Abstract:
A merchandising security system includes a support adapted to be secured to a first associated merchandising structure and at least one product barrier movably mounted to the support. The at least one product barrier extends away from the support so as to approach a second associated merchandising structure spaced from the first associated merchandising structure. The product barrier is at least one of slidably mounted in relation to the support and pivotably mounted in relation to the support, wherein the product barrier includes first and second members which cooperate to retard a forward movement of an associated object supported on the first associated merchandising structure. At least one of the first and second members is mounted in relation to the support via a hinge.

Description:
[0001]    The instant application is a full utility application of and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/679,419 which was filed on Aug. 3, 2012 and from U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/808,000 which was filed on Apr. 3, 2013. Both of these applications are incorporated by reference in their entireties. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present disclosure concerns a product dispensing system employed in point of sale merchandising. It particularly pertains to shelving systems which feed containers forward. More specifically, it relates to modular gravity fed shelving systems for containers and other like products. On example is a thin wall container of a refrigerated dairy product. 
         [0003]    Many products of this type are available, including yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and the like. Such products are typically sold in individual cups or containers in supermarkets and the like. Dairy product containers of this kind normally have planar bases and planar tops so that they can be stacked atop each other. Traditionally, such dairy products are sold in refrigerator cases, including generally horizontal shelves upon which the dairy products are held. 
         [0004]    Gravity feed systems are known to move products towards the front of display or storage cases. While it is now known to feed dairy products such as yogurt by gravity towards the front end of a refrigerated display case, the currently known retainers positioned at the front end of such display trays or shelves are not optimal. In addition, conventional display shelving systems require more vertical spacing between adjacent shelves in order to allow restocking of the dairy products on the shelves because of clearance issues. Specifically, the merchant cannot allow products on a shelf which is pulled out for restocking to contact the shelf immediately above it. This mandates a minimum shelf spacing in a storage case. It is a particular problem for slide out shelving which conventionally needs to be tilted as it is slid forward to the restocking position. 
         [0005]    Further, current shelving designs do not allow for a secondary shelf to be placed atop the primary shelf to provide additional displays of product. Such a design is useful for providing more product selection without the need to replace the entire shelving system. It would also be desirable to provide a better locking system for pull out shelving to retain a slide out shelf in the use position. Thus, a need exists for a shelving system which overcomes the deficiencies of prior shelving systems as outlined above. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0006]    In one embodiment, the present disclosure pertains to a merchandising security system comprising a support adapted to be secured to a first associated merchandising structure and at least one product barrier movably mounted to the support. The at least one product barrier extends away from the support so as to approach a second associated merchandising structure spaced from the first associated merchandising structure. The product barrier is at least one of slidably mounted in relation to the support and pivotably mounted in relation to the support wherein the retainer comprises first and second members which cooperate to retard a forward movement of an associated object supported on the first associated merchandising structure. At least one of the first and second members is mounted in relation to the support via a hinge. 
         [0007]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a merchandising security system comprising a support adapted to be secured to a first associated merchandising structure and at least one product barrier movably mounted to the support. The at least one product barrier extends away from the support so as to approach a second associated merchandising structure spaced from the first associated merchandising structure. The product barrier is slidably mounted in relation to the support wherein the product barrier comprises first and second members which are vertically arranged, one above the other, and which are movable in relation to each other and which cooperate in one position or orientation to retard a forward movement of an associated object supported on the first associated merchandising structure. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The present disclosure may take physical form in certain parts and arrangements of parts, several embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a shelving system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure in a retracted position; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the shelving system of  FIG. 1  shown in an extended position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of a shelving system according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure in a retracted position; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a side elevational view of the shelving system of  FIG. 3  in an extended position; 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a greatly enlarged perspective view of a portion of the shelving system of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a front elevational view of a portion of a shelving system according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a portion of the shelving system of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 8  is a greatly enlarged side elevational view of a bracket of the shelving system of  FIG. 1  as mounted on a support; 
           [0017]      FIG. 9  is an enlarged side elevational view of a bracket of  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 10  is a side elevational view of a shelving system employing a variant of the second embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 11  is a schematic side elevational view of a portion of the shelving system of  FIG. 10 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 12  is an enlarged perspective view of a mounting portion of the shelving system illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a latch system for shelving according to a further embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0022]      FIG. 14  is a side elevational view of the latch system of  FIG. 13 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 15  is a bottom plan view of the latch system of  FIG. 13 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of another embodiment of a shelving system according to the present disclosure; and 
           [0025]      FIG. 17  is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the shelving system of  FIG. 16 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    It should be understood that the description and drawings herein are merely illustrative and that various modifications and changes can be made in the structures disclosed without the departing from the scope of the present disclosure. It should also be appreciated that the various identified components of the product merchandising systems discussed herein are merely terms of art and that these may vary from one manufacturer to another. Such terms should not be deemed to limit the present disclosure. 
