Patent Publication Number: US-6209731-B1

Title: Gravity feed bottle dispensing track device having front stopper

Description:
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/936,081, filed Sep. 23, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,875,919 which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/728,729, filed Oct. 11, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,978, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/389,379, filed Feb. 16, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,687. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to merchandising devices for soft drink bottles, and particularly to a gravity feed bottle dispensing device in which soft drink bottles are suspended by their neck flanges and carried forward by gravity on an inclined track. 
     Gravity feed bottle dispensers of the suspension type have been used in the merchandising of soft drink bottles such as PET bottles having outwardly projecting annular neck flanges. These dispensers have an elongate track having a pair of parallel rails extending along the track. The necks of flanged bottles are received between the track rails so that the bottles are engaged at their neck flanges with the rails and thus suspended by their necks. The bottles are automatically arranged in a row along the track as they are received in the track. The track is normally inclined downwardly toward its front end and thus the suspended bottles are allowed to gravity feed one after another to the front end as the leading or foremost bottles in the row are removed successively from the track through the front end. A length of the track adjacent to the front end is upturned relative to the remainder of the track to stop each leading bottle at the front end and to thereby present it for removal from the track. Conventional gravity feed bottle dispensers of the type described above are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,318,485; 4,367,818; and 4,401,221 which are owned by the assignee of the present invention. 
     While such conventional dispensers have experienced considerable success, they are not without disadvantages. When stopped at the front end, the leading bottle on the track is subject to pressure of the other bottles behind it and is thereby pushed forward. This causes the leading bottle to be tilted with respect to the vertical while it is presented for removal by customers. This can detract from the appearance of the displayed bottles particularly when two or more tracks are arranged side by side and the respective leading bottles on adjacent tracks are tilted at different angles. 
     What is needed, therefore, is an improved gravity feed bottle dispensing device which maintains the leading bottles substantially vertical. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In meeting the foregoing needs, the present invention provides a merchandising device for neck-flanged bottles. The device includes an elongate track which defines a longitudinally extending pathway, a support assembly for the track, and a stopper provided at the front end of the track. The track supports a row of flanged bottles such that the bottles are suspended by their neck flanges for movement along the pathway and are removable from the pathway through the front end of the track. The support assembly supports the track in a tilted condition such that the track is inclined downwardly toward its front end whereby the suspended bottles are allowed to gravity feed toward the front end when the leading bottle in the row is removed from the track. The stopper engages with the leading bottle to prevent its accidental removal through the front end. To improve the above basic arrangements, the device of the invention comprises a gate mechanism for blocking the pathway at a position between the front and rear ends of the track. The mechanism is activated to block the pathway when the leading bottle in the row engages the stopper so that forward movement of the other bottles behind the leading bottle is blocked. This allows the leading bottle to be free of pressure of the other bottles and to be disposed substantially vertical when stopped at the front end of the track. 
     The gate mechanism may be connected to the track to cooperate with the leading bottle so that it is activated to block the pathway in response to arrival of the leading bottle at the front end of the track and deactivated to unblock the pathway in response to removal of the leading bottle from the front end. Such a gate mechanism may include a seesaw arm having a forward end adjacent to the front end of the track and extending along the pathway to a backward end. The seesaw arm is pivotally connected at its intermediate position to the track for pivotal movement between an activated position and a deactivated position. When in the activated position, the arm allows its backward end to be in the pathway and the forward end to be out of the pathway whereas in the deactivated position, the arm causes the forward end to be in the pathway. As a result, when the leading bottle is brought to the front end, the forward end of the arm is thrust aside by the leading bottle so that the arm is pivoted to the activated position. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the merchandising device further comprises converting means for turning the gate mechanism inoperable so that the gate mechanism can be deactivated even when the leading bottle is at the front end of the track. This arrangement enables successive front loading of the bottles. One preferred form of such converting means is an arrangement wherein the pivot of the seesaw arm is connected to the track for substantially linear reciprocal movement between an operable position and an inoperable position. In the operable position, the pivot allows the arm to move between the activated and deactivated positions whereas in the inoperable position, the pivot allows both the forward and backward ends of the arm to be outside the pathway at the same time. 
