MXPA06008713A - Product management display system - Google Patents

Abstract

A product management display system for merchandising both wide and narrow product includes a unique pusher mechanism (16) having an extendable pusher face (20). The pusher mechanism (16) is mounted to a track (14) on a base (12) that is, in turn, mounted to a store shelf. The pusher face (20) is transversely extendable relative the track (14) and is extendable from a retracted position to one of several extended positions. The extended pusher face locates the product pushing surface behind the approximate center of the wider product, thereby greatly enhancing the pushing leverage on the product.

Description

"PRODUCT ADMINISTRATION EXHIBITION SYSTEM" FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general terms to a shelf assembly for use in the marketing of products and more particularly to an assembly of shelves that has improved mechanisms for displaying and propelling both wide and narrow products on the shelves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] It is known that retail and wholesale stores, such as pharmacies, grocery stores, discount stores, toy stores, and the like, require a large amount of shelving both to store the product and to exhibit the product to the consumers. When exhibiting the product, it is desirable that the product on the shelves is located towards the front of the shelf so that the product is visible and accessible to consumers. In order to perform this positioning of the product, known systems include the use of a drive system to propel the product towards the front of the shelf as the product is removed at the front of the shelf. The known systems also use dividing panels or dividers to separate the products in the shelf in order to provide a better organization of the product and to make the exhibition of the product more attractive to the consumers. Known marketing systems that incorporate the use of drive mechanisms can be found in the Patents of E.ii. 6,041,720 and 4,830,201 and application PCT / US02 / 15760, all of which are assigned to RTC Industries, Inc., and are incorporated herein by reference. In the past, to exhibit products of various sizes, the drive typically needed to be modified to properly drive the product. For example, if the product had a narrow configuration, often a narrower impeller was used to properly propel the narrower product into the shelf. Similarly, if the product had a very wide configuration, a wider impeller panel was used to propel the product toward the front of the shelf. Alternatively, multiple drive panels were used to drive the wide product. The change in the width of the drive panel without commensurate changes to other dimensions of the drive caused the impeller to bend and not operate properly. To modify the drive from a narrow panel to a wider panel typically required store personnel to change the drive panels or, in the case of a narrow panel, attach a wider drive panel to the narrow panel. Alternatively, and as indicated above, with some marketing systems a second drive mechanism was added to drive the wider product. Such modifications to marketing systems often required a lot of time and required the use of additional components that were difficult to access at hand. Also, stores needed to inventory additional components needed, thus adding an additional cost to stores. In many cases, the components were incorrectly placed or lost in stores. In addition, store personnel who frequently required such modifications to the drive mechanism sometimes incorrectly installed the parts and components, which frequently led to improper operation of the marketing system. The present invention relates to overcoming these known disadvantages and drawbacks with the existing drive mechanisms used with commercialization systems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a product management display system that utilizes a drive mechanism that has an adjustable drive panel to accommodate both narrow and wide products without the need to add, remove, or change parts or components of the product. drive mechanism or product display system. According to an illustrative embodiment of the invention, the product management display system includes a unique drive mechanism that has an extendable drive face. The drive mechanism is mounted on a track that extends generally from the front of the shelf to the back of the shelf. The track is formed on a base that, in turn, is mounted directly or indirectly on a shelf. The driving face is transversely extensible relative to the track and is extendable from a retracted position to one of several extended positions. The extended drive face locates the drive surface of the product behind the center or near the center of the widest product, thus greatly increasing the drive leverage on the product. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be apparent after review of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 graphically represents an isometric view and an exemplary embodiment of a product administration display system of the present invention. Figure 2 graphically represents another isometric view of the product management display system of Figure 1. Figure 3 graphically represents another isometric view of the product management display system of Figure 1. Figure 4 graphically depicts a plant seen of an exemplary tilt member used with the product management display system of Figure 1. Figure 5 graphically depicts a side view of the exemplary tilt member of Figure 4. Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and configuration of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other modalities and of carrying out the practice or carried out in various ways. Also, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for purposes of description and should not be construed as limiting. The use of "including" and "comprising" and variations thereof refers to the fact that it encompasses the elements listed below and equivalents thereof as well as additional and equivalent elements thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention may contain various forms. Referring to the Figures in which similar numbers indicate similar elements, an isometric view of the present invention is shown graphically in Figure 1. The invention allows the placement and extraction of marketed products of variable width in various positions in the system with a simple operation. Referring to Figures 1-3, various views of an exemplary embodiment of a product management display system 10 of the invention are depicted graphically. The system 10 includes a base 12 defining a track 14 on which a drive 16 of the present invention is slidably mounted. The system 10 also includes a product divider 18 extending outwardly from the base 12 to divide and organize the products on the shelf. Although the system 10 is graphically represented as an individual base 12, drive 16, and divider 18, the skilled person will understand that many of these components are often used in stores and in various configurations. Furthermore, it should be understood that the system 10 can be configured such that the base 12 is installed as an upper wall or ceiling such that the drive 16 and the divider 18 extend downwardly from the base 12. In addition, the system can configured in such a way that the drive mechanism 16 is mounted on the divider 18 and extends outwardly from the divider 18. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to the individual system 10, nor to the vertical drive configuration, graphically depicted in FIG. the Figures, since the system 10 is simply illustrative of the features of the invention. As described in more detail below, the drive mechanism 16 of the invention includes the ability to be slidably configured to drive narrow products and also wide products. The drive mechanism 16 achieves these multiple configurations, without the use of additional, separate components by providing a drive face 20 that can slide along the base and extend transversely relative to the track 14. This transverse movement of the drive face 20 it is best illustrated by Figures 1 and 2. As graphically depicted in Figure 1, the driving face 20 is shown retracted towards the divider 18. In this position, the driving face 20 will appropriately drive the narrower product and a little to the wider product, depending on the shape, size, and configuration of the product. As graphically depicted in Figure 2, the driving face 20 is shown extended withdrawn from the divider 18 or, in other words, moves transversely relative to the track 14. In this position, the driving face 20 will be in a driving position of wide product in order to properly propel the wider product, depending on the shape, size and configuration of the product, since the driving face 20 will now be placed towards the center of the product. In this driving face position, the driving leverage of the drive mechanism is greatly increased. As will be explained in more detail below, the driving face 20 is increasingly adjustable to numerous positions between the retracted position and the fully extended position. Advantageously, this increasing adjustment characteristic allows the selective adjustment of the driving face 20 to properly accommodate and drive virtually any product normally marketed on the shelf regardless of its size, shape, and configuration. This selective adjustment allows the user to locate the driving face 20 at or near the center of the product, or otherwise optimize the drive leverage of the drive mechanism in the product. In an exemplary embodiment, the base 12 defines a generally flat and smooth surface 22 that can be configured to engage with or mount to any known shelf used in a store, and in any known mounting configuration and orientation. The particular mounting of the base 22 to the shelf and the orientation relative to the shelf is not relevant to the present invention and any mounting technique can be used to install the base 12 to the shelf. As depicted graphically, the base 12 defines a front edge 24, a trailing edge 26, and the track 14 extending along the base 12 from the front edge 24 to the trailing edge 26. As illustrated, they can be used two tracks 14 with each drive and are spaced apart to mount the drive 16. It should be understood that more or less than two tracks could be used with the invention, depending on the particular application. The track 14 forms a groove or channel 28 in the base 12 that is dimensioned and shaped to receive a coupling flange of the drive mechanism 16, described below. When viewed either from the front edge 24 or from the trailing edge 26 of the base 12, the slot 28 as an example can generally define an "L" shaped configuration. This configuration allows the driver flange 16 to be slidably mounted to the base 12 and also prevents the drive 16 from rising off the track 14. Note that other shapes of the slot 28 with the invention are possible to mount the drive mechanism 16 to base 12. Extending outward from base 12 is a product divider 18. Divider 18 is used to separate products marketed in rows on shelves. In an exemplary embodiment, the divider 18 is slidably positioned in a notch 30 extending through the base 12 from the leading edge 24 to the trailing edge 26 of the base 12. The divider 18 may be a removable divider. which is slidably withdrawn from the notch 30 is the front edge 24 or the rear front edge 26 of the base 12. The divider 18 can also be configured to be extracted from the base 12 by lifting the divider 18 from the notch 30. In one embodiment, the divider 18 can be integrally formed to the base 12 such that it can not slide out of or rise from the base 12. Those skilled in the art should understand that variations can be made to the base 12 and to the