Product management display system with trackless pusher mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10045640-B2
Application number	US-201615340243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2016
Priority date	Sep 12, 2005
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

A product management display system for merchandising product on a shelf includes using a trackless pusher mechanism that travels along a surface on which product is placed and one or more dividers for separating product into rows. The one or more dividers may be engaged to a front rail in two different conditions, locked and unlocked. In a locked condition, the relationship between the divider and the front rail resists alteration in any direction with respect to each other. In the unlocked condition, the dividers may be freely slid laterally along the front rail, while remaining perpendicular to the front rail. The one or more dividers may lock to the front rail through the use of corresponding teeth, resilient surfaces, a locking tab, a locking bar and/or a cam.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A merchandise display system comprising:
a front rail; and
a plurality of dividers configured to attach to the front rail and separate product into rows,
wherein each of the plurality of dividers includes a divider wall extending in a direction perpendicular to the front rail, a divider floor perpendicular to the divider wall, wherein the divider floor is configured to hold product, and a cam coupled to the divider, wherein the cam is configured to move between a first position and a second position, the second position being in contact with the front rail,
wherein each of the plurality of dividers is movable in a lateral direction parallel to the front rail when each of the plurality of dividers is engaged with the front rail and the cam for each of the plurality of dividers is in the first position, and
wherein each of the plurality of dividers is fixed in the lateral direction parallel to the front rail when each of the plurality of dividers is engaged with the front rail and the cam for each of the plurality of dividers is in the second position.

2. The merchandise display system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of dividers is configured to move in the lateral direction parallel to the front rail when product is positioned on the divider floor.

3. The merchandise display system of claim 2 , wherein a force on an outermost divider of the plurality of dividers will cause each of the plurality of dividers to move in the lateral direction parallel to the front rail when the cams for each of the plurality of dividers are in the first position, and wherein the force is in a direction parallel to the front rail and perpendicular to the divider wall of the outermost divider.

4. The merchandise display system of claim 1 , wherein the front rail comprises an aperture configured to receive a mounting clip to prevent lateral movement of the front rail, wherein the mounting clip is configured to fit into a corresponding aperture on a shelf.

5. A merchandise display system comprising:
a front rail;
at least one divider configured to attach to the front rail, the at least one divider including a barrier, a divider wall extending in a direction perpendicular to the front rail, a divider floor perpendicular to the divider wall, wherein the divider wall separates the divider floor into a first portion and a second portion and each of the first portion and the second portion are configured to hold product;
a first pusher mechanism configured to slide along at least part of the first portion;
a second pusher mechanism configured to slide along at least part of the second portion; and
a cam coupled to the at least one divider, the cam configured to move between a first position and a second position, the second position being in contact with the front rail,
wherein the at least one divider is movable in a lateral direction parallel to and along the front rail when the cam is in the first position, and
wherein the cam resists movement in the lateral direction parallel to and along the front rail when the cam is in the second position.

6. The merchandise display system of claim 5 , wherein each of the first and second pusher mechanisms comprises:
a pusher surface, a pusher floor extending forwardly from the pusher surface, and a coiled spring having a coiled end and a free end, wherein the coiled end is positioned behind the pusher surface and the first and second pusher mechanisms are attached to the merchandise display system only by the coiled spring.

7. The merchandise display system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one divider defines divider teeth on at least one surface.

8. The merchandise display system of claim 7 , wherein the front rail defines front rail teeth on at least one surface of the front rail, and wherein the divider teeth are configured to engage the front rail teeth.

9. The merchandise display system of claim 5 , wherein the front rail comprises an aperture configured to receive a mounting clip to prevent lateral movement of the front rail, wherein the mounting clip is configured to fit into a corresponding aperture on a shelf.

10. A merchandise display system comprising:
a front rail;
at least one divider configured to engage the front rail, the at least one divider including a barrier, the at least one divider further including a divider wall, the at least one divider further including a divider floor perpendicular to the divider wall, wherein the divider floor is configured to hold product; and
a cam coupled to the divider, wherein the cam is configured to move between a first position and a second position, the first position being in contact with the front rail,
wherein the at least one divider is secured in a direction perpendicular to the front rail when the at least one divider is engaged with the front rail, and
wherein the cam inhibits movement of the at least one divider in a lateral direction parallel to the front rail when the cam is in the first position and the cam allows movement of the divider in the lateral direction parallel to the front rail when the cam is in the second position.

11. The merchandise display system of claim 10 , wherein the at least one divider is movable in the plane of a shelf only in the lateral direction parallel to the front rail and the at least one divider is fixed in the plane of the shelf in all directions other than the direction parallel to the front rail when the at least one divider is engaged with the front rail.

12. The merchandise display system of claim 10 , wherein the cam includes a handle to rotate the cam between the first position and the second position.

13. The merchandise display system of claim 10 , wherein the front rail comprises an aperture configured to receive a mounting clip to prevent lateral movement of the front rail, wherein the mounting clip is configured to fit into a corresponding aperture on a shelf.

14. A merchandise display system comprising:
a front rail comprising a groove;
at least one divider configured to engage the front rail, the at least one divider including a barrier, the at least one divider further including a divider wall, the at least one divider further including a divider floor perpendicular to the divider wall, wherein the divider floor is configured to hold product; and
a cam coupled to the divider, the cam configured to move between a first position and a second position to engage the front rail in the first position to fix the at least one divider in the lateral direction parallel to the front rail and to disengage from the front rail in the second position to allow movement of the at least one divider in the lateral direction parallel to the front rail.

15. The merchandise display of claim 14 wherein the cam further comprises a tongue having at least a first cam wall and a second cam wall.

16. The merchandise display system of claim 15 , wherein the cam includes a handle to rotate the cam between a first position and a second position.

17. The merchandise display system of claim 15 , further comprising: a pusher mechanism having a pusher surface, a pusher floor extending forwardly from the pusher surface, and a coiled spring having a coiled end and a free end, wherein the coiled end is positioned behind the pusher surface and the pusher mechanism is attached to the merchandise display system only by the coiled spring.

18. The merchandise display system of claim 17 , wherein the barrier is configured to receive the free end of the coiled spring.

19. The merchandise display system of cla

Assignees

• Rtc Ind Inc

Inventors

• Hardy Stephen N

Classifications

• Y10T29/49863

  with prestressing of part · CPC title

• A47F5/005 Primary

  Partitions therefore (horizontally adjustable A47B57/58; constructional details of drawers A47B88/90) · CPC title

• A47B87/0269

  without separate distance holders · CPC title

• B42F7/12

  Stacked trays · CPC title

• A47F1/126

  the pushing device being urged by spring means · CPC title