Product pusher assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11160392-B2
Application number	US-202016984784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2020
Priority date	Aug 9, 2019
Publication date	Nov 2, 2021
Grant date	Nov 2, 2021

Abstract

A product pusher assembly includes a rail, a divider, and a pusher. The rail extends in a first direction and includes a first engagement mechanism. The divider extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and is coupled to the rail for translation in the first direction and the second direction. The divider includes a front portion, a rear portion, and a second engagement mechanism disposed between the front portion and the rear portion. The second engagement mechanism is configured to selectively engage the first engagement mechanism during translation in the second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A product pusher assembly comprising:
a rail including a front wall, a rear wall, and a first engagement mechanism including a plurality of teeth extending along the front wall;
a divider slidably coupled to the rail and defining a front product-receiving portion extending a first direction from the front wall of the rail and a rear product-receiving portion extending an opposite second direction from the rear wall of the rail, the divider having a pair of side walls each (i) defining a first slot configured to receive the front wall of the rail and (ii) including a second engagement mechanism disposed within the first slot and configured to selectively engage the at least one of the teeth of the first engagement mechanism; and
a pusher wall coupled to the rail adjacent to the divider and operable to move parallel to the divider.

2. The product pusher assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first slot is disposed between the front product-receiving portion and the rear product-receiving portion.

3. The product pusher assembly of claim 1 , wherein the divider includes a biasing member that biases the first engagement mechanism into engagement with the second engagement mechanism.

4. The product pusher assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rail includes a base portion connecting the front wall to the rear wall, the front wall including a front surface and the rear wall including a rear surface.

5. The product pusher assembly of claim 4 , wherein the divider includes a base having a top surface, a bottom surface opposite the top surface, and the pair of side walls extending from the bottom surface, each of the side walls includes a second slot configured to receive the rear wall.

6. The product pusher assembly of claim 5 , wherein the divider includes a biasing member extending from the bottom surface that engages the rear surface of the rear wall to bias the first engagement mechanism into engagement with the second engagement mechanism.

7. The product pusher assembly of claim 4 , wherein the first engagement mechanism is disposed on the front surface of the front wall.

8. The product pusher assembly of claim 1 , wherein the divider is translatable along the rail when the first engagement mechanism is disengaged from the second engagement mechanism.

9. The product pusher assembly of claim 8 , wherein the divider is prohibited from translating along the rail when the at least one of the teeth of the first engagement mechanism is engaged with the second engagement mechanism.

10. The product pusher assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rail is disposed between the front product-receiving portion and the rear product-receiving portion.

11. The product pusher assembly of claim 10 , wherein the divider includes a base slidably attached to the rail, the base being slidable along the rail in the first direction.

12. A product pusher assembly comprising:
a rail extending in a first direction and including a first engagement mechanism, the rail extending from a front surface to a rear surface in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
a divider extending along the second direction from a first end to a second end and including (i) a base having a top surface and a bottom surface disposed on an opposite side from the top surface, (ii) a pair of side walls extending from the bottom surface of the base and each receiving the rail, (iii) a second engagement mechanism disposed on at least one of the side walls and configured to selectively engage the first engagement mechanism, and (iv) at least one flexible tab extending from the bottom surface of the base and engaging the rear surface of the rail to bias the first engagement mechanism of the rail into engagement with the second engagement mechanism of the divider; and
a pusher coupled to the rail adjacent to the divider and including a wall operable to move along the first direction.

13. The product pusher assembly of claim 12 , wherein each sidewall of the divider includes a slot configured to receive at least a portion of the rail, the slot being disposed between the first end and the second end.

14. The product pusher assembly of claim 12 , wherein the rail includes a front wall, a rear wall, and a base portion connecting the front wall to the rear wall, the front wall including the front surface and the rear wall including the rear surface.

15. The product pusher assembly of claim 12 , wherein the rail is disposed between the first end and the second end.

Assignees

• Fasteners For Retail Inc

Inventors

• Ewing Brent
• Liedtke Michael Eric
• Obitts Shane
• Bacnik James
• Walker William H

Classifications

• A47F1/126 Primary

  the pushing device being urged by spring means · CPC title

• A47F5/005

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