Pusher assembly for products having circular packaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9241583-B2
Application number	US-201414210708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 14, 2014
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

A pusher tray is provided. The pusher tray includes a base structure defining a retail merchandise support surface. A pusher is slidably retained on the base structure and configured to bias retail merchandise toward a front stop of the pusher tray. The pusher has a floor and a front wall extending upwardly from the floor such that the front wall is oriented at an acute angle relative to the retail support surface. A pair of dividers are slidably mounted to the base structure. Each of the pair of dividers includes an arcuate frame portion and a pair of support elements supporting the arcuate frame portion such that a portion of each support element is tangent to a radius of curvature defined by each arcuate frame portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pusher tray for storing merchandise, the pusher tray comprising:
a base structure defining a retail merchandise support surface;
a pusher slideably retained on the base structure and configured to bias retail merchandise toward a front stop of the pusher tray;
a pair of opposed dividers slideably mounted to the base structure to adjust the width of the pusher tray, enabling items of various sizes to be stored in the pusher tray;

wherein each of the pair of dividers includes an arcuate frame portion having a radius of curvature, the arcuate frame portion configured to approximate a circular outer periphery of an item of retail merchandise carried by the pusher tray;
wherein each one of the pair of dividers includes a pair of support elements, the arcuate frame portion supported by the pair of support elements such that the pair of support elements extend from the arcuate frame portion and such that terminal ends of the support elements are received in the base structure;
wherein each support element includes a straight portion and an angled portion arranged at an obtuse angle relative to the straight portion, wherein the angled portion is tangent to a radius of curvature defined by the arcuate frame portion.

2. The pusher tray of claim 1 , wherein the base structure includes a pair of opposed support members and a wire frame supported by the support members.

3. The pusher tray of claim 2 , wherein each support member includes at front and rear ends thereof a relief notch, wherein the wire support frame is mounted to the support members in the relief notches.

4. The pusher tray of claim 1 , wherein the arcuate frame portion has a first length, and wherein the pair of support elements are spaced apart a second length, wherein the first length is greater than the second length.

5. The pusher tray of claim 1 , wherein the radius of curvature is between 3 inches and 12 inches.

6. The pusher tray of claim 1 , wherein the pusher has a front wall and a floor, the front wall extending upwardly from the floor at an acute angle such that the front wall is not perpendicular to the floor.

7. A pusher tray for storing merchandise, the pusher tray comprising:
a base structure defining a retail merchandise support surface;
a pusher slideably retained on the base structure and configured to bias retail merchandise toward a front stop of the pusher tray, the pusher having a floor and a front wall extending upwardly from the floor such that the front wall is oriented at an acute angle relative to the retail support surface;
a pair of opposed dividers slideably mounted to the base structures to adjust the width of the pusher tray, enabling items of various sizes to be stored in the pusher tray;

wherein each of the pair of dividers includes a frame portion and a pair of support elements supporting the frame portion;
wherein each support element includes a straight portion and an angled portion arranged at an obtuse angle, relative to the straight portion; and
wherein the frame portion of each divider is arcuate, the arcuate frame portion supported by the pair of support elements such that the pair of support elements are tangent to the arcuate frame portion, wherein terminal ends of the support elements are received in the base structure, wherein the arcuate frame portion is configured to approximate a circular outer periphery of an item of retail merchandise carried by the pusher tray.

8. The pusher tray of claim 7 , wherein the base structure includes a pair of opposed support members and a wire frame supported by the support members.

9. The pusher tray of claim 8 wherein each support member includes at front and rear ends thereof a relief notch, wherein the wire support frame is mounted to the support members in the relief notches.

10. The pusher tray of claim 7 , wherein the arcuate frame portion has a first length, and wherein the support elements are spaced apart a second length, wherein the first length is greater than the second length.

11. The pusher tray of claim 7 , wherein the radius of curvature is between 3 inches and 12 inches.

12. The pusher tray of claim 7 , wherein the pusher has a front wall and a floor, the front wall extending upwardly from the floor at an acute angle such that the front wall is not perpendicular to the floor.

13. A pusher tray for storing frozen pizzas having a circular outer periphery, the pusher tray, comprising:
a base structure defining a retail merchandise support surface;
a pusher slideably retained on the base structure and configured to bias retail merchandise toward a front stop of the pusher tray, the pusher having a floor and a front wall extending upwardly from the floor such that the front wall is oriented at an acute angle relative to the retail support surface;
a pair of opposed dividers slideably mounted to the base structure to adjust the width of the pusher tray, enabling items of various sizes to be stored in the pusher tray; and

wherein each of the pair of dividers includes an arcuate frame portion and a pair of support elements supporting the arcuate frame portion such that an angled portion of each support element is tangent to a radius of curvature defined by each arcuate frame portion; and wherein each support element includes a straight portion arranged at an obtuse angle relative to the angled portion of the support element, wherein the arcuate frame portion is configured to approximate the circular outer periphery of the frozen pizzas carried by the pusher tray.

14. The pusher tray of claim 13 , wherein the radius of curvature is between 3 inches and twelve inches.

15. The pusher tray of claim 13 , wherein the base structure includes a pair of opposed support members and a wire frame supported by the support members.

16. The pusher tray of claim 15 wherein each support member includes at front and rear ends thereof a relief notch, wherein the wire support frame is mounted to the support members in the relief notches.

Assignees

• Nagel Thomas O
• Southern Imperial Inc

Inventors

• Nagel Thomas O

Classifications

• A47F3/147

  made of tubes or wire · CPC title

• A47F1/126 Primary

  the pushing device being urged by spring means · CPC title

• A47B57/58

  with means for adjusting partitions horizontally (book-ends A47B65/00) · CPC title

• A47F1/12

  dispensing from the side of an approximately horizontal stack {(A47F1/087 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• A47F5/01

  made of tubes or wire ({A47F5/0807 takes precedence} foldable or adjustable A47F5/13) · CPC title