Abstract:
A display assembly for the display of merchandise packages with provisions for moving product packages toward the front as packages are removed by customers. A pusher sled is formed of front and back plastic wall panels, joined at the top and spaced apart at the bottom, with side opening notches near the bottom for sliding engagement with spaced apart, wire-like supports. A coiled strip spring has its coiled body confined between the wall panels and a strip portion thereof extends through an opening in the front wall panel to an anchor point at the front of assembly. Exceptional economies are realized in the manufacture of the display assembly while providing a system which aesthetically attractive, with superior performance. A variety of simple clip-on or snap-on devices may be used for anchoring the front of the coil spring, including a clip-on label holder element which mounts at the front of the assembly and includes a slot for reception of a forward end of the spring.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of our co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/024,153, filed Dec. 17, 2001. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Product display and shelf management frequently requires, or at least desires, that a supply of displayed products of the same type, which may be aligned front to back on a display shelf or rack, be constantly urged forwardly, as product items are removed, so that the product is always available for display at the front of the display device. A variety of devices and systems have been proposed over the years for accomplishing this objective. Most have had shortcomings either in the form of cost or performance or, in many cases both. In a typical case, pusher mechanisms have been designed as self-contained mechanisms that are installed in a display rack and function as an independent mechanism. In some cases, the entire display rack is specially designed to incorporate an intricate form of pusher mechanism. In our above mentioned co-pending application, we have disclosed an improved form of pusher mechanism in which a pusher element is mounted for slideable movement on the elements of a wire display rack, resulting in a significantly simplified and more economical system. The present invention seeks to provide a product pusher system that improves further upon that disclosed in our co-pending application and is an ultimate in simplicity, highly reliable in function and capable of being made available at a minimum cost.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    In accordance with the present invention, a novel and improved pusher arrangement is provided for a display rack comprising at least two laterally spaced wire elements, extending from front to back of the display device. Typically, although not necessarily, these wire elements form a slidable support for the display product.  
           [0004]    A novel and uniquely simplified pusher arrangement is provided, in which the pusher element is a single piece of plastic sheet material, advantageously rigid vinyl, consisting of front and back panels joined integrally at a top fold, in a generally inverted “V” configuration, with a front panel advantageously disposed generally vertically and the other extending downward and rearward at a shallow angle relative to the front panel. The panels are formed with laterally opening notches at each side, adjacent their bottom edges, of a suitable size to loosely receive the spaced apart wire elements, which both guide and support the pusher element. To advantage, the wire supports are painted, to provide a smooth, low friction contact with the plastic panels, enabling them to slide freely in forward and rearward directions along the support wires.  
           [0005]    Where additional, intermediate front to back support wires are provided on the display rack, the plastic panels of the pusher element are formed with downwardly opening notches along their lower edges, aligned with the intermediate support wires, such that the pusher element may move freely back and forth over the intermediate support wires without interference.  
           [0006]    In accordance with one feature of the invention, a thin, coiled spring strip is positioned and confined between the front and back pusher panels, with the strip exiting through a confining opening in the front panel. The forward end of the spring strip is anchored at the front of the display rack such that the pusher element is constantly urged in a forward direction. No special housings or containments are required for the spring. It is allowed to float freely between the front and back panels of the pusher. The overall arrangement of the pusher device is one of ultimate simplicity and extraordinarily low cost, while at the same time functioning in a manner which is superior to more complicated and expensive systems.  
           [0007]    In one advantageous form of the invention, the forward end of the spring strip is anchored by means of a label holder attached to the front of the display rack. This is particularly advantageous where the display rack is mounted on a display panel, for example, and carries its own price information. For a rack mounted on a display panel, but not requiring pricing information, the spring strip may be advantageously anchored by means of a small plastic clip attached to the front of the display rack. In other forms of the invention, where the display rack is designed to be mounted on a shelf, and includes plastic base members at the front and back for supporting and positioning the rack, the spring strip may advantageously be anchored by means of the front plastic base element.  
