Patent Application
20120325839
1. Field of the Disclosure
The dispensing and display devices for use at point-of-sale (POS) locations are disclosed. The disclosure relates to a display device which includes a frame that is adapted and configured for receiving a carton or package containing a plurality of products on an upper deck of the display device and an engagement feature for facilitating the opening of the carton and the dispensing of the products sequentially from the carton into a lower display area. The disclosure also relates to a system that includes a dispensing and display device, such as the aforementioned, and a package or carton of articles which is specially adapted for use with the dispensing and display device, the package or carton including an inner product retaining insert slidably positioned within and an outer sleeve. The disclosure further relates to blanks for use in forming cartons or packages adapted for use with the aforementioned dispensing and display device.
2. Background of the Related Art
At point-of-sale (POS) or display units in retail outlets/locations, it is convenient to present articles and products in an eye-catching and easily accessible manner. These POS or display units also act as a storage area for articles and products. As such, it is desirable to maximize the amount of storage space utilized, whilst at the same time enabling a customer to easily select and take products away for purchase. To achieve this, as articles are removed, it is desirable for the shelf to forward fill to present the next stored article for easy selection by a customer. Some dispensers have sprung-biased mechanisms that push articles forward; other known display devices use gravity feed mechanisms to cause articles to flow to the forward-most sale position. One such dispensing device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,997 wherein a dispensing device has upper and lower jar guides and a plurality of glass jar containers are loaded on their sides through a container loading area. The dispenser racks successively feed one container at a time to the container dispensing area to thereby provide a self-feeding and self-facing storage, dispensing and display system.
A drawback of systems, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,997, is that loading of the dispensing device is done manually and individually. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,396,997, a rotatable door panel is provided so that loading occurs through the openable upper jar guide. As such articles are fed one at a time into the upper jar guide. Loading in this manner is slow, and therefore, time-consuming. Additionally, the products being displayed in the dispensing device are usually transported to a retail outlet in a carton or box containing a number of such articles. Therefore, if the dispensing device is not capable of holding all of the articles contained in the delivered carton or box, then any article that could not be loaded into the dispensing device need to be stored elsewhere in the retail outlet in the partially emptied carton or box, until such time as the dispensing device can accommodate those articles.
It is therefore desirable to improve the manner in which the filling of the dispensing devices takes place. It is desirable that the filling is quick, enables full cartons of delivered goods to be accommodated in the dispensing device. Additionally, it is desirable that the requirement for storing any extra article that cannot be displayed may be avoided.
Furthermore, it is desirable that such dispensing devices are made from a minimum amount of material.
It is also desirable that such dispensing devices are as eye-catching as possible to the consumers and contain branding, advertising and/or marketing material for this purpose. Since the advertising and branding materials and graphics are frequently changed and altered in line with trends and promotions, it is also desirable that the dispensing devices are adaptable to facilitate quick changeovers in the branding, advertising and marketing graphics displayed thereon.
A system for shipping, dispensing and displaying a plurality of products is disclosed that includes a package assembly, a frame, and an engagement feature extending from the framer.
The package assembly has an outer sleeve with at least one aperture formed therein and a product retaining insert slidably engaged within the outer sleeve. The outer sleeve and the product retaining insert define a shipping compartment for the plurality of products.
The frame that has longitudinally opposed front and rear end sections and includes an upper support deck extending at least partially between the front and rear end sections and below which a product display area is provided. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the upper support deck is inclined at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane. It is presently envisioned that in certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the upper support deck includes two longitudinally extending rails. The frame may also include first and second laterally opposed side walls, which in certain constructions are adapted and configured for guiding the package as it is moved longitudinally along the upper support deck.
When the package assembly is slid longitudinally onto the upper support deck of the frame towards the rear end section to a first position, the engagement feature extends through the aperture formed in the outer sleeve of the package assembly and engages with the product retaining insert. As a result, when the outer sleeve is slid longitudinally towards the front end section to a second position, the product retaining insert is restrained in the first position which enables the products to be at least partially dispensed from the package into the product display area. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the engagement feature and the frame may be a unitary structure or separate parts which are attached using a variety of known techniques.
In certain constructions, it is envisioned that the product retaining insert includes a bottom panel that has a hinged door formed therein. The hinged door is arranged and configured such that the door opens when the outer sleeve is slid longitudinally to the second position, thereby allowing the products to be at least partially dispensed from the package into the product display area. Alternatively, in certain constructions, the transverse cross-section of the product retaining insert is U-shaped.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the frame includes a lower display shelf. In certain constructions, the lower display shelf includes a lane divider to create two display channels within the product display area. Still further, the lower display shelf may include an upwardly extending rib for guiding products to the front end section of the frame.
