Merchandising System with Flippable Column and/or Item Stop

• US 20080129161A1
• Filed: 10/23/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Hardy, Stephen, Menz, Albert, Duncan, James McKay
• Granted Patent: US 8,056,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 312/120
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/12 dispensing from the side of an approximately horizontal stack A47F1/087 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/06 with movable or removable shelves or receptacles A47F3/0486 takes precedence; display racks with movable parts A47F5/0081
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0087 movable around an axis
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 7/28 for containers, e.g. flasks, bottles , tins, milk packs racks or containers with dispensing arrangements A47F1/04; for lipsticks or markers A47F7/0021; for audio/video cassettes or booklike articles A47F7/14

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a merchandising system and method that permits access from the front of a column of shelves and along a side of the column of shelves, the shelves in each column extending from the front of the merchandizing system to a back area of the merchandising system. Each shelf can be of any suitable design for supporting products or items. The merchandising system can have at least one flippable column comprising at least one shelf suitable for supporting a single row of items. Various front item stops are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A merchandising system comprising:

a front,

a back area,

a swing door located at the front, the swing door moveable about an axis between a closed position and an open position, and

a lead flippable column having a first side and a second side, the first and second sides of the lead flippable column parallel to each other and extending from the front to the back area, and

at least one non-lead flippable column,

wherein the lead flippable column is positioned between the swing door and the non-lead flippable column, the first side of the lead flippable column closer to the swing door than the second side of the lead flippable column, the second side of the lead flippable column closer to the non-lead flippable column than the first side of the lead flippable column, the flippable column and the non-lead flippable column each comprising a plurality of shelves, the shelves in the flippable column and the non-lead flippable column extending from the front to the back area, each shelf configured to support a single row of items, and wherein the first side of the lead flippable column at the back area is non-accessible from the front when the swing door is in the closed position, and is accessible from the front when the swing door is in the open position.

2. The merchandising system of claim 1, wherein the second side of the lead flippable column is at a first angle with respect to a back wall of the merchandising system, the first angle less than 90 degrees.

3. The merchandising system of claim 2, wherein the first angle is in the range of 50 to 60 degrees.

4. The merchandising system of claim 3, wherein the first angle is about 55 degrees.

5. The merchandising system of claim 2, wherein when the swing door is in the open position, and the lead flippable column is flipped towards the swing door, the second side of the lead flippable column is at a second angle with respect to the back wall, the second angle greater than the first angle.

6. The merchandising system of claim 5, wherein the second angle is in the range of 85 to 90 degrees.

7. The merchandising system of claim 6, wherein the second angle is about 90 degrees.

8. The merchandising system of claim 5, wherein the lead flippable column is stopped by a column stop when it is at the second angle with respect to the back wall.

9. The merchandising system of claim 5, wherein the second side of the lead flippable column becomes accessible from the front when the second side of the lead flippable column is at the second angle with respect to the back wall.

10. The merchandising system of claim 9, wherein the non-lead flippable column has a first side and a second side, the first and second sides of the non-lead flippable column parallel to each other and extending from the front to the back area, the first side of the non-lead flippable column closer to the lead flippable column than the second side of the non-lead flippable column, the first side of the non-flippable column at the back area being non-accessible from the front when the lead flippable column has not been flipped towards the swing door, the first side of the non-flippable column at the back area being accessible from the front when the lead flippable column has been flipped towards the swing door.

11. The merchandising system of claim 10, wherein the second side of the non-lead flippable column at the back area becomes accessible from the front when the lead flippable column and the non-lead flippable column have been flipped towards the swing door.

12. The merchandising system of claim 11, wherein the non-lead flippable column comprises a plurality of consecutive non-lead flippable columns, each non-lead flippable column having a first side at the back area being non-accessible from the front when the lead flippable column and any non-flippable column closer to the lead flippable column has not been flipped towards the swing door.

13. The merchandising system of claim 12, wherein each second side at the back area corresponding to a non-flippable column becomes accessible from the front when that non-lead flippable column has been flipped towards the swing door.

14. The merchandising system of claim 1, wherein at least one shelf is made from a material selected from the group consisting of wire, metal brackets, or plastic, and any combination thereof.

15. The merchandising system of claim 1, wherein each shelf slopes downwardly from the back area to the front.

16. The merchandising system of claim 1, further comprising an item stop located at the front of at least shelf.

17. The merchandising system of claim 16, further comprising item information placed on the front of the item stop, the item information selected from the group consisting of price, unit amount, price per weight, and SKU, and any combination thereof.