           [0008]    One of the uniquely advantageous features of the invention is the ability of the pusher element to reconfigure itself as a function of the loading of the display rack. In this respect, in order to be able to load the display rack to its absolute maximum capacity, the pusher element, normally of inverted V-shaped configuration, reconfigures itself such that the front facing wall becomes vertically disposed, and the back facing wall bows out rearwardly, typically enabling one or more packages to be inserted into the display. Likewise, the inverted V-shaped configuration of the pusher may be designed to provide an initial forward tilt to the front face of the pusher. With this arrangement, when the pusher reaches the forward limit of its pushing movement, typically a short distance away from the absolute front of the display rack because of mechanical considerations, the forward tilt of the pusher front face assures that the remaining product item or items is as close to the front of the display as practicable.  
           [0009]    For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, and to the accompanying drawings.  
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a display rack incorporating the pusher mechanism of the invention, in which the pusher spring is anchored by a label holder attached to the front of the display rack.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 1.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross sectional view as taken generally on line  4 - 4  of FIG. 2.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a second embodiment of the invention, in which a plastic clip device is utilized at the front of the display rack to anchor the pusher spring.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the clip device of FIG. 5.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view as taken generally on line  7 - 7  of FIG. 5.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is an end elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 5.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention, in which the pusher spring is anchored by means of a plastic base member attached to the front of the rack and used for the mounting of adjustable side supports.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 10 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross sectional view as taken generally on line  10 - 10  of FIG. 9.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 11 is a simplified end view of a display rack incorporating a modified form of pusher arrangement according to the invention, illustrating three levels of display assemblies, each with the pusher in a different position and different configuration. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]    Referring now to the drawings, and initially to FIGS.  1 - 4  thereof, the reference numeral  10  designates generally a wire display rack of a type adapted for mounting on a display panel, such as apertured panel board, slat wall, etc. The rack is comprised of front and back cross bar wires  11 ,  12  to which are secured (typically by welding) a plurality of longitudinal support wires  13 - 16 . The four longitudinal wires  13 - 16  are supported in a common plane and provide support for merchandise packages  17 , indicated in broken lines in FIG. 1.  
         [0022]    In the illustrated form of the invention, the laterally outer wire supports  13 ,  16  are joined at their front ends by an integral looped portion  18 , which forms a vertical front stop for the packaged items  17 . The internal support wires  14 ,  15  terminate at their forward ends at the front cross bar  11 . At their back ends, the wire supports  14 ,  15  extend beyond the rear cross bar  12  and are shaped to form upwardly extending portions  19 ,  20  terminating in hook portions  21 ,  22  respectively. The hook portions  21 ,  22  are adapted to be received in openings provided in apertured panel board, slat wall panels, etc., such that the display rack can be mounted on a display panel with the support wires  13 - 16  extending outwardly therefrom for displaying the merchandise packages  17 .  
         [0023]    Pursuant to the invention, the display rack  10  is provided with a unique form of pusher sled  23 , which is comprised of a single sheet of rigid vinyl material, preferably extruded as a continuous section and cut to length. The pusher sled includes a flat front panel  24  preferably generally vertically disposed, and a similar, generally flat back panel  25 , which is joined at its upper edge with the front panel along a rounded fold  26  and preferably extends downward at a slight angle (for example 15 degrees) to the plane of the front wall  23 . The sled  23  preferably extends across the full width of the display rack and the respective panels thereof include laterally opening notches  27 ,  28 . The notches are horizontally disposed and have a height slightly greater than the diameter of the outside wires  13 ,  16 , so as to be received over the wires for easy sliding movement in forward and rearward directions.  
         [0024]    In the illustrated form of the invention, where the display rack includes a pair of internal support wires  14 ,  15 , the sled panels  24 ,  25  are provided with downwardly opening notches  29 ,  30  which loosely receive the internal wires  14 ,  15  to accommodate easy forward and rearward sliding movement of the sled, with the sled being supported by the laterally opening notches  27 ,  28 . The downwardly opening notches  29 ,  30  advantageously are large enough to provide a clearance space above the internal wires  14 ,  15 . However, the space between inside edges of the vertical notches  29 ,  30  beneficially can be such that, when the sled is aligned perpendicularly across the display rack  10 , the inside edges of the vertical notches  29 ,  30  are close to the inside surfaces of the wires  14 ,  15 , in order to insure proper lateral alignment of the sled  23  relative to the wires  13 - 16  during forward and rearward movements of the sled.  
