IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,426,726
Granted Patent B2
US 12,426,726 · App. 18/822,822 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Divided shelf for modular greeting card rack

Inventor: Apryl McGill (Kansas City, MO)
Assignee: VANGUARD PACKAGING, LLC
A47F5/116A47F5/005
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,426,726
App. No.
18/822,822
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A divided shelf for a display rack and related methods are provided. The divided shelf transforms from a knockdown configuration to an erected configuration. The divided shelf includes divider panels to divide the shelf into more than one separate compartments. The divided shelf is affixed to a display rack base.

Claims (14)

1. A method of erecting a divided shelf comprising the steps of:

providing a divided shelf in a knockdown configuration, the divided shelf comprising an outer panel; an inner panel comprising a distal inner panel, a proximal inner panel, and a series of divider panels, wherein the proximal inner panel is connected to the outer panel; first and second side panels connected to opposed ends of the outer panel, a tab panel connected to the outer panel and comprising one or more horizontal tabs extending from an outer edge of the tab panel, and a vertical tab extending from an outer edge of each side panel;

folding said vertical tabs to a folded configuration and inserting said vertical tabs into respective vertical slots of a display rack base;

inserting said one or more horizontal tabs within respective one or more horizontal slots of said display rack base; and

folding said distal inner panel away from said proximal inner panel to form separate divided compartments.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of folding said inner panel over onto said outer panel.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising the step of gluing said inner panel to said outer panel.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of die cutting a piece of corrugated cardboard.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of attaching multiple additional divided shelf members to said display rack base.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

each said vertical tab comprises one or two vertical tab fingers;

the divided shelf further comprises one or two horizontal tab fingers on one or more of said one or more horizontal tabs;

said step of inserting said vertical tabs into respective vertical slots of said display rack base comprises folding each of said vertical tab fingers, inserting each of said vertical tabs into one of said vertical slots, and then unfolding each of said vertical tab fingers; and

