CN104010551B - Management of product display system - Google Patents

Abstract

The management of product display system of the product of sale on shelf includes with front circular portion and defines multiple holes and with least one pallet of two sides.Antelabium can upwardly extend from the front circular portion of at least one pallet.Front shelf can extend forward from antelabium.At least one pallet may include each upwardly extend separator from antetheca and two sides.Antetheca may include roof, bottom wall and two collateral pin.Antetheca, bottom wall and two collateral pin can form cinclides, and antetheca may include to be configured to the multiple projections engaged with multiple holes on pallet.

Description

Product Management Display System

Cross References to Related Applications

This international application relates to U.S. Application No. 12/639,656 filed on December 16, 2009. U.S. Application No. 12/639,656 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 12/357,860 filed on January 22, 2009. U.S. Application No. 12/357,860 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application No. 11/760,196 filed June 8, 2007, which is U.S. Application No. 11/760,196 filed April 25, 2006. Continuation-in-Part of 11/411,761, which was issued as U.S. Patent No. 7,823,734, and U.S. Patent No. 7,823,734 claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/716,362 filed September 12, 2005 and filed in 2005 to the right of US Provisional Application No. 60/734,692, dated November 8, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. This application also claims U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/530,736, filed September 2, 2011, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/542,473, filed October 3, 2011, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/542,473, filed October 31, 2011 US Provisional Application No. 61/553,545, and the benefit of US Continuation-in-Part Application No. 13/564,575, filed August 1, 2012, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

technical field

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a shelf assembly for use in selling products, and more particularly to a shelf assembly having an improved mechanism for displaying and advancing products on the shelf.

Background technique

Retail and wholesale stores such as convenience stores, drug stores, grocery stores, discount stores, and the like are known to require large amounts of shelving, both for storing products and for displaying them to consumers. In the process of displaying products, the products on the shelves need to be placed towards the front of the shelves so that the products can be seen and picked up by consumers. In the case of refrigerators or refrigerators used to store and display beverages such as soft drinks, energy drinks, bottled drinks and other bottled or canned beverages, the product needs to be placed towards the front of the shelf so that the product can be seen by the consumer and Obtain.

To accomplish product placement, known systems may include inclined trays or floors that, by gravity, will cause the products to move towards the front of the shelf. Many of these systems include shelves or floors made of a plastic material such as polypropylene which, due to its low coefficient of friction, allows products to slide along inclined floors or surfaces. However, over time, these surfaces can become obstructed by debris or sticky matter, which inhibits proper sliding of products, sometimes resulting in the tipping of multiple products preventing other products from moving to the front of the shelf.

Other systems include the use of a pusher system that advances product toward the front of the shelf as the product in front of the shelf is removed. Known pusher systems are generally mounted to rails and include pusher paddles and coil springs to drive the product forward. Sometimes, while using the system, and over time, the rails become clogged with dirt or sticky material that prevents proper operation of the thruster system on the rails. Furthermore, depending on the size, shape and weight of the product to be marketed, known propeller paddles may sometimes tip over or bend backwards, resulting in binding of the propeller mechanism in the rails. In these cases, the pusher mechanism may not propel the product properly toward the front of the shelf.

An exemplary embodiment is directed to existing merchandising systems by providing a trackless pusher system for both gravity fed merchandising systems (i.e. inclined shelves or trays) and non-gravity fed merchandising systems Improve.

Contents of the invention

One exemplary embodiment is directed to a product management display system for selling products on shelves. This embodiment includes the use of a trackless pusher mechanism that travels along the product placement surface. The trackless system overcomes the known problems of using rails to hold and guide known pusher mechanisms. It should be understood, however, that the teachings of this embodiment may be used with systems including rails with mounted pusher mechanisms or similar structures.

The propeller mechanism may include a propeller paddle and a base plate extending forward of the propeller paddle. A flat coil spring or other biasing element may be operatively connected to the rear of the pusher paddle and extend over the floor of the pusher mechanism to the front of the shelf. Alternatively, a flat coil spring or biasing element may extend across the divider to the front of the shelf assembly. In this configuration, the propeller paddle is prevented from tipping over or bending backwards during operation.

An exemplary embodiment also includes the use of a propulsion mechanism in selling products on horizontal or non-inclined shelves or surfaces, and in gravity feed systems or systems that use gravity as the mechanism to drive product toward the front of the shelf.

According to an exemplary illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the propeller paddle will define a concave propulsion surface for propelling a cylindrical product, such as a soft drink bottle or can, to keep the paddle centered on the rail and behind the product. Alternatively, the propeller paddle may define a flat propulsion surface which may further comprise at its upper edge curved ribs or similar structures which may also be used to propel cylindrical products.

According to another exemplary illustrated embodiment of the present invention, the base plate of the pusher mechanism may include a notch or cutout portion to align the pusher mechanism with respect to the coil spring. Additionally, the base plate of the system may also include a notch or cutout portion for receiving and mounting the flat end of the coil spring to the base plate. A spring end can be placed over the end of the coil spring to mount the coil spring to the system's chassis. Alternatively, the ends of the coil springs may be mounted to the partitions of the assembly.

According to yet another embodiment, an adapter for a product management display system may be positioned on a floor surface of the display system. The adapter may include a planar surface from which at least two ribs extend in a substantially parallel manner across and outwardly from the planar surface. A coil spring may be positioned between the parallel extending ribs. In this configuration, the product to be sold can be located on the rib instead of directly on the coil spring to enhance the forward movement of certain types of product such as beverage cans.

In yet another alternative, mounting members may be used to mount the ends of the coil springs to the chassis of the system. For those systems that include spaced apart runners joined together by connecting ribs, the mounting members may be snapped or otherwise mounted on the base plate and between the runners.

In yet another alternative aspect, the trackless pusher system is retrofitted into an existing shelving assembly. This allows the trackless thruster system to be placed into an existing shelving system as a low cost alternative to purchasing an entire trackless thruster assembly.

In yet another exemplary embodiment, a coil spring may be mounted to the retainer. One end of the coil spring may be mounted directly to the holder, or alternatively the end may be mounted to the holder via an adapter. The holder may have a curved portion that is received into a correspondingly shaped curved groove in the holder to secure the end of the spring to the display assembly.

In another exemplary embodiment, trays may be attached via dovetail connections to form a shelf assembly. Furthermore, the dividers are adjustable so that the width of the product rows can be adapted to receive products of different sizes.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment, a product management display system may be arranged in a stackable arrangement. The assembly may be provided with a first tray and a second tray, each tray having a first wall and a second wall. Each of the first and second trays is adapted to receive a pusher mechanism and a retainer mechanism. First and second dividers are mounted to the first and second trays for stacking one of the first and second trays on top of the other. The first and second dividers may be provided with a plurality of detents, and the first and second trays may each be provided with a plurality of correspondingly shaped sockets for receiving the plurality of detents.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment, a product management display system may include at least one tray having a front circular portion and defining a plurality of apertures and having two sides. A lip may extend upwardly from the front circular portion of the at least one tray. A front shelf may extend forward from the lip. The at least one tray may include a divider extending upward from each of the front wall and the two sides. The front wall may include a top wall, a bottom wall and two side legs. The front wall, the bottom wall, and the two side feet may form wall holes, and the front wall may include a plurality of protrusions configured to engage the plurality of holes on the tray.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 depicts an exploded isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a product management display system of the present invention.

