Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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POINT-OF-PURCHASE COUPON DISPENSER
BACKGROUND
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to coupon dispensers
such as used by suppliers to grocery store retailers for
promoting their goods. More particularly, this invention
is directed to coupon dispensers intended to be located
close to the goods for which the coupons are distributed
- typically on the same shelf or display stand as the
goods - and therefore referred to as "point-of-purchase"
dispensers.
2. Prior Art and Other Considerations
There are primarily two types of point-of-
purchase coupon dispensers, namely, coupon pads and
refillable dispensers. A stack of loose coupons may also
be placed on a store shelf or on a counter. Loose
coupons and coupon pads are inexpensive but can be
inefficient because customers often take several coupcins
at a time and throw away all but one, which is
destructive of coupon marketing programs. Loose stacks
of coupons can become messy and coupon pads are often
unattractive, especially after prolonged use. Reusab].e
coupon dispensers are constructed to discourage customers
from taking a large number of coupons at a time.
However, reusable dispensers are costly and require
surveillance by retail store personnel to determine if
they need to be refilled or require maintenance. They
are also time-consuming because someone reasonably
skilled must take time to refill them. Coupons are often
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turned in at a check-out counter to enable the purchaser to
obtain a reduced price for the goods. This can create the
familiar problem that the check-out cashier has to take time
to verify that the goods for which the coupon is issued are,
in fact, being purchased by the customer who presents the
coupon. Many customers must rummage among a stack of coupons
to find a particular coupon to be used. All of this activity
can be a source of delay and irritation for check-out cashiers
and for those waiting in a check-out line during the coupon
redemption processes.
SUMMARY
It is a feature of one embodiment of this invention
to provide an attractive, inexpensive coupon dispenser which
does not require refilling or maintenance, as with more
expensive reusable dispensers, is easy to use, and will
discourage customers from taking a handful of loose or padded
coupons. Another feature of this invention is to provide a
coupon dispensing system by which, in preferred embodiments,
customers need not search for coupons for goods purchased and
by which check-out cashiers can immediately determine that the
product to which a coupon applies is being purchased.
A coupon dispenser in accordance with this invention
comprises a pop-up dispenser box that houses a stack of small
sheets which have a lightly aggressive, repositionable
adhesive. The dispenser box is provided with a flexible
plastic cable tie for mounting the dispenser box on a wire
rack, retain store shelf, or a cardboard display. The POP N
JOT dispensers for 3M's POST-IT note sheets marketed by 3M
Company of St. Paul, Minnesota are good for this use, the
POST-IT sheets being printed as coupons. The dispenser box is
provided with a plastic stiffening plate, which may be
injection molded but could be die cut from a sheet of plastic,
and the plastic cable tie extends through pairs of aligned
holes in the bottom of the box and the stiffening plate. The
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stiffening plate is secured, at least in part, against
the inside bottom of the box by the cable tie but a
suitable adhesive may be used instead.
In use, a box which has been prefilled with
POST-IT sheets printed as manufacturer's coupons is
supplied to a retailer who attaches the box by the cable
tie to a wire rack, a retail store shelf, a cardboard
display or other suitable support, and cuts off the
excess end of the cable tie. Customers can remove the
coupons one-a'-a-time and affix them by their adhesive
backing to the product for which the coupon is
redeemable. A check-out cashier can, therefore,
immediately determine that the purchaser is purchasing
the product for which the coupon was issued. When the
dispenser box is emptied, the retailer can simply remove
it by cutting the cable tie and dispose of the box and
the attached cable. The dispenser box can readily be
replaced by another dispenser box of the same
construction.
In a first modification, a dispenser box with. a
plastic stiffening plate, as described above, which may
optionally be provided with a cable tie as described
above, is provided with a conventional plastic or other
shelf clip connected by rivets (not shown) or by other
means, such as screws or glue, to the bottom of the
dispenser box.
In another modification, the coupons have a
tear line adjacent the margin of the adhesive so that, in
use, the customer can adhere the adhesively-coated
portion of the coupon to the product to which the coupon
applies. At the check-out counter, the cashier tears
away the remainder of the label along the tear line. The
torn-away portion, which is used by the retailer to
redeem the coupon, will be easy for the check-out cashier
and others to accumulate and handle. Also, the face of
the sheet opposite the adhesively-coated portion may have
advertising matter which the customer would take, because
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adhered to the purchased product, when leaving the retail
store.
