Product Dispensing System With Anti-Theft Engagement

Abstract

A product dispensing system including a dispenser that includes a frame having two opposed side walls and a support surface between the opposed side walls, and a container positioned on the support surface, the container being releasably engaged with the frame.

Description

FIELD

This application relates to the dispensing of products from packaging containers and, more particularly, to product dispensing systems having an engagement between the dispenser and the container to impede removal of the container from the dispenser.

BACKGROUND

Products are typically shipped to retailers in bulk by enclosing multiple individual product units in a container, such as a carton or box. For example, canned soup may be shipped to a retailer in a box containing multiple cans. Then, a stock clerk typically removes the individual product units from the container and stacks them on a display unit, such as a shelf, thereby making the products available to consumers.

The process of removing products from shipping containers and stacking the products on a shelf can be quite time consuming. Specifically, the traditional package-ship-unpack-display model requires a stock clerk to obtain a package from the supplier, open the package, remove all of the product units from the open package, and stack each of the product units on a display unit. In the case of small, high volume products, such as canned foods, the amount of time required to neatly stock a display unit can become extensive, thereby significantly increasing a stores overall operating expenses.

Furthermore, products stacked on a shelf are more prone to theft. For example, thieves have been known to steal large quantities of product simply by sweeping the products off the shelf into a bag.

Accordingly, those skilled in the art continue to seek alternatives to the traditional package-ship-unpack-display model in an effort to improve operating efficiency and minimize theft loss.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the disclosed product dispensing system may include a dispenser that includes a frame having two opposed side walls and a support surface between the opposed side walls, and a container positioned on the support surface, the container being releasably engaged with the frame.

In another aspect, the disclosed product dispensing system may include a dispenser including a frame having a support surface that defines an upper level of the dispenser and a lower level of the dispenser, the frame defining an opening between the upper level and the lower level, and a container positioned on the support surface, a portion of the container extending through the opening.

In yet another aspect, the disclosed product dispensing system may include a dispenser including a frame having two opposed side walls and a support surface between the opposed side walls, a container positioned on the support surface, and a detent extending between the dispenser and the container to secure the container relative to the dispenser.

Other aspects of the disclosed product dispensing system with anti-theft engagement will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of one aspect of the disclosed product dispensing system with anti-theft engagement, shown in a disassembled and undeployed configuration;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the product dispensing system with anti-theft engagement of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, in section, of the product dispensing system with anti-theft engagement of FIG. 2, shown in an assembled and deployed configuration

FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view of the container of the product dispensing system with anti-theft engagement of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a bottom and end perspective view of a portion of the container of FIG. 4, shown in a deployed configuration;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the container blank used to form the container of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7A is a front elevational view, in section, of a portion of the container and the dispenser shown in an engaged configuration in accordance with another aspect of the disclosed product dispensing system; and

FIG. 7B is a front elevational view, in section, of the container and dispenser of FIG. 7A shown in a disengaged configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, one aspect of the disclosed product dispensing system with anti-theft engagement, generally designated 10, may include a dispenser 12 and a container 14. The container 14 may house multiple units of product 16 (FIGS. 2 and 3), such as cans (e.g., canned soup), jars (e.g., jarred sauce) or bottles (e.g., bottled soft drinks). Therefore, when the container 14 is loaded onto the dispenser 12, as shown in FIG. 3, the dispenser 12 may open the container 14 to release the products 16 from the container 14 into the dispenser 12 and an engagement between the dispenser 12 and the container 14 may inhibit removal of the container 14 from the dispenser 12.

The container 14 may be any container capable of housing products 16 and establishing an engagement with the disclosed dispenser 12, as disclosed herein. In one construction, the container 14 may be a generally rectilinear container having six walls 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 that define an internal volume 30, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Opposed walls 18 and 20 may define the front and rear walls, respectively, of the container 14. Opposed walls 22 and 24 may define the first (e.g., left) and second (e.g., right) side walls, respectively, of the container 14. Opposed walls 26 and 28 may define the upper and base walls, respectively, of the container 14.

Optionally, the container 14 may include a partition 32 extending therethrough to divide the internal volume 30 into a first chamber 34 and a second chamber 36. The partition 32 may be a generally planar structure that is generally parallel with, but spaced apart from, the first and second side walls 22, 24. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, a first quantity of product 16 may be housed in the first chamber 34 and a second quantity of product 16 may be housing in the second chamber 36.

