U.S. patent number 3,741,617 [Application Number 05/176,019] was granted by the patent office on 1973-06-26 for self-service merchandiser.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Amerock Corporation. Invention is credited to Lawrence E. Gloyd.
United States Patent |
3,741,617 |
Gloyd |
June 26, 1973 |
SELF-SERVICE MERCHANDISER
Abstract
A knockdown, portable merchandiser includes a base section with
upright side walls spanned by a back wall and a plurality of open
front compartments located between the side walls for self-service
storage of retail articles. An upper section fits edge-to-edge on
top of the base section and includes a storage box projecting below
the lower edge of the upper section for insertion into the upper
end of the base section to align and stabilize the upper section on
top of the base section. Rectangular panels overlap the side walls
of the upper section and the base section with opposite ends of the
panels attached to the side walls of the base section and upper
section, respectively, to hold the upper section on top of the base
section.
Inventors: |
Gloyd; Lawrence E. (Rockford,
IL) |
Assignee: |
Amerock Corporation (Rockford,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
22642644 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/176,019 |
Filed: |
August 30, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
312/108; 312/118;
312/111; 312/234 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F
5/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47F
5/10 (20060101); A47b 087/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;312/107,108,111,114,117,118,148,234,263,278,279 ;108/60,111
;211/148 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mitchell; James C.
Claims
I claim as my invention:
1. A self-service merchandiser for display and storage of a
complement of articles, said merchandiser comprising a freestanding
base section having two spaced upright side walls and a back wall
connected between said side walls, said walls having top edges
defining an open top in said base section, a plurality of
individual compartments spaced below said top edges and supported
between said walls for storage of a number of said articles, an
upper section including two upright side walls and a back wall
connected between said latter side walls, said upper section walls
having bottom edges, an elongated storage box mounted on the front
side of the upper section back wall, the ends of said box being
connected to the side walls of the upper section and the lower end
portion of the box projecting downwardly beyond the bottom edges of
the upper section walls to telescope into the base section and to
guide the upper section onto the base section, said box keeping the
top and bottom edges of the side walls aligned for abutting
engagement with each other to support the upper section on top of
the base section with the end portions of said box engaging the
inner sides of the base section side walls to stabilize the upper
section on top of the base section, and means fastened to the side
walls of said sections to hold the two sections together, said
sections providing inner wall surfaces adapted to support samples
of said articles for display.
2. A self-service merchandiser for display and storage of a
complement of articles, said merchandiser comprising a freestanding
base section with two spaced upright side walls having top edges, a
back wall connected between said side walls, a plurality of
individual compartments spaced below said top edges, supported
between said walls and having open front ends spaced from the front
side of said back wall for access to articles stored within the
compartments, an upper section including two upright side walls
having bottom edges, a back wall connected between the latter side
walls, an elongated storage box mounted on the front side of the
back wall of said upper section, the side ends of said box being
connected to the upper section side walls and the lower end portion
of the box projecting downwardly beyond the bottom edges of the
upper section to telescope into the base section and to guide the
upper section onto the base section, said box keeping the tip and
bottom edges of the side walls aligned for abutting engagement with
each other to support the upper section on top of the base section,
the lower portions of the ends of the box engaging the rear
portions of the inner sides of the base section side walls to
stabilize the upper section on top of the base section, and panels
with opposite end portions overlapping the front portions of the
side walls of said sections and being fastened to said side walls
to hold the two sections together, said panels and the front of
said box providing inner wall surfaces adapted to support samples
of said articles for display.
3. A merchandiser as defined by claim 2 wherein the compartments
extend rearwardly within the base section and end short of the back
wall thereby to leave a space between the back wall and the back
ends of the compartments, and a vertically elongated bin behind the
back ends of the compartments within said space, the upper end of
said bin opening in an upwardly direction forwardly of the lower
end of the box to enable access to articles stored within the
bin.
4. A merchandiser as defined by claim 3 wherein the front wall of
said storage bin is tilted upwardly and forwardly so that articles
stored therein slant downwardly and rearwardly toward the base
section back wall to facilitate removal of the articles upwardly
from said bin and past said box.