Figure 2 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary pusher mechanism of the present invention mounted to an exemplary pallet or product lane.

Figure 3 depicts another isometric view of the system of Figure 2 with a product placed in the system.

Figure 4 depicts another isometric view of the system of Figure 2 with multiple products placed in the system.

FIG. 5 depicts an isometric rear view of the system of FIG. 4 .

Figure 6 depicts an alternative embodiment of the tray or product lane of the present invention.

7 depicts an exemplary end for one end of a coil spring that may be used with the product management display system of the present invention.

Figure 8 depicts the exemplary tip of Figure 7 being installed to the surface of a pallet or product lane.

Figure 9 depicts the exemplary tip of Figure 7 being fitted to the end of a coil spring.

FIG. 10 depicts the exemplary tip of FIG. 7 mounted to the end of a coil spring.

Figure 11 depicts an isometric view of an alternative exemplary embodiment of a product management display system of the present invention.

FIG. 12 depicts another isometric view of the system of FIG. 11 .

FIG. 13 depicts a front view of the system of FIG. 11 .

FIG. 14 depicts a top view of the system of FIG. 11 .

FIG. 15 depicts a rear view of the system of FIG. 11 .

Figure 16 depicts an isometric view of an adapter usable with the present invention.

FIG. 17 depicts a front view of the adapter of FIG. 16 .

Figure 18 depicts an exemplary installation of the adapter of the present invention.

Figure 19 depicts an isometric view of an installed adapter of the present invention.

Figure 20 depicts a front view of an installed adapter of the present invention.

Figure 21 depicts an isometric view of an alternative exemplary embodiment of a product management display system of the present invention.

22 depicts a bottom isometric view of an exemplary mounting member that may be used to mount the end of a coil spring to the floor of a display system.

FIG. 23 depicts a top isometric view of the exemplary mounting member of FIG. 22 .

FIG. 24 depicts the example mounting member of FIG. 22 mounted to the end of a coil spring mounted to an example propeller paddle.

25 depicts another view of the example mounting member of FIG. 22 mounted to the end of a coil spring mounted to an example propeller paddle.

FIG. 26 depicts the example mounting member of FIG. 22 with the attached coil spring being installed to the base plate of the system.

FIG. 27 depicts the example mounting member of FIG. 22 mounted to the backplane of the system.

Figure 28 depicts an isometric view of an alternative exemplary embodiment of a product management display system of the present invention.

FIG. 29 depicts a close-up isometric view of the tray of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 28 .

29A depicts a cross-sectional view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 28 showing a first means of securing.

29B depicts a cross-sectional view of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 28 showing a second means of securing.

30 depicts a close-up isometric view of the embodiment of FIG. 28 showing the rivets attaching the spring to the tray.

Figure 31 depicts an isometric view of the embodiment of Figure 28 being installed into a pre-existing wire shelf.

Figure 32 depicts an isometric view of the embodiment of Figure 28 installed into a pre-existing wire shelf.

Figure 33 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a display system.

Figure 34 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a display system.

Figure 35 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of an adapter.

Figure 36 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a retainer.

Figure 37 depicts a side view of an exemplary embodiment of a display system.

Figure 38 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a display system.

Figure 39 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a display system.

Figure 40 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a display system.

Figure 41A depicts a partial side view of an exemplary embodiment of a divider.

Figure 41B depicts a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a display system.

Figure 41C depicts a close-up view of a portion of Figure 41B.

Figure 41D depicts a front view of an exemplary embodiment of a divider.

Figure 42 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a display system.

Figure 43 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a display system.

Figure 44 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a product management display system.

Figure 45 depicts another isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a product management display system and products in the system.

46 depicts a top view of another exemplary embodiment of a product management display system and products in the system.

Figure 47 depicts an isometric rear view of an exemplary embodiment of a product management display system and products in the system.

Figure 48 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a pusher mechanism mounted to a divider.

Figure 49 depicts another isometric view of the divider and pusher system being assembled into the system management display system.

Figure 50 depicts an isometric view of yet another exemplary embodiment of a product management display system.

51 depicts another isometric view of the exemplary embodiment of the product management display system of FIG. 50 without products.

FIG. 52 depicts an exploded isometric view of the exemplary embodiment of the product management display system of FIG. 50. FIG.

Figure 53 depicts an isometric view of yet another exemplary embodiment of a product management display system.

54 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary attachment of a pusher spring to a shelf of the product management display system of FIG. 53. FIG.

55 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary attachment of a pusher spring to a shelf of the product management display system of FIG. 53.

56 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary attachment of a pusher spring to a shelf of the product management display system of FIG. 53. FIG.

57 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary attachment of a pusher spring to a shelf of the product management display system of FIG. 53. FIG.

Figure 58 depicts an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a product management display system and aspects of the product management display system.

59A , 59B and 59C depict isometric views of an embodiment of the product management display system of FIG. 58 .

FIG. 60 depicts an isometric view of an embodiment of the product management display system of FIG. 58 .

Before embodiments of the invention are described in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in application to the details of arrangement and construction of the parts set forth in the following description or shown in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of "comprising" and "including" and variations thereof is intended to include the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, the terms "installed", "installed", and "installing" are used more broadly to include any technique or method of installing, attaching, joining or coupling one part to another, whether directly or indirectly of.

Detailed ways

The present invention can be implemented in various forms. Referring to the figures in which like numerals indicate like elements, an exploded isometric view of an exemplary embodiment is depicted in FIG. 1 . The exemplary merchandising system 10 includes a product dispensing tray 12 with an exemplary trackless pusher mechanism 14 mounted therein. As will be described in more detail below, the pusher mechanism 14 will fit within the tray 12 and will slide along the surface of the tray without the use of rails, tracks or guides typically used to hold conventional pusher mechanisms to the tray or the floor of the tray. . The propeller mechanism defines a propeller paddle and a propeller floor extending forward of the propeller paddle. A coil spring is extendable across the pusher floor and is operatively connected to the tray at a forward position on the tray. In one aspect of the invention, the product to be sold may be placed in a tray in front of the pusher paddle and may sit on the pusher floor and coil spring. In this configuration, the weight of the product will prevent the propeller paddles from tipping over, ensuring proper propulsion of the product. In addition, problems associated with debris or sticky material that interfere with the effectiveness of known pusher systems using rails, tracks, or guidance have been eliminated. Other aspects, features and embodiments of the invention and its teachings are set forth in more detail below.