Still referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the base wall 28 of the container 14 may define one or more door flaps 38, 40 that, when opened as described below, pivot relative to the container 14 to provide an opening 42 to the internal volume 30 of the container 14. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the door flaps 38, 40 may be pre-defined and/or may be formed as the container 14 is loaded onto the dispenser 12.

In one implementation, the door flaps 38, 40 may be defined by a first row of perforations 44 extending laterally from the first side wall 22 to the second side wall 24 and a second row of perforations 46 extending longitudinally from the first row of perforations 44 to the rear end 48 of the base wall 28. Therefore, when the base wall 28 is cut along the first and second rows of perforations 44, 46, the first door flap 38 is free to pivot along the edge 50 between the first side wall 22 and the base wall 28 and the second door flap 40 is free to pivot along the edge 52 between the second side wall 24 and the base wall 28, thereby forming the opening 42 in the container 14, as shown in FIG. 5.

Optionally, the base wall 28 of the container 14 may also define an opening 54 positioned adjacent to the door flaps 38, 40. The opening 54 may be longitudinally aligned with the second row of perforations 46 and positioned immediately forward of the second row of perforations 46 such that a cutting element (discussed below) traveling along the second row of perforations 46 stops cutting at the front end 56 of the second row of perforations 46.

The container 14 may be formed from a container blank, such as the container blank 60 shown in FIG. 6. The container blank 60 may be pre-cut from a sheet of stock material to define an outer periphery 61 of the container blank 60. In one particular aspect, the stock material may be a paperboard-based material, such as C1S paperboard, which may have a coating (e.g., clay) on a first major surface thereof and an uncoated second major surface, or C2S paperboard, which may have a coating (e.g., clay) on both major surfaces thereof. Optionally, at least one major surface of the container blank 60 (or at least a portion thereof) may be marked with various indicia, such as printed text and graphics.

The container blank 60 may include a plurality of pre-formed fold lines 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80 that define wall panels 82, 84, 86, 88, a transition panel 90, a partition panel 92, first major 94, 96 and minor 98, 100 end flaps, second major 102, 104 and minor 106 end flaps and partition flaps 108, 110. Specifically, wall panel 82 may be defined by the periphery 61 of the blank 60 and fold lines 62, 74 and 76, and may form the upper wall 26 of the assembled container 14 (FIG. 4). Wall panel 84 may be defined by fold lines 62, 64, 74 and 76, and may form side wall 24 of the assembled container 14. Wall panel 86 may be defined by the periphery 61 and fold lines 64, 66 and 74, and may form the base wall 28 of the assembled container 14. Wall panel 88 may be defined by fold lines 66, 68, 74 and 78, and may form the side wall 22 of the assembled container 14. Partition panel 92 may be defined by the periphery 61 of the blank 60 and fold lines 70, 72 and 80, and may form the partition 32 (FIG. 4) of the assembled container 14. Transition panel 90 may be defined by the periphery 61 of the blank 60 and fold lines 68 and 70, and may function to space the partition 32 between the side walls 22, 24 of the assembled container 14. First major 94, 96 and minor 98, 100 end flaps may be defined by the periphery 61 of the blank 60 and fold line 74, and may form the front wall 18 of the assembled container 14. Second major 102, 104 and minor 106 end flaps may be defined by the periphery 61 of the blank 60 and fold lines 76 and 78, and may form the rear wall 20 of the assembled container 14. Partition flaps 108, 110 may be defined by the periphery 61 of the blank 60 and the fold lines 80 and 72, respectively, and may be used to secure the partition 32 between the side walls 22, 24 of the assembled container 14.

The container 8 may be assembled by folding the container blank 60 along the longitudinal fold lines 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72 and connecting wall panel 82 to transition panel 90 to form the three-dimensional body of the container 14. Additionally, partition flap 110 may be connected to wall panel 86 to secure the partition 32 between the side walls 22, 24 of the container 14. Then, the first major 94, 96 and minor 98, 100 end flaps may be assembled to form the front wall 18 of the container 14 and the second major 102, 104 and minor 106 end flaps may be assembled to form the rear wall 20 of the container 14.

While a specific container blank 60 is shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various techniques and materials may be used to form the container 14 of the disclosed product dispensing system with anti-theft engagement 10. Folded paperboard containers are only one specific and non-limiting example of the container 14 of the disclosed product dispensing system with anti-theft engagement 10.