     Another preferred form of the converting means is an arrangement wherein the seesaw arm has two portions, i.e., a front element which provides the forward end and a rear element which provides the backward end. The front element is pivotally connected to the track so that the arm is pivotable between the activated and deactivated positions. The rear element is connected to the front element for locking the rear element against forward pivotal movement beyond a limit relative to the front element while permitting backward pivotal movement relative to the front element. Such backward movement brings the rear element to the position out of the pathway even when the forward end of the arm is disposed out of the pathway. 
     The present invention also provides a gravity feed bottle dispensing device wherein the length of the track is adjustable either to a longer size or to a shorter size. The device in this aspect of the invention has a track comprising a front elongate member, a rear elongate extension member and a connector for separably interconnecting the front and rear members in an end-to-end relationship. The connector has a cross-sectional configuration adaptable for telescopingly receiving both the backward end portion of the front member and the forward end portion of the rear member so as to allow the front and rear members to define a single continuous pathway of the bottles. 
     The invention further provides a bottle dispensing device which can eliminate the situation in which the support rails of the track are mistakenly received between a bottle cap and the adjacent neck flange. Such a mistake can be made during the bottle loading process particularly when there is a substantial gap between the cap and the flange of each bottle. Such a mistake would result in damage to the bottle cap, which in turn would cause the bottle to fall off of the track. The merchandising device in this aspect of the invention comprises a track having a pair of parallel longitudinally extending rails for hanging bottles by their neck flanges, and a rail-thickening means fixedly disposed on each rail at adjacent to at least one of the front and rear ends of the track. The thickening means increases the vertical size of at least a part of each rail whereby the above discussed mistake or problem can be eliminated. The thickening means may be secured to either the upper surfaces or the lower surfaces of the rails, or it may be formed integrally with the rails. 
     The present invention further provides a merchandising device which facilitates adjustment of the inclination of the track. The device according to this aspect of the invention has a track and a support assembly. The assembly comprises a pair of front and rear transverse support members disposed perpendicularly to the track, and a support rack placed on a horizontal support surface to support each of the front and rear transverse members at a desired height from the support surface. The track comprises interconnecting means for movably connecting one of the front and rear transverse members to the track for movement at least partially along the length of the track. This enable the inclination of the track to be adjusted to a desired angle without any adjustment to the support rack. 
     The preferred embodiment of the interconnecting means is a pair of slots formed respectively in the side walls of the track which is formed in a channel shape. The slots extend partially along the track and arranged to receive associated one of the front and rear transverse members so that the associated transverse member is slidably movable along the slots. 
     The present invention further provides a modular merchandising device which provides flexibility in arrangement of a plurality of tracks. The modular device comprises a plurality of parallel elongate tracks and a support assembly for the tracks. The support assembly comprises a pair of front and rear transverse support members disposed perpendicularly to the tracks. Each track comprises first means for removably mounting the track on the front transverse member, and second means for removably mounting the track on the rear transverse member. Each mounting means comprises means for movably connecting the respective track to the respective transverse member for movement along the respective transverse member. Each transverse member comprises means for locking each track thereon. The device of the invention in this aspect allows variation in number and position of the tracks on the transverse members and thereby adds more flexibility in the way the tracks are arranged on the support means. 
     One preferred embodiment of the locking means comprises spacer means removably mounted on each transverse member to maintain a space between adjacent tracks. 
     One preferred embodiment of the movably connecting means comprises a pair of engaging apertures formed respectively in the side walls of the respective track to slidably receive the respective transverse member. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of the invention in this aspect, the support means further comprises a support rack and third mounting means. The support rack is placed on a horizontal support surface to support each transverse member at the position above the support surface. The third mounting means removably mounts each transverse member on the support rack at any one of vertically arranged positions on the rack so that each transverse member is retained at a desired height from the support surface. This arrangement allows easy change of the vertical position of the tracks. 
