Patent Publication Number: US-7913860-B2

Title: Gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to storage and dispensing units. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various assemblies have been created to store and dispense products, particularly in a retail sales environment. Gravity-fed dispensers are one type of dispensing assembly commonly used in retail outlets such as grocery stores, convenience marts and department stores. Gravity-fed dispensers work by loading products, such as canned products, on their sides at the top of a path having a declining slope and storing the cans along the path. The bottommost portion of the path has a dispensing region, usually forward facing, where a product is easily accessible to the customers. When the customer removes the product from the dispensing region, gravity forces the adjacent product farther down the path and into the dispensing region. Gravity-fed dispensers allow products to be stored and dispensed in a convenient and efficient manner. 
     One example of a gravity-fed dispenser is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,991,116 to Johnson. The Johnson device features a set of panels having curvilinear rails which define a plurality of downward-sloping paths oriented vertically to each other. A product travels down a path and is dispensed in a dispensing region on a forward facing portion of the unit. 
     In the Johnson device, the rails are configured so that the paths are separated from the other paths throughout the dispenser. Therefore, a product placed on one path remains on the path from the topmost loading portion of the path to the bottommost dispensing portion of the path. 
     A disadvantage of the prior art devices is that products that are positioned on different paths within the dispensing unit never get mixed. While prior art devices may be adapted to provide several products in the dispensing region, customers normally favor taking the product from one path. For instance, frequently the most forward facing product or the product on the bottom path are preferred to other accessible products. Accordingly, a disproportionate number of products are taken from one path. This prevents uniform distribution of the product inventory; the products on the other path tend to remain, while the products on the bottom path are restocked and thus are fresher. Due to the uneven distribution of product by such a dispensing unit, a store owner may have to dispose of older product and incur the costs associated therewith. Additionally, such dispensing units have to be checked and refilled frequently because one track is often emptied before all the products in the dispensing unit have been removed. 
     Gravity-fed dispensers known in the art generally have sidewalls displaced apart from each other at a fixed length. Therefore, the width of the paths defined by ledges on the sidewalls are fixed and can only accommodate products with a corresponding width. Therefore, with traditional gravity-fed dispensers, a store owner must purchase numerous units to accommodate products with different sizes and certain dispensers may become obsolete when a manufacturer changes the dimensions of a product packaging. Accordingly, it is desirable for the distance between sidewalls to be adjustable. 
     Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit that provides multiple product dispensing paths and mixes products from each path together. 
     Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit that distributes products uniformly. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit having the aforesaid characteristics that is adjustable with respect to the distance between the sidewalls and the width of the paths for the product. 
     Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit that can be assembled to add a plurality of additional gravity-fed storage and dispensing units in an adjacent relationship to each other. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide a gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit that is efficient and cost effective to manufacture. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The foregoing objects are met by the present invention directed to an improved gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit. The storage and dispensing unit features first and second sidewalls having ledges which define a plurality of separated rearwardly-directed paths, a receiving bin area, and a forwardly-directed path from the receiving bin area for products to be stored and dispensed. The rearwardly-directed paths have a downward slope oriented from the front to the rear of the dispensing unit. The forwardly-directed path has a downward slope extending from the back to the front of the dispensing unit. 
     Products, such as cylindrical cans, are loaded on a forward portion of the rearwardly-directed paths. The forwardly-directed path is positioned underneath the rearwardly-directed paths. The rearward portion of the forwardly-directed path forms the product receiving bin area, which is located beneath the terminal portions of the rearwardly-directed paths. The products from the plurality of separated rearwardly-directing paths are advanced towards the rear of the dispensing unit and fall off the terminal portions of the ledges into the receiving bin. The products from different rearwardly-directed paths are interspersed with each other as they fall from the ledges into the product receiving bin area. The dispensing unit then moves the combined products along the forwardly-directed path. 
     The dispenser is adapted so that the mixed products fall into two interleaved staggered rows along the forwardly-directed path with products in the upper row resting in spaces between two adjacent products in the lower row. A stop located at the most forward portion of the forwardly-directed path prevents further movement of the products. In the area surrounding the stop, the dispenser is free of obstructions which provides a dispensing region where consumers can easily access the products. 
