Merchandising devices   

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/870,993 filed on Dec. 20, 2006.

Not applicable.

This invention relates to merchandising devices for displaying and dispensing various types of products, especially products such as those typically found in the rough electrical aisle of a retail store.

Big box retailers have proliferated. As is well known, these stores sell mainly based on price and must be operated efficiently to survive. It is normal that such stores stock many different items. Just keeping the shelves stocked and in reasonable order is a major task. In addition, each manufacturer whose products are sold in these stores has a natural concern that the big box retailer sees an advantage to doing business with that manufacturer and ultimately that the consumer will choose that manufacturer's products over a competitor's products.

Retailers and consumers are surrounded by competing brands. Consumers more often than not reach first for the best displayed products with the most clear, easy-to-understand specifications, features and applications. Signage, packaging and display play a large part in, purchasing decisions, as consumers' perception of the product is determined in many cases by the display and packaging.

Many different methods of merchandising have been tried. A common method is simply to place products in bins that are open at the top for the consumer to pick the products from the bins. There is usually some sort of sign or placard at the front of the bin or on the shelf adjacent to the front of the bin that gives some information about the products such as specifications and the price.

Another common method of merchandising is by packaging each product in bags, blister or clam shell packs and hanging the packs from a hook. These items can be relatively difficult to restock, and are thought to be relatively unnecessary for small items which can be more efficiently bagged and boxed or simply boxed. Also, when the density of these displays becomes great with many different small products in a small space, it can be confusing for the consumer. Further, as products are removed from a hook, the remaining products on the hook are further back and sometimes more difficult for a consumer to see or reach. Thus, many stores require store personnel to perform “fronting” of product, that is, moving the products remaining on the hook to the front of the hook to prove better visibility and accessibility for the consumer.

Thus, merchandisers have an interest in effective merchandising to the consumer. Manufacturers who have a number of different products within a product family face particular challenges since limited shelf space will be allotted by the retailer to the entire product family, and it is in both of their interests to display the products in an appealing manner, in a space saving manner, and to provide adequate product information to the customer. Where there are multiple small products, the challenges are amplified. The merchandising devices discussed herein address these issues.

The present application relates to product display and merchandising devices or systems that hold various products in a uniform, organized, and preferably space-saving manner and such that product information is presented in a manner helpful to the consumer.

These and other advantages of the invention will appear in the detailed description which follows. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a gravity assisted product display device including a gravity feed arm for supporting products;

FIG. 2 is a view of the product display device of FIG. 1 with the products removed;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the product display device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a merchandising device for displaying and dispensing packages of long slender items such as cable ties having varying lengths;

FIG. 5 is a detail view of a single tier of the merchandising device of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the merchandising device of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a merchandising device for holding fish tapes;

FIG. 8 illustrates details of the merchandising device of FIG. 7 with the fish tapes removed;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the merchandising device of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 illustrates an end view of a merchandising device without a stand;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary cross sectional detail view of a portion of the device shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a merchandising device for holding conduit benders;

FIG. 13 illustrates details of the merchandising device of FIG. 12 with the conduit benders removed;

FIG. 14 is a top view of the merchandising device of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15a is a cross sectional view of the merchandising device along line 15a-15a of FIG. 14;

FIG. 15b is a view of a merchandising device for holding conduit benders wherein the heads of the conduit benders are supported by the front edge of the frame member;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a merchandising system for displaying and dispensing different electrical instruments;

FIG. 17 is a front view of the display of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is an end view of the rotatable display bar of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is an end view of the rotatable display bar, similar to FIG. 18, wherein the display bar has been rotated from the position illustrated in FIG. 18;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the rotatable display bar through the weight;

FIG. 21 is a front view of adjacent merchandising devices forming an organized product display in an aisle;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a merchandising device for displaying and dispensing a plurality of related products from the same product line;

FIG. 23 illustrates the merchandising device of FIG. 22 being restocked;

FIG. 24 illustrates support structures of the merchandising device of FIG. 22; and

FIG. 25 illustrates a side view of the merchandising device of FIG. 22.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate one embodiment of a gravity assisted product display device 10 which is mountable to an apertured panel board 12 and holds a plurality of products, such as packaged products 14. The product display device 10 includes a mounting bracket 16 mountable to the panel or peg board 12, a gravity feed, continuous wire arm 18 extending from the mounting bracket 16 for supporting the products 14, and a second continuous wire arm 20 for supporting a product information tag or “shouter” 22.

