Beverage container shelf management system

• US 20070119799A1
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Source 1 Displays, A Division Of Fortune Resources, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Source 1 Displays, A Division Of Fortune Resources, Inc.
• Inventors: Hanretty, Peter, Li, Shao
• Granted Patent: US 7,681,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 211/59.200
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/12 dispensing from the side of an approximately horizontal stack A47F1/087 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0025 having separate display containers or trays on shelves or on racks
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0037 being rotatable or tiltable

Abstract

A gravity feed display rack for supporting and displaying merchandise is provided. The rack has a merchandise channel support structure featuring a number of rods. Inner and outer dividers featuring merchandise supports and longitudinally extending walls are positioned on the rods in a sliding fashion. End portions of the rods feature adjustable latch slots and at least one outer divider features connectors with locking projections that engage the adjustable latch slots of the merchandise channel support structure. As a result, the dividers are located in spaced apart relationship upon the merchandise channel support structure and may be adjusted to accommodate varying sizes of merchandise.

Claims

1. A gravity feed display rack for supporting and displaying merchandise, comprising:

a merchandise channel support structure including a rod, said rod having an adjustable latch slot formed therein;

an inner divider slidably mounted on the rod of the merchandise channel support structure, said inner divider including a merchandise support and a longitudinally extending wall; and

an outer divider including a merchandise support, a longitudinally extending wall and a connector, said connector sized to receive the rod of the merchandise channel support structure and having a locking projector sized to engage the adjustable latch slot of the rod so that the outer divider may be secured in a desired position on the rod of the merchandise channel support structure.

2. The rack of claim 1 wherein the adjustable latch slot is formed in an end portion of the rod of the merchandise channel support structure.

3. The rack of claim 1 wherein the adjustable latch slot features a plurality of teeth.

4. The rack of claim 3 wherein the teeth define a plurality of adjacent, semi-triangular openings in the adjustable latch slot and the locking projection is generally triangular shaped so as to selectively engage the semi-triangular openings of the adjustable latch slot.

5. The rack of claim 1 wherein the connector includes a finger upon which the locking projection is formed.

6. The rack of claim 1 wherein said connector and said rod each includes a top wall, opposing side walls and a bottom wall.

7. A gravity feed display rack for supporting and displaying merchandise, comprising:

a merchandise channel support structure including a rod, said rod having an adjustable latch slot formed therein;

at least one split merchandise channel, the split channel being adjustable in width, and located upon the merchandise channel support structure;

an outer divider including a merchandise support, a longitudinally extending wall and a connector, said connector sized to receive the rod of the merchandise channel support structure and having a locking projector sized to engage the adjustable latch slot of the rod so that the outer divider may be secured in a desired position on the rod of the merchandise channel support structure.

8. The rack of claim 7 wherein the split channel includes a left wall and a right wall, the walls being adjustable in a spaced apart relationship, and the split channel having a merchandise support.

9. The rack of claim 7 wherein the adjustable latch slot is formed in an end portion of the rod of the merchandise channel support structure.

10. The rack of claim 7 wherein the adjustable latch slot features a plurality of teeth.

11. The rack of claim 10 wherein the teeth define a plurality of adjacent, semi-triangular openings in the adjustable latch slot and the locking projection is generally triangular shaped so as to selectively engage the semi-triangular openings of the adjustable latch slot.

12. The rack of claim 7 wherein the connector includes a finger upon which the locking projection is formed.

13. The rack of claim 7 wherein said connector and said rod each includes a top wall, opposing side walls and a bottom wall.

14. A gravity feed display rack for supporting and displaying merchandise, comprising:

a merchandise channel support structure having an adjustable latch slot formed therein;

an inner divider, the inner divider including a longitudinally extending wall and a left merchandise support extending from the wall and in a direction generally at a right angle to the wall, and a right merchandise support extending from the wall and in a direction generally at a right angle to the wall, the at least one inner diver having a support structure connector that slides along the merchandise channel support structure; and

an outer divider including a longitudinally extending wall and a merchandise support extending from the wall and in a direction generally at a right angle to the wall, and a support structure connector having a locking projector engaging the adjustable latch slot of the merchandise channel support structure so that the outer divider may be secured in a desired position on the merchandise channel support structure.

15. The rack of claim 14 wherein the adjustable latch slot features a plurality of teeth.

16. The rack of claim 15 wherein the teeth define a plurality of adjacent, semi-triangular openings in the adjustable latch slot and the locking projection is generally triangular shaped so as to selectively engage the semi-triangular openings of the adjustable latch slot.

17. The rack of claim 14 wherein the outer divider support structure connector includes a finger upon which the locking projection is formed.

18. The rack of claim 14, wherein the dividers may be individually spaced apart to form a particular width between adjacent pairs of dividers, with adjacent merchandise supports forming a corresponding width there between and a spacer having a substantially similar corresponding width is located between the merchandise supports to form a channel slide upon which the merchandise is gravity feed.

19. The rack of claim 18, wherein the spacers include a plurality of a group of spacers, the spacers including a longitudinally extending support surface having a width, the width varying among the group of spacers such that the width of a spacer in one group together with the combined width of adjacent merchandise supports corresponds to the width of specific merchandise, and wherein the spacers each include releasably support structure connectors.

20. The rack of claim 14, wherein the longitudinally extending walls of the inner divider split into two diverging front walls in a curved manner, and the longitudinally extending walls of the outer divider extend in a curved manner to form a front wall, wherein adjacent pairs of front walls are adapted to stop the downward movement of the merchandise.