     When the dispenser is loaded, the most forward products on the upper and lower rows are in the dispensing region. The dispenser is adapted to position the most forward product in the upper row more rearward than the most forward product in the lower row. When both the upper and lower rows have products in the dispensing region, the forward-most product in the upper row partially overlies the most forward product on the lower row; thus only the product in the upper row is directly accessible to the consumer. When the product in the upper row is taken by the consumer, the other products on the upper and lower rows remain stationary. At that juncture, only the most forward product on the lower row is in the dispensing region and accessible to the user. Once the user takes the most forward product from the lower row, both the lower and upper rows advance so that new products are advanced into the dispensing region. 
     Accordingly, the products accessible at the dispensing region alternate between those of the upper and lower row. The alternating distribution of products from the forwardly-directed path causes the products from each separated rearwardly-directed path to be dispersed in a uniform manner. 
     The front lower edge of the dispenser can be extended so that there is adequate room between the most forward product on the upper row and the front edge to accommodate an additional product positioned forwardly of the most forward product on the upper row and supported upon the most forward product on the lower row and against the extended front lower edge. This allows a consumer to place a product back into the dispensing region after it has been dispensed even if there are products on both the upper and lower rows in the dispensing region. The product placed back will be in the most forward position in the dispensing region, making it the most accessible product and helping insure that it is again first removed from the dispenser. 
     The front facing portion of the front lower edge of the dispenser may have a surface to receive a price tag or other informational materials and retaining means to retain the price tag to the front lower edge so that the price tag may be easily viewed by a consumer. 
     The sidewalls of the dispensing unit have bosses which receive divider rods which secure the sidewalls to each other. The bosses are adapted to receive divider rods of a variety of lengths. Accordingly, the width of the paths can be adjusted so that the path is the approximate width (typically can height) of the product. Multiple dispensing units may be assembled adjacent each other by attaching ledges on both sides of the sidewalls and attaching them to additional sidewalls by connecting divider rods into the bosses. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred but, nonetheless, illustrative embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  provides a perspective view of the gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit; 
         FIG. 2  provides a side view of a sidewall of the gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit with a cover on the top front end of the dispenser; 
         FIG. 3  provides a top plan view of a plurality of gravity-fed storage and dispensing units adjacent to each other; 
         FIG. 4  provides a partially sectional top plan view of a portion of an assembly having an array of dispensing units, which is illustrative of a series of bosses and divider rods which attach the units to each other; 
         FIG. 5  provides an exploded view of a cover for the top front end of the dispensing unit; and 
         FIG. 6  is a magnified perspective view of the front lower edge of the dispenser being adapted to display informational material. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With particular reference to the drawings, the present invention is directed to an improved gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit.  FIG. 1  illustrates a gravity-fed storage and dispensing unit  2  having products  4  stored therein and a dispensing region  6  where products are accessible to the consumer. 
     The dispensing unit  2  comprises first  8  and second  10  spaced sidewalls. The sidewalls  8 ,  10  have a plurality of bosses  12  to receive divider rods  14  which secure the sidewalls to each other. It is preferred that the bosses  12  are adapted to receive interchangeable divider rods  14  of varying lengths. Therefore, the space between the dispensing unit  2  can be adjusted to accommodate products of a variety of sizes. A ledge forming a backwall  16  is located at the rear edge of each of the sidewalls  8 ,  10 . A ledge forming a topwall  17  is located on the top edge of each of the sidewalls  8 ,  10 . 
     The sidewalls  8 ,  10  may have opposing ledges  18  on each side. For instance, in  FIG. 1 , the first sidewall  8  has ledges  18  on its exterior surface as well as on its inner surface. The ledges  18  typically are formed integrally with the sidewalls, although they also may be secured to the sidewalls  8 ,  10  by fastening devices well known in the art. The ledges may also be adjustably secured to the sidewalls to allow for adjustments of the positioning of the ledges. Generally, when ledges are formed on each side of a sidewall it is preferred that the ledges on each sidewall are identical to each other. In such a case the backwall ledge  16  and topwall ledge  17  extend on both sides of the sidewall. While the compact nature of ledges is preferred, it is also contemplated that shelves may be used on top of the ledges or in place of the ledges. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , when assembled into a dispensing unit by the divider rods  14  the sidewalls  8 ,  10  each have first and second inwardly-facing opposed ledges  20 ,  22  which define an upper and lower rearwardly-directed path  24 ,  26 . The lower rearwardly-directed path  26  is defined by the first opposed ledges  20  which the products rests upon and the lower surfaces of the second opposed ledges  22  which act as a barrier, restraining the products in the lower rearwardly-directed path from moving into the upper rearwardly-directed path. The upper rearwardly-directed path  24  is defined by the second opposed ledges  22  which the products rest upon and the topwall  17  which maintains the products within the upper rearwardly-directed path. While the ledges on the inner surface of the sidewalls  8 ,  10  are not visible in  FIG. 1 , for illustrative purposes, the ledges  18  on the exterior surface of the first sidewall  8  are shown as being identical to those on the inner face of the sidewalls which are holding the products  4 . 
