AU2010202643A1 - Dispensing Unit - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 EXHIBITION DISPLAYS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: DISPENSING UNIT The following statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to us:- CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims priority from Australian Provisional Patent Application No 2009902967 filed on 26 June 2009, the content of which is incorporated herein by 5 reference. FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to a dispensing unit for receiving and dispensing merchandise, and in particular, to a dispensing unit for receiving merchandise and presenting the merchandise at a front end thereof for collection by a purchaser. 10 BACKGROUND ART In many retail outlets, such as supermarkets, department stores and the like, merchandise is stocked on shelves where it is presented to the customer for purchase. Typically, retail information is provided on the shelves, in the form of price information and product information, and the shelves function to not only store the 15 merchandise thereon but also to present the merchandise to the customer in a accessible manner. Typically, customers select the most readily accessible individual merchandise items from the shelves. This typically results in those items located in the forward region of the shelves being selected and purchased, resulting in the more rearward items 20 becoming hidden at the rear of the shelves. Such rearward items are typically difficult to reach or locate and due to the vacant space at the front of the shelves, can leave an impression to the purchaser that the stock has been consumed and is no longer available for purchase, despite the presence of an abundant amount of stock at the rear of the shelve. Such issues can affect a customers buying behaviour and can have a 25 considerable impact in the sales figures of merchandise, particularly if the consumer mistakenly purchases another brand or type of merchandise and develops an allegiance to the new brand. Whilst retail outlets can avoid the appearance of empty shelves by constantly restocking the shelves with new merchandise, such an action requires constant vigilance by the retail outlet as well as considerable resources to physically 30 stock the shelves at regular intervals. A number of devices or shelves have been proposed that receive merchandise and employ various pushing mechanisms that urge rearwardly located items on the shelves towards the front of the shelf as stock is taken therefrom. Typically such devices are dedicated to a specific size of items and are not readily adapted to dispense items of differing sizes and types. Similarly, known dispensing devices typically employ complicated mechanisms to perform the pushing function and are unreliable, particularly in supermarket environments where shelves are being continually 5 restocked. As such, there is a need to provide a dispensing unit for receiving and dispensing merchandise in a retail environment that can be readily adapted for use with a variety of different types and sizes of merchandise and which is reliable and easy to use. The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not 10 intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part. 15 STATEMENT OF INVENTION Accordingly, in one aspect of the invention there is provided a dispensing unit for dispensing merchandise from a dispensing end thereof, the dispensing unit comprising: a pair of elongate frame members, each frame member having a base portion and a substantially upright wall portion; 20 at least two connecting rods configured to connect the pair of elongate frame members such that the substantially upright wall portions of the frame members define a space therebetween for receiving the merchandise and the merchandise is supported on the base portions of the frame members; a pusher element mountable within said space so as to be longitudinally 25 movable between opposing ends of the elongate frame members, the pusher element being biased towards one of said ends of the elongate frame members so as to push said merchandise toward said end; wherein the longitudinal movement of the pusher element is guided by the substantially upright wall portions of the elongate frame members. 30 In one embodiment, at least two connecting rods are removably connected between the elongate frame members to facilitate adjustment of a size of the space therebetween for accommodating merchandise of varying proportions.

