Pusher-type display system

• US 20050218094A1
• Filed: 08/12/2002
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gary N. Howerton, Louis R. Csak, Mikhail L. Marsky
• Original Assignee: Gary N. Howerton, Louis R. Csak, Mikhail L. Marsky
• Inventors: Csak, Louis R., Howerton, Gary N., Marsky, Mikhail L.
• Application Number:
  US10/486,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20050218094A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 211/59.300
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/126 the pushing device being urged by spring means

Abstract

A display device has a spring-biased pusher (20) carried on an elongate track (24). A sample carrier may be located at a front end of the track. A number of such tracks and pushers may be arrayed side-by-side with one or more pitch(es) corresponding to the products (500) being displayed in a number of columns or lanes (510-A-510-N) associated with each track and pusher. The sample carrier may include a principal portion (220) unitarily formed with the track and one or more additional portions (250;272) securable thereto to retain the sample (236).

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

an elongate track extending from back to front ends;

a pusher carried on the track for reciprocal sliding movement between rearward and forward positions;

a spring biasing the pusher forward; and

a sample carrier at the track front end.

2. A combination of a plurality of devices of claim 1 wherein:

each such device is positioned in a side-by-side array on an upper surface of a common shelf; and

there are a plurality of product-carrying lanes, each lane associated with one said pusher so that the pusher presses forward on a column of products in such lane to bias such column against a stop surface proximate the sample carrier.

3. The combination of claim 2 further comprising an end member at the extreme first end of the array and cooperating with the adjacent device to define the extreme first end lane.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the spring is a negator spring.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein an outer end of the spring is secured to a forward portion of the track and a coiling portion is carried by the pusher.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the carrier includes:

a base, unitarily formed with at least a major portion of the track;

a cover having first surfaces positioned to engage with mating surfaces of the base when installed thereon; and

a sample-holding insert installable to the cover via a sliding translation prior to installation of the cover to the base but not nondestructively removable while the cover is in an installed condition.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the insert carries a sample of hair or a hair simulant.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the sample is permanently adhered to the insert.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein:

the cover comprises a single piece of molded plastic;

the insert comprises a single piece of molded plastic;

the cover is at least for a partial area transparent; and

the track member has a plurality of predefined relieved areas permitting predetermined rearward portions of the track to be broken off to shorten the track to accommodate a shelf having a particular depth onto which the track is placed.

10. The device of claim 1 including said sample and wherein the carrier comprises:

a base portion unitarily molded with a portion of the track; and

means for mounting the sample to the base portion.

11. A device comprising:

a hair or hair stimulant sample; and

a molded sample holder to which the sample is secured having;

means for slidably guiding insertion of the sample holder into a mating cover member.

12. A display device comprising:

an elongate track extending from back to front ends;

a pusher carried on the track for reciprocal sliding movement between rearward and forward positions;

a first spring biasing the pusher forward; and

a second spring biasing the pusher rearward in at least a first condition.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the second spring is nondestructively disengageable by a user to place the display in a second condition wherein the second spring does not bias the pusher rearward.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein:

the first and second springs are negator springs, each having a coiling portion carried by the pusher and a distal end portion secured to the track.

15. The device of claim 12 wherein:

the first spring exerts a bias force of between 120% and 300% of a bias force exerted by the second spring at least along a majority of a distance between said rearward and forward positions.

16. A display device comprising:

an elongate track member extending from back to front ends;

a pusher carried on the track for reciprocal sliding movement between rearward and forward positions; and

a first spring biasing the pusher forwardly,

wherein the pusher has first and second conditions presenting relatively narrow and wide contact spans for articles being displayed.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein said pusher has a face plate portion rotatable between first and seconds orientations about a front-to-back axis in said first and second conditions, respectively, to present said relatively narrow and wide contact spans.

18. A display device comprising:

an elongate track member extending from back to front ends;

a pusher carried on the track for reciprocal sliding movement between rearward and forward positions;

a first spring biasing the pusher forwardly; and

a mounting element having depending mounting prongs for engaging mounting holes of a shelf supporting the device and held relative to the track for transverse movement governed by a detent mechanism.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein:

said mounting element comprises a single molded piece with said prongs depending from an underside of a body plate; and

said detent mechanism comprises a plurality of transversely arrayed detents on an upper surface of said body plate and a flexible catch engaged thereto.

20. The device of claim 18 wherein said detent mechanism has a detent pitch of 0.125 inch (3.2 mm) or less.

21. The device of claim 18 in combination with a support shelf, the mounting holes of which are at a first pitch and wherein said detent mechanism has a detent pitch less than the first pitch.