5. A merchandiser as defined by claim 2 wherein the bottom walls of
said compartments are tilted downwardly and rearwardly toward the
base section back wall at a common angle to facilitate
identification and removal of the stored articles.
6. A merchandiser as defined by claim 5 wherein said storage
compartments are of different front-to-rear depths to position the
forward ends of different lengths of articles in a common plane at
the front of the merchandiser to facilitate identification and
removal of the stored articles.
7. A merchandiser as defined by claim 2 wherein said box includes a
plurality of separate vertical storage bins arranged side-by-side
across the length of said box, a door extending across the front
side of the box and normally closing the upper front portions of
said bins, means mounting said door for swinging into an open
position for loading of articles into said bins, and a lower
opening below the door and extending along the front and across the
length of said box to enable removal of the lowest article stored
within each bin.
8. A merchandiser as defined by claim 7 wherein said door includes
a front panel and a back panel spaced from said front panel adapted
to be separated from said front panel to enable attachment of
samples of said articles to said front panel and to inhibit removal
of the samples from said door.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a merchandiser of the type in which
retail merchandise is stored for self-service access by
customers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a new and
improved knockdown, portable merchandiser of the above general
character which may be set up for use in less time and with much
less effort than is possible with prior merchandisers.
A further object is to provide a merchandiser of the above type
which, when assembled, is very sturdy and capable of standing free
of walls or other additional support so that the merchandiser may
be placed in the most advantageous selling position possible within
a store.
A more detailed object is to provide the merchandiser with a unique
connection which serves to facilitate assembly of the merchandiser
by guiding together the component sections of the merchandiser and
which holds the assembled sections together so that the resulting
merchandiser is freestanding and very sturdy.
Another object is to provide the sections with a plurality of
storage areas especially arranged and positioned so that customers
can easily see and remove individual articles stored within the
areas and so that the merchandiser is easy to restock so as to
maintain a large supply of articles.
An additional object is to construct the merchandiser so that the
inner wall surfaces of the sections provide areas for mounting
actual samples of the articles offered for sale and for mounting
photographs or other illustrations depicting the articles in use.
It is a further object to construct some of the walls of the
merchandiser so that, when the samples are mounted thereon, the
samples cannot be removed easily and sold should the supply of
stored articles be exhausted.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention
will become more apparent from the following detailed description
when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a self-service merchandiser
embodying the novel features of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the
merchandiser.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of the
merchandiser.
FIG. 4 is a plan view taken substantially along the line 4--4 of
FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line
5--5 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken
substantially along the line 6--6 of FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is an enlarged
fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line
7--7 of FIG. 3 and showing in phantom an article mounted on the
merchandiser.
FIGS. 8, 9, 10 and 11 are enlarged cross-sectional views taken
substantially along the lines 8--8, 9--9, 10--10 and 11--11,
respectively, of FIG. 3.
FIG. 12 is an exploded side elevational view of parts of the
merchandiser.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the
invention is embodied in a self-service merchandiser 20 for use by
a retail merchant to market articles of merchandise. In general,
the present invention contemplates a merchandiser suitable for use
in marketing a particular line or complement of merchandise wherein
areas for storage of the articles are arranged for easy access and
identification of the stored articles by customers. In addition,
inner wall surfaces 21 (FIG. 1) of the merchandiser provide areas
for mounting samples of the articles and photographs or the like
depicting the uses of the various articles to help stimulate
impulse purchases. With the present merchandiser, a large supply of
individually packaged articles of the line of merchandise is
available so that customers can help themselves to the article of
their choice without need of the assistance of a clerk.
Herein, the merchandiser 20 is assembled from basically two
portable sections, a base secton 23 and an upper section 24, each
of which is sized for easy handling and shipping from the factory
to the retail merchant. Both sections are generally the same size,
being of a rectangular box shape with open fronts and spaced
upright side walls 25 and 26 connected together by back walls 27
and 29. Located between the side walls 25 of the base section is a
plurality of storage bins or compartments 30 which are supported on
generally horizontal shelves 31 and open toward the front for easy
access by customers. The inner surfaces of the walls 26 and 29 of
the upper section provide the display areas for photographs and
actual mounted samples of the articles. When assembling the
merchandiser, the upper section 24 is placed on top of the base
section 23 with the lower edge 33 of the upper section in abutting
engagement with the upper edge 34 of the base section so as to
define a joint 35 between the two sections.