In one embodiment, the at least two connecting rods connect the base portions of the elongate frame members. The at least two connecting rods may connect the base portions of the elongate frame members at regular intervals along the length thereof. The base portions of the elongate frame members may have a recesses formed therein 5 for receiving and locating an end of the connecting rod. The recess may be configured to facilitate detachable engagement with the end of the connecting rod. A clip member may be provided to facilitate engagement with the frame members and the ends of the connecting rod. The size of the space between the elongate frame members may be adjusted by replacing the connecting rods with connecting rods of varying lengths. 10 The pair of elongate frame members may be connected such that there is a gap provided between respective base portions. The pusher element may be mounted within said gap such that it is free to move within said gap between the connecting rods. The pusher element may include a coil spring that is attached at a free end to one of the connecting rods such that unwinding of the coil provides the bias to move the 15 pusher element toward said connecting rod. A retaining member may extend along a length of said gap to prevent removal of the pusher element from the gap. The retaining member may be a strap of plastic or a wire attached at either end of the frame members to the connecting rods. The retaining member may pass through a locating member provided in the pusher clement to prevent the pusher element from being 20 removed from the gap. The base portion of the frame members may have a substantially flat surface to facilitate sliding movement of the merchandise and the pusher element therealong. In one form, the surface of the base portion may comprise runners upon which the merchandise can readily slide. In another form, the surface of the base portion may 25 comprise a plurality of rollers mounted therein to enhance sliding movement of the merchandise therealong. The rollers may be mounted between opposing recesses provided in the base portion and the wall portion such that the rollers are free to rotate about their central axis. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 30 Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of the dispensing unit of 35 the present invention; Figure 2 is a top perspective exploded view of the dispensing unit of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of the dispensing unit of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a bottom perspective exploded view of the dispensing unit of Figure 1; 5 Figure 5 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the dispensing unit of the present invention; Figure 6 is a top perspective exploded view of the dispensing unit of Figure 5; Figure 7 is a bottom perspective view of the dispensing unit of Figure 5; and Figure 8 is a bottom perspective exploded view of the dispensing unit of Figure 10 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will be described below in relation to its application for use in dispensing a single row of merchandise. It will be appreciated that the present invention could be readily adapted to dispense multiple rows of merchandise, or a 1s plurality of devices could be assembled together to dispense multiple rows of merchandise, and still fall within the spirit of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, a dispensing and display unit 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The dispensing unit 10 is in the form of a single elongate chute into which a plurality of items may be received and arranged 20 in one or more rows. The unit 10 has a pair of side walls 12 that define a width of the chute and a front end 13 and a rear end 14 that defines the length of the chute. It will be appreciated that both the width and length of the chute are predetermined based upon the type and size of the goods to be dispensed by the dispensing unit 10, as well as the volume of goods to be storied and displayed by the unit 10. As such, the width 25 and length of the unit 10 may be adjustable to accommodate different goods. The unit 10 has floor or base 16 that extends at least partially between the side walls 12 to support the goods thereon. A pusher 15 is mounted on the floor or base 16 of the unit 10 such that it extends substantially orthogonally with respect to the floor or base 16. The pusher 15 is mounted to the base 16 so as to be movable in a longitudinal 30 direction between the rear end 14 and the front end 13 of the unit 10. Movement of the pusher 15 from the rear end 14 to the front end 13, results in goods supported on the floor or base 16 being pushed towards the front end 13.

The manner in which the dispensing unit 10 is constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, is shown in more detail in Figure 2. The unit 10 comprises a pair of substantially identical elongate frame members 18 each having a substantially upright side wall 12, base portion 16 extending perpendicular to the side 5 wall 12, a front lip 21 and a rear lip 22. The frame members 18 are assembled together by connecting rods 19. In this regard, each frame member 18 has a plurality of recesses or holes 20 formed at regular intervals along their length, into which the respective ends of the connecting rods 19 are received. The connecting rods 19 have shaped ends that facilitate engagement with 10 clip members 46 to aid in securing the connecting rods 19 in position may. To assemble the frame members 18, the connecting rods are inserted into the corresponding holes 20 formed along the edge of the respective base portions 16 and the clip members are pushed into appropriate recesses provided on the surface of the respective base portions to engage with the rods 19. Such an arrangement securely 15 fastens the ends of the rods 19 in position, preventing the frame members 18 from being separated. It will be appreciated that a variety of alternative means may be employed to secure the rods 19 in position with respect to the frame members 18. Such means may include the recesses having an internal thread that matches with an external thread formed on the connecting rods 19 to facilitate a secure connection 20 between the rods 20 and the frame members 18. It will be appreciated that the rods 19 may be removeably mounted between the frame members 18 so as to be replaceable with rods 19 of different lengths so as to increase/decrease the width of the unit 10 as required. As is more readily apparent in Figure 1, by assembling the frame members 18 in the 25 above described manner, the front lips 21 and the rear lips 22 of the opposing frame members 18 function to provide a reduced opening at the front end 13 and rear end 14 of the unit 10 respectively. Such a reduced opening at the front end 13 retains the goods within the unit 10 and prevents such goods from being pushed out of the unit 10 under action of the pusher 15, in the manner to be described in more detail below. 30 Therefore, in order to remove the goods from the front end of the unit 10, the goods must be lifted over the opposing lips 21. As there is a space between the opposing lips 21, a purchaser is able to clearly view the goods, and any distinctive markings on the package of the goods, prior to removal from the unit 10. Referring again to Figures 1 and 2, upon assembling the opposing frame members 18 35 together a gap 24 is also formed between the base portions 16 of the frame members 18. The gap 24 extends the length of the unit, namely from the front end 13 to the rear end 14. Such a gap 24 functions to accommodate the pusher 15 therein such that the pusher 15 is free to slide longitudinally within the unit 10 between the rear end 14 and the front end 13. As is shown in Figure 2, the pusher 15 is in the form of a paddle member having an upright face portion 30 that extends substantially perpendicular to the base portions 16 5 of the frame members 18. The face portion 30 extends substantially across the width of the unit 10 and during use acts to apply a pushing force to the one or more goods loaded within the chute of the unit 10 to urge the one or more goods to the front end 13 of the unit 10. A support member 34 projects from a base of the face portion 30 and extends towards 10 the rear end 14 of the unit 10. The support member 34 is in the form of a substantially horizontal surface having a mount (not shown) provided centrally thereon for receiving and supporting a spring 36. The spring 36 is a spiral spring that can be freely wound and unwound when mounted on the mount, which may be a spindle. A free end 37 of spring 36 is unwound from the coil so as to extend under the face portion 30 towards 15 the front end 13 of the unit 10. The free end 37 of the spring 36 is configured to form a hook 38 that can be extended to be located over and around the connecting rod 19 connecting the frame members 18 at the front end 13 of the unit 10 in the manner as shown in Figure 1. In this arrangement the free end 37 of the spring is secured in place at the front end 13 of the unit 10 and prevented from winding back into the coil. It will 20 be appreciated that the spring 36 has a natural bias to be in a coiled position and as such there is a constant force for the free end 37 of the spring to retract into the coiled position. With the free end 37 of the spring 36 being secured in position at the front end 13 of the unit 10, the spring 36 that is mounted on the pusher 15 provides a constant return force to the pusher 15 urging it towards the front end 13 of the unit 10. 25 As the spring 36 is further wound out as it is moved towards the rear end 14 of the unit 10, the constant bias force of the spring ensures that the pusher 15 provides a resultant force against the rearmost item of merchandise positioned in the chute, urging the item of merchandise towards the front end 13 of the unit 10. To ensure that the pusher 15 is retained in position within the gap 24 and is able to 30 slidingly move in a controlled and free manner under action of the spring 36, a retaining member 39 is mounted longitudinally within the gap 24 between the front end 13 and the rear end 14. This arrangement is shown clearly in Figure 3. The retaining member 39 is in the form of an elongate length or strip of flexible material, such as a plastic, having a pair of looped ends 39a and 39b that are each looped over the rods 19 35 at the front end 13 and rear end 14 respectively. It will be appreciated that the retaining member 39 may take a variety of fonns such as a rod or length of wire.