The gravity feed arm 18 is attached to and extends generally outwardly from the mounting bracket 16. Arm 18 includes a first portion 24, a second portion 26, and a third portion 28. The first portion 24 extends outwardly and downwardly from the mounting bracket 16 such that products 14 on this portion travel outwardly and downwardly, assisted by gravity, whenever an outermost product 14A is removed from the outer end of the gravity feed arm 18. The second portion 26 extends at least outwardly and perhaps slightly upwardly from an end of the first portion 24. In this manner, a product 14A on this portion is oriented generally vertically or can be tilted slightly upwardly as shown in FIG. 3. A slight upward tilt is advantageous when the product display device 10 is placed below consumer eye level so the consumer can better see the front face of the product or packaged product. The third portion 28 extends at least upwardly with respect to an end of the second portion 26 and prevents supported products on the gravity feed arm 18 from falling off.

The product information tag 22 includes information relevant to the supported products such as price, graphics, specifications, product selection assistance, or the like. Preferably the product information tag 22 is generally aligned with the outermost product 14A, and in this manner provides product information that is easy to find, easy to view, and allows for an effortless transition between viewing or reading information on the product information tag 22 and viewing or reading information on the product itself or any package for the product.

The gravity feed arm 18 is easily reloaded with additional products and its gravity assisted nature insures that products are automatically moved towards the outer end of the arm 18. This feature advantageously eliminates the need for store personnel to perform product fronting. Additionally, having several product display devices with gravity feed arms extending outwardly the same amount provides a product display for a variety of products which has a neat and uniform appearance because the end products on each device are automatically aligned with the others. Further, aligning the product information tags at a same distance from the panel board adds to the uniform and uncluttered effect of the product display.

Referring now to FIGS. 4-6, a merchandising device 40 is illustrated for displaying and dispensing packages 42 of long slender items such as cable ties. Cable ties are typically packaged with multiple cable ties of the same length in a single package. A product family typically includes packages 42 of varying lengths. It is desirable to display a product family of cable ties in a uniform, organized manner, and the illustrated merchandising device 40 achieves this goal. In particular, the merchandising device 40 includes a plurality of stacked tiers 44 arranged in a stepwise manner and supported at their ends by a pair of supports 46. The tiers 44 are divided into compartments 48 that are sized to accommodate packages of cable ties, each compartment for accommodating packages 42 of a specific length of cable tie.

In the illustrated embodiment, the tiers 44 are wire shelves and preferably include repositionable dividers 50 for dividing the tiers into the various compartments 48. As specifically illustrated in FIG. 6, each tier 44 has a sloped bottom 52 such that the packages 42 slide to a front side of that tier and are held within each tier by a front barrier 54. As shown, the front barrier 54 may include a solid lower portion 58 and a wire upper portion 59. The illustrated arrangement of stepwise wire tiers 44 allows a consumer to easily see if a product is stocked and allows a consumer easy access to the products. This arrangement also allows the compartments 48 to be easily restocked.

A product information tag 56 including information such as price, graphics, specifications such as length, product selection assistance, or the like, is associated with each compartment 48 and is preferably mounted on the front barrier 54. In this manner, tags 56 on a specific tier are aligned with each other, creating a uniform and visually pleasing appearance.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-11, a merchandising device 60 is illustrated for holding fish tapes 62. In general, fish tapes include a generally disk-shaped reel portion 64 and a handle 66 extending from the reel portion. The merchandising device includes a rack 68, preferably a wire rack, for supporting the fish tapes 62. In the illustrated embodiment, the device 60 includes a stand or elevating portion 70. As best seen in FIG. 8, the rack 68 includes dividers 72 defining slots 74 to align the reel portions 64 side by side. The rack 68 also includes a handle aligning feature 76 to align the handles 66 side by side.