     The objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the drawings, 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser unit of a merchandising device according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of the dispenser unit in FIG. 1, showing bottles held at their neck flanges by the tracks and hanging from the respective front ends of the tracks; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, partially cutaway, of the tracks in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of one of the tracks in FIG. 1, showing the gate mechanism held in the activated position by the leading bottle; 
     FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing the second leading bottle which has released by the gate mechanism and sliding down on the track; 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing the gate mechanism brought to the inoperable position; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view, partially cutaway, of the tracks of a modified merchandising device according to the invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of one of the tracks in FIG. 7, showing the activated position of the gate mechanism in the solid line and the deactivated position in the phantom line; 
     FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8, showing the latch in the inoperable position; 
     FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a transverse support member provided with a plurality of track-locking notches; 
     FIG. 11 is a front view of a track provided with a thickening rail piece at the front or rear end thereof; 
     FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a track extension; 
     FIG. 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of the extension in FIG. 12 which has been connected to the rear end of a track; and 
     FIG. 14 is a view taken along the line XIV—XIV in FIG.  13   
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIGS. 1 to  6  illustrate a merchandising device according to this invention. This device includes one or more bottle dispenser units of the kind shown in FIG. 1 removably mounted on a rack. The rack can be a conventional four-post rack or alternatively a rack consisting of a base having a vertically extending back wall on which the unit-supporting arms are cantilevered. Each device may have only one dispenser unit; however, it will in general have two or more dispenser units arranged one above another. 
     The dispenser unit in FIG. 1 is designed for use preferably on a four-post rack (only partially shown in FIG. 2) having four upright corner posts, i.e., a pair of front posts and a pair of rear posts, connected together by horizontal members of a suitable number. The four corner posts are of a substantially identical structure having a number of engaging openings arranged vertically along the side wall of the respective corner post. An example of such a corner post is shown in FIG. 2 at reference numeral  20 . The post  20  is one of the front corner posts and is shown as having two vertical rows of openings  22 . However, one vertical row of openings in each corner post may be sufficient in most of the cases wherein the post is used as a vertical support for the dispenser units. 
     The dispenser unit in FIG. 1 has a plurality of substantially parallel elongate tracks  24  and  25  interconnected through a pair of front and rear transverse support members  26  and  28 . The tracks  24  and  25  are virtually identical to each other, and so are the front and rear transverse members  26  and  28 . Accordingly, the details will hereinafter be described regarding only the track  24  and the transverse member  26 . Those portions of the track  25  identical to the track  24  are identified by the same reference numerals and those of the member  28  identical to the member  26  are denoted by the same reference numerals. 
     The track  24  is formed preferably of a metal plate or a molded plastic and has a pair of longitudinally extending opposed side walls  30  and  32  joined together along their upper edges by a top wall  34 . The side walls  30  and  32  and the top wall  34  in cooperation form a channel structure having an inverted U-shaped cross section. A pair of parallel rails  36  and  38  as best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 are joined respectively along the lower edges of the side walls  30  and  32  so as to project inwardly of the track  24  toward each other. A space is maintained between the rails  36  and  38  to receive therein the necks of flanged bottles. The distance between the rails  36  and  38  are such that when bottle necks are received between the rails  36  and  38 , the bottles are automatically arranged in a row and the undersides of the neck flanges engage the rails  36  and  38  to allow the bottles to be suspended for sliding movement along the track  24 . 
     Typical flanged bottles used with the device of the invention may be soft drink bottles formed of plastic such as PET and having an integrally formed outwardly projecting annular flanges at their necks immediately under their caps. The manner in which flanged bottles are suspended by their neck flanges is best shown in FIG. 2 wherein the bottles are designated at “B” and the bottle neck flanges are designated at “F”. The bottles suspended and arranged in a row are gravity fed one after another to the front end of the track  24  as the leading bottles in the row successively are removed from the track  24  through the front end, which will be described in more details later. 
