Patent Publication Number: US-7708154-B2

Title: Dispensing system

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates generally to systems for dispensing systems that push the product forward and that also incorporate theft deterrent features. 
     2. General Background 
     When items are displayed at retail, as product is removed from the front of the display rack or box for purchase, the remaining product remains at the back. This can make it difficult for a customer to see that there is still product remaining to be purchased if the rack or box is above eye-level (e.g., if a box is placed high on a shelf and the consumer cannot see to the back of the display box). It can also make it difficult for the consumer to reach into the back of the box to remove the remaining product. This can results in lower sales numbers than would otherwise be achieved. 
     In some instances, manufacturers or retailers will include fillers at the back of product boxes to help the boxes appear full or to help the product stand upright rather than falling back into the box. These temporary solutions are not optimal, in part because fillers take time and cost to manufacture and load. 
     There are some automatic dispensing systems on the market that feature intricate levers and electronic systems. These systems, however, are expensive to manufacture and can be time consuming to stock. They may also be more prone to malfunction than a simple dispensing system. It is thus necessary to provide a dispensing system that pushes product forward for purchase, but that is also simple and economical to manufacture and stock. 
     Moreover, theft of small items in retail stores is an all too common problem. Items that are in high demand by thieves include over-the-counter (OTC) products such as analgesics and cough and cold medications, razor blades, camera film, batteries, videos, DVDs, smoking cessation products, and infant formula. Shelf sweeping is a particular problem for small items. It occurs when someone removes all the shelf stock (and in some instances, removes the hook on which the merchandise is hanging), and exits the store, similar to a “smash and grab” shoplifting technique. Shelf sweeping relies on excessive quantities of product being available on the shelf. However, retailers need to keep substantial inventory on shelf or incur the cost of constantly restocking. 
     Retailers are constantly challenged to balance the needs of legitimate consumers&#39; access to high theft items with measures to minimize the incidence of theft. It has long been known to place items such as cigarettes, sodas, and newspapers in vending machines. Such machines require complete self-service by the customer. The customer places money into the vending machine and the machine dispenses the desired item. However, vending machines may be inconsistent with the way that people currently purchase items; many people prefer to use credit or debit cards instead of cash. People may also wish to simply put products into a cart and pay all at once, rather than interface with multiple vending machines for various purchase. Vending machines may also be inconvenient and occupy a great deal of space, particularly if a separate vending machine is needed for various types of products or for each manufacturer that sells product in a particular location. 
     Because theft has become so rampant in certain product categories, such as razors, infant formula, and cold medicine, many retail stores are taking the products off the shelves and placing them behind the counter or under lock-and-key. Customers must request the products in order to make a purchase. This requires additional labor costs to provide individual service to customers who would normally not require it. It also makes it difficult for customers to compare products. Furthermore, it may be impossible where the space behind the counter is limited and is needed for prescription medications. In some cases, some products are simply unavailable due to high pilferage rates. 
     Therefore, a device or dispensing apparatus that minimizes the incidence of product theft, particularly sweeping, is needed. The device or dispensing apparatus should also be able to fit within common grocery, drug store or other retail environment shelves. It is also desirable that the device or dispensing apparatus effectively display and push product forward so that consumers can easily identify the products. It is also preferable that the dispensing apparatus be easy to use. 
     Thus, there is a need to provide systems that discourage or prevent theft of product, as well as systems that display product in a way that makes an item easy to retrieve from the shelf, without the consumer having to reach back into a tray to retrieve items from the back if all items from the front have been removed. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present invention provide a dispensing system (for dispensing a product) that helps prevent theft, while also providing a simple, easy to manufacture advancing system that advances product forward. In certain embodiments, the system comprises a base having a back portion, a platform having a track, a flexible plastic pushing device with a connecting end and a pushing end, wherein the connecting end is attached to the back portion of the base and wherein the pushing end slides along the platform track to advance product to be dispensed forward, and a hood that covers the base. These elements may be formed as separate pieces and attached to one another during assembly (e.g., by tabs and slots or by adhesive) or they may be formed integrally as a one-piece unit. Other features may be provided as described in more detail below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  show front perspective views of a partially assembled dispensing system according to certain embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a side perspective view of the system of  FIG. 1  with a platform being inserted. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  show a side perspective view of the system of  FIG. 2  with a pushing device being advanced. 
         FIG. 4  shows a front perspective view of the partially assembled system of  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  shows a hood being placed on the system of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  shows a side perspective view of one embodiment of an assembled dispensing system 
         FIGS. 7 and 8  show side perspective views of an alternate embodiment of a partially assembled dispensing system according to certain embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  shows a side perspective view of the system of  FIGS. 7 and 8  in an assembled configuration. 
         FIG. 10  shows the dispensing system of  FIG. 9  loaded with product. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Embodiments of the present invention provide dispensing systems that push product forward as one is removed, are easily refilled for reuse, and that also prevent sweeping the product off the shelf. As shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , one embodiment of dispensing system  10  has a base  12  and a flexible plastic pushing device  40 . Base  12  may be manufactured of corrugated material, paperboards, plastic, or any other appropriate material. (For example, if the dispensing system is to be used to hold and dispense products that are heavier than razor blades, etc., then a heavier type of material may be appropriate.) Pushing device  40  may be manufactured of  30  ml PVC flat die-cut material. This material is particularly preferred because it is flexible but provides a stable “pushing back” action for advancing product when appropriate. It should be understood, however, that other types of plastics or other materials may be used. For example, pushing device may be rubber, polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, polyethylene, combinations thereof, or any other appropriate material that has sufficient strength to accomplish the pushing function, but sufficient flexibility to curve as shown and described below. The advantage of using plastic over metal is that plastic is less expensive and easier to use, although of course, it should be understood that various types of materials may be used in connection with the embodiments described herein. 
