GB2176694A - Magazine racks - Google Patents

Abstract

A rack is provided for supporting a plurality of magazines, brochures, or leaflets, the rack comprising a substantially vertical wall or panel and a plurality of trays extending from this vertical wall or panel. Each tray comprises a rear wall 3 and a shelf portion 4 extending substantially forwardly from the rear wall, the rear wall being inclined so that the plane of the rear wall makes an acute angle with the vertical and so that a horizontal line in the plane of the rear wall makes an acute angle with a horizontal line lying in the plane of or being substantially tangential to said vertical wall, or panel, the shelf being substantially perpendicular to the rear wall. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements in or relating to a rack THE PPSSENT INVENTION relates to a rack and more particularly relates two a display and storage rack suitable for displaying magazines, brochures, leaflets and the like.

At the present point in time, there are various places where magazines, brochures, leaflets and the like need to be displayed. Typical examples can be considered to be travel agents offices, where brochures relating to various holidays are to be displayed,andshopswhich sellmagazines,wherethe magazines have to be displayed, or estate agents offices, where leaflets relating to properties for sale may have to be displayed.

Usuallythe front covers of brochures or magazines are visually attractive and require to be visible when the brochures or magazines are displayed. Thus, where such magazines or brochures are displayed they are not normally stored on shelves, with the pages runningfromthefronttothebackoftheshelves (i.e. as library books are shelved in a library), since if the magazines and brochures were stored in this way the front covers of the magazines and brochure would not be visible at all. Instead, however, a far less space-efficient display system is utilised in which the magazines are located on racks in such as waythatthe magazines are vertical or possibly slightly sloping.

Thus, each magazine or brochure takes up a wall space (or rack space) equal to the width of the magazine brochure. Whilstthefrontcoversofthe magazines or brochures can be readily seen with such a system, the number of magazines or brochures that can be displayed is limited bythetotal area of racking available.

According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a rack for supporting a plurality of maga- zines, brochures, leaflets orthe like, said rack comprising a substantially vertical wall, panel orthe like and a plurality oftrays extending from said vertical wall, panel orthe like, each tray comprising a rearwall and a shelf portion extending substantially forwardly from the rearwall, the rearwall being inclined so thatthe planeoftherearwall makes an accute anglewith the vertical and so that a horizontal line in the plane ofthe rearwall makes an accute angle with a horizontal line lying in the plane of or being substantiallytangential to said vertical wall, panel orthe like, the shelf being substantially perpendicularto the rearwall.

Preferably a plurality of said trays are arranged in one or more rows, the rearwall of each tray is a row substantially abutting the forward edge ofthe shelf of the preceding tray in that row, Conveniently the forwardmosttray in the or each contact with the front surface of said wall, panel orthe like and is provided with a plurality of apertures adapted which receive screws or the like to support the tray in position.

Preferably each tray, the support flange has a lesser heightthanthe height ofthe rearwall,thetrays being alignedsothatthetopedgeofthesupportflangeof one tray is located in coalignmentwith the top edges of the rearwall ofthe next adjacent tray in each row.

In another embodiment the supportflange extends perpendicularlyto, and is inserted through a slot in, said vertical wall, panel orthe like to retain the tray in position.

This invention also relates to a tray for use in a support rack according said one aspect ofthe inven tion, said tray comprising means for mounting thetrn on a vertical surface wall, panel orthe like, a rear wall and a shelf portion, thearrangement being such that when the tray has been mounted in position on a vertical-surfacewall, panel or the like with said mounting means, the rear wall is inclined to be vertica byan acute angle and will also makes an acute angle between the rear surface ofthe rear wall and the horizontal line passing through said vertical surface, the tray being substantially perpendicularto said rear wall and thus being inclined upwardlyfromthe lower edge of said rearwall.

The means for securing the tray to said vertical surface may comprise a flange adapted to be screwed or fastened to the vertical wall, panel orthe like in some other way, or may comprise a protruding flange adapted to be inserted into a slot formed in said vertical wall, panel orthe like.

In orderthatthe present invention maybe more readily understood, and so thatfurtherfeatures thereof may be appreciated, the invention will now be described, by waxy of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE lisa perspective view of a rack in accordance with the invention, FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of part of Figure 1, anc FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view of part of another embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to Figure 1 a rack in accordance with the present invention is intended to be mounted on a substantialyvertical wall 1, although it isto be understoodthattheword "wall" is used in a broad sense and includes panels orthe like. In the described embodimentthewall lisa planarwall or panel 1, but is to be appreciated that the present invention may be utilised on walls or panels which are concave or convex. Reference will be made, in thefollowing specification, to a horizontal line lying in the plane of thewall 1.In embodimentswhich haveaconcaveor convex wall, this particular reference may be understood as meaning a horizontal line which is a tangent not extend in a plane perpendicularto a horizontal line lying in the plane ofthewall 1. Instead the plane ofthe rearwall 3 is inclined to that horizontal line, the included angle between the horizontal line in the plane ofthe rearwall 3 and the horizontal line in the plane of the wall 1 being approximately 75 . However, this angle may be greater or less depending upon the precise design ofthe rack in question.

Protruding from the lowerforwardmost edge ofthe rear wall 3, i.e. from the lower edge of the frontface thereof, is a supporting shelf 4. The supporting shelf4 has a forward edge which is substantially parallel with the bottom edge of the rearwall 3, and thus the forward edge ofthe shelf4 also makes an angle of approximately 75" with the horizontal line in the plane ofthe wall 1. The shelf4 slopes in two senses. Thus the edge ofthe shelf 4 wh ich is connected to the rear wall 3, and the apposite parallel edge are not horizontal, but make an angle of approximately 15 with the horizontal. The lower narrow end ofthe shelf is adjacent the wall 1.However, the free narrow end of the shelf also makes an angle of approximately 150 with the horizontal, and thus it can be seen that the plane defined by the shelf is effectively at right angles to, or perpendicular to, the plane defined bythe rear wall 3.