     According to a feature of the invention, the side walls  30  and  32  of the track  24  are provided at near the track front end with a pair of opposed circular apertures  40  and  42  (shown in FIG. 3) and at near the track rear end with a pair of opposed slots  44  (only one shown in FIG.  1 ). Each slot  44  extends partially along the length of the track  24 . The apertures  40  and  42  are identical in diameter and receive the front transverse member  26  so that the front portion of the track  24  is supported by the member  26 . The diameter of the apertures  40  and  42  is such that it allows the track  24  to slide along the member  26 . The slots  44  are of the same size and shape and receive the rear transverse member  28  so that the rear portion of the track  24  is supported by the member  28 . The width of the slots  44  is such that it allows the track  24  to slide along the member  28  as well as the rear member  28  to slide along the length of the slots  44 . 
     The front transverse member  26  is formed preferably of metal. It extends between the front corner posts such as at  20  and is supported at its opposite ends by the front corner posts. The transverse member  26  includes an outer round tube  46  having an outer diameter slightly less than the apertures  40  and  42  and a pair of inner round rods  48  (only one shown in FIGS. 1,  2  and  3 ) respectively received telescopingly or slidably in the opposite end portions of the outer tube  46 . This telescopic structure provides flexibility in length of the transverse member  26  so that the member  26  can be used on racks having different front post distances. The opposite ends of the member  26  are provided by the respective free ends of the inner rods  48  and removably mounted on the front corner posts by means of suitable brackets respectively. Each bracket has a first portion for engagement with the associated end of the transverse member  26  and a second portion for insertion into one of the openings of the associated front corner post. A typical example of such a bracket includes a T-hook, S-hook and the like. FIG. 1 shows a T-hook  50  loosely engaged with each end of the transverse member  26  so as to be a built-in part of the dispenser unit. 
     The rear transverse member  28  extends between the rear corner posts of the rack and is removably mounted at its opposite ends on the rear corner posts. The outer diameter of the outer tube  46  of the member  28  is slightly less than the width of the slots  44 . The remainder of the rear member  28  is identical to the front member  26 . 
     According to another feature of the invention, spacer sleeves  52  are disposed on the transverse members  26  and  28  as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. They are located on the opposite sides of each track. These sleeves  52  are formed of flexible material such as plastic and have a substantially C-shaped cross section such that they snap fit around the transverse members  26  and  28 . The sleeves  52  when fit on the members  26  and  28  have an outer diameter substantially greater than the diameter of the apertures  40  and  42  and than the width of the slots  44 . The sleeves  52  therefore function as spacers for maintaining a proper space between the tracks  24  and  25  as well as means for locking the tracks  24  and  25  at proper positions on the transverse members  26  and  26 . 
     It should however be recognized that by using the sleeves of different lengths, the positions of the tracks  24  and  25  can be changed along the length of the transverse members and the space between the adjacent tracks can be adjusted to a desired size. It will also be readily understood that the number of the tracks on the transverse members  26  and  28  can be adjusted easily. To reduce the number of the tracks, some of the sleeves  52  are disengaged from the transverse members  26  and  28  and then the tracks of a desired number are removed from the members  26  and  28 . To increase the number, on the other hand, one or more additional tracks similar to the above tracks are connected to the transverse members and then additional sleeves  52  are fit on the transverse members. 
     According to a further feature of the invention, the track  24  is provided with a stopper means  54  at its front end. The stopper means  54  is best shown in FIG. 3 wherein it includes a pair of leaf springs  56 . Each leaf spring  56  is secured at near its upper end to the outside surface of the respective track side wall by a rivet  58 , and is provided at near its lower end with a protrusion  60 . The protrusion  60  passes through a small aperture formed in the respective side wall and projects inwardly from the inside surface of that side wall. These protrusions  60  of the stopper means are normally disposed in the bottle pathway which is defined inside the track  24 , as best shown in FIG.  2 . When the leading bottle in the track arrives at the front end of the track  24 , it abuts the protrusions  60  and is thereby prevented from accidental dislodgement through the front end. However, when such a leading bottle is pulled forward by for example a customer, the protrusions  60  are pushed or retracted into the small apertures in the respective side walls  30  and  32  and allow removal of the leading bottle. The retracted protrusions  60  are urged by the springs  56  inwardly of the track  24  and thus after removal of the leading bottle, they are brought back to their normal positions to be ready for the next leading bottle. 
