Supports: racks – Special article – Stacked articles
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-20
2001-10-16
Chin-Shue, Alvin (Department: 3623)
Supports: racks
Special article
Stacked articles
Reexamination Certificate
active
06302279
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Traditionally, display and end cap racks and gondolas used in supermarkets and like facilities are filled from the front. A drawback of this is that there is no assurance that the first merchandise placed on the gondolas will be the first merchandise removed by a customer. This frequently results in older stock remaining on the gondolas. To eliminate that possibility when restocking a gondola, everything must be removed from the front, following which new merchandise must be moved to the rear and the older merchandise reloaded from the plant. This presents obvious drawbacks and frequently results in customers purchasing inventory that is not up to date because the steps necessary to assure rotation are not taken. In turn, this can result in the loss of customer satisfaction and the permanent loss of customers who are dissatisfied with the quality of the merchandise they have purchased.
Typical merchandise aisles, such as in supermarkets, have display rack or gondola arrays which are fixed in position. The arrays are typically positioned between two parallel aisles which intersect a transverse end aisle. Thus, the gondola arrays typically include an end cap facing the transverse end aisle and one or more gondolas extending between the parallel aisles which terminate at the end cap. Consumers can select merchandise from the end cap when in the end aisle and from the front of the other gondolas when in the other aisles. It is arrays such as this which must be loaded from the fronts of the gondolas because there is no available alternative.
Back loading is known, but only in arrays of refrigerated cabinets and the like, such as those used for milk display and dispensing. In those cases, the shelving is accessible to customers from an aisle, via a door or like opening in the cabinets. In such an arrangement, the shelving can be loaded with fresh merchandise from a storage area behind the cabinets and shelving. Customers obviously can gain access to the merchandise from the aisle, but there is no customer access either from another parallel aisle or from the end of an end cap array, the latter because there is no end cap.
It would be desirable to provide a rack and gondola system from which customers passing down two adjacent parallel aisles and through an associated transverse aisle providing an end cap may select merchandise, while permitting the filling of the gondola system and the end cap from the rear to assure first-in, first-out selection of merchandise by customers. This will produce a system in which there will be greater assurance of merchandise rotation, less in-store loading and restocking time, and which interferes only minimally with customer activity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, an in-store product display area rack array adapted to be located at the end of a row of display racks and positioned between a pair of first and second parallel aisles and a third end aisle perpendicular to the parallel aisles is provided. The aisles are used by customers for selecting merchandise from the front surfaces of racks located on opposite sides of the aisles.
The display area rack array comprises a first fixed rack for storage and display of merchandise, the first rack having a front display surface facing a first aisle, a parallel rear surface adapted to be exposed to a second adjacent parallel aisle and side surfaces which are generally perpendicular to the rear and front surfaces, a second end cap rack for storage and display of merchandise, the second rack being mounted adjacent to and moveable relative to the first rack, the second end cap rack having a front display face facing the third end aisle, the second end cap display rack having a rear face which is generally parallel to the third end aisle and which is parallel to and closely adjacent to one of the side surfaces of the first rack, the second end cap display rack being moveable between a first position in which the rear face and the one side surface of the first rack are closely adjacent and a second position in which the rear face and the one side surface are spaced apart a distance sufficient to allow a person to freely enter the space therebetween and to load the second end cap rack with merchandise from the rear face, and a third rack for storage and display of merchandise, the third rack being mounted adjacent to and moveable relative to the first rack, the third rack confronting the rear surface of the first rack and facing the second aisle and moveable away from the rear surface to expose the rear surface to allow a person to load the first rack with merchandise from the rear surface of the first rack, the three storage and display racks constituting a unitary rack array comprising a display area in a first display mode and defining an open loading area behind the end cap rack in a second loading mode.
In a most-preferred form, the display rack assembly includes a fixed pocket adjacent the end cap rack and in line with the third rack and positioned to receive the third rack when it is moved to expose the rear surface of the first rack.
Desirably, the rack array includes means for mounting the second and third racks for movement in directions parallel to the first and second aisles. In another form, the rack array includes means for mounting at least one of the second and third racks for pivotal movement about corners of the second and third racks. At least one of the second and third moveable racks is supported on rollers supported on the floor of the display area.
In a preferred form, roller means are provided for mounting the first and third racks to each other, whereby the third rack may roll from a first position confronting the rear surface of the first display rack to a second position in which the rear surface is exposed to the second aisle to permit loading of the first rack with merchandise from the rear surface thereof.
The display rack array may desirably further comprise a plurality of the first fixed racks arrayed in a row, each having a rear surface, and a plurality of the third moveable racks arrayed in a row for movement in a direction parallel to the rear surfaces of the first racks.
In a most-preferred form, the display rack array includes roller means mounted on the first and third racks for rollingly supporting the third racks on the first racks for rolling movement away from the first rack rear surfaces to expose the rear surfaces to allow loading of the first racks with goods from the rear surfaces of the first racks. Desirably, the roller means comprise a track mounted on the first racks and rollers mounted on the third racks.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5119944 (1992-06-01), Milton
patent: 5476180 (1995-12-01), Konstant
patent: 5524776 (1996-06-01), Hall et al.
patent: 5595311 (1997-01-01), Allen
patent: 5617961 (1997-04-01), Konstant et al.
patent: 5871108 (1999-02-01), White
Chin-Shue Alvin
Conte Robert I.
Lee Mann Smith McWilliams Sweeney & Ohlson
Purol Sarah
RHC/Spacemaster
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