US 5,472,103 · Granted 1995-12-05
The Modular Shelf Patent That Lets Stores Fit Any Product
This patent describes a flexible shelving system where stores can adjust shelf heights and positions using hanging bars and vertical slots—so a display for tiny toys can sit right next to one for bulky cereal boxes without wasting space. It's the building-block approach to retail shelving.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a segmented shelving construction where vertical uprights contain multiple slots to hold adjustable hanging bars. Those bars support vertical shelving standards (the backbone of each shelf unit), which themselves have elongated slots that accept brackets at custom heights. What's protected is the combination of this slotted vertical framework that lets stores physically move and customize shelf heights without replacing the entire gondola structure.
Why it matters
This patent addresses a real retail problem: standard fixed shelving wastes space when products vary wildly in size and shape. By creating an adjustable system that works within a standard gondola base, stores can maximize display density and adapt quickly as product lines change. The elongated slots and modular bar design reduce waste from improper spacing and make retail floor updates faster and cheaper than replacing entire fixtures.
Real-world use
Walk into any grocery store and look at the shelving in the snack or cereal aisle—the way shelves sit at different heights to fit tall boxes, small bags, and everything in between likely uses this kind of adjustable framework.
Original USPTO abstract
A segmented shelving construction in which the vertical shelving cubic volumes are custom designed in accordance with the actual product being sold. The shelving is attached to a standard upright gondola construction consisting of a base and at least two vertical uprights per gondola. The uprights have a plurality of vertical slots to be engaged by hooks supporting the shelving. In the present invention, horizontal hanging bars with adjustable end male plugs carrying hooks to be received within the vertical upright slots are positioned at a desired height. The hanging bars then receive at least two vertical shelving standards, the shelving standards contain elongated slots near the top and bottom edges of the standards, or at any other desired location. The hanging bars are received in the vertical slots and there is sufficient room for them to be moved within the slots. Typical shelves of any desired size are supported by typical brackets having hooks to be received in a plurality of vertical slots within the vertical standards. Because of the vertical slots, variations in the vertical slots and the uprights or uneven inferior construction can easily be accommodated because of the elongated slots in the vertical standards.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,472,103
- Filing date
- 1994-05-25
- Grant date
- 1995-12-05
- Assignee
- Merl; Milton J.
- Inventor(s)
- MERL; MILTON J.
- CPC class
- A47F5/103
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