         [0025]    The sled  23  preferably is produced by continuous extrusion of rigid vinyl material, in the cross sectional configuration shown in, for example, FIG. 3, with a generally uniform material thickness of approximately {fraction (1/16)}th of an inch. As the material exits the extrusion operation, it can be cut to desired lengths, which may vary according to the particular size and shape of the display rack, as will be understood. In conjunction with the cutting to length of the individual sleds, they will be preferably processed at the same time to form the several laterally opening side notches  27 ,  28  and downwardly opening vertical notches  29 ,  30 . The operations involved are inexpensive and efficient, resulting in a sled which can be produced at far less cost than by the more typical production processes involving injection molding, for example.  
         [0026]    At the same time that the several notches  27 - 30  are being formed in the sled, the front panel  24  of the sled is also being provided with one or a plurality of short, horizontal slots  31 ,  32 . In the illustrated form of the invention, the slot  31  is formed in the center of the front panel  24 , while two additional slots  32  are formed, one on either side of the center slot  31 , generally aligned with the spaces between the pairs of longitudinal wires  13 - 14  and  15 - 16 . The slots  31 ,  32  perform an important function with respect to positioning and confinement of a coiled strip pusher spring  33 , as will be more fully described.  
         [0027]    In order to install the sled  23  onto the display rack  10 , the front and back panels  24 ,  25  are squeezed closely together along their bottom edges until the bottom edges are substantially in contact. The thus compressed panels are then disposed at an angle to the perpendicular, with respect to the support wires  13 - 16  of the rack, and the panels may be distorted slightly if necessary, to enable the laterally opening notches  27 ,  28  to be received over the outer support wires  13 ,  16 . In this respect, the respective front and back sled panels  24 ,  25  are preferably slightly wider than the width of the display rack, as defined by the outside support wires  13 ,  16 , such that the compressed sled panels must be disposed at an angle and/or distorted in order to fit in the space between the outside wires  13 ,  16 . Once the laterally opening notches  27 ,  28  are aligned with the outside wires  13 ,  16 , the panels may be rotated to a perpendicular orientation, across the width of the display rack, and they may be released from a compressed condition and allowed to assume a normal configuration as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, for example, with the panel bottom edges spaced apart. The width of the downwardly opening notches  29 ,  30  is sufficiently greater than the diameter of the inner support wires  14 ,  15  to accommodate the described angular orientation of the sled panels  24 ,  25  during the installation operations.  
         [0028]    Once the sled  23  is properly positioned on the support wires, it is vertically supported by the outside wires  13 ,  16  and laterally guided by the inside wires  14 ,  15 .  
         [0029]    The sled  23  is intended to be movable in a substantially friction free manner in forward and rearward directions along the support wires  13 ,  16 . The vinyl material itself, of which the sled  23  is formed, has advantageous low friction characteristics. Additionally, we have found it to be very advantageous to provide a painted coating on the outer surfaces of the support wires  13 ,  16 , as this results in a further significant reduction of sliding friction of the sled  23 . Advantageously, painting can be performed after construction and assembly of the wire elements of the rack, preferably by an electrostatic powder coating operation, in which the paint is cured and fused under heat immediately following electrostatic powder coating operations.  
         [0030]    Pursuant to the invention, the coiled strip spring  33 , in itself typical of those used for activating product pusher sleds, is positioned between the front and back panels  24 ,  25  of the sled  23 , but is not otherwise housed or confined. The outer end section  34  of the spring is led outward through the horizontal slot  31  in the front wall panel  24  and extends to the front of the display assembly, where it is anchored in a manner to be described. The uncoiled end portion  34  of the spring is both supported and confined by the edges of the slot  31 , which in turn serves to support and position the coiled body  35  of the spring. No additional confinement for the spring  33  is required. The natural tendency for the spring  33  to recoil itself, causes the spring to press forwardly against the inside surface of the front panel  24 , constantly urging the sled  23  in a forward direction to move the packages  17  to the front of the display, up against the front stop  18 . As the sled  23  moves forward and rearward on the wire supports  13 ,  16 , the spring  33  simply uncoils or recoils, depending upon the direction of movement.  
