CN107405010B

CN107405010B - Shelf management device

Info

Publication number: CN107405010B
Application number: CN201680016019.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 詹姆斯·普里查德
Original assignee: Proglide Group Ltd
Current assignee: Proglide Group Ltd
Priority date: 2015-03-12
Filing date: 2016-01-27
Publication date: 2022-08-23
Anticipated expiration: 2036-01-27
Also published as: GB201504218D0; CN107405010A

Abstract

A shelf management device comprising a guide member (12) having a front end and a rear end, and a pusher device (28) guided for movement by the guide member (12), wherein the pusher device (28) comprises a rotatable spool (36) on which is wound a flexible drive member (46), an end of the drive member (46) being secured to the guide member (12) at or adjacent the front end of the guide member, spring means being provided to urge the spool (36) to rotate to wind the drive member (46) and thereby apply a load to the pusher device (28) to urge the pusher device (28) towards the front end of the guide member (12).

Description

Shelf management device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a shelf management device, for example suitable for use on a shelf of a supermarket or the like to ensure that products are positioned at the front of the shelf in a neat and tidy manner.

Background

Supermarkets and other retail establishments tend to have products located on their shelves oriented toward the front of the shelves. This has several benefits. First, the product is clearly visible and easily accessible to the consumer. As a result, product sales can be increased. Second, the appearance of the product on the shelf can be enhanced. These benefits are particularly advantageous where the shelves used in supermarkets and the like are relatively deep. Market research has shown that sales are increased when the product is located at the front of the shelf.

Various means may be used to help achieve this effect by moving the products on the shelves toward the front of the shelves as each product is removed from the shelves. Typically, such means take the form of a spring-biased pusher operable to push product towards the front of the shelf and a stop arrangement operable to prevent product from being pushed out of the front of the shelf, thereby stopping and supporting product at or adjacent the front of the shelf. In one known arrangement, the pusher is driven to move using a coil spring, one end of which is fastened to a guide adjacent the front of the rack, the other end of which is attached to the pusher. While such an arrangement operates satisfactorily, the exposed portion of the spring is considered unpleasant. The exposed portions of the springs may also have sharp edges and thus risk injury to individuals removing product from the shelves or restocking the shelves. The stop arrangement used is generally rigid, making restocking of the pallet relatively difficult, since the product must be lifted above the stop arrangement. Such lifting also typically requires tilting the product in order to lift the product above the stop arrangement, since the shelves are typically vertically spaced from each other by a relatively small distance, leaving minimal clearance over the displayed product. This is inconvenient and limits the number of inventory items that can be added to the shelf at one time. As a result, the operation of restocking is hindered.

Furthermore, the device is typically fastened to a mounting rail located at the front edge of the shelf and to a mounting rail located at the rear of the shelf. As a result, installation and position adjustment of the device is difficult and time consuming to accomplish. When such devices are provided on only some shelves, the presence of the device may detract from the consistency of the shelf appearance, making the shelf display less attractive and may result in reduced sales. Also, the devices are prone to dust traps and their presence on the shelves results in hampered cleaning of the shelves.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a shelf management device in which at least some of the disadvantages associated with known shelf management devices are overcome or have a reduced impact.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shelf management device comprising: a guide member having a front end and a rear end; a plurality of attachment structures disposed at or adjacent the rear end for attachment to a mounting rail; and a magnetic fastening means disposed at or adjacent the leading end.

The mounting rail is conveniently provided with a series of teeth which are cooperable with a plurality of corresponding formations provided on the attachment formation to resist movement of the guide member along the length of the mounting rail.

Preferably, the guide member is also provided with friction pads, for example of a suitable gel material, at or adjacent the front end.

In such an arrangement, once fastened to the mounting rail and retained to the shelf by the magnetic fastening means, movement of the rear end of the guide member is resisted. The lifting of the front end of the mounting rail is resisted by the magnetic attraction between the magnetic fastening means and the material of the shelf on which the device is mounted, and the friction pad resists lateral movement of the device. Thus, once assembled to the shelf, the movement of the guide member is resisted. The guide member is attached to the mounting rail at the rear of the shelf and thus reduces the visible effect of the presence of the device. When it is desired to move the guide member, lifting of the front end of the guide member causes the rear end to disengage sufficiently from the track, allowing lateral movement of the guide member in the direction of the length of the track.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a shelf management device comprising a guide member having a front end and a rear end, stop means being located at or adjacent the front end, wherein the stop means comprises a stop member pivotally mounted to the guide member about a pivot axis and movable between a retaining position in which the stop member extends substantially perpendicular to the guide member and a loading position in which the stop member extends substantially parallel to the guide member, alongside the guide member, and biasing means urging the stop member towards the retaining position.

