Patent Application
20120298550
In retail environments, products that are to be purchased are generally placed directly on the shelves so that a guest can place the products in their cart or basket and take them to a checkout counter for purchase. However, in some locations, regulations require retailers to obtain identifying information about a guest before giving the guest access to certain products. For example, in some locations, products containing ephedrine must be kept behind a counter and can only be given to the guest after the guest furnishes an identification card.
To accommodate these regulations, retailers removed ephedrine-containing products from their shelves and put a card holder in place of the products. Each card holder includes a stack of cards that depicts the product that has been removed and instructs the guest to take the card to a pharmacy counter to obtain the desired product.
This card holder technique has also been used for some products that are kept behind the pharmacy counter to reduce theft of the items. The cards let guests know that the retailer has the item and how to purchase the item while reducing the likelihood that the item will be stolen.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
A retail display apparatus includes a front panel, a right side panel extending from the front panel and a left side panel extending from the front panel. A bottom panel extends from the front panel and has at least one opening. A back panel extends from the bottom panel. A first channel has an open top and an open bottom and extends along the back panel. A second channel has an open top and an open bottom and extends along the back panel.
A retail display unit includes a shelf having multiple openings along a line and a plurality of loose item holders. Each loose item holder has a bottom with at least one opening that overlaps an opening in the shelf and has a back with two channels. A plurality of printed sheets is provided, with one printed sheet for each holder. Each printed sheet is positioned within two channels of a respective holder. Text from each printed sheet can be viewed through the back of each respective holder.
A method of displaying loose items includes mounting a holder to a shelf by passing fasteners through holes in the holder and holes in the shelf. A card is inserted into the tops of two channels on a back of the holder and the card is moved downward through the two channels until a bottom of the card rests on the shelf. The holder is then filled with loose items.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background.
Current card holders for retail shelving are less than optimal because they do not easily attach to the shelves, they waste horizontal shelving space, and it is difficult to place a representative card in the back of the card holder.
The present inventors have created a printed material holder for shelving that includes two openings allowing the holder to be attached directly to the shelf. Further, the openings and the width of the holder are designed such that multiple holders may be mounted side-by-side on a shelf without wasting shelf space between the holders.
In accordance with one embodiment, a holder is mounted to a shelf by passing fasteners through openings in the holder and openings in the shelf. In some embodiments, mounting a holder comprises mounting the holder such that a front section of the holder extends upward from a front edge of the shelf.
A card is inserted into the tops of two channels on a back of the holder and the card is moved downward through the two channels until a bottom of the card rests on the shelf. In some embodiments, the card is inserted into the tops of two channels that are adhered to the back of the holder and that are separated by a distance over which the back of the holder is exposed, where the back of the holder is a single layer of material. In the area where the back of the holder is exposed, light only has to pass through the single layer of the back of the holder to reach the card held in the channels. The holder is filled with loose items such as printed material.
In accordance with further embodiments, a plurality of holders are mounted to the shelf by passing fasteners through holes in each holder and holes in the shelf such that each of the plurality of holders is within a quarter inch of at least one other holder. In such a configuration, a card is removed from two channels of a holder without removing any holders from the shelf, where the holder that the card is removed from is within a quarter inch of neighboring holders on two opposing sides of the holder.
Loose item holder 100 has a front panel or section 102, a right side panel or section 104, a left side panel or section 106, a back panel or section 108, a bottom panel or section 110 (shown in
Front panel 102 is continuous with and extends from right side panel 104, left side panel 106, and bottom panel 110. Front panel 102 includes a horizontal top edge 120 that in accordance with some embodiments is substantially parallel to bottom panel 110. In accordance with one embodiment, front panel 102 has a width 122 (shown in
In accordance with one embodiment, right side panel 104 is continuous with and extends from front panel 102. As shown in
In accordance with one embodiment, left side panel 106 is continuous with and extends from front panel 102. As shown in
In accordance with one embodiment, back panel 108 is continuous with and extends from bottom panel 110. In addition to free side edges 136 and 156, back panel 108 has a free top edge 160 that is parallel to bottom panel 110. Free top edge 160 is a height 162 (shown in
Right channel 112 extends along an outer surface 300 of back panel 108 parallel to free edge 136 of back panel 108 between top edge 160 and bottom panel 110. In accordance with some embodiments, right channel 112 is molded as a single piece with back panel 108 and in accordance with other embodiments, right channel 112 is attached, mounted, bonded or adhered to outer surface 300 of back panel 108. As shown in
Left channel 114 extends along outer surface 300 of back panel 108 parallel to free edge 156 of back panel 108 between top edge 160 and bottom panel 110. In accordance with some embodiments, left channel 114 is molded as a single piece with back panel 108 and in accordance with other embodiments, left channel 114 is attached, mounted, bonded or adhered to outer surface 300 of back panel 108. As shown in
In accordance with one embodiment, inner wall 302 of right channel 112 and inner wall 312 of left channel 114 are not continuous with each other. Instead, inner wall 302 is separated from inner wall 312 by a distance 350 (
A right tab 200 and a left tab 202 are continuous with and extend from back panel 108. Right tab 200 is out of plane from or at an angle to back panel 108 so that it is parallel to right side panel 104. (
Left tab 202 is out of plane from or at an angle to back panel 108 so that it is parallel to left side panel 106. (
As shown in
Bottom panel 110 includes two openings or holes 704 and 706. In accordance with one embodiment, openings 704 and 706 are circular openings that have a diameter of approximately 0.25 inches (0.6 cm) and their centers are separated by a distance 708 of approximately 1.00 inches (2.5 cm). Although circular openings are shown in
In accordance with one embodiment, back panel 108, right channel 112 and left channel 114 are made of clear material(s) such that a display card inserted in both right channel 112 and left channel 114 can be viewed through back panel 108, right channel 112 and left channel 114. In accordance with some embodiments, the entirety of holder 100 is made of clear material(s). In accordance with one embodiment, holder 100 is made of clear plastic(s).
