Patent Publication Number: US-6340091-B1

Title: Product display and dispensing rack

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a product display. In particular, the present invention relates to a display and dispensing rack for stacked products incorporating side-mounted accessory display apparatus. 
     The sale of consumable hardware products to consumers often requires a large number of the products to be available on the shelf at one time for purchase. This allows the consumer to readily obtain the products without having to wait for the retailer to re-stock the shelves with the products as they are sold. By keeping the shelf products available, the consumer may be adequately reminded to purchase the product with minimum overhead cost to the retailer. 
     Often, point-of-purchase displays are used to display products in retail areas having limited shelf space. For example, such displays may be used to dispense and display magazines, candies or pegboard items to consumers adjacent limited-space cash register lines. Because retail space in these areas is at a premium, the ability to keep these areas stacked with products in an efficient fashion is important for the sales success of the product. 
     The organization and efficient display of consumer products are greatly affected by the shape of the product container. For example, products such as caulk, sealant or powdered marking chalk often come in many varieties and colors. These products are typically sold in elongated cylindrically shaped containers. However, the product containers are not often displayed on a shelf in the horizontal position because the product will easily roll off the shelf. In the vertical position, the containers are highly unstable, and the labels on the containers are not easily visible. 
     Specialized display crates or boxes are sometimes used to hold these items, but it may be difficult to display necessary accessory items sufficiently close to the product display. For example, caulking tools and caulking guns may not be able to be displayed sufficiently close to the caulk containers so that a consumer may not be reminded to purchase these associated accessories along with the product. Similarly, various chalk marking tools and reels might not be displayed sufficiently close to the chalk container or vice versa, in order to encourage the consumer to purchase both items. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to alleviate the above shortcomings and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an improved product display and dispensing rack is provided which allows for the merchandising of a plurality of products and accessories to these products. In particular, a rack is provided that includes an elongated body having a top end and a bottom end. The body defines at least one vertically oriented interior chute that is adapted to hold a plurality of vertically stacked products. A generally flat signage panel is mounted on at least one outside portion of the body, and an accessory display support means is also attached to the body to support an elongated accessory product display along an outside of the body. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, a merchandise rack for displaying and dispensing a plurality of products is provided, which includes an elongated body defining at least one vertically oriented interior chute. The chute includes a top end and a bottom end and is adapted to hold a plurality of vertically stacked products. A retrieval tray is mounted adjacent the bottom end of the chute for receiving the stacked products for simplified removal from the display by the purchaser. In order to display accessory products to the stacked products, at least one elongated accessory product display strip extends vertically along an outside of the chute. 
     The accessory product display strip may include a plurality of hooks to display various packaged or unpackaged products. The strip is removable from the rack and may be pivotable relative thereto. 
     In yet another aspect of the present invention, a merchandise display rack for displaying and dispensing a plurality of cylindrically shaped first products and a plurality of packaged second products is provided. The rack includes an elongated body having a generally rectangular shape and a top end and a bottom end. The body defines a first vertically oriented interior chute and a second vertically oriented interior chute generally parallel to the first chute. The chutes each have a top end and a bottom end and are configured to hold the plurality of the first products. The first products may be arranged in a first stack within the first chute and a second stack within the second chute. A first retrieval tray is mounted adjacent a bottom end of the body to receive the first products emptying from the first chute and to guide the products forward of the first chute to facilitate removal from the display. The products are urged toward a front of the tray by the weight of the first stack of products in the chute. A similar tray structure is mounted below the bottom end of the body and generally parallel to the first retrieval tray for receiving and urging products from the second chute. At least a first eyelet is mounted near the top end of the body and a second eyelet is mounted near the bottom end of the body. A strip including a plurality of the second products is mounted to through the eyelets and is pivotable along an axis extending through the eyelets. 
     It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
     The invention, together with further objects and attendant advantages, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing of one preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective drawing of the embodiment of FIG. 1, including a plurality of mounted accessory display strips in accordance with the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a side view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and 
     FIG. 4 is a top view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Turning now to FIG. 1, a display and dispensing rack  10  is provided as shown in the perspective drawing of the Figure. The rack  10  is preferably constructed of 8-gauge coated steel wire welded at points of contact throughout the structure. Other suitable materials include plastic rods, panels, or other materials to provide sufficiently equivalent construction. The rack  10  includes a top end  12  and a bottom end  14 . Side walls  16 , front wall  18  and rear wall  20  are defined between the top end  12  and the bottom end  14  of the rack  10 , defining an elongated, vertical tubular shape having a roughly rectangular cross-section. 