     The first and second opposed ledges  20 ,  22  extend on a decline from the front to the back of the dispensing unit which gives the paths downward slopes. The downward slopes enable products loaded onto the rearwardly-directed paths  24 ,  26  to be directed by gravity from the front end to the back end of the paths. While the embodiment shown has two rearwardly-directed paths, additional ledges  18  may be provided to define a plurality of additional rearwardly-directed paths. 
     Products are loaded onto the rearwardly-directed paths at the front portion of the rearwardly-directed paths. In the embodiment shown, the loading area  28  comprises an opening on the upper portion of the front of the dispensing unit. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a cover may be provided, mountable in slots or otherwise, to close the top front end of the dispenser and shield the products on the ledges  20 ,  22  from view. The cover can be removed or pivoted to offer access to the ledges  20 ,  22  for product restocking. 
     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 , the cover  44  comprises a rectangular member that has hinges  45  on the lower portion of its back side for attaching to the top front end of the dispenser  2 . The upper portion of the back side of the cover  44  has flexible tabs  46  for removably securing the top portion of the cover to the front end of the dispenser so that the cover may be easily opened or closed. The middle portion of the cover  44  has a rectangular aperture  47 . A transparent protecting member  49  is attached to the cover  44  and extends over the entire front side of the cover. The transparent protecting member  49  is adapted to leave a small slot  51  between the transparent protecting member  49  and the cover  44 . An insert  53  comprising promotional or informational material concerning the product may be placed within the slot  51  and is easily viewed by customers through the transparent protecting member. The top rear edge of the transparent protecting member has a flange  43  to retain the insert  53  within the slot  51  when the cover  44  is opened. The aperture  47  in the cover allows the user to contact the back side of the insert  53  when the cover  44  is opened and slide the insert out of the slot  51 . This cover  44  allows for an improved presentation of the products  2  within the dispenser  4 . 
     The first opposed ledge  20  has an upturned forward lip  30  at its forward end  38  to help direct the loaded products onto the lower rearwardly-directed path and to prevent products from inadvertently falling out of the dispensing unit  2 . The first opposed ledge  20  extends substantially straight on a decline. 
     Returning to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , second opposed ledge  22  is positioned above the first opposed ledge  20 . The second opposed ledge  22  is L-shaped, with the top surface of the long arm  32  of the second opposed ledge providing the resting surface for products on the upper rearwardly-directed path  24  and a barrier restraining products  4  on the upper rearwardly-directed path  24  and lower rearwardly-directed path  26  from mixing with each other. The first and second opposed ledges  20 ,  22  are substantially parallel to each other and are in an offset relationship: the forward end  36  of the second opposed ledge  22  is positioned rearwardly from the forward end  38  of the first opposed ledge  20  to facilitate loading of the lower path; the rear end of the second ledge  40  is positioned more rearwardly than the rear end of the first opposed ledge  42 . The offset relationship between the rear of first and second opposed ledges  20 ,  22  causes the termination of the upper rearwardly-directed path  24  to be more rearward than the termination of the lower rearwardly-directed path  26 . While it is generally desired that first and second opposed ledges  20 ,  22  are parallel to each other, there are certain instances where it may be desirable for one of the ledges to be positioned at a greater or lesser decline than the other opposed ledge. 
