GB2250982A

GB2250982A - Product supports for dispensing

Info

Publication number: GB2250982A
Application number: GB9027751A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Philip Morgan Griffiths
Original assignee: Frontline Display Ltd
Current assignee: Frontline Display Ltd
Priority date: 1990-12-20
Filing date: 1990-12-20
Publication date: 1992-06-24
Also published as: GB9027751D0

Abstract

A product support that is a so-called "peg board fitting" has two pairs of latches (7, 7 and 8, 8) at its end at which products supported in a row on the fitting are to be removed from the fitting, these latches being connected together so as alternately to adopt product-retaining and product-releasing positions upon actuation of a tag (10) so that when one pair of latches (7, 7) is moved to release the outermost product the other pair of latches (8, 8) move to retain the remaining products of the row on the fitting. By alternate operation of the latches products are presented one at a time for removal from the fitting and removal of a handful of products in one movement is prevented. <IMAGE>

Description

PRODUCT SUPPORTS This invention relates to product supports.

It is common, at point-of-sale, to display products for sale hanging in rows one behind another from individual supports projecting from an upright panel. A particular example of such supports are so-called "peg board fittings" which are rod-like members terminating in lugs that can be engaged in the holes of a peg board serving as an upright panel so that the fittings project outwardly and slightly downwardly from the peg board. Card-mounted products are displayed by engaging apertures in the cards on the fittings so that each fitting supports a row of cards one behind another.

The outer end of each fitting is formed as, or carries, a restraining device so that the row of cards is normally retained on the fitting but cards can be easily removed by an intending purchaser. For example, each fitting can be bent slightly upwardly at its outer end, or can carry a tag hanging downwardly from its end that can be pivoted into line with the main part of the fitting to permit removal of a product. Such a tag can carry information relating to the products such as price and/or type.

It is important that the products should be easily removable from their supports to encourage potential customers to make a selection. However, a problem with supports such as have so far been discussed is that it is easy to remove, in one movement, a handful of the displayed products from any one support and this is a technique which tends to be adopted by persons who are not intending to pay for the products so removed.

There is thus a need for a product support from which it is easy to remove products one at a time, but from which it is not possible to remove, in a single movement, several individually supported products.

According to the present invention there is provided an elongated product support for removably supporting products in a row one behind another, the support having at one end from which it is intended that products supported by the support should be removed from the support a product retaining and releasing mechanism comprising first and second latch means normally positioned so as to retain a row of products on the support and actuable to release the product so retained for removal from the support, each latch means being movable into and out of a product-retaining position and a product-releasing position and the latch means being interconnected such that when one is in its product-retaining position the other is normally in its product-releasing position and vice-versa, the latch means being spaced apart in the direction of length of the support so that the first latch means is further along the line of movement of products being removed from the support than the second latch means. As the latch means are spaced apart with respect to the line of movement of products, and as the latch means are interconnected such that when one is in its productretaining position the other is normally in its product-releasing position and vice versa, removal of products is controlled and, by suitable selection of the latch means spacing relative to the thickness of material that is supported, can be set to be one supported product at each actuation of the latch means.

Removal of a handful of supported products in one movement is therefore prevented.

For a better understanding of the invention and to show how-the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawing, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a product support, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of one end of the product support of Figure 1, illustrating one operative condition, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional plan view similar to Figure 2 but showing a second operative condition.

The product support 1 shown in Figure 1 is a so-called "peg board fitting" having an elongated body 2 from which products (not shown) supported by the fitting are intended to be removed at one end 3. At the other end 4 of the body 2 there are lugs 5 for engagement in the holes of a peg board (not shown) serving as an upright panel so that the fitting projects outwardly and slightly downwardly from the peg board.

Card-mounted products can be displayed for sale by engaging apertures in the cards on the fitting so that the fitting supports a row of cards, hanging down from the fitting, one card behind another.

At the end 3 from which it is intended that products supported by the fitting should be removed from the fitting there is a product retaining and releasing mechanism 6. This mechanism 6 includes a pair of first latches 7, 7 and a pair of second latches 8, 8 integral with a spigot 9 slidable within the body 2 and extending into the body 2 from an operating tag 10, the tag 10 and its spigot 9 constituting an actuator for the latches 7, 7 and 8, 8. The pairs of latches 7, 7 and 8, 8 are spaced from one another in the direction of length of the support with the latches 7, 7 disposed further along the line of movement of products being removed from the support than the latches 8, 8.

Each latch has a first product-retaining position in which it projects out of the body 2 through an aperture 11 in the associated edge wall of the body (shown for the first latches 7,7 in Figures 1 and 2 and for the second latches 8, 8 in Figure 3), and a second productreleasing position in which it is withdrawn to within the body 2 (shown for the second latches 8, 8 in Figures 1 and 2 and for the first latches 7, 7 in Figure 3).

