Product management display system

#The present invention relates generally to a shelf assembly for use in merchandising product and more particularly to a shelf assembly having improved mechanisms for displaying and pushing product on the shelves.

#It is known that retail and wholesale stores, such as drug stores, grocery stores, discount stores, toy stores, and the like, require a large amount of shelving both to store product and to display the product to consumers. In displaying product, it is desirable for the product on the shelves to be situated toward the front of the shelf so that the product is visible and accessible to consumers. To accomplish this placement of product, known systems include the use of a pusher system to push the product toward the front of the shelf as the product at the front of the shelf is removed. Dividing panels or dividers may also be used to separate product on the shelf to provide better organization of the product and to make the display of the product more appealing to consumers. Known merchandising systems that incorporate the use of pusher mechanisms can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,041,720 and 4,830,201, all of which are assigned to RTC Industries, Inc, and are incorporated herein by reference.

#In the past, to display product of varying sizes, the pusher mechanism typically needed to be modified to properly push the product. For example, if the product had a narrow width configuration, often a narrower pusher panel was used to properly push the narrower product on the shelf. Similarly, if the product had a wide width configuration, a wider pusher panel was used to push the product toward the front of the shelf. Alternatively, with wider and/or heavier product, multiple pusher mechanisms and panels were sometimes used to push the product. In some applications, the spring mechanism of the pusher was changed to provide a spring with a greater spring force to properly push the heavier product on the shelf. Such modifications to the merchandising systems were often time consuming and required the use of additional components not readily accessible nearby. Also, the additional components needed to be inventoried by the stores, thereby adding additional cost to the stores. In many instances, the additional components were misplaced or lost by the stores. In addition, the store personnel who often were required to make such modifications to the pusher mechanism, were sometimes incorrectly installing parts and components, which often led to the improper functioning of the merchandising system.

#FIG. 1 depicts an isometric front view of an exemplary embodiment of a product management display system of the present invention.

#FIG. 2 depicts an isometric rear view of the product management display system of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 depicts an isometric front view of another exemplary embodiment of a product management display system of the present invention.

#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. Further, the use of the term “mount,” “mounted” or “mounting” is meant to broadly include any technique or method of mounting, attaching, joining or coupling one part to another, whether directly or indirectly.

#The invention may be embodied in various forms. Referring to the Figures wherein like numerals indicate like elements, there is depicted in FIG. 1 an isometric front view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Exemplary merchandise system 10 includes a base 12 defining one or more tracks 14 on which is mounted a pusher mechanism 16 that may slide along the tracks. The system 10 further includes at least one roller assembly 18 that includes a plurality of rollers 20 configured in an aligned manner on the assembly 18. A divider 22 may also be used to separate product into rows. The base 12, pusher mechanism 16, roller assembly 18 and divider 22 may also be mounted to a front or rear rail 24. The components of the system 10 may be separate components, components joined together, or components configured together as a unitary, one-piece assembly.

#The exemplary merchandise system 10 allows for the placement and pushing of larger and/or heavier product on a shelf or surface and in particular on a horizontal or non-inclined shelf or surface. The invention also permits the pushing of products having product packaging that does not readily slide on a horizontal shelf or surface. For instance, cases of soft drinks or boxes of detergent that are packaged in a cardboard or paper-based material are often not readily slidable on the shelf without significant effort due to the weight of the product and the friction forces between the product packaging and the shelf on which the product is placed. The merchandise system 10 improves the merchandising of these and other products through the use of the exemplary pusher mechanism 16 used with the one or more exemplary roller assemblies 18. By placing the product on one or more of the roller assemblies 18, the pusher mechanism 16 will be able to more readily urge the product toward the front of the shelf or toward the aisle for proper merchandising of the product.