Patent Application
20100044325
The present invention relates generally to the display and storage of consumer articles and more particularly for cylindrical containers, such as beverage cans and bottles.
Beverage containers, such as soda cans and bottles are commonly displayed and sold individually at grocery stores, gas stations, drug stores and convenience stores. Typically, the beverage containers are manually loaded onto a display rack, shelving unit, or refrigeration display unit. Often, containers of the same type and same size are stored next to and behind each other in rows extending from the front of the shelf to the back of the shelf. The containers are usually arranged in an upright or vertical manner and are usually positioned in rows of like products on an inclined shelf such that the bottoms of the containers rest on the shelf. In these typical displays, the containers are loaded from the rear of the shelf and the containers slide forward on the shelf toward the front of the shelf.
Conventional displays for merchandising containers in an upright manner have certain drawbacks. For example, each display must have a considerable length in order to stock an adequate supply of containers. To stock an adequate supply of containers, the display must be as long as the cumulative diameters of the stocked containers. Additionally, typical displays include unused space above the containers to allow clearance between the containers and a shelf above the containers. Furthermore, vertically standing containers may topple when being loaded, when the container slides down the channel, or when the forward-most product is removed from the shelf. The toppling of one or more containers may block and prevent subsequent containers from being properly displayed and merchandised.
These and other known drawbacks and disadvantages with existing container display systems are overcome with the present invention.
The present invention is directed to a display cradle or system that may be used in many applications, including displaying and storing beverages containers at grocery and convenience type stores. The present invention is also directed toward a display and storage cradle or system that better utilizes space by increasing the quantity of containers that may be stored and displayed in a standard refrigeration unit or cooler, thereby reducing the frequency in which product needs to be restocked on the shelf, while increasing the amount of merchandise on the shelf.
According to one aspect of the present invention, the display cradle has a bottom shelf, sidewalls, and at least one intermediate shelf. The bottom shelf and at least one intermediate shelf slope downwards from the rear end of the display cradle to the front end of the display cradle. The rear end of the display cradle remains open to allow containers, such as bottles or cans to be loaded onto the at least one intermediate shelf. In another aspect of the present invention, the display cradle has a plurality of intermediate shelves. The bottom shelf extends forward to form an exit port at the front end of the display cradle. Consumers may remove a container or a plurality of containers from the exit port.
The display cradle further includes a partial front wall configured to allow the containers to pass under it while moving along the bottom shelf to the exit port. The display cradle also includes an exit channel at the front end of the display. An exit channel is formed between the partial front wall and the at least one intermediate shelf or plurality of intermediate shelves, allowing containers to drop from each of the one or more intermediate shelves toward the bottom shelf and exit the display cradle at the exit port.
Each of the one or more intermediate shelves includes a biased gate pivotally mounted to the front of each of the one or more intermediate shelves. The bottom shelf also includes a biased gate pivotally mounted to the top surface near the front of the display cradle, adjacent the exit port. The biased gates on the bottom shelf and the one or more intermediate shelves pivot under the weight of a container, such that a front-most container on the one or more intermediate shelves may enter the exit channel and a front-most container on the bottom shelf may enter the exit port. While containers are positioned within the exit channel, the biased gates remain tilted, acting as barriers preventing subsequent containers positioned on the one or more intermediate shelves and bottom shelf from entering the exit channel or the exit port. When all of the containers have exited the exit channel, each gate pivots back allowing the subsequent container on the one or more intermediate shelves and the bottom shelf to enter the exit channel and the exit port, thereby repeating the dispensing sequence. The biased gates on the one or more intermediate shelves and the bottom shelf may be connected to each other to operate in unison, allowing a front-most container to roll off of each of the one or more intermediate shelves into the exit channel and a container to roll off the bottom shelf into the exit port at the same time.
According to another aspect of the invention, each of the one or more intermediate shelves and the bottom shelf may include at least one biased ramp configured to slow down the momentum of a container rolling from the rear of the at least one intermediate shelf or bottom shelf to the front of the at least one intermediate shelf or bottom shelf. The at least one biased ramp may also be configured to prevent subsequent containers from putting weight on the front-most container on the at least one intermediate shelf. In another aspect of the invention, each of the one or more intermediate shelves and bottom shelf may include a plurality of biased ramps positioned at increments or various locations along the shelves or surface. In a further aspect of the invention, each of the one or more intermediate shelves and bottom shelf may include a biased ramp at the rear of the one or more shelf or bottom shelf, which serves as a barrier, preventing containers from falling off the rear end of the shelves or bottom shelf.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims and drawings in which like numerals are used to designate like features.
a,
3
b and 3c are side views of the display cradle in operation.
a,
4
b and 4c are partial side views of the display cradle in operation.
Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof.
The present invention, a display cradle 100 for displaying and storing articles such as beverage containers in a horizontal configuration, is illustrated in
In at least one embodiment, the display cradle 100 may include a plurality of intermediate shelves 125a, 125b, as illustrated in
The partial front wall 120 may be positioned to form a gap to define the exit port 115 such that containers may roll down the bottom shelf 110 and pass through the gap under the partial front wall 120 and then through the exit port 115. The partial front wall 120 may be configured to include a graphic panel for advertisement purposes. For example, the partial front wall 120 may include a panel advertising the type of beverage and size of container it is dispensing. In one embodiment, the partial front wall 120 may be planar. In an alternative embodiment, the partial front wall 120 may be curved or define a contoured surface.
The display cradle 100 is configured to fit within existing coolers or shelves at grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, and drug stores or any type of store that displays and dispenses individual beverage containers. As stated above, the display cradle 100 may be configured to display and store various sizes of bottles or cans. In an exemplary embodiment, the display cradle 100 may display and store 20-ounce bottles. In one embodiment of the invention, the display cradle 100 may be the approximate width of the cumulative diameters of three 20-ounce bottles and may be of a height equivalent to one 20-ounce bottle. In other embodiments of the invention, the height and width of the display cradle 100 may vary depending on the container being displayed or the available space.