     In accordance with a further feature of the invention, a gate mechanism  62  as shown in FIG. 3 is provided at the location near the front end between the stopper means  54  and the rear end of the track  24 . The mechanism  62  comprises a pair of slots  64  (only one shown in FIG.  3 ), a pivot  66  and a seesaw arm  68 . The slots  64  are formed respectively in the side walls  30  and  32 . The pivot  66  extends transversely across the track  24  and is received loosely at the opposite ends thereof in the slots  64  for movement along the slots  64 . The arm  68  is disposed within and generally along the track  24  and is secured at an intermediate position thereof to the pivot  66 . Each slot  64  is disposed obliquely along the respective side wall in such a manner that the rear end of the slot  64  is located at a position closer to the top wall  34  than its front end. This causes the pivot  66  to be biased by the gravity to the front end of each slot  64  so that the pivot  66  is normally located in the position as shown in FIGS. 3-5. 
     The seesaw arm  68  is formed preferably by bending a plate metal into a structure having a generally ω-shaped longitudinal-section of the kind shown in FIGS. 4-6. The portions of the arm  60  near the forward end  70  and the backward end  72  are upwardly curved to form downwardly convexly bowed lower surfaces. These bowed surfaces cause to be minimized the contact between the arm  68  and the bottles on the track  24 , which in turn reduces the chance that the bottles are jammed under the arm  68 . 
     The reference numeral  74  in FIG. 3 designates an extension portion formed at the backward end  72  of the arm  68 . The extension portion  74  prevents the backward end  72  from being stuck on the bottles. An aperture  76  is formed in the top wall  34  and allows the extension portion  74  to project outwardly of the track  24  therethrough. This enables the arm  68  to be pivoted clockwise to the position as shown in FIG. 5 where the forward end  70  is positioned inside the bottle pathway and the backward end  72  is outside. This position will hereinafter be referred to as “deactivated position”. On the other hand, the arm  68  is pivotable counterclockwise to the position shown in FIG. 4 where the forward end  70  is outside the pathway and the backward end  72  is inside. This position will hereinafter be referred to as “activated position”. 
     To set up the above merchandising device, the one or more dispenser units are first assembled. The number of the dispenser units is selected depending on the vertical size of the rack and the height of the bottles to be displayed on the device. The tracks of an appropriate number are employed for each dispenser unit and secured on the respective pair of front and rear transverse members  26  and  28 . The appropriate number may be varied depending on the width of the rack, i.e., the distance between the front corner posts, as well as the width of the bottles. 
     Subsequent to the assembly of the dispenser units, each unit is mounted on the rack by using the brackets  50 . The openings  22  of the corner posts with which the brackets  50  are engaged are selected such that each of the front and rear transverse members  26  and  28  is held substantially horizontally while the rear transverse member  28  is supported at the position higher than the front transverse member  26 . This arrangement permits the tracks  24  and  25  to be inclined downwardly toward their respective front ends. 
     The angle of inclination of the tracks from the horizontal may be about 1 to 20 degrees, preferably about 2 to 18 degrees and most preferably about 8 to 10 degrees. The angle of inclination can be changed easily due to the arrangement wherein the rear transverse member  28  is slidable along the slots  44 . More specifically, such an arrangement enables change of the vertical position of either one of the members  26  and  28  without changing the distance between the front and rear corner posts. However, a preferred front and rear post distance is generally equal to the distance between the aperture  40  and the front end of the associated slot  44 . 
     The arrangement with the slidable rear member  28  also facilitates the mounting of each dispenser unit onto the rack. More specifically, it enables the transverse members  26  and  28  to be mounted on the corner posts one by one rather than forcing them to be mounted at the same time. 