         [0027]    With reference now to  FIG. 1 , a first embodiment of a shelving system according to the instant disclosure includes a merchandising shelf  10 . In the embodiment disclosed, the shelf includes a base  12  on which are supported a plurality of roller tracks  14 . The roller tracks can be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,385 which issued on Jul. 18, 2000 and is entitled “Roller Type Commodity Stand.” The disclosure of the &#39;385 patent is incorporated hereinto by reference in its entirety. Other means for moving the packages or containers forward on the shelf include motion mats or any known non-friction material. 
         [0028]    Supported on the roller track  14  can be a container  16  or a stacked set of containers. The containers can be, for example, dairy product containers. It is well known that such containers can hold sour cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, cream cheese and the like. The containers generally have planar bottom and top surfaces so that they can be stacked atop each other as is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . A gravity fed system is illustrated in which the containers will move towards the front end of the shelf because the front end is located at a lower elevation than the rear end of the shelf. Not very visible in  FIG. 1  is a front barrier which prevents the container  16  from falling off the front end of the shelf. Such a barrier can be a conventional fence, as is known in the art. 
         [0029]    Separating the several containers  16  into columns are respective dividers  20 . The dividers can be mounted either to the roller tracks  14  or directly to the shelf base  12 , depending on the design of the roller tracks and of the shelf base. It should be appreciated that the dividers  20  are of sufficient height so as to divide a stacked set of containers into columns. Located at a front end of each divider is a cutout  22 . The purpose for the cutout is to allow finger access by a customer in order to grasp a container which the customer wishes to remove from the shelf. Also, the cutout serves to provide increased visibility to product labels. 
         [0030]    With reference now also to  FIG. 2 , it can be appreciated that the shelf  10  is of a pull out nature. To this end, the shelf includes a pair of side walls  26  and  28  attached or connected to the base wall  12 . The shelf, via the side walls  26  and  28 , is slidably mounted in respective first and second brackets  32  and  34  of the shelving assembly. To this end, respective slides  36  (only one of which is visible in  FIG. 2 ) are provided. Located at a rear end of the respective brackets is a mounting portion  40 . Since the two mounting portions are mirror images of each other, only one of the mounting portions will be discussed in detail herein. With reference now to  FIGS. 5 and 12 , the mounting portion  40  includes a first member  42  and spaced therefrom and extending generally parallel thereto a second member  44 . The second member  44  is integral with the bracket and includes a first wall  46  as well as a connecting wall  48  for connecting the first wall to the remainder of the bracket. A somewhat L-shaped design is disclosed for the second member. Mounted on the first wall  46  is at least one sleeve  52 . In this embodiment, three such sleeves are shown in a vertically spaced alignment. Slidably mounted in each sleeve  52  is a pin or connecting member  54  which is fastened to the first member  42 . Extending through the pin  54  is an aperture (not visible) which can selectively accommodate a cotter pin  56  to hold the pin in place in the sleeve  52 . 
         [0031]    With reference now to  FIG. 8 , the mounting portion  40  includes a plurality of vertically spaced teeth  60  which are designed to protrude through respective apertures  64  defined in a support, standard or stanchion  66  as is well known in the art. There are a number of support manufacturers which each have a somewhat different design for their respective supports. With reference now to  FIG. 9 , the instant mounting portion is meant to accommodate the support or stanchion designs of several such manufacturers. To this end, the plurality of teeth  60  each include a first wall section  70 , a second wall section  72  and a third wall section  74 . The wall sections are so oriented that the first section  70  extends generally vertically and is aligned with and spaced from a rear wall  76  of the mounting portion. The second section  72  is oriented at an angle of approximately  45  degrees to the orientation of the first wall section  70 . The third wall section  74  is oriented generally perpendicular to the first wall section  70 . In this way, a support material width of a (about 0.08 inches) is accommodated by the third wall section  74 , whereas a width of b (about 0.180 inches) can be accommodated between the first wall section  70  and the rear wall of the bracket  76 . Thus, varying thicknesses of material in the supports or stanchions of the several manufacturers can be accommodated by the mounting portion  40  disclosed herein. 
