Shelf assembly with pusher having memory characteristic and method of use
First Claim
1. A shelf assembly comprising:
- a shelf frame having a front frame member and a rear frame member and a plurality of substantially parallel spaced dividers extending between said front frame member and said rear frame member, each of said dividers having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, the horizontal portions of the dividers defining substantially planar supporting surfaces, an adjacent pair of said dividers defining a track for supporting a plurality of products arranged in a column between said pair of adjacent dividers; and
a pusher for urging said column of products forwardly along said track, said pusher comprising a sheet of material having a memory characteristic, said pusher having a plurality of recesses, said horizontal portions of said pair of adjacent dividers being received inside said recesses of said pusher so as to retain and guide said pusher in said track, said pusher being adapted to assume an upwardly bowed inverted U-shaped configuration above said supporting surfaces between said rear frame member and a rearwardmost one of said products in said track upon receipt of said column of products such that said memory characteristic biases said sheet toward a flat planar orientation so as to urge said column of products toward said front frame member.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A shelf assembly comprising a shelf having a front frame member and a rear frame member and a plurality of substantially parallel dividers extending between the front frame member and the rear frame member. The dividers are arranged in pairs defining a plurality of tracks for supporting a plurality of products arranged in columns between the pairs of dividers. At least one pusher is located within each track for urging a column of products forwardly along the track. Each pusher comprises a sheet of flexible material having a memory characteristic which biases the sheet toward a flat planar orientation. Each pusher is forced into an upwardly bowed inverted U-shaped configuration between the rear frame member of the shelf and a rearwardmost product in a column of products in a track so as to urge the column of products forwardly toward the front frame member when a forwardmost product is removed.
107 Citations
39 Claims
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1. A shelf assembly comprising:
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a shelf frame having a front frame member and a rear frame member and a plurality of substantially parallel spaced dividers extending between said front frame member and said rear frame member, each of said dividers having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, the horizontal portions of the dividers defining substantially planar supporting surfaces, an adjacent pair of said dividers defining a track for supporting a plurality of products arranged in a column between said pair of adjacent dividers; and a pusher for urging said column of products forwardly along said track, said pusher comprising a sheet of material having a memory characteristic, said pusher having a plurality of recesses, said horizontal portions of said pair of adjacent dividers being received inside said recesses of said pusher so as to retain and guide said pusher in said track, said pusher being adapted to assume an upwardly bowed inverted U-shaped configuration above said supporting surfaces between said rear frame member and a rearwardmost one of said products in said track upon receipt of said column of products such that said memory characteristic biases said sheet toward a flat planar orientation so as to urge said column of products toward said front frame member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A shelf assembly comprising:
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a shelf support; a shelf having a front frame member, a rear frame member and a plurality of substantially parallel dividers extending between said front frame member and said rear frame member, an adjacent pair of said dividers each having an inverted T-shape in cross section and having a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, said horizontal portions of said pair of adjacent dividers defining generally planar supporting surfaces for supporting a plurality of products arranged in a column between said pair of adjacent dividers, said pair of adjacent dividers defining a track; and a pusher within said track for urging said column of products forwardly along said track, said pusher comprising a sheet of material having a memory property which causes said sheet to return to a planar orientation from a generally inverted U-shaped configuration, said pusher having recesses, the horizontal portions of said pair of adjacent dividers being located inside said recesses enabling said pusher to slide along said pair of adjacent dividers without becoming separated from said pair of adjacent dividers. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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- 26. In combination a shelf and pushers, said shelf comprising a front frame member, a rear frame member, and a plurality of spaced parallel dividers extending between said front frame member and said rear frame member of said shelf, each of said dividers having a horizontal portion having at least one side edge and a vertical portion extending upwardly from said horizontal portion, some of said dividers having an inverted T-shape in cross section, said horizontal portions of said dividers defining generally planar supporting surfaces, each adjacent pair of said dividers defining a track, said shelf having multiple said tracks, each of said tracks adapted to support a plurality of products arranged in a column inside said track, each of said tracks having at least one of said pushers, each of said pushers having recesses which receive said side edges of said horizontal portions of a respective said pair of adjacent dividers, each of said pushers comprising a sheet having a memory characteristic which biases said sheet toward a flat planar orientation from an upwardly bowed, inverted U-shaped configuration, each of said pushers being forced into said upwardly bowed, inverted U-shaped configuration above said supporting surfaces when the products are disposed in said tracks.
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33. A shelf assembly comprising:
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a shelf having a pair of adjacent dividers defining a track adapted to support a plurality of products arranged in a column between said pair of adjacent dividers; and a pusher within said track for urging said column of products forwardly along said track, said pusher comprising a sheet of material having a memory characteristic, said pusher being adapted to assume an upwardly bowed inverted U-shaped configuration above horizontal portions of said pair of adjacent dividers between a rear frame member and a rearwardmost one of said products in said track upon receipt of said column of products such that said memory characteristic biases said sheet toward a flat planar orientation so as to urge said column of products forwardly, said pusher having a pair of T sections each disposed at a respective opposite end of said pusher, each of said T sections receiving said horizontal portions of said pair of adjacent dividers to retain and guide said pusher in said track. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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35. A method of urgin a column of products forwardly in a shelf assembly, said shelf assembly comprising a shelf having a track defined by two adjacent dividers, each of said adjacent dividers having an inverted T-shape configuration in cross section and a horizontal portion and extending between a shelf front frame member and a shelf rear frame member, said horizontal portions of said adjacent dividers defining generally planar supporting surfaces, said method comprising:
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providing a pusher comprising a flat planar sheet having multiple recesses, forcing said pusher into an upwardly bowed inverted U-shaped configuration above said supporting surfaces between a rearwardmost one of said products in said column and said shelf rear frame member such that a memory characteristic of said sheet causes said pusher to push said column of products forwardly in said track, said recesses of said pusher being engaged with said horizontal portions of said adjacent dividers so that said pusher will not separate from said horizontal portions of said adjacent dividers upon at least one of said products being removed from said track. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A shelf assembly comprising:
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a shelf having substantially planar supporting surfaces and a plurality of substantially parallel spaced dividers extending from front to back on said shelf, some of said dividers having an inverted T-shape in cross section, an adjacent pair of said dividers and an adjacent pair of said substantially planar supporting surfaces defining a track for supporting a plurality of products arranged in a column between said pair of adjacent dividers; and a pusher for urging said column of products forwardly along said track, said pusher comprising a sheet of material having a memory characteristic which biases said sheet toward a flat planar orientation from an upwardly bowed inverted U-shaped configuration and a pair of T-sections each disposed at a respective opposite end of said pusher, a portion of each of said T-sections being located below said adjacent pair of supporting surfaces, said pusher being adapted to assume said upwardly bowed inverted U-shaped configuration above said supporting surfaces between a rearwardmost one of said products in said track and a rear portion of said shelf so as to urge said column of products forwardly. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39)
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Specification