Tray holding display system

• US 6,758,349 B1
• Filed: 08/12/2002
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mechtronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mechtronics Corporation
• Inventors: Kwap, John A., Martin, Arthur R., Csak, Louis R.
• Primary Examiner(s): GIBSON, ROBERT W
• Application Number:
  US10/218,058
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 211/72, 211/49.1, 211/59.2, 211/135, 206/738, 206/745, 312/42, 248/174
• US Class Current: 211/59.2
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 5/10 Adjustable or foldable or dismountable display stands foldable racks in general A47B43/00; dismountable racks in general A47B47/00; assemblies of elements of the same kind, e.g. stackable A47B87/00; publicity panels G09F15/0068

Abstract

A display system includes a reusable basic unit into which a product-carrying tray may be inserted to display/dispense such product. The trays are replaceable as the product is expended. The basic unit advantageously includes portions for removably accommodating graphics so that, for various promotional events, different graphics can be used for each event.

Claims

1. A display device for placement on a shelf and dispensing product comprising:

a tray holding a plurality of products;

a housing having a front end opening for receiving the tray;

a signage carrier having an installed position mounted across a portion of the opening in front of an upper portion of the tray; and

a signage carrying trim member, depending from the housing so as to be positioned in front of a front edge of the shelf.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the housing comprises left and right side walls each having an outboard surface with:

a front portion shaped in elevation as a substantially non right parallelogram with horizontal bottom and top edges and front-to-back inclined fore and aft edges; and

an aft portion having a substantially vertical aft edge.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the signage carrier has an aperture for exposing a product sample mounted to the tray.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the products comprise over the counter medications.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the tray includes:

a front wall having sufficient open area to provide access to a bottom one in each of a plurality of stacks of the product; and

divider walls between adjacent stacks.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the divider walls are formed having a layer proximate each adjacent lane and separated by a gap substantially larger than a layer thickness to space apart the products in the respective lanes and the divider walls, along forward extremities thereof have gaps effective to allow grasping of the bottom product in the stacks.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein:

the housing has a floor oriented at a substantially right angle to the front edges of the housing wall front portions so that the stacks are slightly declined; and

the tray is formed as a right corrugated boxboard structure having a bottom wall dimensioned to fit flat atop the housing floor when installed so as to recline the product stacks.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the signage carrier comprises:

a central web;

left and right portions each having an elongate slot capturing a first pivot means of the housing; and

a second pivot means captured by the housing.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein:

the signage carrier is shiftable between said installed position and a stowed position by means of initial rotation about the first pivot means followed by an insertion, which insertion moves the elongate slots along the first pivot means and moves the second pivot means rearward within the housing.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein a wire brace extends across an upper portion of the opening.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the trim member comprises a coextrusion of a relatively rigid plastic and a relatively flexible plastic, the relatively flexible plastic providing a hinge between two sections of the relatively rigid plastic.

12. A tray assembly comprising:

a plurality of stacks of products;

a body formed of a folded corrugated material and having;

a bottom wall with front and back edges and left and right edges;

a back wall extending upward from the bottom wall back edge and having bottom and top edges and left and right edges;

left and right side walls extending upward from the bottom wall left and right edges; and

a top wall; and

a divider assembly, comprising;

a plurality of front to back divider walls separating a plurality of lanes, each lane carrying an associated one of the stacks; and

a spacer wall carrying the plurality of divider walls, the spacer wall having a forward surface forwardly offset from a forward surface of the body back wall;

wherein;

the body has an open front area of sufficient extent to provide access to a bottom product in each such stack.

13. The tray assembly of claim 12 wherein:

the plurality of divider walls each have open areas dimensioned to allow a user to insert one or more fingers between the stacks to grasp the bottom products; and

a retainer covers a portion of a front of the body above the open front area.

22. The tray assembly of claim 12 wherein the top wall of the body extends only slightly forward of the top edge of the rear wall so as to permit restocking of the product in each stack without disassembly of the tray assembly.

23. The tray assembly of claim 12 wherein each of the plurality of divider walls includes an upper edge, and the upper edge of each divider wall includes a recessed area of sufficient depth to receive the top wall of the body.

14. A tray assembly comprising:

a body formed of a folded corrugated material and having bottom, back, top and loft and right side walls along portions of associated surfaces of a right parallelepiped, and having an open area along at least a lower portion of a front of the parallelepiped;

a divider carried within the body and comprising;

a plurality of front-to-back divider walls having separation effective to define a plurality of lanes;

a spacer wall having a forward surface forwardly offset from a forward surface of the body back wall.

15. The tray assembly of claim 14 wherein:

the body consists essentially of a single piece of corrugated boxboard,

the spacer wall is so offset by a distance between 25% and 75% of a depth of the body;

said body open area extends over the entire front the parallelepiped above the bottom wall; and

the body has a second open area along at least a front portion of a top of the parallelepiped.

16. The tray assembly of claim 15 wherein:

the second open area extends over at least half of the top of the parallelepiped; and

the divider comprises an assembly of corrugated boxboard pieces;

a first piece providing said spacer wall and having left and right side portions folded back at left and right edges of the spacer wall and extending along rear portions of the left and right side walls to maintain the offset of the spacer wall from the back wall; and

a plurality of divider pieces each forming one of the divider walls, the divider walls being of two layer construction over at least a major portion thereof.

17. The tray assembly of claim 16 wherein:

the divider walls and the first piece left and right portions each have relieved areas accommodating the body top wall;

each divider wall has a gap above the bottom wall at a front portion of the divider wall; and

each divider wall has a slot receiving a portion of the spacer wall and the spacer wall included a plurality of slots, each receiving a portion of an associated one of the divider walls;

wherein the body has a second open area along at least a front portion of a top of the parallelepiped.

18. The tray assembly of claim 15 further comprising:

a plurality of stacks of products, each stack within an associated one of the lanes; and

a removable corrugated material cover covering the body open area and second open area.

19. The tray assembly of claim 18 further comprising:

a retainer having;

a front wall covering a portion of the body open area above a lower portion of the body open area; and

left and right side walls sandwiched between the respective left and right side walls of the body and the left and right side portions of the divider first piece.

20. The tray assembly of claim 19 wherein:

the cover consists essentially of a single piece of corrugated boxboard;

the cover includes means for defining a pull tab;

the cover includes tabs extending into apertures along fold areas along the front edges of the body side walls; and

the cover includes a portion wedged between the body top and the divider walls.

21. The tray assembly of claim 15 wherein:

the body has a single layer along its back wall; and

the body has at least two layers along each of its top wall, bottom wall, and left and right side walls, with a fold area along the front edge of the top wall, bottom wall, and left and right side walls and an inner of two layers of each of the left and right side walls having at least one tab extending into an associated aperture in the back wall.