Abstract:
A product dispenser including a frame having a first side wall, a second side wall laterally opposed from the first side wall, a lower support surface positioned between the first and second side walls and having a front end longitudinally spaced from a rear end, the rear end being elevated relative to the front, and an upper support surface positioned between the first and second side walls and spaced apart from the lower support surface, the upper support surface having a front end longitudinally spaced from a rear end, the front end being elevated relative to the rear, and a rib connected to the upper support surface and protruding outward from a plane defined by the upper support surface in a direction away from the lower support surface.

Description:
PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/400,172 filed on Jul. 23, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    This application relates to apparatus and systems for dispensing products from loaded containers and, more particularly, to apparatus and systems configured to dispense products having asymmetrical side profiles from loaded containers. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Products are typically shipped to retailers in bulk by enclosing multiple individual product units in a container, such as a carton or box. For example, canned foods may be shipped to a retailer in a box containing twenty-four individual cans. Then, it is typically the retailer&#39;s obligation to remove the individual product units from the container and present them (e.g., on a shelf) to consumers. 
         [0004]    Alternatives to the traditional package-ship-unpack-display model are being developed in an effort to improve operating efficiency. For example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/777,444 filed on May 11, 2010, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, discloses a new system for dispensing and displaying products packaged in a container. Specifically, the system includes a frame having a support structure, a product display area and an opening tool. The frame may be positioned on a retailer&#39;s shelf and loaded with product simply by placing a container comprising multiple units of product onto the support structure of the frame. As the container is being placed onto the support structure, the opening tool of the frame opens the container in such a manner that product rolls from the container and down to the product display area of the frame under the force of gravity. 
         [0005]    Many products are not symmetrical along their rolling axis and, therefore, do not roll in a straight line. For example, the canned food product  10  shown in  FIG. 1  includes a circumferential side wall  12  having a first end  14  and a second end  16 , wherein the second end  16  is sealed with a chime  18 . Therefore, the second end  16  of the canned food product  10  extends further outward from the rolling axis A (by a distance D) than the first end  14  (i.e., the second end  16  has a greater radius than the first end  14 ), resulting in the canned food product  10  rolling in a nonlinear path B. 
         [0006]    Unfortunately, the dispensing systems mentioned above have been known to jam when a dispensed product fails to travel in a straight line. Such jams may occur within the container or as the product transitions from the container to the frame, thereby inhibiting the consumer&#39;s ability to retrieve the product. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue with research and development efforts directed to apparatus and systems for dispensing products from packaging containers. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    In one aspect, the disclosed product dispenser may include a frame having a first side wall, a second side wall laterally opposed from the first side wall, a lower support surface positioned between the first and second side walls and having a front end longitudinally spaced from a rear end, the rear end being elevated relative to the front, and an upper support surface positioned between the first and second side walls and spaced apart from the lower support surface, the upper support surface having a front end longitudinally spaced from a rear end, the front end being elevated relative to the rear, and a rib connected to the upper support surface and protruding outward from a plane defined by the upper support surface in a direction away from the lower support surface. 
         [0009]    In another aspect, the disclosed product dispensing system may include a dispenser having a first side wall, a second side wall opposed from the first side wall, a lower support surface positioned between the first and second side walls and having a front end and a rear end, the rear end of the lower support surface being elevated relative to the front end of the lower support surface, an upper support surface positioned between the first and second side walls and spaced apart from the lower support surface, the upper support surface having a front end and a rear end, the front end of the upper support surface being elevated relative to the rear end of the upper support surface, and a rib connected to the upper support surface and protruding outward from a plane defined by the upper support surface, and a container supported on the upper support surface, the container including walls that define an internal volume and a multiple products positioned in the internal volume, wherein at least one wall of the container is engaged with, and deflected by, the rib. 
         [0010]    In another aspect, the disclosed product dispensing system may include a dispenser including a first side wall, a second side wall opposed from the first side wall; a lower support surface positioned between the first and second side walls and having a front end and a rear end, the rear end being elevated relative to the front end, an upper support surface positioned between the first and second side walls and spaced apart from the lower support surface, the upper support surface having a front end and a rear end, the front end being elevated relative to the rear end, and an elongated rib connected to the upper support surface and protruding outward from a plane defined by the upper support surface in a direction away from the lower support surface, and a container supported on the upper support surface and including a plurality of walls that define an internal volume and a plurality of products positioned in the internal volume, at least one the walls including a plurality of pre-formed fold lines, wherein that wall is engaged with the rib and deflected into the internal volume along the pre-formed fold lines. 
         [0011]    In yet another aspect, disclosed is a method for loading a container onto a dispenser such that the dispenser beneficially interacts with the container to urge the products in the container to roll in a substantially straight line. 