In such an arrangement, in use, product located on the shelf on which the device is mounted may be urged into engagement with the stop means, the stop member serving to limit movement of the product and thereby retain the product on the shelf. If additional products are to be added to the shelf, this can be done by: engaging a product with an outer surface of the stop member and causing application of a force to pivot the stop member toward its stowed position in which the product may be pushed past the stop member. After the product has been introduced in this way, the biasing of the stop member causes it to return to the retaining position, thereby retaining the product in position on the shelf. It is not necessary to lift the product above the stop member or to tilt the product. As a result, restocking of the pallet is simplified and can be done more quickly.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a shelf management device comprising a guide member having a front end and a rear end, and a pusher device guided for movement by the guide member, wherein the pusher device comprises a rotatable spool on which is wound a flexible drive member, an end of the drive member being secured to the guide member at or adjacent the guide member, spring means being provided to urge the spool to rotate to wind the drive member and thereby apply a load to the pusher device urging the pusher device towards the front end of the guide member.

The drive member conveniently takes the form of a wire or cable. However, this need not be the case and the drive member may take some other form.

A damping arrangement may be provided to damp rotation of the spool and thereby damp movement of the pusher device caused by rotation of the spool. The damping arrangement may comprise, for example, a braking member biased against a surface of the spool. Preferably, the load with which the brake member is biased against the surface of the spool is controllable so as to allow control of the rate of movement of the pusher device.

It will be appreciated that such an arrangement is advantageous in that no part of the coil spring need be exposed. As a result, there may be fewer exposed sharp edges. Furthermore, by controlling the rate at which the pusher member moves, the risk of injury or damage to the product being moved by the device may be reduced.

It should be understood that any two or more of the different aspects of the invention may be used in combination with each other, if desired.

Drawings

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a portion of a shelf management device in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing a device similar to FIG. 1;

FIGS. 2a and 2b are views illustrating a modification to the arrangement of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 3-8 are images showing different portions of the shelf management device; and is provided with

Fig. 9 to 13 are views illustrating an alternative apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Referring initially to fig. 1 and 2, there is shown a shelf management device 10, said device 10 including a guide member 12 comprising a main section 14 conveniently of elongate extruded plastics material, front and

rear end fittings

16, 18 preferably of moulded plastics material secured to the front and rear ends of the main section. In use, the shelf management device 10 is intended to be mounted on a shelf, such as a supermarket or the like, with the front end positioned at or adjacent the front edge of the shelf and the rear end at the rear of the shelf, the main portion 14 extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the shelf.

The main portion 14 comprises a base 20 arranged to sit on the upper surface of a shelf and an upright guide track 22 integrally formed with the base 20, said guide track 22 comprising upper and lower guides 24, 26 adapted to cooperate with a pusher device 28 to guide the movement of said pusher device 28 along the length of the guide member 12.

As best shown in fig. 1, the upper surface of the base 20 is provided with a series of axially extending, upstanding ribs 30. In use, the product to be positioned on the shelf is supported on the ribs 30 and it is believed that the slight spacing of the lower surface of the product from the upper surface of the shelf and base 20 due to the presence of the ribs 30 facilitates the sliding movement of the product.

Rear fitting 18 is shaped to limit movement of pusher device 28 away from the front end of device 10, so as to cooperate with pusher device 28 when the limit of movement in said direction is reached. The front fitting 16 also serves to limit the movement of the pusher device 28, but serves some other purpose. Specifically, the front end fitting 16 carries a generally vertically extending pivot pin 32a that secures the stop member 32 to the front end fitting 16, guiding the stop member 32 for pivotal movement between a retaining position (shown in fig. 1) in which the stop member 32 extends generally perpendicular to the axial length of the guide member 12, and a stowed position in which the stop member extends generally parallel to the length of the guide member 12, alongside the guide member 12. Movement of the stop member 32 beyond these positions is not permitted, and cooperation between the stop member 32 and the front end fitting 16 prevents movement of the stop member 32 beyond the retaining position. A spring 32b surrounds a portion of the pivot pin 32a, the ends of the spring 32b cooperating with the front end fitting 16 and the stop member 32 to apply a biasing load to the stop member 32 to urge the stop member 32 towards the retaining position.