     The merchandising device thus assembled can be either front-loaded or back-loaded. When loaded through the rear end of the track  24 , bottles slide down on the track  24  toward the front end. The leading bottle in the track  24  first reaches the front end of the track  24 , is captured by the stopper means  54  and pushes the forward end  70  of the arm  68  up so that the arm  68  takes the activated position as shown in FIG.  4 . As in the activated position, the arm  68  by its backward end  72  blocks the pathway at behind the leading bottle B 1 . This causes the second leading bottle B 2  to be captured by the arm  68  as shown in FIG. 4, which in turn separates the leading bottle Bi apart from all the following bottles such as B 2  and B 3 . As a result, the leading bottle B 1  is kept free of pressure of the bottles behind it and thus is disposed substantially vertical. 
     FIG. 5 shows the process in which the next leading bottle B 2  replaces the leading bottle B 1 . When the bottle B 1  is removed from the front end of the track  24 , the forward end  70  of the arm  68  is allowed to pivot down to the deactivated position as shown in FIG.  5 . This releases the next leading bottle B 2  from the backward end  72  and allows it to slide down, as indicated by the arrow, to the front end of the track. At the front end, the bottle B 2  pushes the arm  64  back to the activated position so that forward movement of the third leading bottle B 3  is blocked. 
     Bottles may be loaded into the track through the front end according to the device of the invention. Such a front-loading can be enabled by the aforementioned arrangement wherein the pivot  66  is slidable along the slot  64 . When new bottles are front loaded, the pivot  66  is moved up along the slot  64  to bring the seesaw arm  68  to an inoperable position as shown in FIG.  6 . Such movement is caused due to the condition such as shown in FIG. 4 wherein pivotal movement of the arm  68  is restricted by the old bottles B 1  and B 2 . More particularly, pushing the bottle B 1  backward from the position as shown in FIG. 4 results in upward sliding movement of the arm  68  rather than its pivotal movement. This in turn defines a space under the arm  68  as shown in FIG. 6 large enough to allow the bottle B 1  to move backward along the track  24  so that the new bottles such as at BO can subsequently be front loaded successively. 
     FIGS. 7-9 illustrates a modified form of the merchandising device according to the invention wherein a different gate mechanism is used. Such a gate mechanism is best shown in FIG.  7  and it comprises a pair of apertures  82  (only one shown in FIG.  7 ), a pivot  92 , and a seesaw arm  94 . The apertures  82  are formed respectively in the side walls  84  and  86  of each track such as at  88  and  90 . The pivot  92  extends transversely across each track and is received rotatably at the opposite ends thereof in the apertures  82 . The seesaw arm  94  is disposed within and generally along each track. Because the tracks  88  and  90  are of virtually the same structure, only the track  88  will hereinafter be described. 
     The arm  94  includes a front lever  96  secured at an intermediate position thereof to the pivot  92  and a rear latch  98  pivotally connected to the rear end of the lever  96  by an auxiliary pivot  100 . The arm  94  is pivotable about the pivot  92  between the activated position as shown by the solid line in FIG.  8  and the deactivated positions as shown by the phantom line in FIG.  8 . The latch  98  is connected to the lever  96  such that it is locked against its forward pivotal movement beyond the position shown in FIG. 8 while permitting its backward pivotal movement to and even beyond the position shown in FIG.  9 . The position of the latch  98  as in FIG. 8 will hereinafter be referred to as “operable position” whereas the position of the latch as in FIG. 9 will hereinafter be referred to as “inoperable position”. The arm  94  is urged by a suitable means such as a spring  95  (shown in FIG. 9) to the deactivated position whereas the latch  98  is normally retained in the operable position due to the gravity. It should however be readily understood that the arm  96  may be urged to the deactivated position by the gravity. 