divider 18 in order to accommodate the insertion, placement, or extraction of the dividers, variations that are within the scope of the invention. For example, it may be desirable to invert the structure that provides the slidable clutch of the divider 18 with the notch 30 and still achieve the slidable removal of the divider 18. In other words, it may be desirable to place a notch in the end of the divider 18 which clutch slidably with a guide portion located in the base 12. This construction also allows the sliding insertion and removal of the dividers on the base 12. As another example, it should be understood that the divider 18 can be integrally formed with the base 12, or snapped into the base 12, such that the divider 18 can not be easily removed. In addition, the person skilled in the art will appreciate that the shape of the divider 18 is not limited to the shape represented graphically in the Figures. Rather, the shape of the divider 18 can define any shape, profile, or winch that improves the placement and removal of the product on the shelf. It is contemplated that the drive mechanism 16 may be mounted to the divider 18 in the same manner and using the same techniques described above with respect to mounting the drive mechanism 16 to the base 12, or in any known mounting technique, such as the technique described in FIG. the Patent of E.ü. No. 4,830,201, incorporated for reference. In this configuration, the drive mechanism 16 will slide slidably through the divider 18 and between the front part of the divider 18 and the back of the divider panel 18. The driver face 20 will extend outwardly from the divider 18 and be extendable between a narrow product driving configuration and a wider product driving configuration, as described herein. As stated previously, the drive mechanism 16 of the invention includes the ability to propel narrow products and to be slidably configured to multiple positions to also propel wider products. The drive mechanism 16 achieves these multiple configurations and positions by providing a driving face 20 that can slide transversely relative to the track 14 to a multitude of driving face positions. In an exemplary embodiment, the driving face 20, also known as the driving vane, extends outwardly from the base 12. The driving face 20 can generally define a flat and smooth driving surface 32 or other suitable shape for driving specific packages. of a product such as cylindrical products. The driving face 20 also defines a thickness suitable for driving heavier and wider products without undue bending. The driving face 20 can be made of any known material, such as a plastic material, which is suitable for driving products. The driving face 20 is coupled to the track 14 by the use of a driving support base 34, as illustrated in Figure 3. The driving face 20 is slidably mounted to the support base 34 along a supporting track 36 (Figures 1 and 3) and a support track 38 (Figures 1 and 2), both of which provide a clutch point for the driving face and also allow the driving face 20 to slide in a generally horizontal manner. The driving face 20 is mounted on the support base 34 at these clutch points in order to provide a secure connection of the driving face 20 to the support base 34. The skilled person will appreciate that other techniques for mounting the face are possible. drive 20 to the driving support base 34 and that the support tracks 36, 38 are merely illustrative of an exemplary embodiment. In an exemplary embodiment, and shown graphically in Figures 3-5, located along the rear side 33 of the driving face 20 is a plurality of detents 40 engaging with an inclined extension 42 mounted on the base support 34. The inclined extension 42 and the detents 40 allow the increasing movement of the driving face 20 and serve to hold the driving face 20 in a desired position after the driving face 20 slides relative to the support base 34 and therefore in relation to the tracks 14. In other words, as the driving face 20 slides along the support tracks 36, 38 of the support base 34, the inclined extension 42 moves through the plurality of detents 40 which settle and re-settle in the plurality of detents 40 until the driving face 20 is in the desired position. Once in the desired position, the inclined extension 42 will settle in the detent 40 and will hold the driving face 20 in that position. As illustrated in Figures 4-5, the inclined extension 42 is part of a U-shaped tilt element or spring 44 which is mounted on the support base 34. The ü-shaped spring 44 defines at the end 46 the inclined extension 42, and at the end 48 a mounting flange 50 used to secure the U-shaped spring 44 to the support base 34. Installed, the ü-shaped spring 44 provides a tilting force to stimulate extension inclined 42 on the detents 40. As depicted graphically, the inclined extension 42 defines a shape corresponding to the shape of the detents 40 in order to provide an appropriate coupling clutch of the inclined extension 42 with the detents 40. The driving face 20 is slidably mounted to the support base 34, as described above, in order to slide transversely relative to the tracks 14. The sliding fit of the driving face 20 allows the user to extend the to driving face 20 from a retracted position, as graphically represented in Figure 1, to one of several extended positions, as graphically depicted in Figure 2, preferably a position ensuring that the driving face 20 is aligned with the center of the product (or any other desirable position) in order to properly propel the product. This selective adjustment of the driving face 20 towards the center of the product (or any other desirable position) greatly increases the driving leverage of the driving face 20 on the product, without the user having to change the driving face, add an additional track, widen the spacing between the tracks 14, or add a second drive mechanism or other components.