In any one or all of the above embodiments, a
blinking LED could be housed within the dispenser box in
alignment with an opening in the wall of the box to bring
added attention to the dispenser box.
Other objects and advantages will become
apparent from the following description and claims and
from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coupon
dispenser in accordance with this invention open in
preparation for use showing the front, the top and one
side of the dispenser.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the coupon
dispenser of FIG. 1 showing the front, the bottom and the
same side as FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the coupon
dispenser of FIG. 1 but showing parts of the coupon
dispenser other than the dispenser box in elevation.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a wire shelving
rack with the coupon dispenser of FIG. 1 mounted on the
rack.
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the wire
shelving rack and the mounted coupon dispenser of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view from the rear of
the shelving rack and showing a mode of mounting the
coupon dispenser of FIG. 1 thereon different from that of
FIGS. 4 and 5.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a sheet metal
retail store shelf with the coupon dispenser of FIG. 1
mounted on the shelf. Parts of the coupon dispenser
inside its box are omitted in FIG. 7 in order to show
interior detail.
FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the
coupon dispenser of FIG. 1 shown mounted on a corrugated
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cardboard display panel, the panel being shown in cross-
section. FIG. 8 also shows a combined stiffening plate
and template used to enhance the mounting of the coupon
dispenser on the display panel.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cardboard
= display panel, the combined stiffening panel and a
marking pencil, and diagrammatically illustrates how the
combined stiffening plate and template is used as a
template.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view similal' to FIG. I
but showing a second embodiment of a coupon dispenser in
accordance with this invention.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 2
but showing a third embodiment of a coupon dispenser ii.--
accordance with this invention.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view similar to FIGS.
2 and 11 but showing a third embodiment of a coupon
dispenser in accordance with this invention.
FIG. 13 is a perspective of a shelf clip used
in the embodiment of coupon dispenser illustrated in F:LG.
12.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a modified
coupon which may form part of a coupon dispenser of this
invention.
FIG. 15 is an elevational of a container to
which the coupon of FIG. 14 is attached.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
With reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a coupon
dispenser, generally designated 30, in accordance with
this invention comprises a dispenser box 32, the top of
which has a central, transversely-extending opening 34
formed by tearing away a tear-away portion (not shown).
A stack 36 of sheets 38, each of which has a
repositionable, pressure sensitive adhesive strip along
one bottom margin thereof, is housed in the box 32. The
sheets 38 preferably comprise those marketed under the
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trademark POST-IT by 3M Company of St. Paul, Minnesota,
which have been printed to be usable as merchandise
coupons. They be made from paper or other suitable
material, such as a polymeric material as taught in U.S.
Patent 4,770,320, coated with a strip of repositionable
adhesive. The sheets are preferably stacked in accordion
fashion so that the adhesive strip on a sheet 38 being
pulled from the top of the stack 36 pulls the next sheet
38 in the stack 36 partly outwardly through the box
openirag 34. As shown in FIG. 3, the stack 36 of sheets
38 is biased upwardly into engagement with the bottom
surface of the top wall of the box 32 by means of a coil
spring 40 and a pressure pad 42 confined with in the
inside of the box 32. The spring 40 may be made from
metal and the pressure pad 42 from a plastic foam
material. 3M Company markets a dispenser box of
accordion-stacked POST-IT notes with such a coil spring
and a foam plastic pressure pad under the trademark POP N
JOT. As will become apparent, POP N JOT dispensers can
readily be modified to produce a coupon dispenser in
accordance with this invention.
In accordance with this invention, a flexible
plastic cable tie 44 is threaded through a pair of
apertures 46 in the bottom wall, designated 48, of the
box 32 such that the ends of the cable tie 44 are outside
the box 32 and an intermediate portion of the cable tie
44 is located within the inside bottom of the box 32.
The cable tie 44 is of the well-known type having a tail
end 44A which can be inserted through a socket 44B at its
opposite end, and has a plurality of closely-spaced ribs
along its length which engage a tongue formed in the
socket 44B. The ribs and the tongue are designed to
permit the tail end 44A to be pulled through the socket
44B but prevent the withdrawal of the tail end 44A from
the socket 44B. Cable ties suitable for this purpose are
well known and readily available. In addition to being
inexpensive and easy to use, cable ties of this type can
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readily be cut by an ordinary pair of scissors for
removal.