     The lever  96  and the latch  98  are formed preferably of metal. As best shown in FIG. 9, the lever  96  has the shape of a slightly downwardly curved or bent bar rather than a straight bar, which includes a bifurcated rear end in which the latch  98  is pivotally received. The latch  98  has a rounded front surface  102  for permitting its pivotal movement relative to the lever  96  and a flat lower front surface  104  for abutting the rear end face of the lever  96 . The flat surface  104  restrict forward pivotal movement of the latch  98  beyond the position as shown in FIG.  8 . The lower surface of the latch  98  is also rounded to minimize the contact between the latch  98  and a bottle which moves immediately under the latch  98 . 
     Each track of this modified form of the invention also employs a stopper means different from the stopper  54  in the preceding form of the invention. Such stopper means is designated at  106  and it comprises a length of the track  88  adjacent to the front end. Such a length is upturned relative to the immediately preceding length of the track  88  to provide forwardly upwardly sloping portions  108  and  110  of the rails  112  and  114 . When the leading bottles in the track  88  travel along the sloping portions, they are braked to a stop and presented for removal from the track  88 . 
     At the forward ends of the sloping portions  108  and  110 , there are provided thickened portions  116  and  118 , respectively. These thickened portions  116  and  118  have a greater thickness than the remainder of the rails  112  and  114  and prevent the rails  112  and  114  from being mistakenly received between the cap and the flange of a bottle during the bottle loading process. To achieve such an objective, it is preferred that the thickened portions  116  and  118  have a thickness greater than the gap between the cap and the flange of each bottle to be displayed on the device. The thickened portions  116  and  118  also provide the opposite ends of a C-shaped reinforcing flange  120  which is designed to increase the rigidity of the front end of the track  88 . Such an reinforcing flange  120  can also be used to provide a billboard surface. The upturned length of the track  88  may be formed integrally with the track  88  or it may be provided as a separate replaceable portion. 
     Reference numeral  122  designates a ceiling member which is struck from the top wall  124  of the track  88  and folded ninety degrees down into the track  88 . The ceiling member  122  provides a guide for bottles and functions particularly to prevent the second leading bottles from being tilted excessively. The function of the ceiling member  122  will be described in more details later. The ceiling member  122  is provided with an aperture  126  for receiving the transverse member  26  and a guide surface  127  sloping forwardly and downwardly. Reference numeral  128  is a channel member mounted on the track  88  to reinforce the area of the track  88  where the latch  98  is located. The remainder of the merchandising device is virtually identical to the device of the first form of the invention and thus those portions of the device identical to the device in FIG. 1 are identified by the same reference numerals. 
     When bottles are loaded through the rear end of the track  88 , the leading bottle in the track  88  is first captured by the stopper means  106  and pushes the arm  94  up to pivot it to the activated position as depicted by the solid line in FIG.  8 . The arm  94  in the activated position causes the second leading bottle B 2  to be captured by the latch  98 . The captured bottle B 2  bears pressure of other bottles therebehind and thereby the leading bottle B 1  is left alone at the front end of the track  88  to be displayed in a substantially vertical condition. 
     The second leading bottle B 2  tends to be disposed at the position shown in FIG. 8 in a forwardly tilted condition as it bears pressure of other bottles. The cap of such a tilted bottle B 2  abuts the ceiling member  122  and thereby the bottle B 2  is restrained from excessive forward tilting. Excessive tilting would increase the chance that the bottles are jammed under the latch  98 . 
     The second leading bottle B 2 , when tilted, tends to be wedged into the space between the latch  98  and the rails  112  and  114 , which causes the side walls  84  and  86  to be forced outwardly. Such wedging force could increase the distance between the rails  112  and  114  and thereby subjects the bottles to the risk of accidental falling off of the tracks  88 . The channel piece  128 , however, rigidifies the portion of the track  88  that is subject to such force and prevents the track  88  from being wedged open. 
     When the bottle B 1  is removed from the track  88 , the arm  94  is brought to the deactivated position. This releases the next leading bottle B 2  so that it slides down along the track  88  toward the front end thereof as illustrated by the phantom line in FIG.  8 . At the front end, the bottle B 2  pushes the arm  94  back to the activated position so that the third leading bottle B 3  is captured by the latch  98 . 
