Abstract:
A combined transporting and merchandising display system includes a stacked array of packaging crates. Each crate has one or more openings in the front wall and/or rear wall for access to and removal of product from the crate. Inter-engaging flutes and recesses on respective upper and lower crates secure the crates together in a nested relationship. A series of fine ribs is arranged on the top surface of the base of each crate to reduce friction between the product and the base so as to allow for gravity feeding of the product to the front of the crate is tilted forwards. The bottom crate is engageable with a tiltable top surface on a trolley (not shown) such that the stacked array of crates can be wheeled about. The product is preferably bottles or cartons of milk.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to the logistics of packing, distribution and merchandising of products, and refers particularly, though not exclusively, to a crate system to transport and merchandise products in retail stores. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Typically products are transported to retail stores in crates, trays or cardboard boxes. They provide an effective means by which to transport large quantities of product and also protect the product while in transit. At the store the contents are removed from the container, placed on a trolley, pushed to the point of sale and placed one at a time on the shelf. The packaging is usually destroyed or recycled. As product is sold the older stock is pulled forward and new stock placed behind the older product. 
         [0003]    Maintaining fill and faced up shelves requires considerable time and is very labour intensive. More recently shelves have been fitted with dividers and or a slip surface so shelves can be angled to gravity feed. This reduces the time taken to manage product as stock does not need to be pulled forward as it is sold and can be rotated when new product is loaded at the rear. This reduced the time taken to merchandise products in the store but has the following disadvantages. In particular, the removal of product one by one from the packaging, placement on a trolley for transport to the shelf and subsequent loading onto the shelf remains a labour intensive task. It would be more desirable if the process of transport, unpacking, shelf filling and shelf maintenance could be streamlined and made less labour intensive. It would be desirable if the logistics involved a packaging and transport system in which product was delivered in a transportable manner that eliminated all the labour required to make the product ready for sale. A system in which the product would be pushed direct to the point of sale, shelf ready for sale and able to gravity feed to avoid constant facing up. 
         [0004]    By way of example, though not exclusively, milk is brought to stores in crates. They provide an effective means by which to transport high volumes of milk and also protect the product while in transit. Large numbers of crates can be stacked on pallets for efficient handling by forklifts and pallet jacks. On arrival at the store the milk cartons or bottles are taken one at a time out of the crates and placed on dairy case shelves. Empty crates are stacked on top of each other but do not nest so they consume valuable space in the retail store. Later they are collected by the supplier and cleaned on return to the factory. 
         [0005]    As milk is sold new stock is loaded onto the shelf. The older dated stock is pulled forward so milk does not become outdated. Handling milk in this manner is labour intensive and costly. It is also difficult to keep the shelves clean. It would be desirable if the logistics involved a transport and merchandising system which transported the milk to the store in shelf ready packaging that could be placed straight on the shelf ready to be gravity feed to the front of the shelf as forward product is purchased. 
         [0006]    One improvement was to place the loaded milk crates on a mobile platform or dolly in front of cool room doors. Customers lifted the milk directly out of the crates. However, this system poorly presented the milk. It was difficult to remove the larger bottles of milk from the crates and stock rotation was a problem 
         [0007]    More recently some retailers have replaced crates on dollies with milk rear loaded into gravity feed shelves in milk racks or gravity feed shelves in mobile trolleys. The shelves having dividers with slip surfaces to separate and gravity feed the milk. This system has superior milk presentation, better customer identification and selection and improved stock rotation of the milk. However, this system requires each milk pack to be lifted by hand out of the crate and individually loaded into the back of the shelf, which is also labour intensive. As well, dividers become soiled and are difficult to clean. 
         [0008]    Accordingly, it is an object of this invention in a first aspect to address these and other problems associated with the prior art. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    A first inventive concept resides in a recognition that handling costs and retail merchandising are advantageously improved by adding a slip surface of fine ribs and/or dividers to the base of a crate, tray or cardboard carton or other similar packing device. This packaging with a high slip surface and/or dividers can be automatically filled with products and the crate, tray or carton placed on a mobile dolly for transport to the store. At the store the mobile dolly could be pushed to the point of sale and the dolly platform angled to gravity feed product to the front of the crate, tray or cardboard carton. Customers purchasing product would remove it directly through the front of the crate, tray or carton and the remaining product would gravity feed toward the front of the crate, tray or cardboard carton. Product would remain faced up at all times. This would eliminate the need for the product to be placed on the shelf and to be constantly pulled forward as stock is sold. With this system, the contents would never be touched by human hand. Ideally the crates, trays and cardboard cartons or other similar merchandising devices, as well as the dollies, would be nested for efficient storage after the product is sold and returned to the manufacturer for cleaning and re-use if this is required. 