The pairs of, latches 7, 7 and 8, 8 are interconnected such that when the latches 7, 7 are in their productretaining positions the latches 8, 8 are normally in their product-releasing positions, and vice versa. For effecting change of position of the latches there are, within the body 2, a first pair of cam blocks 12, 12 and second pair of cam blocks 13, 13. In a position normally adopted (Figure 2) the tag 10 is in a retracted position with all the latches 7, 7, 8, 8 just clear of the cam surfaces of all the cam blocks 12, 12, 13, 13; the latches 7, 7 are in their extended productretaining positions; the latches 8, 8 are in their withdrawn product-releasing positions.Upon pulling the tag 10 to draw the spigot 9 in the direction out of the body 2 (arrow 14 in Figure 1) the latches 7, 7 are acted upon by the cam surfaces of the cam blocks 12 so as to be urged to withdraw into the body 2 to their product-releasing positions. At the same time the latches 8, 8 which are interconnected with the latches 7, 7 by the spigot 9 are acted upon by the cam surfaces of the cam blocks 13, 13 to extend from the body 2 into their product-retaining positions. The condition shown in Figure 3 is reached.

With a row of card-mounted products supported on the fitting and the latches 7, 7, 8, 8 disposed as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the row is retained on the fitting by the projecting latches 7, 7 in the their productretaining positions. The latches 8, 8 are withdrawn.

To remove a product the tag 10 is pulled to withdraw the latches 7, 7, thus releasing at least the first card of the row for removal from the fitting. However, with suitable spacing of the latches 7, 7 from the latches 8, 8 relative to the thickness of the card in use, all of the remainder of the row will be retained on the fitting by the latches 8, 8 which move into their projecting, product-retaining, positions as the latches 7, 7 withdraw. Thereafter, release of the tag 10 to permit complete removal of the selected product also permits the unit 7/7/8/8/9/10 to return to the condition illustrated in Figure 1. Such return is positively effected by the action of the selfresilience of the material of this unit, which can be, for example, polypropene but it will be appreciated that separate bias means such as a spring could be provided. Upon such return a further card-mounted product is released by the latches 8, 8 to be retained by the latches 7, 7 for subsequent removal from the fitting.

It is to be noted that the tag 10 is upturned slightly relative to the body 2 and terminates in a bent upwards lip so that a product being removed is temporarily supported thereby after release of the tag and prior to complete removal of the product.

The action of the second latches 8, 8, alternating with that of the first latches 7, 7, serves to prevent removal of a handful of the supported products with a single movement. The products are presented one at a time for removal. Several products can only be removed by repeatedly operating the unit 7/7/8/8/9/10. This is a deterrent to would be thieves.

It is desirable, however, that it should be possible to load a fitting with at least several products at a single movement. To this end, as can be seen in Figure 2, there is sufficient clearance between the latches 7, 7 and the latches 8, 8 and cam blocks 13, 13, in the projecting, product-retaining, positions of the latches 7, 7, for the latches 7, 7 to be urged back against their own resilience into the body 2 by card-mounted products being pushed onto the fitting, this being achieved solely by the action of the cards on the latches 7, 7 without operation of the tag 10 and without movement of the latches 8, 8 from their withdrawn positions. The action of the cards on the latches 7, 7 overrides the naturally adopted positions of these latches 7, 7 and it is possible to load several card-mounted products on to the fitting in a single movement.

On its upper face 15 the tag 10 can carry information such as how to operate the unit 7/7/8/8/9/10 and price and/or description of the products.

It has been indicated that the unit 7/7/8/8/9/10 can be of polypropene. Conveniently the remainder of the support can also be formed of suitable plastics material(s).

Claims

1. An elongated product support for removably supporting products in a row one behind another, the support having at one end from which it is intended that products supported by the support should be removed from the support a product retaining and releasing mechanism comprising first and second latch means normally positioned so as to retain a row of products on the support and actuable to release the product so retained for removal from the support, each latch means being movable into and out of a productretaining position and a product-releasing position and the latch means being interconnected such that when one is in its product-retaining position the other is normally in its product-releasing position and viceversa, the latch means being spaced apart in the direction of length of the support so that the first latch means is further along the line of movement of products being removed from the support than the second latch means.

2. A support as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mechanism further comprises an actuator means that interconnects the first and second latch means and which is moveable to and fro in the direction of length of the support, the first latch means normally adopting its product-retaining position and said mechanism further comprising cam means disposed to act on the first and second latch means, upon movement of the actuator means in the direction of length of the support, to urge the first latch means into its product-releasing position and to urge the second latch means into its product-retaining position.

3. A support as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the first latch means resiliently adopts its productretaining position such that, from the condition in which the first latch means is in its product-retaining position and the second latch means is in its productreleasing position, the positioning of the first latch means can be overridden, without altering the positioning of the second latch means, so that the first latch means is moved to permit products to be mounted on the support.

4. A support as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the first and second latch means each comprises a pair of latches mounted within a body of the support with each latch able to project from an associated wall of the support through an aperture therein to adopt its product-retaining position.

5. A support as claimed in claim 4 as appendant directly or indirectly to claim 2, wherein the cam means are cam blocks fast with the body of the support for cooperation with the latches.

6. A support as claimed in claim 4 as appendant directly or indirectly to claim 2 or claim 5, wherein the actuator means comprises a spigot slidable within the body of the support and extending into the body from an operating tag, the latches being carried by this spigot.

7. A product support substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.