The underside of the pusher 15 has a centrally positioned locating member 32 projecting therefrom. The locating member 32 engages with the retaining member 39 to locate and retain the pusher 15 in position. The locating member 32 is shown as having a recess through which the retaining member 39 passes. However, it will be 5 appreciated that the locating member 32 could be a hook or similar projection that engages with the retaining member 39. This arrangement prevents the pusher 15 from being dislodged or removed from the gap 24 during use. In this regard, it will be appreciated that as the pusher 15 is spring loaded within the chute, the force of the spring acting constantly on the pusher could cause the pusher to become inadvertently 10 released from the unit and become a dangerous projectile that could cause injury to a consumer. As such, the retaining member 39 functions to maintain the pusher 15 within the chute at all times. In this regard, it is not the role of the retaining member 39 to act as a guide for the pusher to guide the pusher as it travels along the chute, as this function is performed by the upright side walls 12 of the frame members 18. As 15 such, the retaining member 39 has low tolerance in relation to the pusher 15 thereby reducing the occurrence of the pusher 15 becoming jammed as it travels along the chute, as is an inherent problem with known devices that employ fixed rigid central guides. The unit 10 as shown and described above in relations to Figures I to 4 provides a 20 means for receiving and displaying merchandise, in the form of a plurality of individual goods, such as cans of food and the like. The unit 10 can be configured to have a width suitable to accommodate a plurality of items in a row extending from the front end 13 to the rear end 14. The items are typically loaded in the unit 10 from the front end 13 thereof, such that the pusher 15 is positioned behind the rearnost item. In 25 this regard, as the items are loaded in the device, the pusher 15 slidingly moves toward the rear end 14 of the unit 10, resulting in the spring 36 unwinding from its coiled state. Hence, following loading of the items in the unit 10, the pusher is typically located remote from the front end 13 and the natural bias force of the spring 36 acts upon the pusher 15 to propel the pusher towards the free end 37 of the spring 36, 30 which is anchored at the front end 13 of the unit 10. As an item is removed from the front end 13 of the unit 10, a space is formed at the front of the row of items. The force of the pusher 15 acting against the rearmost item causes the row of items to be pushed towards the front end 13, to take up the space, thereby advancing the front most items to be positioned against the front lips 21 of the frame members 18. This 35 arrangement continues until all items have been removed from the front end 13 of the unit 10, or until the unit 10 has been restocked with items of goods. In the event that all items of goods have been removed from the unit 10, the pusher 15 is positioned such that it is located against the front lips 21 of the frame members 18, signifying that the stock has been exhausted. An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 5 - 8. In this embodiment for reasons of clarity, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same or similar features. 5 As for the dispensing unit 10 described above in relation to Figures 1 - 4, dispensing unit 20 comprises a single elongate chute into which a plurality of items may be received and arranged in a row. The unit 20 has a pair of side walls 12 defining a width of the chute and a front end 13 and a rear end 14 that defines the length of the chute. The unit 20 has floor or base 16 comprising a plurality or roller elements 40 10 mounted thereon with the base 16 extending at least partially between the side walls 12 to support the goods thereon. A pusher 15 is mounted on the floor or base 16 of the unit 20 and extends substantially between the opposing side walls 12. The pusher 15 has a face that extends substantially orthogonally with respect to the floor or base 16 and is mounted thereto such that it is movable over the roller elements 40 in a 15 longitudinal direction between the rear end 14 and the front end 13. Movement of the pusher 15 from the rear end 14 to the front end 13, results in goods supported on the roller elements 40 of the floor or base 16 being pushed towards the front end 13. The manner in which the dispensing unit 20 is constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, is shown in more detail in Figure 6. The unit 20 20 comprises a pair of substantially identical elongate frame members 18 each having a substantially upright side wall 12, base portion 16 extending perpendicular to the side wall 12, a front lip 21 and a rear lip 22. Referring to Figure 6, the base portion 16 of each frame member 18 has a raised edge 41 formed along a distal region thereof. The edge 41 has a plurality of holes 42 25 formed therein, with the holes 42 being aligned with holes 43 formed in a lower region of the associated side walls 42. The holes 42, 43 enable the roller elements 40 to be mounted therebetween such that the roller elements span the width of the base portion 16. A plurality of grooves or elongate