Commodity display unit

• US 5,788,090 A
• Filed: 04/24/1996
• Issued: 08/04/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AMIX Company Limited
• Original Assignee: AMIX Company Limited
• Inventors: Kajiwara, Kiyoharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin-Shue, Alvin C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Purol, Sarah L.
• Application Number:
  US08/637,046
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.2, 211/151, 211/187, 312/71
• US Class Current: 211/59.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/12 dispensing from the side of an approximately horizontal stack A47F1/087 takes precedence
• 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 commodity display unit has a commodity advancing device which is disposed aslant frontward along a bottom of a commodity container so as to move a column of the frontward commodities forward in the container. When the forwardmost commodity is removed from a commodity takeout position, defined at a front portion of the commodity container, the remaining commodities spontaneously move forward. The commodity advancing device is formed of a procession of rollers arranged in parallel along the display lane and inclined downwardly so as to effect forward movement of the commodities, thus permitting the commodities of be easily removed one at a time.

Claims

1. A commodity display unit comprising:

a first side panel having a rear end and a front end;

a second side panel spaced from and parallel to said first side panel, said second side panel having a rear end and a front end, wherein said front ends of said first and second side panels define a commodity take out position;

a first lower roller support secured to an inner side surface of said first side panel, said first lower roller support having an upper surface provided with a plurality of semicircular bearing grooves;

a second lower roller support secured to an inner side surface of said second side panel, said second lower roller support having an upper surface provided with a plurality of semicircular bearing grooves;

a first upper roller support secured to an inner side surface of said first side panel, said first upper roller support having a lower surface provided with a plurality of semicircular bearing grooves;

a second upper roller support secured to an inner side surface of said second side panel, said second upper roller support having a lower surface provided with a plurality of semicircular bearing grooves;

a plurality of rollers supported on said first and second lower roller supports, wherein each of said rollers has a first end supported in one of said semicircular grooves of said first lower roller support, and a second end supported in one of said semicircular grooves of said second lower roller support; and

a commodity stopper provided at said front ends of said first and second side panels.

2. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said first lower roller support and said first upper roller support are inclined, relative to a lower surface of said first side panel, from said rear end of said first side panel downwardly towards said front end of said first side panel; and

said second lower roller support and said second upper roller support are inclined, relative to a lower surface of said second side panel, from said rear end of said second side panel downwardly towards said front end of said second side panel.

3. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rollers define a support surface which is at or above the level of a plane defined by the uppermost surfaces of said first and second upper roller supports.

4. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first lower roller support and said first upper roller support are detachably secured to each other, and said second lower roller support said second upper roller support are detachably secured to each other.

5. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first lower roller support and said first upper roller support are detachably secured to said first side panel, and said second lower roller support and said second upper roller support are detachably secured to said second side panel.

6. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a third side panel spaced from and parallel to said second side panel, wherein said first and second side panels define a first display lane, and said second and third side panels define a second display lane.

7. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a rear panel interconnecting said rear ends of said first and second side panels, wherein said rear panel and said rear ends of said first and second side panels define a commodity supply opening, and an upper surface portion of a rearwardmost one of said rollers is at a level which is higher than an uppermost surface of said rear panel.

8. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein said rear panel includes indicia of the commodity to be supplied through said commodity supply opening.

9. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein said commodity stopper is detachably secured to said front ends of said first and second side panels.

10. A commodity display unit comprising:

a first side panel having a rear end and a front end;

a second side panel spaced from and parallel to said first side panel, said second side panel having a rear end and a front end, wherein said front ends of said first and second side panels define a commodity take out position;

an inclined bottom panel interconnecting said first and second side panels;

a first roller support secured to an upper surface of said bottom panel and an inner side surface of said first side panel, said first roller support having a plurality of bearing grooves;

a second roller support secured to the upper surface of said bottom panel and to an inner side surface of said second side panel, said second roller support having a plurality of bearing grooves, wherein each of said bearing grooves of said first and second roller supports has an elastic retaining structure;

a plurality of rollers supported on said first and second roller supports so as to span substantially the entire distance between said first and second side panels, wherein each of said rollers is supported on a roller shaft which has a first end supported in one of said bearing grooves of said first roller support and a second end supported in one of said bearing grooves of said second lower roller support; and

a commodity stopper provided at said front ends of said first and second side panels.

11. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said first and second roller supports are L-shaped.

12. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of said first and second roller supports includes a plurality of downwardly extending elastic projections, and said inclined bottom panel includes a plurality of retaining holes into which said elastic projections are received.

13. The commodity display unit as claimed in claim 10, wherein said rollers define a support surface which is at or above the level of a plane defined by the uppermost surfaces of said first and second roller supports.