     A dividing wall  22  extends generally parallel to the rear wall  20  to divide the interior of the rack body  11  into a first chute  24  and a second chute  26  running the length of body  11 . The chutes are preferably open at the top end  12  of the body  11 , forming loading portions  22   a  and  22   b  on the chutes. 
     Affixed to the body  11  and extending generally transversely to the first chute  24  is a retrieval tray  30  having a retaining lip  32 . The retrieval tray  30  receives items from the chute  24  and advances them forward toward the lip  32 . To facilitate this, the tray  30  extends slightly downwardly toward the lip  32 . Preferably, a second retrieval tray  34  extends parallel to the first tray  30  and is open to the second chute  26 . A lip  36  is formed in the end of the tray  34  to retain products received from the chute  26 . 
     Preferably, the structure of rack  10  and the receiving trays  30  and  34  are sized and shaped to receive elongated cylindrical containers  40  as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. The containers  40  may be stacked within the chutes  24  and  26  via the loading area  22   a  and  22   b  in the top end  12  of the rack  10 . The weight of the containers  40  within the chutes  24  and  26  pushes the stack of containers  40  onto the transversely extending first and second trays  30  and  34 . The products  40  are further urged by gravity and by the weight of the stack within the chutes toward the front of the trays and lips  32  and  36 . The upstanding lips  32  and  36  prevent the containers  40  from falling out of the tray. When one of the cylindrical containers  40  is removed from one of the trays  30  or  34 , a succeeding product container  40  is advanced against the lip  32  or  36  of the tray  30  or  34  to allow the consumer access to a successive container  40 . 
     Preferably, the front of the display includes a flat signage panel  50  for advertising or labeling the contents of the display. The signage panel  50  is located on the front wall  18  of the rack body  11 . 
     As further shown in FIG. 3, the top portion of the rear wall  20  of the rack  10  includes a plurality of mounting means for attaching the rack onto various supporting structures. Preferably, a pair of downwardly directed hooks  60  is welded to the rack  10  to allow the display to be hooked over a support means, display panel or divider rack. In the alternative, pegboard mounting fingers  62  may also be provided for insertion into keyboard holes (not shown) to support the rack  10  securely on a pegboard panel. Either one or both of hooks  60  and pegboard mounting means  62  may be present. 
     In accordance with the present invention, a plurality of flanges or eyelets has been provided on the rack  10  to facilitate the display of accessory items to the cylindrical products  40 . Preferably, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, flat flanges or eyelets  70   a-d  extend outwardly from the top end  12  of the rack body  11 . Each of the flanges  70   a-d  defines a hole through the flange. Similarly, flanges or eyelets  72   a-d  also extend from the bottom end  14  of the rack  10 , or more particularly from one of the trays  30  or  34  as shown. Preferably, the flanges or eyelets define holes, which are slightly offset vertically with the holes in flanges  70   a-d,  respectively. 
     As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of accessory display strips  80   a-d  may be mounted to these flanges or eyelets  70   a-d  and  72   a-d.  Each of the display strips  80   a-d  includes a plurality of accessory mounting means  82  extending along an elongated wire  84 . Means  82  may comprise spring-loaded clips, hooks, tags, or other structures suitable for holding various packages for accessory items. Each strip  80   a-d  preferably includes a top end defining a hook-shaped portion  86 , as shown in conjunction with strip  80   a  in FIG.  2 . Also, each strip preferably includes a labeling plate  88  for displaying inventory information for the accessory products displayed on the strip  80 . The opposing ends  90  on the strip  80   a-d  are preferably straight. To mount one of the strips  80   a-d  to the rack  10 , the hook end of the strip  86  is inserted into one of the flanges or eyelets  70   a-d,  and the opposing end  90  of one of the strips is inserted through a corresponding eyelet or flange  72   a-d.    
     When mounted in this fashion, one or more of the strips  80   a-d  may pivot slightly within the flanges  70   a-d  and  72   a-d.  The strips may be purchased from the manufacturer already loaded with accessory products. Replacing the strips  80  on the display is simplified by simply lifting the empty strips from the eyelets or flanges  70   a-d  and  72   a-d  and inserting a new strip in its place. 
     This improved display rack allows the retailer to sell bulk container merchandise such as containers  40  stored in the interior of the rack body  11 . Conveniently, other associated accessory products may be displayed and sold on one or more of the strips  80   a-d  adjacent the body  11 . This type of display may allow more of an association between the two products to facilitate sales of both to consumers. 
     Of course, it should be understood that a wide range of changes and modifications can be made to the embodiments described above. For example, any or all portions of the preferred embodiment may be implemented in software as well as with hardware. It is therefore intended that the foregoing detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than limiting and that it be understood that it is the following claims, including all equivalents, which are intended to define the scope of this invention.