Retail merchandise tray with improved mounting, spacing and locating

Abstract

The retail merchandise tray has a load bearing member formed from a rail attached to a mounting plate. The mounting plate and rail form a downward opening notch for mounting to a tray support structure. The tray may have a locating flange that carries a locating pin that engages a tray support structure. The locating pin locates the tray along the tray support structure. The tray may have at least one divider assembly. The divider assembly includes outward extending offset projections that can prevent an adjacent tray from contacting the divider wall.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A load bearing member for a product support structure for a retail merchandise tray comprising:
 a rail extending longitudinally parallel to a first axis between a first end and a second end, the rail having opposed inner and outer sides, the rail including a downward depending abutment that is offset from the second end along the first axis towards the first end, the downward depending abutment facing the second end;   a mounting plate attached to the rail proximate the second end, the mounting plate extending along a second axis generally perpendicular to the first axis outward beyond the outer side and inward beyond the inner side of the rail, the mounting plate being spaced apart from the downward depending abutment along the first axis forming a downward opening notch therebetween.   
     
     
         2 . The load bearing member of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the mounting plate includes a slot formed therein; and   a connection portion of the rail extends into the slot.   
     
     
         3 . The load bearing member of  claim 1 , wherein the mounting plate is welded to the rail. 
     
     
         4 . The load bearing member of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the mounting plate defines a front face that faces the first end and a rear face that is opposed to the front face that faces away from the first end;   the slot is formed by an aperture that extends entirely through the mounting plate and through the front and rear faces; and   the rail is welded to the mounting plate by a weld formed in at least the rear face of the mounting plate.   
     
     
         5 . The load bearing member of  claim 4 , wherein the rail extends no farther rearward than the rear face of the mounting plate. 
     
     
         6 . The load bearing member of  claim 1 , wherein the mounting plate has a first thickness measured generally parallel to the first axis that is greater than a second thickness of the rail measured generally parallel to the second axis. 
     
     
         7 . The load bearing member of  claim 6 , wherein the first thickness is less than 0.25 inches. 
     
     
         8 . The load bearing member of  claim 6 , wherein the second thickness is less than 0.25 inches. 
     
     
         9 . The load bearing member of  claim 6 , wherein the first thickness is at least 25% greater than the second thickness. 
     
     
         10 . The load bearing member of  claim 1 , wherein the downward depending abutment extends downward farther than the mounting plate. 
     
     
         11 . The load bearing member of  claim 2 , wherein the rail includes a rear facing abutment offset along the first axis from the second end towards the first end, the rear facing abutment faces and abuts a front face of the mounting plate, the front face of the mounting plate facing the first end, the rear facing abutment facing the second end. 
     
     
         12 . The load bearing member of  claim 11 , wherein the rear facing abutment is upward extending. 
     
     
         13 . The load bearing member of  claim 11 , wherein the rear facing abutment is positioned closer to the second end than the downward depending abutment. 
     
     
         14 . The load baring member of  claim 11 , wherein the connection portion of the rail extends from the connection portion towards the second end a shorter distance than a thickness of the mounting plate measured parallel to the first axis. 
     
     
         15 . The load bearing member of  claim 11 , wherein the slot is an aperture formed in the mounting plate, the mounting plate extending around the connection portion of the rail.