In carrying out the invention, provision is made of a unique
quick-assembly connection 36 between the two sections 23 and 24 so
that the time and work previously required to set up similar
displays are reduced substantially. For these purposes, the
connection includes an article storage box 37 (see FIGS. 1 and 12)
which serves as a guide when placing the upper section on top of
the base section. Two panels 39 fasten the sections together when
mounted on the side walls 25 and 26 across the joint 35 between the
two sections. With this arrangement the merchandiser can be set up
much more quickly and easily than was possible heretofore.
Moreover, the assembled merchandiser is very sturdy and is capable
of standing free of room walls or other supports thereby allowing
the merchandiser to be placed in the most desirable location within
a store for the stimulation of sales.
In the present instance, the upper end of the base section 23 is
open to admit the lower end portion 40 of the storage box 37 to fit
between the inner wall surfaces 41 (FIG. 3) of the side walls 25 of
the base section. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the top shelf 43 is
spaced below the top edge 34 of the base section so that the upper
end portion of the base section opens upwardly and toward the front
of the merchandiser 20. Moreover, the top edge of the base section
is located within a generally horizontal plane for abutting
engagement with the bottom edge 33 of the upper section 23 to
provide vertical support for the latter on top of the base
section.
The storage box 37 is mounted across the lower end of the upper
secton 24 and extends downwardly beyond the bottom edge 33 of the
upper section. As shown in FIG. 5, the box is narrower than the
side walls 26 and extends along the lower front surface of the back
wall 29 of the upper section, the box being fastened at both ends
to the side walls 26 and extending lengthwise along the back wall.
The upper side 44 of the box is open and is located below the top
end of the upper section to leave the inner wall surfaces 21 of the
side walls and back walls exposed for the display of mounted
samples and photographs of the articles being offered for sale.
To fit the two sections together, the upper section 24 is lowered
onto the base section 23 as shown in FIG. 12 with the opposite ends
45 (FIG. 4) of the lower end portion 40 of the storage box 37
engaging the inner surfaces 41 of the side walls 25 of the base
section and the rear wall 46 of the box engaging the inner surface
of the back wall 27 (see FIG. 5) of the base section so that the
bottom edge 33 of the upper section 24 is guided into abutting
engagement with the top edge 34 of the base section. Thus, the two
sections are mounted one on top of the other in edge-to-edge
supporting engagement with the box holding the edges 33 and 34 in
alignment with each other by reason of the tight fit of the box
between the side walls. Moreover, the coaction between the box and
side walls advantageously serves to stabilize the upper section
against sidewise movement.
Once the upper section 24 has been placed on top of the base
section 23, the two side panels 39 (FIGS. 1 and 12) are used to
hold the two sections together by being attached to the side walls
25 and 26 of both sections across the joint 35. For this purpose,
the panels are generally rectangular in shape and are sized to be
fastened on the inner surfaces of the side walls 25 and 26 between
the front of the storage box 37 and the front edge of the side
walls across the joint by screws as indicated at 47 in FIG. 2. So
fastened, the top edges of the panels are located in the same
horizontal plane as the upper side 44 of the storage box and the
bottom edges of the panels rest on the upper shelf 43 with the
exposed surfaces of the panels defining a portion of the inner wall
surfaces 21 to which samples of the articles may be attached. With
the panels in this position, the exposed inner surfaces of the side
walls 26 and the back wall 29 further define the inner wall
surfaces 21 to which the photographs may be attached.
To highlight the photographs and samples on display, lights 49 are
located within a cornice 50 (FIG. 4) which provides additional
support to the upper section 24 by extending between the upper
front end corners of the side walls 26. Preferably, the cornice is
a separate part of the upper section and is attached quickly to the
upper section by pins 51 (FIG. 2) which extend into holes in the
edges of the side walls and the edges of the opposite ends 53 of
the cornice.
