Abstract:
A display system includes a reusable basic unit into which a product-carrying tray may be inserted to display/dispense such product. The trays are replaceable as the product is expended. The basic unit advantageously includes portions for removably accommodating graphics so that, for various promotional events, different graphics can be used for each event.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority of Ser. Nos. 60/311,679, 60/360,801, and 60/386,949 respectively filed Aug. 10, 2001, Mar. 1, 2002, and Jun. 7, 2002 and all entitled “Tray Holding Display System,” the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties herein as if set forth at length. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to displays. 
     (2) Description of the Related Art 
     Many types of displays are used in the retail environment. In one exemplary display system used in the personal care/over-the-counter drug market, manufacturer uses temporary corrugated displays for merchandising of their promotional product offerings. To initiate a promotional merchandise offer one or more decorated corrugated shelf displays loaded with product are shipped to each participating retail store. Then, for the life of the promotion (e.g., typically 8-16 weeks), an entire new display must be shipped to replace each depleted display. This may entail replacing not only the product but also the highly decorated corrugated display which may well be intact and otherwise functional. For a promotion linking one manufacturer to national chain of, for example, 1000 or more stores, 15,000 displays may be utilized over the life of a single promotion. This entails both a substantial expenditure on the manufacturer&#39;s part and can create disposal problems. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In a display system, we have separated product-carrying trays from a remaining more permanent portion of the system so that product can be replenished by removing an expended tray, and replacing it with a full tray. Advantageously, the initial tray or trays may be replaced by identical trays within a single promotion and then graphic portions replaced on the permanent display structure to initiate a subsequent promotion with a subsequent and different initial and series of replacement trays. 
     Thus in one aspect, a housing has a front end opening for receiving a tray holding a number of products. A signage carrier has an installed position mounted across a portion of the opening in front of an upper portion of the tray. A signage carrying trim member depends from housing so as to be positioned in front of a front edge of the shelf on which the housing is placed. The housing may have left and right sidewalls each having an outboard surface. Each sidewall may have a front portion shaped in elevation as a substantially non-right parallelogram with horizontal bottom and top edges and front-to-back inclined fore and aft edges. Such sidewall may have an aft portion having a substantially vertical aft edge. The signage carrier may have an aperture for exposing a product sample mounted to the tray. The product may be over-the-counter medication. 
     In another aspect, a tray assembly includes a body formed of folded corrugated material and containing a number of stacks of products. A body bottom wall has front and back edges and left and right edges. A body back wall extends upward from the bottom wall back edge and has bottom and top edges and left and right edges. Body left and right sidewalls extend upward from the bottom wall left and right edges. A body top wall extends between the sidewalls. A number of front-to-back divider walls separate a number of lanes, each lane carrying an associated one of the stacks. The body has an open front area of sufficient extent to provide access to a bottom product in each stack and removal of such bottom product. The dividers may have open areas dimensioned to allow a user to insert one or more fingers between the stacks to grab the bottom products. A retainer may cover the portion of the front of the body above the open front area. 
     In another aspect, a tray assembly includes a body defining a right parallepiped and a divider carried within the body. The divider has a number of front-to-back divider walls having a separation effective to provide number of lanes. The divider has a spacer wall having a forward surface forwardly offset from a forward surface of the body back wall. The body may consist essentially of a single piece of corrugated boxboard. The spacer may be so offset by between 25% and 75% of a depth of the body. The body open area may extend over the entire front of the parallelpiped above the bottom wall. The body may have a second open area along at least the front portion of a top of the parallelpiped. The secondary open area may extend over at least half of the parallelpiped. The divider may include an assembly of corrugated boxboard pieces. A first divider piece may provide the spacer wall and have left and right side portions folded back at left and right edges of the spacer wall and extending along the rear portions of the left and right sidewalls to maintain the offset of the spacer wall from the back wall. A number of divider pieces may each form one of the divider walls, the divider walls being of two-layer construction over at least the major portion thereof. The divider walls and the first piece left and right portions may each have relieved areas accommodating the body top wall. Each divider wall may have a slot receiving a portion of the spacer wall and the spacer wall may have a number of slots each receiving a portion of an associated one of the divider walls. The tray similarly may include a retainer and a cover. The retainer may have a front wall covering a portion of the body open area above a lower portion of the body open area. The retainer may have left and right sidewalls sandwiched between respective left and right sidewalls of the body and left and right side portions of the divider first piece. The cover may consist essentially of a single piece of corrugated boxboard. The cover may include means for defining a pull tab. The cover may include tabs extending to apertures along fold areas along the front edges of the body sidewalls. The cover may include a portion wedged between the body top and the divider walls. The body may have a single layer along its back wall. The body may have at least two layers along each of its top wall, bottom wall, and left and right sidewalls, with a fold area along the front edge of the top wall, bottom wall and left and right sidewalls. An inner one of two layers of each of the left and right sidewalls may have at least one tab extending into an associated aperture in the back wall. 
