Patent ID: 8561818
Filing Date: 2013-10-22
Classification: A47F

Abstract:
1. A tray for the display and dispensing of products in blister packages comprised of back panels formed of flexible material and product-containing blisters projecting forward from said back panels and with side portions of said blisters spaced inward from side edges of said back panels to form engageable side margins of the back panels, the tray comprising (a) an elongated support structure forming a bottom support for a plurality of generally vertically oriented blister packages arranged in a front-to-back column, (b) laterally spaced apart side guide elements positioned on opposite sides of said support structure substantially throughout the length thereof and engageable with opposite side edges of said package back panels for lateral confinement of said packages and to maintain said packages in said front-to-back column arrangement, (c) a resiliently actuated pusher element engageable with a backmost package of a column thereof and operative to urge the column of packages forward as individual packages are removed from the tray, (d) first and second laterally spaced apart package retaining elements positioned adjacent a front end of said support structure, on opposite sides thereof, for engaging and restraining the engageable side margins of the back panel of a forwardmost package in said column thereof while enabling the blister portion of said forwardmost package to project forwardly between said package retaining elements, (e) said package retaining elements each being formed of wire and having (i) upwardly extending first portions fixed at lower ends thereof to said support structure, said first portions being spaced apart a distance greater than a width of said package blister portions and less than a width of said back panels, (ii) second portions integrally connected at first ends thereof to upper extremities of said first portions and extending laterally outward from said first portions toward said side guide elements, said second portions being positioned at a level substantially below upper edges of said back panels, and (iii) third portions integrally connected at upper ends thereof to second ends of said second portions and extending downward from said second portions and spaced outwardly from said first portions, said third portions being positioned closely adjacent to and inside of said side guide elements and having lower ends extending downward to a level below upper portions of said side guide elements, wherein the third portions extend in a direction substantially parallel to the first portions and (f) said first, second, and third portions of said first and second package retaining elements providing an open space which extends between upper end portions of said package retaining elements to provide unobstructed manual access to upper edge portions of a package back panel for gripping and pulling forward an upper edge portion of a package back panel restrained by said retaining elements.