Shelf organizer with glide strip

• US 8,162,154 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2009
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: True Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: True Manufacturing Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Trulaske, Steven L. Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jayne, Darnell
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODDEN, JOSHUA E
• Application Number:
  US12/578,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20100072149A1
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: 211/59.2, 211/59.3, 211/74, 211/90.01, 211/153, 211/183, 211/184, 312/35, 312/42, 312/45, 312/60, 312/61, 312/71, 312/72, 312/73, 108/60, 108/61, 248/223.41, 248/224.51
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2325/023 Shelves made of wires
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/803 Bottles
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/805 Cans
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2331/809 Holders
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 25/02 by shelves

Abstract

A gravity feed dispenser (50) for containers, in which the dispenser (50) carrying the containers includes a pair of longitudinally extending stringers (80) engaging with shelf rack (20) in snap-fitting relation to secure the dispenser (50) to the rack (20). In another embodiment, the dispenser (50) has sidewalls (52) of transparent plastic for product visibility and is provided with a glide strip (100) which is attached to the floor (54) of the dispenser (50) by hooks (102) temporarily, and permanently by fusion of the glide strip (100) to the dispenser (50) as by sonic welding.

Claims

1. A gravity feed container dispenser comprising:

a rack including a plurality of rails extending along a longitudinal axis of the rack;

a container dispenser for dispensing product, including a channel shaped member having opposed sidewalls and a plurality of stringers extending along a longitudinal axis of the container dispenser, and lateral members providing a floor, the stringers having depending attachment means cooperating with the rack rails to hold the container dispenser in place on the rack in snap fitted relation;

a glide strip overlying the floor of the dispenser and having a plurality of stringers, the stringers of the glide strip extending along a longitudinal axis of the glide strip with each stringer overlying a respective one of the dispenser stringers and the glide strip having a plurality of lateral members each overlying a respective one of the lateral members of the dispenser, and including attachment means at each end of the glide strip engaging at least two of the lateral members of the dispenser, and the glide strip being permanently attached to the dispenser.

2. A gravity feed container dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein the glide strip is permanently attached to the dispenser by a plurality of sonic fusion points provided on selected lateral members of the dispenser in aligned relation to their respective lateral members of the glide strip for fusion of the glide strip to said dispenser.

3. A gravity feed container dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein the glide strip is laterally corrugated to overlie the longitudinal stringers of the dispenser.

4. A gravity feed container dispenser comprising:

a container dispenser for dispensing products, the dispenser having a plurality of stringers extending along a longitudinal axis of the dispenser and a plurality of lateral members arranged at spaced intervals along the length of the stringers;

a glide strip having a plurality of stringers, the stringers extending along a longitudinal axis of the glide strip with each stringer overlying a respective one of the container dispenser stringers but being fewer in number than the dispenser stringers and the glide strip having a plurality of lateral members, each of the lateral members of the glide strip overlies a respective one of the lateral members of the dispenser, and the glide strip having selected stringers provided with depending hook members to hook onto selected lateral members of the container dispenser to provide a temporary hook attachment to said selected lateral members, and

at least two of said lateral members of the container dispenser being fused as by sonic welding onto their respective lateral members of the dispensing container to provide a permanent heat fusion of said at least two of said lateral members of the glide strip to said respective lateral members of the container dispenser.

5. A gravity feed container dispenser as defined in claim 4 wherein the container dispenser stringers are upwardly tapered and the stringers of the glide strip are laterally contoured to accommodate the container dispenser stringers.

6. A gravity feed container dispenser as defined in claim 4 wherein the container dispenser includes front and rear lateral portions and the selected stringers of the container dispenser having said hook members have said hook members provided proximate said front and rear lateral portions, respectively.

7. A gravity feed container as defined in claim 4 wherein lateral members of the container dispenser include intermediate lateral members and the selected stringers includes depending hook members are attached to said intermediate lateral stringers.