Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02528803 2012-11-19
CA 02528803 2005-12-01
BINERAGE CONTAINER SHELF MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
= The invertl ion relates, generally, to bottle and can shelving systems
and, in particular, to a
user configurable ;belying system for gravity-feed beverage containers.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The prior t rt includes systems for displaying chilled beverage containers for
ready access
to retail customer . One system is shown in U.S. Patent No. 4,785,945, which
issued to Rowse,
et al. The prior art further includes U.S. Patent No. 5,645,176 which issued
to Jay, and U.S. Patent
No. 5,645,176 which issued to Jay, and U.S. Patent No. 6,389,993 which issued
to Ondrasik.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an ot ject of the present invention to provide a shelving system which
may be
configured by the retail business which displays and sells the containers or
beverages.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a bottle or container
shelving system
which may be reconfigured from the original arrangement
It is a furtlaT object of the present invention to provide a container
shelving system which
may be configured to accommodate a variety of container sizes, and
reconfigured thereafter as
desired.
The present inventions therefore provides a gravity feed display rack for
supporting and
displaying raerchai disc. The rack having a merchandise channel support
structure, and at least
one merchandise clause!, the channel having a merchandise support, a left wall
and a right wall,
the left wall and di ht wall adjustably located in spaced apart relationship
upon the merchandise
channel support stn cture to accommodate varying sizes of merchandise.
CA 02528803 2005-12-01
The preset t invention further provides a gravity feed display rack for
supporting and
displaying mercha.ldise. The rack having a merchandise channel support
structure, and at least
one split merchandse channel, the split channel being adjustable in width, and
located upon the
merchandise chant el support structure.
In another embodiment, the present invention provides a gravity feed display
rack for
supporting and d splaying merchandise. The rack having a merchandise channel
support
structure, at least one inner divider, the inner divider including a
longitudinally extending wall,
and a left merchat dise support extending from the wall and in a direction
generally at a right
angle to the wall, and a right merchandise support extending from the wall and
in a direction
generally at a rig" t angle to the wall, the at least one inner diver having a
support structure
connector, a left alter divider, the left Outer divider including a
longitudinally extending wall,
and a left merchat dise support extending from the wall and in a direction
generally at a right
angle to the wall, he left outer divider having a support structure connector,
and a right outer
divider, the right al iter divider including a longitudinally extending wall,
and a right merchandise
support extending :rom the wall and in a direction generally at a right angle
to the wall, the right
outer divider havn.g a support structure connector, wherein the dividers are
individually
adju.stably located in spaced apart relationship upon the merchandise channel
support structure.
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CA 02528803 2005-12-01
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG-. 1 is a perspective view of the shelf management system in accordance
with the
present invention.
FIG. 2 is partial exploded bottom perspective view of the shelf management
system in
accordance with t] i.e present invention, showing the left and right channel
rails, and a plurality of
center rails, and a plurality of rods.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a center channel rail and a plurality of rods.
FIG. 4 is at enlarged view of FIG. 3, with a rod extending through the rod
passage of the
center channel rail
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the right side channel rail and a
portion of a
plurality of rods, it. accordance with the present invention.
FIGS. 6A and 6B are enlarged views of FIG. 2, showing the connector of the
left channel
rail.
FIG. 7 is a partial front view of the shelf management system in accordance
with the
present invention, ;bowing a narrow spacer and a wide spacer4, in accordance
with the present
invention.
FIG. 8 is a Lottom view of a narrow spacer, in accordance with the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the shelf management system in accordance with
the
present invention. . N. gravity feed display rack 12 is shown. FIG. 2 is a
bottom view of the rack
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CA 02528803 2005-12-01
12, shown partially disassembled. The rack 12 includes a plurality of channel
rails Or inner
dividers 14, a righ t outer divider 16 and a left outer divider 18 (see Fig.
2). The inner dividers 14
include a longitutinally extending wall 20, with a right and left merchandise
support 22, 24
extending in oppo dte directions from the wall 20. The merchandise supports
22, 24 each having
a longitudinally e:tending edge 26 (see FIG. 2). The wall 20 splits into two
diverging curved
front walls 28. TI1.1 = inner dividers 14 include a plurality of connectors 30
(see FIG. 2).