The exemplary tray 12 may define a surface 16 and one or more divider panels or dividers 18 to separate the tray into rows for product placement. In another alternative aspect, tray 12 may be a shelf or any other surface on which products may be placed for sale. Surface 16 may be a solid surface or a surface that defines a plurality of spaced apertures 20 separated by a plurality of support ribs 22 . The holes 20 and ribs 22 provide a surface that allows slidable movement of products placed on this surface and also allow liquids and dirt to pass through the holes 20 so that they do not collect on the surface 16 . Surface 16 may be made of any suitable material that allows products to be slidably moved over surface 16 . Other surface or floor configurations are known and can be used with the principles of the present invention.

As depicted in FIGS. 9 and 10 , surface 16 may define a circular end portion 24 including a notch or cutout portion 26 . End portion 24 may be rounded to match the shape of the product placed on the tray. For example, the end portion 24 is depicted as circular or defines a semi-circular shape to match the contour of a bottle or can that might be placed in the tray and on the end portion 24 . Depending on the shape of the product being marketed, other shaped end portions may be used with the present invention.

The notch 26 can be used to receive and mount the end 29 of a coil spring 30 or similar biasing element. The slot 26 may define opposing angled edge surfaces 32 joined by an edge 34 . The edge 34 is preferably centered across the width of the row of products formed in the tray 12 and extends perpendicular to the length of the tray. This configuration will center the coil spring 30 relative to the tray 12 and will allow the spring to extend substantially parallel to the length of the tray. In other words, the depicted edge 34 of the notch 26 will allow the spring 30 to extend along the length of the tray 12 at or near the center of the row of products formed by the tray. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the location and configuration of the notch can vary depending on the desired location of the spring.

The coil spring 30 may define an end 29 configured to be placed across the notch 26 onto the edge 34 . In one aspect, the end 29 of the coil spring may be V-shaped and act as a hook such that the end 29 will wrap around the edge 34 with a portion of the end 29 of the coil spring extending below the end portion 24 of the surface 16 . This configuration allows for easy installation of the coil spring onto the pallet.

In another aspect, referring to FIG. 7, a spring end 60 may be added to the end 29 of the spring 30 to assist in mounting the spring to the system. The spring end 60 can define a variety of shapes and configurations depending on the surface to which the spring end needs to be attached and the configuration of the tray. The spring end 60 may be permanently attached to the end 29 of the coil spring 30 or it may be detachable to allow interchange or replacement of the spring end 60 . Spring end 60 may be made of plastic and may define one or more holes. The hole 61 can be used to receive the end 29 of the coil spring 30 . The second aperture 63 may be used to receive a mating tongue or mounting member 65 extending from the surface 16 of the tray 12, as discussed below. In this configuration, end 29 of coil spring 30 may be operably connected to tray 12 .

In another aspect, the end 29 of the coil spring can be snapped into a hole formed in the surface 16, or otherwise inserted or secured into a hole or opening in the tray, thereby attaching the end of the coil spring 30 29 fixed in place.

Referring back to FIG. 1 , dividers 18 may also be used to separate products into rows. The divider 18 extends generally upwardly from the surface 16 and, as shown in FIG. 1 , the divider 18 may be positioned on an opposite side of the surface 16 . Alternatively, divider 18 may be positioned to surface 16 or at any desired location on tray 12 . The divider 18 may be formed as an integral structure with the surface 16, or the divider 18 may be removable to provide added flexibility to the system. Depending on the system, the divider can be attached to the front or rear track. Dividers 18 may define a variety of configurations and extend upward any desired distance to provide the desired height of the dividers between rows of products to be sold. This height may be adjustable by adding divider extensions or the like.

Located forward of the tray 12 and extending between the dividers 18 may be one or more product retention members 44 . The product retaining members 44 serve as front retaining walls or bars to retain the product in the tray 12 and prevent the product from falling out of the tray 12 . These members may also be configured to allow easy removal of the forwardmost product positioned in the tray 12 . Product retaining member 44 may be one or more curved shaped retaining ribs as depicted in FIG. 1 . These illustrated retaining ribs may extend from one divider to the other to join the dividers. Retaining ribs may also extend halfway between the dividers, as also rib 46 shown in Figure 1, to also assist in retaining the product in the tray. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, the product retaining member 44 may be a curved shaped solid retaining wall 48 extending between the dividers. Retaining wall 48 may be transparent or translucent to allow the products on the shelf to be seen. In another aspect, the retaining wall 48 may also extend halfway between the dividers 18 . In another embodiment, depicted in Figures 11-15, the retaining wall 100 may be attached to the surface of the tray and not connected to the divider. In this embodiment, the retaining wall 100 may form an opening 102 defined by the upper member 104 , an opposing curved sidewall 106 further defining an angled edge 108 , and a floor member 110 . Depending on the system, sidewall 106 may also be straight and not curved. The ends of the coil springs may also be snapped into the base plate 110 or otherwise attached to the tray using any of the techniques described herein. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize a variety of possible shapes and configurations for the product retaining member 44, and the depicted configuration is merely an exemplary embodiment of these various configurations.

Referring back to FIG. 1 , the exemplary trackless propeller mechanism 14 defines a propeller paddle 50 and a propeller floor 52 . The propeller paddle 50 and propeller floor 52 may be formed as a single, unitary structure or may be separate structures joined together using known techniques. Additionally, the propeller paddle 50 and propeller base plate 52 may be formed from any known suitable plastic or metal material. The propeller paddle and propeller floor may be reinforced using any known strengthening technique.

In one aspect, the propeller paddle 50 forms a curved shaped propeller surface or face 54 configured to match the shape of a product to be sold, such as a plastic bottle or can containing a beverage, as shown in FIGS. 3-5 . The curved shape of the pusher surface 54 allows the pusher to maintain alignment with the center of the last product in the tray. This configuration reduces friction and drag between the pusher and the divider walls. In an alternative aspect, the impeller surface or face may be a flat surface. In another aspect, the flat propeller surface may be accompanied by curved-shaped ribs positioned on or near the top of the propeller paddle, and which may be of a type similar to the curved-shaped propeller surface 54 depicted in FIG. mode is used to center and align the product in the tray. The curved shaped ribs may define other shapes and configurations that allow cylindrical or type shaped products to be properly propelled in the tray. Advertising, product logos, or other product information may be placed on the pusher surface 54 .

Positioned behind the pusher surface or face 54 may be one or more support members 58 such as ribs, walls or gussets. Support members 58 are configured to support the propeller surface 54 and further connect the propeller paddle 50 to the propeller floor 52 . As can be seen in FIG. 5 , positioned between the support members 58 is the coil spring 30 , more specifically the coiled end 57 for urging the pusher paddle 50 forward and along the tray 12 , as understood in the field. Any technique for operatively connecting a coil spring to the propeller paddle 50 may be used with the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the propeller floor 52 may be positioned below the propeller paddle 50 and may extend forward of the propeller surface 54 of the propeller paddle. The pusher floor 52 may extend any predetermined distance and at any predetermined angle. For example, the pusher floor 52 may extend substantially perpendicular to the pusher surface 54 . In an exemplary embodiment, the pusher floor 52 may extend a sufficient distance to allow one product, such as a single bottle or can, to be placed on the pusher floor. In another aspect, the pusher floor 52 may be configured to allow more than one product to be placed on the pusher floor. The pusher floor 52 may define any shape, including the depicted circular shape and may define any product retention features on the surface of the pusher floor, such as ribs, walls, or the like, to further retain product on the pusher floor .

