Display system with suspended merchandise support

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9398818-B2
Application number	US-201313785362-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 5, 2013
Priority date	Mar 5, 2013
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

A merchandise display includes a stand and a hanger. The stand includes a base, a shaft extending upwardly from the base to a top end of the shaft, and an arm extending forwardly from the top end of the shaft. The arm defines a top, a bottom, a cavity open to the top and the bottom, and two notches extending downwardly from the top and being positioned on opposing sides of the cavity. The hanger includes an elongated column, an arm-coupling feature at a first end of the elongated column, and a device-coupling feature at a second end of the elongated column. The device-coupling feature is configured to be coupled with a merchandise support device, and the arm-coupling feature is partially received within and extends between the two notches of the arm such that the elongated column hangs through and below the cavity of the arm to the device-coupling feature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A merchandise display comprising:
a stand comprising a base, a shaft extending substantially vertically upwardly from the base to a top end of the shaft, and an arm extending forwardly from the top end of the shaft, wherein:
the arm defines a top, a bottom, a cavity open to the top and the bottom, and two notches extending downwardly from the top, and
the two notches are positioned on opposing sides of the cavity and opposite the shaft; and

a hanger comprising an elongated column, an arm-coupling feature positioned at a first end of the elongated column, and a device-coupling feature positioned at a second end of the elongated column;
wherein:
the device-coupling feature is configured to be coupled with a merchandise support device,
the arm-coupling feature is at least partially received within and extends between the two notches of the arm such that the elongated column hangs through and below the cavity of the arm to the device-coupling feature,
the elongated column defines opposing side surfaces,
the arm-coupling feature includes:
a first transverse segment extending across and beyond the opposing side surfaces of the elongated column to define two opposing side surfaces of the first transverse segment, and
a second transverse segment extending across and beyond the two opposing side surfaces of the first transverse segment, the first transverse segment being positioned adjacent to each of and between the first end of the elongated column and the second transverse segment.

2. The merchandise display of claim 1 , wherein:
the arm includes two opposing side panels extending substantially parallel to one another,
each of the two opposing side panels extends from the shaft to a front end of the arm,
the cavity is formed between the two opposing side panels, and
each of the two opposing side panels defines a different one of the two notches.

3. The merchandise display of claim 2 , wherein each of the two opposing side panels is substantially planar and extends substantially unsupported between the shaft and the front end of the arm.

4. The merchandise display of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the two notches has a notch shape and a notch size,
the arm-coupling feature includes a segment defining opposing ends each having a cross-sectional segment shape and a segment size,
the cross-sectional segment shape and the segment size are substantially identical to the notch shape and the notch size, respectively, such that each of the opposing ends of the segment extends through and fits tightly within a different one of the two notches.

5. The merchandise display of claim 4 , wherein the notch shape is a rectangle.

6. The merchandise display of claim 1 , wherein the arm-coupling feature and the elongated column each have overall outside dimensions smaller than overall outside dimensions of the cavity such that the arm-coupling feature can be moved from the bottom of the arm, through the cavity, and above the top of the arm, and the elongated column can be rotated about an elongated axis of the elongated column within the cavity.

7. The merchandise display of claim 6 , wherein:
the arm-coupling feature is sized such that the arm-coupling feature can be moved from the bottom of the arm, through the cavity, and above the top of the arm only when the hanger is in a first orientation, and
the arm-coupling feature is at least partially received within and extends between the two notches only when the hanger is rotated about a quarter turn from the first orientation to a second orientation.

8. The merchandise display of claim 1 , wherein:
the elongated column, the first transverse segment, and the second transverse segment collectively define front and back surfaces of the hanger, and
the front and back surfaces of the hanger are substantially planar.

9. The merchandise display of claim 1 , wherein portions of the second transverse segment extending beyond the two opposing side surfaces of the first transverse segment are received within the two notches.

10. The merchandise display of claim 9 , wherein:
the first transverse segment defines a width between the two opposing side surfaces of the first transverse segment, and
the width of the first transverse segment is substantially equal to a width of the cavity.

11. The merchandise display of claim 10 , wherein the elongated column, the first transverse segment, and the second transverse segment are formed as a single piece of material.

12. The merchandise display of claim 10 , wherein:
the arm defines two opposing interior surfaces each facing the cavity, and
the two opposing side surfaces of the first transverse segment are each positioned adjacent a different one of the two opposing interior surfaces of the arm.

13. The merchandise display of claim 10 , wherein the second transverse segment defines a top surface positioned to be substantially coplanar with the top of the arm.

14. The merchandise display of claim 1 , wherein:
the base defines a platform and a trunk extending substantially vertically upwardly from the platform, and
the shaft is telescopically received within the trunk.

15. The merchandise display of claim 14 , wherein:
the trunk includes a plurality of apertures, and
the shaft includes a biased pin extending outwardly therefrom to selectively interact with different ones of the plurality of apertures to selectively change a height that the shaft extends above the platform.

16. The merchandise display of claim 1 , further comprising the merchandise support device coupled to the device-coupling feature.

17. The merchandise display of claim 16 , wherein the merchandise support device is a mannequin.

18. The merchandise display of claim 17 , further comprising merchandise displayed on the mannequin.

19. The merchandise display of claim 1 , wherein:
the device coupling feature includes a coupling plate extending with an angled orientation relative to the elongated column and configured to be coupled with a neck cap of a mannequin, and
a locking component extends through the coupling plate and is configured to extend into the neck cap of the mannequin to couple the hanger with the mannequin.

20. A retail display fixture comprising:
means for interacting with a support surface;
means for extending upwardly from the means for interacting;
means for extending forwardly from the means for extending upwardly, wherein the means for extending forwardly defines a top and a bottom and includes a channel, which extends therethrough and is open to each of the top and the bottom of the means for extending forwardly, and two notches, which extend downwardly from top edges of the means for extending forwardly on either side of the channel; and
means for supporting a merchandise display structure, the means for supporting including:
means for being selectively coupled near the top of the means for extending forwardly including means for extending across the channel and through each of the two notches and means for abutting each of two internal surfaces of the channel, each of the two internal surfaces facing the other of the two internal surfaces and being adjacent a different one of the two notches, and
means for extending downwardly from the means for abutting, through the channel, below the bottom of the means for extending forwardly, and to the merchandise display structure such that the merchandise display structure is suspended from the means for extending forwardly via the means for supporting the merch

Assignees

• Target Brands Inc

Inventors

• Clark Jeremy A
• Whittier Michael A
• Denby Scott

Classifications

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• A47F5/10 Primary

  Adjustable or foldable {or dismountable} display stands {(foldable racks in general A47B43/00; dismountable racks in general A47B47/00; assemblies of elements of the same kind, e.g. stackable A47B87/00; publicity panels G09F15/0068)} · CPC title

• A47F8/00

  Dummies, busts or the like, e.g. for displaying garments (tailors' dummies A41H5/00; {artificial limbs A61F; dolls in general A63H}) · CPC title