With reference to FIGS. 3 and 7, a thin,
plastic stiffening plate 50 is held against the inside
surface of the bottom wall 48 by the spring 40 and the
cable tie 44, but could be attached to the bottom wall 48
by a suitable adhesive. The plate 50 may be injection
molded but could be die cut from a sheet of plastic anci
has apertures 52 aligned with the bottom wall aperture:;
46. Accordingly, the cable tie 44 extends through both
aligned pairs of apertures 46 and 52. It will be noteci
that the dispenser box 32 is in the form of a rectangular
parallelepiped with its sides, top and bottom having
longer edges and shorter edges. The spring 40 is rounci
and has a diameter which is less than the length of the
smaller edges of the box 32. In FIG. 3, the apertures 46
and 52 are shown spaced apart by a distance greater than
the diameter of the spring 40 so that the bottom coil of
the spring 40 bears against and presses down on the cable
tie 44. The illustration of FIG. 3 is somewhat
inaccurate in order to more clearly illustrate the parts.
FIG. 3 is inaccurate in that it shows the horizontal
stretch of the cable tie 44 inside the box 32 spaced
throughout its length from the bottom wall 48 whereas in
actuality the spring 40 presses that stretch of the cable
tie 44 against the bottom wall. In other configurations,
which are not illustrated, the spring 40 could have a
diameter greater than the spacing between the pairs of
apertures 46 and 52 in which cases the spring 40 would
not engage the cable tie 44.
An advantage of the coupon dispensers of this
invention is the ease with which they can be mounted on
retail store shelving. Figures 4, 5 and 6 illustrate -the
mounting of the coupon dispenser 30 onto a metallic wire
shelf rack 60 having horizontal cross bars 62 and 64
separated by several, mutually-spaced vertical struts 66.
In FIGS. 4 and 5, the cable tie 44 is shown coursed
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around the cross bars 62 and 64 while in FIG. 6, the
cable tie 44 is wrapped around a pair of struts 66.
FIG. 7 illustrates the mounting of the coupon
dispenser 30 onto a grocery shelf, generally designated
67, having a metal shelf plate 68 with a row of apertures
68A parallel to its front edges and a depending pricing
channel 69. In this arrangement, the tail end 44A of the
cable tie 44 is extended around the bottom of the pricing
channel 69 and upwardly through one of the shelf
apertures 68A and then through the socket 44B. In this
case, and in any other cases in which the tail end 44A of
the cable tie 44 extends substantially past the socket
44B after assembly onto a shelf, rack or the like, the
tail end portion of the cable tie protruding past the
socket 44B can readily be removed by cutting it with a
pair of scissors.
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the dispenser 30
can be readily mounted on a corrugated cardboard display
panel 70 merely by providing a pair of mutually spaced
apertures 72 in the panel 70 through which the cable tie
44 is extended. A combined template and stiffening plate
74 is preferably provided to back up the display panel 70
and may be formed from plastic in a manner similar to
that described above with regard to the stiffening plate
50 . The plate 74 has a pair of apertures spaced apart
by substantially the same distance as the aligned pairs
of holes 46 and 52 through which the cable tie 44 exits
from the bottom of the display box 32. Accordingly, the
display box 32 can be rigidly mounted to extend
perpendicularly from the front face of the display panel
70. To clearly show all of the parts, the box 32 and the
plate 74 are shown separated from the respective
confronting faces of the display panel 70 in FIG. S. In
actuality, the cable tie 44 would normally be drawn
sufficiently tight to clamp the box 32 and the plate 74
to the display panel 70. Use of the plate 74 as a
template to locate and mark the display panel apertures
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72 is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 9.
A modified coupon dispenser 80 is illustrateci
in FIG. 10 which may be identical with the coupon
dispenser 30 but additionally includes an LED 82 housed
within its box 84. For attracting attention to the
= dispenser 80, the LED 82 can be caused to blink on and
off by a circuit (not shown), including one or more
batteries (not shown), housed within the dispenser box
84. Blinking LED displays usable with this invention
are commercially available, such as those marketed by
Allegro Electronics Corporation, Fremont, CA 94538.
Operation of the blinking LED 82 can be started when the
dispenser 80 is assembled or may be initiated by the
retailer who installs the dispenser on a shelf or disp:Lay
panel by means of a suitable switch (not shown).
