CA1262704A - Store display fixture - Google Patents

Store display fixture

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Publication number
CA1262704A
CA1262704A CA000521849A CA521849A CA1262704A CA 1262704 A CA1262704 A CA 1262704A CA 000521849 A CA000521849 A CA 000521849A CA 521849 A CA521849 A CA 521849A CA 1262704 A CA1262704 A CA 1262704A
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
course
objects
course means
tray
gate
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired
Application number
CA000521849A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
J. Morris Binder
Archie G. Drummond
Dale E. Fahnstrom
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Tone Brothers Inc
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1262704A publication Critical patent/CA1262704A/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

Abstract A rack for display of articles comprises a plurality of trays for holding the articles. Each tray comprises upper and lower courses connected at opposite ends. At one end, an upper course communicates with the lower course by means of a gate. The gate is controlled by the presence of objects in the lower course so that objects from the upper course are transmitted to the lower course only after the lower course is empty. The gate includes a flag for indicating when the objects are being supplied from the upper gate. Trays are moveable between dispensing and loading positions. In the loading position, objects may be easily placed in the upper course so that they are passed to the lower course when the upper course becomes full. The objects are preferably cylindrical, and the courses are arranged to allow the objects to roll along the courses to facilitate dispensing and loading.

Description

Technical Pield This invention relate~ to the art o display racks. The invention finds partic~lar ,utility in the display and dispensing of small containers, for example, spice containers.

Backgrouna Art It is known to proviZe display racks for cylindrical containers. In the typical rack, the containers are arranged in rows wherein each row extends from the front of the rack to the rear at a slight angle to the horizontal. When the container is removed from a row, the remaining containers slide forwardly until the front container engages a front stop. U.S. Patents 1,291,420 (Cough) and 3,895,724 ~Thompson et 31~ are representative of these structures.
It is also known to provide a dispensing machine, for example for cans of soda, wherein the cans roll along a sinuous path from top to bottom. When a can is removed from the bottom of the rack, the remainder of the ~ans roll along the path until the front-most can engages a stopO This type of mechanism is not typically used in a store display rack and is instead part of a large vending machine. U.S. Patent 4,347,952 (Bookout) shows this type of machine.
It is also known to provide a mechanism to indicate when a course of objects is empty. For example, see U.S. Patents 3,270,916 (Lyman), 1,393,969 (Potts et al), and 2,784,871 (Gabrlelsen).

'~

Summary of the Inventi~n The display or dispensing devices known in the art suffer from several disadvantages. The rack employing horizontal rows of objects requires a large number of objects if the device is to appear full to a customer. This is important in retail marketing because many articles, such as spices, need to be stocked in only small quantities during certain times of the year. A display is much more attractive if it appears full, and this is possible with prior art structures only if a large inventory i5 maintained.
Prior art structures also are difficult to re-stock. It is desirab~e to provide a first-in first-out system whereby the oldest articles are placed in the front of the display~
In the type of display simply having rows, it is time-consuming to remove the unsold articles~ load the new ones in the rear and then re-load the unsold ones in the front.
In accordance with the invention~ a unique display rack is provided wherein a support structure holds a plurality of trays. Each of the trays is moveable with respect to the structure to provide a loadiny position and a disbursing position. The tray includes upper and lower courses, and the upper course communicates with the lower course at both of its ends. One end of the upper course includes a moveable gate which prevents objects in the upper course from passing to the lower course when the lower course contains articles. When the lower course is empty, the gate pivots to provide a ramp for objects in the upper course to fall into the lower course for dispensing. While a pivotal gate is preferred, other mechanisms are possible.
~ he moveable gate includes a flag which is pivoted out of view when objects are in the lower course and pivoted into a position for easy viewing when the lower course is empty.
This allows a supplier to easily recognize when re-stocking is necessary.
When re-stocking, the articles are placed in the upper course and pushed rearwardly along the course until they fall into the lower course at the end remote from the gate~ The articles then roll or slide to the front of the lower course to insure that the oldest articles are dispensed fixst.
The gate arrangement at one end of the upper course assists in ensuring that the oldest articles are dispensed first by allowing articles in the upper course to fall into the lower course only after the lower course is empty~ In addition, by providing a ramp for articles to fall into the lower courset the display always appears to be full, thus presenting a pleasing appearance to consumers with a minimum inventory level.
It is an object of this invention to provide a display rack having unique dispensing traysO
Another object of this invention is to provide a dispensing tray having upper and lower courses which communicate with each other at two locations.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a dispensing tray having an indicator for giving a visual indication of the quantity of the articles in the tray.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a unique dispensing tray which maintains a full appearance for even a small number of articles.

