Patent Publication Number: US-6216944-B1

Title: Collapsible gravity feed display

Description:
This application claim the benefit of prior provisional application Serial No. 60/154,710 filed Sep. 18, 1999. 
    
    
     This invention relates to dislays for displaying articles and more particularly, to paperboard gravity feed displays for displaying articles at point of sale locations. 
     Gravity feed paperboard displays are known. Such displays comp paperboard sheets formed into elongated channels for feeding square or rectangular products such as film packs and disposable cameras for example. The product is placed into the channel from the top of the tube. At the base is an opening and a shelf on which the product rests due to gravity force on the product in the channel, which is vertical. The product is removed manually from the opening, one at a time. Such feed tubes are relatively simple and comprise one piece construction in which a flap along the tube length is folded over and glued to a mating wall of the tube. 
     A need is seen for an improved feed tube construction wherein the glue is not essential and no additional components are required, to thereby reduce cost of the display. 
     A one piece paperboard display for feeding articles to be dispensed by gravity according to the present invention comprises a paperboard tube having a rectangular chamber for storing and feeding articles. The tube has an elongated front wall, first and second opposing side walls, the first side wall being hinged to the front wall at a first foldline and the second side wall being hinged to the front wall at a second foldline distal the first foldline, and a rear wall formed by a first panel hinged to the first side wall and a second panel hinged to the second side wall, the first and second panels being juxtaposed with the first panel being exterior and second panel being interior. A shelf is secured to one of the wall adjacent to the bottom end of the walls and form a bottom wall of the chamber for supporting articles in the chamber when vertical. Locking tab means are coupled to the first and second panels to releasably secure the juxtaposed panels together to form a collapsible tube. Thus no glue or other parts are necessary to secure the walls and panels together forming a simple collapsible feed tube. 
     In one aspect the locking tab means comprises a tab on the inner panel and a tab locking opening in the outer panel for receiving and releasably securing the tab to the outer panel. 
     According to the length of the tube, a plurality of the tabs and locking openings may be included. 
    
