Glide

• US 7,182,209 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marmon Foodservice Technologies Incorporated (Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Display Technologies, LLC (Leigh M. Rothschild)
• Inventors: Squitieri, Anthony C.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOVOSAD, JENNIFER ELEANORE
• Application Number:
  US11/361,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20060138065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 369 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.2, 211/59.3, 211/74, 211/175, 211/184, 312/42, 312/45, 312/61, 312/71, 312/72, D64/08, D64/67, D64/73, D65/15
• 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 5/005 Partitions therefore horizontally adjustable A47B57/58; constructional details of drawers A47B88/90

Abstract

A glide (20) includes a base (22), a front member, and a number of walls (26) extending front-to-back. Both the base and the front member are advantageously formed as a number of pieces secured side-by-side to provide expandability. The front member may be secured to the walls via dovetail interaction and different front members may be provided for different wall spacings.

Claims

1. A retail display glide apparatus for holding a plurality of items, comprising:

a base including a front end, a back end, a left end, a right end, an upper surface for supporting the items, a bottom surface defining an axis and at least one slot extending from the upper surface towards the bottom surface;

a plurality of wall members, at least one of the plurality of wall members removably installable on the base and extending front-to-back to cooperate with the base to define a plurality of channels, each channel dimensioned for accommodating an associated front-to-back column of the items and each wall member including a top edge, a bottom edge, a front edge, a rear edge and at least one wall member including at least one projection depending from the bottom edge, the at least one projection having a forward-directed finger extending therefrom, wherein the wall members are installable on the base by inserting the projection downward into the slot in the base and shifting the wall member forward with respect to the base; and

a front member selectively installable to at least one wall member which bounds forward extremities of the channels.

2. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slot extends from the upper surface of the base through the bottom surface of the base, wherein the projection is inserted through the slot so that an upper surface of the finger contacts the bottom surface of the base and wherein at least a portion of the upper surface of the finger is substantially parallel to the axis of the bottom surface when the wall member is installed on the base.

3. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one channel is dimensioned to accommodate at least one beverage container.

4. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the base comprises a molded plastic primary base member and at least one molded plastic auxiliary base member removably assembled side by side, the primary base member being wider than at least one auxiliary base member;

and the front member including a molded plastic primary front member and at least one molded plastic auxiliary front member removably assembled side by side, the primary front member being wider than at least one auxiliary front member.

5. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the base includes at least three slots and at least one wall member includes at least three projections.

6. A retail display glide apparatus for holding a plurality of items, comprising:

a base having front, back, left, and right ends, an upper surface for supporting the items, a bottom surface, and at least one slot extending from the upper surface to the bottom surface;

a plurality of wall members, at least one of the plurality of wall members removably installable on the base and extending front to back so as to cooperate with the base to define a plurality of channels, each channel dimensioned for accommodating an associated front to back column of the items and at least one of the plurality of wall members including a projection depending from a bottom edge thereof, the projection having a forward-extending finger extending therefrom; and

a front member removably installable to at least one of the plurality of wall members which bounds forward extremities of the channels,

wherein the wall members are installable on the base by inserting the projection downward through the slot in the base and shifting the wall member forward with respect to the base, and wherein the bottom surface of the base remains substantially parallel with the bottom edge of the wall member during installation of the wall member on the base.

7. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the front edge of each wall member includes a vertically-extending projection engagable via vertical translation to a complementary channel in the front member.

8. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the front member includes surfaces cooperating with complementary surfaces of the base to reduce the possibility of a shift of the installed wall members and to reduce the possibility of removal of the installed wall members unless the front member is at least partially uninstalled via vertical translation.

9. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the base includes a molded plastic primary base member and at least one molded plastic auxiliary base member removably assembled side by side, the primary base member being wider than at least one auxiliary base member and wherein the front member includes a molded plastic primary front member and at least one molded plastic auxiliary front member removably assembled side by side, the primary front member being wider than at least one auxiliary front member.

10. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 6, wherein at least one channel is dimensioned to accommodate at least one beverage container.

11. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the base includes at least three slots and at least one wall member includes at least three projections.

