Stacked Can Merchandiser

• US 20170164762A1
• Filed: 11/29/2016
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fasteners for Retail Incorporated (FFR DSI Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Process Retail Group, Inc.
• Inventors: Berglund, Terrence G., Momsen, Daniel, Bryson, M. Scott
• Granted Patent: US 10,159,360 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/126 the pushing device being urged by spring means
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/0025 having separate display containers or trays on shelves or on racks
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/005 Partitions therefore horizontally adjustable A47B57/58; constructional details of drawers A47B88/90
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 7/281 for vertically-stacked containers; Stabilising means therefor

Abstract

A stacked can merchandiser includes a floor component. The floor component has a glide surface allowing movement of merchandise, a plurality of engagement tabs disposed on the sides of the floor component, and a plurality of interfit spaces disposed on the sides of the floor component. The plurality of engagement tabs has a thickness equal to a thickness of the track component, and at least one engagement tab includes a snap lock feature disposed thereon. At least one of the interfit spaces includes a snap lock feature. The stacked can merchandiser further includes a divider extending upwardly from the track component. At least one finger element is disposed at a front edge of the divider and extends laterally therefrom. At least one pusher element is coupled to the divider and configured to travel along a length of the divider.

Claims

1. A stacked can merchandiser comprising:

a floor component, the floor component having a glide surface allowing movement of merchandise;

a plurality of engagement tabs disposed on the sides of the floor component, the engagement tabs having a thickness equal to a thickness of the floor component, and at least one engagement tab including a snap lock feature disposed thereon;

a plurality of interfit spaces disposed on the sides of the floor component, at least one of the interfit spaces is a snap lock feature;

a divider extending upwardly from the floor component;

at least one finger element disposed at a front edge of the divider and extending laterally therefrom; and

at least one pusher element coupled to the divider and configured to travel along a length of the divider.

2. The stacked can merchandiser of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of engagement tabs is disposed on a first side of the floor component and at least one of the plurality of engagement tabs is disposed on a second side of the floor component.

3. The stacked can merchandiser of claim 1 further comprising a stopping element disposed at a leading end of the track component.

4. The stacked can merchandiser of claim 1 wherein the floor component includes a divider support extending upwardly from the track component and configured to couple with the divider.

5. The stacked can merchandiser of claim 1 wherein each divider includes at least one track channel, and wherein each of the at least one pusher element includes at least one tab, the at least one tab configured to slidably engage with a respective one of the at least one track channel.

6. The stacked can merchandiser of claim 1 further comprising at least one spring element, wherein each of the at least one spring element is coupled to a respective one of the at least one pusher element, and wherein the at least one spring element pushes its respective one of the, at least one pusher element forward.

7. A stacked can merchandiser system comprising:

a first floor component having;

a first upper glide surface allowing movement of merchandise;

a first plurality of engagement tabs disposed on the sides of the first floor component, the engagement tabs having a thickness equal to a thickness of the first floor component, and wherein at least one of the engagement tabs includes a snap lock feature disposed thereon;

a first plurality of interfit spaces disposed on the sides of the track component, at least one of the interfit spaces including a snap lock feature;

a first divider extending upwardly from the first floor component;

a first finger element disposed at a front edge of the first divider and extending laterally therefrom;

a plurality of first retaining tabs disposed at the front edge of the first divider, extending laterally therefrom, and spaced vertically along the front edge of the first divider and below the first finger element; and

a first pusher element coupled to the first divider and configured to travel along a length of the first divider.

8. The stacked can merchandiser system of claim 7 further comprising:

a second floor component having;

a second upper glide surface allowing movement of merchandise;

a second plurality of engagement tabs disposed on the sides of the second floor component, the engagement tabs having a thickness equal to a thickness of the second floor component, and wherein at least one of the engagement tabs includes a snap lock feature disposed thereon;

a second plurality of interfit spaces disposed on the sides of the track component, at least one of the interfit spaces including a snap lock feature;

a second divider extending upwardly from the track;

a second finger element disposed at a front edge of the second divider and extending laterally therefrom;

a plurality of second retaining tabs disposed at the front edge of the second divider, extending laterally therefrom, and spaced vertically along the front edge of the second divider and below the second finger element; and

a second pusher element coupled to the second divider and configured to travel along a length of the second divider;

wherein the snap lock feature of the at least one of the first plurality of engagement tabs is configured to interlock with the snap lock feature of the at least one of the second plurality of interface spaces to couple the first and second floor components; and

wherein the snap lock feature of the at least one of the first plurality of interface spaces is configured to interlock with the snap lock feature of the at least one of the second plurality of engagement tabs to couple the first and second floor components.

9. The stacked can merchandiser system of claim 8 further comprising a can stacking area disposed between the first divider and second divider.

10. The stacked can merchandiser system of claim 7 further comprising a stopping element coupled to a leading end of the first floor component.

11. The stacked can merchandiser system of claim 7 wherein the first floor component includes a divider support extending upwardly from the first floor component, the divider support configured to vertically orient the first divider.

12. The stacked can merchandiser system of claim 7 wherein the first divider includes at least one track channel formed in a side of the first divider, and wherein the first pusher element includes at least one tab, the at least one tab configured to slidably engage with a respective one of the at least one track channel.

13. The stacked can merchandiser system of claim 7 further comprising a spring element coupled to the first pusher element and configured to push the first pusher member forward.

14. The stacked can merchandiser system of claim 7 wherein the first finger element comprises a first side prong and a second side prong, the first side prong extending laterally from a first side of the first divider, and the second prong extending laterally from a second side of the first divider.

15. The stacked can merchandiser system of claim 7 wherein the first finger element is larger than each of the plurality of retaining tabs.

16. A method of using a stacked can merchandiser system to display canned merchandise, the method comprising:

providing a first floor component;

coupling a second floor component to the first floor component, wherein a plurality of engagement tabs of the first floor component interfit with a plurality of interfit spaces of the second floor component, and wherein a plurality of interfit spaces of the first floor component interfit with a plurality of engagement tabs of the second track component;

coupling a first divider to the first floor component;

coupling a second divider to the second floor component so that canned merchandise may be stacked between the first divider and the second divider;

stacking canned merchandise in a plurality of stacks between the first divider and the second divider;

pushing a first stack of the plurality of stacks of canned merchandise to a front edge of the first and second floor components by way of a pusher element that is slidably engaged with one of the first divider and the second divider; and

stopping the canned merchandise at the front edge of the first and second floor components by way of at least one finger element disposed at each front edge of the first and second dividers and a plurality of retaining tabs disposed and each front edge of the first and second dividers, the at least one finger element and the plurality of retaining tabs being vertically spaced along each front edge of the first and second dividers.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising stopping the canned merchandise at the front edge of the first and second floor components by way of a stopping element disposed at the leading end of the first and second floor components.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein coupling the first divider to the first floor component comprises inserting the first divider into a divider support extending vertically from the first track component;

and wherein coupling the second divider to the second track component comprises inserting the second divider into a divider support extending, vertically from the second track component.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein pushing a first stack of the plurality of stacks of canned merchandise to a front edge of the first and second floor components by way of a pusher element further comprises using tension generated by a spring element coupled to the pusher member to push the canned merchandise to the front edge of the first and second track components.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising removing the first stack of the plurality of stacks of canned merchandise and pushing a second stack of the plurality of stacks of canned merchandise to the front edge of the first and second track components by way of the pusher element.