         [0010]    Accordingly, in the first aspect, the invention provides for a crate, tray, carton or other similar merchandising device, for transporting and merchandising products. Preferably, the front and rear face or ends are open, however, it could have only one open end. The front opening is spaced apart from the rear opening and connected to the front member by a base member and two spaced apart side members. 
         [0011]    Preferably, the base member has fine nibs to reduce the co-efficient of friction and/or one or more vertical webs to divide product, which run parallel to each other from the open front face or end to the rear face or end. 
         [0012]    Preferably, the fine ribs producing the slip surface and/or dividers on the base member are an integral part of the base or could be inserts placed into slots in the base. 
         [0013]    Preferably, the front and rear opening is dissected by a horizontal member to contain product in the crate, tray or carton whilst in transit and when the product is angled to gravity feed. This horizontal member being about one third the vertical height of the spaced apart sides with the space below remaining as open in structure as possible such that:
   a) the label of the milk of other duct can be seen from outside the crate.   b) the product does not fall out when angled to gravity feed   c) the milk or similar product can be removed easily from the crate by the purchaser   
 
         [0017]    Preferably, the spaced apart sides are tapered such that the spaced apart sides are wider at the top than at the bottom. The spaced apart sides having alternative vertical tapered recesses and flutes so that the opposing flute of one above crate, tray or carton can engage the recess of a second below crate, tray or carton when in the adjacent position. However, when a second above crate, tray or carton is stepped back slightly the bottom of a flute engages the enclosed top of a below flute to stack the crate, tray or carton 
         [0018]    Preferably, the top remains open for easy filling 
         [0019]    Preferably, the crate, tray or carton is of one piece but could be of several sections. 
         [0020]    A second inventive concept resides in a recognition that handling and merchandising costs are advantageously improved if the crates, trays and cartons could be transported on a dolly that could be easily angled to gravity feed product on arrival at the store. 
         [0021]    Accordingly, in the second aspect, the invention provides for a dolly with one or more spaced apart horizontal members that are pivoted to a dolly so that stacked crates can be angled to gravity feed. 
         [0022]    Preferably, the pivot point is slightly to the rear of the centroid point of the stacked above crates, trays or cartons so that the merchandised crates, trays and cartons can be angled with minimum effort. 
         [0023]    Preferably, the dolly has a foot operated locking attachment at the front of the first spaced apart member to lock the second spaced apart member in the horizontal position when in transport and release the above spaced apart member to angle the mobile merchandiser for gravity feeding. 
         [0024]    Preferably, the first spaced apart horizontal member has two rear spaced apart vertical members to prevent the second spaced apart horizontal member or other above spaced apart members from angling the load backward. 
         [0025]    Preferably, the first spaced apart horizontal member has two fixed castors in adjacent comers at the front and two swivel castors in adjacent corners at the rear. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0026]    Preferred embodiments of a mobile display merchandiser incorporating the principal features of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which: 
           [0027]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of a crate with fine ribs according to the present invention 
           [0028]      FIG. 2  is a top, side and front plan view of a crate according to the present invention. 
           [0029]      FIG. 3  is side and front plan view of crates in the stacked position. 
           [0030]      FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of four stacked crates. 
           [0031]      FIG. 5  is a front and side plan view of four nested crates. 
           [0032]      FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of four nested crates. 
           [0033]      FIG. 7  is a front perspective view of a dolly in the horizontal position according to the present invention. 
           [0034]      FIG. 8  is a front perspective view of a dolly in the angled position. 
           [0035]      FIG. 9  is a side and front plan view of four crates stacked on a dolly in the horizontal position. 
           [0036]      FIG. 10  is a side plan view of four crates on a dolly in the angled position for gravity feeding 
           [0037]      FIG. 11  is a tray with fine ribs and a divider according to the present invention 
           [0038]      FIG. 12  is a front perspective view of a cardboard carton with fine ribs and dividers. 
