Patent Application
20120012542
The invention relates to a display system particularly suitable for use at a retail outlet.
Retail outlets such as so-called “big box” stores often display merchandise on shelving units where the shelving units are divided into bays and each bay may be further organized by specific product displays such as cases, bins, shelves or the like. Shelf space is limited such that the merchandise displays that efficiently utilize available space are desired.
The display is for a shelving unit of the type having a bay defined in part by a lower horizontal support and an upper horizontal support spaced vertically above the lower horizontal support where the upper and lower horizontal supports may support a shelf deck. The display comprises a first rail mounted on and extending along the lower horizontal support and a second rail mounted on and extending along the upper horizontal support. A body is disposed between the first and second rail. The body is in low friction contact with the first rail and the second rail such that the body is freely movable along the length of the rails. The body supports a user interface.
The user interface may be operatively connected to a machine and the machine may be co-located with the shelving unit. The user interface may be operatively connected to a processor. The body may support a product sample such as a window covering. The machine may be a window covering cutting machine. The body may be vertically aligned with the first rail and the second rail. The user interface may comprise a flat touch panel monitor. The front of the body may comprise a display area adapted to support a product sample such as a faux window. The supports may comprise rigid rods having a plastic washer or bushing mounted near a distal end thereof. The first rail may mount on the lower horizontal support. The first rail may comprise an upwardly facing channel. The first rail may extend for substantially the entire length of the lower support. The second rail may comprise a downwardly extending channel that receives and retains the supports. The second rail may comprise a downwardly extending channel that is open towards the first rail and that extends for substantially the length of the upper horizontal support. The rods may extend into the channel such that the bushings may slide in the channel.
A method of display for a shelving unit of the type having a bay defined in part by a lower horizontal support and an upper horizontal support spaced vertically above the lower horizontal support where the upper and lower horizontal supports may support a shelf deck comprises locating a machine in a bay below the lower support; supporting co-located merchandise related to the machine; mounting a first rail on the lower horizontal support and a second rail on the upper horizontal support; supporting a body between the first rail and the second rail such that the body is freely movable along the length of the rails; supporting a display on the body; and controlling the machine with the display. A sample of the merchandise may be mounted on the body. The machine may comprise a window covering cutting machine and the merchandise may comprise a window covering.
Referring to the
In the illustrated embodiment a bottom bay of the shelving unit 1 holds a window blind cutting machine 10. Such machines are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/378,320, filed on march 3, 2003 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/164,839, filed on Jun. 30, 2008 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. These machines cut window coverings 12 (shown as displayed in the retail setting) to a customer specified size in the retail outlet. A customer may select one of the window coverings 12 and have it cut to the customer's desired size in machine 1. In some applications and with some cutting machines, the cutting machines are supported on wheels and are stored on the floor in the bottom bay such that the cutting machine 10 may be pulled from the bay into the aisle 14 during use. The window coverings 12 are typically stocked in a bay adjacent to or co-located with the cutting machine 10. The term “co-located” as used herein means bays or shelving units that are adjacent to one another where the merchandise, displays and/or equipment are related to one another.
The cutting machine 1 may use a user interface 20 to allow the user to input information to the machine and to display information to the user and control the functions or operation of the cutting machine. The user interface 20 may comprise a touchpanel monitor 22. Other user interfaces may also be used such as a monitor and separate input device such as a keyboard, joystick, audio speakers, a microphone and voice recognition technology, wireless communication technology, joy sticks, thumbwheels or the like. In the illustrated device the monitor 22 may be connected to a processor 26, such as the processor controlling the operation of machine 1, by cables or a wireless connection 24 such that the user interface 20 may communicate with the processor.
While one application of the user interface 20 is shown in the attached drawings, the user interface 20 may be used in any application where a user interface in a retail outlet or a user interface associated with shelving units is desired. Moreover, while the user interface 20, in the embodiment described with respect to
The user interface 20 may also be connected to processor 26 where the processor is not related to the operation of a co-located machine such as, for example, when the user interface 20 is used to provide general information to the customer. In such a use the user interface 20 may be connected to a local processor such as a PC or it may be connected to a remote processor via a wired or wireless connection. The display may also be connected to a network such as a LAN, or the Internet.
