cross¬ wise extending shelf wires.

When the shelves are mounted in the inclined posi¬ tion, in which the upstanding edge wall at the front end of the shelves will prevent the merchandises from glid¬ ing out of the shelves, it is customary to effect the marking by placing a flat price or information sign plate loosely behind the upstanding front wall, where the sign will be visible through the wire wall.

With the invention is has been realized that it is possible in a simple and suitable manner to design the outside of the upstanding wall portion such that prefer¬ ably along its upper edge area it may receive sign

plates of quite the same type as used adjacent the free front edge of the shelf. The upper edge portion of the wall may even be bent slightly inwardly, i.e. rearwardly in the front mounted position, such that the sign plate, despite the front wall being upwardly and forwardly inclined, will nevertheless be slightly rearwardly in¬ clined, just as when used at the free shelf front edge by the horizontal mounting of the shelf. Hereby the price or information marking may be arranged in the same systematical manner, whether the shelf be oriented one way or the other.

By way of example, a single embodiment of the in¬ vention is illustrated in the drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wire shelf ac¬ cording to the invention, while

Figs. 2 and 3 are side views illustrating the shelf by horizontal and inclined mounting, respectively.

The shelf shown consists of a lower base frame 2 of flat iron with crosswise arranged shelf wires 4 secured by welding and forming the shelf surface itself. At their front ends in Fig. 1 these wires are provided with bent-down portions 6, to the outsides of which there are welded two heavy, longitudinal wires 8, of which the upper one is shaped with a row of upper, upstanding projections 9 made by crosswise up-jumping. At the rear the wires 4 are bent upwardly so as to form a rear wire wall 10 perpendicularly upstanding from the shelf sur¬ face.

The shelf, in a manner not shown, is carried on carrier brackets secured to vertical carrier posts, of which a single one is indicated in Fig. 1, all such that the shelves may be mounted optionally in a horizontal or an inclined position. In Figs. 1 and 2 the shelf is shown in the horizontal position, with the edge 6,8 as the front edge. The wires 8 are adapted as carrier wires for particular sign plate members 12, which, e.g. as

price signs, may be mounted anywhere along the length of the front edge of the shelf, the sign members being shaped with rounded longitudinal edges that can holding- ly engage over the wires 8 and the said upper protru¬ sions thereof.

When the shelf is mounted in its inclined position as shown in Fig. 3 it is turned around such that it is the upstanding wall 10 which will form the front edge wall. As illustrated the upper parts of the wall forming wires are bent out first forwardly and upwardly an then upwardly and rearwardly so as to form an upper inclined wall portion 14, which is inclined almost with the same inclination as for the front wall 6,8 in Figs. 1 and 2. On the outside of the wire wall 14 are mounted longitu¬ dinal wires 16 corresponding to the wires 8, i.e. just like these well suited to receive and hold the sign plate members 12.

The wire wall portion 14 is bent so as to form with the shelf bottom an angle of approximately 45°, whereby it will normally be conveniently inclined for the reading of the price signs 12.

In Fig. 2 (and Fig. 3) it is shown in dotted lines that in stead of being bent downwardly the front edge wire portions may be bent upwardly, yet still provided with the sign plate holding wires 8, such that the shelf front edge in the horizontal position of the shelf is not fully 'free', as the shelf is now converted into a tray member. This change will not in any way affect the desired shape of the opposite shelf wall according to the present invention.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment shown or to the shelves being made of wire material, as also shelves of a coherent plate material may be shaped accordingly. The sign plate holding means should not necessarily be constituted by wires 8, as they may be constituted by any other suitable holding details.