           [0039]      FIG. 13  is a side view of a cardboard carton on an angled trolley according to the present invention 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0040]      FIG. 1 , illustrates a self-feeding milk crate ( 100 ) according to an embodiment of the invention. The crate has fine nibs  101  and a divider  125  on the base  102  running parallel from front face  103  to the to rear face  104 . The crate has an open front face  103  and/or rear face  104  and two spaced apart sides  105  and  106 . The width at the top of spaced apart side  105  and  106  is wider than the bottom of spaced apart sides  105  and  106 . 
         [0041]    The open front  103  and/or rear  104  is dissected by a horizontal front member  107  and horizontal rear member  108  with vertical support  109  and  110 . The open font has a top front horizontal support  111  and top rear horizontal support  112 , with spaced apart corner recesses  113 , 114 , 115 , 116  to lock an above stacked crate. The top of each corner has vertical protrusions  117 , 118 , 119  and  120  to guide the crate when placed end down on a conveyor belt. 
         [0042]    Elongated, tapered vertical flutes  121  nest into tapered vertical recesses  122  of a below adjacent crate. 
         [0043]    The flat webs  123  at the base off flutes  121  stack on horizontal supports  124  when an above crate is stacked in a stepped back position. 
         [0044]      FIG. 2 , ( 200 ) illustrates a crate with fine ribs  101  and a divider  125   
         [0045]      FIGS. 3 and 4 , shows four crates  300 A,  300 B,  300 C and  300 D stacked on top of each other it which  300 B is stepped back from  300 A,  300 C is stepped back from  300 B and  300 D is stepped back from  300 C. 
         [0046]      FIG. 5 and 6 , illustrates fur self-feeding crates in the nesting position in which  500 B nests into  500 A,  500 C nests into  500 B and  500 D into  500 C by engaging flutes  121  in recess  122   
         [0047]      FIG. 7 , is a dolly ( 700 ) with pivoting second spaced apart member  701 . The dolly has two fixed castor wheels  702  and  703  at the front and two swivel castor wheels  704  and  705  at the rear, attached to the first spaced apart horizontal member  706 . The first spaced apart member  706  has two rear vertical spaced apart supports  707  and  708  to prevent the second spaced apart member falling backward when the lock  709  is released. 
         [0048]    The dolly has two vertical spaced apart extensions  710  and  711  positioned slightly to the rear of the centroid point of above stacked crates on the first spaced apart horizontal member  506  with a pivot  712  and  713  connecting the first horizontal spaced apart member  706  to the second spaced apart horizontal member  701 . 
         [0049]    The second horizontal spaced apart member  701  has four corner recess sections  713 ,  714 ,  715  and  716  to engage the wheels  702 ,  703 ,  704  and  705  when dollies are stacked on each other and four upright protrusions  717 ,  718 ,  719  and  720  to engage the crate base  102 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 8 , illustrates the dolly in the angled position ( 800 ) when the second spaced apart horizontal member  701  is angled to gravity feed when plunger pin  801  is released from the slot  802  in the front vertical extension  803  attached to the second spaced apart horizontal member  701  when pedal extension  804  is pressed backward depressing coiled spring  901  captured in rectangular frame  902 . 
         [0051]      FIG. 9 , illustrates a dolly ( 900 ) stacked with crates ( 100 ) in the stepped back position when pin  801  is engaged in the slot  802  in the front vertical extension  803 . 
         [0052]      FIG. 10 , illustrates four crates ( 100 ) stacked in the angled gravity feed position when pin  801  is released from the slot  802  in the front vertical extension  803   
         [0053]      FIG. 11 , is a tray ( 100 ) with fine ribs  101  and a divider  125   
         [0054]      FIG. 12 , is a cardboard carton ( 1200 ) with fine ribs  101  and a dividers  125  with tear off open end  1001   
         [0055]      FIG. 13 , illustrates a carton ( 1200 ) on a roll-in dolly ( 1300 ) of the same invention with a first horizontal spaced apart member  1301  and four multiple spaced apart members  1302 ,  1303 ,  1304  and  1305  on pivot points  1313 ,  1314 ,  1315 ,  1316  to angle the above spaced apart members to the gravity feed position when pin  1306  is released from slot  1307  in side upright frame  1308 . 
         [0056]    The front of each spaced apart horizontal member is dissected by a horizontal front member  1309 ,  1310 ,  1311  and  1312 .