Patent Publication Number: US-10786094-B2

Title: Merchandise display device

Description:
The present invention relates to a merchandise display device according to Claim  1  for displaying goods on a goods conveyor. 
     Merchandise shelves with self-adjusting merchandise display devices are known in the related art, wherein reference is made in particular to EP 2 773 242 B1, which relates to a goods pusher shelf with a basic construction that has a pair of load-bearing elements which support a product tray formed by elongated, horizontal rods. 
     Typically on such merchandise display devices, a number of products are positioned one behind the other along the goods tray. In the shop salesroom, the front item in each case is then taken from the goods tray by a customer. As soon as an item has been removed, the remaining items are automatically propelled towards a front side in a feed direction V along a goods conveyor by a pusher device until the leading item bears on an end stop. 
     Based on the abovementioned related art, the task underlying the invention is to describe an improved, simply manageable merchandise display device, with which in particular an improved cooling and/or simpler assembly is enabled, particularly due to the existence of fewer components. 
     The task is solved with the features of Claim  1 . Further advantageous features of the invention are described in the subclaims. The scope of the invention extends to all combinations of at least two of the features disclosed in the description, the claims and/or the figures. 
     The merchandise display device according to the invention has the following features:
         a goods tray for supporting the goods along a feed direction V from a rear end to a front end of the goods tray,   a front fixing element attached to the front end,   a rear fixing element attached to the rear end,   two struts supporting the goods tray on the rear fixing element, each having a hook section for fastening the struts to a bracket,   a goods end stop arranged on the front fixing element,   a pusher device which is guided along the goods tray to advance the goods in feed direction V,   at least one, preferably two, divider wall which delimits the goods conveyor laterally and is constructed to be displaceable for adjusting a width of the goods conveyor transversely to the feed direction V,
 
wherein the goods tray is constructed at least mostly, preferably practically entirely as a closed surface between the struts.
       

     Practically entirely means that, apart from liquid drainage apertures provided in particular advantageously, the goods tray has a completely closed surface. 
     Not only does the design according to the invention improve the complexity of the construction of the merchandise display device, but it also prevents objects from falling through, and it improves cooling particularly when a closed surface made from material with high thermal conductivity (particularly metals), preferably a metallic material is provided. 
     Correspondingly preferred is an advantageous further development of the invention, according to which the goods tray is made from particularly rolled or extruded metal sheet, preferably aluminum. In this way, the cooling effect within a shelf formed by the merchandise display device according to the invention, particularly floating shelves. At the same time, the merchandise display device has a more striking appearance, particularly when the goods conveyors are empty. The goods tray is preferably manufactured by extruding aluminum. 
     In a further development of the invention, it is provided with advantage that the goods tray has at least one corrugation which extends particularly continuously from the front end to the rear end in feed direction V. The corrugation serves to strengthen the goods tray, enabling a thinner construction of the closed surface of the goods tray, which in turn enables still better thermal conductivity. At the same time, manufacture is less expensive, the weight the struts must support is reduced. 
     Assembly is simplified further and stability increased when the front and/or the rear fixing element has an upper side corresponding to the shape of the goods tray (particularly having the physical form of a fixing surface). 
     Particularly structurally advantageous is an embodiment of the merchandise display device in which the struts are each constructed as a single part and/or entirely from a single material, wherein the material is preferably steel. In this way, the struts may be embodied as slender steel strips or steel panels, wherein in particular the struts are positioned upright. This improves the supporting effect of the struts for the goods tray. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the pusher device is advantageously furnished with a pusher element which has a pusher wall and two guide legs that clasp the sides of the goods tray. This simplifies the mounting of the pusher device on the goods tray, wherein the pusher device is guided in sliding manner along the goods tray. The system is thus suitable for long-term use even under extreme conditions. In particular, the guide legs are conformed on the pusher wall. It is further preferred if the guide legs extend orthogonal to the pusher wall or in the feed direction V. 
     In this context, an embodiment in which a latching element is arranged on the rear end, particularly in the corrugation, for engagement with the pusher device, particularly the pusher element is particularly suitable. The latching element may preferably have the form of a snap lock, in which the pusher element is snapped into place by pressure and disengaged therefrom by pressing again. This has the effect of considerably simplifying filling of the merchandise display device with items by an operator, 
     without thereby limiting the space available for the goods. 
     It is further preferred if lighting elements that are actuated particularly by means of the latching element are arranged along and/or in the corrugation. The lighting elements may particularly be embodied as LED strips. This arrangement not only has the effect of improving the appearance of the merchandise display device, in particular it also makes the act of filling it easier. 
     According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the versatility of the merchandise display device is further improved if the divider wall has a front guide element and a rear guide element for guiding the divider wall, wherein the front guide element particularly extends through the front fixing element and the rear guide element particularly extends through the rear fixing element, in particular each extending transversely to the feed direction V. 
     In an advantageous further development of the invention, it is provided that the pusher device has two roller wheels on the goods tray, particularly on either side of the corrugation. This enables the pusher device to move much more easily, so that an actuating element, particularly a spring, does not have to be of such heavy construction and long-term operation is assured. Filling the merchandise display device is also made simpler. According to a particularly space-saving embodiment of the present invention, it is advantageously provided that the pusher device includes a roller spring which is particularly mounted in free suspension and rolls inside the corrugation. 
    
    
     
       Further advantages, features and details of the invention will be apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments and with reference to the drawing. In the drawing: 
         FIG. 1 a   : shows an embodiment of the merchandise display device according to the invention with the divider walls in a fully in a fully retracted position, 
         FIG. 1 b   : shows the embodiment of  FIG. 1 a    with the divider walls in an extended position, and 
         FIG. 1 c   : is an exploded view of the embodiment according to  FIGS. 1 a    and  1   b.    
     