Fig. 2a and 2b show an alternative design of the stop member 32 shown in fig. 2. In the arrangement of fig. 2a and 2b, a pair of stop members 32 are provided mounted on a single pivot pin 32 a. To accomplish this, the stop members 32 are provided with a plurality of knuckles 32c defining openings through which the pivot pin 32a extends, the knuckle 32c of one of the stop members 32 not being aligned with the knuckles of the other stop members 32. A single spring 32b may be used to bias both stop members 32 toward their respective retaining positions. Mounting two stop members on a single pin allows the spacing between the stop members to be reduced, and thus the distance the inventory is laterally spaced. The presence of the knuckle ensures that the stop member 32 can be brought alongside the guide member when in the restocking position without significantly impeding the introduction of stock adjacent the guide member. A limiter 32d forming part of the front end fitting 16 limits the opening movement of the stop member 32 such that when resting in the retaining position, a forward portion of the stop member engages the limiter 32d and remains substantially perpendicular to the length of the guide member 12. The limiter 32d is spaced from the front end of the guide member 12 with the portion of the stop member 32 comprising the knuckle being located between the limiter and the front end of the guide member as shown. It will be appreciated that by arranging the stop member to extend substantially perpendicular to the length of the guide member 12, the presence of the shelf management system when parked does not significantly restrict or limit the available shelf space for supporting inventory and the visual appeal of the loaded shelf is not compromised. Although sharing the same pivot pin 32a, it should be understood that the stop members 32 may move independently of one another.

The above mentioned pusher device 28 comprises a pusher member 33 shaped to comprise a plurality of channels that receive portions of the guides 24, 26 in order to guide the movement of the pusher device 28 along the device 10. The pusher arrangement 28 further comprises a spring housing 34 (as best shown in fig. 3) mounted to the pusher member 33, the spring housing 34 containing a spool 36 (see fig. 3-5) mounted for rotation between

structures

34a, 34b provided on upper and lower portions of the spring housing 34. The bobbin 36 defines an internal spring chamber 38 in which, in use, a coil spring 36a (see figure 6) is located, one end of the coil spring 36a being located within a slot 40 provided in the structure 34a and the other end of the spring being located in a slot 42 formed in the bobbin 36, such that the spring acts to apply a biasing rotational load to the bobbin 36. The outer surface of the spool 36 defines an annular cable guide recess 44. A drive cable 46 or other flexible drive member is secured at one end to the spool 36, the cable 46 extending through openings formed in the spring housing 34 and pusher member 33, and the other end of the cable 46 secured to the front end fitting 16.

The spring chamber 38 is closed by a cover 48 fitted to the spool 36. The cover 36 defines an opening 48a with which the shaft of a damper member 50a (see fig. 6) projecting from a damper housing 50 secured to the pusher device 28 cooperates. In one arrangement, the damper housing 50 contains a spring biased braking arrangement which bears against or applies a braking load to the damper member 50a, thereby applying a braking or damping load to the spool 36, thereby reducing the rotational speed of the spool and thereby reducing the speed of movement of the pusher device 28 under the action of the spring along the guide member 12.

Alternatively, the damper member 50a may be a rotary damper member based on a viscous fluid or the like. Conveniently, the damper member 50a supports the spool 36 for rotation, defining the axis of rotation of said spool. The dampener member 50a is operable to dampen rotational movement of the spool 36 in one rotational direction, allowing substantially unrestricted rotational movement of the spool in the opposite direction. As a result, movement of the pusher to push inventory toward the front edge of the rack may be restricted during use, but reverse movement of the pusher during restocking may be substantially unimpeded by the presence of the dampener member 50 a.

