Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title: MERCHANDISING SYSTEM WITH
MOVABLE SHELVING UNITS
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to merchandising systems and in
particular to a system for merchandising time-dated products such as baby
food in a retail store aisle setting.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Retail stores typically merchandise products on fixed shelving
arranged back-to-back along aisles to allow customers to walk along the
10 aisles and choose the products they desire. A problem arises however when
time-sensitive products, such as baby food or beverage products, are retailed
in this manner. Such products are typically labelled with a "Best Before"
date or expiry date to notify the customer when the product is no longer
considered safe to consume. When such products are merchandised in
15 conventional back-to-back fixed shelving unit arrangements, it is possible
for expired products to be overlooked by the shelf stocking clerks who
regularly check the inventory of products to remove expired products and to
move older products to the front of the shelves. For instance, customers
often move products on the shelf to locate the freshest products with the
20 result that expired or soon to expire products are hidden behind newer
products. These hidden products may be overlooked by the stocking clerks
and then sold to customers by mistake. This is a concern since the sale of
expired products can be a serious health risk and expose the retail store and
the brand marketer to potential liability and a definite loss of goodwill.
What is needed is a retail aisle merchandising system that
allows improved merchandising of time-dated products compared to
conventional fixed shelf systems. The systems should be capable of being
incorporated into existing conventional shelf systems as desired.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect the invention provides a merchandiser
comprising:
a frame;
a plurality of shelves;
means for supporting said shelves on said frame, wherein each
shelf has a top surface that is inclined when said shelf is supported on said
frame to facilitate a gravity feed of a product from a rear edge of said shelf to
a front edge of said shelf; and
a plurality of wheels located on said frame to facilitate forward
and rearward movement of said merchandiser.
In another aspect the invention provides a molded shelf
comprising:
a one-piece molded body having a top surface, a bottom surface,
a rear edge, a front edge and opposing side edges;
a downwardly facing support flange extending along the rear
edge and the opposing side edges of said body, said flange defining a slot for
receiving a shelf support rod;
a plurality of parallel channel walls protruding upwardly from
said top surface between said rear edge and said front edge of said shelf to
define channels for receiving product;
a plurality of support ribs protruding downwardly from said
bottom surface of said shelf; and
a display card holder extending along the front edge of said
shelf for supporting an informational display card.
In another aspect the invention provides a merchandising
system comprising:
a plurality of shelving bays defined between pairs of upright
shelf support posts;
a plurality of shelves supported on said posts within at least
one of said shelving bays; and
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a movable shelving unit positioned within at least one other of
said shelving bays, said movable shelving unit including a frame, a plurality
of shelves, means for supporting each shelf on said frame, and means for
moving said movable shelving unit relative to said shelving bay, said
5 movable shelving unit having a front end for dispensing product from said
shelves and a rear end for loading product on said shelves, said rear end
being exposed for loading when said movable shelving unit is moved away
from said bay.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the present invention, and to
show more clearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be
made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings. The drawings
show a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art fixed shelf support
system;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a merchandising system in
accordance with the present invention including a pair of movable shelving
units;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the merchandising system of Fig.
2 with one of the movable shelving units moved away from its bay for
loading;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a movable shelving unit in
accordance with the present invention;
Fig. 5 is a top perspective view of a shelf in accordance with the
present invention;
Fig. 6 is an exploded top perspective view of the shelf of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the shelf of Fig. 5;
Fig. 8 is a top view of the shelf of Fig. 5;
Fig. 9 is a side view of the shelf of Fig. 5;
Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the shelf of Fig. 5 along lines 10-10;
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Fig. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of the shelf of Fig. 8 along
lines 11-11; and
Fig. 12 is a top perspective view of the shelf of Fig. 5 loaded
with product.
5 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to Fig. 1, a conventional fixed shelf merchandising
system is shown generally at 20 for dispensing products along aisles 30 in a
retail store setting. The merchandising system 20 includes conventional
fixed shelving units 22 having shelves 24 supported by support arms 26 that
10 are arranged back-to-back on support posts 28. The support arms 26 typically
have tongues (not shown) or other means for releasably engaging
corresponding apertures 32 in the support posts 28 so that the shelves 24 can
be adjusted to a desired height. Each pair of support posts 28 defines a bay 36
for supporting shelves 24.
Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, a movable shelf merchandising
system in accordance with the present invention is shown generally at 33.
The merchandising system 33 includes fixed shelving units 22 and movable
shelving units 34. The movable shelving units 34 are sized to fit (either
alone or, as shown, in combination with additional movable shelving units
20 34) in a bay 36 of the merchandising system 33 which is not fully occupied byshelves 24. Fig. 3 shows one of the movable shelving units 34 being moved
away from the bay 36 for loading product as described further below.
Referring to Fig. 4, the movable shelving unit 34 includes a
frame 38 having corner posts 40 that are spanned at their upper and lower
25 ends with cross-beams 42. The corner posts 40 and cross-beams 42 are
connected by welds 44, or alternatively nuts and bolts, corresponding
interconnecting male and female ends, or other suitable means. A double
row of cross-beams 42 is provided at the lower end for added rigidity. A yoke
46 depends downwardly from the lower cross-beam on two sides of the
30 frame 38 adjacent to the corner posts 40. The yoke 46 is connected to the
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cross-beam by a weld 48, or a nut and bolt or any other suitable connecting
means known in the art. Each yoke 46 supports a wheel 50 that is carried by
an axle 52 that extends through openings 54 defined in the yoke 46. The axle
52 is held in place with a nut 56, or stub screw or other suitable means
5 known in the art. A releasable brake (not shown) may also be provided to
prevent movement of the wheels until desired.