     The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a view of an installed display system according to principles of the invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a view of an empty display module of the system of FIG. 1 with a deployed signage carrier. 
     FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the module of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 is a side view of the display module of FIG. 2 with the signage carrier in a retracted position and a right side wall exploded out of view. 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the partially exploded module of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 6 is a view of an extruded component of the signage carrier of the module of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 7 is a view of a track member of the signage carrier of the module of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 8 is a right side view of the module of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 9 is a partially exploded view of an empty product module. 
     FIG. 10 is a plan view of a blank for forming a body portion of the module of FIG.  9 . 
     FIG. 11 is a plan view of a blank for forming a transverse divider of the module of FIG.  9 . 
     FIG. 12 is a plan view of a blank for forming one longitudinal divider wall for mounting on the transverse divider of FIG.  11 . 
     FIG. 13 is a plan view of a blank for forming a product retainer of the module of FIG.  9 . 
     FIG. 14 is a plan view of a blank for forming a front cover of the module of FIG.  9 . 
    
    
     Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicate like elements. Where shown, exemplary dimensions are in inches. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 shows a system  20  including a plurality of basic display units or modules  22  stacked one above another on separate shelves  500  of an environmental shelving structure  502 . A header (not shown) may be associated with the shelved modules  22  and may bear graphics associated with the products dispensed by the modules  22 . Each display module  22  may contain one or more product modules  24  such as a corrugated PDQ tray  26  containing a plurality of stacks of product  28 . 
     In the exemplary embodiment, each display module  22  includes a housing  30  which defines a compartment for containing the associated tray(s)  26 . The exemplary display module  22  further includes a trim member  32  depending from the housing  30  so as to be positioned in front of a front edge  506  of the associated shelf  500 . The trim member may carry signage (e.g., text and graphics on a card  33 , label, or the like). The exemplary display module  22  further includes a signage carrier  34  having an installed position mounted across a portion of a front end opening of the housing and which similarly may carry a card  35  or other signage. In the installed position, the exemplary signage carrier extends across approximately one half of the vertical extent of the opening. 
     FIG. 2 shows an exemplary empty individual display module  22  with a compartment  37  for receiving the product module. The exemplary housing  30  is an assembly including a first element  40  having portions generally defining a top wall, a back wall, and a floor or bottom wall of the compartment  38 . The first element  40  is sandwiched between respective left and right side wall elements  42  and  44  (left and right being viewed from the frame of reference of a user standing in front of and facing the module). The exemplary first element  40  is formed of folded corrugated stock (e.g., B-flute) having four substantially flat wall portions, namely an upper or top portion  50  (FIG. 3) generally bounding a top rear portion of the compartment, a rear or back portion  52  depending from a rear edge of the top portion  50 , a lower, bottom, or floor portion  54  extending forward from a lower edge of the back portion  52 , and a front lip portion  56  depending from a front edge of the floor portion at nearly a right angle thereto. Each exemplary side wall  42  and  44  (e.g., injection molded of ABS) has inner and outer surfaces  45  and  46  with a plurality of bosses  60  in the inner surfaces  45  (FIG. 4) for gripping left and right edge portions of the various wall portions  50 ,  52 ,  54 , and  56  and maintaining them in a given orientation. In the exemplary configuration, the upper portion  50  is parallel to the upper surface of the shelf  500 , the back portion  52  is rearwardly inclined from bottom to top at an exemplary angle θ off vertical of 5-30°. In the exemplary configuration, the floor portion  54  is substantially perpendicular to the back portion  52  and, thereby, is inclined at the angle θ from front to back. The lip  56  is substantially perpendicular to the floor  54  as are the front edges  62  of the side walls. The top and bottom edges  63  and  64  of the side walls are parallel to the upper shelf surface  504 , with the latter there atop. 