BriƦf Description of the Drawiogs Figure 1 is a front view of a display rack in accordance ~ith the invention.
Figure 2 is a side view of the rack shown in Figure 1 showing dispensing trays in phantom lines.
Figure 3 is a top view of the preferred dispensing rack.
Figure 4 is a partial perspective of the dispensing tray shown in Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a side view of the dispensing tray as s~hown in Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a cross-section taken along line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Detailed DescriptioD of the Drawings Figure 1 is a front view of a display rack 2. The rack supports a plurality of dispensing trays ~ which will be more f~lly described below as well as shelves for holding other containers.
Figure 2 is a side view of the display rack shown in Figure 1 and shows the inventive dispensing trays in dashed lines. Side walls 6 of the rack 2 are attached to horizontal bracke~s 8 which extend across the display rack between the side walls. It will be appreciated that the brackets are tilted forwardly to provide an elevated rear. Extending between adjacent brackets 8 are support rods 10 which are preferably cylindrical but may be of various shapes.
As shown in Fig~re 2, each tray 4 includes clips 12 which engage support rods 10 to secure trays 4 to display rack 2.
Clips 12, however, allow trays to slide with respect to support rods 10 to allow a tray 4 to be moved between tw~
positions as shown in Figure 2. Tabs 14 extend downwardly from the bottom surface of tray 4 to engaqe the front-most bracket 8 to hold tray 4 in either the dispensing position shown in dashed lines in Figure 2 or the loading position shown in chained lines.
Figure 3 is a top view of a dispensing tray 4. Tray 4 is arranged to hold five (S) sets of containers, each of which is contained in parallel courses extending from the front to the rear of the tray. Each of the courses comprises an upper course and a lower course. The front of each lower course includes a label holder 16 for containing a label identifying the contents of the containers in that course. The front part of each upper course includes a pivotally-mounted gate 18 which will be described in more detail below. A front stop 20 extends across the front of each upper course and prevents the articles from falling out of the sloped upper course~
Figure 4 is a broken perspective of a tray 4 and shows a single pair of upper and lower courses. A lower course 22 is connected to an upper course 24 at ~oth front end 26 and rear end 28~ The rear end connection 28 is unobstructed, while the front end connection 26 contains pivotally mounted gate 18.
In the preferred embodiment, each course is manufactured of molded plastic. The courses are molded in two pieces and held together by rods 30.
Figure 5 is a side view of a dispensing tray 4. In this view, gate 18 is shown in a downward position connecting upper course 24 with lower course 22. In this position, flag 32, which is preferably part of the gate 18, extends upwardly for easy viewing by a supplier~ As will be described more fully 6Z~;~o ~elow, when gate 18 is pivoted upwardly, flag 32 i~ hidden.
Figure 6 i~ a cross-section taken alon9 line 6-6 of Figure 4 and shows the preferred manner in which the gate 18 is pivotally mounted. Horizontal sections 34 are received in recesses in the tray and permit easy rotation thereof. Gate 18 is preferably made of bent wire, but may be of many constructions. It will be appreciated that a cavity 36 is formed between adjacent portions of the tray to receive flag 32 when gate 18 is in a raised position.
Operation of the device will now be described with respect to Figures 2 and 4. Figure 2 shows an upper and a lower tray, wherein the lower tray 4 is in a dispensing position and contains a plurality of cylindrical objects 38~
Of course, the object could be of other shapes, such as spherical or rectangular~ Preferably, these objects are arranged to roll along the downwardly-sloped upper and lower courses so that a front-most object is located at the front of the lower course. If the objects are not round they can slide forward Thus, it is easily picked up by a shopper. It will be apparent that when the front-most object 38 is removed from lower course 22, objects 38 located behind the removed object will roll forwardly to replace the removed object. This occurs repeatedly until there is only a single front-most object remaining in the lower course~ Then, gate 18 pivots downwardly as shown in the upper tray ~shown in dashed lines) of Figure 2. This provides a ramp for objects 38 in the upper course to fall into the front part of the lower course. When the final front-most object is taken from the lower course, gate 18 pivots downwardly, and objects will roll from the upper course into the front part of the lower course by way of gate 18 and consequently provide additional objects for selection by a shopper.