Apertures 60 are arranged at spaced intervals along the length
of the posts. The apertures 60 are adapted to receive shelf support rods 62
that may be removed or inserted at appropriate desired locations. The rods
10 62 are preferably, but not necessarily, circular in cross-section. A pair of the
shelf support rods 62 is adapted to support a shelf 64 for the shelving unit as
described further below. The apertures 60 are arranged on the corner posts 40
to permit the shelf to be positioned at a downward slope from the back 66 to
the front 68 of the shelving unit. It has been found that a slope angle A in
15 the range of 8 to 9 degrees is sufficient for feeding 3.5 to 7.5 ounce glass baby
food jars 69 along a plastic shelf as shown in Fig. 12. The frame 38 may also
have panels 70 affixed to it to conceal the wheels from view or to support
display signage at the upper end of the unit.
Referring to Figs. 5-12, the shelf 64 includes a one-piece body 72
20 that is preferably blow molded from plastic. The body 72 includes a top
surface 74, a bottom surface 76, a back edge 78, a front edge 80 and opposing
side edges 82. The shelf 64 includes a peripheral support flange 84 that
extends along the back edge 78 and side edges 82 of the body 72. The support
flange 84 defines a slot 86 that is sized to receive the shelf support rod 62 for
25 adding rigidity to the shelf 64 and for supporting the shelf 64 on the frame
38. The front edge 80 of the shelf 64 includes an inclined support flange 88
that also defines a slot 86 sized to receive a support rod 62. The rod 62 assists
in adding rigidity along the front edge 80 of the shelf 64 and is not
necessarily connected to the corner posts 40 to support the shelf 64. The
30 inclined support flange 88 also includes rectangular openings 90 defined at
three locations along its length. The openings 90 are each adapted to receive
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a clip 92 having a C-shaped cross-section. The clip 92 includes barbed ends 94
that are adapted to lockably engage the rod 62 in a snap fit. The clip 92 is
sized to lay flush with a front face of the inclined support flange 88 and top
edge 96 of the support flange 88 when it has been locked to the rod 62. The
5 clip 92 includes an upwardly extending key 98 that is adapted to slidably
engage a corresponding keyway 100 defined in an end wall 102 for the front
edge 80 of the shelf 64. The key 98 and keyway 100 have a corresponding
sized neck 104 and enlarged head 106 for preventing upward or
forward/rearward movement of the end wall 102. The end wall 102 also
10 includes a downwardly depending flange 108 that is positioned at a
corresponding angle to an upwardly extending flange 110 on the front face of
the inclined support flange 88 to define a C-channel 112 for receiving an
informational display card 114 for the shelf.
The bottom surface 76 of the shelf includes integral
downwardly depending transverse and diagonal support ribs 116 and 118
respectively. The transverse support ribs 116 extend at right angles to the
side edges 82 of the shelf 64. The diagonal support ribs 118 extend diagonally
between the corners of the shelf 64. Additional rigidity is provided by the
location of the rods 62 within the slots 86 of the support flanges.
The top surface 74 of the shelf includes a plurality of parallel
integral channel walls 120 that define channels 122 for receiving product 69
to be dispensed from the shelf 64. As shown in Fig. 10, the channel walls 120
protrude upwardly from the top surface 74 of the shelf 64 and include a
rounded interface 124 between the channel wall 120 and the top surface 74 of
the shelf. A groove 126 is defined in the bottom surface 76 of the shelf 64
immediately below the channel wall 120. The groove 126 assists in adding
rigidity to the overall shelf structure. It has been found that the combination
of the support ribs 116 and 118 and the channel walls 120 results in a
substantially rigid shelf structure. It will be appreciated that the shelf
structure facilitates a cost efficient construction of the shelf 64 by a blow
molding process.
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In use, a section of shelf space along a merchandising aisle is
substantially cleared of shelves 24 to define the bay 36 for receiving one or
more movable shelving units 34 according to the present invention. The
shelving unit 34 is filled with product 69 and positioned within the bay 36
5 with the front end 68 of the shelving unit 34 in a generally common vertical
plane as the front ends of the remaining shelves 24 in the merchandising
system 33. The gravity feed shelving 64 allows product 69 to feed to the front
end 68 of the shelving unit 34 so it may be easily checked to determine if
inventory is low or if expiry dates have passed. Expired product 69 can be
removed from the front of the shelf 64 until only fresh (unexpired) product
69 remains. The channel walls 120 assist in organizing the product 69 on the
shelf 64 and in deterring customers from rearranging the relative position of
the products 69 on the shelf 64. Whenever it is necessary to load product 69
into the shelving unit 34, the unit 34 may be easily rolled away from the bay
36 so that the rear end 66 of the shelving unit 34 is accessible. A desired
amount of product 69 can then be loaded into the appropriate channels 122
from the rear of the shelving unit 34. The shelving unit 34 can then be
rolled back into position along the merchandising aisle 30 to allow
merchandising of product.
It is to be understood that what has been described is a preferred
embodiment to the invention. If the invention nonetheless is susceptible to
certain changes and alternative embodiments fully comprehended by the
spirit of the invention as described above, and the scope of the claims set out
below.