         [0032]    With this arrangement, and with reference again to  FIG. 12 , the first member  42  can be mounted to the support or standard  66  and the shelf  10  is slid onto the first member  42  via the interengagement of the several pins  54  with the sleeves  52 . The shelf is held in place on the first member by use of the cotter pins  56 . In one embodiment, three sleeves  52  and three pins  54  are employed. Of course, a variety of other designs is also contemplated. 
         [0033]    With reference now again to  FIG. 8 , in addition to the back wall  76 , the mounting portion also includes a front wall  80 , a top wall  82  and a bottom wall  84 . It can be seen that the top wall  82  is wider than is the bottom wall  84  so that the mounting portion  40  is angled downwardly somewhat in relation to a horizontal plane. As a result, so is the shelf attached to the mounting portion. As best seen in  FIG. 10 , the shelving arrangement angles downwardly so as to provide a gravity feed to the containers held on the shelf. 
         [0034]    The stanchions of various manufacturers, such as Hussman, Hill-Phoenix and Kysor-Warren vary somewhat, not only in the thickness of the metal used in the supports or stanchions or uprights, but also in the longitudinal spacing between an adjacent pair of such supports to which a shelf is mounted. In order to accommodate such spacing variations, the instant shelving assembly provides a design in which the mounting portion  40  includes the first member  42  which holds the several pins  54  and a second member  44  defined by the wall sections  46  and  48 , which hold the sleeves or collars  52  held on the wall section  46 . As best seen in  FIG. 12 , the pins  54  protrude through the sleeves  52  and are held in place via the cotter pins  56 . See also  FIG. 5 . Variations in the spacing between adjacent supports can be accommodated by suitable movement of the second member  44  in relation to the first member  42 . The shelf  10  can thus be employed with the supports of a variety of manufacturers making the disclosed shelf design nearly universal. 
         [0035]    With reference now to  FIG. 6 , another shelf  100  is there illustrated. The shelf includes a base  102  which supports a plurality of spaced dividers  104 . In this embodiment, each divider includes a first protrusion  106  which can be located on the upper end of the divider and a second protrusion  108  which is spaced from the first protrusion. This embodiment employs barriers. More specifically, first and second barriers  112  and  114  are mounted to respective dividers. The barriers are spring loaded, such as by a spring  116 , which can be a coil spring, to a neutral position. In order to mount the barriers to the dividers, the barriers are each provided with an upper arm  118  and a lower arm  120 . These arms are connected to the dividers and positioned between the first and second protrusions  106  and  108  on the dividers. In their neutral orientation, the barriers serve to prevent further forward movement of containers  16 ′ on the gravity fed shelf. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 6 , the barriers can pivot forward and back in the same manner as café type doors or saloon doors. It should be appreciated that the first and second barriers  112  and  114  cooperate to retard the forward movement of a stacked set of containers  16 ′. In other words, multiple containers, one atop another, are prevented from moving forward by the cooperating barriers  112  and  114 . Put another way, the height of the barriers  112  and  114  is greater than the height of a container  16 ′. In the design illustrated, the adjacent edges of the barriers or doors are spaced from one another, but they could be close to one another in the neutral position. The barriers can be made of a transparent material so that information on the container would be visible to purchasers. 
         [0036]    In another design, the barrier can be so shaped as to only extend the height of a single container, such as the barrier  122 . In still another design, a single product barrier, such as at  124 , can include a tapered lower surface  126 . This allows a consumer to more easily grasp the container  16 ′ by allowing the fingers of the consumer to contact the container without blockage by the barrier. As with the earlier barrier designs, the barrier  124  is biased to a neutral position by a spring  128 . The spring  128  can include a leg  130  illustrated in dashed outlines, which can extend along a back side of the barrier. 
         [0037]    In still another design, a short front fence  136  can be employed to block further forward movement of a lowermost container  16 ′. In a yet further embodiment, a pivoting barrier  140 , biased by a spring  142  to an upright position, is illustrated. The barrier  140  can include a curved body portion  140   a  and a carriage  140   b  on which the body portion is supported. To the far left of  FIG. 6  is an illustration of the pivoting barrier  140  in a forwardly pivoted orientation, so as to allow removal of container  16 ′ from the shelf  100 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 7  illustrates that the divider  104  can include a slot  146  along its front face. The slot serves to accommodate the fingers of a consumer who wishes to withdraw a container  16 ′ from the shelf  100 . When barriers are employed only for an upper column of products, such as on the far right in  FIG. 7 , then a short front fence  136  becomes useful to retard a lower container  16 ′ from falling off the shelf  100 . 