    
     IN THE DRAWING 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a gravity feed display according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the display of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2 a  is a side elevation view of the display of FIG. 2 shown not to scale; 
     FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view of the display of FIG. 2 taken along lines  3 — 3  of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a rear elevation view of the display of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 a  is a plan view of a representative interlocking tab for locking the display panels together forming the display of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation view of the rear wall taken along lines  5 — 5  of FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a fragmented side elevation sectional view of the upper portion of the rear. wall of the display of FIG. 2 taken along lies  6 — 6 ; 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of the top portion of a blank used to make the display of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 8 is a sectional side e on view of the display of FIG. 1 taken along lines  8 — 8 ; and 
     FIG. 9 is a plan view of the bottom portion of a blank used to make the display of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     In FIGS. 1-4, feed tube display  2  comprises an elongate tube fabricated of one piece compressed paperboard sheet with a rectangular in section interior chapel  4 . In the alternative, the sheet material may be corrugated or any other sheet material. The display  2  is normally used with the channel  4  vertical. The display can be hung from a peg display via peg opening  5  in the rear wall  8 . The display has a front wall  6 , a rear wall  8  and two opposing side walls  10 ,  12 . Side wall  2 , FIG. 3, comprises an inner flap  14  and an outer panel  16 . Rear wall  8  comprises an inner panel  18  and an outer panel  20 , FIG.  3 . The inner and outer panels  18  and  20  are folded over each other, FIG. 6, at the top portion  29  of the display. Opening  5  is in this top portion  29 . The channel  4  is open at the top and terminates at its bottom at shelf  22 . In the figures, the drawing is exaggerated for purposes of illustration and is not to scale. 
     Front wall  6  and side wall  12  have a product display and removal opening  24 . Opening  24  has a triangular portion  26 , (FIG. 2 a ), in the side wall  12  which extends upwardly from the front rectangular opening  24  portion  28 . The product  30 , shown in phantom in FIG. 2 a , may be conventional disposable rectangular in section camera boxes with a rear upward extending card  30 ′, for example. The triangular opening portion  26  provides access to remove the rear display card portion  30 ′ of the product  30 . 
     In FIG. 7, the blank  32  top portion of the display  2  comprises flap  14  attached to rear inner panel  18  by foldline  34 . Foldlines in this figure are shown by dashed lines and through cuts are shown by solid lines. A flap  18 ′ is attached by a foldline  19  to panel  18  to form an inner wall member of the top portion  29 , FIG.  1 . Side wall  12  is attached to rear panel  18  by foldline  36 . A tab  38  folds at foldline  40  and attaches to slot  42  at foldline  36 . 
     Front wall  6  is attached to wall  12  at foldline  44  and to side wall  10  by foldline  46 . A tab  48 , which is a iron image of tab  38  attaches to slot  50  at foldline  52 . These tabs, which are imprinted with a desired finish as is the exterior of all of the walls and flaps, provide a finished look to the interior of side walls at the top portion  29  of the channel  4 . Wall  10  is attached to wall panel  20  at foldline  52 . Flap  20 ′ folds over and overlies wall  20  and flap  18 ′ folds over and overlies wall  18  at the top of the display to form a finished interior to the channel  4  at the top portion  29  with the tabs  38  and  48 . Opening  5  is formed by overlying openings  5 ′ in the flaps  18 ′ and  20 ′ and in the top of the panels  18  and  20 . A flap  54  folds at foldline  56  into the interior channel  4  over the front wall  6  at the top of the channel as do the flaps  18 ′ and  20 ′. 
     A linear series of four generally equally spaced rectangular openings  58 , FIGS. 4 and 7, are in the panel  20  along the panel length dimension. An arcuate finger access opening  60  is at each of the openings  58 . A series of rectangular tabs  62  are formed in the inner panel  18 , FIG.  7  and respectively correspond to the openings  58 . The tabs  62  have body portions that are longer than the corresponding openings  58  in the length direction of the panels, FIG.  4 . The tabs  62  are passed through the openings  58  to lock the outer panel  20  to the inner panel  18 . The tabs  62  are attached to the inner panel  18  by a fold line  63 . The fold line  63  has a length smaller than the length of the openings  58  and body portion of the tabs  62 . 
     The tabs  62  have adjacent finger access openings  64  aligned with openings  60  so that a person&#39;s finger may be inserted into the openings  60 ,  64  and grasp the tab  62 , pulling the tab  62  through the opening  58  in the outer panel  20 . This is shown in FIG.  5 . The tabs  62  and openings  58  and openings  60 ,  64  thus respectively align when the panels  18  and  20  are juxtaposed, FIG.  4 . Each of the tabs  62  is pulled through its corresponding aligned opening  58  in the outer panel  20  locking the inner panel  18  to the outer panel  20  and thus the tube display  2  in its assembled operative condition, FIG.  1 . The tabs  62  have wing portions  62 ′, FIG. 5, at each end Rich extend beyond the opening  58  to abut the underlying wall panel  20  releasably locking the inner panel to the outer panel. 
     In FIG. 9, the bottom of the display  2  at the discharge opening  24  includes a trapezoidal section  66  forming the outer portion of opening  26 , FIG. 2 a . Shelf  22  panel  73  is hinged to panel  6  at foldline  68  and to flap  70  at foldline  72 . A flap  74  is hinged at foldline  76  to side wall  10 . The flap  74  lies beneath the shelf panel  73  to form the shelf  22 , FIGS. 1 and 8. A bottom wall  78 , FIGS. 8 and 9, is at the bottom end of the display spaced beneath the shelf  22 . Bottom wall  78  is attached to wall  6  panel section  96  by foldline  79  and to flap  80  by foldline  82 . 
     Panel  84 , FIGS. 8 and 9, folds at foldline  86  (exaggerated in FIG. 8) juxtaposed with wall panels  18  and  20  and flap  70 . In practice, the panels are much thinner relative to each other than that shown in FIG.  8 . Flap  70  is sandwiched between panel  84  and panel  18 . Panel  88  folds at foldline  90  (FIG. 9) beneath the panel  73  to form shelf  22 . Flap  74  is hinged at hinge  76  to wall  10  and is sandwiched between panels  73  and  88 . Panel  88  is hinged to flap  94  at foldline  92 . Flap  94  lies interior to and overlies wall  6  interior portion  96 . Flap  14  overlies and is interior to wall  12  forming a double wall thickness (not shown in FIG.  8 ). Panels  84  and  88  and flap  94  form a U-shape structure, FIG.  8 . 
     Shelf  22  thus comprises overlying panels  73 ,  74  and  88 . Flaps  98 ,  100 , and  102  (FIG. 9) fold over at their respective foldlines. Flaps  98  and  100  overlie bottom wall  78 . Flaps  102 ,  102 ′ are hinged to panel  88  and depend downwardly overlying respective walls  10  and  12  (as shown in FIG. 8 for flap  102 ). Flap  74 , when folded over at hinge foldline  76 , and trapezoidal opening  104  in wall  12  form opening  26 , FIG. 2 a . Tab  106  mates in slot  108  at hinge  82  in bottom wall  78  and in flap  80  to lock the bottom elements of FIG. 9 together in the tube configuration. These overlying members also reinforce the bottom region of the tube structure as shown in FIG.  8 . 
     The panels are imprinted with display indicia for a given product. The product is automatically displayed at the bottom opening at the shelf  22  and is easily removed from the channel  4  at this bottom opening. The interior of the channel at the top of the channel is finished with the overlying interior flaps which also have a finished appearence in common with the exterior surfaces of the tube. 
     It will occur to one of ordinary skill that various modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments which are given by way of illistration and not limitation. The scope of the invention is as defined in the appended claims.