As can be seen in FIG. 2 , the pusher floor 52 may define an elongated channel, groove or recessed portion 59 sized, shaped and configured to receive the coil spring 30 . In an exemplary embodiment, channel or groove 59 may extend across base plate 52 and in a perpendicular manner relative to propeller paddle 50 . In an alternative aspect, the groove or channel may extend halfway or across the entire pusher floor 52 as shown in FIG. 19 . Such a configuration allows for proper alignment and positioning of the propeller paddles 50 in the tray. The groove 59 may define a depth that matches or exceeds the thickness of the coil spring 30 . In this configuration, the coil spring 30 will sit at or below the pusher floor surface so that the product will not sit directly on the coil spring, but rather the product will sit on the pusher floor surface. As shown in Figure 19, the pusher floor may include holes and openings through which debris or other items may pass. Alternatively, the base plate may be a solid surface.

In an alternative aspect of the invention, an adapter 180 may be positioned on surface 16 as shown in FIGS. 16-20 . Referring to Figures 16 and 17, the adapter 180 may include one or more raised ribs 182 on which the product may sit. Raised ribs 182 may extend longitudinally along the length of adapter 180 . Adapter 180 may be a flat extrusion of plastic material (or any other suitable material) defining a flat surface 184 and having one or more ribs 182 extending outwardly from flat surface 184 . The adapter 180 can define a rounded end 185 and include a notch or cutout portion 186 through which or across which the coil spring can extend. The rounded end 185 may be configured to match the shape of the product placed on the tray. Depending on the shape of the product being marketed, other shapes of end 185, notch 186 and adapter 180 may be used with the present invention. Adapter 180 may be a separate insertable piece, or alternatively, a piece integrally formed with surface 16 .

Referring to FIG. 18 , adapter 180 can be easily inserted onto surface 16 between dividers 18 . Referring to FIG. 19 , once the adapter 180 is installed, the pusher mechanism 14 can be positioned on top of the adapter 180 and can slide freely across the rib 182 of the adapter 180 . The coil springs 30 may extend between the ribs 182 in a parallel fashion and may be positioned at or below the top surfaces of the ribs 182, as shown more clearly in FIG. 20 . In this configuration, the product to be sold may sit on and slide along the rib 182 instead of the coil spring 30 .

In an alternative aspect, rib 182 may be a raised rib or rib(s) that may be used to facilitate movement of product over surface 16, or a series of fingers. In another alternative embodiment, the rib 182 may be a product moving member, such as a runner or one or more rollers or rolling members, that allows the product to roll across the rolling member and toward the front of the product display system. Exemplary roller assemblies include those disclosed and described in US Application Serial No. 11/257718, filed October 25, 2005 and assigned to RTC Industries, Inc., which applications are incorporated herein by reference. Those skilled in the art will recognize that there are many possible techniques that can be used with the described pusher mechanism for facilitating the movement of products on a shelf or floor.

The underside of the pusher floor 52 may be a smooth planar surface that will slide freely along the surface 16 . Alternatively, the pusher shoe 52 may include ribs, movers, rollers or the like that will allow the pusher shoe to slide along the surface and also lift the pusher shoe up and away from the surface 16, similar to that described above. In another alternative embodiment, the underside of the pusher floor may be constructed with rail mounting members to allow the pusher to be mounted to a rail or track, as is understood in the art.

The pusher floor further defines a slot or cutout portion 62 through which the coil spring 30 will pass. End 29 of coil spring 30 will pass through notch 62 and through notch 26 of face 16 and will mount to the tray using any of the techniques described above.

In use, when the pusher mechanism 14 is pushed rearwardly in the tray 12, as described above, the end 29 of the coil spring 30 will be held in place and the coiled end 57 of the coil spring 30 is advancing The rear of the paddle 50 will start to unfold. If the pusher 14 is allowed to move forward in the tray 12, for example when a product is removed from the front of the tray, the coiled end 57 of the spring 30 will wrap around and force the pusher paddle 50 forward in the tray 12, thereby Drives product towards the front of the pallet.

In an alternative embodiment, instead of spanning and above the pusher floor, the coil spring 30 may be located and extend below the pusher floor 52, as depicted in the figures. Under this configuration, the groove 59 and the notch 62 may not be unnecessary.

Coil spring 30 may be any biasing element including, but not limited to, flat coil springs commonly used with pusher systems. Depending on the desired application, the present invention may use one or more coil springs to urge the pusher mechanism 14 forward. The coil tension of coil spring 30 may also vary depending on the particular application.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the trackless pusher mechanism 14 is shown mounted to the pallet 12 . As shown, pusher mechanism 14 fits within tray 12 between dividers 18 . As described above, the end 29 of the coil spring 30 extends through the slot in the pusher floor and mounts to the tray. In use, the pusher mechanism 14 will slide along the surface 16 of the tray 12 without the use of rails, tracks or guides. As depicted in FIG. 2 , the pusher mechanism 14 is shown in a forward position.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the pusher mechanism 14 is shown as a product 70 being vended in the vending system 10 . The product is prevented from falling out from the tray by the product holding member 44 . Product 70 may be any product to be sold, including bottles of soft drinks as depicted. As shown in this figure, the product 70 sits on the pusher floor 52 and the coil spring 30 extending below the product. The weight of the product on the bottom plate 52 and the positioning of the product on the spring 30 prevents the paddle 50 from tipping over on the tray 12 .

Referring to FIG. 4 , the pusher mechanism 14 is shown as a plurality of products 70 being vended in the vending system 10 . As shown in this figure, the product next to the pusher paddle 50 sits on the pusher floor 52 and the coil spring 30 extending below the product. The other products will sit on coil springs 30 which will extend below these products. Alternatively, the adapter 180 may be positioned in the system, in which case the product may sit on the rib 182 of the adapter opposite the coil spring. Again, the weight of the product on the pusher floor 52 and the positioning of the product on the spring 30 prevents the paddle 50 from tipping over on the pallet. In use, when a product is removed from the front of the tray adjacent the product retaining member 44, the pusher mechanism 14 (activated by the coil spring 30) will advance the remaining products in the tray 12 up to the frontmost product The product retaining member 44 is contacted. As additional product is removed, the pusher mechanism 14 will continue to push the remaining product toward the product retaining member 44 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , a rear view of the pusher mechanism 14 shows the pusher mechanism 14 selling a plurality of products 70 in the sales system 10 . Again, the product next to the pusher paddle 50 sits on the pusher floor 52 and the coil spring 30 extending below the product. Other products will sit on coil springs that will extend beneath these products. Alternatively, the adapter 180 may be positioned in the system, in which case the product may sit on the rib 182 of the adapter opposite the coil spring. When a product is removed from the front of the tray near the product retaining member 44, the coiled end 57 of the spring 30 will drive the pusher paddle 50 of the pusher mechanism 14 forward in the tray 12 until the frontmost product contacts the product Hold member 44 . As can be seen in this figure, the coiled end 57 may be positioned between two support members 58 . The support members will hold the coil spring between these members. As can be seen in this figure, the pusher floor 52 may also extend below the support member 58 .