The right )uter divider 16 includes a longitudinally extending wall 34, with a
right
merchandise supp )rt 36 extending from the wall 34. The merchandise support 36
having a
longitudinally exti: riding edge 40. The wall 34 merges into a curved front
wall 42. The right
divider 32 include t a plurality of connectors 44.
Fig. 2 shol:rs the left outer divider 18. The left divider 18 is a mirror
image of the right
divider 32. The eft divider 18 includes a longitudinally extending wall 52,
with a left
merchandise support 54 extending from the wall 52. The merchandise support 54
having a
longitudinally extelding edge 56. The wall 52 merges into a curved front wall
58 (FIG. 7). The
left divider 18 inci ides a plurality of connectors 60 (see FIG. 6) which are
similar to connector
44.
Fig. 2 shov,s the connectors, 30, 44 and 60. Each connector 30 is shown to
include two
depending spaced part facing connector walls 64 depending downwardly (as
viewed from Fig_
1) from the mercha ndise support. The connector walls each include a flange
66. FIGS. 5 and 6
show that the connmetors 44, 60 include a top wall 68, opposing sidewalls 70,
a bottom wall 72,
and an end wall 74. FIG. 6 shows the bottom wall 72 of connector 60 to include
a finger 76,
having a locking de lent 78. The end wall 74 includes an abutment SO.
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CA 02528803 2005-12-01
Fig. 2 al ty shows the merchandise channel support structure 82. The
merchandise
channel support structure 82 includes a plurality of rods 84 The rods 84
include four walls 86,
88, 90 and 92 (se: FIG. 4). The bottom wall 92, as viewed in Fig. 1, includes
a latch opening 94
(See Fig. 3) at eat h end of the rod 84.
As denim strated in Fig. I, pairs of dividers 14, 16 and 18 form respective
split
merchandise cha.n leis 96.
FIGS. 2 ai td 3 show the plurality of rods 84, each rod shown having an
opening 94 to
receive a detent 7;1 of the locking flange 76 for securing the rod in place
with respect to the left
side channel rail t one side, and the tight side channel rail at the other
side. The plurality of
rods will extend ti rough the respective openings or connectors of the center,
left hand and right
hand channel rails;
FIG. 4 she ws a enlarged view of one inner channel rail 14 with a rod 84
extending
through the openir g or connector 30. The connector can be seen to be formed
by a horizontal
surface and two 01: posed parallel facing vertical surfaces or connector walls
64 having a flange
66 at the end for re taming the rod within the connector 30. The rod extends
within the connector
30 but not in an int nference fit. Rather, the rod is slidable within the
connector 30.
FIG. 5 shoNi rs a right side channel rail 16 having a right or longitudinally
extending outer
wall 34 which extei ids in a forward direction and curves to provide the
curved front wall 42 with
lower and upper sti; ps 98. The rail Anther provides a horizontal surface or
merchandise support
36 and a plurality a openings or connectors 44.
CA 02528803 2005-12-01
It will be appreciated that when a center channel rail is adjacent to the left
hand guide
rail, a channel is brmed for a certain container size, for example an eight
ounce container. The
distance between guide rails may be expanded by the use of adaptors or spacers
100, 102 which
may be positionel 1 between adjacent guide rails 14, 16, 18. The spacers 100,
102 are shown in
FIG. 7 in one en bodiment. The spacers include a generally longitudinally
extending support
surface 104 having a width. The spacers include a plurality of connectors 106
(see FIG. 8)
similar to connect )rs 30. The spacers are positioned between adjacent channel
rails 14, 16 and 18
and increase the Ividth between adjacent walls proportional to the width of
the spacer. In one
embodiment, two sizes of spacers are anticipated, such as the half inch and
one inch length
spacers 100, 102 El flown in FIG. 7.
It will be tppreciated that the retail business will be capable of assembling
a shelving
system using the described component parts, to provide plurality of channels,
wherein each
channel may be cii the same size or of an assortment of sizes, to accommodate
various sized
merchandise.
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