As stated, the driving face 20 will be held in the desired driving face location by the inclined extension 42 and the detents 40. The skilled person will understand that other variations to the described technique are possible to hold the driving face 20 in any transversely extended positions and are considered within the scope of the invention including, without limitation, techniques utilizing pins, fasteners, clamps, springs, clamping presses, or other attachment and attachment techniques known in the art. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the present invention may be used without the fastening techniques described herein; rather, the driving face can be slidably extended by any known technique and held in place only by friction. Furthermore, the skilled person will understand that other techniques are possible to transversely extend the driving face to a driving configuration of wide products, including the use of different track configurations 36, 38, key and slot techniques, and the like. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the driving face 20 may incorporate a driving face extension extending transversely from the driving face 20 to provide a wider driving surface. The extension of the driving face can be incorporated on the driving face 20 by the use of any of the techniques described herein. The support base 34 defines outwardly extending flanges 52 used for slidably mounting and securing the support base 34 to one or more tracks 1. The support base 34 defines a width and depth sufficient to provide the drive face 20 with a support seating that allows the drive face 20 to properly propel wider and often heavier products into the shelf without undesirable attachment of the flanges 52. in the tracks. Also, in an exemplary embodiment, the outwardly extending flanges 52 are spaced on the support base 34 and are therefore spaced on the tracks 14 to provide a support seating that prevents bending or tumbling of the face impeller 20 while driving wider and often heavier products. The person skilled in the art will appreciate that the number, placement and spacing of the flanges 52 will vary depending on the application and the desired size of the products to be propelled. Therefore, it will be readily understood that the present invention is not limited to the number, spacing and placement of the flanges 52 illustrated by the embodiment depicted graphically in the Figures. The support base 34 also defines a base extension 35 which serves as a support structure for the mounted driving face 20. The base extension 35 is shown graphically projecting outwardly from the support base 34 and through the rear 33 of the drive face 20 and along the support rods 37 of the drive face. The base extension 35 will provide support for the driving face 20 in the retracted position, or in any of the extended positions. The base extension 35 can be formed integrally with the support base 34 or can be attached to the support base 34 using known fastening techniques. The support base 34 also serves to contain at least one drive element 60 used to drive the drive face 20 towards the front of the shelf. The drive member 60 can be any element that includes, without limitation, a cylindrical helical flat spring commonly used with the drive systems. The present invention may use one or more driving elements 60 to drive the driving face 20 depending on the desired application. The drive element 60 can be mounted to the drive mechanism 16 and the base 12 using any known mounting technique. In the exemplary embodiment, one end of the drive member 60 is secured to the base 12 near the front edge 24 of the base 12, and the opposite end of the drive element 60, which is graphically represented as a rolled end, is positioned behind the drive mechanism 16 in order to drive the drive face 20 toward the front of the shelf, as is known in the art. Other mounting configurations of the drive member 60 are possible with the present invention. In other words, the fixed end of the drive member 60 can be mounted on the drive mechanism 16, while the coiled end can be operatively mounted to the base or other structure. In addition, other techniques for mounting the drive member 60 to the base 12, the drive mechanism 16, or other components, including the unique mounting technique shown and described in the PCT / IB03 / 01088 publication application, are possible with the present invention. assigned to RTC Industries, Inc., and incorporated herein by reference. With this mounting technique, the end of the drive element is V-shaped and has a predetermined spring elasticity such that under an applied load the V-shaped end will compress and return to its original shape after removing the applied load. . During installation, the V-shaped end will be pressed into a channel formed in the base and compressed as the end passes through the channel. Once in the channel, the V-shaped end will be released and snap into the channel, thus securing the impeller to the base. To free the drive element from the channel, one must simply press the V-shaped end until the V-shaped end passes through the channel. Then, the drive element can be lifted out of the channel. For more details regarding this unique mounting technique, a reference to the publication request PCT / IB03 / 01088 should be made. Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It should be understood that the invention described and defined herein extends to all alternate combinations of two or more individual features mentioned or apparent from the text and / or the drawings. All these different combinations constitute various alternate aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best known modes for carrying out the invention and will allow other persons skilled in the art to use the invention. The claims should not be construed as including alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art. Various characteristics of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

Claims (43)

1. NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the invention as antecedent, the content of the following claims is claimed as property CLAIMS 1. A product management display system, characterized in that it comprises: a base for operative coupling to a shelf, a divider for dividing merchandise displayed in rows, in which the divider extends outwardly from the base, and a impeller, movable the impeller in a first direction, the impeller including a drive face that is extendable in a second direction from a first position to a second position. The product management display system according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving face is extendable in the second direction from the first position to a plurality of second positions. The product management display system according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving face is extendable in a second direction which is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. 4. The product management display system according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving face is mounted on a driving base. The product management display system according to claim 4, characterized in that the driving base includes at least one flange for mounting the driving base on the base. 6. The product management display system according to claim 5, characterized in that the base includes at least one track, the flange of the driving base can be mounted on at least one track. The product management display system according to claim 4, characterized in that the driving base is operatively coupled to a driving element. 