As shown in FIG. 9, a product information tag 78 is supported by the rack 68 and includes information on a front face such as price, graphics, specifications, product selection assistance, or the like, relevant to the one or more types of fish tapes that can be supported by the rack 68. The front face of the product information tag 78 can be oriented in the manner shown such that it is easily viewed from above.

The product information tag 78, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, may also include an attachment portion 80 that which allows easy attachment to and removal from the rack. For example, attachment portion 80 may include one or more hinges 82 and clips 84 that allow the product information tag to be clipped to a front side 86 of the rack 78 at tabs 88.

The merchandising device 60 can be supported on a horizontal surface such as the floor or on a shelf, either with or without the elevating portion 70. FIG. 10 illustrates rack 68 without an elevating portion, and shows the side-by-side arrangement of the fish tapes.

Referring now to FIGS. 12-15, illustrated therein is a merchandising device 90 for holding conduit benders 92, each conduit bender 92 including an elongated handle 94 and a head 96. The conduit benders can be of various sizes. The merchandising device 90 is preferably attachable to an apertured panel board 98 and includes a pair of brackets 100, a multi-sided frame 102 connected to the brackets 100 and extending outwardly therefrom, a bracing member 104 extending between the apertured panel board 98 and the frame 102 for supporting the frame 102 and an orientation member 108.

The multi-sided frame 102 supports the conduit benders such that the heads 96 are oriented above the handles 94. Frame 102 includes a front edge 106 extending generally parallel to the panel board 98. Orientation member 108 is attached to the frame 102 near the front edge 106 and aligns the handles such that they extend from the heads 96 downwardly and inwardly toward the panel board 98. This configuration allows more conduit benders 92 to be accommodated in a smaller vertical space than if the handles were completely vertical. The orientation member 108 can also include dividers 109 such as shown in FIG. 15a. The dividers 109 define slots 110 for separating individual conduit benders, and allows for an organized arrangement of the conduit benders.

A product information tag 112 includes information relevant to the conduit benders such as price, graphics, specifications, product selection assistance, or the like. Preferably the product information tag 112 displays information beneath the front edge 106 of the frame.

As shown in FIG. 12, the ends of the handles 94 can rest on a horizontal support surface such as a floor or shelf, or the heads 96 of the conduit benders can be supported by the front edge 106, as shown in FIG. 15b. The illustrated merchandising device thus provides an organized, space-saving means for holding conduit benders.

FIGS. 16-17 illustrate a merchandising system 120 including a rotatable display bar 122 and a plurality of product holding devices 124 adjacent the display bar 122 for holding multiples of each of a plurality of the different types of products that are displayed on the display bar 122. The product holding devices 124 can take a variety of forms and be located at various locations with respect to the display bar 122. For example, the product holding devices 124 can include hooks mounted in an apertured panel board 98 above the display bar 122, as shown in the upper portion of FIG. 16, or hooks mounted to a bar between two support legs 126 of the rotatable display bar 122 and below the rotatable support bar, as shown in the bottom portion of FIG. 16. The products on the product holding devices 124 will typically be packaged.

The elongated, rotatable display bar 122 preferably runs parallel to an aisle in which consumers can walk. The display bar 122 includes multiple sides or faces, each of which includes a set of products. Rotation of the display bar 122 changes the set of products which is displayed to a consumer. The display bar may include one or more tabs 127 having information such as “TURN” to indicate to the consumer that the display bar is rotatable.

For example, electrical instruments that are preferably unpackaged can be displayed on each face of the display bar and held there by wire ties or other fastening means. Unpackaged products allow a consumer to touch and perhaps operate the product.

Preferably each product of a displayed set includes an associated product holding device 124 that is located adjacent to the display bar 122. In this manner, consumers can use the display bar to compare and evaluate various products. Once the consumer has decided which product to buy, it is easy to find that product since the associated product holding device is adjacent the product on the display bar. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, product 128 is displayed on face 130A of the display bar, and multiples of product 128 are held on product hook 124A immediately above displayed product 128.

Although not specifically illustrated, the packaged products corresponding to a displayed set of products on a single face of the display bar can be held on holding devices such as hooks arranged in a single row above the display bar. Thus, the set of products on face 130A of the display bar would be in row 1, the set of products on face 130B would be in row 2, and so on. This arrangement allows a consumer to easily find a desired packaged product.