recesses 44 are formed in the base portion 16 to further accommodate the roller elements 40 such that they are free to rotate about their 30 central axis as an item of merchandise passes therealong. Such an arrangement ensures free sliding movement of the goods along the chute of the unit 20, reducing the effects of friction and enhancing the ability of the pusher 15 to function in continually advancing the goods towards the front end 13 of the unit 20. The frame members 18 are assembled together at intervals along their length by 35 connecting rods 19 in the same manner as described above in relation to unit 10. In this regard, clip members 46 are employed to be located through holes provided in the base portions 16 to engage with the ends of the connecting rods 19. However, in unit 20, the rods 19 are longer to facilitate greater separation between the side walls 12 to accommodate goods of greater width than is possible with the device 10. It will be appreciated that the clip members 46 may be readily removed to facilitate 5 disengagement of the rods 19 such that rods 19 of different lengths may be used to accommodate goods of different sizes. Such a simple means for connecting and disconnecting the frame members 18 allows the unit 10 to be readily adjusted by unskilled staff. The pusher 15 is configured in substantially the same manner as that described above 10 in relation to unit 10. However, in this particular embodiment the pusher 15 includes a pair of tines 31 that project from the base of the face portion 30 towards the front end 13 of the unit 10. The undersurface of the tines 31 freely slides along the roller elements 40 and the tines 31 have a reduced thickness that allows the tines 31 to slide under the rearmost positioned item in the chute such that the face portion 30 of the 15 pusher 15 is in contact with the item to apply a dispensing force thereto. The retaining member 39 of the unit 20 also functions in substantially the same manner as that described above in relation to unit 10. however, the strip of retaining member 39 is substantially wider in this embodiment. As such, the wider strip of retaining member 39 functions to not only stop removal of the pusher 15 from the chute, but also 20 provides a surface upon which the items of goods are able to slide along. Hence, due to the extended width of the chute of unit 20, there may be a tendency for the goods to catch upon the rods 19 extending between the frame members 18. the added width of the retaining member 39 combats this by extending over the rods 19 and reducing contact of the goods with the rods 19. 25 It will be appreciated that the dispensing unit 10, 20 of the present invention provides a simple and effective means for displaying and dispensing items of merchandise in a retail environment. Due to the construction of the unit 10, 20, the items of merchandise can be readily viewed by a purchaser prior to selection and is presented to the purchaser in a manner that enables minimal effort for collection. This avoids the 30 need for the purchaser to reach and/or search to locate and collect an item from the rear of a shelf, which may not always be possible depending upon the depth of the shelf and the extension or reach of the purchaser. It will be appreciated that the dispensing unit 10, 20 of the present invention is able to be simply and effectively adapted to suit products having a variety of shapes and sizes 35 due to the two part nature of the unit. In such instances, the opposing frame members can be simply disconnected by removing and replacing the connecting rods with connecting rods of different lengths. Such a feature avoids the need to manufacture units 10, 20 having specific and dedicated width capacities, as the individual parts can be supplied and the unit simply assembled to the retailers needs. It will also be appreciated that the dispensing unit of the present invention does not 5 rely upon a centrally located high tolerance guide that guides movement of the pusher within the unit, as is the case with existing units. Rather, the dispensing unit of the present invention employs the side walls of the frame members to guide and direct movement of the pusher. This substantially reduces the likelihood of the pusher becoming jammed within the chute during use and enables the application of a low 10 tolerance retaining member instead, to prevent removal of the pusher from the unit. Throughout the specification and claims the word "comprise" and its derivatives are intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. That is, the word "comprise" and its derivatives will be taken to indicate the inclusion of not only the listed components, 15 steps or features that it directly references, but also other components, steps or features not specifically listed, unless the contrary is expressly stated or the context requires otherwise. Orientational terms used in the specification and claims such as vertical, horizontal, top, bottom, upper and lower are to be interpreted as relational and are based on the 20 premise that the component, item, article, apparatus, device or instrument will usually be considered in a particular orientation, typically with the dispensing unit uppermost. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (16)