Referring to Figure 6, an alternative embodiment of a pusher tray is depicted. In this embodiment, multiple trays 12 may be formed into a single multi-tray assembly 80 . This multiple pallet may have the same floor with dividers 18 extending upwardly from the floor to create multiple pallets or rows. In this embodiment, the product retaining member 44 may be a solid member extending between the two dividers, as discussed above. One or more multi-tray assemblies 80 may be coupled or joined together in a side-by-side fashion using any known technique including clips, dovetail connections, fasteners, or the like. Under this configuration, multiple product lines can be provided for sale of multiple products.

As stated above, the trackless pusher mechanism 14 may be used with a gravity feed system, that is, a system having rails or product channels mounted on an incline to allow gravity to assist in the sale of the product. Alternatively, the trackless propulsion mechanism 14 may be used with product sales systems mounted in a non-inclined or horizontal manner where gravity provides little or no assistance. The trackless pusher mechanism 14 can also be used to push products of various shapes.

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary tip 60 for the end 29 of the coil spring 30 that may be used with the sales system 10. As shown, the end 60 defines an aperture 61 for receiving the end 29 of the coil spring and an aperture 63 for mounting to the pallet surface 16 . As can be seen in FIG. 7 , in one aspect of the alternative embodiment, extending below surface 16 may be a tongue or mounting member 65 which may be configured to mate with hole 63 and snap end 60 to the tongue. on the shape 65 and thereby snap onto the surface 16 .

Referring to FIG. 8 , the exemplary tip 60 of FIG. 7 is shown being installed onto a tongue or mounting member 65 . Tongue 65 may include an elongated outwardly extending rib 67 for snapping tip 60 onto tongue 65 . Those skilled in the art will recognize that other techniques may be used to mount tip 60 to surface 16, and that the depicted technique is merely an exemplary embodiment of one such technique.

Referring to FIG. 9 , an exemplary tip 60 is shown snap-fitted fully mounted to surface 16 , and more particularly, to end portion 24 of surface 16 of tray 12 . Also depicted is the mounting of the end 29 of the coil spring 30 to the hole 61 of the tip 60 . As shown in FIG. 9 , the end 29 of the coil spring can be inserted into the hole 61 . The hole 61 is configured to receive the end 29 of the coil spring and hold the end 29 in place, and also allows the end of the coil spring to be removed from the system should it be necessary to disconnect the coil spring from the end to allow the pusher mechanism 14 to be removed from the system. Portion 29 is removed from bore 61 .

Referring to FIG. 10 , the end 29 of the coil spring is shown fully mounted to an exemplary end 60 . As shown in this figure, the coil spring 30 is now operatively connected to the surface 16 of the tray 12 . As a result, the pusher mechanism 14 is now mounted to the tray 12 .

Referring to Figures 21-27, an alternative technique for mounting the end 29 of the coil spring 30 to the point-of-sale display system is shown. A mounting member 130 may be used to mount the end 29 of the coil spring to the base plate 131 of the system. For those systems that include spaced runner tracks 132 joined together by connecting ribs 134 ( FIGS. 26-27 ), mounting member 130 may be snapped or otherwise mounted on base plate 131 between runners 132 . The mounting member will thereby hold the end of the coil spring in place and to the floor of the system.

Referring to FIGS. 22-23 , the mounting member 130 may include one or more feet 136 on one or more sides of the mounting member 130 . These feet may be configured to snap onto the underside of rail 132 to thereby retain mounting member 130 to the system's floor. The feet 136 may include foot ends 137 that define an L-shaped or angled surface configured to contact the upper side of the track 132 and prevent the mounting member 130 from being lifted from the base plate, except by deliberately lifting the feet from the track 132. The flex below moves out. The feet 136 may contact the connection ribs 134 that will prevent slidable movement of the mounting member 130 relative to the base plate. Referring to Fig. 26, the mounting member 130 is shown being installed to the chassis of the system, and more specifically, to the rails. Figure 27 shows that the mounting member 130 remains in place when the pusher paddle 141 is pulled away from the front of the system. Mounting member 130 may be attached to this type of system backplane 131 using other techniques. For example, separate mounting clips, one or more fasteners, adhesives, or other techniques may be used to secure mounting member 130 to base plate 131 .

22-23, the mounting member 130 may also include a hole or opening or slot 138 that will receive the end 29 of the spring. The springs may be installed using any of the techniques described herein or other techniques. The configuration of mounting member 130 and aperture 138 holds the spring in place on mounting member 130, similar to the techniques described above.

The mounting member 130 may also include glide ribs 139 on the top surface that allow products placed thereon to more easily slide over the mounting member after it is mounted to the floor of the system. The mounting member 130 may also include an elongated flat body 140 that extends forward of the location of the feet 136 to provide stability to the mounting member 130 after it is mounted to the system's chassis.

Referring to Figures 24-25 and 27, the pusher paddle or pusher mechanism 141 may include a pusher face 143 configured to match the shape of the product it is pushing against. As shown, the pusher face 143 may be curved in shape to match the shape of a bottle or other cylindrical object. The propeller paddle 141 may also include a propeller floor 145 of similar construction to the propeller floor described above. The pusher base plate 145 may further include a spring housing 147 that receives the coil spring 30 to shield and protect the spring. The spring pocket 147 can partly or completely span the pusher base plate 145 and extend in the direction of the spring 30 . The spring pocket 147 may have a relatively short height and flat surface 149 to allow the product to sit thereon without significant tipping or tipping of the product.

Pusher 141 may be positioned on the front of floor 131 to slide over the top of the surface, as described above. The pusher paddle may be positioned between two product divider walls 153 joined together by a product retaining member 155 . Additional product retaining members 157 may extend outwardly from the product divider.

Referring to Figures 28 and 29, another alternative technique for mounting the end 29 of the coil spring 30 to a sales display system is shown. In this embodiment, end 29 is riveted to tray 216 .

Referring to Figures 28-32, in an alternative embodiment, the trackless pusher system can be retrofitted into an existing shelving assembly 230, which can have product dividers already built in. For example, in one embodiment, the trackless pusher system can be retrofitted into an existing wire shelving assembly. Referring to Figures 30-32, the tray or adapter 216 can have a sliding floor 222 that can be sized to correspond to a single passage of a shelf 234 or to correspond to the entire shelf width. The glide floor 222 may include a plurality of raised ribs 224 that help reduce friction of the merchandise being sold on the tray 216 . It should be understood that one or more raised ribs 224 may be used with the skid floor 222 . Alternatively, the skid floor 222 may be a flat planar surface without raised ribs. Tray or adapter 216 may be configured similar to adapter 180 of FIG. 16 .

