The invention described herein relates to an assembly for storing and displaying goods. In particular, the invention is directed to an anti-theft storage and display assembly.
In many retail stores, goods are arranged on shelves and are readily accessible by customers. Certain goods, such as pharmaceutical goods, cosmetics, and other high value retail goods are often prone to theft. Typically, shoplifters will target retail stores that make these goods readily available on conventional shelves. For example, high value goods on a shelf may be swept into a large bag by a shoplifter in a single motion. Such unlawful acts cause retail stores to suffer great losses on a weekly basis.
Some existing anti-theft retail display systems include mechanisms which secure each product item to the display via a cord. Such mechanism are commonly used for high value low volume items such as mobile phones, cameras and other electronic devices. However, such mechanisms are too costly and non-practical for high volume goods such as hand tools, pet care, stationary, cosmetics, dental goods, drugs, and vitamins.
Other storage and display systems, in particular for cosmetics, include a partly enclosed assembly in which the goods are stacked in a column and can be accessed one at a time from a front end of the assembly. Once the forward-most item is removed, a spring pushing against the column of goods pushes the remaining goods forward so that the next item can be accessed. Whilst such a mechanism restricts the number of goods a shoplifter can access at any single time, it can often be difficult for costumers to push against the action of the spring to return an item into the display assembly. In addition, springs are prone to breakage and entanglement with the goods, undesirable causing the assembly to malfunction.
In many stores, high value and/or restricted goods are stored in a lockable unit near the point of sale. During purchase, a personnel needs to manually unlock and retrieve the goods to be sold. The installation of such lockable units can be costly and labour intensive. It can also be inconvenient and time consuming to carry out each transaction by manually unlocking and locking the unit before and after retrieving the goods.
It is an aim of the invention to provide an anti-theft storage and display assembly which overcomes or ameliorates one or more of the disadvantages or problems described above, or which at least provides the consumer with a useful choice.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an assembly for storing and displaying goods, the assembly including a carrier for carrying a plurality of goods, a cover for covering a portion of the carrier, and one or more weighted units, the carrier and cover defining an opening for permitting access to the goods. The carrier has an angled base so as to facilitate sliding of the goods towards the opening. The one or more weighted units facilitate the movement of the goods towards the opening along the angled base.
Advantageously, the cover ensures that a large proportion of the goods are covered and therefore protected from being swept off a shelf of a retail store in a single motion by a shoplifter. In other words, access to the number of goods at any single time is restricted to those exposed by the opening. The angled base and the weighted units allow the goods to automatically slide towards the opening under gravity. This simplifies the assembly by eliminating the need for spring loaded mechanisms, which can be expensive and prone to breakage and malfunction.
The base can be any suitable shape and size. Preferably, the carrier has a generally rectangular base having a front side, a rear side, and two lateral sides extending between the front and rear sides. The rear side may be elevated relative to the front side to create an angled upper surface for the base. The elevation of the rear side with respect to the front side may vary to thereby vary the degree of inclination of the angled upper surface.
Each lateral side of the base may include connecting mechanisms to allow connection with other like base units to form a larger base. Any suitable connecting mechanisms may be used. For example, lateral sides may include protrusions and recesses to allow adjacent base units to engage with one another. Advantageously, the size of the base can be easily changed and adapted to fit with existing shelfing systems of any dimension by connecting any suitable number of base units together. For example, each base may have a length of about 300 mm. Combining two or more similar units may therefore provide larger bases having an overall length of 600 mm, 900 mm, 1200 mm, 2400 mm and so forth. The base may therefore be modular so that an assembly of any size to suit the size of the goods to be carried and the size of the display shelf, for example in a supermarket.
The base may be configured to receive one or more dividers for dividing the base into two or more columns. The base may be configured to receive the dividers at any interval along a lengthwise direction of the base. The base may include one or more recesses for receiving the one or more dividers. An upper surface of the base may define a plurality of slots immediately adjacent one another for receiving the one or more dividers at any position along the base. In addition, the upper surface of the base may define a pair of openings disposed adjacent opposite ends of each slot for receiving corresponding protrusions of each divider. Advantageously, the width of each column may be adjusted according to the size of the goods to be carried. The width of each column may be adjusted such that the goods can be stacked in a single file in each column from the front side to the rear side of the base. In this manner, access to only a small number of goods adjacent the front side of the base is permitted at any one time via the opening. Moreover, the angled base allows goods stacked behind to slide forward once the forward most goods adjacent the front side of the base are removed via the opening.
The carrier may further include a pair of side panels for mounting to the base. The panels may be mounted to the lateral sides of the base.
The carrier may further include a front panel for mounting to the front side of the base. The front panel may be transparent to allow visual inspection of the good through the front panel.
