Merchandise dispensing apparatus providing theft deterrence

• US 7,828,158 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2007
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RTC Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Displays Plus Incorporated
• Inventors: Colelli, Robert P., Cleland, Keith, Cruz, Johnnie, Oberg, Eric E.
• Primary Examiner(s): PUROL, SARAH L
• Application Number:
  US11/899,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20080245811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,165 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.3, 211/59.4, 211/184, 211/51, 312/126, 312/71, 221/75, 221/76, 221/13, 221/90, 221/242
• US Class Current: 211/59.3
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/125 with an article-pushing device
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 1/126 the pushing device being urged by spring means
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 3/002 Devices for protection against sunlight or theft
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/06 supported individually on pivotally-mounted flaps or shelves
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/38 in which the magazines are horizontal
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/42 the articles being delivered by motor-driven means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10

Abstract

A box structure has a plurality of walls positioned and configured to prevent access to an interior space housing merchandise in a secure manner. A first movable wall permits manual access to a frontal portion of the interior space while at the same time moving a barrier strip to prevent manual access to other than said frontal portion of the interior space. A roll-out shelf mounts merchandise supporting modules with pushers to move merchandise toward the front of the structure where ejection mechanisms in each of the modules are able to direct selected items to the front of the structure where they can be accessed by consumers. The ejection process creates a characteristic noise to alert store personnel that products are being dispensed.

Claims

1. A merchandise dispensing apparatus providing theft deterrence comprising:

a box structure defined by a plurality of walls, the plurality of walls enclosing and defining an interior space within the box structure;

the plurality of walls positioned and configured to prevent access to the interior space from at least frontal, side, top and bottom approaches to the box structure;

a first movable wall of the plurality of walls joined to the box structure by a first hinge, the first hinge enabling the first movable wall to move between a closed attitude and an open attitude relative to the box structure, the open attitude of the first movable wall permitting manual access to a frontal portion of the interior space; and

a barrier strip within the interior space and hingedly joined to the first movable wall by a second hinge wherein the barrier strip is forced into a vertical attitude when the first movable wall is raised, and the barrier strip is forced into a horizontal attitude when the first movable wall is lowered, the vertical attitude of the barrier strip preventing manual access to other than the frontal portion of the interior space.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first movable wall is transparent, enabling visual access to the interior space when the barrier strip is in the first position and at least partly obscuring visual access to the interior space when the barrier strip is in the second position.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a plurality of merchandise supporting modules, the merchandise supporting modules fixed in adjacent positions within the box structure, each of the merchandise supporting modules providing a merchandise ejector operably raising an ejector plate thereby operably lifting merchandise off the merchandise supporting modules.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the merchandise ejectors each comprise a rotatably mounted knob, the knob enabled for transmitting manual rotational action to a crank, the crank operable within a slot of the ejector plate, thereby directing the ejector plate in linear vertical motion.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein each of the rotatably mounted knobs provides a noise making mechanism.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the merchandise supporting modules each provide a top panel with opposing side panels depending downwardly therefrom, at least one of the side panels engaging one of a plurality of slotted strips of the box structure, thereby fixing the merchandise supporting module in a selected position within the box structure.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first movable wall comprises a first plate extending between side walls of the box structure over the frontal portion, the first plate comprising a handle for moving the front plate between the closed attitude and the open attitude for permitting access to the frontal portion, the barrier strip hingedly joined to the first plate opposite the handle such that the barrier strip is lowered into the vertical attitude adjacent the frontal portion.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the first plate is oriented generally horizontally in the closed attitude and is lifted about the first hinge to access the frontal portion.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the handle is located on a front edge of the first plate, the second hinge is located on a rear edge of the first plate and the first hinge is disposed on side edges of the first plate between the front and rear edges.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the plurality of walls comprise a front plate allowing observation of merchandise within the interior space through the front plate, the first plate contacting an upper edge of the front plate in the closed attitude.

7. A merchandise dispensing apparatus providing theft deterrence comprising:

a box structure defined by a plurality of walls, the plurality of walls enclosing and defining an interior space within the box structure;

the plurality of walls positioned and configured to prevent access to the interior space from at least frontal, side, top and bottom approaches to the box structure;

a first movable wall, of the plurality of walls, joined to the box structure by a first hinge, the first hinge enabling the first movable wall to move between a closed attitude and an open attitude relative to the box structure, the open attitude of the first movable wall sized for manual access to a frontal portion of the interior space; and

a plurality of removable merchandise supporting modules, the merchandise supporting modules engaging fixed slotted strips of the box structure thereby selectively positioning the modules in adjacent, aligned, removably fixed locations within the interior space;

each of the merchandise supporting modules providing a top panel for resting merchandise thereon, and a side wall movably secured to the merchandise supporting module;

each adjacent pair of said side walls establishing a merchandise guideway terminating at a merchandise ejector proximal to the first movable wall, whereby merchandise ejected from each of the merchandise supporting modules is directed into the frontal portion in front of the respective merchandise supporting module in position to be manually removed from the frontal portion of the apparatus when the first movable wall is in the open attitude.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a barrier strip within the interior space and hingedly joined to the first movable wall by a second hinge extending substantially parallel to the first hinge, the second hinge enabling the barrier strip to move between a first position allowing merchandise on the merchandise supporting module to be directed into the frontal portion when the first movable wall is in the closed attitude, and a second position when the first movable wall is in the open attitude, the second position of the barrier strip preventing manual access to other than said frontal portion of the interior space to prevent access to merchandise not already directed into the frontal portion.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first movable wall is transparent, enabling visual access to the merchandise supporting modules when the barrier strip is in the first position and at least partly obscuring visual access to the merchandise supporting modules when the barrier strip is in the second position.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the merchandise supporting modules are fixed in adjacent positions within the box structure, each of the merchandise supporting modules providing a merchandise ejector operably enabled for raising and lowering an ejector plate for ejecting merchandise.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the merchandise ejectors each comprise a rotatably mounted knob, the knob enabled for transmitting manual rotational action to a crank, the crank operable within a slot of the respective ejector plate, thereby directing the ejector plate in linear vertical motion.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each of the rotatably mounted knobs provides a noise making mechanism operable when the knob is rotated.

13. A merchandise dispensing apparatus providing theft deterrence comprising:

a box structure defined by a plurality of walls, the plurality of walls enclosing and defining an interior space within the box structure;

the plurality of walls positioned and configured to prevent access to the interior space from at least frontal, side, top and bottom approaches to the box structure; and

a plurality of merchandise supporting modules within the interior space side by side adjacent one another across a width of the box structure, each said merchandise supporting module providing a top panel for resting merchandise thereon, a pair of opposing side panels depending downwardly from the top panel, and a movable side wall positioned adjacent to one of the side walls and parallel thereto;

wherein

adjacent pairs of the side walls establish merchandise guideways for orienting merchandise thereon towards a frontal portion of the interior space, each of the guideways terminating at a merchandise ejector adjacent the frontal portion, whereby merchandise ejected from the merchandise supporting modules is in position within the frontal portion of the box structure to be manually removed from the apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein each merchandise ejector comprises a rotatably mounted knob positioned exterior to the box structure, the knob enabled for transmitting manual rotational action to a crank, the crank operable within a slot of an ejector plate, thereby directing the ejector plate in linear vertical motion for pressing on merchandise to thereby eject said merchandise.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein at least one of the side panels of each one of the merchandise supporting modules engages at least one of a plurality of slotted strips of the box structure, thereby fixing the merchandise supporting modules in selected side by side positions within the box structure.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein each of the rotatably mounted knobs provides a noise making mechanism operable when the knob is rotated.