Because shelf space is limited, the user interface 20 is mounted as part of display 18 that does not use shelf space, block inventory or limit access to the bays. The display 18 comprises a body 30 that supports the user interface 22. User interface 20 is supported on the front 30 of body 30 where it may be accessed by a user standing in front of the bay. The term “front' as used herein means facing away from the shelving unit. In the illustrated embodiment the user interface 20 comprises a flat touchpanel monitor 22 where the monitor can display information to the user and receive input from the user. A flat touchpanel monitor 22 takes up a minimum amount of horizontal space to maintain the narrow profile of the body 30.
Referring to
The front 30a of the body 30 also includes a display area 36 in which a product sample or other tangible article may be mounted and displayed to the user. In the illustrated embodiment the display area is related to the displayed article comprises a recessed faux window 38 that may be used to display a sample functional window covering 40. The sample window covering 40 may be suspended in the window 38 in the same manner that a real window covering is used in an actual window such that the user can view and manipulate the window covering 40. A sample window covering 40 is shown mounted in a faux window 38; however, the display area 36 cold take other forms and the sample product may be other than a window covering. In one embodiment the displayed article is related to the information displayed on user interface 22 and to merchandise co-located with the display 18. The front of the body may also include an area 33 for indicia 35 such as a logo.
Mounted to the lower end of body 30 is a low friction support 42 that allows body 30 to smoothly and easily traverse a horizontal surface. In the illustrated embodiment the low friction support 42 comprises a pair of wheels 43. The low friction support 42 may also comprise rollers, ball bearings, a low friction surface such as polytetrafluoroethylene, casters or the like. Wheels 43 are mounted on axles 44 such as shoulder bolts that are secured to the frame 32 such that the axis of rotation of the wheels 43 is perpendicular to the front 30a of body 30 and the body can move in a lateral direction across the front of the bay. The wheels 43 extend below the lower edge of the body 30 such that the body may ride on the wheels 43.
Mounted to the upper end of the body 30 are supports 46 that extend from the top of body 30 and are dimensioned to extend to the upper horizontal support 6a. The supports 46 comprise rigid rods 48 that have a plastic washer or bushing 50 or other low friction device mounted near the distal end thereof.
Referring to
A second rail 60 is disposed vertically above and in vertical alignment with lower rail 52. In operation rail 60 is disposed above body 30 and includes a channel 62 that receives and retains supports 46. The rail 60 comprises a channel 62 that extends the length of the rail 60. The channel has a C-shaped cross-section and is open in the downward direction facing rail 52. The rods 48 extend into channel 62 with the bushings 50 disposed inside of the channel such that the bushings may slide in the channel. Supports 46 maintain the body 30 in a vertical orientation. The rail 60 is mounted to the upper horizontal support 6a of the shelving unit where the upper horizontal support 6a is disposed above the first horizontal support 6b a distance such that the low friction support 42 can ride on rail 52 and the supports 46 are received in channel 62. Alternatively, the rail 60 may be made integrally with the upper horizontal support 6a. The rail 60 extends for substantially the entire length of the upper horizontal support 6a such that the rail spans the width of the bay.
The user can access user interface 20 to perform whatever function is enabled by the user interface including operating window covering cutting machine 1. Moreover, the display 18 may be moved along the rails 52 and 60 from one end of the bay to the opposite end of the bay. The low friction support 42 moves freely on rail 52 and the supports 46 slide freely in channel 62 such that, to reposition the body 30, the user simply pushes on the body 30 to slide the body transversely along the front of the bay. Because of the narrow profile of the display 18, it does not extend into the bay 4 or the aisle 14 because it is in a substantially vertical line with the upper and lower horizontal supports 6a, 6b of shelving unit 1. The body 30 extends substantially between the upper horizontal support 6a and the lower horizontal support 6b where the display would obstruct the bay 4 and shelf 8 and any merchandise stored on the shelf if it was not movable. However, because the body 30 can freely move over rails 52 and 64 across the width of the bay, the entire bay is usable space and merchandise stored on the shelf is accessible.
A method of using the display will be described. A machine is located in a bay below a lower horizontal support (block 401). Co-located merchandise is displayed that is associated with the machine (block 402). A first rail is mounted on the lower horizontal support and a second rail is mounted the upper horizontal support (block 403). A body is supported between the first rail and the second rail such that the body is freely movable along the length of the first rail and the second rail (block 404). A user interface is supported on the body (block 405). The machine is controlled with the user interface (block 406).
Specific embodiments of an invention are described herein. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention has other applications in other environments. In fact, many embodiments and implementations are possible. The following claims are in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention to the specific embodiments described above.
