Front-Loading Rack for Displaying and First-In, First-Out Dispensing of Products

A rack for displaying and first-in, first-out dispensing of a plurality of products of substantially identical configuration each having a bottom end configured for supporting the product in an upright orientation resting on the bottom end, comprising:

• a loading chute defining at a front side of the rack and extending rearwardly therefrom, the loading chute including a loading ramp extending from the loading aperture to a rear end of the loading ramp, the loading chute being configured to receive the products one at a time, bottom end first, in a horizontal orientation with a front face of each product against the loading ramp;
• a dispensing chute defining a dispensing aperture at the front side of the rack and extending rearwardly therefrom, the dispensing chute including a dispensing ramp that slopes downwardly from a rear end of the dispensing ramp to a front end thereof, the rear end of the dispensing ramp being laterally adjacent the rear end of the loading ramp;
• a cam extending between the rear ends of the loading and dispensing ramps, the cam sloping downwardly in a rearward direction so as to tilt a product sliding off the rear end of the loading ramp into an upright orientation with the front face of the product facing forward, and sloping downwardly in a lateral direction so as to move the upright product onto the rear end of the dispensing ramp with the front face still facing forward;
• and
• a stop positioned adjacent the dispensing aperture such that the upright product sliding down the dispensing ramp is stopped by the stop and is positioned to allow a consumer to withdraw the product from the dispensing aperture.