As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the display board preferably has three sides or faces 130A, 130B, 130C and be fabricated from three pieces of sheet metal, each having a respective first portion 132A, 132B, 132C and a second corresponding portion 134A, 134B, 134C extending at an angle with respect to the first portion. The three pieces are attached together to produce a structurally sound display bar. End pieces 136 are attached at the ends and include a hole through which a pin can be inserted (not specifically shown) for allowing rotation of the bar 122. The display bar 122 can be attached to a vertically extending surface via members 142 and include support legs 126.

A product information tag 144, including product information such as price, graphics, specifications, product selection assistance, or the like, can be attached adjacent each displayed product on the display bar 122. In the illustrated embodiment, the product information tags 144 are insertable in defined slots in the same plane as that on which the products are displayed. The tags 144 are easily inserted and removed to update product information as necessary.

As shown in FIG. 20, the product display bar 122 can also include a weight 146 attached at a specific point within the bar, such as directly opposite face 130B. If not otherwise constrained, the display bar is free to rotate, and gravity ensures that the display bar 122 rotates to a position where the weight 146 is at its lowest point and face 130B is facing upward. In other words, the weight 146 allows the display bar to be oriented in a predetermined default configuration.

FIGS. 21-25 illustrate a merchandising device 150 including a support frame 152 and a carton 154 supported by the support frame 152. The device 150 is meant for displaying and dispensing a plurality of products preferably from the same product line. FIG. 21 illustrates two merchandising devices 150A, 150B arranged side by side such as in the rough electrical aisle of a retail store and illustrates the modular nature of the device. The products in device 150 can be packaged or unpackaged.

FIG. 21 also illustrates a plurality of boxes 177 arranged side by side and supported by shelves 178. Each box 177 holds a plurality of containers aligned from front to back on the shelf. On each shelf, a flange 180 on the front side of the shelf extends upwardly and along the length of the shelf. The boxes 177 each have a slot in the bottom (not shown) which mates with the flange such that the boxes are aligned with one another and are restrained from forward and backward movement relative to the shelf 178. This arrangement allows product information to be displayed on the boxes in an aligned or billboard manner and provides a neat, uniform and organized arrangement.

As best illustrated in FIG. 24, the support frame 152, such as a wire shelf, is attached to brackets 153 that are attached to brackets 143 that are attachable to an apertured panel board 156 and includes a front restraint 158 and at least one side restraint 160. The carton 154 is preferably made of corrugated paperboard and is restrained from depth-wise movement with respect to the panel board 156 by the front restraint 158 and is restrained from side movement in at least one side direction by the side restraint 160. Two or more adjacent support frames 152A, 152B can provide support for two or more adjacent cartons and if arranged as shown in FIG. 24, i.e., with a side restraint 160A on the left of the leftmost support frame 152A and a side restraint 160B on the right of the right most support frame 152B, can restrict the sideways movement of both cartons in both sideways directions. The result provides a uniform, organized display of a plurality of products and is especially advantageous to organize and display different products to package sizes of similar products.

The carton 154 is generally box-shaped including a bottom wall 162, a top wall 164, a front wall 166, a back wall 168, and two side walls 170. The carton 154 is divided into a plurality of compartments 172, each of which can be accessed through a product dispensing opening 174 in the front wall. Each compartment 172 is reloadable from a reloading opening 176 near the top of the carton, such as that formed when top wall 164 is allowed to fold back in the manner shown in FIG. 23.

In the example shown, and as best seen in FIG. 25, the bottom wall 162 extends more forwardly than the top wall 164, and the front wall 166 includes separate first and second portions with the second portion set closer to the panel board than the first portion, in order to form the product opening, direct the consumer to the product, and prevent product from falling out of the carton 154. The front wall 166 bears a product information tag, such as in the form of one or more labels, that substantially covers the second front wall portion and presents information for the products in each compartment on the same plane.

Preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail. Many modifications and variations to the embodiments described will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the embodiments described, but should be defined by the claims which follow.