1. A dispensing unit comprising: a t least one pair of elongate frame members, each frame member having a base portion and a substantially upright wall portion; 5 at least two connecting rods configured to connect the pair of elongate frame members such that the substantially upright wall portions of the frame members define a space therebetween for receiving merchandise, the merchandise being supported on at least one of the base portions of the frame members; a pusher element mountable within said space and so as to be longitudinally 10 movable between opposing ends of the elongate frame members, the pusher element being biased towards one of said ends of the elongate frame members so as to push said merchandise toward said end; wherein the longitudinal movement of the pusher element is guided by the substantially upright wall portions of the elongate frame members. 1s

2. A dispensing unit according to claim 1, wherein the at least two connecting rods connect the base portions of the elongate frame members at opposing ends thereof.

3. A dispensing unit according to claim 2, wherein the base portions of the elongate frame members have recesses formed therein for receiving and locating an end of 20 the connecting rod.

4. A dispensing unit according to claim 3, wherein the recesses are configured to facilitate detachable engagement with the end of the connecting rod such that the size of the space between the elongate frame members is adjustable by replacing the connecting rods with connecting rods of varying lengths. 25

5. A dispensing unit according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pair of elongate frame members are connected such that there is a gap provided between their respective base portions.

6. A dispensing unit according to claim 5, wherein the pusher element is mounted within said gap such that it is free to move within said gap. 30

7. A dispensing unit according to claim 6, wherein the pusher element includes a coil spring that is attached at a free end to one of the connecting rods such that unwinding of the coil provides said bias to move the pusher element toward said connecting rod.

8. A dispensing unit according to claim 7, wherein a retaining member extends along said gap to prevent removal of the pusher element from said gap. 5

9. A dispensing unit according to claim 8, wherein the retaining member is a strap of plastic or wire attached at either end of the frame members to the connecting rods.

10. A dispensing unit according to claim 9, wherein the retaining member passes through a locating member provided in the pusher element to prevent the guide 10 member from being removed from the gap.

11. A dispensing unit according to claim 1, wherein the base portions of the frame members have a substantially flat surface to facilitate sliding movement of the merchandise and the pusher element therealong.

12. A dispensing unit according to claim 11, wherein the surface of the base portion 15 comprises a plurality of rollers mounted thereon to enhance sliding movement of the merchandise therealong.

13. A dispensing unit according to claim 12, wherein the rollers are mounted between opposing recesses provided in the base portion and the wall portion such that the rollers are free to rotate about their central axis. 20

14. A dispensing nit according to claim 1. wherein the ends of the elongate frame members to which the pusher element is biased is a dispensing end of the dispensing unit.

15. A dispensing unit according to claim 14, wherein the pusher element is configured such that removal of merchandise from the dispensing end creates an 25 empty region in said space, and said pusher element is biased to move towards the dispensing end to take up said empty region thereby pushing merchandise towards the dispensing end for collection and subsequent removal.

16. A dispensing unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying figures.