     This device can also be front-loaded owing to the latch  98 . When new bottles are front loaded, the latch  98  is pivoted to the inoperable position as shown in FIG.  9 . More particularly, pushing the bottle B 1  backward against the latch  98  while the arm  94  is in the activated position causes backward pivotal movement of the latch  98 . This in turn defines a space under the latch  98  as shown in FIG. 9 large enough to allow the bottles B 1  and B 0  to move backward therethrough. 
     It will be recognized that many variations may be made to the foregoing within the scope of the present invention. For example, notches or recesses  130  as shown in FIG. 10 may be formed in the upper surfaces of the transverse members  26  and  28  instead of using the sleeves  52 . Such notches  130  receives the perimeters of the apertures  40  and  42  and lock the tracks such as at  24  and  25  in position. 
     It should be also recognized that rail-thickening means such as the portion  116  and  118  may be provided at the rear end of each track. The thickening means may be a separate rail piece formed of metal or plastic rather than a portion integrally formed with the respective track. Such a separate piece or pieces may be secured to either the upper or lower surface of each rail by suitable means such as welding, gluing, ultrasonic welding and the like. A typical example of such separate thickening means is shown in FIGS. 3 and 11 at  132  and  134  wherein the total thickness “T” of the thickening means  132  or  134  and the associated rail  36  or  38  is greater than the size “G” of the gap between the cap “C” and the flange “F” of any one of the bottles “B” that are displayed on the device. 
     It should be further recognized that the track rails may be coated or covered with low friction material entirely along the length thereof in order to minimize friction between the rails and each bottle supported thereon. Examples of such a low friction material include polystyrene having silicone or some other suitable lubricant agent dispersed therein, polytetrafluoroethylene, and the like. The rail cover formed of such material may be of a C-shaped cross section to receive therein the associated track rail. Otherwise, such a cover may be a lubrous tape. 
     It should be further recognized that the ceiling member  122  may be replaced with a separate guide piece secured to the inside surface of the track  88 . Such a separate ceiling member is preferably formed of low friction material and more preferably of plastic having a lubricant agent dispersed therein. Although in FIG. 8, the front end of the ceiling member  122  is longitudinally spaced from the latch  98 , the ceiling member  122  may be extended forward such that it overlaps the latch  98 . 
     It should be further recognized that the slots  64  may be replaced with arcuate slots each disposed obliquely along the respective side wall and curved to have a downwardly convex configuration. 
     It should be further recognized that each track may be provided with an extension connected to the rear end thereof. An example of such an extension is illustrated in FIGS. 12-14 wherein reference numerals  136  and  138  respectively denote a channel-shaped extension and a channel-shaped connector secured to the extension  136 . 
     The extension  136  may be dimensioned such that the distance between its side walls  140  and  142  is equal to the distance between the track side walls such as at  30  and  32  and that the distance between the extension top wall  144  and the extension rail  146  is equal to the distance between the track top wall such as at  34  and a rear end thickening means  148 . The means  148  is a rail piece secured to the upper surface of the track rail such as at  38 . The connector  138  may be dimensioned such that it can telescopingly receive the rear end of the track such as at  24 . The distance between the side walls  150  and  152  of the connector  138  may be slightly greater than the distance between the track side walls  30  and  32 , and the distance between the connector top wall  154  and the connector bottom  156  is slightly greater than the distance between the track top wall  34  and the track rail  38 . 
     The connector top wall  154  and the side walls  150  and  152  may be secured to the extension  136  such that the connector bottom  156  is disposed at a space “S” (shown in FIG. 13) from the extension rail  146 . The inside surfaces of the connector side walls  150  and  152  may be provided with bumps  154  and  156  for releasable engagement with apertures  158  and  160  in the track side walls  30  and  32 . Such bumps  154  and  156  may be formed by denting the outside surfaces of the track side walls  30  and  32 .