As shown in Figures 28 and 30, the end 29 of the coil spring 30 may be riveted to the front end 228 of the tray 216 via a rivet 229, or may be attached by any other attachment technique. Tray 216 may be held to the rack by any attachment technique suitable for the particular rack. In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 29-32 , tray 216 may include one or more outwardly extending fingers or snaps 220 that may engage one or more individual shelves 234 Wire 232 to hold tray 216 on shelf 234. The fingers or snaps 220 may extend longitudinally along the length of the tray 216, or may be spaced along the length of the tray. Snaps 220 may be used to snap tray 216 to an existing wire shelf. As depicted in FIGS. 29A and 29B , snaps 220A and 220B can define a number of configurations that allow tray 216 to be snapped to a shelf. The embodiment depicted in Figures 28-32 allows for the placement of a trackless pusher system in an existing shelving system as a low cost alternative to an entire trackless pusher assembly. It should be understood with respect to this embodiment that any pusher mechanism described herein may be used.

As depicted in FIGS. 33 and 44, in another exemplary embodiment, a display management system includes one or more pusher mechanisms 286, one or more dividers 266, one or more trays 306, and one or more A plurality of holders 250 . The pusher mechanism 286 may be formed from a pusher paddle 287 and a pusher floor 288 . Products are placed on the pusher floor 288 and directed via the dividers 266 and pusher paddles 287 to the front of the display management system. The coil spring 30 biases the pusher mechanism 286 toward the holder 250 so that the product moves toward the front of the system.

In an exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 33 , coil spring 30 may be mounted to retainer 250 . Alternatively, coil spring 30 may be mounted to divider 266 (also shown in FIGS. 48 and 49 ). The coil spring 30 may be mounted directly to the retainer 250 as depicted in FIG. 33 , or may be mounted to the retainer 250 via a separate adapter 252 as depicted in FIG. 34 .

As depicted in FIG. 35 , adapter 252 has wall 254 proximate first end 256 . The first end 256 has a curved portion 262 that curves upward. The middle portion of the adapter 252 may be provided with a curved slot 260 adapted to receive a correspondingly shaped spring end (not shown).

The coil spring 30 may be fixed to the middle portion of the adapter 252 at one end. In an exemplary embodiment, the curved slot 260 corresponds in shape and size to the first spring end. Additionally, the first spring end of the coil spring 30 may be crimped or bent to provide additional securing. However, any sufficiently fastening method may be used to fasten the first spring end of the coil spring 30 to the adapter 252 .

In an exemplary embodiment, shown in FIGS. 36 and 37 , retainer 250 has a curved slot 284 corresponding in shape and size to curved portion 262 of adapter 252 . The curved slot 284 extends along the length of the holder to allow unlimited positioning of the adapter 252 along the length of the holder 250.

To secure the first spring end of the coil spring 30 to the retainer 250 , the curved portion 262 of the adapter 252 is placed into the curved slot 284 of the retainer 250 . The curved slot 284 secures the adapter 252 and the first spring end of the coil spring 30 to the holder 250 and provides for quick and easy assembly of the display system. Wall 254 provides additional stability to the connection between holder 250 and adapter 252 . However, other methods of securing the adapter 252 and/or the first spring end of the coil spring 30 to the retainer 250 may be used.

Alternatively, the coil spring 30 of the pusher paddle 287 may be mounted directly to the front of the tray 306 as depicted in FIGS. 33 and 44 . The first spring end 290 of the coil spring 30 is provided with a bent portion. The curved portion curves downwardly from the pusher floor 288 and is adapted to be received in a recess 316 (shown in FIG. 33 ) defined by the holder 250 and the lip 318 of the front surface of the dispense tray 306 . The vertically oriented surface of the retainer 250 and the lip 318 are spaced such that a gap is formed between the vertically oriented surface and the front edge of the lip 318 . In order to fix the coil spring 30 and the pusher mechanism 286 into an assembly, the first spring end 290 is inserted into the gap formed between the vertically oriented surface of the retainer 250 and the front edge of the lip 318, and placed into the gap formed by the retainer 250. 250 and the lip 318 of the dispensing tray 306 form the recess 316.

In another exemplary embodiment depicted in FIGS. 38 , 39 , 48 , 49 , coil spring 30 may be mounted directly to divider 266 . Additionally, in an exemplary embodiment, the coil spring 30 may be mounted vertically to the pusher base plate 288 such that the axis about which the coil spring 30 coils is perpendicular to the base plate 288 . This orientation has the benefit of preventing tipping of the propeller paddle. The first spring end 290 may be provided with an angled portion 292 and an end portion 296 . In an exemplary embodiment, angled portion 292 may bend perpendicular to coil spring body 294 . The divider may be provided with a slot 298 adapted to receive the end portion 296 of the first spring end 290 .

To secure the coil spring to the divider, end portion 296 is inserted into slot 298 . Once end portion 296 is fully inserted into slot 298 , angled portion 292 engages slot 298 to secure first spring end 290 to divider 266 .

As depicted in Figure 33, a variety of pusher mechanism designs can be implemented. The propeller paddles 287 may be formed flat to accommodate correspondingly shaped products. Alternatively, the propeller paddle 287 may have a curved first end and a flat second end. This serves to accommodate multiple cylindrical products having multiple different sized diameters, and to facilitate operation of the pusher mechanism 286 . During operation, the product in the pusher mechanism 286 together with the curved first end urges the pusher mechanism against the divider 266 so that the coil spring 30 is held against the first spring end 290 in tension or operation. The divider 266 remains flat. This allows for smoother operation of the pusher mechanism and ensures proper dispensing of product when the user removes product from the system.

In another exemplary embodiment depicted in FIGS. 40-41D , the distance between dividers 266 can be adjusted to accommodate different sized containers. The partition 266 may be provided with a connection portion 272 . The connection portion 272 may be provided with a first elongated angled surface 268 and a second elongated angled surface 270 . In addition, the connection part 272 may be provided with a plurality of protrusions 274 . As depicted in FIG. 41B , the track may be formed by teeth 278 having face surfaces 280 and side surfaces 282 .

As depicted in Figure 41C, when assembled, the connection portion 272 is received between the teeth 278 of the track. Additionally, elongated angled surfaces 268 and 270 and protrusion 274 are wedged between teeth 278 . As shown in FIG. 41C , elongated angled surfaces 268 and 270 engage face surface 280 and protrusion 274 engages the lower surface of tooth 278 . The side surface 282 contacts the connection portion 272 .

In an exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 42, tray 306 is provided with a dovetail connection. The first side 308 of the tray 306 is provided with a tongue 312 adapted to fit in a groove 314 on the second side 310 of the tray 306 . To connect the trays, the groove 314 is aligned with the tongue 312 such that the tongue 312 is securely seated in the groove 314 .

In an exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 43 , tray 306 is configured to receive retainer 250 at a front end. The holder may be provided with a rectangular hole 300 and the holder provided with a protrusion 302 of corresponding shape and size. To secure the retainer 250 to the tray 306 , the protrusion 302 fits into the hole 300 to lock the retainer in place on the tray 306 .