     The exemplary trim member  32  is held with its front surface  70  substantially parallel to a the lip  56 . The exemplary trim member is formed as an extrusion (e.g., of a styrene/Krayton™ TPE coextrusion) having a cross-section characterized by a front flange  72 , the forward portion of which defines the surface  70  and the upper and lower edges of which curve back in front of the surface  70  to define respective downwardly and upwardly open U-shaped channel portions  74  and  76 , respectively. A top plate portion  80  extends rearward from the upper edge of the flange  72 . In the exemplary embodiment, a forward portion  81  of the top plate  80  is formed from a relatively flexible material (e.g., TPE), whereas the remainder of the trim member is formed of a more rigid material (e.g., styrene). The portion  81  may thus provide a flexible hinge, allowing the front flange to pivot relative to the portion aft thereof. The hinge may allow more efficient packaging for shipping, and also may adapt the trim member to different shelf front forms and relative positions. The top plate  80  ends at a long, narrow, upwardly open U-sectioned channel  82  capturing the lip  56  and is secured thereto via a plurality of fasteners  88  (e.g., plastic rivets) extending through the lip  56  both walls of the channel  82 . A rear wall  90  extends aft and downward from an intermediate location on the rear portion of the channel  82  and, at its lower end, meets a rearwardly directed flange  92 . The flange is positioned substantially coplanar with bottom edges  64  of the side walls  42  and  44  and back portion  52  and is secured atop the shelf via fasteners  96  (e.g., viking clip screw &amp; wing nut fasteners). 
     The signage carrier  34  is advantageously movable from its installed or deployed position to a removed position or a stowed position wherein it does not substantially obstruct the housing opening so as to permit installation of fresh product modules into the housing compartment and removal of spent trays from the housing compartment. In the exemplary embodiment, the signage carrier is guided between the deployed position (FIG. 2) and a stowed position (FIGS. 4 and 5) extending along a forward portion of the top of the compartment. A primary portion of the signage carrier is a molded member  100  (FIG. 6) (e.g., of ABS) formed having a central web  102  extending between left and right edges  104  and  106  and having a front surface  108 . Reinforcement ribs  109  may protrude from the back surface and may include various vertical, horizontal, diagonal or other portions. At upper and lower ends of the web, the cross-section has upper and lower lips  110  and  112  protruding forward of the front surface  108 . The lips  110  and  112  have opposed blind slots  113  for capturing upper and lower tabs of a graphic panel or the like to hold the panel against the surface  108 . A top channel portion  114  extends aft from the upper edge of the web portion  102 . 
     The illustrated signage carrier  34  further includes, along each of the left and right edges of the web  102 , an associated track member  120  (e.g., formed of molded ABS). Each track member  120  has a front surface  122  (FIG. 8) secured to the rear surface of the web portion of the signage carrier extruded element (e.g., via ultrasonic weld or adhesive). Each track member also has surfaces defining a longitudinal slot  124  parallel to the surface  122  and extending between first and second ends or terminus  126  and  127 . The slot extends nearly the entire length of the track member, and, thereby nearly the height of the signage carrier. At its upper end (when in the deployed position), each track member has a pair of coaxial opposed first axle shafts  128 . The in board one of each pair of first shafts  128  is captured by the channel  114  with the outboard ones protruding out beyond the left and right edges  104  and  106 . Each free outboard axle shaft  128  is captured within an associated channel  132  (FIG. 7) in the associated left or right side wall member. Each channel  132  is bounded by upper and lower guide surfaces  134  and  136 , respectively. The guide surfaces are sloped slightly downward from front-to-back and also slightly converge from front-to-back. Each slot  124  in turn accommodates a second axle shaft  140 . An end portion of each shaft  140  is captured in an associated circularly apertured boss  142  in the associated side wall (FIG.  3 ). 
     With the signage carrier in the deployed position (FIG.  8 ), each second shaft  140  is accommodated adjacent the upper terminus  127  of the associated slot  124 . Each free outboard first shaft  128  is accommodated at an upper front extreme of the side wall channels  132 . To stow the signage carrier, a user rotates the lower edge of the signage carrier upward about the axis of the shafts  140 , which in turn rotates the first shafts  128  downward within the channels  132  and places the signage carrier in an intermediate position (not shown). The user then drives the signage carrier rearward with the first shafts  128  moving rearward in the channels  132  and the slots  124  moving rearward over the second shafts  140  until, in the stowed position of FIG. 4, the first shafts  128  are at the rear ends of the associated channels  132  and the shafts  140  are accommodated at the previously lower terminus  126  of the associated slots  124 . An extraction and downward rotation would reverse this process. 