12. A retail display glide apparatus for holding a plurality of items, comprising:

a base having front, back, left, and right ends, an upper surface for supporting the items, a bottom surface, at least one slot extending from the upper surface to the bottom surface;

a plurality of wall members, at least one of the plurality of wall members removably installable on the base and extending front to back so as to cooperate with the base to define a plurality of channels, each channel dimensioned for accommodating an associated front to back column of the items and at least one of the plurality of wall members including a projection depending from a bottom surface thereof, the projection having a forward-extending finger extending therefrom; and

a front member installable to at least one of the plurality of wall members which bounds forward extremities of the channels,

wherein the wall members are installable on the base by inserting the projection downward through the slot in the base and shifting the wall member forward with respect to the base; and

wherein the base includes;

right and left side walls;

a plurality of front-to-back rails; and

a plurality of cross-members spanning between the sidewalls,

wherein the cross-members, side walls and rails combine to form a grid of apertures, the apertures receive the installable wall members and are positioned on the base so as to permit the wall members to be installed in one or more of a plurality of pitches.

13. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the side walls and the rails have a width of about 0.095 inches, the apertures have a width of about 0.100 inches and a width from a first aperture of the grid of apertures to an adjacent second aperture of the grid of apertures is about 0.195 inches.

14. The retail display glide apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of pitches are a multiple of the aperture to aperture width of about 0.195 inches.

15. A retail display glide apparatus for holding a plurality of items, comprising:

a base having front, back, left, and right ends, an upper surface for supporting the items, a bottom surface, and at least one slot extending from the upper surface to the bottom surface;

a plurality of wall members, at least one of the plurality of wall members removably installable on the base and extending front to back so as to cooperate with the base to define a plurality of channels, each channel dimensioned for accommodating an associated front to back column of the items and at least one of the plurality of wall members including a projection depending from a bottom surface thereof, the projection having a forward-extending finger extending therefrom; and

a front member installable to at least one of the plurality of wall members which bounds forward extremities of the channels,

wherein the wall members are installable on the base by inserting the projection downward through the slot in the base and shifting the wall member forward with respect to the base; and

wherein the base includes a grid of apertures, the apertures receive the installable wall members and are positioned on the base so as to permit the wall members to be installed in one or more of a plurality of pitches.

16. A kit for forming a retail display glide apparatus which holds a plurality of containers, comprising:

a primary base member having front, back, left, and right ends, an upper surface which supports the containers, a bottom surface, and at least one slot extending from the upper surface to the bottom surface;

a plurality of auxiliary base members each having front, back, left, and right ends, an upper surface which supports containers, a bottom surface, and at least one slot extending from the upper surface to the bottom surface, the plurality of auxiliary base members being configured for selective assembly with the primary base member in side by side configuration to form a glide base;

a plurality of wall members, at least one of the plurality of wall members being selectively installable on the primary base member extending front to back to cooperate with the base to define a plurality of channels, each channel accommodates an associated front to back column of the containers and at least one of the plurality of wall members including at least one projection depending from a bottom surface thereof and the projection having a forward-extending finger, wherein at least one of the plurality of wall members is installable on the base by inserting the projection downward at least partially through the slot in the base and shifting the wall member forward with respect to the base; and

at least two front member assembly kits respectively associated with the at least two channel widths, each comprising;

a primary front member having front and back surfaces and top, bottom, left, and right edges; and

a plurality of auxiliary front members, each having front and back surfaces and top, bottom, left, and right edges and being configured for selective assembly with the primary front member to form a front member assembly, the front member assembly attachable to at least one of the wall members to bound forward extremities of the channels.

17. The kit according to claim 16, wherein each front member assembly includes a plurality of concave surface portions along the back surfaces of its primary and auxiliary front members and is aligned with the plurality of channels for accommodating the front container in each associated column.

18. The kit according to claim 16, wherein

the primary base member and auxiliary base members are each single pieces of molded plastic each including a plurality of pairs of front and back longitudinal apertures;

each wall member including top, bottom, front, and back edges with a plurality of holes inboard of said edges and a vertically-extending projection along the front edge; and

each front member assembly including a plurality of vertically-extending channels complementary to the vertically-extending projections to interlock the front member assembly with the installed wall members upon a relative vertical translation.

19. The kit according to claim 16, wherein the base includes at least three slots and at least one wall member includes at least three projections.