Patent Publication Number: US-6655536-B2

Title: Merchandise display device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to store merchandise shelves and more particularly to a system for displaying merchandise in rows on store shelves having a pusher for moving the remaining articles forward as each article is removed. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In displaying merchandise on a store shelf, there generally are a relatively large number of articles for each item being displayed. With the articles arranged in a row, as each article is withdrawn from the shelf, the remaining articles appear further back on the shelf, lessening the effectiveness of the display and making it more difficult for the customer to find the desired article. 
     To remedy this situation pusher devices have been devised in the prior art to automatically push the row of articles forward so that when the front article is removed, the next article in line will be pushed forward to occupy the front position. Devices of this type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,093 issued May 13, 1986 to Field and U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,564 issued Jun. 3, 1997 to Spamer, et al. Both of these devices employ spring mechanisms to urge the row of articles towards the front of the shelf. A drawback of these prior art devices is that the spring mechanisms are exposed making them vulnerable to damage. Further, exposed spring mechanisms that have become damaged or dislodged as the result of excessive use or misuse are liable to interfere with the actions of the personnel loading the shelves and customers. In addition, such damaged spring mechanisms could have sharp edges which could cause injury to persons using the device. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The device of the present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by covering the spring mechanism used to drive the pusher with side runners. The device of the invention employs a coiled spring for driving the pusher, the spring being mounted on one end of a side runner which covers it, with the remote end of the spring being connected to the pusher plate. The spring extends longitudinally from its coiled portion to drive the pusher plate. Articles to be dispensed are mounted in rows along a base support with the rear most article being positioned against a stop plate. Such articles are driven towards the front of the shelf on which the base support is mounted by the pusher plate. The longitudinally extending portion of the spring is mounted within the hollow center of a side rail which acts as a shield for the spring. The spring is thus protected against damage and shielded against contact with operating personnel. 
     It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved merchandise display device; 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide a merchandise display device in which the spring assembly is less prone to damage than prior such devices. 
     It is still a further object of this invention to provide a merchandise display device in which the spring assembly is shielded so as to avoid damage to such assembly or injury to operating personnel. 
    
    
     Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the preferred embodiment showing the pusher plate in its fully extracted position; 
     FIG. 3 is a top perspective view of the preferred embodiment showing the pusher plate in its contracted position directly opposite the stop plate; 
     FIG. 4 is a top perspective view illustrating a plurality of the devices of the preferred embodiment of the invention arranged in adjoining rows with articles contained therein; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the plane indicated by  5 — 5  in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective exploded view of the preferred embodiment; and 
     FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the front stopper plate and the pusher plate of the preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the Figures, pusher plate  11  is slidably supported on base rail  12  and abuts against the rear most of articles  13  being displayed which are supported on the base rail. Stop plate  14  stops the forward motion of the articles. Side rail  15  has a hollow center in which rear and forward attachment members  17  and  18  are removably mounted. Rear attachment member  17  can be longitudinally adjusted, as shown in FIG. 2 to accommodate for the positioning of shelf supports which are supported on a shelf (not shown). Attachment members have attachment hooks on their ends which snap onto the rounded ends of supports  22  and  23  which are a attached to the shelf. 
     As shown in FIG. 6, the base support  11   a  of pusher plate  11  has a coil spring  20  mounted in a recess  11   b  formed in support  11 . The end of he spring has an aperture  20   a  formed therein which is fitted onto pin  14   a  extending from the base portion of stop plate  14 . In the alternative, the aperture at the end of the spring can be fitted into a slot. The top portion of the longitudinally extending portion of spring  20  rides in the bottom portion of the hollow center of side rail  15  which acts as a protective shield for the spring. A second spring  21  (see FIG. 6) may also be used in parallel with spring  20  to provide reinforcement and fail-safe operation. The spring (or springs) thus urge pusher plate  11  towards stop plate  14  retaining the articles  13  position and in abutment against each other with the forward article against the stop plate. The stop plate, in the alternative, can be in the form of a single plate which extends across the entire assembly. When the forward most article is removed, the next article in line is urged to a position against the stop plate. 
     Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the use of the device of the invention with different width articles and with a plurality of rows of articles is illustrated. As can be seen, the width of the rows can be varied as may be desired to accommodate articles of various widths by varying the spacing between adjacent rows. Further, as many rows as may be required can be set up and readily changed should the situation so demand. 
     While the device has been described and illustrated in detail, this is intended by way of illustration and example only and not by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of the invention being limited only by the terms of the following claims.