In accordance with one embodiment, front panel 102, right side panel 104, left side panel 106, back panel 108, bottom panel 110, right tab 200 and left tab 202 are made of a single sheet of material that has been bent to provide the shape of holder 100. In accordance with one embodiment, the single sheet of material is a plastic material that is bent via the selective application of sufficient heat while applying force to different portions of the plastic material to form the elements of holder 100.
Each of the holders in the row of holders 1100 contains a display card or printed sheet between two channels mounted on the back of the holder as shown in
In
Holder 1104 is mounted to shelf 1102 by two fasteners 1230 and 1232 passing through openings 1234 and 1236, respectively, in bottom panel 1238 of holder 1104 as well as openings 1210 and 1214, respectively, of shelf 1102. Openings 1234 and 1236 are aligned with or overlap openings 1210 and 1214, respectively. In accordance with one embodiment, fasteners 1230 and 1232 include heads 1240 and 1242, respectively, ribbed shafts 1244 and 1246, respectively, and nuts 1248 and 1250, respectively. In some embodiments, ribbed shafts 1244 and 1246 are pressed into nuts 1248 and 1250 to place the fasteners in a locking configuration and thereby mount the holder to the shelf. In other embodiments, shafts 1244 and 1246 are threaded and are screwed into nuts 1248 and 1250 to place the fasteners in a locking configuration and thereby mount the holder to the shelf. Holder 1106 is mounted to shelf 1102 by two fasteners 1260 and 1262 passing through openings 1264 and 1266, respectively, in bottom panel 1268 of holder 1106 as well as openings 1220 and 1224, respectively, of shelf 1102. In accordance with one embodiment, fasteners 1260 and 1262 include heads 1270 and 1272, respectively, ribbed shafts 1274 and 1276, respectively, and nuts 1278 and 1280, respectively. In some embodiments, ribbed shafts 1274 and 1276 are pressed into nuts 1278 and 1280 to place the fasteners in a locking configuration and thereby mount the holder to the shelf. In other embodiments, shafts 1274 and 1276 are threaded and are screwed into nuts 1278 and 1280 to place the fasteners in a locking configuration and thereby mount the holder to the shelf.
In
The holders described above provide for methods of displaying loose items. One such method includes mounting a holder to a shelf by passing fasteners through holes in the holder and holes in the shelf. A card is inserted into the tops of two channels on a back of the holder and separated by a distance over which the back of the holder is exposed. In accordance with some embodiments, the back is a single layer of material. The card is moved downward through the two channels until a bottom of the card rests on the shelf. The holder can then be filled with loose items.
In a further method, multiple holders are mounted to the shelf such that each holder is less than a quarter inch from at least one other holder on the shelf and each holder has a front panel that extends upward from a front edge of the shelf. In further methods, a card is removed from two channels of a holder without removing any holders from the shelf, where the holder that the card is removed from is within a quarter inch of neighboring holders on two opposing sides of the holder. For example, card 1124 is removed from channels 1120 and 1122 of holder 1106 without removing any of holders 1104, 1106, or 1108, where holders 1104 and 1108 are neighboring holders of holder 1106 on two opposing sides (one side next to holder 1104 and the other side next to holder 1108) and are within a quarter inch of holder 1106.
Although elements have been shown or described as separate embodiments above, portions of each embodiment may be combined with all or part of other embodiments described above.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.