The underside of the front end fitting 16 is provided with a plurality of recesses containing friction pads 52, conveniently in the form of a suitable friction-enhancing gel material. Another recess containing magnet 54 is also provided. The underside of the rear end fitting 18 is provided with a plurality of mounting features (not shown) that are cooperable with mounting rails 58 secured to the rear of the shelf. As shown in fig. 7, the mounting rail 58 may be arranged to adhere to the upper surface of the shelf. Alternatively, the mounting rail may comprise a flange adapted to be received within a channel associated with a shelf, the flange being secured in the position shown in figure 8 in use. In either case, the side 58a of the mounting rail 58 is preferably formed with serrations or teeth that are cooperable with corresponding structure provided on one of the mounting features so as to not permit lateral movement of the guide member 12 relative to the mounting rail 58 once secured to the mounting rail 58.

In use, to secure the device 10 in place, the mounting rail 58 is first secured to the shelf on which the device 10 is to be used, the mounting rail 58 being positioned at or adjacent the rear of the shelf. As a result, the presence of the mounting rail 58 shields the inventory located on the shelf and therefore will have minimal visible impact. The guide member 12 is then secured to the mounting rail 58 by hooking the mounting structure onto the mounting rail 58 with the guide member 12 in the desired position on the shelf. Once attached to the mounting rail 58, the front end of the guide member 12 drops onto the surface of the shelf, the magnetic attraction between the magnet 54 and the material of the shelf resists the lifting movement of the guide member 12, and the pad 52 resists the lateral movement of the front of the guide member 12. It will be appreciated that once so positioned, movement of the guide member 12 is resisted and the guide member 12 is securely attached or mounted in place. However, when desired, the guide member 12 may be repositioned by lifting the leading end of the guide member 12, causing the mounting feature to partially unhook from the mounting rail 58. Once partially unhooked in this manner, the guide member 12 may slide lengthwise of the mounting rail 58, the mounting feature ensuring that the guide member 12 remains perpendicular to the mounting rail 58 during such movement. Once in the desired position, the guide member may be re-secured in place as indicated above.

Once positioned as desired, the inventory may be introduced by pushing the inventory over stop member 32, causing stop member 32 to pivot to the pick-up position, with the inventory abutting against the face of pusher device 28 urging pusher device 28 toward the rear end of guide member 12. Movement of the pusher device 28 causes a portion of the cable 46 to be withdrawn from the spool 36, and the spool 36 is rotated against the action of the associated spring. Once the stock has been introduced, the stop member 32 will return to the retaining position under the action of the associated spring 32b and the spring located within the spool 36 will apply a load to the spool 36, thereby urging the spool 36 to rotate the take-up cable 46 and apply a load to the pusher device 28, thereby urging the pusher device 28 and the stock engaged thereby towards the front edge of the shelf. Movement of the pusher device 28 and the stock is limited by the engagement of the stock with the stop member 32. It will be appreciated that in this way, the inventory is neatly present at the front edge of the shelf.

If the shopper removes a product from the shelf, pusher device 28 will operate in a manner substantially as indicated above to push the remaining inventory toward the front edge of the shelf. The rate at which the inventory moves is controlled by the operation of the damper, thereby avoiding excessive movement of the inventory and reducing the risk of damage to the inventory.

It will be appreciated that the use of the present invention is advantageous in that inventory carried by the shelves is maintained towards the front of the shelves as required, thereby enhancing display uniformity. The manner in which the guide 12 is secured in place avoids the need for bulky steps or rails at or adjacent the front of the shelf, and thus the visual appeal of the inventory located on the shelf is not significantly adversely affected by the presence of the device 10. The pivotable stop member 32 allows for the introduction of inventory in a simple and convenient manner.

Since the pick is neatly presented to the front edge of the shelf, it may not be intuitive for the pick operator to pick up when a pick is needed. To eliminate this disadvantage, a microswitch or the like may be mounted to the guide in a position to be engaged by the pusher when the pusher reaches a position where restocking or stock replenishment is desired, with the microswitch being turned off by the pusher, thereby causing the LED or other indicator to be operated to provide an indication that restocking or stock replenishment is desired. It will be appreciated that subsequent restocking causes the pusher to move to a position where the microswitch is no longer engaged and therefore the LED or the like is no longer operational.