     A transverse wire brace  150  (FIG. 5) has a straight central portion  151  extending across the housing opening adjacent the upper end thereof. At left and right ends of the central portion, a portion  152  extends rearward along an upper end of the associated side wall and is partially captured beneath a catch  154  in the side wall (FIGS.  2  and  5 ). At the rear extremity of each portion  152 , an end or terminal portion  156  (FIG. 4) extends downward through an aperture  157  in the associated side wall to capture and along with the catch  154  firmly retain the brace in place. The brace serves to prevent separation of the side walls from the first element  40 , maintaining the edges of the first element  40  in the associated bosses  60  of the side walls. An open area between the brace and the first element  40  permits restocking of individual products, particularly by a consumer who removes the product from a bottom of a stack and decide not to purchase. The consumer can then drop the product through the open area to land atop the stack. 
     The exemplary signage holder  34  includes an aperture  160  (FIG. 2) shown, by way of example, spaced slightly inward from the right edge of the signage carrier web. When a signage card (if any) in the signage holder has a complementary aperture, the aperture  160  may serve to expose something there behind. By way of example, it may expose a pad of rebate forms, a brochure, or other literature. It may expose a product sample. There may be multiple such apertures with only a desired aperture or apertures or portion or portions thereof being exposed through the signage card. When there is no such pad, sample, or the like, the card may simply cover the aperture(s). 
     In the exemplary embodiment, each side wall includes a transverse slot  170  or other feature which may permit the mounting thereto of an accessory (e.g., a cup (not shown) for holding a pad of rebate forms or other literature). Also, each side wall includes a first rib  172  projecting outward along the front edge of the side wall and a parallel second rib  174  somewhat rearward thereof. Along facing edges of these two ribs (the rear edge of rib  172  and the front edge of rib  174 ), each includes a plurality of slots  176  for capturing tabs of a graphics card or the like to be held between the ribs. 
     FIG. 9 shows a product module including a body  200 , a divider assembly  202 , a product retainer  204 , and a front cover  206 . The front cover combines principally with the body to substantially completely contain product within the module during shipping. In an exemplary shipping system, one or two such modules are shipped in a single carton along with appropriate graphics and/or other accessories. The exemplary body  200  has rectangular bottom, back, left side, right side, and top walls  210 ,  212 ,  214 ,  216 , and  218 . These walls fall along the sides of a right parallelepiped to form a box-like structure with an open front. The bottom, back, and left and right side walls are coextensive with the corresponding facets of the parallelepiped, whereas the top wall extends only slightly forward of the top edge of the rear wall, having its front edge substantially recessed from the coplanar front edges of the bottom wall and side walls. This recess may permit consumer restocking through the open area along the housing top as described above. 
     FIG. 10 shows a blank  220  which may be folded to form the body  200 . The blank is cut and formed with various pre-formed fold lines  520  and  521  (shown broken). In the exemplary embodiment, fold lines  520  are embossed depressions whereas fold lines  521  are through-scored. Cut lines (shown solid) define the blank with a number of apertures  222  and associated tabs  224  whose interactions permit the body to retain itself in its assembled condition when appropriately folded. 
     The divider assembly  202  (FIG. 9) includes a spacer  230  carrying a number of divider walls  232 . The exemplary spacer has bottom, back, left side and right side walls  234 ,  236 ,  238 , and  240 . When installed in the body  200 , the underside of the spacer bottom wall  234  lies flat atop the upper surface of the body bottom wall  210  and the spacer left and right side walls lie with their outer surfaces in close proximity or contact with the inner surfaces of the body left and right side walls. The front edges of the spacer and body side and bottom walls are approximately coplanar when so installed. The spacer back wall  236  will typically be spaced a substantial distance forward of the body back wall  212  so that each column or lane in the spacer has an appropriate depth to closely accommodate its associated product stack(s). A rearward shift of the assembly  202  is prevented by cooperation of rear edges of the divider walls  232  with the front surface of the body back wall  212 . 
     FIGS. 11 and 12 respectively show spacer and divider wall blanks  244  and  246 . The spacer blank  244  is provided with an array of slots  250  depending from the upper edge of the portion that forms the spacer back wall  236  for a distance of about half the height of that back wall. Each divider blank  246  is provided with two slots  252  so that when the blank is folded along a pair of fold lines  520 , the blank becomes a wall with a small gap between its two layers and the slots  252  may capture the portion of the spacer back wall  236  immediately below an associated slot  250  just as the slot  250  captures portions of the two layers of divider wall immediately above the slots  252 . 