As depicted in Figures 45-47, after the product management display system is assembled, products are loaded into the system. By adjusting divider 266, multiple product sizes and shapes can be loaded into the system. As shown in FIGS. 46 and 47 , the coil spring 30 cooperates with the pusher paddle 287 to push the product toward the holder 250 . As the user removes the product from the system, the pusher paddles 287 push the remaining product so that the product slides along the bottom plate 264 toward the holder 250 . This ensures that all products remain at the front of the display system.

As depicted in FIGS. 50-52 , product management display system 400 may be arranged such that trays 402 , 404 may be stacked on top of one another. This embodiment may generally consist of a first tray 402 , a second tray 404 , a first divider 406 and a second divider 408 .

The trays 402, 404 are each arranged to contain product to be dispensed. Each of the first tray 402 and the second tray 404 may be provided with a transparent holder 410 , a pusher mechanism 412 , first and second guide walls, and a coil spring 414 .

The pusher mechanism 414 is arranged in a similar manner to the embodiments discussed above such that the pusher mechanism slides the product along the surface of the trays 402, 404 as the product is removed. Furthermore, any of the alternative arrangements of the pusher mechanisms discussed above may be implemented as a stackable tray arrangement.

To provide easy assembly and disassembly, the stackable product management display system may be provided with dovetail connections or any other suitable connections such as snap-fit connections, screw connections or rivet connections. The first and second trays are provided with detents 416 for assembling the first and second dividers 406 , 408 to the first second tray 402 , 404 . Each of the first and second trays 402 , 404 may be provided with sockets 418 on their respective exterior surfaces for receiving correspondingly shaped detents 416 on the first and second dividers 406 , 408 .

To assemble a stackable product management display system, the detents 416 on the first and second dividers 406, 408 are placed into the outer surfaces of the first and second trays 402, 404 in a locked arrangement. Correspondingly shaped socket 418. This provides a stackable arrangement, which can be implemented in conjunction with any of the embodiments discussed above.

In another exemplary embodiment depicted in FIGS. 53-57 , pusher paddle 500 may be mounted directly to shelf 508 and retained thereon by the end of coil spring 504 . The pusher paddle 500 will slide on top of the surface of the shelf along it. One or more dividers 502 defining a T-shaped configuration may be positioned proximate to propeller paddle 500 . In an alternative aspect, the base of the divider 502 may be positioned on the shelf such that the base is below the pusher 500 . In this configuration, the propeller paddle 500 can slide along the base of the divider. If the divider 502 is positioned far enough away from the paddle 500 , the paddle 500 will slide directly on the surface of the shelf 508 . The divider 502 can define a variety of configurations including those described herein, and can be secured to the shelf using, for example, push pins, rivets, fasteners, adhesives, and the like.

In one aspect, the end 510 of the coil spring 504 is positioned in the hole or bore 506 on the shelf 508 . End 510 may define a spring end, which may further define any suitable configuration that allows the spring end to pass through hole 506 and remain secured thereto. For example, the spring end of end 510 may define a hook-like configuration that allows end 510 to wrap around the edge of aperture 506 . Alternatively, the spring end may define one or more prongs that hook on the edge of hole 506 . Other spring tip configurations are also possible.

As shown in FIG. 54, to further secure the spring 504 to the shelf 508, fasteners 512, pins, rivets, or the like may be used. During full operation of the spring 504 as the paddle 500 moves back and forth on the shelf 508, the fastener 512 will provide a second spaced anchor point for the spring to hold the spring in the desired alignment. It should be appreciated that even more anchor points may be required depending on the type of shelf and the number and spacing of the holes already in the shelf.

Referring to Figures 55-57, an exemplary mounting technique for mounting the spring 504 of the paddle 500 to the shelf is depicted. As shown in Figure 55, the end 510 of the spring 504 is inserted into the hole 506 in the shelf. End 510 may define a spring tip as described herein to retain end 510 to the edge of hole 506 . As shown in Figure 56, a spring 504 comprising a rivet or stud 514 in this embodiment is lowered onto the shelf such that the rivet or stud 514 fits into another hole 506 located on the shelf . A rivet or stud provides another anchor point for the spring. As shown in FIGS. 56 and 57 , the spring 504 may define a hole 516 for receiving yet another rivet or pin 518 to further secure the spring 504 to the shelf. Together with these multiple anchor points, the spring 504 will be secured to the shelf, and thus the paddle will be secured to the shelf. Furthermore, with these multiple anchor points, the spring will maintain the desired alignment throughout its operation as the paddle moves back and forth on the shelf. It should be understood that other anchoring techniques may also be used to secure the ends of the spring 504 to the shelf, including any of the techniques described herein or a combination of any of the techniques described herein. It should be appreciated that if the shelf does not have pre-existing holes for the anchor springs 504, one or more holes may be drilled into the shelf at desired locations.

From the embodiments depicted in Figures 53-57, it can be appreciated that the trackless propeller paddles can be retrofitted directly onto existing storage racks with minimal effort or additional mounting. Furthermore, this embodiment is easily removable to allow repositioning of the pusher paddles at any location on the shelf to accommodate any size and type of product to be sold on the shelf. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that any of the propeller paddles described herein may be mounted directly to the shelf using the techniques described herein or by using any combination of the techniques described herein.

In another embodiment depicted in FIGS. 58-60 , the tray 12 includes a front circular portion 669 . As shown in FIG. 58 , the tray 12 also includes a forward facing lip 670 located forwardly adjacent the forward circular portion 669 . Forward lip 670 may be rounded and may extend perpendicularly from tray 12 in an upward direction. The forward lip can have different heights, and in one embodiment it has a height of 0.5 inches relative to the tray 12 . The forward lip includes a raised edge or wall portion 671 at each transverse end of the forward lip. The wall portion is used to close the side portion of the description pocket described later.

The tray also includes a shelf 672 located immediately adjacent and in the forward direction of the forward lip 670 . The shelf 672 can be curved and can match the curvature of the forward lip 670 . The shelf 672 includes a horizontal surface 674. The shelf 672 also includes a protrusion 676 that is perpendicular to a horizontal surface 674 of the shelf 672 . Shelf 672 and forward lip 670 add strength to the forward portion of the pusher tray. In addition, the horizontal surface 674 of the shelf 672 is used to close the bottom portion of the instruction pocket described later.

In one embodiment, the front wall 100 includes a top wall 680 and a bottom wall 682 . The top and bottom walls are connected by two side legs 684 . The top wall 680 and the bottom wall 682 are curved. Aperture 686 is defined by top wall 680 , bottom wall 682 and side legs 684 . The hole may be sized such that no product P will fit through the hole. The top wall may also include a profile from the top 688 of the top wall to the bottom 690 of the top wall. This profile helps limit or prevent scratching of the top wall. This profile also increases the strength of the top wall. The bottom wall includes a side wall 708 that is adjacent and contactable with the protrusion 676 in operation. The side legs include notches 698 in bottom portions of the side legs 684 . The notch assist allows the hook 694 to be inserted into the hole 696 . The front wall may be constructed of a transparent material that does not obstruct the view of the products P being sold in the tray 12 .

