Telescopic display unit

Abstract

To control the amount of shelf space to maintain a fully stocked display with fluctuating amounts of product, a telescopic shelving apparatus is provided. The telescopic display apparatus includes a housing with a pair of side walls and an elongate track member disposed at an angle to a horizontal plane on each wall. The apparatus further includes a plurality of angled sliders extending between the walls and coupled with one of the elongate track members. A plurality of adjustable shelves are each attached to a respective one of the angled sliders. A common control mechanism, along with the elongate track members, allows the sliders and their attached adjustable shelves to simultaneously extend or retract vertically as well as horizontally.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An adjustable display apparatus comprising:
 a housing;   a first adjustable shelf and a second adjustable shelf each supported by the housing, wherein the first adjustable shelf has a vertical and a horizontal distance from the second adjustable shelf;   an adjustment mechanism operable to simultaneously displace both of the adjustable shelves along a linear path relative to the housing such that both the vertical distance and the horizontal distance between the first adjustable shelf and the second adjustable shelf are increased or decreased in a coordinated manner.   
     
     
         2 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the adjustable shelves has a top surface, downwardly extending front surface and an upwardly extending rear surface, the front surface of the second adjustable shelf overlapping the rear surface of the first adjustable shelf when the adjustable shelves are displaced to a retracted position. 
     
     
         3 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the front surface and rear surface of each adjustable shelf are each generally perpendicular to the top surface. 
     
     
         4 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a fixed top shelf disposed above the second adjustable shelf. 
     
     
         5 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a pair of side walls, each of the pair of side walls provided with an elongate track positioned at an angle to a horizontal plane, the elongate track provided with an elongate slot. 
     
     
         6 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a first and a second angled slider extending between the pair of side walls, each of the angled sliders having a first end, a second end, and a mid-portion therebetween, each of the first end and the second end being an elongate bar engaging the elongate slot of the elongate track member, the elongate bar provided with an aperture;   each of the adjustable shelves having a top surface and a pair of side surfaces, each of the pair of side surfaces provided with a support projection and an aperture, the aperture pivotally coupled to the aperture of the elongate bar such that each of the adjustable shelves is pivotally coupled to a respective one of the angled sliders; and   a bar linkage mechanism coupling the angled sliders to the adjustment mechanism, the bar linkage mechanism having a plurality of connecting bar linkages, each of the connecting bar linkages being coupled to one of the angled sliders.   
     
     
         7 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein each of the side surface of the adjustable shelves extends downwardly from the respective top surface. 
     
     
         8 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the adjustment mechanism includes a rotatable crankshaft. 
     
     
         9 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the rotatable crankshaft is a telescoping crankshaft. 
     
     
         10 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein:
 the bar linkage mechanism further includes a pair of common bar linkages and a pair of small bar linkages;   each of the pair of common bar linkages has a pivot point;   each of the connecting bar linkages is coupled to one of the pair of common bar linkages; and   each of the pair of small bar linkages is coupled to one of the pair of common bar linkages and further coupled to the rotatable shaft.   
     
     
         11 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 the adjustment mechanism further includes a threaded rod and a threaded nut;   the rotatable crankshaft is fixed to the threaded rod, the threaded rod disposed within the threaded nut; and   the rotation of the rotatable shaft causes rotation of the threaded rod within the threaded nut such that the threaded nut is displaced on a linear path along the threaded rod.   
     
     
         12 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein when the threaded nut is displaced on the linear path along the threaded rod, each of the pair of common bar linkages is pivoted such that each of the plurality of connecting bar linkages is operable to displace each of the angled sliders in a direction opposite to the threaded nut. 
     
     
         13 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 6 , further comprising:
 at least a third angled slider extending between the pair of side walls;   at least a third adjustable shelf pivotally coupled to the third angled slider;   wherein the third angled slider is coupled to the adjustment mechanism by the bar linkage mechanism.   
     
     
         14 . An adjustable display apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising at least one horizontally adjustable shelf disposed below the first and second adjustable shelves, the at least one horizontally adjustable shelf having a retracted position wherein it does not extend from the housing and an extended position wherein it extends from a front of the housing.