said step of inserting said one or more horizontal tabs within respective one or more horizontal slots of said display rack base comprises folding each of said horizontal tab fingers, inserting each of said horizontal tabs into one of said horizontal slots, and then unfolding each of said horizontal tab fingers.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 22, 2026
From: VANGUARD PACKAGING, LLC
To: TWIN BROOK CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 074445/0078 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 11, 2024
From: MCGILL, APRYL
To: VANGUARD PACKAGING, LLC
Reel/Frame 068558/0767 →
Continuity (4)
Division 18114579 · Feb 27, 2023
Continuation 16896503 · Jun 9, 2020
Provisional Application 62859570 · Jun 10, 2019
Related Publication 20250024967A1 · Jan 23, 2025
References Cited (103)
US 235381A · Rohlfs · 1880 [cited by examiner]
US 2062165A · Davidson · 1936 [cited by examiner]
US 2578060A · Grant · 1951 [cited by examiner]
US 2883098A · Horner · 1959 [cited by examiner]
US 2918178A · Leone · 1959 [cited by examiner]
US 3139192A · Maguire · 1964 [cited by examiner]
US 3195798A · Wilson · 1965 [cited by examiner]
US 3362610A · Van Dyke · 1968 [cited by examiner]
US 3987737A · Smith · 1976 [cited by examiner]
US 4228904A · Dumond · 1980 [cited by examiner]
US 4341338A · Arnold · 1982 [cited by examiner]
US 4383636A · Chaffers · 1983 [cited by examiner]
US 4427108A · Coles · 1984 [cited by examiner]
US 4458838A · Lacasa · 1984 [cited by examiner]
US 4506790A · Muscari · 1985 [cited by examiner]
US 4519319A · Howlett · 1985 [cited by examiner]
US 4567996A · Muise · 1986 [cited by examiner]
US 4646922A · Smith · 1987 [cited by examiner]
US 4871067A · Valenti · 1989 [cited by examiner]
US 5016545A · Robertson · 1991 [cited by examiner]
US 5145244A · Kersting · 1992 [cited by examiner]
US 5190211A · Stoddard · 1993 [cited by examiner]
US 5193466A · Eder · 1993 [cited by examiner]
US 5213220A · McBride · 1993 [cited by examiner]
US 5253769A · Vlastakis · 1993 [cited by examiner]
US 5277360A · DeMott · 1994 [cited by examiner]
US 5301800A · Kenney · 1994 [cited by examiner]
US 5315936A · Smith · 1994 [cited by examiner]
US 5316210A · Scullin · 1994 [cited by examiner]
US 5333777A · Roth · 1994 [cited by examiner]
US 5702011A · Carroll · 1997 [cited by examiner]
US 5706959A · Smith · 1998 [cited by examiner]
US 5775573A · Smith · 1998 [cited by examiner]
US 5826732A · Ragsdale · 1998 [cited by examiner]
US 5966857A · Pettersson · 1999 [cited by examiner]
US 6068140A · Mangrum · 2000 [cited by examiner]
US 6098820A · Smith · 2000 [cited by examiner]
US 6126254A · Maglione · 2000 [cited by examiner]
US 6347772B1 · L'Hotel · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 6378710B1 · Grueneberg · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 6457421B1 · Apichom · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 6508023B2 · Moss · 2003 [cited by examiner]
US 6612669B2 · Grueneberg · 2003 [cited by examiner]
US 6715623B2 · Broerman · 2004 [cited by examiner]
US 7007615B2 · Grueneberg · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 7066342B2 · Baechle · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 7111735B2 · Lowry · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 7137517B2 · Lowry · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 7252200B1 · Hester · 2007 [cited by examiner]
US 7281648B2 · Lowry · 2007 [cited by examiner]
US 7546927B2 · Lowry · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 7634865B2 · L'Hotel · 2009 [cited by examiner]
US 7753218B2 · Moss · 2010 [cited by examiner]
US 8376213B2 · Brand · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 8596518B2 · Babcock · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 9212019B2 · Frost · 2015 [cited by examiner]
US 9578978B2 · Frost · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 9986856B1 · Frost · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10390634B2 · Frost · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 11589689B2 · McGill · 2023 [cited by examiner]
US 12075928B2 · Mcgill · 2024 [cited by applicant]
US 20020108541A1 · Grueneberg · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 20030160015A1 · Broerman · 2003 [cited by examiner]
US 20050067321A1 · Pitts · 2005 [cited by examiner]
US 20060213851A1 · Grueneberg · 2006 [cited by examiner]
US 20070235396A1 · Moss · 2007 [cited by examiner]
US 20080030113A1 · Vail · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20080067301A1 · Moss · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20080083682A1 · Moss · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20080169340A1 · Sheffer · 2008 [cited by examiner]
US 20090140118A1 · Moss et al. · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20100236117A1 · Mestres Armengol · 2010 [cited by examiner]
US 20120012734A1 · Tzuo · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 20130213915A1 · Pfeifer · 2013 [cited by examiner]
US 20180235381A1 · Frost · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20190343301A1 · Frost · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200383497A1 · McGill · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 20230276957A1 · Mcgill · 2023 [cited by applicant]
DE 3824930A1 · 1990 [cited by applicant]
GB 1188834A · 1970 [cited by applicant]
“Ex Parte Quayle Action Received For U.S. Appl. No. 16/896,503, mailed on Sep. 8, 2022.” [cited by applicant]
“Final Office Action Received For U.S. Appl. No. 15/956,575 mailed on Jan. 4, 2019, 10 Pages.” [cited by applicant]
“Final Office Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 14/146,130 dated Apr. 30, 2015, 11 pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Final Office Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 14/968,352 dated Jul. 29, 2016, 14 page”. [cited by applicant]
“Final Office Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 15/363,256 dated Jul. 3, 2017, 17 pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Final Office Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 16/520,270, Mailed on Apr. 21, 2020, 14 Pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Non- Final Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 16/896,503, Mailed on Jul. 21, 2021”. [cited by applicant]
“Non Final Office Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 15/956,575, mailed on May 31, 2018, 10 pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Non Final Office Action Received For U.S. Appl. No. 16/520,270, mailed on Aug. 22, 2019, 28 Pages.” [cited by applicant]
“Non-Final Office Action Received for U.S. Appl. No. 16/896,503, mailed on Feb. 17, 2022.” [cited by applicant]
“Non-Final Office Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 14/146,130 dated Sep. 2, 2014, 8 pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Non-Final Office Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 14/968,352 dated Jan. 11, 2016, 13 pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Non-Final Office Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 15/363,256 dated Dec. 16, 2016, 15 pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Non-Final Office Action received for U.S. Appl. No. 18/114,579, Mailed on Dec. 29, 2023”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Allowance Received for U.S. Appl. No. 15/363,256 mailed on Nov. 30, 2017”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Allowance received for U.S. Appl. No. 14/146,130 dated Aug. 10, 2015, 14 pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Allowance received for U.S. Appl. No. 14/968,352 dated Nov. 15, 2016, 33 pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Allowance Received for U.S. Appl. No. 15/956,575, mailed on Apr. 17, 2019, 5 pages”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Allowance Received for U.S. Appl. No. 14/968,352 on Nov. 15, 2016”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Allowance Received for U.S. Appl. No. 16/896,503, mailed on Oct. 25, 2022”. [cited by applicant]
“Notice of Allowance received for U.S. Appl. No. 18/114,579, Mailed on Apr. 23, 2024”. [cited by applicant]
“Restriction Requirement Received for U.S. Appl. No. 16/896,503, mailed on Feb. 10, 2021.” [cited by applicant]
“Restriction Requirement Received for U.S. Appl. No. 18/114,579, mailed on Jul. 28, 2023”. [cited by applicant]