A supporting flange 5 is provided which is, in the described embodiment, an extension ofthe rear wall 3. The flange 5 is adapted to fit flush against the wall 1 and is provided with screw holes 6to enable the flange to be screwed to the wall, thus mounting the tray in position.

The flange5 has a height which is less than the height ofthe rear wall 3.

As can be seen from Figure 1 a pluralityofthetrays 2, as described above, are secured to the wall 1 with the rear wall of each tray in a row abutting the front edge ofthe supporting shelf of the preceding tray.

Whilst the trays may be located in transverse rows that are substantially horizontal it is preferred that the trays are located in a staggered fashion, or in rows that are inclined downwardly. As can be seen from Figure 2 in the described embodiment of the top ofthe rearwall 3 of each successive tray is positioned to be level with the top ofthe fixing flange 5 ofthe preceding trays.

The top edge of each fixing flange is made to be horizontal.

When the plurality of trays have been located in position (and as can be seen from Figure 1, there may be a plurality of substantially parallel rows of trays) magazines or brochures or the like may be located in the trays, magazines leaning against the rearwall 3 and being supported by the front wall 4. The magazines or brochures are also prevented from falling off edge of the shelf4 ofthe front most tray in each row.

Thetrays may be made of a transparent or semi-transparent material, such as an acrylic material, although other materials may be utilised.

It is to be appreciated that, in utilising the present invention, it is possible to mount more magazines or brochures in a predetermined wall area than with the priorartmethod inwhichthefrontfacesofallthe magazines are displayed. However, in utilising the present invention, a significant proportion ofthefront cover of each magazine or brochure orthe like can readily be seen, and the display is thus attractive and can be spaced-efficient.

It is envisaged that a rack in accordance with the invention may be assembled from trays mounted, as described, on a planarwall 1, but also from trays mounted on curved walls or panels and may even be mounted on a cylindrical tower which may be caused to rotate, for example.

Whilstthe invention has thus far been described with reference to an embodiment in which each tray is screwed to a wall it is possible to secure the trays in position in an alternative manner. As shown in Figure 3, in another embodiment of the invention each tray 12 is provided with a rearwall 13 and a shelf 14and a fixing flange 15 in the form of a lug which protrudes from the rearwall 13. The lug may be angled so that it extends to the rear of the rearwall 13, i.e. in a direction perpendicularto the wall on which the tray is to be mounted.Thelug 15 is adapted to be inserted into a slot 1 6formed in the supporting wall 11, and the arrangement is such that when the lug has been inserted into the slot 16 and the tray 12 has been located in the desired position,the lug cannot pass backthrough the slot 16 and thusthetray is retained in position.

Many other alternative methods offixing a tray in position may be devised without departing from the scope ofthe present invention.

Claims (1)

1. A rack for supporting a plurality of magazines, brochures, leaflets or the like, said rack comprising a substantially vertical wall, panel orthe like and a plurality oftrays extending from said vertical wall, panel orthe like, each tray comprising a rearwall and a shelf portion extending substantiallyforwardlyfrom the rearwall, the rearwall being inclined sothatthe plane of the rear wall makes an accute angle with the vertical and so that a horizontal line in the plane ofthe rearwall makes an accute angle with a horizontal line lying in the plane of or being su bstantial Iy tangential to said vertical wall, panel orthe like, the shelf being substantially perpendicularto the rearwall.

2. A rack according to claim 1,wherein a plurality

5. Arack according to any one ofthe prceding claims wherein each tray is formed of an acrylic material.

6. A rack acco rdi ng to any one ofthe preceding claims wherein each tray is provided with a supporting flange engaging said vertical wall, panel orthe like and connected thereto.

7. A rack according to claim 6 wherein said support flange lies in contact with the front surface of said wall, panel orthe like and is provided with a plurality of apertures adapted which receive screws orthe like to supportthetray in position.

8. A rack according to claim 7 wherein, on each tray, the supportflange has a lesser height than the heightofthe rearwall,thetrays being aligned so that thetop edge ofthesupportflange of onetray is located in coalignmentwith the top edge of the rear wall ofthe next adjacent tray in each row.

9. A rack according to claim 6wherein the support flange extends perpendicularly to, and is inserted through a slot in, said vertical wall, panel orthe like to retain the tray in position.

10. Atray for use in a support rack according to any one ofthe preceding claims, said tray comprising means for mounting the tray on a vertical surface wall, panel orthe like, a rearwall and a shelf portion, the arrangement being such that when the tray has been mounted in position on a vertical surface wall, panel orthelikewith said mounting means,the rearwall is inclined to be vertical by an acute angle and will also makas an acute angle between the rear surface of the rearr -i' ardtli horizontal i passing through said versical surface, the tray being substantially perpendicular to said rearwall and thus being inclined upwardly from the lower edge of said rearwall.

11. Atrayaccording to claim 10whereinthe means for securing the tray to said vertical surface comprises a fange adapted to be screwed orfastened to the vertical wall, panel orthe like in some other way.

12. Atrayaccording to claim 10whereinthe meansforfastening thetrayto said vertical wall, panel orthe like comprise a protruding flange adapted to be inserted into a slot formed in said vertical wall, panel orthe like.

13. Asupport rack substantially as herein de- scribed reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

14. A@ray @àà hersin described with reference to and @@ singular Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

15. A trays subsanrially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figure3 ofthe accompanying drawings.

16. Any novel feature or combination offeatures disclosed herein.