To further facilitate self-service by customers, the compartments
30 are of different depths and the shelves 31 are titled upwardly
and forwardly with respect to the horizontal at an angle a (FIG. 5)
of about 9.degree.. This positions the ends of cartons (not shown)
containing the articles in a common plane facing somewhat upwardly
for easy reading of end labels and identification of the cartoned
articles stored within the compartments. As shown in FIG. 3,
different sizes of compartments are provided to accommodate
different sizes of articles. Preferably, the smaller compartments
are located adjacent the side walls 25 of the base section 23 with
the larger and deeper compartments positioned centrally within the
base section. This permits more efficient utilization of the space
within the merchandiser 20 by using the otherwise wasted space
behind the shallower compartments as vertically opening bins 54
(FIG. 8) for the storage of elongated articles. The bins are
accessible through openings 52 (FIG. 5) in the shelf 43 and include
forwardly and upwardly inclined front walls 55 so that articles can
be removed easily from the bin without interference with the lower
end portion 40 of the storage box 37 (see FIGS. 4 and 5).
Additional storage space is provided by the box 37 which includes a
plurality of vertical bins 56 arranged side-by-side across the
length of the box. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bins, while being
all of the same height, are of different depths and widths for
different sizes of articles. An irregular opening 57 within a front
wall 58 of the box extends along the lower ends of the bins with
the height of the opening at any particular bin being correlated
with the height of the article to be stored within that bin.
Preferably, the opening at each bin is just slightly greater than
the height of the carton containing the article stored in that bin
so that only one carton at a time can be removed from a given bin
through the opening.
As shown in FIG. 3, the upper portion of the front wall 58 of the
box 37 is formed by a door 59. Tee latter is hinged along its lower
edge to swing between a vertical position (see FIG. 6) closing the
front of the box and a horizontal position exposing the bins 56 for
loading purposes. To limit movement of the door into the horizontal
position, one end of a length of chain 60 is attached to the upper
center of the door and the other end of the chain is fastened to
the back wall 29 of the upper section 24 as shown in FIG. 6. To
reach the back wall, the chain extends through a vertical passage
61 (FIG. 4) located between the two center bins of the storage box.
Also extending through the passage are two cords 63 (FIG. 6) which
connect at one end to a sash balancer 64 mounted on the back wall
and at the other end to the upper center of the door to facilitate
opening and closing of the door. When in the opened or horizontal
position, the door provides a shelf upon which articles can be
stacked before being placed in the bins 56. As shown in FIG. 7, the
outer wall 65 of the door also defines a portion of the inner wall
surfaces 21 which may be used to mount additional display samples
of the articles.
To prevent easy removal of the display samples of the articles from
the door 59, the latter is of double thickness and consists of the
outer wall 65 and a back panel 66 spaced rearwardly of the outer
wall by a peripheral frame 67. Prior to fastening the back panel to
the frame, the display samples are fastened on the outer wall by
screws 69 driven in through the back side of the outer wall such as
are shown in phantom in FIG. 7 to attach an article 70 to the outer
wall. Then the back panel is stapled to the frame to prevent access
to the screws so that the display samples cannot be removed easily
from the outer wall. Thus, when the supply of a particular article
is exhausted, a merchant is more likely to order the article for a
customer rather than remove and sell the display sample and the
display remains in tact so that customers can see the entire line
of articles even if a particular article is not immediately
available for sale.
From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention
provides a new and improved self-service merchandiser 20 which can
be set up much more quickly and easily then previous merchandisers
of the same general type. Thus, the merchandiser comprises
essentially two portable sections, the base section 23 and the
upper section 24. The latter includes the downwardly projecting
storage box 37 which fits between the side walls 25 of the base
section to guide the edges 33 and 34 of the two sections into
abutting engagement and to stabilize the upper section on top of
the base section. The panels 39 overlap the joint 35 between the
two sections and are fastened to the side walls 25 and 26 of the
upper section and the base section to hold the upper section in
place on top of the base section. Thus, assembly of the
merchandiser may be accomplished very quickly and easily, and if
desired, display samples and pictures can be attached by the
manufacturer before the merchandiser is received at the retail
outlet so that all that needs to be done to set up the merchandiser
for self-service is to assemble the two basic sections, attach the
cornice and panels and stock the merchandiser with articles.
* * * * *