Referring back to FIGS. 1-3, the dispenser 12 may include a frame 120 for supporting the container 14 and the products 16 in a desired configuration and a cutting element 122 for cutting the container 14 as the container 14 is being loaded onto the dispenser frame 120. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the dispenser 12 may include additional components and features, such as the components and features of the dispensers disclosed in U.S. Ser. No. 12/777,444, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The frame 120 may include a first side wall 124, a second side wall 126, an upper support surface 128 and a lower support surface 130. The first side wall 124 may be laterally spaced from the second side wall 126, and may be generally parallel with the second side wall 126.

The lower support surface 130 may extend longitudinally between the first 124 and second 126 side walls, and may include a front end 132 that extends to the front ends 134, 136 of the side walls 124, 126, and a rear end 138 that extends to the rear ends 140, 142 of the side walls 124, 126. Therefore, the lower support surface 130 and the side walls 124, 126 may define a lower level 144 of the frame 120.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the lower support surface 130 may be inclined from the front end 132 to the rear end 138 (i.e., the rear end 138 may be elevated relative to the front end 132) such that products 16 deposited proximate (i.e., at or near) the rear end 138 of the lower support surface 130 roll down to the front end 132 of the lower support surface 130 under the force of gravity. The extent of the incline of the lower support surface 130 may be dictated by, among other things, the coefficient of friction of the material used to form the frame 120 and the shape of the products 16 to be dispensed by the dispenser 12.

One or more stops 146 may be positioned proximate the front end 132 of the lower support surface 130 to prevent product 16 from rolling beyond the front end 132 of the lower support surface 130. For example, the stop 146 may be connected to (e.g., integral with) the lower support surface 130, and may be an upward curve at the front end 132 of the lower support surface 130. Therefore, the stop 146 may collect product 16 at the front end 132 of the lower support surface 130, thereby establishing a product display area 148 at the front end 132 of the lower support surface 130.

In one particular implementation, the frame 120 may include a divider 150 extending from the front end 132 of the lower support surface 130 to the rear end 138 of the lower support surface 130 to divide the lower level 144 into a first product channel 152 and a second product channel 154. The first product channel 152 may be defined by the lower support surface 130, the first side wall 124 and the divider 150, and may extend from proximate the rear end 138 of the lower support surface 130 to the front end 132 of the lower support surface 130. The second product channel 154 may be defined by the lower support surface 130, the second side wall 126 and the divider 150, and may extend from proximate the rear end 138 of the lower support surface 130 to the front end 132 of the lower support surface 130. While two product channels 152, 154 are shown and described, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the frame 120 may be constructed to provide only one product channel or more than two product channels, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The upper support surface 128 may extend longitudinally between the first 124 and second 126 side walls, and may include a front end 156 that extends to the front ends 134, 136 of the side walls 124, 126, and a rear end 158 that extends toward, but not to, the rear ends 140, 142 of the side walls 124, 126, thereby defining an upper level 160 of the frame 120. The spacing between the rear end 158 of the upper support surface 128 and the rear ends 140, 142 of the side walls 124, 126 may define an opening 162, which may function as a chute to allow product 16 to move from the upper level 160 to the lower level 144 of the frame 120.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the upper support surface 128 may be declined from the front end 156 to the rear end 158 (i.e., the front end 156 may be elevated relative to the rear end 158). Therefore, product 16 supported by the upper support surface 128 may roll under the force of gravity to the rear end 158 of the upper support surface 128, through the opening 162, down to the rear end 138 of the lower support surface 130 and, ultimately, to the product display area 148 of the lower level 144 of the frame 120.

The container 14 may be loaded onto, and supported by, the upper support surface 128 of the frame 120 of the dispenser 12, as shown in FIG. 3. As the container 14 is being urged toward the rear end 158 of the upper support surface 128, the cutting element 122 may cut through the base wall 28 of the container 14 along the second row of perforations 46, thereby separating the door flaps 38, 40 such that the door flaps 38, 40 may pivot along edges 50, 52 away from the container 14 and through the opening 162 in the frame 120, thereby releasing the product 16 therein to the dispenser 12 while simultaneously engaging the container 14 with the dispenser 12. Specifically, with the door flaps 38, 40 extending through the opening 162 defined by the frame 120, interference between the door flaps 38, 40 of the container 14 and the rear end 158 of the upper support surface 128 of the frame 120 may resist withdrawal of the container 14 from the dispenser 12 in the direction shown by arrow A.