;2sz704`

It will be appreciated that the above-described procedure allows the lower course to be fully emptied before object~
from the upper course are introduced into the lower course for dispensing.
Purthermore~ it will be appreciated that as few as three or four ob~ects will present to a shopper the same view as would a full tray. This results in a reduced inventory req~irement for those objects which are seasonal.
When gate 18 rotates to the position shown in the upper tray of Eigure 2, and as shown in Figure 9, flag 32 becomes visible to alert a supplier to the necessity of re loading that tray. Loading is accomplished by raising the front part of a tray ~ slightly to allow tab 14 to pass over the front-most bracket 8 and slide outwardly to the position in chained lines in Figure 2. In this position, a second tab 14 engages bracket 8 to hold the tray in the extended position shown in Figure 2. Then, the supplier places objects in the upper course by sliding them into the upper course and forcing them to roll upwardly and rearwardly along the upper course.
As additional objects are added, they eventually fill the upper course and fall through the connection at rear end 28 into lower course 22. When the additional objects 38 roll into lower course 22, they automatically raise gate 18 such that it is held in the upper position as in the lower tray in Figure 2. The supplier then slides tray ~ upwardly so that the forward tab 14 again engages the front-most bracket 8 to place the apparatus into its normally-operating position.
Preferably, objects 38 are provided to the supplier in an elongate tube in shrunk-wrapped plastic. One end of the tube may be opened and objects 38 easily rolled into upper course 24 when re-loading a tray.
It will be appreciated that a unique display rack has been disclosed which is easily used by a customer, easily re-stocked, ensures orderly dispensing, and results in reduced inventory requirement. Modifications within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art.

Claims (12)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A tray for displaying and dispensing objects comprising first course means for holding a plurality of said objects and having a first end for dispensing said objects and a second end, second course means above said first course means for holding a plurality of said objects, said second course means having a first end for loading said objects and a second end, wherein said first end of said second course means is adjacent said first end of said first course means, means between said first end of said second course means and said first end of said first course means for allowing said objects in said second course means to pass to said first course means and said second end of said second course means is adjacent said second end of said first course means, means between said second end of said second course means and said second end of said first course means for allowing objects in said second course means to pass to said first course means, and further comprising gate means for blocking said mean between said first end of said second course means and said first end of said first course means for preventing passage of said objects from said first end of said second course means to said first end of said first course means until an initial supply of said objects has been removed from said first course means and, guide means for guiding objects between said second end of said second course means and said second end of said first course means.
2. A tray according to claim 1 wherein said gate means comprises a pivotally mounted element which is held in a first position to prevent said objects from passing between said first ends by an object in said first course means.
3. A tray according to claim 2 wherein said gate means pivots to a second position to allow objects to pass from said first end of said second course means to said first end of said first course means and to form a ramp to guide said objects from said first end of said second course means to said first end of said first course means.
4. A tray according to claim 3 wherein said gate means further comprises a flag for visually indicating whether said gate means is in said first or second position.
5. A tray according to claim 4 wherein said first end of said first course means extends forwardly of said first end of said second course means.
6. A tray according to claim 1 in combination with an apparatus for supporting said tray, said apparatus comprising support means for supporting said tray in a position such that said first end of said first course means is exposed for dispensing said objects.
7. The combination according to claim 6 wherein said support means engages said tray to provide first and second positions, said first end of said first course means being exposed in said first position and said first end of said second course means being exposed in said second position.
8. The combination according to claim 7 comprising a plurality of said trays.
9. The combination according to claim 8 further comprising said objects, each of said objects being cylindrical and wherein said first and second course means receive said objects with their cylindrical axes horizonal.
10. The combination according to claim 9 wherein said course means of said trays are sloped downwardly toward a front of the apparatus.
11. A tray according to claim 1, wherein said first end of said first course means extends forwardly of said first end of said second course means and said gate means extends beyond said first end of said second course means when said initial supply of said objects is in said first course means.
12. A tray according to claim 11, wherein said gate means is generally U-shaped.
CA000521849A 1985-11-22 1986-10-30 Store display fixture Expired CA1262704A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US80388085A 1985-11-22 1985-11-22
US803,880 1991-12-09

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1262704A true CA1262704A (en) 1989-11-07

Family

ID=25187678

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000521849A Expired CA1262704A (en) 1985-11-22 1986-10-30 Store display fixture

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1262704A (en)

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