         [0039]    With reference now to  FIG. 10 , disclosed therein is a shelving design in which an auxiliary shelf  150  is mounted on a support shelf  160  that is connected to uprights or standards by a mounting portion  162  including teeth  164 . It can be seen that the auxiliary shelf  150  is somewhat shorter than the main shelf  160 . While less product can be held on the auxiliary shelf than on the main shelf, the auxiliary shelf is nevertheless advantageous from the standpoint that it can be easily connected to the main shelf or disconnected therefrom as may be necessary. In this way, a merchant can nest more product in the same amount of space without having to remove and reinstall all the shelving for a particular product category. 
         [0040]    With reference now to  FIG. 11 , the auxiliary shelf  150  can be mounted via tabs  170  which protrude from a top divider  172 . In one embodiment, such tabs extend into a slot  174  which can be provided in a housing of a roller system  180 . The roller system can be of the same type as the roller track  14  discussed above. The slots can be provided on or adjacent to side edges of the roller system or roller track housing. Such slots can extend through the roller track housing so as to be accessible from both a top surface and a bottom surface of the track. 
         [0041]    The roller system  180  is mounted on a bottom divider  182 , also having tabs, via the slots  174 . Thus, the auxiliary shelf  150  is comprised of the roller system  180  and respective top dividers  172  located on either side of the roller system  180 . One embodiment of this design is also evident from  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
         [0042]    With reference now to  FIG. 13 , a latch system can be provided for one or more of the types of shelving disclosed herein. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 13-15 , a shelf  190  is provided with a latch system  192  ( FIG. 15 ). The latch system includes a latch member  194  which can be positioned adjacent both side edges of the shelf. The respective latch is located adjacent the shelf side wall. As evident from  FIG. 13 , the latch can be spring biased by a spring  196 . It is evident from  FIG. 15  that the two latch members  194  are connected via a cable  198  so that they act in unison unlatching the shelf at the same time. 
         [0043]    With reference now to  FIG. 14 , the latch mechanism can be provided either adjacent the front end or the rear end of the shelf. It is contemplated that moving the latch towards the rear end of the shelf, i.e., towards the uprights, may be advantageous. An operator would hold the cable or the safety latch in order to slide the shelf forward to a product load configuration. The spring loaded safety latch would engage slots in the first and second brackets to allow the shelf to be slid out from a use configuration to a restocking configuration. When the shelf has been restocked, it is simply pushed back and the spring bias of the latches will again reengage the shelf with the brackets to maintain the shelf in a use configuration. 
         [0044]    The product merchandiser embodiments illustrated herein allow shelving to be stacked closely together as withdrawal of the containers does not involve much upward movement of the containers to clear a barrier. Instead, the containers can be simply withdrawn in a generally horizontal direction. In addition, the provision of auxiliary shelves allows the product density for the merchant to be increased significantly. This is very desirable, as more products can be displayed by the merchant in the same amount of space without having to remove and reinstall shelves. 
         [0045]    Further, the product merchandiser designs illustrated herein allow shelving to accommodate the uprights or standards of a variety of manufacturers, thereby enabling the disclosed shelving to be almost universal in nature. 
         [0046]    In addition, another benefit of the disclosed shelving designs is that slide out shelving is provided in which the orientation of the shelf does not change during the sliding out procedure so that product held on the back end or inner end of the shelf does not hit or contact the shelf immediately above the one which is being slid forwardly. 
         [0047]    A latch system is disclosed herein which enables the slide out shelf to be held in a use configuration. The latch system can be selectively disengaged to allow the shelf to move into a restocking configuration on slides defined between side walls of the shelf and brackets mounting the shelf to supports or uprights of the store fixtures. 
         [0048]    With reference now to  FIG. 16 , a shelf  300  includes a shelf base  302  which supports a plurality of dividers  304 . The dividers are employed to separate product containers  306  into respective columns. In this embodiment, the product containers are in a stacked arrangement. While any number of containers can be stacked, illustrated is a double stack arrangement. With reference now also to  FIG. 17 , the product containers  306  are advanced forwardly on the shelf via either a gravity feed system or a known pusher assembly. In either case, a barrier is provided at the front end of the shelf so as to retard product containers from falling off the shelf. 