         [0012]    Other aspects of the disclosed product dispensing apparatus and system will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a canned food product rolling about its rolling axis in a nonlinear path; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is a front perspective view of one aspect of the disclosed product dispensing system; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a front elevational view, in section, of a portion of the product dispensing system of  FIG. 2 , shown with the container loaded onto the dispenser. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , one aspect of the disclosed product dispensing system, generally designated  100 , may include a dispenser  102  and a container  104 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the container  104  may include multiple units of product  10 , such as the canned food product  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . The container  104  may be loaded onto the dispenser  102  such that product  10  is released from the container  104  into the dispenser  102 , thereby allowing the product  10  to be viewed and retrieved by consumers. 
         [0017]    The container  104  may be any container capable of holding product  10  and being used with the disclosed dispenser  102 . For example, as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the container  104  may be a six-walled paperboard carton  50  having an internal volume  52  divided into a first chamber  54  and a second chamber  56  by a partition panel  58 . The first chamber  54  may include two rows of product  10  arranged such that the first ends  14  of the product  10  are in facing alignment with the partition panel  58  and the second ends  16  of the product  10  are in facing alignment with side wall  60 . The second chamber  56  may include two rows of product  10  arranged such that the first ends  14  of the product  10  are in facing alignment with the partition panel  58  and the second ends  16  of the product  10  are in facing alignment with side wall  62 . 
         [0018]    In one particular construction, the container  104  may include a base wall  64  that has been modified to beneficially interact with the disclosed dispenser  102 . Specifically, the base wall  64  of the container  104  (i.e., the wall that rests on the dispenser  102 ) may include pre-formed fold lines  66  that encourage a central portion  68  of the base wall  64  to deflect inward when the container  104  is loaded onto the dispenser  102 , as shown in  FIG. 3  and discussed in greater detail below. 
         [0019]    The dispenser  102  may include a frame  106  for supporting the container  104  and the product  10  in a desired configuration, an elongated rib  108  connected to the frame  106  to interact with the container  104  and the product  10  therein when the container  104  is mounted on the frame  106 , and a cutting element  110  for opening the container  104  to release the product  10  from the container  104  to the dispenser  102 . Optionally, the dispenser  102  may additionally include one or more guides  112  connected to the frame  106  to guide product  10  exiting the container  104  and entering the dispenser  102 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the dispenser  102  may include additional components and features without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0020]    The frame  106  may include a first side wall  114 , a second side wall  116 , a rear wall  118 , an upper support surface  120  and a lower support surface  122 . The first side wall  114  may extend generally perpendicularly from a first end  124  of the rear wall  118 . The second side wall  116  may extend generally perpendicularly from a second, opposite end  126  of the rear wall  118  such that the second side wall  116  is generally parallel with the first side wall  114 . 
         [0021]    The lower support surface  122  may extend between the first  114  and second  116  side walls, and may include a front end  128  that extends to the front ends  130  of the side walls  114 ,  116  and a rear end  132  that extends to the rear wall  118 , thereby defining a lower level  134  of the frame  106 . The lower support surface  122  may be inclined from the front end  128  to the rear end  132  (i.e., the rear end  132  may be elevated relative to the front end  128 ) such that product  10  positioned at the rear end  132  of the lower support surface  122  rolls down to the front end  128  of the lower support surface  122  under the force of gravity. As an example, the lower support surface  122  may be inclined at an angle of about 8 degrees. 
         [0022]    One or more stops  136  may be positioned proximate (i.e., at or near) the front end  128  of the lower support surface  122  to prevent product  10  from rolling beyond the front end  128  of the lower support surface  122 . Therefore, the stops  136  may collect product  10  at the front end  128  of the lower support surface  122 , thereby establishing a product display area  138  at the front end  128  of the lower support surface  122 . 
         [0023]    In one particular implementation, a divider  138  may extend from the front end  128  of the lower support surface  122  to the rear wall  118  to divide the lower level  134  into a first product channel  140  and a second product channel  142 . The first product channel  140  may be defined by the lower support surface  122 , the first side wall  114  and the divider  138 , and may extend from proximate the rear wall  118  to the front end  128  of the lower support surface  122 . The second product channel  142  may be defined by the lower support surface  122 , the second side wall  116  and the divider  138 , and may extend from proximate the rear wall  118  to the front end  128  of the lower support surface  122 . 
         [0024]    While two product channels  140 ,  142  are shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the frame  106  may be constructed to provide only one product channel or more than two product channels, depending on the configuration of product  10  in the container  104 , without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0025]    The upper support surface  120  may extend between the first  114  and second  116  side walls, and may include a front end  144  that extends to the front ends  130  of the side walls  114 ,  116  and a rear end  146  that extends toward, but not to, the rear wall  118 , thereby defining an upper level  148  of the frame  106 . The spacing between the rear end  146  of the upper support surface  120  and the rear wall  118  may define an opening  150 , which may function as a chute to allow product  10  to move from the upper level  148  to the lower level  134  of the frame  106 . The upper support surface  120  may be declined from the front end  144  to the rear end  146  (i.e., the front end  144  is elevated relative to the rear end  146 ) such that product  10  supported by the upper support surface  120  rolls under the force of gravity down to the rear end  146  of the upper support surface  120 , through the opening  150  and, ultimately, to the lower level  134  of the frame  106 . As an example, the upper support surface  120  may be declined at an angle of about 8 degrees. 