         [0031]    In a display assembly in which the rack is mounted on a display panel, it is frequently necessary to provide a label holder for the display of pricing and other product information. When the use of a label holder is necessary or desirable for that purpose, it is convenient to utilize the label holder in the additional capacity of providing a means for anchoring the forward end of the pusher spring  33 .  
         [0032]    In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 4 , the free end  34  of the spring is anchored in a novel and advantageous manner by means of a label holder  36  mounted at the front of the display rack. The label holder consists of a plastic extrusion, formed with front and back primary panels  37 ,  38  joined at their bottom edges  39  to form a pocket for receiving an information label  40 . The label holder is designed for clip-on attachment to the front cross bar  11  of the display rack. To this end, the label holder includes first and second integral clip elements  41 ,  42  which define an enclosure  43  for the reception of the cross bar  11  and a restricted opening  44  to enable the label holder to be clipped onto the cross bar and retained thereon unless intentionally removed.  
         [0033]    The illustrated form of label holder advantageously is of extruded construction, cut to a length to fit between the outside wire support elements  13 ,  16 , as reflected in FIG. 2. In addition, the clip-forming elements  41 ,  42  are provided with notched-out portions  45 ,  46 , shown in FIG. 2, to accommodate the presence of the inside wire support elements  14 ,  15 .  
         [0034]    As shown particularly in FIG. 4, the forward extremity of the spring section  34  is permanently bent to provide first and second offset portions  47 ,  48 . The first portion  47  extends generally downward, and the second offset portion  48  extends forward, generally parallel to the main portion of the spring section  34 , as indicated in FIG. 4. The spring section  34  is anchored to the label holder by inserting the offset portions  47 ,  48  downwardly through a slot  49  formed in an upper wall portion  50  of the clip-forming element  42 . To advantage, the spring end is inserted into the slot  49  before the label holder is mounted on the cross bar  11 . Thereafter, when the label holder is installed onto the cross bar  11  in the manner shown in FIG. 4, the spring end portion  47 ,  48  is effectively locked in the slot  49  against other than intentional removal.  
         [0035]    In the illustrated form of the invention, multiple pusher springs  33  may be employed if desired, to provide an additional pushing force for handling of products of greater weight. For example, in the specific embodiment illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 4 , any combination of one, two or three springs may be employed. The use of a single spring is specifically illustrated in FIGS.  1 - 4 . If two springs were desired, they would be installed and confined between the front and back pusher walls, substantially as indicated in FIG. 3, with forwardly extending portions of the springs passing through the outboard slots  32  and anchored forwardly in the label holder  36 , by means of anchor slots (not shown) corresponding to the slot  49 . If a third spring were desired, the illustrated central spring would be retained, along with two additional springs extended through the outboard openings  32 . Pursuant to the invention, the use of multiple pusher springs requires no additional complicated moldings or the like. This provides for a high degree of flexibility in the setup of the display assembly, without any significant additional cost.  
         [0036]    In some circumstances, display racks may be mounted on a display panel without the need or desire for a label holder to be mounted at the front of the display rack. In such cases, a simple, easily attached clip-on anchor device of the type shown in FIGS.  5 - 8  may be employed to secure the forward end of the pusher spring or springs. The anchor clip of FIGS.  5 - 8  advantageously is a molded plastic part consisting of a central enclosure  52  with integral clip portions  53 ,  54  extending from opposite sides thereof. The clip portions  53 ,  54  advantageously are of inverted U-shape configuration, formed with downwardly facing entrance openings  55 ,  56  of somewhat smaller width than the diameter of the front cross bar wire  11 . The arrangement is such that the clip-on device  51  may be mounted on the cross bar wire  11  by pressing downwardly on the clip portions  53 ,  54  on each side of the enclosure  52  until the device snaps into place snugly gripping the wire  11 .  
         [0037]    The overall length of the clip-on device  51  is slightly less than the space between the internal support wires  14 ,  15 , and also somewhat less than the spaces between the wires  13 - 14  and  15 - 16 . Accordingly, the clip-on device  51  can be installed in any or all of the three spaces formed by the support elements  13 - 16 , to accommodate one, two or three pusher springs.  
