Pressure-feed tray system
First Claim
1. A product dispensing apparatus comprising a fixed support means and a tray slidably supported thereon and movable from a product dispensing first position substantially coextensive with said support means to a second product replenishing position extending forwardly away from said support means, said tray having a front end and a rear end, guide means extending along a bottom portion of said tray between said front end and said rear end, pusher plate means slidably mounted in said guide means, biasing means between said support means and said pusher plate means for biasing said pusher plate means towards said front end, latch means adjacent said front wall for maintaining said tray in said first position, and stop means on said support means for restraining movement of said pusher plate means with said tray when said tray is moved from said first position to said second position.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A dispensing unit includes a tray system including front, rear and side walls with partitions dividing the system into a plurality of trays and a support slidably supporting the tray system between a product dispensing position and a product restocking position. Each tray has a slot in its bottom between the front and rear walls with a pusher plate slidably supported in the slot and biased toward the front wall. The support has a stop which moves all of the pusher plates toward the rear wall when the tray system is moved to the restocking position and a latch mechanism holds the tray in the product dispensing position.
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Citations
27 Claims
- 1. A product dispensing apparatus comprising a fixed support means and a tray slidably supported thereon and movable from a product dispensing first position substantially coextensive with said support means to a second product replenishing position extending forwardly away from said support means, said tray having a front end and a rear end, guide means extending along a bottom portion of said tray between said front end and said rear end, pusher plate means slidably mounted in said guide means, biasing means between said support means and said pusher plate means for biasing said pusher plate means towards said front end, latch means adjacent said front wall for maintaining said tray in said first position, and stop means on said support means for restraining movement of said pusher plate means with said tray when said tray is moved from said first position to said second position.
- 16. A product dispensing apparatus comprising a fixed support means having a tray system supported thereon, said tray system being movable between a first dispensing position substantially coextensive with said support means and a second restocking position extending forwardly and outwardly of said support means, said tray system including a member having a bottom wall, a front wall and a rear wall with partitions extending between said front wall and said rear wall to define a plurality of trays, said bottom wall having an elongated slot in each of said trays, a pusher plate means slidably supported in each of said slots with each pusher plate means being movable independently, biasing means between each pusher plate means and said support means for biasing said pusher plate means toward said front wall when said tray system is in said first position, and stop means on said support means for restraining movement of all of said pusher plate means with said tray when said tray system is moved to said second position so that new products can be introduced behind existing products in the trays.
- 22. A product dispensing apparatus comprising a tray system including a front wall, a rear wall and interconnecting side walls, with said front and rear walls having upwardly-opening slot means adjacent an inner edge thereof, support means for slidably supporting said tray system between a first dispensing position and a second restocking position extending forwardly and outwardly of said support means, a plurality of partitions extending between said front and rear walls to divide said tray system into a plurality of trays, a plurality of guide bars having projection means on opposite ends received into said slot means with a pusher plate means slidably supported on each guide bar, biasing means between said support means and each pusher plate means for biasing said pusher plate means toward said front wall, and stop means on said support means for restraining movement of all of said pusher plate means with said tray when said tray system is moved from said dispensing position to said restocking position so that existing products remain adjacent said front wall and new products can be introduced behind the existing products.
Specification