The graphic pocket 692 is formed by (a) the bottom wall 682 of the front wall 100, (b) the curved portion of the lip 670, (c) the wall portion 671 at the lateral end of the lip 670, and (d) the level of the shelf 672. Surface 674 defines. Set the size of the graphic pocket to accommodate graphic strips or other advertising. Once the graphic strip is placed into pocket 692, it protects all sides except the top.

The top wall further includes two hooks 694 . These hooks are configured to fit into holes 696 of the tray 12 . In one embodiment, to engage the hook 694 into the hole 696, as depicted in FIG. 101, the front wall is first rotated in the direction of arrow "A" without the hook 694 engaged with the hole 696. The hook 694 is then initially inserted into the hole 696 with the hook 694 at an angle to the hole. The front wall is then rotated in the direction of arrow "B" until the front wall reaches the position shown in Figure 102-B. In this position, the upper portion 696 of the hook 694 is parallel to the underside of the surface 16 of the tray rack 12 and the hook 694 is fully inserted through the hole 696 . The hook 694 is thus mounted to the tray 12 . In one embodiment, the rear edge 700 of the side leg 684 is adjacent to the front edge 702 of the divider 18 . The rear edge 700 of the side leg 684 may contact the front edge 702 of the divider 18 .

59A-C disclose different installation states of the pictorial illustration 706 and the front wall 100 . FIG. 59A discloses the front wall 100 without the tray 12 mounted thereon. Instead, the front wall 100 is shown higher than the tray 12 . Graphical illustration 706 is also shown in an uninstalled state. FIG. 59B discloses the mounting of the front wall 100 with the tray 12 . In Figure 59B, graphical description 706 is not installed. The downward arrow in FIG. 59B shows the direction in which graphic illustration 706 will move to fit with graphic pocket 692 . FIG. 59C discloses that graphic illustration 706 fits into graphic pocket 692 . When multiple trays 12 are connected to one another, the graphic illustration 706 may form a continuous or near continuous strip of graphic advertising. Trays 12 may be formed separately and connected together, such as by dovetail connections. In one embodiment, multiple trays may be formed as a unit to create a single unit for sale of multiple rows of products.

FIG. 60 discloses a plurality of front walls 100 and a plurality of trays 12 mounted. The near-continuous nature of the graphic advertisements from graphic description 706 can be seen from FIG. 60 . Furthermore, FIG. 60 discloses that the product P is maintained on the tray 12 and is constrained by the front wall 100 .

Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. For example, those skilled in the art will understand that several of the described components can be used in a variety of configurations in a shop. The invention is not limited to a single system, nor to the erect propeller configuration depicted in the figures, as the system is merely an illustration of the features, teachings, principles of the invention. It shall be further understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention. The embodiments described herein illustrate the best modes known for carrying out the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to optimize the invention.

Claims (20)

1. a kind of management of product display system, including：

Pallet, the pallet have front circular portion and can place the surface of product, and pallet limits multiple holes；

Antelabium, the antelabium upwardly extend from the front circular portion of the pallet；

Front shelf, the front shelf extend forward from the antelabium, and

Antetheca, the antetheca has top wall portion, bottom wall portion and two side foot portions, wherein the top wall portion, bottom wall Part and two side foot portions form cinclides in antetheca,

Wherein described antetheca include from side foot portion extension multiple hooks, each hook be configured to on the surface of the pallet Respective aperture engages.

2. management of product display system according to claim 1, further comprises：

Two wall parts, each of described two wall parts extend from the opposite end of the antelabium,

Wherein figure pocket is formed by the bottom wall portion, antelabium and two wall parts.

3. management of product display system according to claim 1, wherein the antetheca is bending.

4. management of product display system according to claim 1, wherein top wall portion and bottom wall portion are prevented in the support The product placed on the surface of disk passes through cinclides.

5. management of product display system according to claim 1, wherein the antetheca can remove from the pallet.

6. management of product display system according to claim 1, further comprise the multiple separations for being attached to the pallet Part, the multiple separator are configured to product being separated into a row or multi-row.

7. management of product display system according to claim 6, wherein described in each edge abutting of the collateral pin The edge of one in multiple separators.

8. management of product display system according to claim 1, further comprises：

Pusher mechanism, the pusher mechanism is configured to slide at least a portion on the surface of the pallet, described to push away Jin Qi mechanisms are only kept and are installed on the pallet by wind spring.

9. management of product display system according to claim 1, wherein the antetheca is transparent.

10. management of product display system according to claim 2, wherein the grafport bag accommodates graphic bar.

11. a kind of management of product display system, including：

Pallet, the pallet have front circular portion and can place the surface of product, and the pallet limits multiple holes；

Antelabium, the antelabium upwardly extend from the front circular portion of the pallet；

Front shelf, the front shelf extend forward from the antelabium；

Removable antetheca, the antetheca has top wall portion, bottom wall portion and two side foot portions, wherein the top wall portion It is divided to, bottom wall portion and two side foot portions form cinclides in antetheca；And

Two wall parts, each of described two wall parts extend from the opposite end of the antelabium,

Wherein described antetheca include from side foot portion extension multiple hooks, each hook be configured to on the surface of the pallet Respective aperture engages, and

Wherein figure pocket is formed by the bottom wall portion, antelabium and two wall parts.

12. management of product display system according to claim 11, further comprises：

Two separators, each opposite side edge from the pallet of the separator upwardly extend.

13. management of product display system according to claim 11, further comprises：

Pusher mechanism, the pusher mechanism is configured to slide at least a portion on the surface of the pallet, described to push away Jin Qi mechanisms are only kept and are installed on the pallet by wind spring.

14. management of product display system according to claim 13, wherein the pusher mechanism is seated in the pallet Surface top on and do not extend in the lower section of the tray surface.

15. management of product display system according to claim 13, wherein the surface of the pallet defines permission debris Or multiple openings that other objects pass through.

16. management of product display system according to claim 15, wherein the antetheca is transparent.

17. a kind of management of product display system, including：

Multiple pallets, each pallet have front circular portion and can place the surface of product, and the pallet limits multiple holes, institute Stating each of multiple pallets has two sides；

Antelabium, the antelabium upwardly extend from the front circular portion of each in the multiple pallet；

Front shelf, the front shelf extend forward from the antelabium of each in the multiple pallet；

Multiple separators, each in the multiple pallet have each upwardly extend one from described two sides Separator；And

Multiple antethecas, each in the antetheca has top wall portion, bottom wall portion and two side foot portions, wherein described Top wall portion, bottom wall portion and two side foot portions form cinclides in antetheca,

In wherein the multiple antetheca each include from side foot portion extension multiple hooks, each hook be configured to it is described Respective aperture engagement on the surface of one in multiple pallets.

18. management of product display system according to claim 17, further comprises：

Two wall parts, the wall part extend from the opposite end of the antelabium in each in multiple antethecas,

Each in wherein described antetheca includes the figure pocket formed by the bottom wall portion, antelabium and two wall parts.

19. management of product display system according to claim 18, wherein on shelf, the multiple pallet each Side be positioned adjacent to another side in the multiple pallet.

20. management of product display system according to claim 19, wherein each grafport bag formation of the antetheca Close to continuous advertisement bar.