The cover may cover a rear portion of the carrier. The cover may have a generally L-shaped profile for covering a rear side of the carrier and a portion of an upper side of the carrier. The cover may have a front side proximate the front side of the base. The opening may be located between the front side of the cover and a front side of the carrier. More particularly, the opening may be located between the front side of the cover and the front panel of the carrier.
The various components of the assembly, including the one or more base units, side panels, front panel and cover may be fastened together using any suitable means. For example, the components may be press fitted together, clipped together, slide fitted together, fastened together using clips, pins, nuts and bolts and the like, or any combination thereof.
Each weighted unit may include one or more wheels to facilitate ease of movement. The weighted device may further include a weighted block, such as a lead weight, and a housing for housing the weighted block. The weighted device may be positioned behind the last goods item in each column such that when a goods item is removed from the front of the column via the opening, the weight of the remaining goods on the angled base and that of the weighted device act together to move the remaining goods towards the opening. In this manner, the next goods item may be accessed via the opening.
Each weighted unit may include a plurality of weight blocks. The number of weight blocks may be varied to vary the total weight of the weight unit. Advantageously, this allows each weight unit to be easily adapted to suit the size and weight of the particular goods to be stored. For example, a larger weight unit including more weight blocks may be used for an assembly for storing light weight goods which may require more assistance in sliding towards the opening under action of gravity. Heavier weight blocks may also be used for bulky goods so as to prevent any goods from being stuck in the assembly and failing to reach the opening during use. Conversely, lighter weighted units may be used for heavier or other suitably sized and weighted goods to ensure that all goods travel to the opening in an effective manner when the front-most positioned goods item(s) is/are retrieved from the assembly.
In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practice, one or more preferred embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Reference throughout this specification to ‘one embodiment’ or ‘an embodiment’ means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases ‘in one embodiment’ or ‘in an embodiment’ in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristic described herein may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more combinations.
One embodiment of the anti-theft storage and display assembly 100 is shown in
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An exploded view of the carrier 102 is illustrated in
The base units 126 can be interlocked together via any suitable means. As shown in
Each base unit 126 is generally rectangular when viewed from an elevated position. Each base unit 126 has two lateral sides 132, 134 for connection with adjacent base units 126, a front side 136 and a rear side 138. (The front 136 and rear 138 sides are defined relative to the placement of the assembly 100 on a shelf 120. The front side 136 faces the customer accessing the goods 104 whilst the rear side 138 faces away from the customer.) The rear side 138 is elevated relative to the front side 136 so as to create an angled upper surface 124. The amount by which the rear side 138 is elevated relative to the front side 136 can vary to create vary the degree of inclination of the angled upper surface 124. In one embodiment, the degree of inclination is roughly 12°.
The angled surface 124 advantageously allows the goods 104 to automatically slide towards the front side 136 of the base 122 and thus the opening 108 under action of gravity. The angled surface 124 thereby avoids use of various costly spring loaded devices which actively push the goods towards an opening, which can be prone to breakage and malfunction.
The carrier 102 further includes side panels 140, 142 for mounting to lateral sides 145, 146 of the base 122. Any suitable fastening means can be used to attach the side panels 140, 142 to the base 122. For example, each panel 140, 142 is attached to a respective lateral side 145, 146 using nuts and bolts, or like fasteners.
The carrier 102 further includes a front panel 150 mounted adjacent the front side 136 of the base 122. In particular, the front panel 150 is inserted into a slot 152 which runs parallel with the front side 136 of the base 122. The front panel 150 is transparent to allow visual inspection of the goods 104 in the carrier 102 therethrough.
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During use, goods 104 are stacked in single file columns 146 as shown in
The assembly 100 therefore restricts the number of goods 104 which could be access by a customer at any one time, and thereby effectively prevents shoplifters from stealing a large number of goods displayed on a shelf by sweeping those goods into a bag. Moreover, the assembly 100 is configured to be modular and adjustable to fit different sized shelves 120 and goods 104. In addition, the angled surface 124 and the weighted unit 200 ensures that goods in the carrier 102 are always easily accessible by ensuring that the goods automatically slide towards the front panel 150 and opening 108. Furthermore, goods 104 which would otherwise be placed towards the back of a shelf 120 and difficult to access by a customer, especially if the shelf is quite high, would be easily accessible by adopting the assembly 100.
The foregoing embodiments are illustrative only of the principles of the invention, and various modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways and in other embodiments. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
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The term “comprise” and variants of that term such as “comprises” or “comprising” are used herein to denote the inclusion of a stated integer or integers but not to exclude any other integer or any other integers, unless in the context or usage an exclusive interpretation of the term is required.
Reference to prior art disclosures in this specification is not an admission that the disclosures constitute common general knowledge.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2015902747 | Jul 2015 | AU | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/AU2016/050605 | 7/12/2016 | WO | 00 |