         [0038]    As shown in FIG. 7, the enclosure  52  is provided with a thin vertical slot  57  for receiving the offset end portions  47 ,  48  of the spring end  34 . These offset portions  47 ,  48  are inserted in the slot  57  before the clip-on device  51  is installed on the cross bar wire  11 . Once the clip device is installed, the offset end portions  47 ,  48  are effectively locked to the clip-on device by the presence of the cross bar element  11 , as is indicated in FIG. 7.  
         [0039]    In yet another embodiment of the invention, shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, a display rack  60  is designed to be supported on a shelf, for example, rather than being suspended on a display panel as in the embodiment shown in FIGS.  1 - 4 . The display rack  60  of FIGS. 9 and 10 include spaced-apart support elements  13 ,  16  joined at the front by an integral, upwardly extending loop  18  forming a front stop. Front and back cross bar elements  11 ,  12  are fixed to the wire supports  13 ,  16  at opposite ends thereof. Internal wire supports  14   a ,  15   a  are fixed at opposite ends to the respective cross bars  11 ,  12  and function generally in the same manner as support elements  14 ,  15  of the first-described embodiment, except that the elements  14   a ,  15   a  terminate at the back cross bar element  12 .  
         [0040]    A pusher sled  23 , which can be the same as, and will function the same as the pusher sled of the FIGS.  1 - 4  embodiment, is mounted on the support elements  13 - 16  and houses a coil spring (not shown) between its front and back panels  24 ,  25 . A forward extension  34  of the spring extends through a horizontally elongated opening  31  in the front wall panel  24  to an anchor point at the front of the display rack.  
         [0041]    The embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10 incorporates special plastic base members  61 ,  62  at the front and back which attach to the cross bars  11 ,  12  and support the display rack a short distance above a shelf or other support surface upon which the base members are resting, in order to allow the pusher sled  23  to move freely over the top of the surface.  
         [0042]    An important function of the base member  61 ,  62 , which is described more fully in our co-pending applications Ser. No. 10/024,153 and application Ser. No. 10/219,800, filed Aug. ______, 2002 [Our File 0094-127P] is to mount adjustable side guides  63 ,  64 . The side guides, and the features of the base members  61 ,  62  which accommodate them, do not form features of the present invention, but are conveniently utilized in certain cases where lateral confinement of the product is important. Indeed, even in a rack configuration of the general type shown in FIG. 1, for example, where the rack is designed to be mounted on a display panel, it may be desired to utilize base members  61 ,  62  in order to enable the use of the adjustable side guides  63 ,  64 .  
         [0043]    In the embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10, the base members  61 ,  62  typically will be of identical construction, preferably injection molded using an engineering plastic material, such as Celcon, an acetal polymer marketed by Celanese Corporation. As indicated in FIG. 10, the base members include first and second downwardly opening transverse recesses  65 ,  66  for the reception of transversely extending portions  67 ,  68  of the respective side guides  63 ,  64 . The transverse elements  67 ,  68  are snugly received in the recesses  65 ,  66  to accommodate transverse adjustment thereof while effectively retaining the side guides in their adjusted positions during normal use.  
         [0044]    An upwardly opening recess  69  is provided in the base member to receive the cross bar element  11 . The entrance opening into the recess  69  is slightly less than the diameter of the cross bar element  11 , enabling the element to be inserted into the recess  69  by a snap-in action and retained therein until intentionally separated.  
         [0045]    Pursuant to the invention, the base members  61 ,  62  are formed with one or more hollow enclosures  70 . Preferably, there are as many of the hollow enclosures  70  as there are slotted openings in the pusher sled  23 , with the enclosure  70  being generally aligned with such slotted openings, as reflected in FIG. 9.  
         [0046]    As shown in FIG. 10, the enclosures  70  are formed with an entrance slot  71  for the reception of offset portions  47 ,  48  of the spring section  34 . In order to insert the offset portions  47 ,  48  into the slot  71 , the adjustable guide  63  is withdrawn sufficiently to clear its transverse portion  67  to a position away from the slot  71 . The offset portions  47 ,  48  may then be inserted into the slot and allowed to assume a normal position, with the offset portion  48  disposed in the space above the transverse rod portion  67 , as reflected in FIG. 10. Once the spring end is installed, the normal forces applied thereto, which are directed generally horizontally, will not cause the spring end to be withdrawn from the slot  71 .  