It is also envisioned that the frame may include a rear wall which is configured to guide products to the product display area. In certain constructions, a guide ramp may be formed as part of the rear wall of the frame. In alternative constructions, the guide ramp may be formed as part of the lower display shelf.
In certain construction embodiments of the present disclosure, the engagement feature may be formed in the upper support deck. Alternatively, the engagement feature may be formed in or extend from either of both lateral side walls of the frame.
It is envisioned that in certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the frame includes a mechanism for securing the frame to a vertical wall. Moreover, the frame may include a mechanism for securing the frame to a horizontal shelf. It is also envisioned that the front end section of the frame may include structure or a mechanism for displaying product related indicia.
The present disclosure is also directed to a package assembly that includes an outer sleeve having at least one aperture formed therein, and a product retaining insert slidably engaged within the outer sleeve such that the outer sleeve and the insert are slidingly movable with respect to each other along a sleeve axis. The insert includes at least one engaging edge disposed such that the at least one engaging edge is accessible from an outside of the outer sleeve through the at least one aperture, the engaging edge extending transversely of the sleeve axis.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the aperture formed in the outer sleeve has first and second opposed end edges disposed along the sleeve axis, and the engaging edge of the insert is disposed or positioned between the first and second end edges when the insert is in a fully received position.
In certain constructions, the outer sleeve has a closed end and an opposed open end, and the first end edge of the aperture is disposed closer to the closed end than the second end edge. Moreover, the engaging edge of the insert is disposed at a distance (D1) from the second end edge, and the distance is no less than a dimension (D2) of an access opening defined in the insert.
In one construction of the present disclosure, the insert includes first and second adjacent walls, the first wall being disposed to close the open end of the outer sleeve when the insert is in the fully received position, and the access opening defined in the second wall proximate the first wall. In such a construction, it is envisioned that the engaging edge of the insert may be provided by the second wall.
These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become more readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
Detailed descriptions of several embodiments of the disclosed dispensing and display devices and packaging assemblies are discussed herein. It will be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of the way in which certain aspects of the disclosure can be implemented and they do not represent an exhaustive list of all of the ways the disclosure may be embodied. Indeed, it will be understood that the apparatus and cartons described herein may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Well-known components, materials, or methods are not necessarily described in great detail in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure. Any specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the disclosure.
Referring now to
Referring to
Outer sleeve 20 has an elongated aperture 12 formed in bottom panel 26 and a weakened or perforated arcuate-shaped section 14 has been provided in top panel 22. The aperture 12 has a front end edge 15 and an opposed rear end edge 17 disposed along the sleeve axis X-X of the outer sleeve 20. The purpose and function of aperture 12 and perforated section 14 will be discussed in detail hereinbelow.
Referring to
As shown in
Referring to
Referring now to
In
Referring now to
The frame 70 may also includes first and second laterally opposed side walls 78a-b, which are adapted and configured for guiding the package assembly 100 as it is moved longitudinally along the upper support deck 76.
The frame 70 may also include an inclined lower display shelf 82. The lower display shelf 82 slopes downward in the direction towards the front end section 72 of the frame 70. A rib 84 extends upwards from the lower display shelf 82 and is used to guide products to the front end section 72 of the frame 70. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, products may have an uneven distribution of weight, and therefore, would tend to bind up between the laterally opposed side walls 78a-b of the frame 70 or become misaligned when rolling down the lower display shelf 82. An exemplary product “P” having an uneven distribution of weight is shown in
The frame 70 may also include a rear wall 86 which is configured to guide products to the product display area. In the construction shown in
The engagement feature 90 extends upwardly from the upper support deck 76 and is positioned along the longitudinal centerline of the frame 70. As shown in
With continuing reference to
Refer now to
Next the outer sleeve 20 is slid towards the front end section 72 of the frame 70, may be moved by using a finger hole which is created by severing perforated section 14 provided in the top panel 22. When the outer sleeve 20 is withdraw sufficiently to expose the door 66 formed in the bottom panel 46 of the retaining insert 40, the door opens 46 and allows the products contained within the packaging assembly 100 to dispense through access opening 67 into the product display area and onto the lower display shelf 82.
The products “P” are successively released from the packaging assembly 100 with the assistance of gravity. The upper deck 76 is angled or inclined relative to the plane of the lower level of the frame 70 to encourage the products “P” in the carton to gently roll toward the door provided in the product retaining insert 40. The guide ramp 88 prevents the products from rolling out of the frame 70 and beneficially encourages the products, by providing a path for them to follow, to roll around and down onto the lower display shelf 82. The gravity feed mechanism causes the products “P” to be supplied automatically to the front of the lower display shelf 82. A stopping mechanism 96 is formed as an upturned or radiused portion on the front end section 72 of the frame 70 and prevents the front-most product, contained in dispensing position, from rolling completely out of the frame 70.
Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that rather than providing a door in the bottom panel of the retaining insert, an aperture may be provided which when exposed allows the products to be dispensed. It is also envisioned that the length of the elongated aperture 12 provided in the bottom panel 26 of the outer sleeve 20 may be chosen such that it may be used in conjunction with the engagement member to limit the amount that the outer sleeve may be withdrawn.
In alternative constructions, the engagement feature may be formed in or extend from either of both lateral side walls of the frame. For example,
In one embodiment, the frame used in the dispensing and display system of the present disclosure may be formed of lightweight, yet suitably strong plastics material.
In one embodiment, the frame may be formed from other material such as plastic-fiber composite material, metal, wood, ply wood, etc.
In certain constructions, the frame may not include a lower display shelf. In such constructions, once installed at a point of sale unit, the store shelf will provide the base onto which dispensed articles may be placed.
It is also envisaged that engagement feature may be formed as a pair of hooked pins, each insertable into an aperture or weakened tab formed on the product retaining insert to engage that component. The outer sleeve has a pair of apertures or slots aligned with the aperture or weakened tab of the product retaining insert to allow for easy insertion of the engagement feature into the product retaining insert. The outer sleeve may be affixed or adjoined in some manner, such as by adhesive or by a panel, that is broken by the relative movement between the product retaining insert and outer sleeve to allow the opening in the bottom of the product retaining insert to be exposed for dispensing articles.
It can be appreciated that various changes may be made within the scope of the present disclosure, for example, the size and shape of the panels and apertures may be adjusted to accommodate articles of differing size or shape. Where as many embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated using cartons containing ten articles disposed in a 2×5 array, it is envisaged that in other embodiments of the disclosure the cartons may contain a greater or lesser number of articles than ten and the articles may be arranged in any suitable configuration such as a 2×6 array. Furthermore, though the disclosure has been described in the context of a paperboard carton and plastic dispensing device, in other embodiments of the disclosure it is envisaged that other suitable foldable sheet materials may be used for forming the carton (such as cardboard, plastics material and the like) or that the carton or magazine for articles may formed as a reusable dispenser with a reusable opening mechanism. Furthermore, the dispensing device may be formed from other materials or combinations of materials for example: metal, wood, fiber glass, glass-reinforced plastic.
Though the products illustrated are bottles, the disclosure is applicable to a wide variety of products contained in various containers. In one embodiment, the containers have at least a cylindrical portion to encourage rolling of the articles from the carton through the lower level of the display device and into the dispensing position. However, the dispensing device apparatus of the present disclosure is applicable to other types and/or shapes and/or sizes of articles. However, where advantage cannot be taken of the gravity and rolling to provide the forward feed mechanism, other devices may be provided, for example: a sprung biased mechanism or other suitable means.
It is also envisaged that the packaging assembly or cartons may be provided with a means for detecting when the carton is empty of articles without having to lift or too closely inspect the carton. Such means for detecting when the carton is empty of articles may take the form of a window, i.e. an aperture or shaped cut-out in the carton; such a window may be disposed close to the bottom of the carton so that the presence or not of articles in the lowermost tier of the carton can be detected by observation. In some embodiments the window could be provided by piece, strip or section of clear, transparent or translucent material, such as plastic sheet to enable the interior of the carton to be viewed, yet maintaining the structural integrity and barrier to dust etc of the carton. Alternatively, an inspection hole or aperture may be provided into which a pen or other instrument could be inserted in order to feel for the presence of articles in the lowermost row.
It will be recognized that as used herein, directional references such as “top”, “bottom”, “front”, “back”, “end”, “side”, “inner”, “outer”, “upper” and “lower” do not limit the respective panels to such orientation, but merely serve to distinguish these panels from one another. Any reference to hinged connection should not be construed as necessarily referring to a single fold line only; indeed it is envisaged that hinged connection can be formed from one or more of the following, a short slit, a frangible line or a fold line without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
It is envisioned that in certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the frame includes a mechanism for securing the frame to a vertical wall. Moreover, the frame can include a mechanism for securing the frame to a horizontal shelf. It is also envisioned that the front end section of the frame can include structure or a mechanism for displaying product related indicia.
Although the product dispensing and display system of the present disclosure has been described with respect to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US11/26621 | 3/1/2011 | WO | 00 | 8/28/2012 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61310238 | Mar 2010 | US |