     Each of the sidewalls  8 ,  10  also carries a third opposed ledge  48  below the first and second opposed ledges  20 ,  22  which defines a forwardly-directed product path  50 . As shown in  FIGS. 1-2 , the third opposed ledge  48  may be integral with the backwall  16  and topwall  17 . The rear portion of the third opposed ledge  52  lies below and behind the terminal portions of the rear end of the first and second opposed ledges and forms a receiving bin area  54 . Products  4  from the upper and lower rearwardly-directed paths fall into the receiving bin area  54  in a generally interdigitated manner and collect along the forwardly-directed path  50 . In order to help move products from the lower rearwardly-directed path  26  to the product receiving bin area  54 , the short arm  34  of the L-shaped second opposed ledge may have a downward, forward sloping lower edge  56 . To help move products from the upper rearwardly-directed path  24  to the product receiving bin area  54 , a forwardly-directed exterior surface contoured to provide a rounded decline  58  may be formed in the upper region of the back wall  16  and rear side of the topwall  17  in an area on the top portion of the upper rearwardly-directed path  24 . The products from the separated upper and lower rearwardly-directed paths  24 ,  26  become interspersed with each other as they are simultaneously sent into the receiving bin area  54  and placed onto the forwardly-directed path  50 . 
     The third opposed ledge  48  is oriented on a decline from the back to the front of the dispensing unit  2  which gives the forwardly-directed path  50  a downward slope. The downward slopes enable products  4  loaded onto the forwardly-directed path  50  to be led by gravity from the rear end to the front end of the path. The third opposed ledge  48  has a sharp decline  60  at its rear end to facilitate the advancement of products  4  from the upper rearwardly-directed path  24 , and to a lesser extent the lower rearwardly-directed path  26 , along the forwardly-directed path  50 . 
     As the products fall from the rear of the two rearwardly-directed paths into the receiving bin area  54 , they intersperse with each other and can form a two row alternating stack of products, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     The ledges  18  of the dispenser unit  2  position the products  4  along the forwardly-directed path  50  in an interdigitated upper  62  and lower  64  row. Products in the upper row  62  rest in the spaces between adjacent products in the lower row  64 . The forward end  66  of the forwardly-directed path has a sharply upwardly inclined slope portion  68  formed in the ledges  48  which forms a stop  70 . The stop  70  prevents further forward travel of the products in the lower row  64  and thus also controls the forward motion of the products in the interdigitated upper row  62 , preventing all products from falling out of the dispensing unit  2 . The forward end  66  of the forwardly directed path helps form a dispensing region  6 . The dispensing region  6  has an open area  72  above it so that consumers can easily access the products therein. 
     When the dispensing unit  2  is loaded, the most forward products on the upper  62  and lower  64  rows are positioned in the dispensing region  6 . The most forward product in the upper row  62  is positioned more rearward than the most forward product in the lower row  64 , as shown in  FIG. 1 . When both the upper and lower rows  62 ,  64  have a product in the dispensing region  6 , the forward end  66  of the forwardly-directed path and the product on the upper row surrounds and obstruct free access to the most forward product on the lower row; only the product in the upper row within the dispensing region  6  is easily accessible to the consumer. When the product in the upper row  62  in the dispensing region  6  is taken by the consumer, the other products  4  remain stationary. At that juncture, only the most forward product on the lower row  64  is in the dispensing region  6  and only that product is accessible to the consumer. Once the consumer takes the most forward product from the lower row  64 , both the upper and lower rows  62 ,  64  advance forwardly so that new products in the upper and lower rows move into the dispensing region  6 . 
     Accordingly, the products  4  accessible at the dispensing region alternate between those of the upper  62  and lower  64  rows. The alternating distribution of products from the forwardly-directed path  50  causes the products from each separated rearwardly-directed path  24 ,  26  to be dispersed in a uniform manner. 
     The inclined front edge portion of the forward directed path  68  can be extended above stop  70  at  100  so that there is additional room between the most forward product on the upper row  62  and the extended stop  70  to hold an additional product. This allows a consumer to place a product  4  back into the dispensing region  6  after it has been dispensed, even if there are products on both the upper and lower rows  62 ,  64  in the dispensing region. The additional product in the dispensing region  6  will be in the most forward position in the dispensing region and will be the most accessible product, allowing it to be re-distributed first. 
     The front facing portion  90  of the front lower edge of the dispenser  2  may have a surface to receive a price tag or other informational materials and retaining means  92  to retain the price tag to the front lower edge so that a consumer may easily view the price tag. In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 6 , the front facing portion comprises two laterally spaced members  94 ,  96  that are curved inwardly and have an aperture between them. The laterally spaced members  94 ,  96  each have retaining means comprising upper and lower grooves  98  for receiving an edge of the price tag.