Product Management Display System with Trackless Pusher Mechanism

• US 20180360235A1
• Filed: 06/15/2018
• Published: 12/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Hardy, Stephen N.
• Granted Patent: US 10,448,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2096/207 Furniture panels consisting of a frame with interchangeable insertable panel
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 57/58 with means for adjusting partitions horizontally book-ends A47B65/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 57/583 by sliding
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 65/15 Partitions, e.g. dividers
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/126 the pushing device being urged by spring means
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/005 Partitions therefore horizontally adjustable A47B57/58; constructional details of drawers A47B88/90
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 7/0007 for stacked articles; Stabilising means therefor for cans or bottles A47F7/281
• 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

A product management display system for merchandising product on a shelf includes using a trackless pusher mechanism that travels along a surface on which product is placed. A plurality of thin dividers separate the product into rows. The dividers may be formed separately and attached and secured by being inserted into a plurality of grooves arranged along the lower surface and the forward and rear support posts of the product dispensing tray. The dividers are configured to self-adjust by laterally shifting within the grooves when the product is moved forward by the pusher to being loaded by an operator to allow the product to be positioned in a tight fitting manner to maximize the amount of product that can be accommodated horizontally across the tray. In addition, the dividers may have a bottom wall spaced from the surface with a support column that is inserted into an elongated pocket to provide the structural support for the divider.

Claims

1. A product management display system comprising:

a tray having a floor for supporting product having a front end and a rear end,

a plurality of forward support posts extending from the floor at the front end of the tray and a plurality of rear support posts extending from the floor at the rear end of the tray,

a plurality of dividers connected to the tray, wherein each divider of the plurality of dividers has a first end, a second end, a wall extending between the first end and the second end, and a bottom surface of the wall spaced from the floor of the tray creating an opening between the floor and the bottom surface, and wherein each divider of the plurality of dividers separates the tray into a plurality of product dispensing rows;

wherein each divider comprises a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the bottom surface is spaced from the floor of the tray creating an opening between the floor and the bottom surface, and

a pusher mechanism configured to move product toward the front end of the tray within each product dispensing row.

2. The product management display system of claim 1, wherein each divider further comprises a support column extending from the bottom surface at a first end of the support column and is secured to the tray at a second end of the support column.

3. The product management display system of claim 1, wherein the floor has a plurality of elongated pockets positioned along the floor such that at least one of the plurality of elongated pockets is aligned with at least one groove positioned within one of the plurality of forward support posts and at least one groove positioned within one of the plurality of rear support posts.

4. The product management display system of claim 3, wherein each divider further comprises a support column extending from the bottom surface, and wherein the support column of at least one divider of the plurality of dividers is secured within one of the plurality of elongated pockets.

5. The product management display system of claim 1, wherein each divider has an engaging member at the first end that attaches to one of the plurality of forward support posts and an engaging member at the second end that attaches to one of the plurality of rear support posts.

6. The product management display system of claim 5, wherein the engaging member is a hook-like member.

7. The product management display system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of dividers comprises two configurations of dividers, wherein a divider of a first configuration of dividers has a support column located closer to the first end, and a divider of a second configuration of dividers has a support column located closer to the second end of the second configuration of dividers.

8. The product management display system of claim 7, wherein the divider of the first configuration of dividers is adjacent to the divider of the second configuration of dividers when installed in the tray, and wherein the plurality of dividers are arranged in an alternating pattern using dividers of the first configuration of dividers and dividers of the second configuration of dividers.

9. The product management display system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of product dispensing rows are configured such that a first product positioned in a first product dispensing row of the plurality of product dispensing rows contacts a second product positioned in an adjacent product dispensing row through the opening between the bottom surface of one of the plurality of dividers and the floor of the tray.

10. A product management display system comprising:

a tray having a front end, a rear end, and a floor configured to support product,

a plurality of forward support posts extending from the floor at the front end of the tray and a plurality of rear support posts extending from the floor at the rear end of the tray,

a plurality of dividers connected to the tray, wherein each divider of the plurality of dividers has a first end, a second end, a wall extending between the first end and the second end, and having a bottom surface of the wall spaced from the floor of the tray creating an opening between the floor and the bottom surface, and wherein the plurality of dividers separate the tray into a plurality of product dispensing rows,

a pusher mechanism configured to move product toward the front end of the tray within each product dispensing row; and

wherein each product dispensing row of the plurality of product dispensing rows is configured such that a first product positioned in a first product dispensing row of the plurality of product dispensing rows contacts a second product positioned in an adjacent row through the opening between the bottom surface of one of the dividers and the floor of the tray.

11. The product management display system of claim 10, wherein the floor has a plurality of elongated pockets positioned along the floor such that at least one of the plurality of elongated pockets is aligned with at least one groove positioned within the forward support post.

12. The product management display system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of dividers comprises two configurations of dividers, wherein a divider of a first configuration of dividers has a support column located closer to the first end, and a divider of a second configuration of dividers has a support column located closer to the second end of the second configuration of dividers.

13. The product management display system of claim 12, wherein a front to rear distance between the support column of the divider of the first configuration of dividers to the support column of the divider of the second configuration of dividers is equal to or greater than to a distance of two diameters of the product.

14. The product management display system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of product dispensing rows comprises at least 5 rows.

15. A product management display system comprising:

a tray having a front end, a rear end, and a floor configured to support a plurality of product, wherein the floor includes a plurality of grooves such that each groove of the plurality of grooves engages one of a plurality of divider walls, wherein each divider wall separates the tray into a plurality of product dispensing rows;

a pusher mechanism configured to move product toward the front end of the tray within each product dispensing row of the plurality of product dispensing rows; and

wherein each divider wall is arranged to laterally shift within each groove as the product is moved forward by the pusher mechanism to allow the product and the product dispensing rows to be positioned closely together.

16. The product management display system of claim 15, wherein a plurality of forward support posts are positioned at the front end of the tray and a plurality of rear support posts are positioned at a rear end of the tray, and wherein each groove of the plurality of grooves extend vertically along the forward and rear support posts.

17. The product management display system of claim 16, wherein each divider wall of the plurality of divider walls include a first engaging member at a first end of the divider wall that engages with a corresponding engaging member of the forward support post and a second engaging member at a second end of the divider wall that engages with a corresponding engaging member of the rear support post such that the divider wall is placed in tension when secured using the engaging members of the divider wall.

18. The product management display system of claim 16, wherein a product retaining member extends from one of the plurality of forward support posts to an adjacent forward support post.

19. The product management display system of claim 15, wherein the divider walls are made from a transparent material.

20. The product management display system of claim 15, each groove has a width that is larger than a thickness of each divider wall to allow each divider wall to shift laterally within the groove as product is moved forward by the pusher mechanism.