Although for most of the above description, reference is made to only a single stop member and pusher device as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the guide member 12 may carry a pair of such stop members 32 and pusher devices 28. As shown in fig. 9 to 12, variants can be produced in which only a single pusher device 28 is provided, and/or only a single stop member 32 is provided. It is contemplated that in most applications, the inventory will be positioned within the channel defined between a pair of guide members 12 and the stop members 32 associated with each guide member 12 will act together to limit forward movement of the inventory. Depending on the size and weight of the inventory, a single pusher device 28 or a pair of pusher devices 28 may be used to move the inventory along the passageway. When large or bulky, lightweight products are located on the shelf, then rather than using a pair of pusher devices 28, it may be preferable to modify the pusher devices 28, for example as shown in fig. 13, to increase the area over which the pusher members 28 can engage the products.

Variations in combination with different springs may be provided, with the selected springs being tailored to the product being moved using the pusher device, to ensure that the pusher device 28 applies the proper pushing load to the inventory. By way of example, spring versions including 6N, 10N and 14N may be provided. It is also envisaged to provide an arrangement in which a plurality of springs are provided in a single spring housing, a mechanism being provided to determine which spring/springs are activated at any given time. The design of the damper may be such as to allow a good level of control over the magnitude of the damping load applied and hence the rate of movement of the pusher device 28.

The device can be produced in a range of sizes and therefore the invention can be adapted to adjust the position of e.g. small cosmetics, beverage cans and bottles, as well as larger products. It should be understood that the invention is not limited in this respect.

It should be understood that aspects of the present invention may be used in the design of shelf management systems other than those described above. By way of example, if desired, the stop member may be used in a gravity feed shelf management system, rather than a spring biased shelf management system as described above, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

It will be appreciated that although the above description relates primarily to one particular example embodiment, a wide range of modifications and alterations may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention. By way of example, rather than damping movement by damping rotation of the spool, a damping arrangement may be provided between the pusher member and the guide track.

Claims

1. A shelf management device comprising a guide member having a front end and a rear end, and a pusher device guided for movement by the guide member, wherein the pusher device comprises a rotatable spool on which a flexible drive member is wound, an end of the drive member being secured to the guide member at or adjacent the front end of the guide member, spring means distinct from the drive member being provided to urge rotation of the spool to wind the drive member on the spool and thereby apply a load to the pusher device urging the pusher device towards the front end of the guide member, and a damping arrangement adapted to damp rotation of the spool to damp winding of the drive member on the spool and thereby damp movement of the pusher device caused by rotation of the spool under the action of the spring means,

the device further comprises stop means positioned at or adjacent the front end, wherein the stop means comprises a stop member pivotally mounted to the guide member about a pivot axis and movable between a retaining position in which the stop member extends substantially perpendicular to the guide member to limit stock movement, and a stocking position in which the stop member extends substantially parallel to the guide member to allow stock introduction alongside the guide member, and biasing means urging the stop member towards the retaining position, wherein in the retaining position the stop means and a portion of the guide member are cooperable to resist movement of the stop means under the action of the biasing means.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the drive member is in the form of a wire or cable.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the damping arrangement comprises a brake member biased against a surface of the spool.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the damping arrangement comprises a viscous fluid-based rotational damping arrangement.

5. A device according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the damping arrangement comprises a damper member supporting the spool for rotation.

6. The device of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the damping arrangement damps rotation of the spool in one rotational direction, but the spool is substantially free to move in an opposite rotational direction, undamped by the damping arrangement.

7. The device of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the damping load applied by the damping arrangement is controllable to allow control of the rate of movement of the pusher device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of attachment formations for attachment to a mounting rail are provided at or adjacent the rear end; and magnetic fastening means are provided at or adjacent said front end.

9. A device according to claim 8, wherein the mounting rail is provided with a series of teeth which are cooperable with a plurality of corresponding formations provided on the attachment formation to resist lateral movement of the guide member in the length direction of the mounting rail.

10. A device according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the guide member is further provided with friction pads at or adjacent the leading end.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the friction pad is of a gel material.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the portion of the guide member comprises a front portion of an end fitting fitted onto the guide member, a portion of the stop member being located between the front portion of the end fitting and the guide member when in its retaining position.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the portion of the guide member includes a forward end thereof, a portion of the stop member engaging on the forward end when in its retaining position.

14. A device according to claim 1, claim 12 or claim 13, wherein a pair of stop members are provided.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the stop members are mounted to the guide member by a common pivot pin.

16. The device of any of claims 1, 12-13, and 15, further comprising a spring-biased, spool-driven pusher.

17. The device of any of claims 1, 12-13 and 15, forming part of a gravity-fed shelf management system.