    
    
     In the figures, components with the same or similar function are denoted with the same reference signs. 
     According to  FIG. 1 c   , the merchandise display device  1  is assembled from the following elements: 
     A goods conveyor  2  consisting of an aluminum panel with a corrugation  17  is fastened, in this case screwed to a rear end  4  with a rear fixing element  6  and to a front end  5  with a front fixing element  7 . 
     The fixing elements  6 ,  7  each have fixing surfaces  23 ,  23 ′ for fixing the goods tray  3 , the cross sections of which are shaped to correspond to the cross section of the goods tray  3 . The fixing surfaces  23 ,  23 ′ are each perforated by at least two screw holes, and the goods tray  3  has corresponding screw holes. 
     The fixing elements  6 ,  7  further have guide channels  24 ,  24 ′, in particular arranged at the rear end  4  and the front end  5  respectively. The guide channels  24 ,  24 ′ extend transversely to a feed direction V of the goods, in particular passing completely through the fixing elements  6 ,  7 . 
     A goods end stop  10  is fixed, preferably screwed to the front fixing element  7 . The goods end stop  10  is preferably embodied as a plate-like. particularly transparent element. 
     Struts  8  are fixed on each side of the rear fixing element  6  which is connected to the goods tray  3 , and each has a hook section  9  on the rear end  4 . The struts  8  are fastened, preferably clipped onto a corresponding bracket of a floating shelf by means of the hook sections  9 . 
     Besides fixing the struts  8  to the rear fixing element  6 , the struts  8  support the goods tray  3  with side wings  25 ,  25 ′ of the goods tray  3  which bear at least partly, particularly mostly, preferably completely on the struts  8 . The side wings  25 ,  25 ′ preferably extend continuously over the entire length of the goods tray  3  on either side of the corrugation  17 . At the same time, the side wings  25 ,  25 ′ serve as bearing and sliding surfaces for the items lying on the goods tray  3 . 
     The struts  8  are preferably formed as a single part and/or continuously from one material, preferably steel. 
     Before the front fixing element  7  or the rear fixing element  6  is fixed to the goods tray  3 , a pusher element  13  of a pusher device  11  is connected to the goods tray  3 . The connection is created by the pusher element  13  by guide legs  16  provided on an underside of the pusher element  13  which laterally clasp the wings  25 ,  25 ′ of the goods tray  3 . As soon as the fixing elements  6 ,  7  are fixed to the goods tray  3 , it is preferably impossible to disconnect the pusher element  13  from the goods tray  3  non-destructively. However, the pusher element  13  can be slid along the goods tray  3  in the feed direction V and in the opposite direction to the feed direction V, wherein the guide legs  16  are guided in sliding manner along the side wings  25 ,  25 ′. The guide legs  16  are preferably conformed on a pusher wall  14  of the pusher element  13  and extend orthogonally to the pusher wall  14 . 
     To improvement the movement of the pusher element  13 , the pusher element  13  is equipped with two wheels  15 , which may serve to guide the pusher element in addition to the guide legs  16 . The wheels  15  preferably roll along the side wings  25 ,  25 ′. 
     The pusher device  11  is also equipped with a roller spring  21 , which is held in place on the front fixing element  7  by an angled fixing end  26 . The roller spring  21  is mounted in free suspension on a rear side of the pusher wall  14 , particularly in a corresponding pocket. Accordingly, the pusher element  13  can only be displaced from the front end  5  to the rear end  4  against the spring force of the roller spring  21 . 
     In order to simplify the operation of filling the merchandise display device  1  with goods, a latching element  18  is preferably arranged on the rear end  4 , in which the pusher element  13  can be engaged. The latching element  18  preferably has the form of a pressure snap lock, so that the pusher element  13  may be snapped into place by pressure and disengaged by pressing again. 
     The roller spring  21  is preferably arranged so that the coiled area of the roller spring  21  rolls inside the corrugation  17 . 
     Finally, divider walls  12 ,  12 ′ are each displaced in the correspondingly extending and arranged guide channels  24 ,  24 ′ by means of a front guide element  19  and a rear guide element  20 . The guide elements  19 ,  20  of divider wall  12  are offset with respect to the guide channels  19 ,  20  of divider wall  12 ′, so that the guide elements  19 ,  20  may be guided in different guide channels  24 ,  24 ′. 
     The divider walls  12 ,  12 ′ further have an L-shaped bend  22 , each of which is angled towards the goods tray  3 , and of which the bend surface preferably extends from the rear end  4  to the front end  5 . The bend  22  is preferably aligned with the side wings  25 ,  25 ′ and together with the side wings  25 ,  25 ′ forms a bearing surface and sliding surface for the goods. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
     
         
           1  Merchandise display device 
           2  Goods conveyor 
           3  Goods tray 
           4  Rear end 
           5  Front end 
           6  Rear fixing element 
           7  Front fixing element 
           8  Struts 
           9  Hook section 
           10  Goods end stop 
           11  Pusher device 
           12 ,  12 ′ Divider walls 
           13  Pusher element 
           14  Pusher wall 
           15  Wheels 
           16  Guide leg 
           17  Corrugation 
           18  Latching element 
           19  Front guide element 
           20  Rear guide element 
           21  Roller spring 
           22  L-shaped bend 
           23 ,  23 ′ Fixing surfaces 
           24 ,  24 ′ Guide channels 
           25 ,  25 ′ Side wings 
           26  Fixing end 
         V Feed direction