18. The merchandising system of claim 1 wherein at least a first shelf of a flippable column is adapted to hold items having a first shape or a first size, and at least a second shelf of another flippable column is adapted to hold items having a second shape or second size, the first shape different from the second shape, or the first size different from the second size, or the first shape and the first size different from the second shape and second size.

19. The merchandising system of claim 1, wherein the closure door comprises a storage area that is separate from the flippable columns.

20. The merchandising system of claim 16, wherein the item stop flexes outwardly when an item is removed from the front of the shelf, and flexes back to its original position after said removal.

21. The merchandising system of claim 20, wherein a floor of the shelf comprises a cut away portion at the front of the shelf to allow easier removal of an item from the shelf.

22. A merchandising system comprising:

a front,

a back area,

a swing door located at the front, the swing door moveable about an axis between a closed position and an open position, and

a lead flippable column having a first side and a second side, the first and second sides of the lead flippable column parallel to each other and extending from the front to the back area,

a non-flippable column stop located at a side of the merchandising system opposite the closure door, and

at least one non-lead flippable column,

wherein the lead flippable column is positioned between the swing door and the non-lead flippable column, the first side of the lead flippable column closer to the swing door than the second side of the lead flippable column, the second side of the lead flippable column closer to the non-lead flippable column than the first side of the lead flippable column, the flippable column and the non-lead flippable column each comprising a plurality of shelves, the shelves in the flippable column and the non-lead flippable column extending from the front to the back area, each shelf configured to support a single row of items, and wherein the first side of the lead flippable column at the back area is non-accessible from the front when the swing door is in the closed position, and is accessible from the front when the swing door is in the open position.

23. The merchandising system of claim 22, wherein the non-flippable column stop comprises a storage area that is separate from the flippable columns.

24. A merchandising system comprising:

a front,

a back area, and

a lead flippable column having a first side and a second side, the first and second sides of the lead flippable column parallel to each other and extending from the front to the back area, and

at least one non-lead flippable column,

wherein the lead flippable column is positioned next to the non-lead flippable column, the second side of the lead flippable column closer to the first side of the non-lead flippable column than the first side of the lead flippable column, the flippable column and the non-lead flippable column each comprising a plurality of shelves, the shelves in the flippable column and the non-lead flippable column extending from the front to the back area, each shelf configured to support a single row of items, and wherein the first side of the non-lead flippable column at the back area is non-accessible from the front when the lead flippable column has not been flipped away from the non-lead flippable column, and is accessible from the front when the lead flippable column has been flipped away from the non-lead flippable column.

25. The merchandising system of claim 24 adapted to store packages of yoghurt on a shelf.

26. An apparatus comprising:

a shelf, the shelf comprising side rails and a bottom, the shelf configured support a single row of items between the side rails; and

an item stop located at the front of the shelf, wherein the item stop flexes outwardly when an item is removed from the front of the shelf, and flexes back to its original position after said removal.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein a floor of the shelf comprises a cut away portion at the front of the shelf.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 adapted to store packages of yoghurt on the shelf.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the item stop comprises a front face having a designated portion, the designated portion comprising item information selected from the group consisting of price, unit amount, price per weight, and SKU, and any combination thereof.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the front face comprises a transparent portion that is not covered by the designated area.

31. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the item stop comprises a first portion and a second portion, wherein the second portion is attached to a side rail of the shelf, wherein the second portion flexes outwardly from the side rail when an item is removed from the shelf, and flexes back to its original position after said removal, the first portion remaining stationary during said removal.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the second portion is connected to the side rail by a hinge, and the second portion flexes via the hinge during said removal of an item.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the second portion comprises a curved portion and a connecting portion, the connecting portion attached to the hinge.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the first portion of the item stop comprises a designated portion, the designated portion comprising item information selected from the group consisting of price, unit amount, price per weight, and SKU, and any combination thereof.

35. An apparatus comprising:

a shelf, the shelf comprising side rails and a bottom, the shelf configured support a single row of items between the side rails; and

an item stop located at the front of the shelf, wherein the bottom of the shelf comprises a front bottom portion and a back bottom portion, the front bottom portion closer to the item stop than the back bottom portion, each bottom portion having a downward slope towards the item stop, the front bottom portion having a downward slope that is greater than the downward slope of the back bottom portion.