     Base  12  has a front display area  22 , a back portion  14  with a slot  16 , and sides  18  with a downward slope  20  at the upper portion  24  and slots  26  at the lower portion  28 . The flexible plastic pushing device  40  has a pushing end  42  with a foot  44  that is formed at fold  46 . It also has a connecting end  48  with a forked portion  50 . Fork  50  of connecting end  48  is intended to cooperate with slot  16  of base  12 . For example, as shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , forked portion  50  slides through slit  16  so that the flaps  54  at the ends of fork  50  can pass through slit  16 , but then be bent back to form a stop that will abut the back of back portion  14  of base  12 . This prevents pushing device  40  from being easily pulled out of place. 
       FIG. 2  shows a platform  30  for use with base  12 . Although shown as two separate pieces, it should be understood that platform  30  and base  12  may be formed as a one-piece unit. Platform  30  has a track  32  that accommodates pushing device  40 . Track  32  may be the entire length of platform  30 , although it need not necessarily be so. Platform  30  also has a forward portion  34 , a rearward portion  36 , and sides  38 . In one embodiment, forward portion  34 , rearward portion  36 , and sides  38  are all folded down to create a square platform that can be more sturdy than simply a flat platform.  FIG. 2  shows pushing device  40  in its highly tensioned state  56  (e.g., if the system  10  is full of product to be dispended), and  FIG. 3A  shows pushing device  50  in one of its advancing positions  58  (e.g., as product is removed from system  10 ). 
     The length of the pushing device should be at least partially greater than the length of the base so that appropriate tension can be achieved. It may be useful to think of the motion of pushing device  40  as that of a tsunami wave, and the length should be sufficient to allow the tensioned state and advancing position to be achieved. 
       FIG. 3B  is a close-up of the notched tab  60  of pushing device  40 . Notched tab  60  is an area having slight extension portions  62  that cooperate with track  32 . The notched tab extension portions  62  sit under the track  32  to hold the pushing device  40  in place in the back of the dispensing system  10 . This helps to maintain the pushing device  40  in spring tension at all times. 
       FIG. 4  shows the base  12  with platform  30  (which may be referred to as a base/platform assembly  80 ) assembled together (or, as previously mentioned, the base  12  and platform  30  may be formed as a one-piece unit) and pushing device  40  in place. This configuration can be referred to as a base/platform assembly  80 . 
     Once assembly  80  is configured, a hood  70  is placed over assembly (as shown in  FIG. 5 ) in order to prevent sweeping of the product off of shelves. Hood  70  is preferably configured such that only one or two products may be removed at a time, preventing a potential thief from grabbing handfuls or armfuls of product at once. Hood  70  has a display opening  72 , a top  74 , and sides  76 . It is possible for hood  70  to have a back, but in the embodiment shown, back portion  14  of base  12  is high enough to form the back of system  10 . Hood also has tabs  78  at the ends of sides  76  in order to secure hood in place with respect to assembly  80 . For example, the slots  26  at the lower portion of base  12  may cooperate with tabs  78  of hood  70 . Although not shown, it should be understood that base may have tabs and hood may have slots, as long as there is a connecting mechanism to engage assembly  80  and hood  70 . An example of a completed system  10  (without product loaded in place yet) is shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     An alternate embodiment is shown in  FIG. 7 . This embodiment shows one example of how base  12  and hood can be formed as a one-piece assembly. In this instance, base  12  has back portion  14  and sides  18 , as well as a flap  90  that serves as hood  70 . This embodiment also features a guard  92 , which can help further the anti-sweeping function of the dispensing system  10 . Guard  92  has a face portion  94 , side portions  96 , and feet portions  98  that secure into place with either an adhesive, by being pressed down by the insertion of platform  30 , or by any other appropriate securing technique. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the pushing device  40  is inserted through slot  16  of base  12 , and once forked portion  52  is separated from flaps  54 , device  40  is pulled down to lock it into place. 
     Then, as shown in  FIG. 8 , the platform  30  (if provided as a separate piece) can be secured into place and the pushing end  42  of device  40  is secured into place in the track  32 . Flap  90  is then tucked or otherwise secured into place so that system  10  is assembled as shown in  FIG. 9 , and ready to be loaded with product, as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     In order to load product, the stocking person may insert product in front of pushing device  40 , which will push device  40  back, create tension in the device  40 , and allow product to be loaded. When one product is removed, the next product will be pushed forward to the front position. Another advantage is that rather than being a display box only (e.g., a box that is thrown away once all product has been removed or purchased), embodiments of the present invention may be used more than once and restocked easily and conveniently. The hood  70  and/or guard  92  may also prevent a potential thief from sweeping large amounts of product off the shelf. 
     Changes and modifications, additions and deletions may be made to the structures and methods recited above and shown in the drawings without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention and the following claims.