Prior to loading the container 14 onto the dispenser 12, a user (e.g., a stock clerk), may pre-cut the base wall 28 of the container 14 along the first row of perforations 44 to partially define the door flaps 38, 40. As an example, the cut along the first row of perforations 44 may be made with a cutting tool (e.g., a knife) or by pulling a rip-strip (not shown) incorporated into the container 14 and extending along the first row of perforations 44. Alternatively, the first row of perforations 44 may be sufficiently weak as to tear under the weight of the product 16 in the container 14 once the second row of perforations 46 has been severed, thereby avoiding the need for pre-cutting.

Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, another aspect of the disclosed product dispensing system with anti-theft engagement, generally designated 10′, may include a dispenser 12′ and a container 14′, similar to the system 10 described above. At least one wall 24′ of the container 14′ may define a recess 200 therein. The frame 120′ (e.g., wall 124′) of the dispenser 12′ may include a recess 202 and a detent 204 extending therethrough (or therefrom). One or more biasing elements 206 (e.g., coil springs) may bias the detent 204 into engagement with the recess 200 in the container 14′, as shown in FIG. 7A

Thus, the detent 204 may provide an engagement between the container 14′ and the dispenser 12′ when the container 14′ is supported on the dispenser 12′. To remove the container 14′ from the dispenser 12′, a force (arrow F) sufficient to overcome the biasing force of the biasing elements 206 may be applied to the detent 204 to withdraw the detent 204 from the recess 200 in the container 14′, thereby freeing the container 14′ from the dispenser 12′.

Accordingly, the engagement between the dispenser 12, 12′ and the container 14, 14′ of the disclosed product dispensing systems 10, 10′ may impede removal of the container 14, 14′ from the dispenser 12, 12′, thereby functioning as a theft deterrent.

Although various aspects of the disclosed product dispensing system with anti-theft engagement have been shown and described, modifications may occur to those skilled in the art upon reading the specification. The present application includes such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A product dispensing system comprising: a dispenser comprising a frame having two opposed side walls and a support surface between said opposed side walls; anda container positioned on said support surface, said container being releasably engaged with said frame.

2. The product dispensing system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of products housed in said container.

3. The product dispensing system of claim 1 wherein said container comprises paperboard.

4. The product dispensing system of claim 1 wherein said support surface includes a front end and a rear end, said front end being elevated relative to said rear end.

5. The product dispensing system of claim 1 wherein said support surface defines a plane, and wherein a first portion of said container is positioned above said plane and a second portion of said container is positioned below said plane.

6. The product dispensing system of claim 1 wherein said support surface defines an upper level and a lower level of said dispenser, and wherein said frame defines an opening between said upper level and said lower level.

7. The product dispensing system of claim 6 wherein a portion of said container extends through said opening.

8. The product dispensing system of claim 6 wherein said container defines a flap, and wherein said flap extends through said opening.

9. The product dispensing system of claim 1 wherein said dispenser further comprises a cutting element extending at least partially through said container.

10. The product dispensing system of claim 1 wherein said dispenser comprises a detent engaged with said container.

11. The product dispensing system of claim 10 wherein said container defines a recess, and wherein said detent extends into said recess.

12. The product dispensing system of claim 10 wherein said dispenser further comprises a biasing element position to bias said detent into engagement with said container.

13. A product dispensing system comprising: a dispenser comprising a frame having a support surface that defines an upper level of said dispenser and a lower level of said dispenser, said frame defining an opening between said upper level and said lower level; anda container positioned on said support surface, a portion of said container extending through said opening.

14. The product dispensing system of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of products housed in said container.

15. The product dispensing system of claim 13 wherein said support surface includes a front end and a rear end, said front end being elevated relative to said rear end.

16. The product dispensing system of claim 13 wherein said container defines an internal volume, an opening into said internal volume and a flap for sealing said opening of said container.

17. The product dispensing system of claim 16 wherein said flap extends through said opening.

18. A product dispensing system comprising: a dispenser comprising a frame having two opposed side walls and a support surface between said opposed side walls;a container positioned on said support surface; anda detent extending between said dispenser and said container to retain said container relative to said dispenser.

19. The product dispensing system of claim 18 wherein said container defines a recess, and wherein said detent extends from said dispenser into said recess.

20. The product dispensing system of claim 19 wherein said detent is biased into said recess.