The display cradle 100 may be configured to fit within the depth of existing shelving units or coolers. For example, typical display coolers in convenience stores have shelves that can contain nine 20-ounce bottles in a single row of products. So, for three rows of product, the typical display cooler may hold twenty-seven bottles. In at least one embodiment of the invention, the display cradle 100 may be configured with a depth equivalent to the standard cooler shelf and a width equivalent to three rows of 20-ounce bottles. With the present invention, however, and as explained below, the display cradle may hold thirty 20-ounce bottles, thus permitting the merchandising of more products in the same amount of shelf space.
In an alternative embodiment, the display cradle 100 may be configured with a depth greater than the length of a store shelf 200, such that the display cradle 100 extends beyond the store shelf 200 into the back of a refrigeration unit or cooler to increase storage capacity. It should be understood that various heights, widths, and depths are possible with the display cradle 100 and are within the scope of the invention. The height, width, and depth may be determined by the size of container being dispensed or the available merchandise space. In existing coolers, the display cradle 100 may be configured to rest on a front wire or bar of the shelf to ensure the display cradle 100 remains fixed in place. In one embodiment, the display cradle 100 may be fixed and secured to the store shelf 200. In another embodiment, the display cradle 100 may be removable. In at least one embodiment, the display cradle 100 may be configured to be stackable on top of other display cradles 100.
Existing coolers displaying beverage containers include a clearance space between the beverage containers and an upper shelf. To better utilize the existing space, the display cradle 100 displays the beverage containers in a horizontal configuration. This configuration increases the amount of bottles that may be dispensed in a given space. For example, in the existing configurations displaying nine bottles deep by three bottles wide, the display cradle 100 can store thirty bottles. This configuration therefore allows for less frequent stocking of the display cradle 100 and for more product to be displayed and ultimately sold.
Containers or bottles may be loaded onto the display cradle 100 such that the top of the bottle may be positioned either to the left or to the right. A tight clearance between the display cradle 100 and the side walls 105a, 105b, ensures that bottles do not skew or hang up in the display cradle 100. Containers or bottles may be reloaded onto the display cradle 100 by setting them on top of the bottles in the exit port 115.
The display cradle 100 may be configured to allow air to flow over the containers for maximum cooling. For example, portions of the side walls 105a, 105b, may be cut out to allow air flow through each of the intermediate shelves 125 and the bottom shelf 110. The rear of the display cradle 100 may remain open to allow air flow through the back of the display cradle 100. Additionally, the top of the display cradle 100 may remain open or may have portions cut out of it to facilitate air flow over the beverage containers on the uppermost shelf. In one embodiment, the bottom shelf 110 and the at least one intermediate shelf 125 may include cut out portions to facilitate air flow through the bottom shelf 110 and the at least one intermediate shelf 125.
As illustrated in
As shown in
Each of the one or more intermediate shelves 125 may include a biased gate 130b, 130c pivotally mounted to the front end of the one or more intermediate shelves 125. The bottom shelf 110 may also include a biased gate 130a pivotally mounted to the bottom shelf 110, adjacent to and leading into the exit port 115. The biased gates 130a, 130b, 130c, pivot under the weight of a container 15. When a front most container on the one or more intermediate shelves 135 rolls onto the biased gate 130, the biased gate 130 pivots such that a container is allowed roll off the one or more intermediate shelves 125a, 125b into the exit channel 122. Additionally, the biased gate 130a on the bottom shelf 110 pivots under the weight of a container such that a container is allowed to roll off the bottom shelf 100 into the exit port 115. When pivoting under the weight of a container, the biased gates 130a, 130b, 130c, simultaneously act as a barrier so that subsequent containers may not enter the exit channel 122 or the exit port 115.
The biased gates 130 on each of the one or more intermediate shelves 125 and the bottom shelf 110 may operate independent of each other. In at least one embodiment, the biased gate 130 on each of the one or more intermediate shelves 125 and the biased gate 130 on the bottom shelf 110 may operate in unison with each other. In at least one embodiment, the biased gates 130a, 130b, 130c, on the one or more intermediate shelves 125 and the bottom shelf 110 are connected to each other by a spring-loaded connector 131. The spring-loaded connector 131 may be a bar or rod connecting the biased gates and may be positioned on the outside or inside surface of the side walls 105a, 105b. If a spring-loaded connector 131 is used to allow the biased gates to operate in unison, as shown in
As illustrated in
In another embodiment, each of the one or more intermediate shelves 125 and the bottom shelf 110 may include a biased ramp 150 pivotally mounted to a top surface of each of the one or more intermediate shelves 125 and the bottom shelf 110. The biased ramp 150 pivots under the weight of the containers 15 to slow the momentum of containers rolling down the one or more intermediate shelves 125 and bottom shelf 110. When the weight of a container rests on the biased ramp 150, the biased ramp 150 also acts as a barrier preventing subsequent containers from exerting too much weight on the front-most container. In an alternative embodiment, the one or more intermediate shelves 125 and bottom shelf 110 may include a plurality of biased ramps 150a, 150b (
Any suitable materials may be used in constructing the display cradle 100. For example, the display cradle 100 may be made entirely of plastic or metal. Alternatively, different parts of the display cradle 100 may be made of different materials. For example, the shelves 125 may be made of the same material as the side walls 105a, 105b, and the bottom shelf 110, or they may all be made of different materials. The biased gates 130 and the biased ramps 150 may be made of any suitable material such as plastic or metal.
Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It should be understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention. The claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