In the embodiments of this invention described
above, the cable tie 44 is reasonably securely held in
the dispenser box during handling by means of the
frictional engagement between cable tie 44 on the one
hand and, on the other hand, the apertures in the box and
the stiffening plate inside the box. The spring 40 may
also clamp the middle portion of the cable tie 44 to
internal stiffening plate 50. FIG. 11 shows an accessory
designed for use with a dispenser box, designated 90,
which has relatively large cable-exit apertures 92 and,,
accordingly, produces a relatively low frictional
resistance to relative movements of the box 90 and the
cable tie 44. A thin paper tab 94 is wrapped around the
cable tie 44 to act as a stop to prevent the cable tie
from accidentally sliding out of the dispenser box 90.
Tab 94 has a coating of a pressure sensitive adhesive on
its bottom surface which is used to hold the tab 94
assembled on the cable tie 44. When the box 90 is to be
mounted for use in a store, the paper tab 94 is simply
torn away from the cable tie 44.
Turning now to FIGS. 12 and 13, another
embodiment of a coupon dispenser, generally designated
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100, in accordance with this invention is provided with a
shelf clip 102. The shelf clip 102 preferably comprises
a one-piece molded plastic body formed to include a base
plate 104 from which a pair of mutually-spaced spring
arms 106 extends. During assembly, the base plate 104 is
attached flush with the bottom wall of the dispenser 10o
by a rivet 108, or by equivalent means such as glue or a
screw. As will be immediately apparent, the shelf clip
102 can be used for securing the dispenser 1o0 to a
pricing channel, such as the pricing channel 69 sliown in
FIG. 7. As will also be apparent, the shelf clip 102 may
be used in addition to the cable tie 44, but could be
used in lieu of the cable tie 44, in which event the
cable tie 44 could be omitted or removed. If the cable
tie 44 is used, it can be used in the fashion illustrated
in FIG. 7.
Although not illustrated in the drawings, other
means for securing the dispenser box to a support are
also contemplated. For example, the outer surface of the
bottom wall 48 of the dispenser box 32 may be coated with
an aggressive adhesive which secures the dispenser box 32
to its support. Alternatively , a screw or bolt may be
provided extending through the stiffening plate 50 and
through an aperture in the support, in which case a nut
is be threaded onto the bolt to secure the dispenser box
32 to the support. When the support consists of a
cardboard display panel 70 as described above, the
dispenser box 32 may simply be located in a recess or
pocket formed in display stand 70.
In use, a coupon dispenser in accordance with
this invention supplied with POST-IT sheets printed as
manufacturer's coupons is supplied to a retailer who
attaches the box to a rack, shelf, a display card, or
other suitable support and optionally cuts off the excess
tail end of the cable tie. Customers can remove the
coupons one-at-a-time and affix them by their adhesive
backing to the product for which the coupon is
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redeemable. The check-out cashier can simply remove the
coupon from the product, having immediately determined
the customer has, in fact, purchased the product for
which the coupon is intended. When the dispenser box is
empty, the retailer can remove it by simply cutting the
cable tie and dispose of the box and the attached cable
tie.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the
coupons, designated 110, which are stacked in a pad (not
shown) and housed in a dispenser box such as those
described above, each have a tear line 112 adjacent the
inner margin 114 of their adhesive strip 116. In use,
the customer preferably adheres the adhesively coated
portion of the coupon to the product to which the coupon
applies. At the check-out counter, the cashier tears
away the remainder of the label along the tear line, as
indicated in FIG. 15. The torn-away portion is used by
the retailer to redeem the coupon. The tear line may be
formed by scoring, perforating, chemically treating the
paper, or by otherwise weakening a thin strip of the
paper. The embodiment of FIGS. 14 and 15 has the
advantages discussed on the coupon dispensers described
above in relation to FIGS. 1 though 13 plus the torn-away
portions of the coupons which have no adhesive coating
will be easier for the check-out cashier and others to
accumulate and handle. Also, the face of a coupon
opposite its adhesively coated portion may have
advertising matter which the customer would take, because
adhered to the purchased product, when leaving the ret:ail
store.
While the invention has been particularly shown
and described with reference to the preferred embodiments
thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the
art that various alterations in form and detail may be
made therein without departing from the spirit and scope
of the invention.