         [0026]    The cutting element  110  may be positioned proximate the rear end  146  of the upper support surface  120  to cut a portion of the container  104  as the container  104  is loaded onto the upper support surface  120 . By cutting the container  104  with the cutting element  110 , an opening may be formed in the container  104 , thereby allowing product  10  to exit the container  104  and roll from the upper level  148  to the lower level  134  and, ultimately, to the product display area  138 . 
         [0027]    As one example of a deploying method, a user may first form a cut line  70  ( FIG. 2 ) across the base wall  64  of the container  104  prior to loading the container  104  onto the dispenser  102 . The cut line  70  may be formed using, for example, a blade or pulling a rip-strip (not shown). Then, the container  104  may be loaded onto the dispenser  102  such that the cutting element  110  cuts the container  104  along perforated line  72 . When the perforated line  72  is severed, first and second flaps  74 ,  76  of the container  104  may open outward, thereby creating an exit opening in the container  104 . 
         [0028]    The guides  112  may be connected to the rear wall  118  and may extend through the opening  150  from the upper level  148  to the lower level  134 . Therefore, when a container  104  containing multiple units of product  10  has been loaded onto the dispenser  102  and opened by way of the cutting element  110 , the first guide  112  may function as a first ramp that directs product  10  from the first chamber  54  of the container  104 , through the opening  150 , and to the first product channel  140 , while a second guide  112  may function as a second ramp that directs product  10  from the second chamber  56  of the container  104 , through the opening  150 , and to the second product channel  142 . 
         [0029]    The rib  108  may be connected to the upper support surface  120  and may be any elongated protrusion (or series of protrusions) that extends upward from a plane defined by the upper support surface  120 . Those skilled in the art will appreciate that “connected” includes constructions where the rib  108  and the upper support surface  120  are integral (i.e., formed as a single monolithic body), as well as constructions where the rib  108  is a separated piece that has been attached to the upper support surface  120 , such as with mechanical fasteners (e.g., rivets) and/or adhesives (e.g., an epoxy adhesive). Therefore, existing dispensers may be retrofitted to include a rib  108  connected to the upper support surface  120  without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
         [0030]    The rib  108  may extend longitudinally along the upper support surface  120  and may include a first end  152  positioned proximate the front end  144  of the upper support surface  120  and a second end  154  positioned proximate the rear end  146  of the upper support surface  120 . While a single rib  108  is shown extending continuously from the first end  152  to the second end  154  of the rib  108 , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the rib  108  may be comprised of multiple, longitudinally-aligned ribs. 
         [0031]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the rib  108  may have a maximum height H and a maximum width W, and may be generally centered between the side walls  114 ,  116  of the frame  106 . The height H of the rib  108  may be dictated by the magnitude of the eccentricity of the product  10 . The cross-sectional thickness of the base wall  64  of the container  104  may also be a factor in determining the height H of the rib  108 . Specifically, the height H may be selected to minimize or eliminate the eccentricity of the product  10  when the container  104  is loaded onto the dispenser  102 . For example, the height H of the rib  108  may closely correspond to the difference between the radius of the second end  16  of the product  10  and the radius of the first end  14  of the product  10  (i.e., distance D in  FIG. 1 ). 
         [0032]    The width W of the rib  108  may be dictated by, among other things, the size of the products  10  in the container  10  and/or the arrangement of the products  10  in the container  104 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the width W of the rib  108  may be sufficient to allow the rib  108  to interact with product  10  in both chambers  54 ,  56  of the container  104 , but not so large as to create instability when the products  10  begin to roll in the container  104 . 
         [0033]    While only one rib  108  is shown and described as being centered between the side walls  114 ,  116  of the frame  106 , those skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple ribs  108  may be provided on the upper support surface  120 , and that the lateral location of the rib  108  may depend, for example, on the shape and configuration of the product  10  and/or the arrangement and configuration of the product  10  in the container  104 . A single, centered rib  108  is only one non-limiting example, and may be particularly useful with a container  104  having two equally-sized chambers  54 ,  56 . 
         [0034]    Accordingly, when the container  104  is loaded onto the dispenser  102 , the rib  108  may interact with the container  104  to encourage the products  10  within the container  104  to roll in a substantially straight line. Specifically, the rib  108  may engage the base wall  68  of the container  104  to deflect the base wall  68  (or at least a portion of the base wall  68 ) inward into the internal volume  52  of the container  104 , thereby raising the first ends  14  of the products  10  in the container  104  such that the products  10  roll along the base wall  68  in a substantially straight line. When the container is provided with pre-formed fold lines  66 , the deflection of the base wall  68  due to the rib  108  may occur along the pre-formed fold lines  66 . 
         [0035]    Although various aspects of the disclosed product dispensing apparatus and system have been shown and described, modifications may occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. The present application includes such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the claims.