     The upper edge of each divider wall is provided with a relieved or recessed area  260  (FIG. 9) extending forward from the rear edge by a sufficient distance and having a sufficient depth to receive the body top wall  218 . Each divider bottom edge has a relieved or recessed area  262  extending rearward from the front edge. The recesses  262  define gaps between the dividers and the upper surface of the spacer bottom wall  234 . The exemplary recesses  262  extend all the way to the divider wall slots so that the associated gap extends all the way back to the spacer back wall. The gaps have sufficient height and depth to allow a user&#39;s fingers to grasp the bottommost product in the adjacent stack(s). A portion of the divider&#39;s bottom edge to the rear of the spacer back wall  236  is advantageously coplanar with the underside of the spacer bottom wall  234 . 
     The product retainer  204  has front, left side, and right side walls  270 ,  272 , and  274 . The product retainer is a particularly optional piece that serves to retain stacked product against falling forward. When assembled, the retainer side walls intervene between the spacer and body side walls and, accordingly, are provided with relieved or recessed areas  276  for receiving the body top wall. In this assembled condition, the back (interior) surface of the retainer front wall  270  abuts the front edges of the divider walls  232 . The retainer front wall  270  advantageously has a bottom edge recessed substantially upward of the bottom edges of its side walls so as to define a transverse gap  278 . The gap  278  permits the vertical extent of the front wall  270  to be hidden substantially entirely behind the signage carrier of the display module. The open area  278  may advantageously be somewhat higher than the recesses/gaps  262  for more fuller frontal exposure of the bottommost product in each stack while the dividers maintain stack separation. 
     FIG. 13 shows a blank  280  for forming the retainer. 
     The cover  206  (FIG. 9) is advantageously provided for shipping and is disposable prior to or upon installation of a product module in the display module. The cover includes front and top walls  290  and  292 . When installed, a rear edge portion of the cover top wall  292  may be sandwiched between the underside of the body top wall  218  and the relieved areas of the divider wall upper edges. A pair of tabs extending rearward from the left and right edges of the cover front wall  290  may be received in associated slots in the front edges of the body left and right walls  214  and  216 . The cover front wall may be provided with a finger hole  294  and pull tab  296  allowing the cover to be easily removed from the rest of the product module prior to or upon installation. 
     FIG. 14 shows a blank  298  for forming the cover  206 . 
     In one example of commercial use with a given product family or class, distinct product modules are provided for each distinct product. The various product modules may use key identically dimensioned components for efficiency. The front cover and body of each would likely be identical. Because the width and depth of the different products may differ, the properties of the divider assembly will typically vary accordingly. Variations would likely include the number of dividers and the offset provided by the spacer wall. The divider thickness could vary. Thus, the cross-section of the lanes can accommodate the cross-section of the stacks of products. The opening height of the retainer can vary based upon the height of the products. 
     In one example of commercial use, to initiate a first promotional event, kits for assembling the permanent or re-used display structure (basic unit) are sent to each participating store. Substantially simultaneously, one or more initial product modules are provided as are the relevant promotional graphic materials. The module(s) and the graphics may be packaged together such as in a single carton. Retail personnel may assemble the basic units and install the product modules and graphics. As the product sells down, an order is placed for a replacement product module filled with the required product. This is shipped to the store, whereupon the personnel need only open the front of the basic unit and replace the existing module with the new one. To initiate a subsequent merchandizing event using the same basic unit, a new product module containing the product associated with the subsequent event is similarly provided along with the graphics for such subsequent event. Thereafter, the modules may be replaced until the next event is initiated. The modules are advantageously disposable after the product is expended. The modules may include little or no graphics or other ornamentation and advantageously cost a small fraction of what a disposable corrugated display having similar ornamentation and functionalities to the entire system would have. Thus, although the fixed cost of the basic unit may well exceed the single cost of a highly ornate corrugated display, the savings incurred via reusing the basic unit should make up for this. 
     One or more embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the construction of the tray may be highly tailored to the nature of the product being displayed/dispensed. Alternate materials and construction techniques may well be used and details of the size, shape, and other feature of the basic unit may be tailored to the nature of the products being displayed/dispensed and the particular environment in which the unit is used. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.