         [0049]    In this embodiment, a pivoting and sliding barrier system is illustrated. More particularly, barriers  340  are rotatable in relation to the shelf along arrow  342  and are also slidable in relation to the shelf along arrow  344 . The barrier  340  includes an elongated body  350  in the shape of an arm and terminating in a tip  352 , which may extend out of the plane of the arm, as well as a mounting portion  354 . The mounting portion can be wider than is a width of the arm  350  and can include a first finger  356  and second finger  358 . The mounting portion  354  is connected to a carriage  360 . More particularly, the mounting portion first finger  356  engages a first arm  362  of the carriage while the mounting portion second finger  358  engages a carriage second arm  364 . The engagement of each mounting portion finger with a respective carriage arm can be resiliently biased, via a suitable biasing member  366  (for example a spring), so that the barrier  340  is biased towards the upright position illustrated in  FIG. 17 . The carriage  360  can slide sideways on rail  370  when pushed in either of the two directions of arrow  344  by a customer. 
         [0050]    While one particular embodiment of an arm is illustrated in  FIGS. 16 and 17 , it should be appreciated that narrower and wider arm versions can be employed depending on the width of the product being stocked by the merchant. 
         [0051]    Preferably, there is a friction fit between the rail  370  and the carriage  360  so that the product barrier  340  does not move laterally when incidentally contacted by a potential customer. One advantage offered by the slidable barrier system disclosed herein is that the barrier is infinitely adjustable so as to accommodate a desired number of columns of product or product containers held or supported on the shelf  302 . To this end, additional barrier systems  340  can be mounted on the rail  370  to accommodate relatively narrow columns of products or containers and barrier systems can be removed when relatively wide columns of products or containers on the shelf require fewer barrier systems mounted on the rail. 
         [0052]    Also, the barrier  340  can be pivoted forwardly along the direction of arrow  342  so that a product container  306  can be removed from the shelf  300 . To this end, a customer would grasp the tip  352  of the barrier  340 , which is adapted for this purpose, as it extends away from the plane of the body  350 , and pull the barrier forward against the urging of the biasing member in order to access the product container held behind the barrier. Needless to say, the strength of the bias provided by the one or more biasing members  366  has to be adjusted so that when the barrier  340  is in the upright position it will retard or prevent product containers from falling off the shelf against the bias of whatever type of biasing assembly is used to feed the product containers forward on the shelf. On the other hand, the biasing member or spring  366  cannot be so strong as to make it difficult for a potential purchaser to pull on the barrier  340  in order to rotate it forward to provide access to the product containers. The carriage  360  is adapted to move along a longitudinal axis of the shelf  300 , as shown by arrow  344 , so as to move transversely in relation to the several columns of product containers held on the shelf when pushed by a customer. In this way, the barrier can not only be pivoted out of the way by a potential consumer of the product  306  but can also be slid or pushed out of the way along the rail  370  if so desired. 
         [0053]    A comparison of the barrier  140  illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7  with the barrier  340  illustrated in  FIGS. 16 and 17  will show that the barrier  340  may be advantageous from the standpoint that less material is employed to form the barrier  340  than the barrier  140 . Thus, the barrier  340  may be advantageous from a cost standpoint. It should also be appreciated that both the barriers  140  and  340  can be made out of a suitable transparent material so that any signage on the product containers  306  held behind the barrier is visible to a potential purchaser. To this end, the barriers  140  and  340  can be made of a suitable transparent thermoplastic material. 
         [0054]    A variety of blocking or retaining members has been disclosed herein for use at the front end or dispensing end of a gravity fed merchandising shelf. In one design, multiple stacked containers can be deterred from forward movement. In another design, single containers in a stack are deterred from such movement. 
         [0055]    Disclosed has been a product vending system in the form of a merchandising shelf comprising a support member for supporting at least one associated object for display and/or dispensing. The support member defines a longitudinal pathway along which the associated at least one object can travel from a rear position to a front position. The shelving system can be of a slide out nature so that the shelf can be slid forward for restocking. The shelving system is adaptable for use with the uprights or standards supplied by a variety of manufacturers. Also, the shelving system, which can be a gravity fed system, can include a movable retainer operatively connected to a front end of the shelving system. The retainer is movable from a first position which at least partially obstructs the pathway, thereby retarding forward movement of the at least one associated object beyond the front end of the shelf, to a second position allowing further forward movement of the at least one associate object for removal of same from the shelf. In one embodiment, the retainer can include a body portion which is movable in relation to the shelf. The movement can be a pivoting movement which allows access to associated product held on the shelf behind the barrier. Alternatively, the movement can be a sliding movement so that the barrier is moved transversely in relation to a column of product being held on the shelf in order to allow access to such product. 
         [0056]    The present disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon the reading and understanding of the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the present disclosure be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.