8. The product management display system according to claim 1, characterized in that the impeller is coupled to the divider. The product management display system according to claim 4, characterized in that the driving face includes a plurality of detents, and the driving base includes a tilting element operatively engaging the plurality of detents in order to allow the selective extension of the driving face 10. The product management display system according to claim 9, characterized in that the tilting element is a U-shaped spring defining an inclined extension that operatively engages the plurality of detents. The product management display system according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving face is increasingly extensible in the second direction. The product management display system according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving face in the first position is located adjacent to the divider, and in the second position it is located withdrawn from the divider. 13. A product management display system, characterized in that it comprises: a base for operative coupling to a shelf, including the base at least one track, a divider for dividing merchandise exhibited in rows, and an impeller mounted on the track of the base, movable the impeller along the track, the impeller including a drive face that is transversely extendable relative to the track from a first position to a second position. The product management display system according to claim 13, characterized in that the driving face is extendable from the first position to a plurality of second positions. 15. The product management display system according to claim 14, characterized in that the driving face is extended in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the splitter. 16. The product administration display system according to claim 13, characterized in that the driving face is mounted on a driving base. 17. The product management display system according to claim 16, characterized in that the driving base includes at least one flange for mounting the driving base on the base. 18. The product management display system according to claim 17, characterized in that the flange of the driving base is mounted on at least one track. 19. The product management display system according to claim 18, characterized in that the driving base is operatively coupled to a driving element. 20. The product management display system according to claim 19, characterized in that the driving element is a cylindrical helical spring. The product management display system according to claim 20, characterized in that the driving face includes a plurality of detents, and the driving base includes a tilting element operatively engaging the plurality of detents in order to allow the selective extension of the driving face 22. The product management display system according to claim 21, characterized in that the tilting element is a U-shaped spring defining an inclined extension that operatively engages the plurality of detents. 23. The product management display system according to claim 13, characterized in that the driving face is increasingly extensible from the first position to the second position. 24. The product management display system according to claim 13, characterized in that the driving face in the first position is located adjacent to the divider, and in the second position is located removed from the divider. 25. A product management display system, characterized in that it comprises: a base for operative coupling to a shelf, including the base at least one track, a divider for dividing the displayed goods into rows, and an impeller operatively coupled to the track of the base, mobile the impeller along the track, the impeller including a drive face which is movable along the track and which is extensible substantially perpendicular to the track. 26. The product management display system according to claim 25, characterized in that the driving face is extendable from a first position to a plurality of second positions 27. The product management display system according to claim 26, characterized in that the The driving face is increasingly extensible from the first position to a plurality of second positions. 28. The product management display system according to claim 25, characterized in that the driving face is mounted on a driving base. 29. The product management display system according to claim 28, characterized in that the driving base includes at least one flange for mounting the driving base on the base. 30. The product management display system according to claim 29, characterized in that the flange of the driving base is mounted on at least one track. 31. The product management display system according to claim 30, characterized in that the driving base is operatively coupled to a driving element. 32. The product management display system according to claim 31, characterized in that the drive element is a cylindrical propeller spring. The product management display system according to claim 28, characterized in that the driving face includes a plurality of detents, and the driving base includes a tilting element operatively engaging the plurality of detents in order to allow selective extension of the driving face 34. The product management display system according to claim 33, characterized in that the tilting element has a U-shaped spring defining an inclined extension that operatively engages the plurality of detents. 35. The product management display system according to claim 26, characterized in that the driving face in the first position is located adjacent to the divider, and in the plurality of second positions is located removed from the divider. 36. A product management display system, characterized in that it comprises: a base for operative coupling to a shelf, including the base at least one track, a divider for dividing the displayed goods into rows, and an impeller operatively coupled to the track of the base, moving the impeller along the track, including the impeller a driving base and a driving face mounted on the driving base, the driving base includes at least one flange for mounting the driving base on the base, operatively coupled the driving base to a driving element, the driving face being transversely extensible with respect to the track from a first position to a plurality of second positions. 37. The product management display system according to claim 36, characterized in that the driving face is extendable in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the divider. 38. The product management display system according to claim 37, characterized in that the flange of the driving base is mounted on at least one track. 39. The product management display system according to claim 38, characterized in that the driving element is a cylindrical propeller spring. 40. The product management display system according to claim 39, characterized in that the driving face includes a plurality of detents, and the driving base includes a tilting element operatively engaging the plurality of detents to allow selective extension of the seal. driving face 41. The product management display system according to claim 40, characterized in that the tilting element is a U-shaped spring defining an inclined extension that operatively engages the plurality of detents. 42. The product management display system according to claim 41, characterized in that the driving face is increasingly extensible from the first position to a plurality of second positions. 43. The product management display system according to claim 42, characterized in that the driving face in the first position is located adjacent to the divider, and in a plurality of second positions is located removed from the divider.