         [0047]    Although only a single spring is illustrated in FIG. 9, it will be understood that one two or three springs may be employed in the specifically illustrated embodiment, as previously explained.  
         [0048]    An advantageous modification of the invention is shown in FIG. 11 in which rack displays  80 ,  81  and  82  are shown mounted at various levels on a display panel  83 . Each of the displays  80 - 82  is identical construction, comprising a rack formed of two or more spaced apart wire rods  84  extending from front to back and slideably supporting a pusher sled  85 . In general, the pusher sled  85  corresponds to the sled  23  previously described, consisting of front and back pusher panels  86 ,  87  respectively joined at the top  88 . The panels  86 ,  87  are formed with openings near the bottom edges thereof corresponding in general to those of the pusher sled  23 , enabling the sled  85  to slide easily in front-to-back and back-to-front directions along the wire rods  84  of the display rack. A coiled strip spring  89  is positioned between the front and back pusher panels  86 ,  87  and has a portion passing through a front opening (not shown in FIG. 11) and extending forward to an anchor point at the front of the display, all as previously described herein.  
         [0049]    In the modified form of the invention shown in FIG. 11, the inverted V-shaped configuration of the pusher sled  85  is characterized by the front panel  86  being considerably shorter than the back panel  87 . As a result, when the sled is in a “normal” position, not being under any stress, the sled has a forward lean configuration shown in the middle level display  81  of FIG. 11.  
         [0050]    As shown in the middle level display  81  of FIG. 11, the forwardmost position of the sled  85  is limited by engagement of the forward panel  86  with a base  90  of the display rack. Typically, this is some distance behind the front stop element  91  of the display rack, as is evident in the display  81 . However, by reason of the forward lean of the pusher front panel  86 , the upper portion of the front panel is substantially closer to the front stop  91  than the lower portion. As a result, even a thin package mounted in the display rack can be pushed forward into contact with the front stop  91 , or substantially so, by upper portions of the front panel  86 .  
         [0051]    During loading of the display rack with product items, the sled  85  is progressively pushed back, as reflected in the lower display unit  82  of FIG. 11. During the loading process, the front panel  86  can be tilted rearwardly, by pressure against upper portions thereof. The back panel  87  in such a case will reorient itself, by widening the base of the inverted V. This action is easily accommodated by the somewhat flexible connection  88  between the front and rear panels, which are preferably formed in a continuous extrusion process, but are configured in the nature of flat, folded sheet-like panels.  
         [0052]    Upon continued insertion of product items  92  into the display, the point eventually will be reached when the lower portion  93  of the back panel engages the rear base member  94  of the display rack. This forms a positive stop against further movement of the lower portion  93  of the panel. However, as a unique and advantageous feature of the invention, the pusher sled  85  can be displaced further to the rear by continued insertion of product items until the bottom portion  94  of the front panel  86  contacts or nearly contacts the bottom portion  93  of the back panel. To enable this, the back panel  87  bows outward to the rear, as shown in the upper display  80  of FIG. 11. The coiled strip spring  89 , which at this point is considerably smaller than when the sled is in its forwardmost position, is displaced upward, if necessary, into the upwardly enlarging space defined by the lower portions of the respective front and back panels  86 ,  87 .  
         [0053]    By enabling the front panel  86  to be displaced rearwardly to a limit position in which it contacts the lower end of the back panel, additional space is provided in the display rack for inserting one or two additional product items (depending, of course, upon the thickness of the product packaging).  
         [0054]    In any of its forms, the assembly of the invention provides an extraordinarily effective and economical arrangement for pushing products forward in a product display. The pusher sled itself is essentially a flat sheet of plastic, configured in an inverted V-shaped form, which can easily be produced by continuous extrusion. The design of the sled and its configuration is such that the pusher spring can simply be confined between the front and back walls of the sled, without any other containment walls. The assembly is one of ultimate simplicity and economy and represents a significant advance over known apparatus for this purpose.  
         [0055]    It should be understood, of course, that the specific forms of the invention herein illustrated and described are intended to be representative only, as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.